This is what my last name is...

and this is what it will be in 3 short months....

Mrs. Christine Woods

Mrs. Christine Elizabeth Woods

Mrs. Christine Lemon Woods

...

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Woods... I love it!

After years of maaayyyybe scribbling this in notebooks and page margins it is actually happening! Along with many other things... this means that I will be needing a new name for my blog.  If any of my clever and creative followers have any ideas I'm open for suggestions!

*Send suggestions to cel148@msstate.edu or facebook me

A few highlights of my weekend in Ocean Springs, MS:

Saturday night dinner at Chef Scott's (the most wonderful sushi restaurant EVER) followed by Chocolate, Wine, and Wedding Crafts with the roomies, complete with a sleepover (We cannot get enough of each other). 

Etiquette Luncheon with my wedding party... Hosted by Honey and friends. 

So very informative and tons of fun, as I am a HUGE fan of Emily Post. 

First marriage counseling session- YAY! I think it's going to work out guys :) 

Let's just talk about the SERIOUS case of spring fever I caught yesterday. Not a cloud in the sky and perfect temps, I broke out my Chacos and played outside ALL DAY! (and today I am snuggled up in my chunky cable knit hiding inside from the looming rain clouds and damp cold). It was quite an inspiration, as I will be getting married in May (a beautiful, spring month in the mountains), to make so progress on the very long process of finding bridesmaids dresses. 

Let me backtrack a bit....

When planning my "dream" wedding it was going to be a classic, timeless affair. I would look back on the pictures and my wedding would NEVER be out of style-- however, when these dreams of a wedding became a reality I discovered there are many trends that I absolutely love. One trend being mixed-match bridesmaid dresses (hopefully I won't look back on this and think, "what was I thinking?!"-- we'll see). 

I may be biased, but I believe that my friends are the most beautiful people in the world (click here if you don't believe me). Each of them are unique-- not one of them look alike (not even my sisters). So if there was one thing I decided pretty quickly it was that it would be crazy to put all of them in the same dress... so they will be wearing an array of dresses in our color palette that reflect their own uniqueness. 

Finding the right combination of perfectly mixed-match dresses was not as easy as I expected. After months of scavenging the world wide web, my roomies and I decided to tackle the task once and for all! Well, almost-- we now how 4/5 bridesmaid dresses in the perfect  shades of blush, petal pink, and soft browns with a gold hue. I am know searching for the PERFECT champagne dress to tie them all together (open for any suggestions!!). 

Since I have managed to get behind on keeping everyone up to date, and we are on the subject of beautiful dresses.... I think I'll play a little Wedding Wednesday catch-up. 

Wedding Dress Shopping: 

This has been one of the most special preparations for being a bride.  

Planning a wedding in 6 months, and waiting til there were only 4 1/2 months left to being shopping (something must be wrong with me) did not leave me much wiggle room-- it was crunch time when it came to the ordering process (Just a tip... GO DRESS SHOPPING EARLY). However, it's true what people tell you-- when you know, you know! 

The hunt began in New Orleans, LA (in case you want to catch up). I tried on many gowns that were in fact beautiful, but I just didn't have that feeling-- you know the one you've all seen on say yes to the dress. I didn't know if it was the sense of urgency that came with waiting so long, or the pressure from the sales ladies. While incredible memories were made with my mom, mother-in-law to be, and sisters. I did not leave  with a dress. 

It was only a week and a half later when I met my mom in Jackson-- just the two of us, as it was time to get down to business. We had two appointments at bridal salons and we nearly canceled the second one and chose one of the dresses that I liked (not loved--liked). 

I couldn't be more thankful we decided to go because the dress of my dreams was waiting for me at A Southern Affair  in Jackson, MS.  

The prices were great! I was helped by the Owner herself (Oh, how I love small business owners who love their business), and she made me feel very special!

I have a couple more pics to come, but for now I'm off to class...

Happy Wednesday!

I can always use wise words on a Monday. 

Play day with my Mama Bear...

Started out with a workout-- Zumba. Heard of it?? I had too, but ohh booyy was I in for a treat. Let's just say Hispanic dancing is not my strong point. I learned that I am not nearly as coordinated as I have given myself credit for. I ended making up my own dances at many points during the class and cracking up at myself (that counts for a good ab work out, right?)... and then at some point we began throwing punches  and kicking.. (Hip- Hop Kick Box meets Zumba) what??-- not to mention there was a likely 75 year old man in the room?-- gotta love the YMCA. 

Let me just say I have earned a yummy lunch. So, off to a lunch date and then some wedding planning fun. 

