I "heart" Emily Hart Bridal!

They are truly amazing! I made the mistake of having a family member alter my wedding dress. It wasn't a total catastrophe, but it definitely was not what I needed. I called on a Wednesday, they made an emergency alterations appointment for me on Friday, my dress was finished by Monday (and it's PERFECT)!!!

Thank you Sherri, Lilly, Sandy, and Emily! You are FABULOUS!

Wedding Countdown!

We have reached single digits!! 9 days and counting...

31 days!

Start Panicing!!!!!

Beautiful Bridal Shower

Yesterday, was my bridal shower! It was truly amazing, I could not have asked for anything better. Dennis and I received so many beautiful things for the house, and we had so much fun catching up with everyone! Thank you so much to all who made it! You mean the world to us...

(Picture above: Me with my bridesmaids. From the left: My sister (maid of honor)-Susie, my cousin-Cristina, my cousin-Nina, me, my best friend (matron of honor)-Alissa, my savior-Jen B (aka 7), my sister in law-Jenny)

Oh yeah, one more thing...

I am down almost 70 pounds since surgery!!! ::Happy Dance::

Today is...

Exactly 4 months til the BIG day!!!! Woohooo!!!!

<3 Soon-to-be Mrs. B

Mexican Honeymoon!

Dennis has booked our honeymoon!! We are going to be staying at The Royal Playa Del Carmen in the Riviera Maya! We will be leaving January 2nd! Can't wait :)

This is going to be me in just five short months:

"In your light, I learn how to love..." -Rumi

This is my absolute FAVORITE of the 300 + engagement pictures we took on May 25th. This was taken on the corner of 16th and Central across from the Kauffman Center; however, the majority of the photos were taken in the rose garden at Loose Park.

Despite tornadoes all around the metro that morning, Mike and Tiffany from Freeland Photography were prompt and ready to go! What most would consider "gloomy" weather, turned out to be the perfect photography back drop!

Other shout outs: Nina Anselmo- hair extraordinare and Mary Ancona (aka my mom)- make up magic

R.I.P. Barbara Nellie Barnes

Friday was a very sad day for our family. We lost Grandma Barnes just 5 days away from her 87th birthday. She was one of the most honest, caring, and strong women I've ever met. She will be greatly missed. We will lay her to rest on the day of her birth; July 13th. Services begin at 9:00am at Park Lawn Funeral Home in South Kansas City.

Date Night!

On Saturday evening, Dennis treated me to dinner and a movie! We had the most AMAZING dinner at Pot Pie in Westport! Dennis had a honey-bourbon glazed pork chop that was out of this world! I had seared scallops with braised veggies, also delicious. Pot Pie has become one of our favorite places to eat! If you haven't had the pleasure of dining there, I suggest you try it immediately! Check them out at: http://www.kcpotpie.com/

Engagement photos are up!

http://www.freelandphoto.net/2011/engagement/strada/

Let me know what you think!

The new dress Dennis bought me for pictures tomorrow!

Engagement Pictures TOMORROW!!!

Rain or shine, Den and I will be running around town with our fabulous photographer, Mike Freeland! These are the places we're thinking about shooting:

Loose Park Rose Garden
Plaza Fountains
Piropos
The Intercontinental Hotel
Kansas City Public Library
**a super secret place which I will reveal later :)

For my Den Den :)

"I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."

— Roy Croft

Pampered Chef Bridal Shower!

Saturday was the official kick off of what I am sure will be a long line of bridal showers thrown in my honor! My friend and PC hostess, Liz, came into town to throw me a lovely shower! I demo-ed fruit pizza and mango salsa... Both delish! I received so many amazing things and spent the afternoon with some of my favorite people! Thank you to all who where there! A VERY special thanks to Liz and Andrew for making the trip down from Lincoln; Jenn, Tayna, and Alissa for all your help setting up and cleaning; and my mom for letting us take over her kitchen!

