Handmade Gone Wrong

The Wrong Girls, over at Handmade Gone Wrong have linked into my "Dear Etsy Sellers" post.

You've gotta check out their blog. It's hysterical!

Reception Fun

I suppose I could have a traditional guest book or registration book, but I'm not sure what the point of them is. I mean, I invited all the people, I should know who's there right? They (assuming) RSVP'd, so what is the point? Is there one? WWEPD (What Would Emily Post Do)?

Well, I've seen and read a lot of creative options - anywhere from Polaroid pictures (an AWESOME choice, but pricey) to write-on platters. I wanted to have something that I could look back on with interest and love on our special day. What the heck would that be? I did a lot of searching and I thought that a time capsule of some sort would be cool. Have people write messages to us 1, 5, 10 years later that we could open on our anniversaries. I thought that might be a bit much to get set up, so I came up with another idea that The Candyman was OK with. He really doesn't get why I'm doing a lot of the things I'm doing. Well....because. That's why. I really have no idea. Because it's fun. At least I think it is. And, I have all this left over card stock and I wanted a useful project.

So here we go! The idea for the set up came from a great source called The Guestbook Store. I really think what they offer is reasonable and totally cute. I'm all for it. I think if you're not a DIY kinda bride, this might be the way to go. They have other options for birthdays and showers. Check it out! However, I am a crafty bride so figured out my own way to do this.

First, I decided what I wanted the guests to tell us. I wanted to know who they were, where they came from and how they knew us. I have a section for predictions, newlywed advice and special memories they want us to recall. Because I don't have special artwork software, I did a lot in PowerPoint and Word using free online clip-art, fonts and tweaking colors. I printed the front and back page on one side of the card stock and the interior stuff on the other side.

Getting ready to assemble.

The inside of the booklet.

1/8" chocolate brown ribbon from Michael's at $.50 a roll, with a 20% off coupon! Love my coupons.

A 1/4" heart shaped punch. The Candyman loves this thing! It really is fun to punch out hearts! I got this at Michael's too for $5.99 with a 40% off coupon.

To fold the card stock so that it looks professional and pretty, I scored the booklet on the inside first using a bone folder ($5.99 at Micheal's with a 20% off coupon).


Then I folded the booklet with the score on the inside, matching up the corners and then sliding the edge of the bone folder along the crease to make a nice, professional fold.

Then I punched the heart shaped holes on the outside edge of the booklet. I cut about 2-1/2" of ribbon, created a loop and slid it through the heart shaped hole and threaded the ends through the loop to keep the booklet closed. I know a lot of the loops will get lost when people fill this out, but that's OK. I think it looks sweet.


So the plan is to have these and a bunch of pens out during cocktail hour for people to fill in and have some fun! We plan to read through all of these on our first anniversary.

Are you having a traditional guest book? If not, what are you doing?

{Give-A-Way} I Will Survive!

What would happen if your DJ or band didn't show up?
What would you do if the Ring Bearer swallowed your rings?
What if the Best Man starts talking about the Groom's ex-lovers in his toast?

What would you do?

The answers can all be found in The Worst Case Scenario Handbook: Weddings!

Seriously.

I actually own two of these survival books already and love them! When the folks at Chronicle Books contacted me for a giveaway, I jumped right on it! I just love giveaways where I think the product is uber-cool and can stand behind it!

Now, if you aren't familiar with these handbooks, you need to be. I feel fairly confident that in an extreme emergency, I might be able to attempt landing a plane versus ......well, not landing a plane. I mean, come on! I travel a ton for my job! My chances of actually being in a position to land a plane increase exponentially every time I fly, right? Right. It's good to know some basic plane landing skills and I believe I have received these skills from my Worst Case Scenario Handbook. You should too.

More importantly, I think we all should be prepared on the day of The Big Show, right? I'll tell you what my biggest fear is. I'm afraid that someone standing up front will pass out - like me. Or the Groom. Maybe the Best Man. I think my MOH will be okay. At any rate, what does one do when someone passes out? I mean, other than "Stand back! Give them some air!"

Well, the good folks over at Worst Case Scenario have the answers to your potential wedding day drama! They have great how to's that include diagrams:

• Make an emergency ring
• Repair a Dropped Cake
• Properly toss a bouquet (and how to fake left and throw right)
  
• How to deal with outdoor wedding disasters

All stuff that is good to know, right? So the fine people at Chronicle Books are offering The Thirty-Something Bride readers a chance to win a copy of this awesome and awesomely funny book! And I don't just have one copy to give away, but two!
While the book is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, they really do offer great ideas and advise.

