Saying yes to her dress

For those of you who don’t know, I LOVE fashion. The styles, the fabrics, the accessories – I heart it all! Unfortunately, Sophia doesn’t share the same enthusiasm. She was a bit nervous about finding the perfect dress, which is understandable since bridal fashion can be overwhelming.

We started our search at Ritché, a premier bridal boutique in Toronto. They had all the latest dresses from all the top designers. After trying on about five different dresses, we quickly realized what worked and what didn’t. Sophia had mentioned to the consultant that she liked the way the mermaid style dresses looked so she brought out a gorgeous Maggie Sottero. As soon as she tried it on, we knew it was definitely a forerunner.

Even though we found some great dresses, we didn’t make a purchase that day. But she did continue her shopping the next week at Superior Bridal and found another dress she loved (also a Maggie Sottero). She was torn but with help from her mom, she picked a gorgeous dress. 

So what does it look like? Unfortunately, I can’t share a photo of the dress just in case a certain someone (Andy) happens to see this. I’m not the most traditional but some things are sacred, and bridal fashion is one of them.

Kickin' it old school

This is a picture of Sophia and I when we were kids! This was a looong time ago. I couldn't have been more then six or seven years old (I'm 23 now).

We think it was taken at Niagara Falls or Marineland, but we're not sure which one.  Oh, and my awesome hairstyle, consisting of braids and ribbons, was all my older sisters doing.

Using social media in your wedding

The last time I was involved in planning a wedding was more than 10 years ago when my sister got married. It was safe to say things had changed so I decided to take a look at what was new and happening in the world of the 21^st century wedding. I came across an article that had great tips on how to make your wedding memorable using social media.

Tip #1 – If some of your guests don’t know each other, create a Facebook group so they can introduce themselves and get rid of any wedding day awkwardness.

Tip #2 – Encourage your guests to tweet their thoughts on Twitter throughout the wedding. This is a fun way to get them involved in your day and can help pass the time while they wait for the ceremony or reception to start. Create a hashtag so you can find the tweets easier after the wedding day.

Tip #3 – Set up a live video stream of your ceremony for those that can’t make it to the wedding. There are many reasons why even the closest of family and friends can’t make it to your wedding but this allows them to still be part of your day.

The article also reminds couples to turn off your devices during the ceremony. A ringing cell phone can make your wedding memorable, but in the wrong way.

The romance of social media

So after finding that article about the tweet rings, I had a thought – “I wonder if someone has ever proposed using Twitter or Facebook?!” I knew there must be some idiotic guy out there that thought this was a great idea but to be sure, I Googled it. Turns out there are several idiotic guys out there that think proposing using social media is a good idea.

In 2009, Max Kiesler asked his girlfriend to marry him on Twitter and she replied yes, making them the first known couple to be engaged over Twitter.  But Twitters not the only platform romantics are using. An unnamed guy posted his marriage proposal on his girlfriends Facebook wall and she responded using the “comment” option on the post (Two people ‘liked’ the comment).

Another couple in North Carolina got engaged over Foursquare, a mobile location based game, where once you check into a location, your friends get a notification. Alex Marsh went to dinner with his girlfriend and checked in, letting his friends know he was at a bar and about to pop the question. His girlfriend instantly got the notification said yes.

I’ll tell you one thing, if I ever get a “@SabenaS  – Will you marry me?” from my boyfriend, he’s going to get a reply from me that says “@Neil – No. #HUGEfail”

A ring for me?! How tweet!

In the past few months I’ve been introduced to the wonderful world that is Twitter. It’s concise and efficient approach to information has me, along with millions of other users, hooked on the social media outlet. There are many cool features to Twitter, one of which is the “favourite” option that allows you to save your favourite tweets you’ve read or even written yourself.

A company in Europe has taken this idea a step further with Tweet Rings. Now you can immortalize all 140 characters of your favourite Tweets on a simple band that looks like a modern wedding ring. They come in stainless steel, silver and titanium and range in price from 89 to 109 Euros, which in Canadian currency is about 120 to 150 dollars.

While I prefer 140 diamonds versus 140 characters on my wedding ring, this is a cute way to profess your love for all those social media couples out there tying the knot.

The proposal

Last fall as I was getting lunch, I received a text message from Andy that included a picture of a beautiful ring with the caption that said “What do you think?” A huge smile came over my face and I replied “Love it!” After getting approval from me and Sophia’s mom, he started putting his proposal plans into motion.

The two were home one afternoon when Andy called Sophia into the living room saying he had to show her something. That something was a slide show he put together with pictures of their years together set to music. When the last slide came on the screen with the words “Will you marry me?” Andy got down on bended knee and pulled out the ring. Sophia said yes and the two slow danced like they did years ago at the grocery store.

The nutty couple in a shell

  

Sophia and Andy met during their last year of high school. They, along with a few of their other friends, decided to do a dance routine in their school assembly as a farewell to their high school careers. While they had always been friends, they became closer during the many months of practicing together. Their friendship began to grow into something more when the two began working together, after Andy got a job at the same local grocery store that Sophia worked at.

 One day after her shift, Sophia was saying goodbye to her co-workers when Andy grabbed her by the hand and asked her to stay and dance with him. A little confused but very intrigued, she took him up on his offer and they began to slow dance right there in front of the fabric softener. The two officially became a couple on May 5, 2003.