mommybride's Purple Wedding Blog - Wedding By Color

I Want to Do It All Over Again!

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:28:00 PST

Now that my wedding is done and over with I can't stop thinking about doing it all over again! And this time, differently! BUT, I know how crazily expensive our reception was.. so there's no way I can do it again anytime soon. So I've been thinking of becoming a wedding coordinator/planner and helping brides plan their special day! I know a lot of brides think about this while planning their own wedding, but I just can't get all these wonderful wedding ideas out of my head! Does anyone have any idea where I should start? I did find the website for the American Academy of Wedding Professionals, so I'm going to look through there for info.

Wedding Gift Registry - Still Receiving Gifts!

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:39:00 PST

Yesterday the FedEx man surprised us with two boxes! Both of them were from my stepdad's friend's who also attended our reception. We received some kind words from the husband so it was really nice to see that they sent us gifts. :) Both boxes were items off one of our registries. One was a gorgeous Anchor Hocking Salad Bowl set. (picture) I LOVE Anchor Hocking. :) The other item was a 3 piece pot (sauce pot, boiler, and steamer), which Rob adores! We don't have any nice pots, so I'm sure this set will get used a lot! lol Other than that, we also made away with over $400 is cash and gift cards and my boss made us a really nice kitchen gift basket. Most of the money went to helping pay for the reception though.. wish we could have spent it! lol!

NWR: My Daughter Started Crawling!

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:32:00 PST

I'm so excited! Our son didn't start crawling until he was about 10 or 11 months old, then went straight to cruising and then walking shortly after he turned one. :)

My Bachelorette Party!

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:23:00 PST

With all the last minute wedding planning I completely forgot to post about my bachelorette party! After my MOH and I had a little falling out over my bridal shower she and I made up and she decided to throw a little party for me. Nothing big.. basically just going out for drinks. She made invites and sent them to my mom to give out.. only most of the guests were friends from my work.. so I just gave them to the girls there and made them promise to keep everything a secret. I got little hints about where we were going.. like I knew that some of the girls couldn't go because they weren't 19 and one of my coworkers was sooooo excited to go! I knew it was somewhere where we could drink, but up until the night of the party I had NO IDEA where it was! On our way there I told my mom (who came with because she's my bestie!... and she drove.. lol) that I brought two pairs of shoes.. my heels and my flats.. and asked which ones I should wear. She responded "that depends on if you want to dance or not.".. hmm.. so dancing is added to the mix! Then we head through downtown St. Louis and end up in Sauget, IL.. and if you know anything about that area there's only three things in Sauget. 1. Pops (a bar/music venue) 2. Strip Clubs and 3. Nightclubs! We ended up at The Oz, a nightclub that my mom used to go to every week with her best friend (my "aunt" sue) when they were younger. My MOH bought me a bachelorette crown and sash, and she made me a shirt that was covered in lifesavers that said "Suck for a Buck" on it. The idea was to get people to eat the candies off my shirt and pay me a dollar, but I completely forgot it in the car.. :( It was only 10 p.m. when we arrived, so the place was dead when we walked in. We were deciding whether to stay there and wait or go somewhere else for a bit and the bouncer at the door said "Well, if you ladies decide to stay.. I'll let you in for free!" Score! So we stayed, headed to the far side of the club to a booth and had a few drinks while we waited for things to speed up. Now, I don't drink. If I do, it's very "girly" drinks and nothing too hard. I started out with a Sex on the Beach. Then another. Then two Long Island Iced Teas (one of which I chugged down)... and I was on the dance floor shakin' it like I've never done before in my life! I couldn't get my MOH to move from her seat at the table, but my mom and I were having a blast dancing! I saw maybe one or two other white girls on the dance floor that night, but they had nothing on me! lol It was about 3 a.m. when we noticed people starting to leave in a big rush and got curious. Then it hit me... someone sprayed pepper spray. My lips got tingly and I started coughing.. so we headed out to the back patio with everyone else, which was the closest door. That's when we decided it was time to go home. We walked to the exit at the other side of the club (btw, I'm drunk and in 3 inch heels... and coughing.. not a good combo! lol) When we get outside there were at least half a dozen cop cars parked outside and cops standing everywhere handing out bottles of water. We still have no idea what happened, but it was a pretty crazy way to end the night! My mom drove and we stopped at Rob's work (a gas station) on our way home, where he got to witness my drunken self. I don't really remember much after that, but I know I got home and up the two flights of stairs at my apt building fine. Overall, it was a great night!! :)

Wedding Reception - Photo Sneak Peek!

