Boudoir Session

(Sorry I couldn't think of a catchy blog title at the moment but figured the pictures might make up for that)

So I decided to go through with it and a couple weeks ago had the time of my life. Laura from Pennace Photography was amazing! She makes you feel so comfortable that I didn't even need an ounce of alcohol to get me relaxed like I thought.

My amazing co-worker did my makeup and made me look like rockstar on the cover of Maxim. Here are a few sneak peeks.

Yes that is Twilight that I am reading, don't judge. LOL It matched my big sexy red heels!


One of my favorite pictures from the shoot!

Amazing shot

She took over 650 photos in an hour and half and there were just so many great shots it was hard to only choose 40! This was well worth the money and I am so thrilled that I have these photos for the rest of my life because one day I am going to look at them and be like "Damnnnn, Grandma was hot back in the day!" LOL jk.

I received the "Little Black Book" the other day and I cannot wait to give it to him this weekend before his bachelor party. I'm hoping to tape his reaction on my phone since it's going to be a good one! I will keep you posted on this for sure!

*all photos courtesy of Pennace Photography

Hi blogger friends, are you still there?

Hello blogger friends,

I know it's been a month or so since I last blogged, please forgive me! We are now down to 39 days until we get married....again. Yes. That's right. Again.

In order to have a symbolic ceremony in the Dominican Republic we have to present our marriage certificate and in the state of NY it can take up to 30 days to receive that. We realized this last week when we went for our marriage license and decided that we couldn't wait much longer since were almost at the month mark. One phone call later and we were confirmed to meet with the judge this past Monday.

It honestly didn't hit me that this was for real until the judge started speaking and we had to hold hands. My knees got a little weak and the butterflies fluttered. I was extremely happy and at the same time trying to convince myself this wasn't the real marriage since I didn't want it to take away from our ceremony next month. It was about a minute and half and we didn't exchange rings which was great.

I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs!

Ok I know I know....we decided not to call each other husband or wife until after September 18th but it is hard at times. You may be wondering, "well what date will you celebrate your anniversary on?" since we get that a lot from people and the answer is: the day we exchange our vows will be the day we celebrate, September 18th.

Seriously life gets so busy the last month and half with wedding planning ESPECIALLY when your close friend is getting married a month before you. I'm sorry I've been M.I.A. but I promise to blog more leading up to the big day!

Anybody finding it crazy busy the last month before the wedding??

Need a little help from my friends!

I know what you're all thinking....Where have you been!?





It's been a tad crazy busy this summer that I've been slacking with keeping you posted. My bad! I do need your expert opinions though on what to wear for the home reception. The attire is semi-casual so I was thinking of wearing this:

This little number is by J.Crew in Ivory. I figured this would be a cute end of summer dress that I could wear a cardigan with should it be cooler than expected. Maybe a cute little necklace as well.

My FMIL e-mailed me asking if I was going to wear my dress for the HR too. I replied and told her no since I think I'll stick out like a sore thumb and people would wonder, 'why is she wearing her wedding dress a week later?' So I believe word got out to his family and his Aunt inquired as well as to why I wasn't going to wear my dress to the HR. Ugh. So i've seeked a few other outside opinions and I'm just wondering about yours.

Also please note, I have a TTD session two days after my wedding which is 5 days before the HR. I'm a little concerned that the dress won't be in tip top shape after since we'll rolling around in the sand and water and I'll have to pay for express dry cleaning when I get back.

Should I suck it up and wear the dress for the first two hours so people can get pictures in and his family can be satisfied or shall I continue with my original plan? I could possibly play it ear and see how the TTD goes and make a decision after? I just didn't want to get all dolled up and get my hair done for the HR.

What's your thoughts?

Bedazzle Flops!

Remember my 'attempt' to bedazzle my own flips flops? If not, click here. I was pretty bummed that it didn't work out and I failed miserably at what I thought was an easy DIY project.

So I caved in and decided to purchase Swarovski flip flops from an AMAZING Etsy seller JS Creations.

She not only does flip flops but she blings out custom t-shirts and tanks, hair pins etc. The process was smooth and they arrived in about two weeks. I'm actually thinking of having her make me a "Mrs." tank!


