Announcing the Bridal Party!!

Thank you to all our friends and family for being a part of this special day. At this most special time as we prepare for our marriage and new life begin, we're thankful to have you by our side.

Maid of Honor
Christina Ariza, sister

Maid of Honor
Janee Hall, best friend

Bridesmaids
Sherry Hall, best friend
Angelica "Jelly" Vega, cousin

Flower girl
Emerald Bonagofski, stepdaughter

Best Man
Nate Bennett, childhood friend

Best Man
Mike Schalansky, childhood friend

Groomsman
David “Bud” Gilmore, childhood friend
Tom Dunn, childhood friend

Ring Bearer
Malachite Bonagofski, son

335 Days Left....The Dress

Long or short, ruffles or sleek, sleeves or strapless, long train or short train...the choices are endless! How could I have ever known that dress shopping could be so complicated?

Two of my best friend decided it was time that I start looking for a dress. Thanks to these two drill sergeant girls, I will stay on schedule with all the wedding tasks.

This weekend, we went to David’s Bridal where we were practically kicked out the door. Apparently, you need to have an appointment to look at dresses. Who knew? Luckily, we found a great bridal shop in Tacoma that appreciates our spontaneous nature. With the help of Tannase, the bridal consultant, we tried on some incredible dresses. My favorite was only $1,400. That's about $200 hr or $3.34 a minute. Pocket change for the dress that I will wear on the "best day of my life." Yeah, right!

So the search continues…

5 Lessons Learned:

1. Tulle, stay away from it unless you are going for the snowball look.

2. Be ready to laugh at yourself, otherwise you will be the only one not laughing!

3. It's normal for wedding dresses to weigh 7-10 lbs. Apparently, a man must have designed all these dresses.

4. Corsets that make me 2 sizes smaller...now, that's what I am talking about!

5. Bring some great friends with you to share this once in a lifetime experience.