Our Wedding, Part Two

Welcome back! Last week I posted the first half of my wedding update and it felt really good to get the pictures out of the vault and onto the world wide web! Now let's get to the second half of the wedding- the reception! It was super fun and definitely the most fun wedding I've never been to! And I'm not biased or anything, haha.

We did the typical bridal party entry, and I decided I wanted to do that things they used to do in the old days when the bridal party would stick their arms and bouquets up and the bride and groom would walk through it. We didn’t have a real “bridal party”. We had my parents (short), John’s mom and her escort (short), my sister (short), the officiant friend (short) and John’s sister and her boyfriend. So, they all basically stuck their arms up in the air sort of like a bridge and we walked under. Honestly, I was so happy that we got to do it (cue the fist pump of joy) that I didn’t even notice that they weren’t actually touching.

We moved into the dances afterward, and John and I swayed to Say You Won't Let Go. We don’t slow dance (ever) and I found it to be sweet but repetitive, so I asked him to twirl me. He asked if I was sure, then gave me a whirl, which was really fun!

I danced with my dad to Butterfly, Fly Away by Miley Cyrus and John danced with his mom to All To You by Scott Keo.

Then, we moved on to speeches from John’s brother, my sister, and my dad. I was always curious what my dad would say at my wedding, since he’s a funny and cheesy and crazy guy (see where I get it from?) and he didn’t disappoint. Then, once he finished his speech, my sister came back up and looked nervous. AND THAT’S WHEN I KNEW IT WAS HAPPENING.

You see, months and months before, I had stumbled upon this video and had half-jokingly sent it to my dad and sister on Facebook, saying that if they didn’t do a Disney parody at my wedding, I would never forgive them. Then I completely forgot about it because you know… wedding planning. So when they came up I knew what was happening. They sang several Disney parodies, including “I Owe” sung to Heigh-Ho from Snow White, all about how John needed to work overtime to pay for the wedding. They pulled out these construction hats and marched in place while they did it, which was hilarious. I hope my videographer captured the whole thing. I’ll post it on YouTube!

After that, everything was pretty typical. We ate, danced a bit, and cut the cake, then went outside to take some nighttime photos.

It was raining again at that point, so we got some really cool rainy backlit photos! John wasn’t impressed with the photos at first. I didn’t understand why, because they were GORGEOUS. And he goes, I don’t like that fake starry sky they added. Once I explained to him it was the rain, he loved them as much as I did.

My sister came out to look for us at that point, and told us that we only had about an hour left to the reception. I had decided early on that I wanted to be 100% present for my wedding, so aside from a couple of glasses of champagne, I didn’t drink until after the cake was cut. I figured at that point, all the “important” stuff would be done, and I could let loose and have fun a bit. We went back to the venue, and I gathered a few of my friends to help me get ready to party. One friend went to the bar to get me 2 of my favorite drinks. My sister and a coworker helped me use the bathroom in privacy, then we all dressed me up from head to toe in my party gear. I met John in the bridal suite, he got dressed, and we emerged.

Ok, no surprise that I like parties. But, one of my favorite things is light-up stuff at parties. I’m like a kid at heart. On one of our first dates, John took me to a bar with his friends, and a guy was selling some light up necklaces and he bought me one. I wore it until it broke. So, we decided that we wanted the last hour of our wedding to be 90’s music, full of fun dancing, light up party supplies, and laughter! John and I added some special gear to our outfits- a light-up bow tie and suspenders for him, a light-up flower crown and sneakers for me!  No one knew about our plans for the glow-light “after party” so they were all really excited and got dressed up. It made for some really funny and psychedelic photos. Plus have you ever seen a bride wearing glow sneakers under her dress?! Probably not! 

Everyone loooooved the light up stuff! They all got decked out in necklaces, rings, sunglasses and bracelets. The DJ took requests, so everyone was loving the music! Seriously, the dance floor was so full and it seemed like everyone got up at some point to dance! It made for some amazing and pretty trippy photos.

We added in some Greek line dancing (of course) and watched as some of my parents’ closest friends knew all the moves despite not being Greek, and watched our friends struggle to keep up. Overall Greek dancing is fun either way, since you’re basically in a long, winding line and moving along while kicking.

