I’m talking, natural, nature, flowers.

Let me start from the beginning.  I do not have a desire to have my wedding covered in flowers.  They just are not that appealing to me (Yes, I can hear you brides out there gasping right now). Flowers are beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but I really did not have any intention of incorporating flowers into the wedding in any way other than the bouquets (The boys are not wearing bouts.  More on that in another post). I’m not opposed to beautiful and extravagant centerpieces, they just do not really fit the feel of my wedding.  And, let’s be honest, the FI could really care less.  I have other ideas on how to incorporate color into the wedding reception, which are equally as beautiful, and just plain fun! Plus, when your wedding ceremony site is practically a huge greenhouse with a ton of flowers, it doesn’t seem necessary to overdo it in flowers.

HOWEVER, in the past few weeks I have fallen. Hard.  Over these:

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Oh, ranunculas, how pretty you are.  For those who know me, you know I don’t like roses, so why do I like this somewhat rose look-a-like?  Trust me, it has nothing to do with it looking similar to a rose.  It just has character, and fullness, which is one thing a rose does not have.  How gorgeous is this bouquet?

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I just think a full bouquet of these babies would be fun and different. A change of pace from your ‘traditional’ bridal bouquet, which is obviously what I’m going for (the non-traditional part, that is). I just don’t like roses, or carnations or most flowers.

I know, I know. “But what about calla lilies? I thought those were your favorite.” Trust me they are, but they are also very expensive. I just never envisioned dropping a couple “Gs” on flowers. So unless anyone out there is bridal flower land has great ideas on where to get good quality calla lilies for cheap or how to incorporate them in a minimal, but effective way, I’m sticking with the ranunculas.

What are your favorite wedding flowers?  Well, really, do you have a favorite flower that was a “must” to include in your wedding plans?

And, to give you a taste of the gloriousness that is Gray and Yellow, here you go:

Thanks to Miss Joey for this inspiration. I just love the yellow envelopes!

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A shout out to the lovely Dallas Brides Something Blue blog for this one!  I just love the contrast.

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I think the guys would look great in gray suits, but with pops of yellow (tie/bow-tie, socks, etc.). AND, I already purchased that J.Crew gray dress on the top left (LOVES it) for something (rehearsal dinner, a wedding, etc.).

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We are still sticking with our “Garnet, Tangerine and Chocolate” theme, but I wanted to share my recent color crisis.  I think they are just so modern and chic!  I love our ideas for making the reds and oranges really pop.  Plus, I bought those GORGEOUS Kate Spade’s that I am beyond excited about.  I could not possibly change my mind now (although I would obviously wear those shoes anyway).

Did any of you waver between colors and have a hard time choosing?

I understand that, with where the economy is now, many brides/grooms to be are having to cut corners, have a smaller wedding, etc.  I get it.  Brides out there are becoming more and more budget-savvy, but that should lead to judgements based on how much you or I or friends are spending on their weddings.  You see, with each bride and groom comes a different set of situations and environments.

As the bride at Practical Wedding put it, your budget should fit you.  It should not fit what society thinks it should.  It really is based on a ton of factors, as she put it.

I guess my point is that you should not judge a bride and groom based on how fancy or expensive or cheap their wedding is.  Everyone is in a different situation and planned their weddings accordingly.  AND, what may be important to me in a wedding (i.e. photography), may not be what is important to you (i.e. dress, flowers, etc.).  My sub-point is that you should not feel guilty for what you spend on your wedding.  After all, it is YOUR wedding, not mine.  This applies to all elements of wedding planning.  People are going to volunteer their opinions to you about your wedding, including how much you spend.  Let them, but remind them that when they get married (or if they already have), that they can/did do what they want.  At the end of the day, your budget is about the two of you.  No one else.

Obviously, in this day and age, wedding budgets are a hot topic….just google it, you’ll find a million posts/rants/raves about it.

Have you or do you think you will feel guilty about your budget?  How have you handled the pressure?

I stumbled upon the cutest video today.  In my world of blogging around, I end up bouncing from blog to blog, so I honestly do not remember I found this tonight (sorry, I don’t trace my clicks, I’m not that blog obsessed).  Okay, that’s beside my point, I found this video that is just a cute little reminder of how important (and necessary) those little things (and acts of kindness) are.  Needless to say, I love love.

Do any of you find cute little reminders of how sweet love really is?

UPDATE:
And, again, more reasons why people should remember why the little things matter in relationships:

SexyRedFram

Just food (err, words) for thought, while I have love on the brain.

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When I first started working on wedding plans a few months ago, I kept reading about all these different craft ideas.  In the world of wedding plans, you run across terms like Gocco, Cricut, etc.  Gocco was a little too intense for me.  With a guest list of around 250, there is no way you could pay me to make 250 of anything with the Gocco, so it was not worth the investment.  Now, the Cricut on the other hand, was totally up my alley.

It can cut paper and templates for crafting projects, which to me was ideal, considering how much scrapbooking I do.  Add to that wedding plans and DIY projects, it just seems like the perfect fit (for me, that is).   I haven’t purchased one (and I am REALLY considering it).  On some of the many nights that I stay up late (which is every night), I have found myself watching the infomercials for the Cricut (I will pause so you can laugh).  It has been about two months since the last one I saw, so my desire to own one got put on the back burner.  That is, until I was going through all of my bookmarked wedding blogs, only to find Mrs. Penguin rave about hers.  And now the desire is back.  More than ever now too.  I could make my envelope liners without having to hand-cut them, I could have our escort cards cut in fun shapes, and our menus could be circles!  And, Amazon is selling it for $200 less than what it is on Cricut.com.

