So many things to think about

You should probably know that I'm a Gemini, which means one second I'm excited about dresses and the next I'm focusing on flowers. I jump around a lot when it comes to thinking about the wedding ... and I LOVE daydreaming about it. It's cheesy, I know. Forgive me for being so sappy, but I heart the fiance and I can't wait to marry the most handsome man in the world.

I've been thinking about music a lot this week. I already had some songs in mind for our first dance (and maybe the only dance ever knowing my fiance):

When I say I do by Matthew West

Hold You Up by Matthew West

Love Never Fails by Brandon Heath

Unfailing Love by Jimmy Needham

The problem is there are way too many sweet songs out there.

And when we want to pep things up later in the night, we can play my favorite song of the moment:

Say Hey by Michael Franti

That song just rocks.

I still want to incorporate the song the fiance introduced me to and was playing when we got engaged, "Today was a Fairytale" by Taylor Swift. That's right. I just outed the fiance. He's a Taylor Swift fan.

Online window shopping

I refuse to try on a single wedding dress until the end of the year, after I've lost a lot of weight; however, that doesn't keep me from looking around online several times a week. OK, I'm a tad obsessed, but in my defense, I have an odd-shaped body and I'm trying to figure out what will actually look good on me and that takes many hours of research.

I have fallen in love with this dress from Justin Alexander:



I think I found it about two weeks ago and I've looked at it every day since. The funny thing is that I never even considered a one-shoulder dress before seeing this one. I don't even like most of them. But I love everything about this dress, especially how it flows. I have to at least try it on ... at the end of the year.

I also love this one from Alfred Angelo:



The only thing that makes me hesitant with this one is that I'd have to find some way to alter it to cover up the girls ... it's a tad low-cut. Still, it's beautiful.

I'm curious to hear from others about how they found their dresses. Did you have it picked out before you even went to the store? E-mail me at jdaffern@lmtonline.com

Addicted

I have become addicted to the We channel on Sundays. The whole day is dedicated to wedding shows and I just can't stop watching.

It all started with "Bridezillas" because, well, those women are crazy. Granted, I'm at the very beginning of my wedding planning process, but I can't see myself turning into a self-centered, screaming, completely illogical person in the next year (Here's where you zap me with a one-liner about how I don't have all that far to go). I know a lot of the drama is blown out of proportion to make good TV, but I can't help but believe that these women must be the slightest bit insane to be behaving like that on television. One of them actually told her future husband that once they were married he wouldn't be hanging out with his friends anymore, and another said she would cut off his family. I don't like to judge, but I just can't see those marriages lasting very long.

"My Fair Wedding" may be my favorite show of the moment, although "Girl Meets Gown" is gaining fast. I love David Tutera's energy and honesty, and I'm not the least bit creative, so I love the idea of someone brilliant coming in, figuring out my personality and creating an event to match.

OK, OK, David Tutera is meeting another bride and is about to transform another wedding. I gotta go.

How it all began

March 20 is a day I'll never forget. My boyfriend, Dennis (sports editor at LMT), and I were spending the week at his parent's home in Katy.

I must admit it, I knew something was up. The bf and his mom left early in the morning to go get his car from the shop. They were gone for hours, and the day before he and I had stopped to look at engagement rings at the mall.

When the whole family met up later that day for lunch, the bf was quiet. His only explanation for the extended absence that morning was that he and his mom stopped by the mall to look for sunglasses for his brother. Hmmm ... I wonder.

We got back to the house and his entire family kept disappearing into his parents' room. He finally came out and asked me if I wanted to go to the park with him. Now, you should know that if there's not a basketball court involved, the bf does not go to the park. He has absolutely no interest in seeing beautiful landscapes or sitting by a fountain.

And it was 50 degrees outside. AND the NCAA March Madness was just beginning. Something was definitely up. Basketball is the bf's passion. And for some reason the bf wants to go sit by a fountain in the cold during March Madness ... my mind was racing.

At the park, we sat by a bench and he began to videotape me while asking silly questions. While I expounded on the symbolism of the fountain, he brought the ring out and asked me to marry him. I had been waiting for this moment, and yet, it was still so surreal.

That moment was so special. That moment was ours.