Weddingbee Blog

So, remember how I promised that I’d focus on the important things for the wedding? Well, I promise I looked up the process of getting a marriage license in NY state, and learned that we need our birth certificates, drivers’ licenses, and can’t do it until we are les sthan 60 days out from the wedding day. Task #1 complete (sort of)!

And to celebrate the fact that I did something important (well, at least researched something important), I did the most non-important project EVER. Inspired by Miss Fox’s awesome pimped shoes, I flat out copied her (hope you don’t mind Miss Fox!). So hive, I leave you with my awesome, newly sparkly Badgley Mischkas. (P.S. - I still can’t walk in them!)

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and I am starting to freak out! Where did all the time go? When you have a fairly long engagement (for us it was about 1.5 years), you feel like you have an unlimited time to get everything accomplished. Today, on the verge of being in the double digits, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed. Sure I’ve tried to get a lot done slowly but surely, yet my to do list still feels about a mile long!

I suppose I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed about life in general. In five weeks I find out where I will train for my residency. After that, Mr. Elk has about 2.5 months to find a new job. Then I graduate, we get married, go on a honeymoon, move, and start our new jobs all within a one month period. I feel like I’ve kind of put the wedding on the sidelines because there are so many other things occupying my brain at the moment.

But I can’t procrastinate any longer, and most pressing items on my to do list include:

1) Figure out marriage license and name change information

2) Make sure our friend is actually certified and ready to perform our ceremony

3) Write our ceremony

All the cute little DIY projects I still have lined up to complete will simply have to come second to those on my priority list, even though the DIYs are tempting, as they seem like a lot more fun!
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I’ve known that Mr. Elk and I would have a handfasting ceremony from the moment I heard about them. It fits perfectly with our personally tailored ceremony (which, by the way, I haven’t even started writing) and beautifully incorporates an Irish tradition (since Mr. Elk’s parents are fresh off the boat, and we will have a few of his relatives flying in!). I love that our hands will be tied as one, and we will talk of how our hands will forevermore be linked together.

Anyway, this desire to have a handfasting ceremony was only intensified when I saw this gorgeous shot months ago:

Image via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Larissa Cleveland

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A long, long time ago I showed you the plan for my escort cards and table numbers, which, to refresh your memory you can see below:

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A little while ago I showed you the results of my hair trial, and I discussed possible hair accessories to add a little umphh to the style. I was trying to decide between a rhinestone bow or some sort of floral accessory, and in the end I decided on the bow. It’s kind of funny, because I am not really a “bling” sort of girl, but I just love bows so much!!! I stalked Etsy for quite some time, and ultimately decided on an adorable comb by seller DanaCastle. Unfortunately, it became clear to me almost immediately after receiving my cute little bow that my thin hair was way too limp to hold it up. I didn’t want to give up wearing the bow, so I decided to take it apart and try another strategy. (Personal photos ahead)

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After taking a little bit of time off to refuel my wedding fire, I am back with a few major projects checked off my list!

A long time ago I decided I would buy canvas tote bags from cheaptotes.com (99 cents each!) to use for out of town bags. They cost about the same as typical gift bags that I have seen used, but are reusable which I really appreciate. I bought about 50 bags a few months ago, and have had them sitting in my living room since then, waiting to be made special. The problem was I couldn’t decide what to put on them.

My original thoughts were to put a design that did not overwhelmingly scream Mr and Mrs Elks wedding, so guests could potentially reuse them if they wanted without our names and wedding date screaming at the world. Since I love bows, that was the first idea that really suck with me, and I found this adorable tote as inspiration:

Lauren Moshi Taylor Bow Canvas Tote

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Hive, I’ve been feeling a little off lately, and I’m hoping you can help me. I was once the most enthusiastic of all brides to be. I spent most of my free time researching wedding related paraphernalia. I was the queen of wasting my time doing unsuccessful DIY projects.

Lately, though, I’ve lost that spark. I can’t bring myself to make a decision about anything wedding related. I have a list of things to do a mile long but can’t seem to get anything on it done. I have nightmares that I get to the wedding only to realize I never had a final meeting with the florist and she uses only calla lilies (the one flower I asked her not to use), or that I never finished writing our ceremony, or that I didn’t make sure our officiant is actually licensed, etc. etc. etc.
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I was browsing Dafont.com the other day when I realized just how many amazingly fun fonts there are! Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of a use for most of them, but decided to download a bunch just for funsies. (P.S. there is most definitely a Harry Potter font that I now have downloaded—totally using it for invitations to a H.P. themed party!) Anyhoo, I got to screwing around and after a few minutes I had created this cute little story about me and Mr Elk.

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As the weather in Syracuse seems to have finally decided that it is in fact winter, I can’t help but dream wildly about the amazing time that awaits us on our warm honeymoon! Since I’m dreaming about it all day and night, I figured I should let you in on the details.

So last we talked about the honeymoon, I explained that while we had always thought we’d go to Greece, we just didn’t think it could reasonably happen. After many back and forth conversations that didn’t lead anywhere, we FINALLY agreed on Costa Rica! The decision was helped by a number of bees before me who have gone and only had amazing things to say.

