Shower Exchange

83 days

218 invited
62 attending
14 declined

Matt and I did some serious spring cleaning today! It was rather necessary due to the vast amount of gifts we got yesterday and crap we had in the house. We got rid of boxes and clothes we didn't need and made room for what came from the shower. We spent a good 5 or 6 hours going through the closet and kitchen and made room for (almost) everything! THEN we went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond to exchange the two servers and wine glasses that were duplicates. Here's what we got:

The flutes, grocery bag holder, and salt shaker and pepper mill were on our registry and I wanted a better can opener and the potato masher is something we need.

I bought somethings for the bridesmaids (I really am spoiling them): a deodorant for each to keep in their clutch, two Wisp toothbrushes, and each a pair of underwear from Victoria's Secret in their color!!

And now, I'm going to start working on thank yous for the shower gifts!

Mark the Occassion

110 days

Currently working on: escort card frames titles

Our mothers' corsages came in today!! They are GORGEOUS! I am so happy that I went with these instead of real flowers: they have meaning, will last forever, and they go so well with the bouquets and boutonnieres! Here is the picture:

I also bought Shannon a new hair accessory for the wedding. The headband that I originally had was for Margaret and so I went to get a flower for Shannon. All the other bridesmaids have flowers and Shannon doesn't like headbands, so it worked out well. Here's the picture:

Matt and I are going to go through the invitations tonight to see which we will hand out to guests. I'm also planning on finishing the escort card frames! And tomorrow is our meeting at the Biltmore! So excited!

Just a Few Inches

145 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)

I found a local salon that is going to do the alterations on my wedding dress! They're quite different from Alfred Angelo, as they don't start until the month before the wedding to take into account any weight loss/gain that might occur. As long as my dress is ready, I'll be happy, and they were really highly recommended online. So I scheduled my appointment for Monday, April 30 at 6 30 after I get out of work. Sadly, their alteration days are only on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I'm going to have to have my girls get their dresses altered somewhere near them, except for Shannon since Ana Bridal (where I'm going) is literally across from the end of her street. I also asked if I could come in just to get some fabric cut off so that I can send it in my our mothers' corsages and they said it would be no problem as long as I bring my shoes. I'm going next Monday (my mom will be visiting so she can go too) to get some of it cut off. Then I can order the corsages! Here's the picture from the listing; the ones I'll get will be white, obviously, with the pearls.

On another note, Matt and I found out that bed bugs are coming through the cracks between the ceiling and wall above our bed. So last night at 11 40, we rearranged the room so the bed was against the opposite wall. Matt called the apartment owners today to tell them so they can get rid of them. It sucks, but it gave us a (pressing) reason to move around the bedroom.

Pearlicious

146 days

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

I finished the pearls for the Cristina's bouquet - the LAST one! I'm so happy to have that part all done, since the brooches are so much easier and fewer! I can't believe that I put it off for months and it only took me four days to finish. I'm ridiculous.

I also finished the RSVPs for the invitations that I have put together so far. (I had run out the other day and had to wait until the rest came in.)

And now onto asking the groomsmen to get measured for their tuxes.

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.

Tote-ally Done

152 days

currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)
                                   frames (10/10 done)
                                   tote bags (14/14 done)

I finished the tote bags! I'm so happy that I got something competed today! They came out really cute! (Check out my DIY site for pictures.)

Here's a couple other things I did today:
-completed more invitations
-ordered the envelopes for the guestbook and escort cards
-had the pictures printed at Walmart
-found clutches on Etsy that I want to order for mine and Matt's moms

That's all for now! I'll post pictures tomorrow when I have more time!

Last Night of Debauchery

157 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (39/130 done)

My maid of honor and bridesmaids have started planning my bachelorette party! Actually, it's a weekend because we're traveling to Newport to celebrate me as well as two of the girls' (Jess and Shannon) birthdays! I've decided to keep the gathering small, inviting only a few girls outside the wedding party (not Matt or my sisters, though, as they're too young).

Because she loves me, Jess is letting me help her pick out the invitations (mostly for my sake and our scrapbook). Of course we're ordering them from Vistaprint (I have another Groupon that needs to be used by February and I'm running out of things I need for the wedding.) Here are the three options that we have narrowed it down to:

I'll update when we've decided on the winning invitation!

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!

Crayons of the Rainbow

162 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (26/130 done)

I got my after party shoes in today! They are even more amazing in person! Love at first sight!

I also went to the mall today to grab some stuff for the bridesmaids (and our apartment - new placemats!) and flower girl. I got the bridesmaids each a pashmina for the ceremony. One of the kiosks at the mall was having a post-Christmas sale of 3 for $20. Perfect because I needed six (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple)! I also got a mini anti-bacterial for each girl for their clutch from Bath and Body Works (they were only 50 cents) in their color!

