Getting down to the wire!

Hi Friends & Family...Its September Already??? Where did the Summer Go!!
I hope everyone had a safe & fun summer...

Life is a bit crazy right now so I haven't had a chance to get on and update this lately, but I am sitting down and making time :) I have so much to catch you all up on!

Jimmy & I have been very busy the past month or so, now that we only have about 2 months to go...time to make those decisions. And anyone that knows me, knows I am a horrible decision maker, and so is my Maid of Honor. (It takes an hour & and an argument to decide where were gonna go for dinner, every time we go out together - No Lie)  

For a few reasons, Jimmy & I decided to venture out and get our cake on our own instead of going through the Hilton. I fell in love with a cake design, all I needed was a baker willing to bake it, and create it just the way I wanted...and for the right price, of course. Side note: The price of cakes is absolutely REDIC! OMG. Okay moving on, before I get started on that subject... I was given the name "The Cake-A-Nista" by my step mom. I contacted Melissa herself, had a meeting and she won me over, it didn't take to much arm twisting...I love love loved her! And have the ut-most confidence in her...Super excited to see the final product!
Note: She is cheap and makes absolutely amazing cakes, I will use her for every cake I get the rest of my life. Check out her site www.thecakeanista.com!!!

We met with Kim our wedding coordinator from the Hilton and finalized every last detail about the reception. In an meeting that took over 2 hours we, decided the menu, desserts, colors, styles, times, event schedule, vendors...We walked out of there full of emotions...The more we accomplish, the more real it becomes to us both.

We also met with our Pastor for our second session about a week ago, I love meeting with her. She teaches us so much about ourselves, its amazing that between the two meetings, she knows more about us than some of our own family...It is truly a great experience and am enjoying her words of wisdom very much. We meet with her again at the end of the month, and again the beginning of November to run through the ceremony.

August is always a difficult month for me, as the anniversary of my cousin Brian's passing came and went...It didn't seem possible, its been 6 years & it has not gotten any easier to deal with, this year has proven to be hardest. With this wedding nearing, all I wish is that he could be here. To watch the little girl that grew up, start out on a new adventure of her own. He would be so proud, he always was. <3 Strength-BJF <3

My dress & the girls dresses are due in this week & next week, THANK GOD...I was getting worried! Cath said not to worry, if they didn't come in time...we would all just wear a different race car shirt. Between the JC Flach, Brian Berger, Donnie Corellis, Kim Herrick, Keith Flach, Mark Flach Jr., etc. shirts she said we would have plenty to complete the wedding party...Sounds good to me ;-)

Invitations are going to be ordered this week,..and should be in the mail by the end of September, we have had some things going on that delayed the ordering of the invites, but not to worry they will be out and in your mailboxes by the end of Sept! So stay tuned...

For those of you who plan to stay over, As I have stated before, there are a block of rooms that have been saved, and reserved for a special price of $99/night...Please book them ASAP, this deal runs out October 19th, after that you will have to pay the regular price and chance the rest of the hotel being booked up (which happens very often at this hotel)..Please Please Pleaseeee take the time and book your room, it only takes a minute. Call them up or go to there website! If you have any questions you can give me a shout on Facebook, my cell phone or email me @ Flachy518@gmail.com

We have ordered and are waiting on our favors to come, Cath, my mom & I are getting a bit crafty with these and I am super excited about it...We came up with an idea a while back and are running with it...I am very excited to see everything start to come together. It is truly going to be an amazing day.  

I could go on for days, but for now I think that gives everyone a brief update.

I look forward to see you all very soon, Nov. 19th, its less that 70 days awayy!!

<3
Jess

Catching Up!

Lets Catch Up!

HELLO SUMMER!! Hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather (when it decides to show)

I haven't spent to much time on my blog over the past few months, I figured it was time to get the keys moving and get you all updated on whats going on! Life is crazy and its only going to get crazier...I looked at my countdown calendar this morning and was in shock, 150 days to go as of today...I cant put into words how fast this year is going by, seems like just yesterday I was telling everyone about our engagement and here we are, 5 months away from the big day!

