Wedding Bells Will Be Ringing...

...on May 24, 2009. Yes, we've finally set a date!

You know, people seriously underestimate how difficult the task of setting a date is. You have to consider family conflicts, out-of-town guests, school schedules, work schedules and venue availability. And how do you know where you're going to have your wedding after only a few days of being engaged? I'm not sure because that is quite the involved process as well. To know where you're going to have your wedding depends on how many people you anticipate having and how much money you're planning on spending. And you can't know that without having written your guest list and established a budget, which takes quite a bit of planning and research....so pretty much I planned my entire wedding in 2 weeks just to nail down a date!

P.S. Our wedding website is http://www.mywedding.com/johnandjackiedodson

WE'RE ENGAGED!!

On October 24th, John proposed...and I said "YES!" He took me to Columbia, a restuarant in Celebration, FL. It was so cool because at the end of dinner our waiter told us that an anonymous friend called in and paid for our meal. John had no idea that that was going to happen and it really blessed him. After dinner we took a walk around the lake next to the restaurant and John proposed on a bridge under the stars. He got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. All I heard was "Jackie Horyza, will you..." and I was already saying "Yes!" He did finish the question and then put the ring on my finger. This picture was right after the proposal.

The next day we went to lunch and when we got to the restaurant, my mom, stepdad, sister and sister's friend were there! It was a huge surprise. They flew all night on Friday and arrived Saturday morning. John and my mom had been planning it for the last month. It was so special to have them there! That night there was an engagement party with both of our families and some friends. It was such a whirlwind weekend that I will never forget! :)