The last hour lasted a little longer, since we had an extra hour with our DJ contracted and the venue was able to clean up the tables while we played and danced. Another reason why the Woodloch was amazing! So we ended up with probably an extra 30 minutes of fun. The day flew by, so I was happy to get any extra one to relax and enjoy myself.

Photography by Lora Reehling
Dress by Maggie Sottero Bridal
Makeup by Woodloch Lodge & Spa
Shoes by Badgley Mischka

The Truth About Planning a Wedding

Wedding planning seems quite glamorous. You get to try on gorgeous wedding dresses, you get to pick flowers, look at beautiful venues, create a stellar guest list, be the center of attention. There are so many little, amazing details, and as an added bonus, you get to tell the person you love that you want to be with them forever and ever. It's going to be the greatest day of your life. No pressure. 

However, no one expects how unbelievably stressful wedding planning can be. I sure as heck didn't expect it. I love planning parties. A wedding is basically just the biggest, greatest party ever, right? Riiiiight. 

The truth is that there's a reason why so many couples say they're happy it's over. While most engaged couples start out with a dream in their heart and a twinkle in their eyes, they quickly realize they are in over their heads. And guess what- it's ok! So whether you are currently planning, already had your wedding, or still willing your boyfriend to ask, here's the truth about wedding planning. 

Your budget will double and it'll make you want to cry.

They always say, take your budget and double it. And people scoff. I know I did. "No way," I thought. "I can't even afford to double my budget." Next thing you know, you're eating ramen and walking 5 miles to work because you had to invite your college friends, wanted the better photographer, or just underestimated how much everything would cost. Hint: it's probably almost double what you think it'll cost. 

Your family members will have their own expectations for the day.

Although it's your wedding, everyone thinks it's their wedding. But remember this: unless they're willing to pay for it, they don't have a say. That means that if your parents think you should get a nicer venue for your rehearsal dinner, they need to pay for it. If your grandmother wants a church wedding in addition to your outdoor ceremony, she needs to fund it. Or, if your mother in law thinks that each person needs an invitation with hand calligraphy instead of printed, she needs to pony up the cash. If you did what everyone wanted, you'd go crazy, broke, or both. So choose your battles and what you'll allow other people to dictate for you. Chances are, when you ask them for for the $1k or $7k to fulfill their request, it won't be quite so important to them. 

Your partner might not care about the little details and it'll make you want to cry.

Even though it's so important to you that you decide between satin or linen napkins, your partner might not care, at all. Same goes for picking individual flowers for the centerpieces, whether the women should get corsages or pins, and if the bridal party should wear open or closed toe shoes. And at some point, the unreasonable bridezilla in you will rear her ugly head and make you want to cry. You might even actually cry, and say things like "do you even care about this wedding?!" The truth is that with all the tiny decisions you're faced with (that seem monumental to you) there's a great chance you'll get overwhelmed. And your partner may get overstimulated and give up on decisions. It's all normal, it's all ok, and it'll all get figured out. 

You won't be able to find your dream dress, or be able afford it, and that'll make you want to cry.

There are so many gorgeous dresses out there. There's one for you. And that's what makes it even harder. There are SO MANY dresses and you can only choose one. It's ok. Try on as many as you want, but create a deadline for making a decision. The only thing worse than wearing the "wrong" dress is wearing no dress, or wearing the only last-minute choice you could find. Don't do that to yourself. You might be in the bridal salon, or watching Say Yes To the Dress, near tears. It's a stressful thing, and those gorgeous dresses change from something so fun to those mean biotches in high school that made you second guess yourself. Don't give the dresses that power. You'll find the right one for you. Finding a great guy you want to spend your life with is even harder, and you found that, right? And I bet he thinks you're beautiful no matter what.  

Did I mention you'll want to cry?

Because you will. Over napkins, over your dress, over your mom hurting your feelings. You name it, it'll make you want to cry. Movies, touching photos, videos of a puppy getting rescued. It'll all bring you to tears. So go ahead and cry. Or eat a bowl of ice cream. You'll get over it. And it's ok to cry. Wedding planning is emotional! 

Your wedding isn't as important to everyone else as it is to you.

