Wedding: Location, location, location!

After Travis and I got engaged, we didn't really worry about setting a date because we had planned on having a long, long engagement and maybe get married fall of 2013. We didn't really want to wait that long but we didn't feel like we had a choice because we'd be paying for everything ourselves. After being accosted by friends, family (mostly his) and coworkers,  we decided that 2013 wasn't what we wanted and if we took advantage of time and started planning now, we'd be able to pull off a beautiful September wedding in 2012. [Although it still isn't good enough for his mother!]

First thing was first. Where are we going to get married? The venue is probably the most important part of any wedding. It sets the whole feel for the day and reflects back onto the couple. This was a pretty difficult process for us because Travis is from the Ogden area and that is pretty much where ALL of his family is. I am from Salt Lake/West Jordan and I know the family and friends would travel for me for the one day without complaint. [My family is mostly out of state and I don't think a lot of them would be able to come, and for the ones who did it wouldn't matter where we had our wedding.]

But Travis wasn't so sure that a lot of his family would show up if we got married in Salt Lake.

:[

This was particularly heartbreaking for me because I had my heart set on getting married in Memory Grove Park's Memorial House. Its the cutest historic building and you can set up your ceremony anywhere in the park and have your reception in the house... It was perfect, just what I wanted! But we needed to find somewhere in Ogden. I could live with that...

After a few tours of a couple different places, we decided one was ok. I know, just ok. But if that made Travis happy because his family could be there then I was all for it! After trying to make it work for what we wanted, dealing with difficult staff and being frustrated with their catering [they have a catering company and you HAVE to use their catering. I hate when venues do that and so many of them do and the food is just "ok". Its typical, bland wedding food. You think you're getting a good deal on the rental of the building then you pay out the wazoo for the food because you have to use their catering and they can charge whatever they want. Sneaky bastards.]

Travis told me that he knew I didn't want to get married there and if his family wouldn't take a drive for him for just one day then they didn't deserve to be there anyway.

Back to square one.

We started looking at other places in Layton and Bountiful and everything was just ok. No one had anything more/different to offer than the others. They all looked the same! I was determined that the only solution would be in Salt Lake.

Yess! Memorial House! Well the more we crunched the numnbers we knew we'd have to wait until 2013. I had my heart set on a september wedding and I didn't want to push it back another year. Spring is too iffy with weather [this years spring was basically WINTER] and I don't love summer weddings. Its always too hot if you want it outside at all. I want my guests having a good time. Not all sweaty and sticky! Needless to say we kept looking. :[

I was about to give up and then one day I came across this place, Chateau Faire Art and Reception Villa. [How official and cute is that name??]. I had never even heard of it but after looking at their website I saw its an Art/Antiques gallery in Holladay, Utah and they just opened up their space for weddings too. I had to take a tour.

It blew every other venue we had looked at out of the water! Everything is done old european style and we get to use all the antiques and artwork for decor at our wedding. Not having to decorate and they build you your own custom centerpieces? I was in LOVE! The only thing it was missing, no outside. I voiced my one disappointment to the owner- then to my surprise she laughs and tells me about the whole addition to the building they are making including a garden/patio area. SOLD. Travis loved it too and we had his parents come see it a week later and they loved it so much they offered to give us the money to put the downpayment to save our date. Awesomeness :]

Here are some pics I stole from their facebook.

This is a picture of the entrance. Its so adorable!!!

At night its all lit up with white lights!

You walk in onto the black and white tile.

The signing table, straight shot from the front door.

Just to give you an idea of the flow, make a right at the signing table and you will be standing right next to our cake [on top of the antique cake table from Brazil!] The room with the black and gold rug is the room they use for inside ceremonies. Seats 75. 100 with seated and standing guests. The balcony you can see in the 2nd pic is to THE BRIDES ROOM! Amazing :]

This pic is set up for Christmas but I wouldnt mind it being a little chilly and being able to use their big fireplace!

Another shot of the cake table display/room and the flatscreen on the wall will be playing our photo montage!

This is the bay window of  their "Sun Room".  [Now it is decorated with old hainging birdcages and other fun stuff!]

Here is a shot at night. With seating for dinner!

This is a walkway leading to the additional inside seating.

