A Wahoo Wedding

James Sikes, Post 2

2011-07-18T01:38:00.001-04:00

forgot to mention that the poem his parents posted as part of their remembrance of him -- that was the poem we randomly chose as part of our wedding.

I can only hope they have peace and understanding that their son has inspired a whole lot more than they realize.

James Sikes; or, What I Learned Tonight

2011-07-18T01:33:00.000-04:00

I am not qualified to write this post. I have no training in love and loss, except for the inevitably and, ultimately, timely, loss of my grandparents. Can any loss be timely?

I think it can.

I don't show my emotions on my sleeve. I probably never have; no matter how many times my bleeding teenage-angsty-emo-heart told me I did. It's why I was a terrible actress -- I could never fake it because I never showed it in the first place.

I hated losing my grandmothers. I lost my one (still living) grandfather when I was 6 or 7 or maybe 5. I associate it with missing a trip to Disney world -- how tragic is that? I was tragic. I didn't understand.

I lost my father's mother a few years ago. Her loss was so hard and so difficult and so painful that I couldn't handle it. I can be honest about this now. I couldn't handle it. I lost her -- and so many lost her -- to a disease no human could control. Only God could. And He took her. And that was that.

I lost my mother's mother this year. She lived through my wedding, though she couldn't attend. I read her eulogy without a tear in my eye; though many tears were shed. A lot of people say I'm strong like my father.

The truth is...I'm not strong...like my father.

My father cried when I would bring my little black dog back to Annapolis, MD when I was living there. He would cry when a movie had a really touching father/child moment. I would always tease him..."Why cry now? What's wrong with you? This isn't even sad! It's not your life!" Maybe one teasing or another. Never all at once.

The truth is...we cry. My Dad and I cry when it DOESN'T effect us. My grandparents died and I never cried a day for them. My father never cried at my wedding. When it doesn't effect us directly -- I think that's when we feel it the most. That's when I feel it the most.

So...I'm too wordy. Here's my point.

I've never cried more than I have over this little boy tonight.

This little boy is James Camden Sikes. He went to be with God on July 15, 2011 -- Saturday -- at 3:50 PM. His life was fragile from late June when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that would eventually, despite surgery and hospitals and all our earthly medicines, take him from the world.

I can't help but believe that this child was meant to take me in a different direction. Is this selfish? Yes. Am I typing this late in the night because I finally read their blog this evening in bed? Yes. Do I feel God and the Holy Ghost and Jesus in one strong powerful force? Yes.

I've never felt this before.

I was in bed when I read his blog (found HERE: http://jamescamdensikes.blogspot.com/) and I couldn't stop weeping. I mean -- even now, actually -- tears are streaming down my face. This baby was the son of a couple whose wife was sorority sisters with a woman I met on a cruise ship when I was in 9th grade. There is no close-knit connection.

But...when I read about James I felt drawn to his story. God was calling me to it. I kept up with it from the time Jen posted about it (blog found HERE: http://themcradys.blogspot.com/). I've been updating my husband on it. And now...I guess the story has abruptly ended.

But not quite.

My husband and I are not (were not?) planning on having kids. I can say that to the internet world, right? I can absolutely say I hate kids. My husband is not partial to them either. We don't (didn't?) like them.

James rocked my world.

I can't tell you what I think -- are kids right for us? Are they not? Maybe? Does one little boy change our lives?

And I think the answer is a resounding yes.

I've loved other little ones. In small doses. Knowing they are not mine.

But, Mr. Jamesie, your legacy has left a legion of child lovers in your wake. Is that a small consolation prize for you no longer being here? Yep. There's no replacement for you. But I hope you know in heaven tonight that you're right here with us -- always. You're the inspiration. And -- no matter what happens in my life -- you'll be close to my heart always.

Rest in Peace.

My grandmother, Big Mom...

2011-03-02T22:53:00.001-05:00

I read this eulogy at my grandmother's funeral. At my family's request, the text is posted here in full.

The people gathered here today called the woman whose life we’re celebrating by many names: she was a wife, a mother, a sister, a grandmother – but, perhaps the name she was best known by, was Big Mom.

At 5 foot some inches tall and never reaching 100 lbs. , Big Mom was, by no means, big in stature. When I was little, my friends would giggle when I would tell them I had a Big Mom and she was littler than my “regular” Mom.

But, what she lacked in stature, she made up for in personality.

She was notorious for calling it as she saw it – my father has told me this story since I was little but when he first met Big Mom, it was a Sunday morning and he was picking up my mom to go to King’s Dominion, a theme park outside of Richmond. He rang the doorbell and Big Mom answered – surprised, he said, “Oh, Ms. Phillips, I thought you would be at church.”

Without missing a beat, Big Mom looked him up and down, obviously noting his tennis shoes, shorts, t-shirt and said “And, it looks like you just came from church.”

I was really young when my grandfather and Big Mom’s husband, Big Dad, passed away; and the timing between that day and when Big Mom moved in with my parents and I is hazy, at best. I remember when she fell and broke her hip in my parents’ kitchen on a visit to New Jersey and I remember the drive to the hospital that night – I was maybe 8 years old, she was around 82 or 83 – old enough that we knew a fall of that magnitude and a life altering hip break could have been fatal. But, it wasn’t – after a hip replacement and intense rounds of physical therapy, Big Mom came back from that fall with a vengeance.

That was 15 years ago.

She was a force in my house – never underestimate the power of having your mother’s mother around when you’re a pre-teen and a teenager – Big Mom was always there when I needed a shoulder to cry on, or when life was too tough. If Mom and Dad wouldn’t give me any more allowance, Big Mom could always find a “chore” for me to do to earn that $5. Or, when all the crazy hormones were flying in my teen years, Big Mom would always be the one to tell me that I was beautiful and that my mother was the one who was nuts (even if it was clearly me.)

Even as she became increasingly unable to cook and clean and do laundry for herself, she maintained a fierce independence. If she could do it for herself, she did it; and she did it without fear.

She was a proud woman: proud of her family, proud of her grandkids and her great-grandkids; and fearless of “old age.” She read the Bible and studied it in books with increasingly larger fonts; she completed crossword puzzle after crossword puzzle to keep her mind sharp. She had an uncanny ability to win Yahtzee game after Yahtzee game. And, she loved Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. If you had the chance to watch Watson the supercomputer on Jeopardy the other day – well, Big Mom was kinda like that.

We used to say that Big Mom was like a cat – she had 9 lives. When she would get sick or something would happen where we would need to go to the hospital, this family would rally around her. Many people here spent countless nights with Big Mom in the hospital. We’ve read her many Bible verses, completed many crossword puzzles with her.

About 2 years ago, Doctors thought that it might be Big Mom’s time. She seemed to understand that this was the consensus – all of the family came to visit her in the hospital. We were filling out a crossword puzzle and no one could figure out a 4-letter word for a musical instrument when, from the hospital bed, we heard her faintly say, “Oboe.”

Later that week, Big Mom and I had a few minutes alone in the hospital. She looked at me and said, “I think I might die, now.” We always had a relationship where I was very honest with her and I told her, honestly, “I think you might, too.” She seemed to process this information for a minute, and then she said – “But, maybe not.”

She was right – it wasn’t her time, then. But it was her time, now.

Now, you can be sad – I’m sure there’ve been many tears these last few days as we mourn our loss of such a powerful light in all of our lives; but I’d like you to think about this: Big Mom was alive to see every major life event of all of her grandchildren. That’s a blessing.

Even more so – Big Mom was around to have real relationships with all of her great-grandchildren. That’s a blessing.

She wrote in the front of her Bible the “Keys to a Happy New Year” from Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Positive Thinking:”

“Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine, forget self. Do as you would be done to. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”

Big Mom didn’t just try that for a week – she tried for all 97 years of her life. We could do worse than to emulate her habits.

Saturday morning, my mother was going through some of Big Mom’s Bibles. The Bible surprised her when it fell open to a verse Big Mom, herself, had bracketed off. 2 Timothy, 4: 6-8:

“I say this because I won’t be around to help you very much longer. My time has almost run out. Very soon now I will be on my way to heaven. I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. In heaven a crown is waiting for me which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me, but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to his coming again.”

For those of us that saw Big Mom after she passed, I’d like to offer this: Big Mom lost her husband almost 20 years ago, her friends have gone through the years, her two favorite dogs – Maddy and Samantha – are gone. And the woman was convinced by doctors for the past 60 years that a sugary dessert would put her in the grave. Can you imagine a world without chocolate?

She staid for us. She lived for us and for the Lord. Now it’s time to let her go be with all of the others who she loved and lost in order to be there for us.

Big Mom passed with her mouth open but, if I had to hedge my bets, I’m willing to say that she wasn’t trying to say Goodbye to all of us – that was what the Bible verse was for.

She was about to say a big ol’ “Hello” to the Lord, take her crown and hold hands with Big Dad. She was about to feed Maddy and Samantha from a dinner table in heaven. She was about to eat a huge piece of chocolate cake.

Now is the time for Big Mom to stop fighting and rest. She scattered her sunshine. She filled her life with love.

And, though we mourn OUR loss of this woman whom we loved, we must also celebrate her life and now, her time in heaven.

Come to think of it, Big Mom was really a pretty “Big” person, afterall.

Let us pray:

Dear God,

It’s me, Kimmi. I’m down here with a whole bunch of people who want to let you know that you’ve got a very special lady up there with you. If you could see it in your heart to give her a message for us, we’d appreciate it: We love you, Big Mom. We thank you for the years of love and devotion and sunshine you gave us. We thank you for your life devoted to Christ and the example you set for us to live up to. We thank you for being a true Christian and for loving us and being there for us. You are missed more than you could possibly know.

God, thank you for letting us have her as long as we could – we know heaven is a better place now for her presence. Please provide us with the comfort we need to mourn our loss and still celebrate her life. Please keep her safe and, God? Get that Yahtzee board fired up for her. She likes that.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Best of Everything: Save the Date

2010-12-28T09:22:00.001-05:00

If you're a long time reader, you may remember my struggle over the "Save the Date" cards, which I wrote about here. You may also remember that I left you hanging -- I never posted what the cards looked like, what card company we used, the fonts, the style, nothin'.

It wasn't fair to you, readers, and I apologize for that; but, never fear! The recaps are here! And, now I can show you our "Save the Date" cards without further hesitation:

The "Save the Date" cards started as a plain, tri-fold ecru card from William Arthur, before the aforementioned Leslie Englander, of Party Plus in Richmond helped us turn them into something truly special.

Let me make this really clear: I LOVED our "Save the Dates." They were so US. And we could have never done it without Leslie's creative genius and our 4 hour session at Party Plus. Seriously, go see her. Immediately.

The top/front of the card reads, "The happiness of your life now depends on the continuing to please a single person. To this all other objects must be secondary." This quote really meant something special to me throughout the wedding because (1) it was from Thomas Jefferson (wahoo-wah!); and, (2) it was pulled from a letter Mr. Jefferson wrote to his daughter a few weeks after her marriage. Now, if you know me in real life, you know I have a very special relationship with my Dad. I've never admired anyone more, actually, but don't tell him that because he'll get a big head. I love that this quote is from a father to his daughter. And, I think it really set the tone for "A Wahoo Wedding."

Love. Love. Love.

The second page of the tri-fold card was spent on the reason for the Save the Date -- the names, the date and the purpose!

And, the third page was spent on the "nitty, gritty details." So, if someone were to hang the whole thing on their fridge, it would look something like this:

(Sorry for the poor background. I was simultaneously doing work and taking pictures!)

But, do you know what I thought was really special about these cards?

The font.

That script-y, handwriting-y lookin' font? After Leslie spent a long time looking, she found Thomas Jefferson's handwriting (or a very near match) in font form.

I die.

So, I haven't revisited these cards in probably upwards of 6 months and I still get the same giddy feeling --and I think that might be the goal I had in mind when planning this wedding. I wanted to feel giddy. If you're looking into doing any kind of paper for your wedding (invitations, save the date's, programs, etc.) I have 2 pieces of advice: (1) do what you love and the people to whom you send these things will love them, too; and (2) keep it classy, but keep it personal. Your wedding is about you and your future husband -- and when you revisit the choices you made surrounding your wedding, it will be the details that you remember, the little things that made that day special.

For me, one of the things that truly made our wedding feel like "ours" is our Save the Date cards.

What are the details you remember?

Ten Ways to Reveal the Crazy

2010-12-28T08:47:00.001-05:00

copied directly from Miss Prairie Dog at Weddingbee.com (because I really agree with everything she's sayin'!):

In my occasional board lurking, I’ve noticed some discussion of how soon is too soon to get engaged. Personally, I don’t see relationships as measured by units of time so much as the types of experiences you go through together. There is one thing that I think gets glossed over in the discussion of relationship quality, and this is it: you can hide your crazy for a really, really long time in a relationship.

I mean…that is a lot of what happens in dating at first, at least for me. I tried to reign in my idiosyncrasies in an attempt seem normal for as long as possible. Back then, Mr. PD never saw me in a cranky mood or in anything but a cute and date-appropriate outfit. It’s not that I wasn’t being myself; I was just getting to know him. Soon enough, I got a terrible cold, and he was introduced to my “big whiny baby” approach to health care. After that, my quirks trickled out steadily, and now all of my weirdness has unfurled in full glory.

He did the same thing. And although he is freakishly sweet and thoughtful, Mr. PD was a brand new person to me the first time we were stuck in traffic when he was really hungry.YIKES.

So, here are the top 10 crappy experiences—in no particular order of crapitude—that I think change and mature a relationship. Or, at the very least, bring out true colors.

1. Get really, really lost in an area you don’t know. Preferably away from intelligible signs and possibly safety.

2. Wait in a really, really long line (recommendations: amusement park, Christmas Eve shopping, Harry Potter midnight showing).

3. Get stuck in inexplicable, stand-still traffic. Bonus points if you are hungry or one of you really has to pee.

4. Have a restaurant experience worthy of a scathing Yelp review. (How people react to poor service says a lot about them, I think.)

5. Deal with being sick together. Not sniffles sick. I’m talking flu and incoherent-fever sick, post-surgical-delirium sick, stomach-pyrotechnics sick.

6. Meet each other’s extended families, the ones that won’t be on their “good behavior” like your nuclear family might be.

7. Get embarrassed in front of each other. I don’t embarrass easily, but I have had a few bright-red-face moments with Mr. PD.

8. Experience tragedy—real, gut-wrenching tragedy. Not that I would wish this upon anyone, but the truth is that it happens to all of us.

9. Spend a fair amount of time apart. Not like a long-distance relationship, necessarily, but a good week or two at a time. Chances are good that this will happen for one reason or another in your lives together, and it’s good to see how you fare on your own.

10. Experience any situation which compromises your sleep and/or cleanliness. My personal best includes a camping trip (sleeping on the earth…not really for me) in which I barely slept in a rain-soaked tent and awoke still reeking of campfire and mildew. I was a real treat on the ferry ride back, but he stuck with me.

