Too-Much To-Do List

      I'm sure I'm not the only person who lays in bed and night before going to sleep making mental to-do lists.  Well recently all of my pre-sleep lists have been wedding related.  I finally found enough motivation to make a 'hard-copy' of my list and it was overwhelming to say the least.  I couldn't believe how much I have to do still.  Anyone else feeling this way?

      And since I'm have to be extremely ogranized (all or nothing I guess) I even sorted everything by deadlines.  Since I've made my list I've been able to cross of a grand total of 2 things!  WHOO!!  Anyway, here it is.

P.S. Sorry about the double bullets - not sure why that happened.

Should Already Have Done

• ·        Add e-ring and wedding band to homeowners insurance
• ·        Sign videographer contract/pay deposit
• ·         Complete wedding registry
• ·         Give registry information to MOH for bridal shower
• ·         Decide on bridesmaids dresses

Finish by March (6 months before wedding)

• ·         Book honeymoon/flights
• ·         Order flowers
• ·         Finalize menu
• ·         Select wedding cake design, flavor, filling, etc.
• ·         Order wedding cake
• ·         Order cupcakes

Finish by April (5 months before wedding)

• ·         Book hotel for wedding night
• ·         Order RSVP cards
• ·         Find outer envelopes
• ·         Decide on seals for invitations
• ·         Find belly bands etc. for invitations
• ·         Design/Order Thank You cards
• ·         Design/Order photo upload cards or signs
• ·         Order photo guestbook

Finish by May (4 months before wedding)

• ·         Get undergarments (bra, slip, etc.)
• ·         Get accessories (veil, shoes, hairpiece, jewelry, garter, etc.)
• ·         Buy cupcake boxes
• ·         Buy cake topper
• ·         Buy Thank you sign for pictures
• ·         Get supplies for out of town guest bags
• ·         Get Troy pamphlets for out of town guest bags
• ·         Decide on tuxedos/what store
• ·         Gifts for bridesmaids
• ·         Gifts for groomsmen
• ·         Gifts for parents
• ·         Decide on seamstress/make appointment
• ·         Address invitations
• ·         Decide on/get chair sashes
• ·         Decide on/get ceremony décor
• ·         Get supplies for bathroom basket
• ·         Get cake knife/server set
• ·         Get table numbers decor
• ·         Design/Order Seating cards/Escort cards
• ·         Design/Order I Spy cards
• ·         Decide on signature drinks/get a sign for them

Finish by July (2 months before wedding)

• ·         Finalize ceremony
• ·         Get wine box/contents
• ·         Send out Invitations (for wedding and rehearsal dinner)
• ·         Update wedding website (include printable packet for guests)
• ·         Finalize music choices
• ·         Decide on reception events/order
• ·         Have dress altered
• ·         Check in with all venders to confirm orders
• ·         Confirm that all bridesmaids/groomsmen ordered their attire
• ·         Decide on accessories for bridesmaids (shoes, jewelry, etc.)
• ·         Find rehearsal dinner dress
• ·         Find someone with an extra camcorder to use for reception

Finish by August (1 month before wedding)

• ·         Make emergency kit for day of
• ·         Book manicure/pedicure for day before wedding
• ·         Design/Order Programs and Menus
• ·         Apply for marriage license
• ·         Have final dress fitting

Bridesmaids Dresses: Round 3

About 2 weeks ago we had finally decided on the bridesmaids dresses, but then I made the mistake of going onto David's Bridals website and found another dress that I liked.  Yikes!

So here are the final 2.  (The second set of pictures are what the dress would look like in our color).

Here are my thoughts:

I like dress 1 because the satin definitely gives it a more formal feel (which is what we are going for since we are having a formal ballroom wedding).  Also it's definitely affordable (only $100).

However, I also LOVE that dress 2 reminds me of my wedding dress.  But, I also think that it looks less formal because of the fabric.  This dress is also a little more pricey ($150).

Any thoughts?

Homeward Bound

So just yesterday my fiance got the best news ever - he can transfer back to Upstate New York for work!  Even better news:  we're leaving in just 12 days.  The bad news:  we're leaving in just 12 days.  That means we have 12 days to pack and figure out if we'll be hiring people to help us move, etc.  A lot to do in just 12 days.

