1 Year Ago...

I can remember nervously looking over the ceremony site from my grandparent’s doorway. People often called their house the “White House”. It has 4 large white columns with black shutters. I was anxiously waiting to walk down the newly paved driveway in my daddy’s arms. There were so many people and I nearly panicked with all the emotions. All 320 seats were filled plus there were some standing in the back and a couple on the cabin’s porch. “Can I go now?!” as I began to step on their renovated porch. “No, just a minute, sweetie.” as he watched for my aunt to signal us to come. I got confused because I heard my song, “Hallelujah Chorus” which means it’s time! I nearly jumped out on the paved driveway and grabbed my daddy’s arms, “slow down” he said. I saw that my 4 little Misses were still making their way in the carts pulled by my Uncle’s elite miniature horse, Cutter. Most people know…I get terribly anxious and therefore, get very impatient by excitement. I saw my daddy brush some leaves off my dress and I said, “that’s okay…it’s just natural, doesn’t have to be perfect.”

My mom was also bursting with excitement all day and couldn’t stop talking about how “perfect” everything was coming along, the weather, the set-up, etc. I don’t believe in perfect, so she would end up saying, “almost perfect”. I took a deep breath and tried very hard, to walk elegantly down the driveway towards my groom. I looked around and realized my mom was right (I’m just now admitting this), that God’s nature, beauty, his people, my family, the wedding – is perfect. I never dreamed I’d be walking down this driveway on the most calm and beautiful September day to marry my husband (FYI, we had a damaging, high wind storm 2 weeks prior and without electricity 1 week prior)! After all, she did pick our wedding date (I wanted it in Oct.).

I finally saw the end result of all the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) planning and preparation. All the months of my family and friends cleaning, clearing out the backyard, remodeling, and gathering ideas…truly shined through! As I approached the back end of the crowd, I saw my friends, mentors and colleagues and wanted to thank each of them for coming right then and there…so I waved with my bouquet in hand. When I turned down the aisle, the climax of the orchestra playing Hallelujah heightened, and I saw Andrew's family and my family. My daddy turned to me and said, “you having fun,” and almost too overwhelmed, I responded and said, “this is so much fun!” That’s when he said, “well you look like it and you look so happy!” I finally eyed my groom whom I hadn’t seen for 3 months up until this weekend! He was grinning, ear-to-ear, and I was giggly (I’m not much of a crier but thought I would at least be in tears, so my emotions were replaced with giggling). Andrew handed my dad the Bride’s Bible (significant in our marriage) and my dad, joined us together.

This was only the beginning of the next chapter in our life and I could not have asked God for a better day, a better wedding, and we were truly blessed to have had all our friends, colleagues, mentors, and families – for they are a significant part of our lives. What amazed me even more was how much some had sacrificed to be there to share our special day – some were sick and even released from the hospital, others traveled long distances, and a few came briefly due to other events! Having them there alone was enough to complete our special day.

The details...

Fall is our favorite time of the year which was the reason we MUST have pumpkins and the whole she-bang! We made Huber's Orchard and Winery our annual trip for pumpkin picking, wine-tasting, market shopping trip since the beginning of our dating relationship. Therefore, every detail of our wedding day - had some type of sentimental value!

The Roberts Family Farm helped give our wedding a beautiful Fall look...pumpkins, mums, straw bales, a wreath made out of PeePaw's old barb wire fence with pieces of all the wedding flowers, decorated pumpkins, a chandelier made out of ripe vines and miniature pumpkins, decorated all grand entrances, and so much more!

Dad made this cross out of an old Dogwood tree. Below the cross, is a vase that was completed by the parents and grandparents who placed flowers in remembrance of a loved one in their family (i.e. our deceased loved ones - grandparents and great-grandparents that were a part of our lives).

I made all the flowers - Bridesmaids, Lil Misses, Bridal bouquet, and center pieces...from Garden Ridge :) I couldn't have asked for better bridesmaids or a wedding party in general...they have all been the most supportive and loving group of family and friends throughout our lives!!

