A prezzie to help you find your seat!

Guests at our wedding are in for a few treats! There's the welcome bag, the escort card, the wrapped chocolate at their seat...

Yes, that's right. I said the escort card is a present. How so, you ask? Well, FMIL was dying to have these cute little wine corks be our favor:
(source)
Adorable, yes. But really, if this were the favor at a wedding I was attending, would Ryan and I really both need one? No. So then you can place them between every plate on the table, which would imply that it's one per couple... but what happens when I seat two couples and four singles at a table? Way too much math for me. Plus, my own mom was in love with full-size silver wrapped chocolate bars, and I can't say I blame her. I mean, the wrapper proclaims our new last name in large script. Plus, Ryan and I are big chocolate lovers and don't usually call it a day until we've hard a least a nibble of the dark stuff, so the chocolate bars fit us well. And leaving one at each plate just made sense. So my mom ordered those for us, but that still left me with the dilemma of the wine corks. FMIL really, really wanted us to have them, and while I admit they did fit our color scheme and leaf was adorable, I just didn't think we had any place to put them.

I was, of course, very wrong and found the perfect use for them!! I was undecided how I was going to arrange the escort cards for a few reasons. The main reason was that while I like the look of little folded tents all in a row, that just wasn't going to be practical for us because the ceremony and cocktail hour need to happen in the same room and there's only about 20 minutes in between each event to flip the room. That means the escort cards have to be on a table behind the ballroom doors all set up and ready to be brought out into the atrium directly after the ceremony. In theory, the little cards would be all set up and two hotel people would veeery carefully move the table so that none of the little tents fall over. In reality, I am way too anal to leave that up to chance. So I tossed around a few ideas (none of them very good) and then it hit me:

Use the wine corks as escort cards! That way each single person gets one and each couple only gets one (as both of their names will be on the same escort card). Brilliant! Then I can just pile up the boxes to look like piles of gifts and if they shift while the table is being moved, no big deal.

In my head, here's how everything will go: I will wrap each wine cork (in it's box) in navy blue paper. I will then tie a dark gold ribbon around each box, and then attach the escort card to the box (via a small hole through which I will thread the ribbon). The escort cards will still look like little tents, as such:
(source)
On the outside (where the white part is in the picture above) will be our monogram and the guests' name, as well as a thin strip of paper in one of two colors. The table name will be inside the tent part. The colored paper strip will serve as a note to the servers: one color for fish, the other for chicken.

I am going to still use a folded card (even though it might be easier to use just a flat tag) so that when the guests pick up their present and unwrap it, they still are able to prop the tent up at their seat. That means couples will get two strips on their cards (one for each person), but I'm ok with that. This whole ordeal also means that good, clear signs are a must. We want people to unwrap their gifts, but we also want them to save (and display) their escort cards so the servers know who's eating what.

What do you think? Too ambitious or a DIY worth doing?

I am a Gocco Failure, Part Two

OK, where were we... oh, that's right! I had just taken full control of a Gocco for two full weeks!!! Oh, how I thought that day would never come - I had mentioned (bragged?) to numerous people how awesome my handmade invitations were going to be and now that I had the final supplies to get working.... I panicked. What if they didn't turn out ok? What if they looked extra homemade? What if ... it was endless. Thankfully I had already conned my bff (and bridesmaid!) into helping with the Gocco shenanigans, so really, how hard could it be? (Famous last words)

Our Gocco festivities started around 10am when BFF and I opened the Gocco box and marveled at all of the supplies labeled in Japanese. I mean, i knew they would all be labeled that way, but to see it in person was unreal. I literally had no idea what each thing was supposed to do. Enter www.youtube.com and the famous Etsy Valentine's Day Card video. We watched it two times all the way through, and then figured we could probably get started.

As an FYI, the flash bulbs are coated in some sort of toxic film, so don't let any pregnant bridesmaids handle them (that means you, BFF!). But only in California, apparently.


I didn't take any pictures of the process while it was happening, as we were way too focused on the Etsy video (we followed it step by step; it was pathetic). I did get a nice shot of my screen, all inked up and ready to go:



The top gold part was for the sweet little leaf, and the navy part was for the text. Everything was all fun and games up to this part... then we started printing.

The actual transfer of ink from screen to paper came out fine. Nice even. But it was a little slanted, like the letters decided they didn't want to be a part of the formation any more. So I made another few prints and realized that the screen must be crooked, which is impossible because it's attached to the Gocco frame in the little tracks. Then it hit us: the actual print on the screen was crooked! Well, the only thing to do was make another screen. So we went through the whole process again, and again came out with a crooked screen. And here's the thing - if the screen is crooked, there's no way to get a straight print, unless you turn the paper you're printing on, and really, I didn't have enough paper to go through that whole trial and error thing.

Here's a shot of my slop-y invitations:


Had they not been so slanted, they would have gotten a run through the Xyron and slapped on some navy blue card stock. But alas, they crooked, and I am way too anal to be sending out anything this crooked. ::Sadness::

As a back-up, BFF and I decided to scour the internet in search of wedding invitations that wouldn't cost a fortune... you know, just in case. I'll admit, I'm into saving $$ and cutting costs, but not at the expense of the final product. And my Gocco "final product" screamed homemade in a way that I just wasn't cool with.

But lucky for me, Etsy saved the day! We stumbled across seller WhimsicalPrints and loved what she had to offer! Here's some samples of her save the dates and invitations:




And without further ado, here's the invitation we ended up going with:

The tree will be black, and all of the print will be navy blue. She was able to put the "reception to follow" bit over to the left of the tree in the corner and change the text for us (as our parents are hosting). Overall, I am very happy with our chose in invitations and relieved to not be making them. Oh, and the total cost for the purchased invited? $1.90 per invitation/response set, included printed envelopes! WhimsicalPrints mailed me a physical sample the other day, and they are beautiful! And you really can't beat the print - $190 for 100 invitations! The best part is that I still had about 100 pieces of invitation cardstock, 100 pieces of response card card stock, and envelopes for everything... so I posted it in the classified section of WeddingBee and was able to sell it to another DIY-er for cheap. We both won on that transaction!

