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After our September engagement, I was in no hurry to rush out and try on dresses. Now don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t have been more excited about finding “the one.” It was more the prospect of actually trying on the gowns that made me so hesitant.
As a plus size bride, it isn’t easy to find a bridal salon you can walk into and try on a dress that fits. Samples don’t generally run up into the 16s, 18s or 20s. The idea of having to purchase a dress without seeing what it really looked like on my body scared the crap out of me.
My mom came to the rescue and found Miss Pamela’s. Miss Pamela’s is a plus size bridal salon in Rochester, Indiana specializing in only plus size bridal and prom gowns. The salon carries brands such as Jasmine, Maggie Sottero, Allure, Mary’s and more. A 2.5 hour drive was no obstacle for the chance to walk into a salon and try on any dress I liked.
I had been tearing pictures of dresses out of magazines (maybe even before we were engaged) and there was definitely a strong theme and style of gown I was leaning towards.
While browsing the Weddingbee classifieds several months ago, I ran across this post. The bride was selling items used in her winter wedding and one of the pictures showed two sparkly navy baskets. I was less interested in the baskets themselves and more interested in what was inside the baskets.
Image via Weddingbee.com
I was curious what the bells were used for as I couldn’t read the tags. I e-mailed the seller and she responded they had used the bells after their ceremony. Each guest grabbed a bell on their way out of the church and when she and her new husband exited, everyone rang their bells. This was her alternative to the bubbles, rice or confetti post-ceremony toss.
I had been racking my brain up until this point for ideas for our church exit.
I’m looking forward to having our return address stamp travel all over the country greeting our guests. I had spent more than enough time on Etsy drooling over amazing custom return stamps such as:
Emilie Friday Calligraphy via Etsy.com
As I’ve mentioned, I really wanted to try and save money in the flower department. I was thinking of alternatives for the bridesmaid bouquets but I’m not a big fan of the faux silk flower look so I didn’t really want to head in that direction. Then, at a bridal expo in Valparaiso in mid-January, I found this:
(Personal Photo)
One of the local vendors had this crystal bead bouquet on display. The more I looked at it, the more I thought it would fit in with our overall look and it would add a festive touch to the bridesmaids’ ensambles. But at around $100 a pop, there was no way this would be a cheaper alternative to flowers.
Featured on Weddingbee
Unique Wedding Favors
“Add a memorable touch to your wedding with unique favors that match your theme.”
We only had to wait four days until we received our engagement pictures. I couldn’t rip open the envelope and boot up the computer fast enough.
I won’t keep anyone in suspense and share the goodies right away!
(All images owned by the Sunhats and photos taken by Stephen Martin Photography.)
This is our absolute favorite photo. Wrigley was so good! Stephen, our photographer, just had us call her over and he handled the rest. Right before he snapped a picture, he would ask “Wrigley—you want a treat?!” and she’d look right at him!
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
I love flowers—I really do. I enjoy seeing all of the bright blooms as the weather warms up and a surprise bouquet from Mr. Ballcap is always welcomed and appreciated.
What I don’t love about flowers, specifically wedding flowers, is the COST. I’m trying to cut costs in our budget where ever I can. It’s become a bit of a game for me, actually. I have a pretty solid budget set up for our wedding, but if I can get the final tally to be under the estimate, I will jump for joy! To me, flowers seemed like a really good area to save money on.
We have already decided on a design for the boutonnières that requires no flowers (based upon my NYE inspiration post!) so we are already saving there. My mom and I also have an idea for no-flower bouquets for my girls. Once this DIY project gets under way, I’ll be sure to share.
So what about me? I originally envisioned carrying a large all white / ivory bouquet somewhat resembling a big snow ball. That vision was soon trumped when I ran across the likes of these:
Image via EventDecorator.com/ Photo by Rowell Photography
Back in July, Mr. Ballcap and I made a trip to Costco to start stocking up on things for our annual 4th of July party. This was our second Independence Day in our home and because we have a pool, it only makes sense for us to open our home to our friends and family to have a kick-ass good time.
Now as a couple, we aren’t the overly lovey-dovey types who display grandiose gestures of romanticism. The occasional bunch of flowers or a card are sweet touches, but to me it is more of the little, unexpected, unplanned moments that really knock my socks off.
While strolling down the refrigerated aisles at Costco looking for hot dogs, he started talking about a recent conversation with his dad. They were discussing the wedding and our relationship overall and he told his dad “She’s my best friend. She’s my best bud.”
