Tuesday, March 27, 2007
24 hours later!
So it's been just over 24 hours since Jason proposed, and I admit I still have the engagement bug- I can't sleep for all the excitement. The past day has been spent telling our family and friends about our big decision: I am pleased to report that all those concerned seem pretty happy with our announcement. For posterity's sake, here were some of the reactions:
My mom: the first person we called, I was still crying my tears of happiness when I called my mom. Since i had just spoken to her a few hours earlier, she answered the phone concerned that something was wrong! She was quite surprised to find out my real reason for calling. We spoke of how exciting the next year would be, how amazing a person Jason was and how happy she was for us. Then Jason took the phone and she welcomed him to the family. It was about as perfect a phone call I can imagine- totally not the reaction I expected from her at all! It was wonderful.
Jason's parents: Next on our "must call now" list were Jason's parents. Though I didn't get the chance to talk to them, Jason tells me that they appeared much less shocked then my mother. This may have had something to do with the fact that we woke them up! I keep forgetting that 10:30 at night is late for a lot of people...! Jason spoke to both of his parents who expressed happiness for us.
Jeff and Chantal- the instigators for our being together in the first place- were next on our list. Chantal, being pregnant, was sick in bed but we had a chance to talk to Jeff. The couple was far from surprised- realistically they had been expecting this for quite some time. This reaction would be echoed by Miles, Conor and Krystal, all great friends who have known for quite some time that it was only a matter of time. It is, however, nice to finally have it on the record!
Jason's brother, Bryan: Not only did we have to inform Bryan of our decision, we also asked him to make a decision of his own: Would he be our best man! Though Jason's brother was shocked by our news, he readily accepted to be part of our big day! Again, waking him up may have influenced his reaction, but I think it's safe to say that Bryan was the most shocked of all!
Jason's sister, Cristan: We did not succeed in reaching Cristan the night of the engagement. Silly girl had already gone to sleep! Nor did we succed in telling her in person when we returned from lunch with my mother the next day! Silly girl was fast asleep. It was not until after my night class, almost a full day later that she would hear the news- and via telephone at that! Jason had to call her on his break at work since I felt it was important that she it from him first. I then had the pleasure of talking to her in person and asking her to be my bridesmaid. She seems very excited for Jason and I, and even more excited for the wedding! This party girl knows a good time when she hears of one!
Other important phone calls were made- each too brief since we don't speak to our friends enough- Ryan and Skippy have signed on as best men. Sarah Colpitts was thrilled to be asked to sing. And the wedding party is quickly shaping up! I managed to reach Janine over msn and she has accepted to be one of my bridesmaids...all that's left is hearing back from Mikey, whom we had to contact via email because he is still on the ships!
So, as it appears now, the wedding party is as follows:
Best Man: Bryan Lockhart (brother of the Groom)
Groomsmen: Mike Smith (cousin of the Groom), Ryan Boer (friend of the Groom and Bride) and Matt "Skippy" Smith (friend of the Groom and Bride)
Matron of Honor: Chantal Cloutier ("sister" of the Bride, friend of the Groom)
Maid of Honor: Krystal McLay (Friend of the Bride and Groom)
Bridesmaids: Cristan Lockhart (Sister of the Groom, friend/roommate of the Bride) and Janine Groeneveld (friend of the bride)
Attending as ushers (with duties to be determined): Miles Knudsen and Conor Northup (friends of the Bride and Groom)
Masters of Ceremony: Jeff Blahun and Ashley Hisset (friends of the Bride and Groom)
Ring Bearer (if his mom says yes since he's still young!) Jackson Northup (nephew to Conor Northup)
Songstress: Sarah Colpitts (friend of the Bride)
I think that might cover everybody! Jason and I spent a great deal of time discussing and planning the wedding party in order to find roles that were best suited to those who are nearest and deareest to us. Sadly, many others who are also close to our hearts will have to enjoy the view from their seats and have been spared the stress and agony of being in the actual wedding party! Hopefully there won't be any hurt feelings- I have seen too many people fight over positions of honor! And if there are fights, may they be resolved in the best way possible: FOOD FIGHT!
At this time it is unclear what role Antoine will be filling at the wedding, but it is my hope that he will walk me down the aisle in lieu of my father.
Alright, enough sleep-procrastination for now. Time to pass out on the couch and wait for Jason to come home from work! All in all, day one was full of excitement!!!
