She Shoots, She Scores!

41 days

234 invited
135 attending
39 declined

I don't remember if I posted about this when it actually happened, so I'll do it now. My friend, Justin, who is making our cake for us, called me about the groom's cake I had asked him to make. He wanted to know how it should be decorated. I told him to keep it simple: make it a basketball! Matt loves basketball (although he thought the strike was ridiculous so he hasn't really watched any games this season) so I thought that would simply, yet fitting! I can't wait to see how it comes out...and to taste it! It's going to be like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup: Matt's favorite thing!

I found these really cute keychain charms on Etsy to add to our mom's gifts for the weddings:

And I have two boxes packed! A bunch of living room decorations and a ton of books. Both boxes weigh somewhere in the range of 245457 pounds and will take three of me to carry anywhere.

The Borrower

63 days

225 invited
106 attending
27 declined

RSVPs today:
-my former coworker from Gap, Katie
-Matt's parents' neighbors, Joe and Nellie, and their son and caretaker, Tom (declined)
-Matt's mom's friends, Liz and David
-Matt's cousins, Sean and Julie (declined)

I took Chase, one of our ushers, to get his tux measurements done today. After waiting for 30 plus minutes without being helped, we finally got him measured. Thankfully, the guy was young enough and knew how to measure and use the computer. Now, I just have to drag Ryan in to get his done.

When I got the mail, the rest of the fans had come in from Oriental Trading! I may have to switch the baskets for them and the bubbles, though.

I also got my something borrowed in the mail! My mom sent me one of my dad's name tags and here's a picture:

I also finally sent my mom the skirt for her dress! And then Chase pointed out that he was going back there tomorrow and could have brought it. Gee, thanks.

Last, the girls have found a potential house for the bachelorette! They're thinking this is the one which makes me so excited!!

For the Dads

67 days

225 invited
99 attending
21 declined

Currently working on: favors (141/192 done)

Matt is such a sweet heart! He picked up the skirt for my mom's dress today for me! I'm going to mail it to her tomorrow so that she can get it altered soon.

Our Vistaprint order came in today! In it were the totes that I had made for Pam and Natalie as gifts and the Father's Day cards that we made. We decided that since the day after our wedding is Father's Day, we wanted to give something to the dads attending our wedding. So we made cards on Vistaprint that we'll sign and hand out personally to each dad. We're also having a dance for them to dance with their daughters or wives.

Done Dressing!

68 days

225 invited
99 attending
21 declined

Currently working on: favors (141/192 done)

RSVPs today:
-my mom's friend, Anne, her husband, Jerry, and her daughter, Avery (decline)
-my college friend, Emily, and her boyfriend Jeremy
-Matt's aunt, Lisa
-my coworker, Paula, and her husband, Frank

The skirt for my mom's dress came in today! Matt and I are going to pick it up tomorrow after work since we had other things to do tonight. That will be the official end of dresses! Now we all just have to have alterations done!

I was in the mall today to deposit a couple checks and saw that the old nail place that I used to go to had reopened under a new name! It looks nice and will be great for all our nail appointments the day before the wedding. I'll try it out this weekend and see if I can schedule our appointments.

Matt and I submitted our reservation to McFadden's for our after party after the reception. They'll be contacting him soon about 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.

M&My Favor-ite

71 days

225 invited
91 attending
16 declined

One RSVP today from Matt's mother's friend, Joyce, who declined.

I started putting M&Ms in the boxes last night after I finished putting them all together. They look really cute all put together! Here's a picture:

Matt and I also decided that we're going to add a couple other candies to the favors. The M&Ms we got won't be enough for all 200 favors, so we're going to have to buy more candy anyway. We're definitely doing Skittles (Original with the pink and blue from the Wildberry probably) and Hershey Kisses and maybe Wonka's Nerds.

The top to my mom's dress came in so I'm going to pick up tomorrow. Here's hoping that the bottom is in by then!

For the Groom

77 days

222 invited
78 attending
15 declined

RSVPs today from my cousin, Alex and his girlfriend, Katlyn, and my former Gap coworker Amanda and her husband Brian. Sadly, my friend from college Mike has declined coming because he has a family event that weekend. But we'll be seeing him at some point!

Went today to pick up Matt's mom's dress! It is the most gorgeous blue!! Now we're just waiting on my mom's which the store was calling about to see why it hadn't shipped yet.

I got the rest of the jewelry for our readers, greeters, and gift bearers yesterday! Again, I nailed it! AND I got Matt's gift as well! His cufflinks are absolutely amazing! I can't wait until he sees them the night before the wedding!

Matt's mom has booked the rehearsal dinner at Waterplace in downtown Providence. It's a great restaurant and sits right over the river. Absolutely gorgeous!

Clutched

80 days

220 attending
71 attending
14 declined

RSVPs today were form my coworker, Joe, and my former coworker from the Gap, Cristhal!

Just a short post tonight to say that I got our mothers' clutches in today! They are wicked nice and I can't wait to give them to our moms! We also got the orange sofa bed from Matt's mom and sister for the shower. Matt put it together and rearranged the living room to fit it in. I love it! Now I'm going to start hunting for some pillows for it...

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!

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!

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!

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!

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:

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!