Tag..IM IT :)

My first official Tag :)

Jessica at Tying the Knot tagged me to list 6 things I value and 6 things I don’t Value:
1. Darin & Kingston :) xoxo
2. Family & Friends
3. HersheyPark/Mont Alto (PSU) Memories
4. Perrier water & lime/Nonfat Misto w/ 1 pump SF Vanilla
5. Designer handbags.. (LV & Burberry!!)

Don’t Value:
1. Being 10000+ miles away from family and friends
2. Life going by too fast (esp. living 10, 000 miles away)
3. Meat on a bone...EWE
4. Airbrush designs on nails..
5. Rude..disrespectful people.

I met two new people today... So, Jessica at Atlanta Bride and Mrs. in May, You are Tagged!

Lets end this post with a beautiful sneak peak of my dress!

photo credit: ME

Father Dibble Dabbles

This past weekend I asked my Father to take a dive into a project for moi. You must understand something...My Father dibble dabbles in everything! He takes the old melted wax from church and remolds them into new candles. Cuts out wooden shapes for his Mother In-Law for her church bazaar every year. He has a little workshop in the basement where he can disappear up to several hours at a time. So, when I came across this unique idea, I had no choice but to cut/paste into an email with LOVE Nikki as the signature!

I came across these water balloon luminaries.

It came from the Candletech.com. They give step by step instructions on how to make these gorgeous luminaries. Plus, they give pictures each step of the way. (extremely helpful) I am requesting pictures from my Father as he attempts at this project and will post as soon as possible. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it comes out great! I can just picture a few of these on the fireplace mantle. During the open house at our venue, I took a couple shots of the mantle to remember how they placed several different candles on the one side. I REALLY liked it! If we can master these candles, we can add different color to the wax and create a taupe..ivory..any color we want!

photo credit: ME

So, a huge thank you goes out to my Father and...i know my Mother will assist! So..THANK YOU! My parents are extremely helpful with the wedding planning. It is very hard living on the other side of the country and wanting to dibble dabble myself :)

Table Numbers

A couple more thoughts to go along with the place cards...which would be the table numbers! I have a couple ideas I would like to share. The first one is my absolute favorite due to the fact it's the most personal :) In fact, one of my BM's used this idea in her reception. They did the photos in black and white.

Photo Credit: ME

Our venue doesn't provide metal table holders but they do have small silver frames. How boring! Here is another lovely option. The birds are so adorable. You can use any type of paper for the background and color to make it your own.

Photo credit: weddingbee.com, appologies I can not locate the exact Bee!

I think this may be my number one choice! Especially, since we will be having white flowers as the centerpieces! Using different size mason jars, vases and flowers oh my! Using house numbers play the role of table numbers. They come in the different sizes, colors, styles and they can be used again for a possible home? wink wink..

photo credit: Leigh Miller Photography

Place Cards...and More

As I am gathering information and ideas...I have come to the conclusion that having a gorgeous table like this will be completely out of the question due to the location of where this table will be positioned. There are doors positioned very close and I don't want to worry about wind..or anything! Plus there isn't a lot of room....

photo credit: The Knot

Then I came across this idea and fell hard! I could prop two of these up against the wall and put flowers/decor below. Nice and clean...looking. I call this an Escort Board! Mrs. Eggplant from Weddingbee designed a beautiful masterpiece! She gives step by step instructions to create your own.

photo credit: Mrs. Eggplant

I also read somewhere that brides use little envelopes with the full place card inside along with something else... that "else" could be information to upload personal pictures from the wedding to our WinkFlash account. I have been wondering how to tie that all together..maybe this is my answer! My board will not be this colorful! But..I do see a little bird in the corner versus a flower!

On Facebook, an old High School friend found me today and as I was perusing his "photo albums" I came across some wedding pictures! First, I couldn't believe another HS friend is married..then as I took a closer look I was inspired! Personality written all over it! Take a look at their escort board display!

All of their guests found a spot on the soft grass for the ceremony!

Have I mentioned how anxious I am to meet with Teresa over thanksgiving and get a design going?!! Oh it's Friday! Darin is home! The sun is out! I think the beach is a callin!

Flowers...Again!

I received a price quote from the florist the other day..and I was happy with what I saw! My DOC agreed! Currently quoted for groom..was double white/ivory spray rose, green hypericum, lemon leaf... and Bells of Ireland for the groomsmen. Honestly, when we went to the appointment I brought pictures and ideas along but I had no clue what I REALLY wanted. It was also the last stop on our LONG day of appointments. My mind was spinning! BUT! I was able to get an idea of prices and how much flowers cost etc.. I absolutely loved Megan and we hit it off immediately. Deposit sent..and we have a florist! Here is a picture of some flowers she let me keep! The groom looks estatic! It was a loooong day! Jessica from Tying the Knot recommended to take along ribbon..color swatches to show exactly what color you are looking for!

photo credit: Mom

It has been over a month since our visit to the florist and I have continued my search of flowers. I did find some other options to consider for the groomsmen. Here is a picture of what we picked out for now..but it will be two small spray roses versus one big traditional rose plus a large lemon leaf.

photo credit: The Knot

This caught my eye! How simple yet elegant!

photo credit: Jonathan Canlos Photography

The ribbon caught my attention in this photo! It is a completely different look.

Photo Credit: The Knot

Clean Up!

Housework...ugh! The Fiance will be the first to say how messy I am! Well, lets do some organizing! (of thoughts that is!!)


1. Including the Little Man in the wedding.- This will not be happening :( They do not allow pets in the hotel..and we don't want to worry about him! He will be safe at home with the other critters that weekend with loving people to check in on him!


2. Dance Floor- This is something my Father brought up during our September site visit. He was worried it was too small! Not everyone has to dance ontop of the floor! We can enlarge it but will be charged double. (ouch) Hmm...I will have to chat about this with my wedding planner! Or they mentioned that we don't have to have one.... I'm thinking I want one!


3. Shuttle- They offer a non-stop shuttle to and from the venue and hotel (or down the street hotels) to keep everyone safe. They will not allow any cars to stay parked at the venue overnight because it is a gated site. The costs is 45.00/hour. Hmm..times that by at least 5 hours...yikes! Hopefully everyone will just book at the ski resort. This will make things a lot easier.


4. Colors- Originally, it was pink/green..which migrated to just green/black/ivory with a damask print. Then, since the damask didn't exactly look that good at the venue I decided to pull back from the print and go with a nature theme. Here are some pictures that have inspired myself! I am still having the BM's wear black..with green flowers. ME-white flowers. Green/Black/Ivory/Dash of country blue. These invites really show the vision. I am meeting with my friend who is a graphic designer (Miss Teresa!) over Thanksgiving to discuss invitation design/theme. The invites even have a little damask design thrown in there...LOVE IT

picture credit: unknown

Name Change?!

Honestly, I am having a very difficult time with the thought of losing my last name. I have had my last name for 27 years! Its a part of me! It holds my past...my roots...its ME! I didn't realize how emotional this would be. The Fiance is going traditional on this subject. It is definitely a touchy subject at this point. I have even asked him to consider changing his last name! Something tells me that won't be happening! :)

What part of the name change is bothering me so much? I have put tons of thought into this and I think I'm very proud of my family and the bond we have. I am proud to say I am a Stefan. Can many people say that? Yes, that was my past..this is my future with the man I love. Should I feel proud to take his name and disregard my feelings? Maybe hyphenate...but wow that would be a long name!

After perusing other blogs...I found some comfort in knowing I was not the only one who felt like this! Miss Hydrangea and Miss Cheese from the Weddingbee share the same feelings. It's like finding a support group from the local yellow pages! Does anyone have any suggestions?

I did find this website for changing your name...it's suppose to make the process a lot easier. Well, I have about 7 months to go....7 more months to ponder... and I leave you with a gorgeous picture! Jennifer Skog is one talented photographer!

photo credit: Jennifer Skog

The Men!

Darin and I took a trip to Mens Warehouse this past weekend to check out the latest styles. We wanted something very simple and modern. The salesman was very patient with us and allowed me to dress up the top part of the mannequin. Jackets...ties...vests...shirts...etc! I took several pictures with my phone camera and unfortunately I am unable to convert onto the computer. But I did get some pictures off the website. So, a huge thank you goes out to Men's Warehouse and that very patient dude in the Redondo Beach, Ca store. Darin is all measured and ready to go!

This is the jacket/pants look. Now the question is...Vest or No Vest?

We went with the "tuscany" look. Now, I really want to buy the groomsmen ties, ivory/black stripe but if I can't find anything then they will wear this black stripe tie.

The groom may be sporting this "bisque" colored ensemble. Shh..but I'm thinking it may match something that the bride may be wearing :) I ordered a swatch so hopefully it will come soon so I can decide bisque or ivory. Again, vest or no vest? We have plenty of time to figure this out. Though, I'm leaning towards no vest. The venue is not fancy schmancy and I would like to keep it a comfortable feel.

Wedding Day Advice!

I have been getting some wonderful and scary words of advice from many brides recently married! The big one is... "just let things happen." I came across this blog from "These Little Moments" which I think gave the BEST advice and it is simply put! Oh and did you know we have 231 days till our big day?!!!! I leave you all with a breathtaking bouquet of flowers!

photo credit: the knot

Non Traditional Taste

Dear Friends and Family,

It seriously cracks me up when I share my ideas with others and get a "huh?" response. You know..when their eyes become big and open and their jaw may slightly drop... or they try to give a "i dont' want to hurt your feelings" look...So, I will let it out now..I am not your traditional bride...nor Woman! Of course there are tons of "traditional" things I want for our May 30th..but can't I tweak...modify...? I am an Occupational Therapist..aren't I? Always creating...problem solving...and most importantly making it meaningful for my patients... Wouldn't it only be normal for me to be extra creative and symbolic? So, I am giving you all a heads up...it will be OKAY! Trust me... if my bridesmaids wear black...DON'T FREAK OUT! If the Mothers' don't have a corsage...it will be okay. (I think my idea for the Moms are even better!!!)If I wear gorgeous designer black heels...I hope you smile :) Here are some pictures of other daring brides!

Photo credit: Left (unknown), Right: Amy Carroll Photography

Photo credit: Ann Hamilton

Sharing Photos!

After every event...wedding...graduation...party or gathering I am always anxious to see all the photos! A new trend is posting a picture webpage. Friends and family can go online to upload their favorites and share with everyone and vice versa. So we decided to go with WinkFlash. I guess the hardest part is trying to figure out where to share this information. Maybe I should make a card with the information and have it at each table setting? That's just something else to put on that poor table! Hmm...so this is something I must add to the list! A lot of my friends are starting these types of pages for their little newborns! I am very anxious to see all the random photos! Once I design the card with all the info I will definately share!

Here is a cute picture for the post! Taken yesterday at Palos Verdes, Ca!

photo credit: to ME