It all started with spin the bottle...

Boudoir Session

2010-08-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

(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?

2010-08-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-06-29T05:42:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-06-24T11:46:00.001-07:00

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....

2010-06-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

...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

2010-06-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-12T16:32:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-10T11:54:00.001-07:00

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?

2010-06-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

source

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!

2010-06-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

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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

2010-05-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

"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...

2010-05-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

....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!

2010-05-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

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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...

2010-05-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

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.

Source

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....

2010-05-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

....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!

2010-05-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

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?

Dead End Zone!

2010-05-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

I have a secret to admit and its not a pretty one. This past winter I got lazy and I used my FI Head and Shoulders 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner for a good 2 months. What a mess! And THEN I read Miss Nachos blog about buying store brand products and what it does to your hair and I cringed!

I know using Head & Shoulder's was a HUGE mistake but at the time I got really lazy in the morning and would wait until the last second possible to get out of bed which didn't leave me much time to get ready. I also had to let you know that I haven't had my haircut since last September since I wanted to grow it out for the wedding. So you mix those two factors in you get this:

Isn't this scary looking??? Source

My hair had so many dead ends all over and they were also fried to crisp. LITERALLY they were crispy if I just let my hair dry naturally. I knew I had to do something about this so I took the first steps and sucked it up and bought quality salon products from Harmon Beauty Supply which is my savor when it comes to saving money!

Source

I have been using these products for 2 1/2 months now and I notice a HUGE difference especially when I FINALLY got an appointment with my stylist and got my hair trimmed. I walked in and his eyes opened wide and I turned red. It was like I totally got caught with my hand in the cookie jar! His first reaction was, "WOW your hair got so long!" And then I saw down in the seat to discuss what we wanted to do and I instantly caved in and told him everything that has been going on! He just laughed thankfully and mentioned that he will take care of it but won't be able to get rid of ALL the dead ends since it would make my hair too short (aka - you waited too long!).

Much better! *personal photo taken same day as haircut*

I won't ever make the mistake of going 7 months without another hair let alone wash my hair with such crappy shampoo! My FI is much happier as well since I'm not using up his shampoo/conditioner! LOL

I know as brides we want to grow our hair out for the wedding and we think that just by not cutting it that we are doing ourselves a favor but honestly we're not. The ends of our hair split for a number of reasons: heat, color, lack of vitamins or lack of protein. Then the end either breaks off or continues to split up further and keep breaking.

Another lesson learned for me! Are you even surprised at this point?? Did you make the switch to salon products and did you have results? Anybody else want to admit that they too have used H&S as well?

The Goods..Part 1

2010-05-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

I still have yet to decide on our OOT bags but I have been deciding on what to put in them...sort of. How cool would it be to walk up to the bar at the resort and fill up a personalized plastic beer mug with a cold refreshing drink? Everyone loves plastic mugs! I searched high and low for a company to do just that and unfortunately I need to order at least 100 minimum. I only need about 40 so what would I do with the remaining 60!??

Custom Ink has an easy and resourceful website to personalize a bunch of stuff. This is the look I'm hoping for.

Remember we used this symbol on our invitations? Well we want to continue to incorporate this into our wedding in other ways as well and I think this would be perfect to put on the mug.

Source

What do you think? I didn't want to put our names on the mugs because that seemed a bit cheesy and I figured people might not used them if they were too personalized, ya know? These mugs cost $1.25 each plus the set up fee which would cost a total of $185 for 100 mugs. I'm not worried about the price but I'm more worried about what to do with the remaining mugs! Maybe give them out at the home reception?

I can't tell you how AWESOME this would be to include in our OOT bags. Anyone have any suggestions on where I can find these mugs without having to buy 100 or more?

Lesson Learned: RSVP cards UPDATE!

2010-05-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

As if you couldn't top that subject with an update....BUT I actually can. First update, I received another no name response and just a "Y" next to the home reception.

So is that "Y" for YOURSELF? Or is that Yes I'll bring my entire extended family?? It came from NJ so at least I can narrow it down to a few choices.

SECONDLY I received another different kind of response today. I'm kind of lost for words yet its a little funny at this point because every day is new adventure in the Land of Response Cards!

*personal phone*

I was utterly shocked. I realize this person is on my Mother's side (I believe her aunt) and so I quickly called her and told her the news. It went something like this:

Me: Hi. Ummm did you know Emma died last year?

Mom: Oh yeah back in March I believe. Why?

Me: Well I sent her an invite to the wedding and she responded! Well more like someone in the family did. I thought you reviewed the list before I sent the invitations out?!

Mom: I did...I must have missed that.

HA! Ya think?! I am not sure how any other response is going to top that one.

The unveiling!

2010-05-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

I've finally come to a decision..well...more like a step forward. I spoke earlier about whether I was going to wear a veil or not on the day of the wedding.

Well I found 2 smaller flower organza beaded hairpins from Etsy seller PowderBlueBijoux for $30 and I fell in love. I received them in a cute little box with Tiffany blue tissue paper. Although at first I wasn't overly excited about the quality of the flower, I got over that fast once I put it in my hair. I chose two small flowers because I didn't one big flower to consume my entire head.

In the center is a tiny pearl and rhinestone which fits well with my jewelry and dress theme.

Back of the hairpin

So I have naturally wavy/curly hair and in the summer time due to humidity I have NO choice but to leave it this way. I plan on leaving my hair like this in the Dominican and most likely the day of the wedding. I found inspiration from a very common picture found on the web.

Source

So I decided to just pull my hair back lightly into a bun for now. Then strategically placed the two hairpins, one on top and the other on the side.

View from the front, not bad eh!

Another view trying to get the flower in more. At this point I'm wondering if I need to go bigger since you can't see the flower unless I turn my head. Hmm...

I was surprisingly happy with the way they looked. I was relieved to be honest. At this point I realized there was no way I was going to have a veil. This works very well with the back of my dress being open.

I suck at taking pictures on my own at an awkward angle but I wanted to get a close up of the flowers. You can't tell but my other hand is holding a hand mirror up to try and make sure the camera is position right. HA!

So what do you think? Should I go bigger?

*all photos are personal unless otherwise stated*

DIY: Bedazzler gone wrong!

2010-05-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

Remember how I wanted to bedazzle my flip flops for the wedding instead of paying $60 for the real deal? Well I visited Michaels today and was totally stoked to use my 40% coupon too!! I couldn't wait to get home to start another project.

I have my crystals, tweezers, hot fix crystal tool, and flip flops!

I bought 5mm swarovski crystal flat backs, 4 packages of 22 pieces.

source

I even went on YouTube to see how to use the hot fix tool properly. Sounds so easy but it isn't! You heat up the hot fix tool for 5 minutes, then place your crystal on the surface of the object you want and hold down for 30 seconds. Then VOILA!

Unfortunately my DIY project didn't work the way I wanted and started melting the flip flops!
As you can see I tried 3 times and still no luck.

No bueno! I was frustrated and bummed.

So here is the breakdown of my unsucessful DIY project:

Old Navy flip flops: $2.50

5mm flat back crystals: $3.49 each 30% off (22 pieces) x 4

Jolees Hot Fix Crystal Tool: $11.99 ( with 40% coupon)

Tweezers: $3.49

Total: $34.10

So I will be returning the crystals and the tweezers since I won't be using them now. And it's now on to Plan B. I discovered these bad boys in J.Crew the other day for $36.

source

So in the long run I spent almost the amount I didn't want to spend. Oh well. You win some and you learn some.

Anyone have luck using the hot fix tool on flip flops? Ever have a DIY project gone wrong? If so, I'd love to hear!

Let's change things up a bit....

2010-05-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would change things up and talk about why we chose to have a destination wedding (DW). I've gotten this question a lot lately when I mention where we are getting married.

"So what made you want to have a destination wedding?"

"So were a lot of people mad when they found out you were getting married in the Caribbean?"

Honestly I've never imagined myself getting married anywhere else except the catholic church I grew up going to but it wasn't until I met my FI that something just clicked. It was so weird but literally like a switch turned on at the first thought of getting married to him. I mean I literally planned out my wedding before (in my head) and pictured the big Cinderella traditional sha-bang!

My FI and I went on vacation back in May 2008 in the Dominican Republic at a resort in Punta Cana called Majestic Colonial.

My FI and I waiting for our room to be ready. I swear my cheesy smile is not alcohol induced...I'm just that cheesy.

We absolutely had a blast and fell in love with the resort. The resorts grounds were lush and tropical and always well maintained. The staff was extremely friendly and always said, "Hola!"

One of the many bars available to your enjoyment.

We witnessed several weddings taking place while we were there and it hit us....let's have a destination wedding! It's totally our style, laid back, relaxed and honestly we just want to go away with our friends and family and celebrate our love for a couple days while boozing and eating our hearts out! Who wouldn't want that?! I know it's not for everyone but I couldn't picture getting married anywhere else.

We vacationed at many other all-inclusive resorts over the last two years but none of them exceeded our expectations like this resort and we knew this was were we wanted to get married. PLUS we know what to expect since we've already been there!

This is one of the many reasons why I love my FI..he is such a goof ball and makes me laugh all the time!

We love our beverages =)

One of the best features is the never ending pool that starts up by reception and ends by the beach! This is the view from our room. There was quieter parts (which we didn't go near) and then there was the rowdy loud music section which we always try to stay towards.

This is the grand staircase in the main lobby. THIS is what sold me on having my wedding here. Can you imagine the amazing pictures I will get???

And so to answer the question earlier about if people got mad because we were having a DW...NOPE! Luckily my family supports our decision and although they've never been to one they are extremely excited for the new experience! I'm really thankful they were on board from the start because that's whose opinion would have mattered most. and if anybody is mad or upset I don't really care because at the end of the day this is OUR wedding.

So there you have it! Anybody else decide to go against tradition and have a wedding that represents their style whether it's outdoors, at a museum or even on a mountain top? Was everyone accepting?

*all picture were taken from personal camera*

My new best friend...

2010-05-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've got a new best friend and it's not diamonds....it's pearls! Ever since I bought my dress I've been looking for the perfect set of earrings and bracelet to match the gorgeous broach on my dress.

Paloma Blanca

It's hard to tell but the broach has pearls and rhinestones that give it enough pizazz to make it simple but elegant with a bit of old Hollywood thrown in. Ya dig?

I've been stalking Etsy for the perfect set to compliment the dress (I love that website!). I've never been one to wear big dangley earrings since I think they look ridiculous on me. For my wedding though I would like to wear something dangley but nothing dramatic. I also don't want them to be too small that you can't even notice. Comprende?

Source

This bracelet definitely makes me swoon. It's not too big either so it won't eat up my wrist!

These dangley puppies caught my eye earlier today and I think they might just be the pizazz I need to add to my wedding attire. What do you think?

Gorgeous earrings and bracelet by Etsy Seller: BellaLuAndMe

This bracelet kind of matches the earrings and I'm all about making sure every detail flows together. And the price is pretty darn good for me! I also wanted to find something I could wear again for a night out or even at work and these fit that category. I can't justify paying all this money (although this isn't emptying the bank) if I'm only going to wear it for half a day, ya know?

I didn't want to include a necklace since I think the beautiful lace neckline compliments me enough. What do you think?

Stop bugging me!

2010-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a tad impatient and worried. I haven't seen my dress in 5 months and I keep thinking about the 'other' dress that I battled with in the beginning of my dress hunt.

I've been drugged and I'm now addicted to "Say 'Yes' to the Dress' on TLC every Friday night! The past two weeks I've become 'blah' after watching the show and questioning my dress choice. Could I possibly be in love with two dresses?

I realize that I tried to cover up my discovery by purchasing a second dress to be used for our TTD session. I received the dress I won on EBay two weeks ago and I'll admit I've been a bad blogger by not posting the pictures of it on me. I promise to follow up on that shortly with pictures but honestly it wasn't a pretty sight and it involved me suffocating myself almost.

The culprit is below and it's made by the same designer as my dress. Unlike my dress, this one is completely the opposite. Strapless and form fitting. This was the ONLY dress that fit over my hips and actually made my curves look damn good! I could never pull off a mermaid dress in a million years and this was the closest I would get to doing so. I was unable to take pictures of this dress since RK Bridal in NYC doesn't allow you to take pictures until you purchase the dress.

The back of the dress is similar to mine with the faux buttons going down the back.

I want this dress to stop bugging me! I know this is a very common feeling to have but it sucks. I can't wait for my dress to be delivered so I can try it on and stop worrying.

Have you had the same experience? What was the outcome?

Lesson Learned: RSVP cards

2010-05-05T10:05:00.001-07:00

I didn't listen and I ignored probably one of best pieces of advice when it comes to wedding planning: numbering your RSVP cards! I first learned about this method a couple weeks ago from Miss Hamster and I brushed it off in denial.

Nice Job Kristen!

Gotta love camera phones! *personal photo*

Luckily we aren't having a seating chart for the home reception so this doesn't cause a major issue but I have no name to put on my RSVP template I created. More on that later.

So be wise and number your RSVP cards so you can avoid trying to figure out who the mystery guest is! Anyone else encounter this problem?

Just another day in Paradise!

