Dress love

Another blog has featured my dress designer. Makes me fall in love with them all over again. My dress may or may not be up on the blog already...

wedding dream

I had my first wedding related dream last night and it wasn't a good one :(. It doesn't quite qualify as a nightmare because I didn't wake up in terror or stressed. In the dream it was our wedding day and it wasn't the wedding we wanted a) because basically nothing was planned (I was literally making a single program for the officiant before the wedding) and b) it wasn't the wedding we wanted. I was incredibly calm in the dream but right as I was waking up I was looking around and realizing I didn't want any of this. It seemed like we threw it together quite quickly and that was why it was that way. I definitely don't like that I'm already having these dreams because that means I'll have to live with them for over a year!! I rarely dream and when I do I still rarely remember them so this is another thing of note.

We have decided we want to contact our top choice venue after the holidays and see if it is a possibility (aka in our price range). Maybe that is where this has sprung from.

Have a wonderful holiday season everyone!

First Official Act as an Engaged Couple

So it's officially holiday season. I've spent most of this morning getting some christmas shopping done online (I refuse to battle the crowds). Not only does the holiday season mean presents but also cards. We have to send out a holiday card! I would love to do one with a picture of us but there is one slight problem with this... we don't have many pictures of us. My favorite picture I have of us is this one

(personal photo)

Problems with this: It's almost 3 years old. I'm in an Iowa sweatshirt. I would like us to be clearer and more of the focus of the picture.

So that leaves us in a bit of a pickle. We need a good picture for holiday cards ASAP so we can get them ordered and shipped to us so we can ship them out in time for the holidays.

Inspirations & Hair

For 3 months now I've been gathering pictures of ceremonies, flowers, decorations, invitations, guestbooks & more and articles about writing vows, booking vendors, creating budget, & staying sane. I've amassed quite a few to say the least. I'm slowly starting to organize all of the photos into categories. I have a file of invitations, ceremony markers, reception decor, & cupcake/dessert tables.

Since buying my dress my new obsession has been hairstyles. I'm definitely keeping my hair long but am thinking of highlighting it. When I was younger my hair was definitely blonder. In high school I started highlighting it but stopped sophomore year of college. It got REALLY blonde after a summer in the sun.

Here is when I decided my hair was WAYY to blonde (and crispy - so glad I don't gel my hair like that anymore!).

Here I am 4 years ago. This color was good. The highlights were basically gone then.

Interestingly enough, my hair is wavy in both of these. The second was a more natural wave from a day at the beach. I would love for my wedding hair to have the beachy wave to it as well - just better than this picture. I don't know if I want to to be completely down, maybe half up. I'm also thinking headband or hair flower or clips. Some sort of hair accessory that's not a veil. I don't really like veils & I think it would just be a mess on the beach.

Eventually, I'll start posting some of my inspirations thus far. Once we get through the holidays perhaps we'll start wedding planning. Perhaps.

Secrets

On Monday after everyone had left and it was just Ben and I, I realized I have to keep a HUGE secret from Ben for a VERY long time. I can't show him or tell him about my dress for what could be well over a year! HOW IN THE HELL IS THIS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN??!?!? I'm so excited about it and can't share it with the person who means the most to me! BOOOO!

Purchases

The weekend went REALLY well. Everyone had a great time and some progress was made on the wedding.

Mainly, I BOUGHT MY DRESS! YAY! I'm so excited. Saja was a great experience. The designer, Yoo Lee, was there and the other girls were really great too. Only one appointment at a time in the small store so their full attention was on me. I chose an accessory to go with my dress on their suggestion and am TOTALLY happy with my purchase. I can even go visit my dress at the store anytime. Yoo actually seemed to encourage it. I'll probably go back in a bit and actually take pictures of me in the dress. One minor thing we forgot to do was take pictures while I was trying on dresses! If you want to know the one I selected e-mail me or comment and I'll send you a message with the website and the one I chose. That will have to do until I take some pics!

