Wedding Wednesday...Calm and Collected

Choo Choo!! Our train is heading towards the end of our wedding planning excursion/tour and yesterday finally set some items in stone. We met with Mary Alice {overall wedding guru planner extraordinaire} and Laurie {our reception planner} to finalize everything for our wedding reception.Poor Jeff was a little intimidated as well sat in a circle with our itineraries in hand going over each and every little detail and he just smiled and said "I don't have anything to worry about--you've got this all under control!". Yes, that man knows me all too well ;)

So now I can breathe a HUGE sigh of relief as everyone is in the know of my "vision" and exactly just where and when certain reception aspects are to "go down". Check that one big ticket item off my list and I think my crazy bride can now be packed away never to return again.

Afterwards, Mom and I headed to J Alexander's for a relaxing dinner and to talk "game plan" for this weekend and all of our DIY and craft time. We loaded up anything and everything wedding-related and packed Mom's car up so we'd have everything at her house ready to go.

Here's the finalized list of action items to complete ASAP:

• Work on table seating assignments, place cards, and escort card holder for rehearsal...which will be similar to some of these ideas:


• Print pictures to have in frames at wedding reception
• Finish purchasing and stuffing all items for out-of-town bags! See some of these which I used for my inspiration:



• Get rehearsal dinner dress and a few honeymoon dresses altered
• Get our marriage license next week!
• Finish ceremony programs and direction cards
• Final meeting with our pastor next week!
• Order bridal portrait canvas and frame for display at the reception
• Start packing for the honeymoon, which seems to be endless--ugh oh ;)

I can't believe we're almost there! I am calm, collected, and ready to marry my prince charming and start our happily ever after...we've got so many exciting things already to come in the next few months. We're ready to enjoy this time together and I know we're happy to finally start making traditions of our own...eeek this lady is grinning from ear to ear...Happy Hump Day!

Wedding Wednesday...One Month To Go!

I woke up this morning and realized I am no longer counting in weeks, I am counting in DAYS people!! We only have a mere month longer to enjoy our engagement before the blessed event is FINALLY here... people have started asking me if I am nervous, and truth be told, I am not one single bit. I am so ready to marry the man of my dreams and ready to settle into life as a married woman and combine our lives together.

I've got almost everything done {and yes, now just working on the small details and surprises of our celebration} and I know everyone will be able to tell just how much time and effort we spent into making it fit our personalities.

I think it's fun to look back at where we started with our wedding planning and see how our my visions have transformed along the way...lots of similarities that haven't been tweaked, but some little things that were revised based on the evolvement of our colors, locations, vendors, and other little details I would happen to stumble across. Here is the 1st inspiration board I started with and then the final... 

Here is my final list of wedding to-do's:

• Finish Scat Springs' playlist for songs we want them to play!
• Finalize direction cards for our guests from the ceremony to the reception
• Approve the ceremony programs
• Final reception/wedding planning meeting on the 17th
• Work on escort and table cards for the rehearsal dinner
• Paint little odds and ends {you're dying to know!!} to use as decor for the reception
• Buy rehearsal dinner jewelry and accessories and get dress altered
• Finish purchasing out-of-town guest bag items and stuff/make contents
• Confirm all vandors/reservations/details with Mary Alice and all other wedding participants
• Wrap bridal party gifts
• Get our marriage license
• Sit back, relax, and enjoy all the fun of what's to come!!

It's Thursday, Not Wednesday

but I don't mind...scatterbrained Natasha {who is currently losing her mind} forgot to post wedding talk/updates yesterday so I'll make up for it now.
Oh let's see, nothing much on the agenda today--other than my FINAL dress fitting this afternoon with the fabulous ladies at Arzelles. I am itching to get that baby on again if you couldn't tell...next Tuesday is my bridal portrait photoshoot so all has to be perfect for my session! Poor girls at the bridal salon usually have to pry the dress off of me because I just want to stand there and twirl around in the mirrors...only child syndrome or crazy person bride??

Afterwards, Mom and I are headed over to StudioWed to meet with our wedding planner...this is where Mary Alice will start taking over all the fun and hopefully I can sit back and relax a bit--not sure this meeting could come at a better time....ahhhh!

What's on track for the rest of this week you ask??

