This is mrshtobe's Blue Wedding!

  See More Blue Weddings >>


06/08/2012
Blue { Dress me! } I need help! :P
   
{ Dress me! }
I need help! :P
As our wedding day draws closer, and closer (83 days left, WHAT?!), I find myself becoming completely overwhelmed (*ahem* obsessed) with how to complete my bridal look.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a vague idea of what I’d like to look like, but I’ll be brutally honest—I have no idea what the heck I’m doing! Do I need a necklace? Can I wear pearls if they’re not on the dress? If I do wear pearls, do they have to be on both the earrings, and bracelet?

I could ask my ‘maids for their advice, but unfortunately they’re spread out everywhere, and trying to put my look together through Facebook messages just isn’t going to cut it. I’d love to have my Mum dress me up in different options like a little doll to play the ‘yes and no’ game, but unfortunately we’re not very close.. at all. And, then there’s Mr. H’s Mum. As much as I love her (and, I really, honestly, truly do!), I don’t have that ‘bond’ with her, either..

.. so, I come to you girls.

Before we begin, I guess I should show you my dress.. y’know, for reference. That’s always a good starting point. Here she is:

Untitled
Pretty, ain’t she?

Now, I can see from the picture (before I cropped/sized it for this blog) that the model is wearing chandelier earrings, and 2 bracelets. Pearls are shown on both. There is no necklace. Noted.

Knowing these things, I thought I was ready to pick out my jewellery for the day, when I stumbled across a pair of earrings I just had to have:

il_570xN300971563

Problem is, there are no pearls, and they’re not as ‘chandelier-y’ (yeah, you like my made up words, don’t try to deny it!) as the model’s earrings.. and, I’ve always wanted a bracelet like this one:

il_570xN313762179

As asked above, do I need pearls on both the earrings and bracelet to make it cohesive? GAH! I’m gonna go mental! Of course, I could always sell my earrings, and buy a jewellery set (that might have been the smartest idea to begin with, Einstein!).
The only for sure that I know of, right now, is that I’ll be wearing this veil:

il_fullxfull299099365
Okay, obvs. this isn’t me/my veil.. mine is currently tucked away in its box, waiting for ‘the day’.. and, in desperate need of a steaming, lol. This is the style I have, though (cathedral, raw edge).

Oh, and I want my hair and makeup to be some sort of updo/smoky eye nude-ish lip comboà la Duchess Kate:

51509989458396566_pciX86zP_c

After all, if it's good enough for a Duchess, it's good enough for me!

Help, ladies! Should I sell my earrings and get a more chandelier-y set of earrings to match the bracelet I want? Will mixing it up be okay? What about the hair, and makeup? Should I do something a bit more loose/tousled, instead of structured?

I’m a mess!
comments 6 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe
06/07/2012
Blue { Vent ahead! } Insane shipping charges
   
{ Vent ahead! }
Insane shipping charges
For those of you who are just viewing this blog, and/or may know nothing about my (and, my fiancé's) upcoming wedding, all the bridesmaids are going to be in the same colour and style of dress, but will wear different colours/brands/styles of shoes that they each pick. My sister (BM S) has chosen yellow as 'her' colour, but we're having an awful time trying to find something she likes (not too 'mustard', at least 4" high heel, etc.), and in her size which is 5.5 or 6..
That being said, I found a pair of heels on eBay the other day that she loves (and, for a bargain price of $25)..

.. but, the problem is, to ship them up here to Canada, they want $33 or some insane amount higher than the actual shoes themselves, whereas for the States it's only $10.

Don't get me wrong, I understand duty, and all that other stuff, but I wasn't expecting such an insane (OMG, how many times will that word be used in this post?! LOL!) price jump.. at all.

It's the same thing with buying from any other American site (other than Etsy, I've found), really. I want to do water bottle labels, and have had the designs made up for months now.. but, to buy the labels is causing me heart palpitations, and driving me crazy. Okay, I can stomach the price, but to pay more for shipping than the labels themselves (when they'll probably be sent in a bubble mailer, no doubt) is just.. *wait for it*.. INSANE!