My Initial Reaction necklace also arrived on Saturday so I got to take it with my to my appointment and see how it looked with my dress. It looks good! Here's some pictures of the necklace. (sorry for the yellow tone. There isn't enough light left when I get home from work to use natural light!)

Preparing

In 4 short days my mom is meeting Ben's family. I'm excited and nervous and stressed! My mom is staying with us so I used my holiday cleaning up and getting somethings done around the apartment. There is still plenty to do during the evenings this week. I'm excited I get the day off on Friday to be here when everyone lands and gets into the neighborhood. I'm also glad we get the evening together before my BFF flies in on Saturday to join in the fun. I got a confirmation e-mail from Saja for my appointment on Sunday. My necklace should be here any day now. Things are starting to happen.

The Binder

As most people can attest to I am crazy about organization. Because of this I've been itching to get a binder going for the wedding. Well over the weekend I went out and purchased my favorite office supplies (except post-its) a binder, dividers, and page protectors. Tonight I labeled the tabs with categories like invitations, ceremony, reception, attire, travel, receipts, etc. I even got some pages printed up that I already had prepared (like the dresses I like & photo inspiration). I have plenty more inspiration pages that need to be made and printed out.

It's so nice to be working again but still have my evenings. I'm not used to working and work not following me home for hours at night. I'm still excited to get up and go to work (if only it was a couple of hours later!)

Coming together

Things are starting to come together.

First I accepted a job offer yesterday and begin work on Friday. (YAY!). I am an Education Specialist at the Bronx Zoo (part of the Wildlife Conservation Society). I am VERY excited at this new opportunity and how closely it matches with my ultimate goals and the experience it is going to give me. It also will give me a calendar and money with which to start the real planning process!

Also, my mom has booked her flights to come the weekend of my dress shopping appointment! She's basically coming in and leaving the same time as the Lindells. Hopefully, my new position won't interfere with that weekend. (There is a lot of weekend and evening work because of the work I do with teachers and that is when they are available). My BFF is still trying to work on some work issues before she books her flights so I'm still keeping my fingers crossed about that.

And I just ordered my initial reaction necklace from m.marie. I'm crossing my fingers that it will come in time for my dress shopping because it would be nice to see if it would go with the dress if I happen to choose one. I'm still REALLY excited that it is ordered. It is officially my first wedding purchase!

More on the dresses

Because I just can't get enough (and I know you can't either)!

As I was posting yesterday I was on the phone with my mom and BFF telling them about these amazing dresses and then talking about the dresses once they navigated to the website. Since then I've shown them to a few of my friends who also agree on their beauty and that they suit me. Yes, I'm still staring at them.

I quickly e-mailed them about getting an appointment for the weekend of the trunk show and they have tons of available times. My mom and BFF are looking into booking tickets for the weekend as well! Needless to say, I'm ecstatic about the events that have unfolded in the past 24 hours (not mention I ROCKED a job interview today). The important women in my life will hopefully be there when I try on my first wedding dress and possibly THE dress.

One point of stress is the number of people we will have to juggle that weekend. Ben's fam, my mom, and possibly my BFF. That's a lot of people from different aspects of our (my) lives. My parents haven't met Ben's parents (Ben says that shouldn't stress me out and logical me knows that too BUT it does). My dad can't travel so we'll have to deal with sending pictures of the dresses (hopefully we can send him good photos and get his feedback instantaneously that day - I am a daddy's girl after all). AND if I get a job I may have to work that weekend! I'll figure it out though and all of this doesn't diminish how happy it makes me that all these people are coming together to support me.

And for a little eye candy - I'll post ONE dress from the collection that I like (mainly so I can drool over them some more).

