In case you haven’t been counting like we have been, you may have missed that today was our 6 month anniversary. Half way to the big ONE! So to celebrate this milestone, we’d like to show everyone every single last photo that we chose to keep from our magnificent photographer. Scanned in, cropped and finally added to our iPhoto library, this ordeal was quite the undertaking — what better way to celebrate the MLK holiday, right? But hey, now we’ve got backups gallore of our photos. What’s more? We scanned them in at ultra 600dpi High Res — thats right — each image, if we were to print as is, would be poster sized. Something like 42″ X 36″ of pure wedding bliss. So here’s a fairly large selection of the images for you to see once and for all. We recommend that you do not sit through them all in one sitting. Yes, instead we recommend that you come back a couple of times this week to check them out in small doses . . . so that 1.) That you don’t get sick of seeing our pretty faces. AND 2.) So that our daily visitor stats go up, so that Lauren can sleep better.

Finally, at Lauren’s request, she recommends that you put on some really sappy music to enjoy the images best.

Enjoy!

Everyone I’ve talked to says that etiquette for wedding thank you notes allows up to 6 months to 1 year from the wedding date. Well, those people do not have my two incredibly organized friends who also got married this summer and managed to send their notes, like, the next day. That’s okay though, because at last, the Teagues have written, addressed, and stamped notes that will be in the mail tomorrow.
The thing about thank you notes is that you feel like a little note is so inadequate for the gift received. People give the nicest things that we needed and use all the time, and somehow a little note is supposed to be enough? I feel like I’m missing something. Does everyone want delivered flowers or lunch or something?
That being said, I do have some disclaimers about the thank you notes.
I am not exactly a “multi-tasker,” so if something was on tv or if the phone rang, things like “thank you for our gorgeous dessert gift” (which makes no sense) or “Dear Dand” (instead of “Dan and”) happened. Please excuse those.
I know I have absolutely terrible, childish handwriting. It’s so embarrassing. Call if you need some help deciphering.
If you sent a gift and do not receive a thank you note soon, please let me know because I just have that dreaded feeling that I missed people.
And finally, we received a very fun gift that I understood right away and loved because we also had one at my house growing up. Unfortunately, the card came with it appears to have been lost or separated. So if you gave us a red Special plate (so fun!), please let us know who you are because as of right now, you are unthanked.
So, one more time, I would like to write and say-
Thank you so much,
Josh and Lauren Teague

The day before the wedding, the bridesmaids, the moms, the flowergirl, Silas, and I went to Virginia Highland(s) to eat pizza and paint plates. It was quite the showcase of talent from the feminine half of the bridal party and I ended up with some beauuuutiful plates. Josh and I are trying to figure out how to display them without any chance that one will fall, break, and be lost forever. In the meantime, we’re sharing them with you in the form of a happy game we like to call “Name that plate!” My incredibly talented, humoring husband worked his CG magic to create the fun, easy to use format. Given the names, try to guess who painted each plate. Click to find out if you are correct.

Word Bank (I’m a teacher, after all)-

Kreig, Joanne (mother of the groom and bride, respectively)
Tiffany, Mandy, Amy, Katie, Annie, Jaime, and Jeanine (bridesmaids)
Sydney (flowergirl)
Lauren (me)

Good luck.

Well, I must say I am really loving this whole marriage thing. (really hope this post isn’t too mooshy.)

Totally, totally loving it.

This weekend was the first time we’ve both been home for the entire weekend . . . Lauren was in a wedding out of town last weekend, so this was a nice new experience. I’ll try to not say “weekend” again for the rest of this post.

People ask me what it’s like and what I like about it so far and I must say that its the stuff that I really didn’t expect, all those small things. For instance, the first Monday back from our Honeymoon, I went to work and early in the morning I’m walking out only to pass Lauren’s car! Wait! She’s not supposed to be here! What the?? Did we mess up!

No, we’re married. Ahh . . . breath a sigh of relief, smile, and go make some money for this girl to spend.

We’re getting along wonderfully, as we probably should be at this point, but I am happier than I’ve ever been. I’ll take it!

Alright, so the rumor on the street is that our site is dead and was only used to hype our wedding. Wrong. But after a nice two week break from posting we’ll be more alive than ever come next Monday, August 1st. So take a break, breath, and explore some of the other sites we’ve put up under The Aisle.

Pictures coming soon. We promise!

Today is the day! Thanks for everything, everyone — especially last night. I can’t wait to see what’s ahead today! OK, time to go meet my bride . . . when we get back expect to hear (and see) lots!

I just got a phone call from Lauren and could immediately tell by her tone that something huge had just happened. She and her mom were out doing some shopping at Costco . . . we can assume for the final touches on the wedding. Their walking . . . they’re taking it all in and then Lauren’s mom whispers emphatically to her, “The tall guy! . . . The tall guy!” It turns out they had just sighted the famed “Runaway” bride’s poor groom-to-still-have-been. This just 48 hours before the wedding . . . is it a sign???

