Sixty

60 days

222 invited
112 attending
30 declined

Currently working on: favors (171/192 done)

Only one RSVP today from Matt's former coworker, Shawn, and it was a decline.

I bought more Hershey Kisses for the favors today at Walmart. I finished another 30 which leaves only 21 left! I'm going to buy more candy tomorrow, maybe jelly beans, and finish them up! Here's pictures of the two new kinds (Skittles and Kisses):

Jules sent me a link to a wedding pictures from the Biltmore. It was really sweet of her and there were some good pictures in there. Click here to take a look!

I got an email that my bridal shower photobook shipped today! I'm so excited to see it!!

Seventy

70 days

225 invited
94 attending
18 declined

Currently working on: favors (141/192 done)

RSVPs today:
-my great-grandparents, John and Florence, declined because of John's health
-my former Gap coworker, Jackie
-Matt's college friends and roommates, Kate and Kim

Matt and I went to pick up my mom's dress this morning. They still hadn't gotten the skirt in, but at least we got the top which will need more alterations anyway. We also went to Walmart and grabbed some Skittles and Hershey Kisses for the favors. I finished quite a few of them today!

I went to Michael's in search of something to replace the silver glitter rocks in some of the centerpieces since they float. I found river rocks and I'm going to try spray paiting them silver. (Hopefully the paint won't wash off in the water.) I also bought more ribbon for the favors as well as a basket for the fans. Last, I bought a scrapbook for the RSVPs which I've started to glue in.

I ordered the fans for the ceremony favors today! I got 180 total: 14 sets of 12 from Oriental Trading in orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink and a set 12 in red from ebay. The ones from Oriental Trading only cost me $35 with the gift card, reward certificate, and free shipping code! I also had a reward certificate for ebay, so I only paid $4 for the red fans! When they come in, I'll start stamping on the actual fan!

And I finally remembered to go to Staples and pick up the hard copies of the Purple Issue! Only took me a week.

The Final Insert

124 days

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

I forgot to mention the other day, that another person bought a gift off of our registry! We're getting a set of our dishes from Corelle! I'll post a picture of them as well as our flatware!

Corelle Scribble Lines

Gourmet Settings Non Stop

I'm also ordering out menu inserts for the wedding! I'm waiting on the menus for the table because I want to finalize the whole menu with the Biltmore. The inserts, though, will only have the two meal options which we've chosen. I'm so excited that I'll be able to completely finish the invitations! Then we'll buy stamps and send them out!

I forgot to mention that I ordered some of the frames for the escort card display from Walmart! I got the one for the family and the four (they were a package) for Matt and my work friends, my high school friends, and dance friends.

Alter This

148 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)
                                   bouquet pearls (6/8 done)

Tonight, Matt and I went to Alfred Angelo to pick up Cristina's dress! I love it! The piping on the top looks so great! I also scheduled my appointment for alterations. However, when I came home and looked up what pricing might be (thinking around $200) I saw that their stores ran up bills as high as $500! I am NOT paying that much money (half of what my dress costs) to have it hemmed and taken in. So I've looked around on the internets for a local shop and emailed them about coming in for an estimate with them. I'm going to call tomorrow and cancel my alteration appointment saying that I'll reschedule, but I won't. I don't want to make it awkward, though, since I have to pick up some of the other girls' dresses. Speaking of which, I also told them about the cost so they can go somewhere near them or to the same place as me.

Cristina's dress

I also stopped at Michael's and got some more stickers to decorate the guestbook, as well as going to Walmart to grab some more silver wiring. I'm DETERMINED to finish the pearls for the bouquets tomorrow. And then, it's just ordering the rest of the brooches!

Planning Potpourri II

151 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)
                                   frames (10/10 done)
                                   escort card sign letters (0/28 done)

Okay, here's the pictures that I left out my post yesterday.

The tote bags for the girls:

I finished the Meet the Maids and Moms frames tonight! I had the inserts printed at Walmart and picked them up today. They look really great! I still have to take pictures of them, so I'll post them later.

