The top 12 finalists...

A Sunday afternoon spent browsing through potential bridesmaid dresses has yielded this crop of beauties... now the decision making process begins!!

The wedding is starting to take on a classic elegance theme, more than romantic formal.

Of course, these are just dress design ideas. The colors aren't necessarily part of the wedding color palette. Most likely, however, I will have the bridesmaids dresses either burgundy or chocolate, with cream or champagne/gold accents.

~**~**~**~**~

Here is dress #1... very classy, with a feminine off-the-shoulder look...I also love the way the skirt has an overlayed/wrap-around look...

Dress #2...reminiscent of Regency design (think Jane Austen) with a lovely empire waist and soft puffed sleeves...

Dress #3...I like the way it gathers up under the bust...

Dress #4...simple, feminine...

Dress #5...perhaps bordering on too formal, but lovely nonetheless...

Dress #6...strapless...loving the bow tied at the waist...

Dress #7... classic...

Dress #8...a wee bit flirty...love the flowing skirt...

Dress #9...one of my favorites...looks like it belongs on a queen. :)

Dress #10...if you removed the bow, THEN I'd be head over heels for this one...

Dress #11...similar to 2 and 4...

And finally, dress #12...the Maid of Honor's favorite thus far...

So help me out here! Leave a comment and chime in on which dress is YOUR favorite! :)

A New Year's 'YES!!!'

The New Year was welcomed in with many happy and joyous smiles here -- just a wee bit past midnight on January 1st, my beloved best friend got on bended knee and asked the question I thought I'd never hear. With fireworks sounding off in the background, I accepted his proposal and he slipped a stunningly beautiful ring on my finger......... picturesque, no??

Well, here are the 'behind the scenes' details: We were at my apartment doing a frozen pizza and movie night... the roads were covered with a horrid deposit of white fluff (I've had enough snow to last me a long while) and thus plans to eat out had been canceled. Further more, I was totally oblivious to Justin's covert mission for the evening...and so the movie we ended up watching before the clock struck midnight was none other than... 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'.

For some reason, the standard commentary disclaimer that rolls at the start of a film keeps popping into my head... 'Any views or opinions expressed in interviews or commentaries do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the bride-to-be'...as Kate Hudson's portrayal of Andy Anderson's rather psychotic attempts to 'lose her guy' thoroughly disturbed the groom-to-be.

The good news is Justin still proposed after watching two hours of psycho-female-relationship-disasters.....

Ahh... *sigh* Did I happen to mention I'm engaged?? ((my sister tuned that question out two weeks ago))

Well, I am engaged...engaged to be married to the world's most amazing man...my best friend, Justin. And so I decided to blog about my year of betrothal...the ups and downs of planning a wedding...blog in retrospect of the last (nearly) five years of our friendship and falling in love...document and journal every step of the way.

For I only intend to be engaged once...plan a wedding once...because Justin is the love of my life...and yet a lifetime together couldn't begin to be long enough. <3

~Jodi