2 months and counting

Holy crap. As of today we are 2 months out from the big day!! How CRAZY is that?! I feel like I still have 10 million things to do. YIKES. But I am making progress. I actually took off work Friday to run a whole bunch of wedding errands. That helped, although I didn't quite get to mark everything off my list. I guess I overestimated how much time is in a day. :)

The main task at hand this week is INVITATIONS. They should come in today, and then it's up to Jess and I to address, stuff, stamp, and seal the deal on those bad boys!

I also have several DIY projects going that I need to finish up this week and next...still haven't finished the FG baskets, and now I decided to DIY the programs as well. Oh and I also bought a basket to hold the programs that I need to spray paint and jazz up. :)

So as you can see, things are coming along. I have all of the decor for the ceremony, aside from what the florist is doing, and almost everything for the centerpieces. Just need to order some flower petals and hunt down a few more vases. Other than that I think I have all the decor pretty well lined out.

I had my first dress fitting on Saturday...it went great! (meaning yes, the dress still fits! :) I will be going back in a couple weeks for a second fitting, and to see the veil she is making me - oh, I guess I should mention, the veil I got from eBay is white. My dress is ivory. Once I put it on it was pretty obvious, so we decided to ditch that. Barb (The Lady Who Makes Dresses) is awesome, and is going to whip up a veil for me in ivory. I really need to work on finding my jewelry now.

It's really exciting to see so many things crossed off of my master to-do list I made back in February, but don't worry there is still PLENTY to do. So let the countdown begin...2 months to go!!

If the shoe fits...

...wear it at your wedding!! :)

So the shoes I bought off eBay arrived last week.........and.........THEY FIT! And I love them! Woo hoo! The shoe search is FINALLY over!! Here is a not-so-good picture of them on my feet...

They are so cute! And actually comfy too! I'm considering jazzing them up a bit, but not sure yet if I will. I bought two sets of buttons at JoAnn's over the weekend, if I can figure out a good way to attach them they just might work! If I end up having any luck, I'll be sure to post pictures. ;)

Oh, and as promised, here is a picture of the giant bubble of a package I received last week!

How funny is that?! The vases inside are a bit smaller than the ones I have now...

(the one on the right is the one I had, and on the left is the new one...)

But I think I will just make them work. I don't really care to attempt to re-create that bubble for shipping purposes. :)

Well, I got a thing or two knocked off the list this past week, but not nearly enough. Let's hope this week is a super-productive one!! I'm hoping to order the invites this week or next, can't wait to get that weight lifted off my shoulders!!

Impulse Buy

So these may not end up being "the ones" but I found these shoes on eBay (ok, actually a realie found them for me...) and fell in love. Not to mention they were CHEAP. Like Mama T. cheap. So I caved and bought them. There is a good chance they will be too small (they are a 7.5, I usually wear an 8) or that I won't love them as much in person, but oh well!

As of right now I'm in love, and for the time being THESE are my wedding shoes:

Aren't they FAB?! I may have to add some bling to them, but I guess I should see if they fit first once they come in. :)

In other news, Matt booked us a hotel for the wedding night yesterday, YAY! We'll be staying on the Plaza, at the Sheraton. I know, the Plaza is nowhere near Paola, but we thought it was a good choice for a couple reasons- 1: we want a limo/towncar/something to wisk us away after the reception, and why pay them for an hour if they only had to drive us 5 min to the Best Western? 2: we aren't leaving for the honeymoon until Monday. So now, we can go to lunch and spend some quality hubby and wifey time together at the Plaza on Sunday. 3: I don't have any more reasons, but I'm excited either way! Next on the list is figuring out the transportation that will get us there. :)

Making (some) progress...

Well well. It's been a while since I've given an update hasn't it... (other than my bridezilla freak out moment from last week :) I can't say I have a whole lot to update on, but I'll give ya what I got...

Matt's Ring

We looked at Helzberg over the weekend, and Matt picked out one that he liked. It is made of Tungsten, which we're told is scratch resistant and very durable (a MUST for him). I couldn't find a picture of his exact choice, but this is pretty close:

It's very simple, but i like it!

Centerpieces

I still haven't received all of my vases and votive holders, but thought I'd post the pics from the website since I never did that.

