POP QUIZ: Your engagement story!

A few months back, Mrs. Pin Cushion posed some interesting questions about relationship behaviors in a two part series. Curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn't wait to ask a few questions of my own. I want to know all about your engagement stories! (And if you join in, I promise to spill my own dirty details!)

Tell me about your relationship...

1.) How long were you with your SO before you got engaged?
a. Less than 6 months
b. 1 year
c. 2 years
d. 3 years
e. 4+ years

2.) Did you live together prior to your engagement?
a. Yes.
b. No.

2.) Did you ever considering yourself to be waiting for the ring?
a. No.
b. Maybe? We planned on becoming engaged, but I never got to the point where I felt impatient.
c. Yes, we talked extensively about marriage, and I was getting a bit antsy.

Tell me about the proposal...

3.) Was your proposal a surprise?
a. Yes, I was completely caught off guard.
b. Yes, the actual proposal was a surprise, but I knew it was coming. (Did you go ring shopping? Did your SO start to act differently?)
c. No, it wasn't a surprise. (Is your SO horrible at keeping secrets? Did you find the ring? I need details!)

4.) Where did your proposal take place?
a. At a public place (restaurant, park, etc.), but it was just the two of us
b. At a public place with friends and/or family
b. At home, just the two of us
c. At home with family and/or friends

Tell me about the ring...

5.) My engagement ring's stone is a ...
a. Diamond
b. Sapphire
c. Ruby
d. Moissanite
e. Emerald
f. Something else - Do tell!

6.) What cut is the stone?
a. Round
b. Princess
c. Emerald
d. Cushion
e. Oval
f. Asscher
g. Something else

7.) Were you involved in selecting the ring?
a. No, not at all.
b. Yes. I showed my SO pictures of rings I liked
c. Yes. We went shopping together, but the ultimate selection was made by my SO.
d. Yes. I picked out the exact ring.

After the proposal...

8.) What is the first thing you did after the proposal?
a. Spent time alone with my new FI
b. Celebrated with or called family
c. Celebrated with or called friends
d. Posted the news on facebook/twitter

9.) How long is/was your engagement?
a. less than 6 months
b. 6 months to a year
c. 1 year to 1.5 years
d. Over 2 years
e. Still undecided

Since I promised I'd share, here are my answers!

1.) B - We were together a little over a year.
2.) A - We were living together for about seven months.
3.) C - I'll admit it. After we went ring shopping, I was antsy. (Antsy might not be strong enough.)
4.) B-ish/C-ish. We had shopped for the ring so I knew it was coming. Unfortunately Daddy Hawk might have called me looking for Mr. Hawk while we were on vacation in NYC. And he might have mentioned that Mr. Hawk had been trying to get a hold of him. At that point, it wasn't a big surprise.
5.) A - Mr. Hawk proposed in Central Park, but being that it was a Sunday morning, there wasn't a soul in sight.
6.) A - I'm a pretty traditional gal in a lot of ways. (And so is Mr. H!) I never even thought about something other than a diamond.
7.) B - Before ring shopping, I wanted an emerald cut, but once I tried on a princess cut, I completely changed my mind.
8.) C - I gave Mr. H my top three picks, but to be completely honest, I made it 100% clear which one was my absolute favorite!
9.) A and B - We were traveling back home that day, so we enjoyed a couple hours of alone time. Once we were through airport security, I immediately called Momma Hawk (and then bought a wedding magazine). Mr. H posted "game over" to facebook.
10.) C - We were engaged for 14 months.

I can't wait to see how my answers line up with the hive!

Hawks on Honeymoon: Lessons Learned

Our all-inclusive resort honeymoon was perfect and just what we needed: a lot of relaxation with a sprinkle of adventure. As with most experiences, we came away with a lot of good memories and some lessons learned. Here are the Hawks' honeymoon words of wisdom:

Don't overpack!
Overpacking is kind of my M.O. so it's no surprise that I had way more than necessary for our trip. During the day, I lived in bathing suits and coverups. At night, I would throw on a sundress for dinner and drinks. Packing three bathing suits was spot on, but four pairs of sandals? Overkill. I wore one pair in addition to my daytime flip flops. I can't even recall how many outfits I packed, and the jewelry I bought was such a waste of space. In retrospect, I'd bring a handfull of dresses, one pair of shorts, and a couple of breezy tops. The jewelry would be left at home.

