This is mrsmorrisoninjuly08's Pink Wedding!

I'm DYING to get the cute bridal stuff from victoria's secret, but is to too soon or should i wait till after the bridal showers/bachelorette party to see what i get, the get what i want after. i suppose i can wait a few weeks....but i want it now! lol what's everyone else doing?

I have four bridesmaids and 2 maid of honors :) because there are so many of them, I couldnt bare having to find one dress that would look good for them all. So I decided to pick a designer, -Bill Levkoff- and pick a color -Euro Pink-. And told the girls they can get any dress they like that comes in that color from that designer. It was a success! Everyone was pleased to pick out the dress they liked most, and that fit their budgets. Except, while we were at Amanda's Bridal (you get a discount there if you get all the dresses from same place as gown), the sample dresses werent in that pink. And although all of the dresses have come in and been approved by my girls, i havent seen all of them together! i'm SO excited to see this. It's going to let their personalities shine through (and they have some STRONG personalities lol

And shoes, i just told them silver shoes just because if i picked one style out, it may not go well with all the different styles. ;) What will unite them will be their bouquets, i think that will look really pretty!
just cross your fingers that they dont out shine me haha!

My Girls Are:
MOH- Shaina, bff since we were 5!
MOH- Jessica, my older sister
BM- Natalie, my oldest sister
BM- Melissa, future sister in law
BM- Michaela, super good friend since middle school
BM- Bennie, FH's great friend and now mine too ;)

I love lace and saw this a while ago and havent really seen anything I liked more. Of course I'm having a hard time finding a lot of examples? So any suggestions would be really helpful!


Featured in Martha Stewart Weddings Mag
Leaning on an easel or hanging on a wall, a framed display of eyelet-inspired seating cards is charming (make as many as you need). The cards are cut from card stock and embellished with easy-to-find craft supplies -- a rotary cutter with scallop and zigzag blades, and decorative punches. For edging, cut four lengths of trim to match foam-board backing plus 1/4 inch; at corners, cut 45-degree angles, and stitch together with 1/8-inch seam allowance. Cover board with cotton faille; tape to back. With fabric glue, secure trim to board at outside edge; slip in frame with glass removed.

Tools and Materials
Japanese screw punch
Utility knife
Flower craft punch
Glue stick
Card stock
Rotary cutter with scalloping and pinking blades
Cutting mat

Seating Card How-To
1. Stack four sheets of 3 1/2-by-11-inch card stock face down, and staple close to the edge at one end to keep the stack from shifting. Use ruler and pencil to lightly mark horizontal cutting lines at 11/2-inch intervals. Next, mark a vertical line along one edge (5/16 inch in), where holes for the eyelet cutouts will go.

2. With a rotary cutter fitted with a scalloping or pinking blade, trim off edge of card stock, cutting through all layers. Using the Japanese screw punch, embellish edge with holes along marked vertical line. We used round punches in different sizes and a diamond-border punch to create the various looks.

3. Write guests' names on cards (or have calligraphed). With a utility knife, cut out cards along horizontal lines.

4. To create stands for seating cards, punch flower shapes from card stock. Bend back one petal, and affix to back of card with glue stick.

My family is BIG on music, everyone gets involved, its so fun! Well while lots of little girls were dreaming of their wedding flowers, castles and all that jazz, i was dreaming of the music so here it is down to the second(maybe): (hopefully i get the terminology right)

Ceremony
-Interlude- Canon in D (6:24)
-Prelude-
Seating of the Families 'Apocalyptica Metallica Nothing
Else Matters (6:28)
Seating of the Mothers: Mariah Carey "Hero" (instrumental
versions (4:22)
-Processional-
Groom, Groomsmen, Bridesmaids, FGs, RBs entrance:
The Notebook "Love Theme" (2:49)
Brides' Entrance: "Kissing You" (Instrumental)
(First 57 seconds)
-Unity Ceremony- Savage Garden "Truly Madly Deeply"
-Recessional- Keith Urban "Once in a Lifetime"

