Confessions Of A Broke Bride

Tie One On!

2009-08-19T20:38:00.005-04:00

Back in March I bought the greatest shoes for the wedding!! They are perfect and so "me".

Sooooooo...since Future Hubby is wearing an all black tux I thought it would perfect if he wore a tie to match my shoes...it took A LOT of convincing but he finally agreed! The hard part...finding a tie that actually matched. After a lot of searching I finally found one on 2002Ties.com, and I think it's a pretty good match! For $8.00 that's not bad and I can return it for a refund if it's too off in color.

A Little Fill In...

2009-08-12T14:15:00.006-04:00

Since I have been gone so long, I wanted to fill everyone in on what all has been happening. A LOT has happened!

We ordered the girls bridesmaid's dresses a couple of weeks ago from Netbride.com, and saved a TON of money. In the bridal salons, these babies were going for $210.00 and we got them for $147.00 each including shipping! I highly recommend this place if you are looking to save your girls some money. We ordered these in black...Take a look!

You may recall my post Fill Me In Friday 6.5.09, where Future Mom In Law and I went on a hunt for a rehearsal dinner location. Well the Future In Laws debated and they finally decided on Provinos Italian Restaurant in Cumming, GA. We booked the Library Room pictured below:

My friend Amy who also helped me put together our Save The Dates is also going to help me put together my invites that I designed. We met last weekend to plan it all out and to see what all I needed. This time, I am challenging myself to make all of these for less than $200.00 not including postage...We will have to see how that turns out...Stay Tuned!

Holy Honeymoon!

2009-08-11T20:32:00.004-04:00

Ok, so Future Hubby and I didn't know if we would even have the money to go on a honeymoon. We finally decided that a cruise would be our best way to go. Not a lot of work and planning on our part, and for the most part they are all-inclusive with the exception of alcohol and shore excursions.

So I started to look on Travelocity.com to see what we could find. I found a 5-Night, 6-Day cruise that left from Miami, Florida and sailed to Turks and Caicos, Naussau and Half Moon Cay. The price was great at $459.00 per person for room with a balcony. So I put it off for a while so I could see if we could afford it after all is said and done.

So about a month ago, I went back to Travelocity.com to see if those prices were still the same or if they had gone up. To my surprise, they stayed the same..but there was just one problem...There were only 4 rooms left!! I thought about it for 5minutes and just thought "We gotta book it"...So I called Travelocity and put a deposit down.

Fast-forward to my birthday...I got a strange package in the mail from my dad. I opened it up, and there was a binder sitting in front of my. I immediately opened it and before me I saw a picture of a Suite on a cruise ship! My dad had called the Future In Laws and got them to get info from me on what I had booked. They passed the info along to him and he upgraded our room to a suite on the Carnival Destiny!!

We will be able to see both the Starboad and Port side of the boat off of our balcony and my dad also ordered a bottle of champagne for when we arrive in our room. To top it off, he is sending my deposit back to me so we can use it for something else. We are so excited we can't stand it! We are so lucky and thankful, and couldn't be more greatful! Here's a picture of our room:

And here is one of the ship!

Save That Date!

2009-08-10T13:30:00.010-04:00

Our Save The Dates are finished and in the mail. I couldn't have done it without the help of my friend and bridesmaid, Amy.

The design was by Moi, and I really love the way they came out. Some of you may recall from my post Save The Date Saturday, that my goal was to make 60 Save The Dates for under $50.00 excluding postage.

Well I am happy to announce we did just that! Here is the breakdown:

Photo Printing: $8.82, Costco
Black Cardstock: Free Because I Already Had A Pack Of 50 Sheets Of Black Cardstock
White Cardstock: $5.90, Archiver's
Pink Ribbon: $1.05, Hobby Lobby
White Stamping Ink: $9.53, Archiver's
Magnet Backing: $4.21, Walmart
Eyelets: $9.39, Ebay
Envelopes: $5.99, JoAnn's
Ez Runner Tape Adhesive: $4.16, Archiver's
Printing: Free Thanks To The Use Of Amy's Printer!

Total: $49.05...That's .81 cents a piece!

I really enjoyed making these with Amy, and couldn't be happier with the way they turned out. We decided to do two different photos from our engagement photo session, so not everyone would have the same picture. I would like to notate that I excluded the stamp from the cost of this project because I bought the stamp for our invites but decided to use it on our Save The Dates as well.

Take A Peek!

Side By Side

My Dear Readers.....

2009-08-10T13:24:00.003-04:00

I am so sorry for being MIA lately! I have just been so busy with wedding planning and life that I let blogging fall by the wayside! So look for more updates, coming very soon!

Seating Woes Anyone?

2009-06-10T20:30:00.002-04:00

Although I am not doing assigned seating, I am doing assigned tables. I have the cuteset escort cards using chess pieces and you can find this in my previous post Please Be Seated.

To go along with the assigned tables comes the daunting task of assigning the correct people to the correct tables. I found this handy dandy seating chart tool on WeddingWire.com, all which is FREE! Another broke bride approved helpful tool!

My Save The Date Saturday!

2009-06-07T08:01:00.000-04:00

For months now I have been anticipating having to figure out a design for my Save The Dates. I knew I wanted something a little different but I also wanted to include an engagement picture which is not so original. After looking and looking through tons of websites and phots, I decided to DIY them.