It’s not that I think you need to complete all ten to be “ready” or something. There will be many more for us, and that’s OK. These minor annoyances and major heartbreaks…they’re kind of a blessing. They knit you together as a couple, give you the opportunity to step up and be there for each other. Half of ours are inside jokes or funny stories, and they’re some of the best squares in our patchwork.

Anything to add to my little list? Have you done any of them?

The Best of Everything: Honeymoonin'

2010-12-23T08:50:00.000-05:00

I threw together this little video of all of the pictures we took on our honeymoon. Hope you enjoy!

The Best of Everything: Out of Town Guest Boxes

2010-12-22T10:29:00.001-05:00

I cannot think about our wedding without hearing this song in the back of my mind. There is no reason for this -- the song was never played during the wedding ceremony or reception. But, I vaguely remember putting it on the band's setlist for "last song of the night." They ended with "Shout" instead. Regardless, this will always be the song that triggers "OUR WEDDING DAY."

As we wait for our photographer to wrap up our professional pictures, I thought I'd begin our recaps with one of the big details about which I shared little-to-no finalized information with you previously: the Out of Town Guest Boxes (known in the wedding industry as the "OOT Guest Boxes")!

Here's a statistic that most of you probably do not know: 82% of the guests that came to our wedding came in from out of town (OOT). This meant that we knew from the very beginning of planning that we had to provide something at the hotel for these guests to be able to know where to go and when to be there. If it were up to my dad, this would mean an envelope at the front desk with a list of directions. But, I begged 12 months out to have free reign on the OOT goodies and was granted it -- and so the madness began!

Only a few weeks after Mr. Wahoo Wedding (whoa, he's not Mr. FWW anymore!) proposed, I stumbled across Mrs. Cloud's post on her OOT boxes on the popular wedding blog, Wedding Bee.

Inspiration was born.

OOT boxes became a necessity and before anyone could stop me, I'd ordered 100 white gable boxes from Papermart.com. Should you, too, decide to go this route let me make a few suggestions: (1) Read what you're ordering carefully -- I almost ordered 2 cases which would have been 200 boxes (way too many!). There are 100 boxes per case. (2) I ordered (as did Mrs. Cloud in this picture) boxes that were 8×4⅞×5¼. I was very optimistic about how many things these would hold -- they don't hold nearly as much "stuff" as pictured above (honestly, I don't know how Mrs. Cloud did it) which actually happened to be perfect for me. If you want to hold more "stuff" you may want to order 1 size up. (3) These little suckers are pretty difficult to transport -- they don't stack when full and they take up a lot of room to stuff. Make sure you have a plan before you order them -- we barely fit the 80 boxes we needed in the back of my mom's SUV to take them to the hotel.

Here's what we started with:

80-ish white gable boxes after we put them together. Do you see the labels on the front? No?

Here, let me give you a closer look:

They read "A Wahoo Wedding" in orange, followed by our names in navy, then "The fourth of December, Two thousand and ten." The silhouette is that of Thomas Jefferson -- I tried to carry Mr. Jefferson throughout these boxes as a tie in to our UVa theme (he founded the University).

We printed these labels ourselves and, though they did not come out quite as crisp and clear as I would have liked, they served their purpose and saved some money on printing. I used Avery labels purchased at Staples and downloaded the template to Microsoft word in order to format them.

Then came the goodies inside! Here's what we used:

x 2.

I wanted to use the little water bottles a la Mrs. Cloud because they were cute.

My father wanted to use the full size bottles because they were practical. Plus, 2 full size water bottles fit perfectly in the bottom of the gable boxes.

Mrs. Wahoo Wedding: 0; Dad: 1.

(Also, I really wanted to make personalized labels for the water bottles but I kinda-sorta-mighta run out of time...oh well, the best laid plans... Did anyone notice? Probably not!)

A map of Virginia, a Virginia Winery Tour map, and 2 Virginia is for Lovers bumper stickers.

Where did we get all of these things, you ask?

Well, that's easy -- from the lovely people at the Virginia Tourism website available here! Not only did we received enough maps and bumper stickers to give out to an army, we also received the 2010 Virginia Travel Guide, and the 2010 Virginia Guide to Golf Courses for everyone -- unfortunately, we couldn't fit them all in the boxes!

Now, I'm going to let you in on a little secret -- you can get all of these things for free!

FREE?

Yes, FREE! No shipping. No handling. Nada. You request what you need and the boxes appear on your front door step approximately 2 weeks later. This was one of the most pleasant discoveries I found during wedding planning.

(And yes, I know they're not actually "free." That's why I pay my taxes.)

Also, x 2.

I was so excited about using these peanuts for a few reasons: (1) They're little 1 ounce bags -- the perfect size for a salty snack; (2) They might have the best name for a wedding treat...ever. Hubbies =adorable; and (3) My mom's college roommate is the owner of the Virginia-based company, so it was great to know that not only were we supporting local, in-state business, but also that we had a personal connection! Big bonus!

(Side note: if you've never had Hubs peanuts, they are the best in the state - bar none. Go here to get some for yourself!)

We also threw in a handful of Hershey's kisses --

because who doesn't want to enjoy some kisses with their hubbies?

(When we were putting all of these boxes together I started to get a little delirious and found this sort of question EXTRA hilarious.)

Then the hard work started:

My father carefully typed out the directions to all the places our guests needed to go for the weekend.

And then he wanted to just stuff it in the box with everything else.

As you can imagine (since I'm crazy about details) that was not going to fly.

I had to make it pretty! I had to make it MEAN SOMETHING!

Thus, this little baby was born.

This project, though it took a long time (too long) to format, ended up being very helpful for our guests and something we received a lot of positive feedback about -- yay! If you were opening up our OOT box, this would be the first thing you would see.

Then, when you opened it, you would see the places you needed to be and some recommendations for dining options in the area.

But the back was my favorite part...

Places to see and THE MAP.

The map was a last minute addition (ie I made it the Wednesday before the wedding and we cut some information off of the welcome packet to fit it on the back). I had wanted a map for a long time: I'd investigated etsy, had contacted some local printers, etc. etc. and I'd learned one thing -- to get a personal map designed for your wedding was an extravagant and unnecessary additional cost. I was bummed (but quietly so -- if I had gone to my parents and said I wanted a personalized map on top of everything else, they might have changed the locks and moved to Florida.)

Finally, the Wednesday before the wedding my wedding-blog-browsing paid off, again on Wedding Bee.

Mrs. Ballet Flat had a full tutorial on how to make your own wedding map right in Powerpoint. Now, I don't own Photoshop and if I did, I'd probably be pretty lousy at it because I had reading instruction manuals (go figure), but I can handle me some powerpoint.

See? This was her finished map:

And, this was mine:

You can read about how to create your own, here!

Now, the map didn't end up being quite large enough for it to serve as a replacement for those great directions my dad took all that time typing out, so we were able to stuff his directions inside of these packets -- then they looked great AND served a purpose! Anytime a wedding-related thing acheived this duality, I'm pretty sure an angel in heaven got his wings.

But, we weren't done yet -- all of these boxes had to be closed up and "pretty-fied." This is where Mom came in:

She looks happy, but in her head she's trying to think of ways to kill me without landing herself in jail.

I would like to say that I dutifully spent the better part of 4 hours closing up boxes, tying ribbon to the top, and then carefully curling the ribbon with scissors so that it looked beautiful and festive...but I didn't. Mostly, I spent the time getting stuck on the floor between the twin beds, singing songs with nonsense words, complaining about how much my back hurt and what a terrible idea this all was and how if I could do it again I would elope (for real, when you get down to these sorts of details, all of a sudden it seems as though you're at the base of an insurmountable mountain,) and generally being obnoxious. Without my mother, I can honestly say that these boxes would have never gotten done. Ever. In a million years.

So, thanks Mom!

Want to see the finished product?

All dressed up and ready to go!!

(Picture quality may be grainy due to the fact that all pictures of the OOT boxes were taken using my Blackberry when I was stalling from putting the boxes together and tying the ribbons.)

Hey, guess what?

2010-12-20T09:53:00.002-05:00

....we're MARRIED!!!!!!

Over the next few weeks I will be starting my recaps, giving you some inside info on the "big day" and generally attempting to restore sanity to my life (of course, with the holidays, this may be easier said than done!!)

Don't give up on me yet -- the best is yet to come!

FREAK OUT.

2010-12-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

1 day, 20 hours, 7 minutes...26 seconds, 25 seconds, 24 seconds....

2 days...

2010-12-02T08:12:00.000-05:00

This is literally how I felt last night. :)

Dad's stuck!

2010-11-28T19:24:00.001-05:00

We're all going a little batty -- here's Dad trying like mad to get the printer to work!

Where Are We Right Now?

2010-11-28T19:23:00.001-05:00

We are a-hustlin' and a-bustlin'...we just finished table cards, Dad's about to kill himself over place cards, our Out of Town Boxes are creeping towards a conclusion, Mom is about to burn down the dining room over table placements, and yours truly is probably going to have to pop a cork on some wine in the next hour or things may get ugly...

...don't worry, dear readers -- this is all done truly in love! We're SO excited for the weekend --

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday...AND THEN IT IS FINALLY HERE!!

Trust, but Verify

2010-11-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

I woke up completely calm this morning.

Evidentally, having 6 days to go until the wedding brings an almost zen realization that, at this point, very little is still in my control.

The details of a wedding, or any large event, weigh heavily on the planner's ability to trust.

Ronald Reagan and my former boss both said, "Trust, but verify."

Trust is not something that comes naturally to me. I am type-A, OCD about details, and I have a tendency to be stressed out. All of the time. I do not trust that things "will fall into place" or "everything will work out."

What the last year has taught me, however, is that I am both right and wrong. Things do not just "fall into place" - it takes planning, hard work, dedication to detail, and lists (and lists and lists) and execution. Everything doesn't just "work out," either. It also takes hard work.

But, at this point, we've done the hard work. We've planned. We've listed. We've executed.

Now, we must trust.

This morning when I woke up, I realized that though I do not trust the weather, nor the coordinators, nor the vendors we're using (because that's just my personality), I DO trust the people I love.

I trust that Mr. FWW will dress up and show up and be on time.

I trust that the groomsmen will do the same.

I trust that my "Of Honor's" will be there for me this Friday and Saturday.

I trust that my family will shed tears during the ceremony.

I trust that my bridesmaids will be happy and smiling and beautiful (well, mostly because they can't help but be all those things and that is why I love them!)

And, I trust that no matter what happens, all of the people we love will make Saturday the most magical day in our lives.

That trust is not something I have to verify.

Will you Buy me THIS?

2010-11-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

Steinway & Sons Limited Edition Lilly Pulitzer Piano

Doesn't every girl need this in her house? No?

But how awesome would it be a Lilly Pulitzer inspired wedding reception...amazing.

Photo Source: Momist.com

Wedding Rap

2010-11-09T12:35:00.003-05:00

Come on, wedding party. Do something like this!

Pretty please?

Catastrophe, Solution, Prayer

2010-11-08T15:16:00.000-05:00

Something catastrophic happened and, though our situation was quickly remedied, we've been reminded that there are many things that trump the silliness of wedding tomfoolery in the world.

Our minister has become quite ill and, though we're not sure of the prognosis as of yet, we are sure that he will no longer be able to officiate the ceremony. But, my Future Father in Law acted quickly and we have another minister already lined up.

As sad as we are that our first minister is unable to officiate, we are so lucky to not have to deal with the stress of finding someone else so we can now focus on praying for Rev. Roberts to return to good health as quickly as possible.

God works in mysterious ways. Let us hope He helps Rev. Roberts now.

How Weddings and Other Big Events Work (aka Why RSVP-ing is Absolutely the Most Important Thing You MUST Do As A Guest)

2010-11-08T10:26:00.004-05:00

Dear World,

It has come to my attention that a small fraction of the people living in this day and age may not understand how weddings and other large events work behind the scenes. They're a little like Disney World with their "Disney Magic."

So, allow me to illustrate the inner workings of the RSVP:

When you plan a wedding or a similarly large event, in the first few days of planning you must figure out how many people you are approximately planning to have. Then you must find a location that will hold that number of people and fit within your predetermined budget. Many times, the location you choose has a minimum number of people per event that you must meet. It also usually has a fire-code-imposed maximum. Immediately, the number of guests you invite becomes crucial to the entire event.

And it doesn't stop there.

In the case of our wedding (and I would be willing to bet that this is the case with many others as well), the location/catering company needs to know what kind of food to serve, and to whom. That is why on our RSVP cards (and the RSVP cards of many other weddings I've been to/heard about) we list out the food options -- the hosts need to know who wants to eat what. This is critical for three different reasons: (1) the location/catering company needs to know how much of each meal to prepurchase, (2) the location/catering company needs to be able to bill the hosts of the party appropriately, and (3) the timing of the event is contingent upon the accuracy with which people are served meals.

This means that just one meal being incorrect, just one guest saying they were going to show up and failing to do so, and just one guest showing up who did not RSVP can affect the bottom line of the budget, the timing and the accuracy of the serve staff.

Ok, that sounds catastrophic. It's probably not that bad, but you get the idea.

It's important, y'all!

Behind the scenes, you may not know that most locations/catering companies require half of the total deposit on the event 2 weeks BEFORE the event. You may not know that most locations/catering companies require the FINAL numbers of guests, their names and their food choices 2 weeks BEFORE the event. You also may not know that, in many instances, seating charts and the associated table cards are printed well in advance of the event.

All of that "Disney Magic" in a wedding is carefully crafted and calibrated based on the RSVPs received!

So, why the RSVP card you ask? It seems a little dated, right?

Here's a history lesson:

It's not! In fact, even today Miss Manners thinks response cards are "horrid" as the response to a formal wedding invitation should be an equally formal reply on formal personal stationary.

Say what?!

Yes, the response card is actually a relatively recent development (in the last 30 years or so) due to the rapid decline in fancy personal stationary and the need of wedding locations/catering companies to know what and how much food to serve.

So, why not just be able to call and let someone know that you're coming? Or send an e-mail? Or a facebook message?

Hey, I asked myself the same thing.

Why the RSVP card is Important:

Because it's mail.

For Real?

Yes.

It's not a phone call, it's not a verbal RSVP, it's not an e-mail. That little card, a little (possibly antiquated) piece of actual mail, is kind of like a contract. It tells the hosts: "Yes, I'm serious about attending. I'm going to be there. I'm going to eat Chicken." If you RSVP "yes" with that little card and then fail to show up, you've cost the host possibly hundreds of dollars in prepaid funds to the location of the event (obviously the cost is variable, but there is - guaranteed - a financial cost for a person who does not show up.)

The problem with RSVP-ing without that little card is that there is no contract. There is no signed little paper that confirms that you're going to show up.

How can the host guarantee that you will be there? How can s/he seat you at a table when there's no guarantee you will show? Or, print table cards when you could be a ghost?