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:58:00 PST

Our bestman and groomsmen playing with the chalkboard from our photo booth. This is my FAVORITE! This one is actually from our ceremony, just a gag photo the boys thought would be funny. lol One of our groomsmen break dancing.

Wedding Reception - It was a BLAST!

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:20:00 PST

Besides a few things that went wrong, our reception was a big success!! Rob and I arrived at the reception site about 5 p.m. to start getting ready. There were a few little things that still needed to be set up as well, so when I was done getting dressed I started rushing around to do that. Our photographers arrived a few minutes before 6 to start setting up our photo booth and to take pictures of the details. The photo booth was a HUGE hit! Our photographers brought some props and I bought the mustaches and brought the chalkboard. It was a great combination! You can see all of our photobooth photos here. We spent a good hour and a half walking around the golf course and taking photos with one of our photographers. She's already sent us a few sneak peek photos, which I'll share with you ladies tomorrow. :) When we were done Rob and I walked to the front of the building and saw that my coworkers had written all over our van! Then we were announced to the Star Wars theme song (which was surprise to both of us!) and went straight to cutting the cake. Then we sat down and one of Rob's friends gave a quick speech. Then my mom started to give a speech and told us that she and my sister had put together a slideshow for us, which was a ton of photos of me as a baby and growing up and more photos of me and Rob together. It was really sweet and my mom cried. Then dinner was served and Rob and I said our quick thank yous. Around 9 p.m. a pair of professional dancers came by (my mom hired them) and they did an awesome Swing dance, full with tricks and jumps and spins! It was blast to watch! They also stuck around for about a hour to teach us a few simple dance moves and to dance with us. The rest of the night was dancing, visiting the photo booth and with our guests, drinking and having a blast! About everyone was gone by 11:00 except for close family who all stayed until about 12:00. I've already gotten several compliments on all the details, the typewriter guestbook didn't got over as well as I'd hope (the ribbon didn't want to work very well) but the guests loved it anyway.. the ball jar centerpieces were probably my favorite detail. Everything else was perfect!! Can't wait to share more photos with you tomorrow! P.S. I'm still a bit upset over the RSVP issue. Some of the people who RSVPed and said "yes" didn't show up, then others who didn't RSVP at ALL showed up.. and worst of all.. NONE of my husband's family attended!!! :(

Wedding Reception - Reception is TODAY!

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 11:18:00 PST

Our reception is less than 5 hours away! Last night we spent most of the day organizing everything and moving things to the reception site. My escort card/cork board set up took a good 3 hours to finish, since I had to put everyone in alphabetical order and try to keep the cards straight. I wasn't able to get tulips like I had wanted, but instead we bought purple irises. They are still pretty but not exactly the look I had envisioned... oh well. We set up all the centerpieces and put out all the etched glass favors. We moved a leather loveseat, a large red chair and a large square table into the reception site for our lounge area and I just finished making pillows for the loveseat (talk about last minute!). When didn't get to the reception site to set up until 9 p.m. last night and the carriage house (reception area.. in the photo) was all lit up.. it was GORGEOUS! I'm so excited for tonight! :)

Wedding Photography - Sneak Peek!

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:42:00 PST

Our photographer had a few photos edited by the evening of our ceremony and shared them with us on her facebook page. Their beautiful and I can't wait to see them all!

I'm MARRIED!

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:25:00 PST

On June 1st I married my best friend. It was HOT outside and we were running behind but since it was a private ceremony I didn't worry about it. Getting ready took so much longer then I expected! My husband's friends came to our house to meet us and I was still trying to find my son's pants. We had just moved a ton of boxes of our stuff over from my mother's so I had to go through EACH ONE and our living room was a disaster by the time they showed up. :( Plus, I was not in a good mood. I also had a mini-panic attack when I couldn't find my shoes, but they were just behind a box in my closet. We finally made it to my mother's, where the ceremony was being held, to get ready. We showed up right as the photographers were parking too. They went and checked out the ceremony site, the nearby park, while we got everyone in their spots. Our photographer's husband took pictures of the guys while they got ready and our photographer took photos of us. First she got shots of the dress and my shoes by themselves and then of us getting ready. She was really great, but I'll do a vendor review later on them. We had NO plan on how to do the ceremony as far as entrances, but our photographer came up with a great idea. There is a set of stone/wooden steps coming down from the lake to the park and we decided to walk down there after the guys were already in place at the bottom of the steps. First my mom went down (she was officiating), then my bridesmaids, then my son and myself together. My mom had a wonderful ceremony written, we blessed our rings, then did a hand fasting (which my son participated in), then we recited our vows. Rob actually cried a little and I bawled! Then we kissed and we were MARRIED! Then came at least a hour or two of photos, which were a blast taking! After the ceremony we went back to my mom's house and sign the license on their deck. Then we changed into more comfortable clothes and went to Dave & Buster's (a restaurant/arcade) to celebrate. We ended up staying out till 1 a.m. and had a wonderful time! Everyone keeps asking me how it feels to be married.. honestly I didn't feel too different. We've lived together for over 5 years so this just felt natural. Although their is still a bit of a "honeymoon" feeling... something very much like bliss, that is around us. Overall, it's marvelous! I had to work the morning after the ceremony and yesterday, but today I have the day off so we're going to be arranging the reception site in preparation for our reception tomorrow!