I met one of my Bridesmaids yesterday at Archiver's to begin designing them. I figured I would need about 60 to make sure we cover everyone and have extras just in case. Once we sat down and I told her what I wanted to do, she loved the idea! We only have a couple weeks before they need to go out so I have to get cracking!

So far I have budgeted myself $50.00 without postage to do these and I think I can! Once I get them all finished and completed, I will post a picture and post the final totals of what they cost to make! $50.00 for Save The Dates is definitely broke bride approved since that's not even $1.00 each!

Fill Me In Friday 6.5.09

2009-06-05T20:14:00.004-04:00

Well this week has been interesting week wedding-wise!

FMIL and I went to Cumming this past weekend to get some wedding related things marked off our list! If you read my last , you would know that I had a potential problem with the possibilities of being able to use our condlesticks as centerpieces or not. The venue had a concern about them being a fire hazard since they were open flame. Once we got there and showed Jennifer how the centerpieces were going to be setup, it was not an issue! I was so glad to hear that news, because I really had my heart set on using them. I was also really excited to see how pretty the centerpieces looked set up since it was my first time setting it all up..they were gorgeous!

We had also had a bit of a difficult time finding a rehearsal dinner spot close to the wedding site so I scouted a few places online. Our first choice was to do something fun and different, especially since we didn't want a "cookie cutter" wedding per sae. Our first fun thought was renting a room at Stars and Strikes, which is a facility that includes bowling, laser tag, etc. and then have them cater food in-house. Once we got the prices for that, it was not an option. Even though the price included bowling, the price per person for the type of food they offered, was not feasable. It also wound up being more per person than our reception site! For a broke bride on a budget, that is not broke bride approved!

I also found two other places that were possibilities for us, if the price was right. The first was Provinos, which is local, well know Italian chain here in Atlanta. They have a brand new restaurant that just opened right down the street from our site! FMIL and I went there on Saturday before the restaurant opened to look at their private rooms. Jason the manager was very accomodating and showed us the room that would fit our party whcih was "The Library". It was beautiful and perfect! The prices were not too shabby either, and with them offering only beer and wine, that helps cut the budget way down as well. Here's a picture of "The Library":

Our second stop was Kani House, which is a Japenese Steakhouse that was also brand new. I loved this place and thought it was perfect since Tim and I wanted something different. I mean, how many times have you been to a Hibachi for a rehearsal dinner? Mike was very nice and accomodating. I inquired whether or not they had Yuengling or not, he told me to let him know if we wanted it, and he would get it! The prices were higher than Provinos, but I really did love this place!

Aside from that, I started designing our programs, save the dates and invitations this week. I am meeting one of my Bridesmaids tomorrow morning at Archivers so she can help me with the design of our Save The Dates. Then from there I have to meet with Monique from Blossoms Atlanta to get some input from her.

Wow, what a long post! Hopefully next weeks will be short and sweet!

Fill Me In Friday 5.29.09

2009-05-29T20:54:00.004-04:00

This has been a busy wedding week!! I secured an appointment with a second florist, Monique from Blossoms Atlanta. Our meeting is next Saturday and I am really excited to meet her!

We have had a small hiccup in the fact that I ordered these gorgeous candlesticks that look like mercury glass from CB2 while they were on clearance. I thought they would make for gorgeous centerpieces, and also cut costs since we won't need floral centerpieces and would add a lot of candlelight for ambiance. At $1.95 a piece, those were a steal! I bought 40 and plan on putting 5 on each table with white tapered candles.

Well, someone told me that I should check with the reception site since most places don't allow open flame because of the fire hazard...then it dawned on me that I should have checked with them before I bought them!

So now, FMIL and I have to drive up to the site tomorrow to show the coordinator what the centerpieces will look like and try to talk her into letting us use them!

While we are out there we are going to check on some rehearsal dinner locations, and maybe go look at the hotel where we blocked off some rooms.

I also bought some hot pink votives from a local girl who used them in her wedding, and I am really excited about them! I got 144 of these for $40.00!

I have also been eyeing the black ones but I can't decide on those yet or not..More to come everyone!

Toughen It Up Thursday

2009-05-28T07:30:00.000-04:00

For those of you who personally know me, you know that I have lost weight successfully with Weight Watchers. Well from Thanksgiving to current, I have gained back almost 9 pounds!! I was shocked because I didn't think it was that much, and it was depressing to hear.

So as of this yesterday, I am back on track. I am determined to lose 10 pounds by my birthday, which is at the end of July. After that, I hope to lose another 10 before 1.9.2010!

Please help support me through this so I can meet my goal!

Fabulous Find

2009-05-27T07:30:00.000-04:00

I can tell you that shopping for a pretty, yet unique clutch to have on my wedding day has been challenging...until now!

While on one of my newest favorite sites Etsy, I came across a shop out of Australia called Percy Handmade. The KIKI Clutch is the one I adore! It's perfect for the look I am going for and of course, it matches my colors...for the most part.

I contacted the seller to see if this purse can be made in custom colors and guess what...Yes it can! She is now on the lookout for me for some pretty white fabric to replace the gold fabric with. I can't wait to see what she finds..This is one clutch I definitely won't let go of!

Fill Me In Friday 5.22.09

2009-05-22T07:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry I have been away guys! The past week and a half have been very busy in broke bride world!!

This past Saturday was a busy one for sure! My best friend and Matron of Honor and I made Cupcake Pops from the famous Bakerella Blog. They were messy but a ton of fun to make!! Afterwards we went to lunch and got manicures for the super incredible engagement party this past Saturday hosted by Future Mother and Father In Law.

My dad and step mom came into town from South Carolina and so many of our friends and close family were there. It couldn't have been better, and we really enjoyed seeing everyone. The food was good as was the company. Vickie was there taking lots of pictures and Bammer came to help too. Here are some of the pictures from the party!

Food Table Set Up

Dessert Table Set Up (Notice The Hott Cupcake Pops)

Future Hubby And I With My Mom

Us With Future Hubby's Parents

Us With Future Hubby's Family

Matron Of Honor And I

With Ricky and Bammer

Future Hubby and I

We are so thankful for everyone that helped, and especially to Future Hubby's parents!! Thank you so much to the both of you..I can't wait to officially be a part of the family!

Chair Dilemma

2009-05-13T20:29:00.004-04:00

Ok, so as you all know, our colors are black and white. The room where both our ceremony and reception look like this:

Notice the gold colors..and the chair covers. The chair covers are an additional $4.00 each. If I don't use them, the chairs are covered in a goldish upholstery. The other option is to use their brand new gold chivari chairs which look like this:

I am not crazy about the black and white chair covers, but am stuck on the gold..will it clash or will it look fine? Should I pay for the prettier chairs or just use the ballroom chairs?

Decisions, Decisions.....

Monogram Mania!

2009-05-12T18:17:00.002-04:00

I am at the height of trying to pick some monograms for various things for our wedding. At the first sight of what Creative Montage offers, I was hooked! I can get any of their Standard Monograms two ways: 3 for $15.00 or 5 for $20.00. I can also do it in my colors, not just the colors as shown in their galleries! As you peruse the Creative Montage standard monogram page, look at the options we are considering for our I Do's!

6C
8B
8C
13C
18A
21C
31A

I can't post pictures, but below is somewhat of an example of one of the types of monograms we are going for.

It's Been A While

2009-05-12T10:34:00.003-04:00

Hey ya'll! Sorry it's been several days since my last post, I have been pretty busy. To give you an update, FMIL (Future Mother In Law) and I had a productive Saturday getting some final things purchased for the engagement party that Future Hubby's parents are throwing for us THIS SATURDAY! I am so excited, I can hardly wait. It's going to be so much fun and I will be happy to see my dad and step-mom who are coming in from South Carolina!

Since I can't afford Scarlett Lillian who was featured on my blog last week, I can OBSESS over her!! I have decided that I will dedicate my blog on Sunday's to her and her incredibly amazing work...Starting this Sunday, I will feature a blog called Scarlett Sunday.

On another note, I found the table numbers I want! I found them on Etsy, by the seller Damask Diva Designs. She has some great stuff in her store, and I just love these table numbers!

The good thing here is that she can customize them! I think I want to change the number, our names and date to fuchsia. She can also change the size, make them two sided, etc! This is one more idea crossed off my list!

Locks Of Love

2009-05-08T07:30:00.002-04:00

I have fallen in love with House Of Tesla on Etsy. Her headpieces are handmade and stunning, gorgeous, hot, beautiful...I could go on.

Now I have two problems...deciding on what headpiece to order. When I first saw both of these I loved them..then I started to second guess myself and thought "I can't pull this look off"! So I have decided I am going to give it a try anyway. These will match my super hot shoes...and my tattoo (sorry Bob and Jane!). So I need help deciding..HELP!!

Is it the the Molly?

Or the Fuschia Rosette?

Wrap It!

2009-05-07T07:30:00.000-04:00

I saw this really pretty black and white photo and just about died! I would LOVE to do this for our card box. Come to find out, you can download and use these templates for FREE! If that's not broke bride approved, I don't know what is!

I don't know how to personalize these yet, I think you could use Power Point or Power Point, but free is free right? Download this gorgeous paper and how to's
here!

If I Only Had A Girl....

2009-05-06T07:30:00.000-04:00

A flowergirl that is! I would have her wear this super cute, super affordable dress by Shabby Apple!

They come in an array of colors and styles, but this one below matches our theme and could not be more adorable! This is definitely broke bride approved at less than $40.00!

Oh Scarlet!!

2009-05-05T07:30:00.001-04:00

I will have to warn you that the following post is not, and I repeat NOT broke bride friendly, but I love this photographer so much, I just have to share her incredible talents with you. Enter Miss Scarlett Lillian.

This girl has got some serious talent! If only I could afford her! I would really love after the wedding for Future Hubby and I to get a shoot done with her just because. Here are some of my favorite pictures of work from her site.

Fill Me In Friday 5.1.09

2009-05-01T07:30:00.002-04:00

TGIF ya'll!!

This has been a long week at work and I am really looking forward to the weekend. The e-party is about 2 weeks away so Future Mother In Law and I are going to do a few things for that this weekend, and I will be doing a few wedding things.

I think I have figured out what I want to do for our Save The Dates, but since I am going to do them myself, I will have to play with the layout and such.

Sending in $1,000.00 to the reception site made me want to vomit for a second, but I quickly got over it because I know we're going to have the hottest wedding eva!

