Quick Update on Another Diva Moment

Diva Dustin just changed the cake icing back to butter cream.  So it is a red velvet cake, with butter cream icing.

Our (Hopefully) Delicious Cake

It's a lucky thing that I waited to do a blog on this one, because Dustin was a diva and changed his mind last weekend. ;-)

SO!  There are a couple of things that Dustin wanted to decided. 1. Music 2. Cake.  I was 100% okay with him choosing the cake flavors, as long as I approved, but I would get to do the cake design.

At first it was just a straight white cake with white butter cream frosting.  However, we attended a wedding and their cake had a hint of lemon in it.  Dustin HATES lemon.  So he wanted to make sure there was no chance of that happening - hence the change.

OUR NEW CAKE!  We are going to have a red velvet cake with a cream-cheese based icing.  It is going to be a round stacked cake.  At the bottom of each tear, there will be pearls made from icing.  Cascading up the cake will be purple freesias.

DELICIOUS!  I'm so excited.

Our groom's cake will be a grooms brownie.  We love our brownies. :D

Here is where my questions/concerns are.  I am not sure if the cake stand set up is included, and if we should go ahead and get the serve-ware (even if I don't care if we have a formal one).  SO.....

• What was your cake like?
• What did you do for the cake stand and serve-ware?

The Musical-Feast for the Wedding

Music is a big influence in both Dustin and my life.  We wanted the wedding for the music to be different from the typical wedding music (no "Here comes the bride").  Our wedding theme is romantic, so our music mainly from the romantic era.

Dustin's musical life has always been about the saxophone.  I have always fantasized about a string quartet.    Neither of us was happy with the other.  SO we had to compromise!  Piano makes us both happy, so we are going to have a pianist (Dr. Adams, a piano professor from WCU) and a vocal soloist (Courtney Umphlett, an SAI sister).  Done!

Dustin was in charge of choosing music, but he couldn't seem to decide.  We spent MONTHS picking this out, so I hope you enjoy.  Feel free to look up some of the music on youtube!


Prelude:

• Dawn - Marianelli (From Pride and Prejudice)
• Humorersque, Op.101, No. 7 - Dvorak
• Waltz in Ab Major, Op. 35 - Brahms
• The Maiden's Prayer - Badarzweska
• Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 62 - Mendelssohn
• Wedding Day at Troldhaugen - Grieg

Seating of Families & Wedding Processional: Clair de Lune - Debussy

Entrance of the Bride: Meditation from Thais - Massenet

Song during the ceremony: Wedding Song (There is Love) - Stookey

Recessional: Polonaise No. 3, Op. 40 - Chopin

What was the music for your wedding like???

Flowers Make Everything Better

Flowers are an important part to the decor of the wedding!  Our wedding theme is romantic.  Our music is all from the romantic era, and we are using candles EVERYWHERE! (My church has over 200 votive candles we can use :D).

The florist is a vendor that you should look for early on.  It's important to price compare.  Honestly, it is the most expensive part of my wedding, and we are trying to not have too many.  Luckily our florist is the head of the decorating/flower committee at my church.  She is familiar with the venue, and I believe will do a great job!

Now to the fun part!  Our flowers for our wedding.

My bouquet is mainly going to be sweet peas. Hopefully it will look exactly like this!

The bridesmaids and junior bridesmaids will have white calla lilies bouquets, smaller than this.

The boutonnieres are going to be made out of picasso calla lilies (pictured below) and green hydrangea.  The mothers and grandmothers will have a mini-bouquet with picasso calla lilies and other assorted flowers.

In my hair, there are going to be two purple lisianthus.

We are going to have hurricane glass candles with ivy in the stain glass windows.  There will also be a flower arrangement display in the entryway and loose flowers in the church choir loft area where it will be filled with candles.

Our centerpieces will be simple and have purple orchids in square vases (and candles).  Not sure the type of orchid though.

Finally, our cake will have purple freesias.

WHEW!  I think that's pretty much it!  Flowers/design can be a very complicated area of the wedding!

What did/will your flowers (especially the bouquet) look like!?!

Wedding Invitations are OFFICIALLY in the Mail!

If you've been following my blog, you see that Dustin and I have been working furiously on our wedding invitations.  It was a very tedious process (especially if you have 175 invitations going out to over 250 people).