Alright, kids, we’ve got this week and then the big day. Last night as I was going over the last few things we have to do, it occurred to me that if some things don’t get done this week, well, then that’s what we call “missed opportunities.” We’ve never been in this position before. Things that didn’t get done for the wedding this week were pushed back until the next week. A time luxury- no more.
But that being said, I think our friends and family have put us in a great position where we do have the major things done and finished. And even though I’m sure this week is going to fly by, I really do think it’s going to be a lot of fun. So thank you again to everyone who has given us showers, accompanied us on errands, given us helpful advice, and who have just plain been excited for us. It’s meant so much to feel supported by everyone we know and to have the confidence of ya’ll behind us. Thank you.

Only five days left- that’s one hand!

It all started because I need to have my fingerprints on record with the Marietta Police. I tried to go yesterday and was informed the lady who does fingerprints was out sick. I was told to call today to find out if she was back in. I really need them done today because I’m supposed to have them for a meeting this afternoon. So I got up this morning, called the department, and was told that yes, she was in and yes, I could come in to get the prints done.
So I drove up to Marietta, walked into the Police Department for the second time in two days, waited in line… only to find out that the machine had *just* broken down and would possibly be back up this afternoon.
Now I had some time to kill before the meeting. (That I will be attending without the fingerprints.)

I decided the most helpful thing I could do would be to go to Home Depot to purchase paint for the new bedroom. I always feel a little extra girly when I walk into a Home Depot. It just isn’t my domain. School Box, sure. Barnes and Noble, of course, they sell Starbucks. Home Depot, not so much.
But at least I knew exactly what I wanted, so it should be a fairly non-humiliating trip. I went to the Paint section, found the paint sample that Josh and I liked, and waited to be helped. Along came Male Employee 1.
ME1: “Can I help you?”
Somehow, I get nervous, but try to cover it up with pseudo confidence. “Yes, I wanted to get a gallon of this color. I was told I should get latex paint- does this already come as a latex?” (Not bad, right? I used paint jargon.)
ME1: “You can ask for it to be made into a latex paint.”
Lauren: “Okay, great, I’ll get that.”

We walk to the counter and meet Male Employee 2.
ME2: “Yes?”
ME1: “She needs a gallon of this in a latex.”
ME2:” What kind of sheen?”
Lauren :”Oh, uh…..um…..hmm.” Drat. “What do people normally get for a bedroom?”
ME2: “Well, how much activity does it get?”

Lauren: ” _______ ”
I don’t think a complete thought formed in my brain for the next two seconds. I only had fragments of thought like “harassment” and “must be joke” and “can’t believe” and “don’t answer.” I actually think my mouth dropped open a little and stayed that way until FINALLY-

ME2: “Is it a kid’s bedroom?”

Oh, thank goodness.
Lauren :”NO! No, I do know that it is not.”

I was then told I could ‘get away’ with a matte or eggshell. I chose eggshell and just stood there avoiding eye contact as he mixed the paint. It seemed so obvious to me what had just happened, but the Males didn’t seem to notice. Unfortunately, I never really recovered my composure until I walked out of the store entirely.

And that, Josh, is the reason why you or another person of your choice will ALWAYS accompany me when I go to Home Depot.

Happy Fourth, Everyone!

I always thought the 4th would be a good indicator that the wedding was getting really close. And now, here it is. We do have a nice Ikea (!!!!) adventure to relate, but I think Josh should be the one to post that. I’ll just leave a teaser for now.

Josh:” Yeah, I really like it. I just don’t think it will fit in the car.”
Lauren: “Oh, sure it will.”

To be continued.

In the meantime, here’s some updates of our progress.
1. The dress- after three months at the alterations place, four fittings, and one week at the cleaners- is done. It’s hanging in my living room inside a white plastic bag because it’s too big to fit into any closet. (And that’s your ONLY clue, Josh, I promise =). )
2. The wedding bands are done. I don’t recommend waiting until three weeks beforehand to pick those out. Sure, it worked out perfectly for us, but that’s the exception, I’m sure.
3. We’ve had some great conversations with our amazing pastor, who has made me even more excited about the wedding ceremony. (Didn’t think that was possible.)
4. We’re getting very close to a final headcount. Which is kinda sad, because getting the response cards in the mail was a daily highlight for me.
5. We are doing major improvements in the home furnishings area. But that’s getting ahead, because that’s related to the Ikea story.

Now the only major things left to do are to type up the program, pick our songlists for the reception, and write some serious checks. (We love you, Jojo. Thanks for the financing!)