So here's how to enter!
1. Leave a comment here with your name, first initial of your last name and your email address.
2. Leave a comment that you are a new follower or already a follower.
3. Leave a comment that you have posted this contest on your blog and it will count as TWO entries.

That means you have a total of FOUR chances to win! Good luck! Contest runs through August 5th!

And stay tuned for another give away next week! Have you sent your Save the Dates out yet? No? You might want to hold off on that until you see the fabulous designs I have to show you!

P.S. If you don't want to leave your email address, that's OK. Just make sure if I announce you as a winner that I have a way to get in touch with you!

Shoe Bling

I am crazy poster these days. Head over to Weddzilla and read my post about shoe bling.

{Featured Blogger!} Ashley's Bride Guide

Hey everyone! Today my review of The Unabridged Bride Workshop is featured on Ashley's Bride Guide!

Have I mentioned that being featured makes me feel famous? How incredibly lame am I?

Enjoy!

"I Wish" Wednesday!

My wish for this Wednesday kinda already came true! I was looking and looking for hair toys on Etsy and not really finding anything that grooved me (except scary mannequin heads). I gave up in frustration and started cyber-thumbing through my favorite blog reads. I happened upon Chic n' Cheap NYC's, a blogging bride after my own champagne-taste-and-beer-budget-heart. I can't wait to see her veil....

Anyway, she was offering a 20% discount for Chic n' Cheap readers as well as a chance to win a hair toy from DonnaElla, a hair toy and birdcage veil creator! Well, I headed straight over to DonnaElla's Etsy shop, checked out her stuff and entered her contest.

I won.

I WON! I WON! I WON! I WON! I WON! I WON! I WON! I WON! I WON! I WON!

In case you were wondering? I won.

Miss Donna put all the names in a box and let her little girl pick a name and she picked ME! I won.

I chose this item from the DonnaElla Etsy shop.

It looks like it has little tiny feathers behind it (which I might end up removing) but the flower part is PERFECT! It's got a pearl center that will coordinate nicely with the family jewels.

So my wish is that my hair toy be here now! I want to see if it matches the rest of The Big Show Ensemble.

I sound like a spoiled kid....I won! I won! I want it now! I don't care. I am just so excited that I won something. I can't remember the last time I actually won a contest of chance. I swore after I lost the Skinny Cow contest on Budget Savvy Bride that I wasn't going to enter any more contests. I really had my hopes up for a month's supply of Skinny Cows. I freaking love those things, specifically the vanilla cones.

Anyway, I really don't have too many wishes these days, and I think that's a great thing. So instead of wishing for my free and wonderful surprise to arrive, perhaps I'll wish for patience. :)

Thank you, Donna for the contest and the beautiful prize. I simply cannot wait to see it!

What to Do with the 'Do?

What the hell am I going to do with my hair? I have no earthly idea. The Candyman likes when I leave it down and pull the front part back into a clip in the back. Not going to happen. My hair cannot be trusted to look smashing when it is down for any length of time unless it is stick straight. It must go up.

Here is what I've got to work with:

• Curly-ish hair that will get pretty curly with a diffuser. If I let it air dry I look like white-trash growing out a spiral perm. You know what I'm talking about, right? It looks bad.
• I have a lot of hair. This surprises people who work with my hair for the first time. It's also thin. Lots of thin hair - great.
  
• I can straighten my hair really easily without frizz or anything, which is nice, but time consuming.
• I kind of want my hair to be curly and natural the day of The Big Show, but I don't trust it to behave. It never does the same thing twice.
  
• I do NOT want any sort of ribbon curl to be found anywhere on my head. I hate them. They make me feel like those horrid dolls that strange, Canadian women collect and display all over the house. They have the frilly petticoats and eyes that follow you. Some people fear clowns. I fear dolls.
  
• I have to have a low bun that is rather large. I say have to but I suppose I don't have to. It's just that a low, large bun hides the fact that my ears stick out. That makes me less self-conscious and that would be good on my wedding day too.
  

Here is a montage of wedding hair that I do not want. I will not credit this photo for fear of someone wanting these hair styles. None of these looks natural at all. It just looks crusty and stiff. I do not want to look crusty and stiff on my wedding day.