I am having a hard time getting the director or music at our church to get back with me. This is really starting to get on my nerves because I can't book our DJ until I figure out what is doing what and where music wise. I have had some issues with this since the beginning and I am hoping this isn't a sign of what is to come in the future as we get closer to time. I do not have patience for people who can't take 5 minutes to get back to me. Hopefully I can get this issue resolved soon.

I decided on a cake topper a couple of weeks ago, but forgot to post pictures so here is my gorgeous cake topper that my fabulous cake baker Eileen Carter is going to put into motion for me!

Right now I am trying to figure out how to get some silhouettes made almost exactly like the ones from my post in because I love them so much!

That's it for this week...stay tuned everybody!

Coo Coo For Crystals

2009-04-30T07:30:00.000-04:00

I loooooooooooooooooooove crystals in a wedding! I think they add such a gorgeous touch to any wedding, traditional or non-traditional. I definitely want these gorgeous strands at my wedding hanging from the trees at our altar. I think with the pearlescent white on the trees these crystal strands will really pop!

I am also having a hard time deciding on what kind of crystals to us on our tables. I am debating between rhinestone-type crystals like these that I found on Save On Crafts

Or these, also from Save On Crafts

I think either would be beautiful with the candlelight bouncing off of them, but it is so hard to decide!

For The Mr. and Mrs.

2009-04-29T07:30:00.001-04:00

I haven't decided if we are going to do a sweetheart table or sit amongst our guests at the reception, but one thing I have decided on is that I love these signs for the new Mr. and Mrs. at the reception and have to do these!!

I would love for us to have these with the beautiful feathers, but want the card to have some fuschia in it as well.

The Perfect Pair

Mr. and Mrs.

Just Married

How adorable are these? I can't wait to do them...and of course, from a bride on a budget, you can DIY these very easily!

Doggone It!

2009-04-27T07:30:00.000-04:00

Thinking about including your furbaby in your upcoming wedding? I am, and although I have gotten some strange looks over it, I still want to do it. I have had my sweet "little" man Chance for going on 12 years now. I got him when he was 5 1/2 weeks old and we have been through a lot together. He doesn't have many more years left in him and I just want him there! No, I am not sure what role he will play in the wedding..but he will be there!

Check out these totally adorable pictures of furbabies in weddings that I found on one of my favorite blogs Green Wedding Shoes, as well as some tips on including them.

Make sure your dog is well behaved. If not, you may find your sweet ball of
cuteness eating off of Aunt Edna's plate...NOT cool!

Once your pet's behavior is in check, you will need to get with your ceremony and reception site to make sure they will allow you to bring your dog.

Your pet will need to be well groomed at least a couple of days before the wedding to make sure he or she smells and looks their best.

Just like you on your wedding day, you need to be sure that your pet eats before all the festivities begin...see Tip #1.

Assign someone you know or hire someone to take care of your dog before, during and after the ceremony and reception. This person will also need to take your dog outside on several occasions to let your dog go potty.

You should ensure there is a quiet spot for your dog where you can place it's kennel or bed in case the party winds up being just too much for him or her.

Last but not least, make sure your pet has somewhere to go after the festivities if you are not taking your dog with you once the wedding is over!

Savvy Silhouettes

2009-04-24T10:18:00.005-04:00

I am totally in love with these silhouettes from this glamorous Hawaiian wedding from the Little Black Book Blog!! The frames are from Ikea Everything about this wedding is so US. I really, really want these awesome silhouettes for our wedding and have to figure out how do get them done in the black and white like pictured here, instead of your traditional all black silhouette.

Fill Me In Friday!

2009-04-24T08:58:00.002-04:00

I know I already made a post for today, but I forgot it was Fill Me In Friday! So here is a second post for today…

I really feel a little behind the ball lately. There is so much I want to do for the wedding but money is definitely an issue, hence the name of my blog!! I can’t the remaining vendors I need to book without deposits and well, without the money I can’t put down a deposit. I think things will get a little better in the next few weeks once Future Hubby’s second income kicks in, so we will see. Our reception site has $1,000.00 due this week so once I send that in I will see where we stand.

In more news, the dress from hell has returned. This is like a bad dream….Credit card company has come back again telling me that they are going to recharge me the $450.00 due to me not sending in supporting documents to support the dispute. This is AFTER they told me on 3/30/09 to disregard the letter telling me to send in said documents. Apparently the guy who told me that on March 30th didn’t know what he was talking about. Thank goodness I saved everything and will now send the paperwork to get my dispute approved and move on!!

Stand Up!

2009-04-24T07:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday’s post was about cupcakes, and to do a follow-up, I thought featuring cupcake stands would be a good idea for those of you who are doing the cupcake option instead of a traditional wedding cake. If I were doing cupcakes instead of cake, I would do this one since it's done in our wedding colors!

This one is adorable and more traditional looking. I love the vintage look and feel of this one.

And of course, for your money saving pleasure...a DIY one! This cupcake stand idea comes from the awesome site of Once Wed. This one is great because it's cost effective and you can make it YOURS by personalizing it with different colors, patterns and textures!

To Cupcake, Or Not To Cupcake....

2009-04-23T07:30:00.001-04:00

That is a question that is asked a lot lately due to a lot of Brides are doing cupcakes these days....some to save money and some to do something a little different. For those of you who are thinking to do cupcakes to save money, you may want to think again! These beautifully crafted mini delights could set you back just as much as a wedding cake would...if not more!

Now, this of course all depends on how elaborate your design is and what kind of flavors and fillings you are using, along with the type of icing you choose. If you go with something simple, like a chocolate cupcake with buttercream icing swirled on top, you may save money. But if you go with these babies below..look to spend some dough..I found on average these tend to cost $4.50 each and up!

Please Be Seated!

2009-04-22T07:00:00.001-04:00

I am all about original escort cards! Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a tent card telling your guest where to sit, but I am not a traditional bride, so I found these ideas below so endearing!

These are perfect for a New York Wedding....TAXI!!!!!

You can find these little yellow babies at Plum Party. They sell in sets of twelve so average to be about $4.00 each which isn't exactly budget friendly, but if you doubled these as favors it just might work!

Now these little shovels would be adorable for a garden wedding! If you find them cheap enough, you could even tie an envelope of flower seeds to each one!

I love these fun pinwheels and think they are great for a Spring or Summertime outdoor wedding! You can DIY these to save tons of bucks..visit Vintage Glam's Blog for detailed instructions! These also very versatile as you can customize colors and patterns with these just like the Table Lanterns I mentioned in yesterday's post.

For our upcoming nuptuals, we are going with.....Da Da Da Dum...

CHESS PIECES!!!

Yes, chess sets are normally ivory and white, but I found these sets on Ebay for $14.99 a set with FREE shipping! Once I get them, I can spray paint the ivory pieces a glossy white. My plan is to either write the guests names and table number on the chess pieces or tie a ribbon around each one with a tag directing them where to go.

The Three C's...Cost Cutting Centerpieces

2009-04-21T09:27:00.006-04:00

Many of us Brides know how expensive centerpieces can be, and for those of us who are on a really tight budget, these babies can be budget breakers! Here are a few fun, yet totally doable centerpieces that will make your tables look gorgeous and will feel good to your wallet!

These are totally DIY. You can make these lanterns for literally only a couple of bucks! How awesome is that? The best part about it?...You have total control! You can mix and match patterns and colors, do varying heights or several all in a row down a long table. I just love the versatility of these
Table Lanterns

How about these? I love the different shapes and colors. You could even insert a small votive in the bottom of each Paper Lantern to give it a beautiful glow.

I love these for a soft, subtle glow with a hint of flair! Group just a few of these together to make a beautiful statement!

These are also cute! I think they are perfect for an outdoor wedding with vibrant colors!

You can find these tea tins at Pearl River, most for under $5.00! These are great to make homegrown looking centerpieces with a pop! Now that is what I call a steal...

Sweet Mother Of....Chocolate!

2009-04-17T17:41:00.006-04:00

Who doesn't love chocolate? And for us brides to be...who doesn't love chocolate that can be personalized just for YOUR wedding? Well this local Atlanta company can help with just that! Dreamy Gelato and Chocolates located in Cumming is amazing. The owner, Suki, makes the chocolates EVERY day! Her chocolates are perfect for favors, and gifts. They are unique and can be personalized just for you and the event you are putting together. Look at these gorgeous chocolates!

So Long!! Farewell!!

2009-04-16T21:58:00.004-04:00

I have been trying to think of what we were going to do for our send off once we left the reception. There were all the traditional things to do such as having guests blow bubbles, throw birdseed, rice or rose petals or even light sparklers...but there was just one problem..we didn't want a traditional send off!!

Then I found it! On The Knot they have videos that feature real weddings. I caught a glimpse as I was closing the page one day of these wonderful Night Sky Lanterns

They are gorgeous, original and fun! It's interactive and I think will make for incredible photos. I would like for Future Hubby and I to light one together and send it off!

To Dye For

2009-04-15T19:02:00.006-04:00

One of my many latest obsessions is colorful crinolines! It like a little secret that the bride is hiding, and then when somone sees the beautiful pop of color it's a great surprise. Many brides do this to match their shoes, their wedding colors or even make it their Something Blue!For me, it's going to be black, to go with our colors of black and white, and to match my gorgeous fuschia and black shoes!

Most brides do choose to do this themselves, trusting their good ole' washing machine and some RIT Dye. For those girls who are a little weary, there is help! You can send your crinny to The Wedding Cabaret, and they can do it for you! Check out their awesome Blog too!

Take a gander at these crinnies!

Courtesy of Karen Karki Photography

Courtesy of Aaron Delesie

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2009-04-15T13:46:00.002-04:00

Ok, so this post is totally non-wedding related, but had to "vent". Future hubby and I just moved into the cutest apartment back in February. We got a great deal on it and it was perfect for the time being. We never heard our neighbors...until now..Apparently our new neighbors like Dance Dance Revolution...or so it sounds.

They moved in two weeks ago and I swear I have not had a good night's rest since. They both are VERY heavy walkers. Future hubby likes to say "I think they fall down a lot", or "Oops..someone just fell again!". They also have a Maltese who barks constantly..and it seems to always start right as I am drifting off to sleep.I have also noticed cigarette butts in front of my door appearing all of the sudden...coincidence? I think not..read on..

Then last night comes..We go to be really early last night because he is tired. At about 10:30, stompy pants one and two start their evening stomping activities and then their yappy dog starts her evening yapping activities. At 11:15, I can't take it anymore..I call the courtesy officer, with no response. It quiets down a little around 12 and I am thinking to myself "ok, now I can sleep" WRONG! At 1:00 it starts all over again, and this time REALLY loud! Music is blaring, dog is barking, stompies are stomping.

At 2AM I give up again and call for the courtesy officer without a response. So I get my BIG AZZ Dog and take him outside with me to "confront" the neighbors while Future Hubby is sound asleep. Big Dog goes potty and as I am walking back a man standing in the breezeway smoking a cigarette says "We're not being too loud are we"..My response: "Honestly, yes..and I am pissed".

At that time Stompy Pants #1 walks out, cigarette in hand, drink in the other...She overhears and is like "Oh my Gawd, I am so sorry".."Let me come introduce myself"..She proceeds to come down, introduce herself and apologize. I tell her that her dog's barking is out of control, they are so loud that I can't sleep at night, etc. Her response???? "Why didn't you just tell us"

WHAT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? YOU ARE HAVING A PARTY ON A TUESDAY NIGHT AT 2AM!!!!! PLUS, I DON'T KNOW YOU LADY!!!

Then Stompy Pants #2 comes down (this is Stompy Pants #1's Boyfriend) and not the same guy that asked if they were being loud. He comes down and proceeds to tell me that their dog never barks and it must be the dog next door..HMMMMMM Let's see...we've been here and have never had a barking dog issue until 2 weeks ago, which is the same time you moved in! Another coincidence? I think not.

So I called the leasing office today, they said they will take care of it and if the problem continues they will have to transfer one of us to another apartment. Bottom line is, how do you not hear your own dog barking in the middle of the night? How do you have a party during the work week knowing that you have neighbors that are trying to sleep? Do you hear what I hear? I guess not...

Inspire Me!

2009-04-13T14:41:00.004-04:00

This past week, I went to Google, and searched for images for Winter Weddings. And although our wedding is in the winter, our theme isn't neccessarily "winter" themed.

I came across many Wedding Inspiration Boards, that I got a lot of great ideas from. I had a fellow knottie create my board, and it was gorgeous! Her blog, The Perfect Palette, has hundreds of wondrful ideas, and she has a real talent in putting these boards together.

Here is the Inspiration Board she made for me..I love it!!

I got a lot of great ideas for the wedding this weekend, and can't wait to put them into the plan and share them all with you!

The Easter Bunny Has Come And Gone....

2009-04-12T12:40:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone! We had a great morning! The Easter Bunny visited me early yesterday in the form of a pristinely cleaned house, Almond Joys and a sweet card. For some reason, the Easter Bunny didn't visit us at the same time. Tim's basket came this morning.

We had a great breakfast followed by a great service at Northstar Church, and now I am sitting here tapping my foot while waiting on my habitually late mother so we can make our way to Tim's family's house.

Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy Easter and I hope you all enjoy your time with your family and friends!

Fill Me In Friday! 4-10-09

2009-04-10T10:55:00.006-04:00

Good Morning Everyone! Another rainy day here, but we do need the rain. The great news is that the rest of the weekend is supposed to be gorgeous, which is going to be nice on Easter so the kids can hunt all their eggs!

A very busy weekend lies ahead..Tonight I am making three cakes, a batch of brownies and a batch of cookies for MUST Ministries Easter Dinner. They have over 350 people to feed this year, and our church, Northstar Church asked for volunteers.

Tomorrow, my Matron of Honor is having another garage sale, where I hope to sell my Dress From HELL. I do have another buyer for the dress, but what she wants to spend was less than what I wanted to sell it for..My thinking is if it doesn't sell, I will go with her..

Sunday is Easter and of course we will head over to Northstar Church for Easter services, and then my mom will join myself, Tim and Tim's mom at our place where will head to Cartersville for a big family celebration complete with good food and an Easter Egg Hunt!

I haven't gotten a lot of wedding stuff done this week like I wanted to, but hope to maybe make headway over the weekend and get some stuff done next week as well.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Easter weekend!

Top 20 Signs You Are a Bridezilla...

2009-04-09T12:50:00.003-04:00

Whew! I looked over this list and thankfully, none of this applies to me....YET. I found this hilariously funny and thought I would share this with you from the blog Bridezilla

1.) You got your wedding gown before the engagement ring. And it came from Milan.

2.) You imported rare tropical flowers from Fiji for your bouquet. You told everyone it's because you love the way they look. Secretly, you wanted to make sure no one but a far-away Fijian could get the same wedding flowers.

3.) You whine the bridezilla mantra: "it's my day," to anyone who will listen. Even your chihuahua, Princess Cuteness turns away when you say it.

4.) Everything from your wedding cake to your fingernails is jewel-encrusted.

5.) You can't say "VFW Hall" without snickering.

6.) You were banned from having your wedding in a church because you suggested they replace a sacred statue with a life-size portrait of you.

7.) You've had 17 hair and make-up run-throughs (and counting). You text your stylist pictures of updos everyday. She has ceased taking your texts.

8.) You fired at least one wedding planner because of negligence. Who doesn't accept calls at 4:00 a.m.?

9.) You held an open casting call for "rosy-cheeked flower girls with prior wedding experience." Your sniffling niece with the underbite just won't do.

