Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas

Ryan's father has been so awesome as to reserve a few cabins in Devil's Den State Park as an option for a place to stay...these will go quick, so speak up if you're interested :) Worth checking out that weekend even if you stay elsewhere.

The cabins are the closest to The Schwartzman home in Winslow, just 15 miles up a gravel road. It takes about 36 minutes to drive  or ...4 hours and 42 minutes to walk...

The Dress

The Dress is very important for a lot of women...apparently so important that I bought it over ten years ago...

My mother and I frequented thrift stores like some people frequent their local coffee shop. I remember being quite young and shopping with my mother for...whatever costuming thing she was doing. I would often pick a piece of clothing or two that I wanted and she was great about letting me get really nice items. 

I saw this beautiful, old fashioned, slightly yellowing lace dress in the back room (where nice costumes usually were in thrift stores--so I camped out there most of the time). I told my mom that that was my wedding dress and I wanted it. Now my mother is awesome and she humored me. She payed the ridiculously large price of maybe $9.99 and gave it to me. I was thrilled. It didn't fit, I couldn't play with it...but I got it.

Years later I received beautiful dress covers from my mother and stored my 'wedding dress' in one. I have recently taken it out and tried it on while my mother was visiting after the engagement...and it fits!

I am definitely wearing it. I love it now. And I can ask for ludicrous things from Ry and say, "But at least we're saving money on a dress."

--Jennica Renee

Wedding Plans begin

We had planned on a longer engagement, then got to thinking...Why not sooner?

So we have decided upon a small gathering on October 3rd in Winslow, Arkansas. We are going to have the ceremony in a field on his parent's land. Ira and Sherry are lovely for letting us use their space, thank you. Our colors are Green, Chocolate Brown, and Orange accents.

The next weekend we will be having an informal reception in LA, so that more friends and family can join in the celebration with us in our city of residence. 

We will begin posting details, directions, and parking as soon as we have confirmations from our locations.

--Jennica Renee

We're Engaged!

So this is how he did it...

Our first date was themed: "The Night of Lights," which included a lovely drive down Santa Monica Blvd full of traffic lights, Griffith Park's Festival of Lights, Eating home-made pizza (dairy-free, Gluten-free, wheat-free, from scratch!) in front of a fire, and chocolate/berries/wine overlooking enchanting downtown LA city lights from our friend's rooftop in Korea town...

Flash forward a year and a couple weeks, We are house-sitting for our friend (Hello Cliff!) with the amazing rooftop and Ryan asks me on a date for the Sunday before we leave for the Holidays with his family in Arkansas.

This date is also themed: "The Night of Firsts and Seconds," He took me to the Griffith park Festival of Lights for the second time...and the line was too long and we couldn't go. Next to Ice Skating outdoors in Downtown LA in pershing square, a first for me...they were sold out for hours and we couldn't go. By this time Ryan didn't seem to happy and I kept reassuring him that I'm having a lovely evening. Then we go back to our apartment for our Christmas gift exchanging and watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" Which was a 'first' together

Then back to Cliff's to spend time with his dogs and have dinner, he wanted to make dinner for our date again as a 'second' for us...and I ruined it by making dinner. Finally half way through "it's A Wonderful Life," Ryan says "You want dessert?" And I say "I didn't know we had dessert!! Yes Please!!"

So, he gets some dark chocolate, strawberries, champagne, and takes me to the roof where there are tons of pillows and blankets to combat the cold and snuggle. So we sit and talk and look over gorgeous downtown lights reaching closer to midnight...so we get up to go downstairs and he grabs me and starts slow dancing. We dance to him singing "our song" in my ear and telling me wonderful wonderful things, and then he got down on one knee...

...And Proposed, It was so beautiful, I had him do it again so I could remember what it looked like. A first for us and a second for us. Then he proceeded to tell me how he had called my father and all my brothers to ask for their blessing earlier that day...I cried. (The ring is gorgeous too!)

He can't help being awesome, he's Ryan.

--Jennica Renee