Other good news - we'll actually be living in Upstate New York only a few minutes from where we are getting married (much better than living in Michigan about 12 hours away from it).  I can't even believe this is happen, I haven't stopped smiling since I got the news!

With that, I am going to hop off to start packing.  I will be EXTREMELY busy over the next too weeks, so I  don't know how frequently I'll be posting.  Also with all of the work we'll be putting into packing/moving/finding a house, that means wedding planning we temporarily be on hold.

Mutual Weirdness

Just because.

Team Bridesmaids:Keep Out

So I've been going back and forth for some time now trying to decide if I did or didn't want to get robes for my ladies to get ready in on the morning of.  I finally decided that I wanted to go through with it.  I figured that they were nice gift for the day of that could be used after.

And the search began.  I looked all over the internet and wasn't having any luck finding well-made, solid color robes that were available in both purple (for the bridesmaids) and white (for myself).  The only place that I had luck finding anything like that was on Etsy. However, I couldn't get in on the Etsy/Pinterest monogrammed robe bandwagon.

While out at the mall today (while we were out buying our wedding bands), I decided on stopping into Macy's to see what they had.  And I am VERY glad that we did!  I found AWESOME purple and white waffle knit kimono robes at a great price.  They were on "sale" for 50%.  When I went to check out, they didn't ring up half off and so the cashier had me show her the sale sign.  Apparently those robes are brand new and weren't supposed to be on sale, but someone messed up (OOPS).  She still gave me the robes at half off because of the sign (which she immediately took down) AND I had a 10% off coupon.

After all of that, I got 6 robes for a grand total of $100.  What a deal - I still can't even believe it!  I'm super excited about my first bridesmaid gift purchase.

This is the robe - I got my bridesmaids robes in a nice lilac color and mine in white.

Do You Have the Rings?

Yes we do!  We officially ordered our wedding bands today and they will be in by next Friday.

So here is my e-ring.

And this is the wedding band! The setting of the diamonds on the band are identical to the setting on the engagement ring.  It's a contour band and I loved how it looked next to the engagement ring - it really made the center diamond 'Pop'.  

And for my fiance, he went with a standard yellow gold band.  Nothing fancy, but here it is.

As you can see we didn't go for matching bands.  I am absolutely opposed to wearing yellow gold and my fiance had no desire to wear white gold, so this is what we ended up with.  The salesperson made a joke that the bands would make for some, " interesting pictures."  Anyone else doing (or already did) mismatched bands?  Share your thoughts!

Thinking Of You

After my trip to the doctors yesterday I found out that I am sick again for the third week in a row - I can't even believe it.  Also, I probably tore a muscle in my arm, so I currently can't extend it past a 90 degree angle.  From the doctors I dropped of my prescriptions and went home to lay down because I was exhausted   I needed to drive downtown to have my arm x-rayed, but I had no desire to get off the couch, let alone out of the apartment.

My lounging on the couch was interrupted by the mail man knocking at the door.  A package for me from my MOH, I had no idea what it was.  I was surprised to find a Bride 2013 hoodie and a card from my MOH and two bridesmaids.  My ladies are the best!!  Of course, the first thing I did was try it on and prance around the house, but afterwards I found the much needed motivation to go out and get my x-ray done.

That surprise couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

The Shoe Game

So I am trying to decide whether or not to do this at our reception.



It's called The Shoe Game.  The idea of that game is that the bride and groom each hold up one of their shoes and one of their partner's shoes.  They each sit in a chair with their backs facing one another so that they can't see what the other one does.  The newlyweds are then asked questions and they have to answer either bride (by holding up the brides shoe) or groom (by holding up the grooms shoe).

Some sample questions:
-Who is the better driver?
-Who is the better kisser?
-Who has been in more care accidents?
-Who is the better cook?
-Who made the first move?

You can read more about it from Bridal Guide and at this photographer's blog.

It seems like a fun game to throw into the mix.  Not sure though?  What are your thoughts?  Has anyone done this or seen this done?  Any questions that you think would be fun to add on?

Eat, Drink, Be Happy!

