Mr. & Mrs. Mouse

57 days

222 invited
118 attending
33 declined

One RSVP today from my dance friend, Steph. PLUS we got a postcard from Minnie and Mickey! It's so cute!

I got my bridal shower photobook in the mail today! It came out great! I picked really good pictures even though they said some wouldn't translate well. They all look great!

My aunt also finally figured out who she was bringing to the wedding, so I was able to add his name to the list as well as make an escort card for them.

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!!

Fan Favors

66 days

225 invited
99 attending
21 declined

No RSVPs today...again! I bet it's because I'm really excited to break 100 guests. Or the mailman hates me.

I finally got the pins in today for the boutonnieres so I'm going to hot glue them on in a couple minutes. Simple pinning on the wedding day!

The red fans came in today! They're awesome! I just have to stamp them now.

AND I got my Sweet Potato Queens book (I LOVE them!!) for the honeymoon! I'm going to have to pack it so I don't start reading it now!

Last, I also made a photobook the other day of shower pictures! I'm going to buy it with my LivingSocial deal this weekend after we get paid!

March Showers

84 days

218 invited
62 attending
14 declined

Today was my shower and the bridal party brunch! It was SO much fun!! My bridesmaids had a great time at the brunch. My dad made crepes, which are my favorite, and we had mimosas. It was the girls and the hosts of my shower: my mom, gram, and two aunts, and we sat around eating and chatting. A couple hours later the shower began. We ate some more and played a couple games. My Aunt Dee made an ice breaking game out of two truths and a lie. Whoever got the most correct won a prize: a set of 6 wine glasses that went to....Nicole! We also played the "Nearlywed Game". I had to answer questions that Matt had already answered and got points for the ones that were right. Whoever guessed what score I ended up with won another prize: a Panera gift card that went to Shannon! Everyone ate dessert while I opened gifts. Matt and I got GREAT stuff, including 3 of the same serving tray set. (Good thing we got gift receipts with them.) Now Matt and I just have to find room for everything as well as go through our current stuff and get rid of some stuff. (And maybe move into a bigger place soon...)

RSVPs from yesterday and today:
-my cousin, Kevin, and his girlfriend, Kristen
-my former coworker, Michelle, and her boyfriend, Adam
-my friends from college and brothers, Andre & Calvin

A couple of packages yesterday:
1. Another dress I ordered for the honeymoon from Charlotte Russe.

2. Our readers' cufflinks

3. The corsage we ordered for the anniversary dance.
4. A shower gift from my friend Diana! She got us one of our new couch pillows and a set of shot glasses that I wanted!

To see all the pictures and gifts from the shower, click here!

Down to the Nitty Gritty

86 days

218 invited
56 attending
14 declined

Only one RSVP today from Shannon and Mason! They're coming! (Obviously.)

I FINALLY got the packages that UPS had been holding hostage for almost a week. And I was right about their contents!

The first was the last of the centerpiece supplies! Which means that I was able to finish them tonight! I'm so happy that they're done and now I'm down to 3 DIY projects! Here's a picture of the finished product:

The second box was our luggage! It was a gift from a family friend for the shower! It is SO nice and I'm really happy with what we picked out!! Now I can't wait to use it for the honeymoon!!

I got two other packages in today that were small: the socks I bought for Cole and the shoes I bought for my sister Hannah. Both are really cute and will go perfectly with the rest of their outfits!

AND I bought the clutches for our moms! I got them from Etsy seller syl2830 and they're going to be in the colors of their dresses. Can't wait to see them, but here is the generic picture:

Only one more day until my shower! Holy crap!

Return to Sender

105 days

202 invited
0 attending
0 declined

I have been getting texts, tweets, and emails about people already receiving their invitations! The people in Rhode Island got theirs on Thursday, the day after I sent them! Friends and family in Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey told me yesterday they got theirs! I can't believe how fast they went out, especially since they're pocketfolds! I just need to buy a box that I can sort the RSVPs in!

I am ordering two photobooks from Mixbook with a Groupon deal I bought. The first is about the wedding party: each page has pictures a small blurb about our girls and guys. I did the pages in the color they are for the wedding, so it's really cute. The second is for the bridal shower; I saw a book from Etsy on Pinterest that said "I knew they would be together forever when..." on the cover. It was supposed to be used as a guestbook and I really loved the idea. So I used some pictures of Matt and I to fill half the pages and left the other half free for people to write on. I'm going to have my family use it at the shower (I'm pretty sure women will be better at this than men anyway).

