Today is Dec 1.. 17 days

Today, I am exhausted. I have spent the last 4 hours in a car. We took my dress (yes, early this morning and I know I am pushing it close) to the saemstress to be altered slightly. The bust is slightly too large and needs to be taken in a bit. I also got to try on my rehearsal dress since it has been taken in. It looks stunning.

I have a ton of things I am working on right now. I printed out the "guts" of my programs. I have cut them and cut the program cover. I have designed the cover design. I haven't printed or cut those yet, but I have to had punch out and tie the programs and that is taking awhile. I also have to hand glue in the envelopes and put in the tissues. It's really labor intensive, but I hope to finish them this weekend.

I wasn't going to do favors, but the thick paper that we cut for the program cover were the perfect size for... bookmarks! So I have designed them and I am looking forward to printing those out as well to work on this weekend.

I did wrap the attendants gifts and I almost have the reception playlist aced. Jane and Marsheena and Sam are planning my girl's night and Nate is planning JRock's bachelor party. All in all I suspect the last 17 days will be a mess.

A Month and a half!!

WOW.

I can't believe it's so close. It seems like 6 months ago I was still planning hard. Now, everything is planned and needs to be done. Yesterday, I had a mini panic moment.

See, I had send back the corset that I was supposed to wear under my dress today because it was WAY to big. And I need to get my dress altered still. *cringe* Maybe I'll have to get it fitted without it. I'm not sure.

I have yet to finalize the ceremony with our officiant. And that means my programs are still floating in needs to be done states.

We haven't gotten all the attendant's gifts.. which is hard because half our wedding guests are in it. Let alone wrapped... seriously.

Oh, and half our maids and men will be naked as they haven't gotten their attire yet. Yep.

So, I had a mini moment. (Oh yeah and I just took a pause to call my caterer [at least one section of our catering and got a very giggly high school girl].)

So, I am breathing, just worked out and listening to happy music. This is supposed to help.... right?

Suit Hunting is OVER!

I loved the idea of going hunting for a suit for Jonathon. But I also knew that it was just one more thing (actually a few more) to add to my already overloaded to do list.

I assumed (and wrongly) that it would take weeks and several shopping excursions to find a suit. Really. I thought that. I've never bought a suit before and not for a wedding. So, I did a ton of research (thank you GQ.. seriously) and prepared myself to determine fit, form, function, and mostly beauty. I wanted to make sure we had a high quality suit that didn't cost an arm and leg. It also had to look nice, be altered to fit Jonathon perfectly, and it had to last him for not just our wedding but to work functions as well.

So, we go to a store in Jonathon's home town over the weekend that sells suits, knows him personally, and is a locally owned establishment. (We like to support our local resources as much as possible.) Let me say I was stunned. I stopped at a rack of black suits. Jonathon lagged behind at the UT apparel. I picked up a jacket that looked to be approximately the right size. He tried it on. The fit was a bit off in the shoulder. I handed him another.

I looked at him from behind, the sides, the front for about 20 minutes. I couldn't find a single flaw in the whole thing. I made him lift his arms, asked him if he was comfortable, etc. The jacket was PERFECT! Even the sales clerk/tailor was blown at how well it fit.

Then, he put on the pants that went with them. Uh-oh. Far too long! (I was thinking man we are going to have to order this suit, wait for it to come in, and then I'm going to have to take it to the tailor, let him hem them and take in the "break" so they aren't baggy, then find time to drive 2 hours back up here and pick it up.) BUT!! The man (tailor) says I can hem those up for you by Monday if you like.

Immediately my mind pauses: I don't have to order it? I don't have to take it someone else to be fixed? I don't have to do anything? Seriously?

Turns out they don't have to order they have enough stock to sell off the rack as it were, they have a tailor in store who fit the suit to perfection and altered for $20! And the suit? It cost less than renting for one day the tux we had looked at.

How does it look? Well, let's just say my man will look as good as I do on our wedding day in no ill fitting rented generic tux.

*PS. Yesterday, he tried the whole shabang on for me. He looked incredibly handsome (and so very much like himself!!) that I almost burst in happiness. He looked like the guy I have loved since we met... a goofy, UT Vols obsessed guy... who just happened to be in a swank suit.

Hair Trial

Friday, I had my first hair appointment. I know it’s early, but I do things that way and I was DYING to cut my hair and my boy wouldn’t let me on the orders of our stylist.

So fed up, I went to see why I had to wait. And I got it. My hair looked girly sweet ( though I’m not sure about the ribbon yet) and I felt pretty despite my frown in this picture!

I got it done at the spa. They are seriously lovely there. The prices were reasonable ($35 for the trial) and the lady was so nice.

I really loved the atmosphere and I am dying to go back and book a massage with the hottie who I saw roaming the halls. LOL!

I look forward to getting my hair done that day and perhaps establishing a long relationship with this place.

Grooms are rockin’ too!

I love my honey! And I bet you love yours too or you wouldn't be marrying him. Seriously.

