Bridesmaid Dress Dilemma

I love all of my bridesmaids a lot... they are all so different and unique and provide me with different friendship experiences! They all love me very much as well! So when I think about them on the big day, I want them to look as beautiful and stunning as they can be! I have done a lot of research, and because they are all starting new chapters in their lives and paying for their own dresses, I wanted them to get the most bang for their buck!

This could only mean our favorite bridal store: David's Bridal! I purchased my BM dress from there for Lisa's wedding, and it was such a quick and easy experience, and I paid far less than I would have locally. Also, because I purchased my lovely there, they will all get discounts.

I just received an email from them saying that they have received their new styles in, and right away... this one stuck out. It was like POW BAM BOOM like an old Batman cartoon!!! I love it for my girls, but what color to go with? I love the Oasis because that's my favorite color, but the more I think about it, the more I think maybe we should put them in a color that they would for sure wear again, like Pewter. They could still coordinate with Oasis or Kelly shoes, but look classic and lovely!

Which color do you prefer?

PEWTER

OASIS

KELLY

I'll be leaving the final decision to the girls (they have to wear the dresses) but I'm leaning towards Oasis or Pewter right now.

We're not shopping until June so we can make the proper decision just in case one of them or many of them are pregnant, so we have time. But I'm interested... which is your favorite?

My Headpiece...

Long before the trend of birdcage veils began, I had an obsession with the look of them! They are so classic and Old Hollywood, and I knew I'd be wearing one. I was on my favorite website Etsy yesterday (and it is DANGEROUS for me to be on there during work hours cause I click BUY way too quickly) and saw this lovely image:

Not only did I find it stunning, but it was on sale!!! So I called my mom first because I was going to make one, but she convinced me to just buy her and call it a day.

I love that it not only classic, but has a modern flair with the feathers (which are slowly encorporating themselves into little touches throughout our wedding) and the pearls (which are going to be all over me from my belt to my jewellery to my shoes!), and still gives a lot of romance! I can't wait to see what it looks like when it arrives!

Flower Power

On Sunday, after my 7km walk, Aaron and I made our way to our old stomping grounds of Commercial Drive. We had an appointment at noon with The Flower Box for our wedding bouquets. We LOVED The Flower Box when we lived on Commercial. We bought all of our flowers there as gifts, to dress up our home, or as a surprise for me from my guy! So when we got engaged, it seemed natural to use them! Sacha is a brilliant floral artist, and she always has a smile on her face and passion in her work! She recognized me immediately from when I used to be a regular customer there, which was so nice since we hadn't been there in over a year and a half due to the move to the valley!

Courtesy of The Flower Box

We went over my vision for the big day, and she quoted us exactly in our budget for a bridal bouquet and 4 bridesmaids bouquets, and also offered us 10% off for our advance booking! I was in love with her vision!

We had lunch at Havana's, and then went back to place our order! We can't wait to see her vision on the wedding day! It will be a lovely mix of greenery, flowers, and herbs - and I just know that it will be sooooo us! :)

25 Christmas Questions

1. Eggnog or Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate ALL the way! With Baileys, or Khalua!

2. Does Santa wrap presents for you or just sit them under the tree?

Always wrapped! A few go under the tree, and some in the stocking.

3. Colored lights on the tree/house or white lights?

I prefer white (I'm all about the classy decor) but Aaron got his way this year and we bought a pre-lit tree with colored lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

Yes indeed! Usually it's hanging up high, but we didn't put a new nail in the year, so it's hanging from a cupboard handle.

5. When do you hang your decorations?

Usually the first weekend in December. I have to wait until after my birthday on November 29th.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

My uncle makes a killer cheese ball, but I also love mashed potatoes smothered in real butter! Yum!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?

Christmas Eve was always a wonderful event in our house. We would get together with my aunt and her family (my cousins) and ride around in the van to look at Christmas lights, and then exchange gifts, eat appetizers, and watch the dads get tipsy on beer! And then we'd put all our bows from gifts on my Grandpa's head after he'd fallen asleep.