Anyone else start a DIY project that didn't turn out quite they way you planned?

How I became a two band bride

There's no two ways about it... I have two wedding bands. It wasn't always like that, you know. I used to have just one. One beautiful white gold band with seven little diamonds across the top part. Much like an eternity band that only goes half way around. Very similar to this beauty from BlueNile:

And it was perfect. It set off my solitaire engagement ring wonderfully... here's another picture from BlueNile of something similar to my e-ring, just for comparison:


Now picture the wedding band next to the solitaire... complementing each other perfectly, with neither really taking away from the other. It was important to me that my wedding band be substantial. I know the general thinking behind the wedding band is that it should really just "set off" the e-ring, but I surely wanted mine to be able to stand alone in all its wedded glory.

Except then I got scared. My sparkley wedding band was sitting in a little box in a fire-proof box under my bed, and I was scared just the same: what if I'm at the beach (which I frequently am) and a little diamond pops out and I don't notice it until I'm back at my house? Or what if I'm traveling (which I would like to be frequently doing) and I don't want all the sparkle? Or, ::gasp:: what if I'm camping with Ryan, the kids (that we don't have yet), and the dog and I don't want to bring all my sparkle into the woods? Then what??!! I suppose the obvious answer would be to leave all said diamonds at home, but here's the God honest truth: I waited long enough to marry this wonderful man, and while I know a ring isn't the end all be all of our marriage, I really never want to be without an outward symbol of our love. Sick and twisted, I know. And I know we'd still be married even without the rings. Seriously, I know this. But there's just something about that left hand ring that I can't get over. And so ring-less I will not be, as I convinced Ryan that a second wedding band was indeed necessary. Enter wedding band #2:

Thin, white gold, and unassuming. Ryan likes to call it my "adventure band". It's thick enough to stand alone, but thin enough to fit comfortably on my finger with my e-ring and first wedding band. Weird, but it works!

Why the rush to have my two wedding bands so far in advance, you ask? Why not get one now and then one later when I actually need it? Very good questions. Questions that I thought about really, really hard before I approached Ryan with the whole second band nonsense. Here's why - because the wedding band I get married with is the wedding band I'm going to wear for the rest of my life. Same goes for my e-ring. I'd never in a million years trade up, even if we fell into an insanely huge sum of money and Ryan insisted (what I'd actually do is ask for an anniversary band or tennis bracelet. I always wanted one of those). Why? Because the meaning behind it is too precious to me to ever "trade up". Same goes for the wedding band. I want both bands blessed and I want them both on our wedding day. Ryan, however into the idea he is of me always having a wedding band on my finger, was not so into the idea of having to give me two rings at the wedding ceremony. His compromise? The diamond one at the ceremony, and the plain band when we got back up to our room after the reception was over. He says he's got something planned for that ring and that it'll be special; I'm pretty excited to see what he came up with.

And so thats the story of my two wedding bands. Wondering what his looks like? He's just got one, and it's very similar to this:

(source for all pics)

Anyone else going for the "adventure band" in addition to a diamond band?

I am a Gocco Failure, Part 1

I am generally a pretty crafty person. I enjoy making things. My Xyron machine and Cuttlebug have seen some pretty hot action as of late. So when I got the great idea to make my own invitations (inspired by the ladies of WeddingBee), I honesty thought to myself "How hard could this be?". Yes, I actually thought that. Out loud. On numerous occasions. How wrong I was.

It started innocently enough. I figured I could save a bunch of money by crafting my own wedding invitations on my home computer. I ordered some very pretty paper from LCIpaper.com - enough card stock and envelopes to make 100 invitations and 100 response cards. Easy enough. Everything was pre-cut (as my paper cutting skills always seem to be just slightly off) and the paper had a delicious linen texture to it. In my head, the invitations were a 5x7 navy blue card with a white card layered over top, with the most perfect little 3x4 inch white response cards.

In reality, I had about $100 worth of card stock and envelopes that sat in the box they were shipped in for about a month before I got up the nerve to finally test out my project. And then, on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I found out that 4x5 in card stock is nearly impossible to put through an ink jet printer for two reasons: the small size and the linen texture. If it wasn't one thing, it was the other, and I went through probably a dozen test sheets before I realized that this was the perfect reason to purchase a Gocco!!!! I had wanted one since the day I saw ... well, I guess it wasn't really a "day" per say, I suppose it was more cumulative - Mrs. Penguins coasters, Mrs. Peppermint's bridal luncheon invites, Miss. Tiramisu's wedding invitation suite!! At any rate, I had all of this paper and no way to print on it. Then one day, as I was working up the courage to slap down $125 on my plastic for a Gocco, plus an unnamed amount in supplies, I saw a listing in the Classified section for a Gocco for rent in the DC area. Hey, that's me! Long story short, I met up with a fellow 'Bee reader, gave her a check and took charge of her Gocco for a full 2 weeks!

That's where everything starts to get a little spotty... stay tuned for the next installment of "I'm a Gocco Failure". Trust me, it's going to be good.

Do I make the invitations? Do I break down and order them? Who knows... only time will tell!! (Oh, and I have pictures.)

Make-Up Sale!

Whooo Hoooo! New make-up for a dollar!

