My MOH put together the best girls weekend ever. It was everything I could ask for and more! We went up to the Central Coast and hung out in our stomping grounds. We ate at some of our favorite restaurants and took a great wine tasting tour with the owner of the company who was so nice and accommodating! We even got to hit up the hot springs!
She and one of my BMs (who is her twin) even made little wine charms!
A risque necklace one of my BMs gave me to wear! :)
Don't the girls look adorable in their shirts?!!!!
I LOVED my veil my MOH made me!
All in all, it was the best weekend I EVER spend with my favorite friends in the world!! I'm such a lucky gal!
Out of all the little trends, I kept a little tally of ones I really wanted to do. One of them were the Bridal Party shirts for the Bachelorette Party. I never really pictured what we'd do or who'd be there other than my girls so I never thought of everyone else who was coming and what they would wear. I know, selfish right?!
So when it hit me the other day that I would never want to be one of the ones who isn't part of them and feel left out I realized I had to take action! I called up my MOH right away and did a tally of how many I had to worry about and came up with the great idea of making them the same style of shirt but with some cute catch word. And the end result turned into:
I only had to make one so it worked out nicely for me. I know what you must be thinking, I'm the bride so why the heck am I doing any of this work. Well, part of me never wants to leave a friend behind and also, it's a fun little shirt that is part of a thank you for taking the time out of your life and celebrating our friendship together. (And on another level, it's super adorable that she just married and gets to flaunt it to others!)
I'm excited on what our weekend will hold! When my MOH asked what I wanted and I told her, I wanted to have a weekend that all of us could enjoy and it shouldn't be centered around me. I wanted us to have fun and laugh! Well... with how it is all turning out... I think she succeeded marvelously!
Since I was little, I was always in awe of numbers! When put into equations, they were like games to me and I really enjoyed finding out the answers to them. Now at this point in my life, there are some digits that are more important than others.
28 = how many days left till the wedding
4 = how many weeks
128 = how many people that will be able to make it our our beloved affair (so far)
7 = how many lbs I lost this month
3 = how many checks that are left to write to pay vendors
1 = how many days left till I get outta town with my bestest friends in the world and get to celebrate our friendship!
Then there are the equations like: Groom is getting ready at location X. Bride and Groom will not see each other until meeting at location Z . What location does bride get ready at? And if answer is Y... then where is Y? (Ya, I know it doesn't make sense but this is my predicament!)
Anyhow, this really is a nonsensical entry to the blog gods. I'm just biding my time till I pack up my SUV and hit the road tomorrow! :) I'll be blogging more in the next few weeks finally getting a hold of all the projects I never wrote about! :)
There are soo many great things about my shower that I loved! One of the best ideas we had was hire an amazing photographer capture the event so people didn't have to worry about taking photos! Here are some of my favorite shots:
The photographer's name is Mark Ayoub and he owns iTakeMemories.com. He did a wonderful job staying out of the way and observed with his camera. He also go some great shots of just me and also the everyone who attended! I love his work and if I could have two photographers at my wedding I would!
P.S. I added the stamp of the website on the photos so if you link, please give credit where credit is due. Thanks!!!
... okay, there are two things that I just can't let go of until the day of the wedding, one, is flowers... and the second one is the music, more importantly our first dance.
My FI loves music but out of the two of us, I am more of the audiophile. When I hear certain songs, I'm time warped by to a place and can close my eyes and remember that exact feeling. And of all the moments on our wedding day, I always thought that this one dance would capture everything because of the music. So now, I'm stuck with a bit of a dilemma what song to pick. I know, I said I already found the song (my ever favorite: Just like Heaven by the Cure but adapted by another musician who slowed it down a bit) but recently we heard another song by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (your Guardian Angel).
A portion of lyrics from Just like heaven
"Show me how you do that trick The one that makes me scream" she said "The one that makes me laugh" she said And threw her arms around my neck "Show me how you do it And I promise you I promise that I'll run away with you I'll run away with you"
A portion of lyrics from Your Guardian Angel
When I see your smile, tears roll down my face. I can't replace.
And now that I'm strong, I have figured out, How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul. And I know, I'll find, deep inside me, I can be the one.
I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven.
Okay... with lyrics, it's a pretty easy choice, but when you listen to both songs, Just Like Heaven is more even and Your Guardian Angel is well, beautiful, until 2.5 minutes into the song and then it rocks out a bit.
So... it's either THIS:
or this:
I LOVE the second song a million times over, I'm just a bit nervous of the rocked out part. (There is an acoustic version... it's also pretty good but might be a little slow) :) If you had the choice between the two, which one would you go with?
I have a little under half of my RSVPs out still and there are only 15 days left! :| I guess I could be mad but looking back at some of other friends' weddings, I was one of those people highjackign the RSVP because I was lazy to check a box and send it back.
I think I am learning my lesson. The bad karma I received for my lack of responsiblity is getting handed to me! :) I have since decided to start counting people I know are coming or told our parents yes or no.
Still thinking about the last part of the whole reception puzzle are the centerpieces. First, we were doing our own centerpieces but ordering the flowers online. Then we found a florist but went for low centerpieces… then we readdressed the situation and realized we wanted tall.
Now with just weeks till we get final approval of our centerpieces (and it also one of my favorite parts of the reception) and I can't help but think about it.
Here are just two different ideas. While the first one is beautiful, I think I'm over the round type of centerpiece. I really like the last two ones!
Okay, so I admit it, I really pushed for a theme for a shower but I gave my BMs free rein to do what they wanted... except for one thing: the cake. I really wanted the Champagne Cake from a bakery near my house called Plusko's! They did an adorable job decorating it with the colors of the shower quite nicely!
And here is me... pigging out on cake! BOY was it good!
Photos courtesy of BM Kimmy! :)
Just thinking about that cake is making my mouth water! Everyone loved it and am counting down days until I get to have more of that same cake! :)
I know... I'm dancing around posting about my shower! Don't worry, I'm still working on those posts!
But let's talk about the most hated part of the planning (but also one of my favorites!) The thank you card. Earlier I blogged about super cute custom thank you cards from Vista Print! They turned out great and matched with the whole pink/black theme going on!
Only two days after the shower, I'm about halfway done with them. I know, I'm a slacker! :P But It was very fun bringing the whole theme together from start to end! While I really wanted to stamp my heart out, I realized this was the best route to go! Did you make you're own thank you cards for your shower or use pre-made ones?
Last Saturday, two of my BMs and I went for Hair and Makeup trials at Michael Kelley Salon in Camarillo. Since we were running late, we quickly started being apologetic and they were more than wonderful understanding and still keeping our appointments. Melissa, the professional wedding stylist did an amazing job on our hair. I have to admit, she did something I wasn't expecting but it turned out beautiful nonetheless!
As for the girls, she did a modern take on updo's and their hair looked simply Divine!
While I never got to put the little clips I got last Friday in my hair, I threw them on one of my BMs hair and it looked amazing! I might have to get a few more of them! ;)
As for the makeup, it was even more amazing than I could have ever imagined! Erin, the makeup consultant, did the girls' a bit more smokey while I had more lighter hues. Our eyes popped and skin looked flawless! I felt like I wasn't wearing anything! (I would post pics of that but I want it to be a surprise!)
Erin was a delight to work with! She even said she'd bring in a fruit plate and some champagne for Mimosas for us the day of the wedding! Melissa is awesome and really made me get more excited about the big day. I'm really happy I went for my trial! It made me visualize the day off and made me more relaxed!
Did you go for a hair/makeup trial before the wedding? If so, how did it go?
A shower isn't complete unless it has flowers! On Saturday morning, the day before my shower, two of my BMs and I trekked down to LA Flower district for some decorations. After 30 minutes of walking through thousands of blooms, we brought home roses and stargazers and filler.
