Olive Weddings

Announcing My New Blog...

2010-11-14T23:29:00.001-05:00

I've moved!

Come follow me here at The Butterfly Cottage!

Don't forget to update your readers, too!

Livin' up to Mah Namesake: Brooch Bouquets

2010-09-29T10:24:00.002-04:00

So I'm Miss Brooch, right and what's a new wedding trend?

Brooch bouquets!

Did you think I was going to let you down and not live up to mah namesake? No way! This is something I must undertake, it's only right. I have to be honest though, and say I'm not totally crazy about the all-brooch bouquets, but I do like the idea of having a few brooches in the bouquets. Especially because I collect butterfly brooches and have waiting my whole life to find a good use for them.

The butterfly brooches (and maybe some other random vintage brooches) will hopefully compliment our garden chic theme, and maybe this little idea provides some beautiful bouquet photos.

Here's a few favorites from my inspiration file:

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How do you feel about brooch bouquets?

Did you add brooches to your bouquets?

New Takes on Tradition

2010-09-28T14:30:00.000-04:00

We really want our wedding to be a unique and fun experience for our guests, and some of the age-old traditions, like the garter and bouquet toss don't really excite Mr. B and me. We want to do something a little different during our reception, like Mrs. Hot Wings' deal or no deal game.

We are still very much in the discussion stage of this and haven't ruled out (or made any final decisions) on our ideas, but we have tossed around quite a few ideas, which I would love to run past you gals for your opinion!

The Anniversary Dance:

First, I have to admit, this idea wasn't mine. I heard about it from my genius co-bride (my coworkers whose also engaged). We have very different styles, but every now and then one of us comes up with an idea the other has got to snag. (Confession: She does most of the brainstorming, I do most of the snagging!)

The Anniversary Dance is when all the married couples join the new bride and groom in a dance, and the MC eliminates couples based on the length of time they've been married. Eventually the couple married the longest is left dancing alongside the new couple and the reward (besides our total admiration) is the bride's bouquet! You can read more about this idea here at the Knot.

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The Newlywed Game:

We're also thinking about trying The Newlywed Game. We did something similiar at our engagement party where guests asked us questions about each other. In this verison, the MC will ask us certain questions and we will raise a flag (pink for the bride and blue for the groom) to answer. I got the idea from here from Thao and Robert's blog.

It really looks like a lot of fun and I think our guests will be entertained!

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Check out other new takes on tradition here on Weddingbee.

Are you keeping with the bouquet and garter toss tradition?

If not please share your wedding day games and/or activities.

Our Save the Dates: Are Finally Done!

2010-09-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

Whew! That project was a lot more work than I anticipated, but so much fun! I still can't believe we did it. We made our own Save the Dates! Yay! Fabulous ones, too! Big, lovely magnets with our awesome engagement photos on them. Double score! Now, since I made you wait so long to see the final product, I thought I'd let my adorable pup, Rocko share the first look. Isn't he cute?

I'm so happy with the way that the envelopes turned out. Especially the labels.

It's what's inside that counts, though.

We chose three different designs for the magnets.

The first is my favorite:

Notice that we rounded the corners, like Mrs. Sunrise!

Here you can see the piles.

I'm so glad we're not having a big wedding (well, not too big).

I can't imagine making 200 of these puppies!

All ready to go! We just have to stamp 'em!

Tell me about your save the dates.

Did you make magnets? How did you package them?

Our Save the Dates: The Legwork

2010-09-26T12:08:00.006-04:00

Beware: This is a picture-heavy post...

Before revealing our Save the Dates, I thought would share the how-to story. That way you have to suffer with me through the process, just as I did (muahaha!). Remember, I explained the roadblocks and hiccups we experienced trying to put them together? Well, they did, eventually, come together, one step at a time!

Step One: Making the Envelope Pretty:

Save the Date Stamp

Inkpad

Embossing Ink

Heating Tool

Lightly stamp the top left corner of each envelope:

Cover the stamped area with embossing powder:

Dump the excess embossing powder from the envelope:

Note: I flicked the paper a few times to get rid of the excess powder and quickly learned that is not the best method. It causes some of the powder to fall off of the stamp part, which is actually where you want the embossing powder to stay! A much better idea is to blow on the paper, which clears the extra powder, but allows the bulk of it to stick to the stamp.

Heat the portion of the envelope with the stamp + embossing powder with the heater and voila:

Step Two: Dressing the Magnet:

Ribbon (we chose green to match our envelopes)

Cardstock

Corner Rounder Punch

Computer + Ink

I knew I wanted to include a small note in with our save the dates. It wasn't enough for me to just throw the magnet in an envelope. So using the ribbon below, we tied a bow to hold our note.

I typed "Please Visit OurWebsite" in two columns in a document on the computer and printed it on cardstock. I cut up the pieces using a cutting board and rounded the corners:

Using a hole puncher, I put a whole in each note so that we could attach it to the ribbon. Here are a few pictures of Mama Brooch assembling the ribbon and labels:

Step Three: Addressing the Envelopes:

Computer

Printer

Cutting board

Sticker Machine

This was the last piece of the puzzle. I just had to figure out how to address the envelopes and we were done! At first, I was going to use the label below found via The Knotty Bride, but the polka dots weren't quite what I had in mind. Problem is this was the ONLY pink address label (free printable label, that is) I could find online:

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It took me about a day to figure out something better. Something told me to try to make the label myself on the computer... We've all had those moments, huh? So I hopped on Microsoft Word and started playing around, adding text boxes, and borders.

Low and behold, my own little perfect labels:

I ran each label through the sticker machine, because it's only 2.5 inches wide (And guess what? I broke one trying to refill it! It was definitely not pretty! Woosah!). Eventually, I bought full sheet labels. It was a lot faster and more cost effective than the sticker machine.

Then, finally, after all the pieces where in the envelope, I sealed it with the label:

How did you create your Save the Dates?

Stay Tuned, Up Next: The Reveal

*Sorry for the picture quality. Our website and wedding date, names, everything was on everything! I had to do some major blurring, hopefully you don't mind.

Our Save the Dates: A Sneek Peak

2010-09-25T21:14:00.002-04:00

It took me forever to figure out what I wanted to do for our save the dates. Starting was difficult. When I thought I decided, I would change my mind , and then change my mind again. I would start a project or get a really good idea, get discouraged, and be back at square one.

Know what saved me? Weddingbee. Mrs. Sunrise, in particular shared her fabulous DIY save the date magnets and envelopes, and I was inspired! I literally ran home to re-start ours and get them done. Once and for all.

It didn't go as smoothly as I would have hoped. I hit quite a few roadblocks. The first being finding a program that would allow me to add text to our pictures. Again, know what saved me? Yup, Weddingbee. I started a thread on the boards - literally desperate - asking for advice on design programs (that didn't involve knowing adobe programs like photoshop or having a mac). Someone told me about picnik and I am forever indebted! Wow! What an awesome website! I can't say enough good things about it. It was exactly what I needed. My saving grace.

Once I got our picture squared away, it was time to submit it for the magnet. I ordered about 25 just to test them and guess what? They were hideous. Seriously, we looked like martians. We were orange. I guess I got a little too carried away on picnik and enhanced the colors too much. I also added a border (which the Overnight Prints strongly recommends you do not do), and geez, I thought, "Can we please catch a break!" It felt like we were never going to get them done.

Mr. B encouraged me to contact Overnight Prints and ask for a refund. They did even better by offering to reprint them, walk me through the process, approve my image, and guarantee good quality.When they arrived, everyone fell in love. We were so happy too, because we finally had pretty save the dates. We finally had something to work with. Finally, something went our way. So we ordered a bunch more.

Think the struggles ended there? Think again.

There was the packaging to consider. If I thought getting started and designing the save the date was tough, I didn't know what was coming! Figuring out how to decorate the save the date (just putting the magnet in the envelope was out of the question) and embellishing the envelope (heck, picking out the envelopes), was like opening up a whole 'nother can of worms.

To make a long story short, after three trips to Paper Source, two trips to AC Moore, and some serious fiddling with Microsoft Word (to create the labels), I finally had it all figured out. You can just image my excitement when it came time to assemble!!

This was what my workspace looked like (actually, it was a lot messier, but you get the idea):

Note all of the supplies. Who knew making your own save the dates would entail so much? I had a cutting board, sticker maker, corner rounder (or whatever you call that thing), ribbon, save the date stamp and ink pad, scissors, and um, oh yeah, the embossing heater, which is not pictured here (links to all of these things will be in my next post).

Also, note the coffee. I tend to drink a lot of coffee when I'm slaving away on big projects. I was cutting, then sipping, stamping, then sipping, embossing, then sipping, rounding corners, tying bows, and you guessed it, sipping.

The coffee was working, too. See how much progress I made. Definitely on a roll:

I don't want to spoil the surprise, but here's a little sneak peek of the actual save the date:

I couldn't be happier with the final result and seriously - I never thought I'd be able to say that. This was definitely a labor of love and my advice to other brides out there is to start early! I'm doing these just a week before they need to be sent out, which was not a good idea. We're way too close to the deadline and that's stressful. I've learned my lesson. I know the invitations are going to be way worse, too, so that means I need to start, um, yeah, pretty much yesterday.

A bride's work is never done!

Did you hit any roadblocks in the process of creating your save the dates? What saved you?

Figuring Out Who Pays For What

2010-09-23T21:06:00.001-04:00

Like many of you, I was ready to start planning my wedding before I even got engaged... And when I got engaged, I was doubly ready for the job! I started off on the most commonly known websites like The Knot and reading magazines like Brides and Get Married, and started thinking about everything from table linens to playlists.

The first few weeks, I took The Knot's checklist so seriously to the point, I printed it out and checked it pretty much everyday. Hmm, what can I click "done" for now!! And one of the bullets that remained on the checklist for a long (very long) time was Budget: Figure Out Who Pays For What.

I know this is kind of a touchy subject and like Mrs. Sloth mentioned, it's not polite to talk about money necessarily, but this was a big deal and has remained a big deal for Mr. B and I since day one. We didn't have any idea 1. how we were going to pay for our wedding and 2. who would help us make it happen.

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We both sort of assumed our parents would chip in, but we didn't know to what extent. And neither of us, especially me, were prepared to ask the right questions to get answers. Deep down, I really, really, I mean, really hoped my dad would be one of those dads that said, "Money's no object. Just get what you want and foot me the bill," but apart of me knew it wouldn't go down like that.

For awhile, I sat on the "Budget" issue and prayed he would come to me. I really wanted our experience to play out like the scenes in Father of the Bride, when the mom and daughter hired a planner, and the whole family took part in the planning. That's not quite how it happened, though.

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It took my parents awhile to warm up to the idea of me getting married anyway, and when I say awhile, I mean months. We talked about the date of the wedding for a long time before we even got to the budget part. This made planning really difficult too, not knowing a date and how much we had to spend, but I stuck it out and vented to the hive, and yes, I lived, even on days when I wasn't sure I would (live without a wedding date and budget, that is).

Finally, a few weeks (I think it was) after we finally settled on a date, I got up the courage to ask my dad the big question: Are you going to help? How much can you contribute?

Meanwhile...

I'm puking (not literally), praying, and on the verge of tears, anxious and scared. Feeling everything. This was the moment of truth.

My dad: "We're definitely going to help. We're planning too."

*Crickets*

Fast forward a few weeks and I'm ranting to everyone from coworkers to friends about how I can't plan a wedding without a budget - hello! So, I really didn't have much of choice. I had to ask the question again: "Dad, we're getting to a point where we need to know much we have overall. Do you have any ideas how much you can contribute."

My dad: "Well, I'm not really sure. We'll look into it."

Ugh! Seriously.

It was a really trying time to be honest. It was kind of dark time, too. I cried a lot. Especially when we watched shows like Platinum Weddings. "Bu-bu-but why can't we have a wedding like that?"

I also grew kind of resentful since I'd always kind of assumed my dad would pay the bulk. Him and my stepmom had a very large and traditional wedding just a little over 10 years ago, and that made me wonder what the heck was going through their minds.

I'm sharing this in hopes that someone out there, anyone, has experienced something similiar. I want to tell you that my dad finally did give us a number, although vaguely. We decided to chose one aspect of our wedding that would cost approximately the amount he was willing to give, and let him own that.

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I know I might sound like a spoiled brat to some of you that aren't getting any support from your parents, and I hope you don't think I'm judging your situation. I just wanted to share about some of the more challenging aspects of the planning, especially in the early stages when us brides are so excited, and yet so fragile.

How did you handle figuring out who pays for what?

Shoes That Make My Heart Flutter

2010-09-23T15:23:00.001-04:00

I used to wear heels all the time. When I was in high school, I always tried to dress nice. Even though it didn't always come together perfectly, I tried. Luckily, my friends were some of the school's fiercest fashionistas and they always encouraged me to dress well.

We all loved buying shoes. And I've alwasy been a sticklet for the highest heels.

My legs are my best feature and everyone knows a high heel accentuates the legs. As a matter of fact, the weekend I met Mr. B, I wore nothing but platforms.

A few years ago, my perfect wedding shoes would have looked something like this:

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or this:

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Nowadays, my style is much different. While I still love getting in a pretty pair of heels for an evening on the town or out with my hubs, my everday wear is definitely flat. I work in an office, so I don't have to do a lot of walking around, but I walk to a bus every morning and I need to be comfortable.

