No Turning Back

The day I have been waiting for is finally here - we mailed our invitations this morning!

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I never thought I would say my invitations were a labor of love but somehow they turned out to be.  I decided to add way too many steps and it has taken me more weeks (months?) than I can believe to complete everything.  The best part is I didn't even design or print them myself!  There were just so many steps I added, all of which I will review with you in the very near future. 

I love them and I am so happy to finally have them out of my hands!  It was a bit of an anti-climactic trip to the post office, though.  Mr. B and I walked there together so we could hand-cancel the invitations and send them off as a couple.  Well, the woman behind the counter took my big bag from me and said she would hand-cancel them for me.  Oh?  OK. 

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I am excited for people to start receiving them and for the RSVPs to roll in.  I am also excited to share my process with the Hive so I know I get at least a little credit for all my hard work. :)

Stay tuned for the Bicycle invitation reveal!

The Best Gifts are Unexpected

Where did we leave off?  Oh, that's right...  We were left wondering what was in the box.

This is how it went down:  The card was signed by all my local bridesmaids and my sister.  What could they have all chipped in for that would be so big?  Our KitchenAid mixer?  Some of our pots?  The box wasn't particularly heavy, though...

I opened the box and amid the tissue paper I picked out a pack of magnets and a pepper grinder.  Huh?  At this point they were all looking at me in a way that made me feel like I was missing a joke or something.  Ummm... Thanks, guys?  You shouldn't have?  Couldn't find a smaller box for these?

Keep going, I thought...  There has to be something you're missing.  And then I saw it:

Image via Crunches for Cupcakes

I knew almost as soon as I saw the box what was in it - the Kate Spade Charm shoes I had been dreaming about for months! 

I had never seen the navy ones in person and let me tell you-they are even more beautiful than I could have imagined!

Aaahhh!  They're mine!  And I don't have to think about shoes anymore!  A few weeks (months?) back the shoe situation really came to a head and Bridesmaid Nole suggested I take a shoe hiatus and wait until the day after the shower when all of us would drive to Jacksonville to go shoe shopping together.  At first I was happy to put it off but as the weekend got closer I was less and less excited about shopping for shoes all day.  Did I seriously just say that?!  I think there had just been too much pressure and I wanted an easy solution.  Well, it turns out this was their plan all along.  I guess they figured if I was on a shoe hiatus I wouldn't buy anything and then they would be able to give me my Charms as a gift.  Perfection!

Shout out to Weddingbee user Almost Mrs.P for sending me a link to the Charms on sale.  I didn't even click on the link because I told myself I was really going to stick to the hiatus.  And boy, am I glad I did!

Now I have my shoes and my bridal look is complete.  I can't wait to wear them on my wedding day and beyond!  Did anyone else receive a very unexpected gift like this?

All photos personal unless noted.

Parisian With a Chance of Showers

Last weekend I had the honor of attending my bridal shower.  It was something I was both looking forward to and dreading-excited about seeing all my friends, terrified of opening gifts (in front of people!).  My sister/MOH came down from NYC and I am still not sure how she managed to pull everything off while planning from afar, but she certainly went above and beyond!  It was held at Bridesmaid BOC's beautiful home, the perfect setting for our Parisian afternoon.

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They had all my favorite foods-hummus, black bean dip, homemade cookies, tomato puffs, grilled chicken skewers...  I'm getting hungry just remembering everything.  And the cake!  Oh, the cake...

It was gorgeous and delicious-a perfect combination.  My sister showed off her floral skills, too.

This put me a bit more at ease about our centerpieces since she clearly knows her way around flowers. 

A lot of my friends were there, which was such a nice treat.  Having ten bridesmaids scattered throughout the country meant that not all of my bridesmaids were there but they were all there in spirit. 

We were all hanging out, enjoying the food and Prosecco and before I knew it, it was time to open gifts, which is perhaps my least favorite activity ever.  I am so awkward about receiving gifts but everyone did their best to make it casual and stress-free.

In addition to some great registry items (3 salad spinners?  How did that happen?) I got a lot of great items from off the registry.

