One of my bridesmaids reminded me last week that my wedding to B is officially six months away! Time is really flying! Here's what has happened since {the last update}:
1) I have my dress. It's a bit too long and needs to be taken in at the top, but I love it. It's wonderful with my shoes. I went with Katie, one of my bridesmaids. She took close ups of the beading so I can match jewelry.
2) We took our engagement pictures.
They are perfect. Huge shout out to {Amy Bonzo Photography}!
3) We made our save the dates, ordered them when Shutterfly had a sale, and they were here within days. DAYS.
I had a few stragglers who weren't responding to my requests for zip codes, but they were all officially mailed out as of this afternoon.
I've shared about it before, but this stamp:
Life-saver. Hurray for {Stamp the Envelope} on Etsy!
4) Started preliminary plans for our honeymoon! (Next summer)
Up next?
1) Scheduling hair trials now that my head piece is here (and gorgeous!)
2) Meeting with the venue in July.
3) Bridal shower in July.
4) Find jewelry.
5) Passports.
Under 200 days!
In the past few weeks, we've:
1) Confirmed our {engagement shoot}
2) Finalized our photobooth logo:
(As an added bonus, this matches our wedding website and mimics the bistro lighting in the venue)
3) Confirmed our {photographer}
4) Set up meetings with the photobooth vendor, florist, and photographer (all for spring break so a few of my teacher friends can accompany)
5) Received our thank you cards
6) Ordered our custom cake topper
7) Extended our stay at the hotel (I'm checking in Thursday and we're staying Saturday night too) and began the process of reserving a block of rooms for guests
8) Set the date for my bridal shower (end of July), picked out invitations, and confirmed with my future MIL (it's at her house). B and his boys are going to go get fitted and have lunch that day, which is adorable.
9) Purchased some of the outfits for our engagement pictures. I think I've decided on the outfits and have been using {this} as a guide:
Up next?
Setting up cake tastings (B's very excited to help with this task!), hair trials (end of May), and trying to find shoes.
I must say, having never done this before, I'm very much enjoying the year and a half engagement. I don't feel rushed. I don't feel pressured. Everything is coming together naturally and without stress.
Our engagement pictures are scheduled! Sunday, April 17th...at dusk.
My dear friend {Amy} will be taking our pictures in April. She was one of the first people who heard about my first date with B over three years ago, so now it comes full circle and she gets to be with us to capture this special time for us.
In an attempt to keep this
wedding thing as authentic as possible, we opted for a fun and quirky
location for our engagement shoot.
We're taking our pictures at {Nelson's Landing}, which is a ghost town in Nevada. It's been featured on Ghost Adventures and has some old buildings, a crashed airplane, and lots of gorgeous desert scenery!
Amy has done shots there before (her images are below) and I love them!
Now...to contain my excitement until then!
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!
