It Finally Happened

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

So…I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened.

Lee and I got engaged in March of 2012 and, ever since that perfect night, anything that has anything to do with the wedding has gone perfectly.  We found the perfect day, the venue that we wanted was available, I found my perfect dress (on clearance!!…and bought it before we were even engaged!), found the perfect tuxedos, booked a wonderful photographer and a musician who are also friends of ours, found perfect invitations, picked out perfect favors, and so on and so on.

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Things feel like they have been magically falling into place.  It has been totally stress-free…well, with the exception of some family drama…but that’s just expected, right?  It just seems like everything has just been ‘meant-to-be.’

Before I explain, let me take a step back and say that in that paragraph above that describes all of the things that have been going well, I should include my centerpieces.  My mom found these beautiful lighted branches that had tiny lavender beads and pearls on them.  My mom found them and ordered one to see if we liked it.  When it came, we fell in love with them!  They were going to look perfect in the evening at our venue.  We even found perfect vases for them – they were the perfect height and were actually tinted a shade of purple.  After loving the one we received, I hopped online and ordered nineteen more for the rest of my tables.  The website said they were on backorder and would be shipping by May 11, which was a little nerve-wracking since the wedding is June 1, but it was totally do-able.

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Alright.  This is where it gets scary.

Last night, I was looking through my email for a confirmation number for another order and I came across an email about the branches.  How I missed it, I will never know.  I get a million emails a day and I look at the subjects of every one.  Anyway, apparently, I missed this one.  It was an email telling me that as of May 4, the branches still were not in but would be sent within the next thirty days.  I went to their website and tried to order the branches and the day listed had been moved from the 11th to the 28th.  Panic had set in.  I called the company and spoke with a woman who was wonderful but, alas, confirmed my fears and told me that they were set to ship one day shy of three weeks.  The wedding is two and a half weeks away.  No need to stress the math.  It just wasn’t going to work.

So…I did what any logical bride-to-be would do and I called my mom and cried and then, immediately after, called Lee and cried.  I had spent months figuring out what to do my centerpieces and, now, it was not going to happen and I had two weeks to figure something out.  I fervently searched online for similar branches to no avail.  Nothing came close to the ones that I had ordered.  I slowly wandered back to their site and realized that they did have a color of branch that was in stock.  They originally had the lavender, white, blue, and yellow.  All were out except the yellow.  Maybe it was the stress, maybe it was lack of sleep, maybe it was the fact that it’s crunch time but…I ordered them.  My colors are charcoal, fuchsia, and eggplant and I just ordered centerpieces with yellow beads on them.

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It’s going to be okay.  The branches are brown and the lights are white.  It’s just the beads.  I can handle them.  I’m going to see what they look like when they come in and I’m going to make them work…even if that means painting each little bead and pearl purple.  I called my mom and we talked through the decision and then I called Lee and informed him that I was back down to a zero…and all the while, I was texting my bridesmaid, April, to get her input. I have trouble making decisions on my own, apparently.

Last night was my first bridal freak-out which I think it pretty good since I have been planning for over a year.  It was just one little set-back and, honestly, they are just centerpieces.  As perfect as I want everything to be, all that really matters is that fact that Lee and I will be there getting married.  That is what really counts…which is why I know everything is going to be okay.

With much Love and Laughter,
Kelly

Something to share:  If you are married or planning a wedding, did you have a crisis to deal with?  Do you tend to be a good decision maker or do you consult others for their opinions?

5 Comments

Wedding DIY 101

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

Hi friends!

So…here we are – under the two-month mark until we tie the knot!  Yikes!  Things have been pretty much wedding, wedding, and all wedding around here. Usually, on the weekends, I’m with my mom running around to various craft stores picking up the odds and ends that I need for all of my projects and, during the week, I’m thinking about the things that I need to pick up during the next weekend.  My spare bedroom and dining room have become storage spaces for baskets, boxes, and bags that are full of paper, vases, branches, glasses, tulle, ribbon, lights, table runners, cookie trays, floral tape, and well, I could go on and on.  I’ll catch you up on some things that I either am or will be working on for the big day!

My brooch bouquet

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It’s finally done!  It was a long process from finding my first brooch to pinning the final ribbon end in place, but it was such a fun project!  I had a couple set-backs while I was trying to put it together but, between me and my mom, we finally got it right!  The best part of the project was finding the brooches!  I spent a lot of time with my parents in antique stores and at flea markets and I also received many as gifts.  Each pin has a special meaning or memory associated with it and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out!

