I went to take a friends pictures of her wedding day. I started at her house as she slept, through getting the dress on. A limo was waiting for her outside. Because of the huge hoops she had on she was the only one that would fit in the Limo. We are moving towards the limo and on time and camera hot from the pictures being taken. I smell smoke and laugh that "my camera so hot it's smoking". Limo driver screams "FIRE". It was burning and I could not resist - I took some pictures. Now the problem comes up. How are we going to get Bumble Bee to her wedding. Everyone has left to prepare the way. All I have is a pickup with camper. She runs in the house and gets a blanket, and lays in on the bed of truck. She lays down and holds up her feet and I graciously pushed her in. The top of the hoops were touching the top of inside of the camper - again I could not resist, I took some pictures.
A month later as we are previewing the wedding book the Husband was complaining that I saw her yellow and black stripped underwear before he did. I could not resist again - I took a...........................
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Stop And Smell the Roses
Who has a great Wedding Flowers story?
I DO, I DO, I DO!
OK, so how many of you have smelled a bouquet of fresh Lily of the Valley? It is AWESOME!
So, I live on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula where Lily of the Valley only blooms during 2-3 months of the year. Those 2-3 months did not fall anywhere near my wedding day! So, my fiance (who is now my husband, of course) researched growing Lily of the Valley. He learned that you can "push" the bulbs to bloom at off times of the year for that particular flower. He spoke to different nurseries, he bought all the materials, ordered the bulbs and he actually grew the flowers that were for our wedding in his mother's backyard! He then spoke with a very nice lady at one of our local craft stores who was more than happy to show him how to make the arrangements that would be decorating the church. I'm actually not sure if it was the same lady or not, but someone did help put the bouquets together. They were amazing!
I actually didn't know that he was growing them, he just told me that getting the flowers for the wedding was something he wanted to do as part of his participation in the wedding planning. I gladly handed that responsability over to him. He asked me what flowers I wanted for the wedding and on our weddind day - he delivered bouquets more beautiful than I could have imagined! Oh, and the smell! It was absolutely intoxicating! When I think about that day, I can still smell the flowers!
HE'S A KEEPER! (:
I DO, I DO, I DO!
OK, so how many of you have smelled a bouquet of fresh Lily of the Valley? It is AWESOME!
So, I live on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula where Lily of the Valley only blooms during 2-3 months of the year. Those 2-3 months did not fall anywhere near my wedding day! So, my fiance (who is now my husband, of course) researched growing Lily of the Valley. He learned that you can "push" the bulbs to bloom at off times of the year for that particular flower. He spoke to different nurseries, he bought all the materials, ordered the bulbs and he actually grew the flowers that were for our wedding in his mother's backyard! He then spoke with a very nice lady at one of our local craft stores who was more than happy to show him how to make the arrangements that would be decorating the church. I'm actually not sure if it was the same lady or not, but someone did help put the bouquets together. They were amazing!
I actually didn't know that he was growing them, he just told me that getting the flowers for the wedding was something he wanted to do as part of his participation in the wedding planning. I gladly handed that responsability over to him. He asked me what flowers I wanted for the wedding and on our weddind day - he delivered bouquets more beautiful than I could have imagined! Oh, and the smell! It was absolutely intoxicating! When I think about that day, I can still smell the flowers!
HE'S A KEEPER! (:
Take Care of You
Life is hectic enough without having to plan a wedding too! So, remember to take care of yourself! Easier said than done, I know! If you think about it though, if you only concentrate on the tasks and feel pressured by the deadlines you will burn yourself out FAST! How fun would it be to be exhausted and drained on your wedding night? Not too sure your spouse will appreciate that. So, again, no one wants to start out on the wrong foot!
How do you take care of you? Well, taking care of yourself takes time, sooooo, DELEGATE! I can't emphasize enough how important it is to delegate tasks! Weather it's hired help or volunteers there are resources for you but you have to be willing to use them. Don't be a Bridezilla! Letting go of a small portion of the control IS OK! Make your vision clear to your help, weather it's by making them detailed instructions on paper, showing them pictures of what you want, or defining boundries & conditions like getting final approval from you before purchase or mass production. If help is hired they won't be complaining to you. If help is volunteers, they volunteered because they want to help you have the wedding that is going to make you and your future spouse happy! So, in a sense, you still will have control, you just won't have to do the leg work! How much better can it get?