The same goes for our wedding day. I don't want stingy feet or ouchy blisters!

But there's another reason I won't be making a cameo in heels on our wedding day and it has to do with Mr. B: we're the same height. No, I'm lying. He's probably an inch or two shorter than me. Our pictures (and everything) would like really weird if I was towering over him.

So more than likely, I'll be in a pair of lovely flats like these:

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Or some pretty open-toesy ones like these:

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Or more than likely, my absolute favorites, these:

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What type of shoe are you wearing?

Is your man shorter than you? Will you wear heels or flats?

Looming Projects and Decisions

2010-09-22T17:21:00.000-04:00

One of the awesome things about being a bride blogger is connecting with other brides. I've seen more wedding inspiration than I knew existed. There's a lot out there! And it's not just brides coming up with exciting ideas either, the wedding industry has jumped onboard too, with places like The Knot and Brides magazine joining the ranks and providing innovative ways to personalize a girl's big day.

One of the not-so awesome things about this wave of inspiration: overkill. Some girls might not have a problem with this, because maybe they know what they want, or know when to stop looking, but for a big time procrastinatior and personwholikestoobsess-or, like myself, all of the inspiration can be overwhelming.

Let me re-phrase: all of the inspiation can be parallelizing.

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Over the last year or so that I've know about wedding blogs and read them, I've accumulated quite the list of projects I want to do. Little and big stuff. Everything from sewing the ring bearer pillow to creating bathroom baskets. Not to mention, the save the dates, invitations, programs, blah, blah, blah, the list goes on. It's madness, really. And instead of checking things off the list, I'm adding to it.

Do you do this too?

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I might be able to deal with the overwhelming amount of inspiration and long list of projects I want to do, if there wasn't an equally long list of things I have to do. Namely, choose a wedding gown, find a DJ, hire a florist... Need I say more?

Am I the only one behind on this stuff?

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Mama brooch told me when I get overwhelmed with my To do List, I need to make a "Did It" list. Yes, just to make myself feel better (aren't moms great?). No seriously, it helps. It puts things in persepective,for me, at least.

Even though a lot of the little stuff aforementioned stuff hasn't been done, some really big stuff has been.

We picked the date

Found our venue

Chose a caterer &

Hired a planner. More on the latter two later. That's big! Right? We've also been feverishly stacking our dough so that when it comes time to do all the litte stuff, we've got the money to pay for it to happen.

I'm such a to do List freak though. A "Did It" list hardly satisfies my craving to do something... With that being said, I'm going to try my darnest to get some wedding-related tasks done and report back with even just a few less looming projects and decisions.

Are there any other brides that feel overwhelmed by their to do list?

Any advice on how to get some of this stuff done?

Picking a Wedding Date

2010-08-29T13:27:00.000-04:00

Picking a Date:

Mr. Brooch and I only planned to have a one-year engagement. He proposed in October of 2009, and thought we'd get married the following October. The problem was that right away, we were faced with a laundry list of tasks to execute to make our dream wedding come to life, and that meant we had a lot of decisions to make and a lot of money to spend.

We also had a lot of people to please. Our parents in particular, because we are their first children in our families to get married. Well, my parents in particlar. My dad and my stepmom in particular were both very – how shall I say – hesitant to sign up for a year engagement. They kept asking, “What’s the rush?”

It was really important to me to have my parents onboard full out. I didn’t want there to be any hesitation from anyone on my wedding day. It was a really tough thing though because Mr. Brooch and I wanted to be the ones to chose our wedding day (duh!) and do what's best for us (he’s not a people pleaser like me), but in the end, I think it was more important for us to submit to our parents and give it a few more months.

I’m not going lie and say I’ve never felt sad thinking about how far off our wedding day was (like last spring, for instance it was a total downer having been engaged 6 months and know there’s another 12 months to go), but it’s par for the course. I think it's a testiment to the nature of the beast of weddings, isn't it? We have to take into account other people and especially our families-whether that be by honoring traditions or submitting to their suggestions and wishes.

Would have been easy for me to get upset that I wasn't getting my way? Definitely. But there's a silver lining. A few as a matter of fact and today, we're really actually glad we went with their advice because we've had more more time to save and plan.

I also have no doubt that when our wedding day finally does roll around, we’re going to have that feeling like, “Wow! It’s finally here!” That's going to be a wonderful thing!

It’s also kind of cool that our engagement was in the fall and our wedding will be in the spring! Every year when it starts to get cooler, we’ll be thinking back on the day Mr. Brooch proposed, and when it starts to get warmer, we’ll be thinking back on our wedding! Yay for celebrations of our relationship all year long!

Did I mention how much I love spring/garden details?

Check out some of this awesome spring inspiration:

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Here's are some cool bits of advice from The Knot has on "Engagement To-Dos: Picking the Perfect Date"

-considering marrying on the day your grandparents did (go with sentimental if you can)

-consider your wedding personality (for flip-flops pick summer and for cider pick fall)

Here's what Elizabeth Anne Designs Wedvice says on "Day by Day Picking your Date"

-be flexible and don't pick a date unless you have to

-give yourself a big window, such as 2 to 3 months

-consider the discounts that apply to weekday or Sunday weddings

OH, I love this bit of advice

-Remember the one cardinal rule of wedding planning: you will never please everyone.

Project Wedding says "Don't get married on these days"

-9/11 and April Fool's Day

-During big sporting events ... hmm! Hadn't thought of that!

How did you pick your wedding date?

How long is your engagement?

I Cried When We Found Our Venue (Tears of Joy!)

2010-08-28T09:13:00.004-04:00

Picking a Venue:

I was absolutely overwhelmed by the wide variety of reception venues there are to choose from in the DC, Virginia, and Maryland (often referred to as DMV) area. What kind of wedding did we want?

Quaint? Like the Hendry House?

Grand? National Museum of Woman in the Arts?

Modern? Torpedo Factory Art Center?

I just didn’t know!

With so many choices, I thought I’d never be able to decide, but I found visiting the venues really helpful. It’s one thing to look at places online and it’s a whole different to see it in person. By going to a venue, we were able to find out the details (like cost and space), which sometimes completely eliminated a choice from our list because of our budget and size.

Ironically, we did not find out venue looking at venues!

We found it attending a bridal show! After checking out various venues one Saturday, we headed to our first ever bridal show. I was so excited, because I had never been to know and was dying to see what they were all about!

When we pulled into the parking lot of Oxon Hill Manor, I told Mr. Brooch, "By the way, this place is a venue. People have weddings here!" I spoke those words with no sort of motive or inkling that we were going to fall in love with the place...

Not two steps out of the car, Mr. Brooch turns to me and says, "This is my dream house!" We walked into the foyer and even though there was a lot going on (dozens of vendors, lots of people, and music playing) we stood in awe. We couldn't believe our eyes! This place is gorgeous!!

We weren't there 10 minutes before we turned to each other and confessed how impressed we were. Big wide open doors in the dining room beckoned us outside and that's when were really swept off our feet! We were stunned by the gigantic patio with gardens all around, trees in the distance surrounding the property, and a view of the Potomac river! We didn't need to say much to each other because we know the other's sentiment - this is it!

We put our excitement to the side and continued walking around to talk to different vendors. We fell in love with a crab dip from Putting on the Ritz Catering and really enjoyed talking to their rep. I was having a ball, tasting cakes and talking to various florists.

Eventually, I picked up a packet for the house and we braced ourselves...

We thought for sure this place was going to cost more than we could afford! To our surprise (and giggling excitement), it was a lot cheaper than many of the other venues we've seen and researched! It was comparable, for sure, which was a huge relief. So many places we researched were automatically ruled out because of the cost, this a good sign!

I told Mr. Brooch, "I have to see the bridal suite," which was advertised in the brochure. We inquired about it, and were pointed down the hallway to a windy staircase (with a beautiful rod iron handle) and I tell you no lie--I cried when I got to the top of those steps!

It sounds cliché, but I became so overwhelmed with joy and excitement that tears literally streamed down my face! I loved the elegance of the room. It wasn't too big, but wasn't too small. There is a couch, two chairs, a long mirror, nice bathroom, and best of all, a window view to the patio! Everything I'd wanted. I started crying even harder and sobbing to Mr. Brooch when I realized they had tissues on the coffee table.

"They even have tissues!!!" I said.

It was a moment I'll never forget. One of those moments you read about, but don't quite grasp. It felt real. This wedding thing, this getting married thing, just felt very real and very exciting all at one time. It was beautiful! It was magical! I can't wait until the day I step back into that room!

Check out these pictures of the venue (there's lots more on the way!):

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One last thing!

For me no venue considerations are complete without a look at a few real weddings! Through a quick online search, I discovered a ton of gorgeous and diverse weddings that took place at Oxon Hill. Have you searched for pictures of real weddings at your venue? I highly recommend it!

Regetis Photography

Jennifer at Love Life Images

Jan Michele Photography

Laura Kay Photography

Man, I have to take a deep breath looking through these pictures because I get so excited!! Especially this last photo! That's the moment every girl waits for!

How did you decide on your venue?

Did you find it by accident?

A Storybook Proposal

2010-08-26T16:06:00.003-04:00

Mr. Brooch's proposal was something straight out of a storybook...

(Please pardon the length of this post, I just didn't want to leave out any of the juicy details!)

He took me out of state to pop the big question, but not to just any state. A place where my father and my grandmother grew up. A place I hold dear to my heart... Tennessee. I visited a lot when I was young to see family and (more often) to go to University of Tennessee football games.

Mr. Brooch, on the other hand, went to Tennessee for a different reason. His family has been attending the International Storytelling Festival in historic Jonesborough every year since 1991. As a part of their family tradition, they stayed in the Hawley Bed & Breakfast, which just so happens to be Tennessee's oldest building in Tennessee's oldest town.

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Lodging at the Hawley B&B is kind of a big deal because not just anyone can stay there. It's located at the top of a hill, literally overlooking historic Jonesborough. The town is hardly big enough to sleep the thousands that flock there for the festival, so staying at the Hawley House is a privelage.

The owner, Marcy, is the most adorable woman I think I've ever met, and her B&B is the most cozy and inviting one I've ever been to. It has all the fixings of a great Southern escape, with a wraparound porch, antique furniture, and believe it or not, there's even a train track right out front!

When I got there, I was really impressed! Mr. Brooch hit the nail on the head. This place was every bit of everything I love, and just when I thought I had seen it all, he escorted me to the "Butterfly Cottage."

A Place With My Name Written All Over It

Let me pause there and just say that I'm a butterfly freak. I know there's a lot of girls running around with a claim to love butterflies and a tattoo to prove it (something I do not have), but I truly do heart the deliciate creatures. Anyone who knows me, knows this so staying in the Butterfly Cottage was heaven!!!

The one bedroom was the most quaint house I'd ever been in!! It had a cute kitchen, beautiful mismatched furniture, butterfly touches everywhere, and a bed that made you want to dive right in!

Spoiling the Surprise, Almost!

Our first night there, Mr. Brooch and I spent a few hours lounging on the front porch of the main house. It was really nice, and I wanted him to open a card I bought for him a few days before. I offered to go get it from the cottage in his bag, but he asserted, "No, you can't go up there!" I could tell he was hiding something and I have to admit, I got really curious. At that point, I insisted.

Reluctantly, Mr. Brooch let me go, but I know he was praying to God that I didn't snoop. The thing is, I didn't have to. As soon as I pulled out his bag and unzipped the side pocket, I saw it - the ring box!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I could not believe my eyes!!!!

I didn't know what to do! I wanted to call my mom or call my best friend (someone!), but I had no time. I had to get back to Mr. Brooch and wipe the smile (and shock) off my face fast! So I grabbed the card and headed back to him. (In case you're wondering, I did not look inside the box!)

The rest of the evening, I was an emotional mess. I kept starring at Mr. Brooch with teary eyes and he didn't know what was wrong! I didn't want to let the cat out of the bag, so I just played the must-be-that-time-of-month card. I kept telling him, "I'm so happy. This is all so nice. I love it here."

The Signs Kept Coming, But I Didn't See Them

The first words out of Mr. Brooch's mouth the next morning were, "October third two thousand and ten!" He said it with such excitement and pride, and I was thinking, what's the big deal? After his shower, he ironed a nice button-down shirt and he shaved. He kept asking if he looked alright and I was like, "It's 7am on a Saturday morning. Are you kidding?"

He really tried to persuade me to dress up too. He said, "This breakfast is kind of a big deal you might want to put something nice on." I had one nice outfit for the weekend and I was saving it for church that Sunday. I told him I wanted to be comfortable. (dumb! dumb! dumb me!)

Breakfast was in the main house and it was sooooo good. We had my favorite, which is eggs benedict, and fruit, and oversized muffins. I was trying to remain pretty inconspicious because I wanted to make a good impression. I figured if I was quiet the owner and the other guests would like me, and I could come back next year.

After Breakfast, Everyone Told A Story: Mr. Brooch's Was About A Surprise

Everyone's a storyteller in Jonesborough, so there were a lot of great tales and good laughs going around the table! Then, out of nowhere, Mr. Brooch said, "I have a story to tell." I had no idea what he was about to say, but I got really nervous. Why was he drawing attention to us? Ugh!