GAHHH!

I'm getting to the point where I'm considering finding someone in the States to buy stuff for me (I'll easily PayPal them the funds, so there's no out-of-pocket loss for them), only to ship stuff to me.. sort off like middle man. As in.. CRAZY as it sounds, it also seems sort of mysterious.. and, fun, lol.

I told you I was going crazy!
comments 5 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe
05/16/2012
Blue { I'm boring! } Predictable, even.
   
{ I'm boring! }
Predictable, even.
I've seen a bunch of posts here, and on other various wedding websites (i.e Weddingbee, Project Wedding, etc.) asking other brides and brides-to-be how many times they've changed their colours/themes, which got me to thinking.. how many times did we change, or think about changing our colours?

I'll admit, even before Mr. H proposed, I had a file folder on our computer stuffed to the brink with all kinds of wedding stuff.. colours, paper inspiration, etc., etc.. I was never the kind of girl who knew exactly what she wanted, but I had a bunch of 'maybe' options, lol.
Anyway, after he proposed, we decided pretty quickly that we'd go with red/turquoise. He likes red.. and turquoise.. well, it's one of my go-to colours, and I thought it looked neat. I then wanted to add black&white damask to the mix, and bingo-bango! Still, I had saved a particular picture on the hard-drive, and I kept going back to it..


(Navy, with pops of colour. Pretty!)

On top of that, I'm sure I posted on a million-and-four websites about finding a specific dress..


(Ooooh!)

.. but, I pushed both of them out of mind, because we had settled on our colours.

Then we 'split'. 10 months went past, we 'reconciled', and he proposed again. We could have picked up where we left off, but it didn't seem like the right thing to do.. that was us then.. this is us now, y'know?
It didn't take us long to decide on a colour scheme to go with this time, either.. purple and grey. Don't ask me where it came from, but that was that--until we hit a speed-bump--Mr. H has 3 brothers, 2 of which are married.. and both married brothers both had purple weddings! SCREECH! We haulted.. until we decided on blue instead. But not JUST blue.. blue with pops of colour.. much like the inspiration photo I once loved, years ago..

And, what does my wedding dress look like?




Yeahhh. Not quite the flowy dress, but there are similarities (mainly the bodice). Weird.
comments 3 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe
05/14/2012
Blue { Gettin' stuff done.. } LIKE A BOSS!
   
{ Gettin' stuff done.. }
LIKE A BOSS!

NSFW--just a warning--even though this is the 'clean' version, lol.

Seriously, if you've never heard that song (or worse, never heard of The Lonely Island), where have you been living? Under a rock?

Anyway, the point to this post is simple: we've been getting $%*# done like crazy, lately! I don't know if it's because I vented to Mr. H after making my last post, or not, but a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and it feels so good!

One major decision we made was to hire a decorator.. and, it was actually Mr. H's idea! WINNING! He figured it would be easier on our friends and family (and, ourselves) in the long-run, even if it was a bit of extra $ added to our budget..
.. and, let me tell you--I love this lady! Our first meeting we just expected to go in, give her our budget and basically laugh in her face, by we ended up staying there and chatting for over 2½ hours, and she cut us some pretty sweet deals if I do say-so, myself. Bling wraps for chair covers? Thrown in for free (instead of $2/each), extra bling for the head table.. and, she even went as far as making a mock-up of a centrepiece for us, just incase we don't like what our florist does (which will will find out, tomorrow).
Untitled

We're in the middle of deciding what we want for the ceremony (aisle) decorations, right, now, but this is the front-runner at the moment (the colours will be different--more like the centrepiece mock-up)..
Untitled

On top of the decorator, however, we've put a deposit on tuxes (fittings will be done in early August)

Untitled
Untitled
Boys will be in the blue, Dads in the silver, and Mr. H in the charcoal vest/tie..