These earrings are the ONLY piece of jewelry I wore the entire week (beside my rings, of course!)

Prepare ahead!
This is mostly in reference to dinners (if reservations are necessary) or activities. Mr. H and I were pretty good on this front. Restaurant reservations had to be made daily. We made them first thing in the morning and we were able to get into the restaurants we wanted. As a part of the "honeymoon package," there were also extra reservations to be made for a candelight dinner on the beach, breakfast in bed, and a flower-filled bubble bath. These activities could all be reserved at once. Since they were pretty popular, making them upon arrival was pretty necessary.


Breakfast in bed. So much food!

Particpate!
Well, this one might not be for everyone or every situation. Mr. H wasn't about to join in on the "Mr. Sexy" contest nor was I interested in shaking my tail feather for all the guests in the women's competition, but we did find things to join in on and had a blast. At the tequila tasting, we tried delicious strawberry margaritas, and at the "White Night" party we sampled rum-infused coconut drinks.


Delish!

We also made sure to try Mamajuana, a drink famous in the Domincan Republic for being an aphrodesiac. (Sadly neither Mr. H nor I felt any different after drinking it, but we did bring the recipe home...Just in case.) I also joined in on some dance lessons that were so much fun.

Mamajuana!

Tervis tumblers are a lifesaver!
Okay, so this one really doesn't seem nearly as important as the others, but I cannot stress enough how crucial they were. All mixed drinks were made in small cups, which would be fine if we had planned to sit at the bar the entire time; however, we were more interested in floating in the pool than being bar flies.


Tiny little cups

The bartenders were more than happy to serve drinks in our tumblers, which allowed us to be in the sun and kept our beverages extra frosty cold while we lounged about.

My "Hers" cup making an appearance (and yes, Mr. H definitely was carrying around a "His")

 What's the best advice that you could give future honeymooners?

Hawks on Honeymoon: ATV Adventure

Wanting a super-restful and relaxing honeymoon, Mr. H and I spent most days relaxing in the pool, walking the beach, or floating in the ocean.


Relaxing in a poolside "valley bed"



Views along the beach



Our resort in the distance

 

However we didn't want to spend the entire week on the resort. After looking at several options and speaking with another couple that had previously been to Punta Cana, we decided to sign up for the Punta Cana Boogie tour. With the promise of getting dirty and exploring more of Punta Cana, we were more than ready for our ATV adventure when they picked us up at Majestic Elegance.


Maybe Mr. Hawk wasn't so ready... looking a little apprehensive

  

So excited!

Once we arrived, the tour guide gave us a run-down of how to operate the ATVs. Punta Cana Boogie had several different vehicle options, but we Mr. Hawk chose the "monster boogie" for its speed. He quickly claimed the driver's seat, which I was more than okay with.

Pre-tour: still clean!

We started on some dirt paths and then were lead along rocky beachside terrain. 

Holding the "oh s***! handle" (like I did the ENTIRE ride)

 

At the point where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean

 Then we explored some jungle-like areas and got a little wet.

 Near the end of the tour they brought us to a stretch of beach to swim, cool down, and relax.


(And to take silly jumping pictures)

   I loved this part of the beach. It was so quiet and serene. There was not a soul around.



No resorts or tourists here!

To finish up we visited a small hut where our guide taught us about the process of making Dominican cigars. Mr. Hawk even sampled one.

Looking at this photo now, it could be a bit suspect. It's a cigar! I swear! :)



Covered in dust, but happy!

 Overall, we really enjoyed the Boogie tour and would definitely recommend it to others traveling to Punta Cana. We anticipated getting a little more dirty than we did, but I think driving the "monster Boogie," which was higher off the ground, kept us less muddy. No complaints here!

Anyone else doing an adventure-type activity on their honeymoon?

Hawks on Honeymoon: Arriving in Punta Cana

Because we had Labor Day weekend on our side, Mr. H and I decided to do a Monday to Monday honeymoon rather than Sunday to Sunday. It was probably one of the best decisions we made. Even with the extra recovery day, we still managed to look pretty darn tired on the plane.

