Wedding Music

Today, February 20th, 2012, marks 6 months since Jon and I were married. I thought, since I haven't really written much about the wedding lately, I'd share our playlist for the reception.

We absolutely loved our DJ's, especially because they were so helpful with picking out songs. They sent us a huge list of recommended songs, and were also willing to use the songs WE recommended.

*All links on song titles lead to a youtube video, if you want to listen to the song.

Our first song was for the bridal party entrance. We chose Beautiful Day by U2, which was perfect because some couples walked in serenely, while some chose to make a flashier entrance. It was particularly memorable when my younger brother danced and boogied in with my friend K.

After we entered and posed for family to take some snapshots, we transitioned straight into our first dance together as husband and wife. (Side note - I am getting teary remembering it.) We had chosen our song shortly after we got engaged, but were able to keep it a secret from everyone up until then. We chose Never Gonna Be Alone by Nickelback because we both love the band, and this song has always been special for us. It truly vocalizes our relationship and how it developed over 3 years of dating.

For my dance with my dad, choosing a song was hard. Nothing seemed quite right... I was close with both of my parents when I was younger, but I was the only girl, so I am was the definition of Daddy's Little Princess, and I needed to find a song that portrayed that. I ended up doing a google search for "father daughter wedding songs," and I came across Always Be Your Baby by Natalie Grant. After listening to just the first verse, I was sobbing, which (to me) meant it was perfect. (And now I am crying again.)

For Jon's dance with his mother, he was originally going to use the same song that his brother used at his wedding. I wanted him to pick something that was more meaningful for him. He had an idea, but wasn't sure if it'd work... As soon as he told me, I knew it would be perfect! He chose Somewhere Out There from the Fievel movie because he used to sing it when he was little. So cute!

The next song on our playlist is our cake-cutting song. This was an easy choice for me; I just had to persuade Jon to agree with me. I wanted to use Sugar Sugar by the Archies. It is such a fun song! I might have been shaking my hips just a bit while I was smearing icing on Jon's face. (No cake on his face, just a dab of icing!)

When it was time to toss the bouquet, I knew exactly which song I wanted. See, I danced competitively when I was younger. 3 of my bridesmaids were in the same dance group as me, and we did the cutest little dance to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. It was only natural for that song to be playing while I tossed the bouquet.

Jon turned to google to find a good song for the garter removal. We didn't want anything that was too raunchy, or even slightly sexy for that matter. That's just not our style. So when he happened upon a recommendation to use the Indiana Jones theme song, he ran with it. He loves the movies, and it made for a great laugh for anyone who knew what it was.

The same dilemma occurred when we were trying to pick a song for the garter toss. We knew ahead of time that the majority of the males in attendance were either under the age of 10, or already married. I think there was 4 guys who came up for the garter toss. We went with The Boys Are Back in Town by Thin Lizzy.

Besides these songs, our DJ's also asked us for a list of songs we wanted them to play while people were eating dinner and dancing. Jon contributed some, and I contributed some. Here is part of the list with links to youtube if you want to hear any of the songs:

Hang On Little Tomato by Pink Martini
When I'm 64 by the Beatles
Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N Roses
Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Jason Castro
Give A Little by Hanson
The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra
The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson
Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel
Something by the Beatles
Unforgettable by Nat King Cole

Our Honeymoon Cruise

My husband and I chose to go on a cruise for our honeymoon because I've never been on one, and he had only done it once before. We picked a 7-day journey that left from NYC, sailed down to Florida, and stopped at the Bahamas before sailing back home.

I've only posted 2 photos our honeymoon cruise so far (here and here), which is pretty sad, considering the hundreds I shot. My dad was nice enough to let me borrow his Nikon D90. That, plus the upgrade to a balcony room (from Jon's parents) and some pretty new dresses from my mom, seriously made this trip much better.

See, we sailed on August 27th, coincidentally the same day that Hurricane Irene blew up the East Coast and ravaged New England.

Hurricane winds + 8 to 12 foot ocean swells = no fun for anyone.

Honestly, though, we still had a great time! We were together for 7 days with no work, no interruptions, no chores, no laundry, no cooking, no responsibilities, no cell service. And not many couples can honestly say that their marriage vows (for better or for worse, in sickness and in health) were truly tested just one week after the wedding.