He turned to me and said, "On Monday, when you thought I left your house and went home, I went to your father's house." That was it ladies and gentlemen!!! That was the missing piece! All the signs had been there, but I knew he wasn't going to ask without my father's consent, and there you had it. He talked to my dad :)

Mr. Brooch Got Down On One Knee

Nervous as he could be, Mr. Brooch scooted his chair back and got down on one knee. I could see his mother and sister because they were sitting behind him, and I'll never forget the look on their faces. Their eyes were filled with tears and it was sheer excitement, shock, love, hope, nervousness, all rolled into one.

He started to sing... "There will never come a day. When you'll ever hear me say. That I want or need to be without youuuuuu... "

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

I grabbed my heart and fell forward. I couldn't believe it! I couldn't hold the tears back. I couldn't think. I could just feel my heart racing a mile a minute. The ring was so gorgeous! I leaned over and gave him the biggest hug!

I wish I remembered exactly what he said, but I don't. What I do remember is the look in his eyes, and it was the look of a determined and honest man! There was no question in my mind the answer was yes, but apparently, I was speechless (probably for the first and last time in my entire life)!

While I was hugging him, he said, "You didn't say anything! Is that a yes??"

"Yes," I said!

Everyone at the table was in tears! They were so overjoyed for us! Mr. Brooch's father was hilarious too! He jumped up afterward and said, "I need to get my camera!" He ran upstairs and then right back downstairs, "I can't find my camera!"

Luckily, Mr. Brooch's sister had hers handy. She snapped a few pictures and we spent the rest of the morning talking about how Mr. Brooch planned the elaborate surprise.

He told us that it had been his intention to propose on stage (in front of hundreds of people!!!) under one of the storytelling tents. He said as nervous as he was singing, he's was glad that didn't work out!

I called everyone in my phonebook that morning and posted a picture of the ring on facebook. One of my cousins in Tennessee made the cutest remark. She said, "Bet you never thought it'd happen in Tennessee!" I could just hear her Southern draw!

For the rest of the day, I humed the song he sang and starred at my ring finger. It was magical :)

How did your fiance propose?

*all pictures not credited were taken be me or my FSIL*

Mr. Brooch is My Best Friend's Brother

2010-08-26T14:53:00.015-04:00

Hello again...

Still very excited to be here! Weeeeeee!

I thought we'd start off talking about how Mr. Brooch and I met and um yes, me confessing that he's my best friend's brother! It's kind of a funny story how it all happened, because if it wasn't for his sister (or for my brother) we wouldn't have met!

Mr. Brooch's sister and I were really good friends in college. My sophomore year, my roommate (now my MOH) and I took a trip Panama City Beach, FL and one of our other college buddies brought his sis (now my FSIL) pre-FSIL. Immediately, the three of us clicked and when we got back to school, we hung out all the time, and became the very best of friends!

This was before Mr. Brooch was in the picture.

Are you following?

This is us (FSIL on the left, MOH in the middle, and me) when we first met:

Not long after our trip, Mr. Brooch moved to town. He didn't have any friends, because he was new to the college and so naturally, he met his sister's friends (that included me). We kind of just saw each other here and there, but I remember at one point, we ran into each on campus and talked for awhile. We exchanged numbers, but nothing really happened.

Mr. Brooch always jokes that I never gave him the time of day at first, but that's not true! I was just in my old world and I didn't really know him! Once I got to know him, I was infatuated!

A few months after our encounter on campus, he heard from his sis I was going to a cafe on campus for Bible study and he called asking if he could join me. "Sure! Why not?" We actually lived really close to each other, so he walked to my house, and together we walked to campus.

This is when I really got to see his sweet side!! He bought me a coffee when we got there and at one point during the evening when I got a little choked up, he put his hand on my leg! During our walk home, he even picked a flower for me (so cute, right?), but we went our seperate ways, and a few more weeks passed.

This time my brother came to town and we were planning a road trip to the beach for 4th of July weekend. He was going for a job opportunity and I didn't have plans so I signed on. Would you believe Mr. Brooch called just minutes before we walked out the door! Our conversation went something like this:

Mr. Brooch: What cha doing?

Me: About to go to the beach with my brother.

Mr. Brooch: Oh maybe I'll go! I've got family down there!

I thought, he's really inviting himself? Geez!! Meanwhile, my brother is in the background waving his hands in the air, "Let 'em come! I'm tried of people thinking we're dating!" Haha! A few minutes later we picked up Mr. Brooch and headed down the highway.

Right away, I liked how Mr. Brooch got along with my brother. They really hit it off and a few hours later, Mr. Brooch and I started to hit it off too. When we got to our destination, we had to drop my brother off to have dinner with the prospective employer and during our hour alone, we talked A LOT. Well, at least I did. He was so inquisitive. He wanted to know everything about me.

Yeah, yeah, I know. He was laying it on thick!

The rest of the weekend, we had a ball. My brother's employer actually let the three of us crash on his yacht (I'm not kidding! It was the coolest thing, ever!) and we spent our days at the beach. I'd read and my brother and Mr. Brooch would ride the waves. We spent the evenings eating out and going to local clubs.

Finally, on the 4th of July, I realized there were sparks flying between Mr. Brooch and I. Something had happened, something was different, and I started to really like him! It was really sweet too because we ended up flirting the whole way home. Sweet and awkward! Hello!! My brother was there!

Anywho, when we got back, we didn't want to part ways. Like ever. We started hanging out during the week. We went out to eat and we watched movies together. He was like my new best friend and yeah, obviously he still is!

Here's some pictures of us from the early days...

This is us now...

How did you and your fiance meet?

Bee-lieve it! Dreams Really Do Come True!

2010-08-23T20:35:00.002-04:00

I'm a bee! I'm a bee!

I can't believe they picked me!!

Wow! I am still in awe that I'm here... as Miss. Brooch! I've pined over this. I've longed for this. I've literally dreamed of this! For over a year, I've tried to explain to everyone I know, non-bloggers and wedding un-enthusiasts included, the importance of a website called Weddingbee. The importance of me blogging for Weddingbee. "I was meant to do this," I told Mr. Brooch. He's the only person who really understands how much it means.

Well, there's also this co-worker. She gets it because she's engaged and together, we've stalked the likes of Mrs. Sunrise and Mrs. Cherry Blossom. When I told her I was becoming a bee, her reaction was priceless. It went something like this:

[Clapping]!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

[Jumping up and down]!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

[Clapping]!

Mind you, this is all happening while we're sitting in our quiet office, inside my tiny cube, around a lot of people who have no idea what Weddingbee is. One of my other co-workers heard our excitement asked, "Do you get paid for this?" Without the slightest hesitation, my co-bride said, "No, but it's an HONOR!" I couldn't have said it better myself. It's an honor to be here and I'm elated!

Thank you for having us!

Me & Mr. Brooch

The anticipation of our wedding day has been building for quite sometime. Aaron proposed almost a year ago last October (I can't wait to tell you that story!), and we've had what we consider a long engagement.

Despite the time we've had to plan, we're actually only about a quarter of the way there. We've set a date, booked the venue, hired a planner, and we're working on choosing a caterer. As many of you know, that's just the basics. We haven't even tipped the iceberg yet!

So I bet you're wondering why I chose to be a part of the Accessories Series (and not the new cool Safari Animal Series). Who would want to be called Miss. Brooch (a name that rhymes with roach)? I'll admit. It sounds pretty old ladyish. The brooch is kind of an old school accessory and you don't see many twenty-somethings sporting brooches anymore.

Believe it or not, I have a collection of brooches! How random, right? What 25-year-old has a collection of brooches? I think I'm the only one! I collect pretty butterfly brooches like this one:

source

I also love (have more like an obsession with) the color green and when I saw the brooch icon was my favorite color, I couldn't resist.

Are there any other brooch babes in the house?

DIY Bridesmaid Dresses

2010-08-17T11:36:00.002-04:00

I Find Wedding Inspiration Everywhere

You know how when you're engaged you see something in the store or online that totally encompasses everything you want your wedding to be? Your dress to be? Your flowers to look like? Favors? Cake? Your inner bride starts doing backflips and you think, "Eureka! This is it!"

Yeah that happens to me almost everyday. I can literally be walking through the grocery store and think, "Ou! Cherries! Those would be awesome favors!" Or walking through the flea market, see hankerchiefs, and think, "Should I buy these? Oh my gosh! We could use those!"

I've Always Got Our Wedding On The Brain

I wish I had the kind of money to buy everything I see that I love and think we could use for our wedding, but I just don't have that kind of dough. So what do I do? I take a picture.

I don't know what I would do if I couldn't take pictures with my phone!

Take this cute dress for instance. I saw it at Forever 21 while I was shopping for an outfit for myself this weekend. I thought "This would be such a cute bridesmaid dress!" Then of course I realize that my girls might not agree. I realize I'm at Forever 21, the dress is pretty short, and the sizes run really small. I still wanted a picture though.

Then I got to thinking, I wish I was brave enough to let my BMs pick whatever dress they wanted and do the whole mismatched thing. I really, really like that look. I've had my heart set on it for awhile, but then I started to get a little gun shy.

Be A Brave Bride

It's not because I think my BMs won't pick nice dresses. All of my friends (seriously) have emaculate taste and a sense of style I envy. It's just that I'm afraid it will look weird. Too new age for our families. Too out-of-the box. I need to get over what other people think though, right? I need to be a brave bride need to do what I want. Cause at the end of the day, there's no denying how much I love this style.

How cool is this wedding party? I love it. I absolutely love it.

so terribly sorry, but I lost the source

Taking the Easy (or Not) Way Out

The next best thing to mismatched dresses would be the same dress in different styles. It's a trend that's been gaining popularity over the last year and designers like Two Birds are exploding on the market. It's what I like to call the Easy Way Out. Brides are able to indulge in the urge to have mismatched, fashionable maid and BMs pick how they'll wear their dress. It's the perfect middle ground, right? Wrong.

Problem with Two Birds is that the dresses are really expensive, at least for my group. While I can tell my friends that the dress converts into 11 different styles and they're getting it all for the price of one gown, it still doesn't seem right. So. Back to the basics? Not quite.

Thank God for Bride Bloggers

The clouds parted and the sun came up when I stumbled across these images this week. Obviously the color, being olive caught my attention:

here

Thinking Two Birds, right? I thought the same thing. Those cool convertible dresses in green! Yippee!

Nope.

Try DIY.

DIY?

Dresses?

Convertible Dresses?

This Brides Got Balls

Don't ask me how I stumble across such an amazingly talented bride blog. These things, I swear are divinely driven. Lisa Welge, is a Sacramento Wedding Photographer and obviously a DIY extrodinare. While searching Google for images of convertible dresses, I came across the above photos and her post right here. Once I stopped hyperventilating, I realized the post was from back in 2009.

Wait whaaaa? That must means there are pictures of her maids in these dresses on her wedding day!! Ding ding ding ding ding!!! I quickly (almost frantically) searched her website. Show me the dresses on her friends, I thought! Please, God!

Ah!! Yet another Eureka moment for the record!

Absolutely stunning and with such special, personalized touches no doubt.

This Might Be The Solution To My Problem

Or I might be one ambitious sewer! The thing is, I have a sewing machine. I'm actually learning to sew. I got it for my birthday last year and I've wanted so bad to use it to create something (anything!) for our wedding. I know this is a big undertaking, but could this be a sign? How cool would it be to be able to make my BM dresses? My friends wouldn't have to spend a dime (Lisa said it cost less than $60 to make each dress) and I get to be a brave bride!

I started to think such a thing was totally preposterous, but then I saw a trail of breadcrumbs.

The source of all the DIY goodness.

The How-To (If You Dare)

Presenting the Infinity Dress and full tutorial right here from Rostitchery...

here

Isn't she cute? Do you think I could make them long dresses? I wonder what material I should use. I'm going to give this project some serious thought and consideration. I need to review the instructions and recruit a more skilled sewer for help.

Am I taking on too much?

What big DIY project did you do?

Are you thinking of having mismatched BM dresses?

Bonus

Here's a great post on The Cinderella Project about this topic.

Vote Your Favorite Dress!

2010-08-16T19:33:00.009-04:00

This is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

During my hiatus from work, I made it a point to go shopping for a wedding dress. I felt bad that I didn't go to Running of the Brides event at Filene's Basement in Washington, DC. My girls were gung-ho for the event and quite a few of them took off work too. My plan had been to fight the crowd and walk out with my dress, but the problem is that I have such a hard time making decisions. Any decisions. Let alone picking my wedding dress in such a rushed fashion.

I decided I wasn't cut out for the event and that the process of finding my dress would be just that - a process. I booked an appointment at Leesburg Bridal and Tuxedo instead and geared up for a week of wedding dress shopping.

Leesburg Bridal and Tuxedo

1. Loved the variety of dresses!

2. Loved the attentive staff (they even sent me a thank you note)!

3. Loved having the store to myself!

I liked this shop so much that I went twice. Once with my stepmom and then again with my BMs and my MOH. Even though the store is really, really small, they have a ton of dresses! They carry a wide variety of designers and the staff are super nice and attentive.

My girls and I had a fabulous time. We tried on a bunch of gowns! We had the entire store to ourselves, because apparently it's really slow during the week and that made it a lot of fun. We were there for 3 hours! That's a long time, but it was fun times! Nobody complained.

Jeanette's Bridal 'N Tux Boutique

1. Loved the store. It's big and beautiful!

2. Didn't love the limited number of dresses.

3. Didn't love the size of the samples.

I went shopping again with my stepmom the very next day (I told you I was determined) to Jeanette's Bridal 'N Tux Boutique, which is a top-rated seller in this area. My stepmom purchased her gown from Jeanette's and lots (I mean lots) of her friends, their daughters, even coworkers found their dress there as well.

