My favorite post that I loved sharing was when I made my wedding map. It’s not an emotional post at all, but I think it would be helpful to the hive!
~~~
As you might already know, I make maps for a living. So, of course, I had to make our wedding directions map for our invitations! While this map wouldn’t serve as impressive to my colleagues in GIS (Geographic Information Systems), I think this was a pretty good map for our guests, considering I couldn’t use my work’s GIS software!
My Photoshop skills are limited to none, so I used Microsoft PowerPoint to make the maps. I will admit, while it is time consuming, the steps are rather easy. It took me about 3 hours to perfect this map to my liking, but if you aren’t as picky as I am, it shouldn’t take that long! Also, it’s pretty hard to tell you how to make these maps by typing it out, so if there is any confusion, please comment and I’ll try my best to help!
Read more…
I can’t believe how fast the year flew by. I remember sending our invitations, shopping for dresses and the jewelry making adventures during planning.
For my gift to the hubs, I had to make it. I just couldn’t avoid crafts for this. For crying out loud, the first year gift’s tradition is paper. Doesn’t that scream, craft me!?
Anywho, I went to Hobby Lobby, and picked up scrapbook paper (in our wedding colors and some lovey dovey paper prints) with a candy jar. I was on a mission.
The idea? To show the hubs that it’s the small things that matter. Tiny, small favors that brighten the day. I wrote down 52 small favors to do for my husband (one each week this year). These favors range from washing his car to cooking up his favorite meal to giving him “me” days in the house.
This week, he picked the one where I say I’ll do all the dishes this week. Ack!
Here are the 52 small favors all folded up.
Read more…
After the money dance was over, Mom BF informed me that we should change into our “going away” outfits since our reception was almost over, time wise. So, I went in the back and Mom BF helped me change into my going away dress. I got my dress at JCPenney’s for about $30. Ironically, it sort of matched our favor boxes’ pattern.
After that was done, Mr. BF went in the room to change. In the meantime, I tried to help Mom BF load my luggage in Mr. BF’s car, while people were still dancing around. Then I heard it: the beginning of the second line!
Instinctively, I ran back in there to see what was going on! The second line dance is notoriously the last dance where the bride/groom lead the line of guests around the dance floor. Bride/groom wave fancy umbrellas, guests wave napkins. It’s fun. There are tons of videos on YouTube if you’re curious to see one in action.
So, I go inside, and Mr. BF is still changing. I start freaking out.
This post is probably going to make some of you cringe, but where I’m from, money dances are a tradition. I’ve never been to a wedding in New Orleans that didn’t have a money dance, but I know to some, these are considered tacky. I learned this after being flamed on a wedding forum when I was looking for song suggestions. Ugh… why can’t we brides just get along?
Anywho, we chose “Mony Mony” (close enough to “money” right?) by Billy Idol as the song. We chose this song because we just wanted to have some fun and laugh with our guests over a dance. Sure, they didn’t have to put money in a Crown Royal bag that my MOH was holding, but wow, were we overwhelmed by the generosity of our guests. It took us 2 songs to dance with everyone who wanted to dance with us.
Yes, I know, Crown Royal bag. So, a bride forgot one thing to get, and the reception coordinator had to improvise. Big deal. 
So, here are some shots from the money dance. We all had a blast!
This is me and our ring bearer. He is so stinkin’ cute!
After eating some delicious cake, drinking a little more and of course, more boogie-time, it was time to toss that bouquet!
I had a toss bouquet made by the florist, because I’m totally sentimental and couldn’t imagine my bouquet being ripped to shreds by single ladies. I wish I could tell you that I did something creative with my bouquet, but nope, it’s just dry, sitting on a shelf in my craft room. ::sigh:: (ideas are welcome at this point)
After the girls finished laughing about the outcome from the cake pull, we had quite a crowd gather around to watch us cut into our wedding cake. I love this picture of Mr. Ballet Flat… just a great smile there! I think it’s because he likes me or something. 
I really don’t like cutting into cakes. Maybe it’s because I decorate them for a hobby and can appreciate how much work goes into them. So, Mr. BF took the reins and made that first cut… poor cake!
Read more…
After we got our dance on and mingled, our coordinator told us it was cake time. Uhm, there is no need to tell me twice. I walked as swiftly as I could to the table as the DJ announced the names of the single ladies who were going to do the cake pull. 
Now for those of you who are like, “cake pull, what the heck?” It’s a southern tradition that is widely used in New Orleans weddings, and of course, there were a few ways I wanted to bring New Orleans traditions to our wedding. Every wedding I’ve been to has the traditional cake pulls, so I thought it would be fun to do them as well! Of course, I had to Ballet Flat-ify them. I wasn’t going to buy a traditional kit somewhere locally. So, I bought fun New Orleans-y charms and made them myself! Easiest peasiest DIY project evah!
The bakery actually called me after my MOH dropped the cake pulls off for me, and asked if they should use white ribbon instead. They thought it would be more traditional. Hrm… I guess they didn’t realize I made these myself for a reason! They matched the fleur de lis on the cakes fairly closely too, don’t you think?
So, after rounding up the ladies from their groovin’, it was time to cheese it for the camera and grab that ribbon…
Read more…
After I showed off my crazy (klutzy) dance skills, it was time to dance with my dad. I was a little nervous here, because I hadn’t danced with my dad before either! However, my dad is a crazy, hilarious guy, and he made sure to make light of this situation.