If there's one thing I love, it's new make-up. I have tons of eyeshadows, lip glosses, and mascara... never mind the fact that I really don't know how to put it on the right way and my everyday routine consists of just a swipe of black mascara and some chapstick. Every time I get a new little pot of gel eyeliner or fresh tube of long wear lipstick, I always think "this is it... the day i learn how to do makeup!". My crazy obsession to find the perfect shade of lipstick usually costs me major moolah, but with the coupon code my bff sent, i can test out dozens of colors for just a dollar each!

E.L.F is a make-up company that just got bought out by Nordstroms. In an attempt to clear their old stock, they put everything up on their site for $1 (some of the body lotions are $4). Check it out here: http://www.eyeslipsface.com. An added bonus - if you put in the coupon code "CAROLINA" you can get another $7.50 off the total (or 50% if it's less than $15)!

A few weeks ago I bought a fun make-up bag for each of my bridesmaids in a fabric that represents each one's personality... and now with this sale, I can afford to stuff each bag with tons of fun goodies!

What do you think?

(source)(source)

I hadn't planned on exposing too much of the bridesmaids gifts just yet, but in case you were wondering, the adorable make-up bag is from Etsy seller JPATPURSES. Each of my 7 bags (yes, 6 for the girls and 1 for me!) was handmade and I was able to select different fabrics for each girl. They are supremely cute, very functional, and I can't wait to give them out!! There are more surprises in stock for my lovely ladies, but you'll have to wait to see what else there is!

For Sports Fans Only

While we will not be partaking in the traditional bouquet/garter toss at our wedding, I do want to wear a garter. I mean, it's not like you get to wear one every day, it seems kind of fun, and I imagine Ryan is going to get a kick out of it. So why not have a little fun with it?

Back in the early stages of planning, I came across an ebay store that have a Rutgers University themed garter, and for some reason i just figured "oh it's too early, I'll just get it later". Well, later came and it's no where to be found!!! So now, of course, I'm kicking myself and am determined to find one. Worst comes to worst, I'll post a bid on Alchemy (on etsy.com) and have someone make it for me because I.must.have.it.now.

For anyone else looking to surprise their man on your wedding day, check out this ebay store; they have a TON of teams and some very cute garters!! Here's two super cute examples for ya:

Florida Gaters

Pittsburgh Penguins

(source)

Love in ABQ

You might be wondering how we got together... well, it all started in the great city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lasted a summer in New Brunswick, NJ, 2 years of grad school in the mid-west, and is flourishing here in Baltimore, MD. What, you want more than that? Oh, alright...

Ryan and I met as either freshman or sophomores at Cook College (part of Rutgers University), but sadly it was not love at first sight. I thought he was a jerk, and who knows if he even remembered my name! We had the same group of friends though, so we kept bumping into each other, but it wasn't until we both worked the same shift at the campus recreation center as facility managers junior year that we became friends. By that time, our circle of friends had become much tighter, and it was only natural that we began to spend more time together.

Much flirting went on senior year (both in and out of the recreation center), but it wasn't until the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Conference in Albuquerque, NM that something must have clicked on Ryan's end (I was already head over heels for him!) and we spent the week sneaking off to grab a beer alone and just talk.

To tell you the honest truth, I didn't think the magic would last once we were back in New Brunswick. I was happily surprised when we got back to campus though! As we unloaded the car from the trip back from the airport, Ryan looked at me and winked, and as we walked back to our apartments (our on-campus apartments faced each other across a courtyard), Ryan turned and yelled "Hey, whats for dinner?" Fifteen minutes later we were at the dining hall, a week later our friends were taking bets on when we'd become an official couple, and a month later he decided to spend the summer living in an apartment with me and my roommates. So far
we've survived a year apart at grad school, a six month stint living together in Indiana, and a cross-county move to Baltimore.

And we couldn't be happier:

It's a wrap!

Pardon the pun, but I literally haven't been able to contain myself since seeing these pictures from Knottie "JoeysBio"... check it out:

I am in love with the matching bath wraps and the pictures are adorable! I have always loved the idea of getting ready in matching bathrobes, but these take the cake - and I would have never even have thought of them. Just goes to show how useful those Knottie bios really are!!

Wondering how the rest of the bridal party would take to getting ready in these, I IMed my sister to feel her out. I sent her a link to the Knot bio and asked her what she thought of the pictures. Thankfully, the first thing she said was "Those bridesmaid pictures are cute! I love the matching wraps!"

That was all I needed to hear... never one to miss a great photo op (or add something to the girl's gift bags!) I am now on the hunt to find some of these in white with navy blue ribbon trim. Wish me luck!

Anyone else going the "matching getting ready outfit" route? I'd love to hear your ideas!

E-Pic Outfits... and a location preview!

Last Monday, Ryan and I went up to NJ for our engagement pictures! While I don't have any pro pics to share just yet, I wanted to share our outfits. Why? Because I had a really hard time deciding what to wear. I mean, really hard.

We're not a super formal couple. Actually, most of our time is spent in jeans a t-shirts. I mean, I like dressing up as much as the next girl, but I'd really rather be comfortable and for me, that generally means a more casual look. Ryan's standard summer ensemble is khaki shorts and a polo, so I figured I'd work my outfit around that. I wanted to wear a sundress, but I couldn't find anything I liked in a solid color (my photographer said that solids photograph better than patterns) so that didn't work. I have a really cute khaki skirt, but while I wanted to coordinate with Ryan, I didn't want to be all extra matchy-matchy. Sigh.

Then I went shopping with my mom and we put together a super cute outfit at NY and Company. A pair of white shorts, a white tank top, and a cropped navy blue hoodie. I loved it! Casual and simple, and totally me. Except then I got home and tried it on, and decided that it might be too casual for the pictures, especially since Ryan was going with the polo shirt. Back at square one.

I did hit the jackpot, though, when I popped into The Gap completely by chance on a random trip to the mall!! I am very excited about my purchases and loved the outfit I put together for the e-pics... see below for an idea of what I wore.

