my wedding story

sometimes in life i think you luck out by the roll of the dice

and other times i think God steps in and gives us a little nudge

whether by divine intervention or the roll of the dice

i was blessed

on october 27th 2012 i married my most favorite friend in the whole world.

on higgs beach in key west

with our sunglasses on, and hurricane sandy's winds whipping in our hair (my hair..)

we said i do

and i became mrs. ottman

we toasted with ginger ale

took pictures of feet

and family

made official thanks to impromptu tables

and for the love of sugar

don't forget the cake!

for those of you who made the long journey to share our special day i want to say thank you, again.  it meant the world to us.

and for those of you who cheered us on from home we couldn't ask for more.

i apologize for being MIA last week, but i was busy enjoying my time away from home.

i cannot wait to share our honeymoon pictures!

made it!

hello from sunny key west

we've made it safely to town last night

even though landing was quite an experience.  i guess the runway is a lot shorter than usual so our jet came down hard and bounced around.  a little scary.

i was pretty worn out from traveling - we left the house at 7:30 and got to the airport with about an hour to kill.

we landed in atlanta for a 3 hour layover - where we were having a difficult time trying to decide on lunch

mmm...carbs

so needless to say when we landed we were starving

but we had to pick up our keys to our place first - and then to save money on another cab ride - we trekked it from duval street to the east side of the island. 

it was just over a mile - but with a little bit of spitting rain, and luggage in tow - it was quite a long hike.

i was so excited to finally be in this space!

i was totally sold on this huge balcony that overlooks the atlantic.

but the joy was short lived.  we were soooo hungry.

so we set back out on foot.  another mile or so and we found a quaint carribean restaurant

where the bud light tasted like champagne.

mo's was a great place with authentic carribean food.  we waited for a while to get our order - but everything was being made on the spot.

the lady working did bring us a plate of the best rice and beans i've ever had - we scarfed them down so quick.

tired and fed we tried to find beer.  we walked probably half a mile out of our way and then circled back to find a gas station.

another mile hike back and we were back at the condo.

my feet were killing me walking in flip flops

so we rented bikes for the week this morning.

and man - we flew through town this morning!  stopped to get OUR MARRIAGE LICENSE!  and then celebrated with fish!

with key limeade.  mmm.

bo's was a place the rental place suggested and it was pretty tasty

we're hanging out right now, headed down to the parade and excitement soon.

i hope our family and friends make it down safely tonight!

i can't wait to see everyone tomorrow!

just a few more hours

welp

we've made it

last day of work before leaving for the keys

and just three days until the actual big day

everyone keeps asking me if i'm nervous and teasing me that i could still back out

the only thing i'm nervous about is










is big sandy

i'm a kentucky girl, so hurricanes are pretty foreign to me

tornadoes i got

hurricanes are a crazy new thing to me

i'm sure for anyone who's lived on the coast would tell me there's nothing to worry about - especially if they're not calling for any evacuations

from everything that i'm reading, the lower keys should not be affected - aside from some rain thursday/friday and 30 mph winds on saturday

i hope my dress doesn't fly up on my wedding day

but really i'm concerned about our travel down there and our guests.

so far our flight has not changed, and hopefully we'll get down there tomorrow with little issue.  but arriving two days early gives us a little flexibility in case something does arise

i think all of our guests will be flying in on friday.  and some of them are flying into miami - which i think is currently predicted to get larger rainfall.

i really hope traveling isn't a nightmare for anyone -

and if it rains on my wedding day - so be it - i think it'll make the pictures even more interesting and memorable

i'll see you at the airport tomorrow!

why we're having a destination wedding

we are exactly one week away from tying the knot

i am so excited.

all we have to do is pack our bags and make our flight.

i don't think i really ever talked much about our decision to have a destination wedding

i feel like some people are either very supportive of the fact that we've opted to take this route or there are also some people who have been...maybe not as supportive.

when bill and i first got engaged which was days before christmas, we were of course bombarded with congratulations and then the dreaded "when's the date?" as we all gathered together for chirstmas

it made me so anxious to think of some future date where months of planning would finally pay off.  i was actually very overwhelmed with the idea of planning a wedding.  as i started looking in to venues and pricing this and that all i could think about was how happy i would be after the planning process and the actual wedding would be over with.

every girl dreams of her wedding being this momentous occasion and all i could think about was it being over with.

i prepared a budget.  originally i wanted to come in somewhere around $10,000.  TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.  and that would be coming in on the cheaper side of things.  in reality i knew the budget would have to be closer to FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.  this is also excluding any sort of honeymoon.

do you know what bill and i could do with fifteen thousand dollars?  what would you do with fifteen thousand dollars?

it made me sick.  wedding invitations.  yes, they are so cute - so many cute wedding invitations out there!  but guess what - every single one i've ever received is in the trash.  the landfill.  yep.  you're precious wedding invite that you no doubt spent time debating what font to use - in the trash.

oh and the food.  i'm pretty sure i've never been to a wedding to chow down.  and i usually forget to get a piece of cake.

weddings are beautiful.  the actual wedding part.  the vows.  the exchange between two people.  everything else i don't remember.  and the bride and the groom - are so busy i can't imagine they remember the details.

