billy and kalen

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Wedding Map!!!

you can now access all our wedding locations with directions & addresses, etc. through one wedding map (and you can print it!) all you need is the password to our website (it is on our save the date magnets and invites or you can email me).

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR MAP!

tonight i’m finishing our programs i’ve been working on so there will be pictures of those soon. i also have to finish burning one last CD - our recessional music. then i have to finish / send the DJ list to my stepmom to send to tony. things are winding down and up at the same time. i can’t wait to be billy’s wife!

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necklaces and more

i met with my day of coordinator (DOC), emily, on friday. it was a great meeting & we have good chemistry so i know things are going to get done & that i’ve also gained a friend. she reminded me about a few details i’d forgotten about (like FOOD, lol) and so i’m organizing/finalizing my wedding itinerary now. she’s going to help decorate, do some food runs, drive us around to different wedding locations, help keep my dress in shape, clean up, etc.

i also got some custom jewelry made & ordered. i was looking for something victorian/renaissance and found archeress on etsy, a place where people sell handmade jewelry, clothes, paintings, etc. (it’s also where i got my sister’s MOH gift). i love that when you buy from there, you’re supporting an artist. and they are willing to custom-make you things!

she ended up making me this:

i personally love it. i think it’s classy with a little bit of edge. the price was unbeatable & i know i’ll be proud wearing it. if i get it and for some reason it doesn’t go with my dress, i already have a plan on when/how i can wear this again, so i’m happy with my purchase. as soon as i get it i’m going to try it on with my dress & just hope it “goes”… my dress is slightly more modern so we’ll see.

i also bought some dark red rose petals & now i have to buy some ivory and fuschia ones. rose petals are expensive… it’s crazy. i ordered two boxes of these and i think i’m going to order 1,000 of these. that will be a total of 2,600 rose petals which should be enough to line the aisles & give my niece some to throw.

let’s see… projects for this week… i guess finally decide whether or not i’m doing the 8 custom centerpieces on 8 of the 16 tables… i just don’t know if i want to add onto our expenses but my idea is so neat… we’ll see.

we have a LOT of payment deadlines coming up. we are slowly watching money fly out the door. it’s just great, lemme tell ya

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keep those rsvps coming!

i now have a day-of coordinator!!! (hi emily!!) i met her off the net & she offered her services & i simply couldn’t turn her down.

now….

(my bridal shower invitation by kindal)

(part of my bachelorette party invitation)

i love my girls for doing those beautiful & adorable invitations for my parties… it took them both work & time & money and i really appreciate it.

i can’t believe it’s getting so close. i set down with my stepmom and made a checklist of a few more things i need to look into *this week* and this weekend the boys are getting their tuxes (FINALLY!!!)

mom also cracked me up with her RSVP… she wanted to save the real one so this is what she mailed me:

this week i meet with emily, test out my lantern decoration, buy a few crafting supplies, and i’m making a present for my bridesmaids. really the 2 week mark is when i’m going to be busiest, settling up money we owe & the ceremony with the pastor!

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veil for sale!

the money made off these will go toward my wedding flowers!

please pass these along to other girls getting married, even if you aren’t - they’re both great deals because both things are brand new!

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candles, parties, and shoes

i picked my shoes for my sister’s wedding (see the dress i’m wearing in a post below):

she wanted us to be funky & have a little bit of style in our accessories and this is what i chose to do

britt also sent out my bachelorette invitations & kindal got hers and said it was adorable. the theme is HOLLYWOOD and we’re all getting really dressed up & britt sent little mini-margarita glasses with each invitation. that will be on august 2nd and start at 6 pm.

my bridal shower has been moved to august 10th and i’m not sure what time. the invites for that are supposedly coming in monday - kindal ordered them.

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billy’s groomsmen are coming in on the 17th & 18th to get fitted for their tuxes and we’re going to have a little party. billy said he doesn’t want a bachelor party or anything like that so we’re just going to have some friends over instead. he’s really laid-back and just wants to be around people he likes… and he wants me to be there (he’s so cute).

let’s see what else… teetee isn’t going to wear that dress, she’s going to wear one that her grandma (bo’s mom - bo is my sister’s fiance) picks out for her which is just fine with me. i get to see teetee & kindal tonight when i take kindal her dress!!!!

next stop - walmart to buy all kinds of candles, my main decoration item for the ceremony.

i’ll leave you with a picture of teetee. this is what kindal has to do to get her to let them wash her hair because she’s afraid of water getting into her eyes. this picture is borderline the funniest thing i’ve ever seen.

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bm dress, ceremony decor, etc.

tried on my bridesmaid dress today - check. woman told me i was a size zero until she measured my hips. *cough* i pick up my wedding dress on friday & immediately am taking it to two different alterations places to see what they’ll charge to make it a sweetheart neckline.

also checked hobby lobby, walmart, dollar store, and garden ridge for candles, etc. and compared prices. walmart has the cheapest candles, hobby lobby has the cheapest candle holders, dollar store majorly disappointed me, and garden ridge has the lanterns i’m wanting (that i didn’t get from that one girl) but they’re $6.99 each… and i need 10 of them. SIGH.

i’m budgeting around & i’m not sure how everything is going to fall… i’m really curious.

i’m liking this dress right now for teetee, my future niece & flower girl:

i’ve been getting RSVPs in the mail and i LOVE it. i apparently have no life because if you saw my excitement reaction to pieces of paper, you’d be really sick of me.