There are 12 of these bad boys on the way (which will hopefully match the 4 that I currently have...) coming from this website

And 72 (yes SEVENTY TWO) of these. coming from this website.

Inspiration

I will soon be receiving an awesome Inspiration Board from The Blissful Bride, and this is the preview of my color palate that she sent:

Not that you didn't know what my colors were (I know, I'm slightly obsessed...) but I thought it was a good teaser :) I can't wait to see what she creates!

Flower Girls

Baskets- still in the works. I am almost done spray painting them, they just need one final coat. It started raining when I was doing them, so I couldn't finish. After that I'll just need to dig out my hot-glue gun and put the finishing touches on them. I'll be sure to post pics when I (finally) get them done!

Dresses- I got a call from Jen last week...the dresses are in! I'm anxiously awaiting pictures of the girls trying them on. Once I have them you bet I'll post!

Passports

On the way!! I took Friday afternoon off so that Matt and I could get our pictures done and turn in our applications at the post office (which only does passports until 3pm...crazy isn't it?!). Now we just have to wait for either a call saying we did something wrong :) or the real thing in our mailbox! The guy at the post office said they're currently only taking 2-3 weeks, so shouldn't be long!

Shoes

:( Nothing to report. Matt is the trooper of all fiances and went shoe shopping with me on Friday, but we left empty handed. I'm running out of places to look. Who knew that a hot pink glamorous shoe with a 2" or less heal would be so hard to find?! I'm not giving up just yet though...

Hair

I made our appointments for the wedding day! EEK! And I have a trial on July 8th. another EEK!

Whew. Seems like a lot, but the to-do list is still way too long for my liking. I haven't quite finished up March's items, but hopefully this week I will. Then I'll have a whole 4 days to get April's stuff done! YIKES. Time is flying. As of Saturday, we are 3 MONTHS AWAY. That seems like nothing! It has always seemed so far away until now... it's right around the corner! I'm super excited and totally freaked out all at the same time. I think that's how I'm supposed to feel though...right?!?!

Stay tuned, hopefully lots of updates this week!

And the winner is...

First of all, I have to say- I have the awesomest bridesmaids EVER. No really. These girls are fantastic. Especially when it comes to shopping. :) As I mentioned, we met at DSW yesterday so they could all pick out their shoes. I told them they could choose whichever pair of shoes they like, just as long as they are brown. They all wanted me to go shopping with them, just to be sure I approved of their choices. Fine by me, I'll never turn down a chance to go shoe shopping! Anyway, after we got there and chit chatted for a bit, we started the search. I'm telling you, not 5 minutes later, all the girls are huddled around one pair of shoes, each one of them has it on, and they all look at eachother and agree "this is the one!" I couldn't believe it!! One store, about 10 minutes, and they all come out with the same pair of shoes which was available in all the right sizes, and not too expensive! SWEET! So here is their choice...









Only imagine it in brown. (or if your reeeally curious, click here to see it on the website in brown :)


Now that all the girls have their shoes picked out, I am feeling even more pressure to find mine. I actually bought a pair from Target yesterday...

I was absolutely in love with these...that is until I got them home and tried them on. Not only are they super-uncomfortable, but they make me a good 3 inches. if not more, taller than Matt. That's not exactly the look I was going for.


But seriously, aren't they fabulous? They're coral! And super cute! And they were only 30 bucks! But the stupid heel is too tall. Bummer. I guess the search shall continue...


P.S. Happy Easter!!
(check out some Easter-themed photos on my photography blog...click here)

Shoe Inspiration

The bridesmaid dresses came at the PERFECT time, because we have a shoe-shopping trip planned for tomorrow! In light of that, I decided to check out DSW's Website for some inspiration... I am letting the girls each pick out their own shoes, the only requirement is that they're brown... Just thought it would be fun to post some shoes that I would pick, and we'll see what the girls actually come home with tomorrow. :D

I realize that these aren't all brown, but according to the website they all come in brown. So what do you think?? I think any of these would look great with the long dresses... we'll see if the bridesmaids agree with me!!

SURPRISE!!!!