8. What is on your Christmas wish list?

I thought I'd try for fashion this year and ask for a faux-leather bomber jacket! :)

9. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve?

Only from the relatives. My parents always gave us new pj's on Christmas Eve, so I still get a pair from my mom, and sometimes Aaron can't wait and makes us open one as well.

10. How do you decorate your tree?

Lights, ornaments from my childhood, ornaments I've collected in my travels, and ones that Aaron and I have collected over the last 3 1/2 years. And a shiny star on top.

11. Snow... love it or dread it?

I love to look at it but don't love driving in it! Especially after the Christmas storm of 2008!

12. Real tree or fake tree?

REAL! I love real, but with my monster Keiko in the house, we have to do fake.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

The year I got about 15 different My Little Ponies from my parents was pretty amazing. Also, one year my parents built us a little house in the basement. That was pretty amazing too! My favorite adult gift was my brother - when he recovered from a bad motorcycle injury and got out of the hospital in Thailand in time to celebrate Christmas.

14. What's the most important thing about Christmas to you?

Being around my family, and having a new family to celebrate with as well.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

I'm not really a dessert person, but I love my mom's shortbread and fudge.

16. What is your favorite tradition?

New pajamas. I also love having coffee at my mom's on Christmas morning sitting on her floor with her and my brother and Aaron opening gifts and laughing.

17. What tops your tree?

A shiny sparkley star.

18. Do you prfer giving or receiving?

Giving for sure!!! I love seeing the look on their face when they open things. Especially Aaron and his parents - they get really excited!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?

Anything by Michael Buble!

20. Candy canes... yuck or yum?

YUMMY IN MY TUMMY!

21. Favorite Christmas movie?

Tough one, but probably Love Actually. I also love Scrooged. And It's a Wonderful Life. And A Christmas Story. And Christmas Vacation. So hard.

22. What do you leave for Santa?

Nothing now but when I was a kid it was always cookies (which I'm sure my dad ate) and carrots for the reindeer (which I'm sure ended up in the garbage).

23. Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

It used to be waking up early, climbing into bed with my dad and having cinnamon toast, going down to see my mom taking pictures, stockings, presents, breakfast, and playing with toys. Now Aaron and I get up, have coffee and a piece of toast, open stockings and gifts, then making our way to my mom's to do it all over again.

24. Do you prefer shopping online or at the mall?

Both... I like online for the deals but the mall for the atmosphere of Christmas!

25. Christmas letter or card?

Card! I love seeing what people send us, especially if they include a picture of the kiddies!

Tsk Tsk Tardy Vendors

At work I rely on my vendors to reply to me quickly, or else we'll lose business with our customers. The response time is a huge factor in whether or not we get orders and maintain good relationships with our customers and distributors.

In wedding planning, the same rules should apply! However, I've been experiencing serious bridezilla tendancies when thinking about the vendors I've chosen to work with not responding to me. I'm not talking here about just not getting back to me in the same day, I'm talking about AT ALL!

After we got engaged, I tried numerous times to get in touch with various vendors. I'd call their stores, email them, write on their websites, etc. etc. etc.

I just don't understand in this economy how people can pass up opportunities for business? I'm holding out hope, however, that they will all come through to make my wedding a wonderful event... with no snags! :)

A little Apple love...

Aaron and I went out after work on Friday night to shop-til-we-drop! We managed to get the majority of our Christmas shopping done, and didn't get home until 11pm!

While at HomeSense (my favorite store in the whole world for home goods!) I spotted these pretties hanging on a hook in the Christmas section:

We've been overloading on owl figurines for the wedding, but knowing that apples are part of the theme as well, I convinced Aaron to let me buy these two in our colors for the head table. They were only $7.99 each and in our colors and just perfect, so in our buggy they went!

They are actually a lot bigger than they appear in this photo, and I know that they will be perfect on either side of our initials that I bought a while back!

I am so excited to see all of these little details come together on our big day!

It Arrived... 16 weeks early!!!

