Jenie and Frank dot com slash blog

The number 2 is special to me and Frank because it was on the 2nd of January in 2005 that we became “official.” Every month since then, on the 2nd of each month, I’ve done a “Yea! It’s the 2nd! Let’s go out to dinner and celebrate!” I did it tonight when I got home from work, and now we’re trying to figure out where to go for dinner…at least I don’t have to cook. And I like that!

So, a few months ago, when trying to pick a good Saturday in summer 2008 for our wedding, Frank realizes that the first Saturday in August happens to be the 2nd. It was a no-brainer for us to choose that day–8, which is good luck in Chinese (for August and for the year we’re getting married), and 2. It’s just so meant to be!

We officially have 10 months to go until our wedding! We thought it would be so far away, but the time is just flying by!

We are pleased to say that our wedding website is up and running! After making it a goal to finish it this weekend and staying up til the wee hours of the morning, we have finished the site! Woo hoo! There will be updates made in the future, so check back often!

You can visit the site at www.jenieandfrank.com. Enjoy!

YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH! We just confirmed our flight for our honeymoon! We will be visiting the beautiful Italian cities of Rome, Florence, and Venice on a wonderful 12-day trip. I knew our Mileage Plus credit card miles would come in handy! I’ve been saving mine up for years, so now we’ll be flying business class. How sweet it is!

I’ve always wanted to visit Italy, see the sights, and eat authentic Italian food. Frank’s in agreement on the food part, and now he has a great place to put his new camera to good use.

Colosseum, The David, canals…here we come! Woo hoo!

Diane, my best friend since high school and matron of honor, came with me to go bridesmaid dress shopping today. We had so much fun dressing up and being girlie, even though it rained pretty much all day. I believe we found a winner!

We also got to look around for veils and tiaras, and oh my goodness! It’s ridiculous how much these things can cost at bridal stores! Frank would probably pass out if he knew how much…so the search is still on for these accessories. Mom’s going to look in Hong Kong for me when she visits later this year. Given that most of them say “Made in China” on the tags, we’re hoping Hong Kong will save us major $. Keeping my fingers crossed…

Thanks Diane for braving your least favorite kind of weather and helping me go through what seemed like a million dress choices.  You are the best!  I’m still full from our late lunch and skipped dinner entirely!  But it was yummmmm!

Rewind to February 2007, less than two months after we got engaged. This is when all the planning began. Frank thought that he’d have a few months to relax and bask in the glory of doing a fantastic job picking out the ring (my Vera Wang is BEAUTIFUL. I love it baby! XOXO)…little did he know that we were going to jump right into the craziness of wedding planning!

After visiting a few potential wedding venues, we decided whole-heartedly on having our wedding ceremony and reception at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, CA. Thanks in large part to the great time we had at our friends Michelle and Jim’s wedding, and Frank’s love of Wente’s double-cut pork chop, we booked Wente in February, a whole year and 6 months before our August 2008 date. Call me crazy, but I like to have a plan and get things done!

The search for a photographer came next. After scouring the internet, I got a reference from friends and fell in love with Augie Chang Photography (a HUGE thanks to Lilia and Kerwin for the reference!). After finding out that he had potential clients for our date, we booked him without having the usual meeting and “interview.” Again, call me crazy, but I know what I like! We met with him the next weekend and felt completely comfortable with our decision. He was great to talk to and has an awesome vision and style. Frank keeps reminding me that we went over our photographer budget, but what do we know about wedding photography and budgets? You can check out his website at www.augiechang.com.

In the last few months, we booked our videographer, dj, and string trio. We bought both wedding rings–a matching Vera Wang for me, a Benchmark for him (thanks to Felicia for helping us bargain with the jeweler!)–and I even bought my wedding gown. Yes, again, crazy.

My mom came up over my Spring break and we went to Trudy’s in Campbell just to look and get ideas. Well, looking turned into falling in love with one of the first dresses I tried on. Wanting to buy it, but feeling impulsively crazy, I called Frank to get some advice on what to do. His words of wisdom: “If you like it so much, just get it.” We left the store without buying, with the intention of taking my time and sleeping on it. Well, needless to say, knowing me, I couldn’t sleep that night! I kept thinking about that dress! We went back the next day and bought it. Thanks to my mommy for buying me my wedding gown and sharing in this momentous occasion. (Note to my wonderful mom: No need to worry! Your fears of me changing my mind or finding something I like more are unwarranted! I LOVE my dress and sneak a peek at it every once in a while. It always makes me happy! I even look at wedding gowns in my bridal magazines and my love for my dress is unwavering.)

The next things on our list are a florist and invitations. I’ve already got my mind set…no one who knows me is really all that surprised.

Well, the day has finally come… no, not our wedding day. Today marks the day we launch the “Jenie and Frank dot com” blog! Any and all updates on our wedding as well as new developments in our lives will be “hot off the press” and posted here!

We will also be launching our website soon as well!

Check back often!