Satin and Lace

The In-Laws

2009-08-27T01:16:00.006-05:00

I'm horrible, I know. I haven't written anything in a week! I've been so busy going out of town to visit the future in-laws and with school, I haven't had the time! I'm really loving my wedding and event planning course, though I have to say I have no doubt in my mind I don't want to plan events. I'm stuck on these two lessons that I just don't want to do! They are the last two event lessons so I really want to get through with them but they involve extensive planning and research and I'm just not feeling it. Lesson 10 kicks off the in-depth wedding planning lessons and it's killing me, knowing that I can't start them until I get through this boring stuff!

I don't know about you all but my relationship with my future mother-in-law did not get off to a good start. Rather, when I first met her, she ranted and raved to Mr. about how much she liked me (before we were even room mates) and we got along well for a while. But then Mr. joined the Army. Because I had joined prior to him, she was convinced I was the reason he did it! She blamed it all on me and told everyone in the family how much she didn't like me. She's been so nasty since. She made it a point to make a rude comment every chance she got. She's insulted my intelligence, my finances, my personal opinions. To my face, she's said that I only got promoted faster than Mr. because I'm a woman (which is the complete opposite in the military), I was an idiot for joining and my brother and best friend must be retarded for re-enlisting. Two things that are absolute taboo subjects with me: disrespecting my brother and disrespecting the military (rather, those who serve, not the establishment).

I held my tongue even though it went against everything I stand for. My response has been to ignore her. I knew that fighting with her would only satisfy her. At this point, I think she's realized that I'm not going anywhere. It also helps that while I was pregnant (I had a miscarriage early on), I told Mr. that I refused to be around her negativity. He told her to knock it off or she'd never have a relationship with her grandchild. The past few times I've seen her, things have been a bit better. She started hugging me, which after everything she's done to me, is incredibly uncomfortable. For the sake of building bridges, not burning them, I am being just as pleasant as always. This past weekend was the best visit in a long time. We all had dinner together, introduced them to TruBlood (we're addicted) and I even chatted with her for a while. I hope this signals the start to a much better relationship.

The future father-in-law, an absolutely great guy. Never had a problem with him. In fact, he's always been above and beyond helpful. He and Mr. take care of all my car problems. I actually bought my car from him and a year later, he still insists on keeping it on his insurance, so we don't have to pay! He is really a super guy. How he married someone so negative is beyond me. Maybe she used to be a different person.

Mr. doesn't know my parents as well as I know his but my parents LOVE him to death and have always treated him with the utmost respect and kindness.

How is your relationship with your future in-laws? How do you deal with any problems you may have?

Cutesy Love Survey

2009-08-20T13:48:00.002-05:00

I picked this up from Taryn over at Mr. Jones and Me and Sony at Bridal Bliss. Both of these blogs are must reads!

♥ What are your middle names?

Mine - Christine
His - Andrew

♥ How long have you been together?
3 years come September

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
a few weeks. after I served as maid of honor for his room mate, we were together every. single. day.

♥ Who asked whom out?
There was never an official "will you go out with me?", we just fell into it

♥ How old are each of you?
Me - 22
Him - 21

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
Used to be his brother, who was our room mate. Now he's off to college and my brother will be moving in once he gets back from Iraq (SOOO SOON!)

♥ Do you have any children together?
No way!

♥ What about pets?
Frank, his boxer, Molly, my weim/doberman mix and George, my big fat orange kitty

♥ Did you go to the same school?
Actually, growing up we went to two of the same school districts in different states. We never knew each other then though.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
See above: we lived in the same town twice, in two different states, but never knew each other.

♥ Who is the smartest?
When it comes to math and technology, without a doubt he is. When it comes to literature, the English language (hehe) and common sense, that'd be me. What a nice combo.

♥ Who is more sensitive?
Definitely me.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Definitely WING STOP! We love us some chicken wings.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Hmm. We both went to basic at Ft. Jackson, SC at the same time... does that count?

♥ Who has the craziest exes?
Um I'm friends with most of his exes and all of my exes. There is one girl that refuses to text or call him during normal hours--it's always around midnight! Seriously, you know we live together and we're sleeping... Get some class.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
Oh lordy, me!

♥ Who does the cooking?
Me. If it were up to the Mr., we'd eat fast food four days a week. Spaghetti the other three.

♥ Who is more social?
Me! I love people and have a lot of friends I talk to on a regular basis. He pretty much hates people. We have one couple that we hang out with a lot and he really likes them.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
Neither. I'm a cluttered person but I don't like grime--yuck! He takes out the trash and deals with the dogs. And whatever other chore I gripe about enough haha.

♥ Who is more stubborn?
Jeez, both of us. Who wins depends on the situation.

♥ Who hogs the bed?
We take turns hogging. Recently it has been him EVERY NIGHT!

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
ALWAYS the Mr. He's in the Army and there's no way I'm waking up at 5am.

♥ Where was your first date?
A wedding actually. His room mate was a total bitch and none of her friends would come to her wedding. Being that I had a huge crush on the Mr. and I knew he was the best man, I volunteered to stand-in as her maid of honor. We were hardly apart after that.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Me. I come from a combined family and I'm the oldest of 7.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
No I usually get other toys, like my fish tank and hopefully soon a camera :)

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Whatever works. As of right now, Thanksgiving will be our first holiday we'll have to figure out.

♥ Who is more jealous?
I guess me. I'm pretty trusting though.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
It happened over a long period of time.

♥ Who eats more?
Almost always him.

♥ Who does/did the laundry?
Usually me! Because I really enjoy it and I'm particular about how it gets done--and he's clueless!

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
He's pretty fab with a computer but I'm not slob myself. My dad has had me working with computers since I was a tiny tot.

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Usually him, he loves to drive!

Wedding Consultation Course

2009-08-11T13:46:00.002-05:00

I just enrolled in a correspondence wedding consultation course! When I'm done I'll have my certification :) I'm going to try to take on two weddings for free while I'm in training to get experience and put my learnin' to use! And the best part: I got it all paid for in grants! WOO!

Swoon

2009-08-11T10:43:00.002-05:00

Yet another beautiful picture by Stephanie Williams Photography. Short post, I just had to share.

How Cute Is This?

2009-08-10T09:55:00.005-05:00

I found this picture and I absolutely love it! It is an adorable cake topper but for those of us who like keepsakes and don't want their cake topper to be edible, they'd even make cute favors. If you make them yourself, they wouldn't cost nearly as much as buying them. All you'd need is some decorator's chocolate, some icing bags and round tips. Maybe if I get the time I'll do a tutorial. What kind of cake topper are you using?

