Friday

1 day

It's tomorrow!

As for today, the girls and I have nail appointments at 2 (Jess, Shannon, Cris, and I at 1 for pedicures) at Metro Nails. We're going to go to the hotel and check in after that and get ready for the rehearsal at 4 30 at the chapel. After that we're going to dinner at Waterplace Restaurant at 6. Afterwards, we're going to McCormick & Schmidt's for drinks, which is in the bottom of the Biltmore.

However, the first thing that I need to do is get new shoes for Hannah since her feet grow at the rate of bamboo.

Jess, Cris, and I did the out of town bags this morning as well as the escort cards! We are all set for tomorrow!!

Last Fling

It's my bachelorette weekend! FINALLY! I am WICKED excited and I'll be sure to post as many (appropriate) pictures as possible! Off to get Cristina soon and then to the hotel to get ready!

AND it's Matt's bachelor party as well! They're heading out to the strip clubs tonight and Foxwoods tomorrow! I hope they have fun!

Tangerine Dream

Happy 26th Birthday to my great friend and bridesmaid, Jess!

Six Weeks

42 days

234 invited
135 attending
39 declined

No RSVPs again today. Sigh...

Six weeks until the wedding! I can't believe it's so close!!

I started "packing" for the honeymoon. In other words, I threw all the dresses and skirts I wouldn't need until then into my suitcase. HA! And, yes, and my bathing suits since I won't be needing those either. It made more room in my closet, though, so I can unsquish all my other clothes and the girls' tote bags.

Matt and I decided last night that we're going to go Monday during my lunch break to get our marriage license! It's one of the last things that we need to do!

I'm going to start working a little more on the escort cards, putting colored stickers on the backs to represent which meals people chose.

I'm also trying to wear my wedding shoes around to break them in, although I may take Jess's advice and freeze them with water inside to stretch them out.

OH! And Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Cobalt, Eggplant, & Petunia

90 days

216 invited
45 attending
12 declined

RSVPs (from yesterday): my first bridesmaid, Jess; my friend from dance, Margaret, and my boss and Jersey Shore enthusiast, Rob!

I brought my sisters' and Nicole's dresses home this weekend! I had them try them on, so here are the pictures:

I ordered Hannah's shoes yesterday, but I'm still on the hunt for Olivia. I like a pair from David's Bridal, but I'm looking for something cheaper if possible. We'll see what I can find!

Pain in the Tux

94 days

212 invited
40 attending
8 declined

RSVPs today:
-Jay & Donna, Matt's uncle and aunt
-Luke, Matt's cousin
-J.M., Matt's friend from college and
-Joslyn and Tom, my friend from high school and her boyfriend

Today I went to pick up Nicole's dress at Alfred Angelo and got a VERY pleasant surprise: ALL of the girls' dresses have come in! I picked them all up, except for Shannon's because she has a balance due on hers, and brought them home! They are beautiful!!

I then took Nick to get his measurements done in Cranston. Those men have no idea how to use a computer. It took almost an hour! In the end, everything was fine, but it was a ridiculously painful experience. Ugh

And, last, I found a different pair of cufflinks for Matt! They're going to be a surprise, though! Here is the original picture:

Obviously they'll have our initials and date, but I love them!

Double Digits!

99 days

207 invited
28 attending
6 declined

RSVPs today:
-Joel DeFelice, Matt's college friend
-Peggy & Alex, friends from Gap back home (declined because Peggy's brother's wedding is the same weekend)
-Brendan, my cousin (declined)
-Matt's parents
-John & Ann Madden

Jess is here for the weekend and we are going to my hair trial tomorrow morning with Shannon! I can't wait to see how it's going to look! I'm definitely bringing my camera!

Jess and I went to Michael's tonight and got the all the rest of the glass for the centerpieces except for the square vases. I came home and ordered them on Save on Crafts instead since they were drastically cheaper! I'm also ordering the black gems and then I'll be done!

I got the Vistaprint order and finished the menus tonight! They look great thanks to help from Jess! I'm so excited to have another DIY project done!

I also got the LAST brooch for Cristina's bouquet! I was going to finish her bouquet tonight until I realized that I needed to get more silver wiring. So...I'll be finishing it tomorrow.

I got the baskets for the programs today! They're a little small, so I've decided to not tie the fans and bubbles onto them. Instead, I'm going to get a big basket for the bubbles to leave outside and probably lay the fans in the pews, depending on if that's okay.

Mommy Dearest

113 days

Currently working on: escort card pictures

Our mothers' jewelry came in today! It is so pretty and I know that they will love it! Here are pictures of the actual jewelry that took me forever to take:

my mom

Matt's mom

I printed the pictures for the escort card frames at work today, so I'm going to work on them and, hopefully, finish them tonight!

Tomorrow is girls' day! Shannon and I are going to my gram's to hang with my mom, gram, aunts, sisters, and Jess to eat and plan the shower!

