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!

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!

Roses are Red

I finished Jules' bouquet! I got the brooches in last night, but Matt and I were really busy with the honeymoon, so I waited to finish it until tonight. I'm so excited to have another one done! Here is a picture:

I also got an email that our mothers' corsages will be shipping out tomorrow! I cannot WAIT to see them! I'll post pictures when I get them in!

Mail Delivery Failure Notification

130 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)

I got home, all excited because I'd be able to start working on our programs since they were supposed to come in today, and found a stupid USPS slip that I have to pick it up tomorrow after 10. I have never had a problem with them delivering these packages to us and so I have no idea why this one couldn't be left here. Ugh, now I have to get through another whole day to get the programs and invitation envelopes.

I did, however, go to Staples and pick up the copies of the latest newsletter. While I was there, I picked up a hole bunch for the programs so I can start working on them tomorrow when they come in.

I also got a message back from the Etsy seller doing my corsages and I ordered and paid for them tonight. I'm planning on sending out the fabric scraps tomorrow so she can start working on them!

I don't remember if I posted about this, so I'm going to now. I apologize if it's a repeat. A week or so ago, I got an email saying that someone had purchased an item off of our registry! One of my family members ordered two sets of the silverware that we wanted! I'm so excited!

I also received an email today that our rings were shipped! I can't wait to get them in!

Now I'm going to continue working on the pocketfolds since I've put that off for a while.

99 Problems and My Dress is One

131 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)

I went to my trial alteration appointment after work today! I needed my dress hemmed and I wanted to do it early so I can order our mothers' corsages. Ana was really great and their prices are AMAZING! I'll be paying $130 for the hemming and between $50 and $75 if I need the bust taken in. In total, that's just what I was planning on spending: $200. It was weird, though, leaving my dress there and knowing I won't see it again until the end of April. I'm going then to try it on and make sure the hem is correct as well as seeing if the bust needs taking in. And more money-saving: Ana said that when the tulle is steamed, it will be quite a bit bigger so I don't need a slip!

I got in my after party dress and it didn't fit! I'm really surprised because I ordered the same size from them before and it fit perfectly. I'm going to send it back tomorrow to exchange for the next size up.

Another problem with another dress: ModCloth ran out of the Baklava Beauty dress in the size I need AGAIN, so my exchange couldn't be completed. So I ordered the Soda Fountain dress that I've wanted forever instead! It's about half the price and I only had to pay a little additional money since I was credited $35 for the exchange. (The other $50 was paid on a card so it's going back to my account.) I'm really happy and just praying that this one fits!

And, lastly, I messaged the Etsy seller who's doing the corsages telling her that I have the scraps from my dress. I'm hoping that I can send it to her soon and get the corsages made! Here's the picture from the listing, which I'm sure I've posted before. (Oh well.)

Baby Talk

132 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)

I have had baby fever for a while now (working at a daycare is obviously not helping this) and, after sitting behind two of the cutest little girls I have ever seen at the Friars game, I realized that Matt and I should talk about when we want to have a baby. He knew my position, as I've made it quite clear; as soon as possible after the wedding. However, after some thought on my part, I realized I would want to be living in a bigger, nicer place (which we plan on doing right after the wedding) and have a better paying job. (That second part may be slightly easier now that I'm certified to teach in Massachusetts.) Matt had made it clear that he wanted to wait, but we had never really talked about how long. So I asked him tonight when he would ideally like to start trying. Surprisingly, he said in September. His reasoning was that we would be able to enjoy newlywed life for a few months and give ourselves time to settle into a new home and, hopefully, a new job for me. I was really happy with this answer and so we have made it official (as official as this decision can be); I'll be going off birth control in September and we'll see how it goes from there.

On a more wedding-related note, I have my trial alteration appointment tomorrow. I'm going to get some of the material taken off the bottom so that I can get our mothers' corsages ordered from Etsy. I'm really excited to see how they turn out! (Random, but a crossword puzzle I was working on today had Etsy as one of the answers!)

And, last but not least, we bought a new printer today (on sale) so I can finally print everything for our scrapbook...in color!

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.

Decisions, Decisions

Speaking of them, Matt and I have finalized some things for the wedding. (Of course this means that I have made other decisions that I have to make.) However, here is what we have decided:

Flowers
The bouquets and boutonnieres will be made out of pearls instead of doing real flowers. They are absolutely beautiful and we'll be able to save them without adding an extra cost. Here's a link on how to make them (it's super easy)!
For our mothers' corsages, we're going to hopefully use scraps from their dresses and have them made by this seller on Etsy. (If we can't use the scraps, we'll have them made with new material in a color that matches the dresses.)
*See pictures below!

Tuxedos
We have settled on Joseph A. Bank to rent the groomsmen's tuxedos from. They are highly recommended and have all of the colors for vests that we will need.

I actually think that's all that we have decided on so far. On another note, we have an appointment with a potential videographer this Thursday. We will also be publishing the third newsletter at the end of the week, so I'll be sure to post it here.

Bouquets 

Boutonnieres

Corsgages