Getting the Groom Involved

2009-08-09T19:38:00.003-05:00

Maybe it's not like this for you ladies, but my guy really hasn't been too involved in the wedding planning process. I'll ask him about things but his answers are always so noncommittal. And he usually doesn't remember his answers a week later. Take the following example, from a conversation we had a month ago:

Me: So what about purple, orange, and brown as our wedding colors?
Mr.: Eh, those are all too dark. I don't want three dark colors in our scheme.

Today's conversation:

Mr.: So are we still going to use brown, orange and purple as our wedding colors?
Me: Yeah, we can. Or there's other options.
Mr.: I just think those colors would look good together. What don't you like about them?
Me: I don't dislike ANYTHING about them, YOU said you didn't like them. Remember, they're all too dark?
Mr.: Oh, yeah.
Me: (sigh)

Or how about this conversation a week or so ago:

Me: So I just read that it'd be $1500 cheaper if we get married in the first week of November. What do you think?
Mr.: I think it might be too cold in November. It's fine if that's what you want, though.
Me: Oh hey, August is cheaper too.
Mr.: Definitely August. I don't think November is a good idea.

Today:

Mr.: Why don't we just get married in November instead of August?
Me: Uhh... (cry a little in my soul)

So today we had to take a little road trip to drop off my sisters, who have just left after a month of visiting. I brought The Wedding Book by Mindy Weiss with Lisbeth Levine to keep myself occupied on the five hour road trip. After we left the girls, I picked up the book to read. He asked if I was going to read while he had to drive. "Well do you want to talk about the wedding?" I asked. No response. "Okay, what else do you want to talk about?" to which he replied some utter nonsense. "Okay, look. We can talk about a real subject, or we can talk about the wedding."

This was the perfect opportunity to talk with him about the wedding. He had no TV, no laptop, no video games, no iPod, nothing to distract him from this conversation. I really wanted to figure out what was important to him because I couldn't believe nothing mattered.

So I started listing some things about the wedding like food, groomsman attire, color, music, reception, etc. After he told me some things that were important, we discussed what he pictured for those categories. It ended up being a very fruitful conversation and I learned a lot about him as well. But talking about it really wasn't going to help him remember, guys are more visual than girls. When we got home, I showed him some pictures of some of the things we discussed to get an even better idea of what he might like.

Turns out, he likes the peacock theme better than orange, purple and brown (I should've known really, blue is his favorite color). I also found out that he really doesn't care about the cake, or any of the food for that matter. He'd like to pick out the guys' attire with my help. And the reception has got to be fun (duh). We also decided to skip the boquet and garter toss after we read where those traditions originated from: way back when, people thought any part of the bride's attire was lucky. They would surge the bride after the ceremony, ripping apart her boquet and even her dress (eep!) just for some luck. Eventually the bride started tossing her boquet to keep them at bay. Think that's bad? The garter is worst. Apparantly guests would accompany the bride and groom to their room after the festivities and "encourage" them to do the deed by having the groomsmen help the groom remove the bride's garters (OHMYGOD are you freaking kidding me? Eww) at which point brides started tossing the garter to keep from being groped by a bunch of drunk men. Mr.'s response was "Somehow I don't see your brother helping me do that". Yeah, no crap. These traditions are not for us.

I'm really glad to finally sit down with him and discuss what he envisions for the wedding. It was really enlightening and I feel like we can forge ahead with a little more of an idea of where we're going. What parts of wedding planning are/were important to your guy?

Bloggity Blog--More Wedding Tidbits

2009-08-08T19:03:00.006-05:00

One late night in August of 2006 I went shopping at WalMart. My friend and I were renting our first house and we needed pretty much everything. As I was trolling the aisles, I ended up in the magazine section. Something possessed me to pick up a copy of The Knot. Maybe it was something on the cover, maybe it was the fact that I had just broken up with a guy I was thinking I'd someday marry. I don't know. But right then and there, standing in the aisle of WalMart, I decided I wanted to plan weddings.

I bought that copy of The Knot and I also bought a wire bound notebook of thick paper, good for pasting bits of magazine on both sides. That night I started my first wedding notebook. I decided on a Spring wedding with a sunshine yellow, Spring green and lavender color scheme. I imagined what I would want my own wedding to be like. I started collecting details from several years worth of bridal magazines.

One month later, I met my Mr... Coincidence? :)

Our wedding is two years away. For real. When I think about it, I am simultaneously relieved and bummed. There is only so much planning we can do right now due to working around three absolutely-cannot-have-a-wedding-without-them people in the Army with different deployment schedules. It's so frustrating to me.

But back to my wedding notebook. When I got engaged, I thought "Well, I have pretty much everything already planned". But as things progressed and I started to implement my already-labored-over plans, I realized that it just wasn't working. When I imagined that wedding, I was thinking about what I'd want. But I wasn't considering the groom. In my vision, there wasn't anyone to fill that role. So it was all about me, not about us. And then I found out my maid of honor would be deployed in March, our original month. So we decided to just wait until Mr. was out of the Army, that way we'd only have to worry about two deployment schedules, and we could plan a wedding for us.

I can't just be satisfied with waiting, though, so I immediately started imagining a Fall wedding. I was knee deep in color schemes and Halloween reception ideas. But, as I should've known would happen, something came up. Mr. and I have our hearts set on Meadow Lake Ranch as our venue. But we found out it'd be cheaper in August. So we're probably going with August. But again, who knows what will happen in the next two years?

So here I am, stuck in limbo. I want to blog more but I have nothing in regards to our wedding. So then I thought, why don't I blog about the other weddings I'm planning? My wedding notebooks (I've started another and am conceiving more) are filled with tidbits from tons of wedding magazines. I have been researching several wedding planning websites for years, scouring books on every related topic. Why waste all of that?

So, here we go. I'll be posting lots of other wedding inspirations and details. Look out for it :)

Registering for Barware

2009-08-08T09:26:00.002-05:00

Why is it that no one talks about registering?

I am completely obsessed with barware. I love everything about it. When I was going through all the registry checklists I found on the internet, barware was one of the few sections in which I registered for everything suggested. But barware can be confusing for a lot of people. I've made a list of some of the common items you might find on a registry list and an explanation of what they are. If you have any questions or more information, feel free to contact me!