There will be people that you really thought would be there. And they won't. And you'll definitely be mad, and you'll definitely judge them. But that's ok, you can decide whether or not to go to their wedding. Kidding! Kinda... Just know that just because people don't make it doesn't mean they don't care about you, no matter how much it'll feel that way. And the truth is that you'll be so busy on that day, you probably won't realize. Plus they'll see photos of what they missed out on and they'll have serious FOMO from then on. 

Time is a tricky little thing.

It's constant, and yet it seems like it can go quicker or slower. Waiting for your fiancé to ask you to marry him for 12 months? Brutal. Planning your wedding in 12 months? Where did the time go! You'll think you have so much time to plan, until you suddenly realize you don't have nearly enough time. Print out one of those timelines and check things off as you go. And also know that there will be things you do in an opposite order. That's ok too. We picked out our rings before we picked out our wedding song. So be it. As long as it gets done, that's all that matters. 

The little details will kill your budget.

Favors, wedding programs, calligraphy, tips for the staff. These are all things that'll throw your budget off track. Create a list of things you need to pay (like tips) and the things you want to add on (like wedding programs) in order of cost and/or importance. Then, add them in as you go along and see what budget you have left. Or, just throw caution to the wind and keep buying until you empty your bank account. That's an option too. 

Everyone and their mother will ask how the planning is going.

And they don't really care that much, so don't start ranting to them about the florist picking lilies when you told her how much you hate them, and did you mention how the venue changed their carpeting and now it doesn't match the table linens anymore? How could they do such a terrible thing to you on this most important of days?! Instead, be prepared to answer with some generic cheerful but funny stuff, like"it's going well. Luckily we can agree on what to watch on tv even though we can't agree on which color linens to get." This way, people aren't afraid to get married, or to ever ask you anything again. 

Don't sweat the small stuff.

"What do you mean blush pink and carnation pink look the same," you'll wail. But your partner won't know what to say. And your mom might not, or your sister, or your friends. And that can get stressful when you're trying to make a decision. So, if you find that everyone is baffled and doesn't know which pink to go with, or they all say "I don't know, it looks the same to me," chances are your guests will feel exactly the same way. So, seriously... don't sweat the small stuff. There are so many parts to a wedding and in the end it'll all fit together beautifully. No one will notice and if they do notice and have the gall to point it out to you, eff em. Someday they'll get married, or their kids will, and they'll see how hard it is. With so many big decions to make, don't make yourself crazy (or broke) over the small ones. 

You'll want to elope about 17 times.

You'll joke at first like, "wow, we could have eloped and gone to Europe for a month with all this money." Then you'll get stressed and say, "if we had eloped we wouldn't have had to deal with this stress." Then it'll turn into "hey if we elope now this will all be over and we don't need to worry about Aunt Tricia arguing with Uncle Hank and if grandad's allergies will act up in our outdoor ceremony or if it's ok that your mom wants to wear off-white. Let's just run away, ok?!" Somehow you'll power through it all and enjoy your wedding day. And you'll agree that it was all worth it. 

Pinterest is a trap.

I love Pinterest just as much (or more) than the next gal. It's great for finding ideas and inspiration. However, it's also a perfect way to feel inadequate with your wedding choices, find unnecessary ideas that'll blow your budget, and cause you to pick out trends that you actually don't even like. So, use Pinterest wth caution. Remember that most events you see on there were done by a professional, and even though something might not look expensive, it very well could be. So do your best, use it for inspiration, and don't let Pinterest bully you. 

Phew, that's a lot! I hope you're all laughing and nodding in agreement right now. Or, thanking your lucky stars that you're still single or that your wedding planning nightmare is over. The truth is that although it's stressful, you've got to find the fun in it. This is your wedding. Make the planning process fun. You'll (hopefully) only do it once. And if you have to do it twice? That's ok too. You're better prepared the next time around ;)

What's one thing you didn't realize about wedding planning until you were too far into it? Was there anything you'd do differently? Any advice for couples in the midst of wedding planning? Let me know in the comments below!

Wedding Planning Update- Just 1 More Month!!

You guys... YOU GUYS!! There is exactly 1 month until the wedding day!!! Holy cow, where did the time go?! I swear it feels like just yesterday that we picked out our venue and really started planning. At the same time, it feels like a freakin eternity that I've been planning this wedding!! 

If I could describe the last month in one word, I'd probably pick hard. Or emotional. Or "the worst". Yep, with the pressure of the wedding day fast approaching and the flurry of RSVP's coming in (or not coming at all...) I'd say this month was one of the hardest so far. Let's see what happened, shall we?

