I finished my summer project, and its only Halloween!

I'm one of those people who makes completely unrealistic schedules. I end up getting a lot done but never completely finishing my goals. I always put way too much on my plate. Because of this tendency, I finished my summer project by Halloween.

No moms or aunts past this point please!

Third and final errand of the day

I know I just posted the first part of my errands earlier today, but I couldn't wait to tell you about my next stop. I went to a Jewelery repair shop! I wanted to get my Great Aunt's necklace examined.
As you can see its a cameo necklace. I never saw my Great Aunt without this necklace on. It was given to me after she past away, and no one in my family knows if it is real or what the story behind the necklace is.

24 on, 24 off

Last night I had a 24hr shift at work. Which means I had the next 24hrs off. How did I spent this time off during normal business hours? First I slept until 1:30pm (I can sleep at work during 24hr shifts, but its never quality sleep). Then I got ready for my afternoon of wedding errands! Errands don't sound exciting to you? Well first on the old errands list was my veil.

If there was one wedding detail I could have...

without worrying about logistics or money. I would have umbrellas/parasols hanging from the ceiling. In a heartbeat.

I present to you eye candy...


Restaurant. Tent. Banquet hall. Outdoors. Doesn't matter. I would swoon over a mass of umbrellas anywhere. They are perfect with above lighting. So care free and romantic, but the construction and setup for this project would be way too much. They wouldn't fit in our budget either, but I can dream. I've been admiring hanging umbrellas for a long time and even had a green and blue parasol hanging in my room during high school. Just the thought of all the colors and designs makes me swoon.

Would you add any extra wedding details if logistics and/or budget were no longer an issue?

Our Engagement Photo Album

Sally has a hundred pictures from her engagement photo session. She is unsure of the best way to showcase these pictures. She would like to have as many pictures seen by as many people as she can. Should she...
A. Send out a number of different pictures with her wedding invitations
B. Make a photo album to display on her coffee table filled with engagement pictures
C. Make a photo album to display at the reception filled with engagement pictures
D. Carry all of the pictures around in her purse in the hopes that the engagement pictures will come up in conversation

Flora: Part Three

I promise to stop complaining talking about my flower woes because ladies and gentlemen, (I'm pretty sure) we have a florist!

When I last left my floral drama, I gave an estimate of the budget and listed the flowers I thought we'd be getting. All of the meetings went pretty well. By the fourth one, I was pretty good at describing my flower ideas.

Extra Inspiration Boards

I've ended up making two inspiration boards besides the overall wedding board.

The first was an inspiration board for the bridesmaid's dresses. I've left the decision of their dresses mostly up to them. I gave them the color and length and set them free. The dress color is emerald green, and it's proving to be a little hard to find. We've been able to find dresses, but the material colors don't seem to match exactly. I decided that I really needed to see the dresses together. So I could make sure the dresses won't clash. This is how my multiple inspiration boards started.
These aren't the official dresses. They are just the example dresses that I found and sent to everyone. They are definitely different from one another, but I don't think there will be a big problem with them meshing. I was also able to send this to my bridesmaid dress judge and get her stamp of approval. So the various emerald green dresses are a go.

Checking off the projects

Over the weekend we hit the six month mark, and for the most part, the wedding is pretty much on schedule. There are still a few things *cough* flowers *cough* that are a little bit behind, but overall the old to do list isn't too bad. I've also recently made some progress in the projects category. The STD's are out, and last night I decided to (finally) finish my garter. I don't know if we are going to do the toss, but I still wanted one anyway. I started it about a month or two ago, and I put it on the back burner because I was a little nervous about cutting and closing the material. After finishing the STD's, I had the confidence to finish my garter up.