I absolutely loved the store. If you want the real bridal experience (something kind of like Kleinfields), head to Jeanette's Bridal! Just the appearance of the store is enough to catch your attention. The staff were fabulous and they really go out of their way to make dress shopping a memorable experience. We worked with a woman named Maria and she was very funny and attentive. She was determined to "make us cry!" She said "that's when you know!"

Unfortunately, I didn't feel the dress selection was as wide as I would have liked. There were a lot of nice gowns, but Leesburg Bridal and Tuxedo had a much better selection. I also felt that most all of the dresses at Jeannette's were small. None of the samples were fitting and that was pretty discouraging.

Anna Joy's Bridal and Formalwear

1. Loved the owner. She's very knowledgable and sweet.

2. Didn't love the pressure to purchase.

3. Hated that we couldn't take a pictures of the gowns.

Tuesday I went shopping again. This time with my mom in Harrisonburg, VA, which is about 2 hours from Northern VA. We visited Anna Joy's Bridal and Formalwear, a big store privately owned and operated. We had the privelage of working with the owner, Ann was very helpful in helping us pick a favorite gown. She pulled out the perfect jewelry and veil to compliment the look, and for a moment, I thought I had found the one! That is until Ann started pressuring us to buy.

"Why are you agonizing over this? You need to pick something and be done with it," she said. While she's absolutely right - I am agonizing - I knew what she was hinting at. Not to be mean, but she came off a little desperate for the sale. Especially when she explained why my mom couldn't take pictures of me in the dress. "Oh I've been burned so many times."

I totally get her point. Brides find their dream dress at Anna Joy's and then buy it somewhere else, and that's not cool. But at the end of the day, no picture meant I couldn't commit to buy. It was a total upset. Looking back, I'd probably have a gown by now if I had been allowed to get pictures. So while my favorite gown is at Anna Joy's, I don't have a picture of myself in it to share with you all :(

Reflections

1. Loved the selection process.

2. Loved my assistant, Brooke.

3. Loved the sample sizes!

We left Ann's and headed to Reflections. Yes, we hit two in one day! I wasn't sure I was up for another go around, but we were really glad we made it to this next shop. The store is gigantic and they have the most awesome system for picking out the dresses you'll try on! Every dress in the store pictured and numbered in a binder. Brides flip through the book and write down the numbers they'd like to give a try. Genius.

We worked with a young girl named Brooke and she was sooo good! Brooke took her time with us and that made such a difference. Brooke worked on the corset of Dress B until I had a body I didn't recognize!!

One of my other favorite things about Reflections were their sample sizes! All of the dresses were a size 12 instead of 8, and I was in heaven!! It's so much easier to pick a dress when the dresses you try on actually fit. I could never understand why "samples," ran so small, when most women are my size or larger. We even had to clip a few because they were too big!! What a treat!!

Here's What I Got For All My Hard Work:

My overall dress shopping experience(s) have been great. At every single shop, I worked with a great attendant and found a favorite dress. The only let downs were because the was a 1. limited selection 2. pressure to buy or 3. sizes too small. Stuff I'm sure every bride has encountered whether they visited 1 or 100 stores.

I know what you're thinking.

You want to see pictures, right?

Well, since we're not doing a first look, I'm definitely taking a risk posting these photos. I honestly cannot make the decision for myself though. I'm totally confused and REALLY need your feedback. Please tell me your favorite. Share how you picked your gown. Be honest, but be kind :)

WARNING:

THIS POST CONTAINS PICTURES OF ME IN POTENTIAL WEDDING GOWNS.

AARON.

I APPRECIATE YOU READING MY BLOG,

BUT

THIS POST IS NOT FOR YOUR EYES.

LOVE U!

NOW GO AWAY.

______________________________

DRESS A

DRESS B

DRESS C

DRESS D

Which is your favorite?

Did you shop at multiple places before picking a gown?

What made it a good or bad experience?

The staff? Pictures? A great assistant?

Keep A Close Eye

2010-08-16T08:00:00.004-04:00

There's a lot on the way!!

I have to apologize for my apparent 2 (yikes!) weeks off blogging. Like I mentioned, even though I wasn't blogging, I was wedding planning. I also got sick, which may sound like an excuse, but it really was a major blower. I haven't been sick in ages and it was horrible!

What's on the horizon?

I'm back in my routine though! Back to work, back to the gym, and oh yes, definitely back to blogging! I have so much in store for you guys too! Everything from a complete review of area cateres and how-to (my advice) for choosing yours, deets on our fabulous planner, wedding dress shopping (Holy cow! I could write for days about that fiasco!), and a DIY fail. Yes, fail. No worries though! I'm totally not letting it get me down. It has to do with our Save the Dates and I must say, I'm actually proud of myself for tackling this project so early on. If I was a few weeks from sending these puppies out I'd be in big trouble! However, because of my persistance in the matter, I think I diverted what could have been a catastrophe! Anyway! I am sorry to yet again promise more and run off, but I do promise more!!

In the meantime, are you not totally inspired by these images I found over at My Black Book? Goldmine!! All very inspiring to our ever-evolving (and shaping up quite nicely, I must say) wedding!

Happy Monday!

We're on the hunt for dishes and lovely tea cups such as these.

They are so hard to find in bulk!

here

LOVING this Easter deco.

We could do any of this stuff, especially since our big day is the weekend after!

here

Perfect for a Spring garden or wedding!

here

Under the Weather

2010-08-11T22:52:00.002-04:00

So I know I promised a lot of meaty posts about all the wedding-related things I'm getting done with my time off, and I'm sorry that I haven't lived up to that promise. I've been sick.

I don't remember the last time I had a cold, complete with a sore throat (the kind where it hurts to swallow), so you'll have to excuse my lack of enthusasim to blog, or do anything really. Since Monday, I've been pretty out of it. I'm trying to rest a lot so that I'm well for work on Monday. You'd think I'd use this free time to gather up wedding inspiration, but I'm not.

We did go to a tasting last night and yes, big news: we have decided on our caterer!! The food and service was hands down the best we've discovered yet and there's really no doubt in our minds we've found the company we want to work with. I'm going to try to work on my big vendor review - caterers post this weekend, and share everything soon..

In the meantime, here's some lovely inspiring images from the blogsphere.

Totally into butterfly designs right now...

here

What bride wouldn't want to walk down this aisle?

here

Check out this bride's shoes. So unique and cute.

here

Awesome wedding cookies... I might be biased cause they are our colors.

here

Hoping to feel better and blog more soon...

Have a great weekend!

Oh, how I've missed you! Updates Gallore!

2010-08-06T08:00:00.005-04:00

Ehllo!

How long has it been? A week or so, huh? Gosh, it felt like an eternity!

Let me explain. I haven't just been neglecting this blog, I've been disconnected from the world for a few days... I visited my mom in the boonies on Monday after word of an unexpected 2 weeks off from work! Wooot wooot! Every bride-to-be's dream, no? Well, the plan is to definitely get a lot done this next week. This past week was all about relaxing and spending some QT with Momdukes. I surprised her. It was wonderful. She had no idea I was off work or coming to her house or anything. It was awesome. We spent ALL day literally from 11am - 4pm trying on wedding dresses Tuesday (lots to share on that front!) and spent most of our other time together either cruising thrift stores or hanging in front of the TV eating home-cooked meals and drinking cheap wine. Like I said, it was awesome!!

I actually need to catch you up on what I was doing before my little road trip to Shenandoah! I was off last Friday and yes, there was lots of fabulous wedding stuff going down! Thursday night Aaron and I went to another tasting. It was our second and a very good experience. We got to see our wedding planner...

Oops! I just let the cat out of the bag, didn't I?? WE HAVE A WEDDING PLANNER and she is G-R-E-A-T!!!! I have so much that I want to share on this subject like the process of finding and hiring her, but that's for another day. I've actually been working on two GIGANTIC posts about the our search for the perfect caterer and the planner, so stay tuned!

The tasting really set the tone for my weekend, because Friday I had a date with my most very special ever friends in the world to dress shop :-) My MOH and I started the morning off totally pumped about the day literally for an hour in Body Pump @ Golds. She's been telling me about the class non-stop and I was glad to finally experience it. We live too far a part to belong to the same gym :( but I'll definitely go again one weekend. It was intense and trust me, I felt ripped on the way to try on dresses! Then we ate a power breakfast and headed to meet my Double Trouble BMs. We started right in at Leesburg Bridal and pulled DOZENS of dresses off the racks...

It was a really exciting time. I was in HE.AV.EN! I lllooovvvveee my friends and I felt soooo special that they took off work to spend the day focusing on MY wedding! How cool is that? It totally got me hype about the wedding and all the fun we're going to have leading up to it. I always really took to the photos of weddings when there was only one BM or MOH, thinking to myself, "wow! it's so edited! so intimate," but truth be told: that would never be me! I need my girls! I love spending time with them and WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THE PICTURES of them trying on BM dresses. The fun we were having is soo obvious. I'm talking good times. We even found a Sandra Dee dress! Any other Grease fans out there? It was such a good laugh!

The reason we all went shopping together and my girls were even available was because my plan had been to attend Filene's Basement Running of the Brides event... Ever heard of it? It's literally Running of the Brides. I really wanted to go because it just looked like so much fun and wild good times in the videos I had seen of previous years. However, I decided against it at the very last minute. No, I'm not a whimp! I am a total runner, and a bride! It's just that I'm not good at making quick decisions. I can't make a decision with my mom and best friend by my side, let alone thousands of screaming running brides. In hindsight, I'm totally glad we opted out of the occasion. It would have been fun, but our day was a better kind of fun. It was relaxing. My girls got to connect and we went to lunch afterward. It was just perfect. I also heard the Running of the Brides was a little sssccaarrryyy.

Check it out for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rily4X3FaSc&feature=related

The moral of the story here is that while we did a lot of great stuff this weekend towards our wedding, no real decisions have been made yet. I think we've learned wedding food is just that. Some of it's really good and some of it tastes like dog food (I'm not kidding!). I also know I love LOTS of wedding dresses and have no clue how I'll settle on just one for myself. At first I loved the ball gown, then I loved the backless, then I loved the pickups, and then I loved the mermaid style...

Sigh. I'll find something! I swear I will. And I won't whine the whole way there (not to you guys anyway), like I've done about the invitations.

Yeah, no luck on that front either...

Anyway! In order to keep this positive since the weekend was such a positive one, I'm gonna end this here. I have A LOT on the way. Being off work is definitely not gonna help my wedding obsession so be on the lookout!

Of course, I have to leave you with some of the great stuff I came across scouring the blogs today after a week away.

My colors and my flowers... Soo pretty!

here

Check out that giraffe in the background... Phenomenal!

here

Favorite

ever

engagement shoot...

Tell me this couple is not adorable!

here

Can our inclimate weather plan and reception please look like this?

I'm think this collage settles the debate on the chiavari vs. banquet chairs. Don't you?

I know I'm probably really late here, but nobody told me Jenna Bush had a custom-made cross at her wedding. Does anyone remember me talking about wanting this? It's exactly what we want!

here

Thanks for stopping by <3

Busy, Busy & Balloons

2010-07-29T16:22:00.001-04:00

Hello lovelies and happy Friday!

Oops. It's Thursday, but I'm off tomorrow so it's MY Friday! Woot woot!

I am sorry I have been M.I.A. lately.

There are SLEW of things going on at work and also with the wedding.

I will update all of you as soon as possible. Just know that even though I'm not blogging, I am working hard to make big wedding-related decisions this weekend. Tonight we're going to a tasting (we've narrowed our search down to three caterers), and tomorrow and Saturday I'll be wedding dress shopping!

I have a lot to share, but unfortunately there has been a "situation" with my job that has required my full attention. Can I ask that you please keep me in your prayers? I'm making a BIG transition.

Oh... and I know a lot of people think balloons at weddings are lame, but personally, I love the idea.

What are your thoughts?

These are our colors!

here

Thank you!

2010-07-26T18:18:00.005-04:00

I just want to take a second to thank everyone for such loving words of encouragement...

here

Today was one of those days. I woke up in a funk with a lot of crap on my mind, both wedding (well, marriage) related and other. I didn't feel like working, but I didn't have a choice. And I didn't feel like blogging, but luckily I posted a few things last night, including "Insecurities."

My mood didn't much improve when I got to work, but as the day went on and I recieved your comments, my spirits were lifted! It was one of those things I couldn't ignore -- you know when you're in a bad mood and you refuse to acknowledge anything good? Well, despite wanting to feel bad, I couldn't help but feel good about the love and support you showed.

It was so refreshing to hear such positive feedback and knowing it was from awesome women (I know you're awesome because I read your blogs, and your blogs are awesome), really made me feel better! When you've got so much going on in terms of planning a wedding and a marriage, it's really nice to know you're not alone. It's nice to know others have been there, want to share their experiences, and lend a shoulder.

So without making this way too sappy, I just want to thank you all for your kiind words of encouragement. I was truly encouraged. Thanks to you, I had a lot of confidence today. I thought of our wedding the way it should be thought of - as something that is for us, not for anyone else, and there is no right or wrong. Even though that should be obvious, it gets down played, like many of you pointed out, when you're looking at pictures of seriously fabulous weddings everyday.

