My Wedding Weakness

Have I mentioned my undying devotion for OOT bags. I don't know what it is - maybe the beautiful way it feels to say "oot," or the lovely gable boxes so many brides use, or my passion for all sorts of snacks, or how incredible it was to get an oot bag at my FI's cousin's wedding . . . the possibilities are endless. However, my passion for them remains. Everyday I go to the DIY page on weddingbee and look for OOT bag inspiration photos.

I am pathetic. So I thought I would share some of my loves with you all. Please share any you have - I am a fiend. I want them all!

Source Door Hangers

Chocolate Bars Courtesy of Mrs. Cloud

I did not upload the PDFs here but I love the idea of doing a brochure or welcome packet for the guests. They are personal and can give a lot of great info. Welcome Brochures! and this one is cute too!Wedding Ring Mold - These are for chocolates but I would love to do a little bag of homemade soaps used with a mold like this. They also have wedding bells. It would be great to find a massachusetts state one, but so far no luck.
Canvas Tote Bag

If I didn't want to spend a lot of money or didn't want to get a lot of goodies and snacks, I would probably go this route - which is so freaking cute too!

Source

*Sigh* Can't wait to have some space to make and store some of these beauties! Did I mention my FFIL does homebrews and will be making our OOTers some of our own personal love beer?

Are you doing OOT bags? Have you ever received a good OOT bag?
Let's see your OOT bag inspiration photos!!!

Meeting the Master of Ceremony

We met with a potential officiant the other day. She is a justice of the peace as well as a Christian minister. My mother ensured that we knew to buy her coffee at the shop we met at . . . thanks, mom!
Anyway, we met her and it went great. She had SO many great ideas of ways to incorporate parents and grandparents and how to honor those who have passed away. We loved her. She was interested in us and what we do. I could tell that was an expressive and interesting lady. She has been an officiant for ten years but was a private investigator before that.
Well, after meeting with the officiant it felt like the ceremony was starting to come together in my mind. All the pieces that I felt were so disconnected start to flow. I am so excited to work with her and to meet with her to write our ceremony.
She was a little bit more than our budget allotted but after some discussion, we determined this was the place to go over. The reception wouldn't be much more than a party without the ceremony.
I can't wait to work more on the ceremony and share some with you all!
Some tips for meeting the officiant:

• Have some pictures of your wedding ideas so they get a sense of what kind of wedding you are having. Bring your planning binder! They won't be intimidated.
  
• Know what you are looking for in an officiant - list some qualities before meeting him/her
• Ask him/her about their life outside of their job to get a sense of him/her as a person
• Find out how they construct a ceremony, do they allow you to write any?
• What type of tone do you want the ceremony to set? Will the officiant be comfortable setting that tone? Will they be good at it?
  
• Relax! Don't be nervous and just let the conversation flow. Most likely they have done a lot of meetings and can carry the conversation. If they can't speak, they probably shouldn't be saying your ceremony.
• Set out an hour for the meeting - you have a lot to talk about!
  

Did you meet your officiant? Did you gel with him/her more than you thought you would? Do you have any tips for interviewing the officiant?

I've Fallen Off the Wedding Planning Wagon . . .

But I hope to get back on next week!

This is what I have been up to this week:
1.) I found out I got a new job last week, so I have been finishing up at the old job.
2.) News Flash (in case you couldn't tell) I am a teacher so I was also amidst first week craziness.
3.) Packing because I have to move!
4.) FI and I begin a Long Distance Relationship next week =( So we have been bickering to mask our pain and spending lots of time together when we are not bickering.
5.) Planning for TWO teaching jobs including reading (I am an English teacher) and writing lessons.
6.) LOSING my mind!

But next week we have an appointment with a DJ and our potential officiant. Any advice on what important questions to ask either of these potential vendors?

Did you run into any life throws you a curve ball moments during your wedding planning?

Hairspiration

So I love to think about things WAY in advance. I am going to share with you my hairspiration photos. First. Let me remind you of what my hair looks like:



So as you can see, my hair is a little past my shoulders or so. I am very low maintenance when it comes to my hair - I wash and brush it. For special occassions, I may straighten it but that is a toss up. I am also growing out my hair for the next 10 months hoping to get it a bit longer for the big updo.



Ok so here they are: I love the look of the back of this. I couldn't find front pictures so I don't know how good that would look.








