Wedding Advent: Day 23

Wedding Advent: Day 22

Wedding Advent: Day 21

Wedding Advent: Day 20

Wedding Advent Special Combo: Day 18 & 19

Wedding Advent: Day 17

Wedding Advent: Day 16

A New Year...A New Me?

I am the first to admit I'm not exactly your typical gym rat. In fact, I hate working out. I'd much rather stay curled up in my favorite sweatshirt with a nice mug of hot chocolate (complete with mini marshmallows) than get into shorts and a tank top and climb stairs to nowhere for an hour.

However....

The wedding is now within reach, and I refuse to look back on my wedding photos thinking to myself how I wished I had just spent a few more days at the gym! What is a girl to do?

And then, this morning, I saw this:



While perusing weddingbee this morning, I came across Miss Hippo's official workout plan for her wedding, and I have decided to steal it. What, you may ask, is this great and wonderful plan? Like myself, Miss Hippo has a love for crossing things off on calendars and to-do lists. Her great idea is to cross days off on her calendar ONLY on days she goes to the gym. What a great idea!! I just love seeing that little line (or two) that says I have accomplished something.

But a line on the calendar is not enough for me by itself. I need some accountability. Here is where you come in, dear reader. At the end of every month, for the next 9 months, I will post an update with a photo of that month's calendar. It is my hope that my love for crossing things off combined with my fear of humiliation in any form (public or online) will be enough motivation to get me into the gym!

Wedding Advent: Day 15

Wedding Advent: Day 14

299 Days to go!!

Wedding Advent: Day 13

Wedding Advent: Day 12

Wedding Advent: Day 11

Wedding Advent: Day 10

Wedding Advent: Day 9

10 Months To Go!!

Wow, could it really be that there are only 305 days left? Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday there was a whopping 15 months to go!

This month all the wedding countdown calendars tell me to focus on beauty. I should be looking into beauty salons for day-of styling, as well as thinking of how I want my hair and makeup to look. Yikes!

Since this is an area I never worry too much about in my daily life, it is the one area of the wedding that I threw to the wayside, to be worried about "at a later date". And now? Well, that later date has arrived.

First things first: hairstyles.

I have actually spent quite a bit of "wedding time" thinking about this issue this past week. I even enlisted my soon-to-be's help! After all, he's the one who is going to look at me that day, he should have some say, shouldn't he?

I originally thought I wanted my hair half-down for the big day, but after thinking about it, I would hate to have frizzy fly-aways (which my hair is known for in certain colder weather), nor would I want the hair across my neck causing me to sweat on the dance floor!

And so, after the Great Hair Debate, I think I finally have a nice compromise to my relaxed, every day look that I want to carry into my more formal wedding look.





(notice the lack of faces in these photos. That is because I have NO IDEA how to do my makeup and will not have any idea until I visit Maid of Honour again and get her ever important input!)

How are you going to look on the big day?

Wedding Advent: Day 8

Wedding Advent: Day 7

Eat. Dance. Sparklers!

I'll admit it. I love sparklers. And ever since I saw this picture:



And this one:



I have been obsessed with having them at our wedding. With fireworks being illegal in NY State, I always thought my dream would not be possible. Until I saw this:



(a photo from a wedding - exactly one year before ours - at the same venue)

And now it is not just a dream, but a necessity! What a perfect grand exit and wonderful opportunity for some night photography!

In my early sparkler research, I found a cute way of showcasing our grand exit:



How cute would all of these sparklers look in nice vintage vases? Is anyone else using sparklers? How are you planning on handing them out?

Wedding Advent: Day 6

Wedding Advent: Day 5

Wedding Advent: Day 4

Wedding Advent: Day 3

Wedding Advent: Day 2

Advent Calendar: December 1st

Traveling Light

ATTENTION: NOT A WEDDING RELATED POST!



The tree at Rockefeller Center is up and lit, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is on TV, and malls are filled with people. All of this can only mean one thing: Christmas season is here! And while some of us will be baking cookies, wrapping presents, and singing carols by the fire, others of us will be standing in long lines, fighting crowds, and sitting in cramped seats for hours on end. This of course could only mean one thing: time to travel!

Traveling at Christmas is not the time to be checking baggage at the airport. Not only is it crowded already, but the airlines are just that much more likely to lose your luggage. So what is a young lady to do?

1: Fall for the tiny sizes
It may sound obvious, but packing lightly should include travel sizes for everything possible. A week beforehand I make the trial-size aisle my best friend. Deoderant, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, etc is all available, and for a reasonable price! And with the new container rules for airplanes, it is impossible to fly without visiting this aisle.

2: Layer, layer, layer!
When boarding an aircraft, I wear as many bulky clothing items as I can, while still keeping comfortable. You can layer t-shirts, sweatshirts, and definitely winter boots! Built-in plus: airplanes are cold, so you'll want these layers while you're shivering next to the window!

3: Make a list, and check it twice!
This may be the hardest for any of us to adhere to, but making a list and sticking to it is the best thing we can do for traveling. Chaotic, last-minute packing lends itself too easily to, what I like to call, emotional over-packing. What will I do if the Queen invites me to tea? What if it's cold one day, and beach weather the next? Begin packing at least a week before the trip. Check the weather, and think - rationally - about how likely it is that the Queen will invite you to tea.

A Flurry of Taffeta

I could not be more excited, my wedding dress is here - 2 full months early!

And so, this brings me to a whole new topic for today - hairstyles and veils.

Do I want an updo or do I want a more flowing, natural look? Do I want a long cathedral veil, or am I more of a fingertip veil girl?