Beer Mugs- may seem obvious, but these glasses are usually thick, good for clinking and holding large amounts of beverage and have a handle
Champagne Flutes- long and slim, sometimes without a foot; be sure to buy the slender, rather than shallow bowl, because it will keep it bubbly longer
Cooler Glasses- these were the hardest glasses for me to gather information on but I have read in a place or two that these are basically just non-alcoholic beverage glasses, similar to juice glass, only taller to keep drinks cool, such as iced tea
Cordial- occasionally, but incorrectly, referred to as a shot glass, this is a small stemmed glass that holds 2oz. and great for sipping after dinner drinks; if a registry list has cordials but not shot glasses, they most likely are referring to the shot glass
Decanter- this is used for pouring red wines, it has a wider base and narrower neck for allowing the wine to develop by being exposed to oxygen
Double Old Fashioneds- shorter and more squat than a highball glass, these are great for drinks on the rocks
Highball Glasses- sometimes referred to as a Tom Collins, they are great for mixed drinks because there's enough room for ice, mix and spirit, these glasses are tall and narrower than old fashioneds
Juice Glasses- either a tumbler or slightly tapered glass that holds around 5 oz, specifically for serving juice
Margarita Glasses- this type of stemware has a sturdy, heavy rim for dipping in salt or sugar, recognizable by its double bowl
Martini- stemware with a long stem and wedge-shaped bowl, great for any type of cocktail or drink without ice
Pilsner- another type of beer glass, this one is tall and slender with a tapering that keeps a head that is desirable for pilsner or light lager beers
Red Wine Glasses- these wine glasses have a larger bowl and wider rim than white wine glasses to bring out the aroma and help develop the wine
White Wine Glasses- these are smaller than the red version, made to help keep the wine cool
Shot Glasses- occasionally but incorrectly referred to as a cordial; shot glasses are for small drinks, or shots, of straight liquor and are usually 1.5 oz but come in 1, 2 and sometimes even 3 oz varieties for more elaborate shooters
Tumbler- any straight-sided glassware, usually multi-purpose
Water Goblets- for drinking water (did you guess it?), these typically have a larger bowl than red wine glasses and thicker stems
Toasting Flutes- same as champagne flutes, except these come in a pair and are used specifically for special occasions

Peacock Inspiration

2009-08-07T19:01:00.007-05:00

Lately I've been in love with peacock feathers. I really like how elegant they look for wedding accents. Here are some inspiration boards I've collected from all over the internet.

I also really like paisley combined with peacock feathers. If you don't go overboard on either element, they look fantastic together. I think paisley on the men's ties and invites, peacock feathers in headpieces for the ladies and used sparingly in centerpieces would look great.

You can make it a bit more rock and roll with orange in the mix.

Some colors that go well with peacock feathers are brown, teal, navy blue, chartreuse, purple, orange, slate gray and gold.

Can We Achieve a 10k Wedding?

2009-08-05T18:37:00.007-05:00

Our ultimate question: Can we achieve a ten thousand dollar wedding?

This question seems ridiculous to me. How anyone spends a penny over 10k is beyond me. My original budget was 5 thousand but after we decided on a reception site and realized we could book the entire ranch for three days with SO many things included for a reasonable price, we upped the bottom line to ten thousand.

What's included:
-use of entire ranch from 4pm Friday to 11am Sunday
-lodging for 40 on Friday and Saturday night
-a lodge and two patios
-free parking
-tractor drawn hayride
-on site tables and chairs for up to 60 guests
-security (a requirement for the main party... weird)
-Friday night campfire
-hot country breakfast for up to 20 on Saturday and Sunday morning
-we can use any vendor we choose, or be our own*
-kitchenette for storing food and beverages
-various other ranch activities available for our guests to enjoy

*By be our own, I mean to say that every other place we looked wouldn't allow us to bring in our own alcohol without a licensed bartender and most places wanted us to use their catering.

That's guest lodging, ceremony and reception site, rehearsal dinner venue, day of and departure breakfast with family, and activities for OOT'ers. All at one place.

So here's the dilemma:
I wanted so badly to get married in October. For a three day shin-dig, it's only $6,250. Considering that was only about $1500 more than everything else we looked at for just a few hours, this is a great price. Plus, it covers just about everything, while other venues covered only the ceremony and/or reception. HOWEVER, looking at their price sheet I saw that August is considered on off-season month at $4,750... a whopping $1500 difference.

The pros and cons:
I really want a Halloween reception. October is my favorite month. I also really like a deal. The last weekend in October is usually mild but it is not at all uncommon for it to snow on Halloween in Oklahoma. It gets kind of hot in August but the temperature for the last weekend in August has ranged from 78*-88* over the past fifteen years, with one random year back in the early 90s being 91*... still do-able. We already have about 85 people on our guest list, two years out. The lodge only holds about 40 comfortably while the patio with handmade wedding arch can hold up to 150 guests. Even if only half our guests show up, we're kind of pushing the indoor seating limit. And some of the lodging is in tipi's. Tipi's with chimineas, yes, but it's much more likely to get people used to the idea of staying in one if it isn't snowing outside. The color scheme problem gets a lot easier as my two favorite schemes are purple and orange with either a black or brown accent. Black is appropriate for Halloween but would look strange in August.

This seems like a no-brainer, really. Especially if it helps us achieve our 10k goal.

Honest Scrap Award

2009-08-05T10:16:00.004-05:00

I've always prided myself on being an honest person. No sugar-coating here. Brutality does not have to be involved. A very simple, soft truth is almost always possible, despite what you may believe.

My new fave blogger Taryn of Mr. Jones and Me tagged me for the Honest Scrap Award! Thanks Taryn :) So now I get to post ten honest things about myself.

#1. Although I've been obsessed with weddings for years (I have a few wedding inspiration books, not boards, books, for different wedding themes--not even joking), I never actually believed in true love until I fell for my Mr.

#2. I am not a fan of shaving my legs. Sometimes, I go for months without doing it. Gross, I know. But thankfully my hair doesn't grow past a certain point so it never gets like mountain woman bad. I like to think I'd be more of a fan of shaving if it did get that long... Maybe :)

#3. Warning: contains Harry Potter spoilers. Don't read if you don't want to know! I love Harry Potter. I know, I know, tons of people love Harry Potter. But I have a problem. I've read all seven books three or four times a piece. I'm getting a Harry Potter tattoo sleeve. I cry every time I read books four through seven. I even cried when Hedwig died. No joke. When I watch the movies I can point out the most trivial inconsistencies (i.e. "He was not wearing blue pajamas in that scene, they were red"). I have a problem.

