wow...what a BIG weekend! first of all, bought a new car! very excited to be the proud owner of a 2008 mazda 3 hatchback sport. sliver & black, manual, and (wonder of wonders) in our price range! now paul and i can zoom-zoom together, a happy little mazda family.
secondly, we are registered! what a fun process - like a kid in a candy store....or paul and i in a wine shop :) we created registries at macy's and target...so go check them out! please be sure to set aside ample time to admire our china pattern. so lovely...so simple...so refined. so very excited! china is a necessity in my family, so to find a set we love is very exciting (no royal albert for us, thank you very much!)
i am so thankful for paul's time this weekend. he spent HOURS (they are soooo slow!) at the car dealership with me and even went to macy's to assist in the final decision on flatware. he was a terrific sport, and did quite well with putting in his two cents when asked.
in hindsight - a very, very productive weekend!
147 days.....
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
caligraphy & copy cats
hello lovahs. only 151 days until our wedding!
even with so much of the big stuff done, i'm amazed at the amount left to do. there is quite a bit of planning to this whole "wedding" thing. i'd never considered what it would be like to decorate a day for myself (i love that phrase) and i am learning it is quite bi-polar. there are decisions that hurtle you into complete mania - date, budget, food, budget, venue, budget, size, and of course, budget - and dizzy your mind with doubt and indecision. but then you plummet back to waiting...and waiting...and waiting. i believe this is the hardest for me...just twiddling my thumbs and daydreaming without taking any action. but oh what fun it is to dream! you can browse and peruse and linger to your heart's content...if you can ever slow your hands down enough to do so. i've found i'm incapable of jogging in more ways than one - it's either a stroll or a sprint.
i spent the first two weeks of my engagement spinning at a break-neck pace, and now i'm learning to savor. as lucinda said, this is the only time in our life we get to be engaged...enjoy it! and most wonderful of all, things keep moving along at a splendid pace! two exciting things happened in the past few days.....
first - invitations.
we received the first proofs on friday, made our edits and resubmitted them in about 5 minutes. who's indecisive?! the final proofs came on monday night...and are lovely. they should be arriving by the end of the month. to keep my mind mellow and my hands busy, i'm going to attempt to address all the envelopes myself. it's been about a decade since i've done any calligraphy, but i'm very excited to be hand on in this way. it may be small, but it's special.
second - dress!
i was typing my little heart away at work today when my phone rang - 513 area code. having no idea whereabouts 513 was from (but having received many, many pressing phone calls as of late) i answered. and i was shocked to hear the tailor for wendy's cincinnati bride tell me my dress had arrived. (whaaaaa?!) surely you can't be serious, thought i! i am serious...and stop calling me shirley, she replied (not really, but it would've been epic!) my dress has come in 4 MONTHS EARLY! it turns out they had it in my size somewhere out there, to my sheer delight. i'm going down for my first fitting in two and a half weeks when my mom is visiting. she couldn't be there for the trying-on experience, so i'm thrilled she can be there the first time i try on MY dress, not the sample.
another scrumptious bit - my dress has a twin! when i was taking off the sample after saying "yes" to the dress, another consultant asked mine if she could steal the sample from her when it was off of me. after dressing, i went out to see this darling girl in the dress who, after having seen me in it, wanted to try it on herself. (sandra said then that i looked so good in the dress, i sold it to others too...what a bosom bud!) i told her she looked fantastic in it, and sandra and i were curious as to her final decision. well, that day she said yes to the same dress...my dress! (it is forever fixed that way in my head...after all, i was in it first.) so they were ordered together, they came in together and they will be on beautiful brides very much NOT together.
when i write here, i feel all the felicity in the world. i'm swept away in the romance of the whole affair and feel like i'm living in a dream. but that wiley little satan is working my weaknesses to the extreme, so please keep me in your prayers...and paul. he's doing wonderfully in school...just trounced everyone in a whatsit-ology test. i'm so proud of him...he's so faithful and true, and i admire that so much.
i love you. can we please talk this weekend? for realsies.
