My Big Brother

 

 

The man who is walking me down the aisle is my brother, Jerome Bouie. My brother epitomizes strength, perseverance, courage, and wisdom. My brother is strong physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. He has guided and supported me through many pitfalls, roll blocks, and hurdles. He has celebrated, congratulated, and exalted in my successes, triumphs, and accomplishments. My brother and I have cultivated a beautiful relationship as adults that continues to grow closer. My brother represents a “sage” like presence in my life that I lean upon and seek comfort in. I love you big brother. I am proud and honored that you agreed to “give-me-away” on my wedding day.

Honeymoon!!!

Chase and I have booked our honeymoon. Thanks to my mom (her wedding gift), we have our flights to San Francisco and Portland! We are staying at a hotel near Golden Gate Park and we are staying at a cute little bed and breakfast in Portland for five days. We are planning to hike daily in Portland and enjoy the wonderful outdoors in SF and Portland.

RSVPs!!!!!

The deadline for the RSVPs has passed. For those who missed the deadline, if you are still planning to attend, send them in. I will give the final number to the caterer one week prior to the wedding. As of today, I have 70 rsvps! I am so excited that you are all attending!

Our Wedding Party

 

Many have asked, “Who is in your wedding party?” So, I am taking this opportunity to share with you the persons that we have selected to participate in our wedding. Chase and I decided to have a very small wedding and we were not certain if we would have a wedding party. However, we (more like me) decided that we would have some social traditions and conformity to “some” degree. So, let the introductions began:

 

 

Bride’s Party (comments written by Ruby)

My man of honor is Reggy West, Jr. I have known Reggy since 2000. Reggy and I have shared a special friendship and love for each other for many years. I consider Reggy, outside of Chase, to be my best friend, confidant, and closest ally. He knows me very well. Reggy was the first person, in my close circle, that I introduced Chase to in the beginning. Chase’s response about Reggy, “he has good self awareness. I respect that about him.” I giggled. Yes, Reggy is pretty transparent and doesn’t mind sharing himself with you unapologetically. After my sponsor, Reggy was the next person I told that I got engaged. Immediately following, I asked Reggy to be my man of honor. He did not skip a beat…he said, “yes!!!”

 

 

 My maid/woman of honor is my eldest sister, Claudette Grimes. I am getting tearful thinking about my sister. My sister is amazingly phenomenal and pretty damn awesome in EVERY way! My sister used to carry me on hip. She bathed me.  We have fought, laughed, and cried together. In my darkest hours, I would seek solace with her. She has ALWAYS had my back. I believe, she always will. My sister is amazing woman with a huge heart. She deserves and desires the best for everyone. She is wise and she is loving. I will kick your ass if you mess with her. She is successful, smart, and I am proud to have her stand by my side on biggest day of my life. I love you, Claudette.

 

 

 

 

 

Groom’s Party (comments written by Chase)

Best Woman

Casey is my sister. We used to fight like brothers and sisters do, but these days we are close friends. We share our triumphs and our tribulations and console each other in times of trouble. She is the most creative and artistic person I know.

 

 

 

 

  Best Man

 Chris Clark is one of my best friends from college. We’ve partied together, and we’ve had some of the deepest and most interesting conversations of my life together. He is the best software engineer that I have ever met, and a constant source of inspiration and new knowledge for me in my career.

RSVPs due by March 8

Hello All

This is friendly reminder that rsvps for the wedding are due by March 8. The invites include self addressed, stamped envelopes to return. Please include your names on the RSVPs. We look forward to seeing you all soon!

 

Ruby and Chase

Our rings

Our jeweler, David Heffley

Ruby’s engagement ring

Ruby’s engagement ring

Chase’s wedding band

Chase’s wedding band

Ruby’s engagement ring and wedding band

Ruby’s engagement ring and wedding band

Ruby’s wedding band

Honeymoon: Portland, Oregon Part II

Portland, *Crunch*

 

 The second leg of our honey will be in Portland, Oregon. I am so excited to go to Portland in the early Spring. My last trip was in the Winter and I look forward to experiencing the city (I hope to move here one day) with my husband. My love is a total outdoorsman, so we plan to camp, hike, bike, and be outdoors the majority of our time in Portland.

Columbia River Gorge Hikes are high on the agenda for us. There are several parks and gardens that appear to warrant our attention which include Lan Su Chinese Garden, Japanese Garden, and Forest Park. The Grotto looks amazing to spend the day and to enjoy Chase “getting his photography on” with all of the shrines, statues, architecture, vistas, and glorious ponds.

The best Thai food and overall restaurant experiences that I have had,  has been in Portland. So, we will do many local eateries.

INVITATIONS HAVE GONE OUT!!!!

The invitations have gone out. Within the invitations, we included the RSVP cards ALONG with the stamped AND addressed envelopes for you to send your RSVPs or Regrets for attending the wedding. We are requesting a return date of March 8. We need to let the caterer know an approximate number of attendees a few weeks before the wedding.

Honeymoon: San Francisco Part One

Golden Gate Bridge

Chase and I plan to spend the first part of our honey moon in San Francisco. We are leaving Dallas on Sunday or Monday. We will spend 5 days in the Bay Area. We plan to rent a few bikes to tour the city.  We plan to spend some time in Golden Gate Park. We hope to see the Carousel, Arboretum, Japanese Gardens, and Strawberry Hill. Chase would like to visit some art and science  museums and I hope to show him Ghirardelli Building….CHOCOLATE!!!!

Japanese Tea Garden

 I am most excited about the Japanese Tea Gardens (shown to the left). The pictures online look amazing. I hope we are going late enough in the Spring to enjoy them. Also, we plan to visit P39 and enjoy the seafood. We are attempting to keep the schedule light so that we may have a leisurely time.  However, we are open to sites to see  and restaurants to eat from our friends.

We are contemplating renting a car and driving to Portland versus flying.  I will post about Portland in a day or two.

Architect of our Bands of Gold

  David Heffley is a master gemologist who I met almost two years ago through a wonderful friends. David is a über special man who has been a part of many firsts for me over the last few years. David is a connoisseur of many things that include but are limited to food, adventure, love, and gems. David has a beautiful portfolio of work. When I was introduced to work, I was truly amazed.

When Chase and I decided to go the non-traditional route for our wedding which included have our rings made, I knew exactly who I wanted to put Chase’s concept for my engagement ring and our wedding rings into fruition.  We sat with David and shared out concept. David jotted down numbers, dimensions, and drew sketches that I did not understand. I had no idea what the result of those sketches would yield. However, I trusted him and believed in his work.

The results are breathtaking and unique. I felt such a strong sense of care and love was put into the ring. The love of my future husband and the love of a dear friend. Thank you David.

Currently, David is creating our wedding bands. I am so excited that he is a part of my life and he will forever be a part of our love story. I love you, David!!!!