These last few months have been pretty easy as we have already booked all of our big "to do's," and are now just looking forward to getting the little things taken care of. I am currently working on picking out invitations, (there are way to many choices!!) My maid of honor wants to kill me cause i keep telling her we have time, not to stress, after looking at the calendar today, I guess she is right, time to make some decisions! I am sticking with the "Simple but Elegant" theme, throughout the whole wedding, therefore choosing the invitations shouldn't be so difficult. :-)

I met with the florist a few weeks ago and decided on white flowers, but unsure of what kind. Teddy's Florist of Catskill, NY will be taking care of all of my flowers. Thank you to Teddy & Krista - You girls are awesome, I appreciate you being a part of my day and helping me out, I will never be able to Thank you enough. <3 I am heading down to Teddy's shop in a couple weeks to take a look at some sample bouquets, and finalize my flower plans!

Jimmy and I will meet with the Hilton in the beginning of August to finalize all of our details, menu, cake design & flavor, colors, room layout, etc. This will be our final meeting with the Hilton until the week of! August also includes going for our 2nd meeting with our wonderful Pastor Jackie....

You don't realize how much planning and hard work goes into a wedding...I appreciate everyone who is helping me out, Jimmy, my mom, Cathy...You guys are awesome. I am having such a great time planning this wedding and its only because these three keep me sane. :-) Currently, besides working on invitations, I am working on centerpieces, & wedding favors...

I am enjoying the calm before the storm, because I know come August...the Chaos will begin!

As it gets closer I will keep everyone posted on what is being accomplished...Be sure to stay tuned!

Happy First Day of Summer!

PS...For those of you who plan on staying over, be sure to book your rooms!!

<3 Jess & Jim

Love

Do what makes you happy

Be with who makes you smile

Laugh as much as you breathe

Love as long as you live

Ring Bearer / Flower Girl

<3 

Alyssa Albanese - Flower Girl

&&

Jason "Luggy" Herrick - Ring Bearer

These two might just be my favorite part of the wedding, they are so cute together and I am super excited to have them apart.

Lug is Kim & Jason Herricks son &&
Alyssa is the daughter of Renee Decarlo & John Albanese


 

 



My Girls

Okay this is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I am sitting down & breaking it down... :-)
Here is a little bit about "My Girls":

Gracie Flach - Junior Bridesmaid
Gracie is my little sister, who I love with my whole heart. She is my little mini-me. Never thought I could have a 9 year old best friend but that's exactly what she is. We have sleep overs as often as possible, she makes me laugh, to funny. My favorite part of this whole wedding is seeing how excited Gracie is about being apart of it.

Alexis Flach; AKA My Bubski



"Cousins by Chance; Best Friends by Choice"



Alexis is my baby, but my baby is growing up, and way too fast. It seems like just yesterday I was tossing her around like she was my doll, changing her a million times a day & pushing her around in her stroller in my Aunt's living room. Alexis lives in Dryden, NY and attends Cortland Christian Academy. She has become quite the soccer star, and I am so proud of her. I visit every chance I get, we enjoy shopping together..Trips to the Dome to watch our Orangemen, playing Just Dance (I hesitate to admit that she woops my butt) & visiting Auburn (If i could marry a city it would totally be Auburn; inside joke ;-) Alexis Flach; I love you! <3 Big Buddy ;-)

"Flavis" Sisters <3

Jenelle Davis aka; Jnel / Nelly

Ashley Davis aka: AD / My Love

I don't even know where to begin with these girls, Friends since middle school; Friends for life.
"Best friends are not the ones you see everyday, but the ones you can go time without seeing & when reconnected, nothing has changed"
Jenelle & Ashley & I met when I was in 5th grade, Ashley was in 6th & Jenelle was in 7th. A few years later we attended Grapeville Christian Academy together, Ashley and I went on to attend HVCC together..These girls are nothing less than beautiful, amazing people. I cannot express my love for them and how grateful I am to have had them in my life for so many years. I may not see them all the time, but our friendship never changes. The girls and I have many things in common; Dirt Car Racing is a large part of both of our lives, we enjoy Starbucks together, Dates to Panera, and our memorable trips to Messiah College where Jenelle attended.
(Mouse musta et it - :-))
I love you girls and am so honored that you agreed to be apart of my day. <3 Flavis Love <3

Jenny Shoemaker - Sister of the Groom
Jenny & I met through Jimmy; My soon to be sister-in-law has been nothing less than amazing to me, she has treated me like a sister from the start. I am blessed to be gaining her in my life. I was very nervous to meet Jimmy's family, but couldn't have asked for a better group of people. I enjoy spending time with Jen & our newly born niece Hanna. 
Love ya Jen :-)

 Renee DeCarlo

AKA: Nay Nay

  Or to me: Va*NayNay :-)

Va*NayNay; Wolf Pack Member.
Renee and I met through her boyfriend John or more commonly known as Apples. We hit it off from the start, we have the convenience of working right around the corner from each other, making lunch dates frequent. Matty D is one of our favorite drivers, making Saturday nights at Fonda with friends a priority! Road Trips to Hagerstown, SDW in October, & Saturday nights at Fonda; Security. I could write a book. This girl makes me laugh.
"Friends are the most important part of your life. Treasure the tears, treasure the laughter, but most importantly, treasure the memories."

ASHLEY MATTHEWS <3
Saturday nights at Lebanon Valley sipping on Malibu & Crystal light, Breakfast dates, Bridal Shows, Bridesmaid, Long talks, and lots of Laughs.
I love this girl.
She may be little but she is my firecracker. I don't like the winters because I don't get to see her as much as I do in the summer. I had the honor of being apart of Joe & Ashley's October 2010 wedding. It was the most amazing experience I have had, and now I get to experience the same thing and have Ashley by my side.

* There is nothing better than friends *

Kim LaVoy Herrick

My adopted sister, Kimmy. I cannot rant enough about the LaVoys, these girls have taken me in and treated me like family. A wise person once told me, that your family may not be blood, but who you make it. These girls are my family...

Spending Saturday nights cheering on Kim in her #3 Waste Management Sportsman & 358 modified is one of my most favorite things to do. Outside of the race track we enjoy girls nights out, Easter bbq's :-) and spending time together. Kim is an amazing women / mom / sister and friend and am so blessed to have her apart of my special day.
Kim means alot not only to me but to Jimmy as well.

Love you Kim!

Cathy LaVoy Slattery;

This post is prolly going to make me cry as I type it.

My Beautiful Maid of Honor.

Jimmy introduced me to Cathy & Scott Slattery about 2 1/2 years ago, Side Note: Funny story, I thought Scott was a jerk when I first met him, and now Scott and I are soul mates. Love him.
I have never connected with someone the way I have with Cathy. This girl is truly my other half, she understands me, makes me laugh, gives me advise whether I want to hear it or not, picks me up when I am down and always has the ability to make me feel like I can accomplish anything. I have so much on my plate, yet Cathy is right next in line as my biggest fan, cheering me on to the finish. Our lives consist of so much more than just hanging out together, we advise, guide, laugh, cry and most of all we love.
They say Great minds think alike, That's us. :-)
 There is nothing I love more than a Cathy comment to make me laugh.
With so much going on in my life, Cathy has made planning this wedding easier with all her help. Taking time out of her busy day in her office to help me out ;-) 
"Its not the friends you have known the longest, but the ones that came into your life and never left"
Cathy & I enjoy many things together, and those who know us know we love to have fun. Road trips, Riteaid trips, haha. Nights out, Walking home, Security, Heart burn (muffins), Sleepovers, Nights in, Lifetime, Wine, Camping, Lebanon ("Burr"), Chinese Food, Volleyball, Shopping, Dinner together. I cant express how blessed I am to have met Cathy, and even more blessed to have her as my Maid of Honor and Best Friend.
I love you Cath. <3

That's my Girl :-)

*I LIVE FOR THE NIGHTS I WONT REMEMBER WITH THE FRIENDS ILL NEVER FORGET*

Now you know a bit about the girls in my bridal party...