#4. I have a dirty, dirty crush on Jason Mewes. I don't know if I'll keep this one on here, maybe I'm not that honest. Because he is a dirty, dirty man. And I can't help myself.

#5. Mr. and I are afraid of having kids. Rather, afraid of getting prego and ending up with a boy. I do not like little boys. They're brats. All of them are, I've never met a well-behaved little boy. My brothers, brats. Mr. and his brother, brats. Sure, they may grow up to be good men but I don't like them until then. Girls are the. cutest. thing. ever.

#6. Another reason we're worried about kids: we're pretty selfish. We like to spend money on ourselves. We make a pretty good living and that would end in a heartbeat if kids were in the mix. I like to sleep in... a lot. He likes to buy toys... for himself. We're not sure we'll ever be willing to share.

#7. I'm sort of a messy person. I have a bad habit of leaving my books and papers all over the office or living room. I tend to leave my clothes in the bathroom. However, I hate grime. Filth = bad. I am good about vacuuming, cleaning counters, sweeping, mopping, putting away food, doing laundry. I'm working on my bad habits but cluttered is better than grimey any day in my opinion.

#8. When I was in the Army, I had two colonoscopies and an endoscopy. Talk about ridiculous.

#9. I'm an animal lover. I used to always take in strays when I was a kid. I can never leave an animal cold or hungry. Mr. hates it when I bring animals home because I never want to find them a new home. Now we have three fur babies: George, my favoritest big fat orange cat ever; Molly, who is a weimaraner doberman mix and a lovable retard; and Frank, Mr.'s boxer that he's had since he was a pup.

#10. I have about a million hobbies. I love crafting and am always wanting to learn something new. I make gemstone jewelry, love to scrapbook and have recently fallen for stamping. Thankfully, all of these things can be applied to DIY'ing wedding stuff!

So I tag Ashley at Bride on a Budget for this award.

Engagement Picture Ideas

2009-08-04T22:33:00.005-05:00

So, as I said in my last post, we're getting more engagement pictures done since our first session was after my photo shoot and I was exhausted, the lighting wasn't cooperating and we only got four pictures out of the session that turned out good. Our second session will be taken in September after I get back from visiting my maid of honor (she just got back from Iraq and bought a house! And I'm going to help her decorate and paint--yay!) and I've been browsing the web for picture ideas. Here are some really cute ones I've found.

These pictures were found at random places on the internet, they do not belong to me.

My Dream Photography

2009-08-04T19:12:00.005-05:00

I am obsessed with wedding photography. Lately I've been in love with Stephanie Williams Photography. I love her photography style and am definitely going to ask my photographer friend Blake White, who is doing an engagement session FREE (that's right, another engagement session free, I don't know how I got so lucky) if he can recreate the look. There's something about the soft, almost washed out look of her pictures that is so romantic.

All of these images belong to Stephanie Williams Photography.

Personal Wedding Planner

2009-08-04T14:46:00.004-05:00

I've searched high and low, year after year, for an all-inclusive, easy-to-use wedding planner. I've found a few good ones but it seems like no planner has everything I want. Have this problem? Solution: make your own!

Because of the nature of a planner, I wanted something that was easily edited. I might want to move whole pages around, or just little sections. I might want to change the title to something else. I might decide to change a part of the ceremony, or throw the whole thing out altogether. And there's nothing I hate more than erasing. So my planner is actually a file on my computer. I use the program OneNote. It's part of the Microsoft Office package and it is a life saver. OneNote is set up like a notebook. You can create as many sections and sub-sections as you need. It's easy to copy and paste information from other sources. You can color code your sections. And as you work on your notebook, everything is automatically saved. So if your computer shuts down, everything in OneNote that you've been working on will be there, exactly as it was, when you open it back up. When you exit, it doesn't even prompt you to save your work. If you haven't tried OneNote, check it out. It is the best program I've used for organizing information, I love the notebook format and best of all, it makes editing your planner very easy.

Here you can see my planner and the set up of OneNote:
On the left, you can see all the notebooks you have created. Above, you can select which section you want to have open, then to the left you can click which subsection. You can completely customize your planner to have everything you want! It's easy to insert documents you've created in other programs, like Excel (I used it to make my budget and guest list) and PowerPoint (we're thinking of making a picture presentation). Contact me if you have any more questions about making your own planner using OneNote :)

Being a Wedding Guest

2009-08-01T15:39:00.006-05:00

So today I went to my first wedding (besides my mother and father's second weddings, both of which I played a role in) and it was really lovely. It was a reminder of why we don't just say screw the whole thing and skip the wedding altogether. My Mr. was a groomsman and it was so cute to watch him escort the bride's mother down the aisle. He was truly clueless which I found adorable.

It also taught me a few things. For one, if you're going to have recorded music at the ceremony, definitely get someone who knows what they're doing. Short and sweet is great. Bridesmaids in different dress styles in the same color are fantastic. Writing your own vows is a must. Definitely take pictures before the ceremony. And if you let a close friend or family member set up and take charge of getting everything ready, please don't choose a bitch who shows up in a too-short dress with her tatas hanging out... I mean, literally hanging out. Not classy.

Engagement Announcements

2009-07-29T23:52:00.003-05:00

Alright ladies, spill: Did you send engagement announcements?

Originally, we decided against them but after our postponement, we're considering them. I've read in several books they are particularly helpful in the case of an unusually long engagement (a usual engagement being about a year) and a great way to show off your e-pics, 'cause honestly, why take them if you're going to keep them to yourself?

Tell me what you did or plan to do.

And, just because I love this idea so much, check out Jen's Easy Summer Braids post over on From Head to Toe, a delish beauty blog. I think this lovely hairstyle would look great on bridesmaids.

Amazing Find: Veils and Fascinators

2009-07-29T14:24:00.004-05:00

If you, like myself, absolutely love birdcage veils, blushers and fascinators, you must check out Brenda's Bridal Veils on Etsy.com. I love her stuff, it's very reasonably priced and best of all: it's homemade! I'm going to attempt to DIY one for myself but I love to share these handmade goodies. Below are some that I absolutely love; I added a few black pieces because I've become completely obsessed with black accents.