First I had to tie ribbons on all of them.

Then we included labels with our registry, and printed labels for the addresses.  We wrote names in the inner envelopes, included RSVP cards, and put the addresses on the outer envelopes.  Not to mention hand writing the names on the extra invites our parents came up with.

Then Dustin worked really had to put wax seals on the outside.

Finally, we bought stamps and placed them on the envelopes!  They were all in the mail by March 5!

All of the hours of hard work was worth it!  Can't wait to hear back from some people.

Finally my tips:

• Make sure to allot time for the work of putting the invites together.
• Order extra invitations for the people you forget to invite.
• Go to the post office and have your invitations weighed to make sure you have to correct postage (especially if there's a bunch of extra stuff on it!).
• When budgeting the cost of your invitations, remember to include the cost of postage!

How to Handle a Dress Fitting

First I would like to share my experience, and then give some tips for you!

The last couple of weeks, I've been busy with meetings for the wedding, as well as getting my dress fitted.  I would like to note that it is better to wait to the last 6 weeks to go to your first dress fitting because your weight does tend to fluctuate during your engagement (whether you loose weight or gain).  However, because of the make of my dress, I was confident that all I would need is a hem and a bustle.

When I got to David's Bridal my fabulous SAI sister and wedding dress consultant Jessica literally had to SQUEEZE me into that dress.  Big wake up call! I still fit into the dress, but the slip was a little bit too tight for my taste.

Luckily, my shoes were the perfect height for me to not have a hem, so I had a bustle put in (so no one steps on the train during the reception).  I have the double french bustle, which is in the picture below.  Now my dress looks nothing like this, and the bustle looks a little different, but you can get the point.

When I came back on Friday, with a couple bridesmaids this time, I had lost an inch from my waist and everything fit perfectly!  The bustle looks great, and it will be perfect for the big day!

Now some important information for you to know about fittings!

• If you have a busy schedule, or your bridesmaids live far away, you don't have to have people there with you at every fitting.  BUT you need to have someone there at the final fitting.  They learn how to put you in the dress, and how to tie your bustle.
• There is a certain order to put everything on (this is good to know for the big day).

1. Bathroom
2. Shoes
3. Slip
4. Bra
5. Dress

• If the store where you buy your dress has shoes, at least consider them.  Try some on and see if there is a pair of shoes that will help with $ by not having to put in a hem!
• When you are working out, especially between dress fittings, don't lift weights (thanks Jessica!).  Your main focus should be cardio because if you do weight training, you may not fit in your dress because of your muscles! 

If you have any other tips, feel free to share!

HONEYMOON PAID IN FULL!!!

Last week, we made the last payment on our honeymoon!  It is PAID-IN-FULL!!!!

In case you didn't know what we are doing....

We are going on a 7-night cruise on the Carnival Dream!  We will leave from Orlando and go to Cozumel, Mexico; Belize; Isla Roatan; and Costa Maya, Mexico!

CAN'T WAIT!

My Bridal Accessories!

I finally have my jewelry and shoes picked out!  Took a lot of searching but I love it!  Here they are!

My earrings are from Amy's Bridal Jewelry.

Dustin bought this necklace for me to wear.  Matches my wedding colors!  Compliments of JCPenney!

My shoes are from David's Bridal.  They are called Shellie.  Depending on my next dress fitting, when my dress is stemmed, I'll dye them either lapis (purple/blue), or ivory if you can see too much of the shoe.  I'm hoping for purple.

What did your wedding accessories look like???

Preparing the wedding invitations to go in the mail!

Putting wedding invitations is hard work!!!  This is a photo montage of the journey, but it doesn't show the amount of time it takes.  So future brides, plan ahead for this!

First I tied the ribbons on all of the invites.  Dustin helped me some, but picky me had to approve all of them, and redid some.

We put labels on the back saying where we are registered.  Some people think it's bad etiquette, but more couples are including this information with their invitations.  We also used labels on the outside envelopes for our return address and with the recipient's address.  The Knot said this can be impersonal, however I did hand-write everyone's name on inner envelope.

 All 175 tied!  They look pretty!!!

 All stuffed in envelopes with the addresses ready to be sealed!

