Whatcha wearing under there?

Ever since I first saw a bride wearing these panties:Stolen from knottie faBriezy.
I knew I wanted a pair. (Ok this really isn't the picture I wanted, but I spent an hour looking and this is as close as I got.)
It's silly. I don't really need something blue. I already have my bracelet and my shoes. But I do want customized underwear. Sadly I can't really find a lot of blue underwear so it's probably ok that I don't need it for my something blue. But I thought I'd show you what I found.I found these here. I wish there was a matching one that said got wife :)
How about these found here.I love these found here. These are completely customizable. I think I would put forever Tai's.
How about making sure your guy knows that your his? In case the wedding ring isn't enough of a clue or reminder you can go here to purchase these.I like the ones that say the Mrs. I want tshirts that say the Mr and the Mrs. I think those are cute. Check out this site to find these panties.I like these as well. I want to get a tshirt that says the same thing. I plan to wear it the week before the wedding to remind people who's boss.
And in my searches I found this here:What the hell? Brides are always discussing when to take off their veil. After the ceremony? Before the reception? If anyone is going to wear it after the wedding for the night of, they are keeping it to themselves. I'm a little confused why you'd want to wear this or what you would do with it. Perhaps Tai can explain it to me. By the way, this website does have lots of sexy costumes in case you are looking for those.
I hope you enjoyed looking at some sexy lingerie. I might be looking for some more. I'm not sure I found what I really want.

More Accessories for those Guys!

Tai's a little more concerned about what shirt he's going to be wearing than what tie. I honestly have no clue but I hope it needs cuff links! I've seen so many cute photos with guys in customized cuff links. I think this is a great way to bring out personality. So I'm been sifting through Etsy to find cuff links for my man.I love these star trooper cuff links from etsy seller Cufflinks (how perfect is that?). Tai does like Star Wars so they are a possibility.

If Tai worked at Microsoft I think these keyboard cuff links from etsy seller BeaG would be adorable. We have a love/dislike relationship with Bill's company so these aren't my first choice.
I think these from etsy seller Chicklinks rock. I'm not sure if Tai would agree but I think they are a perfect 10!
Tai does play poker but not enough for me to consider these from Cuffart.
I'm going to keep searching. Perhaps I'll find the perfect ones!

Mwaaah!

I don't wear a lot of lipstick. In fact I almost never wear lipstick. I wear chapstick. That usually covers me most of the time. I don't like lipstick because it wears off quickly. And I hate the ring it leaves around my mouth. Occasionally I wear lip gloss. My favorite Dior gloss is too sticky. Tai hates it. He doesn't like the sticky. So I need to find wedding day lipstick. Something that will fade away rather than leave any remnant behind. I'm looking for long wear lipstick.
Here are some shades I like from Clinique:
In Creamy Nude.In Honeynut.
In Honey Gloss which I think I used to wear when I was 16. I can't use Clinique. I remember wearing it in high school. That silver case reminds me of old ladies. Don't ask.
From the Sephora brand we have:Golden Rose Shimmer from their Maniac Long Wear line. For $12 might be worth a try.
From Stila, we have:Darling.
Serenade. Both are from their long wear lip color line. It say that it's like wearing lipstick and gloss all in one. Maybe, but for $18 I would rather be convinced.
I used to have LORAC's sheer wash in Sheer Emotion. It was what I liked to wear when I went out. But it's kind of a pain to apply. It cannot be applied on the fly and it's pretty matte so it needs to be followed up by a gloss. A little more than I think I can handle on my wedding day.
So ladies, what long wearing lipstick do you like? Any that I should try? I'm a pretty low maintenance gal so lip pencils, lipsticks and gloss will leave me saying forget about it. Also I kind of noticed that except for the LORAC all the colors are kind of the same so I think I'm looking for a peachy color.

Ugh!

I'm so sick of looking at ties! I can't seem to find a tie that I like, that fits the bill for what I'm looking for!
I know I talked about ties months ago. But those aren't going to work. Since our accent color is green now (so our colors are brown, ivory, champagne, and green) I'd like to bring that in with the ties.
Tai says that all green:Looks like a leprechaun. I think it looks like prom.
I like stripped ties, but Tai doesn't so we have to find non stripped ties. So here's what I found so far.