I put together my favorite photos and had them made into a photo book, and I also thought I'd share them here in some collages. I was going to try to put some descriptions under the photos, but there are too many words. So you get to enjoy the photos, and maybe someday I'll share the stories.

And while most people would get turned off from cruises after the experience we had, we know we want to do it again! We now know that we need to sail from a southern port, because many veteran cruisers told us that the waves in NYC ports are usually pretty rocky. We also want to avoid sailing on a ship that is "family-friendly," as there were always kids EVERYWHERE. Especially on the pool deck, which was definitely geared more towards children, what with the waterslide and all the N!ckolodean activities.

All in all, while it wasn't what we were expecting, it was our honeymoon. It was a learning experience! We thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and appreciated having that time to ourselves. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Edit Me & Macro Friday - 9.16.11

Disclaimer: This is not my photo. I did not take it.
Copyright belongs to the original photographer:
Kathryn from Our tiny BIG Life

SOOC:

My ACR edit:

And my final edit:

To get the vintage feel in ACR: increase warmth/fill light/brightness/vibrancy, slide tint to the left, and decrease contrast/exposure.

After that, I opened in PSE8 to run a high pass filter. I also added an artistic watercolor filter and a texture from My 4 Hens (one layer on overlay @ 30% and one layer on soft light @ 90%). Lastly, I used the CoffeeShop Web Color Block It action to add the color block.


And here is my photo for Macro Friday:

And an update on my life... ?

Sure, why not?!

Umm, let's see: I started traveling for work 2 days ago, although my body refuses to accept it. The long days, the hours spent in the car, the insane amount of coffee I am drinking, the increased pressure on my feet/hips/back from standing... I guess my 5th year of this lifestyle will be the hardest one to acclimate to. Don't get me wrong; it's still oodles of fun and I love it. It's just that transition period that's kicking me in the booty. I spent the past 10 months sitting in my comfy chair, in my little office, getting lazy. Now I have to get back in gear for 2 months of a completely different life. For those of you who don't get it, I mean life as a college admissions counselor. I plan on capturing 'A Day in My Life' at some point this fall, which will give you a much better understanding of it.

Speaking of fall, it's definitely starting here in southeastern New York. The leaves have already started changing color. I splurged at Old Navy the other day and bought myself a new fall jacket, just in time, too! The days are less humid; the nights are cooler. I'm ready to turn the AC off and throw open the windows, although Jon is not too keen on the idea. It seems that nerdy gamers don't enjoy fresh air like crazy hippies do.

Speaking of Jon, I love referring to him as "my husband" or "hubby." Looking at his ring makes my heart giggle. We are truly enjoying married life together! It took awhile to get to used to being married; however, now, we are embracing it. We're cooking-dinner-together, clothes-strewn-on-the-floor, lazy-Saturday-TV-on-dvd-marathons married. And we are planning to enjoy this period of lives as much as we can. For a certain period of time. Before changing it up with babies or houses or the like.

I know you all want to know, because that's what happens when people get married. Generally, they have babies and/or buy a house. And yes, we want babies and a house. Just not yet.

Well, that was kind of a lie. We love babies (and houses) and want them now. Except that we don't want them yet. So we're waiting. And while we kinda sorta have a plan for the future, we're more inclined to go with the flow for now. We want to see life has in store for us.


Oh wow, I just previewed this post and realized it's kinda long. I'll end it with just one more thing: I updated my 30 by 30 list! Go check it out.

iPhonography 9.10.11

How cool is today's date?!? It's 9-10-11!!

Simple pleasures.




Anyway, here is last month represented in instagram photos:

And here are some wedding photos that I took with my iPhone:

Clockwise from top left: my ring & band, Jon wore a kilt!, hairstyles of 2 bridesmaids, my tiara that used to be my grandma's, hairstyles of 2 more bridesmaids, 4 of my girls at their last dress fitting, my girls in the limo, my hair is long!, a gift, 2 of my girls at the last dress fitting, my dad in the limo, relaxing during cocktail hour, my bridal bling from the bachelorette party, and my hairstyle.

Linking up with the following blogs:

iPhone Photo Friday at Adrienne Rose Photography
iPhonography at One Mom's Perfect Imperfections
Phonography at Pasando
InstaFriday at Life Rearranged





And I have to end this post with a message for my husband even though he will only read it when I show it to him:

Happy birthday, Jonathan! I love you more than you think, and I can only hope to somehow be able to express it to you at some point in the future. I'm glad we have the rest of our lives together, because it really might take me that long to find the right words to truly explain how much you mean to me. I am so happy that we have officially started our married life, and I am uber-excited for all the possibilities that the future holds for us. ♥

Cruising on Our Honeymoon!