Sheila Reott of Dolce Vita Bridal shop in Louisville, KY, made my earrings. We designed and she put it all together with Swarovski Crystals and pearls to match the details on my dress.

The three strand of pearls represented my mother and both my grandmothers. I wore all three while my mother wore the multi-color pearls and my grandmothers the solid white pearls...all from Shane Co. Uncle Bill and Aunt Jill got their elite miniature horse, Cutter, all dolled up and escorted my Lil Misses. Each one had a duty...Kaleigh carried the rings on a miniature pumpkin and handed to the Best Man, Molly carried the Bride's Bible and handed to Andrew, Sophie rang the Bell on the 4th hour, and McKenzie, walked in with some flowers.

Our programs were created by Andrew and me. It was a story album like a kids book with pictures of each chapter of our life along with the wedding program in the middle and all the sentimentalities listed in the end.

All center pieces were canning jars used by my late Papaw who canned the best green beans! The jars were wrapped with big gold and cream ribbons and corn in side to hold the flowers and twigs in place. Homemade snacks were provided and made by my MeeMaw along with her famous LeTang Tea and my PeePaw's popcorn stand. These were all a part of childhood memories and part of my experiences living on my grandparents' farm.

My mom and MeeMaw's wedding dresses were up on display along with their wedding pictures. And I wore my MeeMaw's 50-year old wedding dress the night of rehearsal! We surprised her and had it cleaned...it was yellow from being in storage and she didn't think it would look brand new!!!

The quilts were my great-grandmother's and were used on the straw bales where the Lil Misses sat and on the display tables. We also cleaned the old Amish horse buggy which was used to hold all the gifts. There was also an old white carriage displayed with a sign, "Memphis Bound" on the back. We didn't really take off in the carriage :)

Last but not least and my favorite...is our cake on tiered princess pumpkins. This was a must for me and Ruth Ann Nash, made it all possible with the help of her husband to get my cake on stacked pumpkins! My mom bought us the Waterford Crystal Cross to display in the center and my Grandparents' cake topper was also used in my parents wedding. It's been used in 3 weddings! Instead of purchasing a cake knife and server...we used my parents!

Flashbacks...

While I may not have been the typical little girl dreaming and planning her wedding her entire life, I knew all along, I wanted an outdoor wedding. I’m an outdoorsy gal and couldn’t have it any other way. In addition, I grew up on my grandparent’s farm and brainstorming with my close girlfriends helped me make my final decisions for an elegant, rustic, sentimental farm wedding. At first, I wasn’t sure if that was the best choice since I didn’t want to put a burden on my family (there were lots of cleaning up to do!!). The only stress for me was the beginning, finding my dress and choosing a location –everything else just kind of fell into place. I prayed a lot along the way and therefore, didn’t worry one time after I found my dress (well, I had a dress battle – was very unsure of my dress until I saw the final touches at my final fitting). My mom worried more than I did and I just wanted everything to be natural. It’s all in God’s hands; I can only do so much. He controls the weather, circumstances, etc. I can only control what I do here on earth. I it sounds crazy, but I had complete faith because I didn’t want to rent tents! I wanted everything outdoors. So you could imagine how much praying was going on around our place :) Plus, I did my research, September and October gets the least amount of rain in the year so if it did rain, I was okay. Needless to say, I didn’t check the weather the entire week…I knew I’d lose my faith if I knew there was a chance of inclement weather. And the weather ended up being in the 70’s with an overcast all day!

I also wanted to be very economical, so I prioritized my budget and pretty much over budgeted on everything except for photography (that’s where I wanted to spend the most of my money – I LOVE pictures!!!). Having a job after grad school was a blessing. I put away half a paycheck each month and saved even for a nice honeymoon (I always dreamed more about my honeymoon than the wedding!). Being sentimental and doing everything myself (including flowers) helped quite a bit to keep the budget down. Another pro to low costs, was having it at our own place in a small town. I realized I would have spent at least another 10k if I pursued the location in Louisville, KY (paying for facility rental and other costs are higher in the cities). Our wedding successfully put together under 10K!!!