My lovely white beauty has arrived! I got the email yesterday that my dress has arrived at David's! I was told that it would take 18 weeks, but alas, 12 days after purchase she is waiting for me at the shop waiting for me to take her home.

So what's a girl to do about having only 14 days from arrival to get her dress? Oh that's right, call Momma D and treat her to a day of shopping, lunch, and dress pick-up in the states on her birthday no less!

I'm very excited to spend my mom's birthday with her next Friday!

Say Cheese!

Oooooohhhhhhhh how I lust after the wonderful world of wedding photobooths! I see them on blogs and I always let out a little woeful sigh! I love the lovely images of the bride and groom just after they've said I do, the funny shots of their bridal party letting loose, and the guests having a blash with the props!

But alas, the photobooth concept far exceeds our budget. It is definately a "want" as opposed to a "need" and we just don't have the funds for it. :( It makes me sad, but I'm going to scour wedding shows for free draws that include the booths in hopes that I'll win one!

In the meantime, I'll just have severe envy while perusing blogs that feature the beauties!

An Under-thing...

I wanted something as classy and romantic as my dress for one of my under-things, so I logged on to my favorite website EVER... Etsy! I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with them, and knowing that many women are on there handcrafting things for an income makes me very happy to support it!

I was looking for something ivory with pearls and feathers, and found my dream garter at BellaDivaCouture.

Isn't she pretty!!! I bought a set - one for me to throw and one for me to keep! The pretty one that I'm keeping will be passed down to my daughter on her wedding day if she'd like it, but the toss one is going to get a little "Aaron" flavor just for him! :)

I said YES to a dress!

I headed down the US with my girls and my mom at 8am on Saturday for our 10am appointment at David's Bridal.

I tried on my "dream dress" which was not so much a dream when I finally put it on. It was heavy and not flattering at all.

Then I tried on the second dress, and everyone L.O.V.E.D. it! I tried on another 5 probably, but nothing compared to the second dress, so I put it on again, and said YES! I've had some serious anxiety about it, but when it comes down to it, I love it, and I know that Aaron will as well! I'm not going to put up pictures but trust me, it's amazing!

Thank you!

Today is the American Thanksgiving day, and today, I am also thankful because I have a roof over my head, clothes on my body, a father who is amazing, a mother who is my best friend, a brother who is healthy and happy and wonderful, a husband-to-be who is my entire world, 2 hilarious and beautiful kitties who love us unconditionally, friends who make me feel special all the time, and money in the bank as a bonus. I am thankful that I have luxuries in life like a car to drive and a comfy couch to lounge on. I'm thankful that I have my health. I'm thankful that I can afford a beautiful wedding, as hard as it is to save for. I'm thankful that I have a job full of people who can make me laugh. I'm thankful that the people I love are, for the most part, in good spirits and are happy. And I'm thankful for little things today like my cup of coffee that was made by Aaron like usual, and the pants that fit me again, and the red shoes that I forgot I had. Most people can't be thankful for these things, but I sure am!

A-"bout" the boys

Get it? Ha ha.

Anyways, the latest project that I've started is the boutonierres for the boys. I didn't want them to wear real flowers for a few reasons.

1. It's winter time, and it wouldn't really fit in.

2. I don't personally like real flowers on the lapels of boys.

3. I find that flowers get squished by the end of the night.

4. Aaron's not really a flower kind of guy.

So I went to Michael's with Ms. Jay a few weeks ago to buy some paint for another project, and while there, starting roaming the aisles in search of some inspiration for the 'bouts. I stopped in my tracks, literally grinding to a hault, when I saw these little picks in the Christmas aisle for 40% off, and they were in our colors. So I snatched every last one in these colors, and also one in just pearly white left in the bin. I also picked up the silver fern at 40% off, and then ended up with some feathers from Walmart to tuck in behind them. There's something special going on Aaron's which I can't divuldge until the wedding day, but all in all, these ended up being about $1.00 each!!! I'm making one for each of the groomsman, one for each of the dads, one for our MC. I'm making a different one that is somewhat similar but less fussy for the ring bearer, Rylan.

