Moroccan Inspired theme?!

I was trying to find a way of how I envisioned the fabric draping... basically I see it as the Moroccan theme with the fabric being like a champagne and the colors coming from the tables. It will add even more to the romantic evening wedding feel.
Some of the pictures are no longer available.. but maybe these will give you an idea :D

check this one out here:
check this one out here:

Veils and the like.

I am getting so excited and didn't think I wanted a veil. But! I love the bird-cage idea....

here:


here:

with something like this on the side...


oh and i love this:

More new..

As I start to think about all the different ideas with the new plan, I get so excited! I am so excited to marry the man of my dreams and my best friend. Theres so many little things that I think as they add up will truly make it a beautiful evening.

I love history and traditions and the reason for why things were done the way they were... One thing that has really been impressed upon me is the idea of the marriage covenant. Marriage is a serious thing to take into account and to think of it as such is an important part of the ceremony. I love that the white aisle runner is symbolic of the covenant that the couple is taking before God. This is a symbol that I want to be present at my wedding.

I'm looking through Koyalwholesale.com for some ideas.. They have some reasonable items... A couple of my thoughts are bubbles! Some people say that they stain but I think that it would be fine running through as we say goodbye. They also have disposable table and chair covers... a fairly non-expensive way that will look attractive.

I'm not a huge fan of wasting money on favors when nobody really cares about them anyway. i have seen so many weddings where in reality the favors just get left behind. If the wedding should be in May.... I will probably go with this idea: Take a flower bulb and place it in a white bag and attach the same flower (but silk) on the top.Windy City Novelties so far has the cheapest set of them.

I've been thinking a lot about invitations. Since we are getting close to maybe having a date and since there is a possibility that the date might be 79 days away from today... I think I need to have these ready as soon as possible! I was looking into this one invitation because I thought it was going to be easiest, but I looked at this one site and found inexpensive address cards.. Now I can go back to my idea of getting the invites from costco... Here are some of my likes!:

New New New!

Last night my parents and I sat down and talked wedding... It was a huge block coming off of my shoulder and a huge exciting moment to spring forward. We are waiting to hear back from the Navy and hopefully May will come back as a go for it!
We are now planning on getting married at my home church. We're going to drape fabric and change the whole feel of the place. We're going to romanticize it and make it intimate and beautiful. I cannot wait! We're planning on having our reception in the fellowship hall and then move down to the Wilsall Dance hall for just a big party.
So now! Onto some new planning... Here are some ideas that I'm loving and photos to boot.
i love the fabric draping of this photo

and my favorite little pom-poms
the richness of these colors with the twigs... The simplicity with the beauty and purity
yay for signs and dancing

the rich colors and contrasts with candles The different textures and colors
These are from tying the knot... Love her!

Chinese Takeout anyone?

I love unique centerpieces... See the possibilites? Now the website is one of my favorite's go check it out ladies: Beau-Coup

I'm going to do all my RSVP's via online and phone... So I won't need to have all the envelopes and what not... These have some really great options...
1) Custom Creations

These are some ones that i want to check out later in the future.. just a little of a reminder: i ran out of time now...
http://www.thestationerystudio.com
http://www.pronto.com/
http://www.shop.com/
Vista print has like 50-80% off!!!

Just wanna scream!

I am soooo excited! I don't know what date we're getting married yet. Finally we are just down to one person left to sign off if you will... The navy! I know.. one of the biggest ones but you gotta be optimistic. May is right around the corner and is a high possibility. So I could be married in 85 days! A lot of work to do in between now and then but oh my goodness this is so real and exciting! I cannot wait to marry the man of my dreams and spend the rest of my life with him! SO SO SO exciting!

I've got a couple big things left to do in the mean-time though...
1) Guest List
2) Invitations
3) Finish up wedding registry
4) Buy Labeling software
5) Buy stamps
6) Buy pre-marital counseling book
7) Start pre-marital counseling

But you know what?! I still can't wait. Nothing is able to crush my spirit at this point. (This is as of today... Tomorrow I may be a little bit more pessimistic but I'm gonna try to keep it to a minimal) Just a little more of my ranting... But YAY

Reception... part one of many

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:19-23, New International Version)

This now is the theme of the wedding reception. Each table will be labeled with each fruit of the Spirit with a spin off of it... I want to intricate fruit in the decor:
The cake is not going to look like this... but I like how its intricated! How neat!

Good Reminders...

I have borrowed these reminders sent to Molly from Clink
and i just have to share then.. (mostly cause I want to remember them for myself..)
I will add to one of them... I will not forget to take a couple moments with my parents. That will be something i'll never forget.