I neatly opened the tissue paper to reveal these beauties below:

How AWESOME AND AMAZINGLY cute is it that she put her own logo on them!?? I was super excited to parade these around the office to show them off. These bad boys came all the way from Hawaii which I thought was cool since our wedding is in the tropics. I highly recommend using JS Creations for hassle free purchase at a decent price.

Bling Bling Baby!

Not motivated for a wedding....

Ok so don't read into the title just yet! It's not what you think.



I had lunch with John yesterday since he's been working a lot lately and we barely saw each other this weekend since I was visiting my sister. And the conversation went a little something like this:


J: I was thinking how awesome it would be to receive pictures of you for my birthday since it's my last year as a single man.

Me: (almost spitting out my food) What? Umm you mean boudoir photos??

J: What are boudoir photos?

Me: Who put this stuff in your head?

J: No one, just a random thought.

Me: Normally a bride gives her groom the day of the wedding boudoir photos.

J: Oh, I didn't know that.

*side note: his birthday is in the middle of August*



And so the conversation continued on but I wasn't sure if he was serious or not. This came from way out of left field. I wondered who put that bug in his ear! My first reaction was not a good one but I didn't let him know that. I just kept it inside to boil. This was just so random I was still in shock. I didn't even think he knew about pictures like this.

I've never really given the idea some serious thought. I personally didn't think he would like a gift like that. I saw Mrs. Cola's Boudoir photos on WB recently and they looked amazing and she's like me "size wise" so I knew not to worry about that.

So I came back from lunch and couldn't stop thinking about this random conversation we just had. I really would love to surprise him with a little black book of photos but I don't think I have hundreds of dollars to spend right now. So I took to the classified section of WB to see if anyone is offering boudoir sessions in the NYC area. My search didn't go far since the listing was one of the first ones. Laura Pennace is a photographer who is looking to expand her work outside of wedding photography. I was shocked at the price! I thought it would be at least $1000 for a session.

So I contacted Laura and we exchanged e-mails back and forth all day and it was so easy to talk to her and ask questions. All of a sudden I got this sudden urge to get my butt to the gym so I can look good in these pictures. I thought to myself, ' a wedding doesn't motivate you but a boudoir session does. Huh, that's kind of funny.'


So as you can see the title of this post isn't what you thought it was. I am still so excited for this wedding, 81 days!


I am meeting with the photographer today to discuss ideas and get to know her better to establish a level of comfort which is her number one concern. I'm very excited and still a little in shock that I'm actually going ahead with this.

More details to come.

Have you considered a boudoir photo session?

Reality Bites....

I've been a bad blogger and I haven't updated you on a sensitive subject but I was honestly waiting for the outcome to write this post. Remember back in April I wrote about the decision to not invite his father? If not, click here.

About two weeks into May I got a text message from my FI saying to send an invitation to his father and not asking any questions and to just trust him. Ok. I wasn't exactly happy with that text but I trust him and I sent it out that day. I honestly did not think that was a smart idea because I'm sure by now (this was in May) that they got word other family members received invitations and they didn't. I was right. His sister mentioned to us over Memorial Day weekend that their father was upset he didn't get an invitation. Now it looks like we sent one just because he was upset when really my FI wanted to do the right thing and let this be his last attempt at reconnecting with his father.

It makes me sick to my stomach waiting for their reply. RSVP due date was June 1st and of course we still get responses to this day. And today was the day I opened up the envelope and saw this:

Sorry for the sideways photo but my computer is being weird and it automatically uploads like this! So tilt your head to the side if you haven't already and take a look.

CLEARLY they checked off 'will attend home reception' and then crossed it out. On purpose? By accident? Definitely on purpose and to make a point. I'm livid and I'm hurt. Its not that I didn't see this coming but you always hope to see the good in people. I called John up and told him and he just said "ok" like it was nothing. I know what happens when he is quiet like that. It will take a couple minutes to sink in before the emotion starts to show. A few minutes later I got a text saying that he will cut them a check for $800 (if you don't remember that story click on the link above) that he owes them (from 2002!) and a letter to his father which he says will now be easy to write. That's $800 that could be used to celebrate our wedding without them BUT its his money and if that's what it takes to end this chapter in his life than I'll stand by him. I don't agree but I support him.

I know that we are only months away (86 days to be exact!) from our wedding and to focus on this negative energy is a waste of time. We have the people we love sharing our special day with us and that's what should matter most. Gosh, it's easier said than done! I want to send back the RSVP card in a frame that's engraved saying "Best Dad Ever!" It's taken a lot of strength to hold back from dialing his step-mother and going off on her. But I won't.