Yep, that's what Jon and I are doing right now. We are sailing from NYC to the Bahamas on a 7-day cruise, and I couldn't be more excited! This will be my first cruise, and his first real one (long story). I plan on relaxing by the pool (I have 3 books in my bag), doing some cool excursions, and getting horrifically sunburned. Oh, and spending some quality time with my husband.

Photo credit goes to my dad.

I have some posts scheduled for next week, but I'll officially be back to real-time posting (and tweeting, blog reading, facebook-ing) on Sunday, September 4th. I hope everyone on the East Coast of the US stays safe during the hurricane!

August 20th, 2011

I am getting married today! To a wonderful man. The man who turned my life around, helped me find myself, and taught me how to be comfortable in my own skin.

As of 2:30 pm, I will be, forever and always,
Mrs. Jonathan Gallagher.

Re-Post of Proposal Story

Today, being only 5 short days away from my wedding, I thought I'd re-post the proposal story (with a handful of minor edits). It is so sweet and perfect, so us. And all of the photos in this post are from that day! (As a bonus, you can even see one of my first few ugly attempts at a watermark in the corner of each photo.)


The college campus where Jon and I both went to school, and where I used to live, is utterly gorgeous. It has sweeping views of the Hudson River, scenic areas with beautiful trees and flowers, and quiet gardens full of romance and charm.

On June 15th, 2010, Jon and I were lounging in my dorm, getting ready to meet some friends for dinner. He was in an exceptionally affectionate mood. A little while before we needed to get in the car and go, he says to me, "Let's take a walk." Sure, why not? It wasn't hot out, we had time, and campus was very quiet, due to it being summer break.

So we meandered around campus, me with my camera taking pictures everywhere. We were slowly walking up around the small building that I work in, and I was chatting with a coworker that was passing by. Jon started to get a bit... pushy, but not in a bad way.

He nudged me up the hill and up some stairs that I knew led in a couple different directions. One little trail off the stairs led to a quiet garden tucked away behind another small building. He pulled me into the garden and I promptly got distracted by some flowers. So, I squatted down on the trail and starting taking pictures. I was facing away from him, and he was suddenly very quiet behind me, while I chattered on about the flowers and how pretty they were and how awful the light was.

After a few minutes, he says, "Why don't you come take pictures of these blue and purple ones over here?" Immediately, I got so excited! I thought, Jon is seeing photos like I do! I quickly turned around and walked over to him.

Hang on... "What are you talking about?? There's no blue flowers! They are pink and purple!"

"Look closer."

I practically shoved my face in the flowers, and then almost fell over. There, nestled inside the flowers, was a black box with a ring.

I started sobbing and laughing, all at once.

The rest is a bit of a blur. I know I shot right into his arms, and we hugged and kissed a lot. I know we both said some stuff, but all I remember is staring into his eyes and seeing myself, my future, my love. I never knew how amazing this could feel. With that little ring, our relationship took on a whole new level. Our love for each other strengthened and deepened to become something new, something magical; I never could have imagined it would feel like this, not in my wildest dreams.

Since then, I've felt myself changing and developing as I take on this new role - "fiance," soon to be "wife." Even through the wedding stress and disagreements that we are already having, I know my heart has doubled in size. Rather than making room for him, I've designated him as my sole love, and made room on the side for everything and everyone else. No matter what we go through, I know he'll always be there for me, and I'll always be there for him.

2 months!

2 months until Jonathan and I are married... Finally!

When I met Jon in high school, I never imagined that we would eventually be engaged. We were friends, and I liked him; I wanted to date him. I'm not a believer in "love at first sight," more like an instant connection. So, while marriage was not my ulterior motive when I first met him, I knew I saw him in my future.

I wasn't sure where he would exactly fit in my future because I didn't have a grand scheme. I figured I would go to college, and then get a job. The rest would fall into place.

Now that we are so close to becoming husband and wife, and that part of my future is becoming the present, it seems like everything has fallen into place. I've enjoyed the past few years of going with the flow and taking life one day at a time. I'm ready for the next stage of life; I'm ready to make some tentative plans for the rest of my future.

