45 Days and Counting!

There are only 45 days left until our wedding day at Virginia Crossings Resort in Glen Allen, VA. Time is flying, but we're making pretty good progress. Guests have started booking their rooms. We're getting RSVPs back. About a month ago, I had a laundry list of things to do. Now, my list is alot shorter.

• Order fresh rose petals. Our aisle is outdoors and super long, so we're opting for rose petals instead of a runner, but they have still got to be ordered.


• Attend the menu tasting and dress fitting. These have been scheduled for this Saturday.


• Get the marriage license. We'll be doing this next Friday.


• Purchase the flower girl's accessories.


• Print and assemble programs. We've ordered the supplies and they're on their way.


• Print and place monogram labels on the favor bags.


• Finalize the cake flavor.


• Order wedding day foundation garments, including garter.


• Choose my "something old". My attire will all be new. My garter will be blue, and I am borrowing my lovely linesister's veil.

Time is dwindling down, but I'm so excited to be Mrs. Glen Allen!

Simple Gifts

FI and I have purchased all of our attendants gifts, Kenneth Cole cufflinks for the guys, freshwater pearls for the ladies. We've ordered a doll-sized FG dress for our FG and the doll to go with it, and for our parents we've gotten gifts from Things Remembered, Tara frames for our moms, and a clock for his dad. Hopefully, everyone likes these little tokens of our appreciation. There is just one other gift 'd like to get for the ladies, and it's a simple pair of slippers. Last time I was in a wedding, the bride gave us slippers, and for those who found their bridesmaids shoes a little uncomfortable they were a lifesaver. After standing for a nearly hour long ceremony, we luxuriated in placing our weary feet in the comfort of these simple Dearfoam slippers.
The slippers are non dyeable, but you can't even see them under a long bridesmaid dress. They are so comfy, too. I still wear mine at home sometimes. For 7 bucks a pair at Walmart, you can't go wrong. Certainly, slippers like these will be a thoughtful and appreciated addition to the gifts you give the lovely ladies of your wedding party.

Responses

So the invitations are out, and the responses are rolling in. We invited about 165, but are hoping to confirm less than 120. We love opening our RSVP cards, and we always open them together. As much as we want a smaller guest count, it still makes us a little sad when a loved one cannot attend. So far we've confirmed close to 100 guests, coming from Jamaica, Canada, England, as well as all over the East Coast and Central States of the US. We're so excited to see everyone . . . 45 days left!

Wedding Gifts

I'm not sure how the idea/custom began of the bride and groom exchanging gifts prior to the wedding, but I kind of like it.

FI - THIS IS WHERE YOU STOP READING. ;o) Thanks, Schnookie!

Ok, so as I was saying, I like this idea. I also have always wanted to give FI a pocketwatch, just a timeless, elegant gift. The problem is it's really tough to find a nice one in stores. I know I want a silver one. I also know that I want to be able to engrave small message on it for him. I also want to be able to see the actual watch movement. I discovered ExecutiveGiftShoppe.com. I'd researched pocketwatch designers, and they carry some of the best that I could find. They also have a wide range of prices. I've narrowed it down to my top 2.

The second one is not engravable, but it's just beautiful. I think FI would love either, but I'm trying to decide which I like better. I want to have it engraved (if possible), "Yours until the end of time."

Wedding S-Tresses

I don't know how it is for most, but for me, when I am stressed, my hair can be the hardest hit. I identify my stress spot as the back of my head, from ear to ear. My hair breaks there, and it's not a good thing. I'm not looking ill or anything, but it's just annoying. According to my hair dresser, psychosomatic/stress-related hair breakage can occur. Right now, I am applying to Ph.D. programs, being recruited for a new position, managing my current position as a corporate trainer, serving as MOH in my linesister's wedding (which is one month after mine), doing regular community service, trying to find time to work out, and oh yeah! . . . planning my own wedding. Yet, stress is a regular part of my life, so I deal with it. I will try not let it bother me too much as wedding day approaches. I originally thought of wearing my hair in an updo for our wedding, but now I'm leaning more towards a different look. I went to Barnes & Noble on a lunch break recently to look at some hair magazines, and I found . . . my look. What first caught my eye was this look, which would be perfect with my tiara sitting right on top.

I think I may like it a little shorter, and curlier. FI loves my hair curly. So rather than the loose waves of Lauren London, I think I'll have it a bit curlier, like my soror, Ms. Keys.

Basically, my wedding look will be a blend of the two styles. Yes ,this will involve adding length to my hair, which I'm not used to, so I'm going to test out these fabulous wedding tresses next month when I meet with my stylist in Richmond.