2010-05-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

The countdown continues on and we are just about at the 4 month mark. OH. MY. GOSH. I seriously am getting so giddy as each day passes.

Thankfully our resort has a picasso web album online where they update pictures of every aspect of their weddings from ceremony spots to cakes to fire dancers! Recently I noticed that the ceremony locations are decorated a lot more than usual with lots of colors and accessories.

What's different about having a destination wedding is that most of the details are squared away when you arrive unlike traditional weddings where that stuff is taken care of months prior. We will arrive 3 days prior to our wedding and will meet with our wedding coordinator a day or two before to go over everything. In the mean time I've been e-mailing her every so often with questions. Recently I inquired about the decorations and if there is a fee associated with setting up the gazebo like the picture below.

I got back a pleasant e-mail with information on the decoration fees for the ceremony location and it honestly was a great price. I really want to avoid bringing down lots of checked baggage full of OOT stuff and decorations, so it's totally worth paying the fee if it spares me packing more. It includes a runner, tall glass vase with fake flowers, chair sashes and veil for the gazebo (those sheets wrapped around columns).

This is where the ceremony will be held. My stomach does butterflies every time I look at this. I've been picturing my wedding day for years now and I can't believe we're only months away!

Here is a picture from the inside. I have yet to determine what color I will be using since the color of the BM dresses isn't exactly a common one. Blue Steel is more of a blue gray so maybe I'll accent it with yellow chair sashes? What do you think?

*all pictures were taken from here.

Let's talk about venues

2010-05-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

Summer is approaching us and that means weekends in CT at the summer house! This past weekend was the first time we spent it at the summer home. This isn't my families summer home but it's my brother-in laws family who never uses it. So my sister and her husband are the main users and pay the taxes on the place. My family uses it more to be honest. Since my parents move to Florida and my FI parents moved as well, this is our only connection to our hometown and I am so thankful for that.

The summer house (taken this past weekend), isn't it such a cute little place?!

The view from the house of the lake. So peaceful!

I couldn't wait to take a walk with my mother to the clubhouse in the community since this is where we will have our home reception (HR) a week after our wedding. Like I've mentioned a couple months ago, my sister had her engagement party at the clubhouse and it was so beautiful. When we spoke about getting married and wanting a home reception we didn't want anything too formal. I instantly thought of the clubhouse because in September the leaves are starting to turn and lake is beautiful.

I am super excited to share with you a sneak peek of the HR venue. I wasn't able to take pictures inside because there was a private event going on and you had to pay to get in.

The View

I just absolutely love the this place. People will be able to hangout on the porch or relax inside with picturesque view. The place provides a full kitchen, tables and chairs, fireplace, flat screen tv and more!

I promise to take more pictures in the next coming weeks as well. Time is starting to fly by and I'm getting extremely excited for the main event to happen! Aren't you??

Lessons Learned

2010-05-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

I've learned a "valuable" lesson after putting together my invitations and I wanted to pass along to you so hopefully you don't make the same mistake.

I wasted stamps. Ugh.

When I went to the post office to get regular stamps for the RSVP envelopes I got a total of 120. I figured that should be enough for now and I could always buy more. I got home and put all 120 stamps on the envelopes to only find out after that we only sent out roughly 90 invitations. That leaves us with 30 extra stamped envelopes. Bummer.

Luckily I didn't do that for the outer envelopes and I'm left with two booklets of $1 and .05 stamps so I guess that makes up for it.

Valuable lesson learned!

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

2010-04-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to be boring and just put "Happy Friday!" as my subject since I'm feeling more than just "happy" about it being Friday. This week has been long and a tad blah but this weekend is going to be just the opposite.

This post isn't really wedding related and thought I would take a break for today on the planning side.

This weekend is going to be awesome for numerous reasons: A) the weather is suppose to be in the 80's and gorgeous and B) my mother is flying up from Florida tomorrow for 3 weeks to help my sister out when the baby arrives (The sound of a record scratching). Wait, what? Yes. My sister is about to give birth any day now and I can't be more excited!!!!!

This will be her first child and I couldn't be more excited since it's a complete surprise as far as the sex of the baby AND the name! Plus I'll actually be able to spend time with my future niece or nephew since she lives only an hour away. I have two beautiful nieces already from my older sister but they live in Illinois and I only get to see their smiling faces MAYBE twice a year. =(

So this weekend we are planning on relaxing at the summer home (I will FINALLY take pictures of our home reception site so you guys can check it out yourselves), cooking some delicious burgers and enjoying the weather. Oh and being on call 24/7 in case the baby comes!

What is everyone else doing this weekend?

Stirring up the pot....

2010-04-29T08:41:00.001-07:00

We all have realized by now that wedding planning is not always filled with blissful moments 100% of the time. My FI and I have had a few bumps in the road and actually now that I think about it, we've been lucky enough to only have minor ones. Well, ok, one major bump. His father.

My FI and I have had two totally different childhoods growing up. I come from a very close knit family and my parents have been married for almost 42 years. His father left when he was 6 years old and didn't come back into his life until he was about 21 or 22 years old. His mother had to work 3 jobs to support him and his brother and sister so he had to grow up quickly and take care of things around the house while she worked. His father never visited and had to be taken to court numerous times for child support. It wasn't a happy situation.

He reunited with his father who had remarried and had 2 more sons. One named after him since his father never thought he would see my his son again. Anyways, it still hasn't been a happy ending and his father hasn't changed much. He never returns phone calls and they didn't even respond to our engagement party. I had to e-mail his step-mom for a response. Their excuse: they had to go to his bosses surprise party instead. I was finally hurt instead of just my FI. I couldn't justify why it was OK for his own father to not come to his OWN son's party. The final straw for me was when they asked for money from us that my FI owed them from 2002. He offered to pay them back and they refused his money at the time and said he didn't have to pay them. I was just so upset that they would ask us for the money NOW in the middle of planning a wedding. Six years later you now want the money?!

It just hasn't been a good situation and we made a tough decision to not invite them to our wedding. Actually it wasn't tough on my end since I am not really emotionally attached to his father since I rarely see him. I left it up to my FI and he wanted nothing to do with him and realized he was better off without him in his life.

Side note: his mother remarried in the mid-90's to an amazing guy who has been there for John and I can see where he gets his sense of humor from and I'm thankful he was part of his life.

I'm sure we are going to get mixed emotions about the fact that we didn't send an invitation to his father but we sent them to other family members on his side. And that's fine. We've continued to do the 'right thing' for so many years and we get nothing in return and many family members are aware of that and are supportive.

It does upset me that his own father won't be at his wedding but at the same time he doesn't deserve to.

Anyone else having drama situations with family or future in-laws?

Sticker Shock!

2010-04-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

So the invitations were done and ready to labeled and stamped. I was extremely excited! I went to the post office with one invitation so they could weigh it and tell me which stamps to buy. Honestly, I almost just bought the wedding themed .60 stamps since I figured that's what it would be anyways but I'm glad I didn't.

All excited I walked up to the counter and mentioned I need 120 stamps for my wedding invitations and handed him the invite. He smiled and then explained that the envelope is larger and would cost more. I smiled like I was expecting that answer until he said, "it will cost $1.05 each to mail."

Whhhhhaaaaaaaat?

I started to do the math and my excitement disappeared. $126 it would cost me to mail all my invitations out. Bummer.

I mean its not a total surprise since I knew they would cost more since I do have a lot crammed into the envelope but I wasn't expecting it to be over a dollar!

So instead of lovely wedding themed stamps I was stuck with these:

source

Not a fan of the Zeus like stamp but the American Toleware one is cute.

So for those of you out there that haven't bought invitations yet and are considering pocketfold or irregular looking envelopes be aware!! Anyone else experience the sticker shock of stamps with their invitations??

Giddy on Up...Giddy on Out!

2010-04-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

So I completed the last of DIY insert cards and now it was FINALLY time to stop procrastinating and put the invites together to send out since our RSVP date was only 45 days away! I know. Way to go slow poke!

So this past weekend I finally had nothing to do and decided to take the day to get everything together so that I could send out this week. First I had to start off the right way with a nice big cup of Joe.
I thought I'd share with you my cool cup of coffee that is appropriate for the occasion. I'm not really a 'Top Banana' since its taken me so long to sit down and complete the task but it's my favorite mug.

My entire invitation suite completed and ready to Go! Before I took this picture I had to put the clear labels Bed Bath & Beyond kindly printed for us on the registry card they gave us. That took me about 30 minutes to put on 120 cards. THEN I realized as I was gathering all that I needed that I didn't go the Post Office to get stamps for the RSVP envelopes. UGH! So I made a trip to the nearest Post Office and picked them up and returned home.

I started to rush because I was getting impatient and look where that got me...crooked stamps! Bummer.

Well 120 stamps later I was ready to assemble the set.

Or so I thought until my cat Josie decided to sniff around and make it be known she wasn't happy with me taking up most of the living room space (note: I live in small basement apartment and had 3 ft x 3 ft space to work with).

My entire invitation suite: Invitation, Reply Card, RSVP envelope, Registry card, Accommodation card, and Direction card. Wow! Talk about stuffed! I used glue dots (not pictured sorry!) to attached the invite onto the pocketfold so that people could easily take it off if they wanted to put up on the refrigerator.

My other cat, Ziggy, thought this was boring and decided to pass out on our logo stickers. How convenient!

To be honest I couldn't be happier with the way the logo sticker looks with the pocketfold. I was nervous when I ordered them but it made the invitation extra special and personal to me.

I can't help but smile when I saw the box filling up with completed invitations. That feeling of accomplishment came over me. Although it did take me over 5 hours get everything ready and complete 66 invitations. I continued on Sunday to put together the remaining amount.

Wasn't it a sigh of relief when you finished your invitations? How long did it take you?

Love at first soles - Delicate Soles Giveaway

2010-04-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the main reason for this blog entry I wanted to take a moment to thank those who have commented and offered opinions in the past on my blog. Its been so helpful and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one out there with the same wedding related issues. Thank you again!!

I've been lucky enough to follow one of my favorite blogs by A Chocolate Lover's Confession and recently she posted about a fantastic product that will make our feet very happy. Delicate Soles created a rollable flat shoe that is tiny enough to be mistaken for lipstick but comfortable after a long day. This is fantastic since I tend to bring big bulky bags with me each day into the city in order to fit my heels and other every day necessities. Plus I plan on wearing flats on my wedding day and have yet to find a pair!

She is giving away two pairs to two lucky followers so if you haven't already checked it out do so by clicking here.

Good Luck!

Do I Really Have To??

2010-04-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

If there was one part of wedding planning that I procrastinated on it would be putting our invitations together. I received the package at the end of March and they lived in my car for 3 weeks. I just was not looking forward to putting them together.

I finally got my butt in gear this past weekend but first I had to make my own "Accommodation" and "Direction" insert cards since they didn't come with the invitation set. So I went online to one of my favorite paper companies Paper and More and ordered 100 sheets of card stock 80# and it was delivered within 48 hours of my purchase. I absolutely LOVE this company. If you remember I used them for my DIY centerpieces with vellum paper and loved how fast I received my order.

At work we have a template for our shipping labels and it fits 4 per sheet. I thought the size was perfect so I decided to play around in Word and I added a black border which would match our invitation set and voila!

I then decided to see if I could add the design logo to the bottom of the card so that it will look just like the set. Bingo! It wasn't AS clear but it worked just fine and I was happy with the results. Don't ask me why I didn't put it on the direction card because I don't have an answer for you. For some reason I totally forgot and already printed the cards. Oh well not a big deal.

Once I proofed both cards I printed them and cut them at work using the paper cutter and I was on to the next task.....actually putting everything together.

Did you have to add onto your invitation set? If so, were dreading the process as well?

You're going to trash what??? Part 2

2010-04-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

As I previously mentioned, we will be have a TTD session a couple days after our wedding and I wasn't sure if I wanted to use my wedding dress or purchase a cheaper dress to use for the photo shoot. I've been going back and forth on the idea and to be honest I'm still on the fence about what to do.

I've scoured the internet for the perfect TTD: light material with some beading. I fell in love with a dress a previous bride wore for her TTD by our photographers uncle. I sent her a message on Facebook to see where she got it from and she finally got back to me but unfortunately she purchased the dress last year on sale from Nordstroms. I stalked their website but to no avail.

Photo by PhotoPhil

I just love the beading around the top and the dress looks light and flowing. This photographer rocks and I just can't wait for our TTD.

So I marched on and searched high and low through the Internet for discounted wedding gowns on both preownedweddingdresses.com, craigslist, and EBay. I mean I literally haunted those sites for weeks and I just couldn't find anything in my price range nor the style.

Until yesterday when I stumbled upon a seller on EBay who sold sample dresses for cheap. Extremely detailed about the dress and it was exactly what I was looking for and the price was just unbeatable. The starting bid: 99 cents. What? Yes. Unbelievable. The sale was ending in 3 hours so I decided to watch it for a bit. I got home and realized I never checked the dress to see if was sold or not and rushed to turn on my computer. I still had 40 minutes to go and it was up to $52. So I put in my bid and instantly got outbid.

I kept asking myself "What are you thinking?! You sure you want to do this? What if you win?"

