Wedding Details: The Gifts

This post is the third & final in my Wedding Details “series.” This post was written prior to my wedding & honeymoon for readers to enjoy while Chris & I are in Disney. I’ll begin recapping our special day once we’re back & settled from our trip.

Edited to Add – Obviously, the “Wedding Details” posts didn’t go up while I was gone. Please enjoy them as Chris & I settle in, & I’ll be back to “regular” blogging soon!

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Bridesmaids’ Gifts

I had a total of 6 bridesmaids & 1 flower girl in my wedding party.

For the bridesmaids, I ordered bracelets from Beaded Jewelry for You on Etsy.

I loved the way these bracelets turned out & they matched the girls’ dresses perfectly!

Additionally, I purchased personalized robes for each of the girls, also through Etsy (by Embroidery by Melissa). I chose cream-colored robes with purple embroidery to go with the wedding colors!

For my flower girl, I purchased a small Vera Bradley bag, a small bracelet (same as this one) & a book, Flower Girl, by Gail Herman.

Parent Gifts

These were the gifts that I struggled with the most. I appreciated everything both my & Chris’s parents did for us, & both Chris & I wanted to make sure we found the perfect gifts.

For my parents, we purchased two tickets for a hot air balloon ride!

For Chris’s parents, we purchased a gift certificate to a bed & breakfast & included enough for them to purchase tickets for a local wine tour.

Additionally, I ordered personalized handkerchiefs from Weddings by Molly & Mom (also on Etsy) for both of my parents & Chris’s mom.

Chris’s Gift

This gift was a special project for me! (I probably should have said this before, but I love giving gifts & always try to think of the perfect thing.)

Last summer, I went on a tour of a local art gallery, Goggleworks. As I was touring the building & peeking into the different artist studios, the idea came to me. I decided to commission an artist to paint a picture of Chris’s yellow lab, Chance.

Chris had mentioned several times how hard it will be to be away from Chance (even though we’re only a 10 minute drive) & I thought this would be a fun way to always keep him with us!

Chris’s mom & sister gathered some pictures for me, I contacted an artist, & a few weeks later, I was presented with the final product. I love the way it turned out!

Do you consider yourself a good “gift giver”? I like to think I am! I put a lot of thought into what to get people!

Wedding Details: The Little Things

This post is the second in my Wedding Details “series.” This post was written prior to my wedding & honeymoon for readers to enjoy while Chris & I are in Disney. I’ll begin recapping our special day once we’re back & settled from our trip.

Edited to Add – Obviously, the “Wedding Details” posts didn’t go up while I was gone. Please enjoy them (more coming tomorrow!) as Chris & I settle in, & I’ll be back to “regular” blogging soon!

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This post recaps all of the “little things” we did to personalize our wedding & make the day special for our guests!

We had ceremony program covers printed by our graphic designer, Kristin. This listed our bridal party, parents, & an outline of our entire ceremony. (This picture was taken before they were completely assembled; blue & purple ribbon was used to hold the cover & interior together.)

Bubbles were provided to our guests after the ceremony for when we exited the church! The picture makes these look a weird shade of bluish-purple, but they were actually dark purple to go with our color scheme! 🙂

At our reception, we stocked each bathroom with goodie baskets that had a few “emergency items” people might need – aspirin, Tums, hair ties, etc. – we tried to think of everything!

We ordered personalized cocktail napkins & matchbooks to have out during our reception.

I liked that these gave our reception a personalized touch & was happy that we were able to emulate a similar monogram to the one we used on the rest of our stationary.

Our cake was presented in a self-serve setup; guests could help themselves & leftover cake was boxed up for guests to take on their way out at the end of the evening!

I loved the idea of being able to take some cake for a late night snack, & I hope my guests enjoyed it as well! 🙂

Last, but not least, we put together welcome bags for our overnight guests. Although our reception wasn’t held at a hotel, we had a shuttle provided to and from a nearby hotel for guests who didn’t want to drive home at the end of the evening.