How can you not love a good Carrie Underwood hairdo? She is so classy. So for the half up half down look - first of all, my FI requested that some hair be down. Whether or not I consider this is up in the air. I love the Carrie shot on the right this is the back of that hair:
I love the back of the hair too as well as the side swept bangs. I would love to include side swept bangs because they look so adorable with wedding hairstyles, but is this practical for my life pre and post wedding? Probably not.





Ignore the crazy outfit and weird face. I actually like this hair - it is unique but I think sophisticated looking. Am I just crazy? Please be honest about that style with me!









Okay so again, ignore the face, but I do like the hair here. I love the bangs again and the wispys on the side. It looks classy but not overdone.






Which one is your favorite? What kinds of hair inspiration photos did you find to hand off to your hair stylist? I think I am going to need 10 hair trials!!!

*Sigh*

Things I wish I could include in the wedding but alack, alas, we cannot for one reason or another:

Source

Mmmmm This makes my mouth water just looking at it. It would make a great dessert bar option or a great favor. Who doesn't like a good s'mores?!


Vintage cars. I love them. They are so freaking cute & I would love a grand entrance or exit in one. However, we are not doing any of those things in a grand way. Therefore, no grand vehicle transport for us.

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A simple beach wedding or destination wedding. I love this look - it is so classy and elegant but not over the top. Sometimes I wish we had gone this route. However, we want so many people to be able to share in our day so a DW just wasn't in the cards.

But pictures like this make me reconsider (Source):








Mmmm more cute ways to display food & drink!

A popcorn bar!
(source)




Too cute signature
drinks! (Source)




I am sure I will have many more posts like this one.
Are there inspiration photos that make you swoon but you know you will never be able to replicate at your wedding? How do you get over wedding envy?

Adding Character & FI's Personality to our Wedding

We are getting married at a golf club. A beautiful golf club that has more character than just a large room with a dance floor, however, it was not my FI's dream. His dream was to get married in an old barn and I love that dream.

Well, we couldn't afford the barn wedding of our dream, and we decided the money would be better spent on oh I don't know having food at the wedding? hahaha. So we are adding some other things to make it more "us."

The first thing we are doing is having FI build us the arbor for us to get married under. I think this is the greatest idea ever. We had decided this awhile ago, but then I saw Ms. Husky's fiance made her one for their wedding too. I was so excited! I just love the idea of getting married under an arbor; it is so sweet and romantic. I want him to carve in the date so we can put it up in our (non-existant) garden. It will be so beautiful. FI has already built us a coffee table for our living room. Here is a sample of his GORGEOUS work!FI and I sitting down behind our new addition to our tiny apartment!
(Photo taken by FMIL. )

He used a variety of different woods including old American Chestnut from a barn he is working on now. It is absolutely magnificent.

He also wants to build us the table we sit at for the reception. *Sigh* I am not sold on this idea. I love the cute little round couple table and he wants to build us a big sturdy dining room table that we will use and have forever. He wants us to eat at this table during our first meal as a family. *awwww* really cute sentiment - still not sold.
I can't wait for him to start work on these projects so I can show you all pictures!

What do you all think about the dining room table idea? Am I being bratty by not letting him have this one desire? How did you add character or your own personality to your wedding?

Here's the Mail!

I was on vacation for two and half weeks and I had ordered myself a few gifts to welcome myself home. Without further ado, I give you the (wedding) mail I came home to.

First, I received the purse that I had won from babbsboutique (thanks Monica!). Check out her shop here: Babbsboutique. It is a tres chic clutch with white and champagne colored pleating. I posted it earlier but here it is in person! I am thinking rehearsal dinner or bridal shower accessory. What do you think?(Ignore the stamp on the side I will get to that).

I also received these super cute stamps from zazzle.com. I cannot afford fancy stamps, but they were having a super sale and I bought a bunch for my save the dates. I thought I had ordered fifty - I ordered 100. Whoops.


The final thing I came home to was my first purchase off of etsy! I bought it from lovetocreatestamps. I bought a stamp with a tree (to go along with our motif) to stamp the backside of the envelopes. I can't wait to use them! FI loves it too which is great.
(I cropped out the last line).


Next up is the creation of the Save the Dates. Of course, first I need to create them. Can't wait!
Have you gotten anything in the mail lately that excited you? Do you love mail as much as I do?!?!?! Who doesn't?!

This is going to be photo heavy. . .

My E-PICS ARE HERE!
Okay here are my favorites. I apologize but I cannot narrow it down. I narrowed it down to two and then back up to ten. I just love them all.
































