The Story You've Been Dying to Hear.

I'm back. Blogging about your wedding isn't easy when...wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. In my last post, I alluded to a huge, life-changing e-mail and something wicked coming. And you've been on the edge of your seat since then. C'mon, I wouldn't be a good writer if I didn't know how to pen a cliffhanger. So, you think you're ready for the news?

Every year, Adam and I hop down to Universal Studios in Florida during the month of October for a celebration called Halloween Horror Nights. It is one of my absolute favorite times of the year, and we love it. At night, the entire park transforms into eight haunted houses, six scarezones and insanity. Every year, I run, screaming out of houses as I am chased by Freddy or Leatherface or some random scary guy. I know what you're thinking...how is this fun? Well, for a girl who loves horror films and Halloween, this event is pretty much the Holy Grail.

This year, Halloween Horror Nights ran a contest for engaged couples. You see, Universal Studios plans to offer wedding packages now. Engaged couples can get married in front of the Jaws ride or at Halloween Horror Nights, etc. To kick off this new service, Universal ran a contest for engaged couples to win a wedding at Halloween Horror Nights. I thought, "Oh, how fun and awesome that is!" and sent in 200 words on why Adam and I wanted to win and a Halloween-themed photo of the two of us. Of course, I sent the photo we used for our Happy Halloween cards last year. Remember?

The contest winners were randomly selected and normally, this should have excluded me. I've never won a damn thing in my life. I don't know how it happened, and frankly, I'm still unsure it did. It is possible I am stuck in a dream. Adam and I did some serious thinking about Inception, and I think the movie might have become a reality. I mean, it'd be totally fitting for me to get stuck in a dream due to a movie. Right? Right?

The thing is, it's not a dream. I'm gonna give it to you straight, faithful blog readers. Adam and I won the contest. We are, in fact, to be married on the steps of a haunted house at Universal Studios in about...10 days.

The past week has been a whirlwind. A million emotions and questions run through my mind constantly. I feel like Adam and I should issue some sort of press statement to you all. We couldn't speak about our victory until Universal officially announced us, which is why it took so long. Here's what I can tell you. We are ecstatic to be given this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime adventure. For two crazy kids who love Halloween, this is a dream come true. A lot has changed since last Monday. We're getting married much, much sooner than we planned. And we are getting married in a much different way than we planned. And we are getting married in front of a much, much smaller amount of people than we planned. But, even with all of this change, we still have the most important constant on our side. Adam and I are in love and we can't wait to be married.

Now, I imagine there are several thoughts running through your head right now. First, you think we're crazy. I wouldn't question you if you thought that. I often think I must be certifiable to go on this wild ride. But, you know what? It's maybe not quite that crazy. I've never been one to do things the "normal" way and this wedding will allow Adam and I to express our crazy, non-normal side.

Second, what about 2012? Here you are, reading my blog day in and day out, listening to me plan our 2012 wedding and now we're getting married in 10 days. Well, here's where you might think I'm even more crazy. We're still going to have the wedding in 2012. But wait, won't we legally be married already? Yes. But in 2012, we still want to have that "normal" ceremony and reception in front of our family and friends as planned. So, I'm still here. I'm still a blogging bride. How many girls get to have two weddings to the same, wonderful boy? I'm guessing not many. I can't wait to stand on that haunted house and marry my Prince Charming, but I also can't wait to stand in a more typical wedding location and marry my Prince Charming all over again in front of all our friends and family. And hey, if the whole thing's already crazy, then why not throw even more crazy onto the pile?

Third, winning this contest came with a bit of stress and some sacrifices. Only 18 guests are allowed to accompany Adam and I on this wild adventure and it was impossible to choose. I hate that my first wedding (that sounds funny!) can't have everyone there, but I know in my heart that the second time around will be just as special and rewarding. While everyone is not with me, I'll be thinking of each of you during our special day. And fear not, I plan on blogging about every bit of this crazy 3-weeks-until-our-wedding process. I have tons of photos to show you and since I can't bring you to Orlando, I'll bring you along via blog. In the end, you might see us around. A ton of media will be present and you might spot photos or video of the wedding online, in the newspapers or on TV. Who knew I'd be getting married and becoming a sort-of celebrity?

I can't wait to tell you everything we've been doing this week and plan to do before we get hitched. My next many posts will recap all of these events. There's information on my Facebook page linking to the announcement about the contest. And don't forget, we'll be tying the knot again in 2012! Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride!