Tuesday

4 days

So I emailed Scott and found out that we're over $2000 short of our food minimum. We thought that we'd be able to use this for an open bar, but apparently it's ONLY for food. Now we have to add something and there's no other way we'll be able to afford an open bar. I'm rather annoyed...

I also got a text from my mom that Jos A Bank is saying there's an extra fee for the tuxes to remain there until Friday. What the hell.

Seriously, I am over all this wedding bullshit. I just want it to be here and enjoy it. UGH

In the Teens

19 days

I forgot to take my camera yesterday, so I have only one picture from the demolition derby taken from my phone:

Matt and I decided not to use SureShot for our videographer. All the reviews I have seen are absolutely horrid and it's not worth the stress. We asked Jess if she'd be able to help us out and she said of course! So for $200 more, she'll have her boyfriend videotape the ceremony for us.

I ordered the wedding announcements the other day from Vistaprint. I was waiting because I wanted to put our new address on them, but we're not sure where we're moving right now.

Next weekend, after my bachelorette on Sunday, Mom and I are spending the day together! We're going to look for something for her to wear for the rehearsal dinner. I'm excited to have a day with just me and my mommy.

Matt managed to get food poisoning, so I'm going to go take care of him.

Double Trouble

43 days

234 invited
135 attending
39 declined

We didn't get any actual RSVPs today, but Joanne (Matt's mom) has verbally given us a couple answers:
-Matt's uncle, Ed, and his wife, Barbara
-their sons, Dane and Nash (decline)
-Matt's grandpa, Cornelius (I LOVE that that's his name!)
We also went through and added our numbers and realized we were slightly off (obviously). So from this post on, we'll have the correct number!

I got my negligee from Frederick's! And, somehow, they sent me two but I only paid for one. Maybe I'll exchange one for something else...

No Sir

44 days

222 invited
127 attending
34 declined

AGAIN no RSVPs. I'm not liking this slow trickle at all.

I got my dress in today from American Eagle! It is SO cute! I think I'm officially done shopping for the honeymoon. I'm just hoping my girls get me some cute lingerie for the bachelorette!

So I got an email the other day from the photobooth guy. He asked if we were sending in the deposit and still keeping the date. Um, NO! We sent it in months ago and it came back to us. I emailed him immediately and got no response. So, no, sir, we don't want your services.

Fifty

50 days

222 invited
122 attending
34 declined

One RSVP today from my parents' good friends, Liz and Steve.

Matt and I went to the UPS location in Warwick to pick up our Crate and Barrel package today. It's from Alicia and Paula, two of my coworkers, and they got us another set of the Bistro Bowls as well as the Chip and Dip Set we wanted. Here's a picture of the chip and dip set:

Of course, after the ridiculousness with that package, I come home to an email saying Matt's gift was left at the front door by UPS. NO IT WAS NOT. This is not the first time it's happened and so I called them and they're investigating it. I better get this package, I am so over UPS and their issues. However, I have to say their national customer assistance is really nice and helpful.

Matt and I have a meeting with our officiant, Father Al, tomorrow. I'll be sure to post how it goes, although I honestly have no idea what it's about.

Favored

59 days

222 invited
117 attending
30 declined

Currently working on: favors (192/192 done)

RSVPs today:
-my dance friend, Komal
-my friend from college, Jason

We went to the grocery store tonight and finally dropped off Nick's invitation. He lives in the same building as Ryan, so we talked to him and found out he never got his invitation. We got their RSVPs as yes, obviously, and their food choices, plus Ryan's plus one's name. So now we are up to 117 guests!!

Finished the favors tonight!! We bought more Hershey Kisses and Starburst Jellybeans to finish the last 21! Here are the jellybean ones:

Just One More

65 days

225 invited
99 attending
22 declined

One RSVP today from Matt's college friend, Tommy, and he's declined. He lives in Chicago and won't be able to make the trip. I'm seriously thinking it's because I want to break 100 guests. Come on, just one yes tomorrow!!

Matt's linen pants came in today! They're really nice and fit him perfectly! They'll be perfect for the honeymoon!!

After trying to stamp a fan last night, I realized it wasn't going to happen and so I stopped. Oh well.

Mom texted me today to say that my dad found a name tag of his from the Marines. She's sending it to me so I can sew it in my dress as my something borrowed! I love that I'll have my maiden name sewn into my dress!! Now I have to remind Gram to bring the necklace for my something old.

Last, I want to wish Matt good luck tomorrow at his interview! He's going in for an interview for a higher position with Verizon! Good luck baby! I love you!

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.

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.)

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!

Alter This

148 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)
                                   bouquet pearls (6/8 done)

Tonight, Matt and I went to Alfred Angelo to pick up Cristina's dress! I love it! The piping on the top looks so great! I also scheduled my appointment for alterations. However, when I came home and looked up what pricing might be (thinking around $200) I saw that their stores ran up bills as high as $500! I am NOT paying that much money (half of what my dress costs) to have it hemmed and taken in. So I've looked around on the internets for a local shop and emailed them about coming in for an estimate with them. I'm going to call tomorrow and cancel my alteration appointment saying that I'll reschedule, but I won't. I don't want to make it awkward, though, since I have to pick up some of the other girls' dresses. Speaking of which, I also told them about the cost so they can go somewhere near them or to the same place as me.

Cristina's dress

I also stopped at Michael's and got some more stickers to decorate the guestbook, as well as going to Walmart to grab some more silver wiring. I'm DETERMINED to finish the pearls for the bouquets tomorrow. And then, it's just ordering the rest of the brooches!

