Wedding Party Presents

With 17 days to go before the wedding (eek!), I’ve finally picked out the gifts for my attendants & for Daniel.  The gifts for the bridesmaids will be a silver monogrammed compact inside these adorable personalized makeup bags:

I thought a long time about what I wanted to get Daniel.  I wanted it to be something small, but meaningful. Since he’s so crazy about guitars, I finally decided to order him some personalized guitar picks (in green) with this written on them:

I really hope he likes them!

Monogamy

Monogamy.  Not the idea of ‘only having one spouse at a time’ (definition.com!), but the WINE.  After much consideration we decided to change our wedding wine to the superb Target brand Monogamy.  Although the wine IS delicious, I will admit the main reason I decided to change it is because of the absolute irony of the name.  It’s perfect for a wedding wine!

We got 30 bottles of Monogamy wine in today from Target (15 cabernet, 15 chardonnay).  Now if only I can keep my hands off it until the wedding….

I’ve also finally come up with wedding music for the ceremony & reception.

So far:
Prelude… Air from Water Music – Lumiere String Quartet
Processional… Pachelbel “Canon” – the exact version from Father of the Bride :)
Solo (performed by my mom during hand fasting)… Come What May – from Moulin Rouge
Recessional… Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen
First Dance… All I Ask of You – Phantom of the Opera
Father/Daughter Dance… Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Mother/Song Dance… You'll Be in My Heart - Phil Collins

I have these songs in a Wedding Music playlist on my iPhone that I listen to over & over.  Plus I’ve changed Daniel’s ringtone to All I Ask of You & my generic ringtone to Pachebel’s Canon—I’m definitely NOT obsessed at all!!!

I’ve also been thinking about how to tell the makeup/hair artist to do the bridesmaids hair.  My MOH & I have been thinking about a low side ponytail, I think that may be my final decision.

Like so:

Another Bridesmaid & Our Marriage License!

Last week I asked another girl to be in the wedding party as a bridesmaid (since Christie left we have been at uneven number).  This weekend, she said yes!  Courtney will be standing up with me at my wedding—I’m so happy!  I bought a very similar dress to the other bridesmaids’ for $25 on eBay, and it should be here by the end of the week.  I just need to get it altered to fit Courtney & we should be good to go!

Daniel & I also went & picked up our official wedding license today!  It’s really pretty… I can’t wait to hang it up on our wall :)

 

Bachelorette Party Part I

Last night a bunch of my coworkers threw me a bachelorette party – it was so much fun!!!  One of the girls took me to a pedicure early in the afternoon, then we went back to another girl’s apartment & had a couple of drinks (champagne punch, big YUM).   They really went all out for the party-- they had a BRIDE white tank top for me to wear, along with cat ears attached to a veil (since my name is Cat), a pink & black feather boa, & a bride-to-be sash!  Everyone got a pink, white & black pin to wear that said things like ‘Flirt’, ‘Bad Girl’, & ‘Vamp’ - I was a flirty bad girl :).  Plus they had made bachelorette party mix tapes with an awesome mix of 80’s rock songs – that’ll be in my CD player for a while!

One of my coworkers even brought me the cutest towel dog ever:

We went to BJ’s for dinner, which was fabulous as usual.  After dinner we went to Pete’s piano bar and had a blast!  Being the bachelorette, I had to get up on stage & dance to a “German” song that involved touching whatever body part the song mentioned (so, head, nose, mouth, boobs, stomach, crotch, butt!). 

A few pictures from the night:

I’m really thankful to have such great office buddies :)

Wedding Hair & Makeup

I had my first hair & makeup trial run today!  It went fabulous, I LOVE how everything turned out!  I am doing smoky black & silver for my eyes, and curly, partially up for my hair.  See pics below :)

Ceremony Accessories

After researching several different wedding traditions, Daniel & I have decided to do a handfasting ceremony right before we say our vows.  This is an old Irish tradition & is in fact where the term ‘tying the knot’ comes from.  The officiant will say a little introduction to the ceremony, then bind our hands together with the ribbon, go through our vows, & finally end with “The knots of this binding are not formed by this cord, but by your vows. You hold in your hands and hearts the making or breaking of this union. May your marriage be blessed with patience and dedication, forgiveness and respect, love and understanding” before untying the ribbon.  I think it is a really sweet ceremony.


I ordered the Celtic knot handfasting ribbon:

I also ordered Ty’s ringbearer pillow, he’s going to look SO cute!!

And a sixpence for good luck that I am going to tape to the bottom of my wedding shoes:

For the rest of the rhyme (Something old, something new, Something borrowed, something blue , And a silver sixpence in her shoe), I’ve decided to sew my deceased grandmother’s first wedding ring to the inside of my dress (old), my mom bought me some adorable dangly earrings (new), & I have my police-themed garter (blue)… but what to borrow???

My wedding earrings:

Dancing the Days Away

Daniel & I are having so much fun with our dancing lessons (or at least I am!) that we’ve decided to sign up for a few more.  We’ll be going every Monday & Tuesday until the wedding in order to get more practice – and trust me, we need it!!  We’re getting better, but I still managed to nearly fall down today when I didn’t spin into the ending correctly.  Plus, we’re going to learn a few extra dance steps so that we can dance to other songs at our reception.  We’re starting out with the RUMBA—the dance of LOVE!

Back to the Venue

Today my mom & I drove up to Clark Gardens to finalize all of the wedding details.  We also met our DJ & videographer out there so they could figure out the details of reception set-up.  It looks like everything is on track – good thing since there is less than a month to go before the wedding!!

Dancing in The Dress

My mom learned how to lace-up my wedding gown today & I got to see how the corset back looks – I love it!!  It’s a pretty long, complicated process, but I think my mom has got it down.  She got extra practice when we went to the dancing studio for my dance instructor to see the dress.  I had to try it on for her so that she could see how far it sticks out & how well I can move in it.  It’s actually not hard to move in at all once it is bustled!  I love how it flares out during my spins :)

Sweet Memories

My mom & I drove up to Keller today & talked with the caterer/cake maker/florist/bartender, Susan.  Everything is finalized now, & my mom added a couple of extra things (lemonade and a fruit platter).  We should be good to go!

We also decided that we want to have a butterfly release at the end of the wedding.  My mom ordered 36 Monarch butterflies to be delivered to our hotel the day before the wedding.  She also ordered a beautiful white cage for them to stay in during the ceremony.  It has a bow at the top that we untie to release them.   The butterfly release should make for some beautiful pictures!

The Newlywed Game

Today Daniel & I met with our videographer to make our pre-wedding video!  We did our own version of the Newlywed game in which we made up questions about ourselves or our relationship to ask each other.  We went to BJ’s for the video shoot & had a really fun time!  This video will be shown at our wedding reception during dinner.

My questions to Daniel were:

1.     What is Cat’s favorite animal at the zoo?

a.     Golden lion tamarin monkey

2.     What was Cat’s favorite class in college?

a.     Animal behavior

3.     If you were both allowed a dinner date with a celebrity of your choice, whom would Cat pick?

a.     Anthony Hopkins

4.     If Cat were to associate you with a cartoon character, what do you think it would be?

a.     Bugs Bunny

5.     What will Cat say is her favorite physical feature about you?

a.     Muscular upper arms

6.     Name one activity that Cat does with you ONLY because she loves you.

a.     Goes to Guitar Center

7.     What is the first thing that Cat does when she wakes up in the morning?

a.     Goes “piddle”

8.     What traffic sign best describes Cat on a bad day?

a.     Stop

b.     Yield**

c.     One way street

d.     Road Work Ahead

9.     Who drives worse, you or Cat?

a.     Cat

10.  What is Cat’s most-repeated sentence or phrase?

a.     That’s awesome

11.  What is Cat’s favorite type of wine?

a.     Cabernet Sauvignon

12.  What will Cat say is the most embarrassing thing she’s ever done around you?

a.     Throwing up after my 21^st birthday

13.  What is Cat’s biggest irrational fear?

a.     Needles

14.  What is Cat’s favorite clothing store?

a.     Express

15.  Name three of the top four countries that Cat wants to visit.

a.     Greece, Canada, England, Australia

16.  What is Cat’s favorite book?

a.     Harry Potter (specifically Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire)