If you had to pick ONE which would you pick? And which one would you pick as a second choice?
I still have 30 more that I love too!

Did you get your engagement pictures taken? Did a family member or friend help you out with a wedding project and EXCEED all expectations?

LOST

Source

Before I get into the sad tale of the above shoes, I want to make a confession. Deep Breath. I do not care for shoes. I don't know what it is but I dislike shoe shopping. No, really really dislike, detest, abhor shoe shopping. I would rather go to the dentist than go to the shoe store. I wear flats or flip flops every.single.day. I have a pair of sneakers, two pairs of flats and a pair of flip flops in my closet.

That said. I came across this picture on WeddingBee (my all-time favorite wedding site). I gasped. I had no idea that I had dream shoes, and yet, there they were! However, when following the source, giddy with excitement on finding my wedding shoes, I realized they were for a vintage shop on etsy. Size of the shoes? 6 1/2 My size? 8 1/2. DAMN!

Anyone seen my long lost love, vintage bluebell heels? Anyone lust after an item you never thought you would want/care about?

E-Pics Teasers

Sooooo We took our engagement photos this weekend. My FI's sister is super talented with a camera (and in many other ways hahaha), and she took some amazing photos. I was a little nervous that I would be uncomfortable kissing FI in front of my FSIL so frequently. She did everything she could to make us feel super comfortable and confident. It was awesome. So I just want to leave you with ONE of my favorites before I get all the pictures edited back. I will post many more I am sure.

We used this site for some tips: http://www.weddingbeepro.com/2009/03/27/engagement-photos/
We also grabbed some picture frames, two small fake bouquets at Jo-Anne Fabrics, books and bananagram tiles. I can't wait to show you all how we used these great props!
The initials in the heart are ours and the date is above it in very very small print. Should I keep it in black and white, color or a faded, vintagey color?
How did your epics go? What props did you bring with you?

I won!

I never win anything. Nothing. Seriously - I cannot remember the last time I won something. I don't usually enter contests so that could be the reason. So I stumbled upon this woman's blog and her etsy shop and entered her contest. I read recently to enter all bridal contests because who knows right? I won! I named her bag "perfectly pleated" and she is sending me one in the mail. Super pumped.
Here is a link to her site and the bag. =)


http://www.etsy.com/listing/50778993/perfectly-pleated-silk-clutch-in-ivory

Cakespiration

I have been putting off cake decisions for a number of reasons. First of all originally we were looking at places that included a cake in their venue fee but the place we finally agreed upon does not. The second reason is because I love all sweets. Delicious brownies, delectable candies, smooth and creamy ice cream, moist cake with sweet flavorful frosting etc etc etc. How will I feel when that part is over? So instead, I have been amusing my interest in cakes with some google images.
Some of the fun cakes I found:
This one goes with the tree theme but I think it is too over the top. It is a lovely design though just a little too artsy for me.
source 1
I like this one better if it were in my colors (blue and yellow). I think it is cute . . . or was I looking at bad cakes too long. What do you think?
source 2

This is from the cake place we are going to test out soon. I was browsing their site and this just looked delicious and beautiful!
source Again - I would like it better in my colors. I would definitely do a cream colored frosting with blue and yellow flowers on it. I think they look so great!

What piece of the wedding planning process are you putting off because you don't want it to be over yet? Was choosing a cake flavor and design easy for you?

E-Pics & Bridesmaid Dress Shopping . . .

are coming up. Sorry for that tease. I am at a loss for what I want for engagement photos. My FSIL takes gorgeous portraits so we are having her do them, but I am nervous about being cutesy in front of her. Oh well, we will see how it goes. But we are considering where to go and with what props to use. Here are some e-photos I love:



Source
E-photo in a library? YES PLEASE!
Use of chalkboards and other things to write on - too cute! I also love the use of balloons even though it seems to be a typical prop. I can't wait to have my own photos to share with you!

As far as bridesmaid dress shopping, that is a topic for another day. But again, I am unsure and stressed. I am a people pleaser. I will want everyone to happy and with five people plus my opinionated mother, I am in trouble. Yikes!

Trying to wrangle a cohesive element!

My FI the carpenter (Personal Photo)

While I hate the idea of a "themed wedding," I am going to go with a "motif" for the wedding. Yeah, same difference. Well, we are having a summer wedding, but we decided to go with a rustic tone and tree motif. Our colors are blue and yellow and here are some of my inspiration photos. Don't worry if they don't look cohesive, we will work through it!

