Little Gifts for my Groom

David, if you happen to be reading... Stop. :) Love you!

Sometimes It's Ok to Cry...

...especially when you have a cute 'tears of joy' packet to use! I was undecided about whether I'd add this project to my list or not until I was wandering through the aisles of Hobby Lobby with my mom and found damask tissues. And they were in the wedding section, meaning they were 50% off. I'm pretty sure it was a sign. I picked up like 7 or 8 packs and a couple aisles later found the perfect little packages for them:

(Coincidentally also 50% off!)

Each pack had 10 tissues, so with the help of BM S, I put 3 tissues in each packet. They were just a bit too long for the packet, but we just folded them over a bit at the top - No one will even notice! I designed some cute labels for them and printed them on a sheet of label sticker paper. It ended up looking like this:

And less than an hour later, I had this:

I ended up with about 25 packets for 300 guests. I'm debating if I should make more, not because I think that many people will be overcome with emotion at my wedding, but because I have a feeling my more sentimental friends and relatives will take one just to keep. And I know my mom and I both want one to keep too. Maybe I should double the amount? 

If you made tears of joy packets, how many did you make in relation to the number of guests you're expecting? If you're already married, how many were left over? Or did you run out?

Dressing My Little-Ish Lady

**I apologize for the lack of posting the last few days - I was without a computer charger last week, my sister's baby shower was Saturday so my mom was in town, and I was sick most of the weekend with a 101 degree fever. I'm hoping to get some posts scheduled for this week, though!

My JrBM K, David's younger sister, is at that stage where she's right inbetween girls' and juniors' clothes. While I was home for spring break FMIL and K wanted to go dress shopping, so we started out at JC Pennys. K is wearing a black dress of her choice, just like all of the other bridesmaids, so our options were a bit limited. We basically found these two dresses:

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She looked adorable in both, but David being the protective big brother that he is preferred the 2nd one because of the sleeves. K was happy with it, so FMIL went ahead and bought it (on sale!) We ran out of time to look for a dress for FMIL, but I'm sure we'll be able to find something within the next couple months.

Do any of you have jr bridesmaids? Was it somewhat difficult to find a variety of options for their dresses?

DIY Detail: Damask Table Squares

I knew I wanted a hint of damask on the tables at the reception and went back and forth between table squares and runners for the longest time. I just love this look:

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All of the pre-made squares and runners I found online were insanely overpriced, and we're going to have close to 30 tables. One day I was walking through JoAnns and stumbled across this:

It was the same length as the drapery rods and was vinyl instead of fabric. I wouldn't have to worry about it getting wrinkled or anything spilling on it and I could get more squares out of each yard - Perfect! I took note of the price and decided I'd buy it when we got closer to the date using a 40% off coupon. 

Last week while I was home I happened to remember it (thankfully! I'd say 2.5 months out is 'closer to the date') and my mom and I stopped in to buy a few yards. It happened to be on sale and was WAY cheaper than I anticipated -- $2.49/yd! We bought what was left of it, which was about 7.5 yards and decided we'd figure out what to do with what was leftover after the table squares.

*On a sidenote, as my mom and I were talking about what a great deal it was another girl and her mom walked up and asked about it - I let them look at it and the girl's mom said, 'She's actually looking for material for table squares or runners for her wedding - This would be perfect!' Haha, so funny. I seriously wanted to ask the girl if she had a blog, but I figured that would be way too creeper-ish. But obviously we think a lot alike!*

I decided cutting 18x18" squares was a perfect job for David, so he helped out with this project! Cutting is fairly manly, right? 

*Ignore the mess - My stuff (graduation announcements, boxes from shipments of bridesmaids' shoes, wedding crap) may or may not have taken over my parents' living room...*

And after he was done, we had 30 table squares that look like this:

I love them and can't wait to see our centerpieces on top of them! I think they'll be the perfect pop of pattern for the tables. We're still deciding what to do with the rest of the roll, but I'm thinking I'll make runners for the cake table and maybe a couple other tables. We'd already bought wider runners for the head table, so that's taken care of. I'm sure I'll think of something to use it for! 

Are you using table squares or runners? Did you find a good deal on them or are you DIYing them?

Unveling the DIY Veil!

Before trying on wedding dresses I really wasn't sure what kind of veil I wanted. I knew I wanted it fairly long so I could get some fabulous pictures, but didn't have many other specifications besides that. My bridal consultant tried several different types on me during my appointment, but none of them were exactly what I wanted (not to mention they were WAY overpriced!):

When my mom, BM S and I went to David's Bridal the second time, my consultant tried some cathedral length veils that were closer to what I wanted:

I thought the cathedral length was just a little too long since it was longer than my train. I decided I wanted one close to chapel length and my mom and I decided to make it. We'd been putting it off for months, but we finally got it done last week while I was home for spring break and it turned out perfectly!