It came down the last couple of minutes and bets started going up. I got nervous. Should I bet? Should I walk away? Finally it came down to 30 seconds and I put my maximum bid of $105 in and shut my eyes like the computer was about to blow up! Then I refreshed the page and in big bold green font it said "Winner!"

Oh. My. Gosh.

I didn't know if I should be excited or nervous. It all happened so fast. So I paid the seller and continued to stare at the dress.

I am now the owner of James Clifford gown. I've never even heard of the designer but the more I stared at the dress the more I started to get excited for the arrival. I won't keep you in suspense anymore so here are the pictures provided:

I absolutely fell in love with the beading and the rouching of the chiffon.

Here is a close up of the beading. I think it looks a tad dirty which is fine because I will get this dry cleaned of course.

Isn't the back stunning??

Since this was a sample dress the seller warned me that there are snags/runs all over the dress that can be easily fixed by my lovely mother. I'm not too concerned about that because I'm not wearing this on my wedding day anyways and it will be going through hell in the jungle regardless.

I bought this on impulse and it's still a shock that I won but I can't wait for this arrival hopefully next week. I told my FI and he was even excited about it which made me feel better.

Stay tuned for picture of me in the dress....hopefully it fits!

Have you bought something for your wedding on impulse? If so, what was it? Were you happy with your choice or regret it?

*all photos are from Ebay

The new cupcake

2010-04-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

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Is your mouth watering yet? This picture makes me crave Macarons.

For many years we've all been on a cupcake craze. We've associated cupcakes as cute, happiness-inducing desserts for too long and it's time to latch on to a new confection: the French macaron (not to be confused with macaroons, the dense cookies made of shredded coconut and condensed milk). These pretty, colorful, bite-size treats were first introduced to me this past Christmas and I realized that I've been missing out for many years!

I found an article today that included the recipe from Adour, a french restaurant located at the St. Regis New York. I instantly thought I attempt to recreate them this weekend but I reviewed the recipe and it scares me! I give so much credit to Miss Turtle on Weddingbee for not giving up and perfecting this. I haven't given up on the idea but this recipe would go smoother if I had my Kitchen Aid mixer right now.

I thought I would share the recipe with you:

Raspberry macarons by Adour Alain Ducasse at The St. Regis New York
Ingredients:

18 ounces almond flour (500 G)
(always try to buy the finest almond flour 99 or 100 percent)

1.3 pounds of confectioners sugar (600 G)

7 ounces of egg whites (180 G)

7.5 ounces of egg whites (200 G)

1.2 pounds of granulated sugar (500 G)

5 ounces of water (125 G)

Making the batter:

Mix together the almond flour with sugar and 7 ounces of egg whites in a mixer such as a KitchenAid until there are no lumps.

At the same time, beat the remaining egg whites in another bowl on medium speed until a stiff peak forms.

Over a low flame cook the sugar and water at 118 C.
(Make sure you use a baking thermometer — avoid a digital one as they are too sensitive).

Pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream into the beaten egg whites. Make sure to pour the syrup in at the edge of the bowl.

Once the cooked egg whites stop producing vapor, fold them into the almond mixture.

Technique is important:

To do this grab the bowl with one had and hold a pastry scraper in the other. Using the scraper blend the mixture from the center of the bowl smearing it up on the side of the bowl all while turning the bowl with the other hand so you mix all the way around. Do this until the mixture is blended to a consistency similar to an almond paste or marzipan.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using your scraper put three scoops of batter into a pastry bag. With the tip of your bag pointing straight down, (in Adour, they use size 11 or 12 tips ) pipe the batter into small portions of equal size onto the sheet. The technique Chef Micheli uses is he pushes an inch size amount of batter down, stops for a second and then makes a swirl.

Let the macarons dry for 12 minutes. Bake them for 10 minutes at 320 F. Let them cool down, half an hour or 45 minute before creating your sandwich.

Raspberry Filling Ingredients:

20 ounces raspberry puree (Capfruits)

3.5 gluclose sugar

4 ounces of granulated sugar

.5 ounces pectin

Bring the puree and the glucose syrup to a boil. Add the mixture of pectin and sugar. Boil for two minutes. Chill until needed.

recipe can be found at www.metro.us

Assemble:

Once your macarons and the filling are cool. Pair up your macarons with others of the same size. Press your thumb slightly in the center of each to create an indent. Add the filling. Make sandwich.

I really would LOVE to make a bunch of these and put them in decorative plastic bags for our guests at the home reception. Wouldn't that be cute? That would also be quite stressful before though.

Think you could tackle the recipe?

I feel naked....

2010-04-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day that I left home without my e-ring!! The horror! I was sick yesterday so my head is still a little fuzzy and I walked out of my house without it on. I take it off when I shower and I must have been running around and forgot. HOW COULD I FORGET??! It wasn't until I was already driving about 3 minutes that I could feel how naked my finger felt. It was already too late to turn around and that feeling hit the bottom of my stomach. ::sigh:: I would have to go about my day without it.

I called the FI to tell him since he was still at home and I didn't want to him to think I didn't care. Of course he made fun of me and called me a "bad fiance" but said it happens. I've stared at my ring finger all day and see the faint mark from the ring. I can't wait to get home and put it back on!

Anybody else feel naked without it on?? Feel like your lost? Kind of like when you leave your cell phone at home by accident.

Mini-Bridezilla Moment

2010-04-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cute Picture

For the most part my entries have been pretty up beat. I haven't really had a moment where I want to stomp my feet and have a temper tantrum if I don't get my way. And although I'm not having a temper tantrum yet, I'm still a little peeved about a certain situation that arised over the weekend.

The whole point of having a destination wedding was to avoid the normal drama that planning a traditional wedding can bring (i.e. you can't sit this uncle next to this person because they've had bad blood over a garden gnome 20 years ago). I expected to have some drama which is fine but I got a slap in the face recently (not literally). I understand that many people will not be able to attend our wedding since it can cost money and time that some people don't have. But I received an e-mail from a family member asking for resort recommendations for the Dominican Republic.

Umm...I'm getting married there HELLO! Of course I send back and nice reply, "Oh I definitely recommend the resort we are getting married at since it's rated #1 on Tripadvisor.com. When are you thinking of going?" This way to give her a clue in case she forgot the fact that we were getting married there.

The response: "Oh well we were thinking of going the end of August beginning of September."

SERIOUSLY??

My response: "Oh well why don't you come down two weeks later since the whole family will be down for the wedding. It would be fantastic to see you!" Again, nice and pleasant.

The response: "We wish but not possible. Your uncle is renting his house in Courtlandt. Know of anybody who is interested?"

I have yet to respond but I'm annoyed. I know my family on my fathers side has been divided over the last year and I'm just not believing the reason that was given. I want to make a big deal out of it yet at the same time maybe it's best I don't since I'd rather not deal with family drama during our wedding. It's not just a couple hours to put your feelings aside, it's a couple days on an isolated resort.

What kind of stupid drama have you encountered since being engaged? How did you cope with it?

Tread lightly..but why??

2010-04-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

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Yikes! Don't mess this with lady!

When I first reconnected with my FI in 2006 I was thrown to the wolves to be honest. I met both his mother and father all in one weekend. We went to a BBQ party one night at his father's and it was blast! The next day we went to a family reunion with his mother's side. It wasn't as fun as the night before and I wondered what I was getting myself into.

I realize now that his mother was not fond of his past girlfriends so it took some time to warm up to me and for her to see that I was the best thing for her son. And that's totally understandable. I'm extremely happy with the relationship I have with my FMIL and I don't have to worry about how I act around her. Although cooking around the woman is another story.

His family comes from Italy and so his mother was brought up cooking from scratch. The food is amazing and it works out perfectly since I love food. She's included me in the cooking process and shown me how she makes her famous lasagna over the past year which truly shows how much she cares for me. Recently I've been given cooking responsibilities when it comes to family parties. And I'm happy to be included but the last two times I've had to cook in the woman's kitchen.

Extremely intimidating!!! First off, she has a beautiful brand new kitchen that they renovated two years ago. Secondly, she is a clean freak. My FI gets his OCD cleaning from her. The last two times I cooked in her kitchen I felt like I had to tread lightly in her kitchen and be as clean and neat as possible. For those that don't know me I am a klutz. I spill things on myself all the time and make a mess. I'm entertainment to my FI when I'm in the kitchen.

The first time she taught me how to make potato salad. So we boiled the potatoes and let them cool off. Then she showed me how to peal the potatoes with a knife. I was so afraid to hurt the potato or get a hole in it that I took forever. Eventually she grabbed the potato and told me not to be afraid to get aggressive. So I did and voila! The skin came off so much faster.

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This past weekend we spent Easter at his mothers house as well and I had the responsibility of making deviled eggs. His grandmother gave me a deviled egg holder one year for Christmas and for some reason they designated me "Deviled Egg Lady." So I boiled the eggs on Saturday and brought them up to his mothers to finish the next morning since we were really busy running around Saturday.

I woke up yesterday feeling anxious. I knew I had to finish making deviled eggs and I had to make them in her kitchen. As I peeled the eggs, scooped out the yolk, and added the ingredients I could feel her looking over every so often. Or so I think! I was super paranoid of making a mess or screwing up. I have no clue why!!! She's such an awesome woman but I'm just intimidated to cook in her kitchen and make a mess! She doesn't make me feel bad or give me dirty looks either. So this whole thing is all in my head.

Have you ever felt this way about your FMIL?? I know I'm being silly but anyone else encounter the same situation?

Top 10 Wacky Weddings

2010-04-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

We all have an idea of what we want OUR wedding day to be like. Some like traditional church wedding. Or a beach wedding. Some even love to be married by Elvis in Vegas! Check out these Top 10 Wacky Weddings:

Source

If I had to choose out of those top 10 choices I would go with the rollercoaster wedding.

Spring Cleaning

2010-04-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

The weather is absolutely gorgeous out and I'm so excited that spring has finally arrived. It's now April and that means opening the windows and doing some spring cleaning! I try to go through all my clothes once a year and throw out the ones I don't wear anymore although its been hard the last two years because I keep saying I'm going to lose weight and fit back into those old jeans from 2005! So I finally am giving up that motto and facing reality. LOL

When I first moved back to NY my mother gave me a bunch of blazers (does anybody use that word anymore??) that she used to wear for work but now that she lives in FL she doesn't need them. I'm one of those people that won't say "no" to most freebies and I knew I probably would never wear what she gives me. And I was right....

These are the two piles of clothes I am throwing out. I went through my closet and my drawers. Notice the first pile with the blazers in those lovely bright colors. Yuck.

This is a plaid Ann Taylor jacket that's probably from 1997! Yikes.

A bright yellow blazer with the biggest shoulder pads EVER! What was she thinking??

I just had to try on the yellow jacket to show you just how big the shoulder pads are. Talk about looking HOT! Ha ha! Just kidding!

I feel refreshed and can check this off the list of to-do's that actually isn't wedding related. Two big garbage bags full of clothes off to the clothing box by our dry cleaners. I just love how much room I have now in my dresser drawers that I don't have to push down hard in order for it to clothes. C'mon you know what I'm talking about ladies?!

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday weekend and enjoys this gorgeous weather!!

Food for thought....

2010-04-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

"Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, and they blossom when we love the one we married."

I wanted to pass along this quote I saw on my friends Facebook page. I'm not sure who said it but I like it and wanted to share :)

It's Thursday which is the new Friday!! At least this week. Looking forward to the long holiday weekend with our best man and his girlfriend along with my Future In-Laws.

I thought I would post some fun random pictures of our favorite couple.

I love his best man and his especially his awesome girlfriend. This was taken at our engagement party. Can you tell that his best man brings out the best in my FI?! LOL

The boys at a UCONN footall game last September.

I can't help but bust out laughing every time I see this picture! This is why he is our best man because of his random funny moments!

Mexico - October 2009 (we look like we got burnt to a crisp!)

I love this chick! Us in Mexico.

Doodle this!

2010-04-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

My FI loves to doodle and most of his notebooks for school are filled with them. So it was no surprise that he doodled one day a symbol of our love. Or so he tells me. I came home one night and he showed me what he drew and how it reminded him of our love. I nodded and said, "that's nice babe" and didn't think anything of it. What? Might sound a little mean but its true.

When we decided on our invitations and purchased them he asked if we could incorporate the symbol somehow into the wedding. I knew that our pocketfolds would need a seal to close it and what better way than to custom make them and use his drawing?!!! It will be the first thing our guests see when they open the invitations. He was thrilled with the idea and said he would draw it out on plain white paper for me.

That was 3 weeks ago. And I'm still waiting. I remind him almost every day and I keep getting, "no problem love, I'll do it today!" Yea. Ok. The invitations have arrived and we can't wait much longer!

FINALLY he came through with his promise and drew it today. He met me at work and this is what I get: What the heck is that??? For some reason I thought it was more detailed. I looked at him and said, "this is it?" and he replied, "yeah not sure why you bugged me about it ha ha." ::ugh:: I am not very artsy or creative and I could have drawn this!! So I took to PowerPoint to try and recreate it since I wasn't satisfied with his drawing.

It was pretty easy to recreate but I wanted it to be thicker and more bold.