My centerpieces

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I knew from the beginning that I always wanted to use some type of branch in my centerpieces.  I had ideas of using plain branches, silver branches, and large branches with candles hanging off of them.  Before I could make a final decision, my mom found lighted branches that had little purple (one of my wedding colors) beads on them.  She ordered one so we could see what it looked like and ended up loving them!  They have a battery pack that controls the lights and, by some miracle, we found vases that were the perfect size and actually narrowed to allow the pack to sit in the center so they can turned on with ease before the ceremony!  The bottoms of the branches will be wrapped in tulle so they are covered along with the battery pack!

My favors

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(just a small jar I bought to test out the glass etching process…it’s SO easy!)

I am planning on giving out mason jar mugs etched with each guest’s initials as favors.  The mugs will be placed at the entrance to the reception room on a table with bowls of punch so the guests can grab a refreshing drink as they enter!  On each mug will be a tag with each guest’s name, table, and dinner choice.  I’m also sticking cute striped straws in each one!  I’m excited to see how they all turn out!

My table numbers

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(obviously, not going on a table…but just a pic of us!)

I am planning on giving each table the name of a local attraction from the town where we are having the wedding.  When we get some great weather, Lee and I are going to head to each locale and have our picture taken there…and those photos will be our ‘numbers’ on the tables so the guest’s can find their way to their seats.  I just hope my hair decides to cooperate on the day we decide to take the photos!

Alright, friends!  I think that’s all I have for now!  I have to finish up my programs (which are another project), finish the gifts for my bridesmaids, and make my girls’ bouquets (which will obviously be the day before the wedding).  It’s a DIY extravaganza over here!!

With much Love and Laughter,
Kelly

Something to share:  Are you crafty?  Do you have a favorite hobby or project?  I used to crochet but I haven’t in a long time…maybe I need to start again!

1 Comment

My Registry Wish List

Posted on March 6, 2013 by

One of the best things about planning a wedding?

Registering for gifts!

Now, I do not mean that statement to come across as selfish and as if all I care about is gifts.  I just want our wedding day to be full of love and fun with our family and friends…but, you have to admit, it’s fun to make a wish list and pick out anything you want for your house and your future!!  Lee and I registered at Macy’s and Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  My original plan was Macy’s and Target, but both of those stores are in the same towns…neither of which is close to us, so I changed to Bed, Bath, and Beyond so there was a local option for Lee’s family and our friends.

Here are some of my favorite items on our list:

KitchenAid Artisan Mixer in Pistachio

KitchenAid makes their mixers in the most amazing colors and it was so hard to decide which one to choose!  I eventually went with Pistachio because of the retro feel.  My style is not at all retro, but for the kitchen, I envision my grandmother using a mixer of that color back in the day…probably because she still has pots that are that color!!

Hotel Collection Bedding in the new Gates pattern

 

Our bedroom walls are a dark blue-green color and I wasn’t sure how this bedding would look next to them, but the more I studied it (Lee loved that I stood in front of the bedding just staring at it for more than a few minutes), I think it’s going to look great!  I can’t wait to freshen up our bedroom!

Martha Stewart Cutlery

 

These knives are colored and are coded with little pictures on them so you know their purpose.  How cute and fun is that!?

Cuisinart Pizzelle Press

 

My grandma has made pizzelles for as long as I can remember and they are always a family favorite during the holidays.  I’m hoping someday to be like my grandma and make all of those delicious things that she forces on us!  Getting this press is step 1!

Silpat Baking Mat

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Apparently, I plan on spending a lot of time in my kitchen?

Rosette Shower Curtain

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I think this shower curtain is so girly and pretty.  It’s a little hard to see is this picture, but it actually reminds me of a wedding dress.  There are raised rosette textures on the top and bottom.  I just painted our bathroom a couple of months ago and I think it would be a great addition!

Mr. and Mrs. Leather Luggage Tags

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These are just for fun!

Obviously, there is a lot more on our lists…but these are just a few of the things that I am obsessing over!

If you are married, where did you register for gifts?  What was your favorite gift you received?
If you are not married, do you buy gifts from a couple’s registry when you go to weddings or do you do gift cards/cash? – I have done both…it depends on my relationship with the couple. 

7 Comments

Project #1: The Bouquet

Posted on January 15, 2013 by

Hello hello friends!

