The ceremony...

I wanted to find a spot that was beautiful and beachy and this spot couldn't be more perfect. It is on the Halifax river just 5 minutes from Jiovanni's house. The women we are working with are so wonderful and very helpful. The Tavern and Chapel is set on 10 acre's of land and you can have an outdoor or indoor wedding if weather doesn't cooperate. We are going to have it in the gazebo with white candles lining the walkway.

The flowers...

I'm not dead set on these. I was thinking I would like my bouquet to have a lot of really big flowers, all white and cream and greens but now I am thinking that I would like splashes of bright red in there too. Anyways here are a few of the ideas so far...

The Hair...

I've been growing my hair long for the past few years and I've always had dark hair. I know that everyone says that you still want to look like yourself on your wedding day but I think I want to start going lighter. Add a few highlights starting now until the wedding for a FRESH look instead of drab and dark. We'll see, I'm not set on any certain style yet and I'm open to suggestions but these are the idea's I have so far...

Bridesmaid dresses

This was an easy one. My bridesmaids are all beautiful girls and I'm sure would look amazing in ANYTHING I had them wear but I wanted to keep it simple and I wanted the girls to compliment the guys in their khakis and white button downs. I'm thinking of giving them two choices a long and short version in black

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Strapless-Jersey-A-line-with-Ruched-Charmeuse-Bust-F13291_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-All-Bridesmaid-Dresses

or

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Short-Strapless-Pleated-Dress-in-Crinkle-Chiffon-83362_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-All-Bridesmaid-Dresses

Sorry this site won't let me steal their pictures. If I was a mean bride and made them spend the big bucks these are the dresses I would put them in: I'm in love with them ALL it was hard to choose, but everyone looks good in black and I know my girls will be happy with the ones I've picked.

The Dress...

My Mom and I went to Davids Bridal last Saturday and I think I only tried on three dresses total and LOVED them all. My Mom was perfect and so helpful and I don't know what I would have done without her there with me. I had found one online for $199.99 that just screamed beach wedding and at that price I couldn't go wrong, right? But I wanted to try on something else like it to make sure that I didn't get lost in it. It's very flowey and I didn't want it to look like I was wearing a tent. Long story short, my Mom ordered the dress yesterday and I got the shipping confirmation today!! I am so excited I think it is going to be perfect!  This is the actual dress:

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Strapless-Chiffon-Gown-SAS1211_Bridal-Gowns-Sale

But here are some like it that I love too! Miss Vera Wang knows a thing or two about wedding dresses.

Getting Started...

Here is the story of the engagement: Jiovanni and I had been talking about getting married for quite some time. Dating for 11 years gives you A LOT of time to talk about future plans but the real marriage talk didn't really come until about three months ago when being apart became unbearable. We both knew that we wanted to do things the right way and neither of us wanted to be living together before we were married. It was time to move forward. On December 30th 2010 over a dinner for my birthday at Kabab and Curry, while we sat next to each other hand in hand Jiovanni asked my Dad for his permission to marry his daughter. I think I was more nervous than Jiovanni to have that conversation. But any one who knows my Dad knows that he doesn't make things easy. Jiovanni started with " I love Dua very much... " I can't remember what was said after that because I was so excited that this was actually FINALLY happening that I stopped listening! My Mom and Dad gave their blessing and told us both how much they love us. The night was perfect.

Two days later we were on a plane to Florida for the second half of our Christmas vacation. We had made plans with my Aunt Judy to meet her in Vero Beach to golf with her and my Uncle at the country club where she works. So on January 2nd at 7am we were on way down to meet her for breakfast and a day of golf. The weather was perfect, mid 70's with the sun on our faces. Jiovanni had mentioned wanting to go check out the beach before we left, so on our way home we stopped to walk along the water and look for a couple of seashells to bring home. I found a rock that looked like a heart with two small holes in it perfect for making it into a necklace. I showed Jiovanni and went back to looking for more seashells. I got a foot away when I heard Jiovanni say " oooh how about this one??" when I turned around he was on one knee with the ring in his hand. He told me how much he loves me and asked me if I would marry him. I was already crying so I think all that came out was " uh huh"! We had dinner at a restaurant that is right on the water and had a champagne toast. Our waiter asked what we were celebrating and after we told him he said he said we were glowing! Jiovanni did an amazing job picking out the perfect ring and I catch myself daydreaming and staring at my hand all the time.