Zita
PS: We're still not sure how to "announce" our engagement to the rest of our friends, but we figure word of mouth moves quickly enough. Tomorrow, I have to remember to call my own extended family out East! Hopefully my Aunts, Uncle and Nanny will be able to make it out here for the big day!!!
That's all I can think of for now: Next post- 11 months ISN'T ENOUGH TIME!!! Also, wedding flower choices, wedding colors and updates on the ceremony!
My mom: the first person we called, I was still crying my tears of happiness when I called my mom. Since i had just spoken to her a few hours earlier, she answered the phone concerned that something was wrong! She was quite surprised to find out my real reason for calling. We spoke of how exciting the next year would be, how amazing a person Jason was and how happy she was for us. Then Jason took the phone and she welcomed him to the family. It was about as perfect a phone call I can imagine- totally not the reaction I expected from her at all! It was wonderful.
Jason's parents: Next on our "must call now" list were Jason's parents. Though I didn't get the chance to talk to them, Jason tells me that they appeared much less shocked then my mother. This may have had something to do with the fact that we woke them up! I keep forgetting that 10:30 at night is late for a lot of people...! Jason spoke to both of his parents who expressed happiness for us.
Jeff and Chantal- the instigators for our being together in the first place- were next on our list. Chantal, being pregnant, was sick in bed but we had a chance to talk to Jeff. The couple was far from surprised- realistically they had been expecting this for quite some time. This reaction would be echoed by Miles, Conor and Krystal, all great friends who have known for quite some time that it was only a matter of time. It is, however, nice to finally have it on the record!
Jason's brother, Bryan: Not only did we have to inform Bryan of our decision, we also asked him to make a decision of his own: Would he be our best man! Though Jason's brother was shocked by our news, he readily accepted to be part of our big day! Again, waking him up may have influenced his reaction, but I think it's safe to say that Bryan was the most shocked of all!
Jason's sister, Cristan: We did not succeed in reaching Cristan the night of the engagement. Silly girl had already gone to sleep! Nor did we succed in telling her in person when we returned from lunch with my mother the next day! Silly girl was fast asleep. It was not until after my night class, almost a full day later that she would hear the news- and via telephone at that! Jason had to call her on his break at work since I felt it was important that she it from him first. I then had the pleasure of talking to her in person and asking her to be my bridesmaid. She seems very excited for Jason and I, and even more excited for the wedding! This party girl knows a good time when she hears of one!
Other important phone calls were made- each too brief since we don't speak to our friends enough- Ryan and Skippy have signed on as best men. Sarah Colpitts was thrilled to be asked to sing. And the wedding party is quickly shaping up! I managed to reach Janine over msn and she has accepted to be one of my bridesmaids...all that's left is hearing back from Mikey, whom we had to contact via email because he is still on the ships!
So, as it appears now, the wedding party is as follows:
Best Man: Bryan Lockhart (brother of the Groom)
Groomsmen: Mike Smith (cousin of the Groom), Ryan Boer (friend of the Groom and Bride) and Matt "Skippy" Smith (friend of the Groom and Bride)
Matron of Honor: Chantal Cloutier ("sister" of the Bride, friend of the Groom)
Maid of Honor: Krystal McLay (Friend of the Bride and Groom)
Bridesmaids: Cristan Lockhart (Sister of the Groom, friend/roommate of the Bride) and Janine Groeneveld (friend of the bride)
Attending as ushers (with duties to be determined): Miles Knudsen and Conor Northup (friends of the Bride and Groom)
Masters of Ceremony: Jeff Blahun and Ashley Hisset (friends of the Bride and Groom)
Ring Bearer (if his mom says yes since he's still young!) Jackson Northup (nephew to Conor Northup)
Songstress: Sarah Colpitts (friend of the Bride)
I think that might cover everybody! Jason and I spent a great deal of time discussing and planning the wedding party in order to find roles that were best suited to those who are nearest and deareest to us. Sadly, many others who are also close to our hearts will have to enjoy the view from their seats and have been spared the stress and agony of being in the actual wedding party! Hopefully there won't be any hurt feelings- I have seen too many people fight over positions of honor! And if there are fights, may they be resolved in the best way possible: FOOD FIGHT!
At this time it is unclear what role Antoine will be filling at the wedding, but it is my hope that he will walk me down the aisle in lieu of my father.
Alright, enough sleep-procrastination for now. Time to pass out on the couch and wait for Jason to come home from work! All in all, day one was full of excitement!!!