DIY Invitations

All of my tireless research and labor (FI helped, too. Lol!) have resulted in these gorgeous invitations! . . . . Ta-da!

We are so happy with how our DIY invitations came out. The pocketfolds, backing layer, and printed layer are Envelopments products, which we purchased from EnvelopMe.com. Envelopments has very high quality papers, and although I researched several retailers, EnvelopMe had the best prices for the products we wanted, including our 4 x 9 pocketfold, which was not easy to find. The invitation envelope, RSVP card paper, backing layer and envelope are all from Paper Source. A new one opened in Annapolis, not far from Annapolis Mall. I designed the shape and text of the printed layer and RSVP card in PrintShop.

I learned how to assemble the invite by watching a tutorial video on the Paper Source website, and I figured 'I can do that!' FI and I have been hard at work for weeks, but we are both pretty pleased with the results, and I have discovered that my soon-to-be-husband is fairly crafty. Bonus! At first, we thought that by assembling our own invitations, we'd save money, but once we purchased all of the elements and supplies to make them, it pretty much equalled the cost of having them custom made. However, we don't regret making them ourselves, because we got exactly what we wanted. We had a project that allowed us to spend alot of quality time, and we're quite pleased with our work.

A few of key points:

1. If you ever consider tackling a DIY project for your wedding, give it a shot, as long as you have the time to dedicate to it. You'll probably be very pleased with the results.
   
2. Letterpress and thermographic printing are gorgeous, but home printing can be just as beautiful as long as you're printing on quality invitation materials.


3. Before ordering invitation materials, be sure to request samples, which are almost always free, just to make sure the colors and weights are exactly what you want them to be.

Happy Planning!

73 Days and Counting! Yikes!!

I just went on one of my vendor's websites, and they thoughtfully have a countdown of the days until our event, 73 to be exact. I may be a little wound up about this, but who wouldn't be? That's less than 2 1/2 months! My mind is racing thinking about what we still have to get done for our big day, like:

• Order our toasting flutes, cake-cutting set, guestbook & pen. I love the Tara Collection from Things Remembered. I've been waiting for them to go on sale, but it's becoming apparent that they never will.
• Mail our invitations. Pics are soon-to-come. We DIY'd, but they look great, and I'm so proud of them. They'll be going out by Thursday, to allow our international guests ample time to finalize their plans.
• Order FI's tux.
• Buy gifts for our parents. We have the gifts for our attendants.
• Confirm the officiant. This is sort of a big one. For the longest time, FI wanted to use his lifelong pastor, but that man was so unprofessional, we mutually decided against it. We've asked my pastor to officiate, and we should have his response by Friday. My church is in MD, and he's just double checking to make sure he can officiate a VA wedding.
• Order fresh rose petals. Our aisle is outdoors and super long, so we're opting for rose petals instead of a runner, but they have still got to be ordered.
• Attend the menu tasting and final dress fitting. These have been scheduled for next month.
• Get the marriage license. This can't be done until at least 60 days before the wedding in Virginia.
• Get a flower girl basket and order her accessories.
• Programs!
• Schedule a wedding hair consultation.
• Order wedding day foundation garments.

I'm trying not to get freaked out about all this, and typing it up helps to calm me. I imagine that I'm not the only bride that gets a little frazzled by The Countdown. Aside from the things listed, everything else is pretty much done. I cannot believe my wedding day is 2 1/2 months away. This is so major!

BM Dresses (Minus 1)

My BM dresses have arrived! (minus 1 - more about that later) They are gorgeous and I love them. They are Alfred Angelo in sunshine yellow. When I decided on this dress, everywhere had samples in pink. So, when the dress arrived at the local boutique, it was the first time I got to see the dress in the actual color. My BMs and MOHs are wearing the same dress. To differentiate the MOHs a little I'm having a bit of embellishment added to their dresses. This is the dress. It's more sunshine-y in person. My pda camera does it no justice.

Now, back to the "minus one" part. My younger sister (23), for some unknown reason me is opting not to be in the wedding and has not ordered any of her attire, which should have been ordered in November. Everyone else's dress and shoes are here. It's bothersome that she's choosing not to be in the wedding, but what's also bothersome is the way she going about it. She's just not ordering her stuff, and not taking my calls. I had to hear that she has no intention of participating in the wedding from my baby (17) sister. Has anyone else ever had a situation like this with a member of their bridal party?