The shorts from NY&Co. in white:


The Tank from The Gap, in powder blue:


The cardigan from The Gap, in navy blue:


And the super cute flip flops from Kohl's, in brown leather:


It ended up pretty cute, if I do say so myself! Ryan wore khaki shorts and a blue polo that matched my tank top. Adorable, but in a coordinating "non-old folks on a cruise ship" sort of way. I can't wait to see the pictures! I'll write more about our location when the pro pics come in, but here's a preview:

(source)

Furry Flower Girl/Ring Bearer?

Growing up, I used to beg my mom and dad to buy me a puppy. I wished for a puppy on every falling star, birthday candles, and necklace clasps that had fallen to the front. I wrote Santa every year. I would go on walks by myself and pretend that I had a dog. Sadly, with 3 other siblings, I guess my parents had enough to deal with and we never got a puppy. Sadness.

Then one day while I was visiting Ryan at grad school, we started talking about what it would be like to live together. I had just finished my masters degree in Ohio, and he still had a year left in Indiana. A few weeks earlier we had decided that instead of looking for a full time job in my field, I would move out to Indiana with him and we'd live together while he finished school. It was a wonderful time in our lives; still young enough that a real job didn't matter as much, but old enough to want to play house for real (we actually didn't even get engaged until 2 years later). And as we sat in his little apartment, discussing cohabitation and how it would all work, we decided that once I moved in, we'd get a dog. I wanted one of these: (source)
I have been in love with Britney's for as long as I can remember and while I don't duck hunt, I would just LOVE one of these little guys to curl up on my lap! So we did some research, and as it happens, a Britney from a reputable breeder comes with a price tag that we were in no way, shape, or form willing or able to pay. But back in those days, nothing was going to keep me from buying a Britney.... even when Ryan suggested we go to the Humane Society "just to look". I rolled my eyes, said 'fine, but I'm not going to like anything', and to the shelter we went. And just as easily as Ryan had suggested the trip to the shelter, and just as easily as the sun rises every morning, we fell in love with a sad, scared dog named May.

When we got to the shelter, we asked to see the puppies (because really, everyone wants a puppy) and were immediately told that the puppy room was off-limits for at least 2 weeks while they cleared up some sort of bacterial thing all the pups had gotten. Grossed out and disappointed, we decided to play with some of the older dogs. I mean, we were there, right? So we took a few of the bigger dogs out to the play yard and watched each one run toward the fence as if trying to escape. Each dog was more concerned with sniffing the picnic table, playing ball, or just being able to stretch out on the grass. They weren't for us.

And as we were leaving, I noticed a small-ish dog crouched in the back of her run. Her information card said she was about a year old and had been found wandering the streets just days before. It also noted that she was injured. Curious, I crouched down and called to the dog, and she calmly walked up to the gate. I could see that her back foot was bleeding, and sent Ryan to find someone to take care of it. He came back with the girl from the front desk, and we brought the dog out to clean her foot; I knelt down to hold her and she melted into my arms. When she was all fixed up, we brought her out to the play yard.

I remember Ryan throwing the ball for her, and I remember her looking at the ball in the air for a second before gently walking over to where I sat on the picnic bench. She rested her head on my lap and looked up at me. Her tail wagged, but just a little. When I rested my hand on her head, it wagged a little more. We sat like that for a moment, and I got up to walk over to where Ryan stood. The dog trotted over, opening her toe would again (it actually looked like someone tried to cut off the tip of her toe with a wire cutter), but not caring at all. She sat down on Ryan's feet, leaned into his legs, and looked up at us with the saddest face. It was then that we fell in love with her.

And now, three years later, this is who greets me with with biggest smile when I get home every day:

(I took this pic of her curled up in the sun this past winter... she's not smiley here, but trust me, she has a HUGE grin)

Now, we couldn't imagine life without her! So when we found out that the Loews Annapolis Hotel (our venue) was dog friendly, I immediately wanted Marley to be involved in our wedding. I figured we've make a nice pearl collar for her, tie our rings on it, and let her loose down the aisle.

Now that I'm really thinking about it, I'm not so sure how she'd react. My gut impression is that she'd see us at the end of the aisle, but would be waaaay more interested in sniffing up our guests. Decisions, decisions... anyone have their fur-baby in their wedding and semi-regret their decision?

Short and sexy, please

I love high heels; the higher, the better. I feel like I walk better (sexier?) in them, look better in them, and just plain overall feel better in them. But when it came to my wedding day shoes, I knew I'd have to go with something a lot shorter.

I'm 5'4", and Ryan is only 5'6" (though he'll tell you 5'7"), and in heels, I am usually taller than he is. On a normal day, this doesn't faze him, but when he asked that he be the taller of the two of us at the ceremony, what could I say? And thus my search for the perfect kitten heel began.

ShoeBuy.com is by far my favorite shoe source. Like Zappos, ShoeBuy has free shipping both ways and the site in easily navigated. However, I find that the prices are way better at ShoeBuy.

Exhibit A:

Coloriffics Desire

These are listed at $80 at Zappos, but only $75.95 at ShoeBuy! These also happen to be the shoes I lust after on a pretty regular basis.

Exhibit B:

Touch Ups Abby

These are listed as $64 at Zappos, but only $46.95 at ShoeBuy!!! I'd totally go for these, but with a 2" heel, they're still a tad too tall for me.

But I digress.

In my hunt for the perfect, kitten heeled shoe, it came to my attention that there are not many low-heeled shoes that could also be classified as "sexy". Now, my dress isn't overly tight or clingy, and I'm not going for the sexpot look overall, but there's something about a great pair of heels that just gives the outfit that certain je ne sais quoi. And I was determained to find a pair of heels that didn't look like they belonged on a 5 year old!!