Quarter Century Club

Today is the 25th anniversary of MY BIRTH! I am now officially a part of the Quarter Century Club (even though I had my quarter-life crisis last year).

When I was younger, I pictured myself at 25 to be married, have a kid or 2, and be teaching. Other than that, I didn't really have set goals for my life or my future. So now I am 9 months away from getting married, getting anxious to start my own family, and not too anxious to get a teaching job. I am truly enjoying my college admissions job, even though I never ever expected it.

My goals for the next few years are fairly simple: stay madly in love*, start my own family, and stay healthy.

My goals for the next few months: finish planning my wedding!

My goals for the next few weeks: finish my Christmas shopping, save up some extra money for January, and finish decorating the condo....


Yes, Jon and I moved in together! When his grandma sadly passed back in June, it was decided that Jon would move in to her condo. Naturally, he asked me to come with him. We didn't actually move in until October, and we have been slowly rearranging and putting everything away for the past 6 weeks. I'll share photos as soon as everything is done. And trust me, I will share LOTS of photos because some of our windows face east and others face north, so we get lots of bright sunshine in the morning and afternoon. If only Jon would be more willing to model for me...

Anyway, remember the keys that I photographed a few weeks ago? They are my condo keys! Here they are again, with a clue to something else in my life:


Here's the color version:


It's going to be EPIC.




*Quote from Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.

Catching Up...

I had 700+ unread posts in my Google Reader. It has taken me 4 days (since I didn't do any reading on Saturday) to get it down to just 5 unread posts. I haven't really been commenting much, but I do hope to get back to regular commenting within a few days. So, I AM reading, even if you don't hear from me.

The reason I didn't do any reading on Saturday is that Jon and I had our engagement party. It was a backyard barbecue at my parents' house with a beachy theme. It was so nice to have all of my bridesmaids together, since one of them is my cousin that lives in NJ and I only get to see her 2-3 times a year. It was a wonderful day full of love and laughter. I wish I could have an engagement party every weekend! I never shared our engagement photos, so here are my favorites:









As I've mentioned before, I travel A LOT for work. I cover the entire state of Connecticut on my own, as well as the western half of Massachusetts. My territory has been expanded this year to include Rhode Island and New Hampshire, and my MA area was shifted further east. I start going out on the road on September 13th, and I don't end until Thanksgiving. Depending on how many events I am attending, and the internet at my hotels, blog posts from me will be either very often, or few and far between. I kinda went cold turkey on memes and photo challenges. Remember when I used to enter 7 or 8 a week? Well, I haven't entered one in almost 2 weeks! It certainly has been hard to avoid them, but I need to get used to it. Those 11 weeks of travel will be here before I know it, and I certainly won't have as much time at my computer as I do now.



1. If you could host a Reality TV show, which one would it be? Big Brother! I watched that show when it first started. I don't anymore, but it's the most interesting show to me. Or America's Next Top Model. ANTM marathons are perfect for lazy days.

2. Do you put your seatbelt on before or after you start the car? Usually after, but sometimes I get distracted and try to start driving before I even take my keys out of my purse.

3. Shave or hair removal cream? The hair removal creams all smell just awful, so I'll stick with shaving for now... Until I can get it all laser-removed!

4. What's your favorite feature in a house? New-ish appliances and updated bathrooms.

5. What is your favorite "Fall" scent? Wood smoke.

6. What tv show are you looking forward to seeing the most this Fall?? In the fall, I watch Family Guy and Hoarding: Buried Alive, and ANTM (if it's a new cycle).

7. Personal Shopper or Personal Chef? Chef. I can shop just fine on my own, THANKYOUVERYMUCH.

8. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of "Fall"? Leaves changing colors.... Oops, that's 3 words. Sooo, just 'leaves.'

PSF - A Proposal

This is me and Jon. The college campus where we both went to school and where I used to live (up until 2 weeks ago) is utterly gorgeous. It has sweeping views of the Hudson River, scenic areas with beautiful trees and flowers, and quiet gardens full of romance and charm.

On June 15th, 2010, Jon and I were lounging in my dorm, getting ready to meet some friends for dinner. He was in an exceptionally affectionate mood. A little while before we needed to get in the car and go, he says to me, "Let's take a walk." Sure, why not? It wasn't hot out, we had time, and campus was very quiet, due to it being summer break.


