Muggle to Mrs

Every time I begin this post, I falter.  I am humbled and in awe of the outpouring of love I received from my friends and family.

In short, I had the perfect bridal shower.

Let's take a peek:

The Heart Wreath

 
I made this for a fellow bride's shower and kept it for my own.  This beauty was on the front door to alert guests that they'd arrived.  

The heart frame and burlap are from Joann's.  The veil is from Hobby Lobby and attached with safety pins.  Coupons were used for all parts of the craft project. 

Decor

Marlene knows my love for Harry Potter and made me this sign for the shower.  I'm 99% sure my bachelorette party will include the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (in California), so this is perfect.
 

Leah, one of my bridesmaids, had a graphic designer friend make these labels (more shown later).  She had guests write their replies on cute tags, which she's then using in my bridal shower scrapbook. I'm super excited to see what she creates!

This is one of the S signs that I painted for our gallery wall.  We also incorporated it into round 2 of our engagement pictures (read about that store {here}). I should be getting those pictures back any day now!

I originally made this soon to be sign for our engagement shower (which was nearly a year ago) and this was the perfect opportunity to reuse it!  The banner is from Target and I added the letters myself (printed them, cut them out, and glued them on).  The font is swagger and available at dafont.com.

Of all the wedding related things, B is very, very adamant about there being absolutely no mason jars at our November wedding.

Is this a strange thing to be so passionate about?

Yes, of course it is.  But it's also his day and I respect his wishes, however strange they may be.

However, that meant I could use them at my shower and he didn't get a say.  My bridesmaids and I used some mason jars that I had laying around the house (because that's what happens when you're a crafty teacher) and used chevron burlap and lace to tie on bows (not pictured).  

My maids picked up flowers and decorated the tables with flowers (and chocolate candies).

A & B Sign

Much like the mason jars, he's very against an abundant amount of polka dots and glitter at the wedding.  Granted, there will be some (because it's my day too!), but this was the perfect opportunity to get to decorate how I wanted.

The letters were from the craft store and already painted white.  Using tacky glue, glitter, and the end of an eraser,

I created perfect polka dots. 
 
Champagne Tower

I randomly found pink plastic champagne flutes in my party supply tub so it was the perfect opportunity to spoil my bridesmaids (the ones who could be there).

Yes, we had too many champagne flutes but now I have some for the next party we host!

Best Wishes

Leah surprised me with these low key activities.  Guests wrote us well wishes and they'll be in our scrapbook.

Food

There was a lot of it and apparently we were too busy eating to snap pictures.  But the set up was cute! (Plates and tins from Target, burlap polka dot runner from Hobby Lobby.)
 
Gifts

While she couldn't be there in person, my bestie found the most perfect gift.  It's a ring bearer box that is a stack of letters from Hogwarts.  I'm choking back tears (above).

She also sent a necklace for me to use as my something borrowed and something blue.

I was incredibly spoiled by my friends and family.  Thank you all!

({Card box} was made for our wedding, but this seemed like a great opportunity to use it again!)


Games

In addition to the don't say ring game (below), I found these bridal themed scratchers at Target.  They came in packs of 20 with 4 cards being the winners.  I don't love gambling, but B and his family do so it was a cute nod to them.  Plus, it's Vegas!

Prizes

One of my bridesmaids, Kyla, put together these adorable gift bags as prizes.  Inside were homemade sugar scrubs, scented with her favorite DoTerra essential oils.  I even snagged one and love it!

Kiss the Miss Goodbye

I did this for a (former) friend and it went over quite well, so it was a must have at my own shower.  While not every guest "signed" it, we did use lip sample wands and cheap lipstick to avoid cooties.  We got an 8x10 picture frame with a large mat and tada! I'll frame a picture from the bridal shower to complete the project.

What wasn't shown?  Elsa, one of our flower girls, was helping everyone put on their lipstick.  It was precious.

Love is Sweet

What would a party be without favors?  Mini Twix bars were stuffed inside these burlap bags.  Fortunately (or unfortunately), not everyone took one, so I have left overs!  I printed the "love is sweet please take a treat" sign and framed it, but then found this premade one for a few dollars at TJ Maxx.  It totally fit our rustic/lace/vintage theme!

Surprises...

Olivia married her lovely hubby a few months ago.  It was a beautiful ceremony and I caught part of the bouquet (it came apart during the toss).  So, I sneakily crafted it into a shatter-proof ornament and gave it to her at the shower (because I hadn't seen her since her own wedding).

Tears were shed.  It was a happy moment.  Nothing but love between gal pals. 

(I used a shatter proof Christmas ornament for the leaves.  I also added a decorative metal wire that said "love" in cursive as well as scrabble tiles with their initials and wedding date.  While the cost of the materials was low, the gift was treasured and that's what matters.)

Of course, none of this would be possible without my loving friends and family.

Marlene, our officiant and one of my closest friends.  She's been insanely patient with me as I avoid writing my vows and procrastinating on the music selection.  She is also the mastermind behind my magical Muggle to Mrs sign.

Leah, bridesmaid and brother's girlfriend.  Not only did she come up from Arizona, but she took hundreds of pictures and is turning them into a scrapbook. 

Katie (left) and Kendall are two more of my bridesmaids.  Their impeccable taste and attention to detail brought all of my shower dreams into life.  More importantly, they nerd out with me about Harry Potter on a fairly regular basis.  I adore them both.  Elsa is also pictured and she's one of our two flower girls.

Elsa was sure to let everyone know that she's the flower girl and I'm a princess.  She did express her disappointment at not being able to meet (and practice with) Ravyn, the other flower girl.  I think she's more excited than I am! 

My mom came up for the shower and has been instrumental every step of the way.  I love you mom!

My future mom opened her home to host the shower.  She's a generous, loving, and kind woman. I'm blessed to be marrying into her family.

My second mom (my bestie's mom) drove up from Arizona for the shower.  This family has been my second home for years (decades?).  I appreciate them all!


Up next in terms of wedding planning?

1) Getting our marriage license sometime towards the end of September.  I'm fairly certain they're good for sixty days, but I need to double check.  I've heard filling out all the registration information online severely cuts down on wait time at the city offices.  I did have to clarify with B that he had to be there too.

2) Cake tasting!  This is on September's checklist as well.

3) Invites.  We're waiting for pictures back (any day now!) and have already designed the invitations, so it's simply a matter of ordering them (and stamps), then assembling and mailing.  I'm not stressed yet because we sent out save the dates and are asking for replies by October 1st, so there's still time.  

4) My next dress fitting is in the middle of September.  I also have to find a tailor who can alter the hem on my MOH's dress in 24 hours since her dress is here and she is on the East Coast.

5) Attend my work bridal shower (October?).

6) Bachelorette party! (October?!)

7) Finalize hotel rooms, flowers, and food.

84 days!       

Joyous June, the Bridesmaids Edition

I like things coordinated, but not identical.  For my bridesmaids, I gave them my parameters (marine, floor length) and let them pick the gown they felt most confident in.  My maids all picked ones with decorative necklines, so I got them matching earrings to tie their looks together.  Since the dresses can take a while to come in, I was getting a little worried that one of my maids hadn't purchased hers yet.

However, I also didn't want to be a bridezilla and keep nagging her.  When Facebook so kindly informed me that David's Bridal was having a sale, I casually passed that information on to her and to my mom.  

They went shopping over the weekend and she was able to order the one she loved for $50!  (Regularly close to $200.)  I'm filled with joy for her because I know finances can be tight (for all of us) and didn't want my day to be a huge burden.

David's Bridal quoted her way too much for alterations, so I told her we'd do much better closer to the wedding.

I get to check "bridesmaids dresses ordered" off my to-do list (and that brings me joy).  

Bridal Updates

So...my wedding is now officially less than a year away!

Let's zoom in on some updates:

1) Our custom jerseys are here!

We're doing a football themed engagement shoot (for part of it, anyway).  Our wedding date is 11/11, so I ordered a Cardinals jersey for me and a Broncos jersey for him. They have our first names on the back.  And...I got them online on Cyber Monday, so they were 20% off.  Thanks NFL shop!

These jerseys are our Christmas gifts to one another.  However, since I was working late (parent-teacher conferences), he intercepted the box.  Not only did he open it, but he tried on his jersey and sent me selfies.  Thanks B!

2) I made table numbers:

The frames are from Joann's and I've been buying them slowly with coupons.  I made up to #12, but I may need one more set just to be sure.  We haven't decided if we're doing tables of 8 or 10. 

I've also got a plan for reusing the frames after the wedding!
 
3) I went dress shopping.

I didn't find the one.  There were some I liked, but none I absolutely loved.  My future MIL went with me, along with three of my maids and our officiant.  We had lunch first and went to two stores, so we made an afternoon of it.   I've got another appointment next Sunday with my mom, my MOH, and a bridesmaid.  I did make some decisions though:

• I will be wearing ivory, not white.  It was much softer looking on my skin.
• I will not be wearing peep toed shoes.  My feet hurt after just two hours, so that's a no no.
• I liked a sparkly tiara/headband situation.  No one should be surprised that I gravitated toward sparkly items.
• I have a general idea about the shape.  It will most likely be a strapless, sweetheart neckline on an A-line or ball gown shape.  No mermaid cut for me! 

I also decided on the color for the gals at David's Bridal.  They're wearing marine:

It's pretty close to this, except the dresses will be floor length and the flowers will be pale and medium shades of pink.    

I originally wanted pale pink dresses, but my lovely officiant (and life guru) pointed out that the maids would look naked because they all have light skin tones. 

So...navy it is!  I still get the pops of pink with flowers and darker colors tend to be more slimming.

The boys will be in gray with navy and blush ties.  My original idea of suspenders isn't an option because Mens Warehouse only has three (kind of boring) shades.  I didn't think the groomsmen would like suspenders as their gift, so we scrapped that idea. Oh well! They'll still look snazzy.

I will admit, I had to go a little...

on the saleswoman at David's Bridal.   She was insistent that my bridesmaids did not have a lot of time and needed to purchase their dresses that day.  We have almost a year, so she needed to calm down.  She also demanded that I must narrow down the fabric choices to only one option or my pictures will be forever ruined.  I reminded her that I was the bride and that I wanted my girls to be comfortable.  They can pick chiffon or mesh, whichever they'd like.  As long as they're in marine, it's floor length, and they feel gorgeous, I'm happy.   She was not pleased with my answers, but it's my day.  I won't be bullied into making any decisions so quickly.

Four of the gals found their dresses, two of them are matching.  The one shouldered look was gorgeous on both of them, so I'm totally fine if they match.  Another picked a different dress with a pretty neckline.  I'm thinking they'll have matching earrings (from me) and no one will have to worry about a necklace.  

Marlene, our officiant, is going with a pewter dress with a marine sash.  This way, she'll match both sides of the wedding.  She made the suggestion and I'm all for it!

4) We bought his wedding band. 

He picked it out (as he should) and it was a quick and easy decision.  He's more excited about his jersey (see #1) than this band, but that's okay.  He plans to have a wedding band tattooed on, since he works with his hands and outdoors.  He picked out a nice band that he'll wear on special occasions.  We took advantage of a $100 off coupon and opened a card to buy his band.  I've already paid it off and it's sitting nicely in a box in the closet...right next to my wedding band.  Mine is definitely the prettier of the two!

That's it in terms of wedding plans.  Family pictures are happening next month (our Christmas gift to his parents), engagement pictures will happen soon, and we're hoping to send out save the dates around Easter.  

 I think my only true crazy bride moment has been with the pushy sales people. I'm loving this planning period and am thankful I have other type A people who offer practical, sound advice.  Thanks girls!