I must say that I really love them! I don't love all of my craft projects, but I love this one!!!

Above the fireplace...

As promised, here is one of the projects that I've been working on, a wreath to hang above the fireplace where we're getting married!

For this project, all I did was pick up 2 feather boa's at Turkey's Party Rentals. These are white feather boas with some shiny irradescent ribbon throughout it. I tied one end to a metal wreath frame that I picked up at Michael's and wrapped it. I did the same to the next one, and then fastened the end with the same clear fishing line, and DONE!

I think that this will add some romance, texture, and whimsy our ceremony space.

The project cost about $30 in the end, but I think it was worth it because I know I'll use this again!

It's ON like DONKEY KONG!

3 1/2 years ago, I met the love of my life...

12 months ago, that man asked me to spend the rest of my life with him...

And in 365 days from today, I will walk down the aisle to meet my best friend and say I DO!

I can't believe how lucky I am to have found such a caring, wonderful, funny, understanding person, and to have him love ME as much as he does!

I started preparing for this wedding from the moment I said YES! and now it's time to really concentrate on the details of the day. I'll be posting some projects soon!

In the meantime, I can share that some projects have been completed already, some are in the works, and some are being completed by the people I love. How truly lucky am I???

Baby - I can't wait to call you my husband!!!

My First Piece of Wedding Attire...

I wanted these to be a surprise, but since no one has really found my blog yet, I wanted to share these with the World Wide Web:

I bought these beauties from Rain Co., a Delta, BC based rainboot company - ON SALE! Yup! I scored a great deal, and had to jump all over it. I love pics of brides in cowboy boots or rainboots, but since our wedding is in November, I figured why not combine the two looks into one? I love them - and bonus - I can wear them again after the wedding and feel pretty funky!

Do you love them or hate them?

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Happy Halloween, Friends!!!

Update...

1. Vegas was awesome-sauce! It was so amazing and fun! We ate a ton of good food, saw some beautiful things, and just enjoyed each other with no phones, email, or texts to bother us. We took a nap every day, we sat by the pool, and we enjoyed drinks whenever we felt like one. It was heaven for 4 nights.

2. I can't wait to get full-on into wedding planning.

3. Our save-the-dates are all assembled and addressed... just waiting for 2012 to hit so I can mail them out.

4. My big work project is over now, so I'm breathing a little easier. But now I am in a funk again. :(

5. I find myself missing my friendships lately. I miss going out dancing, even though I hate clubs. I miss dinners with the girls. I miss watching movies with them. I miss their constant laughter. I feel like I'm being left behind. Maybe it's just me.

And... We're Off!

Caesar's Palace - where we'll be staying for 4 glorious nights!!!

We're off to Vegas on Monday, and we really can't wait to take in the sights and sounds of Sin City! Aaron's never been anywhere before, and this will be a trip I'm sure will be one for the books! I'm sure he'll try to convince me to let Elvis marry us and get this whole shebang over with, but I'll just lure him away from that thought with jugs of Fat Tuesdays drinks, New York New York pizza, and maybe the Star Trek museum!

See you all on the flip side, friends!

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Martin!

They did it!!! It was an amazing day filled with love and laughter and I couldn't be more happy for Lisa and Darren as they start their lives together as husband and wife!!!

Blah blah blah

I'm in a funk, folks! I'm in a rut, stuck between a rock and a hard place, struggling, off-kilter, etc. etc. etc.

First of all, I hate that all of my favorite blogs are full of fun, outdoor weddings in the spring and summer. I am finding ZERO inspiration for my lovely indoor November wedding. And although I'm seeing owls everywhere now that they are part of my decor, none of them are quite right.

Second, I'm frazzle dazzled indeed. I'm warn out. As joyful as I feel about my friend's wedding in 4 days, I find that I'm so tired and stressed out that I'm not concentrating on anything including my workload.

Third, we're looking at buying a new truck and trading in the boy's Civic for a more family-friendly vehicle with a towing package so we can go skipping off next summer in a trailer, but the money issue is rearing it's very ugly head at me!!!

