The other side

Good golly I'm married!

Life on the other side is just as grand as I suspected.
No wedding stress, just normal married life-ness.

Rather than try to describe the sheer happiness/stress/joy/terror/bliss of my wedding day- I put together this small slide show. I may or may not have been watching Sleepless in Seattle when I heard this song.

Oh, Harry Connick Jr. You should stick to only singing...
P.S. I Love You, anyone?



Photos by my wedding photographer- Kyle Gregory.

The final stretch!!

So we are nearing the end of the wedding countdown. I have to count backwards now to figure out how many days until October 2nd. As I have never been skilled at mental math it still takes me a moment...

... ten seconds later...

24 days? Is that right?

After looking at my computer calender, I've determined that is correct.

This is where I should cue my freak out, but I'm actually feeling okay. It's like the closer it gets I have this nagging feeling that I should be, you know, doing something wedding related, when in fact I just return to the book I'm reading with a hot cup of tea (Translation: watch another episode of Law and Order: SVU with a cup of cold coffee).

To catch up on my lack of posting:
I had my bridal shower!!

It was a sweet get together thrown by Eunie and sister Suzanne. Shelby helped from a distance- four babies are difficult to travel with.

Giant engagement ring napkin rings, dolls dressed like bride and groom, fresh fruit, sorbet punch, and mini sandwiches were every where to be found. Eunie even went as far as to incorporate my colors (pale blue and peach) everywhere, and had pinwheels in the corsages for the mothers and me.

It was wonderful- elegant, classy, and so much fun.

Earlier that day, Matt and I went for a photoshoot!

Now, normally Matt and I do not take the best pictures together. Matt has a tendency to squint his eyes and bare his teeth like a deranged psycho.

I am allowed to say this as I do love him.

Example:

I had joked with Matt that all of our photos at our wedding would be of him gazing lovingly at me- since those always turn out well (at least of him. I do occasionally jack up a photo or two.)

Anyways, or engagement session actually went MARVELOUSLY!! Kyle Gregory of K.G. Photography is going to be photographing our wedding, and we met with him for our engagement session. After a quick jaunt to lower Station Camp Creek road, we pulled our cars over, hopped out, and ran into the random field with hay bales (bails?).

After some quick direction from Kyle (place hands here, look this way, etc.) we were placed and ready to go. Matt and I were looking right at each other (it was supposed to be loving, or intense longing or something romantic like that) when Matt says:

"I want to like your nose so badly right now."

So we lost it. But the photos came out great! That's when we discovered the secret to good pictures! LAUGHTER!

Kyle said something along the lines of us being the most "natural" couple he's shot. Probably because we wouldn't stop goofing around.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post Kyle's photos, as I don't have the rights to them yet, but go THIS LINK to see a preview of our session on his blog.

Also- go here to see photos of Suzanne's wedding. Kyle did that, too.


Quick update on what is left:
Bridal party gifts
Teeth whitening
Table seating arrangement
Escort Cards
Programs
Thank you notes for bridal shower
Matt's wedding gift (I'm assuming my wedding gift as well)
Sound system (COME ON MATT GROSS- get that taken care of!)

Yup, I think that is all. Not too shabby for... hold on, let me scroll up again....
24 days.

Scavenger Hunting for Place Settings

So I'm not sure if anyone one remembers my inspiration for table settings, but I'm sort of going for a vintage/victorian/eclectic/whimsical/tea-party-ish feel. Rather than have all my plates and cups be matching, I decided to hunt for EVERYTHING.

That would be:
Dinner Plates
Dessert Plates
Saucers
Tea Cups
Knives
Spoons
Forks (Dinner and Dessert)

Many caterers will rent you these crucial items (who wants to go to a wedding with no plates?!) at a cost, but you are responsible for paying for anything that is broken (that has to be a downer for the weddings where plate breaking are a sign of good luck and well-wishes.)

I challenged my mother and future mother-in-law, Denise, to help me find these pieces.

And off to Goodwill we went!

Now, I used to not be a fan of Goodwill. Seriously, my mother and sister, Suzanne, would go on these seven hour shopping bends, and the last stop would ALWAYS be Goodwill. After seven hours of shopping ("Does this basket look big enough to hold my socks? Wait, wait- I just found these for a nickle cheaper! Do you like it better than this one? It's a bit smaller. Do you think this one is worth the extra nickle, or should I go for the smaller, cheaper one? I'm not sure how many socks I have. Maybe I need two baskets...") I am normally at my wits end by the time we make it to Goodwill. It's at this point that all I want to do is sit on the floor and cry like I did when I was four(teen).

But now that I went to Goodwill with a purpose I was renewed!! Now it was a treasure hunt! I relished in sorting through cups for hidden jems (a gold border? AMAZING! Hand-painted flowers? It's like it's Christmas!!) Mom loves anything for a good deal, so she was timing her shopping to the first Saturday of each month where EVERYTHING was half-off.

Apparently this is only valid at Nashville locations, because the lady at the Goodwill in Knoxville looked at me like I had two heads. I wanted to tell her they needed to have everything half-off because her prices were OUTRAGEOUS. Target had better prices on tea cups for crying out loud.

Denise also got in on the place setting hunt, dropping into vintage boutiques, both overpriced and super cheap. Denise loved the haggle- she got an entire bag of silverware for, life, five dollars. I would listen to her ask how much something was, ("10 dollars.") and then succinctly state what she would have paid ("1 dollar").

I do not have pictures of my mother's finds (those will come later) but I did photograph Denise's "staging" area in her dining room.

Denise's Finds
12 Dinner Plates
26 Dessert Plates
23 Teacups and Saucers
73 Forks (seriously- these are like gold. Everyone has spoons and knives, but forks were always MIA)
19 Spoons
12 Knives
6 Various serving spoons

10 Milk bud vases
Sterling silver salad tongs
Sterling silver butter dish
Sterling silver sugar and creamer set

5 Pie plates
15 Wine glasses
3 Mimosa glasses

Denise thought it would be nice to do a mock table setting in her kitchen. When I try describing my tables to family members and friends, I mostly get cocked heads and raised eyebrows. I am totally confident that the tables are going to be beautiful, but for the doubters, go a head a take a look.

Now just imagine how pretty it will be with peach table clothes, burlap table runners, and cloth napkins with button napkin rings?

Can yous see it? I certainly can.

Ceremony sites and Reception Plans

Long time- no see.

Let's see- an update shall we? I've been a busy little bee with only...

47 DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING!!

Jumpin' jehosephats! A little over six weeks!

I've actually been fairly productive though. It's such a weird feeling, seeing everyone head back to college. This is the first August I've not done the typical school supply shopping, elbowing the other girls for Lisa Frank folders (oh, wait. That was second grade.)

I'm, like, done with school. Weird.

Anyways, with all this free time NOT going back to school, I've been finishing up this wedding business. Here's what's left on my To Do list:

1. Print the invitations and pay the postage
2. Bridal party gifts
3. Guestbook
4. Escort cards
5. Family Wedding Photo table
6. Rent the sound system
7. Finalize the song list
8. Finalize the officiant (We may have found one!! Hooray!!)
9. Photobooth

And I really think that is it! Mom said all that's left is too look pretty and open gifts.

Last week Matt and I FINALLY got to see the Allandale. Besides those ice cream socials Matt attended as a boy and the 5 second walkthrough I got with Denise that one day, neither of us had really seen the place.

It took 2 WEEKS to get a hold of them. The first time I tried calling to pop by, I was told that one day was too short of notice. Then, we I tried the next week to set up a time, no one returned my call. Or my message. Then I sent an email. No response. Then Matt left a message. No response.

I was getting kind of antsy at this point. I finally called the city of Kingsport's Parks and Recreation department and THEY got the Allandale to call me back.

Denise, Matt and I headed up last Thursday. And I have pictures!

Here are the three potential ceremony sites:

The front of the house.
Pros:
Included in our fee
Pretty
Stately

Cons:
You can hear the traffic from the road
I'm not sure how I'm going to get to the back of the aisle to walk down it. Coming out of the front door is a little anti-climatic. Matt said I could just hide in the bushes while the guests are seated. Denise has mentioned a horse and carriage ride, but those are EXPENSIVE.

The gazebo at the back of the house.

Pros:
Pretty- not a lot of decor needed
I can walk out the back of the house and down the aisle
Guests will be right by the reception site

Cons:
Extra fee
I'm not sure if you can see it, but there are heron statues inside the gazebo. Random.

Pros:
Included in my fee
More casual and laid back- like the wedding
No road noise

Cons:
The walking down the aisle thing again- how do I get at the start of the aisle??
Ground is kind of not even- makes chair difficult
Someone would have to clean up the branches
I don't exactly scream "nature lover"


I'm not sure if you have noticed yet, but all three sites are OUTSIDE. Just like my reception site:

The dance floor!


So if it rains... well, I'm trying not to think about it. I'm not too thrilled with the plan B.

The inside of the house is beautiful.

But here is where I would have my ceremony AND reception:

What's that you ask? Did I type ceremony and reception?

Yes, I did.

I was told I can fit 72 people in the living room, but 62 would be a bit more "comfortable." After the ceremony, everyone would get up. Someone would have to move all the chairs, roll out five of the tables, and then set them up with the linens, plates, and centerpieces.

What are all the guests going to do? Stand and watch? I think it just sounds so... awkward?

Not to mention there would be NO dance floor. So we'd basically eat, cut the cake, and roll out.

So, I'm putting in a personal request to God for no rain. Hooray!

Pinwheel Boutonnieres

Ladies and gentlemen- I have accomplished my first DIY project for the wedding.

Hooray!!

I have an entire bookmark folder dedicated to all these Do-It-Yourself projects I want to make, with things ranging from escort cards, a photo booth, table numbers, to the favors.

And now there is one down: the pinwheel boutonnieres!!

Photo: ruffledblog.com/diy-pinwheel-boutonnieres/

I've had these things picked out since before I got engaged (what? I was SO not one of those girls who planned their wedding before they had the ring.....)

I love how whimsical they look, and silly- just like Matt. He's going to have on a bright yellow bow tie, so it's only fitting that the boutonnieres were bright and crazy, too.

Here's how I did it:

Patterned 4x4 origami paper
Spray adhesive
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Buttons
Adhesive pin backs

1. Take two different pieces of paper and spray the back of one. Glue the backs together.

2. Cut from each corner to about 1 inch from the center. I eyeballed it. You could use a ruler and stuff but I try not to sweat the small stuff.

3. Put a thin layer of hot glue on the center. Glue alternating pieces down- it should look like a pinwheel now.

4. Add another thin layer of hot glue in the center and place the button on top.

5. Once the glue dries, place the pin on the back.

I have 11 guys in need of boutonnieres, so I made 15. I figured four were bound to be ruined.

Daddy's Song

I have found the song.

Daddy and I are going to dance to "I'll Always Be Your Baby."

No. Not the Mariah Carey 90's hit. (That's what Matt thought.) Although that would be funny.

It's some random Natalie Grant song.

So here's the thing. I think she sounds like a 90s Celine Dion knock off. She's got a lot of obnoxious "ooohs" and "mmmmms" at the beginning, and she sings a little breathy.

Suzanne, my sister, said it has a contemporary Christian sound which means I'm right. It does sound like 90s pop music. Matt and I have this theory that Christian music is always one decade behind on the current "sound." That means ten years from now Christian music will sound like Ke$ha.

Wrap your mind around that if you will.

But I digress- this is the song I'll be dancing to with my father.
And while you may ask why after all my moaning and groaning about the sound, it all makes sense when you hear the words. No other song (and I did look) captures my feelings for my Daddy like this song.

I was listening to it on the couch while Matt played Civilization (yes... again). He hears me sniffling, he leans back in his chair to see me, and laughs.

I was crying by the first verse.

I'm posting the lyrics in case you can't get past the breathy singing.



You were my first love
Always there for me
You taught me how me to walk and how to dream
God gave me your eyes
But it was you who showed me how to see
Now I can stand on my own
But I know you'll never let go

I'll always be your baby
No matter how the years fly by
The way you loved me
Made me who I am in this world
I'm a woman now
Not a little girl
Wherever this life takes me
I'll always be your baby

You are my hero
And that will never change
You still can dry my tears with just your smile
The one I've leaned on
From my first steps
To walking down the aisle
Now there's another man in my life
But I know by the look in your eyes

I'll always be your baby
No matter how the years fly by
The way you loved me
Made me who I am in this world
I'm a woman now
Not a little girl
Wherever this life takes me
I'll always be your baby

Your faith, your love and all that you believe
Have come to be the strongest part of me

And I will always be your baby
No matter how the years fly by
The way you loved me
Made me who I am in this world
I'm a woman now
Not a little girl
Wherever this life takes me
I'll always be your baby

Songwriters: NATALIE GRANT, STEPHANIE LEWIS, GEORGE TEREN

(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Going to Marry

Okay- maybe not literally today.

I heard this song on "Father of the Bride" last night, and it's been in my head. So I made this montage/slideshow thing.

It's only 2:45, so it's not like, crazy insane long.

Besides, this my blog, so if I want to have a sappy video about my guy, I can. Ha.
(Hi, Heather!!)

Father of the Bride

So Matt and I just watched "Father of the Bride" (the 1991 remake with Steve Martin.)

Clearly it was my pick for movie night.

This movie is one of my all time favorites. My earliest memory of seeing this film is when Shelby gave it to Dad around the time she announced she was getting married. (I believe that's who gave it to him. Right, Shelby???)

I must have been only seven or eight (When did you get married, Shelby???) but I LOVED IT. And since then I've always associated that movie with my father.

Not that he and the father in the movie, George Banks, have too much in common.
George Banks freaks out over the cost of his daughter's wedding ($250 per person?! 150 people?! That's $37,500. IN 1991 DOLLARS!)

Fun fact? Kimberly Williams, who plays Annie, the daughter/bride, married Brad Paisley in real life.

Michael Bible... not so much. When I was glum over my 2000 wedding gown (on my 6000 budget), Dad was all like "I'll just get it. Don't worry about it."

(Luckily I found my dress for $500, regular 2300).

One thing my father and George Banks do share is their sweet, deep love for their daughters, and the anxiety over not being the most important man in their lives.

No, that's not me as a baby. That's my niece Julia when she was, like 8 months old. It's just my Dad's favorite picture of all time. Seriously. He got it made into a poster. I kid you not.

New York, 2007. Daddy and I at Rockefeller Center in New York City (my 18th birthday gift.)


Michael Bible had three daughters, and no sons, so he was constantly surrounded by sweet little girls wanting to play princess, host tea parties, and ride on his shoulders. I was born a little later in his life, when he had grown accustomed to his teenage daughter and nine-year old.

I was a bit spoiled, because I had him all to myself. I remember Sundays were the day Dad would take me out to lunch, just him and I, and I could order anything I wanted. Even if I didn't finish my plate. AND get dessert. I also discovered that shopping with Dad was more... how shall I say... fruitful? successful? Essentially I could come out of the dressing room with a dozen things, and while Mom would say, "Pick the three you really need," Dad (in his desperation to stop shopping) would say, "Why pick? Take them all!"

Fortunately by the time I became a teenager, Daddy was used to the mood swings, stress, and randomness that goes with being fourteen (and fifteen, and sixteen, and, okay, I'll say it: being a girl.)

I always remained a Daddy's girl, and Matt can attest to the fact the ANY father/daughter moments make me cry.

Like commercials.
Cheesy tv shows.
Sappy daddy/daughter songs.
Just thinking about him in general. Like now.

Seriously, I still can't listen to "Butterfly Kisses." One time, I was singing it to myself (don't ask how it got into my head) and I made myself cry.

Anyways, back to the movie, there is this scene that my father swears is EXACTLY what it is like when a father learns his daughter is getting married.



Love it.

Now, to find a song for the Father/Daughter dance AKA the song I'm going to sob uncontrollably into my father's chest while I remember him spinning me around the living room to country songs.

That's why they make waterproof mascara.

Pinterest and Something Blue

I don't know if you guys (and by you guys I mean all five of you. Ha.) have heard about Pinterest.com, but it is basically the coolest thing on the internet right now.

That means it will last all of about another thirty seconds.

In all seriousness, it just this site where people post pictures of things they think are cool. And then more people repost them. And then others. And then others.

Seriously, I could have come up with this idea.

It's been AMAZING for wedding planning inspiration. Lately I've been looking for wedding hairstyles, some more DIY projects, and decorating inspiration. This site never ends. The more you scroll down on the screen, the more pictures that pop up AUTOMATICALLY.

I'm going to lose hours and hours on this site.

Which reminds me of a funny happening yesterday:

I leave for work at around 5 pm. While I'm gone, Matt normally picks up a bit, like doing the dishes and putting away his clothes and stuff. (Side note: isn't that wonderful? How lucky am I? I expect it to last exactly three months into our wedded life.)

I walked in the door at 9:36 p.m. Matt is sitting in my "cloffice" (a closet I use as an office... seriously) and he looks up startled.

"Why are you home so early?" he asks standing up.

I look confused. Did I close the store at the wrong time? Am I still on central time? "Early? It's 9:30!" I say.

He had been sitting at the computer playing Civilization V for FIVE HOURS and did not even realize it.

It was cute. He started running into the kitchen to clean, but I just laughed at him and we picked up together. I myself have lost hours at a time playing Sims or surfing the internet.

Anyways, here's some inspiration from "something blue." I have my something borrowed and old from Eunie (her grandmother's necklace, which I obviously won't keep, and her veil, which I won't keep as well) and my something new will be my dress.

Does a sample dress count as something new? I hope so. If not, my shoes will be new.

Now I just need something blue. Do I stick with the blue garter? Should my shoes be tiffany blue? Should I have something blue sewn under my dress a la Kate Middleton??