17.  What is Cat’s favorite holiday?

a.     Christmas

18.  What is Cat’s most annoying personality trait?

a.     Being indecisive

19.  Where did you & Cat share your first kiss?

a.     Daniel’s apartment

20.  When it comes to money, is Cat more like a safe & secure Swiss bank or a splurging machine?

a.     Swiss bank

21.  When you both watch television, who holds the remote?

a.     Daniel

22.  If you could get rid of one article of clothing that Cat wears, what would it be?

a.     Flannel reindeer pajama pants

23.  What flower best describes Cat in the morning when she first wakes up?                 

a.     Sunflower**

b.     Bird of Paradise

c.     Snap Dragon

24.  What did Cat receive her most recent traffic ticket for?

a.     Not signaling 200 feet before changing lanes

25.  What is Cat’s favorite condiment?

a.     Honey mustard

26.  What animal at the zoo does Cat say reminds her of you?

a.     Bald eagle

27.  Which of the seven dwarves will Cat say she reminds you of the most (Dopey, Grumpy, Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy, Sleepy)

a.     Happy

28.  Which of the seven deadly sins will Cat say she is most often guilty of? (pride, greed, envy, anger, lust, gluttony, sloth)

a.     Sloth

29.  Cat is usually…

a.     Running late

b.     On time

c.     Early**

30.  What bill does Cat complain about the most?

a.     Electric bill

31.  Who stresses out about things more – you or Cat?

a.     Cat

32.  If Cat were stranded alone on a desert island, what non-human thing would she most want to bring?

a.     Sadie

33.  What chapter of a science textbook would Cat say best describes your relationship?

a.     Acid/Base Chemistry

b.     Electricity & Magnetism**

c.     Physical Science

d.     Animal Behavior

34.  What was the month & year that Sadie joined your family?

a.     May 2006

Bridal Shower Part II

I just got back from Houston where I had a second bridal shower thrown by one of my bridesmaids (Daniel’s sister), Nicole, & Daniel’s Aunt Sue.  Daniel’s mom was also heavily involved in the planning of course :)

I flew into Houston yesterday at 9AM, & Daniel’s mom picked me up from the airport.  We went pretty much straight to Sue’s house, where the bridal shower was being held.  They were finishing a few last-minute decorations & heating up the food when I got there.  Before the shower started we, of course, also had to sample the champagne punch that was being served – absolutely DELICIOUS!

The shower was so much fun!  Nicole came up with some really great games (with nice prizes!).  The first game was that no one could say the words ‘bride’ or ‘groom’ during the entire shower; we were each given 2 stickers & if one of the taboo words was spoken, then whoever noticed first got to steal a sticker from that person.  The winner was the person with the most stickers at the end of the shower.  One of Daniel’s aunts got me really good when she asked me – ‘So is your dad feeling like the guy in that movie… oh, you know, the one with Steve Martin?’, to which I, of course, responded, ‘OH! Father of the Bride!’ & promptly lost a sticker.

The second game was a sort of purse scavenger hunt.  Nicole had printed out a list of items with points assigned to them, & we all dug through our purses trying to find the items.  I had, unfortunately, cleaned out my purse before getting on the airplane, so I lost miserably.  Amusingly, my MOH got 15 points for having a pair of socks (and tried to claim BBQ sauce as a breath mint).

In the last game, everyone had to write down 5 items that they thought I would get during the shower (bridal bingo!).  I got a lot of really wonderful things, including 2 lovely bar stools, a candy apple red KitchenAid, a knife set, & a beautiful wooden statue of a couple on their wedding day.

I had a wonderful time!  My MOH, Ashley, spent the night with me at Daniel’s parent’s house, which was great since I barely get to see her.  Daniel’s mom & sister drove me back home this morning.  It’s the first time for them to see our brand new house & they really like it!  They’re going to stay a couple of days & then my mom is coming to stay for the rest of the week (it’s her spring break) so it’ll be a busy few days!!

Wedding Stress

Well today has been a stressful day.

One of my bridesmaids, Christie, had organized a bachelorette party for me for March 27^th a few weeks ago & sent out invitations, etc.  Today she called me to say that she won’t be able to stay for the entire party – even though she is the host.  Her reason is that she has a project due the next week for graduate school, which I realize is important, but she knew the due date for this project before she set the bachelorette party date, so it isn’t like it is a new development.  Since she was supposed to be my designated driver & keep things running according to schedule, this is really a big problem &, to me, completely unacceptable.  After a long talk with her, we’ve decided that she should no longer be in the wedding.  She just doesn’t have the time & doesn’t see the wedding as a high priority in her life right now—which is fine, I just wish I had known this a few months ago.  Oh well.  I don’t think we’ll be friends anymore, which is kind of a shame, but that’s the way things are sometimes.

