How to RSVP

See that big tab above here that says: RSVP?

Click on that to RSVP to our wedding and reception!  It's easy and quick!

You don't have to mail anything in, you only have to answer a few questions and then you're done!  We want to make sure we have enough food and drinks for everyone, so please make sure to RSVP by March 1, 2012.

engagement pics!

A few weeks ago Lincoln and I had our engagement pictures taken by the lovely and talented Amanda Eaton.  I loved her use of natural light and found her originally on another blog that I follow, Lemon and Lavender. 

After our initial meeting I knew that we'd hit it off because we shared a love of pretty paper, folders and pinterest. :)

After the first few awkward photos, Lincoln and I started to get the hang of things and we had quite a few (207 to be exact) pictures to choose from!  Here are a few of our faves:

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6 months

As of Saturday (September 24th), we are exactly 6 months away from our wedding date!

The planning, so far has been easy and carefree, here's hoping that the next 6 months go the same way!

Save the dates are going out today (Monday), so some of you will be seeing this blog for the first time once you receive the save the date. 

Most of the questions you might have about our wedding day should be answered on this page (see the tabs above? those are helpful too!), but if you should have any questions prior to the invitations being sent out, please don't hesitate to contact us at: lincolnandkristin@gmail.com. 

wedding details

We can't wait to share our big day with you!  

Below you will find some important details about our big day, take a look!

The Church:

Old Mission United Methodist Church, 5519 State Park Road, Fairway, KS

Located right off of Shawnee Mission Parkway on your way to the plaza, you can't miss it!  

The Reception

Californos, Westport, 4124 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, MO

Valet parking is available for $5 per car or street parking is available all around Californos.  (If you're staying in the area, the Embassy Suites is a quick walk to Californos)

Lodging

Embassy Suites Hotel, Kansas City Plaza

220 W. 43rd Street

Kansas City MO, 64111

Rates under the McCauley-Hillyer Wedding are good through March 9th and include a full cooked to order breakfast daily as well as a 2 hour manager reception served nightly.  Book your room under our hotel block by clicking here.

The Residence Inn by Marriott, Country Club Plaza

4601 Broadway Blvd

Kansas City, MO 64112

Rates under the McCauley-Hillyer Wedding are good through February 21st and include breakfast, parking and internet.  Book your room under our hotel block by clicking here.

the rest of the story...

So Kristin has given you the story of how the proposal went down. But, as with most chronicles, there’s a little more to it. Here’s the rest of the story…

The ring search began with a trip to KC during the work week. I wanted to start looking at different options; plus, it gave me a good excuse to go down and see my boo; but I couldn’t let her know my intentions...so like any good boyfriend would do, I had to lie.

I told Kristin my dad bought a gift in Overland Park for my mom’s birthday and it needed to be picked up. She bought my story because my mom’s birthday was actually coming up the next week, so it worked out pretty well. But as Kristin continued to question me about where I was going and what I was picking up, the fibs grew larger and larger.

The “gift” was some nice kind of coffee maker. Kristin thought it sounded pretty cool so she almost asked to check it out. Luckily I was able to change the subject and let the topic die. The first bullet was dodged.

After visiting another store a week later, I was pretty sure I had found the “one.” The following Friday I was heading to KC, so I took off from work an hour earlier than I had told her so I could get the deal done. I got everything completed and now it was just a matter of picking up the ring.

In the meantime, I almost screwed up my entire plan.

That Sunday, we went to church and decided to grab some Salty Iguana afterwards (their menus smell terrible, btw). On the drive, we started talking about something that reminded me of a conversation I had had at the jewelry store. But, at the time, I didn’t remember the location of my story.

So as I started to tell Kristin, I was like “oh, I remember now.” And then my trusty light bulb came on and I quickly realized I should shut up.  

Oops!

I had gone too far with my story and basically had to tell her not to worry about what I had just said.

I could tell she was completely confused by what was occurring so later on I told her that all I could say was that she’d find out soon enough and it was a good thing. Another crisis averted.

Before Kristin and I took off for Omaha for the weekend, I had one small thing left to do: ask her dad for permission. 

I called her dad and asked him out to lunch, and luckily he was free.  We talked for awhile, ate and we were about to head out when I mentioned that I had one more thing I needed to talk to him about...

Her dad responded with "well, just blurt it out already", so I did and thankfully he gave me permission to ask Kristin to marry me.

The day that Kristin and I were heading to Omaha for our little getaway, I asked my dad to run down to Joslin’s Jewelry (this is Kristin-best store ever, for real) to pick it up.  He got the ring to me later in the day; just in time for our trek north.

Kristin’s already taken care of all the girly details so I won’t bore you with those J  All I know is she said yes and the wedding planning is in full force!

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the proposal

Well...and the rest of our weekend too...

Last weekend Lincoln and I took a trip to Omaha to see one of my FAVORITE singers right now, Jason Aldean.  I have a weird crush on him, but I think it's more because of his voice than his looks...but who knows, really.

Because the concert was on Friday, we decided to make a long weekend of it and went up Thursday night and came home on Sunday.

On our way to the concert on Friday, we stopped off at a bar to grab a few drinks before finishing our walk down to the stadium (which was outside, and if you haven't heard it feels like a balmy 110* on average in the Midwest on most days). 

Once we finished up at the bar we walked outside to a cowboy on a pedi-cab blaring Jason Aldean tunes, so of course I had to hitch a ride with this guy.  He was an interesting fella...

See that chain around his neck?  That was the brake.  And he also had a whip that he insisted we use.

To say we got a few stares on the ride down is an understatement!

Once inside the stadium, we found our seats and I got my camera ready to take a few close-ups of Mr. Aldean.



My feet were about to fall off after standing for the entire concert and walking all the way home so we grabbed a drink at a bar that had a fun band playing after the concert.  I really wanted to find Jason Aldean's tour bus but someone wouldn't let me.

Saturday morning we decided to venture out to the Henry Doorly Zoo, mainly to see an I-max screening of Tornado alley, but since it didn't feel that hot out when we entered the zoo, I figured that we better see all of the animals since we were there, duh.

The penguins were my favorite, but these guys were pretty funny and cute too.

After hitting the zoo and becoming drenched in sweat, we got ready for a nice dinner at 801 Chop House.

If you're a meat eater, this is the place to go!  The steaks were cooked to perfection and we were stuffed.

After dinner we walked downtown through a park and found a bench to sit on (that wasn't covered in bird poop).

The bench was a little uncomfortable and Lincoln was acting a little different...not in a bad way, I think his mind was just a little pre-occupied with other things at that moment. :)

I kept hearing things drop behind me, which of course I assumed was bird poop and I was convinced we were about to get pooped on.  So after awhile, we got up to leave and find a new place to grab a drink at.

When we were almost out of the park, Lincoln stopped and gave me a huge hug and then started saying some nice things and I think all I could say at that point was "oh my God"...repeatedly...because I knew what was happening!! I'm pretty sure I was also shaking at that point too!

Once he asked, he pulled the beauty of a ring out of his pocket and put it on my finger. 

Here we are right after!

I couldn't get over that he kept the ring in his pocket all night and I wasn't aware!  I was surprised to say the least!

While we had been talking about getting engaged for awhile now, I wasn't sure exactly when he would ask.

Hearing all of the stories about him ring shopping without me knowing it and him asking my dad made me laugh a lot (maybe I can convince him to share those later with you guys...hint, hint Lincoln).

The wedding planning has officially begun and we're planning March wedding!  Eek!

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he put a ring on it!

Check out my new bling!!!

(good thing my nails were painted this weekend, huh?!)

More details later, but I'm engaged!! 

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