Sunday

6 days

I am close to being done packing for the honeymoon. I have to pack my shower stuff, but that has to wait until the end of the week. I also want a couple pairs of undies that are in the wash which I'll be doing later today.

I changed my dress for the rehearsal dinner last night. I haven't worn the black and white rose print one from 344 yet, so I'm going to wear that instead of the American Eagle one. I want to wear the black pumps that I got from Alloy and they wouldn't really go with the other dress.

I packed part of my overnight bag for Friday and Saturday night as well, however, I need to put in pajamas. Apparently that's my favorite thing to forget lately...like at my bachelorette.

I also relabeled the centerpieces yesterday and took out the extras that we'll no longer need. I'm going to sell most of the extra stuff (or try to) since I don't need 20 centerpieces lying around the house.

AND I addressed the wedding announcements yesterday. Now I just need to buy more stamps for them!

Day Three

52 days

222 invited
118 attending
33 declined

Third day in a row with no RSVPs. It makes me so sad when I open the mailbox and there are none.

I ordered Matt's gift today! It was only $22.95 and shipping was free! It should be here in 5 or less business days! I'm going to give it to him before the wedding, since it's for the honeymoon, so he can actually use it!

I don't know if I mentioned it the other day, but someone bought our camera for us off our registry! It's one of the few gifts I'm going to search for after the wedding so we can use it on the honeymoon! Here's a picture:

I'm super excited about my alterations on Monday! I can't wait to put my dress on again!

I also finished spray painting the rocks last night! They came out great!

Drying Up

222 invited
118 attending
33 declined

AGAIN, no RSVPs. Seriously depressing.

I FINALLY started spray painting the rocks last night. They look perfect, so long as the paint won't wash off of them. I'll have to test that before putting them in the actual centerpieces...

I ordered a new bathing suit today for the honeymoon from Delia's. They sent me a coupon for 20% off, and I just HAD to use it. It's plain black, but super cute and will look good on me:

Lazy

54 days

222 invited
118 attending
33 declined

And yet another no RSVP day. These days are no fun.

I have yet to spray paint the rocks for the centerpieces. I'm really lazy lately and doing that would require not sitting on the couch, which is something I cannot bring myself to do. I'm going to really try to push myself to do it tonight.

Matt and I are still waiting to hear about everything for the condo. I'm praying that he gets pre-approved for the loan and qualifies for the assistance so we can get this place. If not, though, we've been looking at other apartments that are bigger. We've found quite a few that are either the same price or cheaper than we're paying now.

I decided that I'm going to get Matt another small gift for the wedding/honeymoon. I have a great L.L.Bean travel caddy for all my shower/personal stuff. I usually carry Matt's stuff in there as well, but for the honeymoon I don't think there'll be enough room. Therefore, I'm going to get him his own! Here's the one I think I'm going to get him:

I'll be the perfect size for his stuff. I'm also deciding whether or not to have it personalized (with just an M most likely) for an extra $8.

Silver Rocks

62 days

220 invited
106 attending
27 declined

I think I'm going to finally spray paint the rocks for the centerpieces today. It's gorgeous out so I can have all the windows open (and let all the bugs in) which means I won't get high off the fumes.

I switched the bubbles and fan baskets last night and it works much better. The bubbles fit perfectly in the smaller basket and the large one holds all the fans.

Matt and I started signing the letters for the out of town bags last night. He got annoyed so we had to stop , though. He drives me crazy sometimes, but I still love him.

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.

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!

Excess Luggage

89 days

216 invited
50 attending
12 declined

RSVPs today:
-Matt's godparents, Doc & Natalie
-their daughter, Cait
-my friends from high school, Kevin and Sam

I found a UPS sticker on our door today that says we have two packages that couldn't be delivered. Of course, there was one buried on the table from Friday that Matt never told me about as well as a thin package. I opened it and it was a cute Mr. and Mrs. set of luggage tags from Target! That means that one of the big packages is our luggage! (My mom's friend Liz ordered it for the shower and had it shipped here instead.) I'm so excited to be getting it!! Here's a picture of the luggage we chose:

And here are the luggage tags:

I'm hoping that the other package is the rest of our centerpiece vases!!

On the Short List

93 days

214 invited
42 attending
10 declined

RSVPs today were friends of my family, Josh & Tiffanie (decline) and Matt's cousin, Dan, and his girlfriend, Desiree.