I can't wait to start planning our wedding in full force, but I hope that between now and then I get a little sleep! :)

Countdown...

16 Days to Lisa and Darren's Wedding....

32 days until we fly off to Vegas...

And 429 days until we tie the knot...

SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO!

My fears....

According to The Knot, I'm 430 days away from our wedding date. I'm excited to really get into planning it, but at the same time, I've started having horrible dreams about what could go wrong.

I'm worried that my guests are not going to dance, or that they will leave early, or that they will think my DIY looks like a kingertarten student did them.

I'm worried that my officiant won't show up, that my bridesmaids will get pregnant and miss the wedding, that Aaron will hurt himself beforehand.

I'm worried that we'll have a snowstorm and the wedding will be called off entirely.

I'm worried that we'll run out of money and have to cut things that I really want.

I'm worried that I'll be too fat still and will look like a heffer in photos. I'm worried that my hair will look bad, my make-up will smear off, my face will break out.

I'm worried that my wedding will be generic. I'm worried that I won't be original. I'm worried that it won't live up to my own expections.

I'm worried that I'll be a bridezilla and no one will want to be around me. I'm worried that I'll upset my family and friends. I'm worried that I won't even like myself by the end of planning.

But none of my worries are about whether or not I'm marrying the right person, or that I'm making a mistake, or that one of us will walk away from this. Because when it comes down to it, I'm marrying my best friend, the love of my life, and the person I know that I can't live without. And that makes me happy. All the rest of it is just the icings on the cake... I can live without the fluff, but I can't live without this man who makes my life complete.

Her Last Single Weekend...

We started out the weekend stopping along the way to pee at various rest stops...

Headed to the casino for lunch before checking in to our hotel...

Went out for delicious Mexican food that night after some beach time...

Celebrated the BRIDE-TO-BE...

Partied it up at The Mule...

Woke up and went on a wine tour...

We spent the rest of Sunday enjoying the lake and the pool...

And finished off the weekend with breakfast on the patio before heading home with some fantastic memories and great new friends...

Stagette Weekend in Penticton

Off we go for some stagette fun in Penticton for Lisa's last single weekend away!

She reads this, so I'm not posting anything about the details yet - but pictures will follow!

Happy Labor Day Long Weekend, friends!

A Weekend Full Of Friends...

Tonight I'm hanging out with one of my besties, Emily, to go see the new movie, The Help. It looks amazing, and I love having meals with Emily because we get so caught up in chatting and laughing that I never eat everything on my plate! :)

Tomorrow I'm going to my WW meeting, then off to meet Lisa and Lizz for some girl time. We're picking up our dresses (I'll post pics next week), then having lunch at Olive Garden, doing some shopping in the US, then heading back into town to complete some of her wedding tasks before waiting for the boys to return from Darren's stag.

The stag topic has brought up some interesting discussions between myself, my girlfriends, and Aaron respectively. I don't love the fact that men think that they need to include oogling naked girls when celebrating the end of single life. Women don't do this. Women tend to celebrate their friendships with each other (even when it sometimes includes penis-shaped accoutrements), celebrate their friend's entrance into married life, and celebrate her as a person. Men just want to grunt, drink, and see boobs! I don't understand it myself, but I do think that when it's Aaron's time to attend his own stag that he goes with the understanding that his respect for me should outweigh his desire to have a half-naked butt gyrating on his lap. And I'm sure that Darren will do the same!

Sunday we'll take it easy and clean our home because I'm sure that all the stag fun will take a serious toll on Aaron's well-being. :)

So friends, what are your plans this weekend?

My In-Laws

To be honest here, before I entered this significant relationship with Aaron, I had never really had a relationship with my boyfriends parents, so I didn't know how I'd feel about having a new family to adapt to when I got married. But folks - I'm the luckiest girl in the world! Not only do I have an amazing family (my mom is my best friend, my dad is my buddy, my brother and I are very close and trusting of one another, and I have a great relationship with my aunts, my uncle, and my cousins), but now I get a whole new set of family members, and I L.O.V.E. them!