Once I made it a bit thicker it was time to upload it to Zazzle so we could customize our stickers. This website absolute rocks and it was super easy to navigate and create the circular stickers.

The problem though is that they look so plain! I tried adding circular dots, initials, our names, the date but it just didn't look right. I couldn't find the right font. Then I questioned if I even wanted circular stickers since our envelopes are square. Back to the drawing board and stalking google search for someone who can do this for me in square stickers instead. To no avail but a company called Online Labels has the 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 square labels I'm looking for. The only downside is that 150 labels would cost $52! That's just whack!

So I sucked it up and decided to stick with the ones I created on Zazzle for $37.

This is one of those details I'm going to have to compromise and let the FI take credit for. I may not be entirely sold on this idea BUT I'm OK with it and not dead set against it.

Have you had to compromise and let you FI take the reigns for a bit on the wedding planning? Were you thrilled with his ideas or did you just nod and smile?

*all photos are from personal camera

Here comes the bride...

2010-03-31T06:56:00.001-07:00

Like most women we dream about our wedding day from a young age. Everything from the dress, the venue, flowers and music. Music? Yes. Ever since I was little I was not fond of the traditional "Here comes the bride" processional music. It screams "LOOK AT ME" and it just didn't captivate my heart from the start.

My sister got married in 2005 and I was extremely happy she chose Canon in D by Pachelbel for the bridesmaid procession. Although kind of cliche its still my all-time favorite!

This is my family at my sisters wedding in 2005. I loved our BM dresses too although it's hard to tell.

When we started planning the wedding I just knew that I still wanted to walk down the aisle to Canon in D. This song makes my heart melt and honestly tear up a bit thinking about this amazing day to come. If a song does that to you then you KNOW you picked the right song.

The song is long enough for both my sisters to walk down to as well as me. The resort has a staff member coordinate the music for the ceremony but I would like to keep it as simple as possible just in case to avoid any confusion. Can you tell I'm a worry wart???

Anybody else hopping on the Canon in D bandwagon as well? What will you be walking down the aisle too?

Love & Marriage

2010-03-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

I love my Ipod. I NEED my Ipod in order to keep my sanity on the train ride into work. Most people read the newspaper and I just sit back and listen to music to start my day. I had it on shuffle and one of my favorite comedians, Jeff Dunham, came on and his skit was entitled "Love and Marriage". For those that don't know of Jeff Dunham you are missing out! He is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian who has also appeared on numerous television shows. This guy has a gift. One of his characters is named Walter who is a grumpy old man. I'll let you see for yourself. I thought this would be a nice change of pace and make you laugh. :) Enjoy!

I think i'm in love...

2010-03-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

As I stare out the window and see the dark gray clouds and pouring rain hit the building; I really wish our wedding day would come sooner. This Style Me Pretty blog entry has captivated me in a such a way that I've fallen in love again. Everything about this wedding is what I envision on our special day.

Love the fresh flowers floating in a tall vase. Reminds me of Miss Nachos centerpieces. Although in this picture I would have put more water in the vase so they didn't stick out.

I really truly love the color blue and these would be such a great addition to our private reception. Oriental Trading is going to a happy seller after I get done with them!

Love the starfish look but I think the FI isn't that big of a fan since he nixed an invite I had in mind way back with a starfish look. I love how simple but elegant this looks.

LOVE the color combo. I'm a huge fan of navy and light blue.
*All photos courtesy of Click Photo

I just love how a few pictures can brighten my day regardless of this nasty cold weather. It makes me even more excited to have a destination wedding and never regret my decision. It's all coming together and that's such a great feeling!

Ever have one of those days where you're not motivated to do anything wedding related but something sparks you inside and makes all the difference? You remember that it's all worth it in the end.

He's Bringing Sexy Back!

2010-03-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

Time to talk about the men for once. My FI has been trying to figure out what to wear for our wedding for quite some time. For men in America, the tuxedo has been the most traditional wedding garb for a long time. The black single breasted, single button tux, with the white shirt that has a stiff collar and black bow tie, sharply cut lapels, cuff links, cummerbund, black shiny stripes on the pants, and black patent leather shoes, is how most people view how males are supposed to dress for their big day.

Source

For us though this style really isn't what we are looking for on our big day. Wearing a tuxedo in 95 degree weather with massive humidity would be torture for him. We're not looking to go super formal so I scoured several hundred destination wedding photos and came across the vest look. I showed my FI and he thought the same idea too! I checked J.Crew out and honestly drooled over this look!

Yummy! (source)

I can just see him now as I walk down the aisle with that bright big smile on his face looking all sexy! Oh! Sorry back to my point. Other grooms have gone with the cotton white shirt and linens pant look but that's just a little too casual for me. I nixed that idea even before we were officially engaged and luckily he agreed quickly after.

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Is your FI planning on wearing the traditional tuxedo or will he opt for something more suit like?

Fitting Party

2010-03-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to a "fitting party" for my friends wedding in August. Yeah. It's going to be a crazy summer between my wedding and participating in her wedding and events. Anywho, she had a wine and cheese party this past weekend as a chance for the bridesmaids to get together, chat, and discuss dress options for the party. I thought this was a great idea and I would totally do this myself but my wedding party consists of just my sisters.

The bride has chosen the color clover from David's Bridal and has given us freedom to choose whatever dress we like. Cool beans! So we all hovered around the laptop and checked out all the dress options available and wrote down our favorites so that she could call it in to the store and make sure they had them available for us. Not a bad idea!

David's Bridal

I'm kind of leaning towards this dress although my butt better get in gear if I want to show off the lady legs. :)

Here's the bridal party minus one bridesmaid who lives in D.C. We had such a great time and it was so easy to get along with everyone. We we're already making plans to get in trouble the day of her wedding! LOL I felt so bad for the MOH who is extremely pregnant and ready to pop. She was such a great sport though.

Me and the Bride-to-be!

*all photos are from my personal camera

Out with the old...and in with the new!

2010-03-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

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See this picture here? Yeah, not going to happen at my wedding. Not only do I not have enough 'single' ladies to do it but I honestly never liked the tradition. Who came up with this idea anyways?

Well I researched and found out the history behind the bouquet toss:

"Believe it or not, the bridal bouquet toss celebration goes back to fourteenth century France where it was believed that a bride was especially lucky on her wedding day. Guests would rush towards the bride at the end of the ceremony in hopes of tearing off a piece of her dress to take home for their own good fortune. This often ended in a scuffle dangerous for the bride (and guests). For a brief time, in an effort to fend off the wild attacks, the bride would throw her stockings (or garter) until brides began to rebel against this undignified practice. Brides instead switched to throwing the bouquet and that tradition has remained in place.

Today it is still considered lucky to catch the bridal toss bouquet and the event is usually performed to a unique bouquet toss song. It is said that the lucky recipient will be the next to marry. If you are leery of performing the bouquet toss at your own ceremony, consider some great modern alternatives to that traditional bouquet toss. Make a presentation of the bridal toss bouquet to a dear friend instead of tossing it. Or, a great twist is to look inwards at the fortune you've found by presenting the tossing bouquet and tossing garter to a cherished, wedded couple whom inspired you both to become newlyweds."
-Article from here

Can you believe they would rip the brides dress?? Hellll no. That's just crazy! My FI and I are completely on the same page and will not be carrying on the tradition of the bouquet toss nor the garter belt. I am not comfortable having him pry off my garter belt in front of our guests because I know he would do something stupid and embarrass me! HA HA!

What tradition are you excluding from your wedding? If any.

Happy Friday!!!

2010-03-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Ladies!! Another week closer to our weddings! I met up with a couple of NYC Weddingbee's last night for a couple cocktails and some yummy tapas at Le Fonda del Sol. It was great to get out and be able to talk everything and anything about weddings. Although it low turnout (only 3 of us) it was still great to pick their brains about ideas and also show them my invitations.

Wait, you got your invitations??? Yes! A lovely UPS man delivered them yesterday and I'll show you a sneak peak.

OK I know my camera phone sucks but it's the best I could do for right now. Not sure if you can tell but the actual invites didn't come attached to the pocketfold like the sample I ordered. Boo! So that means I'll be attaching them myself. ::sigh::

I couldn't be more happier with the invitations and the gold font turned out to be a great choice after all! I PROMISE I'll have pictures soon but for now this will have to hold you over. :)

Any fun plans for the weekend?? I am in a wedding a month prior to ours and have a "fitting party" tomorrow and I'm excited yet also nervous to get measured since I'm not exactly the size I want to be right now! ::biting my nails:: Wish me luck!!

Gotta love Freebies!

2010-03-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

Like many people, I use a website to order photos and pick them up at the local CVS or Walgreen's. It's so easy and convenient than how it used to be! I've been using Snapfish.com for 4 years now and can't complain.

I received an e-mail the other day letting me know that I have been given a free 11x14 poster print ($6.99 value) for being a "valued customer". Heck Yay!! I instantly starting thinking of which picture to use from our e-pic session and the Brooklyn Bridge skyline was definitely going to be winner.

I ordered the print on 3/22 and the next day I got an e-mail confirmation that my order has been shipped. Already?? Ohhh dang.

Today, March 25th, I received my poster print in the mail! The receptionist up front told me I had a round tube waiting for me. I literally ran from my desk all the way down the hallway to receive it. I happen to be wearing really HIGH heels today so I looked really funny and got a comment or two from co-workers.

Not exactly running shoes :)

I couldn't wait to rip it open!

Ahhh, so perfect! I know this picture doesn't do it justice but it came out beautifully regardless of the website warning "too low resolution pic". I was scared but my photographer reassured me that it definitely had a high resolution and should be fine. He was right, why would I doubt him?! I can't wait to go to Christmas Tree Shop or Michael's to find the perfect frame!

Don't you just love freebies!?! At a time like this when we save every single penny that we can for this one special day, it's nice to get a surprise along the way that doesn't cost you anything. :-) Have you received any freebies along the way?

*all photos are from my personal camera

Just Throw It In The Bag!

2010-03-25T07:05:00.001-07:00

Out of Town bags that is! Even before I was engaged I had been thinking of ideas of what to put in my Out of Town (OOT) bags for our guests when they arrive at the resort. More importantly though I've been trying to find the perfect tote for our guests.

Love L.L. Bean!

I want our guests to be able to reuse the bags after as well and not just throw them away. I wanted to find a bag that would work well for every kind of situation including the beach. I envisioned our guests opening their bags upon arrival to their room and being so thrilled with not only the contents inside but also the fact they can use it as a beach bag for the week!

Only downfall right now is that the smallest L.L. Bean bag is $17.95. That's not exactly cheap. I've stalked the Internet and found a couple options but nothing captivates me like L.L. Bean. I'm willing to compromise though.

Option 1: Floral Hibiscus totes from Oriental Trading. Which are $9.99 per dozen. Now that's the kind of price I'm talkin' about! Although not a fan of the pattern.

Option 2: Tan's Club makes this white and black polyester tote bag for $3.00 each. The picture doesn't give me much detail and the color is bland but the price is nice!

Option 3: Vista Print offers this cute tote that you can personalize and even add your own image if you want. Also the more you buy the more you save! These totes would cost $5.50 each if I ordered 20. This tote is a close second behind the L.L. Bean one.

Which one is your favorite? Think I should splurge or choose an alternative?

Paper Goods: The Final Frontier

2010-03-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that our invitations have been ordered and they should arrive any day now! Yay!!!! Such a relief to know that this part is half way done. Wait, only half way done? Oh right, I still need to send these bad boys out yet. Bummer! Oh well, for now I'm dancing in my seat with excitement while I wait for them to arrive!!!

I received the proofs the other day and wanted to show them off to you. I worked with my boss;who is an avid party planner herself, to proof the document and make sure the wording is suitable and flows evenly throughout.

We decided to shorten the home reception (HR) info at the bottom of the invite to say "The Celebration continue Saturday, September 25th..." instead of "For those unable to attend our wedding please join us celebrate our marriage Saturday, September 25th...." And I'm happy with the changes.

I was really happy to have a second, third, and fourth pair of eyes proof my wedding invitation because I'm not one to catch a mistake all the time and could just see myself spelling something wrong!

Ever watch WETV Bridezillas? I tend to switch the channel when it comes on because I can't stand these crazy brides but one day I was preoccupied with something else and just let the program run. I watched a bride spell her own name wrong on the invites even after she approved the proof. She went nuts! I laughed of course but that was exactly why I had a couple people proof my invite prior.

I cannot wait to share with you the final product...FINALLY! Oh wait, we still need to make our own accommodation and direction cards still. Stay tuned!

To Veil or Not to Unveil....that is the question!

2010-03-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

Source

Ever since I was a little girl I always envisioned a big Cinderella wedding. The beautiful ball gown, long flowing veil playing in the wind, and a handsome prince. And well I'm CLEARLY not having a traditional wedding so I'm not sure if I'll be having a long flowing veil after all.

This subject has been bugging me for a while and I hear it from my mother constantly about what kind of veil I should have. To be honest, I would just love a hair flower or a jeweled accessory in my hair and call it a day!

Although I've fallen in love with the birdcage veil after seeing it on Mrs. Sea Breeze blog but I'm not sure I can pull it off like she did. I feel like only certain people can work that type of veil.

