The kind you find in a secondhand store?

This week, Jerry and I have been narrowing down options for our rehearsal dinner. We got a budget from his mom and decided on 4 restaurants to call. I contacted 3 of them and one is out but the other 2 are still in the running. Of those 2, one is a high end Chinese place, and the other is a bit more casual but with great food. So last night, I went to bed and the dreams started up again. I feel like I already went to my rehearsal dinner! It was very surreal. And then it turned scary...

All 60 of us showed up to Restaurant #2 as planned and ready to eat! Somehow it turned out that I had forgotten to confirm our reservation and only received the initial quote! So frantically, I am asking the manager what to do and she was thrilled and said, "it's no problem, we can still have you. As long as you don't mind a hamburger buffet." Now in my dream I was thinking what!?? How can this be? I can't let my future mother-in-law pay for a hamburger buffet! But somehow everyone was pleased and the show went on.

Today I told Jerry about my dream and he starting singing Hamburger Buffet to the tune of Prince's "Raspberry Beret". Apparently it was a great idea :-)

Anyone else having these dreams?

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Could I have your Autograph Please?

One of the main things I am trying to do with the theme of my wedding is bring vintage ideas to the table and re-work them into something usable. I like the idea of incorporating them into a modern wedding that is light-hearted. I don't want to go overboard with the theme to the point where it becomes costume, so I am trying to walk the line and hope everything turns out well.

Our original idea for a guest book was to do the polaroid 'photobooth' idea and have guests sign by their photos. A wonderful idea, but less of a priority when planning on a tight budget. SO, I decided to make our guest book! My idea stemmed from the old Autograph books that I inherited from my Grandma. I suppose they were like yearbooks back then as the messages are the same! "Stay Sweet Ruth...remember the good times" etc. So I went to AC Moore and gathered my supplies.

~ Chipboard
~ Chipboard letters
~ Glue Gun
~ Rubber Stamp
~ Ink
~ Ream of 'natural' paper

Once I got everything home I had a hard time deciding how I wanted to bind it. I did some internet research and decided that the best, least expensive, and quickest option was to get it tape bound at Kinkos. So, off to the store I went! The paper I bought was 5 colors of "neutrals" so first, I layered them one at a time so they would be in the same order over and over again. Then I placed a sheet of chipboard on the outside to act as a cover. I had it bound for $2.35 with black tape and 20 minutes later I was home!

I laid the chipboard letters out in the pattern I wanted and used a pencil to mark the edges. Then came the task of carefully hot gluing them into place without glopping it all over. Success!!

Finally, I used the little old car stamp I found for $1 to add a little fun to the back and voila! My very own customized autograph book! Total cost? About $16.00 :-) Hooray!

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OK, now I'm campaigning.

Because I have decided to try and become a weddingbee blogger, I will be posting rapid-fire for a little bit. Be ye not dismayed if you come upon a 3 post day. I was unsure if I wanted to let my prized ideas out of my little head, but it's too much fun over there. And I want in!

Because of that, I am adding some of the projects that I have already done for the wedding in the hopes of spicing up my bloglife. Even though I have been posting about the wedding for a while. I hope it will be more interesting. And with pictures!

So, with that I give you, my ceremony decorations!

Our wedding will be in a cute little chapel with wooden pews and a balcony, so I didn't want to do too much in terms of decorating. Plus, due to time constraints at the facility, I need to be able to get in and out, quickly. While I will be using fresh flowers for the reception and bouquets, I decided to go with silk for the ceremony. I started with these supplies:


I also had little galvanized pails that these all go into, but you'll see that in a minute. Basically, I used the Styrofoam balls as the base and after removing the hydrangeas and leaves from their enormous stems, I poked holes where I wanted to put them. Then I retraced my steps using hot glue to secure them. The whole process took about 10 minutes per pail. Once that was done, I glued the ball to the bottom of the pail and replaced the metal handle with blue organza wire ribbon (thank you Michaels). And now these will hang from the pews lining the aisle!



