This is cincybride09's Green Wedding!

I know it's a few days after Thanksgiving here in the US...but my Fiance's family got me thinking. They are from Canada and they have a whole different spin on Thanksgiving. All day we came up with things we are thankful for.

This was a great change since lately I've been kind of sulking around. I'm still bummed from being laid off and I feel the cost of this wedding slowly strangling me. But this one day put it all in perspective for me...

So here I go: I am thankful for having such a loving and supportive man to share the rest of my life with. He has taught me that "for better or for worse" really is more than just spoken words, it is a promise that we will both live up to. I am thankful that all of my family is healthy and happy. This honestly is a new year for a lot of people I love. New jobs, new loves, new lives! I am thankful that I have a roof over my head and that we can afford to not only pay a mortgage for a house we aren't even living in (and trying to sell) but we can also afford to rent a house in a great area of Cincinnati. I am thankful that we are one of the few people that won't lose $50,000+ trying to sell a house right now. I am thankful that all my fuzzy children are safe, healthy and happy. And I am thankful that in October of 2009 I will be marrying the man of my dreams and will be surrounded by all my loved ones that have made a special trip just to spend that day with me!!!

Is there anything that you feel especially thankful for????

I really like this website, not only does it have great ideas, but the goodies you can buy are fantastic. You ca get some really great deals when they have sales!

Right now they have some great deals on Personalized Napkins, Disposable Cameras, Bridesmaid Gifts, Groomsman Gifts,

Just go to WeddingChannel.com and click on Wedding Store.

This is one part of my wedding that I can't believe I haven't given much thought to. I mean, I know it's not as fun as finding a wedding dress or as exciting as picking out flower...but it's still one of the most important parts of my...OUR weddings. These are the vows that we are reciting to the men we love, the men that we are spending the rest of our lives with.

With that, I am torn...what vows are we going to recite. There seem to be three different avenues I can take; a more modern vow such as a hand ceremony or one listed on my previous post, a more traditional one or we can write our vows.

The traditional ones seem to be very romantic to me. They are the vows that we've heard many bride and grooms recite. They almost seem to be apart of history...and I know that I spent most of my childhood dreaming about reciting the. My personal favorite is this one:

I, ______ take you, ______ to be my husband/wife, to love and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and to be faithful to you as long as we both shall live.

On the other hand...it might be nice for our guests to hear different vows that really make them listen and think about the words we are saying. Also, we can tweak them so that they really fit us. So the modern ones are somewhat appealing.

Last but not least, there is the option of writing our own vows. I love how personal and meaningful this option is. I do not love, however, the possibility (STRONG possibility) that I will ball my eyes out while Brian recites his. I really don't want to cry my makeup off or look like I've been socked in the eyes.

So tell me, Ladies, what are you doing? Traditional, Modern or Personal Vows??????

I'm still trying to figure out whether I want to recite a more traditional set of vows or something slightly more modern.

These are a few of the vows for a more traditional bride:

Groom
In your eyes, I have found my home.
In your heart, I have found my love.
In your soul, I have found my mate.
With you, I am whole, full, alive.
You make me laugh. You let me cry.
You are my breath, my every heartbeat.

I am yours.
You are mine.
Of this we are certain.
You are lodged in my heart.
The small key is lost.
You must stay there forever.

Bride
You are my inspiration and my soul's fire.
You are the magic of my days.
You help me laugh, you teach me love.
You provide a safe place for me, unlike I've ever known.
You free me to sing my own song.
You are more of an amazement to me, each day I rediscover you.
You are my greatest boon.

I am yours.
You are mine.
Of this we are certain.
You are lodged in my heart.
The small key is lost.
You must stay there forever.

Frau Ava (circa 1160), translated by Willis Barnstone

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Groom
I love you for your beauty, your intelligence, your kindness...and for the way you always know how to make me feel so special. So on top of all the other vows that I will make to you on our wedding day, I also vow to always appreciate how lucky I am to have someone who makes me feel the way you do and to continue to try as hard as I can to make you feel as special as you make me feel, forever and ever.

