Accidental Perfection

People say that the things you want tend to fall into place when you aren't searching for them. For some things, I agree. I wasn't looking for love when Adam stopped in Hawaii to visit, but 1 week in and I was head over heels. I wasn't the girl who was hounding for a ring or hinting at marriage. We were happy with our lives together and I wasn't going to try and shove the relationship in any new direction; and then he proposed.

Now if only this was true of wedding planning....

As you remember from previous posts, I went to a bazillion stores and tried on many dresses at each store before finding my dress... and then it took 6 posts to fill yall in on the process!! Then it took 3 times as long to find the company that was right for my girls' dresses.. which I condensed into 3 posts.

So I've got all these pretty new dresses picked out.... but some of my "staple" clothes in my closet were getting a little.... ok - A LOT worn out. So in a non-wedding planning I-need-new-tank-tops-and-jeans mode I went to Kohls. As I was walking towards the registers I meandered through the mens section and

AH!!!!!!!! (choirs of angels singing... not screaming)

THERE sitting on display beckoning to me with every ounce of color they could muster (muster-not mustard-yellow is not in the color scheme) were the PERFECT ties.

As I've said before, I am not detail oriented. I am also not a perfectionist. If the shade of the guys ties were off.. meh! I wouldn't care. BUT, since I put forth NO effort into this particular moment of perfection, I am quite happy with it!

Of course, the Kohls here in Pcola only had a few, so I called my mother and she went to the Panama City Kohls and cleared them out of theirs... of course we only needed 3 of one and 2 of the other. (2 Dads and 3 Groomsmen who wont be in uniform.) Oh well!

Anyone else STUMBLE on a moment of perfection for their wedding?

Rudimental Registry

I have a pretty little bag from Dillards.... anyone know how I got it?

We registered!! (Only for fancy china, glasses and a few kitchen gizmos so far.. but still!)

Thats Noritake Platinum Wave dishes and Mikasa's Flames di Amore glasses! We think they are a little funky without being so crazy that we will hate them in a few years. I realize that flames and swirls don't necessarily coordinate, but looking into the glass from above lends a swirl effect... and we like 'em so oh well!

And heres a happy shot of us. (I think I'm getting quite good at the arms length photos. I just realized that every picture of the two of us on here I took at arms length. Not too bad if I do say so myself!) No we do not normally coordinate what we are wearing! Except that if we are outside, we always have sunglasses on. My mother hates that. =)

(All images courtesy of Me!)

I know its silly, but registering was really the first "EEk! This is for our wedding!!" moment we've been able to have in the planning stage together. Things like my dress and really falling in love with the venue were done separately. Adam played it cool but I could tell he was pretty happy. The woman there was very sweet and not too pushy. Since we only registered for a few things that we had actually chosen ahead of time, it didn't take very long so was really a relatively enjoyable experience.

How did your first registry experience go?

Blog Bliss: Not always that blissful!

I am an avid Unbride stalker, and will soon post a normal Blog Bliss segment on it... but for now, the downside of blog stalking: The reality check.

Remember how I said that this winter Adam and I will be moving to LA for the next for years? (If not, read here.) Well, just a bit ago, the wonderful Justine of Unbride posted this:

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July 29th, 2008

Yikes you guys, we just had an earthquake! It was a 5.8 and I was in the shower. I jumped out and picked up Oliver and now I still have conditioner in my hair. Everything seems to be okay but there isn’t much phone service.

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E-freaking-gats! I am a Florida girl! Hurricane's are my thing; You get some idea of when they hit and you always know where! (Note to non-hurricane vets - 5 days prior to landfall wherever the weather station predicts the hurricane will go is the safest place to be. As in, Tuesday the news says that Sunday night, Hurricane Bubba will hit Panama City... Panama City will be the best place to be on Sunday because Bubba will have changed course and smack right into NOLA or Pensacola. Almost fool-proof. Oh Lordy - fools out there - ignore please.)

Granted while living in Hawaii, we had some earthquakes. Once, one was SO STRONG, it ALMOST knocked a picture frame over....

I gotta tell ya... this makes me nervous.

Capricious Creativity: Flip Flop Fanatic

Since our wedding is in the sand, and guests have to walk a long ways down an old dock that isn't exactly high heel friendly, AND I'll be barefoot and don't want anyone's spiked heels piercing my foot on the dance floor; I had this great idea....

(Images from Sparkliatti, VUE Photography, Weddingbee, and Weddingbee)

Ok. So I obviously didn't come up with the idea, but I sure like it! So we knew we wanted a basket of flip flops for our guests, and then I saw these on Its a Jaime Thing....
I love the labels on the heel! At this point I've been tempted by many a Weddingbee to get a Xyron machine and make some personal labels. I was looking at where to get them and how much they cost when my sister pointed out that stickers in shoes tend to peel off and then adhere themselves to the wearer's heels...hmmm... I think I'll avoid that potentially sticky situation (pun intended! =) ).

Enter a Joanne's summer sale. $3.99 for 3 pair of flip flops... count me in! My mother wiped out the Panama City Joanne's and I put a dent in the Pensacola's stock.

Still unsure of exactly what I wanted to do, I grabbed a puff paint thing I had around the house and with "When We Left Earth" playing in the background...

oops - Now one where I knew the picture was being taken...

Anyone notice that these match my colors? =)

About an hour later... voila! All 25 of the pairs I had were done!

Not exactly a creative or difficult DIY, but I did it myself! On to creating signs and figuring out what baskets to put them in.

Anyone else really proud of a really simple DIY?

Other People's Kids.... and Wedding Nightmares

Remember my wedding nightmare/dream about Jack Arute (Indy Racing commentator) being my wedding planner? I've got nothing on Miss Candy Corn from Weddingbee who tells about her most recent hilarious nightmare:
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Who Knew Hair Gel Could Be So Terrifying?

July 28th, 2008 @ 2:01 pm by Miss Candy Corn

A visual summary of the strange happenings that took place in my first major wedding nightmare.

I had my first truly horrific wedding nightmare last night. I’ve been used to having wedding nightmares since about the 6 month mark, most of which consist of me not having enough time to get my dress on and having to go down the aisle in ripped jeans, no makeup and total bedhead.

This nightmare, however, was different. It seemed to be a pretty harmless wedding dream at first. I was getting my hair done by my stylist with my mom in the girl’s changing room, and suddenly I realized I was pregnant. I immediately started freaking out and told my mom “I think I’m pregnant!” and she was like “honey, calm down and talk to your father.” As a sidenote, the thought of getting pregnant scares the hell out of me, so at this point I was already crapping my candy-coated pants. So I race over to my dad, and by the time I get to him my stomach has swollen up to the point of popping and he asks me what’s wrong. I tell him “Dad, I’m pregnant!” and he lectures me about how he told me if I got my hair done by a stylist I would certainly get pregnant as a side effect, so he immediately storms out yelling about how he is going to go watch the new Karate Kid movie (??!) and to have a “great FAVORING wedding.”

I run to find Mr. Candy Corn, who told me I wasn’t allowed to see him on the big day, but I figure since I’m pregnant and suddenly about to give birth, he’d probably want to be in the know. I knock on his door and his groomsmen tell me he’s busy applying hair gel and that I should leave him alone. I barge in with my huge-arse belly, only to discover Mr. Candy Corn applying some sort of acidic substance to his hair that is making him go bald in spots, with massive patches of the scariest head acne I’ve ever witnessed in my dream-life! I yell “STOP WITH THE HAIR GEL!” and he gives me a “huh?” face and turns around to look at his hair in the mirror and says it’ll be fine and that he can just do a comb over. This results in me ranting about how our baby does NOT need a daddy with a comb over! Mr. Candy Corn just stares at me blankly and tells me to go handle the “situation” in the main reception room.Not knowing what he’s talking about, I run out to the reception area to discover Omar, the gay shotgun-toting stick-up man from HBO’s The Wire, holding the guests who arrived early hostage. The strange part is, I am completely horrified that people have already arrived and I’m not even wearing my dress or makeup yet, so I run away and leave our guests at gunpoint while I stampede through the empty halls of the museum screaming about hair gel.

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ahahahahaha!! I love that she left her guests at gunpoint! And that her Dad's reasoning for her insta-pregnancy is hair styling side effect!

The Key to Creativity: Kee2Creativity Invites!

Monday Morning Pick-Me-Up! hmm... this is the second pick-me-up post in a row.... anyone else feeling like this next weekend needs to last a week or two?

One of my blog stalkings posted about this great design company...nothing too unusual... until you look at the designs. Many thanks to the Handcrafted Wedding for posting about Kee2Creativity and their edgy invites. Here are a few of my favorites from the Chocolate Collection:

Loving the flowers that somehow aren't really "girly"

Anyone else seeing the animal skin (snake? alligator?) print on the pocket-fold? Anyone else think that rocks?

Just a touch of edgy for the more tame-tasted.

A corset styled one for those with a more risque pallet. (eerrr - considering the necklace hanging next to it, this might actually be more of a fashion thing than a risque bit. See how non-fashionista I am?!)

Maybe the most edgy with the tribal lines, but it sure makes a statement!

Kee2Creativity also does custom work if nothing in their collection strikes you as being exactly what you'd want. As I've said before, the papery aspect of our wedding isn't a splurge point, but if I had $7 per invite set to spend... i'd spend it here in a heartbeat.

Wedding Video Pick-Me-Up

For anyone who needs a little wedding related pick-me-up... read and watch...

So this weekend has been more about finishing up wedding tasks, finalizing Save the Date designs, gathering guest addresses and formatting them right, trying to figure out where we are going to register, etc. Some things have been rather tedious and some a little disappointing (I'll post about those details in a bit.)

Up until this weekend, my wedding planning has been pretty lighthearted fun. A few squabbles with my parents about what is or is not reasonable to pay for. (Keep in mind - I AM the one saying "thats unreasonable!" and my parents saying "we want it!" Yeah, thats my bassackwards family for ya.) But this weekend has really been the first time I didn't want to hear ANYTHING my mother had to say related to the wedding because she's nagging me to finish details. Well through my blog stalkings, I followed the link to watch that couple's video, and then watched a few on the videographer's blog.

As I've said before, I don't really like most wedding videos. Well StillMotion has a unique view and some fun videos. Its like watching a movie trailer / filming of a magazine photo shoot. Then I scrolled down and watched their compilation.

Anyone who needs a little pick-me-up for weddings... WATCH and enjoy.

Welcome to StillMotion!

Welcome to StillMotion - the Demo from Patrick Moreau on Vimeo.

A link to the HD version on Vimeo.

Ahhh... wedding video goodness = good feelings = ready to take on more tedious tasks since it'll lead to my version of those moments.

Feel better?

Gorgeous Garters Galore!

Tossing the bouquet and garter are two traditions we are skipping, (any guests of the wedding reading this -now you know). [One too many very awkward moments of dragging the singles out on the floor and me either ducking, or holding up my younger cousin so she could try and catch it.] This being said, I will be carrying a bouquet and will be wearing a garter. In true Blog Bliss style Esty's Wedding Blog popped up with this fun garter in its post.
Well, I happen to be a fan of the star shaped flowers in the middle. But I am also not real big on lace, so I decided to see what else that shop (Rose Tree Garters on Etsy)had. (We all know that I am an Etsy fan already.... etsy virgins beware - it can be addictive!) And ooo the fun I found.
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Adam - if you don't want to see what my top choices are - no more scrolling for you!
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Liking the simplicity of this and the fun pearly thing.

This was a little more tropical and fun.

This one is in silk shantung and sure it purdy! =)

And this one just might solve my Penny Conundrum!

Best thing - Rose Tree Garters does custom orders! Oh yeah, and most of these are under $20 and are still heirloom quality in whatever style really fits my (or your) personality best!!

Anyone else lovin' some Etsy for their wedding?

Guest-tastic Segways!

As I mentioned before I spent a weekend recently at the Marriott Grand in Fairhope, AL. While we were there with my parents, we did a segway tour. And before you think that I am wandering into Non-Wedding Related territory... don't worry, I will segway into how this deals with the wedding. (hehhehe. Ok. You know I had to toss that in there.)

This is how the day began....

And this was how the afternoon ended....

Good day huh? ;)

And for anyone who things that Segways are only for the young and agile... think again!
Below are my parents and Adam and I.

We toured all around Fairhope and saw old school houses and museums etc.

And, as you can see from this terrible photo of me, they aren't for paved surfaces only.

And you can multi-task! =) I thought this was too funny not to take a picture of.

So the point of this is that we decided it was a really fun thing for everyone. Simple, easy, fun, and different. Bay Point Marriott, our all in one wedding venue, is not a small place. Golf carts runamuck since it can be a bit far to walk, and with gas prices as they are, too short to drive.... so... we want to offer Segway tours to our guests!!! We are just looking into it so I don't know if it'll be a reality or not, but whatcha think? Completely nerdy and pointless? Or fun and unique?

Would like to avoid seeming like this. =)

Dressin the girls Pt 3: FINALLY!

VICTORY IS MINE!!

I finally found 1 company with 2 great blues, and lots of dress choices!!! Ah the wonderful world of 1 umbrella company that has 3 dress companies within it! Dessy!!

I got swatches in the mail and that just sealed the deal! This is Dessy's Ocean Blue in stretch charmeuse, and Turquoise in organdy... aka - MY COLORS!!! (No, not turquoise as in the stone but more of an aqua.)Sorry for the oh-so-sorry lighting and background.

So I sent the link to my girls and after some reminding emails.... a few phone calls... a few more emails.... some texts messages.... and one more email they finally picked their dresses! (All I have to say is you wouldn't think it would be more difficult to make people happy by giving them options!! oof! Ok - enough ranting.) The dresses!



Ok, so you might be thinking a few things look odd. Well, the colors are done via their magic java coloring gadget online, so they don't look quite right. They will indeed match. The 2nd (shorten to tea length) and 4th ones will be in Ocean Blue, with the 1st and 3rd in Turquoise. Also might be thinking "huh - 4 dresses... I thought there were 5 girls." You would indeed be right! Way to go eagle eye! 2 of the girls picked the same dress (#3). ahh - all is right in the wedding world... for now. ;)

Anyone else end up being thrilled with their finds? Or less than thrilled about people's reactions?

Dressin the girls Pt 2: 2 colors, 1 company

After we decided our colors of Aqua and Ocean Blue, it was time to start looking for a company to get dresses from! I had few requirements for the company to be picked:

• Have a light AND a dark blue that I liked (and would coordinate together).
• Have several different styles of dress options for each body type because no 2 bridesmaid of mine have the same body types.
• Be reasonably priced.

You really wouldn't think it would be THAT hard!! It literally took me from JANUARY until JUNE to find the company we were going to go with. Many companies had some great blues!! But each company had a beautiful dark blue that I loved, but their light blue was baby. Or they had a great aqua-ish color, but their dark blue was blah-navy. Or - they had both and cost a small fortune!

I found this one while I was shopping for my dress and was a big fan of the fabric detailing. Unfortunately, it was a bit green, limited in styles, and the coordinating light blue was baby blah.

This one I found at the shop where I found my dress. It was fun, but only came in a few styles that were all a bit....unsupportive for anyone bigger than me.

I loved this blue from Alfred Angelo! Unfortunately, it only comes in taffeta, which only comes in 7 styles, none of which I, or any of my girls were much of a fan of.

I am a fan of Ann Taylor, so why not look into her dresses? Ahh - Because they are more of a slate blue, and less of the lighthearted colors I was going for.

Jim Hjelm has a zillion designs so there must be something for everyone... as long as you've got a large dress budget. If you do, they have some really unique designs and colors... needless to say, this is not the budget range I am aiming for.

Another pretty Jim Hjelm that is a great blue, at a grand price.

And then, through a bridal blog I stalk but can't remember at the moment, I found Lynn Lugo custom dresses.

More Lynn Lugo in beautiful blues and great styles!! I love the small details that really them a coordinating set when standing together, but still look fun individually.

I ordered Lynn Lugo samples and fell in love with ALL of her blues! I was ready right then and there to tell the girls pick any blue and design your own dress!... and then I looked at the pricing details and was crushed. It was not CRAZY expensive, but more than I'd ask anyone to pay.

At this point I was ready to give up and find one dress and let them be matchy-matchy even though I hate that. Anyone find it harder to dress the girls than the bride?