-Reception-
-During Dinner: Disney Princess songs
Cinderella- "So this is love"
Snow White- "Someday My Prince will come"
Sleeping Beauty- "Once Upon a Dream"
Aladdin- "A Whole New World"
A Little Mermaid- "Kiss the Girl"
The Lion King- "Can You Feel The Love Tonight"
-First Dance (Options) Not absolute yet (i know CRAZYness)
Chantal Kreviazuk "Feels Like Home"
Keith Urban- "Your Everything"
Lonestar- "Amazed"
If we go w/a Dream Theme-explanation: for a while, when i lived in fort collins (a little over an hr away from him), we would talk every night, even just to say we loved eachother. and we always talked about our crazy dreams we had, and i dont remember how but we just started saying "dream about me" to eachother every night. and now, whenever we are separated, we still call eachother and say that. so thats why we're considering these. (they are a little too slow to dance to is the issue)
Kalan Porter "Awake in a Dream"
Billie Holiday "Dream a Little Dream"
Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald "Dream A
Little Dream"
-Father/Daughter Dance-He chose it, hasnt told me what it is
-Mother/Son Dance- She also chose it but hasnt said yet
-If I do a dance with my mom, I want it to be Jamie
O'Neals "Somebodys Hero" (my mom was single for a really
long time and i want to do something with this song to honor
her, but i dont know what yet!)
-Cake Cutting- Marvin Gaye "How sweet it is to be loved by you"
-Throwing Bouquet- Marilyn Monroe "Diamonds are a girls best
friend"
-Garter Toss- TBD (suggestions?)
-Last Dance- Dirty Dancing "I've Had the Time of My Life" <-----
SOOOO freaking excited for that!!!!
-Reception music: we will have a huge mix! country, r&b, oldies and
lots of mexican music. this will give EVERYONE a chance to
dance all night :)

We love these two little guys so much, we had to have them both as our ring bearers :)

Mikie- 5 yrs old
He is so FREAKING CUTE! those eyes get me everytime. He is my cousin. His older brother (15) is a groomsmen as well. These guys are practically my brothers, i love em to death!

Harry -6 yrs old
This guy is SO funny and his smile will be taking breaths away for years! and he's talented, he is my future mother/father in law's neighbor. They're families are so close, might as well be related. Well, while he is in the backyard, he can hit baseballs, with a bat, OVER his house. they always find balls on the street lol the next famous baseball player lives next door! haha (i dont have a great pic of harry, he hates taking pics, so this is taken by my phone lol)

If a good chunk of your wedding is DIY (like mine is) then this is a helpful blog. It has a bunch of templates for projects that others have used for their weddings. Check a few out, might save you some time!

http://weddings.shanbritedesigns.com/templates.htm

It also has links to other helpful blogs at the bottom of the page.

We've been engaged since last June and I havent had any nightmares until a few nights ago. (I saw another post about nightmares and just had to create my own so I can tell you my story). It was the day of, my father and I were waiting for the bridal party to walk down the isle. When they were done, we were waiting for the music to cue us to go next. My dad was SO eager, he kept saying its time, lets go, lets go. But i kept saying, no the music, the music! He ASSURED me it was time, so we entered the room, no body was standing up, everyone was looking at the front of the room. There was no music. My mom was playing the music for some reason, and she couldnt find the music. Then someone notices me and then everyone looks back, and start to stand up. then she figures out the music, but it's not the right song! then my dad starts SPEED WALKING down the isle and i keep tripping over my dress trying to keep up. But still smiling the entire time because I read somewhere to always smile on your wedding day. So i'm crying and smiling while holding my dress and practically running down the isle. Then we get to the front, my dad runs off to sit down without giving me away. My fiance isn't in his tux, just slacks and a button up! he was helping me mom w/the music, then meets me at the front. but no one is there to marry us. I was still crying and I said, "Collin, wake me up, this isnt how its supposed to be, wake me up!" then i woke up.....the craziest dream i've ever had about the wedding!!!

I would think i'd have crazier ones with all the dilemmas and issues we've been running into, we're pretty behind on a lot of stuff, but I've managed to keep my dreams clear of these nightmares. So anyway, thought it was kinda comical and thought i'd share....hopefully they wont continue!

Arionna- 7yrs old
She is my cousin's oldest daughter. Ever since she was born, I fell in love with this litte girl. She is so special to me, and she knows it! She's VERY smart and VERY outspoken, she's way older than she should be lol She'll be so pretty all glammed up for me!

