Saturday, August 15, 2009

Silhoutte Inspiration


This image is from flickr. I couldn't find one of a bride and a groom, but this is the idea I'm going for with the dressing room signs. Maybe I'll just use fancy paper and I'll have the words "Bride's Dressing Room" on there somewhere. And one for the groom, of course.

DIY Signs





I'm starting to wonder if I'm running out of "juice" for this blog. I'm a pretty low maintenance bride-to-be.

I could come up with a million things to do, becuase there are plenty of bandwagons to jump on in the wedding planning world. But I don't feel compelled to do most things.

I went out today just to browse around Dollar Tree and found something I knew could be a bonafide DIY project. As a matter of fact, there were soooo many things there that could be utilized for a wedding. To be honest, I think I grabbed these up just so I could show something to my blog readers, lol.

So. I bought these hanging plaques. I bought two each of the oval and heart shaped ones. I'm sorry about the picture quality-I can't find my camera and had to use the one on my cell phone. And it's so hard finding a decent backround at home so say hello to my plaid bed sheets, lol.

I'm thinking of painting a silhoutte of myself and my groom on each of the oval shaped plaques to hang outside of our respective dressing rooms. The hearts will be hung on each of our chairs at our table at the reception and say "bride" and "groom."

I'll try to find some inspiration photos of this to give you an idea.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Wedding Map Idea...



So, some brides are super crafty and talented and know their way around a computer. They choose to make cutesy little maps to match their invitations and that's all good.

But me? I'm all for the easy way out on things (I feel) I can skimp on. Especially since I don't want a lot of inserts in the invitations.

That's where http://www.weddingmapper.com/ comes in. Here you can make an accurate map of your own, you don't have to worry about drawing the lines yourself (isn't that ludicrous?) and there are cute icons to show your guests things like your ceremony/reception sites, parent's homes, and any other location pertinent to various wedding events.

This way your guests can see everything all laid out on one map. Much better than having them lookup directions for each individual event, right?

Above is a screen shot of mine, with the address of my ceremony site blocked out to reserve privacy.

The online version is interactive. Guests (or you) can print the map and directions as well at will.

It is really easy to set up your own map. You don't have to necessarily have all of your addresses ready-you can just search your location and the results will pop up (so far all of mine have been accurate). You can type in inforamation for each location that pops up in a comic-book like bubble for guests to read. You can even add photos and links to the business' website if you want. There are also great zoom in features.

Initially, the map is free. However, if you would like to upgrade your map to include more icons, you can pay a one-time fee of 9.95. I say, work with the basics first, and then see if you want to spruce it up (I'm sure some of you will!)

The free version of the map comes with icons for airports, hotels, residences, restaruants, ceremony/reception sites, entertainment, and attraction spots. You cna upload photos as well.

I will definitely reserve a link for this on my wedding website. Let me know if any of you check it out!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

7 Traits of Irresistible Men


Someone sent me an interesting article that made me smile today. I'm sorry, but I love cheesy articles like this, if only to pick out what does or does not apply. I mean, really, who can sum up the many complexities about attraction and love? But in thinking about the man I'm going to marry, I'd say a lot of these were pretty accurate.


Just thought I'd share something fun since I've been MIA.
And here's a picture of Blair Underwood to go along with the article. Because aside from my fiance, he's pretty irresistible. Lol!


From shine.yahoo.com: 7 Traits of Irresistible Men by YourTango


We're not going to lie. A man boasting abs chiseled to perfection and biceps that pop just enough when flexed (without shredding shirts He-Man style) will no-doubt turn our heads. And even if caught mid check-him-out glance, we're not about to look away. Fit, toned bodies are the result of hard work and dedication to a healthy lifestyle. We certainly pay homage to that. But for a man to achieve a skyrocketing score on the sexiness scale there's got to be more to him than physical assets. Throw in these seven traits and he's guaranteed irresistible.


1. He Has Mastered The Wink. We don't know how they learn the technique but some guys really have the Richard-Gere wink down pat. There's an art to this wink and getting it right can be tricky. It's more suave and smoky than cheeky and laughable. He's comfortable giving this signal and has the timing to the tee. Done right, this move is pure sexy. Caveat: The wink can be tricky to pull off. Practice first.


2. He Radiates Calm. It's sending shivers up our spine just thinking about how powerful a man's calm presence can be. Neurotic or hyper or frenzied is stressful, no matter how busy the man or what his excuse. But if he's got cool written all over his face and his gaze is pure steady and peaceful his sex appeal will shoot through the roof (think old-school James Dean). We women can unwillingly fall into the trap of over-worrying about things we can't control. A man who sets us at ease by reminding us how things always manage to work out in the end is absolutely hot.


3. He Takes Care Of Himself. Look, we're not saying it's a certain height or build that matters. If he keeps his body in relatively good shape this shows us he knows how to take care of himself. It also clues us in that he sets health as a priority. What's more, if he's active, working out even a few times a week, the endorphins his body is producing during gym sessions are sure to keep him in good spirits and energized. The bottom line: If he takes good care of himself he's likely to take good care of his partner (or at least help keep her motivated to do so). That's a turn-on.


4. He's Got Style. We don't want to give the wrong idea here. This is not to say he has to be one certain type of style, and that mimicking a prescribed "it" style is a surefire path to sexy(whether that's clean-cut, tattooed-up or punked-out). Not at all. Rather, what's attractive in a guy is that he has a style at all, a way of dressing that reflects in some way who he is and what he's into. A guy who wakes up hum-drum and throws the same dingy shirt and pair of jeans on every day? Not sexy. At all.


