Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Projects I'm looking forward to in 2011

No real update here, but thought I'd give you an idea of what projects/ideas I'm getting ready to tackle in 2011!

1. Instead of using a typical guestbook, I'd like to create a wishing tree. I'm not the craftiest person, but I'm feeling like this is something I can do. Don't know what it is? Click here to find out more!

2. Ribbon Pomanders for the pews in the Church. They're fun & cute & inexpensive - I LOVE all of those things :) I want to do them in yellow & navy, but we'll have to see what ribbon I can find! Click here to find out more!

3. Ordering our invitations. They are absolutely beautiful & just reflect Fontana perfectly. From the lovely paper to the nautical graphics, I just died when I saw them. I cannot wait for you all to receive them!

4. Designing jewelry for my bridesmaids & myself with Chicago designer, Rach B. She's originally from Rockford (small world, I know!) & I've been lucky enough to work with her a number of times. She's absolutely darling & so is her jewelry. Click here to find out more!

5. Finding my shoes. Omg - I literally almost die everytime I even begin looking for the shoes. I love anything that is sparkly with a high heel. However, in the back of my mind I know I need to find something a little more practical. With my tendency to fall & the need to be able to walk on my honeymoon, I think I need to go with a smaller heel. I'll keep you updated!

I don't think I'll be updating a lot due to the upcoming holidays. Please have a lovely Christmas & safe New Year! I positively cannot wait for 2011!!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Moving onto bigger & better things!

So bridesmaid Megan, bridesmaid Elise & I went back to Lily's Bridal Store to try on dresses again. Megan was undecided & Elise was sick during the initial trip. We walked in & met Lily herself! She's was a nice woman & got things taken care of, but maaaan does she need to work on sales/people skills. I won't go into details, but some of her comments were a little ill received by my bridesmaids. Anyway, they decided on their dresses & guess what?! They're the same dress! The girls literally had the same measurements, so of course the dress that is most flattering would look great on both of them!

Here's bridesmaid Elise & bridesmaid Megan's dress -

Now my new favorite adventure in wedding planning is finding our invitations. Of course I thought I knew exactly what I wanted when I began planning well before I got engaged (whoops!), but am so over it now. I ordered a few samples from Etsy & am enjoying all of them. They are beautiful & different! Ryan picked out a few himself that he liked & I ordered a few that I like. Of course the one I LOVE is one that Ryan wasn't crazy about, but we'll see if I can work my charming ways into convincing him that my favorite invitation suite is something we just can't do without! Unfortunately my mom promised me to secrecy with the invite, so you won't be seeing it until you receive in your mailboxes come March. Maybe I'll give you a little preview one of these days.... ;-)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

I feel pretty, oh so pretty!

First off, thank you to the ladies who dared to venture to the random part of Chicago (N.Pulaski & Belmont) to try on dresses this past Sunday. I know the store looked a bit sketch & there may have been 1 too many hot pink dresses with sparkles, but I appreciate your openness & ability to laugh at the oddity of the store. Secondly, bridesmaid E wasn't able to join us because of a terrible cold so I hope she's feeling better! Thirdly, my sweet jr. bridesmaid Megan & I had a special trip over Thanksgiving weekend to try on some dresses & figure out her size. I didn't take any pictures, but trust me - she's a babe.

Anyway, bridesmaid Melissa, bridesmaid (and future SIL) Megan, and Maid of Honor (and seester!) Catherine joined me
early Sunday morning for some homemade quiche, coffee, and orange juice before heading out to Lily's Bridal & Gifts. When we walked in this was the 1st dress we saw & boy were we worried.


Yep, that's Cheetah print underneath.


Luckily we were pointed to the Alfred Angelo dress section & were quickly relieved. There were tons of options! The girls each grabbed about 10 dresses & off the dressing rooms they went. Each girl looked really pretty in every dress, but MOH Catherine & bridesmaid Melissa found their dresses. My jr. bridesmaid Megan found one online, so that's 3 down. Woohoo! I have some pretty funny shots of the girls trying on the dresses, but I'm not able to share them with the interweb (sorry!). However, here are the dresses the ladies picked! Keep in mind, they'll all be in navy blue carrying yellow rose bouquets. Swoon!

MOH Catherine -

Bridesmaid Melissa -

Jr. Bridesmaid Megan -

Stay tuned for Megan & Elise's picks!