Tomorrow I'm going with my bridal party to order their dresses! (Cristina already ordered hers and Shannon and I are going a different weekend.) I'm so excited to get that done!

Bag It Up

170 days

I went to the Dollar Tree today to pick up some more things for the girls' clutches! I got everyone a Lip Smackers Skittles chapstick in their color, ponytail holders in their color as well as some to match their hair, a double-sided mascara (waterproof and regular), and an emory board. I want to eventually get them a packet of aspirin and some mints as well, but I'm going to wait on those so they are fresh. (Expired aspirin when you have a migraine is the worst.) Here are the chapsticks that I got:

More Clutch Stuffers

So I bought the girls compact mirrors for the wedding clutches the other day and have since thought of some other small things that I would like to get:
-chapsticks, I found a set of rainbow Lip Smackers in Skittles flavors online that I'll be getting for them
-mascara, I'm going to check out the dollar store for a small, travel tube of mascara for everyone but my two sisters for touch ups
-aspirin, just in case they end up with a headache at the reception
-tampon/pad, because you just never know
-breath mints/gum, in case the meal makes our breath stinky

That's what I have thought of so far, but it kind of covers the basics!

Walking on Sunshine

Cristina and I went to Alfred Angelo today to order her bridesmaid dress! She'll be wearing this dress in black with Sunshine trim. It's so pretty and only $125! The rest of the girls and I will be going on January 7th to order theirs (Cristina will be in Miami and so we went this weekend). The dress looks so nice but, sadly, I forgot my camera and my phone doesn't take good pictures. Now I can't wait until January 7th!!

What Cris's dress will look like.

Clutch Stuffers

I have been looking everywhere for cheap compact mirrors to put in my girls' clutches and I finally found some today at Forever 21! I got metal ones that say BEAUTY on the front for myself, my maid of honor, and the three bridesmaids. I got a plastic rose one for Matt's sister, and two plastic heart ones for my sisters. The metal ones were $2.80 and the plastic ones were all $1.00. Super cheap and awesome! I also love that the metals ones say BEAUTY because it ties into the fact that my wedding dress is based on Belle's dress from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

I also found a hair piece on Etsy for the wedding! It's so beautiful and will look gorgeous with my dress! This is the picture on the shop's site and I'm sure mine will look just like it.

I also decided that I may want to do wedding I Spy. I found a picture of one on Pinterest that has really cute ideas. I'm going to start making the cards on Vistaprint shortly!

That's all for now. I'll be sure to update again soon!

Hang On

I've been looking on Etsy for personalized hangers for my bridal party and myself. There are many options, but they are individually $8 and up which would mean at least $64. I love the ones with the bent wire, but I also saw one that was simply a painted wooden hanger with a name and design on it. I like this idea and it's something I could do myself! I found a 10 pack of wooden hangers online that will cost less than $20 with shipping. I can buy paint at Michael's and either get stencils or attempt to paint their names freehand. (Probably going with the stencils because who knows what it will look like otherwise.) I think I may buy one of the wire parts of the hanger with "Mrs.Denver" for my hanger to make it stand out since they're only $6.50. Plus, doing the painting myself, I can write on both sides of the hanger, perhaps the girls' names and their role as well as adding the date of the wedding. Maybe some fake flowers, rhinestones, and other embellishments, too. And with the 10 pack, I'll be able to do one for mine & Matt's moms! I'm so excited about these!

On another, completely unrelated note I made a "picture" of the wedding party and Matt and I.

I used familystickers.com to make the characters and tried to find bodies that corresponded with each person!

Nice Hair Piece

I bought my bridesmaids hair accessories a month or so ago, but I ended up not liking the one that I got for Shannon. So I went back tonight to the mall and found a similar one that I liked better and would look better with her hair. So here are pictures of them all!

Juliana

Jessica

Cristina

Shannon

Nicole

Hannah

Olivia

One Down...

I finally received the blue clutch that I ordered! It took a while, but it was shipped from Hong Kong, so it was okay. I only need the purple one (that I ordered from the same company) and I will be done with my bridesmaids' gifts COMPLETELY! So excited!

On another note, Matt and I have decided on our honeymoon, although we'll still have to book it. We're going to a Sandals resort in St. Lucia. We thought that all-inclusive would be the best idea since we wouldn't have to worry about paying for anything the entire week. And there are better things we can spend our wedding money on.

That's all for now.

Gifts for the Girls

I officially finished buying my bridesmaids' gifts today!

Here are the pictures of the clutches and jewelry:

Juliana (Maid of Honor)

Jess (Bridesmaid)

Cristina (Bridesmaid)

Margaret (Bridesmaid)

Nicole (Junior Bridesmaid)

Hannah (Junior Bridesmaid)

Olivia (Flower Girl)