A week and a day away

Goooood Morning Loves!!!

I cannot tell you how grateful we are to be at this point. Andy and I are apart right now. I'm away shopping for our house and the wedding. I also had some business to take care of up here. So I had to take leave at a critical time.

And Anderson has done a tremendous job of keeping our plans in check. Sure we got frustrated. We are still finalising guests. People have taken ill, been involved in accidents. Some of our friends are unable to attend because of work commitments, their employers refuse to give them the time. Sad huh? Jealousy is a helluva thing.

And emotions have run the gamut. But we are so blessed. Andy's mum is making and decorating our cake. I got a really cute topper for it. I found my veil and a hair accessory to make a real statement. As you know I said yes to the dress. Got my shoes at a STEAL!! I wanted a pair of Badgley Mischka's but.... These shoes are soooo much prettier and more comfortable. Pricepoint? Affordable.com. 

BUT, still no wedding day panties HELP!! Spanx? Bloomers? Girdle? Boyshorts? Help muh nuh? I aino wha tuh put on!!

Fears:

Rain on wedding day

Tripping down the aisle

Ratchetness

People watching me 

Me and Andy kissing for the first time and bumping noses (sooooo embarassing)

Fainting

Feeling Fat

Menstruating - gross but with stress anything can happen please pray for me!!!

Not resting enough, i've been extremely tired the last few days! 

Being a good, humble, loving, honest wife.

I'm going to be somebody's wife. That's huge. My family up here is so excited. And I finally caught the bug. God and us want this marriage, we're happy and blessed. And through all the strange occurrences and few mishaps, this process has been abundantly blessed.

Advice?

Trust and love your partner.

Have faith and pray to God for wisdom.

Be romantical (Anderson is!!!) 

Get positive and negative feedback.

Do NOT divulge major plans to anyone but yo mama

and yo mans! 

People often pretend to be happy for you, when often times they are jealous. Beware!

Go for counselling.

Stay sane! 

We love and appreciate every one of you!!

Xoxo

Heidi and Anderson

See you next week... When the day is finally here!!!

Mr. & Mrs. Anderson Bowen - to - be

Ding ding ding!!!

Welll Good Morning!!!

Guess who's getting married in less than a month? 

Yasssssss huntys, God is goooooooood!! 

And guess who said yes to the dress???? Meeeeee!!!

So I've been in NY since April/May. And there was some drama with my Mum and Auntie's passports. They applied for them earlier in the year and i'll be a daggone monkey's uncle if it didn't take goshdarnit 10 weeks o_O. 

So finnnally on Thursday my mummy and auntie made it to the Big Apple woop wooooooop!!

And the hunt was on from Friday. Now I'd been advised to visit many boutiques and places but I have to say that I like to move as God directs me. Before my mum came, my wonderful cuz Renee took me allllllll over the city and all the way to Long Island to find a dress. I know she was super disappointed though, because I was NOT about to try on dresses without my mum being there. I'm her only child and she deserved that honour. 

So I looked and felt and touched, asked questions. I was trying to figure out how important it was to have the shoes. Veil, no veil, gloves, mittens, Man, it was alot! 

I hopped onto google trying to find the nearest Bridal shops to my uncle's house. I'd visited one in Flatbush but both Andy and I were unimpressed lol. 

Yessss Andy came up to NY too! My very own GZ (groomzilla) came to my rescue! I was getting a little overwhelmed and he came for a week and some!!! Yaaaaay!

Fast forward to the day I got my dress. My uncle drove us out to Long Island City and as my mum and I browsed around, it hit me. This is real. So I had the names and style numbers of the dresses I thought would suit my body type and my consultant Damaris went searching. She later told me the ones I'd selected she was going to pull for me when she saw me lolI. I tried about 5/6 dresses. And then I found the one!

As I slipped into the dress and Damaris zipped me up, she said you're gonna love this one. I said yea? Ok

let's go then. 

There was a couple next to us and the baby kept coming over by my family to

check us out lol. The wife was trying on a bridesmaid's dress. When I stepped out of the dressing room, the husband heard my family and me as I looked at myself in the mirror say Woooooow! He looked around and said in spanish ' Honey look, she's so beautiful.' And I busted out laughing, he said did you understand me? I said yes, he said oh my god you look fabulous, really that is the dress! You have to buy that. 