Anywho, thank you again for all your comments about our venue, style, and ideas. You all are truly a blessing and I cannot image how a bride that doesn't blog gets through it.

Much love!!

XOXO

Insecurities

2010-07-25T21:42:00.001-04:00

I've been feeling very insecure about things lately.

As soon as I hear about another wedding, venue, or DIY project, I start to feel unprepared for our big day. I start to question whether Oxon Hill is really a nice venue and whether I've chosen the right DIY projects to tackle...

I know. I know. What's my problem? This is our day to create any kind of party we want, anywhere we want (considering our budget of course), so why should it matter what others think and what others do? Well, it just does. You don't want to do a crap job. Come on, we all care. Probably a little too much.

I just get cold feet about the decisions we've made and it sucks. Miss Sloth mentioned this earlier in the week. Having a long engagement gives you more of an opportunity to second guess yourself, and third, and fourth second guess yourself. Ugh. I honestly wish I wasn't like that, but I feel like I can't help myself. I wish I felt more assured in our decisions. I can't stand being such a fickle bride.

Here's the thing: a friend tells me her friend picked their venue and it's a resort. Immediately, I start to wonder if our venue is as nice. This is before I even know what the name of this resort is! Nevertheless, I start to wonder why we didn't pick a resort. Should we have picked a resort?

I run and look up the resort, just to find it's rated 4.5 stars on Wedding Wire. What do I do next? In a complete panic (unforeseen to others of course), I promptly check the ratings for Oxon Hill.

Please, please God!

Let it be 4.5 stars or more!

Whew.

We're 4.5 stars...

I think it goes without saying we all feel insecure sometimes, so our wedding is not going to be any different. We're going to see and hear about other brides and weddings, and sometimes feel a little envy or doubt. It's normal. I know it is, but it still sucks.

Do you feel insecure about your wedding?

What makes you feel that way?

How do you get past it?

Onto more happier notes soon!

Beautiful Garden-Inspired Cakes

2010-07-25T21:31:00.004-04:00

I've been really focused on my diet the past week and a half, but today I had a nagging sweet tooth. What started out as one piece of chocolate turned into three! So in honor of sweets, I thought I'd throw together a quick post of wedding cakes, garden-inspired of course!

Favorite. Cake. Ever.

Source

Traditional cakes with flowers on top make me happy too:

Source

We can't forget about my butterfly obsession, either:

here

Simple, small cakes can be gorgeous too:

Source

And, of course, more butterflies:

Source

And, another one with a design painted on it. I love this style and sure hope Mr. B does too.

I'll probably be carrying a picture of this one and the first one to our baker with hopes of a similiar design.

Source

We haven't started shopping for a cake yet, but believe me, I'm anxious to begin. I think we have plenty of time to pick something. Hopefully I can keep my diet in check until then, so that I can enjoy the tastings guilt-free!

When did you start cake shopping?

Did or will your cake have a theme?

Shades of Peach and Stripes

2010-07-24T12:46:00.002-04:00

Gorgeousness...

Absolutely love these two-toned dresses...

Looking sharp. I love this look. The groom wears all white, and the guys are in stripe ties...

Other details I'm loving...

{Laurel McConnell Photography via Style Me Pretty}

Garden-Inspired-Butterfly-Theme Wedding, That's Us!

2010-07-20T10:42:00.031-04:00

It took me awhile to commit to a theme.

Remember I mentioned we spent the first few weeks going over various ideas, but never came up with anything concrete that we could really use as a wedding theme? We thought about using our faith as a focus and realized that was a bit too broad. We thought about doing the cherry blossoms since our wedding is in April and we live near Washington, DC, but we know other people with this theme and it's not something we're passionate about.

We looked into having a candy theme, but it didn't seem appropriate with our historic manor venue. We really like the love birds theme, but both of us feel it's a little played out (no offense to other love bird couples out there)! And well, the list goes on and on.

I actually started to think we weren't going to have a theme.
I was pretty discouraged that we hadn't come up with anything concrete and couldn't come up with new ideas, no matter how hard I tried. Then it dawned on me to look at what we had decided on and what we already knew for sure was going to be a part of our big day. Advice: if you can't think of a theme, draw inspiration from other parts of your wedding that have been decided.

Our venue was the biggest thing. It was the one decision we had made and moved forward on... So we asked ourselves what's special about our venue? The garden ceremony. Definitely the garden.

Volia! We're having a Garden Wedding!! We've had this theme all along and we just never knew it! We picked the spring time of year, when gardens are in full bloom, and we picked a venue with a garden ceremony site! Not only that, but the one and only consistent thing (as in cherry blossoms, candy, love birds) I can stand is butterflies...

I kept running into butterfly inspiration, too.

I mentioned in my intro that I don't have a butterfly tattoo, but I do have a butterfly shower curtain, pillow case, and a huge collection of butterfly broaches. I've always loved butterflies and everyone who knows me, knows this. During our vacation when Mr. B proposed, we stayed in the "Butterfly Cottage." He knew that place would make my heart stop ... and it did!

So whether we knew it or not, we've been building up to a garden-inspired wedding. It's the only thing that makes sense with where we are right now and I must say I'm relieved to finally have a theme.

In honor of this new revelation, here is some garden/butterfly inspiration:

Source

What's your theme?

How was your theme inspired?

A Vibrant Vintage Chic Wedding

2010-07-19T22:34:00.001-04:00

I absolutely love this wedding I spotted over at Wedding Chicks a few weeks ago. The bride is stun.n.ing! The colors are vibrant and the feel is totally chic and vintage, what more could a bride ask for?

I'm inspired, needless to say that our wedding will look as fabulous! Check out the bridesmaids attire, I think their look is my favorite thus far!!! I heart the junior bridesmaid in a different color! It pops! She must have special so special too! I never would have thought of that, but it's worth considering, seeing how awesome the bridal party pictures look.

I'm definitely loving, let me emphasis... LOVING this color scheme too. How would of thought turqoise and pink? Only a bold bride with an eye for style, right?

Wait, wait! I lied. My favorite detail is definitely the escort card display! Those green apples are after my heart! Favorite color alert! Green anything is beautiful in my eyes...

{Anika London via Wedding Chicks}

Cordless Mic and Cake Toppers

2010-07-19T11:35:00.002-04:00

I created a must-have file for our wedding...

I look at so much wonderful inspirtation and read about a lot of ideas, and needed a way to sort through the stuff we like and we stuff we absolutely must have. I'm proud to say the must-have file is fairly small, as I feel it should be. We can't have everything and we really can't bother ourselves with a long, long list of important details - that would drive us mad.

One of the things in my file, although it may sound silly, is a cordless microphone.

As many of you know, we're having a garden ceremony outside and I can't stand the thought of a microphone cord obstructing the view of us and our backdrop. I hate to use pictures of a real wedding to show something I don't like, but in this case I felt it was fine since I truly love this wedding (especially the couple's cake), and since they will probably never read this blog.

Check out the officiant in the third picture down.

While I can totally appreciate her excitement, that cord has got to go!! Maybe the couple was able to photoshop her (or the mic) out of these pictures. That is what I would have wanted to do!! Am I being crazy guyz? I don't want to be a snobby bride! Maybe I'm being a little picky here.

Did you request a cordless mic?

So onto what I love about this wedding.

The couple's cake toppers.

I adore the simple elegance of these love birds. Gor.ge.ous! I haven't even begun to think about what we want for our cake toppers, but this is going into the inspirtation file nevertheless. I hope we can find something as timeless and unique. Something like this would really compliment our garden theme too. I wonder if anyone has ever had butterfly toppers! More on this later...

What's in your must-have file?

Have you thought about cake toppers yet?

Celebrity Wedding: Bethenny Frankel

2010-07-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Real Housewives Get Married too...

I know I'm totally late on this, but I was never a big fan of the Real Housewives of New York (I loved the Atlanta crew), which is why I had not watched the show Bethenny Getting Married?. However, recently, I caught a few re-runs and (I know she's been married for awhile now and had ber baby) finally saw the episode of her actual wedding!

I must admit, Bethenny was a good looking for a prego bride! I could not wear the dress she did now, let alone if I was pregnant! Overall, I thought this couple, Jason and Bethenny had a beautiful wedding. The ceremony was absolutely lovely and heart-felt, and the reception looked like a blast!

Some of the things about the wedding that really caught my attention were: 1. The cocktail hour before the ceremony. I know guests loved that. 2. Her reveal. When they pulled the curtain back and Bethenny appeared, she looked gorgeous! The look on Jason's face said it all! 3. The cake. Bethenny's cake was gigantic and beautiful! Apparently, it tasted pretty good too.

Here's a few photos I found of the couple and their wedding day details:

Source

The In-Laws

2010-07-12T10:31:00.002-04:00

I talked last week about how much I love Aaron's family.

I've really gotten to know Aaron's parents and I couldn't be happier with the family I am marrying into. Aaron's parents have really gone out of their way to get to know me. We have been out to dinner numerous times. I've stayed at their house, we've watched movies together, and sat around the breakfast table. We've even celebrated birthdays and holidays, like thanksgiving together.

The last few years I have spent a lot of quality time with Aaron's family, but my family has not. My mom has only been around Aaron's parents a handful of times, and my dad and stepmom, Teresa have only met them 2 or 3 times, which includes our engagement party just a little over a month ago.

Thankfully our parents took it upon themselves to set a date to go to dinner.

Teresa and Aaron's mom, Paulette really hit it off at the engagment party and they talked about getting together again - just the parents - a few times before the wedding. I had no idea they would get together this soon after our party, but I'm really, really happy to report that the four of them (both sets of parents) had dinner this past Saturday!

Aaron and I were a bit afraid that the dads would not hit it off the way the moms did. Simply because our dads do not have a lot in common (as far as we could tell), and the few times they have been around each other previously, they didn't talk much. Aaron's dad asked me last weekend, when I was in Williamsburg for a few pointers about my dad. He said he thought there was a "wall up," and he wanted a few talking points to get past that. Needless to say, we were afraid that the different backgrounds and careers of our dads, would keep them from finding common ground.

Turns out our love for one another is enough of a common ground!

When we talked to Aaron's parents Sunday about dinner, they gushed about how nice it was. They said they had an excellent time. Aaron's mom said she opened up to my parents and even got emotional talking about how happy she that I am the woman her son is marrying (*tear*)! Yes, yes, I have an awesome mother-in-law! Not only that, but Aaron's dad talked about his discussion with my dad about the wedding. He detailed my dad's perspective on some things and it really sounded to us like they had finally hit it off! Yay!

My dad and Teresa described dinner the same way as Aaron's parents. They said they had a really, really nice time. Teresa talked a lot about how sweet Paulette is and she said they would be getting together again soon. My dad said he discussed the wedding budget and his plans to contibute with Aaron's parents. He said he felt they all had the same ideas about costs and that all of them wanted the very best for us.

This is big.

We are so extremely thankful that our parents got together. My family will feel more comfortable on our wedding day, knowing Aaron's parents and knowing that they are giving their daughter to a loving family. Aaron's family too, will feel good knowing the family and household if their new daughter-in-law.

We often think of marriage as the union of two people, which it is. However, it is also the bringing together of two families and two cultures. We're really happy our families care enough about us that they have made it a priority to get to know one another, and more than that, try to like one another.

Did your parents meet the parents of your future spouse?

How do your in-laws get along?

Must Haves: Garden Photos

2010-07-09T10:11:00.001-04:00

The gardens at Oxon Hill are perfect for pictures.

Don't you think?

I always search online for real weddings at Oxon Hill and I recently stumbled across the photo above. I was immediately taken back by this gorgeous shot! I thought, "omg, we have to get a picture like this too!" It's sooo pretty and really shows off the pristine landscape surrounding the manor. I've talked about this area before here, here, and here.

Funny thing is, Aaron and I met this couple a few months ago! We met them at an open house tasting for Carribean Caterers. We were all at the same table and became fast friends once we figured out we were both Oxon Hill Manor couples. It's really kind of cool knowing the people in this picture and knowing their wedding turned out gorgeous.

See the rest of the photos here.

Image Credit: Heather Z Photography

Is there a particular place you plan to take pictures at your venue?

Love for Bouquets of Alike Flowers

2010-07-08T15:31:00.002-04:00

Discovering My Style...

Ever since the first bridal show we attended, I learned that I am drawn to arrangements of the same types of flowers. It's not that I don't like mixing flowers, I love all types of flowers, but I really like the look of like flowers bunched together. It appeals to the organized, elegant bride in me. Isn't this beautiful?

I love this.

via Elizabeth Anne Designs

I also really like the idea of having each bridesmaid carry different bouquets of the same flowers (does that make sense?). I think the bridesmaids would appreciate being about to pick "her favorite flower," and get to take home a bouquet she loves.

And this.

via prettychicky

This is all just talk really.

I have not been to a florist's shop yet and therefore, all of this is subject to change. I wish I was going flower shopping today actually. I can't wait until we are close enough that we're ordering our flowers!!! That's going to be a wonderful thing to obsess over (rather than invitations - ugh - so over it at this point!).

I just hope that my taste (loving the look of like flowers together) will work in our favor cost-wise. I think I'm pretty lucky to be getting married early spring when a lot of lovely flowers are in bloom. Also, my favorite flower, tulips are going to be at their peak in April. Score! I hope we have lots and lots of tulips!

I took these!

What kinds of flowers do you love?