Photo by Michael Steingard (source)

Also one concern of mine is that the veil might take away or hide the beautiful open back of my dress. I would hate for it to hide behind a veil when I look at pictures although I have thought about wearing it for the ceremony and few pictures after but who knows.

Veils are absolutely gorgeous but I can't justify spending $200-300 on it! Especially if I decide to wear it for only an hour. Etsy has some great crafty sellers so that could be an option.

I love her hair too. I wonder if I can recreate that look the day of?!

Source

I found these crystal starfish hair pins a couple of months ago and I really have fallen in love with them. It fits with the theme plus it's sparkly! What do you think?

Would you opt for just a hair flower or jeweled accessory? Or take the chance of wearing a veil and covering up the back?

You're going to trash what???

2010-03-23T12:40:00.001-07:00

An extremely popular trend among destination weddings is the Trash The Dress (TTD) pictures taken a day or two after the wedding.

On the wedding day the bride is always so careful not to get her dress dirty. Once the wedding is over with then what do you do with the dress? You can preserve it, but I don't know many that do. Some put their dress on eBay or craigslist! But wait! Why not be photographed in the dress some more and have some fun with it? To me it means more "cool" photos that's thinking outside the box.

Our photographer also shot Mrs. Sea Breeze's wedding and TTD session and that's when I fell in love with the idea. Here are some more photos from our amazing photographer:

I just love the color of the sky in this picture.

A little salt water won't hurt ;-)

PhotoSouvenir

Beautiful (source)

Many destination brides have said that their wedding gowns have come out CLEANER after taking pictures in the ocean. Can you believe that? My one and only concern is the risk of possibly ruining my dress. I spent more money than I had imagined on my dress and I would hate to see it ruined.

Will you be preserving your dress after the big day? Possibly selling it on Ebay or Craigslist?

Bridal Fun Fact: Origin of "always a bridesmaid, never a bride"

2010-03-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

source

I want to change things up a bit and give a fun fact as well as a little history on the original role of a bridesmaid.

Fun Fact: The phrase "Often a bridesmaid, but never a bride," actually originates from an advertisement for Listerine mouthwash from 1924.

Pity the poor bridesmaid, who has always played second fiddle to the blushing bride, in the beginning for her safety, and later, because she had halitosis.

Halitosis??? Yes people, bad breath!

The origin of the role of bridesmaid goes back several centuries, when friends of the bride would dress the same as she had, in order to confuse any evil spirits lurking in the vicinity, ready to snatch the bride away from her intended. Over time, the role changed to one of "support" from her friends and family members. And of course, a chance for everyone to point and say "but she still isn't married." Then two creative minds decided to capitalize on the role that has come to traditionally mean second place, second best, not quite up to snuff, etc.

In the mid 1920s, two advertising executives, Gordon Seagrove and Milton Feasley, were hired by the makers of Listerine to delicately present the subject of bad breath to the public. They created an ad campaign centered on the fear of halitosis in a social situation, the most popular being a commercial depicting "Edna", who approaching her 30th birthday, was still single, due to bad breath. She was, they said, "always a bridesmaid and never a bride."

While they popularized the phrase, they did not create it. It was either inspired by, or subconsciously taken from a Victorian music hall tune called Why Am I Always A Bridesmaid? by Fred W. Leigh. As the lyrics go: Why am I always a bridesmaid, Never the blushing bride? Ding! Dong! Wedding bells Always ring for other gals.

*Article found at Bridesmaid Revisited

Mother May I?

2010-03-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Source

Like many brides, I want to lose a few pounds so that my dress fits perfectly. And I'll be admit I've been lazy jump starting this lifestyle change. I absolute LOVE food. Ever since I was little I would snack all the time; even 15 minutes after I ate dinner you would find me in the snack drawer. I get it from my father sides unfortunately.

Especially at home when I'm bored, that's the worst time!

I am a connoisseur of Swedish Fish. I love them and they love me. I eat them and they melt in my mouth and swim in my belly. The only problem with them is that they come in eight ounce, single serving packs. The bag might suggest that there are five servings inside, but once the bag is opened, it is too hard to avoid the red, succulent sweetness inside and soon the pack is empty.

I found the solution to my calorie engorging issue… Swedish Fish 100 Calorie Packs. Five one-hundred calorie packs per box! I could eat the sweet fish with a measure of control! I was delighted.

*personal photo*

I whipped one of these packages out this past weekend when I was dress shopping for my mothers gown, and I heard her say, "that's not going to help you lose weight."

Me: But they're 100 calorie packs!

Mom: I know but they have lots of sugar still. Remember the word diet?

Me: Yes (rolling my eyes behind her back)

Regardless of her comments, these 100 calorie packs are a great solution to watching what you eat but also enjoying a yummy treat! I know she means well but its still annoying to hear her comments over and over again.

Anyone else have a nagging mother who is obsessed with talking about eating healthy or diets?? Vent with me if you can!

Dressing Up: The Family Edition

2010-03-22T12:27:00.001-07:00

Since my Mother was in town this past weekend for the baby shower we took the opportunity to go dress shopping for her and also try on some bridesmaid dresses. I was extremely excited since my mother has been bugging me since Christmas with ideas on what she should wear for the big day.

We headed out around Watertown, CT where they had about 4 stores in a row with formal wear. The first store had prom wear. The second has prom wear. I know I've been out of the loop with prom trends for 10 years but when did dresses get so risky and flashy!???

Prom 2010

So after visiting 4 stores all with the same results we decided to head to a reliable source where my sister got her wedding dress and bridesmaid dress, Occasions Bridal in Bethel, CT. We walked in and were instantly greeted by the sales lady working. It was a quiet afternoon which was perfect because we had one-on-one attention with her. And honestly the lady knew exactly what my mother was looking for when she described the dress.

My mother came out of the dress room in a beautiful strapless chiffon flowing dress. I got my camera ready and then I heard, "Sorry Miss, no cameras allowed." Whhhhhhaaat?? How am I suppose to document all this for my blog?! ::sigh::

My mother loved the dress and so did I and we were sold on it. It came in over 20 colors and we decided to go with a turquoise color since it would compliment her Floridian skin and also fit in with the Caribbean feel. I'm super excited for her dress to come in so I can take a picture.

So unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my mothers dress since it's a private label and not available online. I also don't have any pictures of the BM dresses I tried on after. Boo!!

Bill Levkoff

So I told the lady what I'm looking for by After Six. We scoured the racks and I couldn't find the dress I wanted. Go figure! So I tried on this green Bill Levkoff dress that was very similar to the one I liked. It fit perfectly but I wasn't a fan of the top v-neck portion.

Watters

Honestly this picture does this dress NO justice whatsoever. I tried this dress on and it fit like a glove. Soft and light chiffon material with a tie in the back. Although I hated the color I just loved the way it fit my curvy figure. Although it doesn't give you many colors to choose from and the price tag was too high for my liking. Bummer!

After Six

So I decided to just stick with the original plan and get the After Six dress we all agreed upon earlier. Although the material is taffeta which can come off wrinkly, I still like the style and can compromise with that fact.

Did you have to try on BM dresses for your wedding since your wedding party wasn't available? Did you find it to be fun and useful?

Inspired By A Baby Shower

2010-03-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attend my sisters baby shower and it was a huge success! The weather was absolutely gorgeous and a high of 72! I dusted off the flip flops and let my toes enjoy the fresh air. It was such a great feeling!

I got inspired though when I saw my Mom knitted a decoration to put with the flowers. Little outfits with booties hanging from a clothes line. It was absolutely adorable and I wanted the same thing! Well except wedding themed. I figured that would adorable for the bridal shower in August!

The picture got cut off but the top of the sticks are pink hearts which are adorable. Isn't this just so cute?!?!

Family picture time! My mother, my oldest sister, me, and my middle sister. Both my sisters are my MOH's.

It's funny how a baby shower can inspire me! I wasn't expecting it but I'm so thrilled.

Have you ever been inspired by an extremely unexpected situation or place?

*Pictures are from my personal camera

Twilight Saga

2010-03-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

Source

If you're like me and LOVE the Twilight series than you will love this post. Or maybe not.

I discovered this past weekend that I have a real-life Jacob in my life. Although this was not unexpected it still was quite a shocker to me. If you don't follow Twilight than you might not understand this post and I'm sorry.

I received an e-mail this past weekend from my a good guy friend of mine who I've known since college. We never dated but we hung out a lot and we we're "friends" on and off through college. I realized that we could be nothing more than friends once college ended because I just didn't have that connection with him. I loved him but only as a friend. I knew he felt otherwise but respected my decision. We've been good friends ever since and he's always been there for me whenever I needed advice and never judged. He lives in Rhode Island and we see each other maybe once a year.

OK, what's the point Kristen?!

Sorry, back to my story about the e-mail. Well I received an e-mail this weekend from him and he stated that he can no longer come to my wedding because he "can't just stand there and watch me marry someone else." He also stated to "not try and sway his decision any other way and that this was final."

WTF?!

I was very upset and hurt and angry at first. I wanted to kick the crap out of him! Then I took a step back and thought about his feelings and I stopped myself from going Bridezilla on him. I felt bad and wished he didn't feel that way. Then I realized that being friends just doesn't help the situation and that I have to put my feelings aside and do the right thing and walk away. If he hasn't moved on after 6 years than the problem all along was being friends. Although in the movie they are still friends I cannot continue to hurt someone.

This isn't exactly what I would like to deal with right now but such is life! It's a hard decision but honestly I am moving forward in my life and I don't need anything trying to get in the way of that. I want to be selfish but I can't. All of this isn't worth fighting over anyways because I have an amazing fiance who means more than anything in the world.

What's weird is that I was watching New Moon on blu ray when I got the e-mail. How coincidental is that???

Have you ever had a similar situation during wedding planning? Someone's true feelings comes out and all you can do is feel bad but do what's right?!!

6 MONTHS!!!

2010-03-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love the little things in life that make my day. That unexpected moment or surprise that puts the biggest smile on your face, you know what I'm talking about?!

*my own creation*

Here I am sitting at work and I had to input the date into a excel sheet and BAM! 'It's March 18th??" Yay!! I do a little dance in my seat and the biggest smile knowing that I'm a month closer to marrying the love of my life, my best friend and soul mate. I might sound cheesy but it's so true. Plus spring is approaching and the weather in NYC has been so refreshing and makes the day brighter.

I just want it to be September already!! Every day my FI and I text or comment to each other how excited we are for this special day to arrive.

Don't you just love the wedding countdown? Has the months leading up to the big day go by fast for you or drag on?

The Paper Goods: You coming or what?!

2010-03-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Source

So how does one word an RSVP when she has two different receptions??? Since we finally decided on which invites to purchase; we now had to figure out how the heck to word them.

Most RSVP cards look like this:

(and maybe a entree option, source)

I wish it was that easy but it's not. So I played around for a while and came up with this:

Sorry it's a tad blurry! It just looked like it had way too much information and clutter PLUS I spelled home wrong. So it was back to square one. Thanks to my Mom though she came up with this simplified version:

Bing, Bang, BOOM! Done. Completely made me feel more relaxed knowing that it was settled. I literally spent weeks trying to come up with how to make it look nice but most importantly understandable, and my Mom solves the problem in two seconds. Duh Kristen!

Have you obsessed over the wording of your invites for days on end and find no resolution?

No Fun Registry Trip

2010-03-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

Source and helpful tips

It was a random Sunday in February that I thought would be perfect to register for our bridal gifts. Or so I thought! When you think of wedding registries you think of you and your FI with a scanning gun running around the store picking out the gifts you want. Right? Wrong!

I knew my FI wasn't too keen on spending his only day to relax in a store deciding on flatware and crystal but I told him it would only take an hour and we would be on our way. Again, I was wrong. OK so little did I know it would take longer but NOT 2 1/2 hours! Dang!

We arrived at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and was greeted by an extremely friendly customer service rep who sat us down and collected our information. Great, now give me the scan gun! ::sigh::

Once we filled out our information we looked through a binder full of china. I originally thought we would register elsewhere for our china and crystal since I didn't expect them to have much. I was wrong yet again. So we picked out our china and then it was on to crystal which happens to be one of my Fiance's favorite things. Don't ask me why but he got this love of crystal from his mother and I wasn't going to get in the way of his decision. HA HA! Then it was on to the binder of flatware. Ugh. OK I really don't care but I just chose the matching set to our china.

OK now can I have the scan gun???

Nope. Instead our sales guy walked around with us and described EVERYTHING in sight and tried to sell us it. I completely understand but we mentioned numerous times that we already have a lot of kitchen stuff and know what we are looking for.

Funny story about the crock pot. We have wanted to get one for about two years now and just kept pushing it off and eventually started saying, "we'll just put it on our registry." How weird is that? I don't know if we were too lazy or just didn't have an immediate need for it but we never just bought it.

I've been waiting for this wedding to finally be able to get a Kitchen Aid mixer! It was the one item on the registry that I was super excited to scan! We chose the silver one since it's more neutral and we don't have a home yet so it will go with everything. Although I loved the red.