CL

150 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)
                                 escort card letters (28/28 done)
                                 guestbook envelopes (115/115 done)

I got home to another mni-Christmas! I had three packages waiting for me, two of which were wedding-related.

First, I got the envelopes that we're using for the escort cards and guestbook. (I'm so glad I bought the Tacky Glue the other day!) I have already glued them into the book! I just need to add the labels to the envelopes and it will be completely done!

Second, I got my package from Vistaprint! In it was the I Spy cards, the rest of the RSVP cards (good thing, I just ran out), some more thank yous, and the stamp for the fans. Sadly, I ordered the invitations with a matte cover instead of glossy. They're still nice, but now they're different from the rest. I think that I'm going to use them for the bridal shower, though. I just need to order the fans!

The third package was the new mouse I ordered for our laptop. Just in time, too, because the left button was dying quickly on the old one. (It would stick after I let go of it.)

I'm going to really start making myself work on the bouquets so that I'm not rushing at the last minute. I have quite a bit to do on some of them and I'm so unmotivated.

And here are the pictures of the frames that I finished yesterday!

Flying Purple People Eater

160 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (26/130 done)

I was looking through my information for the bridesmaid dresses today and realized that we ordered the wrong purple for Hannah's dress! I'm really upset with myself (this could have been prevented if I brought the info with me) but I'm going to try calling once they're open today to see if they can change it. If not, the purple isn't too different from the one I wanted, it just won't match Devon's vest as well. Let's see how this goes!

Matt and I are going home later to have dinner with my parents and siblings for my birthday so I probably won't post until after that!

Planning Potpourri

165 days

This morning Matt sent out the package with my dress from ModCloth that I was going to use for the after party. I'll be getting a store credit that I can put towards the dress that I want for my shower. However, i ordered my shoes for the after party from the same site! I love, love, LOVE them and can't wait until they get here!

Matt finally got an email back from Joseph A. Bank about scheduling an appointment to look at tuxes. We are going to do it on January 14 after our consultation with the musicians from the chapel. It should be rather quick and painless since Matt basically knows what he wants (and their company has a build a tux program on their site that we used).

Matt and I ran some errands after we went to dinner tonight. We got some supplies at Michael's; more paper for the pocketfolds, Glue Dots, and the photo corners for the table menus. Then we went to Staples and they were...CLOSED. At 5 after eight, they were already closed so I have to go after work tomorrow to pick up the hard copy of my newsletter.

I also got a call earlier today from Alfred Angelo asking if I was coming to my 1 o'clock appointment this afternoon. I told the lady that I had an appointment for this Saturday; one for my bridesmaids to get measured and order their dresses and then one right after for my alterations. She said that the woman that does alterations isn't in except on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She was getting really rude about the whole ordeal even though I did absolutely nothing wrong. Long story short, I told her I'd reschedule and mine (no problem) and to knock off the attitude.

Seasonal Slump

192 days

I have hit a slump in my DIY projects. I have the materials to work on the bouquets, but can't bring myself to do it. I think part of it is the holidays are getting closer and I'm trying to get everything done for that. I have to do most of the shopping this weekend, as well as my first Lia Sophia party, and so we'll see how I feel after that. I better get out of this slump soon, the 6 month mark is coming up next week!

On another note, I sent in the deposit for the photobooth a few weeks ago and it was never cashed. I sent an email and still have not gotten a response. However, yesterday the envelope was returned with the message that they couldn't forward it. So now we are debating on even having a photobooth; it all depends on if/when they reply to the email.

Always Something

198 days

I got in the last brooch for my bouquet today and I've almost finished it!

I wired the brooch and arranged the bouquet. When Matt got home, he helped me wrap the "stems" in clear packing tape to keep the shape. Then I went to wrap it in the rainbow ribbon that I bought...and I hated it. I love the ribbon, but when it's wrapped around the stems it doesn't look good. So I've decided to buy thick double-faced satin ribbon to wrap around the stems and I'll use the rainbow ribbon to make the bow.

That means that I'll be posting pictures at a later date after I buy the ribbon. (Hopefully I can go tomorrow so I can finish it.)

Where Art Thou?

So I got my new purse and Ugg insoles in the mail today and, yet, I'm still waiting for a bunch of brooches. I know that most are shipping from China, but I really want them! I need one of them to complete my bouquet and another to complete Nicole's. I want to be able to get these done and this super slow snail mail is preventing me! However, none of them are late since ebay has given them a million years as a delivery range.

Well, that is the end of my vent.

Hanging by a Moment

I got the wire for my dress hanger! That means that I was able to finish my hanger!!

the wire

my completed hanger!

I bought more wire yesterday at Walmart so that I can continue working on the bouquets. I also received two of the brooches I ordered in the mail today, however, one of the purple ones is way too pink so I had to find another one on ebay that I'll have to order. I may use this pin some other way, maybe give it to my flower girl since it's little pink flowers.

Please Join Us...

I ordered some of our invitations a couple weeks ago and they have arrived! (We're getting them from Vistaprint and I have LivingSocial/Groupon deals that expire in December that I'm using for them, so we ordered early.) They are BEAUTIFUL! I'm so excited to have them here in my hands! Only one problem: the envelopes that they sent with the invitations are half the width. So now I have to find new envelopes for the invitiations, as well as pocket folds, which is proving incredibly difficult (and expensive). There seem to be NO 6x9 pocket folds that don't cost an arm and a leg.
If anyone has any helpful hints, please share!!

The invitations