25 Random Facts + I Got An Award! Woo!

2010-07-07T15:17:00.006-04:00

I love my blogger buddies...

One of my favorite blogs (ever), Beer Budget Bride's Musings just did a really cool post titled "25 Random Facts," and I got a huge kick out of it! It's fun to learn a little something about the people writing our favorite blogs. It's not like we ever get to see them or talk to them directly so seeing their picture and reading about them is pretty cool, if you ask me.

1. In college, I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Awful, I know.

2. I'm a workout whore. I love running and lifting weights, and I go to personal training twice a week.

3. My fiance is my height. No, that's a lie. He's probably a little shorter than me. Truth is, I love him anyway and think he's perfect!

4. I secretly (really, really) wish I was one of those go-against-the-grain artsy types of chicks with lots of tatoos and a rebel attitude.

5. I listen to country music and used to go line dancing with my mom.

6. I had actually never, ever thought about what kind of wedding I wanted until my fiance told me to start thinking about it, which was a little over a year ago.

7. Okay this is really gross, but I love you so much I'm going to tell you anyway - sometimes I pick my nose! Bahaha! Seriously it's way faster and more effective than going for a tissue. Sorry. Yeah, I might go back and erase this one.

8. On a more serious note, I really want to write a novel. A best-selling novel. I feel like I'm supposed to write a book, but maybe that's wishful thinking.

9. I also really want my book to turn into a movie (wishful thinking, huh?). It could happen, right? One of my favorite books, Eat, Pray, Love is going to be on big screens soon.

10. I love my yorkshire terrier, Rocky, but I don't walk him often enough or give him treats, play with him, or rub his belly as much as I should.

11. My grandmother nicknamed me motormouth when I was young and it's seriously so true. I could talk for hhhooouurrrsss.

12. I'm really frustrated with our wedding plans. I hate to say that because I sound like such a sad, sulky bride, but I have so many ideas and yet I'm not doing anything. I have this fear it's going to be a really lame wedding :(

13. When I was a little girl my dream was to travel the world. I'm 25 and yet to leave Virginia. I've done some traveling around the States, but I've never left the country. I think I'll DIE if I don't get moving soon.

14. I'm one of those people that writes a to do list all the time and there's never enough hours in the day to get everything done.

15. My mom lives in a little cottage in the country and I love it there. I wish I could live with her.

16. My hair has been all sorts of colors and styles. In all of the photos of Aaron and I over the years, I look like a different person! Here's a picture from when my hair was short and blonde. I can't wait for the PWC (post wedding chop!)

17. I'm a die-hard fan of the music artists Kelly Clarkson and Pink.

18. Even though we're spending nearly $20,000 (don't shoot me, please) on our wedding, I definitely have a hard time justifying it. All the brokeass brides are right. It's only one day.

19. My parents are split and even though it's been a tough thing to deal with, I wouldn't trade my two little step sisters for anything in the world. They are the cutest children EVER.

20. It's really hard for me to sit still and do nothing, but I absolutely love to watch movies with my fiance.

21. My favorite television programs are 48 Hours Mystery and Snapped.

22. My weight watchers screenname was addictedtogreasensugar, and I've always thought that was so perfectly fitting.

23. Most of my friends don't read my blog, but I love them anyway.

24. My wedding ring is perfect. My fiance has immaculate taste.

25. I want to run a marathon.

Hopefully you've enjoyed that little peak into my life the same I enjoyed learning more about the Beer Budget Bride! I'm sooo totally overwhelmed and excited to share that she's given me a cool new award below:

She seriously made my day with this!!!!

I am so thankful for her following and all her (and yours) awesome comments!! I'm glad that there's a few people that enjoy reading Olive Weddings, since it is my little pride and joy!! It's amazing that more people I don't know read this blog than folks I do know, like friends and family. I think it just goes to show the blogging (and especially the wedding blog) community is really there for each other.

*tear*

I'm so glad to be a part of it all! Thank you, Dancy!!!

Please note that this award was created by JEM at Aquabride and the she says: the only rule is now you pass it on. It doesn't matter to how many people.

Therefore, I'm going to pass it onto my co-worker and blogger friend, Mark over at Running With Blue Sponge. He has some really awesome Random Facts. He went so far as to do installment posts, with an extra (false) fact, which readers had to guess!

I also would like to award D. Marie at The World Around Her for being such an awesome blogger pal! I see her on all of the bride-to-be blogs leaving her two cents! She must know how much we all love comments. She just posted her own 25 Random Facts, be sure to check em out! One of which is that she just finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert's latest book - I'm dying to know how it was!!

Thanks again, Dancy!

Dessert: Best of Both Worlds

2010-07-07T10:24:00.000-04:00

Put the cake in cupcakes...

Lovely dessert duo of cupcakes and cake.

Classy, yet cost effective. Simple, yet stunning.

Yumm.

everything fab & hello naomi via thoughtful day

Invitation Wording

2010-07-06T10:00:00.003-04:00

You already know I'm obsessed with having beautiful invitations. Did I mention they have to read well too?

As you know, we've been thinking a whole lot about the desing of our invitation lately. Probably over-thinking them to be honest. I am really torn about what we want and what we should do (DIY, store bought, online printables,or custom suites).There are just way to many choices and...Wait. Huh? It's not that serious.

I know! I know! Somebody shoot me already.

I never thought I'd be this obsessed over words on paper. Sheesh.

Truth is, I am this obsessed. I'm hell-bent on having beautiful, cohesive, color-coordinated, and unique invitations and it's made me somewhat of a invite connoisseur... Well, not really, but I've discovered quite a few awesome stationeries. My most recent find is a company called Wink: Rediscover the Value of Invitations, based in - you're not going to believe this - in the Phillippines!

Wink has really pretty invitations and they are a lot less expensive than those I've seen here in America. We probably won't get our invitations from Wink simply because the shipping costs would be outrageous, but nevertheless, their ridiculously pretty and well-put-together invites have been great eye candy.

Also, they've got me thinkng about our wording. Here I've been so worried about the design and haven't given the wording a single thought. While fliping through the Wink Gallery, I discovered an invitation with the most moving, thought-provoking (mademewanttoshoutwithexcitement) wording. Here it is:

TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A REASON. A TIME AND A PURPOSE.
ON THIS DAY I WILL MARRY MY BEST FRIEND.
THE ONE I WILL LAUGH WITH. LIVE FOR. LOVE.

*tear*

Allowing this new found inspiration to take over, I thought, goodness, let me see what else is out there! Here is another very romantic, at least to me, phrase I've considered using:

TWO LIVES JOINED IN FRIENDSHIP
TWO FRIENDS JOINED IN LOVE
ONE LOVE JOINED IN CHRIST.

I definitely love the (although it's a bit religious) spiritual tone of the quote above. It's very fitting for the ceremony we plan to have, focused on our mutual faith.

I don't know what I was thinking before! Hello! What the invitations say is just as important as how they look, right? I guess all my searches aren't in vain after all!

So, the search continues - not only for the perfect design, but wording too!

What did your invitations say?

My Honey Is Sweet

2010-07-05T22:01:00.004-04:00

I love spending time with Aaron's family...

Like many other Saturday mornings I've spent in Williamsburg, Aaron, his family, and me started off with a lovely breakfast. It's sort of a tradition of theirs to have breakfast together (there are four of them, Aaron, his mom, dad, and sister), and I have really come to enjoy it.

I never did anything like this with my family. We always ate our meals in front of the TV and it was rare if all of us sat around and talked. Aaron's family, on the other hand, always spends this time together, catching up, and sharing about different things.

I know a lot of people don't enjoy their in-laws, so I consider myself lucky. They are so supportive of each other and it's really refreshing. I really enjoy watching them interact, and talking with them, I feel so comfortable and at peace. I care a lot about Aaron's family, they are truly unique, and I realize this more and more. I found myself truly enjoying them this weekend and it might sound cheesy, but being around them I feel at home. It feels like they are my family too.

His extended family is great too...

Sunday morning we didn't have breakfast, but we went to church and then to Aaron's grandmother's house, which is another family tradition. I absolutely love Aaron's grandparents! They are so sweet and always so glad to see me (to see us, I should say). A few of Aaron's distant relatives were in town so I met a bunch of family I had never met before, and everyone was really nice!! During all the visiting, I really felt blessed to be marrying into such a wonderful family.

It would be enough that Aaron's sister, Amber and I are really close or that his parents liked me, but it's so much more than that. Aaron's family has been so supportive of us and welcoming of me. There's a lot of love in his hometown and I told him this weekend that I really loved it down there. I feel like we spend more time with his family than we do mine (to a certain extent), but I really don't mind. I enjoy being with his people and I really, really look forward to more occasions like we had this past weekend.

And I love when it's just Aaron and I too...

If you think we did the family thing the entire weekend, guess again. I told you Friday that our anniversary is the fourth of July and Aaron, being the sweet guy that he is was sure to set aside some alone time this weekend to relish in our 4 (or is it 5?) years together. He really out did himself too! Last year we had an awesome view of the fireworks on Duke of Gloster street in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg and I had no idea how he would top that this year, but he did!!

He took me to this wonderful bistro that is located in heart of Colonial Williamsburg. The food was amazing, but what made it so special was that we had an amazing view of the fireworks - unobstructed - from our table, and boy, was it romantic!!! The resturant dimmed the lights when the fireworks started and I couldn't believe our view!! I was really excited and I felt so touched. I felt so lucky that Aaron went out of his way (and not because I told him too because I didn't mention anything about our anniversary and plans for the fireworks) to set this all up.

He even timed our reservation so that we were finishing up eating when the fireworks started! He's soo good!!!

Source

We picked up an ice cream cone from baskin robins afterward and let me tell ya, I was in heaven!! I had fallen in love with Aaron all over again and I just couldn't resist sharing our special time with you. Of course we did a few other fun things this weekend, but our anniversary dinner and view of fireworks stole the show.

What did you do for the fourth?

Does your guy do awesome and romantic things to commorate when you met? Share them!!

Our Anniversary

2010-07-02T12:08:00.001-04:00

Happy Fourth of July folks!!

It was about 5 years ago this time when sparks flew between Aaron and I! It all began on a road trip that my brother and I took from Richmond, which is where I was living, to Virginia Beach. Aaron decided to join us at the very last minute and at the time, I hardly knew him. Needless to say, he did everything in his power to impress me and I was smitten with his charm!

We're going to Williamsburg for fun at the amusement parks, quality time with family, and hopefully a good fireworks show. We hope you have an amazing holiday! Do something for us and remind your significant other of the time when you first had feelings for each other!

Source

Real Wedding Teaser: A Doughnut Cake

2010-06-30T15:12:00.003-04:00

Last weekend one of my distant cousins, Meagan got married! I've only seen a few pictures of the wedding and I'm anxiously awaiting the rest (so that I can report back to you with all the details), but this is something I just couldn't wait to share.

Check out their awesome doughnut cake:

Doesn't this picture make you want a doughnut, like right now?

Please note that unfortunately, I do not have the name of their photographer to credit this photo. I promise to update this post as soon as I get that information. More of this real wedding soon!

The Brooches Debate Chiavari vs. Banquet Chairs

2010-06-28T20:27:00.002-04:00

We're trying to think outside of the box when it comes to our wedding...

Not necessarily in terms of creativity, but in terms of the "box," many brides and grooms (especially brides) get into when it comes to their must haves. Most of us want the best of the best. The best caterer, the best DJ, the best photographer, and there's nothing wrong with that, except for that most of us can't afford the best of everything. In our case, we're splurging on the venue and photography. We feel like these are lasting investments (if you will), or really (that's just a fancy way of saying) the things we can justify spending thousands of dollars on.

When it comes to the trendy extras like a candy bar or photobooth, we're really having to restrain ourselves. We want it, but our budget simply doesn't have room for it all. For instance, I LOVED the smilebooth. We discovered it during our trip to New York at the Wedding Party, and it was my "must have," item for months. Seriously. Months. I told Aaron I didn't care how much it cost, and when we found it was approximately $1500 somehow (lol) I convinced myself that was reasonable.

Did I mention that was on top of our wedding costs? Yeah. Mr. B wasn't buying it.
Then I got on this kick about having a wedding planner. Mr. B wasn't convinced we needed one until we met with a few, and all the sudden he was all, "we can't do this without one!" Despite his lenancy on the issue, I knew our budget wasn't going to handle a smithbooth AND a planner. So I had to chose.

Of course, the planner was more jusifiable.We'd be utilizing the money we spent throughout the year and not just on one day (we wanted a full-time planner). Not only that, we definitely felt the planner would earn their fee by saving us money on the caterer, flortist, and other wedding-related expenses.

So alas, I had to say goodbye to my beloved smilebooth.

Smooth. I gave in on the smilebooth. Mr. B and I got the planner we felt we needed. Easy peasy. Then, something came up I wasn't so quick to overlook, which bring me to our current debate: chiavari versus banquet chairs.

Even though the cost isn't as high as the cost of a planner and smilebooth, a few hundred dollars goes a long way in the wedding-budget world. You don't want to throw away $200 or $500 on just anything, because there are a lot of good uses for that money (like contributing to more expensive items).

I'm not a fan of banquet chairs (no offense to brides out there that are planning to use them or that did). I think chiavari chairs are so much more beautiful! In the words of our planner, "They significantly upscale the design of the room!" AMEN!