I suppose the hair should come first, since I may not even be wearing the veil the entire time. In an earlier post I commented how I wanted my hair down. This is more "classic me", and I know future husband loves it when I wear it down.

However....six months later and (surprise, surprise) ideas have changed. An updo not only offers a more classic bridal look and fits with the formality we are going for, but it also will offer a cooling breeze for me while in my dress. Not to mention, my hair does not hold a curl (as much I may want it to).

And so...here are the hairstyles I am currently in love with:









Each of these low, woven buns offer plenty of space for the addition of a veil. Fingertip? Elbow? Cathedral? So many options!

How will you wear your hair?

Braving the Bridal Show

Future sister in law came up to visit yesterday, and we went to a bridal show that one of the other bridesmaids was participating in. For those of you that have never been to a bridal show, let me tell you a little about it. First of all, when you walk in the door, all you see is a sea of newly engaged brides and their posses. Some will come with just their mom or one bridesmaid, but some I think bring everyone involved! Once you make your way through all these people, you will be bombarded with so much bridal information you never knew you needed, let alone existed! Tread cautiously as you explore this information, as every vendor in the room will want to talk wedding with you until your ears bleed, especially when they discover which one in your party is the bride! Be prepared to show your ring, tell your wedding date, and fully explain your wedding vision at least 500 times, if not more! Lastly, be prepared to fill out your contact information to win some pretty cool prizes (like free makeup/hair, DJ, or laser hair removal!)

Although most of my vendors are already booked, the trip was still quite informative, and made me realize just how much I really do want the limo experience on my wedding day.



My only problem? With the ceremony and reception being the same venue, we don't technically need a limo. So how can I fit one in? Perhaps to bring the bridal party from my mom's house to the venue the morning of to get ready?

So much to think about and so little time! 313 days seems like forever, but the time has been flying!

In other news, my dress is due to arrive at the salon in the next month or two, which means it's time to start thinking of accessories! The photo below is from the bridal show - my bridesmaid, "Bridal Barbie", is showcasing some lovely accessories!

A Little More Food for Thought

So yesterday I discussed the need for menu cards at a sit-down wedding. I honestly have never been to a wedding that gave out menu cards, so I'm not at all sure where this obsession came from, but I just cannot imagine my wedding without menu cards slipped into the napkins on each table.

Each day I obsessively check weddingbee.com for any new DIY menu templates. This ends up only taking five seconds out of my day, because sadly, there is never anything new. Until yesterday! I finally found a simple, clean, classic design that I loved, and while no template was available to download I took it upon myself to create a copy using Publisher and my newest obsession (thanks to Maid of Honor for this one!) GIMP. I highly suggest you download it. It's like photoshop, but free, and MUCH easier to use!

Here is what I came up with:



If anyone is interested in the template, please feel free to send me a message - I know how hard it is to find one out there!

Food for Thought

Topic of the day: Menu cards. Are they necessary, or simply a nicety? I have heard many opinions on this, and am still unsure of what I want to do. If dinner were buffet-style, I would say this is a no-brainer. As a "selectitarian", it is always difficult for me to arrive at a buffet and know what I can and cannot eat. Every time, without fail, I will arrive back at my seat with a heaping helpful of food that I cannot eat. So if you are having a buffet-style wedding, please put labels on your food stations!

That said, this is not the case for our wedding. We are having a sit-down dinner, and guests will select their options on the RSVP card before arriving. However, how many times have you gone to a wedding not remembering what you've selected? Even though I almost always select the vegetarian entree, I still am always at a loss to what I am going to eat. And so I think menu cards in the end become a necessary nicety.

This brings me to my big problem: finding a style I like that does not cost an arm and a leg, that coordinate with our invitation style. I absolutely refuse to pay more on menu cards than we did for our invitations (which takes out any professional website with a style I like). I also cannot find any online templates I like, that will fit all of our food options! We will be having an appetizer, salad, and three options for the main course (as well as two dessert options), which is simply too much information for one little card. *sigh*

What is a bride to do???

Entertaining the Kidlets

While there won't be too many children at our wedding, they will be there. I think between the flower girls, the ring bearer and a few other select invitees, there will be a total of five children there (not including those under the age of one). And while a babysitter will be available for the reception, I still feel we should create activity kits for these kids, and make them feel special and included in our day. (Yes, I am adding yet another DIY project to my ever-growing list!)

Here comes the most important question: what do we put in these kits? The children will range in age from 3-10, so a coloring book, crayons, and stickers are a must. I also want to include some small, non-messy toys that also will not create a huge mess, like slinkies.

Are you including children in your wedding? What do you plan on doing to keep them occupied? Here are some inspirational photos to get you started!

DIY Toss Cones: Part II

This morning I decided to turn to my dear friend Google for photo imagery of the perfect ribbon orientation for our toss cones. To my complete and utter shock and amazement, my blog appears on page two of the Google search, and our toss cones are the second photo to appear on Google Images! I have officially made it!

After my excitement had died down a bit, I turned my attention back to the task at hand: how on earth was I going to place ribbon on 150 toss cones, without it taking an hour per cone??

Here are some inspiration photos I found.









After looking at all these beautiful ideas, I set to work myself. Here is the end result:





I used a ribbon hole punch (purchased on sale at Michael's for $3) to create the bow in the front, and a regular one-hole punch to help create the top ribbon, which will allow the toss cones to hang from each chair at the ceremony (although looking at it, the regular one-hole punch seems to create a really large hole, and so I might try the ribbon punch on top as well!)