Love this Spring Bear print from Etsy. It is likely one will be hanging in The Woods's new home. 

Planning our wedding is a huge part of my life right now-- consuming and constant, but since it's such a joyful thing then it couldn't be to bad. It's been an incredible time of reminiscing and preparing for our future together. It has been an incredible learning experience for us both.... I'm becoming veerry familiar with budgeting.. and Chris is becoming very familiar with flowers and various wedding blogs. All-in-all we're getting to know each other better everyday.  We are hardly doing it ourselves though... if there is one statement I hear all the time, but I'm not certain I agree with it is "It's YOUR day".-- Our day, and this journey, has been a collaborative effort of friends and family who have been generous in making this time special and celebrating mine and Chris's  love.  It is a day celebrating the Woods marrying off their son, and the Lemons giving away their first daughter. It will be a merging of two incredible families. 

Our Wedding will be a small, backyard wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. We are honored to by joined in marriage by our home pastors (so  grateful they are willing to travel). The Ceremony will be at Montreat College's Black Mountain campus followed by dinner and dancing  at the Bella Luna Inn, owned by a dear friend (who also happens to be our caterer with a knack for gourmet food with local ingredients). Emily McCollin took a leap of faith in hiring me last summer-- funny how things turn out because now she will be planning my wedding (how did I get so lucky?!). The ceremony and celebration will be documented by Grae Skye Studio (videography) and Gulf Portraits (traveling from-- you guessed it! The Gulf Coast). The design will be done by the Occasions by Emily team (with family heirlooms and DIY contributions from myself and ANYONE else who will help). All artists in the wedding industry, I know they will craft a day unique to Chris and I. 

Holy. Romantic. Warm. 

It is the day a girly girl marries a mountain man. 

It may be the charming backyard wedding I dream about or it may turn into a rainy mess.. either way, on May 27, 2012 I will be married to my high school sweetheart. So, along with planning a beautiful wedding, we are planning a beautiful marriage.  

Our love story is for another day (7 years in the making... it could get a little lengthy), but for now just a little about the Woods-to-be. 

Christine

Seven years seems like plenty of time to get to know someone, and you’d think that I would know just about everything about Christine by now, right?  Well, not exactly.  It turns out that growing up in a house full of boys didn’t exactly prepare me for how to deal with a princess.  It has been slow going, but with plenty of constructive criticism I learn something new every day.

Christine is surprising.  A girlie girl with a sense of adventure, Christine has let me drag her on all kinds of crazy outings that are usually dangerous and get you dirty and sweaty.  Competitive by nature, (it runs in the family) Christine is usually the best in everything she does which includes a 4.0 GPA.  She has an eye for design and all things pretty and this certainly shows through in her beautiful spirit.   And boy is she persistent!  At 15, any other girl would have given up on a boy who didn’t think that he wanted anything to do with her.  She knew it was just a matter of time before she could wear me down enough to admit that I liked her, and I’m so glad she did.  Christine is absolutely the most genuine, loving and selfless person I know and I thank God for this lifelong opportunity to love and to learn from such an incredible person.

-- Chris

Chris

About Chris... Where to begin? How about 7 years ago when we met? Chris had hair past his shoulders, braces, skater shoes, and the best personality of anyone I had ever met. Years later and he is still one of the funniest people I have ever known-- his laugh and smile are truly contagious. He is kind, generous, faithful, and gentle (I'm sure he will love all these adjectives)... and let me tell you-- Chris has patience like no other. 

The summer after sophomore year of college, Chris spent a month in the back country of the Yukon-- absolutely no contact. Looking back, a month is soooo short (especially when you are counting down for your wedding), but June of 2010 I just did not think I would make it! I knew then that I just couldn't be without him ever again!  Chris has an incredible sense of adventure. He is tough and he is brave. He is always up for a challenge. He loves mountains.... a lot.  

 I know that married life with Chris Woods will keep me guessing. I am looking forward to so many adventures together. I can't think of a better man to growing old with because I know that his fun spirit will keep my heart young. 

 --Christine

For more wedding details visit our wedding website.

Happy Valentines Day! 

A day celebrating love, that's what I'm all about... and this year I celebrated this momentous day with a finance! Well, okay, there wasn't much celebrating going on... the sweat shirt I wore to make and eat our pea pesto chicken pasta (... not your traditional valentines meal) was faded somewhere in pink and red. That's festive right? 

I began the holiday by treating myself to an extra hour of sleep and listening to love songs as I decked out in workout clothes in many, MANY shades of pink. During my break between classes I attended a fabulous yoga class. Why does this matter?? Well, because I am showing myself love! and THAT, my friends, is important. 