Yes, that is a cheese/cutting board in the shape of Florida with a star where Tallahassee is.  So great!

Mr. B's stepmother got me a bridal set from Victoria's Secret, complete with panties, a robe, and a tank top.  Not what I was expecting when I opened the box, but so fun!

I also received a gorgeous fleur de lis serving bowl and fleur de lis wine glasses - my friends know me so well!  The winner of all the gifts, though, came in this box:

The card had the names of all my local bridesmaids plus my sister.  What could be in such a huge box?  You'll have to wait until next time to find out. ;)

As guests left they were given personalized favors.

My mom made little makeup bags for everyone, complete with their name embroidered.  They were filled with bath products and they were a huge hit!

I will admit that I was nervous about the whole thing since I am not a fan of the spotlight, but everything was perfect!  And thanks to all of the Hive's helpful input, I felt great in my Rent the Runway dress. Was anyone else nervous about their shower or am I the only crazy one who hates receiving presents?

Trust me, you want to stay tuned to see what was in the box...

All photos personal.

Bicycle's Bouquet

As I have mentioned before, my sister/MOH and another bridesmaid are handling the centerpieces and the bridesmaids bouquets.  I want a professional to do my bouquet, though, so no one is stressed about it and so it can be a little more elaborate than my gorgeous calla lily bridesmaid bouquet inspiration. 

Image via The Knot / Image by Broxton Art Photography / Design by T’da Design

If you remember, Mr. B's only requirement for flowers is that they don't look like a head of broccoli, which means a traditional bouquet is out.  I want my bouquet to be mostly white, although I cannot stop thinking about the gorgeous pop of a blue anemone.

Image via Chicista Wedding

OK, so we have a white bouquet that is not round and maybe has some pops of navy?  I know I need to go to the florist with some specific images and more concrete ideas than that, so here we go with some inspiration...

Image via Style Me Pretty / Floral Design by Quatre Coeur / Photo by Elisabeth Millay Photography

I like how it isn't too round (like broccoli) and I love the different flowers in it.  I don't really want anything green, though, and although I am loving the succulents trend, I don't think it fits for me.

Image via Style Me Pretty / Floral Design by Holly Flora / Photo by Samuel Lippke

I like how there are some calla lilies in this one in addition to other flowers.  It may be too broccoli-esque, though...

Image via Andrew & Jessica / Floral Design by Bloom

OK, OK, OK... I am not going to become a "peony bride."  But come on - there is a reason peonies are so popular.  They are gorgeous!

Image via Garden on the Square

I am really loving dahlias right now.  They are so pretty!  They lend themselves to broccoli bouquets, though, so I would need to have them mixed with other flowers.

Looking at inspiration is kind of overwhelming and part of me wants to just tell the florist to give me a white (and maybe partially navy) bouquet that doesn't look like broccoli and call it a day.  I'm sure once I actually book a florist they will be able to give me some direction, right?

Does anyone have suggestions for good flowers to use, keeping in mind my wedding is in October?  Did anyone have a non-traditional (read: not broccoli shaped) bouquet? 

The Evolving Guest List

When we sent our Save the Dates I thought we were done with the dreaded guest list.  We had our list drafted for a while, cross-checking facebook with daily interactions and whatnot.  We thought of everyone and then had the hard part of deciding how big our list could be and how many people we needed to cut. 

We originally wanted to give a plus one to everyone but as space issues started to worry me we decided to only give them to known relationships.  When all was said and done our guest list had 158 people on it.  Our invitations go out in just a few weeks and I am finalizing all the bits and pieces, which is simultaneously stressful and cathartic. 

Image via someecards

Well, as everything in wedding world seems to go, things aren't so simple.  In the last week we have added six people (3 couples) to the list.  Six!  We are already way over capacity (now inviting 164 when our venue seats 120) and adding three invitations is really going to cut into my wiggle room. 

How did we manage to add six people in a week?  I am responsible for one couple and Mr. B is responsible for the other two.  My person is a friend who I see and hang out with pretty regularly and I am really not sure why she wasn't on the original list.  Every time Mr. B and I hang out with her we leave saying to each other that we need to invite her to the wedding.  I finally got sick of the regret and decided to save a seat for her and her sort-of fiance.  I really do hope she comes - she is a lot of fun and I love having her around.

