Some Goodies.

As promised, another juicy update. I've been able to cross a few minor things off my large to do list lately and I'm pretty excited! First, we decided on and purchased pew decorations- for under $20!!! I think I might have mentioned before that I really liked the idea of hanging kissing balls from the pews, and that's what we ended up going with. Michael's just got in all of their spring shipment, and I found little baby hydrangea kissing balls in ivory. They are smaller than the 5"-6" ones I had pictured...about as big as a balled up fist.


They are obviously fake flowers...not quite silk...more like parchment flowers. They are gorgeous. Closer to the date, I just have to attach thick brown ribbon I bought with some straight pins and we're good to go! Our chapel has 8 pews on either side of the aisle, so we're going to place a ball at every other pew on each side. I am so happy to cross pew decorations completely off the "need to buy" list.

I had mentioned in a past post that I really liked the idea of an apothecary jar filled with nature-y items...feather balls, pine cones, twigs, etc. While I was picking up the kissing balls, I notice Michael's also had big bags of potpourri on sale. They have a really pleasant vanilla scent. The bag is full of ivory and brown natural items. It has twig balls, bark, pine cones, and plenty of other things that fit exactly what we were going for.


I was SO happy to find them! I bought every bag they had in stock- I want to say 4 or 5. I'm not quite sure how many centerpieces each one will make...I'd like to stretch it to two. I originally planned to buy everything separately and mix it myself, so maybe I can supplement the potpourri with stuff I can find on the cheap. Each bag was only 4 dollars (!!!), so if we really had to I could afford to buy 12 bags.

Probably the biggest and most exciting update is that Mike and I joined the gym together! I'm really not so concerned with how much I weigh when we get married...maybe I will be when I see the pictures? I don't know, it's just not something that's on my mind. What is on both of our minds though, is long term health and making sure we're around to enjoy each other for years to come. We've really made a commitment to each other to stick with this and be a team. I personally love our gym. I was a member in high school until college and I loved it then, too! We go about 2 or 3 times a week and it gives us time to be together away from electronic distractions. Obviously very excited about this!

One last thing- I might have bought my wedding shoes. It's totally random...last Saturday we were shopping and I saw them on a sale rack. They are ivory (the same color of the sash on the dress I think I'm getting) flats with little (what else) hydrangea-looking textile flowers at the toe bed. Gorgeous!


Even if I don't wear them for the wedding, they'll make cute spring shoes!


Awesome, right?!! I can call and reserve our wedding date with the baker this Wednesday. I'm very excited to get that done!

Bridal Showcase

I left off with the bridal showcase last post, so I'll start off with that this round. Overall, I suppose I'm glad I went. Through a few fall outs, Mike ended up going with me. I'm really glad he did- we are planning this- I'm just the only one who blogs about it. I think we paid $14 for the two of us for admission- I thought that was a little steep and not worth it. Maybe. Once we got inside, the place was packed. I'd say my only complaint is how busy it was. Total mob.

We got to meet our baker, and we found out by chatting that she is now booking events 18 months in advance instead of her old rule of 12 months. I was so happy to hear that- 18 months puts us at next week or so and gives us a little bit more of a chance to be the ones who get that date. You better believe I'm sending the reservation e-mail the morning of March 3 as soon as I wake up.

At the booth next to our baker was the Johnstown Party Bus. We know we wanted the PB for wedding transportation, so it was nice to find out costs and reservation stipulations. Luckily, they take bookings anytime in advance. We should probably jump on that quick- I think they are becoming Johnstown's hottest means of wedding transportation.

It was worth giving up part of a Sunday afternoon to get all of that information from our vendors in one place. We also met with a woman who we are very very interested in for photography...we'll see how that pans out. I firmly believe that it would be hard and overwhelming for a couple to go blindly to an event like this and come out with concrete plans. I've spent the last year researching- asking friends and relatives for vendor suggestions, googling, etc. This showcase was good for putting faces to names and getting info that may not necessarily be posted publicly.

