Lucky Me

I've never really had much luck when it comes to winning contests, but I decided to enter a few since there seem to be so many for brides-to-be. I've won 2 so far! (I've entered about 5) Most of the giveaways are for little things, but every once in a while there is a giveaway for a honeymoon or something big like that. Looks like I'm going to keep entering! Click the blog links to see the winnings with my name posted on their blog : )

• Brenda's wedding blog (click here for the winner announcement post): 52 credits to Invys.com (credits to download artwork/printable invitations for thank you notes, invitations, save the dates, etc.) (contest description post)
  
• Bella Lucia Photography blog (click here for the winner announcement post): a book called "How to be a Beautiful Bride" (contest description post)
  

Food I Like

I know you guys were asking about some of my favorite foods that are within my dietary restrictions. Since I know I won't be able to think of everything at once, I decided to do a blog post rather than an email- that way I could keep updating it as I thought of things to add. I'm assuming you're asking for grocery store items, so I will list lots of my favs from Trader Joe's in mind (although some of these things you could obviously get anywhere). I also don't know exactly what kinds of food you're curious about (snacks, apps, desserts, meals, etc.), so I'll try my best to add a little of everything. I'm just going to pretend I'm making a shopping list.... Feel free to make comments or email me if you have more specific requests!

• roasted red pepper hummus
• 3-layer hummus (layers are: roasted red pepper, original, cilantro)
• everything bagel chips
• pita bite crackers
• organic baby spinach salad
  
• organic blueberries
• organic strawberries
• organic baby carrots
• organic apples with organic creamy, unsalted peanut butter
  
• organic corn chips
• Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or any FRESH salsa without additives or preservatives
• T Joe's all-natural vanilla cake mix (if you were looking for a dessert item)
• chicken shu mai (T Joe's all natural asian apps in the frozen food section)
• all natural egg rolls (I'm pretty sure Trader Joe's has these too)
• organic white wine (I generally don't drink, but could make an exception for the shower if there is going to be alcohol- if not, that's completely fine too :)
  

Just to sum up the restrictions/foods that I avoid again (along with a few strong opinions I threw in), here they are:

• organic when possible
• when organic is not possible (b/c there are many times it's not), all-natural is the best alternative - just make sure that it is really all-natural (meaning nothing artificial is included and there are no preservatives used)
  
• no dairy products (almond milk is my milk alternative)
• for chicken or beef (which probably will not apply for the food you guys are getting, but just in case...) I will only eat chicken or beef that is all-natural, free-range, vegetarian fed, never treated with antibiotics or hormones - if it doesn't say this on the package, that means that you're eating medicated meat that's been caged in a dark, unsanitary living area on top of other animals that are sick and sometimes dead... yup, pretty gross... I highly recommend watching the documentary Food Inc. if you'd like to see what I'm talking about. Oooh, I just learned that I can post the trailer for the movie. Watch below.
• NO artificial sweeteners (this includes sweet n lo, nutra sweet, splenda, anything with aspartame, etc.). Aspartame causes cancer, this is a fact. Another documentary, Sweet Misery, A Poisoned World (while very informative, it is rather boring...) that I will post clip of below.
  
• avoid gluten when possible (this can increase my symptoms, but it won't hurt me if I have it here and there)
• no alcohol (I haven't drank since New Year's and don't plan to drink again until the bachelorette, so I don't think a glass of wine would kill me)

*Will update more things as I think of them!

Food Inc Clip:

Sweet Misery, A Poisoned World Clip:

Bridesmaid Dresses - Final Decision

I made the final decision that the bridesmaid dresses will be the Priscilla of Boston, style 1608, in the color azalea (the color shown in this picture is not azalea).

Hopefully the orders will all be sent out this week- we should expect them to arrive in about 4.5 months.

Invitations - Wording & Etiquette

I have had to search this stuff so many times that I've decided to put links up on my blog just to make it easier to find. Also, it seems that there are samples for bridal shower invites, rehearsal dinners, and many other occasions- so they might be useful for you guys too!

• Sample Invitation Wording @ Invitation Consultants
• Crash Course in Addressing Envelopes @ The Knot
• Wedding Invitation Etiquette Guide @ Southworth

RSVP Sticker

It dawned on me that I left out the "R.S.V.P. by..." date when I did the reception cards. Since I already printed most of them, I tried to come up with a creative idea so I wouldn't have to re-do everything. So, I made a sticker that will serve as the seal to hold the envelope together, but also has a little message that says "R.S.V.P. by August 1st". Also- I printed a matching name label for the front of the envelope (not the one that is mailed, but for the inside envelope). I know stickers sound tacky, but I think that these ended up looking pretty tasteful. Here are some pictures to try and help explain my idea....

The sticker that holds the envelope together:
Name sticker on the front of the envelope:
Envelope standing upright to show where the 2 stickers are located:

DIY Distraction

Since I wasn't feeling great today (recovering from my vacation illness and now herxing after restarting my antibiotics again), I decided to distract myself with a new project. I've seen some ideas for decorating your own votives, and I decided to experiment. I made one with patterned vellum, another with pink paper and heart cutouts, and another with ribbon. Here's how they turned out:

Vellum Votive

Ribbon Votive

Heart Votive

I really like the first 2 for inside, and I think they would look pretty on the reception tables in 4 clusters of 3. (I keep seeing that look, and I really like it.) I think the pink votives with the heart cutouts would look cute outside. Maybe they could outline the terrace, which would look really pretty after the sun sets.

Bridesmaid Dresses

Bridesmaids- check your email for an update on the dress situation. Please get your measurements to me ASAP because I am pretty sure that I am going to go ahead and order the Priscilla dress. I will be out of town Wed-Sun so I won't be posting much, but am probably going to try to get the order started over the phone (if that's possible) because these dresses take 4 1/2 months to come in. Will update more about the dresses as soon as I get some more information from Stefanie at the bridal shop.