1. When people said “things will go wrong; you’ll just have to go with the flow! Don’t stress!” I (from my horse, upon which I sat very high) thought “pshaw [ed. note: yes, pshaw], what could possibly go wrong? Everything is under control! I am a casting producer! I produce actual shows, for television. Clearly I can produce a wedding.” And then, of course, things went wrong: the priest turned out to be a bit of a bi-polar psycho, the organist played all the wrong music, the groom and groomsmen forgot to put on their boutonnières before the ceremony, there was confusion over a table assignment, there was (as you well noticed) an ICE SCULPTURE at the raw bar, the band played some 70’s music when I specifically asked them not to, did I mention the slightly psycho priest?

So, what I mean to say is that even though it seems highly unlikely given all the blood, sweat, tears and martinis you have poured into planning your wedding, there are a few details that will not go according to plan. And you - the one in the white dress, the one everyone is focusing on - will have no choice but to, yes, go with the flow. Boutonnieres can be applied after the ceremony, people will still dance to 70’s music and scathing letters dripping with pure, unadulterated hatred can always be written to slightly psycho priests (and also, the archdiocese). At the end of the day, it all works out. Just like that fairytale crap that the 5,000 bridal magazines now inhabiting the back of my closet (want some? PLEASE?) tell you.

2. I mentioned this before, but Listerine strips in the pocket of the groom (because, clearly, you have no place to carry them) are essential. You will be talking. A lot. Especially during the receiving line or table visits. When you talk a lot, your (your = not you specifically, everyone) breath can get stinky and thanking Aunt Diane for coming all the way from Wichita with your hand covering your mouth is just going to look awkward.

3. In the words of whomever that crossover country music star was: “If you have the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaance!” But seriously, dance. You will not regret it. Dance with your husband. Dance with your mom and your sister. Dance with your bridesmaids. Dance with your friend Clink who loves you. While I tried to say hello to everyone, my general philosophy was “if someone wants to talk to me, they can talk to me on the dance floor.” Which is exactly what you did. And then we got to talk (RED FLIP FLOPS) AND dance. Win-win.

4. Choose your bridesmaids wisely. I know it’s a bit late for that and I’m sure you already made perfect choices. To be honest, the bridesmaids helped set the tone for my wedding. Every time I looked up, they were breaking it down in their adorable chocolate brown dresses on the dance floor. They were the ones who wiped sweat from my brow during pre-ceremony photos and touched up my lipstick and pulled me away from Aunt Diane because they knew I’d rather be dancing and made sure I had water when I needed it. And not because they thought they were my indentured servants for the night; chocolate brown dresses or not, they wanted to help. Because they are good people. Because I chose wisely.

5. The pre-ceremony pictures were worth it. I see both sides of the (sometimes very heated) argument and I would’ve been fine seeing M for the first time when I walked down the aisle. Instead, we ran into each other’s arms at Columbus Circle (photo op!) while tourists clapped and took pictures (”Statue of Liberty, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, oooh look! That’s one of a total stranger’s wedding! Yeah, New York was awesome”). It was a magical moment and I guess that’s my point - it’s a magical moment whether you see each other before or while walking down the aisle. You will not be robbed of that magical moment either way. Plus, taking photos before ensures that you and the bridal party are totally fresh. If you do choose to see Michael for the first time while walking down the aisle, make sure to try and focus on him. There will be people smiling and waving and taking photos and your dad will probably be muttering something funny and dad-ish on the way so it’s easy to lose sight of the most important thing: the man you’re about to marry, who is waiting for you just a few feet away.

6. Sometimes you’re just too damn tired to have sex on your wedding night. And that’s okay.

7. Try to eat at least a bite of everything. Before my wedding, I was adamant that I would not be one of those brides who went through the entire wedding without consuming a bite of food. I thought brides who “didn’t have a chance to eat!” were just anorexics in disguise. Little did I know. My stomach was in knots - good knots, butterfly-y knots - the entire time and food was the last on a very long list of priorities. I had a few bites of appetizers in the bridal suite before the cocktail hour, a bite of my sea bass entrée and the requisite bite of cake during the cake cutting. Now when people tell me that the food is the best they’ve ever had at a wedding, I feel both happy because yay, well-fed guests and also jealous because I barely got to have any of it.

8. Steal a moment with Michael. And trust me, it’s not going to be easy because, um, everyone wants a piece of you two (as they well should). I managed to steal two moments with M - once in our bridal suite (but that was mostly us just shoving food in our mouths) and then once on the rooftop, where the photographer had grabbed us to take a photo with the sunset in the background. We stayed up there a few extra minutes just to tell each other that we loved each other and to marvel at the fact that we were married, and everyone that we loved and cared for was celebrating that in the room below. I will cherish that moment forever.

9. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t get to spend as much time with everyone as you might like. I was consumed with guilt on the flight to Hawaii because I barely got to spend time with everyone. But I guess that’s the point - when there are 180 people present, you only get to spend a little time with everyone (the alternative being a lot of time with only a few people, which is clearly not what a wedding is about). Your guests understand and they will love you regardless.

10. Get all of your emotions out during the rehearsal dinner. As I told you, I was a MESS during the rehearsal dinner due to the speeches I gave (to my bridesmaids, to my parents, to M). I was literally sobbing and I ruined all of my make-up and thus looked like I had two black eyes but it was just so overwhelming for me to put into words what all of those people mean to me. It actually worked in my favor, however, because I was able to keep it (mostly) together during the wedding. I was a bit emotionally spent.

11. Borrow my Polaroid cameras for the guest book! Of course I would never force you to do this but I can honestly say that the photos accompanying the notes were the best part. Polaroid cameras are always fun (instant gratification!) and it gives your guests something to do if the band is playing 70’s music.

12. Have a card box. I don’t know if this is a given or not, but most people will be giving you cards and unless you had pockets sewn into your wedding dress, you will not have anywhere to put them. A card box solves that problem (and if it is placed in an obvious area, most people won’t bother handing the cards to you).

13. Right before the wedding, there will be drama. I can’t predict what it will be, but you will face some sort of curveball. For me, it was one of my friends calling two days before the wedding to inform me that she couldn’t attend because she could not get out of work. She has known about my wedding date since June of 2007, when I booked my venue, so it wasn’t like she didn’t have advance notice. It felt like someone punched me in my gut - she is not some periphery friend who I was on the fence about inviting; this was someone who I was extremely close to and even considered asking to be a bridesmaid. I had a good cry (angry tears, mostly), let M talk me out of it, updated our guest count with the venue and then I moved on. Which - like I said about things going wrong - is the only choice you have. You can’t let it eat you up. Any emotional fall out can be dealt with after the honeymoon.

14. It is impossible to enjoy your honeymoon in the age of Facebook. Because there you’ll be, snuggled up to your husband (!) in the terminal of LAX waiting for your delayed flight to Honolulu and you will not be able to resist the siren song of a T-Mobile Hotspot for only $9.95 so that you can SEE THE PHOTOS. It is all about the photos. (The wait for the professional photos is nothing short of excruciating.) Trust me, just pay the $9.95. You will have the rest of your life to snuggle with your husband (I hate the word snuggle but it is the most appropriate here.)

15. Make sure you look and feel like you. This is important for the hair & make up trial. You want to look like nothing more than a beautiful, bride-y version of yourself. I say this only because at my first hair trial, I did the half-up, half-down thing because the stylist talked me into it. She said too much of my hair down would be sweaty in July and it should be off of my face, blah blah blah. Well, I didn’t end up using that stylist. I went to another, who did my hair mostly down (like I asked), said she would “spray the shit out of it” so that it stayed in place and who cares if it got a little sweaty underneath? And she was right. My hair was fine. The sweat even helped the curls a little bit, as gross as that sounds. I’m not a girl who ever wears her hair up and I am now thrilled to have photos in which I look like myself, only bride-ier.

16. Speaking of, you. will. look beautiful. Even if you aren’t at the weight you hoped you’d be at. Even if your arms don’t look like Jackie’s from Work Out on Bravo. Even if you feel a little bloated (like I did.) There’s a little thing called the Bridal Glow and lo, it is glorious. It is the happiest day of your life and every single photo - from the candids to the posed to the ones taken with a freaking camera phone - will reflect that. I spent far too much time before the wedding agonizing about my appearance. On the actual day, once I got past hair and make up, it was one of the last things on my mind. The first? Marrying someone amazing. Also, dancing.

17. Tell your bridesmaids, mother, sister, etc, that if anything goes wrong at the wedding? Unless the venue is on fire, you don’t want to know about it. It is their job to protect you from Uncle Dan’s complaints about how loud the band is or the fact that only half of your favors arrived. Whatever it is, it’s probably not something you can do much about so they should just handle it the best they can and let you enjoy dancing to the Motown Medley.

18. Enjoy every moment because it goes by fast. This is a cliché piece of advice but it is cliché because it is true.

19. Also cliché but true? It will be one of the best days of your entire life.

20. Marriage is awesome. Like being engaged, but more…sparkly. Yes, sparkly. Shut up. It’s not a visible change, it’s just a slight shift. You always knew you’d be connected forever and now you are. And you have the beautiful bands, sweet exhaustion from dancing and the time of your life with family and friends to prove it.