Try to keep in mind that people are not perfect but I believe that when it comes to helping with another's wedding ... their hearts are in the right place. Respectful communication is key in getting everything done right! Even if you use hired help, respect goes a LONG way! You will find that when a professional is treated with respect they often, by nature, will put out more for you on your special day!
So, give yourself time to relax at regular intervals of planning! Take long showers, get plenty of sleep, don't forget to eat! Eat fresh & healthy, drink a lot of water. Lay off of fatty or greasy foods ... not good for your body fat content OR your complexion! Spend quality time with your fiance, growing your relationship through this exciting time of planning! You can learn a lot of great relationship lessons through all the challenges that will arise during planning a wedding!
How do you take care of you? Well, taking care of yourself takes time, sooooo, DELEGATE! I can't emphasize enough how important it is to delegate tasks! Weather it's hired help or volunteers there are resources for you but you have to be willing to use them. Don't be a Bridezilla! Letting go of a small portion of the control IS OK! Make your vision clear to your help, weather it's by making them detailed instructions on paper, showing them pictures of what you want, or defining boundries & conditions like getting final approval from you before purchase or mass production. If help is hired they won't be complaining to you. If help is volunteers, they volunteered because they want to help you have the wedding that is going to make you and your future spouse happy! So, in a sense, you still will have control, you just won't have to do the leg work! How much better can it get?
Try to keep in mind that people are not perfect but I believe that when it comes to helping with another's wedding ... their hearts are in the right place. Respectful communication is key in getting everything done right! Even if you use hired help, respect goes a LONG way! You will find that when a professional is treated with respect they often, by nature, will put out more for you on your special day!
So, give yourself time to relax at regular intervals of planning! Take long showers, get plenty of sleep, don't forget to eat! Eat fresh & healthy, drink a lot of water. Lay off of fatty or greasy foods ... not good for your body fat content OR your complexion! Spend quality time with your fiance, growing your relationship through this exciting time of planning! You can learn a lot of great relationship lessons through all the challenges that will arise during planning a wedding!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Pre-Wedding Skin Care
Like I have already mentioned ... wedding planning can be stressful and exciting .... and skin does not always like to be stressed OR excited! Remember your skin! Don't forget to exfoliate, cleanse, tone and moisturize! Cleanse, tone and moisturize morning and night! Drink LOTS of water! Use a moisturizer with sunscreen every day! But DON'T wear sunscreen on your wedding day! Sunscreen has reflective properties and does not compliment flash photography! Do whatever you can to get your skin looking as good as it can! I recommend keeping a regular regimen starting NOW and continuing on FOREVER! Take pride in yourself from the inside out! It will only help your confidence weather you need a boost or not!
What are some of your favorite face/skin care products out there? How does your face/skin care regimen affect your budget?
What are some of your favorite face/skin care products out there? How does your face/skin care regimen affect your budget?
My Wedding Dress Adventure
I want to hear about your wedding dress hunt and all the funny and maybe not so funny events along the way! Post away!
I was so fortunate to have my mother make my wedding dress! It was absolutely beautiful and made just for me! It was my mother's gift to me and it meant so much! I hope to be able to pass it on to my daughter .... but hopefully not for a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY long time! (:
I was so fortunate to have my mother make my wedding dress! It was absolutely beautiful and made just for me! It was my mother's gift to me and it meant so much! I hope to be able to pass it on to my daughter .... but hopefully not for a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY long time! (:
Who Takes The Cake?
So, cutting corners (financialy) when it comes to wedding cakes might be tough. Of course, I was extremely blessed and a very dear friend volunteered to make my wedding cake. Not only was it beautiful but it was super yummy!
If I had to shop around for a cake, taste wise, I think I would have gone with Layers. Who has great wedding cake 411 out there?
If I had to shop around for a cake, taste wise, I think I would have gone with Layers. Who has great wedding cake 411 out there?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Making It All Mean Something
The AVERAGE cost of weddings today is about $20,398 and that doesn't include a honeymoon! How does one save money and still have the wedding of their dreams in today's economy? I'll tell you what worked for me!