even with so much of the big stuff done, i'm amazed at the amount left to do. there is quite a bit of planning to this whole "wedding" thing. i'd never considered what it would be like to decorate a day for myself (i love that phrase) and i am learning it is quite bi-polar. there are decisions that hurtle you into complete mania - date, budget, food, budget, venue, budget, size, and of course, budget - and dizzy your mind with doubt and indecision. but then you plummet back to waiting...and waiting...and waiting. i believe this is the hardest for me...just twiddling my thumbs and daydreaming without taking any action. but oh what fun it is to dream! you can browse and peruse and linger to your heart's content...if you can ever slow your hands down enough to do so. i've found i'm incapable of jogging in more ways than one - it's either a stroll or a sprint.
i spent the first two weeks of my engagement spinning at a break-neck pace, and now i'm learning to savor. as lucinda said, this is the only time in our life we get to be engaged...enjoy it! and most wonderful of all, things keep moving along at a splendid pace! two exciting things happened in the past few days.....
first - invitations.
we received the first proofs on friday, made our edits and resubmitted them in about 5 minutes. who's indecisive?! the final proofs came on monday night...and are lovely. they should be arriving by the end of the month. to keep my mind mellow and my hands busy, i'm going to attempt to address all the envelopes myself. it's been about a decade since i've done any calligraphy, but i'm very excited to be hand on in this way. it may be small, but it's special.
second - dress!
i was typing my little heart away at work today when my phone rang - 513 area code. having no idea whereabouts 513 was from (but having received many, many pressing phone calls as of late) i answered. and i was shocked to hear the tailor for wendy's cincinnati bride tell me my dress had arrived. (whaaaaa?!) surely you can't be serious, thought i! i am serious...and stop calling me shirley, she replied (not really, but it would've been epic!) my dress has come in 4 MONTHS EARLY! it turns out they had it in my size somewhere out there, to my sheer delight. i'm going down for my first fitting in two and a half weeks when my mom is visiting. she couldn't be there for the trying-on experience, so i'm thrilled she can be there the first time i try on MY dress, not the sample.
another scrumptious bit - my dress has a twin! when i was taking off the sample after saying "yes" to the dress, another consultant asked mine if she could steal the sample from her when it was off of me. after dressing, i went out to see this darling girl in the dress who, after having seen me in it, wanted to try it on herself. (sandra said then that i looked so good in the dress, i sold it to others too...what a bosom bud!) i told her she looked fantastic in it, and sandra and i were curious as to her final decision. well, that day she said yes to the same dress...my dress! (it is forever fixed that way in my head...after all, i was in it first.) so they were ordered together, they came in together and they will be on beautiful brides very much NOT together.
when i write here, i feel all the felicity in the world. i'm swept away in the romance of the whole affair and feel like i'm living in a dream. but that wiley little satan is working my weaknesses to the extreme, so please keep me in your prayers...and paul. he's doing wonderfully in school...just trounced everyone in a whatsit-ology test. i'm so proud of him...he's so faithful and true, and i admire that so much.
i love you. can we please talk this weekend? for realsies.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
invitation chameleon
the proof of my invitation arrived! the colors we chose look absolutely gorgeous, and hit the note we were looking for completely. modern/vintage/rustic. curiously, they actually printed up the invitations with the wrong blue - i requested sapphire and they used delphinium. whether this was accidental or the printer preferred this color combination, i don't know...but i'm actually considering tweaking our wedding colors to go with this! the colors aren't as rich and jewel-toned and we wanted, but they look very soft and natural...antiqued. i'm heading over to paul's for dinner tonight and we're going to look them over and make a decision. but whatever that decision may be, the invitations should be ordered by the end of the week!
ps - he asked if he could cook dinner for me again tonight...*sigh*...love him. maybe i'll luck out and get another diamond ring.....!
ps - he asked if he could cook dinner for me again tonight...*sigh*...love him. maybe i'll luck out and get another diamond ring.....!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
say yes to the dress
it's official - i have the dress!
