08.29.08

One year ago (on Saturday) Andy proposed.
It was a complete surprise - which is hard to do since I'm a nosy busy-body - and I love that he included Lebowski in the proposal!

Happy Engage-aversary, Andy!

Love you!

change is sweet!

Today I received a somewhat ominous email from my wedding coordinator stating that they are no longer working with the bakery I had originally contracted to do my wedding cake. She offered to have the old version of the cake made by the new bakery, but when she sent me a photo of the new cake I was sold!

OLD!

NEW CAKE = LOVE
I have no idea what flavor it is or if we get to choose, but isn't this cake about ten times classier? I love it!

groom gift found!!

I'm doing the happy dance!

I've found the perfect gift.

It's very untraditional, but nevertheless, completely perfect for my man and it's on hold, with my name on it, at an amazing price. Now I just have to devise a plan to go pick it up without being noticed!

I wish I could share with you what it is, but if you are dying to know I can privately share my find with you... it would be perfect for the man in your life for a birthday or Christmas gift.

What a crazy week, miraculously, everything is finally coming together!

45 days to go...

Whew, what a difference 24 hours makes, right? Thank you all for your words of encouragement. Many deep breaths were taken, a couple miles ran and possibly an extra 15 minutes were tacked on to my lunch hour so I could treat myself to Jamba Juice.

I know Andy heard the panic in my voice when he called yesterday so I was thrilled to be forwarded several confirmation emails from him yesterday afternoon. We now have a rental car and he found out the requirements for getting married in Georgia (yay, no blood tests needed!). He went to Banana Republic to try on the suit he liked online, but it wasn't for sale in that location. Apparently the reception playlist is going to be all Slayer songs so that's finished ;) and he's debating whether or not to wear Van's slip-ons for the ceremony. Isn't it amazing what a little panic and tears can do?

On my end of things, the florist sent me a quote and it's pretty reasonable! I emailed her back for photos or more detailed descriptions of the bouquets and boutonnieres since I won't be able to see them beforehand. I dropped a sample RSVP postcard in yesterday's mail. Hopefully we'll get it today and assess the dammage. If it's shredding we'll need to order RSVP-sized envelopes and then send out the invites - fingers crossed the little guy makes it in one piece. I hit up 2 DSW's yesterday - no luck with navy shoes - in my size. Considering dying the shoes I already have... we'll see. One of the cupcake toppers arrived - it's a little worn, but not bad for being 26 years old (hint!). In regards to my missing banquet order, Andy's mom hasn't received hers either so there must be an island-wide vacation going on down there! Oh, yeah, did I mention I'm planning Andy's bachelor party since boys are too silly to figure these things out?!

Pleasant surpise - our rings came in today! We'll have to head back to town for the tasting and to pick up my dress soon anyway - three birds, one stone.

it's time

for another meltdown, because it's been a while.

I'm completely freakin' the eff out because I have a huge list of things I need to do, I need the fiance to do and my vendors aren't getting back to me (I'm waiting 3 business days before I start stalking...) And in my opinion, this is as good of place as any to vent.

In order to calm down, maybe I should outline SOME of my to do's:
ME:
-Florist - W(here)TF is my quote?
-Banquet order - approved?!
-Resolve RSVP postcard issue
-Mail invitations this week (weigh for postage)
-Hair/makeup trials
-FIND BLUE SHOES?
-Book tasting for IL menu

FIANCE
-Book honeymoon hotel
-Book car rental
-Book hotel for wedding celebration
-Call Courthouse for license guidelines
-Try on suit
-Decide on shoes
-Tell groomsmen what to wear
-Decide on groomsmen/ring bearer gifts
-Create iTunes playlist for wedding reception

BOTH
-Decide on ring engraving, if yes, what?
-Plan ceremony

Nope, didn't help.

the vest is yet to come!

Good morning, my lovelies! I trust you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was a mix of productivity and sloth. I completed my mossy DIY project and made hummus for the first time (feel free to suggest recipes). I won my cupcake toppers and walked to the gym and best of all, Andy found a suit to try on!

Now that we've joined a gym, I think he is ready to begin trying on suits - in addition to my constant reminders via shared Reader posts. Thanks to weddingbee, I'm pretty sure this post is what inspired his look: grey 3 pc suit (sans coat if >75º) + chuck taylors.

Here's a taste of that post:

Andy's suit Now the dilemma is deciding what to tell the two groomsmen to wear. Andy doesn't want them to match him, so we'll need to email similar (and less expensive) suit suggestions.

Also, in order to complete the look he'll need to find out the men's shoe sizes and get the Chuck Taylors as groomsmen's gifts or expect the guys to order the right shoe on their own... but c'mon we're dealing with guys here so most of this going to fall on me!

one of those days, when your brain works...

I just found THE perfect cake topper on ebay! It's perfect for both the cake (SSI) and cupcakes (IL) plus it's a nod to my groom (since we're not having a groom's cake).
He can add it to his shelf of collectables post-wedding(s) so it's win-win-win. Now I just have to *win* that sucka. Wow, that's a lot of parenthesis...