Here I am with the first wedding project to be getting underway!  I am a big ‘do-it-yourself’er and have about a million projects planned for our upcoming wedding.  Among these projects are my centerpieces, my programs, my favors, my girls’ bouquets, and my bouquet.  The girls will be carrying regular flower bouquets that will be made with hot pink roses.  A couple of months ago, my maid-of-honor and I got together and bought the supplies to make a bouquet.  I wanted to make sure that it was feasible and would not turn out to be a huge disaster.

We bought a dozen roses, floral tape, ribbon, and pins.  We lounged by the pool and put together a bouquet that turned out really well!  Fingers crossed that I will be able to replicate seven of them the day before the wedding.  Yikes!

While making my bridesmaid bouquets seem like a piece of cake, my bouquet is a little on the different side and, therefore, will probably prove to be a more difficult.  If you are on Pinterest, or even if you are not, I’m sure you have the seen the idea of a bride carrying a bouquet made out of brooches.  No flowers, just jewelry.

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Having a brooch bouquet has always been something I wanted.  I think they are absolutely stunning and add such a unique touch to a bride’s ensemble!  I think a this type of bouquet will go great with my dress, too…which is a surprise that I’ll talk about later!!!

I am starting to put my brooches together by using craft floral wire to make stems on each one of them.  Right now, I have about forty of them and I am hoping to get a few more before it is completed.  My mom and dad are obsessed with antique stores and flea markets and they are always on the lookout for any piece I can use in my bouquet!  I am thankful for their hard work and the time they are taking to find the beautiful pins!

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I still have a lot to do but I’m hoping it turns out the way it looks in my head!

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Wish me luck!

Something to share:
If you are married and had a wedding, did you do many ‘do-it-yourself’ projects?
If you are not married or didn’t have wedding, are you a crafty or ‘do-it-yourself’ type of person?

9 Comments

One Year Ago Today…

Posted on November 17, 2012 by

…I bought my wedding dress.

Yes.  One year ago, I got out my wallet and put money down on a dress.  There was only one problem…

…I didn’t have a fiancé.

If you guys read my blog, you know that Lee and I got engaged this past March and are getting married next June.  This is the story of why I got a dress before I even knew I was going to get married.

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My childhood friend, Amy, works at Sister II, the bridal salon where I got my dress, which also happens to be right across the street from our Jazzercise center.  I told Amy that I would stop in and see her one night after I was done teaching if I saw her car there.  Well, November 16, 2011, I left Jazzercise and saw her car parked in the lot.  There was only one other car there so I figured they weren’t busy and ran across the street to stop in and say hi.  Amy was with a bride and her mother and told me that she was just wrapping up and I could just stroll around and look at the dresses while I waited.

Look at wedding dresses?  Sure.  Twist my arm.

I started at one corner of the store and slowly went through each dress, trying to get a good idea of what it looked like through the plastic bags they were in.  Amy walked by and told me that they had just put some great ones on the sale rack and pointed to where it was.  Sale rack?  Again…twist my arm.  I walked over and as I approached the rack, it caught my eye.  A dress that was different, that looked a little wacky, and that was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen.

Amy walked by again and I held it up and said, “Do you think this is ugly?”
She smiled and said it was one of her and the owner’s favorites and that no one ever tried it on and now it was discontinued so they had to send it out.  She told me to try it on.  I told her that was a completely ridiculous idea since i wasn’t even engaged.  She took the dress out of my hand and put it in a room…and told me to go put it on.

I gave in and put it on.  The rest is history…

I fell in love.  They say you have a moment with the right dress and I can say that I definitely had that moment!

(If you know and follow me, you know I was married before and did the whole wedding thing a few years ago…and I can say that I did NOT have a dress moment with my first dress)

I came out and stood in front of the mirror and Amy had the same moment I had.  Looking back, it was such a special minute…we have been friends since we were nine years old…and there I was…just me, my absolute best friend…and my dress.  We knew it was it.  The owner walked over and said I could make a down payment and the dress would be mine and I could keep it there until I was ready to use it.  You know…when I was actually getting married?

I called my mom and told her I was doing something crazy and had her come and see the dress the next night.  She also fell in love and was 100% on board!  I wrote that check and can say it was one of my best decisions!  I cannot wait to actually wear it!

P.S. This post became much more lengthy that I planned but just to clarify….Lee knew I bought the dress and knew there was no crazy expectation of an engagement.  We knew we would most likely get engaged at some point and he knows how I am when I find something I like!  Thankfully, four months later, he did pop the question!