I have a lot more exciting (maybe? haha) news and updates that just wouldn't match the flow of this post. Lookout for another one asap?

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Mike is a pretty hands-on groom. Almost every aspect of planning to date, from the dress I want to the color of the napkins, has been discussd and agreed upon. We have a lot of the same tastes so everything has been very smooth and easy..until now!

Even before we were engaged, I loved the idea of a candy buffet. I'm certain it's not popular in my neck of the woods. I'm even more certain my neck of the woods is severely behind on the times and very set in it's ways. No one I mention the idea to has a clue what I'm talking about, but it's fairly self explanitory - candy...set up buffet style. I dreamt about brown and cream candies in lux jars..surrounded by more color coordinated candies..in more lux jars. Scoops galore. Cute take home bags with our chocolate swirl design.

I'm all about the small details. I honestly want people to have a great time and really remember our wedding. I am not a cookie cutter type of girl- I will not have your typical Western Pennsylvania wedding! I enjoy pigs in the blanket and rigatoni as much as the next person, but for my wedding I want more than I could get at Grandma Petrunak's on any given Sunday. I want the kind of wedding I spend hours and hours oogling online. Go big or go home- I want a candy buffet!

Mike was a little aprehensive at first, I think because he wasn't quite seeing my vision. After a lot of discussions and looking at examples, he came around to the idea. Score.

A few weeks ago, I had an amazing idea...throw away the candy, I want pretzels! Hard pretzels..buttery...sourdough...salty...no salt...rods...nuggets! All shapes and sizes and flavors. Not to mention coresponding condiments! Cheeses and salsas and horseradishes and NUTELLA! Yum.

I know that this idea is a little unusual and surely if people have a hard time accepting the idea of candy, they will shudder at the idea of a pretzel spread. I have faith in my carb commerades. What everyone (especially me) needs to remember is that none of my ideas are hurting or offending anyone, and if anyone thinks it is odd or quirky, then so be it. I'm having a reception to celebrate my nuptuals, not to cater to the masses.

The one person I do need on board is Mike. He started out pretty against the idea...I think it was too off the wall for him. He might be warming up though...I make sure to point out all of the delicious combinations when we're in the grocery store. I love pretzels.

What do you think?

cupcakes n'at

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I am so pro-cupcake it's unreal. Think of the benefits- no cake cutting fee...less cleanup...possibly more variety..way less expensive. The only downside to me personally, for my wedding, is that it isn't a traditional cake. I like the look of a nice big white wedding cake. Luckily a traditional cake is near the bottom of my give-a-shit list. Give me a big fat red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing. Chocolate with chocolate. Lemon with vanilla. Mike agreed we can have a ton of delicious cupcakes and a nice 6 inch cake on the top of our cupcake stand to cut.

Speaking of the actual cake part, check out this cake topper. !!!!!!! I just about died when I found it. I need it! It fits our vibe perfectly.

Mike's mom offered to make our cupcakes, and that sounded like a really good (and inexpensive, helloooo) idea until I found out there is a local bakery that does GORGEOUS cupcakes on the cheap. Now I rationalize that it would be better for everyone to have a pro make and set up our little cake substitutes. She agrees! The only thing that's a pain right now is that they don't accept orders until a year in advance...so I just have to wait 7 months or so.

We haven't done a lot in the way of purchasing things lately, but that's okay. I'm breathing a little. I feel like we've made headway with a lot of decisions. First bridal showcase in 11 days, stay tuned!

Yikes.

It's been awhile! Please don't mistake my lack of posting for lack of updates. We've kept up our momentum. I've been so busy with work - fall is our busiest season, plus I'm catching up from being gone a few weeks in September. Add a move and the holidays, and there is little time for blogging!