So I talked about the VistaPrint Groupon deal that we used to buy our invitations and inserts.  We plan to use the second Groupon to buy our RSVP cards and Thank You cards.  In order to print the RSVP cards, that means that we need to make some decisions on the food.  We sat down yesterday to look at our package from the Franklin Plaza and our options.

So here's what we get (we will also be having cappuccino, cordials, and espresso with dessert)

As you can see, we have A LOT of decisions to make in regards to food.  However, at the moment, we only have to decide on two things for the RSVP cards:  our entree choices and our dessert choices.

First, we need to pick 3 entrees (We don't need to pick a vegetarian/vegan option ahead of time.  The plaza will personally call up vegetarians, vegans, and anyone else with a dietary restriction and will figure out a meal that works for them).    Here are our entree choices:

And we also need to pick 2 desserts that guests will get to decide between.

The one downfall to our venue is that we don't get to taste any of the food, but we are told that it is all very delicious.  Anyone else make their food decisions without trying?  

Also what choices would you like to see as a wedding guest?

Oh and to make everything even more difficult, they told us that if we want an entree or dessert that isn't already listed they can work with us to make it.  Too many options!

If I Had $100

...to spend at American Wedding, I would be very happy.

American Wedding is currently running an engagement photo contest.  You have to hop on over to their facebook page and post an e-pic.  You can vote on any number of photos by 'liking' them.  The contest runs now through March 8, the picture with the most 'likes' is the winner of the $100 credit for American Wedding.

With that said, don't miss out on your chance to win!  Head over and upload your photo.  Also, if you'd like, you can check out my photo here (and give it a 'like' if you're feeling generous  :)  ).    Good luck to everyone that enters!

Previously Loved

If you're like me and trying to save, some money on the big day, a great way to cut costs is to shop "previously loved" wedding items.  As you already know, my first "previously loved" purchase was my  edding dress - saving myself $800.  Other items that you can buy pre-owned include:  veil/hair accessories, undergarments (slip, body shapers, etc), shoes, bouquets (if you aren't using real flowers), and an assortment of wedding decorations.  Courtesy of PayLessForTheDress, I wanted to share with you this list of the top 10 sites for pre-owned wedding dresses and more.  

1. preownedweddingdresses.com

2. recycledbride.com

3. woreitonce.com

4. oncewed.com

5. smartbrideboutique.com

6. savethedress.com

7. weddingbee.com

8. encorebridal.com

9. bridetobrideboutique.com

10. Craigslist.com

They're Here

So after the problem with the first batch of invitations that Vistaprint sent me, they offered to reprint my order.  Yesterday the invitations arrived and they look AWESOME.  I am so happy wiht them.  Vistaprint even did one day shipping on them via UPS to get them here quickly since they had made a mistake on their end.  They should have arrived this past Friday, but because of the snow UPS was delayed.  Either way, that was quick.  Thanks again Vistaprint.

Lights, Camera, Action

So way back when my fiance and I first started wedding planning, we both agreed that we didn't need a videographer.  In our opinions, it was just a waste of money.  Fast forward 8 months down the road, I have decided that we NEED video of our big day.  Thanks to all of the articles that I have read on wedding videography and the many sappy videos that I have seen on Pinterest (like the ones here) I want to know that we have the option to go back and relive the excitement of the big day (even if we only do it once).

When browsing the sites of local videographers, I couldn't believe the prices that I was seeing - they were even higher than I had expected.  As a last resort, I turned to Craigslist.  From my search I found  a videographer that was willing to do just the raw footage of the big day.  I checked out his site and watched some of his videos - not bad at all either.

Though we haven't made it official, he will most likely be filming our wedding.  We will get 8 hours of raw footage for only $450!!!

Our plan is to take the raw footage and edit it ourselves.  I have edited a few videos in the past for school, so I have some experience and a program to use for it.  We are actually looking forward to getting to do it ourselves, since you can make it look exactly how you want.  I love the chance to be creative and personalize our video, and my fiance loves any chance to do something different than everyone else.  The worse that can happen is that it turns our completely awful and then, if we thinks its worth the money, we can take it to someone and pay to have it edited.