Maid of Honor Extraordinaire!

Yesterday my best friend and I took a 6 hour shopping trip together! We are both getting married at the end of the year. She is a little further along in the "wedding fashion process" than me, as I have yet to pick out my dress, shoes, or anything else for that matter. Above are the fabulous shoes we found! We found them at Nordstrom, they will serve as her "something blue"! We fell in love with them immediately...

Myself, along with the wonderful lady in Nordstrom's Intimates department, also introduced her to the wonderful world of "Spanx". Must be nice to have never needed them until now!

The grand reason for this trip was her first bridal fitting, which was yesterday afternoon. Procrastination you say? I vote yes... But that, ladies and gentleman is one of the many reasons why I love her! But I digress...
Back to the topic at hand: Bridal Fitting #1. Location: "nameless" chain bridal boutique in Lenexa,KS. Her seamstress was lovely, but the girls running the register... MORONS. They argued with her for 5 minutes about whether or not her dress was even there. Then finally found someone to "fetch" the dress from the back room, ten minutes later.

I'm fairly certain that being hired on as an employee of this store requires #1 an IQ of less than 90 and #2 a bad attitude to boot. I do not recommend this retailer to anyone planning to purchase a wedding dress or bridesmaids dress in the near future. Never in my life have I experienced such poor customer service and blatent price gouging. Yes, you think you're getting a deal with their low prices... wait until you have your dress altered. You wind up paying just as much in alterations as you do for the dress!

Aside from my slight negativity towards the situation, my friend looked STUNNING! I can't wait for her wedding! I guess you can't put a price on happiness...

Love this dress...

Damn you dropped waist!

ABC's of Lori

A - Age: 27

B - Bed size: King

C - Chore you hate: DISHES!

D - Dog’s name: Sasha

E - Essential start your day item: Cereal

F - Favorite color: Pink... obviously

G - God: Giver of Life

H - Height: 5’4”

I - Insect I would like to be: Butterfly

J - Juice: Orange-Pineapple

K - Kids: Does Dennis count?

L - Likes: food, scrapbooking, my job, make up, super hot showers, lemon drop martini's, dancing, fashion, yoga, our dog Sasha, and some guy named Dennis :)

M - Mom’s name: Mary

N - Nightly routine: cook dinner, watch tv, wash my face, go to bed

O - Overnight hospital stay other than when you were born: When I had my tonsils out

P - Pet Peeve: I have many...

Q - Question: Is it April 18th yet?

R - Red or pink: Pink

S - Sibling(s): Joe and Susie

T - Time you wake up: 7:00 am

U - Under my bed you will find: A dog, most likely! It's her favorite hiding place

V - Vegetable you dislike: canned green beans

W - Ways you run late: Dennis!

X - Xrays you have had: ankle

Y - Yummy food you make: Pumpkin spice cupcakes

Z - Zoo favorite: Penguins

Best. Fiance'. EVER

Seriously...

Meet the Barnes's (To be)

The Bride: Lori... A 27 year old banker from Kansas City. Daughter of Jack and Mary. Graduate of Central Missouri State University. Proud receipient of a totally WORTHLESS bachelor's degree. Oldest of 3 siblings. Lover of animals (especially tard-y German Shepherds named Sasha), Rock music, Chiefs football, all things domestic (cooking, baking, sewing...), scrapbooking, shopping, and a terribly sexy, blue eyed man... Who shall remain nameless :)

The Groom: Dennis... A 29 year old mechanic from Grandview. Son of Dennis Sr. and Brenda. Little bro to Jenny. Uncle to Brad, Matt & Skye. Former wrestler and football ass-kicker. Lover of sports (especially the KC Royals, K-State Wildcats, and Kansas City Chiefs), fast cars, and feisty Italian brunettes!

The wedding is set for December 31, 2011. We will be the 3rd generation in the Barnes family to be married on New Years Eve.

276 days and counting! Stay tuned for the fun!!!