• Sending out rehearsal dinner invitations
• Buying gifts for our adorable flower girl and ring bearer and other wedding gifts
• Ordering the rest of the items for favors!
• Finishing buying/designing items for the out-of-town guest bags
• Making sure I have everything ready for Chicago in 2 weeks!!

In other uber important environmental news, tomorrow is Earth Day--how to celebrate you ask? Venture into any Starbucks tomorrow with a reusable mug/container of your choice and your favorite barista will fill you up a free coffee or tea!! Find about about their offer here. We can all do our part to help keep our Earth happy and healthy ;)

It's All in the Details...The Wedding Invitations

Originally, I had planned to wait until tomorrow to share my pictures of our wedding invitations, but because I am just so overwhelmed with giddyness and excitement, I decided that all of our guests have surely received their invitations by now so I can divulge the detailed goodness.
So without further adieu, here they are...my favorite pieces of paper e v e r:

The full invitation suite...invitation, response card, and accommodations card

The full digital file so you can see the detail

Detail of my calligraphy on the outer envelopes

A heaping pile of hard work and love

All boxed up and ready to be mailed!

So there you have it!! Words can't describe the feeling I had when these lovelies were sent out last week... first of all, relief from finally being done with such a huge component of our wedding, and secondly, happiness in that I {as well as the parents and my wonderful MOH} spent loads of time stuffing and sealing these pretty little envelopes for our guests. I know some people think wedding invitations are merely paper, but for this girl, it's the first element of our forthcoming wedding where friends, family, and guests will hopefully get a sneak peak of what's to come and what to expect.

And finally, thanks SO much to our friends and family who have emailed, texted, and called me and/or Jeff to tell me how much they love our invitations. This is icing on the cake for me with this labor of love and it means more than you will ever know ;)

Wedding Wednesday...87 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

I must digress, that song is popping in my head daily as the countdown of days gets smaller and smaller. Yesterday was a bit of a rough day my friends... I was in a bit of a funk, and wouldn't you know it? Best friend Bev called to talk and it was as though she instantly picked me back up again. Funny how your friends are right there when you need them most...definitely helped my teeny-bit-moody-self get back in gear.

I have to keep telling myself 'all in good time, all in good time'.

So, speaking of time, yeah, it seems like I am running out of that here lately--all these extra weekends and spare time I thought I had lying around is sneaking away from me.

My nights for the next few weeks will be spent on the following...

1. Working on  invitation calligraphy

2. Meeting with our pastor for more counseling and outlining the ceremony

3. Finishing paper necessities for wedding weekend

4. Ordering items for out-of-town guest welcome bags

5. Finalizing host/hostess/bridal party gifts

6. Gathering pictures for rehearsal dinner festivities

7. Meeting with our florist to finalize flowers

8. Buying dresses for my bachelorette party, bridal brunch, and Knoxville ladies shower

9. Drafting the ceremony programs and working with our designer to get those printed

10. Finalizing our reception songs and overall playlist with our band

Today is gorgeous in Nashville! I have to find a reason to get out during lunch and run some errands just so I can put on the sunglasses and get some frsh air--happy hump day friends!!

Wedding Wedding... All Things Wedding

We are officially coming into the home stretch friends... no, really, I'm serious. Since last January, I have been pain-stakingly agonizing about each and every detail of this whole shebang and as of tomorrow, we will be at the 100 day countdown--holy moly now I need to zip it and finish what I've started!

This afternoon, the fiance and I are heading to our beloved rehearsal dinner venue to confirm the details for the night-before-dinner that will be spent with our bridal party and closest friends and family...small and intimate {well, if you call 65 people small}. I cannot wait to finalize the decor, work on the seating chart, select our menu, and talk about the finishing details. This is where my DIY skills will--hopefully--come into play!

In the next week or two, I will be ordering our rehearsal dinner invitations from my go-to online invitation website Minted. Here are some of my favorite designs...though you already know none of these are "the one"...I know, I am no fun ;).