I bought one more Living Social deal for Vistaprint to finish ordering our thank yous! It's $10 for $50 worth of products which will be perfect for the thank yous and any other last minute things we may need.

I'm now going to check up on our registry and hopefully add a luggage set that will get purchased for us!

Last Single Weekend

111 days

Currently working on: escort card frame pictures (7/7 done)

My family and I had a girls day yesterday (we have them once in a while and just eat all day) and we got a lot of planning done! My mom, gram, aunts, and I got most of the shower details nailed down as well as the menu. My aunt is addicted to Pinterest (which I hooked her on) and she had some great ideas that she found on there. We picked out what we'd be eating and decided on a bunch of different cupcakes for dessert! My other aunt also said she'd do the Ring Pop favors which I'm super excited about! Two of my bridesmaids, Jess and Shannon, also got the bachelorette itinerary done as well as starting a list of items for a bachelorette scavenger hunt! I'm so happy that we got so much done! Everyone is really spoiling me with these things.

Once Shannon and I got home, we went to Nick and Ryan's apartment with Matt to hang out for a while. They had started to plan Matt's bachelor party (for the same weekend as my bachelorette) and Nick told me a little of what they have planned so far: one of the local strip clubs (one of the nicer ones Providence has to offer) on the first night and then staying in a hotel near Foxwoods and gambling the next day. I'm really excited that they're starting planning!

Matt and I have decided to go through the invitations and give some of them out in person to save on postage (mostly people we work with and our wedding party that lives around here). I don't know if it's tacky, but it'll save a little money. However, they're still required to send the RSVP in the mail since they are stamped!

Tuesday we are going to meet with Scott and finalize our menu! I'm going to order the table menus that night as well as invitations for my parents' 25th anniversary party this July! So exciting!

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.

Hairy Flower

126 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (112/130 done)
                                   ceremony programs (50/200 done)

Sweet relief! Pre-Cana is done and over with and we never have to go back again! I'm not going to rant about how much a I hated it (a lot) but I will say that it did absolutely nothing for me. I don't want to dwell on the boring and painful, though, so let's move on to other things.

My hair piece came in! It is GORGEOUS! I am so happy that I ordered it from Etsy since the one I got from Claire's looks like crap compared to this one! Here's a picture:

We also sent back the ring we had originally ordered Matt and ordered the new one from Jared that he wanted. Here's a picture of it:

I got another brooch in! It's for Shannon's bouquet so now I only need one more for hers and I'll be able to finish it! Another picture:

Yesterday, we got a bunch of packages in as well, but I didn't have the time or energy to write about them because of Pre-Cana. My dress for my shower from ModCloth came in! I tried it on last night before leaving and it fits! I'll need to get a slip from Gap to go under, but I love it and I'm so glad to have the return nonsense done and over with! Our dads' cufflinks and ushers' tie and cufflink sets also came in! You can see them here on our wedding website!

Blue Velvet

136 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)

I sent back my shower dress on Monday and when I checked yesterday, it was out of stock again. I think I'm giving up on it but I've found another. It's ModCloth's Soda Fountain dress in Vanilla and I have been eyeing this style (they have it in 5 colors) for months. It will go really well with the orange heels so I don't have to worry about new shoes. However, I'm debating wearing it for our rehearsal instead and wearing the dress I got for that for the shower. I'll have to get opinions from my mom and some bridemaids to help me make up my mind. Here is the dress:

Speaking of which, I checked on the dress I wanted for the after party and it is also out of stock. I am the opposite of heartbroken, though, since it had lost some of its appeal of late. I found two really cute dresses on AX Paris that I liked that will go with the black and rainbow shoes, so I'm going to get one of those. Here are the two options (I'm leaning towards the first one):

I also finished the fifth newsletter! It's another short one, but most of what's happening right now isn't super noteworthy. But, without further delay, here's the blue issue.

I believe that is all that I have for now. If not, I'll post more later or tomorrow.

Shower Blues

140 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)

Yesterday, I received my bridal shower dress in the mail...and it didn't fit. I'm sending it back today for the next size up which they will hopefully still have in stock!

I also got the black shoes that I ordered Monday from Delia's! They fit and are really cute! I can finally get rid of my old ones that are dirty and falling apart!

