A labor of love

These are cell phone pics, so sorry in advance for the poor quality. Our favor boxes are complete after my aunt slaved away over her Cricut for a couple excrutiating hours. I couldn't really find any large brown favor boxes so we instead bought jumbo sheets of cardstock and made our own with a scrapbooking Cricut machine then my wonderful aunt took on the time-consuming task of folding said boxes and gluing the corners so that they're sturdy. Add a little quote to the front and some ribbon on the top and voila! So what's going in the boxes? Well I knew I wanted to do edible favors for guests but didn't really have an idea as to what kind of favor to provide, then FI and I got to talking about the moment we knew we were head over heels in love with one another. My FI and I grew up together as friends so when he decided to ask me out I was initially surprised and put off since I didn't want to ruin a perfectly good friendship. Well he was persistent and kept up for 3 months until I agreed to be his girlfriend. To be honest even when I told him I'd go out with him I really wasn't sure about us working out. I didn't ever imagine it would be serious and things got awkward for a bit when we were making the friends-to-relationship transition. So what changed and set in motion the events that led us to where we are today? He kissed me; and he kissed me good. It was pretty much the greatest first kiss in all of first kiss history and that's when I found out I was falling and he knew his hard work and patience had paid off. So together we decided on Hershey's kisses for favors to symbolize that very special moment in our relationship. Yes I'm aware that may seem cheesy, but really who doesn't love the straight-up chocolate goodness that is a Hershey's kiss? And they will fit perfect in our custom-made boxes :)

Makeup trial FAIL

I've always been a firm believer that practice makes perfect and so of course I scheduled a hair and makeup trial before the big day...or at least I thought I did. Come to find out the receptionist failed to tell the stylist who is taking care of my wedding day beauty that I was wanting a practice run of my makeup done on the same day I drove all the way to NC to get my hair done. Unfortunately for me my chick was booked solid after my appointment until close and so now I will be finding out what my day-of makeup looks like on well, the day-of. Total makeup trial FAIL. The perfectionist in me is freaking out and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I won't end up looking horrible on my wedding day *sigh* Oh, the stress!

Deja vu?

I know I have posted pictures of cufflinks on here before and if you frequent my blog you are probably experiencing deja vu. These are actually cufflinks we just ordered off of the awesomeness that is ebay (God bless you Pierre Omidyar) for our dads and FI. We thought we'd keep with the cufflink theme and order cool cufflinks for all the important men of the wedding. After all we wouldn't want the fathers-and most importantly FI-to have subpar flair on their wrists on such a momentous day would we? ;) The motorcycles are for my dad who has been an enthusiast since he was young and whose passion for riding just grew stronger after his midlife crisis. The acoustic guitars are for FI's dad who was a self-proclaimed hippie during college and apparently won over all the ladies by strumming a tune or two and still loves playing today. I ordered the baseball cufflinks for FI since he's a die-hard baseball fan and has been playing the game since he learned how to walk. I'm definitely glad we went the cufflink route even though initially I thought it was sort of overdone. This is something they can all use later and something that shows how well we know each of them individually!

Easiest DIY project to date

What do you get when you add vellum, some pretty font, ribbon, and some wax? You get a gorgeous personalized unity candle for half the price of what those bridal stores are charging! This is such an easy DIY project that I found online one day but the results look so professional in my opinion. I'm super excited about our unity candle because we wanted pretty much everything at the wedding to be very personal and handmade where possible. The picture at the top is the inspiration I found from Google and the bottom pic is our actual candle set. I think they look beautiful!

Bustle and flow

Before you read this you should know that I HATE bustles. I know they are meant to serve a purpose, but to me they just don't look pretty. It looks like someone took a safety pin and pinned a bunch of tulle up on the ass of the person wearing the wedding dress! I can't tell you how many bustle styles I looked at or how many alteration ladies I annoyed before deciding on the type of bustle I would get. I originally tried to find a dress with only a little sweep train just so I wouldn't have to bustle it, but the dress I fell in love with has a longer train so it would have been a pain to try to navigate through our reception hall with all that fabric not being out of the way. David's Bridal was originally doing the alterations for my dress but they didn't do such a good job of impressing me with their bustle options and were rude when I made any sort of suggestions. So I took my business elsewhere and found a little mom and pop shop to sew my bustle for a lower price still thinking that I wouldn't really dig what they were going to do to it. Well surprisingly, I LOVE it. I actually think it improves the look of the dress. That sounds crazy coming from the girl who earlier said she despises bustles altogether, but it really looks pretty. Here are just some of the many bustle designs we toyed with before deciding on the final one in the picture at the bottom. The first one just hung funny, the second one was too fancy and didn't fit the style of the dress, and the last two pictures are of the bustle I ultimately decided on. It is an under bustle or "french" bustle and I find it funny that DB originally told me the fabric on my dress wouldn't work for that type and yet the seamstress who did it had no problem altering it to look that way.

Get with the program

With my wedding being in August and it being so hot and humid that time of year, I decided if I was going to do programs they would double as fans. The cardstock was printed out, ribbon was purchased, and they were all ready to assemble...until I realized my mother, love her heart, had not only misspelled one of the groomsmen's last names, but assigned him an entirely new last name. This posed a problem as we didn't want to offend anyone by actually distributing them and letting people see the error so that labor of love went into the recycling bin and we nixed the idea of programs altogether (or so I thought). I figured it was one less DIY project we would have on our plate but for some odd reason my mom thinks that programs are completely necessary, so here is a picture of the very basic programs we decided on to appease her needs for having some information on a piece of paper. They're tri-fold so they fit a lot of print and they match the invitations quite well and will get the job done of telling the who's and what's of the wedding day.