Ask a Question - Wedding Traditons

Mon, 24 May 2010 18:52:00 PST

We are having an outdoor ceremony that is very small and private. My mom is officiating the ceremony and we have NOTHING planned to do besides recite our vows. I do NOT want to do a sand ceremony or use the unity cross. We aren't religious, but we want something symbolic. Possibly something that has to do with us as a family (we have two little ones together). Any ideas ladies?

DIY Wedding - Cake Table Letters

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:13:00 PST

I decided to use our first initials as decoration for our cake table. :) I took regular wooden letters from Hobby Lobby and painted them silver, then put a light purple coat over the top of the silver. I'm not too thrilled with the spread of the purple so I'm repainting them, but you get the idea. My cake is the second picture and the set up I want (minus the photos) is the third photo. I'm going to put a few tealight candles plus the letters (ours stand up) on the table. :)

Wedding Reception - RSVP Disappointment

Mon, 24 May 2010 10:57:00 PST

I got excited when I received my first paper RSVP, even though it was from my cousin's mother and it was a "no", but now we have so many "no" response I'm starting to get worried! :( We only have 11 days to go (guest count is due this Saturday) and over 170 people that have yet to respond!!!! What is WRONG with people!!!!!!!!

Hair Trial & Invitations

Tue, 18 May 2010 20:32:00 PST

I had my hair trial today and although it didn't turn out exactly like the photo I took with me (which I expected).. I love it! Plus, it works wonderfully with the DIY headband I made. :) Sorry for the low-quality photos, I had to take them with my phone since all the batteries in the house are missing and I can't use my regular camera. :( The last photo was taken right after I had it done and the first two were about 5 hours after. I'm a little nervous since my hair appointments on the ceremony and reception days are hours before the actual ceremony and reception, but seeing how well it's held up today puts me a little more at ease. Plus, my mom and I finally finished the last of our invitations (Yes, with only 17 days to go.. we're terrible...). Thankfully, most of the invitations went several weeks ago so it shouldn't really be a problem. I'm just soooo glad to have it all done!!!

A Purple Wedding to Die For!

Wed, 12 May 2010 12:53:00 PST

I just saw this gorgeous DIY purple wedding posted on Rock 'n Roll Brideand I HAD to post some pics and a link . I love everything about it, which is to be expected since it's similar to what ours will be... from the colors (purple and red), to the vintage cake topper and photobooth.. complete with mustaches! :D

Wedding Reception - MUSTACHES!

Mon, 10 May 2010 07:57:00 PST

Our photographer is setting up a photobooth area and will be taking pictures with our guests at the reception so I decided to buy some props, including mustaches-on-a-stick. I found an etsy seller who makes them out of plastic and one who makes them out of a foam/felt like material and purchased some from both of them. Well, a few days ago I received the felt mustaches and couldn't wait to open the package! They were all wrapped in red tissue paper and tied with a purple ribbon, which are our wedding colors! How funny is that?! Then, of course, I had to try them out. lol Besides the mustaches I also bought a beard, a pair of cat-eye glasses, and a thought bubble that says "I do". Aren't they great?!

DIY Wedding - Purple Parasols

Mon, 10 May 2010 07:23:00 PST

I found a few purple paper parasols at Hobby Lobby for $5 a piece a few weeks ago. My mom stenciled on our initials and the date and then I painted over with red paint to match our colors. We'll be using them for photos similar to the ones below.

Market Place - NIB: Size 7 Red Heels!

Sat, 08 May 2010 05:02:00 PST

Brand new, never worn and still in the box! Red patent heels with little bow. Has about a 2" heel. I bought these online for one of my bridesmaids but they are too big on her. Asking $20 + shipping. Email me at jessica.robert.mcdaniel@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Wedding Reception - Escort Card Display

Thu, 06 May 2010 21:25:00 PST

It's all coming together! Our venue said they had an easel, but I KNEW it wasn't going to be big enough to hold the cork board for our escort card display. I was at Garden Ridge yesterday trying to find some craft supplies, but instead found this awesome red, vintage looking easel with an adjustable ledge for only $40! I tried it out and it works wonderfully! I can't wait to get all the cards on the board! I got the display idea from the 4th picture. The 5th photo is of our escort cards. My son is 4 and the 3rd photo is of him standing in front of the cork board, so you can see how big it is! I love it!

Wedding Decoration - Bird Cage Card Holder

Thu, 06 May 2010 11:46:00 PST

I found the bird cage at an antique store when I first started wedding planning. I bought a neat "mail" sign to put on the front of it and I'll probably weave some purple ribbon through the bars. Then a few weeks ago I found the stand at a different antique store for only $10! It's almost as tall as I am and the cage fits perfectly! I'm going to put the stand in the venue's little foyer next to our guestbook. :)

I Can't Take This Anymore!

Thu, 06 May 2010 09:21:00 PST

I am so sick of my father's drama! Some quick background: My father was verbally and physically abusive towards my mother and myself. It wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't right either. When my parents divorced there was a 5 year long custody battle and he actually won. When I was 16 he had me committed to a psych ward and after 5 days they realized there was nothing wrong with me and let me go home. I took the initiative to move in with my mom a few days after I got back (which took a lot of confidence on my part). A month later I was visiting my home town, where my dad lived, and he showed up at the house I was staying at with a cop who made me leave with him. He attempted AGAIN to put me in the same psych ward, but they wouldn't keep me, so instead he kept me at his house for TWO WEEKS and didn't allow me to call my mother. Eventually, my mother was able to get me back and I didn't talk to my dad for over a year. He saw me once when I had my son, then again a few months later, then I didn't talk to him again for another 3 years until he got into a bad motorcycle accident and I visited him in the hospital. I decided then to try to make amends, especially with my wedding coming up... I desperately want a relationship with him, but he makes it very hard. My father is very religious, as is most of his family, but he truly believes he is better than everyone else because of his religion (he's non-denominational). I extended an invitation to him to attend our private ceremony and give me away, but in response he only told me that he had questions he needed answered.... he never told me whether he wanted to attend or even desired to give me away. I was VERY upset by this, especially since he didn't try to explain any further. Now that I've sent out invitations he's come back at me with drama. For some reason he thinks he's not invited to our ceremony, that somehow our wedding isn't "proper" and that I have anger issues. I just don't know what to do anymore! I've tried so hard to accommodate him, ignored his remarks and initiated communication so many times, yet he's claimed I've done nothing. I want him there, he's my father, but is it really worth it if he's just going to make this worse? I'm so torn apart. I hurts to think my dad won't be at my wedding.... I just want to be done with him and not worry about it anymore! :(

A Bridal Secret

Thu, 06 May 2010 08:24:00 PST

Saw this on PostSecret today and thought of all of us. :)

Wedding Website - Map and Directions

Wed, 05 May 2010 09:49:00 PST

A few days ago I updated our wedding website with nearby accommodations. I also found WeddingMapper.com that allows you to create an online map with bookmarks for your ceremony, reception, local attractions, and hotels so I made one for our wedding and put the link on the website. At some point I'm going to type up directions to the reception location from the closest highways and add them to the website as well. That way, guests who aren't as computer-savvy (like my grandparents) can just print out the directions. What do you gals think? http://www.mywedding.com/jessicaandrobertmcdaniel

Wedding Hair Style - Up or Down?

Mon, 03 May 2010 11:37:00 PST

My hair trial is in two weeks and I can't decide if I want to wear my hair up or down! I was thinking about doing a side ponytail since it's laid-back and not overdone, but I also love the way I feel when all my hair is curled and down. I also love Joan Holloway's updo from Mad Men, which I think is the hairstyle I'll give the stylist to try out. I've fallen in love with the ribbon headbands I've seen, but they are all so expensive so I decided to make my own. I used the same ribbon embellishment that's on my invites and I put it on some ivory ribbon that matches my dress. What do you ladies think of these styles and the headband?