I will just sit back and hope one day his father looks back and realizes how big of a mistake he made by not being part of his son's life. Karma.....(and now I break into a little singing ditty of Justin Timberlakes "what goes around comes around" LOL...laughter is good).

Any drama making your blood boil lately? Do you find the closer the date, the more emotions come out (i.e. drama)?

With this ring....

...I thee swoon. Or drool!

I received my wedding band in the mail the other day and I can't take my eyes off of it. Way back this winter I explained that my engagement ring was a green diamond. Oh, you don't remember? Read here. So when it came time to pick out my wedding band, it was easy as 1-2-3. I wanted a matching band. So I called up Diamond Nexus Labs and spoke to a representative. She was super sweet and she remembers working on my appraisal for my e-ring. How cool is that?? She looked up my information and had everything ready to order. It was that simple. It would take a week to create since it's a custom order and then a couple days to ship.

Say hello to my little friend.....


This little box comes in a bigger white box with a beautiful green bow and Godiva Hot Chocolate. I forgot get pictures of that since I was ripping the box open at the time, can you blame me??

Oh it's such a beautiful sight. I didn't want to take it off. And no, I don't think it's superstitious to 'try' it on before the wedding. I wanted to make sure it fit right (wink wink).

Tried to take a snazzy photo with the ring box but it didn't exactly work that way. All these photos are courtesy of my 5mp camera phone. Not bad to be honest!

And there you have it folks. Just another thing to check off the list! I couldn't be happier with our choice and I absolutely love working with this company. Not only are we doing our part for the environment but we also aren't breaking the bank.

Have you bought your band yet? Are you happy with your results? Does the box stare at you and call your name out to wear it? LOL

A little getaway 3 months prior

So yeah....today is officially 3 months until we get married!!! HELLOOOOO people! Remember when I was kicking my heels for it only being 7 months?!! Honestly it's really starting to kick in that the big day, the day I've been dreaming about since I was little is around the corner!

Since most of my vacation days and all of John's vacation days are being used for this wedding we have decided to get away for the weekend to relax and de-stress! We normally take vacations every 6 months so we are dying to go away right about now and we can't. So we are going camping with our favorite couple (and also his best man) in Eastern CT!! We went camping at the same place we did last September and had such a blast that we wanted to go again when it was a bit warmer. It's a great little getaway that doesn't cost much and we can enjoy the scenery, play games, grill on a open fire and drink beer! woohoo!!


Our campsite and hopefully the same one this time around. Little funny side note: our tent is the brand new Coleman one (orange) and our friends is the 1987 coleman version (just guessing). On our last day we woke up to a rain storm our friends old tent was swimming in a pool of rain and leaked while our tent was dry. Needless to say we bought them a new tent for our adventure and it happens to be the same tent we have so we should have no problems this time around!

Our friend Bob playing the ladder game. Ever place this while talegating?? It's awesome!

Snuggling by the campfire. *side note: this was 2 weeks before we got engaged*

End of September can be cold so we huddled by the fire.


Anybody else using all their vacation time for their wedding? If so, what are you doing to get away from the planning to unwind?

Relief at last!

So much weight has been lifted off my shoulders after this past weekend. Why you ask? Because I got to FINALLY reunite with my dress after a 6 month separation period. Remember I had a moment of insecurity and doubt? Well all the fears have gone away and I can finally sit back and know that I picked the right dress! I fell in love with it all over again! My sister helped me get it on and once it was zipped up I had the biggest smile. Although I freaked out a bit when I couldn't zip it up myself and my sister had to help but it's all good now.



I absolutely love everything about the dress and I didn't have to use 'chicken cutlets' for the "ladies" like I did initially since it made me look flat chested. Not anymore, woohoo!

I love the back, it's my favorite part of the dress and exactly why I opted out of having a veil. I didn't want to take away from the dress by wearing one. I also used my hair pieces to see if it flowed with the outfit and I couldn't be happier with my choice. My sister absolutely loved the look and asked me, "say Yes to the dress?" LOL

I'm hoping my mother can help make a simple little bustle using the buttons that go down the back of my dress since it's a smaller train. I really don't want to spend money on alterations since I don't need anything else done.