Also we found these GREAT save the dates, but they don't come up in an image size so check out the websites: Save the Dates and Oak Tree Invites.


What are some of your inspiring ideas, strands, motifs or (dare I say it) themes?









Source Source Source

Flowers

I think we have decided on a florist. Everything seems to be coming together TOO easily which scares me.
Anyway, a family friend is a florist in Connecticut. FI and I went to his cousin's wedding this weekend and saw her beautiful work first hand. I chatted with her for a few moments and told her I would like to pick her brain for our wedding. She was very excited.
Here are a couple (lousy quality photos) of her work.
I love the interesting colors chosen. The bride and groom chose light blue and lime green as their wedding colors. It was beautiful. They spoke with the florist who recommended fuschia and orange highlights. It was vibrant, energetic and definitely summery. I can't wait to sit down and talk about some interesting accent colors for our wedding!

Have you found your vendors easily or has it been a struggle to find the right people?

Wedding Dress Shopping

So I had many ideas for what I loved in a wedding dress. I hadn't done a lot of searching on the internet but my FI had requested backless, halter. To which I thought "ME TOO!" but responded "yeah right." He gets no hints to what I finally choose!
I definitely wanted straps, something pretty basic with an A-line (probably). I like sweetheart tops but I do like halter tops too. No lace, no big poofy skirt and not a lot of beading. I am obsessed with dresses that have dramatic backs. These things just are not me - I have seen some LOVELY dresses with all of these on them but they don't feel like me.
Anyways, so here were some of my inspirations before dress shopping:




What were some of your criteria? Did you listen to your FI ideas first? Did you let him come along?

The Engagement

So my recent engagement is what sparked me to create this blog in the first place. So my fiancee (still am getting used to this word!) proposed about a month ago on a surprise trip up to Acadia National Park. This is the story that Ben put together for our google wedding site. His super interest is amazing! I am guessing it will wan soon enough so I am enjoying every minute of it.


The early years: Sarah and Ben met freshmen year at Roger Williams University. Her close friend (and now bridesmaid!) lived in Ben's unit, and brought Sarah over to watch a movie for class, Quest for Fire. Upon walking through the common room, Ben was intrigued by the savage scenes of cavemen killing each other in their need for fire. Sarah even mentioned to Courtney how cute Ben was and how Courtney should try to date him. She immediately replied that he already had a girlfriend but they both agreed that was unfortunate.

Anyways Ben and Sarah became good acquaintances. However, it was not until a large group trip into Providence and the bus ride back when they became close friends. That night after everyone left they went down to the bay and sat on the rocks. They would visit this spot frequently throughout freshmen and sophomore years to vent, talk about school, friends, life or just sit in silence. While living on campus as close friends, Ben would always walk her home after dark and many times meet her at the newspaper office to see her back to her dorm safely.

Daytona Beach: Friends vehemently argued that Ben and Sarah were meant to be, but the two just as strongly disagreed using their close friendship as proof that it was not so. Late junior year, with their roommates Liz and Trevor (an engaged couple), the couple took a trip down to Daytona Beach where they began to realize their true feelings for one another. Trevor and Liz gave a resounding "I told you so." Ben and Sarah began dating casually, but it was not until after Ben's trip to Italy that he realized Sarah was the one.

The First (Official) Date: Upon his homecoming, he asked Sarah out on a romantic surprise date into Boston where the two went to the aquarium (where they had visited freshman year), ice skating, and out to a nice dinner in December of 2008. Soft snow fell through the city as the couple walked through Boston. The setting of their first date could not have been more serene. The following months, Ben and Sarah realized that although all along they thought they couldn't date because they were friends was actually the reason they were so compatible!

The Proposal: The engagement was even more romantic than the first date (if possible!). Sarah had been dropping subtle (or not so subtle) hints about a proposal to Ben, and she had a sense that it was coming in the following year. However, she thought she would have some indication that he had made a large purchase, but she was wrong. Ben had hid the ring from her for four months before he proposed on a surprise vacation to Acadia National Park in April of 2010. He woke her up at 4:30 (risking his own safety) and took her out to the cliffs in the park to watch the sunrise. Sarah had no idea it was coming until he was on one knee. He even brought a camera and proceeded to take (exactly!) 697 photos over the course of the 3 day trip to document their engagement.
My beautiful white gold engagement ring, holding hands with my fiancee! Did you get a crazy romantic surprise engagement?