Air Mail Invitation

Midnight Vineyard Invitation

Just My Type Invitation

Country Flair Invitation

Float + Dotted Delight Invitation

Another fun wedding rendezvous later this week is my official hair trial/tun-through... Mom is accompanying me to make sure we're all in agreement for how I want the mane to look for both my bridal portraits as well as the big day! {I know, I am keeping you all in suspense, right?}

I'm also in the midst of ordering all kinds of hostess/bridesmaid gifts and this is where it gets tricky--I have seen it all and received all sorts of presents through my "bridesmaid reign" in hosting parties for others...we'll see what I come up with, but advice--what's the best gift you've received for being a bridesmaid/hostess/etc?

And in proper blonde fashion, I absolutely forgot to post the winner of the Apothica gift card yesterday...a big shoutout goes and congrats to Deanna from Deanna in Pajamas!! She's the winner of the $50 worth of free money...enjoy and thanks for playing friends :)

Wedding Wednesday...The Early Bird Gets the Worm!

This week, I am knocking things out left and right... I am out buying odds and ends to make our wedding celebration unique and I am stumbling upon some fabulous finds! Through blogs, sites, and such, I have found that the most inspiring and original weddings are those when the couple takes time to make it "their own" and really show off their personalities...which is exactly what Jeff and I are attempting to do... here is some of my favorite inspiration:

As for me and my planning, I am happy to report that I don't have too terribly many "to-do's" this week, just smaller items here and there including:

• Completing our "homework" for our pre-marital counseling and scheduling our next meeting
• Meeting with the event planner at our rehearsal dinner venue--Mere Bulles--to finalize our menu, plan dinner festivities, and work on the event design
• Shopping for hostess gifts for my March shower hosted by my aunt and cousin
• And this weekend, Meg and I are headed out on a shopping adventure...she's going to help me add to my shower/wedding/honeymoon wardrobe and hopefully find some PERFECT and feminine frilly dresses and attire!

Finally, I wanted to mention on snafoo we had last week... I went to pick up our personalized stationery to only notice they had misspelled our street name AND had gotten our house number wrong as well--not sure as to why or how this accident happened, but my favorite paper store apologized profusely and is expediting my order to me. So the lesson is this: if at all possible, order things as early as possible! So glad I did this way in advance so I am not freaking out last minute about not having thank-you cards--make your list, check it twice, and cross things off whenever you get a free moment! You can thank me later ;)

Happy Wednesday to each and every one of you... lots to get accomplished at work through the rest of the week, not to mention everything else we have going on--meetings, book club rendezvous, and then Jeff is planning date night for he and I Friday--yippee!!

Wedding Wednesday...La Dee Dah!

It's been a roller-coaster of weeks... for those of you that have in the past or are currently planning a wedding, did you ever want to throw your hands up and say "I'm done?"

It's not that I am going to be a runaway bride and escape to some private island by myself by any means, but I feel as though some pulling of the hair is inevitable...I do keep reminding myself though, just as Jeff keeps telling me sweetly: this too shall pass.

I would very much like to be able to say "oh I don't care about that detail" or "oh, I'll love whatever you decide"...bless the Good Lord--please let me get through this without going cuckoo... I know Jeff would appreciate having "me" back again at the end of all this-ha! I know I'll quit complaining...  this is all to say that everything isn't always as it seems--not as glamorous, but still fun nonetheless!

So back to the issue at hand...115 more days--this week has more fun in store:

Thursday= Final Cake Design(S) and Tasting

This fat kid loves her cake, and definitely wants to eat it, too... we've got our tastebuds all ready to go tomorrow afternoon--Kellie from The Bake Shoppe is meeting with us at her studio/bakery/office for all things cake--I can hardly contain my excitement with all the fun flavors out there... it's gotta be something original and ever-so-tasty...any suggestions??

Friday=Round 2 Dress Fitting

We're going back for the 2nd time to Arzelle's to meet with my alterations guru... this woman is incredible and I can't wait to see the magic she has worked--a little taking in here and smotinh out there goes a long way and I am hoping we'll be close to finished after this try-on...after Mom and Meg learn how to bustle my dress! 

Finalize Ceremony Music Selections with Trio

I am working with Wedding Musicians Company to select ceremony music... we'll be incorporating woodwinds, a cello, organist, and piano player and we're finalizing the music this week--think classic and very traditional wedding music--yay!!

