Things Are Starting to Come Together

After I finished that long list of wedding tasks last weekend, I needed a little break from the wedding (not that that is really possible, but in terms of projects I took a break).  I have my second fitting this weekend, and possibly our last (or second to last) dance lesson, so it's starting to sink in that the wedding is getting pretty close.  I've continued to stalk the non-RSVPing guests, and I've gotten replies from most of them, but a few maybes are still lingering.  Once we get the final count, the next step will be place cards.  Other than designing and printing the place cards, everything else that is left really is just a matter of planning and organizing.

I've been working on table assignments, timelines, vendor contacts, etc.  I've also been trying to set up instructions to assist my mom's friend in setting up the cocktail hour/ceremony.  Look at my crazy precise little diagrams:

Below is a picture of what's going to be on the tables at cocktail hour. It's silver floating candles in a shallow vase with clear stones & pink gems on the bottom.

Then, on the outdoor tables at cocktail hour, we'll have the same shallow vases, but filled with a mix of pink and black candles (we couldn't find any gray floating candles).

Wedding Day Purse

I'm being having trouble deciding on a wedding day purse. Here are the candidates:

Option 1: Jessica McClintock Satin Flower Clutch at Nordstrom

Option 2: La Regale Gathered Satin Clutch at Endless.com

Option 3: La Regale Ivory Lace Clutch at Endless.com

Option 4: La Regale Silver Beaded Clutch at Endless.com

Option 5: Touch-ups Silver Satin Clutch at Zappos.com

At this point, I think I'm leaning toward option 2 or 5, just because they are the simplest and I don't want a flashy purse competing with my dress.  I also worry that anything that isn't simple might be "too much" when put next to my dress.  If you need a reminder as to what the dress fabric looks like, click here.  Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

***Update: Thanks for the input.  I chose #2.  Ah, another thing to check off my list  : )  ***

List of Wedding Tasks

These are my wedding tasks to tackle this weekend:

• Finish making wedding slideshow
• Finish making table numbers
• Decide on floating candle arrangements for cocktail hour (indoors & outdoors)
• Finalize/confirm floral decisions with florist
• Continue to stalk people that haven't RSVP'
• Cut out votive templates
• Wrap votives
• Start creating directions for decor set-up 
• Make hair appointment
• Make wedding photography checklist
• Pick out wedding day purse
• Work on floorplan/table assignments
• Get some sun so I'm not a pale bride!

And if I have any time left over, I might start thinking about designing a place card template.   Only 28 more days!!!

Fans

I've been kind of concerned about what the weather will bring in August, since we've had such a hot summer so far.  While moving the wedding indoors might end up being our best option, I think another cute idea is to have little fans.  I decided that I didn't want to order them because it would be a waste if we did end up moving the ceremony inside.  I was discussing this with a co-worker who was recently married and she said that she had fans left over from her wedding.  How nice is it that she just gave me her extras?  Anyway, to personalize them, I added little bows using the ribbon that has our names/wedding date.  I think they'll add a nice touch.  And if we do decide to move the ceremony indoors- no big deal!

Bachelorette Pics

The bachelorette was such a great time!  I think we over-estimated the amount of time and ambition we'd have, but sometimes less is more!  We stayed at W.57th Street by Hilton Club, we ate dinner at Chipotle (yum!), relaxed & enjoyed the awesome hotel room, and went out to Ava Lounge (a rooftop bar).

Here are some pictures of the hotel room:
(pay close attention to the table photo- the girls filled a table with my fav foods and hooked up an ipod next to a large pic of Scott, so he was our "DJ" for the night - so cute!  :)

And the rooftop lounge (unfortunately, I can not take credit from these pics, I borrowed them from yelp.com):

And us:

Hair Trial

The trial went well and I think with a few minor modifications the day of, my hair will look great. A few changes I would like to make to have a more "polished" look:

• get full highlights next time I get my hair done - I think that will help to "blend" the style together quite nicely
• have more structured curls that are pinned in place vs. as many messy/loose curls - I do like the loose curls, but I just want fewer of them on the day of
• start the style a little further up on the top of my head or at least build the curls up in the center so it kind of "rounds things out" vs. looking at me from the front and only seeing hair sticking out from either side

Here are some of the pics (remember, this style was not heavily hairsprayed and is only 90% of what it will be the day of):

Also, I must mention the most terrible customer service I've ever experienced in my life. Here is the complaint letter I sent to Sally Beauty Supply:

"I am writing to report the most terrible customer service I've ever experienced.  I frequently shop at this store (at least several times a month), and while the customer service has never been outstanding, I have never been treated with the level of disrespect I experienced today. I was going to the store to get some supplies for my upcoming wedding. I entered the store to see several employees gathered around the register (one of which was sitting on the counter top) and started toward the products I needed. As I walked forward, a loud voice screamed "I said HELLO!". Startled, confused, and very caught off guard, I peered out behind the shelf and asked this person if they were talking to me. (I guess this person said hello to me as I walked in the store, but I did not hear her.) The woman then pointed her finger, yelling, "Yes, that would be you!" Rather than arguing with a clearly irrational person, I stated, "Okay, I'm going to leave now." I walked out of the store and can honestly say that I have no intention of ever returning. Typically I would not go out of my way to tell others about terrible service, but this is a rare exception. It is unacceptable for anyone to ever be treated this way."

Bachelorette

My bachelorette party is this Saturday- I can't wait!

Here are some ideas for an NYC Bachelorette Party:

• $10 Mani & Martini at The Beauty Bar
• Watch a comedy show at Ochi's Lounge
• Check out some Rooftop Bars
• Play beer pong at Biddy Early's Pub
• Dance the night away at Webster Hall
• Drink some tea at a tea bar
• Watch an indie artist perform

Who knows what we'll do, but I'm sure what ever we end up doing, it'll be a great time!  
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I was able to check making the snapfish sign off of my list.  I thought this would be a good idea to give guests a way to share their pictures from the wedding with us.  I created this graphic (this one is edited to keep our info private), and put it in an 8x10 frame.  I think it turned out pretty cute!

Bridal Emergency Kit

I thought the idea of a bridal emergency kit sounded cute, but practical at the same time, so I decided to make my own. Here it is:

Here's what's in the kit:

• Bobby pins & a hair elastic
• Chapstick
• Lint roller
• Band-Aids
• Safety pins
• Gum
• Instant stain remover
• Nail file
• Fashion rescue tape (double sided)
• Mini sewing kit
• Tissues
• Deodorant
• First aid kit
• Medicine (aleve, immodium, cough drops)
• Straws (to keep lipstick from fading)
• Tampons
• Wrinkle spray
• Hair spray
• Oil blotting sheets

I plan to keep the kit in the bridal room that's located above the ballroom where the reception will be held.  That way if I (or any other ladies) need it, it's close by!

*Hair Update*
So, I've decided to give the hairdresser another chance... she is coming to Baltimore (to make it up to me since she missed the trial) on Tuesday at 4:00.  Hopefully, I will have nothing but good things to report.  The down side is- Scott is most likely going to end up seeing my hair.  I think I'm okay with this though, because I'd rather him see it and me get to test the hair style out, vs. him not seeing it and me not knowing if the style will hold up well.

Also worth mentioning- we have managed to squeeze enough out of the last bit of our budget to get a videographer.  Yay!  At first I was unsure about a videographer, so I abandoned the idea for a while.  Then I started to entertain the idea again not to long ago, only to find that the videographers that weren't super-cheesy cost a fortune!  Luckily, I was persistent in my search and found one that looks talented and is within our budget.  We have decided to go with Well Spun Weddings.  They do vintage wedding films and were rated "Top 25 Trendsetters" by Modern Bride.  We will be getting the one song edit, in addition to 3 DVDs with chapters of the ceremony and important reception events (both of which contain real audio), as well as all of the raw footage.  So happy to be able to preserve so many great memories from our day!

I can't believe the wedding is only 43 days away!!  I have created a wedding checklist of all the things I still need to get done before the wedding....still so much to do!!

E-Session Photos

Scott and I are really pleased with our engagement session photos.  The turn around time was awesome (about a week) and Lorraine & Greg did an amazing job!  If you'd rather see the pictures in a slideshow format, click here.

All Photos Taken By: Lorraine Daley Wedding Photography

First Fitting

Tomorrow, Christina & I will be going to my first fitting.  I'm excited to do something that focuses on being the bride, rather than all of the crazy planning.  I wonder if my veil will be there yet....  I'm assuming they'll be checking the length and the fit and all that good stuff, but I'll also have to decide what I want to do about straps.  I think the best idea I've heard is to wear them for the ceremony and then take them out for the reception (they said they can put snaps in so I can just take them out when I want).  Pretty cool, huh?

I'm happy to say that I finished the menus tonight!  Here's a picture of the final product.  We're definitely going to use the easel stand, but I'm not sure about the candles yet.

I still have many candles to wrap and tons of programs to glue. Luckily, my mom helped me with the binding (using her sewing machine), so the insides are put together, I just need to attach them to the outer cover now. Hopefully I'll get through a lot of that this weekend!

*Oh, and by the way, can you believe the wedding is only 49 days away???!