If you don't show up, things won't be so pretty. There will be a namecard on the namecard table that no one takes. There will be an empty seat at your table. People will talk. Maybe you'll be assumed dead. Police could be called. Sirens could be blaring. The bride could end up in handcuffs as a suspect in a violent mystery. Where are Mr. and Mrs. Jones? No one knows! Maybe it was the bride! GASP.

On the flip side, if you do not RSVP and DO choose to attend, it will also be embarassing for both you and the host. You might not have a seat at the reception! You may not have a name card or a table number! And you will not be able to enjoy the delicious food the hosts are layin' out.

Feel me?

I do understand that sometimes invitations and the like get lost in the mail. This has definitely happened to a small handful of our guests. According to the ever-scientific Answers.com, the USPS approximates that 3-5% of mail sent every day gets lost. Trust me, the hosts are factoring this in -- and this is where the line gets a little blurry. Technically, the host sent you a Save the Date so you would know you are invited. If it's pushing around a month before the wedding and you haven't received an invitation yet, but you did receive a Save the Date -- something is probably lost. You may want to reach out to the host. I will tell you from personal experience that this totally happened with one of our guests -- he sent us an e-mail and we were able to fix the situation and we were totally grateful for that. But, also, that's probably not entirely on you as a guest, either. It's a tricky situation and definitely the hosts are probably equally, if not more so, culpable in this situation!

I hope this clears up any confusion. And I'm sorry if I ruined some of that "Disney Magic" for you -- Cinderella's castle really doesn't run on fairy dust.

At least, not entirely :)

Wait, I'm getting married in 26 days?

2010-11-08T09:29:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all,

Talk about a long hiatus from blogging, right?!

*crickets* *crickets*

Is anyone out there?

*crickets*

Ok, well I might be talking to myself. But, I just wanted to drop by and let anyone who is still checking in every once in awhile that I will be back to full blogging capabilities with my recaps beginning after December 17th (when we get back from the honeymoon). I can't post any more details up here because many of our guests read this blog and I want to keep the element of surprise!!

Want to know about some of the upcoming topics?

*crickets*

I guess I can let you know a few, since you asked so politely.

After returning from the Caribbean, we will be reviewing: the bachelor/ette party (yes, we did it jointly!), wedding RSVP stories, tips and tricks to get YOUR guests to RSVP, avoiding wedding related headaches/nightmares/stress, the Out of Town Guest boxes, my dress (!!), the wedding party, all bridal showers/luncheons/teas, the wedding itself, the groom's perspective on all of this craziness, the honeymoon, and whether or not my final vote would be to do this all again or elope.

So you have much to look forward to :)

See you at the end of the race.

Check, Check...Is this thing on?

2010-09-20T12:07:00.000-04:00

10 - 12 months before the wedding -- ALL CHECKS!

• Announce your engagement to family and friends - CHECK
• Arrange for both families to meet if they haven't already done so - CHECK
• Have an engagement party (optional) - CHECK
• Set the wedding style and size of the wedding (bride magazines are great for ideas) - CHECK
• Set your wedding budget - CHECK
• Start creating your guest list - CHECK
• Set the wedding day and time - CHECK
• Decide on whether to have a religious or non-religious ceremony - CHECK
• Choose and book your wedding officiant - CHECK
• Choose your maid of honor, bridesmaids, best man and groomsmen - CHECK
• Choose and book your ceremony and reception locations - CHECK
• Purchase wedding insurance (optional) - CHECK - and I highly recommend it!
• Meet with caterers and taste samples - CHECK (ok, samples are actually coming up...)
• Meet with florists and decide on real or silk flowers - CHECK (although, after a massive allergy attack this past weekend when I was exposed to 2 of our sample arrangements, this might need to be reworked.)
• Meet with and audition DJs or bands - CHECK
• Meet with photographers and look over their portfolios - CHECK
• Meet with videographers (if you're having one) and look over their portfolios - We don't have one...but we have enlisted a friend to film for us and also possibly have a live ustream of the wedding ceremony for those guests unable to attend (like my grandmother in the nursing home!)

7 - 9 months before the wedding -- ALL CHECKS!

• Bride: shop for and order your wedding dress - CHECK
• Bride: shop for and order/purchase bridal accessories: veil , shoes , jewelry - CHECK
• Bride: (with your bridal party) shop for and order bridesmaids dresses - CHECK
• Book the florist (be sure to sign a contract) - CHECK
• Book the caterer (be sure to sign a contract) - CHECK
• Book DJ or band (be sure to sign a contract) - CHECK
• Book the photographer (be sure to sign a contract) - CHECK
• Book the videographer (if you're having one) - We've recruited friends!
• Start planning your honeymoon - CHECK
• Finalize the guest list - CHECK
• Start making wedding favors if you're making your own - CHECK
• Meet with bakers and sample wedding cakes - CHECK
• Start looking at wedding invitations - CHECK
• Start thinking about the wording of your wedding invitations - CHECK
• Start planning the rehearsal dinner - CHECK

4 - 6 months before the wedding:

• Join a bridal registry - CHECK
• Book the baker for your wedding cake - CHECK
• Order your wedding invitations - CHECK
• Book a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests - CHECK
• Contact out-of-town guests about the wedding (prior to sending out invitations) - CHECK
• Finalize dinner menu with caterer - CHECK
• Purchase wedding guest favors - CHECK
• Book the limousine or other wedding day transportation - WORKING ON IT
• Book the rehearsal dinner site - CHECK
• Groom: start looking at tuxedos or other formal wear - CHECK
• Book the honeymoon - CHECK (and paid for, no less!)
• Book a hotel room for the wedding night - CHECK
• Book a photo session for engagement announcement in local newspapers - WORKING ON IT
• Start thinking about wedding ceremony decorations - CHECK
• Bride: buy bridal lingerie in time for first dress fitting - WORKING ON IT

2 - 3 months before the wedding:

• Give the photographer a list of "important shots" you want included - WORKING ON IT
• Purchase your wedding rings - CHECK
• Purchase maid of honor gift, bridesmaids gifts , best man gift , groomsmen gifts - WORKING ON IT
• Purchase the groom's gift or the bride's gift , whichever applies - WORKING ON IT
• Groom: finalize tuxedo/formal attire and pass on rental/purchase details to groomsmen - CHECK
• Run engagement announcement in local newspapers - WORKING ON IT
• Bride: schedule your dress fittings - Waiting for the dress to arrive!!
• Bride: make sure your bridal party has purchased their accessories - CHECK
• Bride: book your hair and makeup appointments - WORKING ON IT
• Bride: if you're changing your name complete the proper documents - Waiting until AFTER the honeymoon --- soooo, CHECK
• Address and send out wedding invitations (invitations should be mailed at 2-month mark) - CHECK
• Groom: purchase your accessories including shoes, cuff links, handkerchiefs, etc. - Can't do until 2 weeks before the wedding....ahhh, shoot me!!
• Decide on whether to light a unity candle or honor past loved ones during the ceremony - CHECK
• Start working on wedding program - WORKING ON IT

Looks like we only have 8 real things to still do...that's not so bad.

(In case you were wondering why I post these every few months, it's because I start getting stressed and hyperventilating and turning green, and I use these to keep myself focused. This is also known as the cure for the common bridezilla.)

Do One Nice Thing

2010-09-15T14:08:00.000-04:00

So I got fed up with the google search for "angel" giving me blonde hair, blue eyed girls

and/or Victoria's Secret models in scantily clad outfits. This is literally the result of image searching "asian angel."

I haven't written anything of substance in awhile and I haven't really known how to say what I'm going to say right now until...well, right now.

This past weekend, Mr. FWW and I had to go down to Roanoke, VA to meet with our minister for meeting # 2 out of 3. We don't get a chance to go visit down in Roanoke very often because it's pretty far away and so much of our wedding planning is based in Richmond now, that it's super difficult to find a weekend we can spend driving and seeing our friends down there.

But, this weekend we were lucky! We met with the minister, had a great meeting where we discussed lots of wedding related things, and we left feeling really great about our future prospects. It seemed like all the stress of wedding planning was temporarilly alleviated. We even got a chance to visit the local pet store (where I *rescued* LucyGirl) to go play with more puppies!

It was all going so well and I was really excited for Drew because he was going to get to have some of his Roanoke friends over whom he hadn't seen in quite a long time.

That evening even started off great -- we were drinking, laughing, having a great time. Then, one of his Roanoke friends let me know how hurt he was that he wasn't a part of the wedding party and how, when he gets married, we might not even get invited to his wedding.

STING.

It really shouldn't have hurt me as badly as it did, but...it did. I was (am) hurt, sad, and I feel this deep sense of guilt. Like it was my fault that this friend and Drew have grown apart, have gone different directions, have just not SEEN each other in 2 years. Or, like it was my fault that Drew didn't pick this friend for his wedding party.

STING. STING. STING.

If you keep up with this blog, you know how NOT easily I recover from having my feelings hurt. On top of all of this, financial stress and a lack of time until the big day are really starting to set in. And my full time job isn't letting up any, either!

But today, Drew went to get the mail and I had a little pink envelope with a return address label from a girl who I barely know. We'll call her my Guardian Angel.

"What does my Guardian Angel want to tell me? And how did she get my address?" I asked Drew as I tore open the envelope.

Then I started to tear up. This girl - who I've only really met twice (but who I adore, btw) and who is dating a guy friend of ours - wrote the nicest note I have ever read. I won't share the details, but she pretty much covered the fact that I'm only human, that we have less than 3 months until the big day, that Drew and I should focus on each other and that she loves me (she loves me! She loves me! OMGshe'sSOcoolANDsheLOVESme!!) and cares about everything that's going on.

All of this she gathered from just a wimpy "I'm sad" post on facebook from the weekend! And she HAND WROTE me a LETTER! And sent it THROUGH SNAIL MAIL!

Amazing.

I can honestly say it has made all my stress today melt away. It's put a huge smile on my face. It's literally made the string cheese that I'm currently eating taste like ambrosia.

AMBROSIA, people. That's the food of the GODS.

So, if you're reading this today, do something nice for someone. You don't have to know them very well, and don't be afraid to go out on a limb - you might change someone's whole outlook on life.

Thanks, Guardian Angel. You rock.

Emici Bridal Silk Fabric Bouquets

2010-09-12T22:15:00.000-04:00

I was flipping through bridal blogs and stumbled on these beauties and my heart. just. stopped.

You can find them, too, at Emici Bridals' etsy shop: here.

Wedding Traditions

2010-09-08T16:10:00.002-04:00

Ever wonder why we have bridal showers? Why there are bachelor parties? What about why we smear cake on each other's faces at the reception?

Check it out:

Wedding Traditions from Around the World

Turn and Face the Strange Ch-ch-changes...

2010-08-22T13:08:00.000-04:00

...Oh, well hey there! What? I haven't posted in 20 days?!

Where did that time go?

Well, I'll tell you. August must be dubbed the month of Changes. We're coming down to the final stretch -- only 104 days left (according to my Macy's registry, with which I've become best friends this month) -- and it seems like everything is CHANGING!

(1) People seem to be moving. Like, a lot of people. To all sorts of crazy places (for real, I have a friend and wedding guest who just moved to Iowa from D.C. and is now, within 1 or 2 weeks of that move, moving to Atlanta). And they're moving often. Keeping up with them and making sure I have the correct addresses for everyone is a HEADACHE and a half! I'm so happy for them that they're getting awesome things done in their lives and fabulous times are ahead of all of them -- but stop changing your address!! Haha...I'm at the point where I'm throwing up my hands. If you don't get an invitation -- oh well!

(2) We cancelled our honeymoon to Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. Hey, you know how much I wanted to go to Hawaii and I am as disappointed as I am excited about the new possibilities. I'll let you know why we made the decision to forego my favoritest-place-on-the-planet: Budget. Pure and simple. When it came down to it, we knew we didn't want to skimp on our gifts for our bridesmaids and groomsmen (and we have a lot, y'all! 17 total!) and for our parents. We knew we didn't want to do the out of town guest bags half way. And, we knew we didn't want to start off our marriage in debt. Something had to give -- and it wasn't going to be the things we're doing for those people who've decided to put up with all of our bridezilla-ness (cough, *my* bridezilla-ness) for the last few months. So, we decided the very expensive honeymoon had to go. But, what did we "settle" for?

An 11 night cruise to the Panama Canal on the Celebrity Equinox! (See why I put "settle" in exclamation points!?) Y'all, I am so thrilled about this you have no idea. This was the answer to all of our problems -- it's HALF the price of Hawaii, and it includes all the food you could stuff in your face AND Celebrity Cruises is now offering all-inclusive beverage packages. This means all-I-can-drink Chateau St. Michelle Riesling. Out on the deck. By the pool. On our balcony (balcony!) Or, maybe by this:

Yep...that's someone mowing the grass.

On. Top. Of. The. Ship.

Whoa, kids. That's so high tech. I can totally see Mr. FWW and I playing some croquet whilst enjoying a picnic cheese plate...in the MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN.

Grass on the high seas...swoon.

(3) We completely flipped our registry. Yep. Our everyday dinnerware changed. Again. Our china changed. Again. Our stainless silverware changed. Again.

But guys, I totally swear I'm done. No. More. Changes.

Want to see the final selections?

Fine China: Kate Spade for Lenox, "Belle Boulevard"

BOWS!

Everyday Dishes: Lenox Butler's Pantry in "Buffet"

DOTS!

Stainless: Vera Wang for Wedgwood in "Grosgrain"

Looks like dots and ribbon!

Why the changes? Well...Macy's was a key factor. I heart Macy's, y'all. I like shopping there. I like their service alright (it's not perfect, but it's fine.) And I like their selection. I'll tell you why WHERE we're registered is so important:

I worked at Nordstrom. At Nordstrom, service, personality, and customer service is KEY.

Having been registered at Neiman Marcus for our everyday originally, I went in to check it out. Let me tell you what happened: I was treated like a peasant. It was definitely not like Nordstrom. No one spoke to me, they were very hoighty-toighty, and they refused to even pull out a book that could show me a picture of what the everday dishware looked like when they didn't have it.

Forrealz? No way.

We're still registered at NM for a few things we can't get at Macy's, but Macy's now has all of the "big" things we want and need.

Also, Macy's is central to EVERYONE invited to the wedding -- from New Jersey to Florida to California. That's big.

...So, that's all of the changes we've made for now! Don't worry, I'll try not to drop off the face of the planet again for so long -- I missed y'all!

Kinda makes you realize everything happens for a reason...

2010-08-02T15:44:00.002-04:00

Makes my heart swell...

Gorgeous AND Fun Wedding

2010-07-31T10:28:00.001-04:00

It can be done!

I would LOVE to get a picture like this!!! PRECIOUS!!

To kill for bridesmaid flowers. Forrealz.

I want one of each, please. THANKS.

(Just for the record, I mean one of each photo. Not one of each groomsmen.)

From Southern Weddings Magazine.

Tennis Lovers -- Check it out!

2010-07-31T10:20:00.000-04:00

Preppiest. Photo. Shoot. Ever.

From Southern Weddings Magazine.

Shhhh! Don't tell anyone...

2010-07-31T10:08:00.001-04:00

...but, secretly, I love that we're getting married here.

Confession Time: I hold grudges.

I try not to because I know it's not healthy, but if someone or something really hurts my feelings - and I mean, really, REALLY hurts my feelings - I don't recover. I don't even recover a little bit. Time doesn't heal it. It's like a permanent scar.

Initially, when we were looking at churches in the Richmond area, we had quite a bit of trouble. Turns out, if you're not an official member, no one will let you use their church. This drives me crazy for many reasons: (1) If I'm a Christian and Mr. FWW is a Christian, then in the spirit of Christianity, shouldn't we be allowed to be married in a Christian church?? (2) Since we were both raised in the United Methodist church, shouldn't they be the first to agree to a wedding?! And, (3) If my parents were married there 30 years ago, shouldn't the church let us, too, get married there?

I have to say, initially? This church really hurt my feelings. Mr. FWW and I were not members, we couldn't even become members because we don't live anywhere near Richmond right now, and it didn't seem to matter that my parents were married there.

I was so discouraged by the people with whom I spoke that I formed a barrier against getting married here. I was holding a grudge. It didn't matter that after just a week and a half, the church came around 180 degrees and happily put our names on the books for this December. It didn't matter that we WOULD be able to use the church my parents' were married in. Initially, they hurt my feelings. And, like I said before: hurt feelings = permanent scar = grudge. Sorry, kids, it's the way I'm wired.

Unfortunately, I feel like because I held onto that grudge for quite a few months, I really hurt my parents' feelings. At least, I'm pretty sure I hurt my mom's feelings. Comments like "I don't care about the flowers in the church," "I don't care about the ceremony," "I just want to get in and get out of there," have no place in a wedding. Ever.

You might be reading this thinking that maybe my parents and I have had some fight about this and I'm publicly acknowledging my wrong-doings. Au contraire, dear readers. They've never brought it up.

In a rare instance of acting like a grown-up, I'm going to apologize to them because I KNOW I've done something wrong, even if they don't call me on it.

And you know why I'm going to apologize??

Because, I really love this church.

So, Momsy & Popsicle, I'm sorry.

I love that I will get to retrace the exact steps my mom took on June 7, 1980. I love that Mr. FWW will stand in the exact place my father stood 30 years ago. I love that our vows will be the traditional vows, the same ones said by both of my parents.

My parents have provided me with the perfect example of a functional, loving, strong, platform, pillar, rock of a marriage. I've seen them love, laugh, fight like cats and dogs, want to kill each other over dirty dishes, hug it out, and threaten to throw each other's bodies in the lake so that they wouldn't get caught by the cops. I've seen them argue over the thermostat, throw down over how much stuff we actually need to go on vacation for a week, and stand together like the Great Wall when it came to parenting. They were impenetrable. They are a fortress.

Even now, when I'm stressed out, foaming at the mouth about work/friends/money/life, I'd still rather be at home with them then most places. And you know what I think that is? Because they LOVE each other. And they LOVE me.

And all that began 30 years ago at this church.

And I get to start my relationship with Mr. FWW at the same church.

I love this church because I love my parents because my parents love each other. And it takes that much love to help support a marriage. And Mr. FWW and I have just that much love.

How. Cool. Is. That.

Beyond the Rack: Special Pricing Ends in 22 hours!

2010-07-28T14:10:00.000-04:00

Hey, beach brides! Head on over to Beyond the Rack (http://www.beyondtherack.com/) to purchase some bags great for a festive beach celebration! Give wine to your bridesmaids! Fill 'em up with suntan lotion, advil, and some great beach reads for your out of town guests! The possibilities are endless!

Only 3 for $12 until tomorrow at noon!

They would even be great for a pool party or Cinco de Mayo -- next year!

Available Here!

Relaxing Pre-Wedding Tunes

2010-07-28T09:55:00.000-04:00

I've been dealing with a lot of stress recently. Definitely more than normal, at least. And in an effort to alleviate some of that stress, I've done what I normally do -- turn to music.

And, it's gotten me thinking.

If music de-stresses me, shouldn't I have a pre-wedding music mix that helps me (and my bridesmaids!) relax so we can get ready in peace!?

I think so!

Here are some of my pre-wedding "RELAX!" tunes:

"Take Me or Leave Me" from Rent

"Chapel of Love" by the Dixie Cups

"If I Were a Bell" from Guys and Dolls

Click here to play "Ball & Chain"

"Ball & Chain" by Tony C & The Truth

"Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown & T. Pain

"Gold Digger" with Kanye & Jaime Foxx

(seriously, I think everyone should listen to this before their wedding...hahaha! Kidding, of course.)

"You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon

(Seriously, watch the music video. How do you not laugh??)

Do you have any other suggestions for the pre-wedding morning of festivities? What do you listen to in order to de-stress?

Bride/Bridesmaid Clutches

2010-07-28T09:31:00.000-04:00

From what I can tell, Third Willow Weddings is fairly new to the bridal-clutch-scene, but they sure do make a big impression. Head on over to their etsy shop to check out some of their awesome additions -- could make a great bridesmaid gift for your wedding party!

They are all completely customizable so you can pick your colors and your style preference!

This is my favorite clutch of all of them! Wouldn't this be stunning with a sleek modern-chic wedding style?

And, because I love bows, you know I couldn't resist this precious clutch!

Luminary Love

2010-07-27T21:38:00.001-04:00

Aren't these the sweetest? They'd make a great entrance to an evening wedding or rehearsal dinner!

Cutest Shower...Ever?

2010-07-20T18:27:00.000-04:00

Look at that GORGEOUS cake!

Cute little girl dressed in matching bridal-y colors. So amazing.

Sweet candy bar!

With awesome tea party bags to take home!

Everyone color coordinated making for GREAT pictures!

Served with a side of lemonade!

Wedding Bee - Yellow Daisy Bridal Shower

Precious. This shower definitely makes me realize how into details I really am...weddings are all about the details, kids!!

Progress.............?

2010-07-13T23:54:00.000-04:00

We're 4 months out. FOUR MONTHS. While I contemplate that thought, here's our updated checklist for you...

10 - 12 months before the wedding:

• Announce your engagement to family and friends - CHECK

• Arrange for both families to meet if they haven't already done so - CHECK

• Have an engagement party (optional) - CHECK (and it was a splendid, extremely LOCAL affair)

• Set the wedding style and size of the wedding (bride magazines are great for ideas) - CHECK

• Set your wedding budget - CHECK

• Start creating your guest list - CHECK

• Set the wedding day and time - CHECK

• Decide on whether to have a religious or non-religious ceremony - CHECK

• Choose and book your wedding officiant - CHECK

• Choose your maid of honor, bridesmaids, best man and groomsmen - CHECK

• Choose and book your ceremony and reception locations - CHECK

• Purchase wedding insurance (optional) - CHECK

• Meet with caterers and taste samples - CHECK (we're guessing on the food quality - heck with the samples.)

• Meet with florists and decide on real or silk flowers - CHECK (but we still haven't booked a florist!)

• Meet with and audition DJs or bands - CHECK

• Meet with photographers and look over their portfolios - CHECK

• Meet with videographers (if you're having one) and look over their portfolios - Ok...videographer? YES OR NO, people?!

7 - 9 months before the wedding:

• Bride: shop for and order your wedding dress - CHECK

• Bride: shop for and order/purchase bridal accessories: veil , shoes , jewelry - PSH...NOPE!

• Bride: (with your bridal party) shop for and order bridesmaids dresses - CHECK

• Book the florist (be sure to sign a contract) - NEED TO DO

• Book the caterer (be sure to sign a contract) - CHECK

• Book DJ or band (be sure to sign a contract) - CHECK

• Book the photographer (be sure to sign a contract) - CHECK

• Book the videographer (if you're having one) - Do I want one??

• Start planning your honeymoon - CHECK

• Finalize the guest list - CHECK

• Start making wedding favors if you're making your own - CHECK

• Meet with bakers and sample wedding cakes - CHECK

• Start looking at wedding invitations - CHECK

• Start thinking about the wording of your wedding invitations - CHECK

• Start planning the rehearsal dinner - CHECK

4 - 6 months before the wedding (we're 4 months and 3 weeks out...):

• Join a bridal registry - CHECK

• Book the baker for your wedding cake - CHECK

• Order your wedding invitations - CHECK

• Book a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests - CHECK

• Contact out-of-town guests about the wedding (prior to sending out invitations) - CHECK

• Finalize dinner menu with caterer - CHECK

• Purchase wedding guest favors - We are ACTIVELY working on this!

• Book the limousine or other wedding day transportation - Haven't even done the research!

• Book the rehearsal dinner site - CHECK

• Groom: start looking at tuxedos or other formal wear - CHECK (now, if the groomsmen will only go get fitted...grrrrrrrr.)

• Book the honeymoon - CHECK -- DONE AND DONE!

• Book a hotel room for the wedding night - CHECK -- DONE AND DONE! (Mr. FWW wanted me to add that)

• Book a photo session for engagement announcement in local newspapers - Meh...read earlier posts for that info...
• Start thinking about wedding ceremony decorations - CHECK

• Bride: buy bridal lingerie in time for first dress fitting - you have to be kidding me.

2 - 3 months before the wedding:

• Give the photographer a list of "important shots" you want included - I'll think about that when we get a little bit closer!

• Purchase your wedding rings - CHECK

• Purchase maid of honor gift, bridesmaids gifts , best man gift , groomsmen gifts - WORK IN PROGRESS

• Purchase the groom's gift or the bride's gift , whichever applies - almost, CHECK!

• Groom: finalize tuxedo /formal attire and pass on rental/purchase details to groomsmen - CHECK (order it, dummies!)
• Run engagement announcement in local newspapers - Working on this...

• Bride: schedule your dress fittings - Will probably happen this month...

• Bride: make sure your bridal party has purchased their accessories - SOMEONE, find me a large quantity of orange ballet flats!!

• Bride: book your hair and makeup appointments - Yikes.

• Bride: if you're changing your name complete the proper documents - Not gonna happen until I decide what I'm gonna do about my name...

• Bride: talk to your maid of honor about a bridal shower - She reads this. Consider her "talked to," seeing as I have NO FREAKIN' IDEA what it means to be a maid/matron of honor (sorry, chicas...)

• Address and send out wedding invitations (invitations should be mailed at 2-month mark) - Yikers.

• Groom: purchase your accessories including shoes, cuff links, handkerchiefs, etc. - Yi-yi-yikers.

• Decide on whether to light a unity candle or honor past loved ones during the ceremony - WORK IN PROGRESS

• Start working on wedding program - WORK IN PROGRESS

...Well, at least there are some VERY important checks on here! And some great eliminations!! How are you tracking your wedding progress??

Isn't Mr. FWW precious?

2010-07-10T18:57:00.000-04:00

We're gonna have purdy babies.

http://www.dorsettportraits.com/Andrew_Linkous.htm

Courtesy of the Man Registry

2010-07-08T19:50:00.002-04:00

http://groomsadvice.com/2010/07/07/marriage-attitude-check/

Check this out for a new perspective on marriage. LOVE this.

Google's Brilliant new Advertising Campaign

2010-07-08T18:59:00.000-04:00

I just discovered the new Google Search Stories Video Creator. Check out Mr. FWW and my's abbreviated history above! Wanna make your own? It's super easy, free, and available here!

The Look, The Feel of {Matrimony}, The {Wedding} of Our Lives...

2010-07-07T09:09:00.000-04:00

See? See what I did there? I took a song you all knew and turned it into a wedding blog post title...

See? No, not impressed? Well, I guess I understand...

All cheesiness aside, we are now 4 months and 4 weeks away from the big day and I've been strugglin', y'all. No, not with the dress or the flowers or the groom or the bridesmaids or (even and especially!) the groomsmen. Everyone has been on board 100% and is fully supportive of Mr. FWW and myself, our plans, and our goals for this wedding.

Except, somewhere in the last few months, I've lost some of those goals.

Being a wedding blogger is tough, man. I have a full time job, a host of other responsibilities outside of work (mostly, more work...it's part of the blessing/curse combo of working out of your home), and a fiance who, though he supports my writing, can't manage to sit down and read this blog when he can't see straight due to the blinding hunger he feels because I haven't cooked for 2 days (before you get on me for either cooking-for-your-man or not-cooking-and-forcing-equality-in-the-relationship, I'd like to point out that my other hobby, outside of writing, is most definitely cooking delicious nom-noms that my fiance enjoys more than reading this blog. And, if he cooked, we'd eat burned ramen every day. No seriously, he burned ramen. There's a reason the chef-burden falls to me, people.)

But, on top of all these external responsibilities, being a wedding blogger means I also get the pleasure of perusing the best wedding blogs on the street, pulling from their genius ideas, and reposting some beautiful visions from other peoples' weddings as I attempt to mold my own vision. I like to think of my wedding as Eve, built from the ribcages of the wedding blogs that came before me, the Adams such as Wedding Bee and Southern Weddings.

Unfortunately, I think my Eve brain is shorting out (guess I shouldn't have eaten that apple...) and I'm losing touch with some of what I felt was essential in the look and feel of Mr. FWW's and my day. There are so many grand ideas out in the wedding blogosphere, that I've been having trouble picking the ones that I not only like, but that fit the general feel of our wedding. So, we've come up with some words to help "guide us home" through the last few months of this thing (and to help me not purchase every little thing that I think COULD work, but doesn't fit the theme of this wedding. Like white cowboy boots. Why can't I get married in Texas?!)

So, what are our words?

Classic. Timeless. Elegant. Fun. So us.

And that's it. Those will now govern every single detail of this wedding. White cowboy boots? Well, they might be "so me," but they're definitely not "so us" (a difference I learn daily), and they're probably not considered elegant in a Richmond wedding in December; so, though they're super fun, they're not going to be the timeless shoe option I'm looking for (drats.)

Are you letting any inspirations/goals/dictionarys inspire your wedding?

Pretty Things

2010-07-04T11:24:00.000-04:00

Stunning. Perfect for a shower. Or Valentine's Day. Or every day.

Interested in my "real life?"

2010-06-30T09:44:00.001-04:00

Outside of wedding planning I have a full time job, a little dog, and whole host of crazy neighbors that lighten my life on a daily basis. Care to read about it? Check out my other blog: All My Neighbors are Characters!

Don't you ever feel like this?

2010-06-30T09:14:00.000-04:00

I do! :)

Cotton Weddings

2010-06-30T08:37:00.000-04:00

I've been seeing lots of posts recently on various blogs about using freshly picked cotton as a wedding flower or theme. A lot of places have exclaimed how "southern" it is, and I agree. But, unless your Daddy is currently a cotton farmer, I kind of think the idea is intrinsically racist.

I remember singing this song as a kid and there was a little-kid-dance that went along with it. Why?

However, I think cotton is a BEAUTIFUL alternative for flowers in a lot of these shots and, if you're not worried about that kind of thing, could be a gorgeous addition to your wedding:

And, if you disagree with me about it being intrinsically a little bit racist, please let me know why because I would love to change my mind on this!

Yay Success!!

2010-06-29T15:16:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I submitted this blog kind of half-heartedly to "Best Bridal Blogs" at http://bestbridalblogs.com/ thinking that it would be awesome to even be CONSIDERED as one of the best bridal blogs in America. Just CONSIDERED! All I wanted, in all honesty, was to know someone over there looked over my blog once and then either loved it or hated it. Either way, I was going to be happy.

Welp, turns out, someone must have really liked it because A Wahoo Wedding is listed as one of the 62 best bridal blogs in the good ol' USofA!

See? SEE?

AHHHHHH they made me a little rectangle!!!

Please head on over to Best Bridal Blogs to check out some of the other way-better-than-mine blogs with which I get to share this honor!! WOOO!

Best wedding hair ever?

2010-06-23T21:27:00.000-04:00

I need this hair.

We FINALLY found it!!

2010-06-22T23:46:00.000-04:00

...Our EVERYDAY DINNERWARE!!!

If you've been following along with this saga, you already know that finding something we really loved to use every day (that could also translate to more-formal-but-not-china-formal at the drop of a hat) was one of the most difficult undertakings of our registry.

But, we finally found it at NEIMAN MARCUS! An added bonus...we ALSO FOUND OUR EVERYDAY SILVERWARE!!!!

(At this point, if you're wondering where we're registered and how this all works, you can call me or my mother and get the name of our wedding website with the http://www.____.com/ address, so that you, too, can view our beauties!)

Now, I swore up and down that we wouldn't register at a place that wasn't easily accessible for the majority of our guests. But, seriously, y'all? We fell in love with the pattern. And the place just ended up being unavoidable.

Without further ado....PRESENTING...OUR EVERYDAY DINNERWARE:

Lace Edge Dinnerware by Magenta in White. But wait, there's more...

I really fell in love with the tray. SWOON. And, what southern lady wouldn't want...

MAGNOLIA BOWLS! (In white of course!) Seriously, both of us are gaga for using these plates every day! Maybe even more so than the hot air balloons we posted about way back in December.

If you're out there, and you're considering buying us a wedding gift (if you are, we already love you and we're TOTALLY humbled by the generosity!) then please head over to Neiman Marcus!

But wait, maybe you're not an everyday-china-kinda-giver. Well, we didn't register for any sterling silverware at all, and our everyday is also at Neiman's! Want a sneak peek?

To kill for, no?

I love bees! Not the real ones, of course...

An "UP!" inspired photo shoot

2010-06-22T17:17:00.000-04:00

...True Confession: When Mr. FWW and I saw Disney's UP! for the first time, we cried. Both of us. Like little babies.

It's probably because of the deeply moving love story.

Or maybe it's the talking dog ("Master, I hid under your stairs because I love you!").

Yea, it could've been the talking dog.

Regardless of the reason, both of us swooned when we saw this UP! inspired engagement shoot over at Wildflowers Photos:

I highly encourage y'all to head to the Wildflower Photos website to read the couple's cute-as-pie story!

John Wooden got it right...

2010-06-22T10:37:00.001-04:00

I'm literally in tears right now.

Real Men of Genius: The Best Man

2010-06-22T09:57:00.003-04:00

Epic.

I love traditions, especially when they rhyme...

2010-06-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

...So, when one of my parents' friends made the extra effort to give me something that screams both, you can imagine how excited I was!

That's right, readers - I am now the proud owner of a sixpence! Now, the sixpence is an English coin that was made from 1551 to 1971 and is the final line in this popular tradition-dictating rhyme:

Something old,

Something new,

Something borrowed,

Something blue,

And a silver sixpence in her shoe!

I don't think my parents' friends know this, but when I was little I was coin crazy. I think I got it from my grandfather, but I remember I had an Indian head penny and I remember understanding that it was somewhat rare and so it was very special. I loved having something so old that it wasn't even made anymore! So, this time around, you can imagine my excitement! Tradition, rhyming AND coins?! THRILLED!

If you have a friend (or if you're a bride) who is similarly intrigued by these things, you can help her get a sixpence, too. Project Wedding has a DIY guide to gifting a sixpence from which I pulled these pictures:

Such a precious idea! I'm so glad someone was so thoughtful in gifting this to me! I am going to keep the coin and continue the tradition with my daughter!

OHEMGEE -- FREE

2010-06-13T14:32:00.002-04:00

Well, hey there!

Just wanted to pass something along really quick -- http://www.weddingchicks.com/freebies/ . Free DIY templates for labels/cards/monograms/goodies at your wedding!

Escort Card Love

2010-06-09T14:22:00.000-04:00

OMG WAX.

From Southern Weddings.

The Metal Box, as seen on Weddingbee.com

2010-06-09T14:07:00.000-04:00

A few days ago over at Weddingbee, Mrs. Dachshund posted the following about her "Most Unexpected Wedding Gift." I laughed, I cried, so now I'm sharing it with y'all (with very slight editing). You can find the original post here:

"
I thought I’d share a gift that we received from my Aunt and Uncle. It’s amazingly unique and sweet, and I figured most of you would be able to appreciate it.

Everything was wrapped up in a pretty travel-themed hat box.

On top of the tissue there was a book, covered in red wrapping paper and with a bookmark holding a page.

The bookmark read, “Before opening your box, please read the story ’The Metal Box’.”

So, in front of all my new in-laws, I read.

From Chicken Soup for the Couple’s Soul:

The Metal Box

Last weekend, we celebrated my parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. This morning, they left on a long awaited trip to Hawaii. They were as excited as if it were their honeymoon.

When my parents married, they had only enough money for a three-day trip fifty miles from home. They made a pact that each time they made love, they would put a dollar in a special metal box and save it for a honeymoon in Hawaii for their fiftieth anniversary.

Dad was a policeman, and Mom was a schoolteacher. They lived in a modest house and did all their own repairs. Raising five children was a challenge, and sometimes money was short, but no matter what emergency came up, Dad would not let Mom take any money out of the “Hawaii account”. As the account grew, they put it in a savings account and then bought CDs.

My parents were always very much in love. I can remember dad coming home and telling Mom, “I have a dollar in my pocket,” and she would smile at him and reply, “I know how to spend it.”

When each of us children married, Mom and Dad gave us a small metal box and told us their secret, which we found enchanting. All five of us are now saving for our dream honeymoons. Mom and Dad never told us how much money they had managed to save, but it must have been considerable because when they cashed in those CDs they had enough for airfare to Hawaii plus hotel accommodations for ten days and plenty of spending money.

As they told us goodbye before leaving, Dad winked and said, “Tonight, we are starting an account for Cancun. That should only take twenty-five years.”

Ann Landers

When I had finished reading the story aloud, I pulled the tissue paper back to unveil the gift.

Tucked inside was a small, vintage metal box.

I opened the box to find 100 $1 bills!

And under the bills, a poem:

May 22, 2010

Your vacation fund’s been started just to help you out.

We’re sure it will keep growing, we’re sure without a doubt.

It’s a wedding gift that’s special and also unlike few.

It’s a lifetime of saving’s while having fun times too!

With love on your wedding day,

Aunt Lori & Uncle Gary

I think this is legitimately the best wedding gift I have ever heard about -- the creative, the thoughtfulness and the love that went into this is absolutely incredible so I just had to share it with y'all!

What was your favorite wedding gift? Did anyone do anything so creative and awesome for you that it brought you to tears?

The 6 Month Slump

2010-06-07T06:29:00.001-04:00

I apologize again for not writing in awhile -- life has been crazy at work, this past weekend I attended one of my best friends' weddings, and every waking second of my free time for the last 2 weeks has been consumed with hanging out with the people that I love.

Case in point? I hadn't seen one of my bridesmaids in 6 months, and this last week I saw her TWICE. Amazing.

On top of all of the craziness, I've really reached a "6 month slump" with wedding planning. It's really getting down to the minutiae and the details and the dollars and all of the things that aren't "fun." Most of the conversations I've had with my parents in the last 2 weeks are actually just thinly veiled arguments.

And, frankly, there's just not a whole lot to write about.

I was warned about this, though. A friend who was married last year said that half way through, you just hit a brick wall. Like, there's literally nothing to do right now because a lot of the detail work is time sensitive and it needs to be closer to the wedding to work on it, while most of the big lofty decisions have already been made.

I keep telling myself that now is the time to enjoy life -- take evening walks with Mr. FWW, relax on Saturdays at the pool, and just let the general awesomeness of life wash over me. Because, you know, in two weeks we might not have this kind of free time...and then it's probably back to the intense rigamarole that is planning the most important day of your life.

Hugs & Kisses, everyone!

Rose Gold Engagement Rings

2010-05-31T22:24:00.001-04:00

By special request from an unnamed source, here are some beautiful engagement rings using rose gold -- a delightful, pinkish gold that screams glamour!

Pictures from JR Dunn

All pictures are Tacori rings from JR Dunn

More rings available:

here.

NOW GO GET ENGAGED.

Preptastic.

2010-05-29T22:07:00.000-04:00

This is a win.

Ring-a-ding-ding-ding-doh

2010-05-28T10:28:00.000-04:00

Yep, completely unrelated. But I LOVE this ad!

I've been on a hunt recently for great photos to show my photographer the kinds of shots I want him to take at my wedding. One of the things I really, really, really want is a great artsy shot of our wedding rings. I mean, I took a few back when we first got of engaged of the e-ring, HERE, but they're child's play compared to what I stumbled across today at Southern Weddings Magazine:

I love the gummy bears! And, I'm sure when Mr. FWW sees this, he'll love the Taco Bell packets.

Or, what about throwing some perspective into the mix?

With this cupcake, I now pronounce you husband and wife!

But, this, dear readers, THIS is my favorite. My Daddy worked for the telephone company for a million years, so we always had a ton of phones. This picture just reminds me of everything I love about my Daddy and all those great values he instilled in me over the years. Even though I don't thank him enough (read: ever), I am SO THANKFUL for everything he's done for me. So I definitely need this picture taken, because my father taught me everything I know! Love you, Daddy!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

2010-05-28T10:04:00.000-04:00

Luscious. Source.

I'm hopefully going to enjoy a few of these bad boys this weekend -- can I get a yay for long weekends?

America!

2010-05-28T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is so adorable I can't stand it.

From Southern Weddings.

I just reread an old post...

2010-05-27T13:43:00.002-04:00

...HERE. Turns out my bridesmaids and I followed all of the rules that I set for the bridesmaid gowns in December.

Score.

Ex-Boyfriends, and Why They're Important...

2010-05-27T09:29:00.000-04:00

...Starting in high school, I kept boxes for each of the guys I would date. I would fill them with mementos or stuffed animals or pictures or dried flowers from fun times we had together. And when the relationship would end, I'd stuff the box back into my closet and never think about it again. Once in awhile, even now, I'll stumble on an old box and retread through my life with boy so-and-so. It's a fun way to remember what worked, what didn't, and why Mr. FWW is the best thing to ever happen to me.

So, what does this have to do with Mr. FWW and our wedding? Well, for one thing, it means I want to SAVE EVERYTHING. Because unlike the exes in my life, I don't plan on having an ex-husband. But I do plan on having so many years with him that we're gonna forget shtuff from our 20's together, from our 30's...heck, we'll forget a lot of the details of the wedding (OH EM GEE...NOOOOO!)

This is where the Sterling Pear Keepsake Wedding Storage Chest comes in:

Sterling Pear

For $199 you can get a large chest that will hold all of your wedding memorabilia in a safe and secure location. I ADORE this idea -- what better way to retread through your wedding day every year on your anniversary? What a fun thing for the future Wahoo babies in our lives to see what our perfect day was like?

Ok, kids, who wants to send one my way?

Brooks Brothers -- My Favorite.

2010-05-27T09:08:00.000-04:00

Something tells me these will do very well during wedding seasons everywhere.

I think Mr. FWW needs one for the engagement party, yes?

Cupcakes!

2010-05-27T08:51:00.000-04:00

Brenda's Wedding Blog recently featured Favor Days new line of eco-friendly cupcake wrappers.

I am all sorts of enamored with the latest craze in weddings -- cupcakes! I think they're fun, flirtatious, super cute, and easily customizable, making them a perfect replacement for your average wedding cake OR a great take-home piece of your wedding for your guests to enjoy later! My wedding is both formal and traditional, so this isn't really an option for me; but, I've recently been discovering lots of ideas that I've been saving under "The Other Weddings I Didn't Have." This would be the perfect addition to the bright spring wedding with the seersucker and the Lilly Pulitzer dresses that I love!

Great engagement picture from Brenda's Wedding Blog

Also from Brenda's Wedding Blog - who doesn't like diamonds in icing?

I have on good assurance that this represents 119 cupcakes. Source.

Don't want to go the traditional route? What about some PacMan cupcakes?

You can NOM NOM NOM NOM through the yellow dots!

(Kidding.)

Are you using cupcakes in any of your wedding plans?

Lovely.

2010-05-27T08:28:00.000-04:00

Doesn't this make you just want to squeal?

Some thoughts in defense of Wedding Blogs.

2010-05-18T11:15:00.002-04:00

I owe a lot of my pre-panning success to the wedding blogs you see listed in the column to the right. Recently, I've been noticing some anti-wedding-blog sentiment floating around in my extended group of friends. I've heard that a wedding is a private ceremony and a private gathering of friends. And, thus, the information about said wedding should stay...well...private.

I've also heard that running a public wedding blog is a little bit like talking about a party in front of someone and not inviting them to said party. That, I kind of understand. I mean, I get it. I am vehemently against doing that. So...

Allow me to explain why I opted to write this blog and also offer up a very sincere apology to some people reading this:

(1) I watched "Julie & Julia" and, though I disliked the movie, I realized that one thing in my "real life" that's missing for me is a place to write. I used to write all the time -- papers, plays, stories, poems -- but now my job doesn't exactly encourage it and time is flying so fast I don't really have time for all of that. But I missed it. And I thought, after watching the movie, that writing a blog could be a creative outlet for me -- which is just what it's proven to be.

(2) I don't know much. And you have to write about what you know in order for it to be worth reading. Seriously, I could write about my job, but I don't think anyone would find it super interesting. I could write about my relationships, but I've gotten in trouble for that before (because I should never claim anything I write is "true" because it's almost always written about feelings and perceptions as opposed to cold hard facts. Journalism was not for me.) I could elaborate on cooking (that's a passion of mine), but I don't really want to write about food and I don't usually plan big soirees or tasting parties for my friends so I'd never have anything super awesome to blog about. But, I do know weddings a'ight. I've been planning mine since I was old enough to talk. I literally pulled pictures of weddings out of magazines when I was 12 (I have proof! I've used them as inspiration for my own!) And I am currently in the midst of planning mine in December. Wedding blog? Done and done.

(3) I'm not a private person. My parents used to cringe when I was a little kid because they're pretty private people, and they would tell me something family oriented (or I'd overhear it) and they'd say "you can't tell anyone." And then every person would know about it within a week. I have since learned the difference between my secrets and other people's secrets and I am a LOCK BOX with other people's secrets. Seriously, you can test me. I don't tell anyone anything if someone asks me to keep a secret nowadays. However, if it's MY secret, about ME...it doesn't stand a chance. Let me give you an idea: I bought my dress yesterday, ok? I promised my mom up and down that I wouldn't show anyone what it looks like. Not even my bridesmaids. 3 hours later, I had called 4 of them and told them what it looks like and where I got it and all the details therein. I stopped at 4. I won't tell anyone else. I swear. But, I'm just not a private person with my own info -- I like sharing things.

(4) I started this blog in secret as a "file folder" for the ideas I was finding all over the interwebs. But then other people started to read it -- other bride-to-bes, friends, family -- and I got a lot of positive encouragement. People asked me to keep writing. So, I did. For all the reasons in points 1-3.

(5) I'm planning on turning this whole shindig into some kind of "College-theme Wedding Book" at some point in the future (hopefully!) to help other orange and blue (or orange and maroon, even...) students find some inspiration for their own weddings.

But, let me back up and apologize here, if there's something about this wedding blog that offends you:

Do I know that it's a little selfish to write about myself all the time? Yes, I do.
Do I know that there are people out there who read this who will not be invited and who will be hurt? Yes, unfortunately, I do.

Our wedding has a budget and it is nowhere close to limitless, due to headcounts, numbers, and dollardollarbillsy'all, we cannot invite every person we love and hold dear to our hearts to our wedding. So, yes, there will be some feelings hurt in the process.

Listen, here's how I feel about that: Bad. Like, real, real bad. I think about it daily.

But you know why I love wedding blogs? Because even if you can't be there to celebrate with Mr. FWW and myself, for whatever reason, if you want to see the details, the planning, and the recaps afterwards, you'll be able to come here and see the whole daggone thing. And I love that about wedding blogs.

I love seeing people glow. I love seeing love. And I love hearing the stories about people's very special days.

Even people who I am not very close to. Even people who did not invite me to their weddings.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that I'm sorry if this blog offends you. That's definitely not the intention. The intention is just to show some love. Or, as Lady Gaga would say: I want your love, Lahv Lahv Lahv, I want your love.

You're scared of spiders? I'm scared of babies.

2010-05-16T13:02:00.000-04:00

I have literally not been able to sleep this last week without having a nightmare. It's terrible. And probably stress related. But, am I having nightmares about the wedding?

Nope, that would be too easy.

I'm having nightmares about babies.

Or, more specifically, pregnancy.

And I'm not even married yet.

Say, whaaaaaa...?!

I've pretty much written all of these nightmares up to the fact that I always read about Katie over at Confessions of a Young Married Couple to kind of see what being married will be like. And I love her writing style. And I love her baby. From far away.

Or, so I thought.

Then these nightmares started, and they run the gamut from just having a baby who you forget to feed (or feed the wrong thing) and the baby dies, to miscarrying, to having a baby you can't take care of and giving it up for adoption, to getting pregnant on your honeymoon (my mother is to blame for this, to be fair), to having a baby that grows up and marries someone who abuses them...

...oh, Lord. I've literally been having nightmares about future mommy-hood. And I don't know why. And THEY. WON'T. STOP.

So, to combat these crazy nightmares, I've been overloading on babies recently (think of it like an exorcism of demons -- just throwing pictures of awesome babies and baby things at my paranoid brain until the nightmares cease and desist. I need to sleep, daggonit!)...and I just came across these handmade children's beds from PoshTots.

And Ohmigosh...I love them.

My fiance is a scratch golfer -- maybe we'll have little Adam Scott's one day.

And check out the inside...

This one is my favorite.

Look at the detail!

Beautiful.

Maybe dreaming of these gorgeous little kid beds will help avoid those nightmares!

Escort Card Holders

2010-05-14T10:56:00.000-04:00

...Possibly in one of the most creative strokes of genius I've ever witnessed, this particular event planning company used VINTAGE CLIP EARRINGS for their escort card holders.

To. Die. For.

Orange you glad you clicked on this link?

2010-05-14T10:48:00.001-04:00

Orange napkins. Navy tablecloth. Case. Closed.

http://www.wishspecialevents.com/blog/2009/06/real-wedding-thomas-birkby-house-leesburg-va/

Tidbits...

2010-05-12T22:44:00.002-04:00

Dear Readers,

I realized something today: my blog is too focused. Every post is about one particular topic. There's not a lot of frou-frou, fuzzy-wuzzy, look-at-all-these-beautiful-romantic-ideas on here anymore. I *used* to write those kinds of posts. But now I feel like all of my posts are oh-so-serious.

Well, I'm going to change that. Right now.

You know why? Because wedding planning has gotten really serious. Like...really, really serious. My mother and I went at it last week over orange napkins. ORANGE NAPKINS. You would think the world was ending.

And I'm tired -- so, so tired -- of wedding planning being so serious. If it has to be in "real life," then fine! But, this blog is my outlet daggonit and I'm gonna use it as such!

Here are my inspirations, ideas, and just general lovelies from the last week. They're not related. And they don't have to be. Because planning a wedding doesn't have to be so serious. Seriously.

One of my besties and bridesmaids, Paige.

Do you see that precious headband on her head with a sparkly tiara?

Yep, I want one.

For a shower. Or maybe the bachelorette party. I just love it.

Route 11 Potato Chips are made right down the road from me in Winchester, VA.

Wouldn't these be great in OOT guest bags? The pull in our previous life in Annapolis, MD. Although I'm not sure how much of my previous life in Naptown I'm really interested in using...but I love crab chips! YummyOldBay!

Mirrored tables? Yes, please!!

This is the cutest and most creative idea for a centerpiece/tablescape I've ever seen. Ever. Hands down.

Can you think of a better slogan for wedding planning?

I think I need this bag to lug around all of my wedding shtuff.

Baby's breath centerpieces? Whodathunkit? I really love the romance of these! So airy and dreamy.

Siiiiiiigh...well, guess it's back to the real world now.

Thanks for taking this little happy-go-lucky break in wedding planning with me. :)

Red and Aqua Inspiration

2010-05-07T10:04:00.000-04:00

**I'm not sure where I found these pictures -- if you happen to stumble across them on the interwebs, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

I absolutely heart these lanterns -- don't they add a fun element to a beautiful table?

I think this color palette is so striking -- and so very different than what I'm used to working with wedding-wise. The rehearsal dinner will be a whole other technicolor masterpiece!!

"Our Song"

2010-05-07T09:51:00.000-04:00

If you've been reading for awhile, you know about our EPIC struggle to find "our song" to which to dance our first dance!

We climbed mountains...

We followed a long road...

To say it was a "journey," is an understatement...

But, we've finally found it -- OUR SONG! You probably think I'm going to share with you exactly what that song is, don't you? Here's the catch: I'm not! (Sorry, readers, you'll have to wait for the wedding!)

But, here's the backstory: I was driving around my sales territory, switching XM radio channels like crazy because no one would answer their phone (I usually talk to my mom when I'm in the car) and I was super board. All of a sudden, I hear a few horns playing a somewhat familiar tune and I think to myself: "Daggone, our band could nail that song!" So, I leave the song on the radio and, for the first time in my adult life, really listen to the lyrics. They. Are. Perfect.

If you've read "our story" here you know that the way Mr. FWW and I ended up getting together was vis a vis a Kenny Chesney song that played on the radio one day when I was at work. I pulled my car over to the side of the road, cried a little, realized I needed Mr. FWW in my life, and the rest was history.

This was kind of like that. Minus the crying. And the need to pull over.

I immediately got on the phone and dialed Mr. FWW's number. He answered and I started scream-babbling into the song: IFOUNDITIFOUNDITIFOUNDIT! IT'S PERFECT! HERE, LISTEN! And then I turned the volume way up on my car stereo so that Mr. FWW could hear the song in all of it's glory.

I'm not sure if he actually heard it, or if it was the psycho in me that he was a little afraid of potentially driving off of I-81 if he didn't agree, but I do know he agreed! (And then later that night, when he was listening to it, he definitely agreed wholeheartedly!)

So, we have a song! What a HUGE weight off of our shoulders!

Did you or do you stress about music and finding "your song"?

With this Ring (and this checklist!), I Thee Wed...Part Deux

2010-05-02T13:59:00.001-04:00

Some of you may remember that back on January 11, I pulled a wedding checklist off of a random google site (I believe I literally googled "wedding checklist" and came up with this) to see where I stood against the priorities of planning a wedding. You may be wondering where I stand, now.

10 - 12 months before the wedding:

• Announce your engagement to family and friends - CHECK
• Arrange for both families to meet if they haven't already done so - CHECK
• Have an engagement party (optional) - HASN'T HAPPENED YET!!
• Set the wedding style and size of the wedding (bride magazines are great for ideas) - CHECK
• Set your wedding budget - CHECK
• Start creating your guest list - CHECK
• Set the wedding day and time - CHECK
• Decide on whether to have a religious or non-religious ceremony - CHECK
• Choose and book your wedding officiant - CHECK
• Choose your maid of honor, bridesmaids, best man and groomsmen - CHECK
• Choose and book your ceremony and reception locations - CHECK
• Purchase wedding insurance (optional) - CHECK
• Meet with caterers and taste samples - CHECK (but we still haven't tasted samples!)
• Meet with florists and decide on real or silk flowers - CHECK (but we still haven't booked a florist!)
• Meet with and audition DJs or bands - CHECK
• Meet with photographers and look over their portfolios - CHECK
• Meet with videographers (if you're having one) and look over their portfolios - Should we use a videographer?

7 - 9 months before the wedding (we're 7 months and 2 days out as of today!):

• Bride: shop for and order your wedding dress - CHECK-ish (can't give you more details than that!)
• Bride: shop for and order/purchase bridal accessories: veil , shoes , jewelry - PSH...NOPE!
• Bride: (with your bridal party) shop for and order bridesmaids dresses - CHECK
• Book the florist (be sure to sign a contract) - NEED TO DO
• Book the caterer (be sure to sign a contract) - CHECK
• Book DJ or band (be sure to sign a contract) - CHECK
• Book the photographer (be sure to sign a contract) - NEED TO DO
• Book the videographer (if you're having one) - Do I want one??
• Start planning your honeymoon - CHECK
• Finalize the guest list - CHECK
• Start making wedding favors if you're making your own - CHECK
• Meet with bakers and sample wedding cakes - CHECK
• Start looking at wedding invitations - Already? REALLY?
• Start thinking about the wording of your wedding invitations - CHECK
• Start planning the rehearsal dinner - We've booked the venue...does that count?

4 - 6 months before the wedding:

• Join a bridal registry - CHECK
• Book the baker for your wedding cake - We are ACTIVELY working on this!
• Order your wedding invitations - 4-6 months out? Really?
• Book a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests - CHECK
• Contact out-of-town guests about the wedding (prior to sending out invitations) - CHECK
• Finalize dinner menu with caterer - NOPE
• Purchase wedding guest favors - NOT YET!
• Book the limousine or other wedding day transportation - Haven't even done the research!
• Book the rehearsal dinner site - CHECK
• Book a calligrapher (if you're using one) - Don't need it!
• Groom: start looking at tuxedos or other formal wear - Well...we've looked. I'll leave it at that.
• Book the honeymoon - CHECK -- DONE AND DONE!
• Book a hotel room for the wedding night - CHECK
• Book a photo session for engagement announcement in local newspapers - We've had 1...we will have 1 more!
• Start thinking about wedding ceremony decorations - WORK IN PROGRESS
• Bride: buy bridal lingerie in time for first dress fitting - you have to be kidding me.

2 - 3 months before the wedding:

• Give the photographer a list of "important shots" you want included - I'll think about that when we get a little bit closer!
• Purchase your wedding rings - CHECK
• Purchase maid of honor gift, bridesmaids gifts , best man gift , groomsmen gifts - WORK IN PROGRESS
• Purchase the groom's gift or the bride's gift , whichever applies - WORK IN PROGRESS
• Groom: finalize tuxedo /formal attire and pass on rental/purchase details to groomsmen - WORK IN PROGRESS
• Run engagement announcement in local newspapers - NEED TO DO
• Bride: schedule your dress fittings - NO WHERE CLOSE
• Bride: make sure your bridal party has purchased their accessories - WORK IN PROGRESS
• Bride: book your hair and makeup appointments - TOO EARLY
• Bride: if you're changing your name complete the proper documents - TOO EARLY
• If your state requires it, have blood tests done - TOO EARLY
• Bride: talk to your maid of honor about a bridal shower - TOO EARLY
• Address and send out wedding invitations (invitations should be mailed at 2-month mark) - TOO EARLY
• Groom: purchase your accessories including shoes, cuff links, handkerchiefs, etc. - TOO EARLY
• Start writing wedding vows, especially if writing your own - WORK IN PROGRESS
• Decide on whether to light a unity candle or honor past loved ones during the ceremony - WORK IN PROGRESS
• Start working on wedding program - WORK IN PROGRESS

So, here's the deal:

Back on January 11, my naive wedding-planning-self wrote the following:

I haven't done anything in the "1-month-prior-to-the-wedding" category because most of that is what my father calls "Check, Check, Check!"-ing, and that's always last minute. But I feel good knowing that I'm pretty much done with everything up to 4-6 months prior. That's a great feeling!

Say, whaaaaa? What great feeling is that, exactly? I feel like I haven't done ANYTHING in 7-9 month range, much less the 4-6 month range! Who was this girl in January? And why can't I get her back?

Have you hit any roadblocks that threw off your planning? What did you do? How did you manage your timeline?

A Sneak Peek at the Wedding Website

2010-05-02T12:51:00.003-04:00

Ok, readers...many of you have asked, and now you will receive an answer: Yes, Mr. FWW and I do have a wedding website. Yes, we think it is extraordinary. No, I will not post a link to it here.

Due to the privacy concerns of Momsy and Popsicle (and also because they legitimately believe that if someone sees that I've written "I hope to see you all there!" on the wedding website, than our guests will be driven out by hoards of strangers and wedding crashers), I'm editing down some screen shots so you can get the feel of the wedding website without being privvy to the "all-inclusive, come-on-down-and-crash-my-nuptials" tagline. So, here we go:

When you first go to our website, there's a flash introduction where these four pictures pop up one at a time

and music plays.

We went with http://www.weddingwindow.com/ for our wedding website and I think it is absolutely fabulous - so many options, so easy to customize, AND we could add a song to the site that was just "so us!" What better way to set the mood for the reception than include a song on your wedding website that's a "teaser" of what is to come?

The song we chose for the wedding website.

Think we can pull off this dance at the reception? Har. Har.

After the flash intro with the four pictures, just this picture shows up with the invitation to enter our website. Aren't we just really, really ridiculously good-looking? I know, I know. No need to tell me!