What an awesome surpise I got tonight. It's about 4:30, I just got home from work, and there's a knock at the door. Matt answers it, and it's the UPS guy. I knew it was for me, and I knew it was wedding related, but I really had no idea what it was. Then I saw the box, and I REALLY had no idea what it was. The only 2 things I can think of that are on the way are vases (12 of them, at 14" tall a piece) and the bridesmaid dresses (although they are set to ship on April 27). The box looked way too small to be either one of those, so I was really puzzeled. It was like Christmas! Opening this box, no idea what's inside, but knowing it's for me... and what was inside...

THE BRIDESMAID DRESSES!!

Holy crap! Almost an entire month early! I was jumping up and down I was so excited. Matt didn't understand. (Men. They just don't get it.) So I immediately started taking them all out, and admiring their amazingness. And then I tried one on. I know, I know, not my dress, I'm not even the one who will be wearing it in the wedding, but what's a girl supposed to do when 6 (yes SIX) dresses are sitting in her living room! Duh! Try one on! So sorry to the bridesmaid who is closest in size to me...your dress has been tried on. Deal with it. :) I put it back on the hanger and in it's plastic just like it was, so you'll never know.

Now for some pictures!!

Close up of the detail on the waistline...

Aren't they FABULOUS!! I am in love. Even more so than when we picked them out. Good choice girls :D

DIY Garter

Ok, so I can't really call this a "DIY" project, as I personally did not do it. But my awesome Aunt Terri did, so it's still home made. In my last post I mentioned that I got 2 garters at JoAnn's last weekend, only $3 each. Well, I gave one over to Aunt Terri, and she made it FABULOUS! I was *this close* to ordering one online a while back, and it would have cost me $15. And it was nowhere near as cute as this one!!

Here is the "before". This is the plain one, how they both came, and will be used for my "toss" garter.

Pretty cute for $3, but of course the one to keep needed to be spiced up a little, and my wedding colors needed to find their way in! So a little brown lace and some coral ribbon, and voila!

She even added the little charm that says "Love" on it. HOW CUTE IS THAT?!

And here are a couple pictures of the 2 together. Just imagine them on my leg...actually don't... :)

Ah, it's so wonderful to have crafty people in my family... My next DIY project (that really is DIY because I will be the one doing it ;) is the flower girl baskets. Unfortunately it's snowing outside right now, so not exactly the best conditions for spray painting. Hopefully the weather will be better next weekend and I can get going on those. I am also expecting a package in the mail very soon with my napkins inside!! I can't wait to see them!! Of course I'll post pics when they come. I also hope to book our honeymoon SOME DAY and once that's done I'll post an update as well. So stay tuned!

P.S. I'm getting ready to update my Photography blog...go check it out! (click here)

The tux dilemma...

...HAS BEEN SOLVED!! FINALLY

On Saturday, Matt, Mom and I went down to Mia's (which is where we tried on our lovely BM dresses) and picked out tuxes! YAY!! Their tuxes come through Jim's FormalWear, but either way this experience was WAY better than Men's Warehouse. Like 100% better. First of all, I had a FEMALE to help me figure out what the heck I wanted (not being sexist here, but honestly...can some dude really understand the complexities of an indecisive bride who has OCD issues?? It's just not physically possible.) I wish I remembered her name, because she was awesome. She gave us great suggestions, and made our decision so easy.

So...the big question...what the heck did we pick???

drumroll please...

We chose tan tuxes (yes, they are technically tuxes, although they are also technically suits...don't ask...) with a chocolate brown vest and tie. Matt will wear the same thing, but with an ivory vest and tie instead.

I'm going to post pictures, but you will have to work with me here. I cannot for the life of me find a picture of the dang thing all put together...so we will be using our imaginations today, ok? Great. Here we go...

This is the tux itself, the tan part. Ignore the fact that the guy in the picture is only wearing a tie. Also ignore the fact that this couple is so disgustingly beautiful, and that they are walking along the beach. We will not be doing so (obviously...).

This one will give you an idea of what the vest and tie will look like. Ignore the black tux, as you know ours will be tan. Also ignore the fact that the tie and vest don't appear to match - I promise that the ones we picked match. Quite well. And the brown matches the BM dresses pretty close as well. You know I was sitting there comparing fabric swatches before making any decisions...