Wedding Planner - Money, money, money

Mon, 03 May 2010 09:13:00 PST

With very little time left before our wedding date and so many bills (wedding and non-wedding related) left to pay I'm starting to freak out about money! Somehow, even when we are knocked down we still make it. Whether it's with gas in the car or food on the table. I don't know how, but we always seem to get by. We've been very lucky that it's been that way. But we have about $2,000 left to pay off to our vendors and I'm starting to scramble as to how we're going to do it! I'm starting to seriously think about pawning my first engagement ring (he has bought me two).. maybe even both of them! :( I'm not really a ring kind of girl and because of my work I can't wear my ring there (I work at a restaurant.. around food and cleaning supplies and my hands are ALWAYS wet or in food). Am I going crazy?!

Wedding Planner - 35 days to go!

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:25:00 PST

I still need to: Finish putting tags on the wine glasses. Finish embellishing invites Mail invites Finalize payment to the DJ And the photographer Finish rough draft of seating chart Help my sister find a dress (when she gets out of the hospital) Hem my son's pants into shorts Find my daughter a dress Finalize song list for DJ Order flowers for centerpieces Get marriage license (which we can do in the next week! Yeah!) Write my vows Make sure the board games have all their pieces (for reception tables) Final fitting Contact County Clerk about officiant Final Unnecessary Items: Chair covers? Buy or rent? Candy favor bags Seating area, rent sofa?

Market Place - Coconut Cups!

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:43:00 PST

9 NEW Plastic Coconut Cups Each holds 18 oz of beverage. I bought an entire case of these cups for my retro themed bridal shower, washed them all, but didn't need to use these 9. So they are clean, but never held any liquid. They are in PERFECT condition! Two of them are missing their little plastic straws (which can be purchased at any dollar store). I am also including the two umbrellas you see in the photo. We used the same set up at our party and it was a huge hit (see included photos). These sell for $2.99 a piece at most part stores, get them from me at a bargain price! I'm asking $15.00 OBO + shipping for all 9! Please email me at jessica.robert.mcdaniel@gmail.com if you are interested.

NWR: My Sister is in the Hospital

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:52:00 PST

All her life my sister has battled with some sort of mental illness. The past year or two it has become more evident as she split from her husband (who is stationed in Korea) and went through a string of bad relationship, the last one ending in pregnancy. She is now 4 months pregnant and has been having a really hard time battling depression. About a week ago she called to see if she could stay at our house (she lives with our mom) because she didn't want to be alone. The next day she went to her doctor's and he gave her a prescription. She went back to mom's that night and ended up calling me a few hours later crying and wanting me to take her to the hospital. I called my mom, who was home, to try to figure out what was going on and over the next 10-15 minutes I was unable to get ahold of anyone. I finally got my sister to answer her phone and she said mom was taking her to the ER, where she was admitted to the hospital's behavioral ward. We aren't sure how long she will be there (she's been there a total of 6 days now), but she seems to be doing better and is calmer. I just hope this really helps her and that her time there is well spent. All we know right now is that my sister felt very alone. She has A LOT on her plate right now. She's only 20, she is not divorced from her husband (in the state of Missouri you can't get a divorce if you are pregnant), living at home and working two jobs. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. I hope she is able to come home soon.

Wedding Invitation - Final Product

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 09:41:00 PST

But oh so much fun at the same time. The original mock up included a very expensive rhinestone ribbon which I'm just unable to afford for all my invitations, so I found an alternative ribbon that I absolutely LOVE! My mom and I spent several hours getting everything organized and we were able to finish 28 invites last night. The response cards are more detailed since I have to cut two different lengths of ribbon to go around the edges, but they look so much better with the ribbon. I finalized a few for five of the guests that are out of state and mailed them today! I love the final product! My mom is addressing all the envelopes and I'm using vintage postage to mail them. :)

Wedding Invitation - Mock-Up

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:09:00 PST

We bought some $20 invitations that have a green filigree at the top, but since green is no longer one of my wedding colors I decided to get creative! I bought a couple different ribbons, but I loved the rhinestone band the best. I put a wide white ribbon underneath it to cover the green filigree and then put a layer of three different flowers in the middle. I'm not thrilled with the rhinestones on the sides of the invite so those want be on the final product Since our wedding is a unique situation (private ceremony with reception following the weekend after) I had to put together my own wording: Joseph and Angelic (last name) Invite you to join us In celebrating the marriage of our daughter Jessica (last name) to Robert (last name) At a private ceremony On June 1st, 2010 Come toast the happy couple On Saturday, June 5th At six thirty in the evening At _____Golf Club (Address) (Address)

First Dance - Lady Antebellum

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:51:00 PST

I love their song "Need You Now" so I bought their CD and loved another track on the album called "When You Got a Good Thing". My fiance isn't crazy about country, but I think if it doesn't make the cut for first dance it will be on my playlist for the reception. :)

Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com