After searching endlessly, I found these:

The bow, the crystles - I was sold on these by Colorful Creations!! The heel was a tad higher than I would have liked, but I ordered them nonetheless. Well, let me tell you what my size 8.5/almost 9 size foot looks like in low heels and a big old ankle strap.... not so much the look I was going for. How sad. It looked like my foot had been cut in half and, by default, so did my leg. Not a good look at all. And back they went (free of charge!)

I started purusing closed-toed shoes only because I thought maybe the strappy look was best left to towering stilletos, and came across these:

Loved them, but not for the almost $70 price tag... for white satin shoes, I really didn't want to spend more than $50. More almosts...

All from ShoeBuy and all by Coloriffics. Liked them, but didn't love them. And then one night, just as my eyes were getting fuzzy from too much computer time, I saw these by Blue Tux Shoes:

They're plain and simple, with a great blue sole. They were also $120 marked all the way down to $35 on ShoeBuy.com!! I bought them and that was that. They're comfortable, have a great low heel, and are kitten-ish enough to satisfy me. That being said, BlueTuxShoes is having a sale on them right now (ShoeBuy doesn't carry Blue Tux anymore) and these heels are only $25!!! Get them while you can... and if you're in the mood for something with a bigger heel, they have some of that, too. And everything comes with a beautiful blue sole. What a fun something blue!!

And now that you know what'll be on my little piggies all night, how about some dress??? Stay tuned!

Germs

I'm a sucker for "themed" items; I can't help it. Slap a Rutgers University logo on anything and I'm all over it. Same goes for anything with paw prints, my initials, and anything nautical or ocean related (my poor credit cards), so when I saw these ties, I was immediately sad that I don't have any advanced degrees in microbiology or dentistry. How cute would these be at the wedding of doctors, biologists, vets, dentists, and other scientific-ly minded folks????

Dental Plaque

Cholera

SARS

Yes, you saw correctly... 100% silk ties with patterns based on actual scientific images. There are a ton of designs, ranging from the standard flu virus to pandemics like mad cow and avian flu. Should you feel inspired, head on over to Infectious Awareables to purchase your own infectious disease themed tie!

Sadly, we will not be purchasing any of these ties for our groomsmen (as both mine and FH's degrees are in sport management), but this might be in store for one of my favorite microbiologist bridesmaids!

Hi, my name is Katie...

... and I'm a wedding magazine addict.

It's almost like a sick obsession - I can't walk past a book store, drug store, grocery store, or newsstand without thinking "I wonder if the new Modern Bride is out?" Ryan says that if I added up all of the money I've spent on wedding magazines in my lifetime, we'd easily be able to pay in full for our honeymoon. While that may be true, I can't shake the feeling of hopefulness each time I spot a glossy new cover. Hope that I'll find the perfect hairstyle, the perfect honeymoon location, the perfect beach cover-up, the perfect lipstick. Even now, 9 months into our engagement (with just 5 months to go!), I still find myself mindlessly purchasing wedding magazines, even though I've already bought a dress, have our color scheme, and decided on favors. Why do I continue to buy them?

Because I love the glossy pages of pictures, declaring that our wedding can be anything we want it to be. I find, of course, that this generally entails a large bank account and the ability to not hold a full time job, but the pages of inspiration call to me nonetheless. I think it is fun to see what others have done to shape their nuptials into a day they will always remember, and to see all of the options we have to truly make our day unique.

But at the end of the day, we're still on a budget and we can't afford to do the things we see in magazines, and thats when I turn to websites like WeddingBee. There is such a duality in media - there are sites that show you things you want, but can't afford, and sites that offer the look for less with a little hard work. That is why I can appreciate both wedding magazines and DIY websites - one offers a vision, the other offers guidance. It just depends on how you look at it.

Dressing the 'Maids, Part 3

By this point in time, I was fit to be tied. "Let them wear burlap sacks" was my mantra, though I surfed the net endlessly in search of the perfect gown for my girls. The sweethearts that they are, they claimed they'd wear whatever I asked them to, and I almost took them up on the offer... a beautiful European satin number by Bill Levkoff, with a price tag that rivals my monthly car payment (style #451, in case you were wondering). But, because I love my girls, and because I know what choice words I'd have for someone who asked me to buy a one-time-use dress upwards of $260, I forged on and kept looking.

In a moment of enlightenment, I called the bridal shop where I bought my gown and asked Jefre if he'd be able to do anything (pricing-wise) if I ordered bridesmaids gowns from him. I'm not really sure of he said 20% or $20 off of each bridesmaid dress I ordered, but I heard there was a discount and I was ESCTATIC! My new routine was to look up styles, call Jefre and ask about the price, and write it down in a neat little list for future reference. I had a bunch of dresses hovering around the $150 mark (including the discount), but I wasn't in lovew ith any of them and I knew that, much like my wedding gown, there was a perfect bridesmaids dress out there for us (thankfully this turned out to be more than just wishful thinking!).

Armed with a new list of Alfred Angelo styles, I headed to a bridal boutique near my office to try on a few dresses that I thought could work (at this point, it was just easier for me to try them on and show the girls the dresses on ME, as opposed to sending out an email to everyone and having 6 girls be disapointed hen the dress was less than stellar... ah, the joys of long distance wedding planning!). They were strapless, satin, a-line... but were they under $150 and did they flatter a variety of shapes? I would soon find out....

As it happened, the shop didn't have one of the Aldred Angelo's I wanted to try on, and the other one only came in a size 28W. Disapointed, but at the end of my rope, I scooped up every strapless A-line I could find and got to work in the dressing room. Some were nice, some were terrible, but none were really what i wanted. I did find one that was nice enough to call Jefre for a price check, so i left the store to call him. After being quoted $160 with the discount, I decided to go back in to the shop and try on the one I originally came for - the size 28W.