So anyway, using your imagination (sorry I don't have photoshop otherwise I could put this all together for you), picture the tan tux (I know it looks like a suit but it makes me feel better to call it a tux...just go with it...) with the brown vest and tie, and Matt's happy a$$ modeling it. There you have it! I don't have enough time to do all that over again for the ivory...you'll just have to use your imagination some more. :)

I know that I have gone against *almost* every one's advice in choosing tan, but I really don't care. (Not that I don't value your opinion, just that my OCD issues overpowers anything :) Matt liked the tan, I like the tan, Mom likes the tan... that's enough for me! So what if we aren't having an outdoor, destination or afternoon wedding... too bad! I just couldn't handle the thought of black tuxes with brown vests, ties and dresses. I know people have done it, and I know it looked just fine and dandy, but for our wedding - not happenin. Ok, enough justifying my decision. After all, it is MY day, so what I say goes! Right?! :)

PS if you happen to be a wife or significant other of one of the men in our wedding party, kindly drag their butt into Mia's whenever it is convenient and get them measured. Matt is *supposed* to call all of the guys to tell them, but, well, you know how that goes. Email me and we can talk $$. Smooches!

On a happier note...

I am still super bummed about the calligraphy class, but feeling a little better after seeing these AMAZING shoes...Oh. My. Gosh. I HAVE TO HAVE THESE. Aren't they fabulous?!?! I am now even more motivated to drag Matt to the formalwear store to look at suits, because said formalwear store just happens to be next door to Mia's Bridal, where they just happen to carry these beauties. :) If I end up with these puppies you better believe I will dye them an amazingly bright color (either coral or hot pink...which one do you think??).

Oh how I love shoes.........

I just bought a veil!!!!

My very first eBay purchase. Ever. Wow, what a rush! :)

I found this bad boy while searching on eBay the other day (ok, I was actually looking for a cake topper and FG baskets, but what's the difference, right?!). I was too scared to buy it right away, I am deathly afraid of impulse-buys. So I added it to my "watched" items, and went back and looked at it a million times. This had the "buy it now" option, so I didn't have to deal with the stress of out-bidding someone - and that was nice. So anyway, on to the exciting part, here it is!!

Do you like it?? From the picture, I love it. When I went to try on my dress the last time, I also tried on veils, but didn't find any that I liked. This is honestly the first veil I've seen that I like. I don't know why I'm so picky about veils, but what can ya do. I think the satin edges will go PERFECTLY with my dress, just as long as the color matches. And ok, I'll admit, I don't really know if it will. The dress is technically ivory, and the veil is technically white, but to me the dress looked white so I'm hoping that it will all just blend together in the end. :D I have 7 days to return it once I get it, so that makes me feel a little better. Oh, and did I mention, I only paid $26 (INCLUDING SHIPPING) for this puppy?! Heck yeah, I'm all about the deals these days ;)

Stay tuned, because in about an hour I will be in a bid war with someone on eBay for the most awesome cake topper EVER. I don't know how I'm going to get any work done today...

Crisis Avoided

Well. That was a close one. Upon my initial discovery of the "lie" we were told by the sales-associate at Mia's regarding the color availability of our bridesmaid dresses, I was in complete panic mode. I have since calmed down, and with the help of my beautiful bridesmaids made a decision.

Drum roll please...

We have decided to go with all brown dresses. It was an (almost) unanimous decision - and certainly one we are all happy with. I tried to find a picture of the dress with the white bands shown in brown, but was unsuccessful. I then tried to edit the picture I do have, and color in those stripes brown - and was even more unsuccessful. So, this post will just have to remain pictureless. Use your imagination. :)

So, you can all relax now...I know you were loosing sleep over this one. ;) All I have to do now is collect measurements and moolah and then we can order these puppies! I can't wait to see them in person!

Also in the works: the flower girls' dress decision! Jen took the girls shopping over the weekend, and sent me pics of my adorable flower girls. Now I just have to decide which one and what color to go with...but be on the lookout for another post with some cu-tee-pies coming soon!!

Panic Attack!!!!!!

So last night, I was being a good wedding planner, and doing some research online to find our bridesmaid dresses. I was of course looking for the cheapest price, and trying to get a decision made since I was advised to order them by the end of January (yes, I realize that is SATURDAY!). Well, in doing this research I made a terrible discovery. The associates at Mia's Bridal LIED TO US!! (GASP) Can you believe it!?

If you don't recall, this is the dress that we picked out for the Bridesmaids...

