Wedding Welcome Bags

Our last DIY wedding chore....the welcome bags.  This task was on my list from the beginning but not one that I placed as a high priority - if we found the time, great...if not, no big deal.  But after I saw how cute they were, I was so glad we decided to do them.  I can not take credit for the idea, I found it on Michael.com craft section several weeks ago. 

I didn't want to do "gift bags" or canvas bags so I searched ideas for something more vintage.  Lo and behold - the traditional paper lunch bag to the rescue.  Here they are in my assembly line...

 And take a peek inside....water, chips, Hersheys minis, sweet and salty bar, and Lance crackers.  We made enough so they hotel can give one per person instead of one per room.  We purchased all the snacks at Sams.

 Now to make it cute.  We went to Michaels and purchased ivory scalloped scrapbook paper and pink ribbon. The only other tools needed are scissors and a single hole punch.  

 We cut the paper to look like a scrap of lace and used the ribbon to adhere it to the bag.

 And a whole group of them (in the tacky frito-lay box that we are are trying to re-purpose as a tray).  

I love the way they turned out.  I was able to keep my theme without a lot of extra expense.  A win-win for us and for our guests!

Wedding Update...19 days left

Oh my goodness, time is flying by!

Work is the most hectic thing in my life.  I have to get all the tasks that typically take 26-30 days (a full month) completed in just 21 days.  The clock is ticking and I have a strong feeling there are going to be a LOT of late nights.  Two weekends ago I had my bachelorette party and last weekend R and I took an impromptu trip to Nags Head...trip post to follow in the upcoming days.  There isn't a lot of time left and we have several more things to check off before the big day!  Here are the items I need to complete this week...

• Print Programs
• Finish the Coordinator's Notebook
• Write Out the Escort Cards and Assign Dinner Seating
• Get Marriage License (March 6)
• Purchase Beer for Reception
• Confirm the Number of Ceremony Chairs
• Pay for Reception Linens
• Confirm the Guest Count For the Caterer
• Hair Appointment for Cut and Color (March 7)

Wedding Update....47 days to go

Since I last updated my blog the invitations have gone out as well as round one of the thank you notes and the bridal luncheon invitations.

My future mother in law is distributing menus so everyone can select their rehearsal dinner meal.  R and I have worked on several crafty projects for the reception decor and I have worked on my coordinators notebook (timelines, decorations guide, layouts, contact lists, etc).  I also purchased the favors for my bridal luncheon and we have started redecorating using the goodies we were "showered" with!

Oh and this past weekend has been wedding packed!

On Saturday we met my family and coordinator for a walk through our ceremony / reception space.  I timed my "walk" down the aisle and reviewed decor set up and the owner's policies.  We were also given access to an online layout of the property where we can do a mock set up for the caterer to know where the tables should go.  It's an awesome tool!

I also received my bridal portrait!  And my fantastic photographer gifted me with not one but TWO free portraits because she wanted me and my mom to have the one I picked plus the one that she loved the most.    At 16x20  it's a whole lotta me between the three portraits.

I viewed and approved our custom cake topper from an Etsy seller MilkTeabyBthanari (more details in a later post).  It's amazing and as of right now it is in transit and I visit it via tracking number daily.

We went to a wine shop in the afternoon and purchased several bottles to sample so we can choose our wedding wine...definitely a fun task!  AND I think we have made our decision!

I purchased a bridal shower dress at the last minute!  I have shopped for weeks with noluckwhatsoever.  But  I found it in the eleventh hour and it's beautiful - a big snug in the hips but at least it doesn't need serious alterations which is better than most of the dresses I found.  While we were shopping R lucked up and found the best bowtie ever for our rehearsal dinner and I tried on a potential new lipstick for my wedding color...YSL #9.

Today my MOH hosted a bridal shower in my honor at her mother's home.  Oh. My. Word.  It was amazing.  More details in another post!

Oh yes....and it's SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!  My father passed away years ago and he was a 49ers fan.  For that reason alone I will be pulling for them to win.  R ordered Buffalo Wild Wings for us to enjoy during the game and I purchased a special snack for Baby to enjoy at half time.