From ebay. I think this tie is too busy. Although it is interesting. The seller states that the background is bronze but it looks brown to me in this picture.
From the Men's Wearhouse. Kind of boring. But has most of our colors in it. A good possiblity.
Ok, I've searched Macy's, Brooks Brothers, Nordstroms, Kohls, Saks, JCrew, Banana Republic, JCPenney's and found these 2 ties! Where haven't I looked that you think you have what I'm looking for?

All About the Shoes!

So now that I've figured out what I'm wearing, I can turn my attention to Tai. He keeps saying he'll wear whatever I tell him but I know that's not the truth.
We decided on the suits, but one of the groomsmen asked about the shoes. Tai said black and I said no. But I don't have a good answer. I've been searching for fun shoes for guys. Let me tell you that doesn't really exist. But here's what I found.Timberland Block Islands from Nordstroms. I like how casual these are but I hate that white trim on the bottom. Yuck!Tommy Bahama Vallerta loafers from Nordstroms. I like these. They look like slippers! But I'm not sure how they would look with a chocolate brown suit. Maybe too brown? Is that possible?

Converse Jack Purcell Classics from Nordstroms. I'm totally digging these but Chucks are so much more my thing that Tai's. I don't even think he owns a pair. Plus Tai has incredibly flat feet. His feet will kill him by the end of the day in Chucks.
So I don't know. Can you girls give me some suggestions? He prefers slip on shoes to tie shoes. Something with good support would be best. I looked at those Cole Haan Nike shoes and didn't anything special.

Dessert Anyone?

We've booked all of our vendors and now we have all those little things to do. One thing we still have not decided on is dessert. We decided a long time ago that we didn't want cake. We considered cupcakes for a long time.
But we didn't feel like this was "us". Neither of us are all that fond of cupcakes and we felt that we were being led by a trend. Originally pie had been my idea. I like pie. And nothing says summer to me like a good blueberry, cherry, or strawberry pie. When I mentioned pie to an acquaintance she balked at the idea and I thought maybe people would be disappointed by pie. But I like pie and it's my wedding.
But Tai's idea is cheesecake.What an odd thing for someone who is lactose intolerant to want? But Tai likes cheesecake and he thinks it would be something that people would enjoy. He of course will not be eating the cheesecake.
I think we'll have a few cheesecakes and a few pies. Plus my favorite brownies from Dancing Deer. And some fruit for those who don't like brownies, pies, or cheesecakes. Or those like my dad who are diabetic.
Our idea is to put the desserts on cake stands. So I've got to start looking for those.

Currently....

Sorry I haven't done one of these in a while. I didn't find anything really worth sharing til now.

drinking
I'm a huge fan of the Whole Foods coffees. Tai and I tried lot of different coffees but we prefer the Whole Foods brand of coffees above all others. It makes such a good pot of coffee. But this one is the best out of all of their coffees. It blends perfectly with our favorite french vanilla creamer. I'm sad that it's a limited supply because it will be gone eventually.

usingNow that I've mastered the art of roasted chicken, I make it all the time. Tai complains that I don't use enough seasoning. He likes every bite to be infused with flavor. That has been difficult until now. I picked this seasoning up at my local grocery store. I rubbed the chicken with olive oil and this and it was some yummy chicken. I love the little bottle too.

listening

I was in Old Navy when I first heard this song. It reminded me of the 80's. I have to say it's pretty catching. I feel so left out of the new music scene. I have no idea what's popular. Got any good recommendations?

Don't Make Me Do It!

So I'm watching The Wedding Planner while eating my nutritious meal of mac & cheese. Kris mentioned this movie the other day. I had to watch it again. Since I own it, it wasn't too hard.
I started thinking about hiring a wedding planner. In the movie, Mary plans Fran's entire wedding. The Wedding Planner does get ideas from the bride, but it's the wedding planner that runs the show. Obviously there are level of service that you can hire-from complete planning to day of coordination. But I wouldn't want someone to plan my wedding for me. But I could handle letting someone else do something for me. If I could have I would pay some to decide on my flowers for me. In fact I kind of did. I told the florist what I wanted and when I couldn't have it, I asked him to make suggestions and I would go with one of those.
So if you could hire someone else to do something (from start to finish-plan, coordinate, and execute) what would it be?