Zita
PS: We're still not sure how to "announce" our engagement to the rest of our friends, but we figure word of mouth moves quickly enough. Tomorrow, I have to remember to call my own extended family out East! Hopefully my Aunts, Uncle and Nanny will be able to make it out here for the big day!!!
That's all I can think of for now: Next post- 11 months ISN'T ENOUGH TIME!!! Also, wedding flower choices, wedding colors and updates on the ceremony!
Monday, March 26, 2007
If Clapton is God, my engagement is Heaven
Jason and I met in the winter of 2001. I had become acquainted with several of his fraternity brothers and we soon got to know each other very well. My best friend began dating one of his closest friends and our circle became pretty tightly knit. Jason and I would talk for hours, arguing about everything from the best Led Zeppelin album to which hockey player is better (my vote: Gretzky, his vote: Lemieux!). We became good friends very quickly and I found myself starting to feel much more strongly for him than I anticipated. Sadly, I was involved with another one of his fraternity brothers at the time and it became complicated. When I broke up with Mr.X and Jason and I tried to get beyond the drama, but in the end it got the better of us. Our romance was short, sweet and had a very bitter break-up.
We would not speak to each other for over four years.
When my best friend announced her engagement, I could not have been happier for her. After, I had introduced the happy couple and knew that they were perfect for each other. However, it soon became apparent that, as Maid of Honor, I would have to confront Jason once again since he was a groomsman. While I was terrified at the prospect, I would quickly find that my fears were all for nothing. Jason and I got along as well as we always had, and the chemistry between us certainly wasn't gone.
We spent a wonderful weekend talking, bonding and realizing that we were still very attracted to each other. However, it would take a few more chance meetings before things got serious! We consider October 28, 2005 to be our anniversary, though there is much debate around the actual date ;)
Our relationship grew throughout the months, but it was upon my diagnosis of cancer that our relationship was really put under pressure. Instead of falling apart as many thought we would, we got significantly closer and opted to move in together soon after I went into remission.
While we openly talked about marriage, it would take several months before the actual proposal occured. We are both huge music fans and decided to go see Eric Clapton who was making an Edmonton pit stop on his 2007 tour. Our song has always been Wonderful Tonight, which started more as an inside joke than anything, and we thought it would be amazing to hear it live in the hockey stadium.
So, the big concert date finally arrives. I had been giddy all week since I am a HUGE fan of Clapton (whom I occasionally refer to as God). I noticed, however, that Jason was also very excited. i imagined this was merely anticipation for a great show. I was wrong.
We enjoyed a nice leisurely dinner (despite the fact that we were late and missed the opening act!) at "our" restaurant, and arrived to the concert well fed and ready for some amazing guitar styling. The show was sold out- an impressive sight since the arena holds room for 30 000! The music did not disappoint and we were on cloud number nine.
Finally, towards the end of the show, I heard the beginning of our song. The entire introduction had been altered but, having been a musician most of my life, I recognized the chord structure immdiately. I excitedly whispered to Jason: "This is IT, he's playing our song!!!". He reached out and took my hands and I immediately started getting teary eyed. I REALLY love my music.
Midway through the song, as Clapton told us that "the wonder of it is all is that you just dont realize how much I love you!", Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He softly whispered his proposal, asking me to make him the "happiest man alive". I am not sure if I even said yes through my tears of happiness. i was beyond excited!
I didn't get to SEE my ring until after the concert (since it was very dark) but was amazed at just how well he knows me. The ring was, without a doubt, perfect and absolutely me.
The next hour was spent calling family and friends to inform them of our wonderful decision. We then bounced off to a hotel room we had reserved and spent the rest of the evening sipping the champagne Jason had bought and dreaming of the future.
In short, the entire night was perfect.
I said it before, and I will say it again- If Eric Clapton is God, my engagement is Heaven!
Wonderful Tonight- Eric Clapton
It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair.
And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?"
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight."
We go to a party and everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady that's walking around with me.
And then she asks me, "Do you feel all right?"
And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight."
I feel wonderful because I see
The love light in your eyes.
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you.
It's time to go home now and I've got an aching head,
So I give her the car keys and she helps me to bed.
And then I tell her, as I turn out the light,
I say, "My darling, you were wonderful tonight.
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight."
We would not speak to each other for over four years.
When my best friend announced her engagement, I could not have been happier for her. After, I had introduced the happy couple and knew that they were perfect for each other. However, it soon became apparent that, as Maid of Honor, I would have to confront Jason once again since he was a groomsman. While I was terrified at the prospect, I would quickly find that my fears were all for nothing. Jason and I got along as well as we always had, and the chemistry between us certainly wasn't gone.
