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I haven’t done a Flab to Fab post in a month. Yikes.
I didn’t fall off the wagon completely, but I have had a bit of a bender. I’ll save you the excuses. Suffice it to say, it’s been a while. But all is not lost - I’m reinvigorated. Now that the pre-wedding festivities are on a a 45-day hiatus, it’s time to grab those handlebars and go for the giggity gold. Slim, straight and strong - here I come!
THE (new, improved) PLAN:
Workin’ on my fitness:
Eat yo’ salad, no dessert:
I got some new reward stickers for my calendar, and have hung a few motivational notes around my house. I even resurrected an old favorite as a personal Flab to Fab Redux theme song. (Go ahead, try not to be motivated to move by that jam!)
To kick things back off, a brand new recipe!
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Check out what just arrived in my inbox! That’s right, an evite to my own bachelorette party! I’m so excited! It makes the fact that I’m getting married in 5 months feel a little bit more real, and I like it.
And of course, I can’t wait for the party!
Have you got big bachelorette plans? Where are you going and what are you doing?
… finally! I am almost finished addressing these suckers and they will be in the mail this week! I bought the envelopes online. I had originally ordered a pretty cheap box of 100 ivory envelopes for about $15 (I can’t remember the source at the moment), but when they came in, they were thinner than I wanted them to be. So I ordered more, from PaperSource. In this case, price = quality. I think I paid $4.50/10 envelopes (I ordered about $25 worth). In the end, I wasn’t able to send every save the date in a PaperSource envelope, but now I know where to order my envelopes for next time.
Here are the PaperSource envelopes, neatly packaged:
I had thought about just printing addresses on the envelopes (easy right?), but then I saw how nice calligraphy (more like writing with a calligraphy pen) looks. So, I decided that maybe I could address them myself using a calligraphy pen. I narrowed it down to three different types:
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Early on in our wedding discussions, my guy mentioned three things he wanted: 1) a yummy cake, 2) our wedding at home, and 3) to look like James Bond.
Not able to afford Brioni suits, we went on a hunt for the same look: classic, but with modern tailoring. My guy’s interpretation was a black two-button suit with flat-front pants. Did you get that? Two button suit with flat front pants. And therein began a six month’s long search that finally (FINALLY) ended at Macy’s.com with the Tommy Hilfiger Black Trim Fit Suit Separate.
{Public service announcement from the Bee-roadcast System: Macy’s is having a one day sale TODAY, and that suit is another $80 off, so it’s now less than half of the original price. Go now. And thanks to Pengy for getting this post up ASAP so that you’d be able to save some dough.}
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Featured on Weddingbee
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
“Make an elegant invitation statement without the fuss. Stylish invitation sets with matching envelopes, reception and response cards included.”
Last week, an interesting post popped up on one of the photography blogs I follow. After first writing a teaser about the experience — and promising pictures — Krista of Edison Photography shared candids and portraits taken while accompanying a bride-to-be and her groom on (separate) fitting appointments. (All pictures courtesy of Edison Photography.)
None of the pictures give away the day-of attire. Rather, they focus on the connections shared between those in attendance — a mother’s emotional response to a daughter transformed into a bride, three generations playfully interacting during an appointment at a tuxedo shop.
It’s true. I am addicted to shoes.
All flat, of course. I spent many an hour stalking shoes online before I found the *perfect ones*.
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Running of the Brides was absolute chaos! I was prepared in terms of team organization, signs, mirror, etc., but I just wasn’t prepared for a lot of things thrown my way the week leading up to the event.
First to go wrong was the “free” part of a contest I won back in February. The contest coordinators, Atlanta Occasions, really dropped the ball on the specifics of my winnings. I hate to throw anyone under the bus, but one of the reasons for me starting this blog was to be honest about my entire wedding planning experience and to give valuable insight to other soon-to-be-brides out in cyberspace about potential vendors and such.
Anyways, the contest description was for a FREE gown at the Running of the Brides, plus team uniforms for the event. However, I got an email just 9 days before the event from a coordinator saying that she had my $249 Filene’s Basement gift certificate for me. I was like, “HUH?” There was absolutely NO fine print or mention of a gift card. I was under the impression that I would pick out a dress, my name would be on a list at the register, and I’d walk out not paying a dime. She tried to “assure me” that 90% of the gowns were sold at the $249 price range. But that wouldn’t cover the taxes, or the fact that I could end up picking a gown in the $499 or $699 range. There wasn’t even a mention about the team uniforms. I sent her a polite email basically asking what happened to the original terms. And I basically got an email back saying that since they didn’t have a big turnout with the contest entries, I got the shaft. I was not pleased with this. I had already re-budgeted the money saved for the ROTBs by paying more on my photographer deposit and putting down money for the reception and ceremony sites early. But I sucked it up because of two things: 1) $249 is better than $0, especially in this economy, and as a college student planning a budget wedding and, 2) I very well could find my dream dress at $249.
