This, That, and a little bit of Everything

Justin and I have had this week off to get things done. Unfortunately, we have had a lot of running around to do as well. :/  Then... on top of that... I've been feeling yucky. Not quite sick, but definitely not not sick either. *shrugs* Justin is currently in the process of finishing one of the absolutely gorgeous dresses my bridesmaid will be wearing. It has taken him quite a bit of time,...

Busy, Busy, Busy... Silhouette Cameo Review

I am so excited (and tired) from the crazy week that was last week. Three days of family dinners...!! That is when you know you have a LOT of family! I grew up with at least 2 family dinners, but I felt so bad for Justin since he now has 2 additional dinners that...

Zazzle Review

Back in October I spent a good bit of time searching google for wedding invitation inspiration with the hopes that I would find an invitation that would be similar to what I desired. I was looking for... inspiration (not the actual invitation we would send out). On one particular inspiration searching day I came across a lovely design on Zazzle by creator/artist samack. It was absolutely perfect!...

InPink Review

In one week, it will be the day after Christmas! Scary to think about, huh? Anyway, I just wanted to take some time to review InPink since the bridesmaids earrings were purchased from there thanks to a $40 gift card I received from a giveaway by Ciao Bella. Since my bridesmaids have not yet seen the earrings, I will refrain from posting a picture. I ordered the two sets of earrings using a...

Lessons Learned While Making Save-the-Dates

As a hopeful graphic designer, I really wanted to make my Save-the-dates gorgeous. I put a lot of time into creating them. Unfortunately, I made a lot of mistakes along the way. This is my list of things I've learned while making Save-the-dates. 1. Printing  ...

An Invitational Delay

I may have mis-titled this blog. It probably should have been called "The Picky Indecisive Bride". I'm sure that I am not the only one to feel this way. Wedding planning can be fun, but making so many decisions in such a short period can be stressful and frustrating. Especially for me. I like to make sure I explore all options. With 3 months to go, I'm just not sure there is time to explore all of...

The Dress!

I am no ordinary wedding dress shopper, if there is such a thing as ordinary. Looking for a wedding dress took me a minimum of 2 months and at least 10 dress shops. I shopped high and low, online and offline for that "perfect" dress. At one point I even contacted some of my friends who had previously been brides to get some affirmation that "perfect" dresses actually existed. After all, it is probably...

Thanksgiving +

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving! In between our three Thanksgiving dinners, Justin and I got to enjoy spending time with many of our family members. Especially touching was a lovely speech Justin's grandmother gave to everyone in the family! We...

Silhouette Cameo

Just bought a Silhouette Cameo for $215! My secret? Go visit ohmycrafts and use discount code Thanks ...

I'm Late, I'm Late for a Very Important Date!

Over the weekend, Justin and I realized why it is that most engaged couples just buy everything. It's just easier! We find that most of our weekends are taken up running around trying to obtain all of the things needed for DIY projects, but then we have very little...

Another Sneak Peek!

Turns out our save-the-dates should have said that! (Typed by Justin.) Notice the background of tea cups and feel sorry for my parents dining room table. ;) "It will all be over soon" I keep telling them. heh...

And then there was stationery...

First of all, let me provide a huge CONGRATULATIONS to my dear friend Suzy! She just posted some awesomely wonderful news on Youtube! Go check it out! So... I've been busy working on my lovely save-the-dates that are going to be printed this week! (I know I keep saying that, but I am serious this time!) Justin bought the paper this afternoon. Even though I have yet to see it, I am certain it is wonderful...

The Last of It?

Flintridge China - Miramar Over the weekend Justin and I finally bought what should be the last of our China extravaganza. It is so exciting to see so many beautiful pieces of China all in one pla...

Tiger Lilly Review

Ada earrings I was so excited this afternoon when UPS dropped a small box off at my house containing the most beautiful Ada earrings from Tiger Lilly. Initially I had received a $25 gift card for Tiger Lilly from Dress Rush, a company that provides coupons...

Paper Coterie book

As much as I dislike* the Paper Coterie program for editing... and the style of the books... I had won a few gift cards for Paper Coterie that I ended up using yesterday to create a book of engagement pictures that I will be sharing with mine and Justin's family. You can check out the book I made here or go create a book of your own. *See my review of Paper Coterie he...

Sneak Peak

Over the weekend Justin and I began working on something exciting for the wedding! Excited yet?! We a...

Invitations & Sam Flax Review

After my wonderful find of vintage stamps, I was sooo excited to finish my Save-the-dates and begin my invitations! I have to admit that just being excited doesn't get you very far. Justin and I began looking at our paper options on Friday afternoon and we decided to use a linen paper in our wedding stationary.  We tried printing our Save-the-date on both white and cream cardstock. Then my heart...

Another day at the Anthro Store

While Anthropologie has always been my favorite store, only recently (this year) have I been enjoying it just a bit too much. *shrugs* Justin thinks the clothes at Anthropologie are well made, so he had no problem buying me a few things in the sales rack over...

Cheaper Ways to be a Bride

Since I began my journey in bridedom, I have found a variety of ways to make the wedding day cheaper. Unfortunately, not all of those methods could be incorporated into my own wedding.  I suppose it may have helped had I been researching long before actually being proposed to.  (I had at least 7 years!)  However, I decided that I would have plenty of time between the proposal and the...

Postage Stamps!

I swooned over the images from Martha Stewart (and the like) of wedding invitations covered in vintage stamps, but as of Monday I thought vintage stamps were out of my reach.  I contacted multiple stores who were completely unhelpful.  I sought advice on google, and I researched the postage sellers that they mentioned.  None of it was helpful though, because they all wanted more money...

A Successful Weekend

What all did we accomplish? - Heard back from a company about obtaining postage for as much as 30% under retail cost!- Rehearsal dinner dress = 85% complete!- Registration list = started.- More decorations were obtained...- China completed:      cups = 87%      saucers & dessert plates = 84%      plates = 51% and finally... - The Princess Bride + My...

Yay!

Santa Claus is following us on twitter...

China, China, & China (Not the Country)

Why is that the weekends seem to go by sooooooo fast?! Just as you start to pull your life together (or wedding), the weekend ends and you are back to work again. It never fails. The majority of our weekend was devoted to garage sales. While we did get a large assortment of tea cups and saucers, there was one find that just blew me away.  One lady was getting rid of a $3 JC Penny blue blanket...

Mandy's Melt Down

What a week! And it's already Wednesday! I'm still hunting for vintage stamps. Someone at my alma mater posted that she had a box of stamps she wanted to give away, and I am (sooo) hoping that I was the first to respond asking for them. I've also e-mailed a few stores around the Atlanta area in hopes that they can help (even if that means giving me another lead). In other news, I freaked out...

A Love that's Warm and Bright

Who isn't loving this cooler weather? I won't lie. I am ready for warm drinks, blankets, a fire, and a good book! Last week was rather exciting and a little busy. Justin and I went to the Fox on Wednesday night to see Wicked with his friend Edgar. It was not quite what I was expecting and yet exactly what I was expecting. The story of the wicked witch was enchanting and I loved how The Wizard of...

Picking a Date

Over the weekend my mom asked me why Justin and I are planning on marrying in March. Here is what it came down to: 1. Wedding season in GA lasts from April/May to October. We were trying to go the cheaper route by marrying in the off-season so that we might could get some discounts. 2. We didn't want dates/months that other people had. Justin's mom said not to get married in May since she has Mother's...

Weekend Update

Over the weekend: Justin bought a dining room table and installed a light fixture in his apartment dining room. It looks awesome, and I will certainly take a picture at some point to prove its awesomeness! Justin and I were compared to sunshine and happiness. lol. I'll be honest – it made my day! One of the groomsmen thought they would all be wearing pink to the wedding. Also an awesome moment! My...

Wedding News, A Review, & 9/11

Yesterday was quite a day with the 9/11 remembrance ceremonies and services. I shall eternally be grateful for the men and women who risked their lives, lost their lives, and the families of those people that may still be suffering from the consequences of 9/11 to this day. I heard a lot of stories yesterday that touched me... especially one particular story a mom told about her 26 year old son on...

Wacky Weekend

I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking, but I thought 3 days off would be calming... relaxing... easy... not so much. Justin and I stayed busy the entire weekend. We celebrated his birthday with family, went shopping for me clothes and instead found tea cups and saucers for the wedding (in pink and blue!), celebrated his grandmother's wedding, and went shopping with my two bridesmaids (which...

Justin's Birthday (& STDs)

This Wednesday was Justin's birthday. In celebration, I got him a Boston cream cake, which inevitably had too much icing. Go figure. I even had to go to multiple grocery stores just to find it! Later this weekend, we will be having a birthday dinner with his family - probably fish. Hopefully he had a good birthday. I've been furiously working on Save-the-dates and trying to come up with a theme for...

Glamour Shots (& Other News)

Over the weekend, Justin and I went to Glamour Shots to have some fun pictures taken. It was the last weekend of their free 8x10 promotion, and I had been wanting to do Glamour Shots since I was... very young. We get in there and everything is going well. We reserve our date, we sign the form, we agree that I will pay $7 for hair and make-up, and they start doing my hair. First of all the hair and...

Still Working...

This week I ended up taking a momentary break from wedding related things since I wasn't feeling well. Instead, my fiancé and I took a drive up to Jasper to pick up his wedding ring. We then made a pitstop in Marietta to look in antique stores. We walked all the way around the square and we stopped in every S.I.N.G.L.E. antique shop. We saw everything from old medical supplies, to records, photography...

Halfway Mark!

My fiancé and I have made it halfway through our engagement (not totally) unscathed! We felt rather productive (regarding the wedding) this weekend even though we were extremely busy with non-wedding things. On Friday, I went and bought an amazing couch that we hope to use in our wedding photography. My dad bought this amazing trunk that my fiancé and I are also planning on using at our reception....

Craziest Year Ever

When Justin proposed to me on Christmas eve this past year, I thought things could not get any crazier. My family was going through a difficult time and no one was having a particularly good December. Crazy as it seems, I thought things would settle down! Things have settled to an extent, but Justin and I still find ourselves extremely busy. I started researching photographers in January and I searched...

Amy Neben's The Bride's Book of Lists

When I first started planning, I was not looking for bridal books. I figured what could be available in a book that I can't find online? I decided to follow a random bride's advice and obtained Bridal Bargains Wedding Planner (by Denise and Alan Fields) to...

Overview - Who We Are

While this blog was created mostly for family and friends to keep up with our wedding planning, I decided an overview of myself and Justin might be a good idea for new friends that may be following our humble, little blog. I am Mandy: part-time nanny, part-time graphic design intern photographer, crafter He is Justin: work-a-holic (GA Tech graduate, computer engineer) fantastic cook (and great...

Florals

Cherry blossom reception decoration choices Who knew there were so many choices? Justin and I received our Townecraft cookware today in the mail that we got from last week's "win". On a side note, my mom and I will be having a Mary Kay makeover on Thursday...

Inspiration Board

Top left to right: vintage dresses (prettymuchart.blogspot.com), dress (Casablanca), hair (Style Me Pretty), church (capturedessencephotoblog.com), florals (Amy Osaba), stamp (USPS), calligraphy (etsy - Terbearco), car (etsy - Vol25), rosary (etsy - RosyCathy),...

Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain 2007 It is lovely when your fiancé says that no matter how difficult the struggle, you will make it through together. Dinner tomorrow with friends Meeting with coordinator on Thursday Engagement photo session Saturday with Kelly L ...