{HINT}
Also, I put in our menu/banquet order for the St. Simons portion of the wedding. Just waiting to see if our substitutions are approved.

Shower (re)Cap

Saturday was my bridal shower! The food and music were wonderful, a HUGE thanks to Melissa & Megan (and your families)! We played the *perfect* amount of shower games and noshed on lavender cookies, cucumber sandwiches, sweets, and punch while opening gifts. I'm so happy that I was able to spend the day with women that mean so much to me.

With the stress of work and wedding planning, I've given in to ordering take-out and pizza, but the food and gifts from Saturday have inspired me to get back into the kitchen! I look forward to trying new recipes from the cookbooks we got and now that I have the right kitchen tools I have a boost of confidence! Plus, while I'm microplaning in the kitchen, I can listen to my MoH's iMix "bridal shower for a really cool bride" now published on iTunes!

Photo recap - please email me if you want me to protect your identity.
Here are the girls:
and the food:
Melissa explaining the rules of the clothespin game: the rehearsal bouquet, by Michelle: my new family members: finally, the obligatory "crazy" photo: Love you!

invitations are on the way... to my house.

My invitation components are shipping today... that means this weekend will be extrememly coffee, crafty and wedding-filled. I'm just grateful I have no weekend plans. I'm still uncertain about the stamps: post office vs. personalized. We'll have to wait to order until the entire suite is assembled and weighed, but I'm leaning towards personalized stamps like these from zazzle.com:
At the same time, it's a frickin' stamp and it's going to be tossed in the trash after 5 seconds.

happy wednesday!

what's going on?

Making : moss-covered initials for the wedding celebration
Cooking : instant maple oatmeal
Drinking : caribou blend k-cup
Reading: The Time Travelers Wife (on mp3)
Wanting: to sleep in or more hours in the day
Looking: at wedding invitation proofs
Playing: Manchester Orchestra
Wasting: time on reader
Sewing: repairing a hem
Wishing: I had just 1 day to get caught up on things
Enjoying: chocolates from the shower this “autumn in august” morning
Waiting: for opportunity to come knocking
Liking: this idea for a guest book
Wondering: if Andy’s feeling better and where is my photog contract?
Loving: life despite the obstacles
Hoping: to get to the gym tonight
Marveling: at how quickly my credit card accumulates charges
Needing: to send shower thank you’s and get groceries
Smelling: hand sanitizer
Wearing: clothes that are dry clean only, but I machine wash
Following: the 2009 hurricane predictions
Noticing: I have 51 days until we leave to get married.
Knowing: I must send the wedding invitations this week.
Thinking: I’m blessed.
Feeling: loved – had a wonderful family and friend-filled weekend
Bookmarking: oh, hello friend.
Opening: shower presents, but only if the thank you’s are complete
Giggling: at an “Intervention” Intervention

from here

wedding shower recap on the way...

... stay tuned!

children's activity books

When Heather posted her children's wedding activity books back in March, I knew I wanted to copy it. Yesterday's lunch was well spent putting together a 4-pager for the kiddos. The design is complete, I just need to print them at home and bind them together! It includes a connect-the-dots, word search, maze, coloring page and a spot for them to draw us a picture or write a note. I've got the crayons and can't wait to see how it goes!

please excuse the horribly blurry pic - I'll post the final project later.

2 months minus 2 days

I've finally put together my inspiration board. It's not perfect and will continue to evolve, but the concept and colors are there.

What do you think?

the rings!

I'll be honest, planning a destination wedding has been a challenge. Not getting to see the reception room, meeting the wedding planner or florist or photographer in person, has required a leap of faith. Now I am getting into the fun "local" stuff. depending on your definition of fun

Andy and I picked out our wedding bands this weekend and we did some homework beforehand.
Andy's inspiration (for reals):

and I want to incorporate sapphires (our birthstone):

I can't wait to show you what we ended up picking... at the wedding!

another exciting weekend ahead!

It's been a crazy week! Last week was filled with the ending of the Twilight saga (back to the real world) and planning our big Engagement Party - from what I remember it was a success - I must try harder to stay in the moment!

We are going back home tomorrow to meet with my pastor to take a relationship assessment, do a cupcake tasting, buy wedding bands and I have my final dress fitting. It's alot to pack into one day, I just hope Andy can handle it!

I still haven't decided which shoes I'm going to wear, although I'm locked into a 2 1/2" heel since the hem on my dress is insane. Sorry Wishna!! Here's what I have in my possession right now:

typical boring silver sandals - at least they're comfy

these look really "old lady" on my feet:

and these are soo cute but probably an inch too tall... I haven't tried them on with the dress yet (or next to Andy):

On a slightly-related note...
love her hair, love his suit:
from here

i love lamp

I am seriously considering buying this orange lamp. I think it would probably fit well in both our living room and on the set of Anchorman.

from here