I used the same technique (minus the pails) to do 2 pomanders, which will hang on shephard's hooks with more ribbon outside the church at the entrance:


And....with the leftovers I made a bouquet to have at the guest book table(sorry for the blurry pic):


I think it will be lovely for a daytime wedding. However, I would like to accent with maybe one or two other things. We will have a unity candle, but I don't want a unity candle. Any ideas to compliment the design I have going so far?

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It's come to this.

wedding porn \wed-ding porn\ noun:

1. Magazines and websites devoted to making celebrity weddings appear to be the norm."
2. Inspiring dejection; saddening; cheerless; as, "if you aren't rich, your wedding will be ugly."

I came across the use of this term while reading another blog. I added the definition to fill in any gaps. Now don't get me wrong, I think you can have a beautiful wedding on a budget and it doesn't even have to be a pig-pickin!

That being said, I have to guard myself from falling into the trap of you NEED this for your wedding! I actually don't need place cards and individual place-card holders. Thankfully, my family is full of social people who don't have to be coaxed into having a conversation with a stranger. It's fine if you want them, but I'm talking the standard here. I also don't need a mini cake at each person's seat, a dessert bar with a chocolate fountain, a $600 veil, or a floral display hung from each of the 150+ chairs we will have. These are extras!!

If you are still unsure of what I mean by wedding porn, here are a few more examples:




I understand that brides can get caught up in "the perfect wedding". And I am guilty of that to a degree. And hey if you want to spend $1300 on chair rental, that's your thing. I'm just not buying it. I am all for the special touches that make your day stand out from the rest. Little things that tell your guests that you care. But the industry is getting out of hand and I think we all know it. The fact is, my wedding won't look like in belongs on the cover of The Knot or Martha Stewart and I am ok with that. I am getting married and I couldn't ask for more!! I think you can have an amazing wedding for under $5k. We'll see if I am right!

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It's the little things....

Now that we have most of the big ticket items taken care of and sort of out of the way..there are an abundance of 'little things' that need to be tackled! My brother in law Dean is working on our invitation design and we should have those printed pretty soon. Once that happens, we'll have an "addressing/stuffing" party and knock those babies out!

I need to finalize what I am doing about flowers. I had planned to order them online, but as it turns out, I have a friend that can get them for me wholesale locally. SO now I am trying to decide if I should change my flowers or have a couple more varieties....we'll see.

Also, I need to finish/figure out the centerpieces for the reception. I know what I want to do, but I am still trying to figure out one final detail and it is driving me crazy!I know I am ahead of the game...or at least on track, but when I know I have all these things left to do I get a little nuts! But all in all it is a fun time. I'll be glad when I am Mrs. Updyke though! That's for sure! :-)

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Rings? Check, Tuxes? CHECK!

Today, Jerry and I had a very productive time crossing even more things off our wedding "to do" list. We started off at Cafe Carolina to fuel up on coffee and discuss our game plan. We then went to Baileys where we got my wedding band! Jerry picked out the one he wants and it will have to be ordered, but we should have it in a few weeks! I also got my engagement ring cleaned and it looks SO beautiful! I didn't even think it was "dirty" per say, but to look at it now is like night and day!

Then we went over Cape Fear Formal wear where we ordered a couple different styles of tuxes for a fitting next weekend. The men will be in black with ivory shirts and Jerry will have an ivory vest and tie, while the others will have a blue and black vest with a black tie. So exciting!! They are gonna look hott! Seeing the tuxes really made me excited about the whole picture. It is REALLY coming together. I am really sold on the whole vest thing too. I mean what guy doesn't look awesome in a vest? I can't think of one.

After that, we made our way through a couple more stores to look for some gifts and then called it a day. For the rest of the day, I'll be going through papers and files and trying to make some room for my almost hubby! only 90 days!

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Yeah. Weekend.