This room is larger than the other with more seating. This is where they plan on building an addition and french doors for a 2nd patio entrance. [the first tour we took Travis and I were wondering around and we came down here and it started pouring rain so hard that water started pouring out from the white vent! Luckily we saw it and the owners were able to stop it.]

Here is the grooms room!

Now lets go upstairs!!!!

This is the bridesmaids room! They get their own area too.

Just a few short steps down the hall...

past the chandelier...

The Brides Room!

View from the bridesroom.

Here is the unfinished patio [due to the rainy June weather, they were unable to finish the patio this summer so here is the rought draft. Usable but not finished! Can't wait til next year to see it!]

Where we will mostlikely have our ceremony :]

Here is the parking lot sign out front at night!

Parking lot during the day, completely surrounded with trees.

And at night with the lights!

I love it! So much character and charm, its unique like us :]

The Engagement

So Travis and I had started talking about marriage really early on. Not that we were going to get married, just in general about if thats something that we even wanted (its nice to figure out if you eventually want the same things early on in a relationship haha). It was something we both wanted in the future some day, just not anytime soon.

After Travis got his awesome job in August of 2010, we had been together about a year and a half and his mom was always up in our business. "When are you two going to make a commitment to eachother?" "When are you going to get married?' "I need to be a grandma again before I am too old to even hold my grandchildren!" (Yeah, she isn't even 50.) So we pretty much just ignored her for a while and then around Christmas started seriously considering if that was really what we wanted to do of if we just wanted his mom to leave us alone! We decided both would be nice :] ... So we set our expectations for 2013 and kind of left it at that.

One random weekend in March we decide to drive to Franklin, ID to get some scratch offs. We hadn't done anything just the two of us in a while so we took advantage the day. We took the long way through Logan and on our way back had lunch and as we were about to get back on the road we decide to go through the teeny-tiny, itsy-bitsy mall they have up there. As soon as we walk in the first store is a Schubach Jewelers (who happen to be my favorite) and Travis says "Hey, wanna look at rings?". Thinking that it was weird he actually wanted to look at expensive jewelry... I am usually the one dragging him to look, I naturally skip my way to their diamond case!

Basically, we just went in to look. Then I found one that I couldn't live without (well technically Travis found it first and knew I'd love it). Those Schubach girls were awesome. They worked every angle and my beautiful ring ended up being such a good deal that I feel almost guilty when I think about it!

Then, I had to wait. And wait. And wait. When was I going to get it? When was he going to ask? How was he going to ask? Should I tell my parents first or let them be surprised? WHEN WAS I GOING TO GET IT?

When we finally picked up my ring after having it resized, we were still over a month away from our 2 year anniversary. I flat out told him that if he made me wait that long I'd kill him! Ha!

A few weeks later (March 18th) Travis tells me to get ready cause we are going out and its a surprise. I have a hard time with surprises. I have to know whats going on. He doesn't tell me where we are going... We get in the car and he makes me close my eyes (of course I peeked). Then we pull into the Sandy Aquarium.

Yes the Aquarium. (The first time we went to the Aquarium we seriously had so much fun, its all we talked about for days!)

We start our rounds through the place and every minute I am wondering, "Now? How about now? Is he going to ask me now?" The suspense was killing me! After about an hour or so we had gone through everything and I was thinking "Hmm... ok not now? Maybe at dinner?" Then I turn around and he says the magical words! I was so anxious with waiting that I dont even remember saying yes! We just hugged (which he never lets me do in public) and laughed! People were probably looking at us weird... but I didn't care. To date it was the best day of my life!

My ring!

Second "Date", First Kiss.

So after our awkward Saturday meeting at the coffee shop, which I honestly thought would be the last time I heard from Travis, but then I get a text before I even turn the key in my ignition.

"When can we hang out again? :)"

I had to work the next few days but we decided on the following Wednesday. Since I had been talking to him for almost 5 months and no red flags after we met in person, we decided we'd hang out at his house. I took the frontrunner from Salt Lake to Ogden and he was 15 mins late to pick me up! What a jerk! I would have almost thought he stood me up if I didn't get a bunch of texts from him apologizing for being late and he was really sorry. Haha!