I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends, I truly love these girls.

<3 Jess



SAVE THE DATES

Finally chose my Save the Dates!! <3



For those who want to stay...

http://www.troy.hgi.com/

Reservations can be made individually via the Hotel website posted above, or by calling (877) STAY HGI. Please use the Group Code of: FNWS to receive the group discount!

Reserve now!! :-)

8 months, 3 weeks && 6 days to go...

( I just wanted to note: I am not crazy enough to keep a countdown as up to date as the ticker at the bottom of the blog..Thats where the title came from! :-))

I have to shout out everyone that told me, This is going to be the fastest year of your life...Because, I cannot put into words how fast time is passing us by. I would like to stop the clock just for a few minutes to catch my breathe and maybe catch up on my episodes of Criminal Minds. :-) Between working, school, & this wedding..both Jimmy & I are whooped, but Loving<3 every second of it!

I apologize for not blogging in over a month, as I stated previously ...all I did was blink & a month passed me by.

O where to begin!!..My mind is spinning in twelve different directions. With so much to tell, I am just going to spit it all out, Enjoy. :-)

I cant believe we have under 9 months til the wedding, I apologize for stating that 2x but I am still in shock! Well as I stated in my previous post's we have finally completed the list of "big" things to accomplish. We have finally checked off Church & DJ, and I couldn't be happier with our choices. I want to Thank everyone who has helped us, we couldn't do it without our friends and family. With the "big" things out of the way we are beginning to focus on the smaller, yet not any less important details.

I am going to interject in here, I have changed my mind on my bridesmaid dress's, the girls will be wearing Black & White Alexia dresses. They are absolutley beautiful & very elegant. I fell in love with them at first sight. I love Black and White, and with approval from the groom, I decided to they are what I wanted. The girls, who I will blog about next, are presently getting measured, because Alexia is located over seas it will take just as long to get there dresses as mine, hence the importance of getting fitted now. Once the last of the girls get fitted the order will be placed and from there we wait til July to begin our first fittings!

Okay, so back to the "smaller" details...I have decided to go with a Black & White themed wedding, but I will be throwing in a bright color to off-set the somber feeling. I am in love with "Damask" print and will be incorporating this into the big day! Lime Green, Orange, Yellow, Hot Pink...I am unsure of what color I will incorporate, but I have no fear, it will look beautiful no matter what I decide. Invitations, Centerpieces, Favors, Napkins...I have so many ideas & decisions to make, but I enjoy the challenge of designing & planning.

Paolo Lombardi's - will be the site of our rehersal dinner! *Thanks to "Mama Dukes" AKA Linda (Jimmy's mom) we met with Lombardi's event coordinator and booked November 18th, 2011. We are very excited to have it there. Paolo Lombardi's is a beautiful Italian Ristorante located at 104 West Sand Lake Rd - Rt. 150
Wynantskill, NY 12198

Them Boys..

Jimmy & I meet with Chappas & Sons tomorrow (2/24/11) to schedule & book tux fittings for all of Jimmy's boys. :-)

Because the girls will be in Black & White dresses I wanted to break up the guys a bit, they will be in black tux's with silver vests.. This way there will not be too much black.

:-)

Taste Testing:
We are super excited to attend our taste testing on March 12th at the Hilton Garden Inn, from there we will be able to decide our cocktail & dinner menu!


 

To date we are working on:
* Updating the guest list
* Working with a florist on ideas
* In search of invitations / programs / thank you designs


Hope you all enjoy reading,
Jimmy && I love sharing! <3