Bride
You have been my best friend, mentor, playmate, confidant, and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible.... You have made me a better person as our love for one another is reflected in the way I live my life. So I am truly blessed to be a part of your life, which as of today becomes our life together.

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Groom
I promise to love and care for you and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love.
I will always be honest with you, kind, patient, and forgiving.
I promise to try to be on time.
But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you.
I love you.

Bride
I promise to love and care for you and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love.
I will always be honest with you, kind, patient, and forgiving.
I promise to keep a sense of humor.
But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you.
I love you.

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Groom
I promise to encourage your compassion,
Because that is what makes you unique and wonderful.
I promise to nurture your dreams,
Because through them your soul shines.
I promise to help shoulder our challenges,
For there is nothing we cannot face if we stand together.
I promise to be your partner in all things,
Not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole.
Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust,
For one lifetime with you could never be enough.
This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things.

Bride
I promise to encourage your individuality,
Because that is what makes you unique and wonderful.
I promise to nurture your dreams,
Because through them your soul shines.
I promise to help shoulder our challenges,
Because through them we'll emerge stronger.
I promise to be your partner in all things,
Not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole.
I promise to share with you the joys of life,
Because with you they will be that much sweeter.
Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust,
For one lifetime with you could never be enough.
This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things.

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Groom & Bride
You are my lover and my teacher,
You are my model and my accomplice,
And you are my true counterpart.
I will love you, hold you, and honor you,
I will respect you, encourage you, and cherish you,
In health and sickness,
Through sorrow and success,
For all the days of my life.

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I hope this has helped some of you! These are very beautiful vows with a lot of meaning...I hope they inspire or touch you!

**These are from TheKnot.com

Forgive me while I rant for a second....but I am pissed!!! First of all, I live far away from my bridesmaids...about 5 hours away from all of them. Two of them live in the same town as my dad and one of those two is literally 2 miles away. This particular bridesmaid is what is bothering me the most.

She is also getting married and I have done my best to be apart of her planning process from the start. I went to a bridal shop by me to look at the designer for the bridesmaid dresses and I even negotiated a 20% discount. On top of that, I ordered them AND I'm picking them up and delivering them to her. Now all I wanted was a little help with mine. My bridal shop has a sale this week on my bridesmaid dresses...they are 30% off. That puts most of the dresses under $100!!! All I needed was one girl to put a deposit on hers and everyone would get the discount.

This particular bridesmaid decided to help out. So I told her I would be coming into town this weekend and she suggested we go to a shop that sells that designer on Sunday. We agreed that we would get in touch on Saturday to set up an exact time. So I called her around 5 on Saturday and left her a voicemail on her cell. I even called her house to see if I could catch her there, no luck. I never received a call on Saturday. She has done this to me twice before. Once when I was supposed to go to David's Bridal for her bridesmaid dresses about a month and a half ago and then again two weekends ago. Keep in mind I'm not in town all that often. The first couple times it didn't bother me all that much, but now I'm starting to see a pattern.

Anway, I called her son Sunday morning and got her voicemail. I left her another message. Nothing....I never heard from her. It's not 4:00 on Monday and I still haven't heard from her.

I'm so mad, so hurt! I was really looking forward to this. All my girls are wearing different dresses and I was so excited to finally see one of them pick theirs out...the peices of the puzzles were starting to come together. No one has shown an interest in getting their dress and they have to be ordered the beginning of March. Normally I wouldn't mind, but since they are all in a different dress, they have to acutally decide on one and tell me the style #.

I have one bridesmaid that is supposed to help me with my DIY invitations since she is the scrapbook queen. She said she would send me a mock up of what she can do and we could start making them in November or December...this was in August. I haven't heard anything about the invites since. Another is a cousin of mine that really isn't much into weddings...I didn't expect anything from her. The last of the five is a mom with one-year-old twins, so she really doesn't have time for wedding stuff.

My MOH is the only one that is helping me at all. She jumps when I ask her to and she does it right away! She's pregnant right now, so it's not like she can just get fitted for a dress whenever she wants.

I just feel like crying. These are supposed to be my friends and they are letting me down in a BIG way. I don't think they understand how important this all is to me...and that bothers me even more. Especially the one who is also a bride. I feel like I should just keep my mouth shut about my wedding and if the don't pick a dress, just pick it for them.

Maybe my expectations for my girls was too high. I don't think I'm asking alot...I just wanted a little input and to have some fun with my friends...

Sorry girls, I just had to get that off my chest!!! Hopefully things will get better...

Hello LOVER! Come to Mama!

I've come across this idea a few times before and it always grabs my attention. I love how sassy these shoes are and how fun they are.

Is anyone else doing this? What do you think, too much?

I have Champagne colored bridesmaid dresses, so it might be a little harder for me. I've seen photos with dresses like mine and the girls were wearing Cheetah print shoes. I'm not a super big fan of Cheetah print, but I must admit; it was cute!

Does anyone know of any other prints or where I can even begin looking to purchase shoes (that aren't $200 freaking dollars)???

Thanks, Ladies! :-)

This might be one of the cutest things I have ever seen. I really wanted to use the gumball machines for the kids table, but they come with a hefty price tag. After I saw this, I knew I just had to re-create it.

Obviously I won't tackly this one until closer to the big day, but I might make a mock-up.

What do you think? Isn't I adorable??? :-)

This is something I have been thinking about for a while. Let's face it, we will be with our bridesmaids and since it's our day, we can do whatever the hell we want! Question is, what exactly is that??? Hmmmm... My ceremony doen't start until 5:30, so I will have some time to kill. I'm a Starbucks junkie, so I know we will be making a trip through there. There will be some drinking with the ladies (light drinking, I promise!).

There are so many possibilities; maybe doing some decorating, enjoying a fun hobby, tipping back a few... :-) I find it interesting all the different things girls plan on doing. It really makes a statement about the bride's personality! I just love it!

So, what are you planning on doing on your BIG day???

I just got back from my very first Cookie Decorating class. I'm super excited and can't wait to do a trail run of my wedding cookies. We used Royal Icing and did the piping and filling. I'll tell ya, it isn't easy...but it was SOOOOO much fun! We made all sorts of Christmas cookies and my Fiance is currently "testing" them all. So in other words, he'll have them all gone before he goes to bed tonight! :-)

I think I may try a batch and take them for Thanksgiving. Who cares if they look like crap then? The kids will gobble them up anyway!

I have narrowed it down to 4 songs. The problem is, each of them is completely different and will appeal to a different group. I want a song that's attention grabbing and yet everyone will enjoy.

What do you ladies think? Which one is going to be the winner???

Since I've been laid off, I've been looking for things to keep me busy. Luckily, I didn't have to look far! At some point, I overloaded myself with DIY wedding projects that were rather time consuming. I'm currently working on those and I must say, I feel like I'm contributing somewhat to the household.

Completed: Flower Girl bags, rehearsal dinner centerpieces, rehearsal dinner favor boxes (just need monogram from Marta)

To be Finished: Rehearsal Dinner Menus, Rehearsal Dinner Invitations, Rehearsal Dinner picture frames, rehearsal dinner votive candles with Damask print

I'm on a roll and I'm not stopping! Wish me luck, some of this is rather tricky. I will be posting pictures of my completed projects soon! :-)

The second we all got married, what was the one thing you couldn't wait to do first?? GO WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING!!!! Now, if you are anything like me, the whole process was quite an eye opener. I thought I knew what I wanted in a neckline for my gown...but when I tried it on, I looked like a "hussy" (as my mother so delicately put it).

I've been told I am fortunate...I have a 34D cup size, but I curse them! They are always in the way and screwed up my wedding dress plans. Ok, ok, no big deal, I found the dress of my dreams. But a bridesmaid of mind brought up a very good point. It's my day!