Top Secret: My dress was bought off the rack at Bridal & Formal in Cincinnati, OH for $199 - was $1250!! (which just so happened to be my favorite bridal designer, Maggie Sottero). Took it to Csilla Designs in Louisville, KY who transformed my dress exactly how I wanted it to look! It ended up still being cheaper than the regular price dress I was looking at in the first place!

Other money saving tips for the Bride:

- Have at a unique location where you have less restrictions (i.e. city parks, home or a family/friend's residence, etc.)

- Recycle, Reuse...I went through my PeePaw's shed and found many things such as old fence posts and spray painted them black to hang LED lanturns. My dad bent the top a little and I just clipped them on. Used the lanturns to line the driveway when it got dark for people to find their way back to their cars. Old barn wood was used to make rustic looking signs and nailed them to old tobacco sticks and hammered into the ground in different areas.

- Make your own programs, invites, and save-the-dates...we used Microsoft Publishers to personalize everything. Take it to Office Max or Office Depot and have it printed on paper of your choice! I knew I wanted to make my own programs and invites and thought going to the Scrapbooking stores such as Archivers would save some $$...it was actually way over the budget!! I just ended up purchasing stamps and ink to add a little fancy to things such as popcorn bags.

- Personalize party favors...we bulk ordered some adult and kids toothbrushes with our names and dates (so cheap...like $.010/toothbrush!). In fact, 2 of our friends have used them in their weddings! Another cheap favor idea...candy treats...it's edible and not going to go to waste :)

A dwindling economy doesn’t mean brides can’t fulfill their dreams :) It is possible to walk away with money in your pocket.

On Adrenaline in Atlanta

Neither of us had been in downtown Atlanta. We may have passed through, been stuck in the airport for hours, and I have been there for a 1 day seminar while in grad school…but never have we stayed for an exhilarating 72 hours! Despite the gray skies, fog, and downpour…I pulled on my rain boots, Andrew rolled up his pants, and we grabbed our camera, money and tickets to head in the fast lane!


Again, we visited Priceline and landed a 4+ star hotel – Hyatt Regency Downtown for $50/night!!! Priceline is great for reasonable weekend trips…just select the area of town, choose a 4+ star hotel, and bid your price. Then the research began to plan a fun-filled weekend!

The view of the lobby of Hyatt Regency Downtown Atlanta.

We usually work half Fridays whenever we drive long hours for weekend trips. The great thing about visiting in Atlanta is that there are so many things to do. When planning a trip whether it’s with family, friends, or significant others, there are events for everyone! We did some research and found 50 Fun Things to Do in Atlanta. Since we were somewhat on a budget, we decided to plan for the following: Braves game, Georgia Aquarium, and the World of Coke in addition to attending my cousin's wedding party. The money saving hint…buy combo packages! Click here to see the various packages you can purchase through the Georgia Aquarium! We ended up purchasing scalped tickets for the Braves game (since we didn’t know how the weather would be nor did we think we’d make it on time) and bought the Pemberton Pass for $36.50. To get the best bang for your buck…purchase the City Pass if there for a few days. Over a period of 9 days, you can visit 6 Atlanta attractions for $69.

MLB - Atlanta Braves

We barely made it for the game! The weather was terrible – gloomy with some major rain in Memphis as well as during the majority of the drive to Atlanta. Needless to say, we literally dropped our things off at the Hyatt, hopped in a cab, bought scalped tickets via our cab window, and arrived at the game by the 3^rd inning! My heart was racing the entire time! I didn’t think we’d make it since the cab driver was SOOOO SLOW!! I thought cab drivers were crazy, maniacs?! We still gave him an extra dollar for tip in the end :) Despite the big loss….we had a blast and Andrew somehow captured me on the megatron during the change of pitchers. I was a dancing fool once I heard Andrew say, “Tiff…you’re on the screen!!” Transportation back to the hotel was a little confusing once we got on the MARTA train…no signs, no announcements…just guess where to get off. We ended up walking a little further back to the hotel. We were fortunate to have made it through the night with no rain.