Admittedly, I can be a snob about certain things in life, namely fast food and Walmart.
The Walmart avoidance is mainly due to long, slow checkout lines, and the fact there is usually at least one unruly child throwing some sort of tantrum.
But when you’re shopping for a wedding, you have to go to reasonable places for things you never needed before- like spools and yards and feet of RIBBON. I have lists of our sudden ribbon needs, such as for the program, bouquets…before this planning process, I probably purchased ribbon maybe once, if ever. Anyway, so Mom and I decide to head over to the local Walmart ( ew) to try to purchase what will hopefully be the last of many ribbon purchases.
I was immediately turned off by the scores of cars outside and the lack of clean-looking shopping carts. (Dingy. Ew, ew) So when Mom went to get a shopping cart, I had my reservations. After pushing the thing down a few aisles, I finally dared myself to see if our cart also contained some sort of garbage product as the others seemed to. It did. A clothes hanger and a piece of round cardboard. (Tacky.)
At the sewing/craft center, I I needed this one type of blue ribbon. Walmart had one left on the shelves. It was missing the back of the cardboard spool that contained the barcode. I felt justified in my lack of respect for Walmart, yes I did. Look how they take care of their merchandise. Mom said we may have a problem at check out, but we would try and buy the ribbon anyway.
After waiting in a slow line, it was our turn to pay. I put all the ribbon spools- even the barcode-lacking one- onto the conveyer belt and was checking to see if we had missed any in the cart. Of course, I saw the nasty trash again. Some random hanger, hmmph. And that pointless cardboard circle….
Hmmm. I held the circle up. It had a barcode and a description-

1917SFS LT BLUE
5/8″ x 18ft
100% polyester

I held the piece up to our ghetto fabulous, backless ribbon spool. Perfect Match. I placed it on top of the backless spool, watched it go through the scanner, paid for it, and felt a little weirded out. It was a Walmart miracle, yes it was.

Josh and I are on our way to the downtown courthouse to obtain our official marriage license. We’re just sticklers for rules – the recommended time between application for a license and ceremony is 1 month. (Check out the date!!!) It seems we picked the right county to get married in, because the requirements are minimal, at best.

Fulton’s Quick Tips for Marriage License Applicants:

Age: Must be at least 18 years of age

Who: Georgia residents OR Non-Georgia residents being married in Fulton County. Both bride and groom must appear in person.

When: Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Proper ID: Driver’s License, Passport or Birth Certificate. (Documents not in English must be accompanied by certified English translation).

Cost: $32.00 Cash

Where: Fulton County Probate Court, 136 Pryor Street, Suite C-230, Atlanta, Georgia 30303 (404) 730-4692 or (404) 730-4640

Please note – no witness, no blood test, or second valid form of ID. They really want people in Fulton to commit. Wish us luck – we’re almost legal!

There is just no end of fun characters when dealing with a wedding. I love it.
Today, I had the job of purchasing stamps. After staring at this wall of stamps for about ten minutes, I finally picked a very basic (ie kinda boring) stamp. The choices were a bit more limited than I had imagined.
I go to the counter and meet Interesting Invitations Character #2 in the form of an older gentleman who resembled Santa Claus. (I would be willling to assume he works the malls during the season.)
I plunked down my 200 stamps or so (response card stamps included) and he looks at me over his glasses.
“Now….are these for a wedding?” (Santa speaks slowly and deliberately.)
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright…..now….have you had…..your invitations….weighed?”
I see where this is going. “No, I haven’t. I could bring one in though-”
“Because…..I’ve seen many disappointed brides…..all ready to mail their invitations…..and they’re too heavy for….the 37 cent stamp..I’m just…not comfortable..selling you….these 37 cents….unless….you’re sure…the invitation…requires…the 37 cent..stamp.”
“Okay, that makes sense, I don’t suppose there’s a one or two cent stamp-”
“Let me explain to you ….how this works, okay?….There’s a 37 cent stamp…..and there’s the 60 cent stamp……if the invitation is…..too heavy, okay,… for the….37 cent stamp….you HAVE to….buy the 60 cent stamps…,okay…”
“Well, thank you, I’ll have to check on-”
“Do you have… an invitation…with you?”
“No, no, I don’t, but I’ll bring one-.”
“Because….I would really….feel more comfortable….selling you these, okay………if you could…..bring in and weigh…..one of your invitations…”

A more assertive counterpart of myself may have had the nerve to say, “You are..inadvertantly…..speaking to me….in a somewhat….condescending…manner….although…..I appreciate…your..help….I would…..appreciate…..it even more….if you could….speak…more as if…you were communicating…to someone…you consider….your intellectual….equal…”

But I said,”Okay, I will be sure to do that. Thank you.”