In the planning days, I asked my Dad for music preferences. He didn’t seem to care, and it was hard to find something that perfectly fit our relationship. We aren’t don’t exactly fit the mushy father/daughter roles. Rather, it was more like the kind of relationship where he’d pitch a softball to me in the backyard for hours after school and would take me fishing on random Saturdays, where we ate lunch at random camps along the swamps, dodging bees away from the Kool-Aid.
Since I couldn’t find the perfect song, I just kind of Googled “top father/daughter songs” and chose “Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright. Looking back, I have to laugh at myself for this choice. It was too dang sentimental. I remember Dad laughing out loud when he heard the lyrics, “that’s my daughter in the water,” and him screaming (yes, screaming) “Oh man, this song is SILLY!” After that, I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. I love my Dad… haha!
After our formals FULL of smiles, I changed into my awesome platform flip flops (heh, I haven’t worn platforms since high school) and we were asked to get ready to dance.
I will openly admit that Mr. Ballet Flat and I have never (if memory serves me right) danced together. We were thinking about classes, but that was too much pressure. I thought in my head about 2002 senior prom, when I kinda just swayed around in a circle with one of my good friends. With 150 of our family and friends watching, my mentality went from OMG!, to whatever… let’s just dance prom style!
**cue Aerosmith’s “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”** (My favorite song from my favorite movie… so unoriginal, I know.)
It started out innocently, with a lot of thoughts like, ‘OMG we’re married, people are gonna get crazy drunk here because it’s NOLA, I can’t wait to be at Disney World tomorrow…’ Oh yeah, my thoughts were pretty random.
Then, oops! I stepped all over Mr. Ballet Flat. He was miraculously OK and all I was doing was laughing. Maybe I was a little nervous… OK, must.concentrate.now.
Read more…
One of the things I wanted to get done quickly was the formals. Two weeks before, I attended my aunt’s wedding and the photographer was SO slow. It took them an hour and a half to rally up everyone for the formals and get them done. I was so sad for her. She went straight from formals to first dance, then she had to cut the cake and throw the bouquet! After that, most of the time, people start leaving, so her wedding was over before she knew it!! I didn’t want this happening to me, so I asked our photographer if we could get this done quickly and painlessly (literally, because I still had my dang heels on).
Let me tell you, our photographer was awesome with these formals. I do wish some of the people would have smiled, though… it’s a wedding and people should be happy! You’re about to get unlimited booze, food and cake… what’s not to smile about?!? (You’ll see what I mean…)
So, here’s the GQ crew, as a few of my friends called them. My grandma kept joking that they looked like they were posing for a magazine! Haha!
Hello hive! It’s been a few months since I recapped our ceremony, and I must apologize for leaving you hanging after the ceremony. I mean, c’mon, there’s now a PARTY to recap, right? So, here’s a few glimpses around the reception hall, just like the ones our guests had as they walked in. 
Here is our gorgeous cake. Believe it or not, this is buttercream. They got it super smooth for me. I was impressed…I wish I could get my cakes to look this smooth! We also got the florist to put a mini bouquet on top of the cake as our cake topper. It was absolutely beautiful, and we couldn’t wait to dig in!
We had king cake as our groom’s cake for the reception…
Read more…
Image source
If you are in the market for some new makeup, now is a great time to stock up!
Sephora.com is having its Friends & Family sale right NOW until 11/2, which will give you 20% off of your ENTIRE purchase. Simply use the code FF2009 and shipping is free for orders over $50!
Happy shopping! 
After we left the church, we stayed outside with all of our family and friends leaving the church to thank them. The photographer caught quite a few of these, but here are the most notable thoughts that I had going in my head during those Kodak moments.
Dearest Mizz K,
Thank you for allowing me to be a party pooper at 2AM in NOLA. I know you gals could have lasted longer, but, check it out, I have no under-eye circles due to a serious lack of sleep. I also thank you for being SO helpful that morning of the wedding. My head was in Dreamland, so I needed a dose of reality.
After we took our vows, we were all smiles. I mean, how could we NOT be? We were MARRIED! Eek!
However, we forgot one key thing. We were still in church, where you are supposed to pretty much be quiet and pay attention, but we were busting at the seams with happiness. So, what did we do?
After a successful walk down the aisle, it was time to make it official. Mr. Ballet Flat and I are both Catholic, so we had a full Mass for our ceremony.
Since we were married before the Pentecost, the church was still decorated for the Easter season. I’ll give you this picture in color, since it is absolutely beautiful.
I loved all of the Easter arrangements that adorned the Altar.
Mrs. Ballet Flat, New Orleans Age and Occupation: 24, Geographic Information Systems Analyst Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, IT Analyst Engagement Date: March 16, 2008 Wedding Date: May, 2009 Blogging Since: September 25, 2008 Venue: St. Charles Borromeo Church/Jefferson-Orleans North About Me: I absolutely love wedding planning, spending time with Mr. Ballet Flat, various crafts, watching football, baking, pop music, bargain hunting and ice cream. My idea of a great date night is dinner and clearance shopping with Mr. Ballet Flat! I currently live below sea level in the suburbs near New Orleans, where I make maps all day, everyday for my job. I'm slowly becoming more and more obsessed with anything New Orleans related for our wedding, and I can't wait for the big day!