After you get through the brief intro, you stumble into this page:

From this page, you can tell the website is easily navigated via the links to the left: we have one with a little background information on both of us (the "Bride and Groom" link), one with "our story" and "the proposal" story, my favorite page is the next one with pictures of each of us and our bestest of best friends in the wedding party including little life descriptions on each one of these oh-so-important people who will be standing with us at our wedding.

The rest of the wedding website is pretty self-explanatory, full of silly pictures and fun memories, and just a general place for our wedding guests to get a good idea for accommodations, things to do, and the timeline of events during the wedding weekend! We included a link to the website in our "Save the Dates" and it will also probably go in our out of town guest bags.

Do you have a wedding website? How are you communicating the look and feel of your wedding to your guests?

Detailing the Reception

2010-05-02T10:11:00.001-04:00

One of the biggest thing I pride myself on is nailing the details. In my job, I (try to!) remember the names of my retailers, who their kids are and what they do with their lives. If, at the beginning of a call, someone tells me they're going fishing this weekend, 2 hours later I remember to tell them to have fun. I (try to!) keep my eyes sharp. I catch little errors and I fix them. I stay on top of "the little things."

On my resume, I claim I am "detail oriented." And I know it's true.

But, DAGGONE if this wedding doesn't sometimes feel like I'm running one of these!

I just pulled some pictures of the interior of the reception venue and, right now, I'm really struggling with a few of the "little things:"

CCV in all of its wedding glory.

(Although there are some key differences between this picture and the way I would like to see my reception.)

(1) I don't know how I feel about the chairs.

Let me explain. I was fine with the chairs when I saw them in person. They are very neutral, they have a pretty crisscross design on the back of them, they're pretty comfortable. They are gold and cream, so they match the gold and cream china provided by CCV. All-in-all, they are not offensive. Whatsoever. In fact, one should be so lucky to get such nice chairs included with the venue!

But, in my little type-A-detail-oriented (and bridal blog/photography obsessed) brain, I just can't get over Chiavari chairs.

Just gorgeous...

...and so beautiful in a reception.

(Side note: BEAUTIFUL flowers. Lovems them. And the candelabras in which they rest.)

However, Chiavari chairs rent for $8.00/chair, and that's the lowest quote I got in Richmond! That would mean that $1600.00 (minimum, before taxes/fees) would have to go to CHAIR RENTALS ALONE! Even in my Chiavari-junkie brain, I can think rationally enough to know that the chairs INCLUDED with the reception venue are a much better deal (and so much more comfortable!)

2. Should I match the napkins to the table linens?

I have a few options with the table linens:

Excuse my Microsoft Paint skills, here.

I never thought there would come a day where I would spend 30 minutes drawing up a diagram of all of my various linen choices, but it's all a part of my new career at Miss Wahoo Wedding's Reception Detailing shop. I'm leaning a little bit towards this combination:

Another Microsoft Paint specialty.

And I absolutely love the idea of bypassing any sort of menu on the table and, instead, folding the napkins as such, so that they look like resemble UVa "V's" on the table.

Too much? I think not!

3. Finally, how do I arrange the tables themselves?!?

My parents want me to have a head table. Something about tradition and everyone wanting to see the bride and groom and blahblahblah -- I get it. Sounds like a great idea. But neither me nor Mr. FWW want to sit by ourselves OR with our families -- we want to sit with the wedding party! And here's the issue -- the wedding party consists of 17 attendants, 2 of us, and everyone's guests! Hypothetically, that could be THIRTY SIX people! So, maybe we only sit with the best man and maid/matron of honor and farm out everyone else? Or, we have two head tables?

But where do we put them?? Let's go back to the picture of the inside of the reception (with a little Paint editing -- I'm addicted.):

Where to sit?

Here's the conundrum: According to Momsy and Popsicle, Mr. FWW and I can't be in front of the band, we're not supposed to have our backs to anyone, and no one is supposed to sit in front of us -- I mean, to be honest, some of these rules are going to get broken. But, which ones?

Oh, readers, I need your help: Have you fixated on little details regarding the ceremony or reception? Which ones? How did you decide what mattered most? And, most importantly, where did/will you and your hubsywubsy sit at the reception?

Virginia Gold Cup

2010-05-01T13:49:00.003-04:00

Happy Virginia Gold Cup, Everyone!!

(Check out how cute Mr. FWW is in those patchwork seersucker pants :-D)

**Thanks to my Matron of Honor for snapping this shot with her blackberry because mine died!**

David's Bridal: An Honest Look

2010-04-30T06:06:00.000-04:00

I ~~am not~~ was not a fan of David's Bridal.

Like a lot of brides, my first dress shopping experience happened there. I was very resistant to going and trying on dresses for a number of reasons, but my mother convinced me that it had to happen at some point and she practically dragged me, kicking and screaming, to DB for the "first round."

First of all, DO NOT go there on Saturday and definitely DO NOT go there without an appointment. The store is the Wal*Mart of wedding depots: lots of aisles, lots of styles, and a lot of dresses "on sale" = many a grubby-fingered, greedy little bride. Perhaps if I had followed these rules the first go round, I would have had a better first experience.

That said, the dresses at DB are very pretty up close and in person -- did I find the one? No. But I can totally see most people finding that very special dress in the store. And 9 times out of 10, the dresses cost less than $1000! Not a bad deal just for having to put up with 30 bridezillas attempting to try on dresses at the same time (in a store that does not have mirrors in their dressing rooms -- I mean, what were you thinking, Mr. David? Can't a girl try on dresses in PEACE?)

So we left DB and I half-vowed to never return. Until last night, when I received an e-mail from Mr. David with this attachment:

OH. EM. GEE.

The store just launched an entire line of affordable and chic party dresses -- all at $20 off! You know what I'm thinking? Engagement party. Couples shower. Friends' weddings. Rehearsal dinner.

Shoot, what about just a nice dinner date with the future hubs?

J'adore this for a spring/summer shower. Or the bridesmaid luncheon. Or anything.

Elegant and sexy look for an evening event. Too bad the man doesn't come with the dress.

(Sorry, Mr. FWW, I'm just kidding!)

Twirly skirt on a dress inspired by both Jackie O. and Ms. Monroe? It's like cupid shot me in the heart.

I need this dress. I don't know what for. But I love sequins.

Cute, simple little cocktail dress with an innocent bow!

Oh, Mr. David, you may be able to reel me back into your bridal warehouse. Looks like someone has some shopping to do!

Have you had any vendors or "bridal stores" that initially depressed, only to turn around and blindside you with something spectacular? What about vice versa - you were initially impressed, but they turned out to be a dud in the end?

Music is my Boyfriend

2010-04-28T09:40:00.001-04:00

Readers,

I have a confession.

I've been cheating on Mr. FWW.

It's been going on since I met him. I like to pretend it's nothing serious, "just a fling," and it doesn't affect Mr. FWW and I's relationship.

But, it's a lie, and it's time to admit my dirty little secret:

Music is my boyfriend.

I used to sneak away for small bits of time just to hang out with my iTunes. I'd download maybe the top 5 most popular songs of the week, listen to them at a low volume. Learn the lyrics so I could look "so cool" knowing the songs at the weekend frat party. But then it started spiraling out of control: I'd download anything I could get, no holds barred. When I went to work, I paid to have XM radio in my car so I could listen to rap songs, country music, pop music, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, all at the push of a button. I learned all the lyrics to obscure show tunes from musicals such as "Sweet Charity" and "The Last Five Years."

And, when Justin Bieber hit the music scene, I swore I was done. There was no way I could like the songs of a 15 year old adolescent. But, when I first heard "Eeenie Meanie Miney Mo Lover," I knew that my final barrier had been breached and I had to come clean.

Sorry, Mr. FWW, I've been cheating on you for awhile.

Now, dear readers, don't think I'm publicly confessing my crimes first on here for the world to read; no, no, Mr. FWW and I had a long talk about this last night (as I played the song "Gotta Have You" by the Weepies followed immediately by "21 Guns" from Green Day's new musical, American Idiot -- my confession was leaving me feeling, as one of my bridesmaids would say, pretty "emo-kins.")

You see, I had to confess. I am determined to combine my elicit affair with music and Mr. FWW and I's relationship for one special dance - the first one of our married life - to show how much I truly love Mr. FWW (and to hear how much he truly loves me.)

Except, there's one problem.

No matter how many times I introduce Mr. FWW to my boyfriend, they just can't quite get along. Though I play songs that could be "our song" almost every night, Mr. FWW wakes up in the morning and drives to D.C. listening to nothing but Tony Kornheiser and Rush Limbaugh.

So, I've come to the conclusion that I'm on my own to pick "our song" (and every other important song in the wedding -- we have a 12 piece band which is already leaving me salivating at the thought! Oh, my boyfriend will sound lovely at the wedding!)

I guess it's good that it's up to me. But it would really show some appreciation of my "other love" (and some romance, goshdarnit!) if Mr. FWW could step up and try to work it out with my boyfriend.

I mean, we both know he's not going away any time soon. Might as well make the best of it!

Have you had a hard time picking music for your wedding? What songs are you using? And did your future hubby help you pick them out?

Engagements!!

2010-04-26T08:39:00.000-04:00

In the last few weeks, I feel like so many people have gotten engaged -- from one of our groomsmen, to my older cousin, to my Matron of Honor's little sister! I've been so distracted by all of the celebration, I haven't even thought about my wedding for quite some time! However, since this is a "wedding" blog, I thought I'd share with you some of my ideas if I were planning some of these weddings:

Jaime (groomsman) + Allison

I've only spoken with each of them for a brief period, but I gathered a few things from our small talk over the weekend: romantic pastels, afternoon/early evening, spring wedding. So I came up with a few things:

Something about these colors just scream beautiful, romantic spring wedding to me! I think it's the freshness of the yellow and green that really makes the sky blue and lilac pop.

Nothing says romance like a beautiful lacy/organza/tulle wedding gown with a sweetheart neck and a "something blue" sash. Also, while Jaime and Allison are snapping photos outside, their guests can be enjoying some champagne with lavendar -- for a floral accent that both tickles the nose and adds to the decor. And what could be more gorgeous than a lavendar table adorned with pale yellow candlelight as the couple takes their first dance around the room? My eyes are getting misty just thinking about it!

James + Terri (cousin)

For whatever reason, I would love to see some dramatic accents at this wedding. Terri is the nicest, sweetest and most genuine person I know -- she's (unadmittedly) preppy, usually wears a lot of clean lines and very attractive knits. Their wedding is in mid-October (just a few months before mine!) and I would kill to see a color palette like this:

Ok, I know it kind of looks like a stoplight on this page, but check out some of the inspirational pictures I found for the overall "look" of a beautiful, fall wedding:

Isn't this a stunning combination for mid-fall? Also, it's very close to maroon and orange, so I know if cousin Terri wanted to add anything from her alma mater to the wedding decor, it wouldn't be too difficult (oh, did I fail to mention that my entire family went to Virginia Tech? Yea, my wedding may or may not be payback!) I absolutely adore this wedding gown -- I would prefer it on Terri without the sleeves I think, but I love that it has very clean lines and some drama is added by the ruffle up around the collar bone area. And these bridesmaid gowns, done short or long, would look stunning in photos with the bride! That cake also looks like it could be done relatively inexpensively with some beautiful flowers --I know how to make a tiered cake, let me make it!

Anyway, I know I'm just being silly and without ever even speaking to the bride and groom specifically about what they would want, these story boards are just conjecture. But I hope they provide someone out there a fresh perspective on color!

I'm just so happy for these couples that I could scream! Or, in this case, write! Happy Monday, y'all!

Heffalumps and Woozles, or, Weddings, are Very Confusils

2010-04-20T09:19:00.000-04:00

From Winnie the Pooh: the Heffalumps and Woozles were nightmare creatures that stole honey.

We're 7 months and 2 weeks away from our wedding, as of today. You would think that would be plenty of time for me to de-stress (especially since every major decision is pretty much done, right?) I started writing my ideas and feelings and decisions on this blog to avoid this very day. I made lists. I checked them off. I am almost down to the point where I just need to map out what the day-of timeline is going to look like.

I am really all set to go. Ready to launch. Just give me the dress and slap a tuxedo on Mr. FWW and let's get the party started.

Except that now my actual planning is beginning to wind down (and my ideas are beginning to take hold in physical form), I'm having nightmares.

Big, bad nightmares.

Now, these could be partially from the stress of work (you don't need to know specifics but we're in contract signing season and I have to sign about 120 contracts in 19 days...no small task with a faulty computer), partially from the stress of moving and not being 100% unpacked and ready-to-go on a daily basis, and partially from the fact that I keep looking at my bank account and the number never seems to get over $40 (weddings are expensive). But, for whatever reason, my nightmares are wedding-centric.

For example: Last week, I had a long nightmare that revolved around whether or not I misspelled a groomsman's name on his Save the Date (I had not). And I mean, it was recurring. Like, I'd dream it, wake up terrified, fall back asleep, and dream it again. ALL NIGHT LONG.

I've dreamed that I don't have a dress on my wedding day and have to wear jeans.

I've dreamed that my fiance is actually a totally different person -- this has happened 3 or 4 times. And whenever I marry anyone else in my dream, it always ends in a tragic divorce or death within a week of the wedding. And then my fiance refuses to marry me afterwards.

I've dreamed I've lost the rings. I've had 3 beachfront ceremonys that were either rained out, snowed out, or volcano-ed out (seriously, I'm not even using a beach at ALL). I've been thrown out of the church by another wedding booked over mine. I've mailed out invitations with the wrong date and time on them, so the wedding day rolls around and no one is there.

In my dreams, it's Murphy's Law. All the time.

Did you wedding stress you out? Did you have nightmares about all of the ways it could go wrong? What did you do to help you de-stress and/or sleep?

GownLove

2010-04-16T08:34:00.000-04:00

Look at that lace!

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest...

2010-04-15T19:35:00.000-04:00

...and sign something that may or may not be called a guestbook!

I get the feeling that Lumiere did not keep a ledger of guests received at the Beast's castle.

But life is sadly not a Disney movie. And we need a guestbook.

Dear Readers,

Now I know you've already heard me spew lots of very traditional ideas, but the guestbook (like the shoes I posted about here) is not something I want to go uber-traditional with. The creative bones in my body just can't get behind the basic "little white book:"

Also, I just don't understand why I would ever want a book that contains a list of signatures? I KNOW who will be at the wedding - that's what RSVP's are for! I don't need to cause congestion at the guestbook table while people struggle to sign their names in a book I will never look at again!

So, I've been tossing around some other options. One of which is this great little company based in Richmond, VA that specializes in creating Wedding Day memory boxes called "Happily Ever AfterWords." The English major in me absolutely adores their creative name and the romantic in me cannot get over how sweet the whole idea would be played out over 50 years:

Happily Ever Afterwords Anniversary Box

The basic idea behind the box is that you give family and loved ones a card for them to write you a message to open on your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, 25th...etc. wedding anniversary. They then place their message inside of a sealed envelope and the envelope goes into the box. On your 1st wedding anniversary, you open the envelope marked "First Anniverary" and you get a special surprise message from a loved one! I just die over this idea every time I think about it -- could there be a better way to relive not only your wedding day, but the memories you've shared with the people who made you and your fiance who you are? Here is what the website has to say:

Since receiving the original anniversary box in 1980, Susan and Tom Hogg have made opening each year’s card part of their anniversary tradition. On their 11th anniversary they opened a note from Susan’s departed grandmother. Reading her words in her familiar handwriting brought back memories of Sunday dinners around her table. It was a profoundly moving experience, inspiring Susan to create a box that could be a part of every couple’s anniversary celebration.

Susan shared her story with design partner Michelle Davis. After several years of crafting prototypes and sharing them with friends and family, they arrived at a timeless design. Now they are honored to present the Happily Ever AfterWords Anniversary Box, a new anniversary tradition

I want this box. I want it desperately. I want Mr. FWW and I's loved ones to write heartfelt messages to us that we will treasure forever. Mr. FWW already lost his mother, and I lost one of my 2 grandmothers this year to a long battle with Alzheimer's -- because of that, memory has become so important to both of us. This would make beautiful memories for us to enjoy years from now. And how great would it be to see one of our parents' write the message for our 50th wedding anniversary when we know they'll no longer be on this earth with us?

Seriously, I'm tearing up just thinking about it. I absolutely love this idea.

But, is it guestbook worthy? I'm not so sure.

It might just be something we distribute to our friends and family at the rehearsal dinner so that they have some time to fill out the card. It could be a great opportunity for our loved ones at a shower before the wedding. Or at our engagement party. Any of these would be great options to get some memories down on paper for our lives to come!

Option 2: Publish the Blog in Coffee-Table-Book form and get guests to sign in the margins!

This couple used a bound book purchased in the gift shop at the museum where they had their reception.

As much as I (and my ego!) love the idea of self-publishing this blog, I'm not sure it's financially realistic. From what I can tell, self-publishing costs close to $1000 if you want total self-control of your book (and, let's be realistic, I'm not going to let just *anyone* lay out the pictures and text). Also, I love writing this blog - it makes me feel like a REAL LIVE WRITER - but I'm not sure anyone actually attending the wedding is going to want to read OR sign on a post about how much the amazing Richmond videographer that we're not using costs!

But I do love the book idea...Option 3:

A UVa coffee table book -- appropriate to the theme, and a bunch of pictures we obviously can appreciate. But is it personal enough? Not exactly. One of my mom's friends' daughters used it as her guestbook and it was a huge hit, though!

Option 4: Book of photography of us (engagement pictures, times in college, and other photos of our life together!)

While I love this idea for 99.9% of couples, I absolutely could not stand our engagement pictures - boring angles, boring poses, the kind of pictures you never want to look at again! And I definitely don't need everyone else looking at them!

Option 5: Guestbookstore.com. I superlove this idea but I think it puts a lot of pressure on our guests and I would really like to see them up and dancing and mingling during the reception - not writing or drawing.

It does make a great guestbook table...

And the pages would be so fun to read after the wedding!

What are your thoughts about the guestbook? Are you doing anything special and/or unique to remember your guests?

Shoes Blues

2010-04-14T09:32:00.001-04:00

Here is a little secret for all of you out there -- I cannot walk in heels. When Mr. FWW and I were in school together, he would take me to his fraternity formals and I fell every single time. And, I don't mean cute little "whoop! I slipped!" falling, either. Nope. I'm a face planter.

I did it on our first date.

This picture isn't technically from our first date because I don't have a picture of my feet from that night. But these are the same shoes. They're rather notorious. And they aren't even "real" heels -- they're about 2" high.

Mr. FWW likes to joke that I "fell for him" that night. And it was a rather funny coincidence -- until I fell again on our second date. And then our third. Finally, Mr. FWW got fed up with all of the falling (because I was doing serious damage to my knees -- they were always banged up, bruised badly and just generally didn't look "right" which cannot be healthy) and I was banned from wearing heels to the fraternity house.

This cut down on the falling by about 63%.

So, you can probably guess what my mother and Mr. FWW's first response was to wedding shoes:

WEAR FLATS.

And, I admit, this was the only option floating around in my head for a very long while. But, like many other brides, I've come down with a bad case of "shoe envy."

Not only do I not want to wear flats. I don't want to wear white shoes!

I think my mother is little terrified by this proposition both because you're only "supposed to" wear white on your wedding day (she's a traditionalist to the max) and because, hey, me in heels?

Fuhgeddaboudit.

But I have a proposition: what about a low-ish heel, just for the ceremony and pictures, followed by little ballet flats to dance the night away? I mean, there's no drinking involved at the ceremony or during the pictures, so I'll be completely stable; AND (bonus) I get my own personal father (aka: walking stick, handrail, crutch) to make sure I don't fall walking down the aisle.

I'm all set!

So, last night, in a frenzy of big decision making, I hurriedly purchased these shoes by rsvp (style: Sadie) from Zappos. Hey, if they don't work - no harm, no foul! It's free shipping!

And, because I hadn't ordered in awhile, they upgraded my shipping to 2-day priority for free! A GREAT deal!

I'm planning on trying the shoes out to see if I can walk in them without falling, but if I CAN then I'm going to change them up a little bit. Want to see my design?

I'm going to put a navy blue and orange bowtie on the top of each shoe, replacing the navy bow that's currently there (and super boring). Then I'm going to invest in some paint and take care of the boring tan bottom with some orange and navy stripes and a little orange heel! They're PERFECT - just what I've been craving!

And, if I can walk in them, they will one day make a fantastic pair of shoes for UVa football games!

Anyone out there know of any "how to walk in heels" seminars?

Are you spicing up your wedding shoes with any colors or add-ons? How did you find "the pair?"

Babies!

2010-04-13T09:52:00.000-04:00

Ok, everyone...BREATHE. There are no babies on the way over here and there won't be for a very, very long time. But I do have something to say about them.

I never liked kids. Babysitting was painful for me. There's no worse sound in a restaurant than a screaming child. And I think kids are the main problem with tourist attractions today - I'm still a little jealous of the 5 year olds who got to see Finding Nemo (a clownfish) at the Baltimore Aquarium and pushed me out of the way. I paid more to get in there. I didn't get the "Children Under 12" rate. I should get to see the clownfish first, right?

I always told my mother that I was never going to have kids. I think she was legitimately worried for a long time that she might end up grandchildless.

And then a good friend from college had Baby Audrey:

And then my cousin had Baby Emma:

And then it was like Baby Fever and I woke up one morning a few months ago and realized that I might actually, one day, in the future like babies.

This revelation was SHOCKING for me.

Then, this morning, I woke up to see that Baby Emma is turning ONE (I knew JUST the gift to get her -- it's already in the mail. But Julie might read this occasionally so I'm not going to disclose what it is just yet. But I LOVE it. LOVE. Like, seriously, I want one.) AND, to top it all off, I saw that the Virginia Cavaliers page on Facebook posted new merchandise for little boys:

If Mr. FWW and I have a son in the future, I definitely want him to be a football player.

Wouldn't this be SO PRECIOUS on a little boy? EIEIEIEIEIEIEIEIEIEEEEEEEE!

Now that I've had a few months to adjust to the idea that I might actually like having my own children, I've really realized something. It wasn't that I didn't want kids before. Maybe I did.

I just didn't want them with whomever I was dating at the time.

Maybe that's how I knew that Mr. FWW was "the one."

I think being engaged really makes you think about your future together. And Mr. FWW and my's future must include kids. Because he'd be a terrific father: a friendly face when a little girl gets her heart broken by her first crush who believes she has cooties; a pat on the back with a band-aid when a little boy scrapes his knee in his first game of PeeWee football; a soothing prayer the night before the first day of school.

That's just Mr. FWW in a nutshell. And that's why I love him so daggone much.

He makes me want babies.

But not yet. Maybe in another 5 years.

home, James!

2010-04-12T13:05:00.001-04:00

Montgolfier Dinnerware by "home, James!" (otherwise known as "the only wedding gift I really, really, really, really, really want") is now only available via the Dinnerware Depot website. We have assurances that the company will again start production on these in May and/or June and that they are not permanently retired. But I am getting very, very nervous.

As in super-nervous.

Like, I had a nightmare last night that I wouldn't be able to officially register for them because Hampton House in Richmond wouldn't get them back in before I got married.

Who has nightmares about Dinnerware?

Have any of you had a gift that you reallyreallyreallyreallyreally wanted stress you out? Any discontinued items that you discovered on your registry that you were looking forward to? What did you do?

Hawaii Food Tours

2010-04-12T12:42:00.000-04:00

This was, far and away, the best "food day" of my entire life. When I went with my mom, we did the "Hole in the Wall" Tour, but it was SO excellent that not only do I want Mr. FWW to experience that, but also we're looking into the other two. Anyone want to weigh in on which tour(s) we should take in Oahu?

Why-kiki? Or, Why we went with the Royal Hawaiian on Waikiki Beach

2010-04-12T08:55:00.000-04:00

I firmly believe there are three trains of thought for most couples when it comes to Honeymoons:

Mystique, Santorini Island, Greece

(1) We want a Lavish, Private, Romantic, unspoilt Beach Resort Destination

Ladera, St. Lucia (open air resort)

(2) We want an Adventure

El Dorado Casitas Royale

(3) We want a Lavish, Private, Romantic, unspoilt Beach Resort Adventure on a Budget

Here's the problem: I don't think Mr. FWW and I felt 100% on any of those three points and we ended up having to go it alone. You may remember my post on Bliss Honeymoons, here, and how excited I was to use Ms. Laura Frazier. And I was -- and a huge part of me maybe wishes that I had taken a leap of faith and trusted that one of the resort packages she suggested was enough for us. The one thing I can say about Bliss Honeymoons is that they ARE amazing. Fantastic service, Laura was there for me every time I had a question about anything, and they are truly in the business of making people happy who have no idea how to plan an over-the-top trip. Her honeymoon options usually fall into all three of the above categories, and they are absolutely spectacular. Her pricing easily matches or beats what one normally finds on expedia or orbitz. And she has a 100% cancellation policy.

The only problem we had was that we, like I said before, didn't want to do the traditional flowers-and-champagne-in-bed-all-day honeymoon.

For instance, our initial thought was to go to New York City.

The Marriott Marquis - Times Square

Mr. FWW now has a burgeoning love for theater after seeing Wicked touring through Richmond, VA, and I have always loved the theater. To me, there's nothing more spectacular than seeing raw talent - singing, acting, dancing, lighting, stage design - live and in person. I grew up an hour away from Broadway and the big city lights always dazzled me. I would have loved to go back for a whole week with Mr. FWW (who has never BEEN to NYC) and show him the sights, sounds and culinary delights the city has to offer.

But everyone kept saying -- New York City in December? Are you crazy? It's cold as popsicles!

True.

But we loved this idea so much - the big city, lots to do, things to explore, history to take in.

And then someone told me that most people go on their honeymoon to a place where they don't think they'll get back to for a very long time. And I know we'll go to New York City eventually (heck, it's only about 5-6 hours away from where we live) and we'll experience all those wonderful things together anyway! So maybe we should do something Grander. More Luxurious.

Warmer.

But then we looked into all of these beautiful, exotic locales and we found that most of the time, people expect honeymooners to be concerned with the size of the bed and room service. And those weren't our top priorities.

We had visions of New York City and Ellis Island and Broadway and Saks Fifth Avenue (ok, that was just MY vision) dancing around our little heads.

We did NOT want to be trapped on a resort and forced to eat less-than-stellar food (Sandals) for exorbitant prices (Ladera) AND face the possibility that one of us might contract Montezuma's Revenge (Mexico) and ruin the entire experience.

Here's where Hawaii came in:

Waikiki Beach, Oahu, HI

I do not like bad surprises and I am a control nut, so to have to pick a totally random place on the globe and trust that a hotel there would be just what we were looking for was an unbelievably hard task for my micromanaging mind.

But I have been to Hawaii.

I have actually been to Waikiki Beach.

And it was my favorite place I've ever been in the entire world.

My mom and I went on a "girl's trip" the summer after my second year in college and we had the best time. Every evening at 5pm we would walk from our hotel, the Marriott, down to this quaint pink historic little place right on the beach and we would get the Nachos and drink tropical drinks until the sun set. Sometimes that was all we would do for dinner. Sometimes that was just the beginning of wonderful, warm nights.

And I swore two things while I was there: (1) I would return to Hawaii for my honeymoon (whenever that may be); (2) I would make sure I stayed at the Royal Hawaiian (the pink palace of Hawaii) upon my return; and (3) I would make sure to stay longer than 7 days.

Then I promptly forgot all about these promises and went about my life.

Garden View

But we kept talking about going to the city and going to someplace warm and I remember the exact instant when I looked at Mr. FWW and said:

"Look, the only city I can think of that I've ever heard about is Miami. And I. Hate. Mia....wait a minute, have we discussed Waikiki Beach, yet?"

Bedroom, Royal Hawaiian

So we looked up the rates to go to Hawaii for 10 nights (remember, I wasn't flying 24 hours round trip to just go for 7) and to stay at the Royal Hawaiian. And they were steep. But they were less than it would have cost to drive to New York City and stay there, believe it or not.

Entrance Hall.

So, we're going to do like all couples do -- we're going to save like crazy for the next 8 months.

And we're going to pray we win the lottery.

And we're going to accept any and all donations to the effort.

And we're going to have the honeymoon of our dreams.

And if you're one of the people who believes that you can't go to Waikiki Beach and have a romantic honeymoon adventure, we're going to prove you wrong.

We can, and we will.

Still need these...

2010-04-11T23:09:00.002-04:00

...In a smaller size! Times 100-ish! Help, please!!

The Island Creek Raw Bar

2010-04-11T23:05:00.001-04:00

I FINALLY got the chance to hang out with Ms. Preppy Persona No. 4 today, and I found out that there is someone who sells fresh lobsters STRAIGHT FROM MAINE and RIGHT NEAR MY HOUSE during the summer. That said, I got excited about fresh seafood (I did live in Annapolis, MD for 11 months...I might be spoiled) and then I saw a post about Island Creek Oysters and the Island Creek Raw Bar.

Here is the write up from their website:

Have boat will Travel. It's hard to imagine anything better than having Island Creek Oysters at your next party. Well, there may be one thing. Having those Island Creek Oysters opened by the guys who grow them.

Island Creek Raw Bars bring passionate growers together with passionate eaters. Our raw bar boats, and the people behind them, have become the stuff of legend. Any occasion, any size, any location. We bring the boat, fill it with ice, and cover it with oysters, shrimp, and littlenecks. Along the way, everyone at the raw bar gets an education on the oysters, Duxbury Bay, and the people that grow them.

I've never been anywhere that used them, but I can totally seeing this be a huge hit at a faboosh southern seafood-heavy affair! Anyone out there use them before? Recommendations? I would LOVE to hear more about them!!