These pots and pans are the most expensive thing on our registry thanks to the FI. He is the cook in the family and once the sales guy mentioned the quality and features he was sold. I, on the other hand, could care less about this.

Another item we've wanted to get for a while is a griddle since we have a tiny apartment and we have no where to fit his grill at our place. And yet again we are waiting until now to get.

After our engagement party we realized that having a 40 cup coffee maker is essential when hosting large parties. My parents had one and so did his, and actually they were almost identical 1970's yellowish green urns.

Although our sales guy was extremely knowledgeable and helped us decide on our pots and pans we didn't need an explanation for everything. I know how a toaster works and we already have one pal!

Oh and did I mention we NEVER got to scan anything. =( He scanned it for us. Boo! The whole point is to have fun and scan stuff, right?

So long story short but we didn't have the best registry experience that we were hoping for and by the time we got to the bedding section we decided to call it quits and would go online to add anything we needed.

Am I the only one who didn't get to use a scan gun? How was your experience registering? Did you wait until your registry to purchase items you've wanted for a while as well?

*all pictures are from Bed, Bath and Beyond

Do YOU like to Do-It-Yourself: Part 2

2010-03-15T17:11:00.001-07:00

Let's set the mood shall we?! So thanks to Marth Stewart I ordered vellum paper last week and received it in the mail in just 2 days. Speedy delivery and I highly recommend using Paper and More if you are looking for tons of paper options as well as envelopes.

Anywho, I printed the templates today at work in light blue, dark blue, and gold (since my invitations are not incorporating this color). I was extremely giddy to get home and put it together and see how it looks.

I got all my supplies ready and started to think about which sizes I thought would work. I then realized that I most likely will need to buy bigger paper instead of 8 1/2 x 11 because the circumference was pretty small and not many of my candles at home would fit in it. Boo! I also need a bone folder which I neglected to buy this past weekend but I decided to fold one myself and see at least how it looks.

I used 3/8 inch Glue Dots adhesives to hold them together; about 4 per sheet since 3 wasn't enough. I cut two of them to show the versatility you can get with these sheets. I acutlally like the smaller vellum candles over the big ones. The big ones seem a bit odd and out of place.

As you can tell the one folded CLEARLY shows the crease and the paper is delicate enough to create marks too when folding. But I like the square look though.
I realized after the 3rd picture that my camera has a special feature for taking pictures of candles HENCE why this picture really shows them in their true glory. =) I really like the concept but I want to play around with the design a bit since I thought the colors didn't pop much. Also going to get larger paper so that I can fit candles inside comfortably.

What do you think? How was your first DIY project? Did it go as smoothly as possible or were there many tweaks?

*all pictures were taken on my camera*

Box-O-Color

2010-03-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

Source

Living in NYC can be expensive. REALLY expensive! What would normally cost you $5 will cost you $10 in the city. The same goes for salon services. It. Sucks. Since we're all trying to saving every penny for this one special day in our lives, we have to compromise and/or completely forgo spending money on ourselves.

Like many women out there, I dye my hair. I have been since I was in high school. I've been blonde, red, dark brown, reddish brown, purple and green. OK I lied about the last two but you get my point. I like to color my hair. For years I've gone back and forth between salon colored hair and boxed color hair. It all depends on my budget. And of course I find the salon color always trumping the boxed color but honestly my wallet can't keep up with the requirements the salon gives me for touching up.

I'll be honest and admit I got my hair colored by a salon in September just before we were engaged (see picture below) and I haven't had it done since. YIKES! Although, my hair looked pretty dark good in our e-pics if I do say so myself! I toyed with the idea of splurging to get it done again but I just couldn't justify spending $220 on my hair when I could put that money towards the wedding. Yes. $220. That's ridiculous, right?!

*my own picture*

So I went to my local supermarket and randomly picked the box that looks like the nicest. Dead serious. L'Oreal Healthy Look in 5G Medium Brown. Little did I know that it wasn't permanent and washes out in 28 washes, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Good-if I hated the outcome. Bad - if I liked the outcome and now have to die it in a few weeks again.

Well it was a tad darker than I was expecting but overall I'm happy with my choice and it looks similar to the color I had in September. Score! So only $8 later and I'm a happy bride-to-be!

*my own picture*

Have you made any sacrifices with beauty in order to pay for the wedding? Did they turn out the way you expected?

Something Borrowed

2010-03-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had problems thinking of your 'something borrowed'? I just came across an article thanks to my Daily Candy updates that sounds so unique! A brooch bouquet.

Here is how it works: you collect about 50 to 60 brooches, cuff links, watches, earrings, and pendants from your dear friends and family. Once you've collected enough, Amanda Heer who is a florist based in San Juan, will take your box of goodies and create a beautiful bouquet. Not only is it unique but you will have a sentimental heirloom for years to come. Even pass on to your family! How awesome is that!!?? The price: $350. Her website is http://www.broochbouquets.com/.

I wish I thought of this idea before I put my deposit down on my flowers! Would you consider a brooch bouquet instead of real flowers??

*If you haven't already, definitely sign up for Daily Candy e-mails. They are are a great way to find out what's going on in your neighborhood. Everything from wedding stuff to beauty to travel. You won't be disappointed!

Paper Goods: The Saga Continues

2010-03-15T06:17:00.001-07:00

I've been going crazy trying to figure out what to do for our invitations and this past weekend I exhausted all my energy into making a final decision. We are going to stick the original plan and print the accommodations and direction insert cards ourselves. A semi kind of DIY project. There are just so many gorgeous invitations out there but for our budget this seems to be the best option for us. I understand that these invites will set the style of our wedding but also people will throw them out eventually and I just can't justify spending $1000 on them.

So the next step was to decide the color font we wanted. These were our options below:

Remember our colors are steel blue so we didn't have an exact match but I did like the marine color. Unfortunately the FI nixed that idea and so he took the reigns for once (shocker!) and he came up with almond. Umm what?! Yes. Almond. See below.

And honestly it's a tad on the lighter side for me. My laptop at home showed it to be brighter than here. I printed it as well and it was OK. I'm just not 100% positive about this choice. I want him to be involved and voice his opinion since thus far he's just let me take control and make the decisions. BUT this color choice isn't what I was expecting. He said it reminds him of the color of sand. Hmmmm, OK. So this morning I fooled around with more colors and I tried the gold and that was better in my eyes:

What do you think? I might now have to find an inspiration board that incorporates gold and blue. Hmmm....this should be interesting!

Has anyone's colors changed half way through planning? Part of me should just accept it but use my blue for the actual wedding day. I mean, who is going to comment that the invites didn't exactly match the colors the day of?! What are your thoughts???

*all pictures come from here

Paper Goods: The Downfall

2010-03-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

Delphine Press

I honestly thought that finding THE wedding dress would be the hardest part of wedding planning since there were so many gorgeous gowns out there but I was wrong. Finding an invitation that suits our style and fits our budget is the hardest! Honestly I've stressing hardcore lately since we need to make a decision soon. Ugh.

Like I mentioned earlier I love the envelopment style because it seems to fit our style but I really love how you can put the insert cards in the pockets. We have a lot of information to provide to our guests and I would hate to for them to lose any of it.

I also have fallen in love with letterpress invitations. Hardcore. I've been searching high and low, up and down the internet to find a reasonably priced vendor. Not sure thats helping me in the process to be honest but oh well.

See we can't just have a standard invitation since we are having a destination wedding AND a home reception and its making it harder to find a invite that will provide me enough space for wording but also enough accessories to match as well.

I thought about making a trip to Kate's Paperie in the city to find card stock and print them myself but I really just want this to be done and over with. So this weekend I'm going to sit the FI down and make a final decision hopefully.

Anybody else finding this part of wedding planning stressful???

Get Your Drink On!

2010-03-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

Source

Thanks to a post on weddingbee I just got the best news EVER! According to a recent study, women who drink more gain less weight than women who don't drink alcohol. Whaaaat??? Shut. Up.

Do YOU like to Do-It-Yourself?

2010-03-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

source

I LOVE that line in the movie!! Anyways, I discovered the WWM (Wide World of Martha - Martha Steward that is!) and I can't believe I've been missing out! I bought her latest MSW issue and couldn't put it down!

This morning I decided to explore her website and found THE perfect DIY project for our private reception in the Dominican.

Feast your eyes on these puppies: Striped Vellum Candles

She provides templates in so many colors that I had to pick my jaw up from the ground in shock. From there I decided to google "vellum paper" and it directed me to Paper and More where I scored 8x11 white single vellum sheets for just .50/each! So I instantly bought 10 sheets to try and if all goes well, I will buy some more! I can't wait for them to arrive in the mail!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

CLEARLY I will keep you posted on how it goes but in the mean time, have you ever used vellum paper? any tips?

Beauty Splurge

2010-03-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

The price we pay to look beautiful sometimes baffles me but once in a while I find a product that absolutely is worth every penny.

Enter Dior Airflash Spray Foundation:

Sephora

This bottle is filled with magic and transforms your skin into a flawless canvas. My co-worker is also a make-up artist and she introduced me to this product and at times I wish she never did! It's just so perfect yet the price is a whopping $60. Yes. What. A. Bummer.

I couldn't believe how awesome my makeup came out after she used the product on my face for Halloween. It diminishes any flaw and makes you look like someone photo shopped my face. I use M.A.C's Prep+Prime Skin first and then I hold the foundation about 8-12 inches from my face and just spray in a circular motion once. I then take a foundation brush and evenly spread the foundation over my face. This was the first time I used a foundation brush as well and noticed the difference between using the brush and sponge. Man, what a difference!

Here is the final product:

*personal photo*

I don't use this foundation every day since I tend to just use a drug store tinted moisturizer but also since it's pretty expensive. I'm thinking of splurging and getting a bottle for the summer in a darker shade so I can test it out before the wedding. I highly recommend trying this foundation as an alternative to having someone airbrush your makeup for the wedding.

Are there any must have products that are worth the splurge for you?

Lost in Translation

2010-03-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

In order for us to get married in the Dominican we need to present:
-Photocopy of birth certificate + translation in Spanish and legalization
-Photocopy of passports (couple and 2 witnesses)
-Single status declaration + translation in Spanish and legalization
-Original divorce decree + translation in Spanish and legalization
-Documents to be legalized by the Dominican Embassy (except passports)
-Required documents for Catholic weddings to be sent upon request
-Couples will bring all the original documents with them to the hotel

That sounds pretty simple but it's not. I've heard horror stories where brides wait up to 6 months for their marriage certificate to arrive from the Dominican. I'm sorry but I've already waited long enough to marry the man of my dreams, and I am not waiting another couple months for it to be legal. Plus it costs an extra $300 to get the documents translated.

So instead we have opted for a better alternative. Like most couples we have decided to get married at city hall prior and just have a symbolic ceremony in the Dominican. Not only is this option cheaper but it's also less hassle! Our guests won't know the difference! We will have just our parents present for the city hall wedding. We won't be exchanging vows and it's just like signing the paper work for a new car!

Since we are having a symbolic wedding, the wedding coordinator will perform the ceremony which lasts about 5 to 6 minutes. Honestly that just seems too short for me. Thanks to the resorts Facebook Group, I found a Pastor who is a transplant from Canada that performs symbolic ceremonies for many resort weddings. His ceremony lasts 25 minutes and he includes readings both traditional and personal and you can customize it to however you like. JACKPOT! So I contacted him via e-mail and he quickly replied that he is available on our date and sent us two different sample ceremony's. Stay tuned for more on what type of ceremony we chose.

Did you opt for a city hall wedding? Or did you brave it and get married in the Caribbean? Did it take long to get your marriage certificate?

*photo source here

Junk In the Trunk!

2010-03-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my Daily Candy e-mails, I just received word that Saks Fifth Avenue is having their Spring Bridal Trunk Show in both New York and Beverly Hills throughout March.

"Get your dream gown from perennial faves Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta or take a modern approach with creations from Monique Lhuillier, Kenneth Pool, and Marchesa. Best of all, each event (there’re eighteen in all) showcases the designer’s entire collection, so you can be sure your ideal frock doesn’t pass you by."

I already found my dress but I would totally take advantage of this event if I didn't already have one! Enjoy ladies!

More info click here.

My Two Cents

2010-03-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

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I'm stubborn if you haven't already noticed and part of getting married also means combining finances with your FI. As of right now we currently have a joint checking account that we opened up a year ago that was strictly to pay for our vacations and is currently where we put our blood, sweat and tears money for the wedding. We also have separate checking accounts still but eventually we are going to have to combine our finances, or are we?

I recently spoke about the 5 Things important to marriage and one of the things mentioned was "Find a solution and compromise. Just don't ignore it." and I find myself having to compromise when it comes to finances and the FI.

I'll be honest and admit that I have a lot of bills to pay each month whereas my FI barely has any. So he likes to pay for a lot of stuff like groceries and gas since he knows I'm not left with much after bills. I'm a woman and I like to shop and that's my downfall. With the wedding though I've cut down on any shopping for myself and focused on saving for the wedding.