In other news, Daniel & I saw Phantom of the Opera tonight & it was FANTASTIC!

Dress Fitting & Dancing

Today I went for my first dress fitting.  It was a bit of a depressing experience overall, although I think in the end it will be for the best.

When I ordered my dress back in August, I had tried on the sample size 6 (which fit), but decided to order an 8 just to be safe.  Between now & then, I don’t believe I’ve gained too much weight (maybe 5 pounds, but definitely no more than that because my clothes are still fitting).  So, I was very surprised when the size 8 wouldn’t fit.  At all.  In fact, at the top it was about 3 inches from closing.  There is just no way I’ve gained that much weight in the past few months- I would have had to have gained 20 or 30 pounds!  Even the seamstress said that the dress seemed much too small for a size 8.

Long story short, I had to pay almost $700 to get a corset back put in, as well as to get the dress slightly shortened in the front.  When I first started looking for gowns, I had really wanted a corset back, but fell in love with a zipper-backed dress.  I’m pretty excited that I’ll now have a beautiful lace-up corset back, just wish I didn’t have to pay so much for it! 

I also picked my bustle today.  I went with a large French bustle in the middle & two smaller ones on the side:

We also went for our first dancing lesson today at Arthur Murray Dance Studio.  Our instructor, Ashley, is just terrific!  She is going to teach us the foxy for our first dance, which will be to All I Ask of You from the original Phantom of the Opera Broadway production. 

Something interesting: a foxy is a hybrid between a waltz & a fox trot (I had no idea), but it’s a very sweet, simple dance & I’m definitely excited!

Honeymoon Night!

Today I made reservations for our first night as man & wife!  We’ll be staying at an adorable bed & breakfast 30 minutes away from our wedding venue!

Here is a picture of the room we booked:

The owner of the B&B says about our room: “[the room]…has a beautiful four poster bed with a Rose Tree comforter/shams that go well with the dark wood and leather on the headboard. It has a marble top bedside table with a calf-hair lamp and shade that is very unusual, leather sofa, big screen TV, bathrobes in the Rosewood Antique Armoire, coffee maker, huge Jacuzzi tub 7ft x 4ft and made for two,hardwood floors, oriental rug and breakfast table set up and ready for the full hot breakfast that is delivered to your bedroom door each morning. This room is a rich golden tan color which shows off the white custom wooden shutters and art work. This room is in the very back of the house and a bit off to itself, on the corner of the house.”

It looks beautiful, and most importantly, secluded!  

Guestbook & Favors

Well, we’ve come to a final decision about the guestbook & wedding favors! 

Our guestbook will be bird-themed to match our invitations: 

There will also be a frame for people to sign near the guestbook:

And the wedding favors will be cherry blossom themed to match my wedding cake.  As my MOH pointed out, it will be like sending them home with a tiny piece of my cake that they can keep forever :)  Everyone will get one of each:

Bridal Shower Part 1

My mom threw me a WONDERFUL bridal shower yesterday in my home town!!  I had a fantastic time, even though I was feeling a bit under the weather.  Daniel, Christie, & I drove the 5 hours there yesterday morning & got there a few hours before the shower started.

Shower activities included: eating massive amounts of cake balls, playing a game in which I had to stuff wads of gum in my mouth if I missed questions about Daniel (I ended up with a baseball-sized wad of gum), & opening lots of beautiful presents (including a full set of pots & pans, a waffle maker, a deluxe magic bullet, some wonderful SOFT towels, & a picture frame in my china pattern, & a really beautiful Texas themed chip & dip plate).

 Here a few pictures from the shower!

Aww the happy couple!

Yummy food!

Lots of CAKE BALLS!

The adorable favors - heart measuring spoons!

Towel cake – yes, it is made of TOWELS!

My MOH, me, & my mom

My MOH, me, & one of my bridesmaids (Nicole)

Thanks, mom, for an amazing shower :)