Wedding Planning

The save-the-date magnets are finally here!!! I am so excited to send them out! My dad helped me out a lot by referring me to his company's travel agent Debbie. She worked out all the hotel and other travel stuff for the wedding! All out-of-town guests can simply contact her and she will organize the entire trip for them! I am going to send her information with the save-the-date mailing.

I also confirmed all of the little people for the wedding party. My cousins are going to be the flowergirls and ringbearer; and Fred's nephew will also be a ringbearer!



Seth Rice, Ringbearer

Chris Fields, Ringbearer

Emerson Meyers, Flowergirl

Anne Francis Park, Flowergirl

Fred and I had a meeting with the caterer this weekend, Wiltshire Pantry. It was our favorite wedding planning meeting by far because we got to taste test the menu for the reception.

We also met with our mentor couple from Epiphany and they had some interesting things to say about the FOCUS survey that we took at the beginning of the month. Apparently we are compatible! We had to make a family tree to show where we are coming from in our relationship. Our homework is to figure out how we resolve arguments and to complete the financial section of the FOCUS workbook.

165 days until the wedding!!!

Engaged Encounter Weekend

Fred and I spent the entire weekend in Cullman, AL for marriage preparation. The Catholic church has an Engaged Encounter program which is a couples retreat for dialogue, reflection and prayer in preparation of the marriage because: "A wedding is a day....A marriage is a lifetime." We did the retreat with the Birmingham Diocese because we thought it would be halfway between Fred in Milton, FL and me in Nashville, TN. The location was actually at the Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman (50 miles north of Birmingham).

There was a two hour break so we went to check out the Ave Maria Grotto. It was located on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey. Basically it was miniature buildings of stone and cement by Brother Joseph Zoetl, O.S.B., a monk of the Abbey for 70 years.
We discussed many topics: communication, the rules for argument, finances, becoming a family, intimacy, the Sacrament of Matrimony. In case you are wondering, in the Catholic faith, marriage is a sacrament. A sacrament is God's presence and love for us reavealed in a visible action or relationship. The priest is actually a witness of that sacrament on the wedding day. The couple becomes ministers of the sacrament to each other and mirror God's love through daily acts of loving, serving and forgiving. I really enjoyed learning more about Fred, about our love and how we each see our future together. I think it really helped to talk without distraction for the entire weekend. There are only 179 days until the wedding day and I am so excited to finally be united with Fred. Keep us in your prayers!

Happy New Year!

To Friends and Family,
This is an exciting year! On July 5, 2008 we are getting married and starting our adventure together. Fred is graduating from pilot training this February. He will get his wings and find out his permanent duty station. We are hoping for Norfolk- keep your fingers crossed! We will keep this blog updated so that you can keep track of our wedding plans, our travels and adventures.
Fred and I spent this morning looking at wedding bands. It was exciting to see and feel the rings that will be symbols of our marriage. Only 185 days to go!
We did a lot of traveling over the holidays. On Friday, Dec 21 we both traveled to Houston, TX and arrived around 1:30am on the 22nd. My flight was delayed and Fred was driving from Pensacola, FL.
We had a wonderful visit with Fred's family and played with his adorable nephew, Chris. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay long because I had to work on Dec 27 so we flew back to Nashville, TN on Wednesday night. Then Saturday, Dec 29 we drove to Louisville, KY for a couple days of wedding planning and to visit with my cousin Rob and his family. The Army is sending Rob back for another visit to Iraq soon, so keep him in your prayers.
Our wedding plans are really coming together. It will be a beautiful wedding. Please visit http://www.danielleandfred.com/ for the most current wedding updates.