So we meandered around campus, me with my camera taking pictures everywhere. We were slowly walking up around the small building that I work in, and I was chatting with a coworker that was passing by. Jon started to get a bit... pushy, but not in a bad way.


He nudged me up the hill and up some stairs that I knew led in a couple different directions. One little trail off the stairs led to a quiet garden tucked away behind another small building. He pulled me into the garden and I promptly got distracted by some flowers. So, I squatted down on the trail and starting taking pictures. I was facing away from him, and he was suddenly very quiet behind me, while I chattered on about the flowers and how pretty they were and how awful the light was.


After a few minutes, he says, "Why don't you come take pictures of these blue and purple ones over here?" Immediately, I got so excited! I thought, Jon is seeing photos like I do! I quickly turned around and walked over to him.

Hang on... "What are you talking about?? There's no blue flowers! They are pink and purple!"

"Look closer."

I practically shoved my face in the flowers, and then almost fell over. There, nestled inside the flowers, was a black box with a ring.


I started sobbing and laughing, all at once.

The rest is a bit of a blur. I know I shot right into his arms, and we hugged and kissed a lot. I know we both said some stuff, but all I remember is staring into his eyes and seeing myself, my future, my love. I never knew how amazing this could feel. With that little ring, our relationship took on a whole new level. Our love for each other strengthened and deepened to become something new, something magical; I never could have imagined it would feel like this, not in my wildest dreams.

Since then, I've felt myself changing and developing as I take on this new role - "fiance," soon to be "wife." Even through the wedding stress and disagreements that we are already having, I know my heart has doubled in size. Rather than making room for him, I've designated him as my sole love, and made room on the side for everything and everyone else. No matter what we go through, I know he'll always be there for me, and I'll always be there for him.



Hosted by Cecily and Serious Krystyn


Wedding update: We've actually gotten a lot done in the past few weeks! It feels like we still have SO MANY decisions, even though I know that we are ahead of schedule.
-We've picked a weekend (although not a set date) - the 3rd weekend in August, 2011.
-We've toured 2 different venues and are touring one more this afternoon.
-We started comparing venue prices, and we are trying not to pick a place until after we see one more, but we already have a favorite.
-We also narrowed down our church choices to 2 - his choice and mine. We are going to push to get my choice, though, because we both want it.
-I've handed off some responsibilities to him - booking a DJ and arranging transportation (limo, shuttle bus, etc.).
-We sat down with my mom and his mom to make a guest list. We are way over our original limit, but both of us have Italian families with plenty of aunts/uncles/cousins/friends that can't be left out. We've topped it where it's at now, so it can only go down.
-We picked our bridal party.... Sort of. He is waffling a bit, but I am set with my girls.
-I created a save-the-date and approved it by him. More on that later!
-I started looking at bridal gown styles and bridesmaid dress styles.
-I picked (and then changed) my colors. I will try to keep the new colors a secret until the save-the-date's go out.

Things we are trying to get done by the end of August:
-Pick a venue - we are actually trying to book a place and pay a deposit within the next 2 weeks, because YES, they are already booking for next August.
-Engagement photos - My dad will be our photographer for this to save some money. We need a photo for the save-the-date's.
-Get the save-the-date's printed so I can either print labels or just hand write the addresses, to send them out in October. (I know this is a bit early, but I am nervous about people planning vacations. Your thoughts?)
-Engagement party - Our moms are jointly planning this party for the 3rd weekend in August, 2010, exactly one year before we will get married.

Photo Story Friday - I'm a bird of paradise

A drabble, apparently, is a story written in exactly 100 words. (Thanks, Tami!) Since I've been neglecting my writing, I've decided that PSF is the perfect time for me to refine my skills. Drabbling will (hopefully) boost my clarity and conciseness. So, here goes!

I wore this shirt to dinner. I like the colors and how it doesn't draw too much attention. Jon saw it; he said, "So, you’re a bird?" I giggled and I said, not unkindly, "Honey, it means I'm one of a kind." He nodded, but looked confused. He thought for a minute, and then he smiled and nodded again. “Yes, you are.” Well, duh! I knew that, or else I wouldn’t have bought the shirt. And if I didn’t know, I certainly wouldn’t be so confident about our relationship. Confidence is key, my dear; it keeps a love life exciting.


Hosted by Cecily and Momma