We spent a wonderful weekend talking, bonding and realizing that we were still very attracted to each other. However, it would take a few more chance meetings before things got serious! We consider October 28, 2005 to be our anniversary, though there is much debate around the actual date ;)
Our relationship grew throughout the months, but it was upon my diagnosis of cancer that our relationship was really put under pressure. Instead of falling apart as many thought we would, we got significantly closer and opted to move in together soon after I went into remission.
While we openly talked about marriage, it would take several months before the actual proposal occured. We are both huge music fans and decided to go see Eric Clapton who was making an Edmonton pit stop on his 2007 tour. Our song has always been Wonderful Tonight, which started more as an inside joke than anything, and we thought it would be amazing to hear it live in the hockey stadium.
So, the big concert date finally arrives. I had been giddy all week since I am a HUGE fan of Clapton (whom I occasionally refer to as God). I noticed, however, that Jason was also very excited. i imagined this was merely anticipation for a great show. I was wrong.
We enjoyed a nice leisurely dinner (despite the fact that we were late and missed the opening act!) at "our" restaurant, and arrived to the concert well fed and ready for some amazing guitar styling. The show was sold out- an impressive sight since the arena holds room for 30 000! The music did not disappoint and we were on cloud number nine.
Finally, towards the end of the show, I heard the beginning of our song. The entire introduction had been altered but, having been a musician most of my life, I recognized the chord structure immdiately. I excitedly whispered to Jason: "This is IT, he's playing our song!!!". He reached out and took my hands and I immediately started getting teary eyed. I REALLY love my music.
Midway through the song, as Clapton told us that "the wonder of it is all is that you just dont realize how much I love you!", Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He softly whispered his proposal, asking me to make him the "happiest man alive". I am not sure if I even said yes through my tears of happiness. i was beyond excited!
I didn't get to SEE my ring until after the concert (since it was very dark) but was amazed at just how well he knows me. The ring was, without a doubt, perfect and absolutely me.
The next hour was spent calling family and friends to inform them of our wonderful decision. We then bounced off to a hotel room we had reserved and spent the rest of the evening sipping the champagne Jason had bought and dreaming of the future.
In short, the entire night was perfect.
I said it before, and I will say it again- If Eric Clapton is God, my engagement is Heaven!
Wonderful Tonight- Eric Clapton
It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair.
And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?"
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight."
We go to a party and everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady that's walking around with me.
And then she asks me, "Do you feel all right?"
And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight."
I feel wonderful because I see
The love light in your eyes.
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you.
It's time to go home now and I've got an aching head,
So I give her the car keys and she helps me to bed.
And then I tell her, as I turn out the light,
I say, "My darling, you were wonderful tonight.
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight."
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The hall- Stettler AB
The Hall has been booked- we are holding our wedding at the Stettler Community Hall.
Capacity of approx. 250-300, so lots of leeway in terms of guest totals. It has alobby, dance floor, a stage, dressing rooms, bar, coatroom and a kitchen. Sounds pretty perfect to me.
Here is the cost breakdown that we were provided.
$325 hall rental + $150 for the night before
$75 for kitchen use (without appliances or plates)
$1.25/person for pop and use of kitchen appliances etc. $1.25
Total cost (calculated 150 people)
$325+$75+$150$+$375= $925
That's actually less than I anticipated. Then again, I had no idea what to anticipate, so that doesn't mean a whole lot.
I'm not sure if we will be using a catering company that needs to use appliances for the kitchen or not, but that could save us $187.
Now, to book the hall, figure out what happens with alcohol, and book a caterer. Things are finally underway.
Update on engagement status: STILL NO RING
Capacity of approx. 250-300, so lots of leeway in terms of guest totals. It has alobby, dance floor, a stage, dressing rooms, bar, coatroom and a kitchen. Sounds pretty perfect to me.
Here is the cost breakdown that we were provided.
$325 hall rental + $150 for the night before
$75 for kitchen use (without appliances or plates)
$1.25/person for pop and use of kitchen appliances etc. $1.25
Total cost (calculated 150 people)
$325+$75+$150$+$375= $925
That's actually less than I anticipated. Then again, I had no idea what to anticipate, so that doesn't mean a whole lot.
I'm not sure if we will be using a catering company that needs to use appliances for the kitchen or not, but that could save us $187.