Hair and makeup trial/trip

I did my hair and makeup trial! Since my wedding venue is about 3 hours from my house, I decided to do a weekend trip over there with my gals so they could give me advice and also see the venue. We traveled to Honesdale, PA (about 30 mins from our venue) and stayed at a cute little hotel. We had some laughs and dinner/drinks, then went for my hair and makeup trial the next day. I originally wanted a natural look, but I realized that translated to slathering me in makeup and trying to make me look like myself again. It resulted in me looking like a fake version of myself! So I decided to go a little more glam and I liked that look much better. I can't wait for John to see me on the day of :) 

John suit- picked up

John's suit got picked up and all his alterations are done. We also picked out his shoes and belt, tie, etc. All he needs is probably a shirt, because the one we bought a few months back is a little loose on him. I'm so excited to see him all dressed up on the big day. 

First dress fitting- done

I had my first dress fitting last month, and my amazing seamstress is stitching away to make my dress look dreamy on me. I'll be heading over next week for my second fitting! I'm so excited to see the dress when it actually fits on me. I'm kinda nervous, because what if it doesn't look as good as it did with the clips?! Wedding dress shopping is so stressful. Guys are lucky they only need a suit! 

Custom made veil- ordered!

I wanted my veil to have a little something extra, so I decided to make my own. However, that was going to take time I don't have so my lovely seamstress/designer is going to make one for me! I'm so excited to see how it turns out. It's got a little something special, and I'm so excited to wear it. 

Crafts Day- Done!

I gathered up my friends and family for a crafts day this past weekend. I had so many things on the to-do list and so little time. It was great to have an assembly line of people ready to help. I don't think I can emphasize enough how amazing and relaxing it was to have everyone there helping me. I finally felt like I could breathe for a minute! I highly recommend having people over to help. I have some tips here. 

Wedding Ceremony- Planned

Can you believe that we didn't have our ceremony planned, like at all?! We are having a friend do the ceremony and we finally sat down this past weekend to get the details laid out. She's going to draft something up for us within a few weeks and then we'll do a trial run! 

RSVP's- Returned

This month we sent out our wedding invitations and got back our RSVPs. Since our wedding is somewhat of a destination wedding, we had sent them earlier to make sure people were able to reserve their rooms, which were blocked off until 6 weeks before the wedding. Getting back RSVP's was one of the worst parts about planning so far. First off, I recommend adding an option for online RSVPs. It's not only cheaper (a special bonus) but it's easier. We sent out so many cards that weren't returned and got texts back instead. Postage wasted! 

Then, the actual responses. I already knew that people (mostly on my side) were a bit unhappy with the distance of our venue. The truth is that it's a little far (about 2 hours away for most people) but there were family members on John's side where they would have to travel about 2 hours just to get to our house, or other areas that were close to my family. Stuffy reception halls, the same ones everyone else had their weddings and parties over the years, was not where we wanted to have our wedding. It resulted in John getting about 6 no RSVPs and me getting a whopping 30+. This included friends and close family members. And I'd be lying if I said that each one didn't feel like a small stab in the gut. 

Seating Chart- Done

While the RSVP's made me want to crawl in a hole and cry, the seating chart kinda put things back into perspective for me. John and I used this method to do our seating chart, and it was actually extremely helpful. We picked different colors for each of us, for friends and for family, 4 colors in total. I realized that although John had nearly all his family coming, I still had a lot of friends (that I consider family) and some of my parents' close friends that I have known for YEARS coming. Seeing all my pink and purple seating tags made me see the people coming, instead of only focusing on those who can't. I'm still trying to get over the rejected feelings I have for those not coming, but I at least feel better for now. 

Emotions- All of 'Em.

Ugh, this month was a rollercoaster of emotions. I don't ever want to do that again haha. I had the highest of highs (OMG our wedding is only x days away!) and the lowest of the lows (Why doesn't anyone love me? Why did we bother to throw a wedding if no one would come?) I felt pretty shitty for a large portion of this month, as I anxiously waited for RSVP cards from guests who had only complained about distance, or otherwise made my wedding seem like an inconvenience to them. For a little while I thought I'd only have my closest friends and my parents there for me. I feel like I sound like a whining baby but seriously, you don't realize how upsetting it is until you see all those "no" boxes checked off. 