sandra, my bosom friend (haha...anne!) from spokane flew into dayton this weekend to help me shop. i was so incredibly thankful that she was able to come, because the though of finding a wedding dress on my own seemed impossible. i have a few people in town i could ask to come with me, but no one who knows me so completely as any of my redheads, punx, bran buds or stepping stone gals. and you all know me...i'm incapable of buying shoes without a second opinion.
my roomate katheen informed me of a bridal district just outside of cincinnati that happened to be having several trunk sales this weekend. i wasn't sure if the dresses were going to be in my price range at these boutiques, but though it was a great place to start getting a vision for what i'd like my wedding dress to be.
i made a list of stores that i wanted to see, but for some reason just felt that i wanted to start at the third store i'd listed, wendy's cininnati bride. sandra and i went into this store and were smacked in the face by the sea of white dresses before us. we were approached by a consultant named lameese who, when informed of the time frame and price point, was able to give us two sections to focus on. i let her know what theme we were going for - vintage rustic in a modern way - but i think she only heard vintage rustic. she let sandra and i loose to pull dresses and pulled a few herself.
i didn't know exactly what i was looking for, but knew that i liked textural elements such as old-fashioned lace and ruching. we pulled a few dresses that piqued my interest, but i felt i wasn't being decerning enough in my selections. a champagne colored gown with ruching and a flower on the side caught my eye and sandra said i should try it, but i left it on the rack saying "i can come back later if i don't find more i like." we came upon a very similar dress in white a few racks down, and sandra told me that this was the type of dress she'd envisioned me in. i laughed and informed her that katie, my oldest friend, had the exact same idea as her. i said agreed to try it and sandra said, "this is really similar to the dress we left on the rack. do you want to try that one too?" i said "yeah, let's do it" and so she added those two to our rack.
the first dress i tried on was one selected by lameese. it was a beautiful a-line, vintage lace and beaded gown. it had a long train with a flat ruffle flair at the bottom. it was very pretty and had the vintage vibe for sure, but i just didn't feel like myself in it. the a-line shape does not compliment my hip-less figure, and the beading was not me at all. lameese was trying very hard to sell me on this dress, but it sandra and i knew it was totally wrong.
the second dress i put on was sandra's selection. its fit-and-flair style complimented and enhanced my figure. this dress made me feel confident, elegant and sexy. the ruching was more modern and youthful and fit my personality better. but this dress was just lacking something...special. we tried a few accessories with it but eventually headed back to the changing room to try another gown.
having found a direction i liked, i decided to try on the similar champagne gown. its ruching was slightly different, and it had a bubble hem and sweetheart neckline. when i stepped out in this dress, i was amazed by how i looked. it the same shape, but with a few more elements...it was the next level. we put on a beaded belt and i began to realize that this was the dress. i knew i wanted a birdcage veil, so i donned one with a flower in my hair. the sweetheart neckline with the birdcage was perfect, but the combination of the belt and the veil was too much. we took of the belt and i just knew this was my dress. it's modern and youthful, but the sweetheart neckline and veil give it a vintage vibe. and the length is perfect for an outdoor wedding.
i order it right then and there, but chose ivory over champagne to compliment my hair and skin tone. they're ordering it, and it will get here a month before the wedding. that doesn't leave much time for tailoring (it'll need to be taken in a bit and a bustle added) but they said they'll get it done in time. i'm so incredibly excited! i love the dress...and i wish it was here now!
all the big ticket items are done, and only two weeks into the engagement! i'm able to sleep again at night and am not waking up, dwelling on the details and imporant things i still need to arrange. i think that God brought this together so quickly so that i'd be able to be at peace. and now, as lucinda says, it's time to sit back and just enjoy being engaged. <3
161 days until the wedding!
sandra, my bosom friend (haha...anne!) from spokane flew into dayton this weekend to help me shop. i was so incredibly thankful that she was able to come, because the though of finding a wedding dress on my own seemed impossible. i have a few people in town i could ask to come with me, but no one who knows me so completely as any of my redheads, punx, bran buds or stepping stone gals. and you all know me...i'm incapable of buying shoes without a second opinion.
my roomate katheen informed me of a bridal district just outside of cincinnati that happened to be having several trunk sales this weekend. i wasn't sure if the dresses were going to be in my price range at these boutiques, but though it was a great place to start getting a vision for what i'd like my wedding dress to be.