Bella Bridesmaid

So I had finally decided on the flower girl dress, and Dessy design. The next step was to find where had it for the best price. I wanted to make it as cost effective as possible for her parents. On the Dessy website, I found about 5 boutiques in the area (MD, DC, & NoVA), and I started calling. I found the best price at Bella Bridesmaid, located in Baltimore (Federal Hill). This Sunday, I went with my flower girl and her mom to have her fit for the FG dress. The place was very cool, great atmosphere. I'm kind of picky about where I go for wedding-related services. Because, I'm only getting married once, I want a nice experience throughout this planning process, and part of that experience is the environment in which I do business. Bella Bridesmaid was great. We found parking with no problem. The store was very chic, and the owner Tammy, was absolutely wonderful. She was friendly, fully knowledgeable of the designers, the sizes, and her inventory. The store carries bridesmaids dresses by designers such as:

• Dessy (incl. After Six, Alfred Sung, & Lela Rose)
• Elon Michelle
• Eve & Ellie
• Melissa Sweet
• LulaKate Bridal
• Priscilla of Boston
• Vera Wang
• Twobirds

For brides that love tea-length, BM dresses, I noticed a wide assortment of tea-length dresses in gorgeous designs. What was really great about Tammy was that she has a little girl, too, and while fitting my FG, she really made her feel like a little princess. She was just so sweet, tied ribbons in her hair, and gave her a fresh flower to practice her FG duties. My 5 year-old FG was too thrilled! She did this all while taking care of business, and giving much needed guidance on our fabric choices, and what size to order that will best fit this growing child in 3 months.

Though I walked into the store knowing exactly which style FG dress I wanted, she showed me another dress option, with the same price, which was helpful, and let allowed me to make an even more well-informed purchase decision. Tammy and her store manager kept us informed of the designer's shipping dates to ensure that we had an accurate idea of when the dress would arrive, which allowed us to get to the store just in time to have the dress shipped in good time for the wedding.

Overall, I had a great experience at Bella Bridesmaid. My FG felt like a princess and was so excited, it made me very excited about the big day. The 3 of us (FG, me, and her mom) were so glad we went. Though we went in for just the dress, I even ordered the doll-sized miniature of the dress to give FG as a gift at the rehearsal . I was surprised to find that I could order that sort of accessory through the store. I'd been planning on ordering it directly from Dessy online, but this way, I didn't have to pay shipping, and it would be cut from the same dye lot as the dress. I can't wait for both to arrive!

Bridesmaids Makeup

I've got a dilemma. I've got a wonderful makeup artist that I'm contracting for my April wedding in Richmond. She's great at what she does. She is professionally trained, works for MAC as has done my makeup in the past, for engagement pictures and for a previous wedding that I was in. Some of my BMs have used her before also. She's very professional. We've got a great rapport, and most importantly, I trust her with my face. I met with her a few weeks ago and did a makeup trial for myself and to select the bridesmaids makeup looks. Afterwards, I received her quote. Since I've used her before, I was familiar and comfortable with her fee. One thing that I underestimated is her travel fee to come to Glen Allen. The mileage rate quoted is $1.75/mile for the nearly 250-mile round trip between Columbia and Richmond. This makes the total cost 20% more than my original estimate, which was based upon past experience. I included a buffer for travel fees, but clearly not enough.

I initially hoped to pay for all makeup (I did not communicate this to my bridal party.), but travel costs so much, that I am having to reconsider that. I now intend to pay for the travel fee and my own makeup and have the ladies pay the $65 each for their makeup. In the last wedding I was in, BMs each paid for their own makeup, and I didn't have a problem with it.

For my wedding, my BMs have only to purchase their dresses and shoes. I don't require any special hairdo. I only ask that hair be professionally done in whatever style they're comfortable with by whatever stylist they like. I am also gifting to the ladies all of their accessories, including jewelry (cultured freshwater pearls).

My questions are:

• Is it wrong to have the bridesmaids pay for their own makeup?
• Are travel fees a negotiable factor for something like makeup?
• What have your experiences been?

Tiara

Ok, so I may have previously mentioned a wedding tiara I was purchasing for a great price on Ebay. It arrived. It's beautiful, It would go well with my dress, but there's one problem. The decorated part of it is just not wide enough, not that I have a huge noggin or anything, but I just want anyone looking to be able to catch a bit of the tiara's bling from all angles. On my Ebay tiara, the bling is only in the front. Ah well! I knew what I was getting into when I decided to purchase from Ebay. That's 20 bucks I'll never see again! lol!

Recently, I found Tiara #2 on the web at a site called EverAfterBridalVeils.com. I really think it's gorgeous. The previous tiara is also pretty, the its detail is only about 6 inches wide. Tiara #2's detail is 8 inches wide, offering both front and side bling. I ordered it a few days ago, and I hope I love it as much as I think I will.