Ohhh...Ahhh...

This is being shipped out on Saturday! I plan on placing it on the escort card table. How will you decorate yours? Photo and product from http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5317160.

On My Christmas List...

Design/Hoodie from www.inkboxdesigns.com.

Technically I Didn't Need It, But...

I ordered it anyway and I love it! What a cute photo opportunity, come rain or shine! It wall also be a wonderful keepsake from the wedding that will make me smile every time it rains!www.signaturebella.com. How are you preparing for extreme heat or rain on your wedding day?

If I Didn't Already Have Enough Pairs of Shoes...

I would buy these to wear as my "something blue." Sigh.
Image courtesy of Oprah Magazine.

Cocktail Hour

Since we met at the Kentucky Derby, Andrew and I are planning to serve mint juleps during the cocktail hour. I've found several recipes, and I can't wait to try some of them out (in the name of wedding planning, of course)!

Recipe #1
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Early Times Kentucky Whisky
Silver Julep Cups
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2004/derby_experience/mint_julep.html

Recipe #2

Ingredients
4 cups bourbon
2 bunches fresh spearmint
1 cup distilled water
1 cup granulated sugar
Powdered sugar
Directions
To prepare mint extract, remove about 40 small mint leaves. Wash and place in a small bowl. Cover with 3 ounces bourbon. Allow the leaves to soak for 15 minutes. Then gather the leaves in paper toweling. Thoroughly wring the mint over the bowl of whisky. Dip the bundle again and repeat the process several times.
To prepare simple syrup, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of distilled water in a small saucepan. Heat to dissolve sugar. Stir constantly so the sugar does not burn. Set aside to cool.
To prepare mint julep mixture, pour 3 1/2 cups of bourbon into a large glass bowl or glass pitcher. Add 1 cup of the simple syrup to the bourbon.
Now begin adding the mint extract 1 tablespoon at a time to the julep mixture. Each batch of mint extract is different, so you must taste and smell after each tablespoon is added. You are looking for a soft mint aroma and taste-generally about 3 tablespoons. When you think it's right, pour the whole mixture back into the empty liter bottle and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours to "marry" the flavors.
To serve the julep, fill each glass (preferably a silver mint julep cup) 1/2 full with shaved ice. Insert a spring of mint and then pack in more ice to about 1-inch over the top of the cup. Then, insert a straw that has been cut to 1-inch above the top of the cup so the nose is forced close to the mint when sipping the julep.
When frost forms on the cup, pour the refrigerated julep mixture over the ice and add a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top of the ice. Serve immediately.

Are you serving a signature drink? Do you think that we can get away with only serving mint juleps at cocktail hour, or should we plan on serving another drink(s) as well (We plan to have a full open bar afterward.)?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/the-perfect-mint-julep-recipe/index.html

I Need This, Right?

It's only $50, matches our wedding colors/flowers and would be a cute item to have around the house as a non-creepy memento of our wedding...right? Right? Should I buy it?

By the way, this amazing clay floral arrangement is from Etsy Seller DK Designs http://www.dkdesignshawaii.com/. You have to check out her website and her gorgeous work!

More DIY Goodness

Tomorrow night I am getting together with my 3 favorite Denver gals to go to Archiver's for some scrap booking and paper crafting fun.

While I am there, I plan to work on 2 projects:

Bride's Room and Groom's Room Signs (in our pink/brown color scheme). I hope that these will make for some fun pictures on our wedding day!

A Thank You Banner (also in our pink/brown color scheme) for us to hold; we'll have a picture like this one made into a postcard to send to our guests after the wedding. I am hoping that these postcards will make the arduous task of writing thank you cards more fun!

Photo credits to: kristaselegantweddings.com and etsy seller EdenInspirations, respectively. I'll be sure to post photos of my own projects as soon as they are complete!

Details, Details, Does Anyone But Me Notice or Care?

My latest obsession is card boxes. I am really wondering how much of a feature they are at weddings and how much anyone notices them. Is this a project worth spending time and money on? In my earliest musing about this detail, here are a few I have found around the Internet. All pictures and products were found on http://www.ebay.com/.

The card boxes I found ranged from traditional like this one....

To bird cages like many bees are using...

To a wedding cake shaped one like this...

To my personal favorite (though I am not sure I would pay $155+shipping for a card box)....This last one can be custom ordered in your wedding colors from eBay seller For the Modern Bride.

What will you do for your card box? Should I stress about mine?

Poster Lust

(As I blogged yesterday) Since Andrew and I met at the Kentucky Derby in 2004, we are trying to tie this serendipitous meeting subtly into our wedding theme. However, subtle is the name of the game; we are getting married in the mountains in Colorado and do not want to detract too much from the natural beauty that surrounds us. Recently I stumbled on this poster while browsing the Internet for Kentucky Derby table names. The question of the hour is, would this poster be a sweet addition to our wedding decor, or would it be over the top? If I do add the poster into the visual landscape, how should I use it? One thought that I had was to put it on an easel near the escort card table. What do you think?

What's Your Wedding Saying?

Before I got into the world of wedding blogging, I did not know that a wedding was supposed to have a theme, or how to go about executing that concept. To be fair, I am not even sure that our wedding does have a theme, but there are a few elements that will tie it together.....

Our monogram will appear in many places, from our invitations, to our programs to our signage, to a gobo projection on the dance floor...
Gerber daisies will make an appearance in the fountain outside Lionscrest Manor, in our ceremony (and aisle) decorations, in all of the bouquets, in the centerpieces and will top the cake...

Last but not least, since we met at the Kentucky Derby, there will be subtle hints that evoke "Derby"; we will be serving mint juleps at cocktail hour and will create table names with Kentucky Derby themes (i.e. Run of the Roses, Churchill Downs, Seersucker, Mint Julep, etc). A sign on the bar will explain why we are serving mint juleps, and another sign on the escort card table (which will both include our monogram, natch) will explain the table names...

