'Til Death Do Us Part

Wedding Album Is Done!

2008-07-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

Wow! This only took me two years to complete, but here it is our wedding album:

http://home.comcast.net/~jamwaite/StriplinAlbum/

Trash The Dress!

2007-09-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

I posted these on my photo blog as well, but thought they would also be a great addtion to the wedding blog... what to do with your dress when it's over!! Trash It! My friend and fellow photographer photographed me running through a fountain.... it was loads of fun! If you are interested in having me photograph you "Trashing Your Dress" Check out my website and give me a call http://www.crystalinephoto.com

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

For mother's day just thought I'd post a photo of my mom and I! Miss you, and hope you're having a wonderful day!

Wedding Photos

2006-10-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

The day was perfect! If you would like to see more of our photos Click Here!

Photos from Shower & Bachlorette Party

2006-10-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I want to post many more photos from that evening... a little bit of debauchery was had by all! I know cameras were forbidden on the guy's trip... maybe should've done the same as there were some very funny one of me at the piano bar! Anyways, thanks again to all who came out to celebrate my last night as a free woman! Next I'll be posting some photos from the actual wedding... I've been so busy lately catching up on my own work so it will be a while before I get my actual thank you cards & prints out to anyone!

D DAY Came and Went!

2006-09-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

Can you believe the wedding day came and went already? I didn't have much time for blogging in the last few days before it... oh well! It was absolutely fabulous! A few things went wrong, but not on the actual wedding day. We got rained out for the Rockies game, we were rained out for the rehersal dinner in the backyard so everyone crowded in to our house! One of the groomsmen ran into trouble with the law right before the rehersal dinner (It was straight out of a movie!) and I had to bail him out! I laughed hard at that one... even though I'm sure he's bummed about it, I hope he isn't upset over the sh*t we gave him about it!
The day of the wedding it rained before the wedding, but it was perfect besides the rain soaked golf course for the wedding (my dress got a little muddy) but Katie and the Tide Bleach pen came to my rescue... I'm buying one of those to put in my photo kit for weddings I photograph! I maybe should not have spoke to my grandparents on the phone right befor ei walked down the aisle... because I was sad and happy the entire way down, but I couldn't stop crying through the whole ceremony... consequently I remember very little... can't wait to see the video! This also had an effect on everyone there as it looked to me like almost everyone else cried as well. Our officiant, Diane held a cell phone so my grandparents could hear the ceremony. She did a wonderful job! Amanda and Kim played all the songs including the one Amanda wrote especially for us... a real tear jerker! We had a wonderful group photo afterwards of everyone at the wedding... then straight to the reception! The food and service was top notch! I couldn't of asked for more! The cake by Iced Dreams was fabulous. So were the flowers by Babylon Floral. The toasts given by Fred, April and Cindy, Faith, & Katie were awesome! And everything was just perfect including dancing to the sounds of the Freddi Henchi Band and even our mini after party in Golden at the Buffalo Rose Bar and our stay at the Table Mountain Inn. As soon as I get some photos back I'll post them! Thanks to everyone who attended! It wouldn't have been a party without ya! Hope you all had fun!

Pillows & Baskets Arrived

2006-08-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

So far I have not had bad luck buying anything off the internet! I received the custom made baskets and pillows that ordered from an ebay seller that I didn't purchase through ebay... it saved me a little money and she made them to my specifications... and they are perfect! If you are interested in checking her out search for suzekate on ebay or email her at suzerup@aol.com I highly recommend her!

Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties

2006-08-23T09:20:00.002-07:00

After much thinking we ended up deciding to have our stag parties the same evening... it was the only way to accomodate out of town guests as well, the date set is Wednesday, Sept. 6th before the wedding... so there will be time recouperate afterwards! The girl's are starting out with a shower at Breckenridge Brewery downtown... info forthcoming, and then we will be bar hoping afterwards... who knows where we'll end up. April Johnson / Moore is the Maid of Honor and is planning it with Katie Hemmerlein one of the bridesmaids... invitations should be going out soon! Fred Lewis, Best Man is planning the guy's night out... not sure what the plans are... rumors are they are taking a party bus to Black Hawk & Central City to go gambling... not sure though, so info is forthcoming on that as well... email me for their contact info....

Dress Rehersal Venue Change

2006-08-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we found out that Rolling Hills has booked a wedding on the Friday evening before our own so we can not have the rehersal there... well, we could, but it would be rushed, earlier and we'd be interfering with another wedding and I don't want to do that... so we've decided to move it to our backyard BBQ, catered by Hoke's BBQ... we will do the rehesal at the same time 5pm on Friday at our home and then have dinner afterwards around 6pm. We are set up for food for approx 50 people... planning on everyone in the wedding party attending plus their famlies and all out of town guests. I've thinking there will be lots of food left... so if anyone who is invited to the wedding from here feels like stopping by as well please do so! T-minus 18 days and counting!

Coors Plant VIP Tour

2006-08-20T00:34:00.000-07:00

Concerning the VIP Coors Plant Tour Scheduled for Friday, September 8th before the Wedding Rehersal.... All Out of Town Guests as well as The Wedding Party are invited to the Rehersal dinner/ BBQ at our house and dress is casual.

Coors Plant Address: 13th & Ford St. Golden, CO

I just spoke to Chris our friend who works at Coors about the VIP Tours he is lining up for us during the wedding and I found out some things I didn't know before so I thought I'd go over it with everyone. We need to know for sure in advance who is all going to go on the tour... they need exact numbers to set up the tour, apparently they are really strict about showing up on time and with their rules. This is not the standard tour that everyone can take this is an actual tour down in the plant with hard hats and you go throught the entire plant and it is approx. 1 1/2 hours long with time afterwards to drink free beer! So anyways here are the rules:

1.) Everyone on the tour must be over the age of 21, so this means no kids are allowed. If you want to take the standard tour that they run all the time while we're are doing the VIP tour you are fine to do that kids are allowed on those tours which you can set up the day you arrive. Or feel free to do something else that day... I have a park pass for Rocky Mtn. Natl. Forest if anyone wants to set up a car pool for that.

2) No one can wear shorts, or sandles etc. Everyone is suppose to wear steel toed shoes... (Chris said that you can get by with tennis shoes, but that they make you wear some sort of thing over them) The best dress is jeans, shirt, and work boots.

3.) And everyone must be on time who is going.... those who do not show up on time run the risk of screwing it up for everyone else because if you book the tour say for 20 people and only 10 show they could cancel your tour.

With all that being said I need to know ASAP who all wants to go as Chris says Fridays book up fast... we had another snag with the rehersal that evening as well.... so we will not be able to do it at Rolling Hills, more than likely we will be doing it in our backyard with the rehersal BBQ... so tenatively I'm planning on the tour starting close to 1 pm... which gives us enough time to do the tour pick up our rental chairs & tables, etc. for the dinner that night... have the rehersal.. then dinner and hanging out!

So let me know really early in the week this week if you would like to do the tour... it sounds actually pretty exciting compared to the standard tour and I'm really looking forward to it! If you are bringing kids and still would like to go let me know and I may be able to arrange a babysitter for the afternoon.

It's almost here... can't wait to see everyone!

Love,
Mike & Jamie

Flower Baskets & Ring Pillows

2006-08-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ordered Ring Bearer Pillows and Flower Baskets... I found a lady on ebay who offered me a deal for two of each. I didn't order it through ebay rather from her directly... so that was a risk... but I'll let you know how it turns out!... Going to do the style on the left with ribbons on the right!

Tuxedo Rentals

2006-07-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

So another awsome job completed by Men's Warehouse! The tuxes there are made and altered to fit you perfectly... so often at weddings I see the jackets just hanging on the guys! These were perfect!

Ok... more wonderful and exciting news... Mike and I have finalized everything for the tuxedo rentals. If you live in the Denver area all you need to do is go to the nearest Men's Warehouse and get fitted for your tux. They need a $20 down payment towards the rental... the rentals themselves with everything are going to be $60 as per the coupon I got at a bridal show.
For everyone out of town you should get measured by someone, preferably at any tux rental location... they can do this for you and get back to me.

Here is all the info you need to know ~
Group Name: Striplin/Waite
Group Number: 861888
Group Fitting Deadline Date: 8 - 26 -06
Group Pick Up Date: 9-7-06

- All members need to be fitted by the the deadline date which is 14 days prior to the wedding.
- Members not fitted by this date will be charged a $20 rush fee.
- All members must be able to to pick-up and try on their garments by the group's pick up date which is two days prior to the wedding, to ensure accuracy of the order and proper fit.
- All tuxes will be picked up at the Westminster store located at 8801 Harlan St. next to the Westminster Mall.
- All members must pay a $20 reservation fee to put towards their rental fee at the time of their fitting
- Any party members that may be difficult to fit should be fitted as soon as possible to help us overcome fitting limitations.
- Shoes have also been selected so they are required.
- All tuxedos are to be returned the day after the event.

The groomsmen, ushers, & ring bearers are all wearing copper vests with a black tux.
The fathers are wearing sage green vests with a black tux.

Here are the names of the locals who need to go in:
Tristain Johnson
Fred Lewis
Matt Kippenberger
John Wilson Cook

Here are the names of the out of towners that I need to get measurements from:
Grant Striplin
Dock Striplin (Possibly you could stop at a Men's Warehouse while on the road)
Blair Waite
Riley Waite
Jon Stratton
Ricky Scott

This is what we need -
Weight:
Height:
Coat Size:
Shoe Size: (If possible try on dress shoes)
Chest: (Tape Should be underneath arms & over largest part of chest)
Overarm: ( Measure over the arms with the jacket off, across the largest part of the chest and upper arms)
Waist: (Measure just below bellybutton where dress pants are usually worn)
Hips: (Mesure across largest part of seat and thigh)
Outseam: (Measure from top of hipbone to just where shoe heel meets sole.)
Shirt Size: Neck - (Measure around center of neck, adding a half inch to the measurement to ensure comfort) Sleeve - (Measure from center of top of back, over shoulder and down to wrist.)
Important - Measure twice to be on the safe side!

For all the out of towners - you can either email your mesurements and I'll get them in for you with the deposit or you can call it in 1-800-776-7848 or 303-650-1900

Let us know if there are any issues or questions... thanks...

Jamie & Mike

Class Reunion

2006-07-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Ok... so I wasn't going to go to my 10 year high school reunion, but I've been so stressed out lately about getting everything done for the wedding, plus trying to run my business that Mike just said get the heck out of here! So I decided to bum a ride with Jen Larsen from high school... she just recently moved here! I really like her... never really hung out with her until now, but I can see us having a life long friendship! Yeah! It ended up going ok... we kind of made our own fun... ie. bloody mary's on the parade float, endless bar hopping, and meeting up with old friends! It wasn't that bad.. it was a little weird! Now I only have 42 days left until the wedding! Can we pull it off??? I guess we'll see... Here's a photo from Jen's cam of all who came to the reunion ( a few people snuck out of there)

We Have Our Rings!

2006-07-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited... kind of in a bling bling blur right now. Mike and I bought our rings a couple weeks ago and they sent them out for sizing... we went and picked them up today... I've never had so much sparkle on my hand before! Our rings are absolutely perfect! Exactly what I wanted! I'm not going to post any photos of them... you'll just have to see when you see me next!

Invitations are in the mail!

2006-07-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

So this thing is really happening! The invitations are in the mail! I'm still collecting addresses on a few people, but Mike did an awesome job of calling everyone the other day and getting most of them! Please, Please, Please RSVP... either by our website or by mail. We need to know what everyone wants to eat for the chef.
The boys need to get together soon to look at tuxes! Almost everything else is done... ok.. not all of it... but getting there!

Shoes and Plans!!!

2006-06-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Katie we have a shoe picked out.... It's the Brittany style shoe from David's Bridal... As soon as you can I need everyone to order their shoes!! I'm thinking we should have them dyed a bronze color if it is available. Katie says it takes a few weeks to get these in so I need to get my butt over their as well and get them ordered.
I think I have a florist and a cake person figured out... I'm not posting info about them until I lock them down... so that means all the major services are taken care of... my invitation arrived this week so I'll be mailing them soon and trying to figure out the rest of the details while I'm editing all of this dance recital stuff.... ahhhh....this wedding is coming up too fast!

Bridesmaid Dresses... Decision Made!

2006-05-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

So that wasn't too bad... April and I found a dress we liked.... it's only $97.00 So not bad... we're doing this exact dress only in sage green, but with the same bronze ribbon. Orders need to be placed no later than Wednesday next week in order to get them back in time for the wedding! Thanks again girls for being a part of my special day!

So this is how the bridesmaid dresses and umbrellas turned out... they still looked really cool with standard dresses. Not bad for dresses that were only $97.00 and I've seen some really horrid bridesmaid dresses before!

Engagement Photos Taken!

2006-05-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

Heather Hoffman assisted us today with taking some engagement photos! They turned out really cute and I put together an unique guest book with the photos and ordered our invitations for the wedding so I can't wait for everyone to see them!

Our new nephew has arrived!

2006-05-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

My brother, Cad & his wife, Laura had their second son today... They induced labor on Friday and he was not born until Saturday around 2:30pm! His name is Cian Waite He weighed approx 7 lbs. and he looks like an exact copy of his older brother Riley Gordon Waite. How exciting! Wish I could of been there like I was for Riley's birth! Can't wait to see him! I'm glad everything went well and he was a healthy baby!

More Random Stuff...

2006-05-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

So wasting time as usual... I found a website that compares your face to the faces of celebrities to see what your closest match is... here's what I found for me...

1st Tara Reid

2nd Keira Knightly Strange, but a photo of her looks like one of my mom in high school

3rd Julianne Moore.... never thought that.. hmmm...

Also matched with -Sally Field, Lindsey Lohan, Julie Andrews, Kelly Clarkson, & Charlize Theron... woo hoo... I'm feeling extremely good about myself right now!

Mike matches up with...

1st Ian Sommerhandler

2nd Bing Crosby

3rd Prince Harry of Wales

Other matches... Jennifer Love Hewitt came up a couple times, Tim Allen, hmmmm

If you want to check it out... http://www.myheritage.com/

We have someone to marry us!