Yea! Invitations!

Not only did my dress arrive Friday but so did our invites. WeddingPaperDivas worked super quickly. When I ordered the invites they said they'd be here by March 7. But they arrive almost 1 week after I ordered them.
Tai didn't want me to show them to you because we settled. But I'm pretty happy with these. True it's not like what I had in mind, but I'm pretty satisfied with the final product. Shh. Don't tell Tai I showed you all.We ordered the RSVP cards and a card listing our website in the same style. I love the borders. On the RVSP cards the colors are flipped (brown on the inside and green on the outside) and the website card is the same as this one.
I was really happy with the service I got from WeddingPaperDivas. Plus it wasn't all that expensive. I highly recommend them.

Flowers-Check!

I was pretty disappointed after my meeting with the florist. His customer skills needed some work. I didn't like the calla lilies but I didn't know what I wanted. I didn't know what to do. Erin gave me the name of her florist. But lo and behold my original florist pulled his head out of his ass and called me yesterday.
We decided on dalihas. My bouquet will look like this:The bridesmaids bouquets will look like this:I think the orange will really pop with the brown dresses.
The guys boutonnières will look like this:But no ribbon on the bottom, just greenery.
I'm pretty excited about having that done. It looks like we'll stay within budget on this as well. Phew, check that off the list.

How I Became A Two Dress Bride

When I started reading the knot, I saw lots girls who had more than one dress. I thought it was odd. If you have one dress why would you get another dress? Once you've got the dress. Stop looking.
Ha! That's before I got consumed by the wedding brain! So as you know I decided I wanted something more bridal. So I kept looking for something else. I kind of thought it might be a lost cause. But then I found it. My dress!I apologize for these blurry photos. These are the best I've got right now. The dress fits. It's ivory. It's got beading on the top which you can't really see in these pictures.
There is a train which is longer than I would like. I can get that chopped off. It's also slightly too short, but the previous owner didn't cut the hem. I just have to have it let out.
So yes I'm a two dress bride now. Ashley thought I should get rid of the first dress. But I'm going to see about getting it altered. Perhaps shortened.
I'm so relieved that I have my dress. That something I can officially check off my list!

More Flower Ideas

I'm so glad Tara sent me the link to a website that lists flowers available by season. It's been very helpful in trying to decide what flowers I can have at the wedding.
So I decided to see what some of these flowers look like in bouquets.
First we have sweetpeas:
Pretty and simple. I really like the bouquet on the bottom right. But maybe instead of purple flowers I could have some leaves.
Then there's dahlias. Very simple and nothing says summer to me like dahlias. They make the bouquet look so full.
Then there's carnations. I know most people hate them but they are my birth flower. I love the bottom right bouquet. Yea for Martha Stewart!
What do you think of these choices? Are there some I overlooked?

Keep 'Em Liquored Up!

I've been thinking more and more about the reception. The ceremony part is pretty much done, so let's get to the party already. I mentioned that we bought 36 cases-432 cans-of soda the other day. We're going to buy water and some other drinks closer to the wedding. But not alcohol.

The no alcohol was not my choice. The campground is run by the county and their rule is no alcohol.

When we were first looking for a locations I didn't even bother with places that didn't allow alcohol. But when we saw the campground I changed my mind. The campground had most of the features we wanted-an outdoor wedding, an indoor location, and the ablility to stay there all night. Tai really wanted some place we could relax with our friends. He felt that hotels and other standard wedding venues would really be confining. I disliked that we had to leave a certain time. If I'm having a good time I won't want to leave. With the campground we can stay in the barn until we are ready to leave then move to the camp sites to hang out.

But I can't provide my guests liquor. I keep telling people that if they want a drink they better bring it.

One of the most popular questions on the knot boards is how much liquor and other beverages to buy. Even if you aren't in charge of buying your own liquor you still should know how much people can put away.

So I searched the net for these handy dandy calculators:

Dallas Bartenders

I really like that they break up the sections differently. They also have a specific chart for wine.

Evite

This is usually my go to drink calculator. I like that you can customize it. It's pretty basic.

Wedding Channels' Beverage Calculator

This has a more detailed list of types of alcohol to buy. It also has a seperate calculator for just wine.

Table & Vine

This is probably the most comphensive calculator I found. It was the only one that mentioned soda. And it had a specific calculation for champange toasts (the one thing I'll miss at our wedding).

I hope these are helpful for you. And let me know if you know any other good beverage calculator resources.

A Calla Lilly Wedding?

I met with a florist on Saturday. I kind of hoped this would be THE florist so I could check that off the list. Thankfully, I asked on my knottie board about the flowers I wanted to have in the bouquets-peonies, ranunculus and hydrangeas. The other knotties told me that ranunculus and peonies are out of season in July. The florist confirmed this. And hydrangeas wilt quickly in the July heat. He did not recommend any of the flowers I wanted. He did recommend calla lillies:
He said they would hold up well without water and using just a few would create a more elegant statement. He also said that he could make 3 bouquets and 6 bouts for less than $200. In talking to my friend Janet, I think he either misunderstood me (less than $200 for my bouquet) or he just wanted to make a sale. Either way, it might not matter. Mr Florist said he would get back to me today about costs. He has not. I'm giving him til Thursday before I start searching for another florist. He was kind of odd and a little rude when I showed up for my appointment which he totally forgot about. His customer service skills leave me unimpressed. Which would be the reason for me to find another florist.
Oh, and I'm not sure about the calla lilies. Perhaps another kind of lily would be ok. Any ideas?

A DIY Flower Project

First off, thank you to everyone who commented about the invitations. Thank you for all your support! I just reviewed the proof for the invites. They'll be mailed to me in few days!
So I started my next DIY project. Flower buckets for the centerpieces. Honestly I wasn't sure if I could do this. I've never done flower arranging. I had no idea what to expect.
I went to Joann's and bought a shitload of fake flowers and green floral foam. I cut the foam and fit to the inside of the buckets. Then stuck the flowers in. Voila!
The first bucket is cream Ranunculus (sadly the closest I might come to ranuculus since they are out of season in July), light green hydrangeas (the fresh ones are too fragile for bouquets says the florist) in the tall bucket, and the pussy willows in the last bucket. I need one more bunch in the ranunculus bucket and one more bunch in the hydrangea bucket. Tai was pretty impressed. He thought they were real.
I have some more flowers but the buckets I have aren't tall enough. So I have to cut down the flowers. I broke my favorite wire cutters trying to cut the stems. Dad has heavy duty cutters he'll loan me.
So this DIY project does not have me in fits. I think I can do this one. Yeah me!

Feeling like a Failure

As I mentioned before, Tai suggested that we buy our invitations rather than have me make them. I resisted. I cried. I had already invested a good amount of time into designing our invites. But I was so stressed out about the details, I was becoming very bitchy. I would have mock-ups every night for Tai to look out. Different colored ribbons. Different fonts. I couldn't make a decision. I would tweak those invitations everyday. And I wasn't having any fun with them at all.
Tai stepped in and assured me that we could still have a great wedding despite not making the invitations. I really resisted him on that. We argued it about most of last week. He really wanted less stressed out Linda back. He didn't want to look at invitations anymore. Then I remembered something I told Janet when we started this process: I don't care about the invitations. No one really looks at them anyway.
In remembering how I felt about the invitations before I became stressed out bride helped me make my decision. Despite what I think, no one (no one) is going to open the invitation and caress it lovingly. No one is going to ooh and aah over it even if we'd sprung for letterpress. So I bought our invitations, response cards, and insert cards from WeddingPaperDivas. I went to sleep, pleased with knowledge that the invitations were crossed off our to do list.
I woke up feeling slightly guilty. Perhaps I took the easy way out. But I brushed it aside and tried to continue with my day. Then I saw Miss Peony's invitations. When I read that she hand ironed on all the Swarovski crystals on the invitations, I felt so bad. She obviously cares about her invitations. She put the time and energy that her guests will notice. Her wedding will be better than mine. (Note: this is a pity party. I don't really believe that, k.)
Feeling a little more guilty I tried to move on. I looked to the knot to assuage my guilt. I was reading a bio where the bride stressed making everything yourself. She believed that your guests would notice those little touches that you took the time to make. I felt even worse.
Then DIY bride had a poll. In her informal poll, 81% felt some pressure to DIY parts of their wedding. I count myself as part of that number.
When you don't have a ton of money to spend on your guests you want to find things that show your guests that you care. You want your guests to know you spent sometime thinking about them. But honestly I don't think that my guests want to know I stressed out myself to make something that they will ultimately throw away. (Please recycle the invitations, k.)
What I'm taking away from this whole experience is that we (Tai and I) need to take stock of what we feel is important. People notice food and drink. If there is not enough food or not enough to drink, people will notice. If I don't hand iron on the crystals onto the invites no one will notice. I hope you all work to make the day memorable for you and your guests-within your own limits.
PS I really love Miss Peony's invites and I'm totally jealous that I couldn't make the same thing. Anyone who takes that kind of time to do that totally rocks. I can't wait to see pictures from Miss Peony's wedding cause it will be beautiful.