10.) You're on your second Maid of Honor. The first one mysteriously vanished after she refused to get John Mayer to "perform" at your bachelorette party.

11.) Your cake costs more than your mortgage.

12.) Your cake weighs more than you do.

13.) Your cake is an exact replica of yourself.

14.) When someone asks, "What does the groom-to-be want?" you chuckle.

15.) You replaced the size-12 tag in your gown with a size 6.

16.) You demand that the photographer only snap pictures of your good side. When he asks "What side is that?" you smash his camera.

17.) Your veil is hand-spun from real angel hair.

18.) Your getaway vehicle is a unicorn.

19.) You were escorted out of Macy's because you refused to put down the registry scan gun.

20.) Like the Great Wall of China, your wedding is visible from space.

So Much To Do...So Little Time!

2009-04-08T09:38:00.010-04:00

Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day and 4th Of July...Not to mention birthdays in between!

With all that being said, thank goodness for time and money saving tips!

Check out this site that has been so helpful to me in my planning, with over 100 wedding related sites and blogs.
Top 100 Wedding Blogs I have already gotten so many ideas and tips from this, so check it out!

Also, Mother's Day is just around the corner! A fellow Knottie posted on her blog
Deals, Steals & Heels that you can create a card with your favorite photo on it for FREE!

I have offered to make desserts for this year's Easter dinner. So I am going to make Not Yo Momma's Banana Pudding from the lovely Paula Deen, along with Better Than Sex Cake.

After all the festivities of Easter are over, I really need to kick it in gear and finish paying deposits on all of my other vendors that I have yet to "book" via payment, the florist, DJ and cake baker!

The Diary Of A Broke Bride

2009-04-06T10:24:00.002-04:00

Dear Diary,

Why do weddings have to be SOOOOOOOOOO expensive? And why do I have to have platinum and champagne taste on a beer and pewter budget?

These are my woes...trying to plan a gorgeous, yet budget friendly budget. Thank goodness for tax returns and second jobs! What used to be "play" money is now all going into savings, which I can honestly say I am happy about, but sweet Fiance is not. In the end, we will look back and be happy about our choices, but winning the lottery sure would make it a lot easier!

On Saturday, my bridesmaid Courtney went to the dress shop with me and she loved the dress I picked out for the girls to wear, which was great...she looked so pretty in it! I already had a thumb's up from Sarah who had tried it on earlier, and some of the other girls still have yet to see it in person, but they all liked the pictures which is great!

Fill Me In Friday! 4.03.09

2009-04-03T10:25:00.005-04:00

Can I tell you how glad I am that it’s Friday? It’s been a busy week at work with all the rain, and I am looking forward to having a great weekend! Also, I am going to try to do this blog every Friday to fill everyone in!

I am going to try the dress from HELL tomorrow at my friend (and Matron of Honor) Sarah’s garage sale. Cross your fingers for me!

Also tomorrow two of my Bridesmaid’s Courtney and Amy are going with me to A Formal Occasion in Kennesaw to look at the dress I picked out for them. It’s from Bella Bridesmaids and this is what it looks like: Venus Bridals

I think all black would be nice since it is an evening wedding and our colors are black and white…I can’t wait to see what the girls think. I am hoping to get a lot of planning done this weekend, so we will see what comes out of it!!

Follow Our Wedding On Facebook!

2009-04-02T12:38:00.003-04:00

For those of you who are friends with either of us on Facebook, you can follow our wedding plans and get updates on all the great things that are going on!

http://apps.facebook.com/wedsnap_wedding/view_home.php?view=edit&owner=1403254764

Finally An Update

2009-03-26T19:01:00.003-04:00

It's been a little bit since I posted last, but a lot has been going on! I hope to add to the blog and update a couple times a week.

Right before our engagement pictures, I posted that I found my dress and bought it from another girl online. When it finally arrived, I realized I had been scammed. It was the right dress, but not the size she told me and there were a multitude of things wrong. At this point I won't even go into detail. I filed a dispute with my credit card company and got my money back, thank goodness!

I did find another one, and it is more expensive, but paying a couple hundred dollars more to make sure it's right is fine with me.

Tim, Jane and I all went up to Windermere Golf Club on Sunday, March 8th because they were having a bridal showcase that day and would have some of their food and beverages showcased. I am so glad we went because the food was excellent and made me that much more excited about our upcoming wedding. While we were up that way, we also scouted out possible hotel locations for guests, etc. I will keep you posted on the hotels we choose.

I found my shoes to go with my dress as well, and of course, there was "drama" involved. I found them on www.endless.com . I found them while surfing the net at work (I know, I should have been working) and thought that I would buy them the next day. Well of course, I went back and they were gone! I panicked,and spent TWO hours surfing the net trying to find these shoes and NO ONE had them..NO ONE. So I went back to endless and signed up for them to email me if that shoe came back in stock in my size and about 2 weeks later they did! I was so excited and bought them immediately. They are gorgeous and I can't wait to wear them!

Whew! That was a lot at once, and will update again soon!

Engagement Pictures

2009-03-01T15:55:00.010-05:00

I have been trying to post our E-Pics on here, but some of them won't load properly. SO...everyone can view them at: www.tinyandlizsengagementpictures.shutterfly.com

Enjoy!

The Dress Has Been Purchased People!

