Wednesday, December 24, 2008
My boss closed the office early, so I left the office at 2pm.
YAY!!!! Freedom!
I decided to stop by the grocery store to pick up some last minute things...BIG mistake!
It took FOREVER.
When Al got home, we wrapped gifts and then headed over to his parent's house for dinner.
We had a lovely evening of good food, wine and company. We had initially planned to go to midnight mass, but the unexpected monsoon-like rains and my general tiredness thwarted our attempt. Ah well......
With the weather being so schizophrenic, it didn't feel much like Christmas anyway.
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Our engagement SLIDESHOW!!!!
OH MY GOSH!!!!!
I'm so excited, Shari just posted our engagement slideshow (we'll change the music soon) and I'm so excited. I usually prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front of it, but there were actually some photos that I really loved of us.
Check it out!!!!!!!!
http://www.sharizellers.com/al2/
I'm so excited, Shari just posted our engagement slideshow (we'll change the music soon) and I'm so excited. I usually prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front of it, but there were actually some photos that I really loved of us.
Check it out!!!!!!!!
http://www.sharizellers.com/al2/
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Finalizing the Tuxes
We made the final choice on the tuxes and decided to definitely go with Savvi.
Al will keep his Ralph Lauren Whitney pinstripe tux and we will put the Groomsmen and Dads in the classic black tux that matches the style of the pin stripe. Both are two button tuxes with thin structured lapels. We decided to go this route to take into account everyone's financial decisions and to help cut costs for our friends and family who will be involved in the wedding. We were able to do this without compromising on style, so I'm excited to see all the gentleman dressed to the nines.
Another check off the checklist....
:)
Al has also finalized his groomsmen decisions and in the next few weeks will be asking his friends to stand beside him.
Exciting!
Al will keep his Ralph Lauren Whitney pinstripe tux and we will put the Groomsmen and Dads in the classic black tux that matches the style of the pin stripe. Both are two button tuxes with thin structured lapels. We decided to go this route to take into account everyone's financial decisions and to help cut costs for our friends and family who will be involved in the wedding. We were able to do this without compromising on style, so I'm excited to see all the gentleman dressed to the nines.
Another check off the checklist....
:)
Al has also finalized his groomsmen decisions and in the next few weeks will be asking his friends to stand beside him.
Exciting!
One wedding band down, one to go...
I found my WEDDING BAND!!!!
I can't believe it!!!
It's absolutely perfect, and passes pretty much every criteria we had set.
My band compliments my engagement ring perfectly in shape, diamonds and size.
It's a "dome shaped" triple row of pave diamonds that's about 4 mm in width and sits almost flush to my ring because of it's unique shape.
It's perfect as a stand alone ring and looks amazing with my engagement ring.
I'm so excited.
The picture is the only one that I could find online that resembles my ring. I'll post a new one when I take a picture of it on my hand.
YAY!!!
Another check off my list!
Woo!
My Office X-mas Party
Thursday, October 18, 2008
Well, tonight's my office Christmas Party and we're shutting down the office early and reconverging at the Capital City Club downtown.
So, we met at the Club and started off down in the lobby with drinks and appetizers. I've started to just kind of be ambivalent about get togethers. *sigh*
We then went upstairs to the third floor for what I was told to be "an AMAZING" buffet dinner. Yeah, not so much. It left little to be desired. I kept thinking, wow, for all the excessiveness this requires, what you take from it is not that great. I'm definitely not in my comfort zone. Thank God Al was there.
The entertainment for the evening was a Trumpet Player who was pretty decent. It was all Jazz style Christmas music, so to be honest, I was bored out of my mind.
Following the trumpet player was a jazz vocalist.
It was a good evening, but as soon as the vocalist finished, I was ready to jet.
Oh well....
Well, tonight's my office Christmas Party and we're shutting down the office early and reconverging at the Capital City Club downtown.
So, we met at the Club and started off down in the lobby with drinks and appetizers. I've started to just kind of be ambivalent about get togethers. *sigh*
We then went upstairs to the third floor for what I was told to be "an AMAZING" buffet dinner. Yeah, not so much. It left little to be desired. I kept thinking, wow, for all the excessiveness this requires, what you take from it is not that great. I'm definitely not in my comfort zone. Thank God Al was there.
The entertainment for the evening was a Trumpet Player who was pretty decent. It was all Jazz style Christmas music, so to be honest, I was bored out of my mind.
Following the trumpet player was a jazz vocalist.
It was a good evening, but as soon as the vocalist finished, I was ready to jet.
Oh well....
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Al's Office Christmas Party
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Late to work again....I think that's going to be a New Year's resolution.
CRAZY busy day, but I'm looking forward to Al's office Christmas party tonight.
It's being held at the Metropolitan club again, so I kinda know what to expect.
Secretly, we're both looking forward to the Chocolate fountain. That's some GOOD stuff right there.
The party turned out pretty decent. They had the standard reception like "food stations", but the food was just ok. They had pretty decent wine and your normal cash bar.
The DJ was definitely better than last year, but still WAY too cheesy. I'm starting to think that's a requirement for guys who do corporate parties. Eh....
I had fun and it's always interesting to people watch at these functions as well as meet the people that Al spends the majority of his days with. I have to say though, it was a bit of an Al love fest....which was so CUTE. I mean.....cool.....it was just nice to see Al get some serious validation for the great job that he does everyday and I know he loves that.
:)
Late to work again....I think that's going to be a New Year's resolution.
CRAZY busy day, but I'm looking forward to Al's office Christmas party tonight.
It's being held at the Metropolitan club again, so I kinda know what to expect.
Secretly, we're both looking forward to the Chocolate fountain. That's some GOOD stuff right there.
The party turned out pretty decent. They had the standard reception like "food stations", but the food was just ok. They had pretty decent wine and your normal cash bar.
The DJ was definitely better than last year, but still WAY too cheesy. I'm starting to think that's a requirement for guys who do corporate parties. Eh....
I had fun and it's always interesting to people watch at these functions as well as meet the people that Al spends the majority of his days with. I have to say though, it was a bit of an Al love fest....which was so CUTE. I mean.....cool.....it was just nice to see Al get some serious validation for the great job that he does everyday and I know he loves that.
:)
Al meets Uncle Woody
Sunday, December 14, 2008
So the last major member of my family that Al has yet to meet is my Uncle Woody. Uncle Woody is my mom's younger brother and my favorite uncle. Uncle Woody and Aunt Jean happened to be in town this weekend for Aunt Jean's cousin's play, so we arranged to meet them at the wedding reception venue so they could check the place out. They were able to meet up with us for a few hours and it was so awesome to see them and catch up.
We took them on a tour of the property and it was a chance for us to see all the changes as well. The property is currently undergoing MAJOR construction with the addition of the new wing and they are updating the lounge and dining areas. They've also put the pool area under construction and blocked off one of the entrances to the Pavilion. We were assured that construction would be done by March and our guests would have new accommodations, use of a new pool and a brand new bowling alley in the new wing!
SCORE!!!!
Being there just re-confirmed that we ABSOLUTELY made the right choice.
After the tour we sat in front of the great hearth, chatted and told family stories. It was a really great afternoon.
I can't wait to see them again in a few short months.
So the last major member of my family that Al has yet to meet is my Uncle Woody. Uncle Woody is my mom's younger brother and my favorite uncle. Uncle Woody and Aunt Jean happened to be in town this weekend for Aunt Jean's cousin's play, so we arranged to meet them at the wedding reception venue so they could check the place out. They were able to meet up with us for a few hours and it was so awesome to see them and catch up.
We took them on a tour of the property and it was a chance for us to see all the changes as well. The property is currently undergoing MAJOR construction with the addition of the new wing and they are updating the lounge and dining areas. They've also put the pool area under construction and blocked off one of the entrances to the Pavilion. We were assured that construction would be done by March and our guests would have new accommodations, use of a new pool and a brand new bowling alley in the new wing!
SCORE!!!!
Being there just re-confirmed that we ABSOLUTELY made the right choice.
After the tour we sat in front of the great hearth, chatted and told family stories. It was a really great afternoon.
I can't wait to see them again in a few short months.
A SATURDAY WITH NOTHING TO DO?!?!?!?
Saturday, December 13, 2008
This is the first time in almost a year, that we have a free Saturday with nothing planned, nothing to do and whole day of down time.
First stop.....sleep in till it hurts.
Then we had a late lunch at Moe's and went on a leisurely trip to the grocery store.
Boring grown up stuff.....woo!
We spent the rest of the day/evening doing random house chores and I finally sat down and organized all of my wedding magazine clippings. Sounds pretty insignificant....but it was a HUGE project.
I had hundreds of magazine pages torn out that needed to be sorted into ideas and groups. I know, I know, I'm obsessed.
But Lisa had given me this AWESOME organizer, so I wanted to utilize it and actually get super organized. It's a huge time vacuum, so I can just kind of idly do this while hanging out and watching tv.
While we're going through the situation with our wedding planner, wedding planning has in fact taken a back seat. The good thing is that most of the big stuff has been taken care of by my super researcher and mad negotiating skillz. The only thing really left is the logistics/timing of the day. Thankfully my photographer is helping me map out a timeline of the day and my new wedding planner will be able to make sure that everything flows. It is time to move on....
This is the first time in almost a year, that we have a free Saturday with nothing planned, nothing to do and whole day of down time.
First stop.....sleep in till it hurts.
Then we had a late lunch at Moe's and went on a leisurely trip to the grocery store.
Boring grown up stuff.....woo!
We spent the rest of the day/evening doing random house chores and I finally sat down and organized all of my wedding magazine clippings. Sounds pretty insignificant....but it was a HUGE project.
I had hundreds of magazine pages torn out that needed to be sorted into ideas and groups. I know, I know, I'm obsessed.
But Lisa had given me this AWESOME organizer, so I wanted to utilize it and actually get super organized. It's a huge time vacuum, so I can just kind of idly do this while hanging out and watching tv.
While we're going through the situation with our wedding planner, wedding planning has in fact taken a back seat. The good thing is that most of the big stuff has been taken care of by my super researcher and mad negotiating skillz. The only thing really left is the logistics/timing of the day. Thankfully my photographer is helping me map out a timeline of the day and my new wedding planner will be able to make sure that everything flows. It is time to move on....
Sunday, December 7, 2008
A productive Sunday
Sunday, December 7, 2008
After waking up with what is turning out to be a head cold, I decided to stay home, dye my hair and finish some house "stuff". I then met up with Al for lunch at American Roadhouse.
*sidenote* while waiting for a table at American Roadhouse, I ran across the street to check out LaRaine's Boutique. I had never been there before and was really impressed with the selection they had. I'm hoping to make an appointment there in the relatively near future, to check out some dresses and accessories. I'm still looking for a bolero to wear for the ceremony.
From there we went to Worthmore Jewelers.
http://www.worthmorejewelers.com/index.php
We were referred to them by Erin who purchased her wedding band at their store. We walked in and I was immediately excited to check out their selection. They had all these designers and amazing unique pieces. We found a few rings that Al liked, but again, nothing that was "the one".
I found two options for me. One was a 14k white gold ring with channel set round cut diamonds that wrapped around 3/4. The other was a replica of the ring I found on bluenile.com that is white gold with pave set diamonds on three sides that wrapped around 3/4. Our experience there was quite awesome (100 million times better than any visit to Rubin bros.) and we really enjoyed their entire collection of different and unique jewelry. While we were there, we also purchased Al's promise ring. He had randomly found a claddagh that he really liked that I also REALLY liked. It's a stainless steel spinner with a claddagh "etching". I bought it for him for him to wear as his promise ring/engagement ring.
So, we're still looking, but I'm hoping we'll find something soon.
After waking up with what is turning out to be a head cold, I decided to stay home, dye my hair and finish some house "stuff". I then met up with Al for lunch at American Roadhouse.
*sidenote* while waiting for a table at American Roadhouse, I ran across the street to check out LaRaine's Boutique. I had never been there before and was really impressed with the selection they had. I'm hoping to make an appointment there in the relatively near future, to check out some dresses and accessories. I'm still looking for a bolero to wear for the ceremony.
From there we went to Worthmore Jewelers.
http://www.worthmorejewelers.com/index.php
We were referred to them by Erin who purchased her wedding band at their store. We walked in and I was immediately excited to check out their selection. They had all these designers and amazing unique pieces. We found a few rings that Al liked, but again, nothing that was "the one".
I found two options for me. One was a 14k white gold ring with channel set round cut diamonds that wrapped around 3/4. The other was a replica of the ring I found on bluenile.com that is white gold with pave set diamonds on three sides that wrapped around 3/4. Our experience there was quite awesome (100 million times better than any visit to Rubin bros.) and we really enjoyed their entire collection of different and unique jewelry. While we were there, we also purchased Al's promise ring. He had randomly found a claddagh that he really liked that I also REALLY liked. It's a stainless steel spinner with a claddagh "etching". I bought it for him for him to wear as his promise ring/engagement ring.
So, we're still looking, but I'm hoping we'll find something soon.