Color Palette--Inspiration Boards

2009-07-28T01:50:00.007-05:00

I remembered that Afloral's LeAnne does inspiration boards for flowers in different color schemes so I went to peruse her older ones. I found some that are similar to my three options.

Brown, plum and lavender:

Imagine that the white flower, ribbon and pins are brown.

Royal purple, burnt orange and brown:

Dark purple flowers instead of the reds.

Black, purple and orange:

And here is a perfect match for my Halloween theme! I am leaning really heavily towards this once I saw how great the purple and orange can go together. I was worried about it being tacky but it can be really elegant. Thoughts?

Color Palette--Decisions, Decisions

2009-07-28T00:19:00.003-05:00

We are having the hardest time picking a color palette. I would love some input from you lovely ladies!

Option A: black, purple, orange.
Traditional Halloween colors. I would want a dark purple and burnt orange to give it a more elegant feel. Problem: I'm having a hard time deciding if purple and orange really look all that good together and FH thinks it's too many dark colors. I was thinking the guys in pin stripe suits with burnt orange accents, the ladies in long, dark purple dresses. My dress is long and lacy and I could do a dark purple sash with lots of orange flowers. Sort of a "gothic elegance" look, maybe bring in some damask.

Option B: brown, lavender and plum.
A softer look, I like this one a lot. Problem: I'm in a huge purple phase right now but maybe this is too much purple. Although I would've never considered before, I recently saw an ad for a suit in a wedding magazine in which the guy was wearing a black suit with a brown vest and tie. It looked pretty good. I could even do a brown vest with a dark purple tie, the ladies in dark purple dresses and my sash the same, a mix of dark and light purple flowers.

Option C: brown, burnt orange and purple.
I think this has a very Fall feel to it. Problem: Again, I'm not sure about orange and purple together but I keep thinking it would look fine. Guys in suits with brown and orange accents, purple boutonnieres. Ladies in purple or burnt orange dresses. Flowers in orange and purples.

So, what do you think?

Engagement Photos

2009-07-26T22:57:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite photographers in the world offered to do some engagement pictures for free! I love how they turned out!

WOW!

2009-07-26T22:45:00.004-05:00

Is it really possible that it's been months since I blogged? I didn't realize... After a complete overhaul on our wedding plans I decided I needed a break and since we now have OVER TWO YEARS before we're getting married, I didn't make updating my wedding blog a huge priority. But I miss it, and even though it is so far away, I cannot stop thinking about it these past few weeks.

So, quick recap: my FH and I went to Tulsa to finalize plans and had a change of heart on literally everything. When I actually started seeing everything, I knew I wanted an October wedding. So we moved the date up. Then I decided I was rushing into it, wanted more time to plan, so we moved it BACK to March. Then we find out my MOH is deploying in January for six months. So I figured next October would be great. But FH is deploying in April for a year. And lord knows when my brother is going to be deploying again. So, for the sake of my sanity, we're aiming for the October after FH gets out of the Army so I only have to work around two deployment schedules instead of three. A huge bummer but the only practical solution we can come up with. Plus, during his deployment we'll be able to put away a lot of money for the wedding so we can book the venue we absolutely adore for the entire weekend.

I missed reading all your blogs and can't wait to catch up on what's been going on in your planning! I'll be updating my blog with our new (tentative) colors and plans :)

Changes Changes

2009-04-12T22:28:00.006-05:00

Wow. We came to Tulsa for the weekend with the intentions of booking our vendors and finalizing our major plans. That definitely did not happen. After seeing all our options in person, we have a completely different vision for our wedding. We're strongly considering changing our date... not by a few days or weeks either. More like six months. Sooner rather than later (FH will be deploying in April of '10.)

I also picked a different dress style for myself and the bridesmaids. Once I was in the fabric store it was like everything fit into place much better. My dress is a very retro style inspired by Audrey Hepburn (too cute). Of course, it'll be in off white or ivory with lace. It will come to the knee then the lace will continue to my feet.

I'm trying to decide between two styles for the bridesmaids, one is very retro (which would go great with my dress) and the other is similar to the style they picked before.

I am in love with the retro one. It is so adorable that I want one for myself. Susie, my dress maker, also said she'd make my reception dress... Drool.

So if I change our date to September or October I'll also have to change the colors which isn't a big deal considering the only thing I've bought in the Spring colors is stamping ink. More tomorrow, I have so much to think about. Let me know what you think of the bridesmaids dresses though.

First Dance?

2009-04-06T13:08:00.001-05:00

So uh... is anyone else going to skip it or is it just me?

Amazing Find: Garters

2009-04-02T10:41:00.003-05:00

While searching Etsy, my favorite shopping community, I found GarterLady. Her garters are simply incredible! They are beautiful handmade pieces and for the bride to be, a dream.

I am in love with ALL of her venice lace garters but this one in particular...

I have to have it! It is PERFECT for me. So stunning. She also has some beautiful brooch garters. Go check her out!

Yummy Guest Book

2009-04-02T10:15:00.003-05:00

So the amazing blog With This Ring is hosting a competition to win a personalized guest book from Stories By Everyone (a really neat site, you should go check it out) and I'd encourage everyone to enter! You can have up to three entries in the drawing and it ends Thursday, April 9th. Good luck everyone!

NEW Possible Reception Site

2009-04-01T11:57:00.003-05:00

So FH and I really want to have an outdoor reception but if you know Oklahoma weather, booking on an outdoor site in March without a back-up plan isn't a great idea. And the site we had our hearts on didn't have an indoor facility available at the last minute so we'd have to put down deposits on an indoor place JUST IN CASE something happened. But we'd be guaranteed to lose money that way. Plus, we'd have to cough up the money for table and chair rentals and they were very particular about alcohol vendors. So... the search continued.

Originally I found a ranch that I thought might be neat but FH didn't seem very intrigued by the idea so I didn't pursue it any further. However, I decided to give it another look today and couldn't help but love what I saw...

Indoor and outdoor location, any vendor okay or we can bring in our own food, drink and entertainment, kitchen facilities on site, tables and chairs available, fairly close to the ceremony site with straight shot directions... Plus the scenery is beautiful.

Our other option is to book our ceremony site as the reception site. The price is about $200 cheaper but again, we have to use their caterer (we're planning on bringing in our own food), strict limitations on alcohol (we're also planning on bringing in our own), BUT they also have chairs and tables, and it's the same site.