And we planned to do the chocolate brown (as shown) with the 2 bands (shown in ivory) in Coral. NOT GONNA HAPPEN! After reading more about the dress on the designer's website, (which yes I probably should have done a long time ago) I discovered that these bands are only available in Ivory, or the color of the dress... WHAT?! So. Not. Cool. So now I am unsure of what to do. I've emailed the bridesmaids (hurry up and write me back girls!) and am polling the realies (they always have good advice) because Lord knows I cannot make this decision on my own!!!!!! Our options now are 1) order the dress in all Chocolate Brown; 2) order the dress in Brown with Ivory bands; or 3) go shopping again for a different dress. Gah! Decisions, Decisions! Hopefully we can get this one made asap, and get these puppies ordered! It's been on the to-do list for waaaay to long...........

Flower Girl Dresses

Well, now that we have our Bridesmaid dresses picked out, it's time to start thinking about flower girl dresses...

I was talking to Jennifer the other day (my cousin, and the mom of my adorable flower girls) and we both looked online at Mori Lee's website and go figure we both picked the same dress! It goes with the bridesmaid dresses PERFECTLY.


How cute is this?! And it has the band that is a perfect match to the bridesmaid dresses. This is the online version of coral, but let's hope the real thing isn't quite so orangy :)

Can't you just picture these cutie pies in this dress?!?
nu=3285>9<9>:45>WSNRCG=3238:9:::5876nu0mrj.jpg">
(That's Reagan on the left, and Sarah on the right)

Jen is planning to take the girls to try it on some time after the holidays, and I can't wait to see pictures! I know they will be absolutely ADORABLE!

Dress shopping round 2...we have a winner!!

I just got back from a fun filled afternoon of dress shopping with my bridesmaids. We went to Mia's Bridal in Olathe, and it was a great experience! They were very helpful, and we came away with some great dress choices! Believe it or not, I have changed my mind (yet again...) and now all of the Bridesmaids are going to wear the same dress. Jessica, the Maid of Honor, will wear a different dress, but it coordinates with the others well.

So...without further ado...PICTURES!

The dresses are both by Mori Lee, and here are the pictures of them from their website:

Bridesmaid Dresses

Maid of Honor's Dress


The BMs dresses will be in the chocolate like its shown, but the part that's white in the picture will be coral. And the MOH dress will be all chocolate. ( I realize that in the picture here they look like completely different shades of brown, but I looked at swatches and the Chocolate is almost identical for both dresses :) )

And now pictures of my beautiful girls in their dresses!!
Jessica~Maid of Honor

A close up of the detail on Jessica's dress (ignore the silly face she's making...)


Ashley~Bridesmaid

Yet another silly face...I think we had too much fun today!!

Caitlin~Bridesmaid



Shelley~Bridesmaid


Detail of BM dresses (as modeled by Shelley...)



And last, to see what they look like together, a pic of Jessica and Ashley (clamped, zipped, and lookin HAWT!):



YAY! We made a decision! Finally. :) We haven't ordered them yet, I am now on the hunt for these dresses online so I can get them cheaper.


Jessie and Elaine, hope you guys like this dress!! hehe. But really, it was very flattering on everyone, so I'm sure you'll both look great in it.


I can't wait to actually order them! One more thing off the list... now I have to decide what the guys are going to wear. Ugh. It never ends...

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

This afternoon, my 4 in-town bridesmaids and I went to Bridal Extraordinaire to go dress shopping. I'm so proud of my girls, in just one hour they all picked out a favorite! We haven't made any purchases yet, but here are all of the favorites so far...

The picture on the left is from the designer's website, and the picture on the right is the actual dress they tried on- of course the pictures don't do justice to how gorgeous the girls looked!

Jessica (Maid of Honor)
Dress by Saison Blanche


Ashley (Bridesmaid)
Dress by Bill Levkoff

Shelley (Bridesmaid)

Dress by Landa Designs

Caitlin (Bridesmaid)

Dress by Saison Blanche

All of the dresses will of course be in a Chocolate Brown color, and we will find some sort of Coral accent to go with each one.

And in case you need a reminder...click here to see the post that shows the dress Jessie picked out.

Elaine, you're the last one...can't wait until you come in town so we can go shopping too!! :)