Brooke- 2 1/2yrs
This is my one and only neice Brooke! She looks nothing like me but a lot like my sister when she was little, and of course like her dad lol She is so cute and just got potty-trained a few weeks ago. She's such a smarty pants, it drives me crazy how she's growing! too cute!

Hannah- 1 1/2 yrs
Hannah is my baby SISTER! yes, that's right, my mom at 43 decided to have another (oh and she's having another baby in october-CRAZY) but you have to hand it to her, she makes adorable kids! Hannah is one of 4 girls my parents have, and she's way spoiled cuz of her addictive cuteness. she will waddle her way down the isle and it'll be such a KODAK moment!

I'm so excited to see these girls in their dresses, they'll probably steel the show haha i'm ok with that!

We were originally having the ceremony outdoors, so I was going to make these fans. But we're having the ceremony indoors now, but I'm thinking, I'm going with the fans still. I know it's still gonna be hot....middle of July...oh yeah burnin up! and they're so CUTE! plus they're practically done already ;)


Helpful Directions

I googled 'ceremony fan programs' under Images and found TONS of photos, hopefully that'll help.

I'm in LOVE with dyeing the slip pink, totally stealing that idea (and the pic)! AND i LOVE the colored shoes, so I'm going to either find the same color pink shoes or get dyeables and dye them the same color as the petticoat. SO FUN!!!!


****Instructions*******
http://reviews.ebay.com/How-To-Dye-Your-Wedding-Slip-Petticoat-or-Crinoline_W0QQugidZ10000000006495651


Modern brides are continually looking for creative, easy, and inexpensive ways to personalize their wedding day. They want to add a little funk to what has traditionally been a very formal affair. They want to show their guests their true personality; to have a little fun. An easy way for them to accomplish all this it to dye their wedding slips! It takes a few hours, so I recommend grabbing their best girlfriends, favorite eats and drinks, and hosting a Girls Night In!

RIT dye offers both liquid and powder dyes to help create the colors you desire, A color chart, found at their website, shows all the colors they have to offer. Below, step by step instructions are given.

FOR BEST COLOR RESULTS:

Whether you are wearing a new or previously worn slip, be sure to wash it the day before dyeing, letting it air dry overnight. This will remove any excess residue from the manufacturer's finishing process, or possible hidden stains.
The brightness of your slip will vary depending on how many "servings" of dye you use, RIT recommends, for a pound of dry fabric, you use one package of RIT powder or 1/2 bottle of RIT liquid in 3 gallons of water. Also, when dyeing dark or bright colors, double the amount of dye used.
EX: While slips look light and airy, they do have weight to them. A basic A-line slip weighs nearly two pounds. (All that fluff is deceiving, I know!) If dyeing it fuchsia, I'd recommend using a minimum of four "servings" in a mid-sized load setting. Add more "servings" for fuller slips. Not using enough dye per pound/per water level will result in a faded color.

The brightness of your slip will vary depending on how hot the water is. To retain maximum heat, refrain from running your dishwasher, shower, or hot water taps while dyeing your slip.
The brightness of your slip will vary depending on how long you agitate it in the dye bath. To extend the agitation, reset the wash cycle before the rinse cycle begins. Agitate your slip in the dye bath for a minimum of one half hour.

ITEMS NEEDED:

a friend or two (this process can get really messy, so the more hands - the merrier! plus, someone needs to take pics, right?!)
a set of clothes you won't mind getting stained
a large container you won't mind getting stained. (this will be used to catch drips when untwisting/uncrumpling your slip during the dyeing process)

a pair of thick rubber gloves (latex just won't do for this project!)
some wet rags or paper towels for wiping spills
your wedding slip
Rit dye (powder or liquid) in your choice of color
INSTRUCTIONS:
There are several techniques to use when dyeing garments. Because slips are rather large, and you're trying to maximize convenience, use the Washing Machine technique. Similar instructions may be found on RIT dye products, and at the RIT dye website. Here, your will find additional, more detailed instructions, as well as some helpful tips to make the process a little more efficient.

1. Take your beautiful ring off, put it in a safe place, and your rubber gloves on!

(If you are using liquid dye, shake very well, and skip to step 5.)