Little accomplishments

I've felt a little bit of wedding burnout here lately and have been slacking on getting stuff done that needs to get done here in the next 26 days. Just thinking that I only have that much time to get all the stuff on my to-do list done makes me want to throw up. Seriously. But I got a few little things accomplished over the holiday weekend so I would have something to post here to make me feel a little better about my procrastinating self. Got our little hanging monogram finished that's going to be put on the front door of the venue, spruced up my pitiful looking table numbers, got the bubbles all finished and put into their basket which my mother and I made all pretty with some strategically placed ribbon, ordered part of our parent's gifts, and made an appointment to get my bustle done. Still have a whole sheet of college-ruled paper filled up with things that need to be addressed but at least I've made some progress. Here are some pics of the DIY stuff:

Vendor Reviews

I think I've worked with my vendors enough now to properly rate them so long as they don't royally screw up sometime between now and the wedding; God forbid on the day of my wedding. I am not a Bridezilla by nature at all, but if someone we are paying fails to live up to the very reasonable and contracted standards agreed upon, I will straight roundhouse kick someone in the face...or at least not tip them :) So here are the reviews for practically everyone I have worked with thus far.
Engagement ring & bride's wedding band: Marks & Morgan Jewelers
B FI and I went ring shopping together so he could get some ideas for what I liked, but ultimately the decision was left up to him. He did a great job and my perfect rings ended up being at Marks & Morgan. I have no negative remarks against Marks & Morgan as far as customer service and selection. My only "beef" with them is that you have to get your rings inspected every 6 months for as long as you have them and if you forget to do it even one time the insurance you paid for is voided. It's not a huge deal, but it is slightly annoying considering many places we visited did not require routine inspections and if I still lived in my small hometown the nearest Marks & Morgan I would have to visit every 6 months would be almost 2 hours away.
Groom's wedding band: Titaniumkay.com
A Let me first say I was very hesitant to order a ring online, but FI did not find anything he liked in any stores we visited and when he stumbled across the Titanium Kay site he found one he had to have. The fine people at Titanium Kay put me at ease with their 30 day no-questions-asked return policy and reviews from real people who had ordered the product already. The ring was delivered promptly and it's more durable and better quality than a lot of rings we looked at in jewelry stores. It was also half the price!

Monogram Key Fobs for Bridesmaids Gifts: Mylittlecuddlebugs.com

A- Shipping was a bit slow through this site, but they have a wonderful selection of products and lots of different colors and fabrics to choose from so I was able to make each gift unique to the girl I'm giving it to. The key fobs I received were of such great quality that I had to order me one as well!

Cufflinks for Groomsmen Gifts: Cuff-daddy.com

A This website has a great variety of cufflinks from the classic to just plain fun if you are searching for some for the men in the wedding party. Their pricing is some of the cheapest we found and they offer bulk discounts if you are ordering more than 5 pairs of cufflinks. Overall I highly recommend Cuff-Daddy.
Silk Rose Petals: Petalgarden.com
A This site has great deals on bulk rose petals and even though we ordered the silk ones they are pretty realistic looking thanks to the material they use. If you're not into silk they sell freeze dried rose petals as well and offer free color samples of each to take the guesswork out of picking the right color based on the images on your computer monitor.
Wedding Cake: The City Bakery
A+ Sarah is the pastry chef at The City Bakery who will be making our cake. She is so sweet and absolutely loves her job, which is obvious when looking at her work. We are getting 3 cakes with her-a 3 tiered wedding cake, a groom's cake, and a mini version of our wedding cake made for our first anniversary-all for $400. The bakery will also be providing fresh artisan bread for our reception dinner.
DJ: Mr. C's Mobile Disk Jockey
A FI and I are getting married in a town that's over an hour from where we live and it's hard to make appointments with vendors and get away together with both of our schedules being so different. When we made the trip to Asheville to meet with our DJ for the first time there had been a bad storm and power was out all over town. Our DJ knew we had taken time off work and driven to meet him so instead of canceling he lit some candles and went on with the consultation as planned! How's that for customer service?
Bride and Bridesmaid Attire: David's Bridal
C I have mixed emotions about my experience at David's. On the one hand I found my wedding dress there with the help of one of the consultants who was super friendly. I never would have given a second glance at the dress I ended up buying if it weren't for her convincing me to give it a try since it is nothing like what I thought I would get. Getting the bridesmaids dresses at such a big discount was a plus too. The alterations department, however, was a pain to work with. They were very short with me when I asked questions and at times just blatantly rude. On one occasion they scheduled my fitting for the wrong day and then proceeded to make comments about me showing up "late" the entire time. Their horrible service really left a bad taste in my mouth, therefore David's gets a C.

Bridal Shoes: Onlinebridalstore.com

A I only ordered my shoes from onlinebridalstore.com, but they have alot of other bridal accessories for sale as well. They offered free shipping, I got my order super fast, and I found the heels I had been wanting for less than I found at other websites I'd scoped out.

Groom and Groomsmen Attire: Mitchell's Tuxedos

A Mitchell's is a family-owned business and we can really tell a difference between the attention we get there and the attention we got at other places we browsed. I originally urged FI to get the tuxes from Men's Warehouse (the male equivalent to David's Bridal) to be sure the vests would match the girl's dresses, but when we went there they had one option in the watermelon color; a paisley vest with striped tie. We were not digging it at all so we took a color swatch to Mitchell's and since they have such a wide selection they found some other options that match just fine. And FI still scored a free tux.

Flowers: The Enchanted Florist

A Janet from The Enchanted Florist is taking care of all things floral for the wedding and it has been a pleasure to work with her. She has been in the business for over 30 years so we're very confident in her skills, and she has been so helpful at keeping us within our budget since we went into this planning process having no clue that flowers were so expensive!

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Homewood Castle

B+ Our venue is absolutely gorgeous. I had actually passed by Homewood a few times and made comments on how pretty it was without knowing it was an event center. Through a series of occurences that left us without a venue, we checked with Homewood about pricing thinking it would be way out of our range. The staff helped us find ways to afford the dream wedding we had envisioned without spending a fortune. My only issue has been that as a bride who lives out of town from where my wedding is located I rely solely on email for correspondence, and sometimes the fine folks at Homewood are pretty slow to respond.
Caterer: Artisan Catering
A+ The staff at Artisan has been so great. My emails are always answered promptly and they practically trip over themselves to make sure me and FI's wedding day goes the way we want it to. The chef there even agreed to replicate a favorite recipe I had that was not even close to anything he had on his menu at my request, and might I add he did an amazing job. I would recommend them to everyone in the Asheville area looking for a caterer.

Photographer: Alisha Silver

A Alisha has some of the most affordable prices in the Asheville area, but when I looked at her pictures online I thought the pricing was a mistake. She has a background in graphic design and takes a really photojournalistic approach to photography and her shots are so good. She has agreed to do a complimentary TTD session after our wedding too so she definitely deserves a high grade!

Officiant: Jeff King

A+ I guess he is not really considered a "vendor" since he isn't the kind of minister you hire through the yellow pages, but either way I feel like I need to list him here just so I can give him an A+. My aunt actually referred us to Jeff. She knew him from her church and since we aren't members at any certain church and were looking for someone to perform our ceremony, we were very grateful when he agreed to drive all the way to our wedding site to marry us. We had never met prior to the first consultation we had but by the end of that meeting FI and I felt so comfortable with Jeff. He gave us complete freedom with the ceremony as well and we really appreciated that since it was important to us that the ceremony be personal.

Online RSVP is a Godsend

I know that people have varied opinions on having guests RSVP on the internet vs. through the mail, but let me just say that the time-saving tool that is the online RSVP has been amazingly awesome. When guests respond, I get an email sent to me and it keeps me constantly updated on the head count for our caterer. Guests also enter their email addresses so if FI and I have any questions (or need to tell them that extra "and guest" they added is NOT coming to our wedding) we can correspond easily. People really have no excuse not to RSVP now since most of them use the internet daily anyway, and the best news is no worrying about response cards getting lost in the mail! Hooray for technology!

My favorite part

I must say my favorite part of this whole planning process thus far has been writing our own ceremony. FI and I got the green light from our minister to customize the ceremony to our liking, so we just ran with it. Every aspect is just so "us." We already knew we were writing our own vows, but being able to have free reign to personalize all the rest of it is just great! We are so glad our officiant is so flexible :) Here's our ceremony as it will be taking place on the big day...

Our Wedding Ceremony

*Grandmothers, mothers, and bridal party enter to “Heavenly Day”

*Bride enters to “Hear You Me” (Mothers will light taper unity candles before bride processional)

Minister: It is with great pleasure that we gather today to witness the joining of two hands and two hearts in holy matrimony. These two people, Cortneyloo and R, have fallen in love so deeply, so completely, that today, they make a bond, a sacred covenant before God, whereby their hearts, their bodies, and their souls shall be united as one in marriage for the rest of their days.

Who blesses the marriage of this woman to this man?

Bride’s parents: We do.

Minister: And who blesses the marriage of this man to this woman?

Groom’s parents: We do.

(Bride will present her mother with rose at this time and parents will take their seats)

Minister: Cortneyloo and R, look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to each other – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same. For after today you shall say to the world –This is my husband. This is my wife.

The bible teaches us that love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud, it is not rude. It is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

Please take each other’s hands, so that you may see the gift they are to you.

(Pause for bride to hand bouquet to Maid of Honor and take Groom’s hands)

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and as in today, tears of joy.

These are the hands that will give you strength and support when you need it.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

At this time, the couple has chosen to recite their own vows.

R: Cortney, you are my best friend, my soul mate; the one I am meant to be with for the rest of my life. I have practically grown up with you, and now I want nothing more than to grow old with you. I feel so blessed that God has put you in my life, and standing up here with you today I feel an overwhelming sense of joy. I love everything about you, like the way you laugh so hard at things that you make no sound or how you beg me to bring home every stray animal you come across because you have such a big heart. I love you not only for the person you are, but for the person I am because of you. I promise here and now in the presence of God and the people we love to always be faithful to you, to be patient with you-even when you make me stay up until one in the morning to get the Christmas tree decorated “just right”, to be honest with you, and most of all I promise to always love you the only way that I know how; completely, sincerely, and more each day than the last.

Cortney: R, you are my best friend, my soul mate; the one I am meant to be with for the rest of my life. I have practically grown up with you, and now I want nothing more than to grow old with you. I feel so blessed that God has put you in my life, and standing up here with you today I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I love everything about you, especially how you have a special structured way of tucking me in at night or how you find crazy ways to show your love for me like singing “happy birthday” to me in a crowded grocery store over the loudspeaker. I love you not only for the person you are, but for the person I am because of you. I promise here and now in the presence of God and the people we love to always be faithful to you, to be honest with you-even if that means telling you how much I spent on getting ready today, to be patient with you, and most of all I promise to always love you the only way that I know how; completely, sincerely, and more each day than the last.

Minister: Cortneyloo, having heard these words of devotion that R has spoken to you, do you take him to be your husband, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and cherish him, for better or for worse as long as you both shall live?

Cortney: I do.

Minister: R, having heard these words of devotion that Cortneyloo has spoken to you, do you take her to be your wife, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and cherish her, for better or for worse as long as you both shall live?

R: I do.

Minister: May we have the rings?

(Maid of honor and best man will hand over rings)

Cortney will you place the ring on R’s finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed. And with all that I am and all that I have, I pledge my love to you now and forever.

R will you place the ring on Cortney’s finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed. And with all that I am and all that I have, I pledge my love to you now and forever.

(Minister will hold up engagement ring before reading next part and then hand it to groom.)

The engagement ring is a symbol of promise and intention. Now the intention is realized and the promise fulfilled. Please place the engagement ring on Cortney’s finger over the wedding band to symbolize that the love that brought you together will always protect and sustain your marriage.

Now the couple will commemorate their marriage by lighting a Unity Candle.

(Bride and groom will walk over to the candles)

Cortneyloo and R, the two distinct candle flames represent your lives before this day, individual, unique and special. Please take the candle symbolizing your life before today, and together light the center candle to symbolize the union of your individual lives. As this new flame burns undivided, so shall your lives now be one. From now on your thoughts will always be for each other rather than just your individual selves. Your plans and goals will be mutual, your joys and sorrows both will be shared alike.

Although you are now entering into marriage, that does not mean you lose your personal identity. Rather, you will both use your individuality to create and strengthen the relationship of marriage. Therefore all three candles remain glowing. The individual candles represent all that makes each of you the wonderful and unique person the other admires and respects. The Unity candle in the center symbolizes the union of your lives and your families as well as your shining commitment to each other, and to a lasting and loving marriage.

(Bride and groom will at this time walk back to minister)

Cortneyloo and R, you have affirmed your love and loyalty to each other through your vows and the giving and receiving of rings in front of your family, friends, and God himself. Because you have shown your willingness to share life together, it is my privilege to pronounce you man and wife. R, you may now kiss your bride.

*”Warning Sign” will begin playing

Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great joy and pleasure to present to you for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. E!

(Bride will present groom’s mother with rose before walking back up the aisle)

Something special

You know how you have the whole "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" that you have to incorporate into your attire on the wedding day? Well the picture above is technically my "borrowed" items even though I'm not wearing them like the usual tradition requires. Really I would just classify them as "something special." Our wedding has plenty of non-traditional components, but I'm glad to be able to keep with family tradition and use the cake serving set my grandma has kept all through the years as well as the toasting glasses my parents and all of my aunts and uncles on my mom's side have used in their weddings. Don't you love how they are set up all runway style in front of the pink background? haha Hopefully one day FI and I will have a child of our own that can use these heirlooms in their wedding too. Now that would be really special.

Please feed the vendors

In talking with our photographer the other day I learned that oftentimes when she is working weddings she goes hours without food. Why is this? Because in their blissful planning, the bride and groom usually forget to have a meal prepared for her. Now this is a person who is arriving to meet with us at 1:00 and will be at our wedding until we leave around 8:30 or 9:00. That is a long time to be going without a meal. She said she once even had to take a short break from photographing a reception and get some juice because her blood sugar was getting so low that she was dizzy. I think there is a lesson to be learned here, ladies. FEED YOUR VENDORS. They are going to be spending so much time making your day all that you dreamed of so the least you can do is give them some grub. You don't even necessarily have to provide the same meal your guests are eating if expense is an issue, so long as they have something to munch on during the day. I found out many caterers have separate sandwich dishes they will prepare especially for this purpose. We will be feeding our photographer along with our DJ since they are going to be spending most of their day with us. It's not only a nice gesture, but a guarantee of good work. Because really who performs well on an empty stomach?

Thanks sis!

I'd been needing to find an appropriate dress for the formal dinner on me and FI's honeymoon cruise, but I kept putting it off because money has been tight here lately and all the dresses I really liked were upwards of $100. My sister recently went to prom, however, and wore a little black number that's actually a David's Bridal BM dress that I thought would work perfectly. Only problem (or so I thought) is that she is a size 4 and I'm a size 6. It doesn't seem like a big difference but I'm wider in the hips and have a little more on top so I didn't place my bets on being able to borrow her dress. Well let me just tell you all that I fit into that sucker. It's a little snug, but breathing is overrated anyway. I'm going to rock it with some silver heels and it didn't cost me a dime. I love having one less thing to buy! So thank you, sister/MOH of mine. It's nice to be able to borrow from your closet in true sibling fashion just like old times :)

It's feeling official

FI and I took a trip on down to the Register of Deeds and got our marriage license yesterday! I don't know why but just having that simple piece of paper makes it feel so much more official. Not that that's a bad thing...I'm psyched! And the wedding is getting super close. Some days I'm so anxious and stressed over getting all the details just right that I can't stand it, and other days I have the chance to really stop and remember why I'm so truly happy for August 2nd to come around in the first place. Today is one of those days where I had a spare moment to myself and realized how truly blessed I am to have this amazing guy in my life and in a little over a month and a half we are going to be man and wife. It's just such an awesomely overwhelming feeling. After knowing each other for 9 years and dating for over 6 1/2 of those, I'm ready to make it official already and get started on living out the rest of our lives as a true married couple!

A productive weekend

This past weekend my mom and I got a bunch of wedding stuff accomplished as far as DIY projects. I'd really put them off for too long and it feels good to have some finished products to look at! We made the photo boards we'll be displaying our pictures in at the reception, our vases wrapped in vellum for the glowing table centerpieces, got the ribbons tied to the hundred-some-odd bubble tubes we bought, and got the ribbons glued to the vases and votives we'll be using for the remaining centerpieces. Still got quite a bit to do, but we're getting there! Here's some pics of our hard work:

Crate & Barrel is my hero

Long story short...I purchased all my vases for my centerpieces at Michael's some many months ago with the exception of the small 6" vases I needed because they only had two in stock. I went back to the store and checked every week for a new shipment but the shelves remained empty. I thought maybe people were scooping them up faster than they were coming in so I started checking every other day. Still no vases. I asked the salespeople when some more would arrive to which their response was "corporate makes the orders, we just place what we get on the shelves." So I drove a few towns over and checked there. Nothing. I checked in Asheville while I was there for some wedding stuff. Nothing. I even checked THREE stores while I was in Florida on vacation with no success. You wouldn't think 6" vases would be so hard to find but I couldn't find anything similar at other stores either! So after a couple of months of the shelves sitting empty I kind of figured Michael's quit carrying those vases but I was super bummed because I needed them to complement my other two various sized vases for the tables. Then I discover by sheer luck while browsing their site that Crate & Barrel has 6" vases. Score! They totally came to the rescue and saved the day. I'm very excited that my vision will be properly executed now :) Rave over.

No passport required!

I can breathe a huge sigh of relief right now because FI and I just confirmed through our Carnival travel agent that we won't need passports for our honeymoon cruise after all. We booked our trip many months ago before the new travel regulations were in place, and we were afraid we would now have to shell out the dough for passports for both of us as well as additional money to expedite the process now that it's less than 8 weeks away on top of everything else we've got on our plate right now. Turns out even though we will be traveling in international waters, a passport isn't required when the cruise leaves from and returns to the same port. This is such great news! That's $320 we can now use towards paying off the rest of these wedding vendors who are going to be wanting their money soon haha

DIY Invites

Invitations are the one detail of the wedding that I really wasn't very concerned about. I don't get excited about paper products like some other brides do, so I of course jumped on the opportunity to buy blank invitations at Wal-Mart for $12 and print the wording out on a home computer to save some money. I wasn't at all interested in pocketfolds, embossing, or invitations with inserts since all the info that guests need is on our wedding website. All I really wanted was a sheet of cardstock that told people where and when the wedding was. What I got is a pretty sheet of cardstock that tells people where and when the wedding is :) My mom has access to a heavy duty quality printer at work so she kindly offered to print the invitations for me. She's been a huge help throughout this whole process! I purchased the ribbon and little square rhinestones at Michael's to spruce the invites up a bit and I'm very pleased with how they turned out. I'm even more pleased that they were so cheap!

I think we can make room for you Mr. President

I am going to be sending a wedding invitation to the President himself. Actually more than likely it will end up in the hands of some random person at the white house who is in charge of sorting mail, but regardless I will be sending out an invite for Barack and Michelle Obama. Of course I don't expect them to show up on the big day...but I recently learned that if you send out a wedding invitation to the President you get a nice congratulatory letter in response. Thought that would be pretty neat to have as a little keepsake :) Here's the address for the white house along with a few other celebs of sorts that you may want to mail one to:

Mr. President and Mrs. Obama
Greetings Office Rm. 39
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, District of Columbia 20500

Pope Benedict XVI (will send a papal blessing)
Prefettura della Casa Pontifica
00120 Citta del Vaticano, Italia

Mickey & Minnie Mouse (will send a letter of congratulations with signed photo)
The Walt Disney Company
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

I ♥ Frederick's

So on a recent trip to Florida I decided to make a stop at the mall to check out the Frederick's of Hollywood store they have there since there are none where I am from. I am so glad I did! They have some really pretty and scandalous stuff in there and I was able to stock up on some goodies for the honeymoon, including the little number below. I like that it's a bit girly but risque enough for FI to appreciate ;) Frederick's and Victoria's Secret both had sales going on so I also picked up a black and red lace two-piece lingerie set, a pretty pink satin slip, a leopard print bra and skong set, and a black garter belt that has little zebra print accents with a matching balconette bra. Yay for sexy little things!

Just gotta wrap it all!

The last part of the girls' gifts came in today so we now officially have all the bridal party gifts accounted for and in our possession. I think the monogrammed key fobs turned out really cute! Just gotta wrap all the goodies up and we're good to go! FI and I also decided on what to get our parents for their gifts to show our appreciation for all they've done since their help has been crucial in getting this wedding planned and paid for. Since my mother tends to read this blog from time to time though I'm not going to divulge that information here :)

Who really looks at feet anyway?

I took a trip on down to Rack Room today and picked up all the BM's shoes. Rack Room was the only store that I found had a decent selection of dark brown dress shoes! The girls are wearing pink dresses with brown sashes so I figured brown shoes would work well and maybe, just maybe, they can actually wear them again afterwards. Of the five maids, three picked the Fabulaire "Ava" shoe, one chose the Maripe "Brittany," and the other will be wearing the "Kensey" by Maripe. The heel on the Kensey is probably higher than you're supposed to have for a wedding but it's a sexy shoe so whatever, right?! I went against the advice of numerous others and let the girls pick their own shoes so long as they were dark brown. I wanted them all to be comfortable and I don't really see it as a big deal as long as they (and their feet!) are happy. Who really looks at feet anyway? I have pretty bridesmaids so I doubt anyone will be looking at or caring about the fact that their shoes don't match. The colors look like they vary a bit on the monitor but in person there's not a noticeable difference. I guess we'll see if the world comes crashing down as a result of my brazen lack of respect for uniformity on the day of.

Must-take photos

I've collected a ridiculous number of photos that I must have taken at the wedding and/or TTD shoot. I'd really like a wide variety of styles and I'm excited to work with my photographer to capture all the pics I want because from her portfolio I think she can really make my vision into reality. Without further ado, here is my extensive collection of must-take photos:

Things I've learned

Throughout this crazy wedding planning process I've learned a lot about how much it actually costs to get hitched these days! Unfortunately for the ol' wallet, I couldn't convince myself to just run off and elope or make a visit to the courthouse. I've discovered some good tips for saving money though that I thought I would share here in case they'd be beneficial to anyone reading this who's just begun the planning process.

1. Get married on a day other than a Friday or Saturday. Our venue gave us a pretty decent sized discount for getting married on a Sunday since it's not the typical wedding day and they wanted to fill up their calendar. Lots of other vendors give discounts for Sun-Thurs weddings too.

2. Give your florist some creative freedom with the flowers. It's a florist's job to know what flowers are in season as well as ways to help cut costs with cheap filler flowers or making the bouquets in a way that they can be reused for reception centerpieces or decor.

3. Remember that DIY isn't always cheaper. Sometimes by the time you purchase all the supplies necessary for handmade projects, the costs are actually higher than they would've been if you had just purchased an already finished item. My save-the-dates were nice and pretty, but ended up being more expensive than if I would've caved and just ordered them online.

4. Consider having a sheet cake along with your main cake. If you have a lot of people to feed it's more economical to have a small tiered cake for the actual cutting and then a sheet cake of the same flavor hidden in the back to be served to guests. Sheet cakes don't have to be elaborately decorated so they're cheaper, but your guests won't know the difference.

5. Order the bridesmaid dresses from the same shop you got your dress from. Many bridal salons will give your girls a significant discount on their attire if you've already purchased your wedding gown from the same store. David's Bridal gave each of my maids $20 off their dresses since I bought my dress from them and also gave me a percentage off my accessories.

6. Ask for what you want. Lots of brides are too afraid to ask vendors for freebies or special requests, but with this economy those vendors are hurting for business and are a lot more willing to please than you might think. I've gotten my ceremony music for free from a DJ, a complimentary 'trash the dress' session from my photographer, and every time I go to get my e-ring cleaned the jeweler always cleans and buffs my other ring that was not even purchased there for no cost. The lesson is it never hurts to ask.

7. Find a photographer who is building their portfolio. Photographers need albums full of pictures to show potential clients, so if you can score one whose style you love but that doesn't quite have as many wedding photos as they'd like they are usually willing to charge a bit less to get some extra shots and your glowing letter of recommendation.

8. Search for wedding decor and necessities online. The Google search engine is a handy tool for finding things you need for the big day at a fraction of what you might pay at a wedding specialty store. There's literally thousands of products to compare prices on right at your fingertips. Ebay is good for finding discounted wedding items too, and sites like Freecycle.org let you post want ads in your local area to find free items that someone else might no longer have a use for.

9. Skip the limo. If you have a friend with a nice car ask if you can borrow that for your getaway transportation instead. Or even see if renting a luxury vehicle from a rental company is an option since they are generally cheaper for the entire day than renting a limo for just an hour.

10. Be smart about planning the honeymoon. You don't have to go to some far off locale with an expensive cost of living to have a great time. You can stay in the states and go on a road trip making stops at cities you've both always wanted to see, visit islands that are U.S. owned like Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands so you don't have to pay for a passport, or go on an all-inclusive cruise and visit many different ports for a fraction of the price it would be to stay at a resort where you're stuck in one place the whole time.

Kitten heels are sexy too!

I ordered my shoes for the wedding today after having my first fitting. It's the Coloriffics Carmen, which is just a smaller heeled version of the Sierra that I originally wanted. This pair works for two reasons-one being that FI is the same height as me and didn't want me towering over him, and the other being my dress fits perfect as is and if I have anything over a two inch heel it's not going to skim the floor like I want. I really love the ankle detail! I wanted something pretty without being distracting when I'm walking down the aisle, and these are perfect. I'm looking forward to showing them off during the garter toss. Ooh la la!

Table numbers are done

So table numbers are done. Got the wooden numbers, brown paint, and brown glitter from A.C. Moore and FI helped me knock them out today. You can't really tell from the picture that they are glittery, but they are. I'm actually going to put a bit more on them to add some more sparkle since we have plenty left over and as they currently are they don't yet have the pizzazz I was going for. But I think the idea of 3D table numbers is pretty nifty and paired with the centerpieces and bright white linens the venue provides, these babies will really stand out and help the guests find their tables just fine!

Goodies for the bridal party

I finally got FI to sit down and pick a gift for his groomsmen. They're all very different guys and he didn't know what to give them so I'd been helping him brainstorm. We ran through the list of typical groomsmen gifts but personalized beer mugs were a bad idea since some of the boys are non-drinkers, pocket knives just seemed so boy scout-ish, money clips are lame when most guys just have wallets, and pricey fountain pens seemed like a waste. We finally came up with the idea of cufflinks. Now cufflinks to me also seemed cliche, but instead of making them all matchy FI is ordering each of his men cufflinks that represent them individually so they will have special meaning, and I'm sure his guys will be happy to wear them again later on down the road. I'm pleased to say I'm on top of my girl's gifts too. I got them all sets of pearls, those neat and oh-so-handy purse hooks, a little photo album to put pictures of all of our bachelorette and wedding shenanigans in, little mini bottles of lotion from Bath & Body Works, and monogrammed key chain wristlets I found a great deal on by searching ebay. Now we've just got to figure out what to get our parents!

Let the good times roll

Me and FI's bridal party and loved ones are all driving at least two hours to get to our venue for a run-through of the wedding day festivities. I want the drive to be worthwhile and I've been racking my brain thinking of where to have our rehearsal dinner (or luncheon really since we have to hold the rehearsal early because there's another bride getting married in our venue the night before our ceremony) and I was having a really hard time. Our wedding is a formal sit-down dinner so I wanted something really low key for the rehearsal where the bridal party could just let loose and have fun conversing and hanging out. I love the idea of a backyard BBQ type thing, but since no one on the guest list nor my family lives in the city in which I'm getting married and thus there are no familiar backyards available, that posed a problem. And I discovered that the local parks don't let you rent out shelters for events so it would have been a bit disorganized and we would've just had to hope that nobody else was occupying the pavilions that day. My brilliant idea was that we could hold a rehearsal picnic at McCormick Field where the Asheville Tourists play since FI is a big baseball fan and sports marketing major and he used to take me to games there all the time. That way our loved ones would get a meal and the opportunity to watch an all-American pastime with great seats and we would get scoreboard recognition and a little baseball memento (not to mention a keepsake photo with the mascot! lol). But sadly the team is playing away that weekend so that's a no-go. So after consulting with the ladies of the August '09 board on TK, I'm feeling Shan's idea of having a rehearsal dinner at a bowling alley! FI and I are really just big kids, so this is pretty "us" anyway. So far from the comments I've heard from our bridal party, they are all excited about it. I mean what's more fun than bowling, hot wings, pizza, and beer?? And really nothing coordinates better with a cute ass rehearsal dinner dress than bowling shoes.

I want to be showered with panties

I hadn't planned on having any bridal showers of any kind because for one my bridesmaids are all scattered about in different places, and for two FI and I didn't register anywhere which makes it kind of hard for people to get you things. Some of my girls are insistent on throwing me a shower of some sort though, and it got me thinking. FI and I have been together for a really long time...over six years now in fact, and I think in that time I've maybe owned three pairs of really nice, sexy, matching lingerie sets. I've just never been one to go out and spend money like that since we're both still students living the college life (aka eating ramen noodles and bumming wireless internet off our neighbors to save money). So I've made up my mind that if someone wants to shower me with something I want it to be panties. And matching bras. I would love to have some different things to take along with me on the honeymoon, and I'm sure FI would appreciate the gesture too ;) I'm really looking forward to the new Pussycat Dolls lingerie collection coming out so maybe I can put that bug in someone's ear. Hmmm....