I didn't want to take my dress off to be honest. I just fell in love all over again and it made me so excited for the big day. 95 days away!! How is your dress situation going? Have you tried it on since?

With this watch I thee wed

Ok not really but it got your attention, right?!

So let's talk about the groom's gift or shall I say the gift I'm going to give my husband to be. Now that sounds much better!

Since John works in construction he doesn't get to dress up nicely as often and as an electrician he really shouldn't wear metal (i.e. rings or watches) since they conduct electricity. So you'll probably ask yourself at the end of this post, "so why did she buy him that?" but hear me out first.

Before he got into the construction business he used to own a bunch of nice watches and loved wearing them. Although he lost them all especially one that his sister gave him for her wedding in 2005. He always mentioned this one watch which was made by Victorianox. I've had the idea of getting him a really nice watch for a while now, more like since he first mentioned it. I thought getting him another Victorianox watch would be a safe bet since he loves that brand and get it engraved too.

So I found the perfect watch but the price was astronomical! So I waited and kept looking at other websites to find a better price and I'm glad I did.

At the time gemnation.com had this watch for almost $200 off. Isn't it gorgeous?!! I was waiting for my bonus from work to buy it and it's a good thing I didn't because I had the pleasure of hearing him mention what kind of watch he liked during a recent trip to JCPenny's.

Here's how it went down: We were shopping with his step-father in JCPenny's for shirts and we were bored so we walked over to the jewelry/watch section and I didn't even say a word and he goes, "If I had to pick a watch I would pick this one" and points to a watch by Relic; which I never even heard of, and it had a blue background. The watch wasn't much money either and I just stood there freaking out on the inside and being calm on the outside.

I came into work the following day and looked at all the blue backgrounds that Victorianox makes and LUCKILY the watch I originally wanted is also made in blue. Phew! AND I could get it for $200 off and engraved. Life is grand!

I showed the picture to 2 of his buddies for their opinion (also showing the other watch) and they both picked the blue as well. So I bought the blue one and got it engraved. I'll share my engraving story at later time since it needs its own post.

Four days later I get this lovely box in the mail. I was so excited and I couldn't wait!

It came with a 2 year warrenty and a manual. I realize that this box is a bit big to hide and I have to think about who I can give this to without him noticing!

This picture isn't very clear but the blue background ISN'T as blue as the picture above and I was a little disappointed. It was more like a blue gray-ish which reminds me of the color of our dresses...which I guess isn't so bad. I really do love this watch and I'm still uber excited to give it to him.

Are you getting your fiance anything for the day of the wedding? Anything unique and cool?

This will be me in about T minus 2 hours! Happy Friday everyone!!!! My best friend Diamond in the Rough is in town for a wedding so we are going to be hitting up Happy Hour tonight. I'm very excited to see her!

Also, I have an appointment tomorrow to get my hair colored. Looking to go blondish (gulp). I have had people comment on a picture I posted on social media site about how they love me with lighter hair. I have natural light brown hair so I can get away with it although I just started tanning (don't scold me for fake and baking I can't have any tan lines!) so it might not look great right away. We shall see.

This is the picture everyone kept commenting on. This was taken September of 2006 just after me and my FI reconnected. So cross your finger that the boat load of money I'm spending is worth it!!

What is everyone else doing on this beautiful weekend!

Generic Thank You

I always get excited to receive thank you cards from friends and family that got married not only for the picture(s) but also the sincere hand written note. I like to know that they took the time to personally thank us for being part of their day.

I"m not sure if this is a new trend but I just received a thank you card from my FI cousin who got married in October (yeah way to be proactive and send them 8 months later) and it was really unique. It was probably done through shutterfly or snapfish and a mural of pictures from the big day. I love the concept! Only downside was a generic computer generated message went along with it. No hand written personal thank you, just the same generic message everyone got. Isn't that kind of inpersonal? I mean we gave a very generous monetary gift and that's the thanks we get?!!

I understand that sending out thank you notes and writing each card is time consuming and boring but I really think it means a lot to those who receive them. What are your thoughts? Have you received any generic computer generated thank you cards?

Just throw it in the bag..Part 2

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My prayers have been answered in the land of wedding planning!! Remember how I couldn't decide on what kind of bag to use for our OOT bags in the Dominican? Well I owe my life to the Dollar Tree Store BIG TIME! I found L.L. Bean-like bags for $1 each! Yes you read that correctly - $1 each! If I could moon walk right now at work I would but I'd probably trip on my own feet and fall so I will just dance in my seat!