i made a list of stores that i wanted to see, but for some reason just felt that i wanted to start at the third store i'd listed, wendy's cininnati bride. sandra and i went into this store and were smacked in the face by the sea of white dresses before us. we were approached by a consultant named lameese who, when informed of the time frame and price point, was able to give us two sections to focus on. i let her know what theme we were going for - vintage rustic in a modern way - but i think she only heard vintage rustic. she let sandra and i loose to pull dresses and pulled a few herself.
i didn't know exactly what i was looking for, but knew that i liked textural elements such as old-fashioned lace and ruching. we pulled a few dresses that piqued my interest, but i felt i wasn't being decerning enough in my selections. a champagne colored gown with ruching and a flower on the side caught my eye and sandra said i should try it, but i left it on the rack saying "i can come back later if i don't find more i like." we came upon a very similar dress in white a few racks down, and sandra told me that this was the type of dress she'd envisioned me in. i laughed and informed her that katie, my oldest friend, had the exact same idea as her. i said agreed to try it and sandra said, "this is really similar to the dress we left on the rack. do you want to try that one too?" i said "yeah, let's do it" and so she added those two to our rack.
the first dress i tried on was one selected by lameese. it was a beautiful a-line, vintage lace and beaded gown. it had a long train with a flat ruffle flair at the bottom. it was very pretty and had the vintage vibe for sure, but i just didn't feel like myself in it. the a-line shape does not compliment my hip-less figure, and the beading was not me at all. lameese was trying very hard to sell me on this dress, but it sandra and i knew it was totally wrong.
the second dress i put on was sandra's selection. its fit-and-flair style complimented and enhanced my figure. this dress made me feel confident, elegant and sexy. the ruching was more modern and youthful and fit my personality better. but this dress was just lacking something...special. we tried a few accessories with it but eventually headed back to the changing room to try another gown.
having found a direction i liked, i decided to try on the similar champagne gown. its ruching was slightly different, and it had a bubble hem and sweetheart neckline. when i stepped out in this dress, i was amazed by how i looked. it the same shape, but with a few more elements...it was the next level. we put on a beaded belt and i began to realize that this was the dress. i knew i wanted a birdcage veil, so i donned one with a flower in my hair. the sweetheart neckline with the birdcage was perfect, but the combination of the belt and the veil was too much. we took of the belt and i just knew this was my dress. it's modern and youthful, but the sweetheart neckline and veil give it a vintage vibe. and the length is perfect for an outdoor wedding.
i order it right then and there, but chose ivory over champagne to compliment my hair and skin tone. they're ordering it, and it will get here a month before the wedding. that doesn't leave much time for tailoring (it'll need to be taken in a bit and a bustle added) but they said they'll get it done in time. i'm so incredibly excited! i love the dress...and i wish it was here now!
all the big ticket items are done, and only two weeks into the engagement! i'm able to sleep again at night and am not waking up, dwelling on the details and imporant things i still need to arrange. i think that God brought this together so quickly so that i'd be able to be at peace. and now, as lucinda says, it's time to sit back and just enjoy being engaged. <3
161 days until the wedding!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
God is the ultimate party planner!
i am completely blown away. paul and i have not even been engaged for two weeks, and yet all the big ticket items are pretty much in place!
vendor: trezzi farm food & wine
caterer: trezzi farm food & wine
pastor: doug!
date: july 17th
photographer: lisa monet (katie-did's sister...so excited!)
cake: selected (tasting scheduled for may 27th)
budget: way under!
rental items: priced (thank you julie!)
i feel so incredibly blessed. i prayed that God would help bring everything together in a way that pleased Him, but i was in no way ready for this. i guess He likes a good party! it's fallen into place so beautifully that i am left in awe of His love for us. me and the man He chose for me...it's a beautiful thing the way he takes care of His children.
only one last big ticket item (i think...correct me if i'm wrong, kor!) and that would be....