The post below this is one that TheKnot.com posted automatically for me. It's a review I wrote today for products we purchased. I ordered our save-the-date magnets from their wedding shop last week and they arrived today! I think it's cool they'll blog my review for me, but I don't know how relevant it is. Maybe if other brides read my blog, and just not my married friends? Who knows. Anyways, back to the magnets! They are so awesome. I'm pretty sure they were the very first item we knew we wanted post-engagement...before we were all about birds and branches (more on that later). I bought them so early (a year ahead of time to be exact) because I couldn't beat the 65% off sale. Not to mention, I'm constantly worried about things we want going out of stock or being discontinued. I would give these away now, but I really think we should wait until after next September, so no one thinks we're getting married September '10. I have relatives that thought we were getting married this past September, and of course people still/always think it's next September. I think Christmas next year will be good for giving away to most of the guests...no confusion that way.

I had mentioned birds and branches earlier...we are all about it! don't get me wrong, I totally shy away from themes and I'm trying not to be super tacky...everything is just falling together nicely. I bought the branch centerpiece kits from bloomsandbranches.com that I had mentioned in an earlier post and they turned out excellent. Mike made a sample centerpiece that is pretty sweet...sorry about the quality, I took the picture with my phone!

We really like it, but it doesn't quite fit the feel we're going for. We're going to replace the big pink flowers with small off-white hydrangeas, and 86 the glass and river rocks in favor of more modern square bases. Hopefully we get around to that soon and I can post the finished product.

For our alternate centerpieces, we're going to go with medium sized apothecary jars filled with twig balls in our colors, pine cones, and feather balls. Target has the PERFECT jars on sale right now, so hopefully I can scoop up the 12 I need soon. I'm thinking we'll have some votives on the branch tables and bud vases with hydrangea bunches on the apothecary jar tables.

So I guess some feathers here and some branches there don't really make a theme, right? Man, I hope I don't go overboard.

My Review of Personalized Magnets - NEW DESIGNS!

Originally submitted at The Knot

These magnets make cool save-the-date mementos, and favors for the bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and the wedding reception, too. With over 60 new designs, you'll definitely find the perfect one to suit your occasion. Personalize with your names and event date.  Each magnet measures 3 1/2 x ...

Personalized Magnets - NEW DESIGNS!

Amazing!

By Jessica from Windber, PA on 12/2/2009

 

5out of 5

Gift: No

Pros: Functional, Unique, Fits Theme, Good Value, Personalized

Best Uses: Theme Weddings, For Fun, Sentimental Keepsake

Describe Yourself: Bride

I just got my brown magnets in the mail, and I'm blown away! These are adorable and match our birds and branches theme perfectly. Our wedding is over Labor Day weekend, so having save-the-dates is vital to making sure everyone is on the same page and doesn't make other arrangements.

They do seem a little thin, but they are just magnets and it doesn't affect quality at all.

(legalese)

I'm back.

A week and a half ago I had very very minor surgery, and I thought for sure that my three week recovery would be filled with wedding planning and fretting...totally not the case. This is the first time in 11 days that I'm self sufficient and feeling pretty good (not so coincidentally, it's also the first day I'm not relying on 3 teaspoons of painkillers every 4th hour for pain management), and I'm back with a vengeance.

The hint of OCD in me rationalizes that now we have the big huge all important details down, we need to move to the next important, but slightly flexible tier - cakes, djs, florists, etc. I have absolutely no patience for things of that nature, so of course I'm back to my old ways and obsessing over centerpieces.

A quick Google search lead me to this gem

http://www.bloomsandbranches.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=23&products_id=403&zenid=sq52odplbpeu5dugrra2geoup3main_page=product_info&cPath=23&products_id=403&zenid=sq52odplbpeu5dugrra2geoup3

....over at bloomsandbranches.com. I'm all about cheap and efficient, so these are right up my alley. I need to crunch numbers (these kits vs. everything separately), but these just might be it! If we go with these, I could get one set a month or so...$35 a month won't be missed much! I estimate that I'd only need 10 or 11 of these (200 people - 14 at head table / 8 person per table / half of the tables would have this particular centerpiece). Hopefully we can decide in the near future and I can buy supplies for a mock centerpiece.

Here is a blurry picture I found of Emma and Connor last Halloween (our flower girl and ring bearer). Emma is Mike's niece and Connor is my brother. Just a little FYI.