Plaid cupcakes, Plaid Dresscode, and some....gifts.

Through the front door of the Carroll house a flood of beautiful women suddenly burst in showcasing the newest plaid fashions. What better place to do this than at the Thunderbird Darien Carroll Wedding Shower 2009 put on by the greatest friends.

They showed up with freshly made plaid cupcakes....

some pink boxes......

and a lot of toilet paper.....

"Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends whom we choose." ~ Tehyi Hsieh

What's a Save the Date?

Eric might not have known what a "Save the Date" card is, but with a little help from the crew and his youngest sister, Nicole, behind the camera lens, the Laird/Carroll "Save the Date" postcard was born. The Bob and Natalie show designed the Laird Crest stamp and helped Darien design a classic style postcard to mail out to those traveling to the wedding. Finding a classic Ford Thunderbird was made easy thanks to the Calls from Idaho and Nicole worked her magic. The smiles are all real thanks to everyone's help.

Ladies and Gentlemen the class of 2009!

Darien decided that it might be kind of fun to graduate from Thunderbird a few weeks before the wedding for good measure. Why not?! Grandpa Carroll, Ramsey, Eric,

Bob, and Natalie were there for supportive shout-outs when they called Darien across the stage to receive her degree and snap some classy pics. So proud of her!

All hallows homecoming.

Linda Laird lost her son for Halloween. He missed out on homemade donuts. But Phoenix gained a Woody. Really excited to be dressed up as a cowboy. Ramsey and Kelly were not sure what to think, but they looked great for the Homecoming dance.

Pocahontas and John Smith decided to visit. Apparently, it was a Disney Halloween.

Ramsey, Kelly and 44 of their closest friends started their Homecoming evening off at the Carroll home. Woody and Jesse served food and Natalie Carroll wowed everyone with her fabulous decorating skills. Looking to hire an event planner? She is the best I know.

Is that a Plaid Pig?

So Darien and Eric are still playing their little competitive games.

Darien took a big win finding a plaid pig in a sidewalk window that happened to be connected to a specialty Scottish Plaid store.

They rent kilts! Don't worry Eric's going American pants style for the wedding.

After rummaging through the store in downtown Salt Lake City they decided to join Eric's parents and their friend Gered for some. Lunch. As for Edinburgh Castle....they'll be back.

Madison and Darien time.

New family = new friends.

Darien joined Eric and family in Utah for General Conference. The weekend was typical Laird family craziness, but the best part was Friday afternoon play time with Madison.

Getting a lot of work done. Darien's moleskin, gmail and Steve's Songs.

Madison has very specific food requests. Unfortunately, Darien is new to the family, so deciphering Madison chatter was a little difficult at first. After realizing that Madison did not want Cinderella or cheese, they microwaved Madison's favorite meal. "Mickey Mouse Club House chicken nuggets." And added Darien's favorite. Carrots.

So we're competitive.

Rate the plaids. Eric's shoes vs. Darien's toes.

A special thanks to Mama Laird shoe shopping and Natalie's monthly wedding pedicure practice.

My own private Idaho....in October

Eric decided he would get back to his homeland roots this weekend and try some huntin' with his good friend Ryan Newbold, the guide. Eric quickly found that he stinks at huntin', but is great at eatin', talkin', and lookin' at beautiful Idaho....

Darien's Favorite Californians.

Apparently the wedding dress hunt wasn't just about finding the perfect dress. Forgive me for not mentioning the most important parts:

The Gubernicks, Tiff and Josh, the lovely cousins: Brinn and Bergen, and Rainbow Sprinkles. She's right. It doesn't get much better than that.

Chandelier broken?...... I know a guy.

Several hidden talents in the wedding planning crew have emerged this past week. Bob and Natalie scouted out several antique chandeliers in California and have begun the intense restoration process. Darien and Bailey are managing the process as Bob works his magic (picture)

Black and White.

The beautiful floor at the Stephanie James boutique was a hit with the ladies.

Additional update: Eric has been revealing all of his hidden talents lately, apparently tiling floors is one of them.

Maybe he will seriously consider putting black and white floors in their future kitchen, especially if he wants Darien to learn how to cook. (Word on the street is, she isn't that great, but these fabulous floors plus red kitchen appliances might attract her to that foreign room where the stove and oven live...)

Hacemos Loco

Translated: We do crazy.

That was the theme of the trip when Natalie and Darien called from Uptown Bridal and Boutique in Chandler Friday morning.

"So there is a woman... She makes wedding dresses... And she lives in California... Huntington Beach."

Apparently that was all it took, because before they drove home, Bob had the car packed and a stack of wedding DVDs setting out on the counter.

Mr. America came home in time to say goodbye to the mother.

Darien and her plaid toes surrounded themselves with wedding magazines galore.

And Saturday morning, Ms. Stephanie James Kennedy opened the doors of her little shop on Main St., just a couple of blocks away from Huntington Beach Pier.

Apparently it was magical. I guess that is how wedding business goes. Her floors were black and white, she had Natalie style hatboxes adorning her walls, her shop was located in Bob's old stomping grounds, her hometown is (shockingly) in Idaho and she is now making Darien's dream dress. Sounds perfect. Magical, I guess. Or loco.

This is long. Number 3.

To begin the video viewing process start at the post labeled "This is long." Proceed to "This is long. Continued." And if you get past that, come back here to "This is long. Number 3."

Never again will we update videos in such a disorganized manner.

This is long. Continued.

This is long.

Eric and Darien thought it was a good idea to video tape the story of their proposal. Just like they thought it was a good idea to hire me to create this wedding blog for them. Plaid Proposal? Seriously? I guess you just go along with the couple's wishes when they are paying you the big bucks.

Video synopsis: Apparently, Bob and Natalie, Darien's parents, gathered all of their close friends together and they were forced to be a captive audience the evening after Eric popped the question and they arrived home from Mexico. If you dare watch, you will see the two holding hands, hear commentary from the audience and a few random pictures. If you survive the first half you will eventually come to the Father led Q&A session and their inspiration for the plaid. Fortunately you have the choice to watch this in the privacy of your own home, so unlike their close friends (poor friends), you can choose to push stop, or never push play at all.

Good luck. Watch at your own risk. I fondly refer to my first post for the couple as gooey and gross. (And bonus, because the video is to large to upload in one clip, we get to watch "gooey and gross" in segments.)

We begin with their self-titled video "Eric and Darien: We begin."

We're Engaged

Eric planned the elaborate event. Darien was completely surprised. The dolphins and sunset made the moment.

Check back soon to watch the story.