Even thought I was half naked in a dressing room with poor lighting, with a saleswoman cinching all of the extra material around my ribcage and waist, I could tell that the cut f the dress was going to be super flattering. The folds across the wasit and under the bust were made to give any body an hourglass figure, and the A-line skirt balanced out the shoulders... this could be it, I thought.

And so I left the shop and got into my car, and promptly called Jefre to see what he oculd do on price. When I heard him say "$136", I think my heart skipped a beat. I thanked him, hung up the phone, jumped out of my car (shut the door), and paced in the parking lot as I called my mom with the big news.... and then I realized that in my fit of excitement, I had locked my keys in my car. But who cares, I found a dress for $136 and it's wonderful!!!!

The dress in question:

(Alfred Angelo, style 6493)

The bottom line? The girls love it, I love it, and it's not going to break the bank. It took almost 5 months, but mission accomplished!!! Anyone else have an obscenely hard time finding dresses, or is it seriously just me?

Jersey Roots

From the beginning, Ryan and I knew that a DJ was going to be the biggest investment for our wedding. We want people on the dance floor all night, so when we got glowing recommendations from one of Ryan's co-workers for a DJ named Santana, we set up a meeting to meet her.

Within the first 10 minutes of our meeting, we knew she was the one. She looked at the song list we had prepared, oohed and ahhed over our picks, and most importantly, loved our special song/dance.

Yes, we're doing a first dance, parent dances, and cake cutting song, but we also have a special song that didn't quite fit in anywhere of importance (like the first dance or entrance of the bridal party) but was something we really wanted to incorporate into our day. The song in question? Bruce Springsteen's "Jersey Girl". It's basically every Jersey girl's anthem, but it's especially important to me: after college I lived in Ohio, Indiana, and now Maryland, but I remain a Jersey Girl at heart.

And so, after we cut the cake, Santana is going to announce that the groom would like to take his new wife out for a spin on the dance floor.... the opening bars of "Jersey Girl" will start to play, and Ryan and I will enjoy our second solo dance of the evening. Towards the end, we may invite other Jersey girls and their dates to the floor, but that's not definite as of yet. We might just want to enjoy the moment alone (as it's not every day that you get to slow dance with your new husband!).

Anyone else incorporating special songs/dances into their day, other than the standards?

Dressing the 'Maids, Part 2

Shortly after getting engaged, I went out to lunch with two of my six bridesmaids. After lunch, I casually mentioned that it might be fun to try on some wedding dresses at Macy's Bridal... you know, "just for fun". Thankfully, they decided to indulge me and we spent the next hour and a half picking out and trying on heavy beaded princess ballgowns. I quickly learned that I looked like a jerk in anything with pick-ups and that I probably should start thinking about a plan of action for my "arm wings".

Meanwhile, the girls had started to peruse the bridesmaids dresses and asked what I was looking for. I gave them my requirements, and while they couldn't find anything floor length and under $150, there were a few contenders that they decided to try on "just for fun"... and just like that, we had decided on a gown for the girls:

(Jordan Fashions)

I remember walking out of the store thinking, "Wow, I have no idea why people say wedding planning is so hard. Could that have been any easier???"

Of course, we didn't buy anything that day, because who picks out bridesmaids dresses before their own wedding gown (or any other crucial elements, really)? And as time went on, and our plans began to evolve, suddenly the iridescent taffeta didn't really fit into the big picture... I wasn't liking how the taffeta was so shiny, and really, it didn't even come in navy blue. It came in "indigo", and the swatch looked more and more purple every time I looked at it. So we scrapped that first dress right around the time I scrapped my first (purchased) wedding gown and kept holding back on looking for a replacement, fearing that the hunt for bridesmaids dresses would turn out to be like my hunt for my wedding gown (another tale for another time).

They say that bridesmaids dresses take 3-5 months to come in, and it was really April by the time I started to feel the pressure to pick something out. I dragged my little sister and mom to David's Bridal, knowing that I'd be able to get a simple, inexpensive, floor length gown. Well, Claire looked stunning in each dress she tried on:

(Top is style #81250, bottom is style #81253, plus sash)

(David's Bridal; not available on the website any more)

(style #81535)

We were thrilled with the choices, really liked the middle dress (in light blue, above), and loved it's price tag - $135! You really can't beat that price, and we loved the way the fabric draped. i remember walking out of David's thinking, "OK, that was easy!"

I soon found out that while my 5'3", 100 pound sister looks good in anything, the unstructured bodice and loose fabric didn't, um, drape quite as nicely over everyone else. My girls were wonderful, saying they'd wear whatever made me happy and that it was my day, but who would want to pay $135 for something that didn't make them feel good?! I knew I wouldn't, and furthermore, wanted my girls to look good. I couldn't do that to them.... and so the search continued. Stay tuned for the final installment of Dressing the 'Maids, where the gown of choice is revealed!

And as a side note (or question, rather), am I the only one who had the MOST DIFFICULT TIME EVER picking out bridesmaids dresses???

Random Act of Doodling.

I am a doodle-er. I doodle on everything: work memos, my phone call list, post-its while on the phone, newspapers (on the rare occasion that a read one), the notebook I use to balance my checkbook (the ledger that the bank gives you is really to small to keep track of anything)... the list goes on. The feel of a new roller-gel ink pen tip gliding across the surface of crisp new paper is just so... satisfying. I have started keeping copier paper under the computer keyboard so that while I'm surfing my Go To list of wedding blogs, I have something to write on if I want to make notes on great findings, or just doodle while I'm waiting for a page of pictures to load (waiting for pictures to load? yes, we need a new computer; though right now we need to pay the florist). I love to draw little circles, all lined up in rows. I also love to write my first name: all caps, script, flourishes, extra lines. Call me vain, but I love to see my name in writing.