Program Complete

118 days

Currently working on: ceremony programs (200/200 done)

I finished the putting the programs together for the ceremony! However, I still have to tie the bubbles and fans onto them, but I'm going to wait for two reasons: one, I need to order the fans and, two, I want to have the baskets that I can put them in since everything tied together will take up a lot of room (so it'll probably be closer to the wedding, anyway).

I ordered the other two frames for the escort card displays! I changed the one for Matt's college friends since we added some and the other frame was out of stock anyway. I had to spend a little more money, but I've saved money elsewhere so no big deal.

I changed my shower dress! I ordered a new one from Charlotte Russe for the honeymoon and when it came in, I realized I wanted to use it for the shower! (I can still use it for the honeymoon, but I like it better for the occassion than the ModCloth one.) The best part is it goes with my orange shoes, so I can still wear them! Here's a picture:

I was talking to Jess yesterday a little about the bachelorette and she said that we are definitely doing a little black dress dinner. (It was my idea that I had gotten from Pinterest.) However, I saw another idea that I want to do in that I wear a white dress to stand out! I found one I like from AX Paris, but I'm going to look around a little more before I decide. I'll probably enlist Jess's help in the search.

Ring-a-Ding-Ding

121 days

Currently working on: ceremony programs (100/200 done)

Matt got his ring in yesterday! It is SO much better than the other one and we are both really glad we exchanged them.

I finished Jess's bouquet!! I got the last brooch in today and so I finished the whole thing! I'm so excited to have another one done! Here are the pictures:

I also got my after party dress in! I have yet to try it on as Shannon is here hanging out, but hopefully it'll fit so I don't have to return it.

I also got an email from Vistaprint that our menu cards shipped so we can finally finish the invitations and send them out!!

Ring, Ring

128 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (87/130 done)

Our rings came in today! I love mine, but Matt's is really thin so I want to make sure he likes it. If not, we'll exchange it for a different one. I'm glad that we have them in, now I just need to find a place to put them so they don't get lost or I forget. Maybe I'll post it on here so I have somewhere to look back to.

Matt and I started our reception seating the other night. I made a new document in Access to list everyone in our different groups (of where we know them from) and then a table for each table. We went through and did the basic seating which we'll just tweak once we start getting RSVPs back.

Also for the reception, I started putting together the escort cards last night. We're putting a white card for the guest book in the envelope with the actual escort card as well as instructions for it on a sticker on the outside back. I'll print people's names once they have RSVPed yes.

I also got another brooch for Jess's bouquet in today! I only need one more and I can finish her bouquet! Here's the brooch:

I'm going to make some more pocketfolds and then work on the escort cards before Matt gets home.

Just Broochy

147 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)
                                  bouquet pearls (7/8 done)

I FINALLY ordered the last brooches for Jess and Shannon's bouquets! Of course, one of Shannon's won't ship until after the end of the month, but at least I ordered them and can finish those bouquets once they're in. Here are the pictures (let's pray they look this way and I don't have to order any more).

Jess

Shannon

Shannon

Also on the subject of bouquets, I finished the pearls for Juliana's bouquet! I now have only one left to finish which I'm going to do tomorrow! Then it's just the brooches left to buy and put in, then arrange the whole thing and wrap it all up!

I also cancelled my alterations appointment with Alfred Angelo this morning. I'm going to shop around and ask for some estimates before I decide where to get them done. But I'm glad I won't be paying $500 to have material cut off my dress.

Brooch Blues

149 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)
                                   bouquet pearls (5/8 done)

I ordered my wedding dress label tonight! The money finally transferred to my Paypal account, so I put in my order on Etsy! It's a simple white piece of grosgrain ribbon with my initials and wedding date sewn into it. Here's the sample image that was on the listing:

I also ordered three more brooches for the bouquets which I have started working on again! I finished the pearls for Jess's bouquet and I'm going to start one of the other two. I'm determined to finish the pearls this weekend! Here are the brooches I ordered: the last one for Hannah's bouquet and two more for Jess's.

Hannah

Jess

Jess

I'm planning on buying my bridal shower dress tomorrow before it goes out of stock again, especially since the other one I liked is no longer available at all. I'll update on how that goes.

Done, Done, & Done!

161 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (26/130 done)

I went with my bridal party today to order their dresses today and it was more than a success! Shannon was able to get out of work early to come with us, so I don't have to make a different appointment! The girls love the dress and it's going to look great on them all! Olivia looked ADORABLE in the flower girl dress I picked out for her! (And she absolutely loved it!)

Matt's mom and my mom were looking through the catalog and the separates that they had for mothers and they BOTH found a dress they liked! So they both ordered their dresses today, which was totally unexpected! My mom got a dark purple chiffon top and skirt that looks great on her and Matt's mom got a dark blue satin dress and jacket that will look great, too! I love the colors they picked because it also matches their daughters in the wedding. (My mom's matches the older of my two younger sisters, Hannah, since pink isn't something she would wear.) I definitely have to get a picture of the four of them together at the wedding!

my mom's dress

This morning I had my hair appointment (I go every two months) after which I scheduled all of my bridal party's hair and makeup appointments! I also scheduled my hair trial for the same date as my next trim; March 10! I got so much done in one day!