Originally I was dead set on staying at Oxygen Jungle Villas—the place where Mrs. Brooch and Mrs. Lox both honeymooned. Their recaps looked out of this world, and the resort looks to die for!

Photo by Mrs. Lox on Weddingbee

While researching OJV, I came across another little resort in the same area of Costa Rica. TikiVillas Rainforest lodge is a small resort with just five Balinese-style raised bungalows in the heart of the jungle overlooking the ocean. It has been open for just over a year and has gotten some great reviews on TripAdvisor.

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Before we get into the juice of this post, I have to tell you that we’ve had a DJ booked for quite some time. We looked into having a live band, but just could not justify the (at least) $3000 extra that would be spent. I was quite honestly a little bummed, because every wedding I’ve been to with live music has definitely had that extra oomph. Anyway, DJ booked.

So when I started talking to Mr. Elk about what music he wanted to walk down the aisle to, he agreed that Beatles songs and other classics would do the trick. I’ve never pictured myself walking to  Here Comes the Bride or Canon in D, and Mr Elk is big into music, especially from the ’60s, so it was easy for us to be on the same page on this front. Mr Elk didn’t seem thrilled, though, that we would be walking to radio versions of songs. Please note that this conversation happened at least 6 months ago. He seemed to think that this wouldn’t be special enough for such a big day. Even the Vitamin String Quartet version of songs wouldn’t do it for him. At that point I was a little peeved that he hadn’t said something sooner, but fine, no biggie. If he wanted real strings to make the ceremony more special that was fine. But since I couldn’t care less about this, it was totally and completely up to him! I gave him the contact for two  reputable string ensembles in the area and told him it was his responsibility to make it happen. Fast forward ’til about three weeks ago, and he STILL hadn’t contacted anyone. I was pretty convinced he had decided he didn’t care either, as I had reminded him every month. But no, he finally got his act together and we now officially have a string duo for our ceremony.

So what are we planning on walking down the aisle to?
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A while ago I told you how I wanted our dog involved in the wedding without actually being in attendance. Well, I think I found a way! A while ago while browsing (aka stalking) my favorite wedding websites, I saw something that made me look twice! This adorable picture:

via Style Me Pretty/Photo by Shutterbird Photography

What you can’t see is the adorable caption that goes along with those stylish doggies in the photo, which says “What do you mean we can’t come?”

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Hive, I have to tell you that I have never for a minute cared about my nails. Sure, I’ve gotten some manicures in my life for special events! But on a daily basis, my nails are not treated with respect. If I’m being 100% honest, I’m a nail picker. I say this because I don’t really bite my nails (although I will if they are breaking). Instead I pick at the cuticles (I know, gross). It’s a bad habit that got started during stressful schooling.

So I don’t know what has happened to me lately, but I have become completely and utterly obsessed with my nails! Like, I have literally acquired about seven new nail polish colors in the past two months. And not only have I been playing with color, but I’ve been playing with techniques as well!

Thanks to my obsession with Pinterest, I have discovered crazy techniques to make your nails over-the-top ridiculous, like water marbling (as you can see modeled on my hands above).

Currently, my favorite color has become Mink Muffs by Essie (shout out to Miss Mink!). It’s the perfect combination of darkness for the winter with a hint of taupy lightness.
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Although I love weddings, there are some things about weddings that I’m not the biggest fan of, and therefore will not include at my own nuptials. I thought I’d share my thoughts about those traditions that will not be making an appearance at our own wedding:

1. Cake Toppers

“The Love Pinch” via All Wedding AZ

While this is probably my favorite cake topper out there, we’re  still not having one. It’s not that I don’t like cake toppers. I think most are adorable, especially with all of the options there are these days. It’s more that I don’t understand their purpose. Like why is there a little bride and groom on top of a cake? It doesn’t make ANY sense to me! Therefore, I don’t feel like wasting money/DIY time and energy to have one.
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It took quite a while to decide who would marry us. We knew it wouldn’t be anyone affiliated with a religion, as we want a secular ceremony. Once we had made that decision, I completely stopped caring about this (extremely important) detail for months.

Finally, a friend mentioned how awesome it would be if someone we knew married us, since we had no other requirements of our officiant. I realized this would be amazing. We could have a truly personal ceremony, led by someone who has known us our entire relationship.

Thrilled with the idea, I talked it over with Mr. Elk who also seemed excited (though a little apprehensive at first). Mama Elk was a whole other story. For whatever reason, even though Mr Elk and I are mature enough to be GETTING MARRIED, our friends are not mature enough to marry us. Yes, there is no logic in this at all, I understand. Mama Elk really preferred a Justice of the Peace, and even threw out the idea of having one of her best friends marry us (who has never met Mr Elk).

Mr Elk and I were frustrated—we both felt like it was OUR wedding ceremony, and we wanted it to be personal for us, not her.
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I can’t type those words without thinking of this song!

P.S. - that is Matthew Morrison (of Glee) who was in the original cast of Broadway’s Hairspray (which I got to see when I was 16 with that original cast!! Wow, that was almost 10 years ago. I’m old )

OK, back to the point of this post. It takes two people to get married, but I’ve found it takes two to plan the wedding as well. And no, my partner in planning is not Mr Elk. (Personal Photos)

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