Upon check-in, guests received a bag that include two waters, a bag of chips, a bag of cookies, a candy bar, & two Airhead candies! (Not the healthiest options, but hey, it’s a celebration!)

 If you’re married, did you include any of these details on your big day?

Wedding Details: Bridesmaids’ Dresses & Flowers

This post is the first in my Wedding Details “series.” This post was written prior to my wedding & honeymoon for readers to enjoy while Chris & I are in Disney. I’ll begin recapping our special day once we’re back & settled from our trip.

Edited to Add – Obviously, the “Wedding Details” posts didn’t go up while I was gone. Please enjoy them (more coming tomorrow!) as Chris & I settle in, & I’ll be back to “regular” blogging soon!

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The bridesmaids’ dresses & flowers were two of my favorite things about the wedding. Let’s talk dresses first!

I had a total of 6 bridesmaids in my wedding – my sister, my two cousins, Chris’s sister, & two friends. I wanted a dress that was modern, different, & that everyone would really like & find flattering. My sister & I began the “hunt” together & ended up choosing two dresses for the other bridesmaids to try on; together we’d determine which of those two would look best on everyone.

I couldn’t find the exact dress that was our option #1, but this is a very similar style: Option #1.

Option #2, however, end up being our winner! I loved the ruffled collar, & it looked good on everyone. We chose “majestic” as our color (a deeper purple than the picture below).

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For our flowers, we went with predominantly hydrangeas. Hydrangeas were a reoccurring theme for the wedding, & were incorporated into our stationary as well.

(source)

My bouquet was a combination of blue hydrangeas, purple lisianthius, purple stock, & ivory roses. My bridesmaids carried simple bouquets of a mix of dark & light blue hydrangeas; the flower girl carried a single white hydrangea.

                    (source)                                                     (source)

Lastly, our centerpieces for the reception were also hydrangeas – shocker! 😉 We went with a small arrangement of three hydrangeas in a “bubble bowl” vase.

(source)

Of course I plan to do recaps when I return from the honeymoon with actual pictures from our wedding, but I hope this gives everyone a “sneak peek” into how everything came together! 🙂

What were your wedding colors or what colors would you like to use? Do you have a favorite flower? Purple is by far my favorite color, so I knew I wanted to incorporate it into our wedding. I don’t necessarily have a favorite flower, but I love the “soft” look of hydrangeas!

No Words

 

 

Don’t forget to stop by Monday, Wednesday, & Friday for a few wedding re-cap posts! 🙂

Going to the Chapel

Well, it’s about that time for my brief hiatus as I venture off to get married & enjoy my honeymoon! I decided to give myself today & tomorrow off from blogging as we finalize a few things & enjoy our rehearsal & rehearsal dinner. Of course I won’t be posting on Saturday (the big day!) but I hope to swing by at some point Sunday evening, if only to publish a picture or two from the wedding.

Additionally, I have 3 posts set up to run next week when I’m away. Please stop by on the following days for re-caps of some wedding “stuff”!

• Monday, 8/8 –> Bridesmaids dresses & flowers
• Wednesday, 8/10 –> The little things
• Friday, 8/12/11 –> Gifts

I’ll catch up with you all soon! See you from “the other side”! 🙂

Stressed

Being 3 days out from my wedding has got me thinking a little bit about how I handle stress.

During the school year, I feel like I’m constantly in a stressed-out state. Between lesson planning, preparation & grading, I feel like there’s no time for much else.

Since school is out for summer, my stress level has dropped drastically, but of course my impending nuptials are causing some of those usually strictly “school-year feelings” to resurface.

Luckily, I found this article on Shape.com that gives 5 tips for managing stress during the week of your wedding. (Pretty convenient, no?)

Tip #1 – Take time for you.

I’m definitely trying to make sure I have time to decompress each day (this time is usually spent reading some of my favorite blogs), but it’s becoming more difficult as we near the end of the week. However, I’m looking forward to my mani/pedi scheduled for Friday!

Tip #2 – Stay in the moment.