My question is... is it inappropriate? Is there a classy cleavage and a not-so-classy cleavage? Is there anyone that has seen photos (and I’m not talking that email forward going around of the bride stepping out of the limo about so suffocate in her cleavage...practically wearing only pasties to cover herself). I mean an average everyday wedding. Did you try on a dress and know that your grandmother would have a stroke if you wore it?

So, cover it up or show those puppies off???

PS- My fiance wanted me to put on here that there is no such thing as "too much cleavage". Pervert...

I am usually on WBC everyday and I try and post something at least once a day...but some of you may have noticed that I have been scarce for about a week now. I'm so sorry about that...but I had a good excuse. I got laid off last Wednesday... :-(

What a horrible time for this to happen, the holidays, my wedding and the DAY AFTER we booked out rather expensive trip to Jamaica.

There is nothing more stressful to me than being out of a job. I hate it and feel so guilty knowing that Brian goes to work everyday to provide for us and I'm doing nothing. I don't have children to take care of, or even a part time job, so I feel like I am contributing NOTHING! :-(

Luckily, I am not the bread winner of our household...so the wedding is still going on as scheduled. Well, non refundable kind of puts you in that position. Hehehehe.

So needless to say, the last couple days I've been really down and it's been really hard to think about my wedding (and the cost of it).

Hopefully I will find something soon and it will chase the blues away.

Article taken from WeddingChannel.com:

Last week, 39-year-old Japanese groom-to-be Tatsuhiko Kawata set fire to his wedding venue in order to get out of the ceremony. Pause for reaction… say what!?!

In the early morning hours, the office worker started a blaze at a hotel in Yamanashi Prefecture (90 minutes outside of Tokyo) where he was to marry his fiancé later that day. He didn’t do as much damage as he’d hoped. The fire was quickly contained, guests staying at the hotel were evacuated, and there were no injuries reported. The couple had planned to wed in front of 80 of their closest friends and family members. Kawata wasn’t arrested until he suddenly called off the wedding and started behaving in a suspicious manner. He later confessed to police.

“I thought if I set a fire I wouldn’t have to go through with the wedding,” he’s said to have told police.

Some reports are saying he wanted out because he was still secretly married to another woman, but that has not been confirmed. Either way, there are no words for how wrong this groom-gone-bad’s actions were.

Shameful! Thoughts, ladies?

I'm so excited right now! Just in the past year I've been so fortunate to go on some awesome vacations and this just adds to the list. Not to mention, I will be there with one of my really great friends (and bridesmaid).

We will be going to 5 days; March 5th (Thursday) through March 10 (Tuesday). Her wedding will be on March 7th which also happens to be the one year anniversary of when Brian proposed to me! What a way to celebrate.

The only problem with going? No internet...so I won't get my WBC fix!

:-)

I don't know about anyone else, but I never even planned on wearing a veil. They were so..."BRIDAL" and it just didn't seem like me. Well, I fell for the ol' bridal shop trick: they stick you in a beautiful dress and before you can even blink, the cram a veil on your head and you're in love!

As for the cost of a veil....OH MY GOD! I ordered my online and paid $80...which is a TON better than $350!!! OUCH! But still, $80.00 isn't exactly pocket change, ya know?

So now I've handed over the cash fro the veil and I've realized that I will only be wearing it for my 20 minute ceremony and also for a few pictures before and after.... So why not wear it to the reception? I've just never liked the look of it. To me, the veil is for the ceremony...and I don't want all my pictures to be with me wearing the damn thing. Hence the reason I didn't spend $350.00 on it!

But I know a lot of brides put it on and NEVER want to take it off. My Matron of Honor was one of those...she even had a different veil she wore to the reception.

This got me thinking...should I??? I have a cathedral length veil for the ceremony which isn't reception friendly. So should I get a shorter one for the reception? Or maybe a birdcage veil???

Who is wearing their veil to the reception and who isn't???

