Details Details Details

I have been one heck of a terrible blogger lately. I hate to place blame some where...but I have to admit, I have been working an ungodly number of hours the last several weeks. In addition to my regular 40 hour/week at minimum job, I have stepped up my game at my part-time job at Kroger. (Pushing my usual 4-8 hour/week to a 13-20 hour/week.) Needless to say, it has been an exhausting ride. Luckily, it will be winding down here at the end of August when I take a much needed leave of absence from Bellerive.

Not only that, but wedding planning has honestly taken a backseat to more exciting things going on right now (namely painting a few of the rooms in our house, unpacking boxes from my apartment and getting things straightened out for a seamless transition).

I have reached that point in our engagement where I am ready to get the show on the road. Planning a wedding is such a headache! Never realized how much drama and stress would be involved...but here we are...inching ever closer to the one month mark. It will be here before we know it!

Since I have last written, we have taken care of so many details: ordered and picked up Jacob's wedding band. My dress came in (first fitting after work today!). Finalizing our menu for the reception. Moved rehearsal dinner venues over to Malone's/chose a menu/making arrangements. Completed and sent our invitations. Received several RSVPs and wedding presents. Had my second shower (thrown by Debbie's fabulous friends). Bought an exit dress. Finalized tuxedo rentals. Working on additional crafting projects. Another IKEA run.

Despite everything going on around me, I will make better attempts at writing over the last month of our 18-month engagement. So many things to share!

One thing to share now: my latest craft project for the wedding. I have been told over and over how we need to have some sort of box to hold cards from people at the wedding reception, on the gift table. I have seen people use all sorts of things, most particularly bird cages. Not a fan of this decor item. Nothing wrong with it, just not in my taste. So, in an effort to make it more creative, I am making my own. Here are two images I have come across that I am using as my inspiration:

I bought supplies from Hobby Lobby last night to begin creating my own version...although I am only making a single layer box (not wanting to go for the wedding cake-inspired look). I bought a silky gray/silver color fabric that I am covering my box in; thick orange ribbon to wrap around it, and thin white ribbon to tie a pretty bow around it. On top of the box, I cut a slit to slide the cards in and I am placing wooden letters (painted in an emerald green) to spell out CARDS. Will hopefully get some time to work on it this weekend. Excited!

While I am at it, I really need to finish my bridesmaids' bouquet charms.

Anyway, happy Thursday!

"So much of life, it seems to me, is determined by pure randomness."

I realized the other day that I had yet to post pictures of my sample bouquet charms I created. Please note this is purely a sample (thus does not look spectacular)! During this trial run, I did not spread the glue out like I should have, which created unsightly bubbles under the marble. And I did not have a circle hole punch, so the circle was cut freehand (and not very well). I have since purchased one that will make the charm making a much simpler process.

I must say that this DIY project turned out pretty decently, all things considered. Now I just need to determine which photos to use for my girls and begin the creation!

The other day, I got out my box of wedding-related items and came across two things I purchased a while back for the big day:

Serving set to cut the cake: snagged this beauty up on clearance at Pier One at the end of last summer. Love the bronzy color!! And these will be fun to use post-wedding.



Baskets to hold the programs: found two of these at Michael's at 50 percent off. Will be useful after the wedding to hold extra rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom or hand towels in the guest bathroom.

Oh and speaking of programs and such, I am not sure if I mentioned it or not, but we have finally chosen what I have dubbed as our "honor attendants." You know, the program hand-outers, ushers, readers, guestbook attendant, etc. Here they are:

• Reader one: Christie - she and I have been friends since junior year in high school when we met on a CIY trip. Love her! I am not sure yet what she will be reading, but we all know she will do it with style. Oh! And Christie is also choreographing a dance for Jacob and I for our first dance. God love her for taking on this next to impossible task.
• Reader two: Jacob - Jacob is one of my cousins and I am thrilled he will be reading in the wedding. What is funny about Jacob is his name (Jacob Ryan) is the opposite of my Jacob's name (Ryan Jacob...yes, Jacob's real name is Ryan but he goes by his middle name). We have not chosen a reading for Jacob at this point either.
• Guest book attendant: Kelsey - She is one of Jacob's cousins.
• Program hand-outer (is this even a word?): Ben - He is one of my cousins; Jacob's brother actually.
• Ushers (yes, we are adding even more people to wedding party by not having the groomsmen usher guests to their seats BUT we are adding dear cousins to the wedding by doing so!): Billy (my cousin...and he was born exactly four days after me; our moms were in the hospital together); Adam (my cousin - Billy's brother); Kyle (Jacob's cousin and Kelsey's brother); and Ryan (Jacob's cousin and Kelsey and Kyle's brother).
  

As most of the major details are planned, I now need to sit down with my various lists and countdowns and get organized on that front. That is my plan for this week: re-organize myself. Time to take inventory again!

It is what it is

Now that the major items have been secured, it is time to do the fun part of the wedding planning...creating minor details and those little touches that will make the wedding uniquely ours.


For this part of the planning process, I am dubbing it "It is as it is." This is something I hear around work ALL the time and it is a great quote. And so applicable to many instances of life.

I love that our wedding is taking place in the gorgeous Bluegrass region of Kentucky at the start of fall. There are so many beautiful things we can use that are already all around us. I have so many little ideas in mind that I am creatively trying to mesh into a single day. Some are zany and different while others are not. But in all, I think everything will fall into place as it should.

I will be sure to fill you in on some of these details over the course of the next several months.

One such idea that has been finalized is our guest book. Instead of the typical run-of-the-mill guest book that is fluffy and white with embellishments on it that people write in with a huge feathered pen (no offense if this was the case at your wedding!), Jacob and I decided to do something different. I have seen where couples have people write on the matte of a large photo, or where people sign a platter that will be displayed, etc. Those are all cute ideas.

But our idea is something personal, yet functional. We bought a coffee table book chock full of panoramic photos from Kentucky. The photographer, Jeff Rogers, is based right here in Lexington. We fell in love with this book when Erin (one of our bridesmaids!) first showed it to us. Our plan is to have people write in the margins or over some of the photos. Not only will this book be a great memento of our Bluegrass wedding, but it will actually be used!! (We are both huge coffee table book people...) Also: huge thanks to Mom for the Joseph Beth gift card that helped make this book possible!

I think that next we will begin determining the components of our wedding ceremony...from music (and musicians) to readings and ceremony flow, there is a lot that goes into those 30 minutes. Stay tuned for updates as things are finalized and decided!