The BIG Question

Since we got married, just over 2 months ago now, there has been one big question...  So, how does it feel?

Well, it doesn't feel any different than before we were married.  

The hardest part, which is kind of silly, is signing my new name.  :)  

I think that marriage, although a BIG commitment, should not change you, or change your relationship.  Paul and I had for a long time, before we were Mr & Mrs, had that level of commitment.  It was not signified with a big ceremony or diamonds or any of that.  We just knew that no matter what, we planned on being together.  We were each others other half.  There was no wondering what our intentions were.  They were to be together.

That being said, I could not wait for the wedding.  I could not wait to be his wife.  There is something special about having that title of husband and wife.  Although the title doesn't change us, it does make me smile every time he introduces me as "my wife, Niki". 

Lorelei, my hair dresser of 3ish years, got married in May of 2010.  We had the "hows it feel conversation" and she agreed that it (marriage) is only a big deal if you make it a big deal.  She said, "It is just great that I get to spend every day with my best friend."  I couldn't agree with her more.  I am so lucky to have Paul.  He really is my best friend, and will forever be.  

So, no, it doesn't feel and different.  Being married feels the same as not being married.  It is great.  Always has been and will always be.

1,000 Words

Our professional pictures are up!!  They are absolutely amazing.  Not sure how we are going to pick which prints to order, but I am excited to see them all!  Here is a link so you can check them out too!

www.pictage.com/1041861

Mr&Mrs

We're married!!!

On Sunday, we were married.  It was the most amazing wedding, ever.  I cannot even begin to describe how magical it was.  It was just perfect.  And being able to marry the love of my life, well that was the best part.  We leave tonight for our honeymoon and we are so excited for vacation time!

Here are a few pictures from our friend to share a bit of the day...

And they lived happily ever after!

In Just 7 Days

One week from now, it will be here.  

Our wedding day.

I feel like this is something I have been planning for my WHOLE life.  It really is amazing how what you think you want changes a zillion times.  I think I have been dreaming about this day for the last 15 years.  And that is probably not too big of an exaggeration.  HA!  My mom used to tell me that I would need to get married 15 times to have all the weddings I wanted.  I don't need 15, just this one. It will be perfect.

May 8, 2011 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, in a beautiful vineyard full of romance, I will be the luckiest girl in the world.  I will be just moments away from marrying the love of my life. 

Always Changing

A little while ago, I posted about our wedding party.  However, it has changed since then.  Paul's friend Luis won't be able to make it (his fiancee is getting her degree that same weekend), so we made a substitution.  Although we are bummed Luis won't be there to celebrate with us, we are excited to have Kevin aka G-Man (Gorman) as one of the groomsmen.  He is one of the officers at Paul's department, and he is a lot of fun. 

27 days and counting...

Honeymoon!

You think that planning a wedding from start to finish would be the hardest part... Not so much.  

For us it was deciding if and where we would honeymoon.  

In fact, we didn't even BOOK our honeymoon until this week (keep in mind the wedding itself is now 29 days away!).  It was a process, especially since we had such a great relaxing vacation in August when we took a cruise to Alaska.  We had to look at everything from how long we wanted to be gone, how much we wanted to spend, and what we wanted to get for our money.

We had a BIG list of places we did not want to go (Paul had a lot to contribute, ha!).  It really narrowed our selection.  We first had decided to go to Kauai (by far the most amazing island I have ever visited) and stay on the north shore for 6 days.  Then we became undecided. Good thing we hadn't booked.  And then, mother nature decided to have a fit and there were several large earthquakes that affected Japan, also causing a tsunami.  Due to the nature of everything that has been going on in Japan, Paul thought it probably wasn't the safest time to visit Kauai, being that it is much closer to Japan.  I had to agree.  

A couple friends of ours had said that they had wanted to go to Cozumel and that it was a great deal and beautiful.  We checked it out and I would have to agree with our friends.  After looking at pictures and reading reviews online, it sounded amazing.  Considering we want to just relax on our honeymoon, but not get bored, this sounded like a great place.  Cozumel is part of Mexico, but is an island in the Caribbean.  I for one am excited to go and play in another ocean!!  We decided after much research and debate to stay at Cozumel Palace.  

I can not wait for 5 nights of all inclusive relaxation in such a beautiful place!!  

Love Session

So, a few weeks ago, Paul and I ventured to Monterey to do our engagement pictures.  After two previous attempts, the third time was the charm.  We had finally made it work between our crazy schedules and manages to cheat the weather and get a rain free day.  It may have been one of the few in March, since it seemed to pour non-stop.  It was super windy, and a bit on the cold side, but in the end we got some amazing pictures.  I couldn't be happier.  Even Paul, who is not a fan of having his pictures taken, had a good time.  

Thank you to our amazing photographer!  

You can check out the pictures on his blog (www.mikesteelman.com/blog), there are a couple postings there with pictures

OR 

You can go to the "official site" (www.pictage.com/1014323) to see all of the pictures.  Just go to the link then sign the guest book!

Can't wait for the wedding... 35 days and counting!