Hawkily Ever After: A recap before the recaps

I recently received this lovely little package from my photographer.


Gifts!

 It also, of course, contained the flash drive with all of my wedding day images!

Horray!

But before I jump straight into wedding day recaps, I figured I'd do a short review of our planning journey for those of you who might not have been around. Here is the Hawk engagement: Cliffs Notes version.

Mr. Hawk and I met through mutual friends. A few years later we became an official couple. We moved in together, went ring shopping, and I got a little impatient before Mr. H asked me to marry him in March of 2011.


 We decided to have our wedding ceremony at my alma mater in picturesque Williamsburg, Virginia, but faced some sticker shock when picking our reception venue. We settled on Legacy Hall, which was both beautiful and affordable. Since we saved on our venue,  I found myself drooling over upgrades like chiavari chairs and professional lighting.


The Wren Building. Photo by Holland Photo Arts

We found a fantastic DJ, and I was thrilled when we decided to rent a photobooth, which would also serve as our guestbook. Mr. H was pretty laid back when it came to planning, but let me know that pulled pork HAD to be a part of the reception menu. Not being big fans of cake, we also decided to serve cupcakes as dessert.

When it came to color scheme, I originally thought I wanted to incorporate gray, but eventually decided on a more spring-y palette. Yellow bridesmaids dresses and bow ties definitely fit the bill.


Top row, from left to right: Bouquet via Kelly’s Wedding Flowers Gallery; Love Birds Topper via Vintage Green Modern on Etsy; Cupcakes via Wedding Magazine / Cupcakes by Cakes by Robin; Monogram via Charming Little Nest / Monogram by Southern Proper Monogram; Shoes via Hayden Olivia / Photo by Critsey Rowe; Sign via Family Attic on Etsy; Arrangement via White on Rice Couple
Bottom Row: Table setting via Green Wedding Shoes / Photo by Edyta Szyszlo Photography; Bouquet and bow ties via Southern Weddings / Photo via 1313 Photography; Lemonade stand via Brenda’s Wedding Blog / Photo by Bello Photography / Styling by Desiree Spinner Events

For our paper elements we incorporated our engagement photos in our save-the-dates. Our invitations featured a hand drawn image of our ceremony spot. I obsessed over monograms, and it became a theme featured on hand-painted glassware, matchbook covers, tote bags, seating chart, OOT bags, and OOT information packets.

My lovely ladies threw me a fun bridal shower and bachelorette weekend in DC to celebrate my last single days. Our impending marriage started to feel more real when we bought our wedding rings and finally obtained our marriage license.


When our wedding day arrived, we followed the timeline to a "t", but it was still over in the blink of an eye.


Photo by Valerie Demo Photography


I can't wait to relive every moment of our special day with y'all. Now, on to the recaps!

First up: The day before we wed!

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!

CONFESSION: I am impatient.

(Or our road to engagement)

I can be very impatient. (And Mr. Hawk may think that is a gross understatement!) I mean, I S-U-C-K at waiting when it comes to something I really, really want. While my determination has served me well career-wise, it wasn’t exactly conducive to the whole engagement process.

When Mr. Hawk and I moved in together back in October of 2010, I wanted to make our intentions crystal-clear. We decided that if we were going to cohabitate, it was a serious step in making a more permanent future together. I was incredibly happy and excited to be moving forward in our relationship until things didn’t follow the timeline I had somehow developed in my head along the way.


It started innocently enough with a visit from the Mr.'s Momma, FMIL Hawk, at our new abode. After giving her the tour, we sat down to spend some time together. Almost immediately, she dug into Mr. Hawk. (Both of us coming from somewhat conservative Christian backgrounds, we knew our new living arrangements weren’t exactly hunky-dory in our families’ eyes, but I don’t think either of us were expecting this.) Boy oh boy, did she give it to him. She wanted a date and a ring A.S.A.P. to (using her words) “make this right.” [Eek!] At first it was a little uncomfortable for both of us, but it really did open the door for more concrete discussions about where we saw our relationship going. Only a week or so later, we were out ring shopping (and my little heart was soaring with excitement). 


But then the waiting game began. [DUN DUN DUUNNN] Weeks turned to months and impatience turned into anxiety. At some point anxiety took permanent residence and let his BFF insecurity move in. I started thinking that Mr. Hawk didn’t really want to get married. (I know, I know it was only a couple months, but I was obsessed!) I mean I picked out the freakin’ ring. What else was there to do??!! What was he waiting for??!! 


Looking back at those four months or so, I have some regrets and I’m pretty darn embarrassed.  I shouldn’t have wasted time with worry and I surely should have trusted Mr. Hawk’s intentions because one beautiful and quiet Sunday morning in NYC’s Central Park, Mr. Hawk got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. (And he made me so exceedingly happy that my heart still flutters thinking about those few moments. WORTH.THE.WAIT.)

personal photo, 3/13/11

Was anyone else overcome with anxiety/doubts/insecurities while waiting for a proposal? Or are y’all blessed with a little more patience than me?!