Here are some ideas of what I do want for my hair.

This one is a little stiff for me, but I like the braid element.

All photos source.

My hair and make-up trial with Sherita Leslie is on the 8th, so I need some sort of game plan. I do know that the veil needs to be low. The veil is also going bye-bye after the ceremony so the 'do must work with a hair toy after the veil comes off.

I do believe the hair toy issue has been solved.......wait for it......

A Different Kind of Knot

Hey folks! Go here and read my post on Weddzilla!

The Fitting

I have so much to blog about and so little time! I've been debating over what to post first - hair stuff, shoes stuff, a book review, contests, the funniest blog ever.....

But come on, I know you guys want the meat, right? The good stuff? Dress fitting it is!!

So I had an appointment for my first fitting at Arzelle's on Friday afternoon. I met my day-of planner Tabitha (also of Life a la Mode) and Alecia, my day-of-go-to-girl-Friday to handle any last minute emergencies. Thank you ladies for taking the time to meet me!

Hello, Alecia!

First of all, I seem to get really stupid when I put my dress on. I mean, I have a degree in clothing design. I know how alterations work. I've altered wedding dresses before. Hell, I made a wedding dress for someone once. I just go into a deer-in-headlights sort of trance with the dress on. Thank goodness Tabitha was there to make stuff happen.

"Let's see how an American bustle looks."
"Now French."
"Now double French.....too sloppy."
"Make sure the dress is steamed on the second fitting."
"Smile, Louise."

It all went really well. Here are some highlight. I do want to point out that I don't normally look quite this sallow. I was sick for a good portion of last week and was totally wiped out by Friday.

The back.

The front. With cheese.

Boobs and bling.

A shot of me smiling! Go figure!

So, the cups totally have to be built up. The boobs in these pics? All smoke and mirrors. The seamstress didn't have the right size for me to try so I have two B-cup inserts in the dress. That's right, ladies. The Thirty-Something Bride has small, but highly maneuverable boobs. Hike those suckers up there are we're all good. Even with the cups I'll need to take some extra fabric in on the sides and potentially in the front part of the chest area. Sigh.
We also took off the incongruously cheap looking flower. The fabric of this dress is so gorgeous, yet the flower looks like it was purchased at JoAnn's. Weird. I like it better without, so no biggie.

When I first put the dress on, I thought it was too short with the shoes. However, after some discussing, tugging and rearranging, we figured out that the shoes were probably perfect. Whew!

I like my jewelry with it, but Tabitha was quick to point out that with the veil, it was all a little much - very busy up around my face. I took off the necklace and she was absolutely right. With the veil, no necklace. Sans veil (which will be immediately after the ceremony), pearls are on and hair toy added (more on the hair toys soon!).

We're doing a few other things like tacking down the the buttons over the zipper better, we have to lengthen the straps so they don't dig into my shoulders all night, but we don't have to pay for a bustle to be built in. The dress comes standard with a low, French bustle, so we're all good there. Max, the alterations should be no more than $100! Sweet! The next fitting is August 14th! Yippee!

Afterwards, Alecia and I went to Cabana for some happy hour cocktails and snacks. We noshed heavily on white bean hummus, lobster brie mac and cheese (le yum), house-made potato chips with Gorgonzola dipping sauce and a caprese salad. Even the server-bus-boy-guy commented that we were bottomless pits! Nice. Dress fitting is exhausting business. We were extremely thirsty too. Cabana makes a "Sweetini." Tastes just like sweet tea! :)

Dear Etsy Sellers

I am on the hunt for what I have always referred to as "hair toys." Ponytail holders, barrettes, scrunchies (it was the late 80's), clawclips, whatever - they are all hair toys to me. Sort how all farm yard fowl are "chickens." Don't ask.

I am searching for the macdaddy of all hair toys - the Wedding Day Hair Toy. Thus, my recent time spent on Etsy. The lovely Sarah Elizabeth has been kind enough to remind me of sites when she sends them to me. And then sends them to me again when I lose them or forget to bookmark.

At any rate, I've noticed an alarming and freakishly scary thing about those Esty sellers: the model heads they use to display their wares.

The best of the offenders.
This one is not so bad really. Decent hairstyle, but the soft wrap and no shoulders is distracting.

The dead, dead soul wearing a lovely orchid.