i'm not trying to convince anyone to see things my way - these are just the thoughts that fill my head when i saw the price tag on catering, centerpieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, etc etc etc.  i think as a guest at a wedding you just appreciate all the small gestures but never really appreciate the time and energy that it took to put everything together.

i've also been to weddings where a lot of the details were done by the bride and the family.  and if you have that kind of help i think that's great, but i also realized early on that if i wanted to make things on my own - supplies still add up quickly.  and then you're left with empty vases, supplies, craft paper, that may never be used again and not to mention you must store all this STUFF.

i started researching destination weddings.

i realized bill and i could hop on a plane, rent a condo for a week, have a small ceremony, and just enjoy ourselves for a fraction of the cost of a traditional wedding.

no we're not getting married in a church - but does that make our love for each other any less substantial?

i feel wrought with guilt that not everyone we consider close friends and family can attend, but i am also very grateful for those who were able to find a way to come down.

my one wish for our wedding day is to be able to remember every single moment.  to not worry if my bridesmaids found the correct shoes.  if the train on my dress will get dirty.  if the food will be perfect, if everyone is having a good time and not bored.

i hope that those who are there with us enjoy themselves and enjoy our meager ceremony.  that those who are back home are wishing us love and joy and not shaming us for choosing the path we felt was right.  i love the IDEA of a wedding reception where everyone you love and care about is with you for such an important day.  but in reality i've known several brides who just didn't get to enjoy any of their hard work.  and it becomes centered around the STUFF.

at the end of the day it's really just supposed to be our day.  and yes, i'm an only child, and this is my one chance to really revel in selfishness, but i want our special day to be spent being ourselves.  not dressed in suits and long flowing gowns.  to be simple.  to be grateful for what we have.  to appreciate our time together. 

i really hope i didn't offend anyone - it wasn't my intent.  my intent was to really just say, if you're getting married any time soon, i know you are probably getting bombarded with a ton of questions about the date, the venue, the colors, etc and perhaps feeling overwhelmed with choices and price tags. and my advice is to do exactly what you want to do and can afford.  if you don't want to send out expensive invitations, don't.  find an e-service.  have an afternoon wedding with appetizers instead of a dinner.  you don't have to have an open bar.  your guests will probably thank you the next day when they're not hungover.  for goodness sake stop looking at pinterest - if you are really wanting to do everything you're pinning your wedding will be a hot mess.  and remember.  you can always elope.  love is love.  whatever you do - a big wedding, a small reception, fly away to an exotic location - that day will always be YOUR special day.

work party!

sometimes i really hate work.

when anyone asks me what i do for a living i always say i'm an accountant

that response is always met with silence or a raised eyebrow signifying that they have no clue how to respond but that my job sounds pretty lame.

it can be.

most people think i do taxes.

i don't.

i don't know tax law - except for i have a pretty good understanding of personal taxes and the basics.

i don't think accounting is my "calling" per se

but it just happened to be something i understood really well and excelled at

there are days that i really get to use my investigative skills and common sense and then there are days where i punch in a bunch of numbers like a monkey.

the only thing that keeps me sane is the fact that i work with a crazy bunch

our accounting group is so fantastic.

i love the people i work with.

i don't know how many people can actually say that, but i'm glad i get to

i came in this morning to my cube all decorated

i'm also known as a honey badger...what can i say - i have a reputation...and my sign was lovingly decorated

i also wore my new dress today

the buttons are what sold me

and then for lunch we had a soup party!

i mean it really doesn't take much to get our group together to eat, but i was glad to be the reason.

and there was cake...erbody loves cake :)

thank you to the accounting/finance department.  you guys are awesome and one of the few reasons i can tolerate work some days!

nobody freak out

i don't want to alarm anyone

which is why i haven't mentioned this until now

but until this past saturday (exactly 2 weeks before my wedding)

i didn't have a dress.

i know.

who does that?

i mean what kind of bride am i?

well, for starters, one who just wanted to hop on a plane and do something fun instead of planning a wedding!

so i've known for weeks i needed to go find something.

and for a few weeks i was too busy to do that.

and then all of a sudden i was like whoa.

get on that.

so i went to david's bridal to look at short dresses

there weren't any really available in my size and i would have to order - and i doubt 2 weeks is enough lead time.

i also decided that since this was a beach wedding i wasn't overly worried about the dress being an actual wedding dress.

the short dresses i was eying at david's were just over priced summer dresses anyways.

so i headed out saturday to the mall to see what i could scrounge up

apparently the mall doesn't open until 10 on saturday.

so waiting in the parking lot at 8:45 did me zero good :)

once the mall finally did open - i decided to see what anne taylor and gap had on clearance racks.

anne taylor had several cute summery tops - but since i was in dress mode i nixed them and headed to gap

i found 3 different styles of white flowy summer dresses.  one worked the best so i purchased it

for $30

my "wedding" dress was $30.

i would post a picture of it, but since bill reads, i decided not to - i guess you'll just have to wait for the wedding recap!

i then went in to macy's to see if they had anything better.  there were a few comparable dresses, but nothing i was in love with more than what i had already purchased.

i did do a quick walk through the men's section since bill still needed something to wear.

i know.

we don't really plan well.