Cute pic of the day

Chinese Lanterns...

Pom-Poms and Lanterns just make me giddy with excitement. I don't know why! i think they've got the floating feeling but they're just so romantic and beautiful. The Chinese Lanterns bring a bit of my heritage into the wedding and there is nothing that I love more than that!

This bridge is between the meadow and building that I hope to have my wedding at! How pretty would this bridge be lined with lit up lanterns? I found a couple places that have fairly reasonable lanterns, its definitely do-able!
Good websites to check out are:
Pearl River - Also has a lot of other Chinese inspired products. Maybe my shoes? Maybe some fun Chinese parasols? hehehe.. I'm having way too much fun
Party lights: They have lanterns, but they also have any type of lights. Beautiiifulll!
Luna Bazaar- More Lanterns, Parasols etc. But! From Martha Stewart likes them... So might make the costs more expensive...
Asian Ideas- More Lanterns... And Accessories...

I'll just have to go t hrough and look and what stuff I like better and which ones have the cheaper items.

if you know of any others, please let me know!!! What do you ladies think?

the little things count

I bought some spanx the other day! I was given a 50$ gift certificate toward the bridal boutique that I had modeled for in a wedding show. So yes I'm going to be wearing these lovely babies. I have a friend who might be able to lend me her bridal bra. That will be nice since I'll never need it again.

Shoes!

Like every other brides... I'm hung up on shoes! Since the dress is pretty simple, I can have some fun with the shoes and accessories. I'm along with everyone else in the colored shoe fad. Even more so... I'm loving the idea of the indian inspired flats with beadings and maybe color! One way or another, the shoes need to be fairly flat, maybe a fun pair of cowboy boots. But these are some other ones that I've liked...
I love the vintage fun style of these.. from here:
Something about these are sooo fun and cute!
Simple and elegant and something that you'll never regret... but are they "me" enough?

Ok so wayyyy fun! But do I want them in orange? the only orange would be in the flowers...

These are just an idea of the maybe ideal indian flats. They are just like back home in Asia.
For a pair of boots, these might be pretty fun... A little fun with the class. But none in my size.. Overstock is something you've kinda just got to jump on.
Since the dress isn't white.. These could be good! Very classy boots. But once again none in my size and overstock.
These are actually in my size... So they are a huge possibility. plus the toes wouldn't scuff as easily
I would love for these to be my something blue... I love that idea! I dunno though... also.. Sold out! ergh.

Wahoo!

I could scream from the mountaintops right now. Life is so good! Everything that I could ever have asked for has come true faster than I ever thought it would. I just stopped asking and prayed! God is good!!! All family things are now settled, I can set a date! Now we just have to jump through all the hoops with the navy and vendors and family dates, other than that... We can get married!!!
It may be a small thing.. But we also found out that we can paint and change any light fixtures in our apartment. It is so exciting that we can make it how we want it! It's gonna be home!

cute pictures of the day!

I love love love these pictures and especially the top right because my dad has almost the exact truck and i fantasize thinking about pictures of it!


I love this photo because its an intimate moment with a note that he wrote.. I love that idea!

There's something about this that is just unique and beautiful. Love it!

Beautiful poem!

I just read this from here and had to yell how cute! How perfect! How true...

LOVE

I love you not only for who you are,
But for who I am when I am with you.
I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself,
But for what you are making of me.
I love you for the part of me that you bring out;
I love you for putting your hand into my heaped-up heart
And passing over all the foolish, weak things
That you can't help dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked quite far enough to find.
I love you because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern, but a temple.
Out of the works of my every day, not a reproach but a song.
I love you because you have done more than any creed could have done
To make me good. And more than any fate could have done
To make me happy.
You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign.
You have done it by being yourself.
Perhaps that is what being a friend means, after all.

- Roy Croft

Cakes!

I've been trying to figure out if I'm going to make my own cake or if I can find someone that I trust to make it.. I want a simple white cake with textured cream cheese frosting with maybe fresh flowers and/or fruit on each tier. Since its going to be a dessert buffet, the cake needs to be small. Something like this...
I'm going to do a cupcake tier, I'll make the tier and then have the same cake batter into cupcakes...


An acquaintance of mine does a beautiful job doing cakes.. They are delicious and very professional looking. She made a cake for my friends wedding and I was so impressed! She even made the fondant!!!So! I asked her if she would want to do them... And that I would have time to help out and would pay cost plus. I'm so excited!

So here's an idea of a how I can make the cupcake tier... It's beautiful! Yay!
Its from here : and there are directions too...