But, I have to ask. Is this minor? Am I being a spoiled bride? Should I be more lax about this kind of thing? Who is going to notice the chairs?

Well, I will. I just think chiavari chairs takes a dining room from "all that's nice," to "wow, that's sophisticated!"
What's really the difference these two types of chairs, you ask?

Source and Source

Are chiavari chairs worth the splurge?

Were banquet chairs included at your venue? Did you use them?

Must Haves: Vintage Furniture

2010-06-25T21:50:00.007-04:00

I'm the daughter of trash pickers and proud!

Yeah, I said it. So what.

I pride myself on my ability to find goodies at low costs, bought second hand, or found for free. That's right, found for free! You might have guessed this from my bio - lover of all things vintage/antique/thrift/or homemade. You'll find I'm a sucker for a deal. I thrive on a good bargain!

Remember my seating inspiration? Many of you were concerned about the cost and rightfully so. Renting lounge furntiure, especially the expensive kind can get really expensive and fast! My solution is to go second hand. Seriously. Mama brooch and I have found some pretty amazing furniture curbside.

The thing is, our venue is perfect for this aesthetic because it's historic and has a very antique charm, and I want to keep that consistant throughout our wedding.

Take this couch for instance.

I HEART THIS COUCH!

I'll admit, I love it because it's green. It's olive green (my favorite color), but don't you think we could find this somewhere cheap (hello craigslist) and sell it later? I sold all of my furniture when I graduated from college (I sold furniture, some pretty nice stuff too, throughout college). I know firsthand what BO means. And it just might be the only way I'll get the seating I desire.

My thought: why rent overpriced lounge furniture that you'll never get to use again, instead of bringing in your own pieces that can be less expensive and recycled.

Elizabeth Anne Designs

On a recent trip to our venue, which I'll talk more about in another post, Mr. B and I took some time to brainstorm the decoration and use of this huge patio behind the manor. It's next to the garden and behind the dining area. We really want the space to be utilized, but we don't want to put a tent up, because we think it will obstruct the amazing view.

My vote is to put lounge furniture in this area. Let me re-phrase: vintage lounge furniture. Let's stage it people! Let's pull together some really cool vintage pieces and mix them with a few modern touches. Add a table with our guest book and put a drink station nearby.

Source

We need something that is going to draw people out here. Something that will get people utilizing this space. More importantly... let's get some awesome pictures! Can anyone else see the bridal party taking this space over and getting some um.az.ing photo ops!!

Here is the space I'm talking about:

OK SO.

You see my vision, but you're not sure we're going to find the vintage furniture seen on Style Me Pretty and in the pages of Martha Stewart Weddings mag? Think again! How about this charming vintage vanity for sale locally! I love it. It's exactly the type of furniture I'm talking about in this post. Check out the black dresser below. Both for sale on craigslist!

Source

Still can't see my vision? Then take a look at these photos from a few real weddings, where the brides apparently had the same vision as me.

I'm so in love with this look:

Source

What are you using to spruce up your wedding venue?

Do you like vintage furniture? Will you use it at your wedding?

A Different Kind of Bubbly

2010-06-25T15:40:00.003-04:00

When I fell in love with our venue, I didn't know that sparklers were prohibited from the property. Boo! I've always wanted sparklers. From the beginning, as we sometimes say. I knew from the beginning.

Needless to say, I was really disappointed when I found out we weren't going to be able to have them. I sulked for a long time about it, but eventually, I realized the pros of our venue far out way the cons, and I just have to get over having sparklers.

My backup? Bubbles. Yes, bubbles. I'm one of thhoosseee brides. Haha. I wasn't sold on the bubbles at first, but thrift store hopping (my favorite pasttime), I found a bunch of packs of wedding bubbles for about 25 cents each (score!). It seemed like a sign! Hey! They're usually $1! What a steal, right?! I thought so.

I also got excited about decorating the bottles. That's going to be such a fun and easy DIY project. Right now they look pretty plain and boring, but of course, we plan on adding some color! Some pink and green. Woot Woot! I also was thinking of making labels or a sign that says "Love is in the Air," or something sweet like that! Ideas?

The morale of the story? Not all dashed wedding dreams have a sad ending. In this case, it turns out my sparkler dilemma has turned into a really exciting project and (as you can see from the pictures below) some really cool photos hopefully. Not to mention loads of fun for our guests (especially the younger crowd)!

{Super Weddings}

{Sakura Photography}

{Wizards4Weddings}

Will you have bubbles or sparklers?

Did you have to revise some of your wedding plans when you found your venue?

Signature Drinks

2010-06-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

It's officially summer and the hot weather has me thinking about what we're going to have to keep our guests cool. Let's try on these aweomse bevies to keep our guests hydrated!

I love these containers. What are they called? Where do we get them?

Source

Regular and Raspberry Mojitos!

Yum!

Source

Root beer floats. One of Aaron's favs!

Source

Ice teas!

Source

What types of drinks are you going to (or did you) have?

A Honeymoon in Paradise

2010-06-20T16:13:00.001-04:00

If we could afford it, this is where we'd be going on our honeymoon...

The Anastasis Apartments on Santorini Island in Greece.

Beautiful doesn't describe it!

(Photo credit here)

I discovered Santorini while browsing through TripAdvisor. Aaron and I have been talking a lot about our honeymoon, and we've been really overwhelmed by the variety of places to go. Much like the wedding planning, we're overwhelmed with comparing all of the options and all of their associated costs.

As many of you know, I'm an avid reader of Weddingbee, and it was over there that I discovered TripAdvisor. It's really an awesome website and it's helped me to feel extremely equipted to make an informed decision about our honeymoon!

I love reading the reviews. They are so helpful! I also love the traveler's photos and the quick links to hotels, flight, and entertainment information. With TripAdvisor (and no, this is not a sponsored post), I feel confident we're going to figure out our honeymoon very soon.

The rates at Santorini aren't bad either. Especially when we've run into resorts that cost upwards of $600 a night, which is way out of our budget! The only downfalls with this honeymoon are the cost and length of the flight. Kayak's lowest fare to Thira Island National Airport (nearby) is a whopping $1000. It is also a 15 hour flight - yuck! That would not be fun.

The other downfall is that it's not all inclusive. We didn't want to have to worry about money on our honeymoon. It would be nice to have everything included, but at a place like this, I don't see us needing to spend to much. It would be fun to snorkel and jet ski, but we can do that anywhere anytime! In Greece, I'm sure we'll spend most of our time taking in the view.

The best parts are obvious, it's secluded, romantic, exotic (there aren't beaches like this around the states) and if you don't believe me, check out the 278 positive reviews (and thousands of pictures) on TripAdvisor.

There is only ONE bad review, and there complaint was that it was far away from the world, which is fine by us! That would be a bonus!

Yes, Another Post About Invitations

2010-06-17T09:45:00.003-04:00

I've been obsessed with wedding invitations lately.

I know, I know. What else is new?

It's crazy. I feel like a germaine shepherd looking for a missing child. Seriously, that's how I feel. Whenever I see invitations, my ears perk up, my sense of smell improves, and my eyes pop out a little. I feel like I need to find them. Like I should have found them yesterday.

I know it's going to take me aaawwwhhiillleee to decide on our invites. It takes me aaawwwhhhiiilllleee to decide on pretty much everything, so the invitations (being one of the most important elements of our wedding) is hardly an exception. I worry that if I don't find them, when the time comes when we have to order something, I'm going to be a ball of tears crying, "but, but I don't know what I want!"

Like many of you, my search began on the internet. I searched thousands of stationary web sites -- thousands, I tell ya! Who knew stationary was such a booming buisness?

I even ordered samples! I've ordered about a dozen and each time hoped they would be the one. Too bad, I only really like one (of the six) samples I ordered from Wedding Paper Divas (seebelow). It's termography printing. Swwwooon!

{Source}

My other inspirations are solely from online. I haven't seen these in person, but I still think they deserve a spot among my favorites. Remember the invitations I swore were perfect a few weeks back? Those pretty green and peach ones I absolutely adore! Here's a picture to jog your memory:

{Source}

Well, I think I can add the Whimsical Scroll Wedding Invitations from Blush Paperie to my invitation inspiration file too. They almost have the ones above beat. I love the swirls. I'm really into swirls right now!

Purple is definitely not my color, but the good news is that fonts and colors are customizable!

Yippee!

Look at these same invitations in our colors:

{Source}

Gorgeous, no?

Big difference, huh?

Way big difference. I love this design in the green and pink. It's festive, feminine, and do you see those butterflies?!? Where did they come from? They weren't on the original design, but I love them! These were obviously made for me!

They are subtle and go really well with our garden theme...

Could these be the ones for us? More to come on this later.

Are you constantly inspired by invitations (or is it just me)?

How did you decide on your invitations?

Our Engagement Party: The Details

2010-06-14T10:51:00.001-04:00

It's official, I love photography!

Our friend Vanessa sent us a few pictures of the engagement party this morning and I'm extremely pleased with her work! Vanessa and I went to high school together and we have the same circle of friends. She got her college degree in photography and lives in New York now, but she made a special trip to Virginia to take pictures at our party.

I'm so thrilled that she captured all of the details of our day, because as many of you know, a bride loves her details! There's absolutely no way that Aaron or I could have taken such amazing photos. Everyone was busy visiting with each other and as you can see from my previous post, we didn't get many pictures. We put a lot of thought and effort into the planning and set up of the party, and having these shots makes it all worth it.

Almost all of our details were DIY or the work of family and friends. My coworker's mom made the cake and it was delicious (I mean it was de.lic.ious!). If you live in Virginia and are looking for a fabulous and affordable aspiring baker, contact me so I can give you her info! I created the welcome sign and put together the collage of engagement photos. My grandmother helped me decorate the frame with flowers and my mom was the genius behind our game "check mate!"

A very special thanks to Vanessa! Please use us as a reference in the future, because we will highly recommend you! We know you cut us a huge deal and we're extremely thankful. I see a bright future in photography ahead for you! You did an amazing job! Whoever said professional photography is the only way to go, didn't have the talented friends we do!

Did you have a professional photographer for your wedding and wedding-related events?

Have you ever asked a friend to take pictures and been extremely happy with the result?

Our Engagement Party: A Huge Success!

2010-06-11T11:30:00.004-04:00

Our highly anticipated engagement party was a huge success!!

The turnout was stunning! More than 40 people came out to celebrate! EVERYONE was there. Friends, family, and coworkers turned out in numbers. We were so pleased!! The food was delicious too! Our potluck provided more than enough. We had everything from ribs to deviled eggs, it was all southern comfort food of course! My diet was totally shot!

People really got into it!

It's something about weddings that people must love, because our family was totally into it. We were a bit worried that nobody would want to wear nametags or participate in the group game, but boy, were we wrong! Folks snatched up the name tags like they were goin out of style! Everyone filled them out with excitement, giving themselves descriptive titles like, "future mother in law," and "1st cousin."

Everyone loved my mom's game, "Checkmate!"

Everyone was asked to write down a question to ask Aaron or myself about one another. This was to see if we're ready to get married, which is why the game is called check mate. It's also because Aaron and I love to play chess. If people couldn't think of a question, they were asked to write down a bit of marriage advice. My mom had this little bell and everytime she rang it, Aaron and I would have to pick a number. Whoever had the paper with that number on it had to share thier question or advice.

It was definitely a bit embaressing for Aaron and me, because we had to stand in front of a room full of 40 people, but it was 40 people we love and adore, so we enjoyed it. Everyone really, really had fun sharing thier advice and/or asking us questions! We did a really good job answering questions about each other too!! This was

Aaron's Cousin: "Aaron, if Sara is upset (not at you, but upset), what do you say to make her feel better?"

This was the million dollar question! If we could take back all the questions that night and have just one, it'd be this one, because everyone loved it! Aaron's answer hit the nail on the head and everyone from family to coworkers knew it!

To make me feel better Aaron tells me to "piss on it," which is one of my granny's favorite sangs! Bahahahaha! A bit crude for a grandmother, but if you knew mine you'd understand! She's a firecracker and trust me, she hardly ever gets bashful, but when Aaron said this, her face turned totally red and whole room went up in laughs!

The best part was the speeches...

We weren't really expecting it, but a lot of our friends and family stood up to give us a toast. Aaron's dad, his godmother, my mom, my dad, and Aaron's sister all said something to cheers to our engagement. Aaron's sister totally made me cry. We've been friends for a really long time and she said she always knew I was perfect for her brother! It was a special moment (one that I'll never forget and treasure)! *tear*

We asked a friend to take pictures at the party (of all the details so I could share with you readers!!), but we haven't gotten them yet. Here are some pictures Aaron's dad took of our fabulous friends and family:

My dad, stepmom, and little sister:

Aaron's godparents:

My little sister aka the junior bridesmaid:

Two of my aunts:

My coworker and the delicious cake her mom made:

Mr. B and my granny:

The MOH and me (and Mr. B's mom):

Did you have an engagement party?

DIY Projects Gallore!!

2010-06-10T10:43:00.000-04:00

News Flash!!

Austin Wedding Blog Featuring 43 DIY Wedding Projects for the Budget Bride!

That's right, 43 projects!! It's DIY heaven!! I'm so inspired by all of the ideas!

Here are a few of my favs:

Gorgeous DIY Invitations by Tulle and Feathers Blog. I think I love these because I'm craving invitations right now. I really, really want to find (or begin to create ours), so these totally tickle my fancy:

{Go here to see the rest}

I am totally doing this one! It's a perfect whimsy detail for our garden soiree. DIY Framed Chalkboards are spring-inspired and definitely shabby chic, one of my favoirte design combinations. Way to go Hey Gorgeous. This idea is genius!