This reminds me of Japanese anime. Big, giant eyes and snap-on hair.

Really? No, really? Is there anyone out there who would actually purchase this product based on this display? This actually scares me a little bit.

So just to be clear, not busting on the product. Just thinking a living model, of any kind, would be better than the very scary heads used in some of the photos. I'm just sayin'.

I did not source any of these photos to protect the innocent and guilty.

P.S. As most of you know, I have a PhD in sarcasm. This post falls into that category.

Family Jewels

Head on over to Weddzilla and read my latest post! It's all about my final jewelry selection. Don't miss out on all the juicy details!

Forever

This video makes me so happy, I cried.



Thanks to AEL for sharing and making my day!

"I Wish" Wednesday

I get so many email updates these days I can't see straight. One that has gone missing is my Martha Stewart daily updates. What gives?

One that has indeed, not gone away are my Etsy updates. A bride must-have if there ever was one. I received an update on Monday called "An Affair to Remember" that was all about weddings. It gave links for the Modern Wedding, Beach, Traditional, etc. This Wednesday's wish is for an item I found on one of the sellers featured in the email, Kate Towers. She only has four items to sell and I want one of them! I think this would be the most fun to wear at the Rehearsal and Rehearsal Gathering!

*le swoon*

Source for All

Is this not simply divine? It's a size small and $250. If I could guarantee a perfect fit, I'd let myself think about it. However, sheath dresses are not a tall girl's friend.

I'd like to digress from the "I Wish" Wednesday format to educate some folks for a second. When people meet me they say things like, "Oh, you're so lucky to be tall! You can wear anything!" or "Clothes are made to fit tall, skinny people - like you." Au contraire, mes amis. Pants? Generally, an annoying inch too short. Skirts that are supposed to be knee length are an inch or two above my knee. Above the knee skirts are like minis and that's just ridiculous on a Thirty-Something woman. Because I have a small waist, I generally have to buy a skirt a size or two larger so that it sits on my hips and is decently long enough. Then the proportion is jacked up and I look like a tool. Dresses that have waistlines? Forget it. Most regular dresses have waistlines that are 2 inches underneath my boobs. The arch for a princess seam sheath dress is somewhere in my armpit. Shirts that fit my bust and waist are 4-6 inches too short in the arm length. I roll cuffs on lots of shirts so that I don't look like I'm Monkey-Arm Woman. I can get away with long, empire waist dresses, but those get old quick. The best place for me to shop? The Espirit store in Hong Kong. Makes no sense.

So! Back to "I Wish" Wednesday. What's the wish? I wish for this dress - one that fits and is about $100 cheaper. There's nothing wrong with wishing.

In the Mail!

It might be a little early considering the wedding is in October, but the invites have been ready. Sitting. Staring at me. It doesn't help that WeddingChannel.com emailed me and told me they should be mailed already.

My mom thinks they should have been mailed July 1st. I thought August 1st. WeddingChannel.com, July 11th. A myriad of websites that my photographer's wife looked up for me said 6-8 weeks. But here's the big question - 6 to 8 weeks before what? The wedding or the date on the RSVP cards? I never got a clear answer on that.

The Candyman's angry version of hand-canceling the invites.

I am not sure what this particular look is. It scare me a little.

It doesn't matter, The Candyman mentioned mailing them and that was the nail in the coffin! Into the mail they went! We had some fun canceling them. What's funny is I think everyone got them on Monday and we mailed them Saturday afternoon. Let's hear it for the U.S. Postal System!

Anyone know the answer on when to truly mail? Not that I care since I've already sent them, but I would really like to know. I wonder what Miss Manners has to say about it!

Gorgeous Photo Shoot! {If I do say so myself...}

My photographer, the amazing Jonathon Campbell and his wife Sharon posted a new post about yours truly and The Candyman - our engagement session! Sharon wrote the sweetest things about me and The Candyman!

Please keep JC, Sharon and there three little ones in your prayers. They are experiencing grief in their family and can't be together to lean on one another.

Start a Revolution

Source

I have made a decision. No more bitching and no more whining. Period. At least, not when it comes to wedding stuff. I feel almost embarrassed about my "poor me" post from this weekend. What the hell am I complaining about?

• I have an awesome fiance who, after 7 months of engagement hell, still wants to marry me.
• We are both healthy and happy.
  