Calligraphy, Embossing, and the Elegant Twenties

I've posted about our save the date postcards before, but they're finally done and in the mail! Just as a refresher, here are the save the dates I decided on.
The postcards are all from a book of 24 postcards called George Barbier: Postcards of the Elegant Twenties. George Barbier was a French illustrator in the 1920's, and I fell in love with these postcards after randomly coming across them on ebay. Since these aren't exactly in the normal "Save The Date" format, I had to figure out how I wanted relay the the message.

Send Offs

I'm not planning to do a toss/send off for multiple reasons, but I love looking at all the different options and great photos. I'm a fan of any bright and colorful send offs.

e.g.
Sparklers give so much light to the end of the night.

Hair Bobbles

I decided to pull my hair back for the wedding a while ago. I love the long flowing locks that some brides can pull off, but I know they are just going to get in my way at some point.

This hair style has been my favorite for about a month or two now.
It's so elegant and timeless. I think it will go great with my dress, but I will need the perfect vintage hair comb, barrette, or pin to go with this style. I'm looking for gold or dark brass/copper colored metal with pearls. I haven't found any perfects yet, but I'm still gathering ideas.

Chair Signs

Who doesn't love chair signs?
It's one of those things that I didn't know I needed until I started planning a wedding. We're not going to have a car to decorate with "Just Married." We're just traveling up an elevator at the end of the night, and I'm going to want to see those words in writing to believe it. I also like the other options too.

Reception Seating

I decided early on that I wanted assigned tables. I want everyone to be comfortable at the wedding, and assigning tables is one of the small ways I can help in that department. So that gives me the task of assigning tables and the more important task of how to display the escort cards. Its one of those details that is not necessarily a focal point, but it can be if you make it a focal point. I can't help but contemplate all the different ways I could display the escort cards. Originally, I was thinking that they would just be arranged on a table with one of these in the middle.
Its a tree with rock candy ornaments on it. I had this vision of sneaking off during the reception to show the only 2 little girls present (we only know 2 kids and a baby) that they can eat the decorations. Their parents would hate me for giving them a sugar high, but it would be so much fun.

It's such an ugly word

Their right. It is an ugly word. A word that has been used to describe me before. So how is this "ugly word" working out with wedding planning? Ehh :/

I feel that for the most part, I just don't spend money on things that aren't absolutely important to me. I also feel that when something is really important to me I can shell out the dough.

So here is the toughie, when to say no and when to say yes to wedding costs? I want everything to look nice, but at the same time I would rather not break the bank.

Skin Care

In addition to toning the muscles, I've also started to think about my skin. Particularly my face. I wanted my skin to be all smooth and soft for the big day. Previously, I had the routine of washing my face in the morning and night and putting on SPF15 foundation/moisturizer in the morning. I decided to up my game again. I did some research, and took most of my finding from Paula's Choice Recession Proof Beauty.
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/best-skin-care-makeup-products-2008.aspx
I also scoured wedding bee for helpful hints from other brides.

Here is my current facial skin regimen:

Bama Arms

Every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day. I'm no exception. Which is why I started to think about taking better care of myself a few months ago. I'm not looking to go on a crazy diet or lose a lot of weight. My main goal is just to get toned and more in shape.

I have changed my eating habits slightly. I have started to eat small snacks every 2.5 hours, but for the most part I haven't changed what I eat. I still have chocolate at least every other day, and I have pizza for dinner at least once a week.

My real focus has been on toning my body with strength exercises. My upper arms, shoulders, and back are my top priority.
Come on who doesn't want arms like hers? I figure that with my strapless dress those three areas will be the most exposed, and I want them to look great.

Decorations and Hair accessories

Look what I found.
I'm not planning on wearing this myself. I just thought it looks a lot like my idea for the centerpieces. I think the only one who could pull off a head pieces like this off is the flower girl, and even then I think it might be a little too much for her. However, I am hoping that she will be wearing some kind of halo, but I was thinking something more like this.
A halo of baby's breath will match the baby's breath bouquets for the aisle I want, and yes, I would like the flower girl to look like a little forest fairy but without wings.

What do you think of halos and crowns used in weddings?