After we returned from the game, I gave Andrew his early Anniversary present…a swiss, skeleton watch he’s been wanting for years! He thought he was getting it next week, but I had it shipped overnight and gave it to him early. He LOVED it!!

Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium

The Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the world!! Our favorite part of the visit was sitting in a room where it felt like you were “under the sea”! In the tunnel - you could see a 7-foot ray, large whale sharks, and other creatures big and small swimming all around you. There were different sections of the aquarium – river creatures, cold water swimmers, whales, and so much more! There were parts where you could pet the rays, sharks, star fish, and some type of slimy things that have rubber tentacles. You could also watch the divers feed the reefs and do their maintenance duties. They also have a 3-D movie but it was extra and it didn’t come with the Pemberton Pass. Great place for a family to tour!!!

FYI...to alleviate jellyfish sting pain...apply vinegar!

So cute!!

Afterward, we headed over to Taco Mac to meet up with the family and watch the Big Game – Cards vs. Cats! GO CATS!!! Poor Andrew…he cheered hard for his team until the end but showed good sportsmanship and congratulated us (the Cross clan – bleeds BLUE). Andrew says that is not biologically possible.

Nick & Brenna's Party(ies)

My oldest cousin, Nick, (on my dad’s side) married a beautiful, fun, young gal – Brenna, in Santa Barbara, CA. While we didn’t get to see their wedding in the hills of God’s beautiful nature (we saw pictures), we did have fun partying down with them on Saturday night at their wedding party at The View of King Plow Art Center and “after party” on the rooftop at Whiskey Blue in W Hotel (a party after a party – literally). Andrew and I had been looking forward to this for a long time and it was a swanky, schnazzy party! It was a formal cocktail event that was well-organized and much fun! In fact, I probably danced for 2.5 to 3 of the 4 hours!

Then we headed over to Whiskey Blue for the private after party where we gave them the code name to get in. The elevator door opened and oh my…a contemporary, leather couch in an elevator!!!! Seriously! By the way, the elevator was like the size of a small bedroom! The elevator took it’s time up to the rooftop terrace. We headed over to see Nick’s party and it felt like we were at a high-roller party. We had so much fun…or I did at least. Andrew was already getting a headache from the loud music at the 1^st party. But, popped some relievers and felt better. I just LOVE my hubby. He truly cares about me and knows how much I love my family and visiting with them. He has already made several sacrifices since I really pull him out of his shell :) He was the one that actually volunteered to party until 3am with my cousin! Our night ended young and fun then we got up at 8am to eat breakfast with my Uncles and the family at their rental house. And boy does my Uncle make some mean, organic veggie scrambled eggs and turkey bacon!

Open Happiness – World of Coke

Do you know how to enjoy the fulfillment of the taste of Coke – drink at 36 degrees F. We toured the World of Coke on our last rainy day after the big breakfast and our favorite was the 4-D movie! Andrew had to mention an important fact…that humans can’t see 4-D. So he asked what’s the difference between 3-D and 4-D – moving seats! The movie was incredible! It reminded me of the time my family and I went to see a Bug’s Life in 4-D at Disney World…where they create illusions and senses. I’m talking wind blowing, water splashes, bugs poking, and bees flying! The one at the World of Coke…had the same effects! We felt like kids laughing so hard and screaming at the back pokes and critters crawling under your legs! The tours itself was really interesting, especially seeing and learning the history behind Coca-Cola. Coke was developed in 1886 by a Pharmacist, John S. Pemberton. It’s just his syrup formula and soda water! If you like Coke…this place is a must to visit!

The original American Idol couch from 2005.

After tasting all 64 flavors of Coke...he got Coke drunk!

My cousin's wife, Meagan, warned us about Beverly...GROTTY. Worst than I expected!

We’re hoping to come back to Atlanta again to visit with Nick and Brenna! I had planned on doing another triathlon in Atlanta next summer, the Iron Girl. Definitely looking forward to coming back for some more fun in Atlanta!