• We are both employed.
  
• We have a comfy roof over our heads.
  
• We have money in the bank to pull this wedding off.
  
• We have supportive friends and family who want to see nothing but happiness for me and The Candyman.
  

So I won't have a shower or bachelorette party - so what? I'm tired of feeling all "woe is me" about it. I really need to take CJ's words to heart (from my last post about the Unabridged Bride Workshop) and stop "torturing myself with tradition." I've never been traditional in my life before, why start now?

I have friends here who are willing to help. I'm just not willing to let go and let people help me. Um, hello - control freak! I'm done with that. I'm already planning a girlie get together to work on OOT bags with some local friends in a few weeks. Why torture myself and The Candyman with a project (let's face it, ironing transfer paper is probably not his thing) when a few bottles of wine, some willing girlfriends and some irons will get the trick done in no time?

So, no more complaining. No more WPM's. It took me seven months to figure it out, but I think I finally have. It's all about the love. So, I'm a bit of a hard-headed, slow learner. I eventually get it.

Wanna start the Wedding Planning Revolution (WPR) with me?

Pay it Forward and VOTE!

Hey Everyone! Today is the last day to vote for your favorite wedding blogs at WeddingChannel.com!

I'm personally rooting for AmyJean, otherwise known as The Relentless Bride. Personally, she has been such a help to me and is a friendly as all hell. If you don't follow her blog, you should. Go vote for her here.

We also have my favorite local blogger The Budget Savvy Bride up for Best Budget Wedding Blog. Please go here and vote for her (She's neck-to-neck with "Bride on A Budget" - help push her over the top!). Read her blog too, the girl is some serious kind of savvy.

Last, but not least, we have another Nashville local up for Best Photography Blog! It's Zach and Jody Gray from Gray Photography! I met this lovely couple at the bridal show last weekend and was charmed. Go here to vote!

Can't wait to see who wins!

The Unabridged Bride: A Workshop

The Inaugural Unabridged Bride Workshop

Sarah, Liza, Marie, A Forgotten One, Moi, CJ, Ashley, Krista

OK, so first off, thanks for the kind words regarding my last post and my cake blow-up with The Candyman. Of course we kissed and made up and talked about our frustrations. If you read the last post, you could probably tell I was pretty frustrated. Indeed.

Here's the kick in pants. I could have avoided a good chunk of stress, frustration, WPM's (Wedding Planning Meltdowns) and pre-marital throw-downs if I'd had The Unabridged Bride: A Workshop under my belt. Seriously.

OK, so this was the inaugural workshop for the Unabridged Bride and I thought it was big bowl of fabulosity. The workshop was held on Thursday at CJ's Off the Square in the quaint historic town of Franklin, Tennessee, about 25 miles south of Nashville. It really is an awesome historic area.

The players in the workshop were Liza Hippler, bridal coach extraordinaire from Maiden to Married, CJ Dickson of Williamson County Weddings and Events and proprietor of CJ's Off the Square, Ashley King of Ashley's Bride Guide and Marie McKinney-Oates, of the Nashville Marriage Studio. The attendees ranged from weeks away from their wedding (yours truly), new-to-Nashville bride-to-be Sarah of local blog fame Sarah Elizabeth, and two others whose names are escaping me. HORRID! I know, but I swear I can't keep a thought in my head these days! Ladies, please forgive me!

We started off a little late, simply because we're a chatty bunch. Liza got the show on the road and talked about how most weddings are focused on The Day versus The Marriage. We did a really cool guided meditation bit that was all about wedding visions, expectations and the connection one has with their partner. I'm all about yoga and meditation and thought it was super-groovy. We discussed the values we want to be represented on our wedding day and to keep those values handy at stressful planning times. These are the values I wrote down:

• Honor
• Commitment
• Relaxation
• Celebration with The Candyman
• Stylish Simplicity
• Closest Friends and Family

I'm not sure if those are all values or not, but it's what I wrote down. After the workshop, I included Pledge of Community Support as well.

Next up was Ashley and she hit on the Budget topic. She had great personal input and fabulous ideas! For her own wedding, they budgeted a particular amount of people to be invited. They allotted a certain number in their head-count (to include all family and their friends) and then distributed equal amounts to each side of the family. If someone wanted to go over their number, they had to write the couple a check for the per person cost. I thought it was a fabulous idea! Of course, all of that was pre-arranged and discussed prior to the start of the planning process. She was adamant about that.