My Wedding Hashtag Got Stolen.

I almost forgot... someone took my wedding hashtag! I first searched the hashtag when I picked my venue and literally no one had ever used it. I tagged a pic of my venue with it. Within a year, 2 people had used it and one more is using it after my wedding! This was another irrational freak out I had (Bridezilla coming out) but I decided to just ignore it. In the end, I know I used it first, plus I own the URL. As a friend said... "hashtags are a trend. URLs are forever." So everyone's going to have to sift through some other brides to find my photos (hah!) but I'll keep posting my stuff on there too. That's what happens when you go from a practically non-existant last name (Sarlis) to a popular one (Cardona). 

Also a note- your wedding hashtag is supposed to be UNIQUE. So, don't use one that someone else already did. (Update: It’s so funny what seems like a huge deal when you’re wedding planning. In the end, barely anyone even used the hashtag! So, I freaked out over absolutely nothing.)

I feel like this post was heavy, so I'm going to try to wrap this up with some advice, and maybe a positive note? Ummm... uh.... don't focus on the people that didn't come. Focus on the ones who did. Any time someone says something negative, remember that they aren't criticizing you, but they're just upset about how if affects them. Then, re-read a text from someone that was excited or call a family member that you know is excited. Tell them something fun and positive you did (We just ordered the favors!) and see how they get all excited. For every Negative Nancy, there's 5 others that are Happy Harriet's. (that's a scientific fact, but don't look it up :p). Also you get what you put in- so if you call a family member to complain and be negative, you'll probably breed more negativity and it'll be harder to shake. So try to focus on the good. Easier said than done, but that's my advice :p 

Need to do:

Bachelorette party- later this month I have my bachelorette! We are going to Philly, and I'm really excited. I've never been to Philly before, but my sis went and it seemed colorful and fun. She was telling her coworker about her upcoming trips and her coworker was like, wow you guys like Pennsylvania, huh? I guess we do! We're going 3 times this summer, between the trial, bachelorette, and wedding haha.

Final fitting and jewelry- I need to get my dress all perfectly fitted, and I need to get some jewelry to go with it. I also need to decide what I want. Dangly earrings, or studs? Necklace or no necklace?! I have no idea, but I need to decide soon!!

Finalize the little loose ends- I created a Trello board a few months back and added in all the tasks, and it's actually been really really useful! I think I'm going to do a blog post about it, because it's really helped me to stay organized and get everything done. I'm down to the last few tasks, and yet somehow my board looks just as full as a month ago! It's amazing how many little things there are to do for a wedding!

Looking for some party planning tips?

If you want to learn more about planning a Pinterest worthy party, be sure to sign up to get your FREE Anatomy of a Pinterest Worthy Party guide! It's full of helpful hints on how to pick a theme, the little details that will make your event unique, and tips to take great photos of your event. And, there's even a checklist so you don't forget anything! So what are you waiting for? Get yours now!

 Phew! I'm tired. This was a rough month of planning, but it's over now, and the wedding is so close I can practically see it. If I have time, maybe I'll do a post 2 weeks before with some last minute wrap ups and details. Otherwise, your next post will be from Mrs. Cardona herself!!

So... any last minute advice? Did you get really bummed over your RSVP's? Think I'm simply crazy? Let me know in the comments below!

Unique Wedding Invitations from Basic Invite

When it comes to wedding planning, a lot of thought goes into the overall look, feel and theme of the wedding. Couples spend a ton of time picking their wedding colors and making sure everything matches up perfectly so that when guests arrive, they are immediately wowed by the aesthetic. However, the wedding isn't the first time your guests should see what you've got planned. Your wedding invitation is the very first thing that people will see regarding your wedding, so it should paint the perfect picture for your guests about what to expect on the big day. You not only want it to be gorgeous and theme appropriate but, most definitely, match the overall color scheme. Many websites offer a few generic colors that will be sorta close to what you're doing, but not exactly right. You're forced to settle on an invitation that's close to what you need, but not exactly what you wanted. 

What if there was a website where you could have the exact colors you wanted, the wedding sets you needed, and the ability to see it all BEFORE you purchased it? Does such a dreamy unicorn company exist?! 