Musical selections

So FI and I sat down and finally chose the songs that are muy importante to the wedding. We're not exactly a traditional bunch and our musical tastes are random so don't be expecting to see "Canon in D" and "Butterfly Kisses" on the list. We both like a wide array of music from country, rock, oldies, alternative, and top 40 stuff so we wanted to try to incorporate a little of everything in the wedding. Here's what we decided on thus far. It's not set in stone and is subject to change but probably won't because I rather like the selections we've got :)

Grandmothers and wedding party entrance-"Heavenly Day" by Patty Griffin

Processional-"Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World

Recessional-"Warning Sign" by Coldplay (Odd title for a wedding, but it's a beautiful song!)

Reception introduction-"I'm a Believer" by Smashmouth ***UPDATE: FI and I decided we are going to be introduced to "Ain't That A Kick In The Head" by Dean Martin instead***

Father/daughter and mother/son dance- "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts

First dance-"Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones

Cake cutting-"How Sweet It Is" by James Taylor

Garter removal-"Kiss" by Prince

Bouquet toss-"Single Ladies" by Beyonce

Anniversary dance-"Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton

Last dance of the night-"I Could Not Ask For More" by Edwin McCain

DIY projects

I'm going to be undertaking quite a few DIY projects for the wedding for many reasons. Firstly, it's helping me save money. Second, I'll get to custom design everything in the colors and styles I want rather than having to frantically looking around to try to find something I like. And lastly, I think they add a nice personal touch to a wedding and FI and I are going to take pride in knowing we helped make our wedding look that damn good! Here's a few of the projects I have lined up that we're making rather than buying:

• Save-the-Dates
  
• Invitations
  
• Centerpieces
  
• Favor boxes
  
• Photo boards
  
• Tissue pomanders
  
• Unity candle set
  
• Program fans
  
• Framed seating chart
  
• Decorative votives
  
• Table numbers
• Etched memorial vases

I will, of course, post pictures of my various projects after I'm finished with them. This might take a while though seeing as how I'm a total procrastinator and I've been super busy lately. I'm going to try to recruit FI and get motivated here in the next week or so that way I can get a head start on these projects before the big day sneaks up on us!

Gettin' gorgeous

I've made up my mind that I'm going to have to have someone do my makeup for me on my wedding day. I can already imagine how nervous and tightly-wound I'm going to be, and I don't trust myself to make me pretty under those conditions! I have been looking for some ideas as to how I want "my look" to be, but I've ultimately come to the decision that I'm going to give whatever makeup artist I choose free reign over making me over because I want something that looks good on me and not on some celebrity or other person with a completely different face. I figure they know what they're doing since that's their job and can give me a look that's uniquely mine and compliments me. I don't want anything too heavy like a smoky eye look or red lipstick because I just can't pull that off, but I don't want to look completely "natural" either. What's the point of getting your makeup done if it's not going to look like you've got anything on, right? I just want something soft and girly like peachy cheeks and pink lips. I'm considering the airbrush makeup thing, only because my skin tone never truly looks "even" since I have freckles, and I've heard this gives the look of a more smooth complexion. I've also started on a beauty regimen to get me looking good for the big day and the honeymoon where I'll be spending most of my days scantily clad in a bikini with the weather being as hot as it will be. I've started religiously exfoliating with sugar scrub to prepare my skin for the self-tanner stuff I'm going to try out. I'm so fair-skinned that I usually just burn when I go to the tanning bed and with the risk of skin cancer in my family I probably don't need to be going anyway. So I'm going to try the spray tan in a can and keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't turn me Oompa-Loompa orange! I've also been doing my yoga and breaking out the Carmen Electra strip aerobics DVDs just to tone up. I'm not allowed to lose or gain any weight in these next four months because my dress fits me perfect right now!

I want these ties!

There's nothing else to say. I simply must have these. I found them on knottie redshoegirl's bio. The colors are perfect and would work so well on the groomsmen and FI! Unfortunately they are no longer on the Charles Tyrwhitt website. This makes me incredibly sad :( Guess I'll just have to stick with the dotted watermelon ties our tuxedo rental place offers for now, but I will be searching high and low for some like these because I have tie envy really bad!

Trashing the dress

I am so stoked that my man and I will be having a trash-the-dress session after the wedding. It's sort of a new concept to me as none of my friends in my small town had ever heard about it (nor had I until I was educated on The Knot), and my grandma thought I was crazy when she heard I might be getting my dress a bit dirty lol It's a trend that I'm totally on board for though. Our photographer is throwing it in with her regular wedding package since she usually includes a free engagement session but we didn't need that seeing as how we'd already had those pictures made. FI and I are very excited about this because we see it as a chance to get some really fun, relaxed photos. I love the idea of doing a trash-the-dress session because it's unique shots of me with FI. Much more appealing than bridal portraits of just me cheesin' it for the camera by myself. Now of course I'm not going to actually literally trash the dress since I plan on donating it to Brides Against Breast Cancer afterwards, but I still plan on getting it at least a little wrinkled in the process! I'd love to get some pics around downtown Asheville since it's such a colorful and eclectic setting. I'm also hoping we can take a trip to the trainyard just because I think that would make for some very unique photos. And I've seen some wonderful trash-the-dress photos taken in trees too, so I'm not opposed to climbing!

Of all places...

So of all the places I could've found a wedding garter, it just so happens that I found a super cute one at Hot Topic. Total randomness, I know. I was in there with my friend who was shopping for nose rings and happened to stumble upon this turquoise blue garter, completely void of lace just like I wanted and with a cute little bow on it, hanging on the wall right next to the stuffed skeleton animals and bottled neon hair dye. It's a highly unlikely location for a wedding item but hey...I'm not complaining! In fact I'm pleasantly surprised because it was under six bucks and the exact style I was looking for. Just goes to show you should always keep your eyes peeled!