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LOTS of details, don’t skip any! :)

with my big sister getting married in october, it’s been an interesting process. we have to plan our own weddings while simultaneously supporting/help plan each other’s.

she finally picked out my maid of honor dress for her wedding:

that’s a red color called claret with an espresso trim. i’m thinking that i’m going to be able to do my hair/makeup really vintage for her wedding, which excites me.

kindal is doing lots of rich, warm colors for her wedding. she’s also planning my bridal shower & in about a month, i start planning hers. it’s been interesting to plan together & stress together…

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in the news of mine & billy’s wedding - i am looking for lanterns to line the aisle with (along with the rose petals i talked about) and i think i found some for cheap! i’d have to paint them black but it’d be worth it to save up like $30+ and interestingly enough the girl selling them also lined her aisle with rose petals so i got a “preview” what it looked like & loved it!

i’ve also been filling out my google calendar with dates things are due (reception $$$ due 10 days before, photography $$$ due 14 days before, etc). it’s helping me stay organized.

and we decided officially to take our photographs before the ceremony & we’re taking them at an outdoor/indoor location called victorian square downtown… i’m EXTREMELY excited about this.

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hair trial #1

so i had my hair trial with rach, my colorist/stylist for the past few months. she is young & funky and i wanted to give her the shot to do wedding hair & she always listens to me so i felt comfortable working with her, though a little scared that her lack of experience might affect something.

we went to her house (after buying cat food, haha) and she set me up in the kitchen with a full length mirror. i told her exactly what i wanted in detail, showed her pictures, and we talked about my face shape, what would work, hairspray, etc.

the good thing about rach? she will be with me all day from 12pm until the wedding ends. she will be able to touch me up multiple times (which is VITAL because my hair is very fine & falls easily) and so using her just makes a lot more sense.

while her kitties played with my toes, she worked her magic. and here is our first mock-up. we kind of just did a fast representation of what i wanted to get an idea if i even liked it.

HERE IS WHAT I ASKED FOR: up on the sides in braids. loose knot in the back to tie it all together. soft, loose curls that look romantic and kind of undone instead of perfected and hairsprayed. a look that is thrown together but slightly polished - casual but not.

and here is what she gave me…

on our next “hair trial” we are dying my hair the color it will be for the wedding & doing a cleaner mock-up. we’re going to pull a little more up on the sides, probably start the braids slightly sooner, & tease the hair above the knot more so my part isn’t as evident. i’m also considering a little vintage piece of hair jewelry to wear over on the right (where my part is prominent).

i’m very happy with it. i came home & showed billy & he loved it & i put on my veil and teared up and walked around the living room while billy watched me. haha.

thank you for the free hair trial, rach! i’m so happy i chose to work with you ♥

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sent, sent, sent!

signed, sealed, delivered - they’re yours!

invites are coming your way … i mailed them today at the post office and as i slipped each one through the slot, i felt a little bit of relief and excitement. sending the invitations was making everything concrete. i can’t wait for guests to open them and file through them and just… see billy’s hard work. plus, i’m SO ready to see all my friends & family under one roof. weddings really bring out a lot of cheesy sentiment… i don’t think anyone is immune to it.

now to answer some questions….

one of you asked how bill caine is to work with. he is AWESOME. he has made this whole process so enjoyable and stress-free. he’s very laid-back and his wife & him have become very close acquaintances of mine. i am actually going with bill on a shoot on tuesday but that’s a whole different story. but i HIGHLY recommend meeting & speaking with him. his prices are also extremely low for his work (in my opinion).

next question - about a “second house” that i talked about. you asked if we already have a house. yes, we do. billy bought it last summer. it’s in a great little neighborhood but the front yard is lacking in size & there is no garage & a few other things we’d like to be different. i’m not sure if that cleared things up for you, alison.

next on my to-do list - a card box! any suggestions for cool DIY card boxes???

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invites… OMGSH!

okay! updates will be much more frequent now… you wanna know why?

THE INVITES ARE ALMOST FINISHED!

we have had such a good experience with these for the second half of the process. we found this great printing company called lexpress and they printed AND cut all the invites & the inserts (80 of them) for $72. so that with the pocket folders we bought to put the invitations in from cards and pockets, the pomegranate paper mats, and the tape/glue supplies and we’ve spent about $200… half of what these would cost us to order. the only thing left to spend money on is postage!!! *squeals*

and here they are… click to make bigger…

billy designed these completely by himself and i could not be more proud or happier to give these out. they set the tone for our wedding and i love that they’re “ours”… i cried when i saw them put together.

i still have to assemble most of them & then address the envelopes. they’re going out in the mail tomorrow!

guests - do not forget to book your room by JULY 2ND if you want the discount at our reception hotel!!!!