Engagement Party Details

We are so excited about this weekend! The festivities will begin around 7pm. All of the neighbors are invited, so don't worry about parking in front of their houses!

The map below will show you the location of the party and the local hotels, if you're staying at one.


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Feel free to call Brittany or me if you have any trouble making your way.

We look forward to spending time with each of you!

Where did November go?!

November just flew past us! I can't believe that I'm writing in DECEMBER!

Brittany would say that we were distracted by the month-long celebration that is her birthday. While that can account for the majority of a weekend, it was a busy month for both of us. I finished another travel season in Admissions and she's staying very busy at CHOP.

December is going to be an exciting month!
* Mom and Dad are hosting an Engagement Party in DC on December 8th. We're excited to get to see some of our friends in the DC area and some special guests that will be flying in!
* Save the Dates and Invitations have arrived!!
* Oh yeah... CHRISTMAS!!!

We'll be updating again soon... there's lots happening this month that we'll be passing on soon!

Happy Holidays!

If we were ever going to elope...

First things first... we would NEVER elope.

That being said, I drove by a place today in Fort Lauderdale that grabbed my attention. I'm in Florida recruiting for Immaculata, and we're actually making this a family affair when my Mom and Brittany join me on Thursday for some wedding planning.

Enroute to my hotel, I passed this little "chapel"





The building looks like an old Wendy's/McDonald's. According to the sign in the window, it's about to be a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins. Guess the wedding chapel business isn't as lucrative in Florida.

The clip below highlights my favorite part... the drive thru!

Plans are well underway

A weekend in Charlotte for the bride-to-be has proved to be quite successful in getting lots of wedding tasks checked off the list!

She registered us at Belk, John Dabbs, and Alphabet Soup!! Oh yeah... and found the PERFECT DRESS! Of course, that's about all that I'll be able to say about the dress until I see it in 264 days.

We're working getting blocks of rooms setup, so check back for the details on how to reserve your room!!

-DL

About the groom

Although he has lived in Alaska, Washington, and Massachusetts, home to Derek is Woodbridge, VA. He graduated from Woodbridge Senior High School in 1997 and went to, then, Elon College to study Human Services and Business Administration.Following graduation, he stayed at Elon working in Admissions and New Student Orientation until the fall of 2004.While completing graduate school at The University of North Carolina - Greensboro, he worked at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC. Upon completing his Masters, he headed to Philadelphia to join Brittany.Currently, Derek is an Admission Counselor at Immaculata University in Suburban Philadelphia.

About the bride

Brittany was born in Naples, FL, but grew up in Charlotte, NC where she attended and graduated from Charlotte Country Day School in 2001. She went to Elon University completing a bachelors in psychology in 2005.She was a very involved student at Elon and that led to her meeting Derek. Although their first meeting was a kind fellow helping a young lady open her campus box, they got to know each other working together in Leadership and New Student Orientation.Following Elon, she attended Vanderbilt University. She graduated from Vandy in 2007 with a Master's of Education. She left Nashville, and many wonderful new friends, in early 2007 to move to Philadelphia.Brittany currently works as a Child Life Specialist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Proposal

It started as a typical Saturday on vacation in Naples. Brittany and Derek were in Naples for Labor Day Weekend 2007.That special Saturday morning, they headed out on a beach walk from the Port Royal Club to the Naples Pier and back. It was a great walk, getting away from the activity and busy lifestyle they had left behind in Philadelphia.While driving home, Derek turned to do a quick visit by Trinity by the Cove... another pretty typical activity.They walked around the church for a little while admiring the beautiful weather and church grounds. They stopped on a bench outside the western doors. The bench was in a very pretty space where they got to sit together.It was when Derek started mentioning what a special place they were in that Brittany's wheels started turning. "Wouldn't it be special to get engaged and married in the same place?" With that, he got down on one knee next to her, presented the ring and proposed. Through tears and only saying "oh my gosh" and "it's perfect" (referring to the ring), she said "yes!"

We're Engaged!

Although it's not "new" news... it sure hasn't gotten old.

Stay connected. Drop us a line.

Get ready for Naples!