While this is way too complicated for my actual something blue, I thought it looked AMAZING! Image via Pinterest

Shoes from Blhdn.com

Image via Pinterest.

From ilovehoneylace.tumblr.com via Pinterest.

From etsy.

Shoes from Nordstrom

How sweet would this be? Then I'd have my "something blue" with me always. Via pinterest.

The classic garter from etsy.com.

Wedding Colors

So I came to realization that I had been showing bridesmaid dresses without indicating what my colors are going to be.

So without further adieu... my colors are peach and pale blue. This was also my first attempt at making an inspiration board.

Hooray!!

Photos by:

Bridesmaid Dresses

Finding my wedding dress turned out to be way harder than I expected, and I'm now running into the same issue with bridesmaid dresses.

My two bridesmaids, Shelby and Suzanne, are also both the Matrons of Honor.

My original plan was just to give them a color and then go about planning other wedding-y stuff while they find  a dress they love and will where a again. I wasn't even going to specify a store (like Davids Bridal etc. etc.) If their dresses weren't exactly the same color, oh, well. At least they have one that they love.

Kind of like this, minus the random guy on the end. 

(Photo by Gayle Brooker off of OnceWed.com)

However, the plan changed. I'm still all for Shelby and Suzanne finding the dress, and I'm definitely not picky about style and shade, but I think they should match.

Here's why. There is only two of them. If I had a larger bridal party, it might be more apparent that they are all bridesmaids, but since I'm going with my two best friends, I thought they might look more... bridesmaid-y if they'd match.

Also, as Eunie pointed out, "Honey, I don't care if they are all in Wal-Mart dresses: If they match, it looks better."

So now I'm on the hunt for matching, affordable, peach dresses.

The Limited. On sale right now for 180.60.

New York and Co. Cardigan, Top and skirt. 24.95, 29.95, and 69.95.

ModCloth On Sale now for 124.99

Perhaps a print? Ann Taylor for 139.99

And to utilize the other color (pale blue) Banana Republic 110.00

This is just the beginning of the search. I am more than welcome to suggestions.

The Officiant

While I'm waiting to hear back from the caterer for a potential quote, Matt and I are taking a count of what we actually have left to plan.

Here's where we stand:
1. Groomsmen suits
2. Bridesmaid dresses
3. Favors
4. Renting a sound system
5. Potential decorations for ceremony
6. An officiant

I've delegated the sound system and suits to Matt. This may or may not have been the greatest idea since it may mean that I'm doing them at the last minute because he didn't, or I didn't like what he did, both of which are easily capable of happening.

I'm on the hunt for bridesmaid dresses, but I'm saving that for another post, along with potential favors.

So that pretty much leaves the officiant. Denise has recommended the pastor Ryan (Matt's brother) and Ashley used, and my mom told me to just check with the Allandale since they most likely have people they can recommend as well.

Since we're marrying on a Sunday, finding an officiant has the potential to be tricky, but Matt said maybe we can find a pastor/preacher whose standing with God is on "okay" terms but he's given up preaching.

Gee, that bodes well for our marriage. There must be some superstition about being married by a half in/half out pastor.

I'd love to find just a sweet old pastor whose married hundreds of couples and has it down to a science.

Matt's wish? Optimus Prime.

"You may now kiss the bride, and then I'll fly you to your honeymoon."

That's right, as in the Transformer, or at least the guy who does the voice. During the trailer for the new Transformer movie, Matt leaned over to me while Optimus Prime was spouting something about being betrayed by humans and whispered, "I do."

Luckily, I found this which may make his dream come true. That definitely won't upstage the bride. Ha.

Dessert and Coffee Bar

A major part of any wedding wedding is the food. A major part of the food is the wedding cake.

Matt and I are actually not too crazy about cake. Don't get me wrong, I love birthday cake, devils food cake, and all that jazz, but it's not my go-to dessert.

That would be pie.

The flaky crust. The baked fruit. I love it all. I have never met a pie I didn't like, except for one peach mishap, but that was due to over loading it with sugar. 

We're going to do it up right with different pie stands and a wide variety of flavors. My mother is going to bake a couple, Matt's mom, Denise, and her sister, Debbie, will also be bringing some.

Debbie actually lives on an orchard of some kind, so her pie will be made with the fresh, seasonal fruit. And then my Nana is baking her famous pecan pie. 

There has been some question about the traditional wedding cake. Honestly, I do think I'd miss having the top tier of our wedding cake on our first anniversary. The solution?

Coffee crumble cake!!!

Even more so, it will go well with our brunch reception and coffee bar.

Yummy and delicious!!