in god we trust.

I bought my wedding penny for my shoe! And it comes with a drilled hole, and a date stamp of our wedding date. So then after the wedding day, I can make it into a necklace or charm to keep as a keepsake.

Yay.

Bowl me over.

We're not having a ring boy or flower girl, but if we were this would totally be the way to go.

Why?

We want to have an adults only reception.

Now when you mention this fact to people, you are either greeted with understanding or complete horror. Like you've just said a dirty word in church.

Let me elaborate, this was not a decision we came to lightly. We actually decided to SLASH our guest list to help maximize our budget. Our original dream was to have 100 people. Not uber big by any means. But, that was our game plan. Then, we realized that the biggest chunk of money was catering costs. So there went the 100 people. And we downsized to 50. If you knew me or Melvin, you might ask, "How in the world are you going to have just 50 people? Are you sniffing glue!" Because, we unfortunately have a lot of people we love that we can't see not having at our wedding. Eerrr.

We've done a few things to make a 50 person guest list possible. First things first: children. I think if you are going to invite one, you must invite them all. Well several of our close friends have children. And not just one, several. Well that could be anywhere from 5-9 kiddos. And the last thing we want to do is to offend them, or make them feel like we don't love their little ones [sidenote: we do. and i'm a picky kid liker.]. But if it means having to cut our grown up friends or family in order to not grossly exceed the guest list budget, we had to step up and make the decision to keep it adults only.

[btw- we're already at our OVER max. 65 people]

So yeah, that's the deal. Adults only is what we want. But how do we get it, without stepping on any toes? Hurting any feelings? And crippling our budget?

Any ideas on how to get the word out, from some brides who are going through the same thing?

I don't speak spanish!

So last night, me and Melvin looked through all the papers the church gave us. One of which, introduced the book The Five Love Languages.

The author contends that people express and receive love in different ways. If you express love in a way your spouse does not understand, he or she won't realize you have expressed your love at all. It is as if you are speaking two different languages.

My sister first introduced me to this book, but we just last night spent some time reading a bit more about it.

As it turns out, my "love language" is Quality Time. His is Physical Touch (not shocking).

Turns out we really do speak different languages sometimes.

For reals.

Fancy party dress, check.

Colorful ribbon details, check.

Kickbutt clothing line, helz yeah.

Centerpiece Ideas.

Let it bloom, people.

You mean the world to me.

What an adorable way to package a gift. To your love, or even to your bridesmaids.

Great post, Jess!

What a stupid sheep.

I really like this dress.

$725

And btw, it's not a line from Twilight. But, it is a spinoff of it. ;)

Birds of a Feather.

O. Mi. Gosh.

I already was planning to do this, and now I have these amazing pics to use as a reference, so people won't think I'm crazy.

You see, I have loved flamingos for so long. I can't remember why the interest ever took off, but there's no stopping it anytime soon. I have boxes in my closet of high school mementos shown through different flamingo toys, signs, figurines, and stuffed animals.

Not to mention actual flamingo feathers.

Okay, so before I get too offtrack....let me get back to the point. The point is, I would love to have a bunch of pink flamingos just like these, in the lawn area of the Lake Mary Event Center. I just need to start collecting them, and also double check that they would be okay with this idea.

Champagne and Ho-hos.

This cute idea from Design*Sponge reminds me of all the sweet gestures Melvin has done over the years.

............................

Leaving notes on my car while I'm at work, telling me to check under the car- to find 12 packs of strawberry chek soda (my fav).

Breaking into my car, to leave flowers in the driver's seat.

Making mix cds with labels and playlists for every Valentines Day and Anniversary.

Throwing me surprise birthday parties complete with tacos and presents, when I knew no one in town.

...............................

I think he deserves a surprise gesture or two, himself.

Bring it on.

It is decidely so.

I am going to attempt to make paper flower bouquets for my bridesmaids.

Excuse me, while I grab a paper bag to hyperventilate into.

........

Okay, I'm good. So here's the thing. We've got plans to stick to a tight budget. But we've also got a big bridal party. Which means, that real flowers are out. And even the fake flowers are a little expensive. So, I'm going to attempt to make the bouquets from paper.

I am officially on the hunt for some great tutorials.

Ring in the love.

I never gave some grand gestures to my bridal party, asking them to be bridesmaids. I thought I would send them a card to ask, but really that never happened. In fact, several were in on the surprise engagement, and we were with me minutes after being proposed to.

So it kind of just came out, like "will you be my bridesmaid!"

And fortunately they said yes. ::sigh::

So when I saw this stackable ring on Etsy, it made me think of how I could have done it differently. Not better, just differently. But I'm not very patient. And I can't see not immediately asking, when I knew exactly who I would've wanted to be in the bridal party.