Now I know a lot of people say that their significant other is their BFF, but honestly, I’ve never really thought too much about it.
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Oh Tyra—thank you for teaching us all how to Smize!
Video via YouTube.com
When we finally took our engagement pictures in late May, I was all ready to get my Smize on!
I booked an appointment to get my hair and makeup done. This gave me a good opportunity to test out a wedding day makeup look. I’m lucky enough that my hair stylist (and now makeup stylist!) is Mr. Ballcap’s cousin. I typically go to her home for my beautification days but visited her at the salon this time instead.
I was enjoying my time in the chair when my phone rang and it was our awesome photographer Stephen Martin. He asked about the weather and I told him the storms were supposed to hold off until the evening and that I was getting my hair done and was excited for the shoot. He had concerns about the wind, but that we’d go ahead and move forward. This made me a little nervous and I wondered if we should just push it to another day, but he assured me it would be great.
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When deciding on outfits for our engagement pictures, I knew I wanted to take one set of casual pictures and another with a little bit dressier feel.
We are lucky to have a fantastic location for our pictures—my grandparents’ old farm. My parents still live next door and, although family no longer lives on the farm property, we still own the land and ramshackle barns that make for a perfect backdrop.
The casual outfit was an easy find. Because of the country/farm feel of the setting, I wanted to find a cute plaid or “country looking” shirt to pair with jeans and some boots. One lunchtime trip to Macy’s and I scored the perfect shirt—in our wedding color, no less!
Image via Macy’s (in navy—no longer available)
Holding our wedding on New Year’s Eve wasn’t something I had ever thought of prior to our engagement. I knew that I wanted a winter wedding, so once we looked at the calendar and saw that NYE fell on a Saturday, a light bulb went off. Why not ring in the new year with my new husband surrounded by all the people we love?!
I have never been to a New Year’s Eve wedding, so I needed some inspiration. We wanted the overall feel of the night to be celebratory, but with a warm, cozy, winter atmosphere.
I wasn’t too hopeful that I would find much inspiration—but I was wrong wrong wrong!
Image via Miller + Miller
September 25, 2010 seemed like any other ordinary Saturday. Mr. Ball Cap and I made plans to have my dad come over and help us with some landscaping and home-repair jobs.
Unbeknownst to me, while the guys returned some yard equipment, Mr. Ball Cap took the opportunity to ask my dad for permission to ask for my hand in marriage. I always loved this tradition and it was never a question for either of us whether Mr. Ball Cap would ask. My dad told him he and my mom would be honored to have him in our family. So sweet!
The guys returned to our house and grilled up lunch. Mr. Ball Cap’s phone was on the kitchen island and, while he was outside, it rang. The number on the caller ID didn’t have a name associated with it, so I opened the patio door and tossed him the phone. He answered and just kept saying, “Yes, uh huh, yes, OK, thank you” to the person on the other end. When he hung up, he just mumbled that he wasn’t sure who it was—some lady rambling on and he didn’t really remember what she said or was talking about. I was completely confused and shrugged it off as a wrong number.
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Hello, hive! Miss Sunhat here, and I think I’m still in shock that I’m really a bee now! I can’t tell you how excited and honored I am to be blogging for the hive. I found the email at about 1 AM after getting home from a concert (Stone Temple Pilots, yeah!) and couldn’t sleep for hours! I’ve been reading Weddingbee for about a year and a half now, and when the tea party generation of icons came out, I knew the sunhat was just the icon for me!
Why a sunhat? Well, I love hats—really love hats. Like I was waiting for my invite to the royal wedding so I could rock the hell out of an amazing hat. The bigger the brim, the more I love the hat. I may not have gone this route:
Image via Truthquake News
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Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax Accountant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape Foreman Engagement Date: September 25, 2010 Wedding Date: December 2011 Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta Palace About Me: I'm a Midwest girl who grew up in the country and now works in the big city! I love cooking, entertaining, reading (addicted to my Kindle) and going to the movies. I don't miss an episode of Hoarders and I start cleaning every time I watch! My profession doesn't call for much creativity so wedding planning has been a great outlet. Mr. Sunhat and I met online three years ago, cheer for rival MLB teams and share a home with our dog, Wrigley. We are planning a traditional, Polish, Catholic wedding with lots of DIY elements and some fun surprises. I'm so excited to be married on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to ring in the new year as husband and wife!
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