2. In a stainless steel pan on your stove top, bring 2 cups of water to nearly boiling. Use 4 cups if you are using multiple "servings" of dye. It'll dissolve more quickly.
3. Add powder dye, thoroughly dissolving it by consistent, slow stirring.
4. Leave the dye solution on a M to L stove top setting to retain the heat.
5. Fill your wash machine basin mid-way to completely full of hot water, depending on the fullness of your slip.
6. Carefully put your slip in the wash machine basin, thoroughly wetting it. This will allow the dye to absorb evenly. You may want to agitate it for a few minutes.
7. Remove your slip, wringing out any excess water to your large container, and untwist/uncrumple.

(If you are using powder dye, retrieve your dye solution from the stove top.)

8. Carefully lay your wet slip into the dye bath. It is best to avoid stuffing it in. This will save you time later.
9. Stir dissolved powder dye, or well-shaken liquid dye, into the wash machine basin until evenly dispersed. Never pour liquid, or powder, dye directly on fabric.
10. Set your washing machine for an extended wash cycle with a hot wash and warm rinse. Your slip should be in the dye bath for a minimum of 30 minutes before the rinse cycle begins. It can remain in the dye bath for up to one hour as long as the water remains hot.
11. After your slip has agitated, and before your rinse cycle begins, stop the washing machine.

This is the really messy part. Get your rags and camera handy!

12. Remove your slip, wringing out any excess dye solution, to your large container and unwind/uncrumple.

This is very important. Skipping this step could result in a tie dye effect.

13. Carefully lay your slip into the dye bath and begin the rinse cycle.
14. After the initial rinse cycle, but before the spin cycle begins, change you water setting to cold.
15. Keep resetting the rinse cycle until the water remains clear.
16. Before the spin cycle begins, stop your wash machine.
17. Remove your slip, wringing out any excess water, to your large container and unwind/uncrumple.

This is very important. Skipping this step could result in a tie dye effect.

18. Carefully lay your slip into the rinse water and begin the spin cycle.
19. Once the spin cycle has ended, remove your slip from the washing machine and unwind/uncrumple it.
20. Wash it again using a shortened wash cycle, S to M load (depending on the fullness of your slip) with cold wash and rinse cycles. Use a small amount of mild, non-bleach detergent.
21. Once the cycle has ended, remove your slip from the wash machine and unwind/uncrumple.
22. Hang to dry.

CLEAN UP:

Clean your wash machine by running a complete wash cycle. Use the largest load setting, hot water cycles, a usual amount of detergent, and 1 cup of chlorine bleach. If you used rags to wipe spills, this would be a good time to wash them. Plastic or rubber machine parts may be tinted, but will not stain your laundry in the future.
Clean your large container immediately by scrubbing with hot water and powdered cleanser or bleach.
If you dried your slip in the dryer, be sure to clean out the lint trap.

TO LAUNDER:

To launder your slip after your wedding day, wash your slip, by itself, in cool water with a small amount of non-bleach detergent. Then hang dry.

I want my hair, makeup, nails, toe nails done the day of but I've always gone to the mall for the free makeup application service and i hardly ever get nails done. SO what is the average you can expect to pay for all of these services? I want to leave the free makeup deal as a last resort just because i'm almost ALWAYS disappointed with their work and I dont like everyone in the mall walking by and seeing it done. Since I'm paying for all of this anway, is it cheaper to do them seperately or all in one?

I found this wedding package at local place called Zen, A Mobile Salon
www.zenamobilespa.com

Their packages are below:
Bridal Bliss
$240/per person

Includes: 90 minute hair and make-up consultation prior to wedding day, 60 minute Looks and Touch Manicure, 60 minute Kicks and Giggles Pedicure, wedding day hair and make-up finishing to perfection.

Flawless Bridesmaid
$160/per person

Includes: 60 minute Looks and Touch Manicure, 60 minute Kicks and Giggles Pedicure, wedding day hair and make-up finishing to perfection.


Hair and Make-up with Consultation
$180/per person

Includes: 90 minute hair and make-up consultation prior to wedding
day and immaculate wedding day hair and make-up.


Hair and Make-up
$115/per person

Includes: Wedding day hair and make-up finishing to perfection.


Is this reasonable? My instinct is saying yes, especially since they are a mobile service? But i really dont know, u tell me :)

I already sent out the save the dates, but I didnt think, and didnt put the wedding info site on it, so nobody knows that its up. Any ideas of ways to get the word out, along with word of mouth? I was thinking of sending out emails, but I dont want to be tacky, so I thought maybe someone knew of some sites (like e-vites) that can send emails but in a cute way? I dont really know, that was the first thing that popped in my head. Ideas anyone?