2006-05-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

We met with an officiant today. Her name is Rev. Diane Reiss. She is a retired minister that offers counseling and marriage cermonies. She has also quite a bit of interest in art... so we immediately hit it off! Her home was filled with her original paintings and sculptures. I was really impressed and now after meeting with her and discussing options for our ceremony I feel completely at ease! She is going to be great and will fullfill all the want we have for a nondenominational / spititual ceremony! I'm getting excited all over again! If you are in need of a minister for your wedding check her out http://home.comcast.net/~revreiss/

Another one bites the dust....

2006-05-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, the excitement around here lately has been our visits to Home Depot & Lowes... We've been busy working on our yard... and it's amazing we finally have dark green grass this year. This is thanks to a sprinkler system we bought off Faith & Steve before they moved to England , our rigorous watering efforts, and Chem Lawn! We still have some bare patches, but we've been seeding the heck out of it!
Mike wanted to do a "zen" garden in the backyard so we decided to use a space where nothing was growing... not completely Asian, but it matches the decor of our home. We laid down some inexpensive yard border, red wood chips, bought & planted some ferns, laid some flagstone we had leftover from the front walkway and moved the iron table & chairs that I also got from Faith & Steve in the corner... looks so much nicer. Then as a cheap fix to our ailing deck I decided to paint it to match the wood chips... wow what a difference! We propped some more boards under it to hold it up and hopefully it will hold for a couple more summers... it wasn't in the budget with the wedding to replace it this year so we're making due.
We're well on our way to having a nice backyard for our BBQ rehearsal dinner before the wedding! Yeah! Only a few more outdoor projects left!

Dress is Here.... Umbrellas Here... Etc.

2006-04-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

My dress came in last month, but I'm still not sure about it... Mike thinks it is a little plain and I'm not happy about the sash because it doesn't look like the photo, but it is well made and fits... except for it is a little long so I'll need to have that altered. All in all not bad for $89! I guess I'll make up my mind about it soon.... April (MOH) will be here next month so maybe we can get the color scheme finished and bridesmaid dresses ordered. I also received the lights and umbrellas I ordered. The umbrellas are way too big... so I will be sending those back for an exchange of smaller ones, but the lights are cool. Next on the agenda.... ordering the centerpieces... locking down a florist and a baker as well as setting up accomodations. I met with a really nice floral lady who is really resonable, but she isn't too sure about the flowers I have picked out and how they will stand up during the ceremony... so we'll see! I've been also looking for bamboo arbors and I think I found one! It will be great to put in our backyard after the wedding!

So this was another one of those things that didn't come as advertised.. I thought I'd get an arch that was stained this mahogony color like in the photo, but to my surprise it had just a clear lacquer on it... it was pretty expensive as well... not the actual arch, but the shipping of it here from Washington state! But to my surprise after Arthur from Babylon Floral did it up it looked amazing! It wasn't what I originally imagined, but he took all the ideas from my blog and brought it together... right down to the copper accent sway across it! Amazing!

Bridezilla Lives!!!

2006-04-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm feeling just a little stressed about everything left to do for the wedding and coming up with the money and time to do it. Why, oh why, do I want such a fancy wedding and why, oh why has Mike been encouraging me! I think it's the fact that I'm inidated with weddings on a daily/weekly basis for my job! I live 300+ miles from any family member that can help. One of my best friends moved to England and the other isn't here yet. Not to mention I don't want to force anything on to anyone for this wedding... so I've been reluctant to ask for help! I've got all these ideas... but I'm feeling overwhelmed by them! I guess I have to take it one day at a time and try to stretch it out. I'm almost caught up on wedding work for my clients again... so maybe I can work on some of my own... this week's to do list: Call hotels for rates, schedule cake testings, and work on slideshow.

Searching the web for bridezilla brought some humorous links:
CBS Story
Going Bridal.com
Emotionally Engaged

One project off the "To Do List"

2006-04-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

We finally painted the kitchen! Mike has been wanting to pain the kitchen in Italian Tuscany colors since we moved in and we finally did it. Shortly after our friend Jon left for the coast we decided to take a personal day... for like the first time in months! And we're both sitting there thinking about all the things we had or needed to do and I said let's paint the kitchen... we want to have it done before the wedding... and so we did it! Every room upstairs except for my office has been painted now. I love how this turned out! The kitchen feels so much warmer now! Plus you may have noticed that we replaced the ugliest chandlier known to man and the kitchen and the hallway light fixture! Now all we have to replace is the kitchen floor... not sure if we can get that tiled before the wedding, but we'll see! Lotsa other projects left on the list! Faith also gave me the cool old windows before she left to England... which is weird because I had planned on searching for some before that anyways... it's going to look really cool when the vine fills in! Thanks bunches!