Yesterday I received a $65 ticket for an expired inspection sticker. Boo!! My FI texted me this morning and said that he would take care of the ticket. That's incredibly sweet but I have pride issues and you mix that in with stubbornness and it's a great combo. It's my car so I should pay for it, right? Then I took a step back and thought about if I fought him on this subject and what the end result would be. Probably him getting annoyed that I'm being stubborn all because I have pride issues. Is it really worth it? So I compromise and let him know that I'm not exactly fond of the idea but arguing with him isn't worth it. And he wrote back "nope it's not, LOL!" I laughed and felt better that at least he knew how I felt and was appreciative of his kindness.

I'm trying to accept that in the future I have to put my pride aside and accept that our finances are going to combine one way or another.

Will you be combining your finances or keep two separate accounts while married?

Crave a good e-pic session: The Finale UPDATED

2010-03-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

I was so thrilled to share with you our e-pics and I have a few more to show you since I just (finally!) received all of our photos on a CD from our photographer! It came in a special leather CD case along with a picture enclosed, and the CD even had one of my favorite shots on the cover! How cool is that?! Enjoy some of my favorite shots:

Bethesda Terrace - such a gorgeous backdrop and one of my favorite spots!

Brooklyn Bridge - AMAZING!

Central Park by Bethesda Terrace

I love the giggley shots since they are so candid and really capture US.

This shot was interesting since we waited about 5 minutes for a train to go by us to only find that trains were passing us on the other tracks. Oh well!

This was one of our last photos taken. Time Square, NYC.

We had such an amazing time and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. All photos were taken by Michael Steingard

Dressing Up!

2010-03-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

I mentioned that my two sisters will be my Matrons of Honors for the wedding and I've honestly been putting off looking at dresses for them because one of them is pregnant and due in May, and the other isn't a fan at all of trying on dresses to begin with. So I just have been putting it off and I know that I can't continue to do that for much longer. ::sigh::

There are times where I just don't care and want them to go find a dress themselves as long as it's blue. Then again, they are very busy and don't have much time to themselves to begin with so I doubt they want to waste their time trying to find a dress. On the other hand, leaving the dress in their court might be an advantage because then they can pick what they want. So that's what has been going through my head the last 2 months. Are you still following? Good.

So I cracked the whip on myself (that didn't sound so good did it?) and decided to find a BM dress for my sisters. Now my sisters are curvy and large chested and I also have to take into consideration that one will just be coming off from being pregnant for nine months so we don't want to choose anything that will look unflattering.

So this is color that I'm hoping to have and its called Steel Blue (Zoolander anyone?). The other dresses below come in the same color.

Both my sisters are bigger chested so I nixed strapless gowns and since it's going to be hot and humid in the Caribbean I also didn't want them to suffer with long dresses.

What are your top picks?? Did you have trouble finding dresses for your BM? Am I the only one out there that dreads this part? LOL

*all pictures were taken from houseofbrides.com

Paper Goods: Part Deux

2010-03-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

So I narrowed down my choices to three invitations and this past weekend I showed my FI so that we could make a final decision. Honestly, I've been stressing about these invitations for a while so I was starting to feel relieved when we chose the winner:

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Yay! Although my FI said we could splurge on the blue tropical ones, unfortunately they weren't big enough to allow us to fill all the wording. BUMMER! Don't get me wrong I'm happy with the choice we made but now it's time to make sure we put the correct wording and information on the invitiations. Since we are having two parties and we want to invite everyone to both we had to make sure people didn't get confused. This is where i'm stressing! I was thinking of wording it this way:

(Sorry if that's hard to read and clearly I spelt 'home' wrong so disgard that)

What do you think? I wanted to make sure everyone knew that 1) there are two celebrations and 2) that they were invited to both. I just didn't like the idea of making a seperate invitation for the at home reception because then I would have limit who we invite to the wedding and that could cause some friction amoungst family and friends and honestly who wants to deal with that??

Along with those two pieces my invitations will also include an accomodations card, reception card (that will have more info on the home reception location), directions card, and our bridal registry info. Can you understand now why we chose pocketfolds? Ha! So much information!

Next up: deciding on when to send them! ::sigh::

Did you have any difficulties wording your invites?

5 Things...

2010-03-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

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I spent this past weekend at my FMIL's since she recently had surgery and I learned a lot from her that I wanted to share a few thoughts. John's parents divorced when he was young and it wasn't an easy transition for him nor his mother. It got me thinking and with more than half the marriages today ending up in divorce, now more than ever, it's critically important to know how to make marriage work for you.

Here's the thing. Your marriage could be the best decision you've ever made in your life. Won't you give it your best shot?

I came up with the 5 things that I feel are important to making a marriage work. Now I know i'm not married yet but based on our relationship this is what i've learned.

1. Make a commitment to make it work

If you're half-hearted about your marriage, you will end up with a half-baked relationship. Like all good things in life, it requires your commitment to put in time, effort, nurturing.

This is not to say you have to be obsessed about it all day. But do be aware that you need to spend time with your spouse, work things out, focus on things or activities that make the relationship better and grow over time.

2. Treat your marriage like a team sport

If that's too casual for you, then think "business partnership". A good marriage involves two people coming together, planning ahead, identifying what works, what doesn't, working though obstacles, putting in the time and effort, heading out into the game (or the real world) together, and sticking together no matter what comes.

3. Don't underestimate any problem that crops up

While you don't want to turn every molehill into a mountain, be sure to assess each issue or problem area that arises. Many couple let things fester. So much so that a small problem, that could have been solved with 5 minutes of discussion, turns into grounds for divorce.

Address everything that comes up. Find a solution or a compromise. Just don't ignore it.

4. Talk, communicate, share

The most IMPORTANT thing you could probably do for your marriage is to talk to one another. Discuss things, share experiences, complain (about other folks!), even argue with each other. Couples who stop talking will find that their marriages don't last.

5. Build a house (a strong marriage) on a strong foundation

As a couple, spend time thrashing out your views, values, attitudes towards things that will affect you together now and later in life. Figure out how you both feel about children, parents, jobs, politics, the environment, and everything else. The more you understand each other, the stronger the foundation upon which you can build your marriage.

This is strictly my opinion and i'm not sure everyone is going to agree with me. I recently read a blog where a bride-to-be went through a difficult time with her FI and trying to figure out if they should even get married. My heart went out to them and I hope they both work hard to make the relationship work and learn from their lessons.

What makes it work for you in a relationship/marriage?

The Dirty Work

2010-03-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

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I got a degree in Travel & Tourism Management and one of the first jobs I had out of college was working as a Travel Agent. It was an interesting job and although the perks are AMAZING (you practically go away to tropical places for free), it wasn't all that it's cracked up to be. I spent many hours with clients, especially couples planning their honeymoons, trying to find the perfect resort within their budget and that fill all their criteria. Yeah. Not. Always. Fun.

Since we are having a destination wedding I thought I would take care of every one's travel arrangements myself since I could keep everything organized and also look for the best deal. Or so I thought! I started to look into travel deals on various websites and then I started to realize that along with planning every single detail I would also have to correspond with every guest coming and deal with their travel demands. What was I thinking????

So instead I decided to have someone else do my dirty work for me. Unfortunately all my former colleagues have either been laid off or quit their job from the company I used to work for, and so I had a problem trusting some random person. Not like that matters in the end but I'm getting there, I promise.

So I pondered the idea for a while and then decided to search the web for other options. Of course my company comes up in my search and most of you are probably thinking, 'why waste your time looking when you can just book with a company you are familiar with?', and you're right but I just had a gut feeling about it and continued to search. That's when I found Destinationweddings.com.

I memorized their website and found out that you don't have to pay a fee for their services and they have 52 years in the travel industry. You get to work with your own designated DW coordinator who will be there every step of the way to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible PLUS they will beat any competitors pricing. BONUS!

To be honest I was going to make this person's life a bit simpler since I already picked out the resort, booked a date, and a reception place. All I need for her to do is to book everyone! All you have to do is pay $50 to join which is applied to your final trip cost and within a day I heard back from our amazing DW coordinator, Michele. I explained to her my travel background and what I needed her to do. I think she was a little surprised at how much I've already booked! LOL

Honestly, it's been a blessing booking through this company because she handles all the questions from guests and the details. Can you imagine handling all of your guests travel arrangements?? Yikes!

Are you using a DW coordinator or a travel agent to handle the dirty work? Even a Day of Coordinator? Did it go well? Were you satisfied?

Green Bride - Denim Insulation

2010-03-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

Denim Insulation? Is there such a thing? YES. I heard on the radio this morning that GAP is having a promotion starting TODAY, March 5th, hand in your old jeans and get 30% off a new pair (35% with your GAP card). The jeans don't even have to be a Gap brand to get the deal. Offer runs through March 14th.

The used denim will be given to CottonFromBlueToGreen.org to be recycled into denim insulation. This is an amazing organization. From their website:

The COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® denim drive is a call-to-action to donate denim and give it "new life" by converting it to UltraTouch™ Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation. The insulation is then provided to communities in need to assist with building efforts. UltraTouch™ is composed of 85% recycled cotton fibers and is an environmentally safe, non-itch insulation without carcinogenic warnings, formaldehyde or chemical irritants. It provides exceptional thermal performance and acoustically provides 30% better sound absorption than traditional fiberglass insulation. In addition, it is one of the only insulating products that contain an active mold/mildew inhibitor.
Since the start of the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® denim drive in 2006, the program has received a total of 270,617 pieces of denim and provided enough UltraTouch™ Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation for 540 houses in areas of the country affected by natural disasters, and more notably, preventing 200 tons of denim from being sent to landfills.

You must be asking yourself, 'what does this have to do with planning a wedding?' Well we all know that planning a wedding means saving money and finding bargains. The money I will save handing in my old jeans for new ones will help me put more money away for the wedding. PLUS this will be motivation to continue to get my butt in shape so I can finally rock those skinny jeans I always wanted!

To read more on the process of denim insulation click here

What's Your Sign?

2010-03-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

I just so happened to open the internet at work (Ok, who am I kidding? I always have time to surf the web at work but shhhh!!!) and the first article that popped up read, "What Wedding Date Says About Marriage." CLEARLY I had to click on this article to see what they had to say about our wedding date.

"Virgo Weddings (August 23 - September 22)
For those who want to celebrate the bounty of their love while the weather is still ultra-pleasant, the Sun's visit to earthy Virgo is a great time for weddings. The energy of this time is about re-organizing after the laid back months of the hot summer. Pushing toward the practical will give the Virgo wedding a strong focus and allow for the smooth execution of plans. A Virgo marriage will be characterized by the sense of duty that supports the love and passion between two people. When it comes to lifelong commitments, taking responsibility for one another is simply the right thing to do."

Hmmm....not bad at all to be honest. =) Want to find out what your wedding astrology is? Click here!

Bottle It Up!

2010-03-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

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Don't you just love when all of sudden an idea pops in your head and the light bulb goes off?!?! Well I just had that kind of moment. Since I'm obsessed with stalking wedding blogs I was captivated by this one from Style Me Pretty.

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The entire wedding is just absolutely and elegant and fun! And what sparked the idea is the wine bottle table numbers and that's when it HIT ME. 1 + 1 = 2. I remember reading on weddingbee
about a contest they're having with a company called Bottle Your Brand. And so I checked out their website to see all the different kinds of labels you can create and even customize!

Wouldn't it be perfect if we could create our own wine labels for the at home reception?? Oh the excitement swarmed my body and I started to create a label online.

A little hard to see buuuuuut those labels are only .99 each! Whhhaaaat? Yes. That made the excitement even more intense and I had to instantly text my FI to see what he thought of the idea. And of course he thought it was a clever and creative idea. BINGO! We have a winner ladies and gentlemen! Although now it's figuring out how to either A) get wine bottles with no labels. Is there such a thing? Or B) Buy a bunch of bottles and get a wine label remover and practice!

Have you ever used custom wine or beer labels before? If so, how did you get the on the wine bottle? Was it a sucess?

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2010-03-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

Wellllll minus the automobiles part and well the trains too! It's official! We have booked our entire honeymoon to Europe today! *And the crowd goes wild!*

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Tell 'em what they won Bob!! OK so we didn't win it but that's how I feel right now. I'm super excited to announce that we are embarking on a week long adventure to Amsterdam and then Munich for the 200th Anniversary of Oktoberfest! 3 nights/4 days in each city!

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(I can totally see myself some where in that crowd right now!)

Like I mentioned previously we chose our wedding date based around Oktoberfest in Munich. Kind of ass backwards but that's kind of our style sometimes. I started researching packages for Oktoberfest in early November and was lucky that my search ended pretty quickly. I googled "Oktoberfest 2010 packages" and found this website from Spyglass Tours. Most packages were for 3 nights/4 days and also the option to visit Prague and Amsterdam as well by rail. Now that would be AMAZING! Although it's 10 days long and we have a wedding the day we would arrive back if we chose that option so we nixed that idea.

After figuring out our timeline between our actual wedding in the Dominican and the At Home Reception, we decided to book the last weekend of Oktoberfest and head to Amsterdam first. I want to make sure we have enough time to clean up after the reception since it's our responsibility and I didn't want to fly to Europe the day after the party and not have enough time to pack. I'm such a freak when it comes to organizing travel; I have all our tickets and reservations printed prior in a neat envelope. I mean even e-mails exchanged with vendors in case of any problems. You can expect me to bring down a binder full of e-mail confirmations from the wedding coordinator at the resort, that's fo sure! So since I'm anal like that I need a day in between to get everything ready for our trip.