Ceremony decor

I've got a few ideas now for the way I want to decorate where our ceremony will be held. We've got to choose decorations that are minimal and easy to clean up since our ceremony and reception are taking place in the same location. After we say "I do," the room is going to be reconfigured for the dinner reception. I really want to have rose petals lining the aisle on either side because since we're getting married on hardwood floor, we can't have an aisle runner. I'm not the most graceful person and a thin piece of fabric on a freshly waxed wood surface doesn't seem very safe to me. Add heels to the equation and it's just not a good idea! I know if we use the petals on the floor they'll have to be swept out of the way afterwards, but I figure if we use silk petals instead of real ones that won't take too long. Plus in not using real rose petals we won't have to worry about any residue being left over on the floors. I'm also debating using pomanders. I'm a little obsessed with them right now, in fact. I've read up on how to make them with tissue paper and it seems like an easy enough weekend project I could recruit FI for.

Shoe possibilities

The wedding dress I bought is simply gorgeous. It is, however, more ornate than I thought the dress I picked would be since I went into the store looking for something more simple. Because of all the embellishments on the dress and the fact that it is fitted so every step I take my shoes will be peeking out from under the material, I'm not going to be able to pull off the pink shoes I'd wanted to wear. The dress just has a lot of designs on it and the pink shoes absolutely clash and are a bit much with all the beading and draping going on. I don't want my shoes to be competing with my dress and the colored shoes just stand out too much. If it was a poofy dress we wouldn't have this problem! But I'm unwilling to change my dress simply to satisfy my desire to wear pink shoes to my wedding since the gown I picked is absolutely perfect, so it looks like it's back to the drawing board. I'm okay with wearing white shoes as long as they are not particularly 'bridal' looking. I don't want plain, boring shoes since I'm a bit of a shoe whore. The other problem I'm encountering is that the size dress I got fits me perfect...but because I'm so tall the length is only right when I'm wearing below a 2 inch heel. All the shoes I had in mind were at least 3 or 4 inches! FI and I are basically the same height essentially so when I wear heels I'm towering over him a little. But I LOVE wearing high heels all the same and with the shoes he was wearing having a bit of a raised heel and inserts, I figured the height thing wouldn't be a problem. Well now I'm having to find cute shoes with barely any heel and surprisingly, it's quite difficult. I refuse to wear flats so that's not an option here. I found some shoes that would work so I'm making plans to get to a bridal store to try them on. I want something fabulous on my feet even if they don't have a heel and aren't hot pink!

Our for real save-the-dates

I know I posted a blog on here before where I had a picture of our concept for our save-the-date magnets. Well, things change frequently in the world of wedding planning and our save-the-date design is one of them. We went a totally different direction (although still DIY because I think projects made on your own add a nice personal touch) and utilized my mother's help as well as her plethora of scrapbooking supplies and gadgets. It's tri-fold made with brown and pink and orange glittery cardstock. We also used a bit of vellum for the wording in the middle. I think they turned out pretty darn good! My mom deserves praise for working so hard on them :) The bottom portion is actually a magnet and I'm hoping that our guests will realize that they can take them off and put them on the fridge!

Mosquito netting

FI thinks veils look like mosquito nets. If it were up to him, I wouldn't be wearing a veil on our wedding day. But the way I see it, my wedding day is the only day I'll actually be able to pull off a veil...and I'd imagine I wouldn't feel very bridal without one. I'm not wearing a blusher since I think they're a little too old fashioned for my tastes, and it's not like I'd pick some horrible, multi-layered, fru fru nightmare so he can't complain that much. I initially thought I would buy one of those long, plain silk tulle veils because I think they look so elegant. For some reason though (maybe subconsciously to appease FI) I ended up purchasing an elbow-length veil with a beaded edge. It's very pretty but I'm having second thoughts now thinking I should've gotten a longer veil. I hate second guessing decisions...urgh! I was a little upset at my normally frugal self for spending $140 on a veil, but I justified my purchase by reminding myself how perfectly it went with my dress since the beads used on the edges are the same type as the ones on the bodice of my dress. Being matchy is important to someone as OCD as I am, so that realization helped me deal with the shopper's remorse lol Below is a picture of the type of veil I originally pictured myself wearing, and below that one is the actual veil I purchased from David's Bridal.

Va va voom!

So I'm a little disappointed with my funds, or lack thereof, even after my recent raise. Where does all the money go?!! I had planned on getting some boudoir photos done for my wedding gift to FI. It would have really surprised him and I thought it would be fun, so I was getting all excited about it! A friend of mine actually made a calendar for her hubby for their anniversary, and I was going to steal some of her ideas. She looked gorgeous and it was so tastefully done. Her photographer got some great shots and all the pics were themed. For example for the month of December she was in a chair facing away from the camera with nothing but Christmas lights wrapped around her, and then for February she had a heart-shaped box of chocolates placed strategically over her chest. I really wanted some va-va-voom pictures because I knew FI would enjoy them and in a completely vain way I would totally enjoy looking back on pics of me looking hot when I'm old and starting to sag! lol Sadly my B-pic dream probably won't be realized because we're scraping by as is. Maybe I can get some quality photos with a self-timing camera and put together my own album! On second thought...maybe not haha

Seating charts and such

After attending many weddings where tables weren't assigned and having to go through that whole 'first day of school, where do I sit' feeling, I'm a big believer in designating where people should be seated for dinner receptions. I don't agree with the people who say that it's rude to tell people where to sit, because as a guest I ultimately want to feel comfortable and have a good time when I'm at a wedding, and getting stuck at the geriatric table or with a bunch of people I don't know (or even worse getting separated from FI because there's not two seats together at any tables) is not my idea of a good time. I'm not doing assigned seating with the individual names placed at every place setting, but I am going to have table assignments to guarantee that people who should be seated together are sat together and people who don't need to be anywhere near each other (certain members of my extended family!) are seated as far away as possible from one another. I think if I'm smart about placing people who know each other and who have similar interests together at the same tables, the night will be a lot more fun for everyone without all the awkwardness of guests wondering where they should sit. In my opinion seating charts add structure to an otherwise chaotic portion of the reception! Below is an example of the kind of seating chart I'm leaning towards. A framed seating plan seems much less time-consuming and more organized than coming up with cutesy individual escort cards for everyone. I'm going to be DIYing the table numbers using wooden craft numbers, a bit of stain, and brown glitter.