So it's the start of a 3 day weekend...well almost. Currently, I have a day of work ahead of me. But for today, I am in a great mood. I love the Friday before a long weekend. It's still work, but somehow, easy. And, Jerry made me chicken fingers and pasta salad to bring for lunch! And I mean he breaded the chicken himself. Quality.

I'm feeling the urge to step it up in the blog category. Mostly, I am a diary blogger. I have blogs back to 2004 that are so interesting to go back and read for me, but not so much to the outside eye. I mean, does it matter to you that Bagelmania continues on, even to this day? Probably not. But damn if that rosemary and olive oil wasn't hot this morning.

What I am trying to say is, I don't want to let you down, dear reader(s). But I write what is in my head and sometimes I can't even type that fast.

Something I have lost recently is music. I don't "listen" to music. Partially because of a lack of good speakers at home and partially because I don't sit still long enough these days. BUT, today I deemed it bring your ipod to work day. I have reports to do and I can't be distracted with other people's conversations. So for now, Coldplay. Later, who knows? Maybe The Magic Numbers. Yes definitely the Magic Numbers. Speaking of music, John Prine and Patty Griffin will be here on August 17th. I think it would be a great way to spend our last weekend as "single" people before the big day! Who's up for it?! Let's make it a big deal.

I'll leave you with this:

Cal Naughton, Jr.: Ricky, if you turn on the stereo, how do you control the volume on the television?
Ricky Bobby: If you have the stereo on, why would you turn up the volume on the TV?
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Cause I like to party.

Happy Friday!!!

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What Wedding?!

So other than wedding planning, I do actually have a life (barely)...that being said, here are some of the things I have been up to these days. In the beginning of May a friend of mine started a Beth Moore bible study at my church. It's funny because I knew the last thing I needed was another commitment, but for some reason I was really compelled to join. Also, knowing it was only an 11 week commitment, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. Well, much to my surprise, there are like 40 women in attendance! It has been a really fun and refreshing weekly thing for me! There is daily homework, which I have just been able to start doing this week, but overall I am really glad I am doing it. Tonight is the 4th meeting and I can't believe we are almost 1/3 of the way through!

Also, Jerry and I have been asked to branch off a new home group that will meet at (soon to be) our house. Our kickoff will be a Memorial Day cookout this Monday and I am really looking forward to it! We have some great people involved and it's just so laid back and fun. I feel really blessed to have the opportunity and excited to share it with Jerry.

Also, now and again we still have DuJour shows (our band). We had one last month and will be playing at the Rock and Shop Market at the end of June! So many fun things !!

On top of everything else, it is birthday season! I have been partying and eating cake like a pro! Gotta be careful though, I have a dress to fit into!!

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Next Stop....Rehearsal Dinner

This week our priority is to nail down the details of the Rehearsal dinner and pick out the tuxes. We have made a list of the participants/families for the dinner and now it's time to research food options! With so many to choose from, I don't know how we will pick.

Personally, I am leaning towards a buffet setup from Neomonde, but Italian is also an option. Going to a restaurant is another option. Too many choices!! I even considered a backyard BBQ, but I don't think my house is big enough.

But I will say this. By the end of the week, decisions will be made. Thank you.

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Productivity!

Well this weekend, Jerry played in a disc golf tournament and scored 5th place! Way to go baby!! In the meantime, I had some kuality krusty time. He pretty much held down the fort while I was in and out doing wedding errands.

On Saturday, Mom and I met for coffee at Panera and went to get my underthings for my wedding dress! We brought the dress with us to try it on and make sure I had the right stuff. I love my dress!!! It was really the first time I saw it all together and completely fastened up and it's perfect! We got what I needed and were on our way. Next Stop, The fabric store!! Even though my perfect dress is from a store, mom is going to add some details to make it special. We found some great stuff and I can't wait to see how it all comes together!

After that, we went to Michaels where I found lots of odds and ends including the supplies to decorate the church pews and guest book table. I brought all of that home and assembled everything over the remainder of the weekend. I also got my earrings and some other odds and ends. I feel really productive and happy to cross something else off my list!