Now CJ is just fabulous in my book. This lady has got it going on. I told her I wanted to get a bottle of wine and sit down and just let her talk. I'm guessing as a planner and venue proprietor that she's got some incredible wedding stories. Right? Anyway, there were two key elements that stuck out for me with her. First, she talked about how so many brides are "tortured by tradition."

"But I have to have equal number of bridesmaids and groomsmen!"
"But the groom's parents are supposed to pay for that!"
"Inner envelopes are a must! "

Who the hell says so? The Knot? Martha Stewart? Your mother? Forget it all. There are no rules and it is way OK to be different.

Second, was wedding elements that are "socially constructed." So many things that we socially construct around our weddings can be changed easily. For instance, The Candyman and I are not have a rehearsal dinner. We are having a rehearsal "gathering" at Aloft Hotel. We are having an early rehearsal, setting everyone free for dinner and The Candyman and I are going to have a private, intimate dinner alone. We'll meet all of our friends, families and out of town guests at Aloft for socializing afterward. I think it will be awesome to have the down time with The Candyman and it will make it easier to talk to everyone at Aloft versus a sit down dinner. People are coming from far and wide and I want to make sure I get quality talk-time with everyone!

CJ avoiding the camera and Ashley, listening intently.

After CJ, Marie McKinney-Oates shared some great tips about how to be The Best Wife Ever: Five Behaviors of An Amazing Wife!

• Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
• Do "you." Being true to who you are.
  
• Know your buttons.
  
• Treat your marriage like a sanctuary.
• Let him know you enjoy sex with him.
  

One of the best and most true things Marie said that night was, "Marriage is a mirror being held up to you." I can't agree more with this.

Last, but certainly not least, was Liza's hubby, Tom! He did a quickie review of life insurance and the importance of it. OK, Tom was such a charismatic force. Never in my life did I find life insurance so freaking exciting. He was funny, charming and most importantly, informative. Totally need to hear more. Seriously, it was that good.

Liza's insurance selling hubby! He's awesome!

We even got to take home some mini-floral arrangements by Petals by RJS! I totally snagged the bud vase that matches the ones I bought at Target!

Driving home that night I really thought a lot about the information and stories shared from everyone. I truly wish that I had heard all this seven months ago when The Candyman and I got engaged. I really think it would have saved me a lot of WPM's and been less tortuous for The Candyman.

Hindsight is 20/20, but hopefully it's not too late for others! Learn from The Thirty-Something Bride's mistakes! I make so many, it's hard to choose from, I know.

Thanks again to everyone who put this shindig together. It was a lot of fun and truly a gift!

Food Fight

The Candyman and I just had a huge blowout. Over cake. Yes, cake.

I think we are both feeling way under-appreciated as of late and I think it's taking a toll.

I met for THREE hours with my "day of" planner ironing out details of the flow of the day and who's doing what and all that. The planner is a friend and is doing all this as a wedding gift to me, which I find incredibly generous. I just don't know what I'd do without her. Thank you, Tabitha. You're my saving grace.

We came across a problem with the flow of the reception regarding the cake cutting. The cake is in a room that's nowhere near the dinner area. I thought it would be annoying to have everyone get up, go to another room for us to cut the cake and then go back to the dining area to eat it. My planner suggested that we cut the cake before dinner, if I was game to mixing things up.

I thought it was a unique idea. The cake is close to the cocktail area, so we could cut the cake before everyone sits for dinner. Then, it could be cut and passed for dessert. It might negate the idea of a cake buffet, but I didn't think that through when we were discussing it. Anyway, my initial thoughts were that we could start the reception and our marriage off with something "sweet" and solve the location problem at the same time.

I posed the idea to The Candyman tonight and he did not like it. He also did not handle the critique of the idea well at all. I got defensive. He got mad. I'm upstairs blogging and he's sleeping on the couch. Great.

We are both getting so tired of the wedding planning. I am exhausted. I am sick of thinking about it all. I'm not having a shower or a bachelorette party and I'm tired of feeling sad about that. The Candyman is giving me hell about how I should be concentrating on the vows. He's right, I should be, but there's just so much other stuff to get done. A few people have commented that I need to get friends and family to help. I don't have family here and they've been pretty hands-off thus far. I mean, I had to ask an immediate family member to read my blog so that they know what's going on. That's upsetting. Not that people have to read it every day or that my blog should be how I communicate with my family - it's not. But, there are total strangers in the blog-o-sphere who know more about my wedding than people in my own family. Are my emotions and how I'm communicating them through this post passive-aggressive? Yup, probably so. It's either this are I'm going to go Bridezilla on someone. I know The Candyman feels trampled these days. I just feel alone in Wedding Planning World.