And, the desires just stands….need to think about this one and whether or not the FI wants to hear me cutting things on my Cricut at 2 in the morning (which is probably a big NO).

What should I do?  Buy it?  I could totally use it down the road (personalized stationary, thank you cards, scrapbooking, etc. etc.).  Oh the decisions!

The fountain in the lobby of Windows.

The Bride and Groom’s entrance!

Cutting the cake!

First dance!

Congratulations to M & M!  Have a fantastic time on your honeymoon!!

Tomorrow I will be heading off downtown to witness the marriage of two good friends.  I am really looking forward to it for a few reasons.  1.  It has been nearly a year since I’ve been to a wedding.  2.  I adore the two friends that are marrying.  They are a fantastic couple and great friends.  3.  It is the first wedding I will be attending as an engaged woman, so I will have a different perspective this time around.  4.  Their reception is being held at Windows (7th floor), so it is a good opportunity for the FI to see a wedding there before ours (I’ve already been to a few there).

I really love witnessing the wedding of two people deeply in love.  It is a great reminder of why people marry in the first place.  And, in particular, M and M (how cute?!) are just a great fit.  Two of the nicest people I have ever met and could not be happier to have met them both.

I plan on taking a million photos tomorrow (surprise, surprise), so I’ll share a few.  I told M that I was going to play the paparazzi at her wedding and her photographer might not like me (so sue me).  I’ll be armed with both cameras so I don’t miss anything.

Anyway, long story short.  I re-ordered my shoes in the next size up.  I wear a 7.5, but they were out, so I had originally ordered a size 7.  My thought was that I would be okay and could ‘break them in.’  Since Zappos is still hunting for my original pair, I got nervous that they would not have ANY left online (I did order the last pair of 7′s), so I went ahead and ordered the 8.

I previously called Kate Spade to see if they would be making more of these shoes and they had told me no (again, another reason for me to be nervous). Zappos refunded my money for the 7′s and will continue to hunt for them until they find them. They assured me they would deliver them once they are located.  At that point I will be able to decide between the 7 and 8.  The 8 isn’t bad at all, just a tad big, but I figure if I will be walking around in them all day, my feet will probably swell a bit, making them a perfect fit.  My point?  I just had to have those shoes.

And, for your viewing pleasure:

Okay.  No more shoe posts for a LONG time.  Promise.

“Because your are a valued customer, we are upgrading your shipping, free of charge.”

Of course I’m more than excited, because that only means that my shoes will arrive 2-3 days earlier than promised (bonus).

Before heading off to work this morning, I check the UPS tracking number to see where my love Keedens are in relation to me.  Lo and behold they were in town and were “Out for delivery.”  Could it be, that my shoes would be arriving into my hands today?

When the UPS man announced his presence in the office today, my ears perked.  Another employee signed for them and I peaked around my cubicle wall to find her holding the beloved Zappos box and walking in my direction.  The first thing out of her mouth?  “Are they your wedding shoes?”  And I eagerly announced “YES!”

I grab my scissors to open the box and waiting inside is an Adidas Shoe box?  Yes, you heard (read?) me correctly.  I immediately text the FI to tell him his shoes arrived and I get a response of “?” from him.  “You know, your shoes.  A pair of Adidas shoes, Size 10.”  “I haven’t ordered any new shoes since I got those Pumas a little over a month ago.”  “Hmmm,” I say, “I’ll find out what’s going on.”

I check my tracking number, and the UPS site, and then take a gander at the packing slip.  It appears as though some guy name “Yago” in the state of Washington will be receiving a Zappos box with my beloved Kate Spades.  I dial up Zappos to explain, and for a mere moment, they work on getting another pair delivered to me.  If only they knew that I ordered the last pair of red satin Keedens in a Size 7.  “Ma’am.”  “Yes?”  “Looks like we will need to contact the gentleman that will be receiving your shoes to have him send them back.  We will need you to give the shoes you got back to the UPS man when he returns.” “Okay.  I can do that.  But, how can I ensure that I receive my Kate Spades?  You see, they are very important shoes.”  “Oh, please do not worry, as we will be contacting the gentleman that will receive your shoes to let him know.  And, I am pretty sure that when he opens the box to see a pair of 4″ red satin shoes when he is expecting his soccer kleats, that he will be giving us a ring.  We will let you know when your shoes are in route.  We do apologize for any inconvenience.”

I digress.  Can you say heartbroken?  So, I have to wait a few more days for my shoes, which is fine, but I better get those shoes.  I have pined over them for I have no idea how long.  I must say this little shoe dilemma did put a damper on my day (Is that sad?).

BUT a friend of mine did receive fantastic news in that a good family member of hers is paying for her honeymoon.  This news (although it doesn’t really affect me), really made my day.  I couldn’t be happier for her and her FI.  Such a fantastic ending to the day.

Wow….that was a long ramble.  Now if only I could have my shoes….

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I am now the proud new owner of those GORGEOUS red satin Kate Spades.  See, after my last post the other day about my hunt for those blue beauties in red, a wonderful friend of mine surprised me with a link to those shoes.

Let me preface this all by saying I met a good friend of mine and her mom at Town & Country Bridal to try on THE DRESS.  One, my friend wanted to see it, and two, I needed to put her on, as it had been nearly a month since I last put her on.  So while we were there, not only did I fall in love with her ALL OVER AGAIN, her mom loved it and so did she.  That resulted in me deciding, that of course, she is THE DRESS and that I needed to hurry home and buy the red beauties above.

They should be arriving at my door this week….so be on the look out for yet again, another shoe porn post.