I guess I want others to view it because i have cute pictures of the engagement (or right after) and i want to post our prof. engagement photos, because there are a few people who wont be able to come to the wedding, so they can still feel a part of it all? And I know that when I send out the thank you notes, i'll put the site on there so everyone can see the pics from the wedding too. Hopefully that explains why i want people to see the site, maybe I'll just create a cute email and send it out that way.

UPDATE: Thanks for the helpful tips :) The site where it was created has a way to "share" your site, so i just sent that to everyone on my contacts and told them to spread the word about the site to those who I dont have emails for. I've already gotten a couple of responses saying that it's really neat and helpful, and everyone is excited to see the engagement photos :) Stressful not-so-important-detail checked off the list lol

I love shopping and I love clothes and shoes so soon after I found my dress I started imagining the looks I wanted for my bridal showers, rehearsal dinner and morning after brunch. So I was wondering if I'm the only one who thought of these silly details or not? I havent seen any posts about it...:) here's what I've got so far, more to come!

I like these designs, still not set on one yet though :) im so indecisive! they're both pretty different from eachother but i really like them!

Our photographer is making the guest book with our engagements photos in it, so it feels more like a photo album. This is great because we can display this on our coffee table so our guests can look through it, and read the messages. It's like a grown up yearbook haha :) We're getting our engagments done this sunday! (5/4/08) SO EXCITING!

Volkel's preview page:
http://volkelimage.blogspot.com/search/label/Products

A cool way of viewing another example:
http://www.tuscanyalbums.com/featured_albums.asp

We have a seperate room where we'll have a friend's friend (licensed) babysitter just watching that everything is ok. We'll probably have some pizza and some juice (in somesort of container that will keep messes to the minimum) and maybe instead of juice, we'll have something like water or lemonade that wont cause stains. Then some coloring books and crayons, Twister game and the room already has a TV/VCR/DVD player so we'll bring in a few movies. I was just going to set up a seperate table in the same room but because of all the kids I have in my family (about 30 will be invited) we need another room for the older ones. (Not all kids are old enough to be away from their parents). I stole some ideas from a knot blog:

http://www.theknot.com/co_profileview.htm?profilename=Scraplink&MsdVisit=1

A helpful site:
http://www.scrapduo.com/kids/

Let me clarify cuz i think the stuff i wrote above made it seem like i was locking the kids away lol: As i said my family has TONS of kids in it, at every wedding we always have the little ones around, and I adore kids (im going to school to be a teacher and lobbyist for education). I want them to be just as entertained as the adults. The room is just a 'classroom' in the event center down the hall, so the kids can come and go as they please. Which they will love because the room we're using is pretty cramped as it is, not a lot of room to enjoy themselves. And i want to give the adults some time to relax and not have to worry that the kids arent enjoying themselves. So the kids can sit with their parents for dinner, then when all the mushy toasts, first dances etc are going on, the bored ones can go hang out the other room. They wont be confined to that room at all, lol With my family (FH doesnt have a lot of kids in his fam) I think entertaining the kids will be just perfect.

This was pretty easy to do. I set up my digital camera and we took a bunch of photos with a white sheet as a backdrop. Then I just cropped and resized the images to all be the same size. We just held up a blank sheet of paper, then I added the text on the selected photos. I changed them to Black and White to get the full photo booth effect. Then I printed about 7 strips on each page of matte photo paper, and cut away. A few people even asked if we went to a mall and did these! I dont have it on my work computer (yes i do all my wedding planning at work, shhh) But I will get a copy of it up here soon. It turned out SO cute and we got SO many compliments!

I was going to buy magnet strips then cut a small square for the top and botton of each strip, but I ended up not doing that because I was afraid it would cost more to mail them. I never did look into that, but I wish I had because a TON of people put them up their refridgerators, even non-family members! so adding magnets would've perfect!