Last summer, before we got engaged, I used to write my my first name followed by Ryan's last name. I'd write what might be my new last name someday, over and over, until it felt almost natural. When we did get engaged that September, I would doodle what would be my new name all over everything, but it still seemed like forever until I'd actually be able to write it and mean it; until I really was Mrs. Katie Hagen.

This morning I sat down at my computer and while waiting for it to load and update and do whatever it is computers do while "waking up", I pulled out a piece of paper and doodled some circles. The circles progressed to lines, the lines progressed to my first name, and all of a sudden, as I wrote Kathryn Lee Hagen, it hit me. In five months, that name on the paper will be me.

I always knew that I'd take my husband's last name, and the realization that it is actually happening is almost too much to bear. When the party is over and the dress is carefully tucked away in a huge white box (most likely with a see-through pane of clear film) somewhere, I will be someone's wife. I will be Ryan's wife; Mrs. Kathryn Lee Hagen. Today, five months from our wedding day, this wedding has become real. At first it seemed so far away: "When we get married" implied "Sometime, in the future, when we're both adults". Now, the meaning is much closer to "In five months when the world will finally recognize us as our own little family".

After months of planning and crunching numbers and worrying about the style of bridesmaids dresses, it finally feels real. There is still much planning to be done, many DIY projects to complete, but now it seems as if we're in the home stretch. And as I sit here, I can't help but to think how lucky I am to be marrying him. After all of the milestones we hit during the engagement - when we sent out the save the dates, we thought "OK, this makes it real now!", and when we had the food tasting, we thought "OK, this makes it real now!"... but the thing that hit me the hardest? Doodling my soon-to-be new name. And it was a wonderful feeling.

When was your first "wow, this is really happening" moment?

This would have saved me some time...

... or would it have?

For me, gown shopping wasn't the magical experience movies (you know the ones) portray: mothers and daughters sipping champagne in an upscale bridal salon, giggling like girls, scoffing at the lack of beading on some, delighting in the trains and veils, and then both tearing up on cue as the bride-to-be emerges from behind a heavy velvet curtain in what they both know is The One.

Sadly enough, I had that experience alone (not for lack of trying, but more on that later), and it was only after I tried on 3 wedding dress shops full of gowns that I, on a whim, had my moment.

Why? Because it never occured to me to see what type of gown might look best on my body type... instead, I clipped pictures, scoured the internet, and flipped through tons of bridal magaznies (the cost of which, I assume, is equal to the cost of my photographer). Of course the dresses look beautiful, what, on their glossy pages and draped every so carefully on rail-thin (and semi-angry looking) models. Well, ladies. Let's face it. We are not all rail-thin: we have hips, shoulders, and curves all over the place. And the kind folks at Henry Roth were kind enough to break down body-types and do a little what looks best on you type of thing:

The following is taken directly from here, complete with the dress styles suggested for each type.

Hourglass: Two-piece and corset dresses enhance the hourglass figure. Anything that accentuates the bride’s waist is in. Beautiful ball gowns and corseted bodices normally work for the bust line as well. Bridal bouquets should not overwhelm. Bridal headpieces should not be overdone if the bridal ball gown is elaborate. See Style 49044
Pear shaped: A-line princess dresses disguise fuller hips and the pear shaped body types best. This also balances torso to bust. Chapel length bridal veils add sleeker lines. For wedding hairstyles don’t have all your hair swept up to help emphasize balance. See Style 22399
Petite: Clean, unbroken contours without too much fabric tend to elongate.Big Ball gowns and mermaid wedding dress shapes can overwhelm. Chapel or finger-tip bridal veils ensure that the petite bride is framed well. Keep bridal accessories and wedding accessories to a minimum. See Style 49030
Tall: From ball gowns, princess line and A- line wedding dresses, straight bridal dresses and mermaid dresses; all are great for the tall bride who can carry almost any dress style. Avoid empire line dresses that can look almost “tent like”. Avoid wedding flowers or bouquets that are too small or large. Ensure they work proportionately with you and your body type.See Style 29012
Fuller waisted: Princess-line and drop waist wedding dresses are most flattering. Draw the eye up with stunning bridal and wedding accessories. Killer Diamonds will do the trick! Bridal shoes with height may assist. See Style 29011
Broader shoulder: Wedding tip number #1. Broader shouldered brides should veer from halter and off-the-shoulder necklines, which tend to accentuate the shoulders. Try strapless and scoop necklines. For bridal accessories fine delicate jewelry works best with your body type. See Style 49004
Fuller busted: Bridal corsets can work magic. You will find reputable names under bridal supplies or bridal accessories. Wedding dresses that are scoop and square necklines enhance bust lines. Widely set apart straps diminish fuller busted figures. Strapless dresses are on your wedding checklist as a “wait and see how it looks possibility”. See Style 49007
Fuller Arms: Off the shoulder straps or sheer fabric is a great wedding dress tip. In solid fabric, usually three-quarter or long sleeve works best to elongate the line of the arm. Sleeves should not be cut tight. Ever! See Style 22336

Looking back, it might have been nice to have a starting point prior to the dress hunt, but it seems our boy Henry Roth didn't take into account that ladies with hourglass figures might also have fuller busts and very broad shoulders... I, of course, have all of these things and that made for a very interesting shopping weekend.

What was your dress shopping experience like? Did you have The Moment?

Inspiration, please!