All the flowers created four different centerpieces that everyone just loved. We even had a few people ask who our florist was so they could use them in the future! :)
See that beautiful table runner? One of my talented BM's created it! She's sooo creative!!!
So, little miss planner did not plan for something and waited to the day before to do something. I forgot to get a hair barrette of some sort for the wedding. No, the wedding isn't tomorrow but the hair trial is.
I grabbed one of my BM's during our lunch break and headed to the mall to find all things sparkly. We found a shop that had hair accessories and quickly went to anything that flashed some sparkles our way. The barrettes and the combs didn't satisfy my tastes so we moved on to the brooches, and while we found one that would work, we decided to look a little more and then we found something similar to this:
Clip on earrings! Yes, you heard that right... CLIP ONS! :) I wanted something to add just a bit a sparkle and thought these would work quite well. We'll see tomorrow.
So ladies... when you can't find anything that isn't just right... head over to the clip on department... you never know what you're going to find!
So, if you knew me personally, you'd know I own a few different blogs. Not only am I Little Miss Planner, I'm also part of the wannabe's at Wanna Be Vinemen and have personal blog with a few friends of mine focusing on nutrition and fitness to help promote a healthy lifestyle. Today, we launched another athletic-geeky blog for an event we will be hosting next summer... Poorman's Halfman.
It's a Half Ironman that isn't sanctioned and put on by ourselves who are in it. Why am I telling you about it? Because I'm lame like that. Already focusing on the next event and how I can be ready for it. Maybe it's a bit of ADHD that I can't just focus on the wedding, or the fact I need to occupy myself since I'm done planning that.
Anyone else find themselves getting sidetracked like me?
FINALLY... while I let out a sigh of relief, and smile from ear to ear, it's finally time for us to book our activities for our honeymoon.
Two nights ago, we booked our diving with the sharks adventure. Last night I booked our Spa Day in Ubud. Tonight we we are booking our Elephant Safari/White Water Rafting/Cycling adventure. I'm jumping for joy that it's really just next month when we will be taking off from LAX and spending countless hours on a plane to get to the other side of the world. Neither of us have never been to another continent and the longest plane trip was 4-5 hours to Hawaii or New York!
I'm excited and just elated that it's all finally coming true! :)
Now I leave you with Romona (the elephant) painting a pretty picture for you!
I know I already picked out my bouquet but it doesn't mean I can't still look. Until today, I never realized there were many different types of bouquets other than cascading and the "round one." Now I know the "round one" really is called nosegays (okay, is it me or is that the most random name EVER). So, for all you brides who haven't gotten to the picking phase, here you go!
Today's wedding bouquets are more personal than ever, running the gamut from classic all-white formal arrangements to unique designs featuring brightly colored flowers. The following are four popular bouquet styles: Nosegays - round clusters of flowers - are a very trendy style of bridal bouquet. Also called a tussie mussie, this style of bouquet dates back to the 14th century, when it was used to mask unpleasant odors - thus the term "nosegay." Nosegays can vary in sophistication and are therefore a good choice for any wedding. Cascade bouquets feature flowers that descend below the main portion of the bouquet design. The voluptuousness of the bouquet is often the main feature of the wedding costume. Cascade bouquets are most often used in formal and traditional weddings. Florists create hand-tied bouquets by placing the stems of the flowers, foliage and accessories in their hand and wrapping them around the center of the design until they are securely fastened. These arrangements are designed to show the natural growth of the stems, which are often wrapped in ribbon or french braided together. Hand-tied bouquets have a more casual air and are particularly nice for garden weddings and brides who like the feeling of an unarranged gathering of flowers. Contemporary bouquets are inspired by unconventional ideas, styles and patterns and are designed with no specific geometric form. They are usually created with flowers that have definite form and add character to a bouquet (such as calla lilies, orchids and anthuriums). Contemporary bouquets represent the individuality of the bride and are perfect for a sophisticated, cosmopolitan style wedding. They're simplistic but have the added grace of asymmetrical design.