The reason I am posting this is because I am fortunate to have a more involved Groom and I love it. He goes with my to Hobby Lobby and Michaels, he is even helping me choose paper for our programs. This last weekend he helped me put together 2x2x2 black favor boxes for our Rehearsal Dinner. He chose the color of our bridesmaid dresses and even requested the colors of Green and Purple.

He is just as excited about our big day as I am!!! He has a countdown on his work computer that he checks everyday. He has been so helpful and so much fun throughout this process and I feel so lucky.

A little about him: His name is Brian and he is 31 (Wow! 7 years older than me.) He is a Mechanical Engineer at a pharmaceutical company here in Cincinnati. He is actually from Shreveport, Louisiana and moved to Michigan (where I am from) to work for Pfizer (the wonderful makers of Viagra) where he met me. We got the opportunity to move to Cincinnati this past spring and love it! We got engaged in March and have been having a blast planning ever since.

I just wanted to say give HUGE thanks to him fro all of his help. I really don't feel like I am planning this all alone, because he is always willing to help! :-)

My step mom has been a HUGE help in all of the wedding planning. I'm lucky to have two moms and each of them serve a fantastic purpose. My real mom is the creative queen. I can give her any DIY task and she can make it better and make it look simple.

My step mom is a whole other story. She is the shopping queen...not just any shopping queen, but a budget queen! The woman finds the best deals and I love it. Whenever I can't find something or I'm frustrated with the prices I'm finding, I give her the task and she always pulls through.

I talked to my dad today and he told me that she came home with a bunch of ivory pillar candles for me the other day. What he didn't realize was that I had asked her to find me some for Christmas! Hahahahahahaha! She was awesome enough to get all of them for me and then my dad ruined it! At least he had good intentions... But I'm excited either way! I'm looking forward to playing with them and all the other goodies she's been finding!

Merry (early) Christmas to all! :-) And Happy Holidays to anyone that celebrates a different holiday abd hopes to get some wedding goodies!!!! ;-P

This was the first thing I wanted to register for! A Kitchenaid Stand Mixer!!!! Over the weekend, she went out and bought it for us! She was so excited, she couldn't wait until we saw her in person, so she told us over the phone. My FIL will be coming down next weekend to visit and will be bringing it with him!

I'm so thrilled! I feel so lucky to have such awesome inlaws! I think I might be able to make my favor cookies afterall.... :-)

A few months ago, I didn’t even care about garters. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to wear one. They all seemed to be alike…nothing struck my fancy.

I was just browsing on Etsy.com (as I do often) and came across a seller called GarterLady and fell in love with her creations! She has so many different types of unique garters. I plan to purchase one from her in the near future!

Now I just have to Decide. I have numerous photos of her garters, but I have marked the ones that I am deciding between. You ladies have such great taste, help me decide!

And for the bargin price of around $15-25!!!! :-)

I am in search for the perfect makeup inspirtation for my wedding day. I will be having an evening wedding and am looking for something that really emphasizes the eyes.

These are a few of the makeup examples I have come across. Feel free to browse!

I hope something inpires you!

I saw these and thought they were sooooo cute! I know we’ve got some unique brides on here that are looking for a little something funky, well these are!

They are bouquets made of buttons, feathers and even paper. What’s even better? They are soooo F-ing cute!!!!!

This makes me want to have an “Anti-Wedding” wedding! LOL!

I can't wait to wear my wedding dress! I love seeing brides in their dress, you can just tell that they feel like a million bucks! I want to make sure that I feel like a million bucks, too! But there's one little thing I have to achieve to feel like this...

I want, more than anything, to have nice arms. I have a strapless dress and I refuse to have flubby arms. I want so badly to have nice tone arms. Here's the kicker, it doesn't matter how much weight I lose, I have to get out those dumbells to acheive this! YUCK!

Is anyone else striving for something like this? Maybe you ahve a backless gown and want to have a sexy back. Maybe you have a little more junk in the trunk than you'd like to have for your mermaid gown. Or maybe there are a few of you that are lucky enough to be happy just the way you are!

How 'bout it?