We arrived early afternoon at Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ). Customs and Immigration was a fairly quick process, but be aware that purchasing a $10 tourist card (per person) has to be done before going through customs. Another thing to note is that PUJ is an open air building (NO AC!). I wore jeans since I tend to be cold on flights, but I was regretting that decision while waiting in line for security and customs. There are large ceiling fans, but it wasn't enough to keep me cool!

To get to the resort we chose to take a taxi, and I'm so glad we did. I had read mixed reviews on the various transfer options and rates. One shared transfer I researched offered round-trip for around $60. Mr. H and I paid $40 each way for a taxi and made it to Majestic Elegance in about 15 minutes. Not having to make multiple stops for other travelers was more than worth the extra $20 we ended up spending.

The check-in process at Majestic Elegance was a dream. Being that it is a larger resort, Mr. H and I chose to upgrade to the Elegance Club. Among the many additional perks of staying in the Club, they offer a separate check-in desk with a personal concierge assigned to you for your stay. Within minutes we were touring the grounds drink in hand.

With the lobby above, the staircase leads to a lower bar with open air seating



The grounds with a partial view of the downstairs lobby bar area



Private Elegance Club pool area



Private Club bar

After grabbing an afternoon snack, our concierge lead us to our room. We chose not to upgrade to a "swim up" room, so our room was located on the second floor. Even though we had to walk a little farther to get to the pool, I thought it was a good decision on our part. Our room offered a lot more privacy.


The bed with the bathroom to the right



Small seating area and balcony

 



I was very impressed with the beautiful grounds and thankful that we upgraded to the Club. After a busy wedding week, I knew I'd appreciate the quieter, adult-only area of the resort.

Did you chose to make any upgrades on your honeymoon? Is being in an adult-only environment important to you?

Wedding Day Timeline

I'm sure my fellow type-A brides can sympathize with one of my biggest pre-wedding fears: mass chaos. The closer the big day came, the more I worried about the specific timing of events. The thought of missing bridesmaids, groomsmen wandering off, being disorganized, and missing out on certain things such as family photographs made my heart palpitate a bit faster. I knew that things running smoothly was key to me staying calm. Because of this, developing a wedding day timeline was of the utmost importance to me.

I started off by researching timelines that included a first look. Many photography websites include sample timelines that gave me a better idea of how much time each "event" should take. Here is the photography breakdown I developed from samples:

Bride/Bridesmaid makeup, hair: 2-3 hours
(Actual primping shots - 30 min.)
Detail shots - 30 min
Groom/Groomsmen "getting ready" - 30 min
Bride dressing/accessories - 15 min
First look + couple photos - 1 hr.
Wedding party photos - 1 hr.
Ceremony - 30 min.
Family formals - 30 min.

Using this as my guideline, I started with my ceremony start time (5pm) and then worked my way backwards to the beginning of the day. Adding travel time was key. Without it, the schedule would have been off by at least 30-45 minutes by the end of the day! For the reception timeline, my DJ/Master of Ceremonies was a huge help.

For those interested, here is the actual Hawk wedding day timeline:

10:30 am: MUA, bridesmaids arrive in bridal suite
11:45 am: Bride's makeup
12:00 pm: Lunch delivered
12:30: Hair stylist arrives (only for Bride's hair.)
1:00: Photographers arrive
         Detail shots, primping photographs
1:30: Second shooter to Groom
2:00: Bride puts on the dress
2:10: Groom leaves for first look location
2:20: Bride leaves for first look location
2:30: First look
3:00: Bride and Groom Photographs
        BMs and Groomsmen leave for ceremony location
3:30: Wedding party photographs
4:00: Florist delivers bouquets
4:30: Photography ends. Music begins in the chapel
4:55: MOB seated
5:00: Bride walks down aisle/Ceremony begins
5:20: Recessional
5:30: Family formals
(5:45: Cocktail hour begins)
6:20: Must be completely done with photography
6:30: Grand Entrance
7:00: Dinner
8:30: Toasts
        Cake cutting
8:55: Open dancing
11:00: End of reception

Phew! Distributing the timeline to the bridal party was a relief. I knew by providing this, I wouldn't have to be worried about rounding everyone up. I still heard a question or two like, "what time do we have to be at Wren again?" The running joke continued to be, "you obviously haven't read your timeline." Trust me, I didn't mind the ocassional teasing though. The wedding day went more smoothly than I could have imagined!

Did you/will you write a detailed schedule out for your wedding party?