First, clearly define what yours and your fiance's "Dream Wedding" actually is because, BELIEVE ME, if you have a clear understanding of what is going to be planned before you start planning, you will avoid some very unpleasant encounters during an already stressful time. Learning to compromise is one of the elements of a marriage so if you both can't compromise now ... better just stop planning! Share your final decisions/plans with Family & Friends that will be helping in the planning. When everyone is on the SAME page, it's a beautiful thing!
Second, set a realistic budget. Don't spend money or plan on spending money that you don't have yet. Financial stress is a huge contributer to divorce ... don't want to start off on the wrong foot!
Third, prioritize what elements of your wedding are the key players. Where is your main focus. I thought during the planning of my wedding, as long as my fiance and the pastor show, I'm OK! You don't have to be that simple minded but you get the point. If everything started to NOT turn out the EXACT way you wanted it to, what ONE thing would you say HAS to be perfect and what elements could you overlook NOT being absolutely perfect? Pick your top 5, because you want to focus on what YOU & YOUR SPOUSE are going to remember from your wedding day. The elements that fall farther down on your list are NOT unimportant, they are just elements that give you room to make adjustments. For me, the elements farther down on my list I was able to let go of, in terms of control. I ended up delegating responsibility to family and friends who were absolutely dying to participate! I can't tell you how much that meant to them ... and how much more memorable that made my wedding day! In addition, those parts of my wedding that I delegated out actually saved us TONS of money! Why? Because the family member or friend who took charge of that task also insisted on funding it! I didn't expect that, nor should you, but you might be pleasantly suprised at how much your family and friends want to give to be a part of supporting a great start to a new life for you and your soon to be spouse!
I've got a ton more tips .... you know what they say, "Live and Learn" .... and I have definitly LIVED it and now I wanna share it! More tips to come .... I hope this helps someone!
I can also recommend quite a few wedding related professionals in my local area if anyone is interested.
I'd love to hear about your wedding experiences and wedding professionals recommendations also! Let's help each other avoid unpleasant and unecessarily expensive wedding blunders! It should be as perfect a day as it can be ....
First, clearly define what yours and your fiance's "Dream Wedding" actually is because, BELIEVE ME, if you have a clear understanding of what is going to be planned before you start planning, you will avoid some very unpleasant encounters during an already stressful time. Learning to compromise is one of the elements of a marriage so if you both can't compromise now ... better just stop planning! Share your final decisions/plans with Family & Friends that will be helping in the planning. When everyone is on the SAME page, it's a beautiful thing!
Second, set a realistic budget. Don't spend money or plan on spending money that you don't have yet. Financial stress is a huge contributer to divorce ... don't want to start off on the wrong foot!
Third, prioritize what elements of your wedding are the key players. Where is your main focus. I thought during the planning of my wedding, as long as my fiance and the pastor show, I'm OK! You don't have to be that simple minded but you get the point. If everything started to NOT turn out the EXACT way you wanted it to, what ONE thing would you say HAS to be perfect and what elements could you overlook NOT being absolutely perfect? Pick your top 5, because you want to focus on what YOU & YOUR SPOUSE are going to remember from your wedding day. The elements that fall farther down on your list are NOT unimportant, they are just elements that give you room to make adjustments. For me, the elements farther down on my list I was able to let go of, in terms of control. I ended up delegating responsibility to family and friends who were absolutely dying to participate! I can't tell you how much that meant to them ... and how much more memorable that made my wedding day! In addition, those parts of my wedding that I delegated out actually saved us TONS of money! Why? Because the family member or friend who took charge of that task also insisted on funding it! I didn't expect that, nor should you, but you might be pleasantly suprised at how much your family and friends want to give to be a part of supporting a great start to a new life for you and your soon to be spouse!
I've got a ton more tips .... you know what they say, "Live and Learn" .... and I have definitly LIVED it and now I wanna share it! More tips to come .... I hope this helps someone!
I can also recommend quite a few wedding related professionals in my local area if anyone is interested.
I'd love to hear about your wedding experiences and wedding professionals recommendations also! Let's help each other avoid unpleasant and unecessarily expensive wedding blunders! It should be as perfect a day as it can be ....
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