I’ve heard this tip from so many people. Even though wedding planning is stressful, I’m sure I’ll be a little sad when it’s over, so I’m going to try to enjoy the next few days.

Tip #3 – Have a date night.

Chris & I don’t have a typical “date” scheduled, but we do spend time together almost every day. In fact, I think tomorrow we are exchanging wedding gifts, so that can count as a date, right?

Tip #4 – Treat your body right.

I’m definitely not denying myself, but I am well aware I should be eating a bit healthier, as evidenced by last night’s dinner & today’s pit stop at Sonic (hey, it was convenient as we were out running errands). At least I’ve been keeping up my gym routine! I’m hoping to be a little more aware of the foods I’m eating in the next 2 days so I don’t wake up feeling crummy & bloated on Saturday.

Tip #5 – Be realistic.

I think I’ve done a pretty good job of being realistic throughout this entire process. (Of course, I have had my moments.) Everything will turn out how it’s supposed to, & if there’s a “mess-up” I’m pretty sure no one will even notice.

How do you deal with stress? If you’re married, were you stressed before the big day & how did you handle it?

A Wedding Dress & Ice Cream for Dinner

The title explains it all, but here we go…

I started my morning with a 6:00 BodyPump class. I’m trying really hard to keep my normal gym routine this week, even though I’m busy with last minute wedding details.

My mom & I had to head to Kleinfelds today to finally pick up my wedding dress. If you’re interested, here’s a a recap of my last fitting.

We left PA around 9:30 & made it to the city by 12:00. We were told to be at Kleinfelds around 1:00, so we decided to grab lunch at our old stand-by, Telegraphe Cafe! (We ate there when we first picked out the dress & just a few weeks ago at my final fitting.)

Today I went with a half sandwich of prosciutto, brie, grilled peppers, tomato, & lettuce with an Italian dressing on multigrain bread (I asked them to hold the olives; I’m not a fan). It was delicious, as always. This place was a good find!

Afterwards, we headed over to Kleinfelds, picked up the dress, & were back on the road in no time.

Our trip home was taking longer than expected, & my mom suggested a quick stop at a dairy not too far from home. She quickly followed the suggestion up with something about not spoiling our dinner. Hmmm, what to do, what to do?! Ice cream for dinner, of course! 😉

We made a pit stop at Longacre’s Modern Dairy & each ordered a “small” cone. Apparently, small at this place is about 4 scoops, but that’s perfectly fine with me!

This dairy has countless flavors, but as soon as the word ice cream was brought up in the car, I knew I wanted cookie dough!

This was one delicious cone & the perfect summer “dinner” after a long day in the car.

We just arrived home a little while ago, & now the dress is in my possession, resting in its new home for the next few days…

There are few more wedding tasks on today’s to do list. I’ll be back tomorrow with my last “real” post before the wedding!

Do you ever have dessert for dinner?

Wedding #2

This is going to be a quick recap; I’m spent!

This afternoon, Chris & I attended our second wedding in two weeks (next up is ours!). This week it was my friend (& awesome hairdresser!) Steph’s turn. Steph & I have actually known each other since grade school & became good friends in junior high.

Between the ceremony & reception, we stopped for a quick drink & snack. I dominated this bag of peanut butter M&Ms; these are so good!

At the reception, we enjoyed a buffet of salad, baked ziti, chicken, potatoes, & veggies. I didn’t snap any pictures, but it hit the spot! 🙂

I did capture the first dance & also got a decent shot of the bride’s dress – I loved it!

Instead of a cake, they had a tower of delicious-looking cupcakes!

Unfortunately, I think the heat was getting to me & I just wasn’t up for one, but they looked truly amazing & I saw happy looks on the faces of those who did enjoy them! 🙂 (I’m sure my consumption of peanut butter M&Ms had nothing to do with my lack of sweet tooth!)

My last two pictures of the night are of me & my handsome date & the adorable centerpieces!