{To see the rest go here}

Head over to Austin Wedding Blog and check out all the great ideas. Come back and tell me your favorite projects or if one you know of is not listed, share it here! Xoxo

As It Once Was, So It Is Again

2010-06-09T20:18:00.001-04:00

On trying to be someone I'm not....

As many of you know, I've thought long and hard about changing Olive Weddings into a new, more modern and classy blog. I really wanted to change the name (see my posts about this here and here), because I was tired of the name. To be perfectly honest, I thought the name was kind of dumb. It's not as clever as the names of a lot of really cool wedding blogs out there -- blogs I admire and wish I could be called among.

My plan was to change the format and even some of the content. I searched (and I mean searched) for new premade blogger templates. I bought a few headers and even contemplated getting a full blog makeover. I came up with the new name, "From Madness to Marriage: the musings of a girl gone bridal," and planned to pay for a custom illustration and revamp. I was even going to change my dot com!

Our best ideas are our initial ideas...

There I was, ready and set to launch into a new world of blogging. A more beautiful and glamorous world. One that might come with it recognition and envy. I was ready to have a new look, the perfect name, and volia the fulfillment would settle in, but as much as I racked my brain for new ideas and searched for new templates, I couldn't come up with anything I felt I could stick with.

I mean, I like the madness to matrimony idea, but what's wrong with keeping things they way they are? There's nothing wrong with Olive Weddings and I was starting to miss my old template. I loved this blog when I first created it. I've made a lot of these changes and I tried a few new approaches. All of it, just to find that I wanted back what I started with. Nothing has looked as good as this original template, which I found over a year ago on an awesome site called Yummy Lolly. The best part is... it was free.

Why do I want to be a big time blogger anyway?

I'm so totally content with the readers that I have, there's no need to have more. I've gotten more than I ever imagined out this blog, just the way it is. You guys have no idea how awesome I feel when I get comments from you... It's so nice to know somebody is listening and watching! I think I just started to feel like I needed to be better for you guys, but nobody ever asked for that. I looked at all the amazing blogs out there and thought I needed to do something to be amazing too, when in all actuality, I'm prefect content just blogging here, the way it is, for the few of you that come by from time to time.

Bloggers and brides have a lot in common...

I want to relate this topic to our wedding, because I think there are a lot of parallels. Like blogging, a lot of people get married. There's a lot of blogs out there and a lot of weddings out there. It's easy to look at the weddings on Style Me Pretty and want to have a wedding just as stunning, or read about the fabulous DIY brides on Weddingbee and want to be just like them. While it's fun to imagine these things and it's alright to strive to be better, it's not cool to think you've got to change something to meet a more mainstream standard. Of course I want a blog that is recognized and admired and of course I want a platinum wedding done up David Tuttera style, but at the end of the day I think I'm off better off sticking with what I know.

Stay true to who you are...

My point is that through this blog and through the process of planning our wedding, I'm learning to stay true to myself. I don't have to have the same type of blog as the next bride-to-be, no matter how cute hers is. I also don't have to a clever, awh-inspiring name that is going to make my pasttime my career. The only thing I have to do is enjoy blogging. That's it. The same goes for my wedding. I don't have to have all the frills or all the expensive extras. I just have to have a good time. I've just got to remember the reason I'm there and the reason I'm here.

Have you felt blog and/or wedding envy? How did you deal with it?

Did you try to transform into something your not too?

Share your stories, they are always welcome!

I'm Inspired By This

2010-06-09T10:55:00.004-04:00

Inspiration Board Inspiration!

This inspiration board is really, really close to the feel I'm looking for at my wedding. Every element you see below is somehow tied into what I invision for our big day.

I want invitations, bridesmaid dresses, and a veil like this!

The Betsy White Stationary is simple, elegant and has a hint of green (my favorite color). I love the use of the monogram. It's a cohesive element that we can use to carry throughout the wedding from invitation to favor. I love, love, love this bridesmaid dress. It's a really good depiction of the type of dress I would love for my girls to wear. It's a JMendal , it's short, and it's got a bit of ruffle, all things I love.

Even though a part of me really wants to rock one of the hip birdcage veils everyone loves, I'm probably going to end up wearing the more traditional veil, like the one you see by Elizabeth Messina. Mine even has the same lace around the edge!

I heart flowers, hanging lanterns, vintage pieces, and straw hats...

Who can resist the charm of flower balls (photo by Megan Sorel via Style Me Pretty) and hanging lanterns? There's something really whimsical about hanging decorations and these pieces are timeless. I love the vintage tablescape of classic novels and a bouquet of daisies (via 100 layer cake). It's so garden-esqe!

I love love love these hats...

Another reason I love this board is for the straw hats (photo by Josh Goleman)! How weird is it that Aaron just bought a hat like this last weekend? He's wanted one since last summer and finally got the nerve to wear one this year.

I love, love, love Aaron in this hat. It fits his personality so well, it's laid back, yet sophisticated. We've been talking about getting a hat like this for each of his groomsmen. How cool would those photos be?

I've always had a thing for clothes line escort cards...

I'm a Southern girl and I like all things practical! I still have no idea what we'll do to display our escort cards, but I hope it's as clever and practical, and of course, pretty as these.

So there you have it. All the reasons why I love this particular inspiration board.

Are you starting to see the vision of our day that I see? I hope so.

Go to Flights of Fancy here to see photo credits.

{Various credits available on Flights of Fancy}

Ahh. Awesome Butterfly Decor!

2010-06-07T10:57:00.002-04:00

There are no words to express my love for this decor!

As you know, we have the whole "garden chic," and "garden whimsical," as our theme and these butterfly danglers would be a perfect addition to our decor ideas! It's fun and whimsy, but not also very elegant.

The lighting in this room is really cool too. Having spotlights on the danglers and on the center of the tables gives the room depth. I love the pop of colors too. Orange and green are two of my very favorite colors.

All I can say is...

I hope we can come up with something this cool.

{Weddings & Pretty Things here}

Must Haves: Bright Colors and Pom Poms!

2010-05-28T10:56:00.050-04:00

Yay for three day weekends!

Aaron and I are headed to his hometown of Williamsburg, VA, for some fun in the sun at Busch Gardens and Water Country! I'm super excited to spend some quality time with my babe! We've both been busy at work and at home, and haven't had much to hang out! We'll probably spend about 4 hours in traffic tonight (boo), but I think we'll get a chance to talk about a lot of these, including our wedding plans! I'm going to propose a few new ideas, one being our color scheme!

I found this picture about a week ago while I was surfing the web for images of living rooms -- daydreaming about our place -- and I absolutely love it! Of course, the various shades of green caught my eye and I love the bright pink rug! I'm not sure how Aaron will feel about it since we had discussed a darker color scheme (see here and here), but since our wedding is right at the start of spring and no long in the fall, he might go for it! My fingers are crossed.

Isn't this room great?

I've been really drawn to yellow lately. I'm not sure why, but it's definitely a spring color and would be perfect for my week-after-easter wedding. I thought I wanted my girls to wear green (olive) because it's my favorite color, but I think yellow will stand out more and it will look beautiful on them (anything would really)! I especially like the yellow with grey, which is my men's suit color of choice.

What do you think?

Source

The other idea I want to share with Aaron is to use Martha Stewart Pom Poms to decorate various areas at our wedding! There are a few super bare trees at Oxon Hill in early spring (you can see some photos of this here and below) and I needed a way to liven them up!

My picture

Source

I also wanted something fun to decorate and set our dance floor (see my post about this here), as well as a funky twist to the traditional fauxphotobooth. Here's a few pictures to give you an idea of what I have in mind:

Source

What are your plans for the long weekend?

Have you come up with any new wedding day details? Share!

Wedding Dress Envy

2010-05-27T10:57:00.013-04:00

(Ahem... Aaron)

KEEP IT MOVING!

I'm in love... again!

With backless wedding gowns! This isn't the first time I've talked about liking this type of wedding dress. If you recall, last December I couldn't get this dress (right here) out of my brain. I was seeing it in magazines everywhere and when I found this real wedding, I was smitten!

My taste for backless has changed a bit since December. I'm really into a crisscross back now. I love the thought of our wedding guests stunned at the originality and sleekness of a crisscross back when I walk past them down the aisle. It'll be the ahh to the ouu of my moment in the spotlight! I get chills just thinking about it!

Here's an example of the crisscross back:

{Source}

I love it in pictures, but how will it look on me?

I've never tried on this type of gown and I have no idea how it will look on me. We've all heard stories of brides who thought they knew what type of gown they wanted, but drastically changed their style when they tried on a few dresses. This has already been the case for me, because when I went looking I didn't like anythign I thought I would! I thought I wanted something casual and simple, but I loved being in poufy-princess dresses with regal diamonds and designs! I'm not sure if that's really my wedding style or whether it was part of the glam of trying on a wedding gown for the first time.

When I window shop my taste is much different...

When I'm looking online and in magazines, I like A-line dresses with lace and thin straps. I don't like flashy, blingy, or poufy stuff, but again, this is when I'm looking online, not in real life!

So my love affair with these backless beauties is still young, being that I have not had a chance to try on this type of dress. Nevertheless, I'll be drooling over this gown until I get my hands on it and see if it's the one for me!

So here it is, the wedding dress I envy... in all its glory:

{Source via Style Me Pretty}

You haven't had enough, have you? Me either!

Here's the dress (or at least one that is very similiar) again. I can only hope to look as great as this bride on my wedding day. She rocked it! Tell me this isn't one of the most fabulous bridal shoots you've ever seen!!

{Source}

If you thought that was a great bridal shoot, check out the wedding! This wedding, which I discovered on Style Me Pretty is fun and fabulous! The gown totally fit the flirty feel of this couple and their wedding!!

{Source}

So my goal is to try this dress on. I don't care how many dresses I try on before or after this gown, I vow not to buy my dress until I've at least tried this dress on. Problem is, I have no idea where to find it. I did some searching though and found out...

Dun dun donna...

IT'S AN AMY MICHELSON!!

{Source}

Now I just have to figure out where to go to try it on! I'll keep you posted!!

Did you fall in love with a wedding gown online or in a magazine?

Was it the gown you ended up buying?

Seating Inspiration

2010-05-24T10:38:00.024-04:00

Here's a few great images that are making this tired Monday a bit more cheery for me! I really want to have lounge furniture scattered throughout our venue. Through Wedding Chicks right here I found the company found, which specializes in supplying event planners and brides with vintage rentals. There is a ton of great workable pieces on their web site here!

I also discovered another rental service called Party Rental Ltd, which serves the Washington DC area and has lots and lots of great items to fill your venue with style. They have a great inspiration gallery called, "Looks We Love," that will excite the bride in you! Believe me! I'd totally snag this Pear Green and White Stripe look for my wedding and the best part is, they provide you with all these pieces to make it a reality!

Source

I'm going to talk to a planner about bringing in furniture we own to save on money, but the problem with that is the setup and breakdown of course. There's obviously a lot of figure out before my vision of great furniture all over our venue comes to life, but we'll get there!

Luckily for us, a few folks have had their weddings at Oxon Hill before us! Here's an image I found on Event Accomplished Blog of a wedding at our venue that had lounge furniture! This is a picture of the actual foyer of our venue and I must admit, the furniture looks fabulous! It makes the room more inviting and way more upscale and modern. They got this awesome lounge furniture from Da Vinci's Florist!

Source

We really like the all white furniture, but there's no telling what we'll go with. We need to visit one of these rental warehouses and see for ourselves the options. Here's a few images I've collected from around the web that inspire this idea...

Lindsey Belle via Style Me Pretty

Source

Elizabeth Anne Designs

One Wed

Bride's Guide: Martha Stewart

Docuvitae via Style Me Pretty

The Weekend is Near!

2010-05-21T10:07:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday Folks!

Here's some cool florals I discovered in a few of my favorite magazines!

Better Homes and Gardens

Southern Living

Traditional Home

Enjoy!

{Pictures by me}

The First Married Kiss!

2010-05-18T09:37:00.001-04:00

Images: here and here

Beautiful Wedding Signs

2010-05-17T15:40:00.003-04:00

Your guests ought to know where to go...

Our ceremony and reception all happening at the same location. Tricky thing is, we need our guests to walk around the manor and to the ceremony site and not inside the manor. They're going into the manor from the back, after the ceremony (unless they need to use the restroom or something, in which case we'll let em in)! The reason for this is so we don't spoil the reception reveal. We also don't want our guests to get confused walking through the reception area first and possibly not realizing they have to go back outside to the ceremony. Oh and there's the whole stunning view thing. Walking around the manor and into the garden will wow our guests with the stunning view of the potamac river...

So how's all this going to be possible? What are the logistics?

I honestly do not know yet. It's one reason we want a wedding planner (one of the many reasons) and one who has hosted weddings at our venue. My first instinct is beautiful signage. Have these stacked out when guests walk up to the manor, directing them to the ceremony...

{Erin Hearts Court via Style Me Pretty}

{The Wedding Chicks}

{Source}

{Southern Weddings}

{The Back Porch Shoppe via Preppy Chic Bride}

{Oncewed}

Did you use signs to direct guests on your wedding d?

Did you make them yourself or order them?