Okay.  Dustin really wanted wax seals on the labels.  We took time to practice so they won't look like a mess.  We learned a lot of tricks while doing it.  It helps to cut the block into pieces and melt it in a spoon vs just dripping it on the paper.  

 We got a lot better at it!

 Dustin wants this to be his task so he mainly did it all.

 Our roommate received the first completed one!

Hopefully you'll enjoy your invitation if you are receiving one!  We put a lot of work into them!

Testing out our Wedding Favors

For the longest time, Dustin and I were going to do personalized m&ms for our wedding favors.  We absolutely LOVED the idea.  It's cute and a nice little treat for guests.

Then it hit me one day that I don't want that as a wedding favor.  (Bridezilla moment - right?)  So Dustin and I started brainstorming.  We looked through so many websites, pictures on the knot, and finally Dustin had a great idea.

What if we make white chocolate covered double stuffed oreos?

It's no secret that I search for white chocolate covered oreos at Christmas time, so I LOVED LOVED LOVED the idea.  So of course we had to try it immediately.

We bought a pack of double stuffed oreos and nestle white chocolate chips.  The first day I burned the chocolate in the microwave.  Didn't know that was really possible, but I did it.  Then I dipped both sides without letting one harden first.  Good in taste but a big mess.

The next day, Dustin and I tried it together.  We used a double broiler to melt the chocolate, and made a bunch.  We dipped one side and put it in the fridge to harden, then did the other side.  THEY WERE FANTASTIC!

Overall all, we are going to play around with our methodology.  We have some ideas to try for next time.  We want to make them consistent and good looking!  It'll take us probably 16 packs of oreos and 16 bags of chocolate to make enough, but it'll be a fun week before the wedding!  So you will probably hear about this again.

What were/are your wedding favors???

Tips on Choosing a Caterer and Your Perfect Menu

Food, food, food.  This can be one of the most expensive aspects of your wedding.  It can determine the number of guests, and affect the time of your ceremony.  Many people getting married choose a reception venue that has a caterer.  Other people, like me, bring in a caterer of their choice.  This can be a less expensive option.

Before looking for a caterer, you need to consider several things.

• Who has experience catering at your reception venue?
• Will the food need to be prepared on site, or reheated?
• What type of food/meal? Sit-down meal? Buffet? Stations? Hour D'ourves? 
• Can they make your cake as well?
• Bar options?

Dustin and I were torn between hour d'ourves and a meal.  We realized appetizers can be just as expensive because you have to pay for individual items and the labor to make them.  Being our wedding is at 5 p.m., we settled on a buffet meal.

Our caterer has catered several weddings I have attended, as well as serves the weekly Wednesday meal at my church where we are getting married.  She has the experience, and because of our connection, she is giving us a good deal!

It is important to make sure that the menu has options for your guests.  The bride & groom may not even get to eat much, so it's important that other people will enjoy your meal.

Dustin & my wedding menu will consist of:

• Herb Roasted Chicken Filet
• Potato Casserole with Four Cheeses
• Green Beans with Citrus Butter
• House Salad
• White & Wheat Yeast Rolls
• Sweet Tea, Coffee and Water

It is the perfect menu for a reception at a baptist church!  I'm excited to taste it, and if you come, I hope you are too!

Every Girl Loves Accessories!

Accessories can make or brake an outfit!  For my wedding, I have been working with different members of the wedding party and giving them some free reign.  They already have to spend money on a dress that I pick, so I want them to have things that they can wear and reuse when it comes to everything else.

Bridesmaids:

One my of bridesmaids has... well... unique feet.  Nothing strange about them; she was a dancer, there's a big arch and they are a size 5.  So I worked with her on picking shoes that she can wear.

She chose a David's Bridal brand shoe called Marley in metallic silver.  They are backless, have rhinestones and a short heel.

They get to choose their own jewelry, as well as their hairstyle.

Junior Bridesmaid:
Kristan's dress is the same lapis (purple/indigo) color as the bridesmaids, so she will have silver shoes as well.  Her mom will chose something she can re-wear a little bit closer to the day.  I also gave her mom free reign on the jewelry as well.