A Bee's Life: Hawk Edition!

How I Found Weddingbee

I don't remember exactly when it was that I found Weddingbee, but to save face let's just assume it was shortly after Mr. Hawk and I became engaged. ;) At that point I had already voraciously ingested what The Knot had to offer, and I was looking for fresh and unique inspiration: Weddingbee was just that. I loved how it wasn't just beautiful editor-selected photographs, but rather real brides sharing their journies. Being from Richmond, I gravitated to Mrs. Cloud's recaps about her Richmond wedding, and I was instantly hooked. From there I devoured another Virginia bride's, Mrs. Brooch, posts before becoming a daily follower of the site.
My Application Story

From the start I knew I wanted to be a Blogger Bee; however, the idea of blogging seemed a little abstract to me. I had always thoroughly enjoyed writing, but I had never blogged before. I wasn't really sure I'd have enough to write about or even have an interesting story to tell. I put off thinking about applying until late September when I my wedding was less than eight months away. The idea of missing my opportunity to apply kicked my butt into gear. I decided to quit being silly and just go for it. Telling only Momma Hawk and Mr. Hawk, I started blogging in secret. To my surprise finding topics to write about came easily, and before I knew it, I was blogging almost every day. I absolutely loved it.

Not wanting to waste another minute, I sent in my application right after I had written the requisite fifteen posts. Four weeks s-l-o-w-l-y passed by. Near the end I swear I was checking my email every fifteen minutes. It was the first thing I looked at in the morning and the last thing I checked before bed. I anxiously prayed no one would pick Hawk as their moniker. After waiting exactly a month, I coudn't wait any longer. I emailed Mrs. Penguin kindly asking about the status of my application. A few hours later she came back with a response saying that I was "kind of a mind reader" and that I should hear back shortly. The fact that she ended the email with a smiley face was all I needed. My heart was beating out of my chest for the next several minutes until I received my acceptance email. I immediately called Mr. Hawk. He could hear the excitement in my voice, and before I could even get it out he asked if I had been accepted. (Then he asked if we would be the Hawks. Of course we would!) I was elated.

On Blogging for Weddingbee

I can honestly say that blogging for Weddingbee has been one of the coolest experiences of my life. When I started as a Blogger Bee, I looked forward to sharing my story. I even hoped that I might provide some inspiration or support for fellow brides, but I never anticipated that I would get so much back in return. Having a community to share the highs and lows with has been such an amazing experience. There is nothing quite like receiving support and positive words of encouragement from fellow brides who are going through the same struggles. There is also nothing quite like having a space to freely ramble about bridesmaids dresses, shoes, or the chairs I dreamt about, and have a community of people who understand!

While it has been gratifying and rewarding, I also must admit that it can be time consuming. Regularly blogging while working and planning a wedding can at times be overwhelming. There were moments when I felt like I had taken on a part-time job, but feedback from the Hive made it worth every minute.
Advice for Applicants

This is nothing new, but considering it's the most important piece of advice I can give, it bears repeating: Bee yourself!

Write like you would speak to your best friend. When I first started blogging, I repeatedly made Mr. Hawk read my writing to make sure it sounded like me. I wanted to make sure that my personality came through and that he could actually hear me saying the things I wrote. Having a close friend or family member read your writing might be your biggest asset.

Don't feel the need to meet a certain formula. There is nowhere in the application process that says one post about the engagement, two posts about the shoe search,  and three about the dress search equals a winning combination. Heck, I never even shared any details about my dress shopping experience and I was accepted! If you write as you naturally progress through the planning process, you'll end up covering what's important to you.

Share your story. It's nice to see a post filled with lovely inspiration pictures, but the journey is more interesting. Knowing the reasoning behing your choices is what makes your writing relatable and interesting to readers.

Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. If you're thinking about applying, just go for it! I'm so glad that I did. :)

OOT Wedding Packet

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I included a wedding packet in our OOT bags. Along with the Williamsburg guide books, I wanted to include a schedule of the wedding events along with personal recommendations of restaurants and activities to try in the area. Although I offered many of these same suggestions on our wedding website, I found that (like Mrs. Turkey also mentioned) many of our guests didn't utilize the site as much as I had thought they would. Plus, once on location, how many guests would think to pull up our wedding website for suggestions? For inspiration I of course turned to the 'Bee. Mrs. Cloud's post on her OOT bags helped me create the perfect informational packet.