Now, to book the hall, figure out what happens with alcohol, and book a caterer. Things are finally underway.
Update on engagement status: STILL NO RING
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
So apparently I'm getting married!
That's right! I'm getting married. Well, sort of anyway...Am I engaged? Not yet. Do we have a date picked out? We sure do. Is it as close to a done deal as possible without a ring? yup, yup, yup.
I guess to understand that introduction, you'd have to understand a little bit about Jason and I. We're, what our friends amicably call, a bit of a "backwards" couple. We sort of went about the whole relationship thing in reverse. We basically lived together before we even acknowledged that we were dating and now, as I mentioned, are planning a wedding without even being engaged! Why is that, you ask? Well, Jason is more of a tradionalist and wants to do things "by the book". I, on the other hand, am much more of a planner- if I don't feel I have a grip on things, I lose my mind. So, in order to accomodate both of our personalities, we've decided to proceed with planning the wedding without the official proposal. Jason claims to have the perfect day, time, location, ring, etc. and wants it to be done a certain way...who am I to argue!
But this isn't the only difference between the two of us when it comes to wedding talks. Again, being the uber-traditional type, Jason wants a big wedding with tons of fanfare. While I don't particularly care for weddings as a rule of thumb, I am perfectly happy to accomodate whatever he desires. That being said, allow me to assure you that I am treading on unfamiliar territory.
In discussing weddings and such with many of my female friends, I'm surprised to find that I am not alone in this situation. Many of them claim to "hate" weddings, or even cringe at the idea of have to endure the ceremony. It struck me that maybe some of the cynicism stems from the fact that weddings are incredibly long, tiresome events to plan. Going through the list in my head, I realize that there is A LOT to do in order to make this day happen.
I've decided to create this blog to record my trip down the aisle...and every ghastly step that takes me there! I will tell the story from the beginning (assuming you count this particular post as a prologue) to the end in order to document the highs and lows of my event planning. I will tell of my successes, my failures, the good, the bad and the ugly along the way. That way, once all is said and done, I will have a complete record of the event from day - 1.
So now that I've explained the "raison d'etre" for this blog, I shall take my leave until I have my first event to report on: The Proposal. I've been assured that I don't have too long to wait, so I'll postpone my blogging in anticipation!
It's going to be an interesting year...
Zita Dube (Zita Dube-Lockhart? Zita Lockhart Dube? Zita Lockhart??? GAH The questions have begun!!!!)
I guess to understand that introduction, you'd have to understand a little bit about Jason and I. We're, what our friends amicably call, a bit of a "backwards" couple. We sort of went about the whole relationship thing in reverse. We basically lived together before we even acknowledged that we were dating and now, as I mentioned, are planning a wedding without even being engaged! Why is that, you ask? Well, Jason is more of a tradionalist and wants to do things "by the book". I, on the other hand, am much more of a planner- if I don't feel I have a grip on things, I lose my mind. So, in order to accomodate both of our personalities, we've decided to proceed with planning the wedding without the official proposal. Jason claims to have the perfect day, time, location, ring, etc. and wants it to be done a certain way...who am I to argue!
But this isn't the only difference between the two of us when it comes to wedding talks. Again, being the uber-traditional type, Jason wants a big wedding with tons of fanfare. While I don't particularly care for weddings as a rule of thumb, I am perfectly happy to accomodate whatever he desires. That being said, allow me to assure you that I am treading on unfamiliar territory.
In discussing weddings and such with many of my female friends, I'm surprised to find that I am not alone in this situation. Many of them claim to "hate" weddings, or even cringe at the idea of have to endure the ceremony. It struck me that maybe some of the cynicism stems from the fact that weddings are incredibly long, tiresome events to plan. Going through the list in my head, I realize that there is A LOT to do in order to make this day happen.
I've decided to create this blog to record my trip down the aisle...and every ghastly step that takes me there! I will tell the story from the beginning (assuming you count this particular post as a prologue) to the end in order to document the highs and lows of my event planning. I will tell of my successes, my failures, the good, the bad and the ugly along the way. That way, once all is said and done, I will have a complete record of the event from day - 1.
So now that I've explained the "raison d'etre" for this blog, I shall take my leave until I have my first event to report on: The Proposal. I've been assured that I don't have too long to wait, so I'll postpone my blogging in anticipation!
It's going to be an interesting year...
Zita Dube (Zita Dube-Lockhart? Zita Lockhart Dube? Zita Lockhart??? GAH The questions have begun!!!!)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