I got the black gems in for one of the centerpieces today! I only need the square vases to come in and I'll be done!! Here's a picture of the centerpiece that I finished as well as the one for our sweetheart table:

The other day I wrote down everything that we still need to buy for the wedding. Surprisingly, it wasn't a long list! So that I have a virtual copy that I can't lose, here it is:
favors
-boxes
-purple & pink M&Ms
out of town bags
-bags (Michael's)
-bottled water (BJs)
-individual packets of aspirin
-cookie bags
-Friars car stickers (PC)
-CDs (Staples)
-CD mailers
kids bags
-reusable tote bags
-disposable cameras
-handheld games
-snacks (BJs)
gifts
-moms' clutches
-readers' cufflinks
-girls' jewelry (Lia Sophia)
-Jos A. Bank gift cards
-groomsmen t-shirts (debating between making and having them made)
-small black bags (for groomsmen gifts)
-Matt's cufflinks
attire
-Hannah's shoes
-Olivia's shoes
-Cole's socks
-sunglasses
ceremony/reception
-basket for bubbles at ceremony (Michael's)
-fans
-I spy card holders

We're so close! I'm so EXCITED!!

Let Them Eat Cake

96 days

212 invited
31 attending
8 declined

Our RSVPs today:
-my college friend Kara
-my best friend from high school and Matt's groomsman, Lars, and his girlfriend, Natasha
-my proxy godfather and his wife, Wes and Linda (declined because their daughters high school graduation is that weekend)
That gives us another 2 spaces to fill so we're inviting my actual godfather, Joel, and his wife.

We had our cake tasting yesterday with Justin (and Lenny)! We're getting a two tier cake like the one in our inspiration photo. The bottom layer will be chocolate cake with a raspberry cream filling. The top layer will be lemon and the whole cake will be frosted in Italian buttercream. It will be amazing! And Matt and I are the only ones eating it! I also asked Justin to make a small grooms cake for Matt. It's going to be chocolate with peanut butter buttercream frosting: just like his favorite candy, Reese's.

I worked some more on the centerpieces as well! We got the globe vases, silver rocks, and silver diamonds from Save on Crafts today. I completed two of the centerpieces, but of course came across a problem. I have to find some time of waterproof Glue Dots to keep the rocks in the bottom of the bowl. (They're styrofoam and so they float to the top.) I'll be on the lookout, but any suggestions are welcome!

I finished the baskets for the ceremony programs! I spray painted them silver yesterday and then added the ribbon today. I'm going to put the programs in them tonight and hide them in the closet away from the cats. Here are the baskets:

I got my registry exchange gift today! I got the set of 6 rainbow stacking mugs and they're awesome!! Here's a picture of them:

Matt and I were searching around the internet for a song to play for the slow dance between the garter and bouquet toss winners (we picked Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love to You" as a joke) and found another great idea. It's an anniversary dance: all the married/committed couples go on the floor and the DJ eliminates them by how long they've been married (6 hours for us, 5 years, 10 years, and so on) until only one couple remains. The way we saw it, they won the tossing bouquet and garter, but we're going to have another corsage made by Maggie from Etsy and an extra boutonniere I have. We picked "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones fading into "At Last" by Etta James to play during the dance. I'm really excited about this!

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.

Planning Potpourri III

100 days

207 invited
21 attending
3 declined

Our RSVPs today were from:
-my aunt, Alicia, and her husband, Frank
-my gramma (dad's mom)
-Matt's college friend Erik (one of the ushers) and his girlfriend, Sophie
-my high school friends, Greg and Liz (he's one of the readers)
-my college friend, Caitlyn, and her fiance, Anthony
-my gram's brother (on my dad's side) and his wife (decline)
With these regrets, we're able to invite Matt's dad's half sister and one of my coworkers.

We got in some of the centerpiece stuff we ordered this past weekend: the white flower candles and the white gems, both for our sweetheart centerpiece.

Saturday is my hair trial! I keep forgetting (I know I have an appointment, but it slips my mind that it's also for the trial) and they called to confirm today! I'll be sure to take some pictures! (Two of my bridesmaids are going with me, so we'll have cameras galore!)

We got an email that another item was purchased for us off our registry! The Mikasa vases that match the fine china we want were ordered! Here's a picture:

On a non-wedding related note, Matt and I went and saw the condo tonight. It is beautiful! The only problem with it is that they don't allow pets. I emailed the company that owns them and asked if there was any way that we'd be able to keep our cats. The condos aren't rented and our cats are quiet and indoor as well as spayed and litterbox trained. I'm praying it might be okay.

Tomorrow, our order from Vistaprint with the menus in it will be coming in! I'm so excited to finish that project! My parents anniversary party invites will also be in there, so I can start addressing them!