Matt and I are in the process of picking out which clutches we want to get for our mothers. When I have pictures of them, I'll post those, too.

I went onto ModCloth today and they have the Baklava Beauty dress back in stock! Sadly, they don't have the Bubblegum Poppies dress at all anymore, but that makes my decision a lot easier. (Let's hope they still have the Baklava one this Friday when I'll have the money to buy it.)

I started working on the escort card sign today. I bought the scrapbook paper today at Walmart and printed the letters. I'm going to start cutting everything out and gluing it.

I think that's all I have for now. If not, I'll either add on here or write a new post!

Meet the Maids & Moms

153 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (51/130 done)
                                    frames (0/10 done)

I was surfing through wedding boards on Pinterest and found a really cute idea for the bridal shower: frames with pictures and short bios of the bridal party for people to find out who they are and why you chose them. I loved the idea, so I'm going to do it but also add mine and Matt's moms! I bought ten unfinished wood frames from Michael's that I'm going to paint in each girls' color (of course). I'll write their names on them as well, but I think I'll leave the decorating as a fun activity at the bridal party brunch! I'm going to write the bios and put a small picture of them in each frame, but behind that, I'm going to put a picture of that person and I (Matt's mom will get a picture of her and Matt). They'll get to keep the frames and can display the picture later on!

I also bought more black paper for the invitations as well as honeymoon stickers for my scrapbook. We went to Walmart to get a new cartridge for our printer and I printed out the silver labels for the inside part of the invitations!

I also got a dress for the rehearsal dinner! I have been eyeing this dress from American Eagle for a month or two and it was on sale plus an additional 40% off so I bought it! Then I decided that I would use it for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner! Here's a picture:

I finished the fifth newsletter today, but I'm not going to publish it here until February 1st!

Off to go craft!

Pumped Up Kicks

164 days

I got the shoes that I ordered from Shoedazzle in today! They were part of the 50% Holiday Shop they had right before Christmas. Called Zafira, they are incredibly pumped up. I plan on wearing them for the rehearsal dinner and maybe the bachelorette, depending on what we're doing!

I FINALLY got my newsletters from Staples! They came out beautifully again and I'm going to put it in my scrapbook as soon as I'm done with this post.

I also got some of the mini Playdohs that we're putting in the out of town bags from Walmart! It's small, but it's one less thing to get!

Matt and I are off to the PC vs. Cuse game in a little while! GO FRIARS!

Right This Way

Matt and I have come up with an idea on how to display the escort cards at the reception! I originally wanted to use vintage 1920s frames that would match the decor of the hotel, but that would prove to be WAY out of our budget. So we took that idea and went in a slightly different direction.
We're going to use black collage frames (from Target and Walmart) and put in a mixture of 1920s photos and quotes. Each frame will be for a different grouping of our guests (family, college friends, work friends, etc.) and the quotes and pictures will correspond to theme. We will use glue dots to secure the escort cards (in envelopes) to the frames as well as labeling each with its group and logo.
I think it will make it easier for guests to find their escort card. Plus, we'll get to keep and use the frames after the reception!

Here are the frames:

Both of our families

Bride college friends

Groom college friends



Bride high school, Gap, work, and dance friends

Groom work friends

A Day Well Spent

Matt and I went to North Attleboro (where I got my wedding dress) to run a couple errands today!

We started with Michael's where I bought some scrapbook stickers and a pin cushion. I only spent like $4 with a coupon which is definitely the least amount I have ever dropped there.

Then we went to Christmas Tree Shops and picked up a few things with the friends and family 20% coupon I had. None of it was wedding related, but we did get a storage ottoman for less than $10.

I have also decided to put instructions for some of my DIY projects here, starting with the one below. To find more (once I've posted them) click on the "how-to" label link under all of the groomsmen pictures on the left. (They'll have a simple title unlike my normal posts to make it easy to find what you're looking for.)

We went to Walmart next and got more silver wiring (finally) for the bouquets and a couple other things.