For convenience sake, our ceremony site is the best option. And we will save $200 but realistically, we'd spend more than that on a caterer. Decisions, decisions.

We're going to look at both on Easter weekend and make our final decision. Just one more week to go for our two major checks!

Bridal Party Jewelry

2009-03-30T20:53:00.004-05:00

So I finally decided on a design for the bridesmaids jewelry and I've finished two pieces. Three more to go and my own :)

A close up of the tear drops...

The beautiful clasp I've chosen to use...

And the finished product...

Some of My Necklaces

2009-03-29T00:19:00.005-05:00

This is a piece I made of bronzite columns,
black seed beads, and black sandstone bead chips...

This is three strands of bead chips braided together:
garnet, citrine and carnelian...

This is a unakite, jade and jasper necklace with
a large agate pendant...

I made this necklace out of tourmaline,
white seed beads and a silver locket...

This is a close up of an onyx, black jasper
and pearl necklace I made...

A piece with amethyst bead chips
and tear drops...

This is likely a piece I will give my bridesmaids.
It is made of amethyst and pearls...

Custom Jewelry

2009-03-28T19:32:00.004-05:00

I've been making gemstone jewelry for myself as a hobby for about a year now. I decided to make the jewelry for my bridal party as their gifts. That way they will have nice accessories for the dresses they can wear again and it won't be a hefty toll on the pocketbooks of my MOH and my parents (my bridesmaids are all my minor sisters). For my necklace I haven't decided if I'm going to make a peridot (to match my ring) or amethyst piece. I think amethyst would look better with pearls, which I plan to add.

I also sell jewelry and would be happy to make a piece for you at a reasonable price!

The Wedding Party

2009-03-27T15:57:00.005-05:00

And the line up is...

My best friend Jullie, the maid of honor...

Andy's best man and brother, Nick...

My brother, Rhett, a groomsman...

My sister Macey, a bridesmaid...

Emily, my sister and bridesmaid...

A bridesmaid and my sister, Lauren...

Little Jessie, my sister and bridesmaid...

And Jake, my brother and groomsman...

Readings

2009-03-27T14:35:00.003-05:00

FH and I are not religious but I am very spiritual. I draw from many paths and traditions so I want to be able to incorporate that into our ceremony. We're getting married in a Universal Unitarian church so it's very fitting. Here are some readings I've found that I just love.

“On Love” from the Prophet by Kahlil Gabran

Then said Almitra, "Speak to us of Love."

And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said:

When love beckons to you follow him,

Though his ways are hard and steep.

And when his wings enfold you yield to him,

Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.

And when he speaks to you believe in him,

Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.

Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,

So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.

He threshes you to make you naked.

He sifts you to free you from your husks.

He grinds you to whiteness.

He kneads you until you are pliant;

And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.

All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,

Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,

Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.

Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;

For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, I am in the heart of God."

And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.

But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.

To know the pain of too much tenderness.

To be wounded by your own understanding of love;

And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;

To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;

To return home at eventide with gratitude;

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

“On Marriage” from the Prophet by Kahlil Gabran

Then Almitra spoke again and said...
"And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:
You were born together,
and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings
of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the
silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous,
but let each of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together.
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress
grow not in each other's shadow.

“Universal Love Prayer” from the Meta Sutra by Namu Amida Buddha

May all beings be filled with joy and peace.

May all beings everywhere,

The strong and the weak,

The great and the small,

The mean and the powerful,

The short and the long,

the subtle and the gross:

May all beings everywhere,

Seen and unseen,

Dwelling far off or nearby,

Being or waiting to become:

May all be filled with lasting joy.

Let no one deceive another,

Let no one anywhere despise another,

Let no one out of anger or resentment

Wish suffering on anyone at all.

Just as a mother with her own life

Protects her child, her only child, from harm,

So within yourself let grow

A boundless love for all creatures.

Let your love flow outward through the universe,

To its height, its depth, its broad extent,

A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.

Then as you stand or walk,

Sit or lie down,

As long as you are awake,

Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;

Your life will bring heaven to earth.

Buddhist Homily by Anonymous

Nothing happens without a cause. The union of this man and this woman has not come about accidentally. This tie can therefore not be broken or dissolved. In the future, happy occasions will come as surely as the morning. Difficult times will come as surely as night. When things go joyously, meditate and think clearly. When things go badly, meditate and think clearly. Meditation on the applied wisdom of the sages leads to truths that will guide your life. To say the words ‘love and compassion’ is easy, but to accept that love and compassion are built upon patience and perseverance is not easy. Your marriage will be firm and lasting if you remember this.

I Do, I Will, I Have by Ogden Nash

I am about to volunteer a definition of marriage.
Just as I know that there are two Hagens, Walter and Copen,
I know that marriage is a legal and religious alliance entered into by a
man who can't sleep with the window shut and a woman who can't
sleep with the window open.
Moreover, just as I am unsure of the difference between flora and fauna
and flotsam and jetsam,
I am quite sure that marriage is the alliance of two people one of whom
never remembers birthdays and the other never forgetsam,
And he refuses to believe there is a leak in the water pipe or the gas pipe
and she is convinced she is about to asphyxiate or drown,
And she says Quick get up and get my hairbrushes off the windowsill,
it's raining in, and he replies Oh they're all right, it's only raining
straight down.
That is why marriage is so much more interesting than divorce,
Because it's the only known example of the happy meeting of the immovable
object and the irresistible force.
So I hope husbands and wives will continue to debate and combat over
everything debatable and combatable,
Because I believe a little incompatibility is the spice of life,
particulary if he has income and she is pattable.

How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

Bridesmaid Newsletter!

2009-03-27T01:08:00.003-05:00

I could not be more excited right now! I just finished my first Bridesmaid's Newsletter and I think it turned out really great! Below is a picture of the front page. I made it using Microsoft Publisher. I'm going to print them off and mail them ASAP!

DIY Monograms

2009-03-26T12:24:00.004-05:00

Recently Ebonee posted a link to I Do Originals, a site with great custom monograms and other wedding goods. I like the look of the designs and even better, like the price. This site is great for budget brides to be or anyone looking for a unique touch.

But for those brides to be on an even tighter budget (me) or that just really love DIY projects (me again!), most of the monograms seen on this site can be created using the Microsoft Publisher program. If you own this program as a part of your Microsoft Office package and haven't checked it out, DO IT! It makes designing business cards, greeting cards, invitations, advertisements, TONS of things, super easy. Your wedding design can be completely customized and best of all. it's FREE. It doesn't take any sort of expertise, just a working knowledge of how Microsoft products run. I only started using Publisher about six months ago and taught myself the basics with just my experience using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. And if you've been reading, you know I really endorse OneNote, another Microsoft program (Microsoft is pretty amazing).