5. He Has A Manly Scent. Sounds so animalistic, we know. No man can control his natural scent, and it turns out our DNA compatibility dictates who smells good to us, anyway. But, every guy can augment his essence with a spritz (one will do just fine) of cologne. As long as it's not overdone, a man with a strong scent has the potential to drive women wild.


6. He Is Affectionate. Though we women try not to let on, affection (be it an arm around the shoulder or hand on the leg) lights us up like fireflies. Consider it your secret weapon. By affection, we do mean to include expressing your feelings through words, such as "I love you." It's amazing how many hot men fall short of sexy just for lack of articulating and showing their love. Let's put it this way: There are guys who reach out to their partner while driving, and there are guys who keep both hands on the wheel and eyes straight ahead. The lads of the former group qualify for sexy.


7. He Laughs Loud, Hard, Often. No news flash here. Comedy is highly enticing. It's worth noting though that there are different types of humor. The insecure comedy that's based on putting others down or calling them names doesn't gibe with us. But give us fun-loving, belly-jiggling jokes and laughter and you'll head straight to the top of the sexiness charts.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Veils, Veils, Veils




(These are all veils from http://www.lovethebride.com/)

Now is the time for accessorizing. Once I saw my dress I immediately though of a chapel length veil (the last two pictures). However, I could do a fingertip (the first picture).

But the decisions don't stop there.

Will there be trim? Will I wear it low, toward the back of my head? Should it be pink? White? I'm beginning to think I'm a girl that doesn't like choosing.

Right now, I do not think I want trim. I want a white veil. And I keep seeing myself with a chapel length.

I do know that my mother and I will make the veil. I went to Michael's and 5 yards of tulle came in a single pack for 10 bucks. So I can pretty much do whatever length I want.

I just want to look my best, and I'm not entirely sold on which style to wear yet.

Does anyone have a favorite of the three pictured above? Please let me know!

Monday, July 13, 2009

And the Bride Wore Pink...




Ok ladies. I've been holding out. As soon as I got that other dress in the mail (the one that didn't work out) I went right back online to search.

And I found simplydresses.com

You can shop by dress color and I looked at the white section first, obviously. But then I looked under pink, just for fun, and I found the dress pictured above. I fell in love. My mom fell in love. My sister fell in love. My FI fell in love.

WHAT?!

Yes, I let him see the dress online. Big deal, lol. He won't ever get to see me try it on, though.

I ordered it, and got it in the mail less than a week later. The best thing about it... IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THE PICTURE and fits PERFECTLY. Thank God!!!! And I honestly love it. I don't think I even want a second reception dress because I love this one so much.

This dress is actually more in line with how I've always envisioned myself on my wedding day. I saw myself strapless, and nothing too poofy. The dress has material that lingers in the back, almost like it has a train. It definitely feels wedding-y, and the material is very soft.

There's a lot I like about this dress. It was under budget ($300), and its not like its a dress I'll see at a million other weddings. In the end, you just have to "do you." Some may think its sooo weird and a big deal that it's not white. I could care less. I always wanted to wear a beautiful pink dress, but never found one for both of my proms. (Where was this site when I was in high school?!). I'm definitely glad I said "yes" to the dress!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

How We Chose Our Date

(image from flickr)

6.12.10

The Twelfth of June, Two Thousand Ten

June 12th, 2010

This is the date I came up with. The FH was just excited to be married, and wasn't particular about a date.


We first started narrowing in on a time based on practicality. We're both students. We wouldn't want to get married during the school year because that would be too much. Who wants to get married on Saturday, and have to come back to a mid-term or paper due Monday? So one of the school breaks sounded best.

*I know, if we were in "the real world" we'd have to go back to work. But why not take advantage of being a student and get married when we have no pressing responsibility?

We decided summer would be best. That way, I could gaurantee our junior attendants on my side of the family would be out of school. And we could take an immediate honeymoon, no missing class, no asking for time off from any potential job.

Summer 2010 is going to be a big summer for us. I'll turn 21 a mere five days before we wed. But that's as far as milestones go for me. My FH will have graduated from undergrad school, and it will be the summer before he starts med-school. (I'll have a year left of undergrad).

It sounded good. But then I asked, what's the difference between summer 2010 and summer 2011? Why not wait until after I graduated?

Well, we've already went through one separation where he moved on to college while I was in my senior year of high school. I remember helping him move into his dorm, and after we were just hanging around, excited that he was starting college, he said he really wished I was coming with him. I remember wanting to be there for him. But I was 17, what could I do?

This time around, I really want to be there for him. We've been talking about medical school ever since I can remember. How big of a deal it is to him. When you're close, your partner's dreams become as important to you as they are to them. I knew that I didn't want him to feel alone embarking on such a big step in his life. We've been together through a lot, and I feel confident that we've proven to be a good support system. Living together as husband and wife, during such an important moment in our lives, is icing on the cake.

So the summer was set. Now the actual date. I'm a little selfish, I love my birthday month. I always thought it was cool how my older sister was born May 8th and I was born June 7th. I was born a month after and a day before her. So, how to recreate the cool coincidence? My parents anniversary! (Sorry, my FH's parents are divorced). They were married 21 years ago, on May 13th. Sooo, setting a wedding date June 12th would be in the same pattern as my sister's and my birthdays.

And I also thought the number 12, written out or in numerical form would look good on the invitations. Odd, but even more odd is my mom, my sisters, and one of my bridesmaid's agreed.

Anyone else have a process for choosing their wedding date?