On a completely non-wedding related note, we had our apartment de-bugged yesterday. Well, the first round since they have to do two more. Thankfully, the next two times are a lot easier in that you don't have to do anything with clothes which was the biggest pain in the ass this time.

Sunday, Matt and I are meeting with our officiant, which I already mentioned. However, we are also going to meet with the wedding consultant for the chapel. We're also going to stop at the school's bookstore to see what they have that we can get for the welcome bags.

Today, though, I'm going to put away some clothes and relax until my Lia Sophia party tonight!

Place Stamp Here

144 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)

So obviously I'm taking a break from the pocketfolds, since I've been at 62 for about a week. Part of that was forcing myself to finish the pearls for the bouquets, but I also don't want to start hating the pocketfolds and making them half-assed.

Anyway, I ordered ALL of our envelopes for the invitations today! I had another Groupon deal that I needed to use, so I ordered 200 total. I got free shipping because I went $30 over the $60 of the deal! I'm glad to have this done since we're going to have to send out the invitations in a couple months and I'll be able to address them as I finish them. (After we order the menu cards that are going into the invitations which will be in February.) Here's what the envelopes look like:

I also got an email today that my bridal shower dress has shipped! I'm so excited to get it and try it on! The reviews for it were great, so I'm praying it will look good on me as well as fit well! We'll see in a couple days!

Last night, I was looking at flights to St. Lucia from Boston the week after our wedding for our honeymoon. Matt and I know we want to go to an all-inclusive resort because it's paid for upfront and so no money has to be spent there. We're going with Sandals and were originally looking at their Grande St. Lucian resort. The appeal was that there are two other resorts on the island that you can go to; it's part of their stay at 1, play at 3 deal. However, the flights were ridiculously early leaving on Sunday (we don't want to wait until Monday because it would mean one more day off for me and I don't want to take too much time). So we looked at the other resorts and three in Jamaica have the same stay at 1, play at 3 deal. PLUS, the flights were MUCH better, plus it's a couple hundred cheaper! So we're now planning on going to Montego Bay in Jamaica! I'm so excited, now we just have to book the room and flights!

Shower Wear

I can't believe I forgot to mention...I ordered my dress for the bridal shower today! I got the Baklava Beauty dress and used my credit from the black disc dress so it was only $54! I can't wait for it to come in so I can try it on! And, of course, one more picture of the dress!

I also found a site that has smaller sized Pasminas for kids for only $14! I'm going to order a white one for Olivia so that she matches the rest of the girls!

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.

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!

Orange Ya Glad?

156 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (39/130 done)

I got my wedding shower shoes in today! They are AWESOME! I'm still on the fence about what dress I want to get, though. The Baklava dress (the original one I wanted) is out of stock in my size (they only have 1 small left) and I'm not sure if they'll even get more. The Bubble Poppies dress (the flowered one I also love) is on sale and in two of my favorite colors (orange and pink!). Both dresses go with the shoes, but I'm still not sure. I guess I'll wait until I have the money and see which is in stock.

I also bought white Avery labels for the escort cards from Walmart as well as more black paper for the invitaiton pocketfolds. I'm on a roll with them and they're amazing! Sadly, I still can't bring myself to work on the bouquets. Oh well.

ModCloth

177 days

I've been prowling ModCloth lately because I LOVE their dresses (and most everything else of theirs) and I have finally figured out what I'm wearing for the after party! (Also for the bridal shower that my mom is hosting.)

I've gone through a million different options, but I finally found the winner...and the off white Grecian style dress I loved is what I'm wearing for the shower!

Here they are:

after party

bridal shower

It's Not Raining Yet...

Matt and I attended a shower/stag party yesterday for the daughter of a friend of my parents. She's four years older than I am and we've known each other since I was born. (That was actually how our parents started hanging out with one another.) Anyway, I had a good time depsite not knowing many people, or at least not having seen them in years. However, it made me realize that I definitely want a typical all-girls' bridal shower.

I've already asked my mom to host it so that my maid of honor doesn't have too much on her plate. Plus, my mom loves throwing parties, especially for family. I realized yesterday that, although it was fun to have everyone there, it wasn't a typical shower. Men don't really care about opening the presents or playing goofy, girly games. I want the shower to be fun, maybe even bordering on corny. Can't worry too much right now, though, since the shower won't be until March of next year.