Now if the caterer would just write me back we'd be all set!!

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My Honeymoon!!

It's official....Jerry and I bought our tickets last night for our honeymoon trip to the Pacific Coast! I am so unbelievably excited, I can hardly stand it!!! Here are some of the things we hope to do:

We will fly into San Francisco where we'll spend the first couple days sightseeing and relaxing. I want to check out the piers and the Fisherman's Wharf and whatever else we find that looks interesting....

including.......

ALCATRAZ!!! I have always wanted to visit this crazy island and totally forgot where it was until today! Jerry and I were talking about different sites and he mentioned it and I can't wait!!

I am sure we'll have lots of yummy food and just wander around for a bit while we are in the city. Then on Wednesday we'll head up the coast to Northern California for some wine and sightseeing!

We'll take the next couple days making our way up to Corvallis, Oregon where we'll see Daniel and Jamie and then on Saturday head up to Seattle!! Jerry has friends there too so I am sure we'll get the inside track on what to do and see.



I am so looking forward to it! Not only do I finally get to take a trip I have always wanted to take, I get to spend it with my brand new husband!! Only 99 days til the wedding. Yippee!

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Dinner Creations!!

My friend Nikki came over last night for dinner. She is going to be our wedding photographer so it was a fun excuse to try a new recipe! I decided to go to a little Mediterranean Grocery store on the way home from work. I wandered around for a few minutes and ended up with an array of ingredients and a little baklava from the dessert case!

Once I got home, I had to figure out how to put it all together. First I made some tabouli with tomatoes and cucumber so that could sit for a while ( at least an hour in the fridge). Then I went to work on my pita pizzas! I started with sesame pita bread and drizzled some olive oil over each piece and layered it with spinach, tomatoes, calamata olives and a wonderful new (to me) feta cheese called Danish White. Then I sprinkled some salt and pepper and baked them on 325 for about 15 min. I had boneless/skinless chicken breasts so I rubbed some cumin and coriander along with some lemon juice and salt on both sides of each piece and pan seared them til they were cooked through. Let me tell you, it was delicious!!!

I also served pita triangles with hummus (i tried a new brand - i didn't like it) and some assorted baklava for dessert! We had red and white wine and while I normally prefer red, the white was wonderful with this meal.

I got the "Jerry seal of approval" on the meal with extra props for the pizzas. We will definitely have it again!

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Wedding Brain.

Just 14 weeks until the big day! It's hard to believe but it is coming up fast. This week, I have lots of little appointments and odds and ends to take care of. But mostly, I need to figure out a way to get a good night's sleep. I have had many suggestions given to me, drink warm milk, have a pen and paper next to the bed to jot down ideas if/when I wake up, sleeping pills...etc. I figure I will just start at the top of the list and try it all! Here's hoping!

Yesterday, we met with another caterer. I had a great feeling about her and I think it will be really nice if we decide to go with her. We are still waiting on the estimate so I am kinda holding my breath and trying not to get too excited just yet. We had a great time though, taking off in the middle of the day. It was nice to get out of the office for a while.

Tomorrow night, Nikki is coming over to discuss photography! I am very excited about this because having her take our pictures was the one thing I knew I wanted. SO when she agreed and was excited about it, I was stoked! Even better is that it gives us an excuse to hang out!

I have decided on a few DIY projects for the ceremony/reception. So far so good. I made our guestbook and I love the way it turned out. Also, I have been using some silk flowers to get some decorations out of the way for the ceremony. More to come! It's fun! Saturday, mom and I are going to do some shopping and have lunch at Sweet Tomatoes! I love that place and mom does too, but Dad hates it so we always try to sneak it in on our "dates". I am looking forward to it!

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Amazed.

In this busy time of wedding planning, it would seem crazy to lose sight of the meaning behind it all. But it isn't impossible. Fortunately for me, I have an amazing fiancee who never ceases to amaze and remind me that I cannot wait to be his wife. I am so very thankful.

