Meet our newest Bride Blogger!

Hello, all you fabulous brides out there! My name is Amanda, and I'm excited to share my wedding-planning experiences with you! Luckily, I've had over a year to sort out the details since getting engaged in May of 2009 to my fiance John. It's hard to believe how fast the time goes, however. With a little under four months to go, we're nearing the home stretch -- and the time crunch!

Let's begin at the beginning, though, before the "happily ever after part", and let me tell you a little bit about John and me. We met through mutual friends in Omaha about five years ago. And as the old cliche goes, we started out as friends and then one day -- bam! -- we realized there was the potential for much more between us. We were already good friends, so taking the next step wasn't hard. And the best part? We didn't have any of the first-date awkwardness. We already knew we clicked! It's quite a blessing to fall in love with your best friend. And here we are, engaged and ready to wed September 25 here in Omaha (well, almost ready)!

John and I recently took a plunge before we take "the plunge" and bought our first home together. We are so excited to be homeowners and we'll have a busy summer making the house our own, in addition to all the final wedding plans, of course. (I've already decided that John gets to be the official lawnmower.)

You know it's the real deal when you buy a major piece of real estate together.

I’m eager to share with you what I've learned through this wedding-planning process. Whether you have over a year to plan like John and me, or just a few months, I hope my experience can help you plan the wedding of your dreams!

-Amanda