Don't think I'm knocking buying a monogram. For those of us who don't have much experience using these products, or don't own them, designing something yourself can be a daunting task--in fact, without Publisher, I don't know where I would've started with my DIY paper projects. And it's certainly much cheaper to buy a $30 monogram than to buy Publisher! And if you're really looking for that polished look, buying one is the way to go. I love my DIY projects but a lot of times they do look DIY. I personally find that charming, but some brides aren't going for the potluck picnic wedding either! So for you ladies with a more sophisticated theme, sticking with places like I Do Originals is probably a good idea. BUT for those of you who are doing it down and dirty, e-mail me if you want help with Publisher! Keep in mind, I'm also a stay-at-home bride-to-be with oodles of time on my hands. This all around DIY approach isn't feasible for everyone.

Update: If you don't have Microsoft Publisher and you want to try it out, you can download a free 60 day trial here . It's a full trial as I remember so you'll have access to everything :)

Grr!

2009-03-26T00:41:00.003-05:00

I am soo frustrated. I've been up for two hours trying to print some invites on the paper I bought today and IT IS NOT WORKING! No matter what I do, I cannot get it to print correctly on the paper. It is driving me CRAZY!

RANT RANT RANT!

Paisley It Is!

2009-03-25T14:53:00.005-05:00

I've been looking for some sort of theme or motif for my wedding. I was thinking of some kind of swirl or scroll but felt it was a little too fancy for my informal wedding. I really wanted paisley but couldn't find a design I could use in my DIY projects. So today I headed out to Hobby Lobby to see what there was. Lo and behold, I found paisley stamps! They're very cutesy and perfect for my informal event. I found the perfect colors too!

AND! Even better than finding exactly what I wanted, everything--I repeat, EVERYTHING--I bought today was 50% off. That includes three ink pads, an acrylic stamp block, clear stamps, and the three wooden block stamps, were on sale for 50% off. If you're a stamp person, head out to Hobby Lobby this week!

Update:

Believe it or not, there is a lot of work that goes into stamping. Here are a few of the ideas I've tried. I'm not fully satisfied but FH thinks I'm on the right track. Thanks, babe :)

Henna!

2009-03-25T11:11:00.003-05:00

Since I was a little girl, I've been obsessed with henna designs. They are so beautiful. So, what would be more fitting than to have it done for my wedding? Here are some designs I like from a Tulsa local henna artist, Henna Chick.

Very delicate design...

I love this look...

This looks like a lace glove...

Beautiful design...

Look at all the details...

Her rates are very reasonable and she obviously does quality work.

Personally I'd like something simple on the backs of my hands so as not to detract from my ring (!) and more intricate on my palms. I'd also like some of the top of my feet, going up my legs a little. Very exciting!

Wow Wow Wow

2009-03-24T21:21:00.002-05:00

I think this picture can speak for itself...

Dress Pattern!

2009-03-24T20:21:00.002-05:00

I ordered my dress pattern tonight! I'm sooo excited. It's going to be lace, off white, tighter around the knees, button detail down the back with different straps, though I'm not sure what just yet. Meet with the dress maker on Easter weekend! Yay!

Fun Drinks

2009-03-23T17:46:00.005-05:00

Because we've decided to have a potluck picnic, catering isn't a necessity. However, we are going to provide drinks and deserts, all of which I will be making (probably with some help). Here are some drink options I've run across that I really like. We're probably going to do a signature alcoholic drink, some beer kegs (pretty classy, I know) and a non-alcoholic drink or two.

Who doesn't just love pink or frozen lemonade?

This is a whiskey sour with a sprig
of lavender, but I'll probably sub
long island iced teas :)

And for funsies, these ice cubes
have pansies and mint
leaves frozen in them :)

Fantastic Place Cards

2009-03-23T12:23:00.004-05:00

Although we're having a potluck picnic and the occasion is so informal as to render place cards pretty much useless, I cannot help but lurve these ideas and will try to find some way to incorporate them into my wedding :)

Too stinkin' cute, I love wine corks!

I like the different styles of paper on this...

Too cute...

I almost died and went to heaven when I saw these...
MY COLORS!

Fun and easy and cheap...

Pretty purple flowers...

Lavender, my favorite...

Again, here is my Polaroid fave;
they've taken the pictures (I'd used as
a guestbook) and replaced the place
cards with them...

Very cute and colorful...

I looooove these old bottles,
would make very cute favors.
Plus, as guests fill up the tables,
more flowers are added :)

This is an idea I plan to incorporate in some way.
It is a cork board, covered in fabric (this
particular one is actually covered in
wallpaper) and the place cards
are pinned to it...

These are super cute!

Reception Decorations

2009-03-23T02:08:00.003-05:00

I'm not going to lie, as far as the reception decorations go, my opinion is the cheaper the better. This is probably the least important part to me. This is partially due to the fact that we plan (hope, pray) that we will have our reception at Woodward Park, Tulsa's most beautiful park. With all the Spring flowers in bloom, we won't need much in the way of making the space look better. With that said, here are a few ideas I've run across that I particularly like.

I really love these little terrariums. They are so pretty. Probably a little bit more expensive than I'm willing to go... But perhaps just a few pieces at a main table? They are just darling! I used to make terrariums when I was a kid so these are especially cute to me.

Without a doubt I am going to use this idea. Instead of a guest book, I'd like someone to take Polaroid pictures of all my guests to have them sign. I have been doing this with friends for years and I simply adore Polaroid pictures.

And for the main reception decorations, mason jars and tin cans filled with daisies and daffodils. A great compliment to our potluck picnic!

Cake! Yum!

2009-03-22T23:56:00.011-05:00

I found some really great cake ideas on The Knot and I had to share :)

I love love love this scroll design...

This simple design reminds me of lavender...

Stripes, anyone?

Black scrolls...

Super cute retro design...

I love this use of the couple's pictures...

Amazing henna design...

This leafy vine looks amazing on the yellow background...

Beautiful paisley design...

Of course, my favorite...

I like this design taken from a dress...

Beautiful dots...

Incredible design...

Circle dot design, too cute...

Can you tell I love scrolls?

More evidence...