All About Me!

I've been tagged by Tara, so here we go.

1.What is your occupation?
I work in social services. I assist seniors.
2. What color are your socks right now?
Green and white
3. What are you listening to right now?
The computer humming, Tai trying to get his new laptop set up.
4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Sushi
5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Nope. Dad tried to teach me when I was first learning but it was too hard for me.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Green.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
Ashley
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Yes, I love her blog. She has so many great ideas!
9. Favorite drink?
Ice tea. We usually have a pitcher of it in the fridge.
10. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Hockey, football, and baseball-in that order. I only watch college basketball during March Madness.
11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
In college, I did dye my hair with mixed results.
12. Pets?
Not at this time. When we have a larger space we'll either get a cat or a dog or maybe both!
13. Favorite food?
Yummy food. I have a shorter list of what I don't like than what I like. But safe to say I love most Asian food-Chinese, Thai, and Japanese!
14. Last movie you watched?
The Holiday
15. Favorite Day of the year?
There were a few really good days. But the day we got engaged ranks up there followed by Tai's birthday.
16. What do you do to vent anger?
I vent to my friends, my dad and Tai. I complain to my coworkers and strangers on the street :)
17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
My fake Cabbage Patch Doll named Charlotte.
18. What is your favorite, fall or spring?
Fall. I love watching the leaves change color. I love the warm days. I'm usually ready to wear jeans and sweaters by then too.
19. Hugs or kisses?
Both please.
20. What kind of pie?
Me love pie. Blueberry is my favorite!
21. Living arrangements?
Tiny apartment shared with Tai.
22. When was the last time you cried?
I got weepy the other night.
23. What is on the floor of your closet?
A bag of clothes to donate, bags of pillows, a box of hangers.
24. Favorite smell?
clean laundry, freshly mowed lawns, warm oranges.
25. What inspires you?
Kind of broad question, but basically other people.
26. What are you afraid of?
Clowns and falling.
27. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
With cheese. Yummy.
28. Favorite car?
1966 1/2 Mustang or a Prowler.
29. Favorite cat breed?
I love Mika's cat. It's an Abyssinian. So pretty.
30. Number of keys on your key ring?
Like 10.
31. How many years at your current job?
2 1/2 years.
32. Favorite day of the week?
Sunday. I love lazy Sundays.
33. How many states have you lived in?
Two-Washinton and Ohio.
34. How many countries have you been to?
Canada and Mexico.

Ok, I tag Road to The Aisle, She Weds, An Excited Bride, and Little Miss Planner!

Floral Inspiration

In order to not sound like a complete idiot when I meet with the florist on Saturday I've been trying to come up with ideas. I think I'm narrowed it down for bouquets.I like this without the roses and with light green hydrangeas.
This is the color I'm looking for but I like the leaves around the outside like the one on top.

Or I could go with peonies. I really like this bunch here.
I like this is fuller, but probably more expensive.

I really like how the leaves go all the way around. I think those are mint leaves-ooohh. These are ranunculus. I these the other day when I passing through Whole Foods.

I really like the idea of all one flower. I think it looks more elegant. Wish me luck tomorrow. Hopefully I can cross florist off my list!