THE DRESS!
my sandra-dee is flying into town this weekend! we're heading an hour south to the bridal district (sounds promising, doesn't it?!) where there is a la-someone-or-other trunk sale. i'm obviously not familiar with the designer, but very familiar with the word sale! i know every girl is suppose to be giddy when it comes to the dress, but all i feel is dread. i have absolutely no idea what i'm looking for...and this leaves me feeling overwhelmed. suggestions, ladies? i'm open to them.....
see you in 164 days!
vendor: trezzi farm food & wine
caterer: trezzi farm food & wine
pastor: doug!
date: july 17th
photographer: lisa monet (katie-did's sister...so excited!)
cake: selected (tasting scheduled for may 27th)
budget: way under!
rental items: priced (thank you julie!)
i feel so incredibly blessed. i prayed that God would help bring everything together in a way that pleased Him, but i was in no way ready for this. i guess He likes a good party! it's fallen into place so beautifully that i am left in awe of His love for us. me and the man He chose for me...it's a beautiful thing the way he takes care of His children.
only one last big ticket item (i think...correct me if i'm wrong, kor!) and that would be....
THE DRESS!
my sandra-dee is flying into town this weekend! we're heading an hour south to the bridal district (sounds promising, doesn't it?!) where there is a la-someone-or-other trunk sale. i'm obviously not familiar with the designer, but very familiar with the word sale! i know every girl is suppose to be giddy when it comes to the dress, but all i feel is dread. i have absolutely no idea what i'm looking for...and this leaves me feeling overwhelmed. suggestions, ladies? i'm open to them.....
see you in 164 days!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
wee-dark hours.....
166 days until the wedding!
i'm really not sleeping much anymore, which is too bad. how do you keep yourself from waking up and thinking and thinking and thinking?! it seems that as soon as my mind starts to wake, it starts to wander and i just can't help it. oh well...there's always coffee!
did you know how awesome some of these websites for designing wedding cards are?! that is what i spent my weekend doing, and it was really great! this one website, tgkdesigns.com (the green kangaroo...what fun!) lets you customize everything - EVERYTHING! - from color to font to word choice, and you can even order a sample to view before you place your order to make sure your ink and paper choices look good together. i ordered one this weekend, and if they come out well, that means i'll be submitting my invitation order this weekend...wahoo!
that's goal #1 this week. goal #2: dessert! not being the biggest cake fan (i by far prefer pie), i was torn on the traditional cake or the plethora of unique alternatives which are so popular now-a-days. but then i thought, why not have your cake and eat it...with pie! i'm making some calls today for pricing on smaller cakes to go with tartlets or pies.
i'm looking for advice!
wedding dresses: how long does it take to get them? sandra did some calling and said that it can be 3-4 months if you order the dress. i checked around a bit and was quoted 4-6. i'd like to wait a few weeks before dress shopping, but would that be putting it off too long?
love you! love wedding planning! sleep is overrated :)
i'm really not sleeping much anymore, which is too bad. how do you keep yourself from waking up and thinking and thinking and thinking?! it seems that as soon as my mind starts to wake, it starts to wander and i just can't help it. oh well...there's always coffee!
did you know how awesome some of these websites for designing wedding cards are?! that is what i spent my weekend doing, and it was really great! this one website, tgkdesigns.com (the green kangaroo...what fun!) lets you customize everything - EVERYTHING! - from color to font to word choice, and you can even order a sample to view before you place your order to make sure your ink and paper choices look good together. i ordered one this weekend, and if they come out well, that means i'll be submitting my invitation order this weekend...wahoo!
that's goal #1 this week. goal #2: dessert! not being the biggest cake fan (i by far prefer pie), i was torn on the traditional cake or the plethora of unique alternatives which are so popular now-a-days. but then i thought, why not have your cake and eat it...with pie! i'm making some calls today for pricing on smaller cakes to go with tartlets or pies.
i'm looking for advice!
wedding dresses: how long does it take to get them? sandra did some calling and said that it can be 3-4 months if you order the dress. i checked around a bit and was quoted 4-6. i'd like to wait a few weeks before dress shopping, but would that be putting it off too long?
love you! love wedding planning! sleep is overrated :)
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