Table Number Cards, Bouquets, and Guest Books

   These table numbers caused me to have a bridezilla moment at Staples. I asked the guy working there to cut paper I brought to fit their machine, then he had to play around with my template to see how to fit more then one on each sheet of paper. In the end he got it done and all with only a mild amount of teasing. (I did tell his manager how helpful he had been). Anywho, here is the final product. There will be 11 of them as that is how many guest tables we will have.

My brides maids bouquets and toss bouquet were also some of my most recent DIY projects. They turned out really nice and were way cheaper then what the florist was wanting. The brides maids have white and orange Gerber daisies, peach roses, an orange poppy, and some babies breath. The toss bouquet was white hydrangea, orange and blue Gerber daisies, and a monarch butterfly (for good luck). I tied all of them with blue ribbon. I feel very accomplished after seeing what I was able to do!

These are the brides maids bouquets.

 This is my toss bouquet. I really like the way it turned out!

My guest book I ordered from Shutterfly. I used our engagement pictures and was sure to leave lots of room for all our guests to sign. It turned out really well, except for the first one they sent said "Mat" instead of May. I called and they paid for me to send it back and they sent me a corrected one so it was really no big deal.

Fun Facts About Me

I figured since I am new to blogging I would go ahead and give those who are reading a chance to get to know a little about me.

1. I am mommy to a 18 month old little girl
2. Shoes are my obsession
3. I have 2 tattoos and plan to get more
4. Pink is my favorite color
5. I met my fiance online
6. Italian food is my favorite
7. I tend to drag my birthday celebration out for as long as possible
8. I am OCD when it comes to my wedding planning
9. Sick Puppies is my favorite band
10. Dexter is my favorite TV show
11. I just got my first designer purse this week
12. My fiance bought me my first designer sunglasses (Oakleys)
13. I never leave the house without my Blackberry
14. I like to sing in the car
15. Cheesecake is my favorite dessert
16. Buckle is my favorite store
17. My favorite movie (for now) is Life As We Know It
18. I love to read Stephen King books
19. Peacocks are my favorite animal
20. I was a vegetarian for a year
21. I ran track in high school
22. I am from New Jersey and all the shows based there are NOTHING like real life there
23. I have flip flops in every color of the rainbow
24. I am the oldest child of 3
25. My dad was in the Air Force my whole life. Now I am marrying a Marine
26. I love big cities
27. I am currently obsessed with animal prints
28. Urban Decay is my makeup brand of choice
29. I had never been inside of a tanning bed before I started tanning for the wedding.
30. I changed the color scheme for the wedding about 5 times
31. I tried on 23 dresses before mine
32. I never went to college but after Tommy is out of the Marines I plan to go for Medical Billing & Coding
33. My birthday is 4/4 my daughters is 10/10
34. I love Reeses eggs but not regular cups
35. I don't eat the orange skittles or blue M&Ms
36. I hate fishing and hunting
37. I have lived in 7 different states and some of them more then once
38. I know all the words to the Wonder Pets theme song. (Thanks Maddie)
39. My daughter loves ducks and I don't know why or what started it
40. Rum and coke is my favorite drink
41. Pina Coladas or Lemon Drops is my favorite fruity drink
42. I have never been out of the country (yet)
43. I have gone bungee jumping and want to try sky diving
44. Guess you could say I am an adrenalin junkie
45. I prefer Pepsi over Coke
46. I originally wanted to elope and get married on a cruise
47. I got a puppy for Christmas but my daughter and her didn't get along so Jazzy had to leave us
48. I have never been to Disney but can't wait to take my kids
49. I only want 1 more baby
50. I am the only person in my family with green eyes and blonde hair.

I hope this was as fun for you to read as it was for me to write! If there is anything you want to know about me just ask. I may answer!

Bachelorette Party Dress

  This is the dress that I bought to go partying in when I go to Atlantic City for my bachelorette party in mid April. It is super sexy and I am in love with it because I wanted a burlesque themed girls weekend.