Enter: Basic Invite. I was so excited when I was approached by Basic Invite to write a sponsored post and spread the word about ther AMAZING services! They have hundreds of unique wedding invitations, custom sample kits, and everything you'll need for the big day. Oh, and bonus? There's 15% off with the code 15FF51! Here are some of my favorite things about Basic Invite (along with some gorgeous imagery!).

Almost Unlimited Colors - Basic Invite is one of the few websites that has almost unlimited color options (with instant previews online too). Once you select a design, you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different color options. So, you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it - down to the littlest detail. This is what sets them apart from almost any other online stationery company.

Custom Samples - Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers the ability to order a printed sample of their actual invitation so they can see exactly how it will print as well as the paper quality before they ever have to place their final order. Most companies only offer generic samples, and if you choose to go with a custom color, you're outta luck. Why should you be left to imagine what your wedding invite will look like?! With Basic Invite, you'll know exactly what you're getting, reducing the worry over "Did I make the right decision?" We have enough of that already in wedding planning ;)

Over 40 Different Colors of Envelopes - Basic Invite is just as colorful with their envelopes as they are with their invitations. You can choose from over 40 different colors when it comes to their envelopes so that you can make your invitation stand out even before it is opened. All of their envelopes are peel and seal, so the envelopes can be quickly and securely closed. This is amazing when you need to seal 80+ envelopes and don't want to use a messy adhesive sealer or worse, your tongue! These colorful envelopes will allow you to pick your dreamiest color options, instead of whatever the card vendor decides to have available for your invitation choice.

Over 200 Wedding Invitation Sets - Each of their wedding invitations is part of a set. You can find everything from classic save the dates to wedding invitations and enclosure cards, wedding menus, wedding programs and even matching thank you cards! No more hacking together slightly-matching pieces or being forced to pick your second choice invitation because it's the only one that comes with a matching wedding program. With Basic Invite, you'll get exactly what you want and need, every time. Plus, they've even got matching place cards!

Free Address Collection Service - Use their free address collection service to request your addresses with just three simple steps. Share a link, collect addresses, and get free envelope printing. It literally couldn't be easier! No more texting people for their addresses, copying it to an excel sheet and uploading it to a website. You won't be hoping you didn't make any typos or misformatted the sheet and jumbled up the names and addresses. Plus, some websites won't print addresses on your custom envelope choices. What's the point of that?! Basic Invite's address collection service makes everything seamless and gorgeous, every bride's 2 favorite words (Besides "I do").

If you're dying to see more (or if you're not in the market for invites right now, but want to stay in the loop) be sure to follow along on Basic Invite's Instagram and Pinterest pages so you never miss a post. It's seriously dreamy!

I was so bummed that I didn't find Basic Invite in time for my wedding invites, but I wanted to spread the news here so that you guys don't miss out like I did! Can I go back in time, please?! Luckily, Basic Invite also has tons of options for your other major milestones, like birthdays, graduations and baby announcements, so I'll get another chance in the future ;)

So, head on over to Basic Invite to create your dream wedding invitation set today! And, don't forget to use the code 15FF51 for 15% off!

Note: although I was approached by Basic Invite to write this post, all opinions are my own. I am dedicated to only talking about and using products that I love and will be useful to my readers. You can read more about my policies here.

Wedding Planning Update- Just 2 More Months!

Wow guys… I am now at 59 days until my wedding!! I am so so soooo excited about everything and I’m so ready to marry my fiancé. As my wedding day approaches, I can see it more and more vividly as all the moving pieces come together. Here’s a little bit more about what happened recently.

Hair and Makeup Trial- Scheduled! 

In about 2 weeks I’m heading over to my venue, which is about 3 hours away, for my hair and makeup trial. I’m bringing my girls with me and we are spending the weekend there. I’m excited for them to see the venue for the first time! I already have an idea of how I want my hair to look, but I don’t usually wear makeup so I’m a little nervous I’ll look kinda… clowny. I trust the makeup artists, but I know my fiancé likes my au naturale look, so I hope he likes my made up look too. 

Bridal Shower- Amazing! 