This weekend, Jeff will be hanging out with his brother-in-law, which means more wedding stuff for me... picking up our stationery, working on gifts for party hostesses and wedding party, and collaborating with Mekala from The Tie That Binds for all things weddding-weekend paper-related... table cards, placecards, out-of-town gift bags and labels--oh I'm in heaven!

Check out some of her stuff--she is fantastic and uber creative:

Wedding Wednesday...Small Things, Big Things

Before I say anything else, I have to have a little show and tell... our engagement pictures were featured on another wedding blog recently and I was beaming so I wanted to share--hehe!
Check out Pretty Little Weddings' highlight of our photoshoot here. {P.S. do you not love the way Jillian writes? So eloquent and sophisticated--I can only dream}

OK back to the issue at hand, right? Planning, planning, and more planning--122 days to go.
Yesterday afternoon, I met with the Catering Manager from Chef's Market and we finalized everything food and food decor/design/set-up for the reception... we were so on the same page it was a tad bit freaky, but Jessica totally understands what we're wanting--sophisticated southern cuisine and I know our guests are going to love!

Check out some of Chef's awe-dropping food scapes:

In other news, we all know that Valentine's Day is next Monday, right? Well, my day of love will come just one day early on Sunday because our engagement announcement will be printed in the local Nashville newspaper--The Tennessean! Mom has been working on this item for weeks and I can't wait to see the finished product...I promise to share the link and take a picture, too--eeek with excitement!

And to make my week purely happy happy joy joy, as of last night, I sent the final approval and thumbs up for our custom wedding invitation suite over to Joni at Chocolate Butterbean... cannot wait to see these lovelies printed with our actual names written on them--a bit surreal I do declare. They are so reminiscent of our save-the-date design which makes my heart smile, too.

So that's all for now... on this weekend's agenda is to shop for shower dresses, hopefully purchase some of the bridesmaids and other wedding party gifts, order our guest book, and confirm a meeting with our florist for March to finalize all out bouquets, centerpieces, and ceremony flowers--yay!!

You Asked For It...Wedding Wednesday

I had a handful of some of my lovely readers email me and ask how I have so much to talk about each Wednesday...well, obviously you can break it up as you please, but there are so many details and I think it's fun to share this planning adventure with the blogging universe so that I can help other brides planning their dream weddings, too! So, tasks to-do and items complete as of today--a mere 129 days to go:

Bridesmaid Shoes—Check!

Are these not adorable?? My ladies will be sporting these fun peep toe heels but in classic black to match their Melissa Sweet dresses… we tried them on last week and knew they were perfect! And I think they really liked them. And as a helpful hint, make sure you ask for discounts--since I am ordering in "bulk", I got an additional 10% off my total purchase!

Reception Design and Rentals--Check!

This is a HUGE component to finally have completed. We have submitted our order for all of the linens, draping, tables, chairs {and yes, the chiavari chairs are actually going to be mine}china, lighting, and all other odds and ends. I was sent draft pictures and drawings of the reception floor plan and design and I could not be happier… I think it is going to be gorgeous—oh but how I know I am just a bit partial ;)

Favors Ordered—Check!

A sweet little surprise for all of our guests… not going to give the details away just yet, but take a look at some of my favorite favor finds from the internet—I heart anything homemade, out-of-the-box, and sentimental.

Fresh Baked Cookies via Project Wedding Blog

Paperwhite Flower Kit via Project Wedding Blog

Candied Apples via Style Me Pretty

Homemade Jam Favors via Style Me Pretty

 Finalize Wedding Invitations—Currently Ongoing

This is the biggest outstanding item I’ve got brewing right now. Joni from Chocolate Butterbean sent the original designs last week and I am now waiting to receive the revisions… I cannot wait to have these ordered and delivered so I can start the calligraphy process for MY wedding invitations-giddy can you tell? A bit of envelope inspiration from some of my favorite calligraphers...

Shopping for Honeymoon and Showers—Currently Ongoing

Some of you may call me crazy, however, I have already started shopping for outfits for the honeymoon, and other miscellaneous wedding activities {hey, sales are few and far between and when you find it in your size you just have to get it!}. I promise to bookmark them all and share at a later date!

Additional items to knock out in February: final catering menu on the 8th, cake tasting and final design on the17th, ordering the guest book, working on the rehearsal dinner, and ordering the rehearsal dinner invitations...nothing this lady can't handle--haha!