There's a lot about how I feel as a bride that I wrote before I went overseas. I didn't post it for some reason. Scared. Worried that I'd have to deal with people being emotionally passive-aggressive with me. Yeah, my family is big on the passive-aggressive guilt thing. We're all martyrs in our own worlds.

I swear, I am trying so hard.

I know the cake thing is stupid. I'm pretty sure The Candyman agrees. I know I could be dealing with things that are much worse: mean in-laws, parents who invite people we don't know, a myriad of disgruntled bridesmaids - you name it. I know I am lucky in many ways and I'm trying to keep that in mind. I'm trying to remember that this is all about the love. Sadly, I'm not feeling very loved at this moment with The Candyman on the couch. Boo. I think I might go try to coax him upstairs to bed. Wish me luck.

So much to blog, so little time!

OK, I have so much to freakin' blog about and my damn job is really keeping me from doing so. Happily though, I have a job and want to keep it so working wins out over blogging today.

So for a quick review of things to come:
1. Bud vase recap. I think I might have overdone it on the bud vase purchases. I need to unpack and review. Note The Candyman unwrapping box one of THREE!

I totally think The Candyman has sexy forearms. How weird is that?

2. The Unabridged Bride Seminar I went to last night.
3. All the awesome stuff I learned and want to share from last night. Great stuff!
4. Shoe bling revisions.
5. OOT bag final decisions.

Other upcoming stuff:
1. My dress fitting is next week.
2. Meeting with my day-off planner this weekend.
3. Flower discussions.

Have a great weekend everyone! I promise "real"posts are forthcoming!

The Thirty-Something Bride Gets Romantic

You can read my ooey-gooey post on Weddzilla here.

Covered with Icing!

A quickie post to mention the lovely Miss Heather over at Covered with Icing here in Nashville. I am so happy she followed through with me! I had stopped in her booth as soon as I walked into the bridal show on Sunday. She had a prime position right by the entrance and she was swamped with tasters! I'm pretty good at weaseling my way through crowds and was able to get a cake sample fairly quickly. Super-yum is what I say to the cake sample!

She also had what looked like truffles presented on platters. Now, I'm not a huge fan of your every-day truffles, but I'm not going to turn down free chocolate either. I mean seriously, do I seem foolish to anyone out there? Little did I know that these were cake truffles.

Holy sweet mother of Christmas, were these good. I mean, "slap your momma" good! Right about the time I was digging into the first cake truffle I ate that day, Heather approached me to give me the down-low on her goodies and we got to chatting.

I just spent some time on her website this morning and have found her offering for wedding cakes to be spectacular.

Here's the skinny direct from her website:

Wedding and Groom's cake prices begin at $3.00 per serving for butter cream and $3.50 per serving for fondant. A serving is based on a 2" x 1" x 4" slice. I have worked hard to come up with a fondant recipe that I think is very good. It tastes like icing and will have a layer of butter cream underneath. Please ask for a taste during your consultation. Wedding cake tiers consist of 4 layers of cake and 3 layers of filling or frosting. I require a non-refundable $50 deposit to reserve your wedding date. This deposit will be applied to your order, but is not refundable if the order is canceled, as I book months in advance for weddings.

Your wedding cake pricing includes a special 6" heart-shaped "honeymoon" cake for you to take along after the wedding. Sometimes a bride and groom only get a tiny slice of cake (and maybe frosting up their nose) just for the pictures, but miss out on the culinary masterpiece they helped create. I will assure you that will not happen if you order from Covered with Icing. Pricing also includes a special certificate for your 1st anniversary "tier". This day and age; most people prefer not to freeze their top tier for their anniversary, but to enjoy a beautifully decorated fresh cake instead.

OK, I think the extra little touches here are totally fabulous and all for $3.00 a serving? Not bad in the world wedding cakes. Her little cake truffles are $10/dozen, with a minimum of 3 or 4 dozen, I can't remember. That's like $.83 a truffle! I snagged these photos from her website and blog.