After seeing all of the fun inspiration boards that others have done, especially the ones on Snippet&Ink, I decided that I should create one as well. I figured it would be a something that I could use to group all of the "must haves" together, but what it actually did was help me realize how my different ideas fit together and sort of gave me an overall theme to work with. The best part? My original colors were navy blue, white, and pewter. Beautiful together, but didn't really give me the warmth I wanted. Solution? Throw in some orange-y, reddish, gold accents, remove the pewter entirely, and soften everything up with some candlelight. Working on this project really helped me pinpoint the look I was going for - trust me, at one point I had pictures of adorable green apple place cards, the navy dresses, white picket signs pointing to way towards "Wedding", and big Swarovski crystles dripping from the top of a very ornate cake. My original ideas were all over the place, and seeing them all in one space was really quite helpful in narrowing down what we truly wanted.



Without further ado, the inspirtation for my simple, warm, and timeless wedding:

(Most pictures are from The Knot; I didn't start keeping track
until way after this was completed)

Dressing the 'Maids, Part 1

Very early on I knew I wanted to do navy blue, floor length gowns for my girls. Since I have 6 of them, with body types/sizes all over the charts, I knew it would take a little time to find something that looked stunning on everyone... but wow am glad we kept looking! I'm thrilled with the gown we picked out, but before the big reveal, here's a little back story on how our bridesmaids gowns came to be....

It's funny, how I didn't want our groomsmen to look like carbon copies of every other man in a tuxdeo, but I knew that I wanted all of my girls in the same dress. I think that with smaller bridal parties at maybe a more informal wedding, the look of different dresses totally works. For me, and our after 6pm festivities, I was just way more into matching, floor length gowns for the girls. And so there I was, a naive bride-to-be, with the following set of criteria:

1. Navy blue
2. Floor length
3. Under $150 (including tax, but not alterations)
4. Must look great on a full range of body sizes
5. Strapless, and most likely A-Line

The first thing I learned? "Floor length" and "less than $150" don't usually occur in the same sentence. Now, I'm fully aware that none of my girls will ever have the need for a floor length satin gown after my November nuptials, seeing as not many college students, HR reps, school teachers, and doctoral students frequently attend galas or other such activities. I knew that going in, and so I didn't even play the "well, they could wear this again" game. Thus, there was no way the dress could be more than $150, and really, if it was cheaper than that, great.

We looked everywhere and anywhere... the girls must have tried on dozens of dresses, and I'm sure they were all starting to hate me (though I was just trying to make them look good, who can fault me with that?!!). It was a huge, frustrating process, and I couldn't be happier with the result. What did we pick? Stayed tuned for Dressing the 'Maids, Part 2!

Panic at the Tuxedo Shop

We decided it was finally time to go pick out some tuxes for the guys, so last weekend Ryan and I headed to the mall and hit up Men's Wearhouse Tux: What.A.Disaster.

Since the last time I had to pick out a tux was senior year in high school (prom date who apparently needed my help picking out a vest to match my black dress) and that was well over 8 years ago, I really had no idea what to expect, and Ryan wasn't much help, either. The tuxes were one of those things that Ryan didn't really have a strong opinion about, and so the two of us walked in to MW Tux completely blind and completely expecting to order tuxes and be done with it all in one day. Ha ha ha ha. I seriously wish it had been that easy.

To be completely honest, picking out tuxes was the absolute hardest decision I have hard to make yet. There's something about tuxes that scream "prom" or worse, "I want to be James Bond". Now, for our after 6pm wedding, we really don't have any other choices, and really, I do like the look for the tux. I'm just really not into the bridesmaids-dress-matching-tux-vest. I defaulted to Ryan, hoping that he'd feel really strongly about a vest and tie combo, but he truly didn't and implored me to pick what I wanted. While an opinion would have been helpful, I really couldn't be upset with his wanting me to pick out his wedding day outfit (for other fancy occasions, he holds up the shirt he wants to wear and then asks me to match a tie and dress pants... I know, he's adorable), so I hunted down a salesman and we got down to business.

The conversation:

Me: We're looking to rent some tuxes for a wedding.
Salesman: OK, have you flipped through the book? ::gestures to the thick "look book" that Ryan and I had spent well over 20 minutes looking through when we first got in while waiting for a salesman to help us::
Me: Yes, we did. Would he ::gestures to the groom:: be able to try anything on?
Salesman: We don't keep anything here in stock, it all comes from Dallas.
Me: ::shocked:: How am I supposed to know what looks best on him; I've never even seen him in a tuxedo.
Salesman: Just pick something out of the book and it'll be fine.

Well, people, I do not want my husband-to-be to look fine on our wedding day. I want him to look dashing. I want him to look handsome. I want him to look like himself. And mainly, I want him to look different than every other groom-to-be on their wedding day.

And as I thought these things, a swell of panic welled up inside me. I looked at Ryan and I said "We can't do this today". He nodded, took my hand, said thanks to the salesman, and pulled me out of the store.

I know what you're thinking: "Tuxedos? That is what you are so upset about? That is the hardest decision you've had to make thus far?" Well, I truly hate to admit it, but yes. To me, there's just something so uniform about tuxedos (yes, the bridesmaids are all wearing the same floor length gown, don't ask). But after a good amount of thinking, I think we came up with the perfect solution. We are going to buy ties that match the girls dresses, and then when we go back to rent the tuxes, we'll have something to go off of - maybe we'll do vests, maybe not. But either way, the guys, and especially Ryan, will look just a little different from everyone else who has ever worn those rented pants and jackets.

Not five minutes after deciding to buy ties, we walked into Macys and found Ryan's tie:

(Tribeca by Sean John silk tie)

A close up of the pattern:

Ryan's tie isn't pink -we actually found it in diamond white and it is going to match my gown exactly. The one we bought (white) also has a smattering of little silver sparkles... it's quite dreamy. The instant we bought it I felt a hundred times better about the whole matchy-matchy tuxedo thing.... now we just need to find some ties for the groomsmen and we'll be ready to head back to MW Tux!

Anyone else have a hard time with tuxes, or was it seriously just me?