BUT!  our procrastinating plan actually worked in our favor - because all the summer stuff was 65% off.

i got bill a white shirt to wear with khaki pants for $20.

score.

our total wedding ensemble = $50.

i did want to find sandals to wear - but those are long gone my friends to make way for christmas decorations.

i have sandals but am hoping to find another pair when i get to the keys.

and since i was at the mall i HAD to check out our new anthropologie store

damn you anthropologie.

i mean, you have such cute stuff.

and i DO need some fall/winter options for work...

and about 30 minutes later and several dollars poorer

 

i got this.

Two-Button Sailor Chemise

in navy - with a white stripe.  i think the tiny buttons on the shoulder sold me.

i think it will look cute with flats or leggings with riding boots.

i've seen this shift style dress everywhere - but this one sold me since it was a heavier knit material instead of drapey jersey or too thin knit - the heavier knit doesn't cling and makes this very reasonable for the colder months.

so yes.  i spent more money at anthropologie than i did on our wedding ensemble.

it happens.

weekend update pt 2

i love weddings

and i love being asked to be apart of one

especially when it's my best friend

bill and i got engaged last december, and we decided pretty early on that we wanted to do a destination wedding.

i informed juli right away that i would want her to be my maid of honor, and let her know i would do everything i could to make sure she could come where ever the wedding would be.

what i wasn't expecting was her to tell me that she probably wouldn't be able to travel since she would be a mom by that time this year

and i'm pretty sure i cried a few tears of joy and asked her for all the details.

i tried to text her several times a week or at least once a week to make sure she was doing ok and sometime along the way she told me that her and mark would be getting married a few months after the baby was born.


i was so thrilled to know that not only her and baby were doing well but mark was the perfect guy for her.

i had a mini panic attack when i heard her wedding would be in october knowing my own would be the same month.

but it all worked out wonderfully.

i left friday afternoon and headed out for the 5 hour journey to ohio

armed with pandora

i sailed through cincinnati, hit some traffic in columbus, and finally made it to ashland.

i was the first person to the rehearsal.

so i made good use of my time

i plucked my eyebrows while waiting in the parking lot.

i wish i had pictures to show from the rehearsal, but i was too busy holding baby owen.

i swear he's so precious.

he didn't even cry when i held him - thank you baby owen for not making me think i would be a terrible mother.

after rehearsal we went to dinner, and then out for a couple of drinks.

we didn't stay out too late since getting my nails done was top priority in the morning

hopefully i'll be able to get some pictures from those who took some, but all of our dresses were so pretty!  juli had her bridesmaids wear green - but we were left to pick our own dress.  and instead of flowers, juli really liked feathers.  and we all had feather earrings. 

and of course, juli was so pretty.  the only pictures i have are from the reception

juli's short dress was perfect and suited her.  i loved the flower/feathers in her hair. 

and of course

owen.  who wore a little suit vest and tie onesie.  how cute is he?? 

as excited as i was for juli's wedding, i was more excited to see this little guy.  i wasn't able to go to her baby shower and i wasn't able to visit before the wedding, so i felt like i had just heard so much about him and seeing pictures on facebook just wasn't enough.  he was perfect.  he slept through the whole wedding!

i wish i could have held him more but he was such a popular guy.

the reception was held at juli's parent's house

they definitely know how to throw a party

it was pretty chilly out so i spent a lot of time hanging out in the barn

and admiring the beautiful cake - which i think a relative made?

i wish i could have stuck around to taste - but i knew i needed to drive home.  i could have stayed saturday night and drove home sunday morning - but i knew deep down that i probably wouldn't be able to stay up late and party all night long with everyone else.

i made a game day decision and hugged juli goodbye before heading out on the road.

i cried a bit on my way home thinking about my own wedding to come.

i also cried a bit about not living close to juli.  but it was getting dark out and my tears were making the lights on the cars blurry.  so i had to cut it out and listen to the radio.

i just hope we don't wait a year to visit or meet up.

congratulations juli and mark!

and baby owen - if you need anything you just let me know!

juli+mark and baby owen

i'm leaving at noon today to make my way up to ashland ohio to watch my best friend get married and to be a bridesmaid in her wedding (who i also haven't seen since homecoming last november)

senior year of college

i seriously cannot believe we will both be getting married AND sharing an anniversary month and year.

at the lexington legends baseball game

even though a few hundred miles separate us now, we keep in regular contact

hanging out with 2 members of old crow medicine show before the concert

i'm probably going to cry typing this out, but i can't wait to see juli walk down the aisle and marry mark. 

playing dress-up - probably for a random night out

i'm pretty sure just 4 years ago if you asked either of us if this is where we thought we'd be, we'd laugh in your face and say no way.

but honestly, i don't want to picture it any other way.

i'm so full of joy for juli, mark, and their little baby owen (who i get to meet for the first time!!) that i know it's going to be complete water works for me

overly tan/burnt in florida - our last hurrah before graduation

here's to seeing you soon, juli!