A few weeks ago I sent my MOH her dress to get altered and well, she hadn't received it as of the end of last week...
days go by... heart pounds a little more...
and in the middle of the night, I realize I addressed it with her nickname instead of her real name. :| I quickly called yesterday letting her know I "might" have done this and what do you know, the office was holding it for someone with this nickname.
HOORAY...
Moral of the story: never NEVER address packages with nicknames, and make SURE you put your return address on it. :)
I had my first (and hopefully) last nightmare a few nights ago about the day of the wedding. It consisted of forgetting to pick up the rings at the jeweler, losing my dress, waking up 20 minutes before the ceremony, and oh, freaking out and walking the streets. Oh, let's not forget how horrible the reception looked and i had two tables empty! (I have a big fear of that... don't people KNOW how much it costs nowadays?!)
I woke up and couldn't breathe and jumped out of bed, thinking it was really the BIG DAY... then I realized... it wasn't and I still had 40+ days to go.
But talk about scary! Did you ever have nightmares before hand?
One word to describe this time in the engagement period. Where I should be frantic to get stuff done, I am not. Other than stuffing the bags or printing out other misc items, We are done. :) (mental note, blog about programs!)
But I'm still in a blur. I know my shower is coming up and my bachelorette party is too. I'm excited about it, but it just a bit surreal. And because of that feeling, I feel apathetic about stuff. Where I should be focused on making sure my arms and back are in top form, I'm not motivated. Also, where everyone says I'd be more excited for the honeymoon, it still doesn't seem real to me and therefore, I can't get all jazz hands about that either.
Does anyone else get like this? Feeling like they should be doing something but really, there is nothing to do?
the bottom of my dress that is... and I mean that in the nicest way possible. I had my second dress fitting today and I was soo overjoyed to try it on again. This time I actually felt like a bride! I felt sexy and beautiful and well, I felt damn good! I always wondered when I was going to feel like that or if I ever was. While I was admiring myself in the dress, the alteration lady was adding about a million pins. The bottom of my dress was cut up and she was pinning it all together again. She also added my broach to the middle of the dress and BOY does it make a difference! Then I took it a step further and proceeded to put on my veil (which I ADORE!!!!) and necklace and completely gasped how great I felt! It's surreal! The photos that were taken were me, but it just doesn't register that it really is me. Crazy I know.
End result, I LOVE my alteration lady who runs In Stitches (in the San Fernando Valley area) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my dress even more!
How did you feel when you first tried on your dress after the alterations began?
I have long hair. Infact, the last time I remember I had this long of hair I was a senior in high school and my best friend helped chop it off.
When I got engaged, I remember the first thing I thought about is that I want my hair down and want it long again. It's always been a trademark of mine and as much as loved it short (shoulder length) I did love it long.
Having your hair down for a wedding when it's my length, tends to be the only way to go... I mean, what's the point for growing it out if your just going to hide it in a bun? :) So I kept toying with the idea of not going to the salon since I'm so used to curling it and letting it flow but with about a million people telling me that I shouldn't, I buckled under pressure and made an appointment for a hair trial.
I'm not too excited about the trial like every other bride. I just remember my junior prom, sitting in the chair for 3 hours, letting them curl my locks and by the time I got home, the curls were gone...depressed, I ended up recurling it myself. The following year, I decided to do my own hair and was TEN time happier. What makes me think this would be any different? Before I judge, I guess I'll just wait and see. Until then, I needed some inspirational hairstyles to go with:
So... this is my hair for the wedding... down and flowing and curly. For the reception, part of it will be pulled back because I know me and I definitely know the balmy cool nights. A touch of humidity + my SUPER THICK and WAVY hair = POOF BALL!
On Friday we trekked down to the court house and waited for 5 minutes to get our marriage license! We were fortunate to be able to fill out all the paperwork online so when we got there, all they had to do is make us sign stuff, take an oath and them them money. HOORAY!
SOURCE