Floral Dreams
Saturday, December 6, 20008
Al left early to drive to Chattanooga for the Trash tournament and I headed down to my parent's house for the day. We packed up my mom and went to visit Tammy. Tammy worked with my mom WAY back in the day at Roderick's and she's always been part of that crowd from my childhood. She is currently a florist in McDonough and offered to arrange my Bridesmaids bouquet, centerpieces and other various floral pieces. I'm excited to see what she'll come up with and so thankful that we have resources to use to make up for the situation that our wedding planner left us in. After visiting with Tammy we went to have lunch and just hung out for the rest of the day. I enjoyed a relaxing evening of house chores and cleaning out the Tivo. I also spent some time organizing all of my bridal clippings and checking some items off of my wedding checklist. Woo!
Al left early to drive to Chattanooga for the Trash tournament and I headed down to my parent's house for the day. We packed up my mom and went to visit Tammy. Tammy worked with my mom WAY back in the day at Roderick's and she's always been part of that crowd from my childhood. She is currently a florist in McDonough and offered to arrange my Bridesmaids bouquet, centerpieces and other various floral pieces. I'm excited to see what she'll come up with and so thankful that we have resources to use to make up for the situation that our wedding planner left us in. After visiting with Tammy we went to have lunch and just hung out for the rest of the day. I enjoyed a relaxing evening of house chores and cleaning out the Tivo. I also spent some time organizing all of my bridal clippings and checking some items off of my wedding checklist. Woo!
PUG Christmas Party
Friday, December 5, 2008
After a horrendously boring and normal work week, I was so excited to attend the PUG Christmas party. The guest speaker was Mike Larsen from California. He spoke specifically on leadership and growing your business and was quite the inspiration. I felt like his speech was tailored to my situation with Shari and definitely made me feel like making this decision to switch careers is the right thing to do. After enjoying wine and cheese and networking with some local photographers, I felt like doing something with my life that is creative and allows me to connect with people instead of taking their house away. Anyway, it was an interesting evening to say the least.
After a horrendously boring and normal work week, I was so excited to attend the PUG Christmas party. The guest speaker was Mike Larsen from California. He spoke specifically on leadership and growing your business and was quite the inspiration. I felt like his speech was tailored to my situation with Shari and definitely made me feel like making this decision to switch careers is the right thing to do. After enjoying wine and cheese and networking with some local photographers, I felt like doing something with my life that is creative and allows me to connect with people instead of taking their house away. Anyway, it was an interesting evening to say the least.
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Winner of the Cake is....
Friday, November 14, 2008
It's official.....our cake will be done by:
Celso's Cakes.
YAY!
Another check off the list.
I'm SO excited about what Celso's will do for us.
We have to go back for another taste test to determine the flavors and fillings.
We have the overall design pretty much down. The bridal cake will be a three tiered cake with each tier being a different flavor.
The cake will have an ivory buttercream frosting with a different design on each tier.
The bottom tier will be square with a swag and swiss dot design.
The second tier will be a hexagon and on the flat front facing forward, we will have our monogram dusted with gold. The tier will also have a swiss dot design with the dots dusted with gold.
The third and top tier will be a circle shape with a scroll work design and the cake topper on top (no flowers).
The Groom's cake will be a surprise, but we're hoping it will be completely awesome. One of Celso's 3-D creations.
I can't wait.
Celso and Pavla have been great vendors thus far and we're looking forward to working them. I've also had great response from my other vendors who have worked with them in the past and have high praise for them.
It's official.....our cake will be done by:
Celso's Cakes.
YAY!
Another check off the list.
I'm SO excited about what Celso's will do for us.
We have to go back for another taste test to determine the flavors and fillings.
We have the overall design pretty much down. The bridal cake will be a three tiered cake with each tier being a different flavor.
The cake will have an ivory buttercream frosting with a different design on each tier.
The bottom tier will be square with a swag and swiss dot design.
The second tier will be a hexagon and on the flat front facing forward, we will have our monogram dusted with gold. The tier will also have a swiss dot design with the dots dusted with gold.
The third and top tier will be a circle shape with a scroll work design and the cake topper on top (no flowers).
The Groom's cake will be a surprise, but we're hoping it will be completely awesome. One of Celso's 3-D creations.
I can't wait.
Celso and Pavla have been great vendors thus far and we're looking forward to working them. I've also had great response from my other vendors who have worked with them in the past and have high praise for them.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Gold Chargers for Guests
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
My gold chargers have been delivered!
YAY!
I'm so excited.
I've discovered the Trash to Treasure board on the knot.com which is literally a goldmine for finding wedding items at a great discount.
Brides who have recently gotten married post their gently used or never used items on a board on a first come, first serve basis.
I was fortunate to find gold chargers at an awesome price. So I bought them for all guests to add to the table setting. They were shipped from Alabama and I received them today.
I was kind of weary at first, but I had a great purchase experience and I have some great wedding items to show for it.
My gold chargers have been delivered!
YAY!
I'm so excited.
I've discovered the Trash to Treasure board on the knot.com which is literally a goldmine for finding wedding items at a great discount.
Brides who have recently gotten married post their gently used or never used items on a board on a first come, first serve basis.
I was fortunate to find gold chargers at an awesome price. So I bought them for all guests to add to the table setting. They were shipped from Alabama and I received them today.
I was kind of weary at first, but I had a great purchase experience and I have some great wedding items to show for it.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Wedding Errand Weekend
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Last night we just kinda chilled out. It was such a yucky day, and everybody had left the office, that I ended up leaving at 5:00 and went to the nail salon for a mani/pedi. I then went home to kill some time before I had to meet Al for dinner. We had Mexican at our usual place and celebrated the end of a rough week with margaritas. Yay!
Saturday was a hugely busy day! I started the morning early by traveling up to a fellow Knottie's house to purchase/pick up the parasols for my ladies. We chatted for a bit and then I headed to the Shrine to meet up with Al and see Father Henry for the first time. This was our first meeting to start the paperwork and get the ball rolling. We were also able to learn that we will be able to do a full mass and have communion. Al is super excited that we get to do this (me too of course), but that will mean a full hour for the ceremony. Sorry to all our guests, but I promise that it will be lovely!
After we left the church, I headed straight to my mom's house to go take care of her and help her out for a little bit. She's doing amazing and continues to improve. She was getting in and out of the chair and walked over into the other room to check her e-mail.
I stayed with my mom until 6pm-ish, then went to go meet Galina for dinner and head over to Netherworld haunted house. Every year, I go to this particular haunted house to celebrate Halloween which is one of my favorite holidays! Galina is my "haunted house friend" because Al is not fond of haunted houses and won't go with me. So we had dinner, then drove up to Netherworld. As we were trying to get off the exit, we looked across the access road and the entire parking lot was filled with a line of people, so there were no parking spaces available. Galina and I decided to take a rain check and try again another night. We went and got ice cream instead and hung out.
This morning we got up super early so that we could be on the road by 7am. We went to Chattanooga to play in a trash tournament. Trash tournaments are the pop culture equivalent to academic quiz bowl, but instead of being academic based questions, they are questions relating to pop culture. We got up super early, got breakfast on the road, made it to Chattanooga by 9am to start the tournament and made it through the first round robin part of the day. We broke for lunch then came back and ended up fighting it out with the last team to take home second place. Fun times.....I'm exhausted and still can't believe the weekend is over. No break for me.
Last night we just kinda chilled out. It was such a yucky day, and everybody had left the office, that I ended up leaving at 5:00 and went to the nail salon for a mani/pedi. I then went home to kill some time before I had to meet Al for dinner. We had Mexican at our usual place and celebrated the end of a rough week with margaritas. Yay!
Saturday was a hugely busy day! I started the morning early by traveling up to a fellow Knottie's house to purchase/pick up the parasols for my ladies. We chatted for a bit and then I headed to the Shrine to meet up with Al and see Father Henry for the first time. This was our first meeting to start the paperwork and get the ball rolling. We were also able to learn that we will be able to do a full mass and have communion. Al is super excited that we get to do this (me too of course), but that will mean a full hour for the ceremony. Sorry to all our guests, but I promise that it will be lovely!
After we left the church, I headed straight to my mom's house to go take care of her and help her out for a little bit. She's doing amazing and continues to improve. She was getting in and out of the chair and walked over into the other room to check her e-mail.
I stayed with my mom until 6pm-ish, then went to go meet Galina for dinner and head over to Netherworld haunted house. Every year, I go to this particular haunted house to celebrate Halloween which is one of my favorite holidays! Galina is my "haunted house friend" because Al is not fond of haunted houses and won't go with me. So we had dinner, then drove up to Netherworld. As we were trying to get off the exit, we looked across the access road and the entire parking lot was filled with a line of people, so there were no parking spaces available. Galina and I decided to take a rain check and try again another night. We went and got ice cream instead and hung out.
This morning we got up super early so that we could be on the road by 7am. We went to Chattanooga to play in a trash tournament. Trash tournaments are the pop culture equivalent to academic quiz bowl, but instead of being academic based questions, they are questions relating to pop culture. We got up super early, got breakfast on the road, made it to Chattanooga by 9am to start the tournament and made it through the first round robin part of the day. We broke for lunch then came back and ended up fighting it out with the last team to take home second place. Fun times.....I'm exhausted and still can't believe the weekend is over. No break for me.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Slow Wedding Week
Thursday, October 16, 2008
I got derailed....not burned out, just distracted.
This week has been pretty devoted to my mom, so I haven't really done much in the way of weddings.
I did catch up on some blog posts and today I sent out the Women of Honor Newsletters, vol. 1.
That being said......
Mom is doing AMAZING!
She was released from the hospital today and was able to get into the car, walk up multiple steps and get settled back into the house. How incredible. Her body has a brand new hip and 3 days later, she's up and walking. I'm so proud of her and she's doing great in the recovery period. Now we have 8 weeks ahead of physical therapy, and then she'll be good to go.
I got derailed....not burned out, just distracted.
This week has been pretty devoted to my mom, so I haven't really done much in the way of weddings.
I did catch up on some blog posts and today I sent out the Women of Honor Newsletters, vol. 1.
That being said......
Mom is doing AMAZING!
She was released from the hospital today and was able to get into the car, walk up multiple steps and get settled back into the house. How incredible. Her body has a brand new hip and 3 days later, she's up and walking. I'm so proud of her and she's doing great in the recovery period. Now we have 8 weeks ahead of physical therapy, and then she'll be good to go.
Monday, October 13, 2008
I will survive!!!
Monday, October 13, 2008
A little bit of catching up to do....
Saturday I shot another wedding at Callenwolde Fine Arts Center. It was a memorable one for quite a few reasons, but the standout moment was the fainting bridesmaid. This was a first for me and I saw her start to go, but couldn't get to her. I felt my heart stop for that brief moment that she fell to the floor. In a way I'm glad to have experienced that, even from a photographer's side, just to know that things happen, life happens and we move on, and that's just how it is. In addition, it was a very lovely wedding and I got to see one of my Bridesmaid's dress choices in action and got to eat some super yummy carrot cake.
Sunday brought catching up on house errands before we left to meet up with friends for dinner and theatre. We had dinner at Figo with the Clements', Steve, Julie, and Carrie. We then headed over to the Fox (and met up with Sam) to see one of my favorite musicals, Wicked. It was AWESOME!!!!! I love that show and it's the second time I've seen it.
When we got home, I packed my bag to head down to my parent's house to spend the night.
Mom's surgery was EARLY this morning, so it was easier for me to just be there. We got up at 4:30 am to get ready and head over to the hospital. I got NO
sleep and was just a big ball of nerves. When it comes to my mom, I lose all sense of bravado and strength. Nothing like a surgery to humble you to your core. So, we got to the hospital, went thought prep, her pastor came to visit and then they wheeled her away as my heart broke into a million pieces. Between 8 and 10 am I clung to hope and literally watched each second on the clock tick away. I had a song playing on a loop in my head (What Sara says by Death Cab for Cutie) which made it a truly surreal experience. When the doctor came out, I held my breath and everything went into slow motion. She had done great and everything was fine and she was in recovery. After another 2 hours they had moved her to a room and we were able to go visit. Coming out of anesthesia is a tough process and different for everyone, so all I could do was be there as she drifted in and out of consciousness. We left the hospital around 2:30 and I headed home to crash and get some sleep. At 7:00 pm, Lyle called from the hosptial because mom was up and slightly coherent. It was so good to hear her voice and she told me I was brave. I lost it.
Let's just say I'm glad this day is over and I feel like I've been hit by a mack truck.
Sleep is good.....
A little bit of catching up to do....
Saturday I shot another wedding at Callenwolde Fine Arts Center. It was a memorable one for quite a few reasons, but the standout moment was the fainting bridesmaid. This was a first for me and I saw her start to go, but couldn't get to her. I felt my heart stop for that brief moment that she fell to the floor. In a way I'm glad to have experienced that, even from a photographer's side, just to know that things happen, life happens and we move on, and that's just how it is. In addition, it was a very lovely wedding and I got to see one of my Bridesmaid's dress choices in action and got to eat some super yummy carrot cake.
Sunday brought catching up on house errands before we left to meet up with friends for dinner and theatre. We had dinner at Figo with the Clements', Steve, Julie, and Carrie. We then headed over to the Fox (and met up with Sam) to see one of my favorite musicals, Wicked. It was AWESOME!!!!! I love that show and it's the second time I've seen it.
When we got home, I packed my bag to head down to my parent's house to spend the night.
Mom's surgery was EARLY this morning, so it was easier for me to just be there. We got up at 4:30 am to get ready and head over to the hospital. I got NO
sleep and was just a big ball of nerves. When it comes to my mom, I lose all sense of bravado and strength. Nothing like a surgery to humble you to your core. So, we got to the hospital, went thought prep, her pastor came to visit and then they wheeled her away as my heart broke into a million pieces. Between 8 and 10 am I clung to hope and literally watched each second on the clock tick away. I had a song playing on a loop in my head (What Sara says by Death Cab for Cutie) which made it a truly surreal experience. When the doctor came out, I held my breath and everything went into slow motion. She had done great and everything was fine and she was in recovery. After another 2 hours they had moved her to a room and we were able to go visit. Coming out of anesthesia is a tough process and different for everyone, so all I could do was be there as she drifted in and out of consciousness. We left the hospital around 2:30 and I headed home to crash and get some sleep. At 7:00 pm, Lyle called from the hosptial because mom was up and slightly coherent. It was so good to hear her voice and she told me I was brave. I lost it.Let's just say I'm glad this day is over and I feel like I've been hit by a mack truck.
Sleep is good.....
Friday, October 10, 2008
Workin' for a Livin'
Friday, October 10, 2008
Good lord, putting in a 12 hour day has become the norm for me. UGH!!!!!!
It puts a strain on my mental capacity.....I start to forget things and experience an all around sense of blah.....
But, since I will be out on Monday with my mom when she has her surgery, I wanted to make sure that I got to all the pressing things and took care of anything that was starting to get old.
Wedding stuff tends to get put on hold during pushes like this and I don't have a chance to take care of things.
Thankfully I'm still mostly on track with my wedding related things. I hoping to mend a minor snafu that has recently occurred, but refuse to be derailed from it.
Tomorrow, I'm shooting another wedding at Callenwolde, which I'm pretty excited about. Another crazy long day. I seriously need a vacation. A real one. A do nothing, think about nothing, sip cocktails on a beach one.
I just need to breathe and remember that there is light at the end of this tunnel.
Good lord, putting in a 12 hour day has become the norm for me. UGH!!!!!!
It puts a strain on my mental capacity.....I start to forget things and experience an all around sense of blah.....
But, since I will be out on Monday with my mom when she has her surgery, I wanted to make sure that I got to all the pressing things and took care of anything that was starting to get old.
Wedding stuff tends to get put on hold during pushes like this and I don't have a chance to take care of things.
Thankfully I'm still mostly on track with my wedding related things. I hoping to mend a minor snafu that has recently occurred, but refuse to be derailed from it.
Tomorrow, I'm shooting another wedding at Callenwolde, which I'm pretty excited about. Another crazy long day. I seriously need a vacation. A real one. A do nothing, think about nothing, sip cocktails on a beach one.
I just need to breathe and remember that there is light at the end of this tunnel.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Happy Birthday Mom! (wedding goodies arrived)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
After spending the entire day driving in the southern most part of middle Georgia doing foreclosures, I was ready to take a break and celebrate with my mom.
We spent some time hanging out, chatting wedding and surfing the web. We somehow got on the subject of bridesmaids dresses and since we were close to a David's Bridal, we decided to walk in to check out some of the dresses and see how they went with the flowers.
The Green options available were:
Fern - Chiffon, flimy-er fabric, and some jersey fabric styles
Olivine - Taffetta, stiff fabric
I found three dresses that I really like, two in Olivine and one in Fern. I only considered David's Bridal as an option because we have people in different states. We'll see what the girls think about the different options.
Then we went to Longhorn steakhouse to have a birthday dinner, yum!
After dinner I came home to watch the second presidential debate.
The second debate was interesting and again, I'm super excited that I get to be a part of this historical election.
When I got home, my order from foreverwed had come. It was my engraved gold cake knife/server set and my engraved ring box.
The ring box is AWESOME!!! It is line with a soft blue velveteen and has just the right amount of cushion for my ring. It's about 4 inches long and 3 inches high. The top is engraved:
Alicia Przygocki
June 13, 2009
Al ended up really liking the box. I think he wants one of his very own now. :)
Here's a picture of the gold cake and knife server. It's perfect! Not too brashy and it photographs as a rich gold instead of super shiny and cheap. I LOVE IT!!! I also had this engraved as well. It says :
Alicia and Al Przygocki
June 13, 2009
I am SO pleased with the quality of the items from Forever Wed. They arrived exactly as promised and with speedy shipment. I would definitely use them again. These are more items to check off my list of little details.....WOO!
After spending the entire day driving in the southern most part of middle Georgia doing foreclosures, I was ready to take a break and celebrate with my mom.
We spent some time hanging out, chatting wedding and surfing the web. We somehow got on the subject of bridesmaids dresses and since we were close to a David's Bridal, we decided to walk in to check out some of the dresses and see how they went with the flowers.
The Green options available were:
Fern - Chiffon, flimy-er fabric, and some jersey fabric styles
Olivine - Taffetta, stiff fabric
I found three dresses that I really like, two in Olivine and one in Fern. I only considered David's Bridal as an option because we have people in different states. We'll see what the girls think about the different options.
Then we went to Longhorn steakhouse to have a birthday dinner, yum!
After dinner I came home to watch the second presidential debate.
The second debate was interesting and again, I'm super excited that I get to be a part of this historical election.
When I got home, my order from foreverwed had come. It was my engraved gold cake knife/server set and my engraved ring box.
The ring box is AWESOME!!! It is line with a soft blue velveteen and has just the right amount of cushion for my ring. It's about 4 inches long and 3 inches high. The top is engraved:
Alicia Przygocki
June 13, 2009
Al ended up really liking the box. I think he wants one of his very own now. :)
Here's a picture of the gold cake and knife server. It's perfect! Not too brashy and it photographs as a rich gold instead of super shiny and cheap. I LOVE IT!!! I also had this engraved as well. It says :
Alicia and Al Przygocki
June 13, 2009
I am SO pleased with the quality of the items from Forever Wed. They arrived exactly as promised and with speedy shipment. I would definitely use them again. These are more items to check off my list of little details.....WOO!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Wedding Band Shopping....for Al
Sunday, October 5, 2008
I put in a few hours of overtime today in order to avoid completely drowning in crazy work. This next week is going to be CRAZY!!!
Then, I convinced Al that despite his hesitation at possibly being completely overwhelmed, that we should consider actually going to a jewelry store to put the ring on his finger and actually try it on. He eventually consented and we drove up to the Shane company to just get an idea of what is out there. My argument is that exposure to these things is the most valuable tool when it comes to making a final decision. Going into this venture we had no idea what brushed finish versus polished would look like. We didn't know that you could get two toned rings or what they would look like. We were able to finally see what a "hammered" texture looked like up close.
After sifting through almost 25 rings, Al decided upon this one:
I was really surprised with this ring. Much like my dress, it was not at all what we envisioned when going in. However, when he put this ring on, it just seemed to fit, and he just knew.
This ring is now our benchmark for the great wedding band search that is officially on. Since I operate on the 3 vendor motto, we still have at least 1 more store to check out. We ended up hitting both the Shane company and D Gellar and Sons since they were quite close to each other.
It was like night and day. D Gellar seemed to be run by a bunch of high school kids who really didn't want to be there and had nothing to offer in the way of customer service. They had an "ok" selection of rings, but there was nothing there that even remotely caught Al's eye. The only thing we did take away is that D Gellar is so desperate for business that they actually told us that if we found something at another store that we should bring them a picture of it and they would get it for us at a lower cost. Honestly it seemed a bit odd. In addition, their "layaway" plan required a 50% upfront deposit and if it was a custom piece there was not guarantee. Eh......we were not pleased and do not intend on going back. Erin got her ring at Soloman Brothers, so we're going to check them out next.
Since we're not in a huge rush, I feel like we can really take our time on doing our research and really get what we want.
Ok, and so I looked for mine too.....but, what we quickly realized is that I have two options. Either I get a guard (a single piece that basically consists of two rings soddered together that the engagement ring slips in between) or I wear my engagement ring on my right hand and get a stand alone band to wear on my left. I also have to decide if I go with the second option whether or not to get a band to match Al's or something that will match my engagement ring. Decisions, decisions....I ended up finding a ring that was perfectly curved and would fit flush against my ring with not too much of a gap. It was gorgeous with milgrain, pave channel set diamonds and just an elegant feel to it. Then I looked at the price tag and had a minor heart attack. Back to square one, but now at least I know what I'm looking for.
More to come.....
I put in a few hours of overtime today in order to avoid completely drowning in crazy work. This next week is going to be CRAZY!!!
Then, I convinced Al that despite his hesitation at possibly being completely overwhelmed, that we should consider actually going to a jewelry store to put the ring on his finger and actually try it on. He eventually consented and we drove up to the Shane company to just get an idea of what is out there. My argument is that exposure to these things is the most valuable tool when it comes to making a final decision. Going into this venture we had no idea what brushed finish versus polished would look like. We didn't know that you could get two toned rings or what they would look like. We were able to finally see what a "hammered" texture looked like up close.
After sifting through almost 25 rings, Al decided upon this one:
I was really surprised with this ring. Much like my dress, it was not at all what we envisioned when going in. However, when he put this ring on, it just seemed to fit, and he just knew. This ring is now our benchmark for the great wedding band search that is officially on. Since I operate on the 3 vendor motto, we still have at least 1 more store to check out. We ended up hitting both the Shane company and D Gellar and Sons since they were quite close to each other.
It was like night and day. D Gellar seemed to be run by a bunch of high school kids who really didn't want to be there and had nothing to offer in the way of customer service. They had an "ok" selection of rings, but there was nothing there that even remotely caught Al's eye. The only thing we did take away is that D Gellar is so desperate for business that they actually told us that if we found something at another store that we should bring them a picture of it and they would get it for us at a lower cost. Honestly it seemed a bit odd. In addition, their "layaway" plan required a 50% upfront deposit and if it was a custom piece there was not guarantee. Eh......we were not pleased and do not intend on going back. Erin got her ring at Soloman Brothers, so we're going to check them out next.
Since we're not in a huge rush, I feel like we can really take our time on doing our research and really get what we want.
Ok, and so I looked for mine too.....but, what we quickly realized is that I have two options. Either I get a guard (a single piece that basically consists of two rings soddered together that the engagement ring slips in between) or I wear my engagement ring on my right hand and get a stand alone band to wear on my left. I also have to decide if I go with the second option whether or not to get a band to match Al's or something that will match my engagement ring. Decisions, decisions....I ended up finding a ring that was perfectly curved and would fit flush against my ring with not too much of a gap. It was gorgeous with milgrain, pave channel set diamonds and just an elegant feel to it. Then I looked at the price tag and had a minor heart attack. Back to square one, but now at least I know what I'm looking for.
More to come.....
Thursday, October 2, 2008
VP debates, get your lipstick ready
Thursday, October 2, 2008
My good friend (and bridesmaid) Erin is the founder of the Atlanta chapter of a National group called Drinking Liberally. It's a really great politically charged group that gathers everything Thursday at a local watering hole in Decatur called the Thinking Man Tavern. She and Charlie invited Al and I to come hang out, watch the debates, and hang out.
For the Vice President Debates, the Thinking Man hosted quite a few groups and had the debates playing on a projector screen and piped the sound through the speaker system of the bar.
It was interesting because the hugely crowded bar became so quiet when the debates started and the only noise came from responses to Palin's use of the word Maverick.
My good friend (and bridesmaid) Erin is the founder of the Atlanta chapter of a National group called Drinking Liberally. It's a really great politically charged group that gathers everything Thursday at a local watering hole in Decatur called the Thinking Man Tavern. She and Charlie invited Al and I to come hang out, watch the debates, and hang out.
For the Vice President Debates, the Thinking Man hosted quite a few groups and had the debates playing on a projector screen and piped the sound through the speaker system of the bar.It was interesting because the hugely crowded bar became so quiet when the debates started and the only noise came from responses to Palin's use of the word Maverick.
It was a really cool environment and actually standing room only when the Debates started.
A CNN crew was there and actually interviewed Al which was really exciting. He spoke very well on camera and made some amazing points. I don't think we'll have any way of finding out if he actually made it to TV, but it was still pretty cool.
It's so awesome to be able to document such an exciting part of American history in one of the most historical elections ever. How exciting to see the progression of our country when candidates on the each side of the ticket transcend race and gender. Can't wait for election day!
A CNN crew was there and actually interviewed Al which was really exciting. He spoke very well on camera and made some amazing points. I don't think we'll have any way of finding out if he actually made it to TV, but it was still pretty cool.
It's so awesome to be able to document such an exciting part of American history in one of the most historical elections ever. How exciting to see the progression of our country when candidates on the each side of the ticket transcend race and gender. Can't wait for election day!
Mexican Wednesdays
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
I'm SO thankful/happy/excited.....etc. that she's back in Georgia and even though it's been four LOOOONNNG years, it feels like we just picked up where we left off. It's so nice to have her back and I really didn't realize just how much I missed our weekly get togethers.
I would usually never compare Lindsay and I to anything Sex and the City related, but having her back in my life again really reminds me how good it is to have a girlfriend around to just chat/vent/share life with again. I realize that I need that in my life to have that balance (and sanity).
So cheers to good girlfriends and yay for Mexican Wednesdays!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
It's all coming together....
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
They also brought up one of the ficus trees that they bought from Garden Ridge. It was exactly what I had wanted. Most of the fake ficus trees you see (like the ones at Michaels) are like one tall trunk with a large "ball" of foilage at the top. This one was two trunks with an even distribution of leaves and was 6'2. They bought four to start with, so we'll just kind of collect more as we go along (and they go on sale). Mom also picked up another component for the bridesmaids gifts and I'm excited to add this to the Przygocki wedding survival kit. Can't wait!
I was also able to show Mom the invites. She cried....which was the response I wanted. I'm excited that they got her approval and that it was another thing I could check off my list.
I was also able to show my mom more of the flowers to add to the Bridesmaid's bouquet. Yayyyyy!
So, now most of the major wedding stuff is now at my parent's house (our dining room was being overwhelmed) and we'll start working on the flowers after mom's surgery when she'll have plenty of downtime.
I've been able to knock out most of the large stuff as well as some of the small stuff and I feel like I'm pretty much on track with all my wedding to do lists.
My parents came up to hang out tonight and brought (examples) of everything acquired thus far. I was so excited to get a peek at the table linens and I was very excited. They were perfect. The pictures below don't really show the true color, but these are an iridescent crushed taffeta fabric with a crinkle texture and multi-colored sheen. Depending on the way the light hits the linens, it looks sage with hints of black. Anyway, it's perfect and looked pretty spectacular with the black vases and copper and eggplant colored flowers. YAY!
They also brought up one of the ficus trees that they bought from Garden Ridge. It was exactly what I had wanted. Most of the fake ficus trees you see (like the ones at Michaels) are like one tall trunk with a large "ball" of foilage at the top. This one was two trunks with an even distribution of leaves and was 6'2. They bought four to start with, so we'll just kind of collect more as we go along (and they go on sale). Mom also picked up another component for the bridesmaids gifts and I'm excited to add this to the Przygocki wedding survival kit. Can't wait!
I was also able to show Mom the invites. She cried....which was the response I wanted. I'm excited that they got her approval and that it was another thing I could check off my list.
I was also able to show my mom more of the flowers to add to the Bridesmaid's bouquet. Yayyyyy!
So, now most of the major wedding stuff is now at my parent's house (our dining room was being overwhelmed) and we'll start working on the flowers after mom's surgery when she'll have plenty of downtime.
I've been able to knock out most of the large stuff as well as some of the small stuff and I feel like I'm pretty much on track with all my wedding to do lists.
Sunday = Football
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Between college and NFL, our weekends are pretty much planned out (unless other important things come up). I last about halfway through the season before I can't stand being home ALL day long and get something akin to cabin fever.
For now, I'm happy to immerse myself in football until my brain oozes out, which means we watch anywhere from 3 to 4 games on Sunday's. And....since the Boston Red Sox are in the baseball playoffs, I'm subjected to that in between multiple football games.....
Sigh.....the things we do for love.....
For now, I'm happy to immerse myself in football until my brain oozes out, which means we watch anywhere from 3 to 4 games on Sunday's. And....since the Boston Red Sox are in the baseball playoffs, I'm subjected to that in between multiple football games.....
Sigh.....the things we do for love.....
Let's get political, political.....
Friday, September 26, 2008
Ok, so I'm no Olivia Newton John, and I promise that I will not be using this particular blog as a forum/soapbox for my political beliefs, however, I would be remiss if I did not at least mention such a historical event.
So, Friday night was the first political debate of this election year with Barack Obama and John McCain. Al and I headed up to our friendss Debbie and Gautam's house to hang out and watch the debates. Thank God for the power of Tivo as it took us 3 hours to get through a 90 minute debate as we would pause and discuss amongst ourselves. What an awesome thing that there is so much buzz and passion around this historic election race. I'm just generally excited. I've always been an acitivist, so it's nice to have people on my train for a little while.
We had such an amazing time hanging out and really talking about both candidates and their respective views.
So with that being said....VOTE!
PLEASE!!!! Any of you who can, register and make sure that your voice is heard in this election.
Enough said....
Ok, so I'm no Olivia Newton John, and I promise that I will not be using this particular blog as a forum/soapbox for my political beliefs, however, I would be remiss if I did not at least mention such a historical event.
So, Friday night was the first political debate of this election year with Barack Obama and John McCain. Al and I headed up to our friendss Debbie and Gautam's house to hang out and watch the debates. Thank God for the power of Tivo as it took us 3 hours to get through a 90 minute debate as we would pause and discuss amongst ourselves. What an awesome thing that there is so much buzz and passion around this historic election race. I'm just generally excited. I've always been an acitivist, so it's nice to have people on my train for a little while.
We had such an amazing time hanging out and really talking about both candidates and their respective views.
So with that being said....VOTE!
PLEASE!!!! Any of you who can, register and make sure that your voice is heard in this election.
Enough said....
Friday, September 26, 2008
Cake and Knife Set - Check!
Friday, September 26, 2008
I did it! After searching, researching, second guessing and just finally doing it, I ordered my cake and knife server set (in Gold) from Forever Wed Store. http://www.foreverwedstore.com
They didn't have a picture of the set in gold, so I just kind have to keep my fingers crossed that it will be ok.
I ordered the set with our names and wedding date engraved on the server. I can't wait to see it.
I also ordered a mini-jewelry box to house my precious at night. I have no idea what it looks like on the inside, so again, I'm kind of ordering sight-unseen and hoping for the best. The description does not say if it has a lining or not.
Forever Wed Store was a great online shopping experience. Turnaround time was very fast, and they shipped my engraved items within two days.
Can't wait to get them and see what they look like.
They didn't have a picture of the set in gold, so I just kind have to keep my fingers crossed that it will be ok.
I ordered the set with our names and wedding date engraved on the server. I can't wait to see it.I also ordered a mini-jewelry box to house my precious at night. I have no idea what it looks like on the inside, so again, I'm kind of ordering sight-unseen and hoping for the best. The description does not say if it has a lining or not.
Forever Wed Store was a great online shopping experience. Turnaround time was very fast, and they shipped my engraved items within two days.Can't wait to get them and see what they look like.
Monday, September 22, 2008
No cake for you.....back of the line
Monday, September 22, 2008
So, no Eileen Carter - otherwise knows as "The Cake Lady"- for me.
Eileen was first recommended to me by my bridesmaid Erin who had her cake at her wedding. She is also highly praised by the Atlanta Knot board as well, so I knew that I wanted to meet with her.
It was my own fault really...but we just couldn't get our schedules to mesh so that we could get to a tasting. Now, she's booked for another wedding at the same time. Oh well.....
I'm really bummed, but I'm still hoping for the best when it comes to the cake.
This is the next major decision we have to get through, so I'm hoping we can get this taken care of sooner rather than later.
Still on the hunt...
So, no Eileen Carter - otherwise knows as "The Cake Lady"- for me.
Eileen was first recommended to me by my bridesmaid Erin who had her cake at her wedding. She is also highly praised by the Atlanta Knot board as well, so I knew that I wanted to meet with her.
It was my own fault really...but we just couldn't get our schedules to mesh so that we could get to a tasting. Now, she's booked for another wedding at the same time. Oh well.....
I'm really bummed, but I'm still hoping for the best when it comes to the cake.
This is the next major decision we have to get through, so I'm hoping we can get this taken care of sooner rather than later.
Still on the hunt...
Sunday, September 21, 2008
May I introduce...my women of honor
Sunday, September 21, 2008
So, today I planned to ask the final member of my Bridal Party to stand with me. I wanted to make sure that I had the first part of everyone's gift ready. So, I went to work to edit and print pictures and get things straight.
So, now that everything is finalized, I want to introduce you to.....my Women of Honor.
Lindsay, Laura, Erin and Lisa.
Here's the thing.....I hate the word Bridesmaid. It just seems so archaic and demeaning, so, that being said, each of these ladies are my women of honor, with the only distinction going to Lindsay as my Best Woman of Honor (I would label it Diva of Honor - but I don't want the negative part of that word associated with Lindsay's special title). In addition, all of these ladies are married, so I don't like bridesmaid and I especially detest anything with the word matron.....so, I'm giving them their own official title. I will do a follow-up post with more details of each of the special roles these women have played in my life, but for now, a brief introduction...in no particular order.
Lindsay S. - My Best Woman of Honor
Lindsay and I met my first day of college as she was my R.A. We clicked instantly and have been pretty inseparable (despite grad school) since. She's such a huge part of my life and I'm truly lucky to have her.
Laura C. - Woman of Honor
Laura and I met when I was 12 and she was 13. She has been such a fundamental part of my life and who I am. I'm so honored that she will stand up with me as I start the next Chapter in my life.
Lisa K. - Woman of Honor
Lisa and I met through Al. She and her husband Scott are part of the Georgia Tech crowd that Al used to hang with when he was in school. It's kind of a 6 degrees of separation thing. Lisa and I met and John and Kamber's wedding and instantly clicked. She represents my girly side and is the most recent of my friends to get married, so we bonded over wedding "stuff" as well.
Erin G. - Woman of Honor
Erin and I met at Agnes Scott and she is truly my peapod. We were both Anthropology/Sociology majors and shared the pain of a few insane classes together. She's been my sanity through the many ups and downs that we've both experienced with relationships and is just all around one of the greatest people I know.
So there you have it, the offical bridal party line up. Each woman of honor will get their own post, so you can meet them and hear how each of them have had a significant impact on my life.
Thanks ladies for being my heart and soul and being with me on one of the most important days of my life. I love you guys!
So, today I planned to ask the final member of my Bridal Party to stand with me. I wanted to make sure that I had the first part of everyone's gift ready. So, I went to work to edit and print pictures and get things straight.
So, now that everything is finalized, I want to introduce you to.....my Women of Honor.
Lindsay, Laura, Erin and Lisa.
Here's the thing.....I hate the word Bridesmaid. It just seems so archaic and demeaning, so, that being said, each of these ladies are my women of honor, with the only distinction going to Lindsay as my Best Woman of Honor (I would label it Diva of Honor - but I don't want the negative part of that word associated with Lindsay's special title). In addition, all of these ladies are married, so I don't like bridesmaid and I especially detest anything with the word matron.....so, I'm giving them their own official title. I will do a follow-up post with more details of each of the special roles these women have played in my life, but for now, a brief introduction...in no particular order.
Lindsay S. - My Best Woman of Honor
Lindsay and I met my first day of college as she was my R.A. We clicked instantly and have been pretty inseparable (despite grad school) since. She's such a huge part of my life and I'm truly lucky to have her.
Laura C. - Woman of Honor
Laura and I met when I was 12 and she was 13. She has been such a fundamental part of my life and who I am. I'm so honored that she will stand up with me as I start the next Chapter in my life.
Lisa K. - Woman of Honor
Lisa and I met through Al. She and her husband Scott are part of the Georgia Tech crowd that Al used to hang with when he was in school. It's kind of a 6 degrees of separation thing. Lisa and I met and John and Kamber's wedding and instantly clicked. She represents my girly side and is the most recent of my friends to get married, so we bonded over wedding "stuff" as well.
Erin G. - Woman of Honor
Erin and I met at Agnes Scott and she is truly my peapod. We were both Anthropology/Sociology majors and shared the pain of a few insane classes together. She's been my sanity through the many ups and downs that we've both experienced with relationships and is just all around one of the greatest people I know.
So there you have it, the offical bridal party line up. Each woman of honor will get their own post, so you can meet them and hear how each of them have had a significant impact on my life.
Thanks ladies for being my heart and soul and being with me on one of the most important days of my life. I love you guys!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Football and wedding.....perfect day
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Today I accomplished two of my favorite things with the power of delegation.
We had a noon game today against Mississippi State (38-7 : GO JACKETS!) and had a really great time baking in the sun. I managed to give myself defined stripes on my forearms, but didn't get burned anywhere else...yay!
While simultaneously, I gave my mom multiple wedding errands. Can I just express how difficult it is to give up any and all control when it comes to anything wedding?
In her ever present hyper-wedding mode, my mom noticed that garden ridge was having a sale on ficus trees, so I asked her to pick up at least 4 for us to decorate the reception room.
While she was there, I also asked her to look into and decide on some components of the bridesmaid's gifts. SUCCESS!!!! I'm excited to have these things taken care of and off of my list.
In addition, I gave my mom the responsibility of scoping out and ultimately buying our table linens for the reception. Quite a while ago I responded to a Knot post about linens that were for sale. It seemed as if the timing was never quite right enough for me to actually go and see them in person. So, I decided that at this point, the best (and most cost efficient) option was to send my mom to check them out and unless they were completely the wrong color, to go ahead and purchase them. So, she did just that and from her description, I think they will be perfect.
I can't wait to see them and will subsequently post pictures.
YAY!!!! More checks off of my checklist!
Today I accomplished two of my favorite things with the power of delegation.
We had a noon game today against Mississippi State (38-7 : GO JACKETS!) and had a really great time baking in the sun. I managed to give myself defined stripes on my forearms, but didn't get burned anywhere else...yay!
While simultaneously, I gave my mom multiple wedding errands. Can I just express how difficult it is to give up any and all control when it comes to anything wedding?
In her ever present hyper-wedding mode, my mom noticed that garden ridge was having a sale on ficus trees, so I asked her to pick up at least 4 for us to decorate the reception room.
While she was there, I also asked her to look into and decide on some components of the bridesmaid's gifts. SUCCESS!!!! I'm excited to have these things taken care of and off of my list.
In addition, I gave my mom the responsibility of scoping out and ultimately buying our table linens for the reception. Quite a while ago I responded to a Knot post about linens that were for sale. It seemed as if the timing was never quite right enough for me to actually go and see them in person. So, I decided that at this point, the best (and most cost efficient) option was to send my mom to check them out and unless they were completely the wrong color, to go ahead and purchase them. So, she did just that and from her description, I think they will be perfect.
I can't wait to see them and will subsequently post pictures.
YAY!!!! More checks off of my checklist!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Gold Chargers
Friday, September 19, 2008
I know you will think I'm crazy when I say that I actually care about gold chargers.
There's this curious transformation that occurs in Brides-to-be when they get immersed in the culture of the wedding industry.
Now, I'm not saying these are on my HAVE TO HAVE list, but I really think they add an awesome dimension to the tablescape.....that's right, I've even crossed over to using bridal jargon. That's the other phase of the transformation. You are introduced and then slowly succumb to a whole new vocabulary that is "bridal". Sheesh.....what have I become? I digress....
So, I found these particularly awesome square, gold hologram checked chargers at Michael's. I fell in love, I showed Al and he offered what he could of an opinion. For him, this falls into the I don't really care category. So as long as he even generally likes them, I'm going for it.
So I purchased the first 2 of our set of 6. These will be on our sweetheart table and we will use the remaining 4 for the regular home use set.
So maybe it wasn't enough to warrant a post, but it's the little things that excite me. :)
I know you will think I'm crazy when I say that I actually care about gold chargers.
There's this curious transformation that occurs in Brides-to-be when they get immersed in the culture of the wedding industry.
Now, I'm not saying these are on my HAVE TO HAVE list, but I really think they add an awesome dimension to the tablescape.....that's right, I've even crossed over to using bridal jargon. That's the other phase of the transformation. You are introduced and then slowly succumb to a whole new vocabulary that is "bridal". Sheesh.....what have I become? I digress....
So, I found these particularly awesome square, gold hologram checked chargers at Michael's. I fell in love, I showed Al and he offered what he could of an opinion. For him, this falls into the I don't really care category. So as long as he even generally likes them, I'm going for it.
So I purchased the first 2 of our set of 6. These will be on our sweetheart table and we will use the remaining 4 for the regular home use set.
So maybe it wasn't enough to warrant a post, but it's the little things that excite me. :)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Bridesmaids Gifts
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Here I go again with that whole doing things backward "thing". I have not yet asked my girls to be my women of honor and be part of my bridal party. However, I'm pretty confident that each of the women that I have in mind will accept and stand beside me on my wedding day.
That being said, I've been steadily collecting things/components to be part of each girl's gift.
Each of these women have been/are a huge part of my life and I really want to spoil them with my version of the Przygocki wedding survival kit.
So, because *some* of them actually read this blog, I can't detail the gift(s) but all will be revealed in time.
Thank you guys SO much for being a part of my big day and I'm so excited to have you stand with me in front of all those people as I marry my best friend in the entire world.
Here I go again with that whole doing things backward "thing". I have not yet asked my girls to be my women of honor and be part of my bridal party. However, I'm pretty confident that each of the women that I have in mind will accept and stand beside me on my wedding day.
That being said, I've been steadily collecting things/components to be part of each girl's gift.
Each of these women have been/are a huge part of my life and I really want to spoil them with my version of the Przygocki wedding survival kit.
So, because *some* of them actually read this blog, I can't detail the gift(s) but all will be revealed in time.
Thank you guys SO much for being a part of my big day and I'm so excited to have you stand with me in front of all those people as I marry my best friend in the entire world.
Parent's Gifts
Thursday, September 18, 2008
How does one thank your parents on your wedding day?
I've been thinking about this....I mean, really, it's a milestone for both of us.
My mom has been my anchor, my angel, my inspiration, my savior.....my all around everything and my best friend. And now, she's putting her faith in me (and her stellar parenting skills) that I have chosen a partner for life that will shoulder the burden of most of those "roles" without technically replacing her.
So how do you thank someone for the last 27 years of your life. I mean, is my life a reflection of her? How do you begin to show appreciation for a parent. And in my case, a step parent who stepped in and played a hugely significant role in my life.
I know I couldn't possibly thank them enough, but I'm hoping that they will do me the honor of walking me down the aisle, dancing with me, and being as involved as possible in this wedding.
I'm so thankful, grateful, you name it for everything that they've done for me and I know I'm truly blessed to have them in my life.
Thank you Mommy for making me who I am. For instilling in me a sense of independence and self-worth along with a sense to seek out justice and make my own decisions. This is priceless.
Thank you Lyle for being there for me through those incredibly tough first years. I know I don't express my appreciation enough for you and everything you've done in my life. You've been a great support system for both me and mom and you truly love her, which is the greatest gift ever.
I can't wait for you guys to walk me down that aisle.
How does one thank your parents on your wedding day?
I've been thinking about this....I mean, really, it's a milestone for both of us.
My mom has been my anchor, my angel, my inspiration, my savior.....my all around everything and my best friend. And now, she's putting her faith in me (and her stellar parenting skills) that I have chosen a partner for life that will shoulder the burden of most of those "roles" without technically replacing her.
So how do you thank someone for the last 27 years of your life. I mean, is my life a reflection of her? How do you begin to show appreciation for a parent. And in my case, a step parent who stepped in and played a hugely significant role in my life.
I know I couldn't possibly thank them enough, but I'm hoping that they will do me the honor of walking me down the aisle, dancing with me, and being as involved as possible in this wedding.
I'm so thankful, grateful, you name it for everything that they've done for me and I know I'm truly blessed to have them in my life.
Thank you Mommy for making me who I am. For instilling in me a sense of independence and self-worth along with a sense to seek out justice and make my own decisions. This is priceless.
Thank you Lyle for being there for me through those incredibly tough first years. I know I don't express my appreciation enough for you and everything you've done in my life. You've been a great support system for both me and mom and you truly love her, which is the greatest gift ever.
I can't wait for you guys to walk me down that aisle.
My Precious...
Thursday, September 18, 2008
So I finally got a chance to take in my ring to the Rubin Brothers for the appraisal that they should have done in the first place. We walked in the store and as usual were ignored by Mitch and Darren. The girl whom I spoke with was nice while we just kind of busied ourselves looking around the store. Darren took notes, then they cleaned my ring and we were out of the store. We probably spent a total of 10 minutes there and were barely spoken to.
UGH!!!!!
I REFUSE to go there ever again. I'm going to make sure that we get our wedding bands elsewhere in order to actually get service.
Once again, sucky service, good product.
So, we headed out and were told that we would get the appraisal that week.
True to form, we had received nothing by Wednesday. So I called and they promised they would get it to me that day. Still nothing, so today I called and requested that they either send it to me while I'm on the phone or fax it to me.
I received an e-mail 3 minutes later.....
So.....I got my ring appraisal back from Rubin Brothers....and I disagree with them. My parents had previously had the diamonds appraised and they were given a value double of what Rubin Brothers quoted us. So, now I have to go elsewhere for a second opinion.
Blah....
Again, DO NOT USE RUBIN BROTHERS!!!!! EVER!!!
I just want to get this insured.....I mean, seriously, it's the most valuable thing I (we) own.
Such a hassle!
So I finally got a chance to take in my ring to the Rubin Brothers for the appraisal that they should have done in the first place. We walked in the store and as usual were ignored by Mitch and Darren. The girl whom I spoke with was nice while we just kind of busied ourselves looking around the store. Darren took notes, then they cleaned my ring and we were out of the store. We probably spent a total of 10 minutes there and were barely spoken to.
UGH!!!!!
I REFUSE to go there ever again. I'm going to make sure that we get our wedding bands elsewhere in order to actually get service.
Once again, sucky service, good product.
So, we headed out and were told that we would get the appraisal that week.
True to form, we had received nothing by Wednesday. So I called and they promised they would get it to me that day. Still nothing, so today I called and requested that they either send it to me while I'm on the phone or fax it to me.
I received an e-mail 3 minutes later.....
So.....I got my ring appraisal back from Rubin Brothers....and I disagree with them. My parents had previously had the diamonds appraised and they were given a value double of what Rubin Brothers quoted us. So, now I have to go elsewhere for a second opinion.
Blah....
Again, DO NOT USE RUBIN BROTHERS!!!!! EVER!!!
I just want to get this insured.....I mean, seriously, it's the most valuable thing I (we) own.
Such a hassle!
Programs, Place cards and Thank you's...oh my...
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I love these programs. Again they are printed on that ecru linen textured paper with the fern letterpress. They're cute, small and square. I'm excited because I hope to make these super informative for our guests (especially with the Catholic service).
Hugely productive day in terms of wedding purchases.
I've been completely utilizing the 50% coupon at Michael's and COMPLETELY lucked out when the Michael's over on LaVista put their entire BRIDE line on sale for 50% off.
WHEW! I was freaking out that I wouldn't be able to make enough trips to the store to get everything.
And, I was able to get Lindsay's approval on all my lofty paper ideas after we met for dinner.
YAY!!!
YAY!!!
Sooooo.....here we go:
Invites:
I'm SO thrilled with my invites. They're so cute, perfect for our theme, completely the right color, they "look" expensive, and they come with their own little band so that we can add other cards (directions, accomodations, reception, etc.). YAY!
I'm SO thrilled with my invites. They're so cute, perfect for our theme, completely the right color, they "look" expensive, and they come with their own little band so that we can add other cards (directions, accomodations, reception, etc.). YAY!Programs:
I love these programs. Again they are printed on that ecru linen textured paper with the fern letterpress. They're cute, small and square. I'm excited because I hope to make these super informative for our guests (especially with the Catholic service).Save the Dates:
These are rockin!!!! They are pocket invites with a die-cut design in the center. So basically you print your Save the Date on the ecru linen paper and it pulls out of the pocket. So cool. I'll probably attach a photo magnet of us that when you pull off will reveal all the info. including the wedding website.Place Cards:
Yay for matching! So I'll have these done in calligraphy and they will actually be escort cards.
We'll have assigned tables, but guests can then sit at whatever place they choose. I thought that was a good way to not be TOO formal.
Thank you Cards:
Seriously, BRIDES thought of everything. Meet my matching thank you cards.
So pretty and definitely a cool way to carry the theme all the way through the wedding.
We'll do our thank you notes for gifts on these and probably send a Thank you photo collage card/post card after the wedding.
Seals: 
Ok, so these were kinda unnecessary, but they were so darned cute. Again, carrying the theme all the way through, just a cute little detail to seal the invite.
I'm so excited to have found a really great medium in order to solve my paper dillema. And with all the sales, I ended up paying about $150 for EVERYTHING.
How's that for cutting corners on a tight budget?!?! WOOT!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Wedding Programs - Check
Monday, September 15, 2008
With the awesome sale and coupons available at Michael's we are picking up all the elements and paper products for the wedding. Today we purchased the programs which match the letterpressed fern invitations.
Although they are the kind that are self-printable, they still have that kind of elegant look and feel with the textured paper and color design.
I was also able to get a copy of a catholic mass program from a girl on weddingbee, so I'm pretty much ready to go. The programs will require some assembly, but not too much. That will definitely be a last minute project to complete due to all the finalization with the priest and musicians.
I was also able to pick up the first pack of our save the dates. I'm a little concerned about this because there were only 2 packages available and we need 5.....so, I may be making some trips to a different Michael's.
I'm excited about this option because basically, I don't have to stress over the programs (or invitations) anymore AND because the paper "stuff" will have the look and feeling of being way more expensive than it actually is.....petty much my motto for this wedding.
WOO!
Random side note: GO COWBOYS! (shout-out to T.O. and Romo)
GAME WAS AWESOME!!!!!!
With the awesome sale and coupons available at Michael's we are picking up all the elements and paper products for the wedding. Today we purchased the programs which match the letterpressed fern invitations.
Although they are the kind that are self-printable, they still have that kind of elegant look and feel with the textured paper and color design.
I was also able to get a copy of a catholic mass program from a girl on weddingbee, so I'm pretty much ready to go. The programs will require some assembly, but not too much. That will definitely be a last minute project to complete due to all the finalization with the priest and musicians.
I was also able to pick up the first pack of our save the dates. I'm a little concerned about this because there were only 2 packages available and we need 5.....so, I may be making some trips to a different Michael's.
I'm excited about this option because basically, I don't have to stress over the programs (or invitations) anymore AND because the paper "stuff" will have the look and feeling of being way more expensive than it actually is.....petty much my motto for this wedding.
WOO!
Random side note: GO COWBOYS! (shout-out to T.O. and Romo)
GAME WAS AWESOME!!!!!!
What's the Good Word?
Sunday, September 15, 2008
So tonight I finally got Al to put together a Savastio e-mail list in order to spread the word that we're getting married next year. Because almost all of his father's side of the family lives out of state (mostly in New York), I wanted to make sure that they knew as quickly as possible in order to make travel arrangements to make it to the wedding. I'm kinda excited to see who will be joining us.
I met a majority of them last year at Thanksgiving and genuinely enjoyed each and every one of them. They even told me welcome to the family last year.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that most of them can make it.
Meanwhile, the good news spread like wildfire on my side of the family. My mom's side is relatively small and again, all out of town. I know that my Uncle Woody and Aunt Jean will be coming for sure, but I'm pretty sure those cousins won't come down.
On my father's side, the only family left is my grandfather and then my cousins who all live in Virginia. Courtney may actually make it, but I'm not sure.
So, at this point, we're casting the net, letting people know, and gathering contact information in order to create a guest list. I have to say, this is not the part I'm looking forward to.
I think it's the most tedious and administrative part of wedding planning.
So.....here we go....fun times.
***Update***
Almost every person on the list has expressed an interest in attending the wedding and have asked for travel instructions.
WOW!!!! Totally wasn't expecting that. It'll be interesting to see how this all pans out.
So tonight I finally got Al to put together a Savastio e-mail list in order to spread the word that we're getting married next year. Because almost all of his father's side of the family lives out of state (mostly in New York), I wanted to make sure that they knew as quickly as possible in order to make travel arrangements to make it to the wedding. I'm kinda excited to see who will be joining us.
I met a majority of them last year at Thanksgiving and genuinely enjoyed each and every one of them. They even told me welcome to the family last year.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that most of them can make it.
Meanwhile, the good news spread like wildfire on my side of the family. My mom's side is relatively small and again, all out of town. I know that my Uncle Woody and Aunt Jean will be coming for sure, but I'm pretty sure those cousins won't come down.
On my father's side, the only family left is my grandfather and then my cousins who all live in Virginia. Courtney may actually make it, but I'm not sure.
So, at this point, we're casting the net, letting people know, and gathering contact information in order to create a guest list. I have to say, this is not the part I'm looking forward to.
I think it's the most tedious and administrative part of wedding planning.
So.....here we go....fun times.
***Update***
Almost every person on the list has expressed an interest in attending the wedding and have asked for travel instructions.
WOW!!!! Totally wasn't expecting that. It'll be interesting to see how this all pans out.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Ring Box - Part Une
Sunday, September 14, 2008
So, I'm on the hunt for the perfect ring box to basically house "my precious" at night because I can't sleep with my ring on for fear of hurting either myself or Al.
So basically I take it off at night when I go to sleep or when I get in the shower. Lately I've just been placing it on the night stand, but I feel like I should have a "safe" place to put it.
I had originally been obsessed with the orb from Scarlett Alley(http://scarlettalley.com/store/item/2js38/Boxes_Holders_-_jewelry/COPPER_PORCELAIN_ORB_Ring_Holder_-_To_Have_To_Hold.html) that is copper on the outside and pale laven
der porcelain on the inside inscribed on both halves with "to have" and "to hold". But with a price tag of $34.95 plus s&h, I wanted to make sure that it was perfect.
However, after thinking it over, I decided that I wanted something that was either lined with a soft material to protect my ring or was specifically made to place a ring into.
Luckily, all the invitation catalogs I received also had wedding accessories, so I found about 5 different options for my ring box. I feel like I've learned waaaay too much about the most random of things and now I can add engraveable boxes to my knowledge base....woohoo
So, I'm on the hunt for the perfect ring box to basically house "my precious" at night because I can't sleep with my ring on for fear of hurting either myself or Al.
So basically I take it off at night when I go to sleep or when I get in the shower. Lately I've just been placing it on the night stand, but I feel like I should have a "safe" place to put it.
I had originally been obsessed with the orb from Scarlett Alley(http://scarlettalley.com/store/item/2js38/Boxes_Holders_-_jewelry/COPPER_PORCELAIN_ORB_Ring_Holder_-_To_Have_To_Hold.html) that is copper on the outside and pale laven
der porcelain on the inside inscribed on both halves with "to have" and "to hold". But with a price tag of $34.95 plus s&h, I wanted to make sure that it was perfect. However, after thinking it over, I decided that I wanted something that was either lined with a soft material to protect my ring or was specifically made to place a ring into.
Luckily, all the invitation catalogs I received also had wedding accessories, so I found about 5 different options for my ring box. I feel like I've learned waaaay too much about the most random of things and now I can add engraveable boxes to my knowledge base....woohoo
Invitations - Check!!!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
So on the way home from our cake tasting, I decided to kidnap Al and take him to Michael's since we were already in wedding mode.
The trip was a 100% complete success. Al totally dug the fern invites and because of the massive sale Michael's is having right now, we can get everything to match, invites, save the dates, programs and thank you cards for under $150 dollars. INSANE deal! We will have to make our own accommodations, directions and events cards, but that shouldn't be too difficult.
Yay!
I have to say, I'm totally digging this invite with it's rounded corners, fern design letterpressed onto beautiful ivory linen textured paper and an elastic belly band that is already provided. It also comes with a green envelope with a white fern design as the outer envelope. Sweet! An RSVP card and envelope are also included in this set, but I have no idea what they look like, since we didn't get a chance to open up the box.
I'm SO freakin excited. I'm going to start buying all the components tomorrow. Make a few trips to the store each day in order to get the 50% off (yeah, I'm totally milking the system).
I'm also considering the 6 foot ficus trees as they are currently also on sale for $15, which is the cheapest you can find anywhere.
Fun Times!!!! Whoever thought that I would be a Michael's regular?!?! Crazy!
So on the way home from our cake tasting, I decided to kidnap Al and take him to Michael's since we were already in wedding mode.
The trip was a 100% complete success. Al totally dug the fern invites and because of the massive sale Michael's is having right now, we can get everything to match, invites, save the dates, programs and thank you cards for under $150 dollars. INSANE deal! We will have to make our own accommodations, directions and events cards, but that shouldn't be too difficult.
Yay!
I have to say, I'm totally digging this invite with it's rounded corners, fern design letterpressed onto beautiful ivory linen textured paper and an elastic belly band that is already provided. It also comes with a green envelope with a white fern design as the outer envelope. Sweet! An RSVP card and envelope are also included in this set, but I have no idea what they look like, since we didn't get a chance to open up the box.
I'm SO freakin excited. I'm going to start buying all the components tomorrow. Make a few trips to the store each day in order to get the 50% off (yeah, I'm totally milking the system).
I'm also considering the 6 foot ficus trees as they are currently also on sale for $15, which is the cheapest you can find anywhere.
Fun Times!!!! Whoever thought that I would be a Michael's regular?!?! Crazy!
Celso's Cakes
Sunday, September 14, 2008
So instead of going to church, I ended up at the office, catching up on work that has been slowly but surely piling up on me. I guess I'm just not motivated to do much bankruptcy work. In this economy, we are constantly and consistently busy.
I ended up stopping by Michael's on my way home to check out the new weekly sale and to use my coupon that I had found on a bridal forum. I was so excited to find that my purple flowers were on sale and I'm so glad I waited to pick them up. I bought these to go in the copper flower arrangements. They look so beautiful!!! I also picked up a corner rounder for my general crafting needs. YAY!!!!
I also found a possibility for invites that I TOTALLY love. Apparently brides.com makes a line that is carried exclusively by Michael's that includes invites and accessories. The particular one that I favor is called Fern and it's a beautiful green fern pattern letterpressed onto this beautiful cream textured paper. GORGEOUS!!!!
I realized that I would have to kidnap Al and drag him to the store in order to get his approval before purchasing.
I finally made it home to pick up Al and race to our cake tasting. We had an appointment with Celso's Cakes, http://www.celsoscakes.com/, for an initial tasting consult. They are currently running the business out of their home, but are getting ready to move to a new bakery.
We met with both Celso and Pavla and tasted a variety of cakes.
Vanilla with white chocolate mousse and raspberry, almond cake with amaretto mousse, chocolate opera cake, and chocolate cake with grand marnier mousse. They were all pretty tasty, I have to admit. I didn't get the same, wow this is AMAZING as I did from Coffee-cakes, but I think it was because the cake we were tasting was cold and the buttercream had hardened and the cakes had become more dense. We also got a chance to taste some buttercream that was at room temperature and was a better indicator of what the cake would taste like.
We talked about shape, design, flavor, fillings and price.
He charges $4.50 per slice for buttercream with any filling and $5.50 per slice for fondant.
Total Cost for bridal cake for 100, delivery, groom's cake (ramblin wreck replica) for 40 was quoted at $800.00. Not too bad and definitely standard in the world of wedding cakes.
We have a couple of other bakers to do a tasting with then we can make a final decision.
I think the cake is one of the last few large items to take care of on our list.
I'm looking forward to taking care of the cake and getting one decision closer to the wedding.
So instead of going to church, I ended up at the office, catching up on work that has been slowly but surely piling up on me. I guess I'm just not motivated to do much bankruptcy work. In this economy, we are constantly and consistently busy.
I ended up stopping by Michael's on my way home to check out the new weekly sale and to use my coupon that I had found on a bridal forum. I was so excited to find that my purple flowers were on sale and I'm so glad I waited to pick them up. I bought these to go in the copper flower arrangements. They look so beautiful!!! I also picked up a corner rounder for my general crafting needs. YAY!!!!
I also found a possibility for invites that I TOTALLY love. Apparently brides.com makes a line that is carried exclusively by Michael's that includes invites and accessories. The particular one that I favor is called Fern and it's a beautiful green fern pattern letterpressed onto this beautiful cream textured paper. GORGEOUS!!!!
I realized that I would have to kidnap Al and drag him to the store in order to get his approval before purchasing.
I finally made it home to pick up Al and race to our cake tasting. We had an appointment with Celso's Cakes, http://www.celsoscakes.com/, for an initial tasting consult. They are currently running the business out of their home, but are getting ready to move to a new bakery.
We met with both Celso and Pavla and tasted a variety of cakes.
Vanilla with white chocolate mousse and raspberry, almond cake with amaretto mousse, chocolate opera cake, and chocolate cake with grand marnier mousse. They were all pretty tasty, I have to admit. I didn't get the same, wow this is AMAZING as I did from Coffee-cakes, but I think it was because the cake we were tasting was cold and the buttercream had hardened and the cakes had become more dense. We also got a chance to taste some buttercream that was at room temperature and was a better indicator of what the cake would taste like.
We talked about shape, design, flavor, fillings and price.
He charges $4.50 per slice for buttercream with any filling and $5.50 per slice for fondant.
Total Cost for bridal cake for 100, delivery, groom's cake (ramblin wreck replica) for 40 was quoted at $800.00. Not too bad and definitely standard in the world of wedding cakes.
We have a couple of other bakers to do a tasting with then we can make a final decision.
I think the cake is one of the last few large items to take care of on our list.
I'm looking forward to taking care of the cake and getting one decision closer to the wedding.
Entebello Spa
Saturday, September 13, 2008
9 months and counting.......AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
We met my parents this afternoon for lunch at Universal Joint over in Oakhurst near Agnes Scott.
Food is ok, service is great, price is waaaay jacked up.
After hanging out with my parents, we headed up to Rubin Brothers to have them look at my ring for an insurance appraisal.
Once again we had a sub-par experience. They treat us as if we don't even matter. Ugh!!!!
Whatever, once I get my appraisal, I'm done with them until I have to get my ring cleaned again.
We then drove to Entebello Spa in Buckhead http://www.entebello.com/ for Al's first facial.
We had gotten a certificate for a free express facial in our swag bag from the Atlantan Bridal Show and I was excited to get to use it.
So Al had the facial and I decided that I would treat myself to one as well.
We both had amazing experiences and I'm looking forward to hopefully using Entebello as my spa. They also do makeup, so.....fingers crossed, I'm going to book a makeup trial with them and see how it goes.
I just have to say, I've been to quite a few different salon/spas and this one was completely amazing. Everyone was so nice and genuine and VERY knowledgeable about all the different products in the store. The store is pretty amazing as well.....definitely a hidden gem.
They also have random sales going on pretty much on a monthly basis.
Both of us had such great experiences with our aestheticians and our skin felt pretty amazing.
I'm excited to check out some of the products that I was given as I literally could see a change in my skin after leaving the spa.
I made a quick stop at Michael's on the way home to pick up parts of my Bridesmaid's gifts and check out the invitation options available. Al watched football while I worked on my bridesmaid's gifts and poured through the multiple invitation catalogs that I received in today's mail. Apparently going to the upscale bridal shows ensures that your name gets put on MULTIPLE bridal lists.
The invitation issues has now become a thorn in my side. I'm pretty much done. To me this is the one place where I will be able to cut the most corners, however, I don't want it to "look" like I cheaped out. I know it sounds insanely bizarre, but I am actually experiencing this weird anxiety about this, and I'm starting to ask myself, why do I care if the Save the Dates match the invitations that match the programs that match the escort cards.
Does it really matter that much?
UGH!!!
This is where the "Bride" takes over and totally annexes Alicia.
I'm so frustrated....I mean seriously, how are these companies charging upwards of $300 - $400 for 75 inviations (re: pieces of paper).
I just don't want plain white invites....I think they're so boring and just not me (us).
But I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for something that people are just going to throw away.
I was originally excited about the wood cards, but those were pricey as well, and I'd have to create my own RSVP's anyway because you can't write on the wood cards with regular pens.....so...yeah, still at square one. I feel like this is one of the last few "large" things that we need to nail down (the other being the cake).
So now, I'm trying to corner Al every chance I get to look at different options for our invites, but with all the distractions of football season and just a general lack of interest of all things paper on his part, it's a much harder task than one might think.
I've got my work cut out for me.
9 months and counting.......AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
We met my parents this afternoon for lunch at Universal Joint over in Oakhurst near Agnes Scott.
Food is ok, service is great, price is waaaay jacked up.
After hanging out with my parents, we headed up to Rubin Brothers to have them look at my ring for an insurance appraisal.
Once again we had a sub-par experience. They treat us as if we don't even matter. Ugh!!!!
Whatever, once I get my appraisal, I'm done with them until I have to get my ring cleaned again.
We then drove to Entebello Spa in Buckhead http://www.entebello.com/ for Al's first facial.
We had gotten a certificate for a free express facial in our swag bag from the Atlantan Bridal Show and I was excited to get to use it.
So Al had the facial and I decided that I would treat myself to one as well.
We both had amazing experiences and I'm looking forward to hopefully using Entebello as my spa. They also do makeup, so.....fingers crossed, I'm going to book a makeup trial with them and see how it goes.
I just have to say, I've been to quite a few different salon/spas and this one was completely amazing. Everyone was so nice and genuine and VERY knowledgeable about all the different products in the store. The store is pretty amazing as well.....definitely a hidden gem.
They also have random sales going on pretty much on a monthly basis.
Both of us had such great experiences with our aestheticians and our skin felt pretty amazing.
I'm excited to check out some of the products that I was given as I literally could see a change in my skin after leaving the spa.
I made a quick stop at Michael's on the way home to pick up parts of my Bridesmaid's gifts and check out the invitation options available. Al watched football while I worked on my bridesmaid's gifts and poured through the multiple invitation catalogs that I received in today's mail. Apparently going to the upscale bridal shows ensures that your name gets put on MULTIPLE bridal lists.
The invitation issues has now become a thorn in my side. I'm pretty much done. To me this is the one place where I will be able to cut the most corners, however, I don't want it to "look" like I cheaped out. I know it sounds insanely bizarre, but I am actually experiencing this weird anxiety about this, and I'm starting to ask myself, why do I care if the Save the Dates match the invitations that match the programs that match the escort cards.
Does it really matter that much?
UGH!!!
This is where the "Bride" takes over and totally annexes Alicia.
I'm so frustrated....I mean seriously, how are these companies charging upwards of $300 - $400 for 75 inviations (re: pieces of paper).
I just don't want plain white invites....I think they're so boring and just not me (us).
But I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for something that people are just going to throw away.
I was originally excited about the wood cards, but those were pricey as well, and I'd have to create my own RSVP's anyway because you can't write on the wood cards with regular pens.....so...yeah, still at square one. I feel like this is one of the last few "large" things that we need to nail down (the other being the cake).
So now, I'm trying to corner Al every chance I get to look at different options for our invites, but with all the distractions of football season and just a general lack of interest of all things paper on his part, it's a much harder task than one might think.
I've got my work cut out for me.
Trivia at Summit's
Friday, September 12, 2008
So after an insane week at work, I was so ready to go hang out with friends and enjoy a Friday night. I drove up to Al's office to meet up with him and Gautam before driving over to pick up Debbie at their house. We hung out for awhile then headed over to Summit's for dinner and drinks.
I love playing team trivia and we pretty much always win a spot in the top 3.
I was so proud of myself for my multiple contributions this evening. Usually Al and I compete with each other in getting the answer first, but this time I was actually able to recall some random information. Woo!
We ended up staying out until 2 am before making the huge journey home (they live in Cumming).
Good way to start out the weekend that will be interspersed with wedding related errands.
So after an insane week at work, I was so ready to go hang out with friends and enjoy a Friday night. I drove up to Al's office to meet up with him and Gautam before driving over to pick up Debbie at their house. We hung out for awhile then headed over to Summit's for dinner and drinks.
I love playing team trivia and we pretty much always win a spot in the top 3.
I was so proud of myself for my multiple contributions this evening. Usually Al and I compete with each other in getting the answer first, but this time I was actually able to recall some random information. Woo!
We ended up staying out until 2 am before making the huge journey home (they live in Cumming).
Good way to start out the weekend that will be interspersed with wedding related errands.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Process of Domestication
Ok, so this is out of order, but I HAD to post these pictures otherwise no one would believe me (especially my mother) when I told her that I actually cooked dinner.
This is me actually cooking(after an evening of swimming), YES, in a real kitchen with my best friend Lindsay.
This is me actually cooking(after an evening of swimming), YES, in a real kitchen with my best friend Lindsay.
She's a really good teacher, and being a cooking goddess herself has all the tools necessary to create a pretty fantastic meal.
I was so proud of myself that I actually made dinner for the four of us.
WOOOOOO!
Look Ma! I'm cookin!!!
Now, just for the record, this was most likely a fluke incident and while Lindsay vows that she will teach me how to cook, I hope she's ready for the resistance. As Al can attest, I have quite an aversion to being in the kitchen...so, we'll see.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Toasting Flutes Conundrum
Thursday, August 28, 2008
No, not even Etsy could help on this one.
So then I was off to find gold toasting flutes. It is difficult to find anything that is simple. Most wedding toasting flutes have hearts or knots, or weird designs and 95% of them are silver.
This way, we will use something that we can ALWAYS use again.
One "detail" decision down, fifty million more to go.
Monday, August 25, 2008
My timeline or yours?
Monday, August 25, 2008
Ok, why is it that every groom thinks that making a decision about color, or theme, or cake, or music is something that doesn't have to be done until the very end.
Is it just like they think it will all work itself out?
Or do they know that the longer they procrastinate, they know the bride will just take over and do it herself.
The sad thing is, it just creates more stupid tension over wedding related stuff. UGH!!!
I can't win.
Ok, why is it that every groom thinks that making a decision about color, or theme, or cake, or music is something that doesn't have to be done until the very end.
Is it just like they think it will all work itself out?
Or do they know that the longer they procrastinate, they know the bride will just take over and do it herself.
The sad thing is, it just creates more stupid tension over wedding related stuff. UGH!!!
I can't win.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Catching up with the Cousin....
Saturday, August 8, 2008
Me and my cousin Courtney (Inman) hanging out at Boston's in Jonesboro.
I haven't seen Courtney in probably 15 years. She still looks just the way I remember, so cute and tiny. Courtney's a few years older than me, but we've never had the chance to really hang out with each other and I only remember her from when I was a kid. It was SO awesome to meet up with her and really hang out with each other as adults. We had a VERY interesting conversation about our family and the strangely parallel lives we have led with regards to our fathers. It's nice to reconnect with family and I'm hoping that we'll be able to spend more time together (now that she's back in the states) and build a stronger relationship.
I'm SO EXCITED that I got to reconnect with her and I can't wait to see her again.
Me and my cousin Courtney (Inman) hanging out at Boston's in Jonesboro.
I haven't seen Courtney in probably 15 years. She still looks just the way I remember, so cute and tiny. Courtney's a few years older than me, but we've never had the chance to really hang out with each other and I only remember her from when I was a kid. It was SO awesome to meet up with her and really hang out with each other as adults. We had a VERY interesting conversation about our family and the strangely parallel lives we have led with regards to our fathers. It's nice to reconnect with family and I'm hoping that we'll be able to spend more time together (now that she's back in the states) and build a stronger relationship.
I'm SO EXCITED that I got to reconnect with her and I can't wait to see her again.
THE BLING!!!!!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
I LOVE MY RING!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/alicia.benson/RingPictures
I can honestly say that it is one of a kind and that there is nothing else o
ut there like it.
The center stone(s) are a cluster of seven diamonds. These diamonds are from my Grandma Dot's diamond cocktail ring. I basically took the diamonds and kept the same cluster flower pattern and just put it into a different setting. Al and I chose the setting months ago from the Rubin brothers and it is a custom ring that is similar to a ring found from the Elizabeth Taylor collection The House of Taylor.
The ring is so brilliant and sparkly and I have the tendency to get mesmerized and just a little bit distracted by it. It's hard to get used to having such a beautiful thing in my possession and I truly realize how lucky I am.
I LOVE MY RING!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/alicia.benson/RingPictures
I can honestly say that it is one of a kind and that there is nothing else o
ut there like it.The center stone(s) are a cluster of seven diamonds. These diamonds are from my Grandma Dot's diamond cocktail ring. I basically took the diamonds and kept the same cluster flower pattern and just put it into a different setting. Al and I chose the setting months ago from the Rubin brothers and it is a custom ring that is similar to a ring found from the Elizabeth Taylor collection The House of Taylor.
The ring is so brilliant and sparkly and I have the tendency to get mesmerized and just a little bit distracted by it. It's hard to get used to having such a beautiful thing in my possession and I truly realize how lucky I am.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Becoming a Knottie
Friday, August 8, 2008
I created a knottie bio and posted my proposal video. It's my breakaway from weddingbee....ha!
I have to say, it's pretty cool that the Knot provides an online community of support for local brides. It's really great to have a group of locals to bounce ideas off of as well as give recommendations of vendors. I'm looking forward to sharing the planning process with the board over the next year.
Woohooo!
I have to say, it's pretty cool that the Knot provides an online community of support for local brides. It's really great to have a group of locals to bounce ideas off of as well as give recommendations of vendors. I'm looking forward to sharing the planning process with the board over the next year.
Woohooo!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Work, work, work
Monday, August 4, 2008
I was excited to announce my official engagement to my co-workers and they were thrilled....lots of oooh's and ahhh's over the ring. Good times.
I also decided to do the practical thing and called to check on insurance for my ring. There's so many little details to remember to take care of, so I'm glad I can check this one off my list.
I also decided to take back my black wicker hanging baskets, since after the visiting the space again, I realized they would be dwarfed in the ceiling and wouldn't really make a significant impact on the decor....oh well. I figure if I try to put anything in the ceiling, I would have to spend quite a significant amount of money in order for it to make a difference in the room.
My Birthday Dinner
Saturday, August 2, 2008
I can't even begin to describe the love and support that I felt that night.
We walked in and were greeted by my parents and Erin and Charlie. I was so excited to show off my ring. As others started to arrive, I would greet them and they would immediately ask to see my ring. My hands shook the entire evening.
The attendees:
My parents, Al's parents, Galina, Shari, Erin and Charlie, Brian and Jessi, Debbie and Gautam, Scott, Scott and Sheila, Stacey, and Brandon and Lisa.
Unfortunately we had a few guests that couldn't make it that night, but were there with us in spirit (Allyson, Lisa and Scott and Lisa's mom, and of course Lindsay and Phil)
The whole night was a whirlwind of greeting people, chatting, catching up and just sharing a great evening together.
After dinner, the waiter brought out a cake that my mom and lyle had brought (which my mom had decorated with her nickname and the style of my dress -with the last two number transposed...details...). He sang happy birthday to me in Italian which was so lovely, and I cut my cake and we passed it around.
It was so lovely to have some of the most important people in my life all in one place. I can't wait for the wedding where it will be a similar experience but on a larger scale.
BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!
THE PROPOSAL!!!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
OH MY GOSH!!!!
It's official, we're engaged.
As we were getting ready to head out, Al called me over to the computer to check out a new website that Lisa had sent to him for me to see.
OH MY GOSH!!!!
It's official, we're engaged.
As we were getting ready to head out, Al called me over to the computer to check out a new website that Lisa had sent to him for me to see.
http://www.bridaliciouswishes.com/
When I pulled up the website, it was a bridal website. I remarked on the name of the website and how it sounded like our nicknames. Al told me to click on the bridesmaid dresses and then pick one that I liked. When I clicked on a picture a video came up. I was a little confused, but hit play. All of a sudden our song "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol started playing and Al's face came up on the screen. As he began to speak, I looked over at him and he sat down on the couch next to me and said, it's a birthday thing. When he started off with "when I saw your profile on Match.com....," it suddenly dawned on me what was happening and I immediately began to to do the ugly cry. I was so emotional. As I listened to the wonderful things Al was saying, I began to shake and all I remember was covering my mouth with my hand and smiling through my tears. All of a sudden, I heard the question that I had been waiting forever to hear. I turned to look at Al and he was kneeling next to me holding a box with THE most AMAZING ring, I had ever seen! It was so much more beautiful (and sparkly) in person than I could have ever imagined. Al asked me again "will you marry me?" and I cried/laughed my way through a yes. He put the ring on my finger and I kissed him as I pulled him up to his feet and gave him the biggest hug ever. I kept laughing and crying as I admired me beautiful ring. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I don't think I've ever been so happy in my entire life!!!!
When I pulled up the website, it was a bridal website. I remarked on the name of the website and how it sounded like our nicknames. Al told me to click on the bridesmaid dresses and then pick one that I liked. When I clicked on a picture a video came up. I was a little confused, but hit play. All of a sudden our song "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol started playing and Al's face came up on the screen. As he began to speak, I looked over at him and he sat down on the couch next to me and said, it's a birthday thing. When he started off with "when I saw your profile on Match.com....," it suddenly dawned on me what was happening and I immediately began to to do the ugly cry. I was so emotional. As I listened to the wonderful things Al was saying, I began to shake and all I remember was covering my mouth with my hand and smiling through my tears. All of a sudden, I heard the question that I had been waiting forever to hear. I turned to look at Al and he was kneeling next to me holding a box with THE most AMAZING ring, I had ever seen! It was so much more beautiful (and sparkly) in person than I could have ever imagined. Al asked me again "will you marry me?" and I cried/laughed my way through a yes. He put the ring on my finger and I kissed him as I pulled him up to his feet and gave him the biggest hug ever. I kept laughing and crying as I admired me beautiful ring. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I don't think I've ever been so happy in my entire life!!!!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
You had me at mani-pedi
Saturday, August 2, 2008
MY BIRTHDAY!!!!
I started out my day with a trip to the emissions place (yeah, I'm a procrastinator).
Then Al took me to the nail salon for my birthday mani-pedi. Oh my gosh it was so great. I have greatly missed my mani-pedi's. Al also got a mani and totally enjoyed the hand/arm massage.
After the salon, we grabbed a quick lunch at Subway, then went to see the Dark Knight. SUCH a great movie! I was really touched by Heath's final performance. Truly haunting.
After the movie we came home to get ready to head out to my birthday dinner. As we were getting ready to leave Al called me over to the computer to check out a new website....and.....
MY BIRTHDAY!!!!
I started out my day with a trip to the emissions place (yeah, I'm a procrastinator).
Then Al took me to the nail salon for my birthday mani-pedi. Oh my gosh it was so great. I have greatly missed my mani-pedi's. Al also got a mani and totally enjoyed the hand/arm massage.
After the salon, we grabbed a quick lunch at Subway, then went to see the Dark Knight. SUCH a great movie! I was really touched by Heath's final performance. Truly haunting.
After the movie we came home to get ready to head out to my birthday dinner. As we were getting ready to leave Al called me over to the computer to check out a new website....and.....
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
I'VE FOUND THE DRESS!!!!!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
And the winner is......
Casablanca, Style 1896
I feel like a princess and when I look at myself in the mirror, I feel beautiful.
This dress is so amazing in person and the bodice is embroidered and completely dripping with swarovski crystals. The back of the dress/train is unlike anyting I've ever seen and the fabric just looks so luscious in person. It's amazing.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY DRESS!!!!!
And the winner is......
Casablanca, Style 1896
I feel like a princess and when I look at myself in the mirror, I feel beautiful.
This dress is so amazing in person and the bodice is embroidered and completely dripping with swarovski crystals. The back of the dress/train is unlike anyting I've ever seen and the fabric just looks so luscious in person. It's amazing.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY DRESS!!!!!
Update 1:
Bride Beautiful called me back Monday morning to tell me about their tax free sale as well as the fact that they could get the dress for cheaper.I called D'Anne and she gave me a credit for the differnce between the two dresses.
However, she couldn't give me credit for the taxes because technically it's illegal to eat the tax or to not charge taxes for something that's not under $100....interesting.
Oh well, I figure, I'm paying for the service and the knowledge that I'll have access to a better seamstress and less stress in general about being just another bride at a bridal shop like I felt at Bride Beautiful.
Update 2:
D'Anne called about cost for additions to the dress. It will be $70 for beaded spaghetti straps.
Then in order to make the little shrug or jacket out of the same material as the skirt of the dress, it will be approximately $200.
I think I may pass on the jacket and order a bolero from Etsy for $75. We'll see, I'll have to do some more hunting on that one.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Nope, still no ring
Monday, July 21, 2008
For those who are still wondering/asking/puzzled/curious....
No, I have still not gotten a proposal or an engagement ring. I started writing this blog in January and had been "planning" even before then. And here I am 7 months later and no ring. Sad isn't it?
At what point do you just stop and go.....enough.
This year has been the year of weddings and engagements happening all around me. I've attended 3 weddings and an ex boyfriend of mine recently got engaged and is getting married this New Year's (congrats Warren!). Another friend from high school was recently proposed to and has been broadcasting all over the knot which is yet another wedding board that I frequent. It's almost like torture at this point. I'm running out of single friends to toss the bouquet to (which of course is making me re-think that tradition).
Make no mistake, I am genuinely happy and excited for all of these people. My little girl just can't help but wonder "when is it my turn?"
For those who are still wondering/asking/puzzled/curious....
No, I have still not gotten a proposal or an engagement ring. I started writing this blog in January and had been "planning" even before then. And here I am 7 months later and no ring. Sad isn't it?
At what point do you just stop and go.....enough.
This year has been the year of weddings and engagements happening all around me. I've attended 3 weddings and an ex boyfriend of mine recently got engaged and is getting married this New Year's (congrats Warren!). Another friend from high school was recently proposed to and has been broadcasting all over the knot which is yet another wedding board that I frequent. It's almost like torture at this point. I'm running out of single friends to toss the bouquet to (which of course is making me re-think that tradition).
Make no mistake, I am genuinely happy and excited for all of these people. My little girl just can't help but wonder "when is it my turn?"
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Beauty is pain....
Sunday, July 13, 2008
So today we were on a killing time mission and decided to take a trip to Northlake Mall. Our first stop was the Men's Warehouse to check out another option for tuxes. We looked through the book and found only one tux that we liked. It was the Calvin Klein two button pinstripe. The price was about $40.00 cheaper, but we didn't like any of the patterns for the vests or ties and none of the colors seemed right. The golds were either a bright yellow or a dirty blonde color.
We weren't impressed. So we're back to Savvi as the top contender. While I did consider the tux place at Bridal's by Lori, I'm guessing that like their Bridesmaid dresses, it's possible that they are going to be pricey. I figure we'll check out After Hours which is where Erin's husband (Charlie) got his tux.
Then we happened upon one of those free standing kiosks that featured the "art" of Threading. There was a video playing and we stopped to check it out. I have always been intrigued by threading, but have never gone to actually have it done. It's a technique used to pluck hair that is supposed to be less painful than waxing and tweezing. So basically, I decided to try it out since I haven't had anything professionally done in over 6 months (I can't believe I'm actually posting this). So for any of you ladies out there that have wanted to try this, I'll say it's very interesting. I can't speak to it being less painful (I teared up a bit), but the resuls were pretty darn good.
So here are the before and after:
Despite the bright pink surrounding my eyebrows, I was really pleased with out it turned out. They say it's supposed to last for 3 to 4 weeks, so we'll see.
A super close up of my scraggly brows.
The process of threading. It's kind of weird to watch. Part of the thread is in her mouth to keep tension.
It's so bizarre in fact that I garnered a bit of an audience. Apparently a family stopped by to check out the process and there were even people who were on the second floor looking down at me getting my brows done. Very strange feeling.
She asked me to "pull my eyebrows apart". So I had to stretch up the top part of my eyebrows and pull down the lowers.
Overall it was a decent experience and once you get used to the sound, it's not so bad. My skin calmed down after 15 minutes and the pinkness faded pretty quickly. I'd definitely have it done again.
So today we were on a killing time mission and decided to take a trip to Northlake Mall. Our first stop was the Men's Warehouse to check out another option for tuxes. We looked through the book and found only one tux that we liked. It was the Calvin Klein two button pinstripe. The price was about $40.00 cheaper, but we didn't like any of the patterns for the vests or ties and none of the colors seemed right. The golds were either a bright yellow or a dirty blonde color.
We weren't impressed. So we're back to Savvi as the top contender. While I did consider the tux place at Bridal's by Lori, I'm guessing that like their Bridesmaid dresses, it's possible that they are going to be pricey. I figure we'll check out After Hours which is where Erin's husband (Charlie) got his tux.
Then we happened upon one of those free standing kiosks that featured the "art" of Threading. There was a video playing and we stopped to check it out. I have always been intrigued by threading, but have never gone to actually have it done. It's a technique used to pluck hair that is supposed to be less painful than waxing and tweezing. So basically, I decided to try it out since I haven't had anything professionally done in over 6 months (I can't believe I'm actually posting this). So for any of you ladies out there that have wanted to try this, I'll say it's very interesting. I can't speak to it being less painful (I teared up a bit), but the resuls were pretty darn good.
So here are the before and after:
Despite the bright pink surrounding my eyebrows, I was really pleased with out it turned out. They say it's supposed to last for 3 to 4 weeks, so we'll see.
A super close up of my scraggly brows.
The process of threading. It's kind of weird to watch. Part of the thread is in her mouth to keep tension.
It's so bizarre in fact that I garnered a bit of an audience. Apparently a family stopped by to check out the process and there were even people who were on the second floor looking down at me getting my brows done. Very strange feeling.
She asked me to "pull my eyebrows apart". So I had to stretch up the top part of my eyebrows and pull down the lowers.
Overall it was a decent experience and once you get used to the sound, it's not so bad. My skin calmed down after 15 minutes and the pinkness faded pretty quickly. I'd definitely have it done again.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Bride Beautiful - The Bridesmaid Edition
Saturday, July 12, 2008
After our yummy lunch at Applebee's, we went across the street to Bride Beautiful.
When we walked in, they were on the verge of closing, so we went down the line and started picking up any floor length dresses that had the basic components we were looking for. V-neck or "different" neckline, spaghetti straps, and a chiffon material for the skirt.
I continue to be drawn to gathers, pleats and shirring.
The style that I gravitate towards does not necessarily scream Bridesmaid. I'm pretty much against excessive seams, structured heavy fabric, shiny taffeta and raw silk.
This dress was definitely Erin's favorite and it looked fantastic on her. The detail is a little difficult to see because the dress is black but the bodice is pleated with a shirred waist line and a chiffon skirt. Beautiful and floaty. We both really loved it.
Here's a shot of the back of it. This dress also had a beautiful sash that trailed down the black.
This next dress is the dress that I originally fell in love with. It's so beautiful, but it IS strapless.
However, throughout the day, we found that our top contender for dresses happened to be strapless. Bizarre. I'm all for strapless, I just want to make sure that my girls are not tugging up their dress all night (our falling out of them). Comfort is key.
A shot of the back of the dress. I love the draping and the way the material floats as you walk.
We picked three other dresses (one being the one shoulder dress we saw at Bridals by Lori) to go in my file.
Among the contenders were a Lekovff, Jim Helm and B2.
I'll have to get more pictures when I go back to shop for the my dress.
Erin and I came to the conclusion that we should have come to Bride Beautiful first for the slightly cheaper prices and a larger selection of floor length dresses.
The service was really good and the saleslady explained the layout of the Bridesmaid room, pretty much left us alone to pick out dresses, took them to the fitting room as we picked them out and patiently waited for us to Erin to try on all the dresses despite the fact that they were technically closed.
After our yummy lunch at Applebee's, we went across the street to Bride Beautiful.
When we walked in, they were on the verge of closing, so we went down the line and started picking up any floor length dresses that had the basic components we were looking for. V-neck or "different" neckline, spaghetti straps, and a chiffon material for the skirt.
I continue to be drawn to gathers, pleats and shirring.The style that I gravitate towards does not necessarily scream Bridesmaid. I'm pretty much against excessive seams, structured heavy fabric, shiny taffeta and raw silk.
This dress was definitely Erin's favorite and it looked fantastic on her. The detail is a little difficult to see because the dress is black but the bodice is pleated with a shirred waist line and a chiffon skirt. Beautiful and floaty. We both really loved it.
Here's a shot of the back of it. This dress also had a beautiful sash that trailed down the black.
This next dress is the dress that I originally fell in love with. It's so beautiful, but it IS strapless.
However, throughout the day, we found that our top contender for dresses happened to be strapless. Bizarre. I'm all for strapless, I just want to make sure that my girls are not tugging up their dress all night (our falling out of them). Comfort is key.
A shot of the back of the dress. I love the draping and the way the material floats as you walk.
We picked three other dresses (one being the one shoulder dress we saw at Bridals by Lori) to go in my file.
Among the contenders were a Lekovff, Jim Helm and B2.
I'll have to get more pictures when I go back to shop for the my dress.
Erin and I came to the conclusion that we should have come to Bride Beautiful first for the slightly cheaper prices and a larger selection of floor length dresses.
The service was really good and the saleslady explained the layout of the Bridesmaid room, pretty much left us alone to pick out dresses, took them to the fitting room as we picked them out and patiently waited for us to Erin to try on all the dresses despite the fact that they were technically closed.
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