To fit our theme of utilizing Kraft paper and monograms, I designed a simple cover.

I began with a quick welcome and details the guests could expect to find in the packet.

Although to my knowledge it went unused, having a contact list was a nice "just in case" for any possible questions or emergencies.



Probably the most important information was the schedule of events and wedding map. I loved that everything was laid out for our guests. Having this prevented me from having to field questions about events, timing, and locations.

Lastly I included a couple of restaurant and activity suggestions.

I'm happy to report that several guests followed my suggestions and enjoyed exploring (and eating!) in the Colonial area of Williamsburg before the wedding.

Are you creating a packet for wedding guests? If you were an OOT wedding guest would you find information like this helpful?

The Hawk OOT Bags

Although our Williamsburg wedding was hardly a destination wedding, the majority of our guests stayed at the hotel I blocked. Knowing this made providing out-of-town bags for our guests a priority of mine. I kept the contents simple sticking to snack foods and plenty of Williamsburg information for those staying the entire weekend. 

OOT bag goodies

Here is the breakdown of what each bag contained.
Snacks:

• 2 bags Utz chips (purchased at Costco)
• 10 Hershey Kisses (Costco)
• 2 packs of Lance peanut butter crackers (Costco)
• 2 bags of Hubbies Virginia Peanuts (Hubs Peanuts)
• 2 bottles of water

Williamsburg Info:

• Colonial Guide (including several detailed maps)
• VIP Coupon Book for the Premium Outlets
• Colonial Williamsburg pamphlet
• Williamsburg Winery pamphlet
• Postcard of the Wren Building (where we got married!)

Other

• The Hawk wedding packet
•  2 Advil packets (purchased from Amazon)

I packaged all of the goodies into Kraft gift bags purchased from the Dollar Tree (two bags for $1), and finished them off with a hanging tag of our pre-ceremony monogram.

Blank tag templates from Homemade Gift Guru, Monogram added by me

Can you think of anything I missed? Are OOT bags a must-have for your wedding?

Love Affair With My Hair: the PWC

My hair ADD is really no secret. Over the years, I've sported many different colors and cuts, but the wedding definitely put a kabosh on that. I made up my mind early in our engagement that I wanted to wear my hair mostly down in curls, which meant no drastic cuts. I also knew I wanted my hair to be a natural light brown, which translated to no color changes. For those of you who also suffer from hair ADD, I'm sure you can imagine how I was squirming inside. Well last weekend I finally made an appointment for the long overdue PWC.

THE BEFORE:


Please excuse my "I'm still half asleep"/no makeup face

THE AFTER:

Hey, short hair!

And to give you a better idea with straighter hair, here is a recent picture of Mr. H and I.



At Pippin Hill Vineyards (Shout out Mrs. Mink!)

 And post haircut:

I'm glad for the change, but I've got to admit I'm already missing my longer hair. (Uh, oh. Here comes that pesky hair ADD again...)

Anyone else planning a major post-wedding chop?

On Being a No Program Bride

As you may or may not recall, even though I planned my wedding from start to finish, I really didn't have a lot of real wedding experience. In fact, not counting my own, I've still only attended two weddings in my adult life. At the beginning of planning I felt a bit lost, but I found that in some ways it was a blessing. I think it may have relieved some stress from feeling obligated to participate in or do certain things simply out of tradition. In some ways, like our chapel wedding ceremony, we stayed very traditional, but in others we said "tradition shmadition."

Although I loved our paper elements like our STDs and invitations and was obsessed with monogramming anything that didn't move, I was completely uninterested in the idea of creating a wedding ceremony program. I guess I saw it more as a "nice to have" rather than a "need to have." We weren't having a super-long ceremony or participating in any special or unique ceremony elements that needed explaining. I suppose it would have been a nice place to call out and give thanks to the wedding party, but we had other things planned for them at the reception. In the end, I just said "to hell with it" and skipped them all together.

However in effort to make sure all our guests still made it to the reception, I ended up making a simple map to distribute a la Ballet Flat instead. I knew directions couldn't be skipped since most of our guests were unfamiliar with the Williamsburg area, but eliminating the task of programs from my to-do list certainly made for less stress.

Photo by Valerie Demo

Any other "no program brides" out there?