Fresh Look - Take 2

In efforts of getting “Florist” off my to-do list, my focus over the last few weeks have been flowers. I found this today on the knot and it follows that fresh look I was going for a few months ago. Thoughts?

Perfection!

Perfect casual reception inspiration. We've talked about using mason jars and serving sweet tea and spiked lemonade as our signature drinks.

If you know me...then you'll also note that I adore the napkins in this photo.

Again - totally perfect.

Ceremony Music Idea

Just an idea of a song to walk down the aisle to on the big day. Thoughts?

On the search...

I found out this month that the church does not allow flowers as pew markers for weddings. Why? The pews are apparently some of the oldest in the state.

Of course they are...how silly of me to want flowers.

Now, in attempts to exit the bitter bus, I'm on to plan “B” and now I'm searching for little metal lanterns. My goal is to create this look below:

(Don't you just love the dad's face?)

Simple and pretty – just the way I like it. Now all I need to do is fine them…24 of them.

Picture Credits: Wedding Style,Wedding Bee

Inspiration....

This vision in my head of our wedding is one of those AMC movies...classic and beautiful. Tonight, I thought during all my Olympics watching that I would multi-task and create an inspiration board that will help me keep my vision on track.

My mother's veil reminds me a lot of the women pictured...not boring, not old...but tasteful and romantic.

A "green" favor idea....

A cute idea for all of those March/April brides out there that want to be eco-chic. I do think the wine glasses are a nice touch. Just a thought...

Photo credit: Plant a Memory

A great wedding movie....

Congrats to Andrea and Mark!

A HUGE Congrats to Andrea and Mark on their great news!

Jan 17, 2009 can't come soon enough!

High on Life

Here's a way to be a tad different....

I got an “F” in wedding registry class.

Today, my fiancé and I decided to jet to the mall in order to create our first wedding registry together. Now, I realize the rule of thumb is to create it six months out but we thought with the upcoming engagement party, that maybe we should just have one or two in case people asked.

Over the last four months, we’ve kept a wish list of ideas of things that we need like a rolling pin, a mixer, and banana holder. The list is not very long, just a sheet on the fridge that contained 9 or so items. At least, we thought, we had a game plan so we weren’t floundering around in a store.

So there we are, with list in hand and scanner (or the “gun” as the boys like to call it), combing over one my favorite kitchen stores looking at mixers, cookware and other elaborate kitchen gadgets that I didn’t realized existed. A mango pitter to asparagus peeler, we laughed our way through the store for an hour an a half.


Happy with our selection, we turned our “gun” back to the store clerk who pulled up our list of items. Her face went from joyful to one of concern. “How many people are you inviting?” she asked.


My fiancé and I sheepishly said some number.


“Well you’re going to need more gifts than this!” she declared before lecturing us for the next ten minutes on how many gifts your register for (at least one per guest to give options), how many stores you register at (two or three…again with the options) and most importantly – you should pick items that will make your guest FEEL GOOD about buying it for you.


What???


Now granted, she was right in some aspects. We did need more items than the now pitiful 18 things we lovingly picked out but in our defense, we were just getting started. And it was my fault that we had a short list. I stopped our world tour of the kitchen store because I had a feeling that came over me that I could not shake. It wasn’t until the moment with "teacher" Janice that I pinpointed my mood.


The feeling was guilt.


And now, finding out that we were ignorant in the "registering for gifts" department did not help me feel any better. I left the store ashamed and turned to my beloved to ask – “Did we just get an F in gift registry?”


He assured me that we apparently had by retail standards.


I can tell that this process of the wedding planning will be an uphill battle for me. Some of my friends have enjoyed the gift side of the wedding process. While that’s nice for them, it is not how I operate. For instance, at the beginning of our engagement, I asked if our alcohol budget could be donated to the local boys’ home instead resulting in a dry wedding.


My idea was denied by family and friends.


Needless to say…my fiancé and I will try again, thinking of gifts that someone may want to give us while feeling warm and fuzzy about their purchase. I ask for your forgiveness in advance if they’re slightly dull (cookie sheet) or practical (measuring cups) and know that our “splurges” (mixer) but silly items (fish lifter – the one item that I will buy if no one buys this for us) does have a great deal of thought placed into it’s spot on our registry.


I guess I’m more of a practical bride than I thought.

Wedding Verse of the Day - Part II

Wedding Verse of the Day


1 Peter 4:8:
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.



Only 296 days to go!

Bridesmaid Dress - Option 1

Photo Credit: Watters

This dress but in Pacific and Sky. Thoughts?

What makes my day?

As I try to juggle several balls in the air - work, teaching, volunteer work, trying to be a good daughter-sister-friend-fiancé, I find that it is the small things that give me the most joy in the day.

The first moment was having the opportunity to watch the sun rise and enjoying the pre-humid southern air of a morning walk. Second, taking a moment to have lunch at home in peace and quiet and knocking things off the domestic to-do list (i.e. mountain of laundry, sink with dishes, getting the mail). Third, having a surprise visit by my fiancé who was so excited about his new marketing campaign that I got to be one of the first few to see it – totally made my day.

Sometimes, I burn my candle at both ends with the amount of multi-tasking that I get myself into. Take last night, left work at 9:40 p.m. and tried to eat dinner and chat on the phone with one of my bridesmaids as I hurried to another task on my to-do list. And all it takes is for my fiancé to laugh, hug me and tell me that it’s all going to be O.K. In that hurried, hair-on-fire state of life, it takes the moments of a day like today to make me stop and literally smell the roses.

Photo Credits: Brother Jones Artwork

My kid sister's...

engagement announcement was in this week's "Celebrations" section in the paper. So proud! Here's a few shots of their engagment session this past June.

Only two moths and three weeks until the big day!

Only....

300 days away from the big day....or 7,200 hours....or 432,000 minutes....or 25,920,000 seconds. Not like I'm counting or anything.

Even the New York Times agrees...

After my past R.S.V.P. rant a few days ago, I wondered if I was a tad off base with my thoughts of how tacky people can be when they don't reply "yes" or "no" to your invitation.


When I came across the New York Times article "Blame the Messager", I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in all of this.




Photo Credit: Sesame Letterpress