A really neat art deco cake...

And, for the amazing Ebonee, whose blog I've been following religiously, three really cute damask themed ideas :)

Paper Madness

2009-03-22T21:38:00.005-05:00

So because I am never fully satisfied with anything (well, that's a bit dramatic) I decided to design another invitation. I like this one better I think.

It's a little more informal and cutesy, which fits our wedding vision better. However, I'm not sure which element we'd use on the remainder of the paper products: the green diamond with purple flower or the monogram (the same from the last invite). Of course, I have about eight more months to decide :)

Our Wedding Website!

2009-03-22T01:42:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Weebly I've made a free wedding website that is actually pretty decent. Check us out here and let me know what you think!

If you're looking for a free website creator, Weebly has a lot of options for you. It's a very simple WYSIWYG editor and I enjoyed creating my site immensely. Check it out :)

Nifty Gifties

2009-03-21T14:14:00.006-05:00

Oh how I love The Office.

My spin on Michael's nifty gifties (i.e. wedding favors) is to make herb sachets, bath salts and bath teas. I love making these types of things. They smell great, really help you relax and make great gifts. They are also very easy to make. I found all the supplies I need on Save on Crafts and it's going to cost less than $50! If I buy those little brown craft bags then it'll cost a little more (but not much, they're super cheap at WalMart).

Those sealable tea bags are just $9 for 100, the sachets are 19 cents a piece. The bath salt, dried lavender, chamomile and jasmine come in one pound bags so I will have plenty. I just have to buy some oils (I already have several) and mix :)

Fun fun!

Silk Floral Update

2009-03-18T21:47:00.007-05:00

Thanks to the amazing Ebonee, I found a site with silk daffodils! Afloral.com is an amazing site. They have very reasonable prices. Apparantly the owner LeAnne will make you a free inspiratio board with your dress and color scheme in mind. Here is a link to Ebonee's great blog.

Above are the silks I've chosen for my bouquet and the main centerpiece in the ceremony site. They include daffodils, lavender, yellow and white bunny tails, forsythia and lovely sweetpeas.

I'm also ordering baby's breath in purple and white to fluff up the other floral arrangements in which I'm not using the sweet peas and bunny tails.

And for the reception, we're decorating the tables with tin cans decorated with ribbon and filled with daisies :)

Personal Wedding Planner

2009-03-18T11:41:00.004-05:00

After searching through countless wedding planners through the years (I've wanted to be a wedding consultant for some time), I've come to find that not a single one of them is what I want. So, after lots of research, I've been making my own. Because of the nature of a wedding planner, I wanted something that was easily edited. I might want to move whole pages around, or just little sections. I might want to change the title to something. I might decide to change a part of the ceremony, or throw the budget out altogether. And there's nothing I hate more than erasing. So my planner is actually a file on my computer. I use the program OneNote. It's part of the Microsoft Office package and it is a life saver. OneNote is set up like a notebook. You can create as many sections and sub-sections as you need. It's easy to copy and paste information from other sources. You can color code your sections. And as you work on your notebook, everything is automatically saved. So if your computer shuts down, everything in OneNote that you've been working on will be there, exactly as it was, when you open it back up. When you exit, it doesn't even prompt you to save your work. And if you want a hard copy, all you gotta do is print it off. Too easy. If you haven't tried OneNote, check it out. It is the best program I've used for organizing information, I love the notebook format and best of all, it makes editing your wedding planner very easy.

On the left you can see the different notebooks you have open. Along the top it shows your sections, color coded to your specifications and on the right it has all the pages in that section listed.

Cake Decorating Fun

2009-03-16T15:27:00.006-05:00

Today I decided that because the cake I want is way beyond the price I want to pay, I'm going to brush up on my cake decorating technique and do it myself! My inspiration is a cake in the style of Joseph Lambeth, a master baker in the 1920's and 30's. His work is amazing. Cake found in Martha Stewart Wedding magazine.

And because my flower is daffodils, I'd like to add these little guys to it:

So I got a little cake decorating kit and practiced a few things:

My icing is too thing for great flowers but my technique seems to still be there. Practice practice practice!

Busy busy busy!

2009-03-15T22:04:00.006-05:00

I've spent most of the weekend dedicated toward searching for vendors and envisioning how we'd like our wedding to go. It is a little frustrating having to do most of my preliminary searching online because I'm getting married in another state. However, we did find a ceremony and reception site we really really love.

All Souls Unitarian Church:

The first two are pictures in the garden and the last is the Sanctuary. I lived near this church for a while and drove past it all the time, just to look at how pretty it was. I always thought getting married there would just be perfect. It's a very small church and we like that they are open to any faith or tradition.

Woodward Park:

Woodward park is a very common place to have a wedding reception or have your wedding pictures taken. I never thought I'd want to follow the trend until I saw the price! The only problem: we can't book until six months prior and it's first come first serve. But you can bet your sweet butt I'll be all up on it on September 13th, first thing in the morning.

The item causing me the most stress: bridesmaids dresses. Oh my lord, they are so expensive. I realize I won't be the one paying for them but my four sisters, who are my bridesmaids, are all minors...leaving my parents to pay for all four dresses, plus whatever it cost to outfit my younger brother, who is a junior groomsman. My maid of honor is from out of town and will have to pay the expenses to fly down here, I don't want to also stick her with the bridesmaid dress. I've looked at lots of different sites online but, annoyingly, they don't post their prices. The few that do are listed at over a hundred dollars! No thank you...

My wedding is going to be SUPER casual though... I'm thinking the girls would look great with a nice dress from Target or Charlotte Russe. I want them to be able to use the dress again. A friend also recommended Gordman's. We'll see I guess.

I've also tried to find good silk daffodils to little avail. However, I read about a great site, Save on Crafts, with other really cheap crafty things. Fun!

Invites

2009-03-13T02:55:00.004-05:00

So today I tinkered around on Microsoft Publisher and came up with some invitation ideas. Andy really liked this one so I have worked on it for HOURS to get it perfect. I think this is the one :) We're definitely sticking with the monogram. Too cute.

We've Set the Date!

2009-03-11T22:35:00.001-05:00

So excited! We set the date for March 13, 2010. We're thinking morning wedding to give us the rest of the day for fun fun fun!

I've been planning my wedding for years. I have a wedding scrapbook that I've been piecing together since August 2006 (about a month before I met Andy!) FINALLY all those ideas are going to be put to use :) More details to come...