So, why in all the hoopla of wedding planning do most brides neglect their honeys and focus on their dress, their hair, their accessories and shoes and underwear…

And then go straight into planning what the girls will wear.. Which dress on which girl? Matching dresses? Mismatched? What color? What shoes? What hair, makeup, jewelry?

But when it comes to that lovable duffer sitting on the couch beside you, nothing. Until right before the wedding when you drag them all into a tux shop and then randomly point at one, they get measured and done.

I HATE this. I am the kind of girl that wants my man to look just as hot as I do. I read GQ, help him pick out posh hair cuts and new styles. (I keep trying to get him into super slim suit pants to no effect.) And he wants to look good. I groom him almost as much as I do myself and sometime more so.

So, I have been putting thought into his outfit and the guys. I want them to look good too. Seriously.

I have been contemplating since the day we started thinking about a wedding what color he would wear, how he should wear his hair, boutonnieres or not (a definite not), cufflinks, suspenders or no? (no), a fedora (maybe?) what shoes, what tie, what undies and socks for my man.

Because I WILL look gorgeous on my wedding day… but so will he.

Why is your dress orange?

I took my dress back home to TN with me for the shower. I tried it on for the first time. I love the dress. However, while most people in my family like my dress and think it is beautiful, I could also see the look on their faces for a brief moment. The look said:

"Why is your dress orange?"

My dress is partially orange. It has a beautiful orange silk trim, 2 gorgeous orange ties in the back and orange and a champagne-y grape light color stitching.

My dress is a one of a kind, COUTURE, completely hand made silk (Panderetta) number designed by Chrissy Wai-Ching.

So, I thought I might mention why my dress is orange.

My dress is orange because… the color orange makes me feel alive.
Not because orange is one of our wedding colors. (That's just convenient.)
My dress is orange because… orange is beautiful, vibrant and happy.
Not because Jonathon is a Vols fan.
My dress is orange because… orange is my favorite color.
Not because I am bucking the system.
My dress is orange because… I wanted to wear orange.

I love my dress because it is unique and fun and sassy and couture and delicious. I know I don't look like the frothy white garbed bridal diva in my dress. BUT I feel like a bridal diva in my dress. I feel like the most gorgeous creature to walk on the earth in this dress. I feel sexy, sassy, slim, and mostly lovely.

My dress is orange. But man, I look good in it.

Shoes

Walking around in my wedding shoes has made me glad that I’ve started adjusting to them now. I used to wear heels every single day, but lately I haven’t worn heels since sometime my first year of college. Plus, I’ve never been fond of stilettos.

So, acclimating my ankles and feet to the shoes and molding them to my feet will be a process that I will enjoy greatly. Mostly because I know that I am saving myself mucho pain later.

I also think I am going to invest in the high heel gel inserts. Yes, I believe I will.

My dress and 100 days

It is officially, today, 100 days until our wedding.

I am excited beyond measure. Most it comes from the fact that I feel like a bride today. I got my dress yesterday in the mail from the wonderful Chrissy Wai-Ching!!

I know I told you yesterday I got my dress. Some of you will want to be surprised. So, if you do... I'd suggest not clicking on the link. However, if you don't give a crap about surprises...

you can see pictures of the dress.. (not on me)
here.

Dress!!!

I got my dress today!!! It’s so perfect.

More later, pictures this weekend!

Wedding earrings

These beautiful little orange and white cameo earrings are my wedding earrings. I got them from etsy for $4! Quite a bargain. I wanted to mimic the cameo in my necklace with my earrings and I wanted them to be dainty.

Plus, they are so cute? Ne sais pas?

My garter

My mother got my garter for me for my birthday. And I love it.

I don’t think I have showed it to you yet. It was on sale at One Kings Lane a couple of months ago.  I really didn’t want to invest too much into a garter. But I did want one that was nice and not flimsy. It needed to be pretty and make me feel sexy, but not be strange. I saw this one and I had to have it. I’m glad I got it. Thanks mom!

 

Rehearsal Dress

Cindy from lookylu clothing is making my rehearsal dress as you know.  And this was some of the options.  I have opted for no trim around the bottom, just a normal white trim and the plain orange ribbon in the ruffle. There were actually many more options, but I just wanted to get the whole dress and the ruffle I like on it.

Cindy is incredible to work with. She listens to exactly what you need, works fast, asks for feedback and is all around awesome. If you want a sexy, flirty, fun and completely custom dress made…. go to etsy and lookylu.

Dress Update!

I am so excited today! I emailed Chrissy about my dress since I was checking in with my lovely wedding fairies. And she got back to me and said that my dress is gorgeous and she should be ready to ship it at the end of the month! *squee*

For those who don’t remember this is my dress and it is being made by the fabulous Chrissy Wai-Ching!

She is also making my veil! I can’t wait to see them.

Nice Things

I’ve been busy on the wedding front in many ways. Jonathon and I went back to our hometown a few weekends ago. We met with our officiant (Dr. Roberts) and took our flower girl and my future sister in law to lunch. (We also got new cell phones, but that’s aside from the point.)