I've seen several tutorials, but my mom and I didn't really follow one. My mom is super talented and used to sew a lot, so she made it seem so easy! Basically, I just held the tulle up close to where it'll be positioned on my head and we measured and cut it just past my feet. My mom then took the end that will be in my hair and loosely stitched across it. Afterward, she pulled the stitch tight and knotted the thread. At this point, it looked like this:

We found a pack of hair combs in the bridal section of Hobby Lobby and they were 50% off! *If anyone needs one, I've got 5 extra!*

After sewing it to the comb it looked like this:

I love it! I really wanted it simple, but it wouldn't be too hard (although a little tedious) to add embellishment to the sides of it. I love that I got exactly what I wanted, that my mom made my veil, and that it cost less than $5! You can't beat that! And now I'll get pictures like these:

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Kansas is notorious for being windy, so it will actually come in handy for once! Aren't those pictures gorgeous?!

If you're thinking of making your own veil, I'd highly recommend it! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I can't guaruntee I'll be able to answer them, but my mom probably can! :) I'm trying to get her to open her own etsy shop - She's so talented! 

Did you know what kind of veil you wanted? Where did you end up buying it? Has anyone else made their own??

Hair Trial!

I debated back and forth for weeks about whether or not to do a hair trial. I really wanted to, but since it wasn't included in the price of my 'up do' and the style I want is fairly simple, I decided I'd rather use that money for other things. BM M works at the salon that I'm using and after I made the appointment for the day of, she texted me and said she was going to pay for my hair trial as her shower gift. I couldn't believe her generous offer! She told me she decided to do that for both me and her sister who is getting married 2 weeks before me because we're both the type of people who won't do/buy something because of the cost and then regret it later. She knew it would calm my (and her sister's!) nerves on the big day, and I think she was totally right.

I went into the appointment with several pictures of the look I was going for. I'm pretty picky about my hair and there was a certain style that I really wanted. I made a collage of several of the inspiration pictures I'd saved and brought it in with me:

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Overall, I think the stylist did a pretty good job of recreating the style I wanted:

My veil (which I'll be blogging about tomorrow!) will go under the curls that are half up for the ceremony. I really like the back and don't want to change anything about it. The two things I'm going to ask her to do differently are to part my hair back futher and to let my bangs fall more naturally - I had already messed with my bangs in the pictures because she had pinned them back. One of the things I like so much about all of my inspiration pictures is the way each bride's bangs are loosely side-swept. Other than that, I was really happy with it! The curls are still pretty tight in the pictures, but loosened up quite a bit as the day went on. I wish I would've been able to try it with my veil and my hair flower, but my mom and I hadn't made my veil yet and I forgot to bring my hair flower home. I'm not worried though, I think it will look great with both!

Did you do a hair trial? And were you grateful you did?

It's Really Happening!

I know I've been a bride for over a year now, but receiving the invitation to my bridal shower was really the first time I thought, "Oh my gosh, this is really happening!" I'm SO looking forward to my shower. It will be one of the first times that all of my family from both sides and all of my friends from both 'home' and 'school' will meet, as well as David's mom and sister getting to meet everyone. And how could I not be excited with invitations this cute?! 

It was so weird to see my name as the 'bride-to-be'! 

 I actually found these invitations at TJ Maxx a couple weeks ago for $2/pkg and BM S loved them, so she went ahead and bought them. They turned out even cuter than I pictured them! It's a room to room shower, meaning that everyone is given a certain room of the house, and their gift is supposed to be something that can be used in that room! I'd never heard of this idea, but I'm so excited about it! She also used the cutest little poem on them:

And she included an adorable stamped recipe card (using the chandelier stamp I absolutely love!) in each invitation - I'm excited to see and use everyone's favorite recipes!

I can't believe the shower is now less than 4 weeks away. It's going to be here before I know it! All of the wedding related activities are going to make the time go by even faster - And they'll definitely make it feel like this is really happening! I'll be sure to post a recap of the shower, BM S is keeping most of it a secret from me, but I have a feeling it's going to be lots of fun! 

What moment made you realize the wedding was actually happening?

**Don't worry if you haven't received yours yet - You should get it today or tomorrow! :) 

Where Did This Week Go?!

I can't believe it's already Saturday! My last spring break is almost over, and it went by entirely too fast. I accomplished a lot this week (I think!) but just haven't had time to sit down and blog about all of it. I made sure to take pictures of everything though, so I'll have lots of good posts for next week. 