Center Spotlight

104 days

202 invited
0 attending
0 declined

Matt and I bought some supplies for the centerpieces today! We went in to Michael's to look for baskets for the programs (which we didn't find) and picked up some of the glasses and fillers. I got three of the cylinder bowls (that's all they had) and two of the low bowls as well as the black sand for the globe vases. When we got home, I bought some of the other things from Save on Crafts: all 5 of the globe vases, the silver diamonds, and silver glitter rocks. I ordered white rose floating candles for the centerpiece on our sweetheart table from ebay. And last I bought the white gems from a different site online that are for the sweetheart table as well. Of course, I'm still looking for two baskets for the programs!

low bowls (2)

cylinder vases (3)

black sand

white rose floating candles (3)

globe vases (5)

silver diamonds

silver glitter rocks (12)

Quickie

107 days

202 invited
0 attending
0 declined

Just a quick post on the first day of March (just a little over three months to go). I sent out the invitations yesterday after I left work, so they got to the post office about 6. A couple coworkers that live in the area got them today! I was seriously amazed at how fast they got out! So excited!

Another small tidbit: out of 22 diy projects I have only 7 to finish (not including the newsletters which are spaced out). A small detailed list:
1. bouquets which I have only Cristina's to finish as soon as the brooch comes in
2. ceremony programs which I need to buy fans for and then attach those and the bubbles to each
3. out of town bags which will be done closer to the wedding
4. escort card displays which will be finished once I get RSVPs back and can make escort cards for them
5. menus (for the tables) that I only need the menu insert for
6. centerpieces which will also be done closer to the wedding
7. favors which are another project to be done closer to the wedding

Cupid's Arrow

123 days

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

Happy Valentine's Day!

Matt took me to see The Vow tonight; not as good as I thought it would be. I was hoping for a Notebook-esque love story and it was sadly nothing like that. Instead, I got rather mad at the movie. But the ice cream afterwards made up for it.

However, I got the rest of the candles for the centerpieces in today! I love the silver!

I also got an email that our mothers' jewelry should be shipping out within a week. And the woman making the corsages said that she's started working on them and I will have them by March! I'm so excited!!

Crown Jewels

Matt and I have done a lot in the last two hours. We got most of our tax returns in and have put them to good use. (I hate how fast money goes.) So here's what we have done thus far (minus paying bills):

We bought our wedding bands!! We had a $50 gift card from my parents from Christmas that we used and we got free shipping, so our total was only about $135. They are simple white gold bands, both the same style since Matt has small fingers and Kay's men's rings start at 9. We should get them in by mid-next week! Here's a picture:

We also ordered our mothers' gifts! We found jewelry from Limoges that we were able to personalize with birth stones. They are beautiful and I know our moms are going to love them! Here are the sample images from online, I'll post pictures of the actual jewelry once it comes in!

My mom

(the top birthstone is October, both for her and my dad, then January for me, December for my brother, May for one of my sisters, and August for my youngest sister)

Matt's mom

(the first birthstone is January for his dad, then June for his mom, November for Matt, and March for his sister)

Next we contacted the videographer to make sure he was still available so we can send in our deposit! I'm so excited that we'll have a video of the ceremony (we didn't want the reception taped and, frankly, couldn't afford it.) We're sending in the contract and deposit on Monday!

I also ordered the rest of our programs from Vistaprint as well as more envelope seals for the favors, and more thank yous. I also bought another Groupon for Vistaprint because we still need to order the menu inserts for the invitations and more thank yous.

Lastly, I ordered the silver candles for the centerpieces! They were slightly more expensive than the white ones, but the came to $35 total. Here are the two different types that I bought:

In the Spotlight

133 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)

I ordered some of the candles for the centerpieces today! I bought the small white floating candles as well as the white square floating candles from Yummi Candles. The total, with a coupon and shipping was $18.35! I really want to get the supplies for the centerpieces even though we still have a few months to go. I went through the other things I'll need and everything from Save on Crafts will be just under $200 including shipping (which is $52 but with the savings on all the items, I can justify it). I'm going to order everything from that site since I think it should save me on shipping (I'll have to research that, though) once we have all of our taxes in.

I also found these candles for the centerpiece on our sweetheart table! They're different from the others, but fit in with the black, white, and silver theme!

On another note, I am sick. There's a 24-hour bug going around work and I have caught it (again, since I felt crappy on Tuesday as well). I'm going to see if we have any chicken noodle soup since I'm hungry, or even ramen noodles. I'm also going to look for some cheap nightstands since our makeshift ones are getting more and more aggrivating.

Center of Attention

Matt and I have added three new centerpiece ideas so that we have a total of four different ones for the expected 20(ish) tables. Here is what we are going to do (complete with pictures):
1. low bowl with black gems and four round silver floating candles

2. globe vase with black glitter sand and a silver ball candle

3. square vase with silver diamonds and a white square floating candle

4. cylinder vase with silver pearls and three round white floating candles

And for our sweetheart table, we'll have a large low bowl with black and white gems and the leftover white and silver round floating candles.