2009-02-10T12:19:00.002-05:00

I would love to post a picture, but cannot...Tim's eyes may find his way here and we all know, he can't see the dress before the wedding!

The dress was over $1000.00 in the store..I just couldn't afford it, yet I had to have this dress. So after hours of searching and posting "want ads" for this dress, I found someone who had THE ONE for $450.00...I took it..I may have maxed out the credit card doing it, but that was one purchase I felt good making!

She is sending it out today and it should be here in a few days...I cannot wait!

Dress Shopping

2009-02-02T12:40:00.002-05:00

This weekend I went with Tim's mom to A Formal Occasion in Kennesaw to look at dresses..The story here is that I found a dress on Ebay that I LOVED but didn't know how it would look on me, and you couldn't return it once you bought it. Then I found a second dress on Ebay that I liked as well.

So I decided to go to a few dress shops to see if they had similar styles to the pictures that I could try on to see if the styles of dresses from Ebay would look good on me.

We got there right at 10:00 and were taken care of immediately. We started looking at dresses and pulling ones out that were similar to the ones in the picture which they had a good bit of. I tried on about 8-10 and fell in love with one. Of course I didn't go in there thinking I would, but I did. What I didn't like was the price tag of $1,089.00! And also, I didn't go in there to find a dress..I went to try on..but of course now, I am stuck on this dress..I have frantically searched everywhere trying to get a better deal, which I have had luck with WAY better price tags (meaning $425.00), but the sizes were wrong..So I will continue my search, either way, I will wind up with the perfect dress for me, whether it's this one or not.

I would post pictures, but I don't want Tim to see!

Capturing All The Moments

2009-01-28T13:58:00.006-05:00

I booked our photographer! We met him at Starbucks a few weeks ago and after talking with him and looking over his work, we decided he was the one for us! His photos are beautiful and non-traditional which is what we like. Of course we want some of the traditional family pictures but we didn't want the cheesey posed shots that so many other photographers do! He was also into our idea for engagement pictures which are a little different but fun. We are scheduled to have Engagement Pictures done on 2.22.09 at Stone Mountain and we are SO excited! Check his website out at www.jamiehowell.net

Invitation Workshop

2009-01-22T08:47:00.009-05:00

About a month ago while scrapbooking with my friend Amy at Archivers, I found the invitations that I HAD to have. Of course, everything there is DIY so I decided I was up for the challenge and in the long run it will probably save me money and it will be more personal!

Last night they had a Bridal Showcase workshop where they showed you the different kinds of invitations you can make, different techniques, fonts, embellishments, etc. It was really helpful and made me that much more excited to do them and see how beautiful they turn out!

Here is a picture of the overall look. The invites will be white, with black detail and black type.

Cake Tasting With "The Cake Lady"

2009-01-18T21:23:00.006-05:00

Tim and I had our cake tasting today with Eileen Carter aka "The Cake Lady". I have known Eileen for years and as soon as we got engaged I knew exactly who we were going to use!

Today we tasted White cake with Amaretto filling, Chocolate with Grand Manier filling and Chocolate with Banana Cream filling. It was all so good it made it hard to decide. While we were there, Eileen whipped up a batch of Bailey's Buttercream for us and it was to die for!

We finally decided the wedding cake will be White cake with Amaretto filling and the grooms cake to be Chocolate with Bailey's Buttercream filling. The grooms cake is a secret but our cake will look like this 5 tiered cake but in black and white instead of pink and white! We can't wait!

Where It's All Gonna Go Down

2009-01-15T16:37:00.010-05:00

We have decided to host our ceremony and reception (aka: PARTAY) at Windermere Golf Club in Cumming Georgia. Jennifer who is our coordinator on-site is very flexible and accommodating. The ceremony will be done in the Piedmont Room and afterwards everyone will move either onto the heated Terrace or into the Plateau Grille for a cocktail hour with hor deouevers. After that, it's onto food, dancing, drinking and fun back in the Piedmont Room.

Windermere Golf Club is located at:

5000 Davis Love Drive
Cumming, GA 30041

This is where it all started!

2009-01-15T14:19:00.000-05:00

Tim and I had been talking about getting engaged since about October. I knew it wouldn't happen for a while, but little did I know, Tim had a plan up his sleeve. I thought it would be our anniversary which is the beginning of January or maybe Valentines..but then Tim threw me a bone..He kept saying "This is going to be the best Christmas you ever had"! So that got me thinking a ring was coming..

Fast forward to Christmas..

We did presents with his nephews at his sister Tracey's Christmas morning, then went to Scott and Courtney's to see his other nephews. We then went back to Tim's to do our Christmas together and open presents. When all the presents were opened, and there wasn't a ring, I was for sure that it was going to happen sometime in the next couple of months.

We then get ready to go to the family Christmas dinner at Scott and Courtney's house. We all mingled for a while and prepared for dinner. When it was time to serve the meal, everyone gathered in the living room. I sat on the couch and Tim stood next to me, holding my hand before he gave the blessing as he does every year. A few words in his voice got very shaky and he started to get a little emotional. He then started saying thank you for all the people who love and support us and said "the lord says that where your treasure is your heart will follow" (which is a bible verse from our bible study we did together), and the next thing I knew when I opened my eyes is that he was on one knee asking me to marry him!...And of course, I said YES!