So he picks me up in his red VW Golf and we head to his house. As we are getting closer to where he tells me his house is, I am thinking to myself- "This is hillbilly status! He lives in the middle of nowhere!!!!".  When finally we get to his house we decide to watch one of our favorite movies, Tim Burton's

Nightmare Before Christmas .

He teases me for knowing all the songs (I have the soundtrack on my iPod haha) and I tease him for his hand being sweaty as he tries to hold my hand. We are almost to the end of the movie, maybe 20 mins left and he keeps looking at me. I see him out of the corner of my eye so I just ignore it thinking he will stop... he doesn't, so I look at him and he keeps staring and I look away. I ignore him until the end credits. Slightly annoyed, I look at him again and ask him "What are you waiting for?" He shrugs his shoulders and just as I start to look away, leans in and lays a big fat kiss right on my lips!

(Ok maybe I am exaggerating. It was a good first kiss, probably the best first kiss I have had. It was just weird to kiss someone that had bigger lips than me.)

He took me totally by surprise. This kid was so shy, it was probably the LAST thing I ever thought was going to happen this day. But it was probably the BEST thing that could have happened that day. All the tension was gone, and then the boy who doesn't say anything turns into the boy who doesn't stop talking. :]

Fast forward a few hours of cuddling on the couch and watching old Home Inprovement episodes, I have to ask what "this" is and what we are. Travis decides that since we have already kissed we are obligated to be together wheather we like it or not. :]

Thus our anniversary is decided, April 29th, 2009.

The first "anniversary" we celebrated. Our 6 months.

The awkwardly, awkward story of how we met.

This is a story of how Travis and I met. I don't particularly like sharing this story with people because its pretty lame and kind of embarrassing, at least for me. Unfortunately, it is a pretty important part of our lives so I will share it with you. Feel special!

So once upon a time, long long ago, there was this website called MySpace. It was December 2008, a few days after Christmas. I had just broken up with my boyfriend of almost 4 years in August, and had just come home from living in New York as a nanny. I had created a new account for myself, because I had just been through hell and spent a few months on the other side of the country. I was a new person! Out with the old! Well as I was going through my old profile and making sure I had all the pictures I wanted off of there saved and all that other fun stuff, I had a new message. It was from some random guy that I didn't know. It was kind of similar to the usual message a single girl gets on myspace. So I checked out his profile and decided to message him back after seeing he didnt have 32132541354351354341 friends already and his top friends on his page weren't all skanky looking girls. I gave him my new URL and pretty much left it at that.

Travis' profile picture when he added me on myspace. Haha

My myspace picture at the time. HA!

A few days later I get another message from him, I relpy and the next message I get he gives me his number! HA! I quickly correct him, reminding him that he is the man and I give him my number haha. A few hours later I get a text. Fast forward its now Saturday April 25, 2009. After 4 months of putting off meeting this Travis guy and stalling cause I don't "Meet people off the internet." I crack and we find a mutal meeting place in SLC.

I get to Coffee Break and come through the back. I text him to see where he is and he's sitting up front. I was really hoping I would get there first so it would be less awkward for me. So I order my tea and sit at his table and we exchange our awkward "hello"s. We sit and I pretty much just try and get this odd kid to talk to me but he doesn't say much. We move to a couch (which we now call "our couch") and talk for another hour or so. He isn't saying much so I am thinking "This isn't going so well..." He informs me he has to head home and I had plans that night anyway. Just as we both leave he gives me this stiff Frankenstien-like hug and feeling confused I walk to my car as I watch him drive away. I sit in my car and giggle to myself about the day and then as I go to start my car my phone gets a text from Travis. "When can we hang out again? :)"

2 and 1/2 years later here we are :]

The End.

One of the first pictures ever taken of us together. July 2009.

:]

Everybody Loves A Nutt!

   Hello! And welcome to my blog.

This blog's name comes from a Johnny Cash song, "everybody loves a nut", which i found fitting because not only is it true but I am engaged to the love of my life- Travis James Nutt! (his car is a package deal haha)

Soon we will both be Nutts :]

(However I am still undecided if I will be doing the whole changing my name thing haha)

I plan on using this as a way to introduce us as a couple into the world and let you all follow along on our lifes adventures.

First things first,

catching you up on our story so stay tuned! :]