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Under Siege.

I won't go into the exact (read:disgusting) details, but the fact is, I am under siege. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I get the distinct feeling that I do not live alone.

Bugs.

Look I can deal with the occasional spider, but something about owning my own home makes me not want to share it with the castoffs of Joe's Apartment. I thought I was a big girl, but the sight of these unsightly devil-creatures makes me want to cry myself to sleep at night.

Fact: I cannot handle it.

I am now looking into different contracts with various pest control companies, but they need to be pet safe. If anyone has had good experiences with a certain pest control, please let me know. Yesterday.

Thanks.

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Hey it's Thursday!

For some reason this week has been dragging on. I don't know what it is, but I am definitely ready for the weekend! And who isn't? I am hoping to get the paint for our master bedroom this weekend and start painting. I would really like to have that done before the wedding so all we have to worry about is furniture after we get back. If I am honest, I would really love to paint the guest room as well, but let's not get too ambitious.

Monday, we have an appointment with another caterer. I am hoping they will be a bit cheaper than the first one, but we'll see. The thing I really like about them is that they put all of their prices out front and center on their website so hopefully there won't be any surprises. Also, we can decide on our own menu and when we meet just go over the details. So efficient!

I am doing alright with the so-called 'bridal boot camp'. Though I started doing better even before we got engaged. This week, I have hit sort of a plateau, so I have been a bit more active in an attempt to boost my metabolism. We'll see if it works! Overall though, I have really put some new habits into practice and they seem to be taking hold. I am increasing my water intake and I feel such a difference with that. So good and so free!

Aside from getting married, which is of course awesome, I am really excited to see everyone! I talked to a couple of my childhood friends from FL that are planning on coming and I know of a few more that are hoping too. Yay! I can't wait!

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Getting there!

Well we finally got most of the save the dates out last week after a crazy printing fiasco. We are still collecting the last few addresses so those should go out this week. I am hoping to have them all out before the price of stamps goes up on Monday.

Re: printing fiasco, I have a great 3 in one printer/copier/scanner that I got my last semester at state. It is a great machine but ran out of ink and since I don't print that much, I didn't replace it for a while. Well, upon knowing of my impending wedding and label printing needs I finally broke down and paid the $44.36 at Sam's Club to purchase said ink. Unfortunately, the Ink was for all models up to 4400 and after 4800. Of course mine is a 4600. I called Staples and with some convincing, was told they carry the ink that I needed. So, I returned my ink to Sam's and grabbed some pizza with my fiancee and his work peeps and later got the right ink from Staples. That night, I installed it and printed a test page. Well, you guessed it. Nothing. Actually, not nothing, but tiny yellow lines. It seems that I need new printheads. I tried cleaning them, but to no avail. My printer is still on the fritz. Fritz is a great word by the way and should be readily incorporated into daily conversation.

Back to the StDs (save the dates, who can resist?). Knowing that my printer was a no go, Jerry and I decided to work on the mailing list, merge the labels and go back to Staples to have them printed. It was only after we dropped them off and were looking at San Fransisco books for the honeymoon next door that we received a call saying they can't print the labels, nor can they reformat them. It's a long story, but after going to Kinkos and being told the same thing, we decided to scrap the past 4 hours and hand write them all. It was actually fun to do and it was done in no time!

I am excited about it because that was a big check mark on my list! Dean is working on the invitations and those should be coming along in the next month. I also made our wedding night hotel reservation which really makes me realize that I am getting married in 15 weeks!! Crazy!

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Rough go if it...

Ahh yes. We've finally reached that stage in a new job where people think, oh this person has been here a few weeks. I can start expecting her to read my mind. And when she fails to do so, I have the right to get angry with her.

It was inevitable. And now here I am, alone at my desk, with no psychic abilities whatsoever. I guess you can't win em all.

The past couple workdays have been less than awesome. Hopefully things will look up soon.

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