Mini-Cupcake Topiary!

Cake Truffle Topiary

She also has chocolate covered mini-Oreos! I swear, I almost went into a diabetic coma after eating one! It was that good. After wandering around the show for a few hours, we were headed out and I thought that I might ask Heather a few more questions as I was still dreaming about the cake truffles. I thought that I might be changing my favor strategy and using the cake truffles instead of the cookies. She let me take four of them home to see if they fit in the favor box and to see if The Candyman approved. While he liked them a lot, he wants to stick with the cookies. Fair enough. However, I'm now thinking they might be a nice end-of-evening snack, or even an addition to the OOT bags. Still in thinking mode. They were just so good! I have to wait and see how the budget goes. They aren't that expensive.

So all total, I think I ate 4 cake truffles, a chocolate covered Oreo and 2 cake samples just from her booth. That does NOT include the multiple cake samples nor the catering samples I had. And I'm wondering why the scale is 2 pounds heavier this week. Um, duh.

"I Wish" Wednesday!

I bet y'all thought I forgot.

Well, I did. Until just now. And it's still Wednesday, so I can just get it in!

Hm, what do I wish for today? Hm. Generally I give this a little thought and do a little research, today? Not so much. Ever since I've been back from the trip, it's been go! go! go! all the time.

Perhaps I'm wishing for a little down time. Actually, what I'm wishing for is a facial. Seriously. And a really great hydrating hair masque. My hair just gets ravaged overseas. I'm not sure why, maybe it's the water. It has to be. Whatever the case, I end up looking like Rosanne Rosanadan by the time I get home.

At any rate, I've been feeling like I've been sporting layer of dry skin over my face that just won't go away, even with tons of exfoliation.

Liza from Maiden to Married recommends The Woodhouse Day Spa in Franklin, specifically The Organic Peel. Sounds good to me. I pulled these images off their website. It looks quite relaxing, I must say.

Photographs by Micheal Lewis and Tyler Andrews

So, while I'm wishing for a facial and hair masque, I'm also going to wish for a massage, seaweed body wrap and a mani/pedi. I need a pedicure something awful.

While we're discussing beauty regimens, I thought I might mention I've schedule my hair and make-up trial for early next month with my make-up artist extraordinaire, Sherita Leslie. I have no idea what I want. I suppose that will be forthcoming in future blogs. Hair up or down? False eyelashes or no? Gloss or stain?
All I know is that the two times I've spoken with Sherita, I've been cracking up each time. That's got to be a good karma sign if ever there was one.

Ciao, people. My Tylenol PM kicked in about 10 minutes ago.

Bridal Show Fun

Sunday was Weddings - Bridal Show held at the Nashville Convention Center. It was a ton of fun! In a quick post from Sunday, I mentioned that I went with Liza from Maiden to Married, my bridal coach. We ate way too much cake, but had a great time chatting up friends and making new ones!

Welcome, Liza!

Tasting cake samples along the way, we stopped by my photographer's booth Jonathon Campbell Photography. This next two shots are courtesy of JCP!

Check out Jonathon's hottie wife Sharon and her awesome red shoes!

While we were chit-chatting away, I saw Ashley from Ashley's Bride Guide wandering around with one of her brides. We got ready for a photo op of brides and bloggers when Jessica, The Budget Savvy Bride walked past! We nabbed her too and got a great shot of all!

L to R Jessica, Louise, Liza, Ashely, Jen (I think that was her name! Sorry!).

Ashely and her shameless promotion!

Heather and Eugene Brown of 2Duce2 Videography. Their stuff is amazing!

And I'm sure that these two will have something to say about me not having a videographer at my wedding (budget), but it was fabulous to meet these two. Eugene is a hugger. Heather follows my blog. I want this couple to be my new best friends.

Spooning at the mattress booth. We thought it was funny.

Good times.

We met a ton of people, all of whom I can't recall, but will do my best! Maples Wedding Cakes is of course, a Nashville go-to for gorgeous cakes. We ran into Zach and Jody Gray of Gray Photography and had a great conversation with Zach about marriage, albeit a brief one! Party Booths was big fun, as you can tell from me and Liza, hamming it up in my earlier post. OK, so maybe we hammed it up all over the show. I mean, come on! We were totally hopped up on butter cream and chocolate. What else were we supposed to do? Thanks to all for a great time!