So, my day was actually rather ordinary, but what is more special than a day dedicated to celebrating things that I am about everyday of the year?-- flowers, love songs, shades of pink, gourmet chocolates, proposals, grand romantic gestures, dinner dates, surprises, and stationary. 

A few Valentines day favorites (shown above): Print by Yellow Button Studio on Etsy, Succulent Valentine-- love the "blue valentine" found on Rancho Reubidoux, and Mast Brothers chocolates (which I highly recommend) .

XOXO,

Christine

Rustic Chalk board can be found here.

This sounds like a good idea... I think I will. 

Happy Monday!

This is a little peek from my shoot in photography class today. Our project was to shoot light at a low depth of field (hence the blurred background). Our field trip was to the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge outside of Starkville-- and just when I thought I couldn't look at another pine tree, I thought of this fun way to make the surroundings a little more glamorous. 

I will achieve my goals clipboard on Etsy found here.

I have found yet another notepad to add to my extensive collection of list-making note pads. I write lists for everything... EVERYTHING. Today, I made at to-do list that looked about like this...

To Do:

Make wedding to-do list

Make ambassador to-do list

Make yoga to-do list

Make interviewing to-do list

Exercise

It's been a crazy week, but we're headed downhill towards the weekend. I guess I should probably start working on my to-do list.......

Happy Humpday!

Wrapping up a wonderful weekend by watching the Super Bowl.... Okay-- so I'm sitting next to Chris while he watches the Super Bowl, and tuning in for the commercial breaks.

This weekend my youngest sister came to visit Starkville. Such good fun! It is rare to have all three Lemon girls together in one place. We ate yummy food, watched chick flicks, and snuggled. Sara and I (the two not-so- athletic sisters... but boy are we trying) went for an exercise together before she went on her way... and oh, did I hate to see her go...

Saturday Chris and I went to Annabell's Antique Mall in West Point, MS in search of mixed-match vases for wedding decor.... of course we ended up goofing off and looking at everything irrelevant to wedding design, BUT we had our whole house decorated (our make-believe house that is...)

Chris's Flea-Market Favorites included: a taxidermy raccoon the size of a bear, a very large and seriously disturbing clown needle-point, and a Native American commemorative plate... I'm sure you can imagine.

My Flea-Market Favorites included:  A brass butterfly, a mustard glass canister, and two books-- one on writing business letters (so helpful) and an Esquire book on hosting

.... merge these things together and our house will be preeeettty interesting.

Inspired my my new purchases I spent today doing a thorough room cleaning-- a spring cleaning if you will, to prepare for a busy week ahead. There is nothing better than coming home to a clean and cozy room.

Let's Move to the Mountains print from Etsy

Collage wall with brass flea-market butterfly, e.e. cummings quote postcard by  Sugarboo Designs, 
Jessica McClintock Wall hook, recycle glass vase- lacking flowers, but not for long!

Reading nook.

Cheery yellow canister, one of my flea-market finds- perfect for  Q-tips.

Photo via Use Real Butter. Excellent homemade sushi recipe.

Date night tonight! 

After a month of wedding dieting... I was long time overdue for a splurge. I think Chris was a little a lot excited that I was out of sweat pants and tennis shoes for the first time all week.   We went to Umi's for sushi and it was SUCH a treat. We have committed to a date night, in or out, once a week with no wedding talk! Yes, there's talk about job searches and married life-- but we are not allowed to plan or fret. I definitely recommend it to all of my couple friends, as it is my high point of every week. Going out eliminates any preparation and cleanup, but staying in and cooking together creates great memories and saves money-- get creative, but most importantly... HAVE FUN! 

Happy February!

February 1st kicks of a month of love, so it only seemed appropriate for Chris and I to shop for wedding bands. I am ecstatic to celebrate Valentines Day with a Fiance... okay, so we never have any extravagant plans, but looking through pink and red crafts, handmade valentines, chocolates, and heart-shaped baked goods on Pinterest has me oh, so giddy! 

I am very aware that this celebration of love is quite commercial, a Hallmark holiday if you will, but from a marketing standpoint-- IT'S GENIUS. I love being in the business of love-- this summer I interned with a wedding planner (hearing proposal stories never got old, and yes-- i cried at EVERY wedding), but my calling goes beyond that. My dream is to help every poor guy out there plan grand romantic gestures for their ladies. Birthdays. Proposals. Anniversaries...  If any guys out there dare to read this prissy blog, I'd be glad to help (don't be ashamed!). 

I Love You ribbon

ring dish

We love because He first Loved us. 1 John 4:19