Countdown Party Recaps!

Hi everyone, and sorry for the lack of updates last week!  I took off Friday and Monday to prepare for our Countdown Party and spend some quality time with my parents and had every intention of sharing some e-party recaps with you guys on Wednesday.  Well... of course, then my computer crashed in a Blue-Screen-Of-Death kind of way and took the rest of the week to fix.

Kitties are always to blame [src]

But I'm back and I have a ton of pictures and stories to tell about our Countdown Party, which was, in a word, LEGEN - (wait for it) - DARY!

M and I thanking everyone for coming out with a toast

We had about 20 people make it out, including both sets of our parents and several of Matt's groomsmen.  I was worried that having an engagement party 3 months after we got engaged - and hosted in our house, nonetheless! - would seem overkill to some guests, but to my delight everyone loved the idea of our "-1 anniversary" party.  It was really heartwarming to have so many people celebrating our relationship and excited to hear details about the wedding.  To anyone who is wavering about hosting their own e-party, I say go for it!

An epic game of Jenga took place

The day of the party was stressful though, and honestly, I don't think it would have been nearly as successful if my parents weren't there.  My mom cooked pretty much all the food while my dad helped us hang decorations.  I thought I'd been proactive by making some of the decorations ahead of time (like my bunting) but there were still SO many things to do that day!  There were a lot of projects we could (and should!) have made in advance, and a few ideas we had to cut because of time.  Overall, it went off without a hitch, but I learned some important lessons that I'll keep in mind for our wedding.  You hear these again and again in the wedding world, but somehow you don't take them to heart until you experience them yourself.  Things like "accept help and delegate!" and "don't procrastinate!" really do ring true.

Dads are always willing to help taste test!

I'm excited to share some of our last-minute projects and decorations with you guys, and share some ideas for those of you who might be planning your own engagement parties.  Stay tuned!