It was a great evening & I wish Steph & her new husband, Teddy, the best! 🙂 And in case you’re wondering… yes, she will be back from her honeymoon in time to do my hair next weekend! 😉

Now, off to enjoy some relaxation…

Are you attending any weddings this summer?

An Important Errand

I feel like every post from here until August 6th could be titled “important errand,” & it would be an accurate description of the post! All of those little things that we said “Oh we’ll do that later,” or “That’s a ‘last minute’ thing,” need to be taken care of – now!

Before I ran today’s “important errand,” I woke up & headed to the gym. I had a rather indulgent weekend – attending a wedding, going out to dinner, & enjoying takeout – so I wanted to get back into my normal routine first thing this morning.

When I got home from the gym, I whipped up some cherry-chocolate-walnut oats! I included the  same ingredients that I used in last week’s oats, but I added in some cherries.  Cait always makes the most delicious-looking breakfasts with cherries, so she definitely inspired this breakfast! I quickly “chopped” the cherries so I wouldn’t have to deal with the pits as I was eating; can’t have anything slowing me down during feeding time! 😉

I added chopped walnuts, mini chocolate chips, & chia seeds. I also enjoyed a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee on the side (seriously, someone enroll me in a 12-step program – stat!).

Before I left for my “important errand,” I enjoyed BFL – breakfast for lunch. I didn’t snap any photos, because it was filled with my usuals.

I was all set to go & headed to Weaver Nut Company in Ephrata, PA (about a 40 minute drive for me). I had a very serious quantity of bulk candy to pick up! If you’ve planned a wedding recently, you might have some guesses as to what all of this candy is for!

Of course, it started down-pouring as soon as I arrived for my pick up, & continued to storm as I ran into the warehouse, then the retail shop, & my entire drive home… delightful!

This place is the stuff SkinnyRunner’s dreams are made of:

After I weighed my car down with 30+ pounds of candy, it was time to head home. Luckily though, before I left, I spotted homemade organic peanut butter & grabbed some to add to my purchase! (I figured I deserved a little treat after driving there & back in a monsoon.)

I made it home, & unloaded my purchases:

Then it was time to dig into the peanut butter! I stopped myself from consuming the entire container by the spoonful & made a quick snack:

  Now, it’s time to work on some more wedding tasks & stuff for school. I’ll leave you with a few pictures of Stewie because, well, why wouldn’t you want to look at pictures of him?!

What’s your favorite kind of candy? I have to go with gummy sharks! (Do you all know what I’m talking about?) There may, or may not, be gummy sharks in some of those bags! 😉

Home Stretch

We’re in the home stretch of wedding planning, so expect to see a lot of wedding stuff on here in the next 13 days! 🙂

This morning began as all other Sundays, with church. Afterwards I had a few (wedding) errands to run… Target & Hallmark!

Last night, my mom & I ate at Applebees, & I had some leftovers, so today for lunch I had the rest of my quesadilla burger – a burger with Mexi-ranch sauce with pico de gallo & shredded lettuce. Served in a pepper Jack & cheddar quesadilla. I also had a few leftover fries on the side. It was pretty tasty, even if it was a day old! 😉

Next on the agenda was the seating chart.

For some reason, I’ve been dreading this task most out of everything that goes into the wedding. It wasn’t too bad, but creating an Excel spreadsheet & double-checking everything before we send it off to our graphic designer, Kristin, was a bit tedious. I’ll let Stewie sum up how I felt when all was said & done:

Finalizing everything took a good portion of our afternoon, so when dinner time rolled around, my parents decided to order out from a local place. I saw baked spaghetti on the menu & thought it sounded interesting. A lot of places around here give you bread & a salad when you order a meal, so it turned out to be a rather large dinner.

I ended up eating a very small portion of the spaghetti & the entire serving of garlic bread (it was good!) & now I have leftovers to enjoy for lunch tomorrow! 🙂

Now it’s off to go over my “to do” list for the upcoming week & hopefully relaxing for a bit.

Hope everyone has a good start to the week! 🙂

What’s your favorite thing to order for take out?