We still have several tasks to complete.  The big ones for February:

• Finish our escort card display
• Meet with the DJ
• Final meeting with pastor to review our ceremony program 
• Pay the balance for our vendors and find out their time of arrival
• Alterations for brides rehearsal dinner dress, mother of the bride dress, and grooms suit
• Finish shower thank you notes
• Bachelorette Weekend :-)
• R's rehearsal dinner outfit
• Purchase alcohol for the reception
• Place order for reception linens
• Purchase the groom's gift
• Have the ceremony programs printed

I'm fully expecting small tasks to pop up but I'm hoping I can finished everything on this list in the next 25 days.

Wedding Update - 72 more days...

I wanted to check in to let everyone know why I haven't blogged very much in the past few weeks.  Along with working late most nights, we have been focusing on wedding chores.  A family member is coordinating our wedding so I've made detailed lists for her.  R thought it was hilarious that I created a timeline for my bridal party...I thought it was normal?!?!

We have also completed the wording for our ceremony programs and at the next meeting with our pastor we get to review it!  On Sunday he gave us his standard layout so I could base the program off of it.  R and I are still deciding whether or not we are writing our vows.

Etsy shop owner Bthanari emailed me to let me know our cake topper is ready, so I finally get to see her creation next week.  Oh, and the bridal luncheon invitations and our rehearsal dinner invitations are in.  I love seeing everything coming together.

We hit a snag ....  a rather large one...with our linen rentals so I will be placing a new rental order after my final venue walk through in February.

Friday I have a dress fitting, fingers crossed the bodice will be fixed.

Next weekend my invitations will. be. finished.

And I'll end this post with a photo of the sweetest pup ever sporting her new collar -

Thanks to everyone who is following my wedding journey.  It really has dominated my free time, especially in the past couple of weeks - the break we took over the holidays is hitting us hard now.

Wedding Update...looking forward

My wedding update is a little sad.  So sad that I refuse to post my list because it looks exactly like the last one I posted last month.  R and I took a break from wedding tasks to enjoy our holiday and a few days off from work.  Now I'm really feeling the stress from the hiatus!  On New Year's Day I wrapped the bridal party gifts and did a bit of crafting.  Today my mom surprised me by purchasing the stamps for the invitations so we are ready to address and assemble them!

Here are my big tasks for January:

• Purchase votive candles for the tables decor
• Purchase my groom's wedding gift
• Finish wedding music selections and set up meeting with DJ
• Finish our pre marriage classes
• Verify our wedding day transportation
• Order the guys suits
• Set up linen rental
• Decide on bridesmaids shoes
• Attend my first bridal shower
• Draft the Ceremony program
• Address and Assemble invitations
• Research alcohol and place order
• Make dinner reservations for our honeymoon

There are several small things that I will have to do this month as well but these are the major items I want completed by the end of the month.

Ah...my girls dresses came in right before Christmas.  I will not post a photo of my unsuspecting MOH in her dress but it looks amazing on.  I never thought I'd choose such a bright color for my wedding but it looks like Spring and is so flattering on even the most pale "right after winter" skin.

Brief Engagement update

So we've been engaged nearly a week and I'm getting overwhelmed with all the questions.  We have started the wedding planning fun.  We have asked our wedding party and have two appointments set up this weekend to look at venues.  We will be attending a bridal expo in April and will hopefully meet a lot of area vendors.  R had no idea of the costs of the different elements of a wedding so I've been doing some research for us to be able to plan our budget efficiently.  I can't wait to share our progress on our blog.

I wanted to share a couple of photos from a trip we took a couple weekends ago to Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks.  We were there for a friend's weddings and enjoyed 4 days relaxing on the island. 

 Our ferry!

 The banks as the ferry pulled in the the bay.

Ocracoke Lighthouse in the distance.

Bathroom at Howards...I thought the Adirondack chair in the corner was a fun touch...that and they have a great selection of beers and I'd worked my way through the list at the point where bathroom pictures seemed like a good idea. 

I have so many more pictures including a great one of R and I standing at the lighthouse.  Those photos are on his camera but I will post them as soon as I learn how to get my precious pictures off his fancy camera.