I was laughing and grinning and cheesing and I knew it was the one. When you know, you know. The dress compliments my body, it's slightly sparkly and is a nod to dresses of hmmm.... Andy reads the blog so that's all I can say on that.

Thanks for the love and prayers, we found it!!!

T- 21+ to go!!

Xoxo

Heidi.

Crunchtime, bridesmaids and the best husband to be ever

Goooood Morning!

If you follow me on Facebook, you would have seen my post about how good Jesus is. And I'm here to testify AGAIN He has already provided.

So Andy and I were presented with a test. It was major to me but for him, it was either a yes or a no. And in hindsight that is exactly what it was. But I have an extremely difficult time accepting no. God is teaching me that sometimes that no is a means of protection.

So Andy's enormous faith and nuff nuff nuff prayers from both of us and our families took us through this little challenge. And God granted us favour. So for all of you praying for us thank you and please continue!!

Onto the good stuff!! I chose the ladies of our bridal party with great care. I have been friends with 4 of them for over 17 years one of them for 7 and the other for 5. See where I'm going with this? Relationship is important. Knowing your worth is valuable. Long and short? 

Invest in people who have your best interest at heart. Trust the people who have always been there. I want to look back at our wedding album and see happy, smiling faces, with people we love, admire and appreciate. 

Well folks. Our wedding is next month. Colour me excited. Andy is still smiling. I'm happy. Ideas are flowing and I can reveal one tidbit. We are taking our photos in a brand spanking new location. Historic, and it is quite picturesque. 

The curator of this garden was thoroughly impressed i'm told when my mother spoke to her, the lady couldn't contain it. She indicated that people simply took advantage without seeking permission. I was adamant about asking. It is VERY important to know your place and ting de people lil garden doan belongs ta we.

In essence, being a bride is awesome. It's fun. It's exciting. It's a beautiful and fulfilling experience. And if you focus on the marriage, the life after the wedding and pay a leeeetle attention to the wedding. You would enjoy it too. Cause I'm telling you, people who go through this twice? Nuts! Mental craycray.

More soon. And the photos are going to be fab!

Chile it's drawing nigh

Hellllllller!!!! 

Status: dressless, shoeless and bubbling with anticipation.

If you'd told me last year i'd be stressed and worried I would have agreed. But i'm not. Not yet at least. I was a little overwhelmed this week. Thanks Shars!! But I took the advice I usually impart to my brides. One thing at a time.

And now I have plenty lists and i'm back in organisation mode. I'm hiring and firing putting people in their place. Getting my act together. 

Mr. Bowen and his groomsmen got their suit lives!! Shout out to Dom and the others over at Men's Room, City Centre Mall in the City. I am not on any of the paperwork, but if you want to go take a peep at Andy's suit and send me aphoto  maybe on whats'app. That would be irie!! 

So now, of COURSE there is drama. American airlines mad?? How ya mean ya gotta pay for a carry on doah??? Alll of my God bless muh extras does be inna meh bag. May have to explore jetblue folks cause double A stands for something I cannot say on this platform. They may ban me. 

We have decor! For both the church and the reception site!! After scouring pinterest and instagram I am sooooo excited. I want simple, classic and chic. Boom!!

I have THE best bridesmaids though!!! I set up a group on whatsapp to stay connected and so far so good. All te ladies are fun, happy and not divas at all. And I reallllllllllly hope they aren't planning a bridal shower. I am NOT about that life. Take me some where to eat, have a cocktail or mocktail depending on the calories and let's chill. And they can tell me allllll about marriage and men and the joy of being a wife blah blah. 

Also!!!! What do you all think about clip in extensions??? I'm thinking I don't want a full sew in nor do I want to bond. But i've had clip ins before and they are awesomesauce. That way I can switch up the look from wedding to reception as suggested by my girl Jaye!!! 

Well, less than 75 days to go. My friend B is getting married shortly and we wish her all the best. She's just as excited as I am, and has a great sense of style so I know her day will be a fab, do down!!

Love you all! More on Monday!!!

Xoxo

Heidi.

Everything about You...

This one is for Andy.

I am honoured, grateful, blessed and so happy that you chose me.

When we met, I promise you, it NEVER crossed my mind that we had even a prayer of being together. My radar was probably down at the time. But God had it all planned.