But don't worry, I've got some ideas up my sleeve.

BTDub.

I wouldn't want to stay up until 3am talking all this wedding stuff with anyone but you.

Love you baby.

::gasp::

Lovelovelove this dress!

That is all.

Check your watches....

....because you've got exactly one more year.

Not your typical wedding registry blender.

I'm not even sure what to say, except why didn't I think of this first? And yes, kids, that is a light fixture of jesus in a blender.

The etsy seller, Metalight, describes it as a conversation piece, and I can't agree more. And if that's not enough, you can sub out for the Virgin Mary.

Or for $5 more just take them both.

Sometimes ♥ is black and white.

It's not true love, without a good ol' fashioned foot pop.

Color me crazy.

Want to show off your true colors, on your wedding day? Here's the perfect way. Dye the layers of your crinoline different shades colors, and you'll set the tone for a fun and offbeat day.

I won't be personally doing this, but I would so wear this look to a party if I had the chance. What can I say, I'm a sucker for all things colorful.

Dress me.

In something like this.

Please.

"4 tickets for the zipper, please."

So I've always had mixed emotions about the circus. Something about the treatment of the animals, jumping from city to city, and you can't forget the terrifying clowns.

However, I've always loved the decor of the circus.

It reminds me of carnivals, and county fairs- which I do love. I love the lights, the sight of a spinning ferris wheel, and the taste of cotton candy. The fair always reminds me of trips with my best friends, Melissa and Melissa. [Or if that's too confusing, Apricot and Peanut.]

Hands down, I must find a party to decorate the room like a Big Top.

All the ladies in the house....

Do you ever have those ideas that kind of sneak up on you, and *smack* you right in the face??Good! Then you'll understand why I'm so excited.

For those of you reading along, you may already know about the apron I'm making for reception dollar dance. For everyone else, just click here. Well I'm considering asking the special ladies in my family to send me a scrap of fabric, that I can use to detail the apron.

Mom.
Grandma.
Grammy.
Mom Dale.
Grandma Cline.

Each one of these women in my family have had successful loves, and healthy marriages. So consider it my way of trying to "steal some luck."

Eerr. It's just an idea so far. We'll see how people respond.

pizza and cupcakes

Too pretty.
And P.S. I love that they're on a mission to throw a bash on a budget.

Candle wax and pink balloons

Over the weekend, I helped to throw a bachelorette party for one of my friends. We had three parts to the event, the first one being "Pretty in Pink." Decor was 80s inspired, and entertainment was good old teenager style fun.

I made centerpieces from old pretzel containers covered with ribbon, and filled with silk peonies.

Vinyl records doubled as dinner plates.

With the tagline, "...like a record, she gets around..."

Homemade brownies were displayed in paper cones featuring quotes from Pretty in Pink.

The bride had a sweettooth, so we had an ice cream bar, with sprinkles, hot fudge, and caramel. Martini glasses were the perfect ice cream bowls.

Strawberry daiquiris fit perfectly into the "pink" theme.

The scavenger hunt we put together for her, in a decorated box filled with goodies.

Mission accomplished.

Here's to hoping that she had a good time.

Want to see where the inspiration came from? Go here.

............................................................................................

One thing I learned from the Pretty in Pink party, was how QUICKLY tealights burn out! They lasted maybe 1.5 to 2 hours max., before burning out. So here I am thinking, well wait, these tealights are no different from the ones I was planning on using at the reception space. Anyone doing the math? The reception requires at least 4 hours of burning time.

Erg.

It looks like I am nixing the idea of tealights. What's the point, right? A bunch of empty metal rings on the tables, are the opposite of what I am going for. So instead, I will stick with better quality taller candles, inside of small glasses. So here's a tip for anyone using votive holders for all of these candles.

courtesy of Real Simple

Use Cooking Spray to Keep Candles Mess-Free
Original purpose: Creating a nonstick cookie sheet.Aha! use: Keeping candle holders clean. Celebrating by candlelight? Spray the inside of a votive holder with a thin coating before dropping in a tealight. After the candle has burned down, the remaining wax will slip out. Reward: An easy way to replace an old flame.

Sparkler Sendoff

If you're trying to minimize costs (I am! I am!), then consider the idea of combining orders with other brides.

Often, you can get better deals through ordering wholesale. The only catch is that you usually need to order and bulk. And you may not need 288 of those 20" sparklers you love so much.

So make some contacts, some online bridal friends, and split the order!

That reminds me...

... I need to order those online silk flowers soon.

**UPDATE: I am looking at AFloral for silk flowers, anyone else have somewhere better, let me know!**