If you are engaged or married, did you have a ‘moment’ when you found your dress?

9 Comments

One Year

Posted on June 1, 2012 by

Morning Friends!  TGIF!!!  :-)

It’s the first day of June and I couldn’t be happier!  I’m ignoring the fact that I woke up to skies that looked like this…

…and being excited for the fact that in exactly one year, Lee and I will be getting married!!

I have most of my major planning done.  I have a venue, a photographer, a DJ, a dress, and bridesmaid dresses.  I feel like I have most of the big stuff done and I have been waiting to get started on all of the other smaller details.  Now that I have hit the one year mark, I feel like I can get started and I won’t be planning things too far in advance.

I’m so excited!!  I hate to rush time, but I just want next year to be here!

I just wanted to pop in quickly to say hi and share my excitement!  I have a busy morning at work to attend to, but I’ll be back later with my goal list for June.  I plan on making it a great month!

I’ll catch you all later!!

Some Chemistry Cat humor for your Friday:

(Being a science nerd in college, I love Chemistry Cat and this is, honestly, the best one I’ve seen yet!)

If you are married or getting married, how long was/is your engagement?

8 Comments

Popping the Question

Posted on March 13, 2012 by

Hi Friends!  Smile

First, I want to thank everyone out there for all of the kind words and congratulations on our engagement.  We are so excited and we are so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family!

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Second…shall we get to the details of how everything happened?  I think so!

It all started Friday night, while we were out with our friends, Christa and Eddie.  Lee mentioned that he wanted to go eat at City View, which is a restaurant in Johnstown, PA.  City View is on top of a hill and has an incline that can be ridden from the bottom to the top.

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I immediately said, “No, there is no reason to go and eat there.  Let’s just save some money.  I have a pork loin that I can make for dinner tomorrow.”  Lee said again that we were going to eat there and there was nothing that I could do to change it.  I gave it up, but when I woke up Saturday morning, I said, “Do you really want to go out to dinner again?  Let’s just stay home.”  Again, he disagreed and nicely told me, “Shut up. We’re going to dinner.”

Fine.

We had a normal Saturday together, running some errands and walking the dog.  Then, we got ready for dinner and we were on our way!  We actually weren’t even planning on riding the incline up, but neither one of us could remember how to get to the restaurant without riding to the top, so we just decided to do that.  We got to the incline and purchased our tickets.  The next car was leaving in seven minutes, so we just hung out and snapped some photos and waited for it to leave.

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Right as the bells were ringing to let us know it would be leaving, Lee said, “This is nice.  We’re alone.”
I just said, “Well, it’s chilly, so I didn’t think there would be a lot of people riding tonight.”

I had NO idea what was coming.

The car started up and Lee walked over to me and stood in front of me and said,
“You know I love you, right?”

I just said, “Yeah, babe…I know you do.  I love you too.”

Then he started saying things about how he has always loved me from the minute we met and how much I mean to him…at this point, I figured out what was about the happen and I am pretty sure I was starting to hyperventilate.

I wish I could remember everything he said…but I just don’t.  I felt like I was in another universe.  I just know that as he was saying the sweetest things, he reached in his pocket, pulled out a ring box, and got down on one knee and, in a strong, slightly choked up voice, asked me to marry him.

I just stood there, with my hand over my mouth, saying, “Oh my gosh. Are you serious!?” over and over again.  He put the ring on my finger and said, “Umm…is that a yes!?”

I shouted, “Of course it’s a YES!!!”

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By this time, we had reached the top of the incline, gave our tickets to the man in the booth and made our way into the restaurant.  We were shown to our seats and, while we ordered our drinks right away, didn’t order our food for at least fifteen minutes because looking at the menu was not even a priority!  I was just staring at my ring and just saying how happy and surprised I was!

I honestly had NO idea we were going to get engaged.  I was completely caught off guard!

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We eventually ordered dinner…and I can honestly say it was one of the best dinners I have ever had….for obvious reasons, however, the food was amazing, as always!

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Our neighbors, Fred and Deb, were also at the same restaurant celebrating Deb’s birthday, so after we ate, we had a celebratory drink with them and then headed back to meet and celebrate with a few of our friends that were out.  It was the perfect night!

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I can’t express how insanely happy I am and how perfect the proposal was!  I wish I could live in that moment forever!

Let the wedding planning begin!

21 Comments