You're who I prayed for. You are the kindest, most generous, loving person. Your warmth and genuine love for people draws them to you. You are the heart of your home. I love to watch you with your friends, there's something so special about the love you have for them.  They truly are your family, you made it so.

Your love for God is beautiful, and authentic. Real.  Your dedication to your witness and ministry is what showed me that you were covered, chosen. Your service and commitment, that's what I want to be in my own.

I was strong willed, blunt and impatient. But sweet and vulnerable, so you said. And you saw through all of that mess. Your calm, peaceful spirit, rested with mine, and through Him, I am developing those same traits. No one is perfect.

You are the second thing I think about in the morning (Him first) and the first one I pray for at night. My life without you is unimaginable, but knowing you has blessed and enriched it beyond anything I ever expected or hoped for. Our love keeps me sane, happy, grounded. Everything about you is right. Most days... lol

This wedding, all of these plans it's all for us to enjoy one of THE best days we will ever have REGARDLESS of what happens, who's there, who's not.  But mostly, I'm doing it for you. You take care of me and have been from day one. Without being asked, without hesitation, without a deep breath. Of course not without frustration, I AM Heidi after all. Now it's time for me to take care of something, with just a little help from you.

There is no doubt in my mind, that He is at the head of this life we're enjoying. And with all of the prayers, love and blessings from our God, we are a success story, and we will continue to be. I am so proud of us, and so excited for our future. You make it all worth it. I love you.

Always,
Heidi.

100 Happy Days

We are beeeeyyyooond excited!!! Today officially marks 100 days til Heidi and Andy's Wedding Day!!!! 

Our invitations are on the way out. Already some people are disappointed, but we have a plan so not to worry. We have some thing in the works!!! We promise :)

Of course, no event Heidi or Andy are a part of is ever without some measure of drama. People inviting themselves, inviting other people, asking who's in our bridal party. Why we're having it here and not there.  And not a cheque nor envelope with a Grantley at all at all. 

Regardless, we are blessed and grateful for all the love and support.

So it's crunchtime. I have no dress, shoes, not even undies lolololol and I couldn't care less. Andy and I have come to the conclusion AGAIN that those things are nice and of course we want them. But this is about God guiding him and me into our life together. Boom!!

I need some help ya'll 

Limo or nah??

Tiara or nah?

Garter and get it tek off in fronta people or nah?

Eat on the morning of the wedding or nah?

Oh and guess when it finally hit home home home that this man is really, honestly, seriously, truly going to make lil old me his wife???

So this happened:

We love you!! Countdown with us!!! T-100 days :D

Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr.. The Social Media Saga

Goood Morning!

I'm trying to keep up family!

It's not that I don't have anything to write about, it is that I'm trying to find the time.

So update:

It's gift list time!! Any suggestions on what we should get? When Dad died he left a house full of things, so all we need really are appliances and sheets etc. Still we want our own household items. But if there is ANYTHING you can think of that we might need that you had/ didn't get that you wished you had SHARE PLEASE!! I can tell you we are looking at Cave Shepherd/Sheperd (spell it wrong all the time), and Dwellings. Any other suggestions? Except Walker's World.

So the title may intrigue/confuse you. But this is something that I have been grappling with for the last few months. We have spoken about it briefly, Andy and I but as he was bringing me home last night I 1) realised I'm about to be a dude's wife, and 2) do we want to share that very intimate, private moment with the world?  you tend to forget things of this nature with big events like weddings.

Should we or shouldn't we allow people to upload photos from our wedding instantaneously. Andy had a friend who got married just at the beginning of the Facebook phenomenon. And in their invitations or on the programmes or somewhere they indicated that they did NOT want any photos uploaded.

Has social media caused us to over share? 

Given my status on Facebook and Instagram etc, I am inclined to say that I understand that move. Somethings are private. And the couple should be allowed to release their photos on their own terms. And I am leaning towards that too. Not just for privacy's sake, but also because we really want to share the memories with you all when we are ready.

I don't mind things like this, but Bajans and people on a whole rip your events to shreds when they get a glimpse of what you did! 

So what is your take on the social media thing? Should we tell our guests to leave it out til we give the go ahead? Or are you interested in a #aboabbowenwedding trend on the Internet??

Do we really want images like this traversing the highways and byways of social media?

Thoughts??