I've gotten started on some of my DIY projects..
Untitled

to mimic this pic:



and,

Untitled

to mimic



We just ordered a mock-up of our invites.. plus a bunch of other stuff that I'll save for another day, because this post is ridiculously long! Thanks goodness I put a video, and pretty pics in it so it would be awesome! ;]
comment 1 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe
05/04/2012
Blue { Sweet Baby Jesus! } 118 days to go..
   
{ Sweet Baby Jesus! }
118 days to go..
I understand that we still have quite a bit of time left, considering we're not getting married until the very last day in August, but I'm starting to go into freak-out mode already, and I need someone to talk me off the ledge.. well, that, or just some freakin' guidance before my brain explodes.

I'll admit, I haven't been as focused on wedding stuff nearly as much as I'd like (read: not at all! OOPS!), but I have mighty good reason. Let's just say--without going into further details--that there have been quite a few changes in our housing/family dynamic, lately, which has eaten up all my time/patience. Combine that with the fact that I'm designing out the wazoo lately, and, well.. I've just hit a wall, I guess.

Which brings me to my freak-out:

I have no idea what we have left to do, or how/when to do it!

Spare me the, "but, there are a billion wedding checklists available.." stuff, too, 'cause I've looked at them all (no, seriously.. I Googled them). Each one says different stuff, and it's just all too jumbled in my brain to really give a rat's butt, to be honest. *sigh*.

I'm pretty sure we have all the major stuff done (i.e. photographer, venues, catering, linens, florist, officiant, hotel rooms booked), and we're just about to send our invites off to be printed (!!!!!!), but I'm stressingggg! Now we're getting into all the smaller DIY stuff that I NEED to focus on, and I have no oomph! Maybe I should organize a WBC Slumber Party? How awesome would that be?

In all seriousness, though. Blech. I can't wait for the day to arrive, and to be done with all of this.
comments 4 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe
04/17/2012
Blue { Monograms! } Need one?
   
{ Monograms! }
Need one?
What's better than getting a monogram for your special event? You can give your wedding the seamless and stunning look featured in magazines like The Knot, Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings and more!

Below are a bunch of stock monograms I have to offer. Pricing is $5US for one, or $7US for 2. Payment is made through PayPal.

Photobucket
Photobucket

If interested, please provide this basic information to shannypooh.designs@gmail.com:

Stock monogram(s) you'd like to purchase:
Bride's name:
Groom's name:
Last name or initial (if wanted used):
And, 2-3 colours from here:

You're in no way limited to these designs. If you have something else is mind, feel free to let me know!

I also do water bottle labels, invitation design, save-the-dates, etc.. just contact me for pricing.

I'd love to help you put this lovely touch of class on your big day! :]
comments 3 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe
04/06/2012
Blue { We're getting married! }
Blue { We're getting married! }Blue { We're getting married! }
   
{ We're getting married! }
Obviously that title is a bit redundant, seeing as I'm writing it on a weddding blog that I've been keeping for over 2 years, now.. but, so what? That's how I roll.

Anyway, the reason for this post is to share in my excitement of registering. I mean, who doesn't like presents*, right? Really. And, registering just makes everything seem so much more official (like, hiring a photographer, getting my dress, and finding the venues, etc. didn't? Hmm).

I went to a bridal show with MIL-H a few weeks ago, and at said show, I was bombarded by 2 companies asking me if I'd like to register with them. Now, don't get me wrong, it totally feels weird asking for things (and, I'm kind of appalled that both companies actually give you a card to put in your invitations to let your guests know your registry #), but I've had a bazillion friends asking where we're registered, so I figured why the heck not?! So, on Wednesday, Mr. H and I made a day out of it, and registered at both places.. bing-bang-boom, done, presto!