Our neighbor had the box by accident for the day so it was a pleasant surprise at 9:30pm to receive a knock on the door. It was such an easy process and shipped within a week!

Assorted colors that are perfect for the beach! "Large 19x6¼x14" totes are made of a canvas-like polyester with double-reinforced flat bottoms, handy front pockets, and comfy double-reinforced carrying straps. Material also has a water-resistant coating on the inside for wet towels, suits, and more."

Big enough to fit a towel, flip flops, sun screen and more! I loved the durability too.

Of course I had to try on to show you the actual size since it can be hard to tell in pictures. Little known fact: I shoved paper towels in the bag to give it shape.


I was able to be 36 bags for $36! Here I was about to spend anywhere from $6-$19 each on bags. So happy with my discovery. I highly recommend using these bags for that beachy tote look. I even used it this past weekend as an overnight bag to see how well it withstood all my clothes and hair products! Little known fact: I even brought it to work with me today!

I wanted to thank you all for your suggestions in my earlier post! What unexpected item did you find that made all the difference in your planning? Was it a favor? Decorations?

*all photos taken on my personal camera*

Turbulent Tuesday!

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After a busy holiday weekend I truly hate coming back to work. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way but I also couldn't sleep last night since I started to really feel the stress of planning a wedding. I thought this wouldn't happen to me until later but its started.

But first a lovely picture from this past weekend at one of the many BBQ's we attended.

ugh i'm so pale!*Personal photo*

Ok I've already expressed my concern over what to put in my OOT bags for guests. This past weekend I decided to go on tripadvisor.com to check out the reviews on the resort since I haven't done that in a long time. Seriously what was I thinking?!! I started to read the reviews of guests who stayed at the resort over the last couple of weeks and the negative comments started to get to me. As a former travel agent I stressed to clients about reading that website and that everybody has different opinions and to not take focus on them. Ha! And here I am going against my own advice, smooth move Kristen!

I laid in bed as my mind raced a mile a minute. "What if the check-in process is horrific and they don't have their rooms ready? What if the adult upgrade we paid for isn't worth it? What if they don't like the restaurants? Are my OOT bags too big? (more on that later!)"

I could go on and on with my concerns. Remember we vacationed at the sister property two years ago while this resort was being built and I hear nothing but fantastic things about the other resort. I chose to go with the newer property because of the higher quality rooms and the Elegance Club option which is for adults only. I fear the upgraded option might not be worth it and my guests will think this all was a waste of money!

As I sit here and write this I battle with myself. I know this is all part of the experience of getting married but at the same time I can't help but worry about what my guests will think! Have you started to stress about your big day? What were you worried most about it?

The Goods: Love at first stein

I've been on a roller coaster of love with the idea of having personalized plastic beer steins as part of our OOT bag goodies. I couldn't find any website that would allow me to buy less than 150 of them. So I put my networking skills to use and remembered that we have a vendor at work that has created t-shirts, mugs, memory sticks for us with our logo. I figured it couldn't hurt to ask them if they can help me make this dream come true.

Our rep called me within a matter of minutes of me sending him an e-mail. He was really pleased with the request and mentioned some company have an "under minimum" fee and would get back to me with some answers in a day or two. My heart soared after that conversation!

Until I got an answer back and I'm not sure what to do....yet again! They have a company that can do a minimum of 50 (I need about 30) for $5.54 each. Do the math and that's $277 for one item in my OOT bag. I'm torn because honestly that's a lot for one single piece of plastic! Yet it's what I want and we have the money.

I need help people, what are your thoughts????

Golden Girls!

"Thank you for being a friend, Traveled down the road and back again, Your heart is true your a pal and a confidant" (come on you know you're singing with me!) .

Oh I just love that show. Estelle Getty we miss you!

Ok so now that I got that out of my system I wanted to talk about a wonderful surprise I got last week. When I decided on a DW I understood and accepted the fact that most people, including my closest friends, might not be able to make it since it cost money. One of my best friends growing up had to decline since her wedding was only 3 weeks after mine and that was the start of the many "unfortunately we can't make it" responses. I thought at one point that we would be friendless (except the best man) on our wedding day and that really bummed me.