We had a late lunch at a local Chinese restaurant and it was delicious! I love pork fried rice and it is addicting! Even after I was full I kept eating it!

We came back and stopped at our local Walmart (I had pictures that I needed to pick up) and we've spent the rest of the day at home.

I have been working on DIY projects all day including our menus, invitations, and (after I finish this post) bouquets. I had a picture of Matt and I printed for the inside of the menus that I added in since it looked a little bare. I FINALLY made a good template for the invitation pocketfolds that I'm DIYing and made a mock-up. (I'm going to get a paper cutter so that the edges are all even and straight since it's hard to do with scissors and cutting each individually.) I also finished three totes: mine, Shannon's, and Matt's mom's. All in all, it was a fu and productive day!

Shakespeare's Boston

Matt and I went to the Boston Opera House today to see Boston Ballet's performance of Romeo & Juliet. It was absolutely gorgeous! The dancers did a phenomenal job and the sets and costumes were gorgeous (and borrowed from the Ballet of Canada)! I am so happy that I bought the tickets and grateful that Matt humors me by coming along. (To be fair, I have a whole season of PC basketball to watch with him.) And now, we are off to a PC hockey game against Alabama Hunstville. We certainly are classy people.

On a wedding related note, I got six of the brooches that I ordered from ebay in today! They are beautiful and will go really well in my bouquet. Tomorrow, Matt and I are going to (a different) Michael's to raid their supply of silver wiring for the bouquets, as well as Walmart and Christmas Tree Shops!! (I have a 20% off coupon that I'm dying to use!)

Hanging by a Moment

I got the wire for my dress hanger! That means that I was able to finish my hanger!!

the wire

my completed hanger!

I bought more wire yesterday at Walmart so that I can continue working on the bouquets. I also received two of the brooches I ordered in the mail today, however, one of the purple ones is way too pink so I had to find another one on ebay that I'll have to order. I may use this pin some other way, maybe give it to my flower girl since it's little pink flowers.

Some Successes, Some Failures

Today Matt and I went to a couple stores for (mostly) wedding-related items. First stop was Michael's for some more silver wire for the bouquets of which they had none. We were also looking for a retractable utility knife and they only had a huge box cutter. We left empty-handed (a MAJOR feat for me). We went to Staples for the table numbers to find that they weren't even on their cue anywhere (I got home to discover the order had been cancelled) and they didn't have the knife either. So we went to Walmart (never fail) and I found the perfect knife and a ton of wire. So now I am going to start cutting the holes for the card box and wiring the remaining pearls and beads for my bouquet! Pictures of the finished projects to follow!

Coming Along Smoothly

An update on last night's post:
I went to Walmart this morning and bought some 3M sandpaper to get rid of the finished layer on the hangers. I started right when I got home and it took me less than 5 minutes to sand each hanger. After I sanded them, I put one coat on each hanger and let them dry (I did it in a pattern: sanding one hanger and then painting it then moving to the next). Once each had dried I added another coat which is when I realized that the silver paint I was using for mine looked awful. I changed mine to black and I plan on adding a clear glitter coat over it tomorrow. Once they dried I added the silver glitter stickers on each (I used them for our moms' too but I didn't sand and paint them, just left the hangers the way they came). I then painted over the stickers and paint with the top coat. (I have to finish this tomorrow because I ran out of the sticker letters that I need.) After that all dried, I added on some rhinestones (not on our moms') and tied a bow using the ribbon from the bouquets/boutonnieres. I used some 24 gauge silver wire to attach the bows to the tops of the hangers. Once I order the wire names I'll add them on, too, except for the moms'.
For directions with pictures on how to make these hangers (so far) click here.

Pretty In Pink

I finished my first boutonniere and my flower girl's pomander! I found a cute pink and white pearl and glass bead mixture at Walmart that I used for both. I used the pink ribbon from the ring bearer's boutonniere and some of the ribbon for Matt's to add streamers to the bottom of the pomander. Here are the finished products!

And these are the beads that I got at Walmart: