Thursday, May 8, 2014

Thank you Pinterest

To add to the wedding stress...  We are building a house.   

The land is very close to where I grew up and it will be nice to be that close to my family.   The day after we purchased the land, my fiance and I decided to walk around the entire property.  At the back of the property, near a creek, we came across a ton of stuff that the previous owners had thrown out over the years...  An old lamp, jars, bottles, old lawn mower parts, etc.  So, we decided to salvage some of it.  Brad and I spent time that afternoon getting as many glass jars and bottles together that we could and we were going to come back later and pick them up.  

A few days later, a good friend of mine and I decided to be adventurous and go back to get the bottles while Brad was working. As we're hiking through the woods and talking, I noticed that Katie stopped and was staring at me while I was talking... I thought maybe she was just very interested in what I was saying, until I took another step and realized that I was standing on this:

SNAKE!!

Well, I'm still alive to write this blog... So, I didn't get bit!   But, it made for an even more interesting adventure! After our wildlife experience, we continued on our journey for the bottles.  

I couldn't help thinking, "How awesome would it be if these old bottles and mayonnaise jars are actually worth something!?!  Then, we can pay for our land AND house AND have an awesome wedding with the money from our new wonderful treasures!!"  So, I took a picture and sent  them to an Uncle who collects old glass.   

Yeh... I couldn't be that lucky.  His reply was "They aren't worth anything, but have fun using them to decorate!"....  :-(



That got me thinking... Hey!  This stuff will work perfect with my Southern themed wedding!  Some of the bottles were very stained from being out in the elements for years.  So, I looked to Pinterest for some inspiration.  I cleaned the bottles up the best I could with a tooth brush and some dish detergent.  Then, I found some mint acrylic paint that I had with my craft supplies.  I also painted some wine bottles with acrylic paint and got some jutte to wrap around some of the bottles.  I've also thought about using some burlap and pearl ribbon to wrap around some of the mason jars.



These "wonderful, priceless treasures" that I thought I had found, ended up being a fun craft and will be great centerpieces for the wedding!  











Wednesday, May 7, 2014

And the planning begins...

Once we FINALLY set a date and booked the venue, I jumped head first into planning.  I knew the colors that I wanted to incorporate and I knew somewhat of a theme... 





But, we had even tossed back and forth the idea of eloping and having a lovely ceremony on the beach somewhere with just he and I present.  The Keys maybe... Turks and Caicos... No friends... No wedding party... Just us.

I also had already purchased my lovely ivory Maggie Sottero dream dress, which probably wouldn't fit so well inside ANY travel luggage anyway.  Besides, I got the dress to wear with my great grandmother's pearl necklace that was passed down to me.  I had to wear it in front of the whole family then... So, what's any good southern girl to do?

START PLANNING ASAP!


The next weekend after setting the date (10.25.14) and the venue, I went to Hobby Lobby (LOVE that store!) to start getting ideas.  (Never mind my 500+ pins on my Pinterest board).   After being inspired by Blake Shelton's cotton boutonniere, I decided to incorporate cotton and go with a very Southern themed wedding.
   


Within the first couple of weeks of planning (in February 2014), we had already booked and decided on:


  • The Catering - BBQ
  • The cakes - My mom and other family members
  • Photographer - Coworker who does photography
  • Music - A local radio DJ
  • Wedding Favors
  • Thank you cards
  • Rental company
I also found this AMAZING wedding planner/check list.  I HIGHLY recommend it  to anyone who is planning a wedding!




My plan was to get as much stuff out of the way as early as I can, to avoid stress....

Boy was I wrong...

I think I'm only prolonged my stress and anxiety!

E & B



Brad and I met in 2004.  However, we didn't start dating until 2009, during my last semester of college.  We got engaged the day before Thanksgiving in 2012.  During  the past 5 years, we have been through A LOT together...  Family issues, health issues, grad school, job opportunities, job losses, and some financial hardships.  Throughout all of it, we've stuck together and (tried to... haha) remain supportive of one another during everything.  I'm proud to call him my fiance' and I can honestly say I've gained a best friend and an awesome soon-to-be husband out of our relationship.