I have some great people in my life but there are only a few that have been my closest friends since I was young. And I just found out that two of them are coming to my wedding and I couldn't be happier! The ladies have been my friends for about 20 years now and to know they are going to be part of my special day makes this day even more special. I grew up swimming with "Jafar" and "Dimond in the Rough" (yes that's their real nicknames no joke and I'm "King of Thieves") and we have been through so much together.

Jafar (first on left), Me (next to her), and Dimond in the Rough (second from right in blue) at one of the many summer parties circa 2001 I think.

Me and Jafar - 2000

She will absolutely kill me for this pic but it's a classic! Dimond in the Rough (in red) and I with our friend Jules in 1994.

Dimond in the Rough and I in Sedona, AZ this past January.

They both live far away from me now but we are always still there for each other in a heart beat. Dimond in the Rough lives in Scottsdale, AZ now along with her family and Jafar lives in Maryland with her husband. I can only imagine the crazy stuff that will take place down in the Dominican!

I plan on incorporating them into the wedding since they are not in my bridal party but more to come on that!

Were there any unexpected surprises with guests RSVP's?

*all photos from personal camera*

Four Years Later...

....and I will get to marry my best friend, soul mate, and the man that makes me laugh my butt off every day!

Our first pic together - September 2006 - Hancock Tower, Chicago.

Funny story about this picture, I planned to tell him I loved him for the first time at the top of the tower. I chickened out because I could never find a time to be alone since a lot of people were visiting as well. I'm such a dork! So I ended up telling him randomly in our hotel room which clearly isn't as exciting but it still makes me smile at the thought!

Over the weekend we decided on a date to legally get married in New York State. As mentioned a few months ago , we are getting married legally in the US before we head to the Caribbean for our symbolic ceremony since we want to avoid waiting months for our marriage certificate to arrive after being translated.



Ok drum roll please......



August 18th!



I'm so happy that we are able to get married on our anniversary, the first date we had together. Isn't that awesome?!! Even though technically our wedding date is September 18th we will celebrate our anniversary on that date every year, but it is still wonderful to be able to still make our 'dating anniversary' special as well.

Another photo taken in front of Hancock Tower, Chicago. Although this picture was taken on our 4th date it's the first time we took pictures and the day.

Now I have to decide what to wear to city hall! More on that to come.

Are you getting married at city hall first? How did you come up with a date?

*all photos taken from personal camera*

Happy Friday!

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Just a random photo that I thought was hilarious! It's Friday people. WOOHOO! I just love weekends although once the warmer weather arrives that means we get so busy that we just don't get any time to be couch potatos. This weekend is a prime example (and don't get me started on Memorial Day weekend!).

I have the privilege of being a bridesmaid in my friends wedding in August and since I am planning my own wedding I really haven't had much time to concentrate on hers. Her wedding is 12 weeks away and I haven't gotten a dress yet! Yikes! She has given us free reign on the style choice as long as its from David's Bridal and in the color "clover". This seems to be the trend in many weddings I've seen not only in person but also on TV. I think it's a great option since we have such a big wedding party and many different body types. So tonight I MUST go to DB and try on some dresses but I think I have it narrowed down to one.

This one

I tried the longer version on about 2 months ago and wasn't a fan of it but loved the top. It made me look like a balloon. So today is the day even though I've been dreading trying on dresses! Wish me luck!

Anybody else try this dress on? Do you dread trying on dresses too?

It was love at first sight...

You know how people say you'll find the right when you least expect it. Well it happened to me yesterday and I just loved how good it felt! Scratching your head yet? No I'm not talking about my FI (although we totally fell into each others laps that way) but I'm talking about the perfect favor for our guests. Something that represents are style/theme yet practical and something they can use! I hate going to weddings and getting a favor that collects dust and I never use.

I've known for a while that I wanted to give wine stoppers as favors to our guests but some of them are just so generic. Nothing wrong with that but I want to stand out from the crowd because that's clearly how I roll! How I roll? CLEARLY I need some coffee because I haven't used that term since HS.

I really liked the starfish wine stoppers since that goes along with our DW theme. And there isn't much out there for different styles of starfish wine stoppers.

