Behind the Scenes {bridesmaids, DIY; Papyrus}

This month (which has flown by btw) I've dedicated most of my time and creativity to my bridesmaids.  The first of my tasks was to make sure all dresses were ordered by the middle of November.  Check!  I also looked at several local stores for the perfect hangers for their dresses.  When my search left me unsuccessful, I turned to Etsy.  I was able to find the exact ones I wanted through a company called Whisky and Wedding Bells.  We are all familiar with the personalized hangers (you know, the ones with names spelled out in wire).  Those are great, but because I wanted something a little more original, I decided against them.  I decided to go a more DIY route!  Here's a sneak peek at some of my supplies:

This pretty pink flower (above) will go on the hanger that my wedding dress will hang on.  I bought the flower and the crystal pin separately from Benno's Buttons.  After struggling with the glue, I finally managed to glue the crystal pin in the center of the flower.  I've also been working on a few other things for my girls of which I won't go into detail in case they are reading this post!  I will tell you that I was browsing on Etsy and came across "something useful for a bride in need".  And after mom's suggestion, I am looking for pink tops for my girls to wear the day of the wedding while we get ready.  She described how cute they would be -for pictures- while we get ready together - mom is very detail oriented like me.  There are a few other things going on for the girls behind the scenes and I cannot wait until they arrive from New York!

I made post cards, like I did from our Dallas engagement party, with the big group picture from the "I do" BBQ and mailed them to the family.  I absolutely love this picture!  What a great moment in time where we were all together under one roof!  I also made our hosts (dad and Shawna) a picture book with all the special pictures from the party.  

Thanks again for a great party!

Our save-the-date cards arrived last week!  I picked them up from Papyrus and couldn't wait to get home to inspect them.  The cards were perfect, but I was so disappointed when I realized the envelopes weren't the ones I ordered (I ordered very specific ones, of course).  I immediately called Papyrus to inform them of the error and they made a couple phone calls in attempt to fix the problem.  Papyrus said they would have the correct envelopes for me in a few business days; and then offered to reimburse us the cost of the original envelopes I ordered or offered to print the addresses for us for no charge.  Their offers to fix their mistake made me feel so much better, reassuring me that I made a good decision by hiring them.  It's great that sometimes someone else's mistake can be in your favor ;)

White Garments {hosts' gift, registries, marriage counseling}

We all know how much I love themes and the challenge to tie everything together, so since the "I do" BBQ was a family celebration, I was in search of a gift associated with the love of family.  This plaque I found at Francesca's couldn't have been more perfect!  How special will it be when my dad and step-mom look at this plaque and are reminded of a fun night of celebrating and the blessing the "little world a family creates by love".

Tying in the country theme of the party with my pig drawing.

As I mentioned, mom came down this week to sub in for Matt while I started the registry.  It's a good thing he had a sub because mom and I spent three hours (!) scanning bar codes; and we only stopped because we were starving!  We took a quick lunch break and headed to our next stop - Benno's Buttons.  I was in search of something special for my bridesmaids and expected to drive all over town looking for what I was envisioning; but we hit the jackpot when we walked into this little boutique!  Mom and I were able to find the perfect matches for the girls' dresses (matches you'll have to wait and see the day of the wedding)!  

Excited about the silverware from Pottery Barn.

Love these glasses from Crate & Barrel.

Ribbons at Benno's Buttons

More ribbons at Benno's Buttons

Matt and I met with our officiant, Roy, and his wife, Casey, for our second marriage counseling session.  We opened up our Bibles and followed along as Roy read from Genesis 2:7-25, explaining how, pre-fall, everything was perfect:  God created a perfect garden for man to tend to and created woman from man to be his helper; and since woman was taken out of man, man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, becoming one flesh.  Complementarianism, the view that man and woman have different but complementary roles and responsibilities between a marriage, gives man the responsibility to lead and woman the role to collaborate with and respect her husband.  It brings me such joy knowing that God created me as a helper fit for Matt.  Roy said for us to be honest with each other about our weaknesses and that we are to praise one another publicly and correct each other privately.  Great advise that I will strive to do everyday!  Roy ended our session with Ecclesiastes 9:2-9, describing how we all share a common destiny.  But before your time under the sun is up, "Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.  Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.  Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you... "  Ecclesiastes 9:7-9.  

November wedding to do list:

- Order save-the-dates
- Select formal invitations
- Start collecting guests' addresses
- Research places for honeymoon
- Get passport
- Discuss menu details
- Make sure all bridesmaids' dresses are ordered
- Research rehearsal dinner sites

6 months until the big day!

Made With Love {country engagement party, country engagement party decor ideas, registries}

We, and I believe I speak for our entire family, had a blast at the "I do" BBQ on Saturday evening!  My dad and step-mom hosted the big blended family engagement party for Matt and me at a huge barn in the the country.  It was so neat to be out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by pretty decorations and the people that I love most.  Since google maps couldn't get you to the barn (!), dad and Shawna (my step-mom) made the cutest signs to make it easier for our family to find the party.  

After following the signs, we finally pulled up to a huge trailer of hay with a huge greeting:

We drove up to the barn and were welcomed with smiles and big hugs from our family [that had already found the place].  I couldn't wait to get inside the barn to see all the decorations.  Shawna explained, "It's a little country for Matt and a little pretty for you," which was the perfect way to describe it all!  Matt and I walked around looking at all the "country pretty" details and you could tell that everything was made with love.  Take a look yourself:

It was absolutely amazing having our families under one [barn] roof getting to know each other better, or in some cases, meeting for the first time!  Among all the food, decorations and country music, there was so much love in that barn; and Matt and I are so blessed to have such a caring, big blended family.  I can't wait to start on my DIY projects using all the pictures mom and Kim, Shawna's sister, took.  Thank you so much, dad and Shawna, for putting so much time, love and creativity into the party!  And thank you to everyone who had a part, big or small, in putting it all together.  We appreciate every single little detail and are forever grateful that our big blended families blended even more that evening.

Thank you for a GREAT party!

    

__________________

I wanted to show Matt a few items I had seen at Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn for our registry.  So after lunch on Sunday afternoon, I showed him the plates and casual silverware I liked from Crate & Barrel.  He quickly agreed to the set.  [That was easy!]  We walked around as I pointed out some things we need/I want.  I could tell he was getting...bored...so I suggested we go next door to Pottery Barn.  I was shocked to find that that was definitely not where he wanted to go next.  But I really wanted to show him the fancier silverware from Potter Barn, and was only able to talk him into going in with me because of a parking spot right in front of the door.  I promised to only spend ten minutes browsing the store so I went directly to the silverware; and again, he quickly approved.  I was true to my word and after HE was done looking at a possible Christmas gift for someone, we were out of there in no time!  ;)  While we were in the car, I reminded Matt that he had said he wanted to help with the registries.  His response:  "Seemed more fun to think about it than when you actually get in there."  So with that, mom is coming down this week to help me with our registries.  (Lol.)  I've already started our registry at Restoration Hardware and mom and I will need to get it started at Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and possibly a department store.