Do You Have an Appointment?

So I FINALLY remembered to call Alfred Angelo about the bridesmaids' dress appointments in two weeks! I had to add my first dress fitting to the appointment! I'm so excited to do something with my dress again! It's been sitting in my closet for six months and I've only taken it out once!

That same day, I'm getting my hair cut (my usual 2 month appointment) but I'm also scheduling my wedding party's beauty appointments! The night before the wedding, I'm taking the girls to get their nails done (except for my two sisters). Then the morning of, we're getting our hair done and some are getting their makeup done as well. That means that I'll get to schedule my hair trial as well! It's so exciting to be getting things done again!

Jackpot!

197 days

First of all, I received four packages in the mail today, two of which were at least somewhat wedding related. The first was from Vistaprint, who must be filling a million and one orders for them to have taken this long. It contained (for the wedding) some fo the RSVP cards, the photoshare cards, the cards for our guestbook, stickers for the invitations, as well as our Christmas cards. The other wedding related package was from Lia Sophia. Most of the jewelry ordered at my party came in (there's a holiday lag so some is on backorder) including the earrings I bought for the wedding!! They are even more gorgeous in person (compared to the catalog) and I absolutely love them! (The other two packages were more Lia Sophia jewelry and the books I ordered from Barnes & Noble; the sequel to The Giver and the first Hunger Games book!)

Second, Matt and I went to Michael's to get new ribbon for my bouquet. I got this beautiful white ribbon with silver glitter designs on it. (I just realized I'm not sure how the rainbow ribbon will look with it, but we'll see.) I also bought another scrapbook for the stationery from the wedding since it won't all fit in with the pictures in the other scrapbook as well as more silver wire for the bouquets (which will hopefully allow me to finish them).

Third, I also received two more brooches in the mail! I got another orange one for Jess's bouquet and a green one for Shannon's.

I'm going to try to finish my bouquet tonight, but will probably post pictures tomorrow!

Ask & You Shall Receive

199 days

So after my rant yesterday about the brooches I ordered taking forever, I got two in today! Of course! (As the title says, ask and you shall receive!) One is for Jessica's bouquet and the other is the last one for Nicole's! I am going to finish her bouquet tonight!

I will post later with pictures!

The Brooches and the Bride

I ordered more brooches today and I also received some of the ones that I ordered in the mail!

I got the brooches from this post in the mail, with the exception of the first one (it shipped from a different seller). However, the one that looks orange in the picture is somewhere in between orange and red and won't look right with either bouquet, so I'm not going to use it. (I like it, so maybe I'll wear it but not for the wedding.)

As for the ones that I ordered, here are the pictures:

Jess

(to replace the one that wasn't really orange)

Jess

Shannon 

Hannah

Yesterday I hosted my Lia Sophia starter party (I'm going to start selling the jewelry) and I found earrings that I really want to wear for the wedding. I like the ones that I have, but these are prettier and I love the necklace that matches them. (That means I'll wear them after the wedding.)

Another note: Matt and I were looking at the rings that we had picked out months ago online and they no longer have them. They have replaced them with the exact same thing that is way more expensive. So we went searching for similar ones closer to the price of the originals and found some at Kay! They are only about $10 more than the first ones and are the same thing we were looking at! Now we just need to order them before they disappear too!

mine

Matt's

I also have another addiction: Pinterest. It took me a while to get on the bandwagon, but now I can't stop pinning things! I have gotten some great ideas looking through others' wedding boards, though!

This brings me to my last item: while looking through ModCloth for dresses to pin to my Fashionista board, I found this beautiful off white dress. I think I may buy this as my little white dress for the after party. It's not really clubwear, but it's so simple and I could definitely wear it afterwards (even after Labor Day). I found some amazing orange pumps from Alloy, too, that I think I'll get to go with it!

I think that about wraps up my ridiculously long post for now!

Bountiful Brooches

I bought more brooches today off of ebay and I received the other 5 that I had already ordered! They are all beautiful! Click here for pictures of the ones that I received and here are the pictures of the ones that I bought today; the last two for my bouquet, one for Jess, and the last one for Nicole's.

mine

mine

Jess

Nicole

I also finished the pearls for Shannon's bouquet last night. I now have three of the brooches that I'm going to add in and it's almost done! Yay!

Beautiful Brooches

I ordered some more brooches on ebay tonight! One of Hannah, three for Nicole, and two for Shannon! Here are the pictures:

I also received one of the brooches that I previously ordered in the mail today! It's the orange one for Jessica's bouquet and it's so pretty! Click here to see a picture in a previous post!