The shoes are amazing too! I bought a pair of pink sparkly ones a few months ago but the heel broke the first time I wore them. So, these are the ones that I got to replace them. They go great with this dress which is an added bonus. I can't wait to go party with my girls in a few weeks!! I will most likely also wear the dress for my birthday party at the beginning of next month and my friends party in May. It is always good knowing that you will get lots of use out of something when you buy it. The dress is XOXO from Macy's in-case anyone was wondering and the shoes are from a boutique in Annapolis MD called Ego.  Does anyone have any sugestions for accessories? I was thinking maybe a black feather hair piece? I just don't know.

My Rant For The Week

   I feel like I really need to get this off my chest, so here it goes. My parents have done NOTHING to help with my wedding! Ever since I started talking about getting married someday when I was a little girl my parents always promised to help pay for my wedding. Now that the planning is in full swing they have done NOTHING to help. My fiances parents have been amazing and payed for the vast majority of everything but still, it's not right. I feel bad that they have done so much when even after asking repeatedly my parents wont shell out a dime. If it wasn't for my grandma my sister wouldn't have even gotten to be in the wedding because mom wouldn't help her get a brides maids dress. My sister is 18 and just graduated high school. She lives at home and yet mom refused to help her. Also, my brother who is 16 and has a job is one of my ushers. He wanted to buy a shirt and tie in my wedding colors (with his own money) and mom wouldn't let him! Ggggrrrrr... and she wonders why I don't go out of my way to visit. Anyways, that is my rant for the week. Sorry that you guys had to hear it out.
  On a brighter note my bachelorette party is planned and the room is booked! We are going to Atlantic City and staying at the Tropicana on Easter weekend. I am so excited to have a girls weekend.
  Thats all for now I guess. I promise tomorrows post will be happier.

Lazy Weekend

  For the first time in a while I didn't do anything linked to the wedding today! I got the oil in the car changed, payed bills, went grocery shopping , and went tanning. It was nice to be out doing errands without color swatches in hand. Tonight I am thinking is a Pina Colada kind of night. I don't plan on anything other then Smallville re-runs and drinks with umbrellas curled up next to my fiance! Sounds like a good night if you ask me.

What Is A Military Wife?

 This is what you are dedicating yourself to when you marry someone in the military. I spent 20 years being a military BRAT (kid) and am so ready to be a Marine's wife!!!!

WHAT IS A MILITARY WIFE?

Each one may look different and each is wonderfully unique,
But this they have in common:

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert,
The Arctic,
Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after
them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is
unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed; the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart .
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

-Author Unknown

A Perfect Fit

  I went for my dress fitting tonight and the dress fit great! I was going to lose some weight before the wedding but if I do my dress will fall off (it's a size 4) so I guess all I have to do is maintain. The dress was dirty right inside the bust line so they kept it at the store for a final cleaning before I take it home. The bustle looks good and the hem length is so much better then it was. It makes me so excited for my big day! The past week or two I have been second guessing my dress choice but the minute I put it on I felt so much better. All of my accessories go well with the dress and I really do think that it is all ready for the big day.
  On a different note, my fiance got me a Vera Bradley purse for my birthday!! I love it. It's one of their new prints Lemon Parfait. The ladies in the store were so taken with my daughter that they gave her a FREE purse too (it was a $40 purse). Isn't she a lucky duck! Not even 2 and has a designer purse. Well here are pictures from the fitting and of our new purses. It is past this tired girls bed time.

 Mommy"s Vera Bradley purse

 Mommy & Maddie's purses. She gets to be my mini-me.

Until the sun comes up,    

Dress Fitting

  Tonight is my second dress fitting. I am super excited to see my gown after two months! I just hope it finally fits. I am a very petite girl (5' 1") so they had to take about 3 inches off the bottom of the dress. They also made sure all of the bead work was secure, and on my dress that is a big job! I never pictured myself as a Cinderella dress kinda girl but I tried on one after another of plain, flowing dresses and none of them grabbed me. So that is how I wound up with the ballgown styled, bead and embroidery infested dress I call my own. It is the only one that made me cry! I knew when I first started trying on wedding gowns that I needed to have that crying moment and started to panic after dress 23 when I hadn't. That is when my consultant asked if she could try something different and I said :by all means".  I got my dress at Davids Bridal for about $800. I guess that is a good price for a wedding gown? I don't know, seems like a lot for one day. Oh well, I will enjoy every minute I am in it so I guess at the end of the night when its just me and my hubby and all our guests have left and we are talking about how amazing our day was it will be well worth it!

Till DEATH Do Us Part

  As promised in an earlier post this is dedicated to my new tattoo. I got it to represent my fiance and my relationship as well as our up coming marriage.
   The inspiration behind the tattoo is actually quite simple. The skull/ rose is a logo from a small band who I heard play last summer. The band wasn't any good but I thought this picture was awesome. The saying I took from the traditional marriage vows "Till death do us part". The tattoo was for the purpose of getting something to represent my fiance without having his name plastered on me. As much as I loved him I was very honest with him and told him I would never get ANYONES name tattooed on my body except for maybe my children. Life is uncertain so why spend all the money to get a tattoo just to have something you regret down the road.
  Anywho, I love tattoos!!! This is number two for me for me and I already have plans for me next one. What is that you might ask? Monarch butterflies up my rib cage. One thing I have to say in the defense of  tattoos for anyone who may be considering one... they don't hurt as bad as you think they do! Also, NO I do not plan on covering up my tattoos for my wedding! I am proud of them and they represent who I am. Not to mention how much they cost. Why would I cover that up? Sorry mom.

Bridal beauty regimines... necessary or crazy?

    Within this past month I have started my pre-wedding beauty regimen. This entails teeth whitening (You would really think they would find a way for the goop on those strips to not taste so bad), daily face washing with this awesome facial scrub I have from Neutrogena, taking off my makeup every night with Mario Badescu eye makeup removal gel ( I have to take a minute to state that this is an awesome product! It is all natural and super gental on your eyes.), and using Moraccanoil in my hair after I shower 3 times a week. (My sister-in-law to be works at a salon and gets me sample bottles of it which is awesome because it is expensive). This may not seem like a lot but the hardest part for me is taking my makeup off at night when I would rather just fall into bed. I am also going to start tanning this weekend and got my tattoo (which I will write about later) touched up so it is all healed up and bright for the wedding. I am also going to take this time to mention the makeup I bought to wear for the wedding. I got Urban Decay's Vegan eye pallet, concealer stick, eye liner in Coal, and lipstick in Rush. I love there makeup! It is light and yet long lasting at the same time. Two words all brides want to hear!! Well, I am off to wash my makeup off. Talk to you later.

 The daily beauty regiment. Nothing too extreme but I hope it will have me looking good for my wedding day.

Urban Decay's Vegan pallet. As the name suggests this is a vegan makeup pallet which has some great colors for a fun smoky eye.

This Takes The Cake

     What happens if a bride isn't a "cake person"? These days with everyone trying to put their own personal spin on their weddings I don't see why you should feel like you have to serve cake at your wedding. You could do a dessert bar, pastries, dessert shooters, or even ice cream. The sky is the limit so let your imagination soar and have fun! It is your wedding and hopefully you will only have to do this once. DO what YOU want and don't be afraid of what other people think. Who cares if your great aunt who you haven't seen in 10 years gets upset because you don't stick to tired old traditions. Most likely you won't see her for another 10 years and by then it will be far in the past. So what will you have for your wedding dessert? Cake or something more original?

Be Inspired

  Whenever I get lost as to the direction my wedding is going in I put together an inspiration board. They help me stay on track as to what I want my wedding to look like. Also, since I am OCD it calms me to plan things out where I can see them. Below is my latest inspiration board showing some of the key elements to my wedding. I also like to look at other peoples boards looking at things that inspire them. I have found that taking these boards when you meet with vendors like your florist, hairdresser, or baker help them to see what you envision for your day. For example, I would describe my wedding as fun, modern, bright, and young. When I show my vendors pictures it makes what I say come to life for them. Good luck to all of you who still have a long way to go in your wedding planning, because as for me its 58 days and I'm done!

The Bling that is my ring

   You aren't really a bride unless you have a ring so this post will be dedicated to mine. The beautiful, sparkly ring that I am so proud to show off whenever the opportunity arises. Ever since I was young I knew basically what I wanted. I have very small fingers so I didn't want anything that would overwhelm them. When my fiance proposed marriage he also proposed that I help him pick out my ring since he was clueless and overwhelmed when it came to all jewelry stores have to offer. We went and looked, and that is when I found my 3 stone, princess cut, 1/2 carat, white gold engagement ring. It may not be the biggest or have the most diamonds, but it is mine, and was given to me by the man I love!

Two things that women love: diamonds, and high heels!

To Trash or not to trash... this is the question

    My photographer asked me to do a trash the dress session after my wedding but I am a little nervous about this. Where on one hand I think it would be a lot of fun as opposed to my dress sitting in my closet after my one big day, on the other I cringe at the thought of my beautiful gown being ruined! What are other bride-to-be or previous brides thoughts on this? Would you trash your wedding gown? I told the photographer I would maybe take some shots in the woods but even then I am nervous about my gown being ruined! I really need help on deciding this one? Will I ever have need for this dress again? What will it be doing after the wedding?
  Here are some pictures of other trash the dress sessions I found online. Maybe they are over the top? If you have any pictures of TTD sessions that I could see I would really appreciate it.

 

 All 3 of the above pictures have girls who have TRASHED their dresses. I think I would cry, but on the other hand I could have a ball. I am so torn!!

This is more what I have in mind, but is it too boring??

Pre-wedding Workout

    After a long winter spring is finally here (for the most part) and its time for this bride-to-be to get her butt in shape! If only the rain would stop it would make this SO much easier. I love to run and if I can't do it outside it is hard to do it at all.I feel like a hamster when I am on a treadmill. 
  The fact that my fiance isn't a health food enthusiast doesn't help my cause much either. I am trying to eat like I should but just the time I think I'm doing good there is a cake tasting. Also, my birthday being right around the corner it is going to be hard to stick to not drinking a lot. I just keep telling myself that when I look good on my honey moon in a bathing suite it will be well worth it!
  I can not wait to be on some sunny beach with a pretty, fruity drink with a straw and umbrella. It will make all the craziness of wedding planning well worth it if you ask me.

Miss Madison

  I can't have a blog and not mention the OTHER love of my life.My daughter Maddie-Grace. She is such a sweet, smart, loving child (most of the time). I can't believe that my baby girl is 1&1/2 though. Where has the time gone?
  Anyways, as any child her age Miss M is obsessed with a few things. Namely ducks, cookies, and the word "NO". Aahhh yes, the terrible twos have come early to my house. Maddie is having fun with all the big wedding plans too. She likes me to put her flower girl dress on her as she walks around the living room with her basket. She also loves going to the park (our wedding venue) and playing while mommy tries to get "visions". Last weekend however was a big treat for miss Madison-Grace .... CAKE TASTING! That little girl had about 3 cupcakes before all was said and done and was bouncing off the walls (literally, she would run into the wall and bounce off) by the time we left the bakery. We are doing a sand ceremony at the wedding to show the blending of our family. I think it will be a nice way to include Maddie. I just pray that she will cooperate with everything she needs to do the day of the wedding... Does any little girl ever do this? No! I didn't think so.
  Oh well, wish me luck.

 This is from her 1st birthday. When Maddie decided to put her face and not her hands into the cake.

 Mommy's little goofball.

Trying on flower girl headbands.

Engagement Shoot

  Even though these were taken about a month ago I still wanted to post some of them because our photographer did great work.  He even got my fiance to loosen up and really enjoy himself.  They were taken in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

"What If" we had never met

I love this one.

The kind of kiss that makes your "foot pop"- Princess Diaries

Having fun

reflection in the bay

Candid moment

This Love!

My Marine and I

My favorite!!

 Acting like kids again

 Hand in hand, heart in heart.

 Hug me like you'll never let me go

Ravens stadium in the background.


I know that is a lot of pictures but not considering I had about 120 that I am in love with! I can't wait to do my "trash the dress" session after the wedding!

Short Haired Brides, have no fear... there are cute hairstyles out there.

  Not thinking I chopped all my hair off about a month ago, just to freak out about two weeks later because I wanted an up-do for my wedding. So after I calmed back down I started looking and sure enough there are some really cute up-dos for brides with shorter locks. With that being said I am going to post some of my favorites now.

#1: minus the flowers I really like this look. It has volume and is very "bridal" and not "prom"

#2: very pretty, polished and grown up. I think this is the look I am leaning towards

#3: A little prom looking but still very pretty. It all depends on what the look, and feel of your wedding is.