Then, my team started to shrink.
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You know how you can browse the Gallery by post author, category, and chronological order of post by clicking the “More” buttons at the top of the page? We’ve just added those links to the Boards!
If you want to check out all the threads I’ve started for instance, click here! Please try it out and let us know what you think. Hopefully this makes surfing the boards a little easier and a little more fun! 
PS — Speaking of the Gallery, a ton of new pictures have been uploaded, so check it out and be sure to upload your own!
I won’t lie…these days, Stiletto has puppy on the brain. Charlie has been a member of our family for a little over 3 weeks now, and we’ve been loving every minute of it (despite the draining of our bank accounts, lack of sleep, 5:30AM walks…). While we’ve had cats for a few years, we are such proud pup parents!
Doesn’t that face just look so innocent?! Like he would never, ever wake you up at 3AM crying? Or chase your beloved (err, somewhat spoiled and over-indulged) felines around the house?
We’re slowly but surely learning the right things to do to keep Charlie happy and healthy while training him to be an obedient member of the Stiletto family. And in the process, we’re learning more about ourselves, being selfless, and how different we often react in stressful situations. Our “parenting styles” are definitely showing their true colors.
After having an incredible shower/party weekend in Ohio a month ago, I count myself as being doubly blessed to celebrate with my Chicago gang as well last weekend. Chi-bridesmaids Nic & Andrea made the journey to Ohio with me, and along with my other best, best friend Chi-bridesmaid Carrie, another incredible weekend ensued.
I feel like I say it all the time - and I’m going to say it again - I feel so lucky to have such an amazing group of friends and family! Ohio-bridesmaid Beth and Sister Quiche Nen traveled to Chicago on Friday, which just made the weekend even sweeter.
Saturday started off with… wait for it… picking up my dress from the tailor!! YEAH! But, you’ll have to wait only a few short weeks to see it! Rest assured, it is PERFECT. We even had time for Beth to hit up the salon, Nen to hit up Sweet Mandy B’s for cupcakes, and me to hit up the gym before getting ready for the shower. With all of the activity, it really was such a relaxing weekend!
BMs Carrie, Nicole & Andrea set up the perfect shower for me - High Tea at the Ritz Carlton. I love tea (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a tiny sandwich?).
Before we left - Mini Quiche J, Carrie, Me, Bethany & Nen
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When we first booked our reception, we knew that the venue would not be providing dishes. They do not hold events there on a regular basis, nor do they plan to in the near future. We kept this in mind when booking our caterer, who is a family friend and has access to dishes through his work. We thought we would be able to use these dishes for our wedding, so we never budgeted for this expense.
A couple months later, I found out there were some circumstances that were preventing us from using the dishes for our wedding. We would have to rent or buy our own, or borrow them from somewhere else. Not knowing where else to borrow them from, we starting weighing the pros and cons of the two remaining options, renting and buying. Here’s what we came up with:
RENTING
Pros
Cons
BUYING
Pros
Cons
OK, that’s a little dramatic. I should say, “See, told you Mom!”
For someone who likes tradition, my Mom has been pretty open about our non-traditional choices. She tells me what she’d prefer, but doesn’t force me to change anything (except for the venue). When I told her about the invitation posters, she seemed really receptive. She loved the design, and was happy not to have to deal with RSVP cards.
Ah, but seeing and hearing are two different things. I don’t think she felt so receptive when she saw the posters. She pretended, though. Later she told me she thought they were a little too large, almost like concert posters. I don’t think she listened when I told her they were concert posters. After her comment, I doubted our decision on size. Maybe I should have made them smaller. D’oh!
Oh, but vindication is ours.
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Previously:
1. Prelude, 2. Tea Ceremony, 3. Getting Ready, 4. The Kids, 5. Wedding Party, 6. Down the Aisle 7. Ceremony, 8. Group Shots, 9. Couple Shots, 10. Jump Shots 11. House Shots, 12. Cocktails and Dinner, 13. First Dance, 14. Parents’ Dance, 15. Toasts, 16. Cake
One of the few things I knew I wanted for our wedding was a Chinese Lion Dance. When done right, the loud and festive performances always light up faces in a crowd.
When I first introduced Mr. GT to it by way of a sad little YouTube video, he couldn’t have been less impressed. As much as I tried to explain, it is just one of those things you don’t truly understand until you experience it in person. Fortunately, our friends got married earlier in the year and Mr. GT was able to witness the awesomeness live from our front and centered seats (thx R&E!). After that, he couldn’t imagine our wedding without one!
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