My future mother-in-law is a very strong, loving, caring, and wonderful woman. She never hesitates to compliment people. She is honest and straight-forward, but never mean. She always says I love you, which I'm not really used to in my family. We all show our love through our actions, but rarely through the 3 Little Words. She gives the best hugs. She's thoughful. She's warm. And best of all, she really treats me like her daughter.

My future father-in-law is a tough guy - a hunter, a shooter, a cabinet-builder who worked with his hands his whole life. But at the same time, he too says I love you often and meaningfully. He is charming, he is funny, he loves his tiny Chihuahua, and as much as he talks about hunting, he really has a passion for photographing nature and wildlife. He is thankful for his family, and he never ceases to amaze me with his cooking!

Both of these wonderful people have taken me into their family like I was born into it. They tell people that I'm not their daughter-in-law (to be) but their daughter. They've made me tear up a time or two with their emotional tributes to me - telling me that they loved me, appreciated me, and were thankful that I was in their lives. When Grandma passed away, I was there to support them, and wouldn't have had it any other way, and in some way, it brought us all closer together.

I'm really very relieved to be entering a family full of love. They are not without their troubles, just like any family, and they are not perfect, just like all of us, but I am so proud to be entering this family and making them my own. And they will also make wonderful grandparents some day to our children!

Training for Weight Loss and Goals

I've never been a runner. Even with I was a kid, I couldn't run fast or long distances. It just wasn't how I was built. I was a decent base-stealer in softball, but after I tore my knee ligaments when I was 17, my softball career came to a crashing hault.

But I've decided that I need to set a fitness goal for myself in order to get trim and fit before my wedding. So I'm going to attempt something after we get back from our Vegas trip in October - train for the Sun Run.

Every year in Vancouver there is a 10km race through Stanley Park and downtown called the Sun Run. Thousands of people do it annually, and I've walked it once but didn't have a great time doing it by myself. But this year I'm going to train to walk/run it, put on my Ipod, and see if I can do it in less than an hour and a half. I'm excited to train, I'm excited to complete it, and I'm excited to see what it all does to my body.

13.7lbs down and another 17lbs to go...

Songs and Such...

Aaron surprised me the other day by bringing up wedding music out of the blue... and playing me some of his favorites on his computer.

Then Lisa asked me what I'd be walking down the aisle too, as she was also trying to finalize her wedding tunes.

It got me thinking that I really don't know what the tone of our wedding music is going to be... we have the standards playing as guests take their seats, but I don't know what to walk the aisle to, or what to sign our certificates to. We know what we'll have playing as we exit the ceremony room, but it doesn't really have the same tone as the standards. What's a girl to do???

Well, this girl is just going to pick music that she and her hubby-to-be love, and run with it. Guests won't critique our choices, and if they do, we'll have the answer "We love that song!". That's all that should be important! :)

Showering Lisa with Love...

I can finally talk about the details of Lisa's Surprise Luau themed Shower! Lisa reads my blog from time to time, and now I can reveal the party to you all!

Lisa and Darren are getting married in 6 weeks, so her MOH Lizz and I threw her a shower on Saturday night and outfitted my patio with all things beachy!

She was very shocked, emotional, and thankful to have her favorite ladies (and the guys later on in the evening after a boys night out at the pub) there to celebrate her upcoming nuptuals to a fantastic man!

Welcome!

The Bride-to-Be - very surprised!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Bride and her 2 Bridesmaids

Here are some food shots... YUMMY!

Olives, Rice Salad, Orzo Salad, and Chicken Skewers with Grilled Pineapple

Fruit platter


Homemade Coconut Shrimp with Orange Dipping Sauce



Boccoccini and Tomato skewers, 7 layer dip, and Veggie Platter

Detail Shots:

Tiki Bar




Tiki Bar with Tropical White Sangria or Blueberry Mojitos

Gift Table and Starfish Bookmark Favors

Bride's Throne

Scrapbooking Station

It was an amazing evening full of so many laughs, good memories, lovely ladies, delicious food (if I do say so myself), and celebrating my best friend!