While I feel like I made lots of progress this week, I've been getting a bit worried about everything left on my to-do lists. Yes, lists, plural... I have so many lists in my planning notebook I don't know what to do with them! We're down to 84 days and I have way more than 84 things left to accomplish. It really scares me that this is the last time I'll be spending more than a weekend in Wichita until I move back in the middle of May, 3 weeks before the wedding. I know everything will get done somehow, but that doesn't mean I won't worry about it! 

Anyway, I'm on my way back to Oklahoma City to watch the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament and (hopefully!) watch my Jayhawks win again! 

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I promise (really this time!) that I'll have posts about my veil, our table squares, JrBM K's dress, our invitations, and my bridal shower invitation next week! Have a wonderful weekend!!

**PS - Hobby Lobby has all of their wedding stuff on sale for 50% off this week - They've got a cute new damask line for you other damask brides! Hurry in because the sale ends today! :)

Making a House a Home

Ever since David and I had our offer accepted on our house I've been spending so much time looking at furniture and home decor websites! We've got some friends who are in the process of moving into a house as well, so I've found myself looking at stuff for them too. Like kids beds for example. While we won't be needing one anytime soon, they're still so fun to look at! How cute is this one?

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After finding that CSN has over 200 stores, I've spent even more time on their sites like allmodern.com and cookware.com. David and I are both pretty typical college students, so we need lots of stuff to fill our new home. We particularly need quite a few (quality) items and appliances for our new pretty kitchen:

I was so excited when I was given the opportunity to do a review of one of CSN's products. I can't wait to receive these:

I'd definitely recommend any of the CSN stores - They have quality products (many of which are on our registry!) for lower prices than you can find in stores, and they offer free shipping on many items!

Where do you do most of your shopping for furniture and home decor items?

Birthday Weekend Recap

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! I had a fabulous weekend! When I got in town Friday I was able to get my nails done and go shopping with two of my best friends (MOH A and BM M) and then got ready for a dinner with friends. I wish we would've been able to get a picture of the whole table, but we did get one of all the ladies!

And let's not forget this one:

After dinner several friends came over to David's apartment. About half of them are in the wedding so it was fun for them all to get to know each other better!

It meant so much to have MOH A there - She's in the Air Force and is stationed in Louisiana, so we're only able to see each other a few times a year. :(

Saturday was my actual birthday - I met my mom for some shopping and then had lunch with her and David. Afterward we watched KU win the Big 12 Tournament (for the 6th year in a row!) by defeating our in state rivals - Perfect birthday present! David had to ref out of town early Sunday morning, so unfortunately he had to leave right after the game. Saturday night I went dancing with my ladies which was SO much fun!

We all wore black tops, skinny jeans, and heels without planning it - Haha, guess that's why we're best friends! 

Isn't MOH A's boyfriend so cute? We love him!

I still haven't seen most of the pictures from this night, but everyone is supossed to be sending be theirs. It was a wonderful birthday weekend and I'm SO thankful for the great people in my life. It makes me even more excited for the wedding and for the activities leading up to it! 

I'm trying to get lots of stuff crossed off my list while I'm home and the end of the week because on Thursday and Saturday I'll be in Oklahoma City for the first round of the NCAA tournament, cheering our Jayhawks onto victory! We're the overall #1 seed and the 'favorite' to win it all, so I have high hopes! (Even though I pick them as the national champion every year regardless!) I can't wait!

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I'm ready for a reapeat of this:

 

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And this:

 

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I'll hopefully have some project posts for you guys this week! Hope everyone's weekend was as much fun as mine! :)

Getting Pretty

I've mentioned that my wonderful momma will be doing my makeup, but it was important to me that all of my bridesmaids would be there for that special time too. I'll be getting my hair done at the salon earlier that morning. BM M actually works at the salon, so she might come with me, but I'm not exactly sure yet who all will be there. The girls will be doing their own/each other's hair and makeup, so I wanted a big space where we can all get ready together (along with my mom and FMIL!) The most practical place is the honeymoon suite that David and I will be staying in on our wedding night. We're hoping that no one will be staying in it the night before so that we can check in early, but there's a chance I'll just book the room for Friday night too so we can have a big slumber party. :) The room has tons of space that will be perfect for hanging out and getting pretty:

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I'll be having our photographer arrive a little while before our first look so she can get some pictures like these:

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And these:

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*She's a fellow KS bride!*

And she can hopefully get some of the details of the day, too. I love ring/shoe/jewelry/detail shots, and I'd like some pictures of the girls' hangers with their dresses on them and them getting ready in their towel wraps (that I still need to make!)

I can't wait! It will be so much fun getting ready with all of my favorite people there with me. 

Where are you getting ready?

**I'm heading home this afternoon and will be starting my (21st!) birthday celebration this afternoon and evening! I'll hopefully get a birthday recap post up sometime early next week! Have a great weekend! :)