Both of Mr. B's were people he thought were on the list that actually weren't.  We were at dinner last week and he mentioned so-and-so not being sure if they could come and I pulled up our guest list on my phone and informed him so-and-so wasn't expected to come because they weren't invited.  Oops!  Add two to the list.  Pretty much the same story for the next couple but at least Mr. B realized what he did and told me before he could mention it nonchalantly in conversation. 

So how does one make oneself feel better when they are facing a guest list of 164 and a venue that seats 120?  Go through the list person by person and try to guess who will and will not come.  We came up with 84 definite yeses, 42 maybes, and 38 definite nos.  This made me feel so.much.better.  Don't get me wrong - I want (almost) everyone we invite to be able to attend.  But my mom's second cousin who doesn't know me from Adam?  I most certainly won't be disappointed to open that "no" RSVP.  There are a few people we know aren't coming who I am said about (Bridesmaid Bosox's husband, for one) but life is life and I will get over it. 

With only two weeks before invitations go out (!!!) I think we are finally final.  I can't be the only one out there with last-minute additions.  Did you add people?  Did you think about it but decide it was already final and move on?

That Point

(Alternate title: "But I Don't Want To!")

OK, hive, it finally happened - I finally reached that point.  The point I never thought I would get to.  That point where I no longer feel ahead of the game and I actually have things I have to do.  Things that should already be done but aren't.

Via UPROXX

The end of winter and most of spring are my busiest time at work since the Legislative Session runs March-May.  I had a great idea for how to plan my wedding around this-get everything done before Session!  I was sort of able to accomplish this goal but now I am stuck with the leftovers - everything I couldn't do or simply didn't want to do a few months ago.

Sure, a great deal of what still needs to be done cannot happen until I have a better idea of who all is coming, like such as seating plans, finalizing the menu, printing programs, and all that other jazz.  There are a few things, though, that I have not finalized for no reason other than lack of ability (desire?) to make a decision. 

First of all, my wedding is in less than three months and I haven't booked hair or makeup.  I can't believe I just admitted that out loud to the universe.  Way back in February and March I contacted a lot of places and narrowed it down to some good options based on price and availability.  I then all but forgot about it until yesterday, when I decided to freak out about it.  I scoured WeddingWire for every hair and makeup artist in Savannah and emailed almost every single one of them.  This is by far the hardest decision for me to make as an out-of-town bride.  Of course every website will show their best work but what if I book someone based on a good picture and a reasonable quote, only to discover we aren't actually a good fit?  I think I am also in denial about the schedule of events for my wedding day.  Most potential vendors have suggested starting at 8 or 8:30 and I just can't accept this for some reason-I want us all to be able to sleep in and enjoy the day! 

I haven't thought for even a second about our ceremony-the most important part of the whole thing!  Well, that's sort of not true-our pastor gave us a copy of the ceremony and I haven't thought about it since I glanced over it with him.  I need to pick readings.  I still need to ask one of my bridesmaids to do one of our readings (why am I putting that off?!  I will call her tonight!).  I have no idea what we are doing for a song, other than asking Friend AC to sing and telling her to choose whatever she wants.  I really do care about the ceremony, more than anything in fact.  Maybe I am worried that it is easier to get frustrated by stupid reception details than important ceremony ones? 

Our flowers are nonexistant at this point.  My sister and Bridesmaid Nole are in charge and although my sister has talked to me about them a few times, nothing concrete has actually happened. I did attempt to take a look at some calla lilies in person to get a feel for how many we would need for each bouquet but bulk calla lilies aren't exactly prevalent in Tallahassee.  So what do I do?!  Avoid it, that's what.

For the most part I have been so on top of everything-I bought my dress last November, my invitations have been finalized for months, most of our major vendors were booked long before the recommended timelines told me.  And yet - these last few items are eating away at my soul.  Please send help.  And wine.

Anyone else get to that point?  Recommendations of how to get through this final push?