Done done and done…

We’re officially Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins. Details of the wedding coming soon…ish. Tuesday maybe?

Two and a half weeks to go!

Time is really flying around here. Two weeks from tomorrow my family gets here and only a few days after that is the wedding.  I picked up Kayla and Michelle’s bridesmaids dresses yesterday along with the sash for my dress. Jon’s ring should be in sometime in the next week or so. There are a few details to solidify for the ceremony & reception but overall it’s all coming together well.

I’m ready. I’m starting a series with a group of women from our church and got my book tonight. Since it’s a 12 week series, I went on and wrote “Rhoni Wilkins” in the cover. Gotta say it looks good.

Another Quick Update

Well, we’re within the 6 week mark now, the fur is really flying as we hustle to get everything in place.

The wedding party has changed slightly also, since Rhoni found out she was going to have her little sister here also, I suddenly found myself needing another groomsman.  Luckily, I had a good idea who I would ask, my Dad.  Needless to say this is a huge thing considering all the things that have gone on in the last year, but I’ll be proud to have my Dad be a part of my wedding.

I went and reserved the tuxedos the other day, I think the one I picked is pretty stylin’ of course.  That and it’s a “zoot suit” style…zoot suit riot anyone?  Heres a picture:It’s got a long jacket on it and the colors in the picture are how it will look.  I Haven’t done the bowtie thing before, but it looked kinda dorky with the actual tie.  Plus, I’m a big geek so a bowtie is right up my alley.  Now I’ll just need a pocket protector instead of a pocket square.

We also got the invitations ordered and sent out.  We went the thrifty route and just got 5×7 photo cards with our picture and the details of the wedding on it…check it out:The cool thing about that picture is that I took it with my phone in one of the local resaurants here in Meridian.  Everybody was surprised that the picture came out so good because of that fact.  We both loved the picture though and the sepia tone “hides” all of the noise that enlarging it a little produced.

We’re meeting my friend Marty, the minister who is performing the ceremony, for breakfast on April 4th so he can go over the flow of the service with us and also so he can meet Rhoni.  He said he’d like to meet her before he marries her.

As we count down to the ceremony, please keep praying for us.  We are still maintaining seperate sleeping arrangements in the house, but sometimes it’s harder than others to “be good”.  We are very excited about our continued journey together and love having so many friends and family around us for support.

More to come…

Wedding Party update…

I’m so very excited to tell you…my baby sister Michelle is going to be here after all and will be a bridesmaid as well.  I was absolutely giddy when I found out yesterday and may or may not have jumped in circles while squealing when I finished talking to her on the phone.

The dress

Thanks to the generosity of my parents, my dress is hanging in my closet. I called David’s yesterday, within 20 minutes of them opening, and asked if it was still on the floor. Then I nervously waited for ten minutes for a consultant to go check. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until she came back and said she had it. I picked it up after work and ordered the sash. That won’t be here until April 29 (at the latest) but since it’s a SASH and we don’t have to worry about possible alterations, I don’t mind cutting it that close.  I have the most important part of the ensemble and it’s more beautiful than I remembered. I can’t wait to show it off!

Dress Shopping

I went to try on dresses this weekend just to figure out what style I liked. Our wonderful friend, Camille, went with me to offer her opinion and take pictures. Turns out she also helped tie bows, pin back my hair (with pins she happened to have on hand) and even laced me into one gown.

We got to the store around noon and picked out three dresses to start with.  We hung them in the dressing room (with white padded walls as Camille laughingly pointed out…) and the consultant came in to start the process of getting me into Dress #1.  After she clipped, zipped & buttoned, I walked out. Camille immediately teared up.

I’ve always heard brides say “I just knew when I put it on, that was my dress.”

I just knew. That was my dress.

I tried on three others. The second was BEAUTIFUL on the hanger but I hated it on me. Camille said it shortened me and that’s the last thing I need! The third had a gorgeous back & train but was strapless…a look that is NOT good on me. The last I liked almost as much as the first but it primarily stood out because of a colored sash. Turns out I can get a sash almost identical to go with MY gown. And since we tried it with a sash at the store, I know it’ll look great.

The sash will be marine (David’s Bridal color) as will Kayla and Joy’s dresses.

When I called to make my appointment with the store, they asked the wedding date. Somehow answering that question out loud made it all seem so…real. Concrete. We’re under 100 days now (96 to be exact). Everything is coming together smoothly and I can’t wait.

(I won’t be posting pictures since Jon is not allowed to see the dress, much less me IN the dress, until May 2nd. At 1pm. )

Introducing the wedding party

This week I talked to my attendants. Jon’s sister, Joy, will be my bridesmaid and my middle sister, Kayla, will be my matron-of-honor. My baby sister will probably be unable to make it. She will be missed greatly but her reasons are completely understandable.

Jon talked to his guys last night (at his birthday party). Perry Naito will be his groomsman and Chad Phillips will be his best man.When he told me after the party that he’d talked to them, I excitedly asked “What’d they say? How’d they react?” He looked at me oddly and said “Chad said ‘ok’ and Perry said ‘Really? Sure.’”  I was struck by the complete difference between how men and women handle these things. When I emailed Joy and Kayla, I received excited emails filled with caps and exclamation point. When I finally got to speak to my sister on the phone it was a conversation of squeals, giggles and chatter about dresses, colors, flowers, jewelry and shoes. When I saw Joy last night it was much the same conversation with the addition of jumping up and down. But the guys? Simple acceptance.

Jon is standing behind me sighing loudly because we have to pick the kids up from Joy within the next half hour so I’ll wrap this up.  Suffice it to say I’m happy with the people that have agreed to stand with us. Next up – looking at flowers and confirming the exact color for bridesmaid’s dresses!

Baby Steps

So heres a quick update on where we are in the planning phase of things.

1. We have a minister.  His name is Marty Solomon and he currently is the Director of Evangelism and Missions at Twin Falls Reformed Church in Twin Falls, Idaho.  Marty and I have been friends for several years now and at one point he was pastor of a church here in the Boise area that I attended.  Rhoni and I decided to ask him because of the influence he’s had on my life, and through me, the influence he’s also had on hers.

2. We have a photographer.  Another of my friends, Nathan C. has a commercial photography setup and offered to do our engagement, wedding, and “post-wedding” photography for us.  We were very blessed when we asked his price and he said, “Just take my wife and I out on a double-date to a nice restaurant sometime.”  Pretty amazing if you ask me.  I know some people who spend thousands of dollars to get photographs done.

3. We have a building.  Our friend Nick S. from our church, The Pursuit, confirmed that we could use the parts of the church we needed on Friday the 1st and Sat the 2nd until 6pm.  Once again we were blessed by our church family when they told us that because we were “Pursuit People”, we could use it free of charge.  We will have adequate space to do all of the prep work, ceremony, and reception, and all we have to do is clean things up.

4. We were blessed again when one of my relatives offered us $500 towards wedding costs as a wedding gift.  Rhoni was planning on keeping the whole affair around $1000 so obviously this was a big deal.

Thanks for your continued prayer as Rhoni and I make the trek towards being joined in marriage.  It will be an exciting and sometimes nerve-racking journey, but it will be very, very worth it. =)

So you’re engaged…now what?

And now…planning begins in earnest. Jon has been the key so far arranging the officiant and photographer, making arrangements on the facility and even shopping for invitations.  Our immediate goal is to confirm the location so we can move ahead with everything else. Updates coming as they happen!

I’m a man of few words…

So I’ll let these guys sing it for me. Enjoy.

And one more for good measure.