Flower girl:

My flower girl will match me in the sense we will both have ivory dresses and lapis shoes.  Her mom chose something that she could re-wear, as well as went off of my recommendations.

What I recommended was this peep toe wedge from David's Bridal in the style called Jemma.  The shoes will be dyed lapis to match her sash and the bridesmaid's dresses.

Her mom also chose to get her a lapis headband.  I LOVE the idea.  It'll have a bow on the side and will make her look great!

NOW FINALLY.... I NEED HELP!!!

I have been searching and searching through websites and stores looking for accessory ideas.  With my shoes, I'm planning on getting a pair from David's Bridal dyed lapis (I've always wanted purple shoes!).  I have no idea what style I should or shouldn't get.  With jewelry, I'm never 100% happy with what I see.  

Here are the questions... (and please share your experience!)

• What are your recommendations on a style of shoe?  
• What did your jewelry look like and where did you get it?
• My dress is strapless, I have a fingertip veil, and I will probably wear my hair up.  Any recommendations on style of jewelry for me?

I could use any suggestions and comments.  Thanks so much!

Wedding Invitations are Here!!!

At the end of December, Dustin and I went ahead and ordered our wedding invitations.  Our thought was that they would take a little while to make, and we wanted to get them with enough time to address all of them!  (We'll really be doing labels, but that's a different story for a different time!)

Little to our surprise, the were shipped January 5 (WITH THE HOLIDAYS!!!) and only because of snow, I had to wait till today, January 12, to receive them.

It didn't come assembled like that, but I was so excited!  We ordered them from David's Bridal (you get a 30% off coupon if you buy your dress from there!).  It has 3 panels and you tie the first two together with  a ribbon.  It has raised ink (I'm soooo happy it was raised ink!  A pleasant surprise!).  The color of the ribbon and ink is lapis, the same as my bridesmaid dresses.

The first panel has our names and a very romantic design.  The second panel has the reception info with the address of the church (the same location as our ceremony) and the third panel has the traditional invite info.

I LOVE THEM!!!  And if you receive one, I hope you love it too!

Question for the other brides & bride-to-bes out there.  What do you wedding invites look like and where did you get them???

Booking our Honeymoon!

When it comes to your honeymoon, you want to do something fun right?  You want to travel, gorge yourself on food, have everything you want.  The problem with this is Dustin is still in grad school, and I'm in an hourly paid job.  After months of looking, it seemed as if we couldn't afford anything that we wanted.

At first, we were looking at an all inclusive place in Mexico.  That way we can do whatever we want, and not stress over money while there.  Then we looked at other countries as well.  We realized that we could afford these fabulous international experiences, if only we could teleport there instead of having a flight.

We had to start looking for something else.

Last summer, Dustin's family took me on my very first cruise.  It was simply amazing.  At first I thought that I would want something different for the honeymoon, but it became evident that this was our way to travel internationally at a less expensive price.

So we started researching cruises.  Dustin and I both like Carnival, and it's very affordable, so our main focus was there.  We knew we wanted to go somewhere warm, and it needed to be a 7 night cruise.  Also, it would need to be after his sister graduated on June 8.

We each settled on a favorite cruise (I'll tell you who won at the end :D) that departs June 11 and comes back the 18th.

1. Kristen - My favorite cruise was on the Carnival Liberty.  It goes to Puerto Rico, Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, Grand Turk and St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.  Good locations with an older boat.

2. Dustin - He wants to go on the Carnival Dream.  It is the newest and largest boat they have.  It goes to Cozumel (which is where we went last time), Belize, Isla Roatan, and Costa Maya in Mexico.  Better boat with not as good locations.

Dustin is going to fork over the majority of cost of the cruise.  We are asking that his family gives us money as wedding gifts to contribute to the cost of the cruise.

I have a couple questions for you out there.  Answer what you'd like. 

• Where did you go/are you going for your honeymoon?  
• If you don't mind telling, how much did/will it cost you?  
• Also if you don't mind saying, how did you pay for it?

For those of you planning your honeymoon in the future, make sure to consider cost and who is paying for it.  You may not be on your dream vacation, but you will be with the person of your dreams and no matter where you go, it will be magical.

OH YEA!  WHO WON YOU ASK???  Dustin did.  It's about compromise I guess :D