Hannah, my sweet flower girl, is Jonathon’s cousin. She’s 11, smart, precocious, and fun to be around. She actually said to me “I’m glad you’re marrying Jonathon.” Which made my day. I love Hannah. She’s sweet.

I have also worked on other little things, but my mom got me part of my wedding jewelry for my birthday and my garter. I have to share these two things with you.

My garter mom got on sale. It’s a Mindy Weiss set.

I really wanted a nice garter, but nothing really fancy. We aren’t doing a traditional toss, but we are doing a toss. Basically, Jonathon only has one single guy friend and he is going to give the garter to him instead of tossing it.

The necklace, my mom got from an Indie website called Shana Logic. 

I really wanted my something blue (a light blue ribbon choker) to not be wasted or hidden. I happen to love blue and orange together so I opted not to hide it. Instead, I found this lovely cameo (which I love cameos… I have since I was a little girl going through my great- grandmother’s cameos.) So, as another tribute to her and to accentuate my lovely choker I am going to use this. I’ll take it off the blue and put it on my choker. Sigh. So lovely.

So, how are your wedding plans going?

Orange Swatch!!

I got a swatch of the orange material from my dress from Chrissy!!

I thought you’d like to see it.

It’s a bit brighter than you see there. But it’s so soft and so wonderful and so sigh!

The Dress

So, annoyed with searching for a beautiful, cute, but not hundreds of dollars dress… I looked at the one place you ask and shall receive. Etsy!

I placed an order on Alchemy and got several bids. Then, a home town – St. Louis fashionista offered to make a dress. She showed me one that she thought would work.

I agreed! And for $58 you can’t beat it.

Here’s the dress. It will be made in white eyelet with orange ruffles and an orange band around the bottom.

I am so smitten with my dress.

LookyLuClothing on Etsy is making it. I’m so smitten.

Rehearsal Dress Part 1

I was getting antsy about my rehearsal dinner/after party dress. I knew what I wanted, but I wasn’t finding anything fabulous. I’m going to show you some of the things I had in mind before I show you my dress and how I found it.

The first dress is from sarah seven, second: I’m not sure, third from here, fourth from here, fifth from etsy and I’m not sure where… please let me know if you know the seller of this pretty thing.

Of course, the lovely Holly Stadler’s “fairest” dress and the Claire Pettibone “breeze” dresses were also in my head.

Something Old

This isn’t the best picture of my something old. However, it is the only one I’ve taken.  Let me introduce you to my something old.

This broach was my great grandmothers. I loved her very much, and we were very close. She passed away in 2001. I have this of hers. I thought I would have my mother pin it to my bouquet. It’s so gorgeous, truly vintage, and reminds me of playing in her jewelry box as a kid (my favorite activity at her house). And it means I get to have a piece of her with me on that day.

So here’s a list of my things so far: Something old – my great grandma’s broach, Something new – my dress and all that jazz, something blue – my choker, something borrowed – ???.

Cultural Traditions

Wedding traditions are completely cultural. In America, white dresses are completely common. However, in India the most common color is red. There are many differences (as I bet we all already know) between wedding traditions. Most traditions regarding attire are based on what makes the bride feel beautiful and happy in that culture.

In college, I spent a summer in India. I fell in love with the amazing culture, the people, the religion, and the customs. I got henna when I was in Mumbai. I loved the way it looked on me. The sienna color on my skin is stunning.

It was one thing that I knew I would want at my own wedding. I knew I would want henna. Jonathon wasn’t sold. He is a traditionalist (and a democrat which is odd I know) and he didn’t want me too. However, when he saw how important it was to me he relented. I’m glad because henna does make me feel beautiful. Although, the condition is I must wear gloves at the ceremony.

It’s also traditional to have the groom’s name hidden in the design. Then, he tries to find it. I think I want to incorporate this into our first time seeing each other pictures. I think I’ll be behind the door of the chapel and I’ll stick my hand out for him to find his name and when he does, I’ll let him pull me out from behind the door.  Cute? Mais non?

*Top image from Style Me Pretty. The middle images are my own.

Boys will be boys

My friend Marsheena has been helping me look around at tux prices. I really like these from Kiss the Groom. Jonathon does as well. But they would have to be in cream. I’m not a big fan of vests or cummerbunds.  I really wanted something laid back and chic for the boys.

This is seriously the only picture I’ve found of groom looks that I actually adore. It’d be perfect with their orange ties, pocket squares, and the UT shoes. Seriously.

Marsheena, however, told me that white tuxes usually start at $100. Wow. I knew they would be pricey, but I didn’t know $100. Of course, I did budget for it.

It’s not really time for us to go look at tuxes yet. That will come soon. But I think I like this chic suit more than a tux. Oh, I wish it was here already. Jonathon looks hot in everything!

Oh! I lied. Suspenders?From Green Wedding Shoes.