I got the idea from this site: http://shutterlovestudio.wordpress.com/2006/06/20/save-the-dates-ideas/

I found the non-celbrity photos from Jim Heljm's bridal website, the 2006 collection I believe. I love the elegance of these styles :)

I love the circle gift box to hold their gifts. Contents: Pill box, compact mirrors, jewellery for the big day, a button up shirt with their names engraved to wear day of or robes like the picture with names engraved (i think they'll enjoy robes more). Probably throw in some mushy dvds and other stuff i'll think of along the way.

Places to get the terry cloth shower wrap:

http://www.wetseal.com/catalog/product.jsp?categoryId=107&subCategoryId=257&productId=10201#ClosePopup

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=308098&CategoryID=21914

This place will personalize them!
http://www.embroiderymaster.com/Pages/Towels/WomanShowerWrap2.htm

I've always one of these robes so I thought it would be a perfect gift for my grils, so i went searching for robes as gifts and found the photo you see with the girls wearing the robes here:

http://www.theknot.com/co_profileview.htm?
profilename=Scraplink&MsdVisit=1

And I want to give each girl an engraved heart necklace w/their initials and then have it dangling from their bouquets. I dont know where i saw this or heard this but i thought it was something special for them.

I though of using this idea to display the escort cards, but instead of using that type of ribbon, I want to try lace with stephanotis worked in there somehow. Ideas are still being worked out in my head...

I'm going to go with one of these as the main clipart that we'll use for everything, I might add some things to it. I love messing with images, graphic artist-type stuff lol But I think this kind of gives off the theme/feel we're going for :) Who knows, maybe we'll take an amazing silhuette photo during our engagment photo session and end up using that. Haha

If you didnt already know where it came from, here's what this interesting rhyme means.

Here's the link for other interesting facts: http://www.jewelrybyrhonda.com/webpages/weddingtraditions.htm

This well known little rhyme originated during Victorian times and is still commonly practiced for good luck. Traditionally, the "old" would have been the garter of a happily married woman, with the thought being that her good fortune would be passed down along with it. The "old" also signifies the couple's friends will stay with them. The "old" also symbolizes the bride's connection to her past - a sense of family, continuity and tradition.

The "new" looks to the future for the couple - health, happiness, good fortune and success.

"Something borrowed" is usually a much valued item from the bride's family or a dear friend. It symbolizes prosperity within the new union. Something borrowed also reminds the bride that family and friends will always be there for her. Just remember - it must be returned to ensure good fortune. Borrow something from a happily married friend or family to wish your married life will mirror the happiness in her marriage.

"Something blue" comes from an ancient Israeli tradition in which the bride wears a blue ribbon in her hair as a symbol of her fidelity. Blue represents faithfulness, fidelity and constancy.
Take a look at our Something Blue Pearl Anklet to wear on your wedding day.

A silver sixpence in the bride's shoe is to ensure wealth in the couple's life. It symbolizes the promise of a lifetime of joy, a lifetime of good health, happiness, wealth, fortune, and wedded bliss the newlywed couple. The sixpence first became known as a lucky coin when introduced by king Edward VI of England in 1551. It later became part of bridal wedding traditions in the Victorian era. In 17th century England, the sixpence was part of the bride's dowry gift to the groom. A sixpence is a symbol of good luck. The sixpence coin is no longer being minted nor in circulation - the last sixpence was minted under Queen Elizabeth in 1967.

Going into the adventure of finding a dress, I was looking for the princess ball grown and ended up with something very different! I absolutely love it. I cant post pics of it on the left side but the links are below. It's a Casablanca but you wont find it on their website because it's part of their "diamond collection" so they dont promote it, you can only see the collection at their retailers.

I went to Amanda's Bridal in Westminster CO, I just have to tell you how amazing the experience was for me because of their help. My fiance's sister got her dress through them, so thats how I found them. I requested the same lady who helped her, Dea. She's SO WONDERFUL! If u are in Colorado, go there and you'll see what I mean. I kept telling her what I wanted (i kept changing my mind), i brought in tons of pics and she amazed me when she brought out the Diamond one. She said, I know its not exactly what you pictured but give this one a try, you might like it. I tried it on and it was perfect! It almost fit my just right too. I knew it was the one when my mom started crying when I put the veil on for the full effect. I wanted the princess look but with this dress, i felt like a grown up princess. All the other ones kept making me feel like i was a little girl playing dress up. (i'm only 5'4 so u can imagine why) Well, I'll let the pictures s