What do you think..do we have ourselves a theme? What is yours?

My Latest Love

Another weddingbee find. I plan to order a "Love is Sweet" banner for our midnight cookies and milk table, and a runner for our cake table with our monogram. And...best of all, Lydia, the etsy.com seller, has been a doll already!

Upon exiting the reception, guests will be greeted with crates full of white chocolate chip cookies, a galvanized pail of individual Horizon Chocolate Milk, and this banner.

This will be beautiful for our cake table, and will be fun to use as a table runner for future anniversaries (with our monogram, of course).

Products and Photos:http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5317160

Any other good finds on etsy that I should know about ? :)

Girls in Brown Dresses with Pink Satin Sashes

So...the bridesmaids dresses are in! I couldn't have planned it better. There are 3 styles and 6 girls, and 2 chose each dress without any suggestion for me! This was wonderful as I tend to be...ahem...minorly obsessive (okay very obsessive) about bizarre things like symmetry that I am sure no one else notices.

Here is 1 of the styles:

I love the dresses and so do the girls! The construction is high quality, the fabric is a nice blend of dressy/casual and, best of all...the dresses have pockets! However, when I thought of these dresses next to mine, it seemed like they might need a little something...

To dress them up a bit and to define waistlines in high-waisted dresses, I ordered these sashes in pearl pink from David's Bridal:

Photo credits and products: www.jcrew.com and http://www.davidsbridal.com/.

Did you add anything to your bridesmaids' dresses once you saw them in person?

Another Way to Continue the Monogram

This...with a light pink "T". I can't wait to take pictures with it, just like this one!

Product and photo credit: http://www.pamelasparasols.com/.

Something Blue, Parts I and II

I have 2 items that will both serve as my "something blue." Here they are without further adieu:


I thought these blue undies (from Hanky Panky) would be a fun and flirty twist on an old tradition:


I fell in love with the monogrammed dress label idea. I loved the label so much that I ordered a matching table runner and hankie for my bouquet (though the lettering for those is in pink, not blue).

For now, these photo credits belong to: http://www.bizrate.com/ and aweddingkeepsake.com. As soon as my camera decides to behave, I'll post actual pictures of my dress label.

What is your something blue?

More DIY Fun-Door Decorations!

E is for Erin... Please pardon her iffy photography skills...

Extreme close up! Letter A details.

I made these for the doors that separate the cocktail area from the ballroom. This was a quick, easy and fun project that I hope will add a little flair to otherwise nondescript French doors. I still need to add the pink satin ribbon I bought to hang them from.

Materials:

• Letters: $0.89/each



• Paint: $0.99



• Ribbon $2.99



• Stickers $3.99

Total Cost: $9.75

Total Time: Under 1 hour each

What little details do you hope guests will notice about your wedding decor?

Save the Dates are Out!

Here they are, resting atop my wedding scrapbook:) It's hard to tell, but they are magnets!

These do not look fuzzy in person; the blown up version of the picture+my poor close up skills distorted the image a bit:)

Elements:

Save the Dates http://www.savethedatemagnet.com/

Stamps: http://www.stamps.com/

Engagement Pictures: http://www.elegant-image.com/

Delightful DIY

I loved this sign from Delightful details, but did not love the price tag that came with it ($74). I decided to take matters into my own hands and to see if I could make my own sign before I spent more $ on wedding related items. So, without further adieu, here it is....

It's hard to tell in the picture, but there is a brown border around the pink, just perfect with our wedding colors! Also, Andrew still has to drill the holes in the top for me so that I can add the ribbon to hang it at the site (from a shepard's hook).

Materials:

• Wooden Sign:$9.99


• Paint $ 2.97 (.99 for each color at Hobby Lobby on sale)


• Ribbon $2.99


• Stickers $11.99
  

Total Cost:$27.93

Total Time 1.5 Hours

Top photo credit, Ms. Petunia from http://www.weddingbee.com/.

Old Navy Bargains

Though I rarely shop at Old Navy, each time I go I always wonder why I don't visit more often. I love the cute clothing and low prices! My latest delight came in the form of 30 pairs of flip flops for $2.50 a piece + shipping. I tied them together with personalized ribbon from Things Remembered (we had some left over from tying on the bubbles for the recessional), added them to a tin bin I found at Ace Hardware for $25 and viola....flip flops for our female guests for under $100. Photo credit (and flip flops) http://www.oldnavy.com/.

Pencils

Here are the pencils that I wrote about in my previous post: http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?requestURI=processProductsCatalog&sku=47/362&tabId=Everyday&BP=8067&cm_mmc=srchdex-_-Personalized+Mega+Pencil+Assortment-_-srchdex-_-srchdex&CM_REF=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.orientaltrading.com%2Fproducts%2FC379100.jsp They are $14.99 for 72.

During Dinner Fun.

As Andrew would be the first to note, I have an attention span that is shorter than the average 2 year old's. I also know that I have been to one too many weddings where I have sat by people I didn't know and was forced to make awkward conversation. For my own wedding, I printed copies of this mad lib: http://weddingprojects.com/Wedding%20Day%20Mad%20Lib.pdf. I plan to pull out 1 chair and put 5 of these (1 per every 2 people) and 5 personalized pencils (I got 144 for under $20 at Oriental Trading) out for guests. I included a cover sheet that explained Andrew's and my love affair with Mad Libs and encouraging guests who create especially funny Mad libs to give them to the DJ to read during dinner. I also plan on having him announce that if a table wants us to kiss, all of the members of the table will have to get up and sing a song with the word "love" in it. Do you have any entertaining ideas planned to keep your guests amused as they dine?