I can't stop looking at these

I think I've found the designer I love for my dress! Ready.... Saja Wedding. Seriously AMAZING. Flowy, organic, BEAUTIFUL gowns! And the best part - their flagship store is in NYC AND they are having a trunk show in October! It's the weekend Ben's family is in town and I already told my mom about it and she is going to try to see if she can come in. I seriously can't stop checking them out. I want to post a picture of a dress but I can't choose just one, so just go and check them out already! Thank you Mrs. Pashmina (of the fabulous WeddingBee) for blogging about them!

My latest inspiration

So what's the common theme in all these?? THE BOAT! Latest idea is getting married on a boat in the Keys. A wonderful family friend has a dive center in Key Largo and they do weddings! We can take a boat out and get married and snorkel after the ceremony. (They also do underwater weddings but we think that's a bit much). When I mentioned the idea to my dad he also added on the idea of spending a couple of days in Key West together.

So putting all together. A couple of days in Key West hanging out with the entire family. A nice drive up to Key Largo (in a convertible of course). Getting married on the boat with snorkeling/diving afterward, followed by a wonderful dinner somewhere at sunset with our wedding guests.

The common theme running through all of our wedding ceremony ideas is the size. Ben and I both want an EXTREMELY small ceremony - we're talking parents (and his sis), and maybe a maid of honor and best man (with dates). It's all about us and we want only those closest to us the be there with us.

And he has contributed!

Yesterday as we were walking back from having lunch Ben brought up our wedding. It went something like 'I guess we should start planning when and where.' I immediately said that there was A LOT more than just when and where but yes that's a good place to start. Once again it was quickly shelved because I still am unemployed (something is in the works though - keep your fingers crossed for me). This however wasn't Ben's contribution - wait for it - he suggested an idea for a reception (that he originally didn't want to have because he didn't (doesn't) want a big wedding).

Last winter I read about this new bar that has alcohol themed cupcakes and pairs them with cocktails. I was sold. I wanted to go right then and there. As Ben and I were sitting around trying to figure out what to do one weekend it came up again. As we were googling and yelping we weren't sure if it was still open but found another place with a similar concept - cupcakes paired with wine and beer. So we headed to Sweet Revenge. Cute little coffee shop looking place with AMAZING cupcakes paired extremely well with wine and beer. I think I had strawberry and prosecco. AMAZING! Ben's was paired with a beer. Equally good. Well he said we should do this for our reception!!! WHAT A GREAT IDEA!

I immediately started having visions of a beautiful display and cute menus with the pairings and my original idea of long 'feasting' tables (for a dinner party) being changed into smaller intimate setups and lounges (for a cocktail style party). So there it is. What do you think? A later affair (since it will most likely be separate from our very small and intimate wedding ceremony) with just desserts paired with wine, beer, and cocktails.

(source)

Latest bit of inspiration

Thank you Martha! One of the wonderful blogs I'm subscribed to is of course Martha Stewart Weddings. She has a lot of DIY stuff as well as pictures and ideas for inspiration.

Well the other day she posted a FREE (!!!) pdf to print on clear vellum (I'll have to figure out how to get that later) and tape or glue them around a square candle. Easy peasy. (I'm sure later there will be a post about how big of a pain in the ass it was because of course nothing is easy peasy.) I. LOVE. THEM. And they come in tons of colors (since I don't know what our colors are going to be yet this is HUGE).

In other news, I got my last paycheck so I am ordering my Initial Reaction Necklace this week (because I can't wait)!

New Obsession..

Thanks m.marie for posting these on your website otherwise I would have NO IDEA these necklaces existed!

Initial Reaction makes these amazing custom order necklaces with you initials on them. They come in silver and gold, 2 different sizes, and 2 different lengths! What a better piece of jewelry to buy for after my wedding!

I have a confession to make...