It was actually really cute to see Mr. H to go all-out with the gun. Out of everything on our lists, I think I only gave my input for our sheets, and stuff for the bathrooms. As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember him telling me, "You worry about those little things, and I'll handle the kitchen stuff.. it's what I do". Yeahh, a chef registering for kitchen stuff. I'm sure our guests will appreciate seeing a $600 stand mixer along with a $200 cast-iron dutch oven.. SMH. What a guy. In all fairness, however, I did ask that he scan a TV that was on clearance, along with a patio set.. hey, we're renovating, and NEED those things for our new outdoor oasis, and man-cave! I did it for him! HAHA!

In other news, we're meeting with 2 potential officiants next Wednesday (the 11th)--apparently Wednesdays are our designated wedding days? Hmm. Anyway, hopefully those meetings go well.. it would be nice to have someone to actually marry us on our wedding day..

*Everyone likes presents! If you say you don't, you're lying.. 'nough said.
comment 1 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe
03/26/2012
A crappy cellphone pic, but hopefully you get the idea!
A crappy cellphone pic, but hopefully you get the idea!
   
{ Getting excited! }
It's going to all come together, nicely..
Mr. H and I went to our venue, Saturday, to talk linens! We've decided on a midnight blue tablecloth with a silver chair cover, and silver napkins to tie the colours in. As you can probably see, the midnight tablecloth has sparkles on it, which I love. At first I wasn't sold, but I think once everything is on the table (centrepieces, menus, etc.), it will all come together--and, our bright florals will POP against the blue, for sure.
One thing Mr. H brought up, however, was the head table. Because it will have 14 of us at it (!!!!), we weren't sure if we should stick to the same colour layout, since it would look like a gigantic wall of blue. We talked about possibly having the 2 of us seated behind the blue, and then have the rest of the bridal party behind silver.. but, I'm picky, and am afraid of what it will look like (when I visualize now, it looks funny). A compromise we came up with has kind of got me thinking, though (HE thought of it, so if you hate it, blame him):

The blue linens (with silver napkins and chair covers), and instead of sitting all the girls together, and all the guys together, we seat everyone boy/girl/boy/girl.. it will break up the blue nicely, and will also distribute the bouquets along the head table better, instead of having 7 in a row, and the guys' side bare (or having to spend even more $ on flowers). The girls would be sitting with who they walk down the aisle/into the reception with, with the exception of the MOH and BM (she'd sit beside me, and the BM beside Mr. H). We're non-traditional to begin with, and we've never seen it before, so I think it could be kind of cool.. !!!!! What do you guys think?

At first when he mentioned it I was skeptical, but like I said, the more I think about it, it's kind of cool. It's gotten me even more excited to get the ball rolling..
That coupled with the fact that I got the okay for water bottles (we weren't sure if they'd veto it because they sell water at the venue), a glow stick send-off, the linens, and making a mock-up of some of the girls' shoes/dresses is making it easier to visualize, and now I just want to get everything else figured out!

Photobucket">

I've also FINALLY contaced a minister, and we have another appointment that's about to be scheduled with a florist for Wednesday..
Not to mention a consultation with a lady at a local candy store for a possible candy buffet on Wednesday at 10am..

Sweet (no pun intended.. I'm just awesome like that)!
comments 2 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe
03/22/2012
Blue { It's all coming together! } Finally!
   
{ It's all coming together! }
Finally!
First of all--yuck to this website, now. I don't like the 'upgrade', if we can even call it that--sorry, WBC, but you should focus on getting this place running instead of changing the cometics of it all.. it's down more than anything, these days.

With that being said, I'm finally posting again! I was going to write out a big schpiel about all that's been going on in the ways of planning, lately, but I'm afraid the site will shut down mid-paragraph, so I'll make it short:

#1 big thing for us, though--we've booked our photographer! Officially! Mr. H sent the payment last night, and we're e-mailing the contract as soon as he gets home from work! This was a huge pain for me, seeing as we had the drama with the other guy we had decided on, but I couldn't be happier with our new choice. There's actually a funny story about it all which I may get into at some other time..

On top of that, we also have a meeting with our wedding coordinator this coming Saturday to pick out our linens! I'm still stuck on what to choose, but apparently she's going to have a few different options set out for us (in our colour-scheme), which should be helpful.

We've also gotten a few quotes back from florists, and are pretty sure we're choosing a lady whose shop is only a short ways from our house. FIL-H used to buy MIL-H's flowers there all the time, and is really a fan of their work. She seems to have a lot of knowledge, great stock, and best of all her prices are less than ½ of what we were quoted from other places! Score! We're hoping to go in and talk to her again tomorrow, as Mr. H has the day off..

Phew! Here's hoping things continue on this path.. *crosses fingers*.
comments 3 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe
03/08/2012
Blue { What's been goin' on? } Check it out!
   
{ What's been goin' on? }
Check it out!
Long time, no update—my bad. With WBC’s issues, and the drama I’ve had to deal with at home, I just haven’t been around much. That being said, here’s mishmash of all that’s been going on around here, lately (in bullet points, so I don’t bog you down—it’s not like people read this thing, anyway)..

* We’re dealing with head lice.. again.
* We thought we had found our photographer.. but, he booked another couple without contacting us.
* My youngest sister (J) has moved in.. and, will be here for Lord knows how long.
* We wanted to get a bunch of vendor booking done, last week (when Mr. H had the time off), but when all this BS started going on, it got put on the back-burner.

Now, to go into some detail:

About the lice: My sister (S) and niece were visiting both times the breakouts have occurred, so I now know where it’s coming from. S led me to believe that DD had passed it on, but J informed me after S had left that my niece has been battling lice on-and-off for months—like, 6-7-8 now. As upset as I am about having to go through this again (especially in such a short amount of time!), it hurts that S wouldn’t have just told me the truth. I love the smell of clean laundry, thankfully, ‘cause I’ve been doing lots of it.. and, we have enough treatments for an army, lol. No more pests for us! Needless to say, S and niece will both be checked, and/or treated before they even step foot in our house again.

About the photographer: We met with him a week ago, today, and knew as we were leaving that he was ‘the one’. Mr. H was in contact with him a few times afterwards through e-mail, and then suddenly he (the photog) stopped replying. It turns out that he booked someone else for our date, as they came up with the $ faster. He said he's "been burned" in the past with couples taking too much time with deliberating, so I can understand where he was coming from, but he definitely should have checked-in with us before jumping the gun. *sigh*.

About sister J: She has run into some troubles with her living situation (her dad basically couldn’t afford rent, and did a ‘midnight move’, leaving her with nowhere to go), and is now currently residing in our office/spare bedroom. She’s been okay to deal with (so far), but she’s messy and, relies on Mr. H to drive her to see friends, etc. She just had a few meetings with people to help her out (welfare, and getting back into school) recently, so we’re hoping it’ll get better as time goes on. Talks are important, as is the rent we’re charging, LMAO.

About vendor booking: It didn’t get done (obvs.). We are, however, going to visit with some florists, tomorrow (Friday), as Mr. H has the day off.. and, maybe I can get him to finally call some officiants. The aforementioned photographer has also sent us an e-mail with photographers who are available for our date, so we have to look through them, and decide, again.. fun.

On the plus side, when S was here, both her and J put the deposits on their dresses (and, J even bought her shoes!), so there’s only 1 girl left to put her deposit down (she may have already done it, though.. she hasn’t responded to my e-mail, yet).

Next on my list of vendors is makeup/hair.. wish me luck!
comments 4 fave it permalink
more of mrshtobe

mrshtobe

9 months since wedding
S
B
Aug 31, 2012
, Ontario, Canada
Tent--at sunset.
Golf course Clubhouse
A great one! :]
Blue
The date's been set, the colours have been chosen.. now it's time for the fun stuff! ;]
 contact me    
 flag
number of visits: 6092