This is whatcha get! Source

Or so I thought! I googled "starfish wine stoppers" and found most websites that supply the wine stopper shown above. And then I saw "Murano Glass Collection" and figured I would see how much those puppies would cost. Humoring myself (or so I thought) I clicked on the website and started to drool over this....

I can't take my eyes off you! (source)

"The intricate way the hand blown glass colors intertwine within the glass transform what is usually a common favor into a veritable original work of art." Reading the description just makes me swoon! And the best part? If I order 96 or more they are only (drum roll please!)...$2.99 each!!

(Dancing in my seat as we speak)

So I sent the link to my FI and of course I'm sure he wasn't as excited since his comment was, "those are great, get what you want babe." Wedding favors aren't exactly his top priority right now since he's been studying for his MIJ test since his apprenticeship is almost over. It's been a long time coming and I'm so proud of him but I also can't wait for the pay raise!! It couldn't come at a more perfect time.

Ok sorry I drifted off subject. So once we get the final headcount for our HR and DW, I will be ordering them faster than you can say "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

What piece of the wedding just clicked for you? Did you fall head over heels for something? Maybe it was your dress or the venue or even the cake! Love to hear what clicked for you!

AAAAAMMMAZING!

Photo by Michael Steingard

This picture is absolutely amazing and I'm so excited that it's taken by our photographer! He just posted some pictures on his blog and it couldn't have come at a better time. In exactly 4 months from today, we will be getting married! Oh.my.gosh.

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I couldn't be happier with our choice and he is worth every penny! His work continues to amaze me and I'm so happy with the way our e-pics came out, that I'm left with one less detail to stress about on the day of and that's such a great feeling!

How were you feeling at the 4 month mark?? Did you start to feel the stress?

First comes love....

....then comes marriage...then comes...


I know what you're thinking but no it's not mine. He is my new (and first!) nephew Ryan Anthony who was born late Wednesday night. I apologize for the delay in postings but I've been a tad busy, can you tell?

He is absolutely adorable, precious, angelic and a blessing. I was so happy for my sister and brother-in law. I have to admit though, I have baby fever now. Holding him against my chest for 45 minutes was such a bonding experience and made me so excited to start a family. The wedding can't come soon enough! LOL Although unlike the saying "First Comes Love..." we will go about it a little differently and more like "First comes love...then comes marriage...then comes a HOUSE...AND THEN comes baby!" :)

It was a monumental weekend not only for my sister but for me. I turned the big 2-8 (the big 2-8? What's so special about that? I don't know.) on Saturday and although most of us were consumed in babyland, I also celebrated my birthday. It was an absolute blessing to be able to spend it with my family, which I normally don't get to since my parents live in FL.

Now that the baby has arrived it's the start of many great things to come this year. I'm so excited (and a little anxious) for the next 4 months.

You're going to trash what?? Think again!

This might be one of the most revealing posts I've written thus far but that's OK because I want others to know that wedding planning is NOT always about sunshine and cupcakes! Remember about a month ago I was so excited on my impulse purchase on EBay? If not, read here. I received the dress in a tiny box about 2 weeks ago and I couldn't wait to get home to try it on! The dress was the same size as my wedding dress so it was perfect and meant to be......or so I thought.

The dress is absolutely gorgeous and flowy.

Except it doesn't fit (cue loser music "wah waaah")

Let me explain how I got this dress on to begin with. Since it was only myself I put it on backwards so the zipper was in the front. The dress has a corset back and then you zipper up. So I was able to get ONE hook which clearly almost broke by the time I was done. THEN I had to suck it in for a good minute to try and turn the dress around right. Picture a dog chasing it's tail and that's what you got. No joke.

About 5 minutes later I finally got the dress on right. Notice the hook stretching in this picture?? Le sigh. Then I attempted to zip it up and that only got me half way until I decided to breathe and zipper went right back down to the start. ::insert pointing and laughing::

Um. yeah. The top is too big and pointy and CLEARLY a huge gap! I'm just a mess at this point.

Such a horrible picture but since it wasn't zipped up this is what I got. I look like a line backer to be honest! Bummer.


So ladies unfortunately I've decided to not use this dress and possibly resell it. My heart keeps telling me to use my own dress for the TTD session anyways and after this bump in the road I think its a sign. Luckily I didn't break the bank with this purchase but its still a disappointment not to mention my butt has to get to the gym because I cannot have this happen to my other dress!

What was your disappointment thus far in wedding planning?