I am OBSESSED with Weddingbee! Their bloggers are AMAZING. Real people who tell real stories openly and honestly. They have a TON of different people chronicling the planning of their weddings. They have different personalities, themes, budgets, etc and I have fallen in love with each and every one of them. I secretly desire to be one! I love all their cute pseudonyms too - Miss Hippo, Miss Barrettes, Mrs. Lobster, Miss Plaid - I love them all! If you're planning a wedding and doing DIY projects, it's a great guide, if not, it's still a great read about amazing women going through this journey!

Something to get excited about!!

As always I've been cruising the blogs "researching" and came across a post that truly has me excited. One of my favorite stores that I ALWAYS go to for that splurge dress or skirt launched a bridal collection this past spring! Ready for it?!?! White House Black Market!

While it is a VERY small collection, it is BEAUTIFUL! However, the wedding dresses don't really fit with what we (who am I kidding - I) are envisioning for our ceremony (but maybe our reception?!!? that we can't seem to agree on - that's a different post entirely!) The bridesmaid dresses are beautiful as well. I'm even in love with the accessories and shoes!

Here's my favorite dress from the collection...

Amazing article I must share

A friend of mine posted an amazing article in the New York Times Magazine. It will be published in Sunday's magazine but is already posted on-line here. This article goes on to describe PERFECTLY what is going on with 20-somethings like myself. It's a great thing to keep in mind as I embark on this journey.

Doing some research

I'm not allowing myself to begin planning anything until I have found a job because it's hard to set a budget and timeline without one. BUT that doesn't keep me from doing "research".

So far this research has consisted of subscribing to about a dozen blogs. So far I haven't found any ideas that jump out at me but they are getting the juices flowing. The DIY bride blog is giving me hope that I can do some things myself like so many other people have done. A Practical Wedding has great vendors and such for a wedding on a budget (as much as I would love to spend every single dollar on earth on this celebration!) Wedding Bee posts A LOT each day with lots of pictures of different things. I'm sure it will be helpful with ideas once I start getting an idea of what our day will look like. There's a lot more but the verdict is still out on them.

On Sunday, Ben worked all day and I got a little bored without someone at home with me so I began looking at wedding dresses. That ended in about 30 minutes with a frantic phone call to my best friend. I have NO IDEA what I want to look like on my wedding day! I'm apparently not normal and didn't spend my childhood fantasizing about this day and don't have it all planned out to the very detail like apparently most women do. All I know is I do have a budget that won't be very large. My recently engaged friend already found her dress (within a month!) at Nicole Miller and it looks beautiful but not my style. Today however I found myself in the same situation as Sunday and decided to look at Nicole Miller gowns (for whatever reason I did not go there on Sunday). I found a couple by her that I like and may actually fit in my budget as soon as I know what that number looks like.

So today's "research" was a more positive experience than a couple of days ago. I no longer feel completely overwhelmed and stressed out that we don't know what we're doing yet or what I want to look like or all of those details. I'm just going to enjoy being engaged for now!

The Engagement

Ben and I have now been engaged one full week! As we are spreading the news people ask one of two questions: How'd he do it? or When's the wedding? I can't answer the second one yet and the first one is the most logical place to start this blog...

Last Friday (8/6) was my birthday and Ben hadn't gotten me anything yet and I was starting to get a little angry by the time Sunday rolled around. Ben ran to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for dinner and stopped by Duane Reade and FINALLY got me a birthday card. It was a great and beautiful card. At the end he wrote close your eyes for the perfect present. So I closed my eyes and when he told me to open them he was in front on his knee with the ring. He didn't have to ask (and he didn't) and I didn't have to say yes (and I didn't) to know that we were starting the next chapter of our lives together after four and a half years of dating.

Ben presented me with his grandmother's ring from 1952. It has a center stone and three smaller stones on either side. It's unique and beautiful. His grandmother and mother have worn it and now I get to! It turns out he asked his mother to send the ring back in May and he claims to have been coming up with clever ways to do it but couldn't figure out how to execute any of them. It ended up being a perfect fit for us though and we couldn't be happier to embark on this new journey together.