Our package includes 3 nights accommodations in a 'contemporary' hotel (i.e. in American terms that means 3 stars), 2 beer tent reservations which includes a meal and beer, a nifty cool t-shirt, and 24/7 guide assistance. Not bad huh?!

As far as the hotel in Amsterdam, I stalked trip advisor and after weeks of reading so many reviews I chose a hotel. Then again I can't remember what the name is now. Note to self: check archived e-mails for the confirmation!

Are you wondering why I'm not using a travel agent? That's because I used to be one so I book all my travel (well except for the wedding since it's too many people involved and I just couldn't take the time to book everyone!).

Did you book your own travel or do you put your faith in a trusty travel agent? Did you choose to honeymoon in Europe and if so, how was it?? Any tips?

Tainted Painted Nails

2010-02-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

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I'm not normally one to follow every fashion trend but I decided after hearing the buzz on this new nail color that I would finally try it out. Normally I just stick with a standard red, french, or buff nail look since i'm always having to work in front of clients and it's not necessarily professional (in my eyes at least) to have a bright wild and crazy color on my nails.

Chanel came out in the fall with a new nail polish color called Jade. I heard all about it on the radio, from co-workers and in magazines. And the other day I decided to go bold and try it. I absolutely love the color to begin with so I was excited to try it.

(taken from my phone)

Ok so honestly I know the picture does absolutely NO justice (go figure!) but it was BOLD and very minty! Trust me it's a lot brighter than the pictuer above. My FI says my fingers look like M&M's. FML! I absolutely hated it and yet it's been about 5 days and i'm still wearing it! HA HA! I keep forgetting to take it off at night since i'm busy with Jillian Michael's kicking my butt!

This got me thinking about my nails the day of the wedding and I realize that if you are going to stick with a bold color so be it but try not to make it wild and crazy that it takes away from the beauty of the bride. :)

And so kids today's lesson learned is that you don't have to follow every single trend on the market because you make look like a clown!

Anybody else share similar stories of trying to keep up with the trends and miserably fail???

Let's Get BeDazzled!

2010-02-23T08:55:00.001-08:00

As Seen On TV

Let's kick it old school for a bit and reminisce about the days of jean jackets bedazzled with colorful jewels. Not only jackets but hats, t-shirts, jeans, and skirts! OK so I wasn't so cool back then and my mother would never let me get one since she thought it was a waste of money and she could sew some jewels on a hat if I really wanted it.

So I've discussed my shoes for the ceremony but those puppies aren't going to stay on all day. I mean we'll be headed to the beach for pictures after and I know I won't be sporting the ballet flats in the sand. That just says "UNCOMFORTABLE" written all over it. So I've decided to find a sparkly pair of flip flops for the reception so I can be comfortable.

Crystal Flip Flops

These are so cool!! Swarovski crystals cover the straps to add that special touch! In my eyes that is perfect except they cost $65! Man is that expensive for flip flops! So the little light bulb went off in my head and I thought, 'what if I just buy the flip flops and glue them on myself?!'

Flip flop season is just around the corner and I'm sure stores like Old Navy will be stocking their shelves soon with every color imaginable. A trip to Michaels is in store for this weekend. Wish me luck!

Paper Goods

2010-02-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

So my search for invitations started off rocky but thanks to my MOH I was able to get my invitations at 50% off. Woohoo!! So I started my search for pocketfolds and found a few that really caught my eye and one that I absolutely fell in love with....except for the price. ::sigh::

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I love the horizontal layout of this invite how elegant the font looks with the colors. Although when I tested it out the wording I wanted didn't exactly fit. Bummer! Maybe we can tweak it a bit.

Chloe B

Ok I'm not going to lie, but my heart melted when I gazed upon these invitations and was ready to purchase them on the spot. Then I saw it would cost about $800 for 150 invitations and I was bummed. Do I splurge on invitations that eventually will just be thrown out? Or settle for something in between?

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I found this invitation and thought it was pretty and easy to customize PLUS it fit all the information. It's not island themed which was a requirement but I would prefer it if I could. The price for 150 is only $250! That is way better than I was expecting although my heart still loves the more expensive beautiful blue ocean themed ones. What's a girl to do?!

Which one is your favorite? Should I splurge or just settle?

Better than a tasting!

2010-02-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

Since we got engaged the idea of having an engagement party floated around in my head. Many gracious family members offered their houses for the party as well so I started to ponder the idea more and more plus many of my friends pointed out it's a great way to get gifts and money for the wedding. Wait, people give money? Heck yeah!

So my FMIL offered her house to us and she would cook for everyone. My FI is Italian so they cook for everything. It's yummy! We set a date for the beginning of January and I'm very excited.

I recently blogged about the baker we are thinking of using for our wedding cake. After watching the Cake Boss on TLC one Sunday afternoon I got the idea to contact Kelly at Sweet Rewards to see if she could create an engagement cake for our party. I informed here that we are looking to use her for our wedding cake and would like to take this opportunity to try her first for our engagement party. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the cake and spoke to her about a few ideas. She was so prompt to get back to me with a few ideas and we ended up choosing a two-tier cake with hand drawn damask designs with a big FAT engagement ring on top of the cake. Since my FI hates chocolate we decided to go with vanilla cake and raspberry preserve and raspberry mousse filling. Y-U-M-M-Y!

This was my little surprise to my FI since I love to surprise him with stuff. I picked up the cake the day of the party and it was gorgeous. I was super excited for everyone to marvel at this beautiful creation. The lady told me to keep the cake in the garage until we are ready to serve so it will keep the fondant nice. So I showed my FI the cake before our guests arrived and he was blown away and then instantly asked, "how much did you spend on this?!" HA HA! Well ummm....so I fibbed and told him it was $20 less than what I actually spent because I didn't want him to get upset. I mean it's my money anyways so why should he care?

I was beyond excited to show everyone the cake and after dinner was cleared off and the coffee was brewing I decided to move the cake into the dining room so everyone could ooohh and ahhh. And boy did they! Everyone was whipping out their camera phones and asking me where I got this from. I was patting myself on the back if I do say so myself. =)

Well I shouldn't have patted myself on the back just yet because when it came time to cut the cake and eat it, well that was another story. We started serving the cake to our guests and it was really cold and the cake was kind of hard to eat with a fork. I was super embarrassed! The batter was extremely dense as well and I was disappointed as well as my FI. Everyone tried to cheer me up and suggest that it just needed to stay at room temperature next time. Next time??? Yeah right!

After the part we decided to keep the cake in the enclosed porch section of their house. I took home a HUGE part of the bottom tier and decided I would bring it into work for others to eat since my co-workers are always happy to eat free food. I warned everyone though and decided to get a piece myself since I was hungry. WAIT! What is this? The cake was so moist and delicious it was AMAZING! It melted in my mouth after every single bite.

I texted my FI and told him all about the cake and he was shocked. I wish I had saved a piece for him to try but everyone devoured the cake within a matter of minutes!

(all pictures are from my personal camera)

I'm glad we were able to test out her cakes prior to our wedding because we could have had the same problem for our at home reception and that would have been more disappointing for us. We have decided to stick with her and when we go for the tasting for the wedding cake we can mention our feedback on the first cake and make sure to avoid the same problem. I would recommend using your baker if you can for your engagement party (if you have one) so you can really experience the cakes instead of a couple slices that they choose.

Have you worked with your baker prior to your wedding? Did you have better luck?

Let's Take A Step Back

2010-02-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

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I think today was the one of the first days that I didn't have an extra skip in my step at the thought of the getting married. I normally have the biggest smile on my face whenever I think about the big day and welllll today doesn't seem to be that kind of day.

I went to David's Bridal this morning to look at bridesmaid's dresses for a wedding i'm in a month prior my own. Yes. A month before mine! The bride has chosen the color clover and has given us bridesmaid free reign on the choice of dress just as long as it is clover. So I decided to go in and try on a couple dresses to figure out which one looks best on me. Honestly it didn't go so well. The dresses were great but I looked horrible and bloated. It was a huge reality check and the images haven't left my head ever since.

I started thinking about my own wedding dress and the fact that I need to lose a bit of weight and tone everythng up especially my back up so that I can showcase the gorgeous open back of the dress. The fact that I haven't done anything about it sucks. It's hard to get motivated and not want to eat all those yummy delicious foods out there.

My biggest fear on my wedding day is not being able to zip up my own dress! Ahhh!

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Can you imagine?! I'm nervous to try my dress on again too. Being at David's Bridal today I saw the dress I fell in love with but was just too heavy to wear for a wedding in the caribbean, and a little part of me was sad because I really did love that dress. It's completely different from my own dress and more traditional with the long train. So not only am I have body image issues and i'm also questioning my own dress selection! It's like I want the best of both worlds! I love two dresses and I can't wear them both.

I understand i'm having a day where i'm bored (for once!) and left to sit around my aparment and continue to think about what just happened but I have to do something about this. I don't want to continue to worry about this either.

Soooo....I took a step in the right direction and after reading several wedding blogs about this DVD program I finally caved in and bought it. Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred is officially mine and I hope she can kick my butt into shape!

Have you ever had a bad day where you let your worries get to you? What did you to fix it?

7 Months To Go!

2010-02-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

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7 MONTHS TO GO!!!!! I realized yesterday was the 7 month mark and that absolutely made my day. And to be honest it doesn't stress me at all. They say that this entire experience will fly by so fast but honestly it has been going a little slower than I would have liked. If I could have had it my way I would have liked to get married in March or April since I have no patience and just would like to marry my best friend!

Everything worked out well with the date we chose anyways since my sister is pregnant and due in May plus our honeymoon is time sensitive and that trumps getting married in March. LOL!

Speaking of the date, September 18th , it wasn't until after I confirmed the date that I realized that was an ex-girlfriend's birthday. And this isn't just any ex-girlfriend this was someone who didn't get it in her head that that chapter in her life has ended. Yea, i'm talking about the ex-girlfriends who don't just move on. She's created some drama in our relationship the first year and half we started dating and I find it funny that we chose to get married on her birthday. If that doesn't say "slap in da face!" I don't know what does!?

Once my FI pointed that fact out I knew the date was perfect! I know i'm not the only one out there ladies that has had to deal with crazy ex's?! What was your crazy story? How did you handle the situation?

Mmm Mmm Good!

2010-02-18T07:11:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite channels to watch is the food network. Honestly it's like porn when you're hungry. Yes. I. just. went. there. But in all honestly i'm right! It's like going grocery shopping on an empty stomach and you end up buying so much more then you intended on buying because you were hungry at the time and not only did the cookies scream out 'buy me!' but so was the bag of chips, block of cheddar cheese (a MUST on every grocery list I have), Mama Celeste pizza, and the milk duds! So watching the food network when you're hungry is just like that. It makes you crave what you are watching.

My point is that one lazy Sunday I was watching the Cake Boss marathon (I know it's on not on the Food Network but they have food shows) and I couldn't help but start thinking about what I wanted for a wedding cake. Granted we will have the resort make their own which comes out looking like this:

Source

And don't get me wrong that's nice but our ideal cake would be something like this:

Project wedding

Is that just B-E-A-UITFUL! So my FI and I realized that we can get the best of both worlds and have a wedding cake at the at home reception as well since everyone loves cake and we can hav a second cake cutting for our guests. So I surfed the web for local bakeries in CT to see what our options are. BTW, love the website Project Wedding for their pictures and vendor search! I found one lady that owns Sweet Rewards in Brookfield, CT and she had tons and tons of pictures which me likey! Her website was very informative but the pictures said it all.

I love her attention to details ESPECIALLY in the cake below. Just beautiful!

*The cakes above are from Sweet Rewards
*Food network pictuer source

I showed my FI the website and he was extremely impressed and he was sold on the idea just as quickly as I was. I got super excited that an idea popped into my head! I have no patience whatsoever and I didn't want to wait to contact Kelly at Sweet Rewards so I drafted up an e-mail to her in regards to our engagement party.

To be continued.......

The Wedding Party

2010-02-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

My last post mentioned my MOH and it hit me that I never spoke about our wedding party and who will be in it. Well it honestly won't be a long blog since we are having a very small wedding party. If I could have it my way I wouldn't have anybody but this way makes sense as well.

A little background on me: I'm the youngest of 3 girls and they are 5 and 9 years older than me. Can you tell I was a 'surprise' to my parents?! So my oldest sister got married 14 years ago when I was in the 8th grade. Both myself and my middle sister were in her wedding party. My other sister got married in 2005 and we were both part of her wedding. See the trend here?

So it only made sense that I incorporate my two sisters into my wedding and well they both will be my Matrons of Honors (MOH). Although my middle sister tends to be the leading MOH. Which can be a good thing but also a bad thing since she tends to only see things in black and white ONLY. Where I see things in Black, White, and anything else in between!

As far as the grooms side he is having his best friend be his best man. Easy peezy! We understand that not everyone make the trip down for our wedding so it makes the most sense to keep things simple.

Did you have a big wedding party or a small one? Did you find it to be easier with only having a few people?