I had my surprise bridal shower a few weeks ago, and it was amazing!!! My mom and sister threw it for me, with help from my sister in law and my friends. They did SUCH an amazing job! I need to get some photos back from the ladies so I can do a blog post, but all we have is cell pics. Ha! I wish wish wiiiiish I had brought my camera with me that day. The shower was held at a local sweet shop, which has a really cute backyard garden. The party theme was a Disney Garden Tea Party. I loved the vintage accents my sister in law found at thrift stores, along with the teapot vases she painted. My mom made me a really cute lace umbrella, and I heard she was searching everywhere for the perfect one, which was really really cute. My sister made such cute invitations and signs, and they strung up pictures of me and John everywhere that made me cry! My dad even joined in and made a funny face-hole frame for us to take pics with. My friends got some really cute teacup tea light favors which were just perfect. The party flew by, and I was pouting at the end because I didn’t want it to be over! I can’t image how fast my wedding is going to go, but at least the quick bridal shower taught me to savor every moment.

Dress- Arrived!!!!

I was so excited to find out that my dress arrived about a month early! I went to pick it up and I made an appointment with a seamstress to have it altered. I’m really nervous about getting the alterations done, since it needs quite a few. I’m excited to see it on me nice and fitted, since the ones at the stores were all several sizes too big and had to be clipped like crazy. I’m going to attempt making my own veil, and may even do a blog post about it! And if it doesn’t work out…. then I gotta order one fast!

Suits- Purchased

Since our wedding venue isn’t too fancy, we decided a suit would probably fit the occasion better than a tuxedo. My fiance and his brother purchased their suits from Men’s Warehouse, where they were having a buy one- get one sale. Thank goodness for that, because the suits weren’t cheap!  We also picked up a belt & shoes for my fiancé, as well as a tie. I’m not sure I like the tie, but he does so I’m trying to be open minded. How much does a tie really need to match the theme? We shall see…

Car- Rented 

Since we have a whooooole lotta stuff to carry to our venue, and our car is on its last legs, we decided to rent a larger vehicle for the weekend. We have to take at least 2 people with us too, so we need to have room for them, all our luggage, and my giant wedding dress bag. Even though we didn’t want to spend the extra money, it really seemed like a good investment so we would have the space and peace of mind. 

Emotions- Running High

Um, yea things are just a liiiitle bit emotional lately! I find myself crying over things really easily (mostly happy tears, thank goodness!) and I’m getting a bit overwhelmed about getting everything done in time. Blogging & working & wedding planning all alone is pretty darn stressful. But, planning is something I enjoy so I’m going to get this done! I’m also trying to remember that although the wedding is the end goal, I need to enjoy the last few months of planning, since it’ll (probably) never happen again. At least until someone else gets married, or I decide I want a vow renewal ceremony :p

Need to do:

Follow up on RSVP's- There's only about 10 days left to RSVP and we got about 15 cards back haha! So, we need to follow up with everyone to get their RSVP, and to make sure that they booked their rooms at our special wedding rate. I don't think people realize that the rooms will cost twice as much if they don't book before the deadline, which is in just a couple of weeks! 

Finalize all purchases- We spent this past weekend ordering a whole bunch of things, so I want to go through the list and make sure we ordered everything else we need for the wedding. Amazon Prime has been by BFF through all this, but for anything that isn’t coming from there, we need to order it soon.

Crafting Party- I want to host a crafting party with my besties so we can get some projects done for the wedding. I did a blog post about it, so this time I want to do an actual one! It’ll be fun to get together and get stuff DONE.

Create Day-of Schedules- Since the day before and day of the wedding are going to be hectic, I wanted to create a schedule and a plan for everyone with where they need to be and when, and exactly what’s going on. I tend to get stressed and the thought of everyone texting me for locations or asking me what’s happening when is a bit terrifying. I really want to hand off my phone on the wedding day and know that everything will be taken care of.

Bachelorette Party- WOOHOO! My sister is finalizing the date and plans for my bridal shower, and I’m really excited to see what we do! I can’t believe everything is flying by so quickly and we are already at this point, but at the same time that means the wedding day is nearly here, and that’s the very best part. Y’know, besides the whole happily ever after thing!

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Overall, I think things are moving at a steady pace and going well. But, that could all change very quickly! Do you guys have any tips for making sure nothing falls through the cracks? How did you wrap everything up at the last minute? Anything to add that I might forget until the last minute? Let me know in the comments below!