Now, in fairness to Santa, I was dressed in a fashion style reminscient of Britney now that she’s in her laid-back pregnancy stage. Lacking make-up, fitting clothes, or clean hair for that matter, I’m sure I looked like a 12 year old junior bridesmaid on a mission. And I do realize that he was only trying to help, and for that, I am appreciative.
So here’s where I’m probably more stubborn than necessary- not to mention passively aggressive. I returned the stamps back to the shelf, drove all the way home, got an invitation example, and drove to another post office branch to have it weighed.
Happy ending- the invitations do only require the 37 cent stamp. Boo-ya.

Yesterday was the only day I had off work last week, and mom and I took full advantage. First we called the Polo Club and made our appointment to discuss the menu. (Only a month or so later than we should have. So much for thinking they would call us.)
Then we drove down to Buckhead and went to a wholesale flower warehouse. I’m trying to make flower decisions without a florist, and I wanted to see some flowers in person before ordering a mass order. (We all remember what happened with the Lily of Valley fiasco.) But we weren’t totally sure they were going to let us in, since we don’t have a business license….or any intent to purchase.
Not surprisingingly, we’ve never been to a wholesale flower warehouse. We walked in and just stood in the first room wondering where the receptionist was. I kept trying to make eye contact with one of the workers there, only to figure out later that some people were actually florists making their purchases. I must have looked like the friendliest little weirdo, smiling and staring at everyone.
Finally, a guy came to our assistance and we were escorted to the large storage room. A walk-in freezer, if you will. Mom and I turned into shivering, curious two year olds. “What’s that? What’s this called? What’s this one?” We ran into the cutest, NICEST florist. She works out of her home, and she was kind enough to answer any flower question we asked her. Not really thinking, but wanting to show my appreciation, I asked for her card. Even though I pleaded a strong case, Mom is of the opinion that we use a local florist whom we can actually get in touch with. So we can’t use her, but I would love it if someone else could. Here’s her information:

Katie Wickstrum
katietraynor@hotmail.com
(404) 229- 3268

Someone please call her. Please. She was so nice.

After leaving the warehouse, we were so cold we just sat in the sun heated car without any air on.
Our next trek was up to Cumming and to where I honestly thought a Publix was located. (ie wedding cake time!) We had to fight Memorial Day weekend’s rush hour traffic for about an hour. We eventually made it to highway 141. And we kept driving. As it turns out, the Publix is off highway 9, not 141. Numbers. We only drove a half hour or so out of the way. The only thing that kept us going was that I had heard this Publix gives free samples of their wedding cakes to help you decide what you want. Well, we went through the whole cake choosing process and we walked out without ANY free samples. By this point, I’d worked myself into such a sugar craving, we had to stop for an ice cream. Good way to end the day, eh?

Only 60 days to go! That’s like, 8 weeks! It seems like time is on a rush schedule. Josh and I did a count down just the other day- or what seemed like the other day. We counted 76 days and felt like that was a long time. A few days later and suddenly it’s only 60! Now I’m starting to hit that mode- we won’t say “panic” because that’s too cliche. We’ll say ‘target sighted and locked” mode. Progress is being made, but I can’t let that distract me. There’s always something else to do. That’s the Bride’s mantra, I think.
But today was a pretty productive day, I must say. We rented some of the decorations for the church, signed approval on the invitation proofs, and ordered another sample of potential flowers.
Speaking of invitations, I got a crash course today in proper invitation etiquette. A Swoozies (“Paper, Presents and Pizazz!”) representative was going over the proofs with me, and let me tell you; she knew her stuff. We’ll call her Ms. Post. First, she informed me that including my mom’s name with the return address on the back of the invitation envelope was “not how you do it” and “it would look like a mistake.” Oops.
Later, while discussing the same return address, I was told that Josh and I had forgotten to include it in our original designs. And since we chose a font that Swoozie’s doesn’t carry, they wanted Josh to type the address on his computer that does have the font, burn it on a disc, and bring it in.
That seemed like a lot of effort for two lines on the back on an envelope. I suggested that we just use a font similar to ours that Swoozies does carry. That was a really bad suggestion. Ms. Post shook her head adamantly and said that “if we were going to do that, we might as well include her name on the back! That’s even worse.” I immediately felt deeply apologetic for my ignorance.
However, I have to say that every person who works there is incredibly nice and helpful, so I’ll do whatever they tell me. The only problem I have with Swoozies is that every time I go in there to check on the invitations or to ask questions, I immediately see three or four things I HAVE to buy. Stupid “pizazz.” But I have to admit, I love it when instead of asking if you want something gift wrapped, they offer to “swoozie it up for you.”

Oh, and for the heroic end to the story, Josh called the graphic artist and explained to her how to pull the font from the file he had already given her. He’s a genius, is he not? Oh, and Josh, we got lots of compliments on our design- even from Ms. Emily Post herself. Total success.