The Nightmares Just Don’t Stop
July 12th, 2007 @ 4:00 pm by Mrs. Blueberry
Nearly two months after my wedding, and I’m still having nightmares. I think some of this has to do with my renewed interest in it–our pro pics shoud be here in just a few days, I just put together this rockin’ shadowbox, and I’m starting to become distanced enough from it that I don’t mind thinking about it anymore. 
Top row: program, my headband, my garter, matchbook. Bottom row: napkin, tag and ribbon from a favor, complete invitation (envelopes and everything), Mr. Blueberry’s boutonniere. Scattered in the bottom: flower petals, stars from the favors, and some confetti from the tables.
Details, Details
July 11th, 2007 @ 3:38 pm by Mrs. Blueberry
We tried to incorporate the St Louis Cardinals into our wedding in a subtle way. We’re both fans–one of our first dates was to a Cards game, and they’ve been near and dear to me ever since. 
Until I discovered my garter, I’d planned on creating some sort of Cardinals garter. But in the end, we only ended up incorporating them in one way:
Budget Nonsense
June 27th, 2007 @ 11:03 am by Mrs. Blueberry
Most readers have probably figured out that our budget was not large by NY/LA standards, and not even really by midwest standards. When we first started planning, my desires were clear and adamant: we basically wanted to create a wedding on a budget, that didn’t *look* like it was on a budget. We started out working with about $8,000, all from my parents, and kept that number firmly in our minds over the course of planning. And all in all, I think we stuck to that number pretty well.
Here’s as complete a breakdown as we have, to the best of my knowledge. Some of these numbers are estimates, but I think they’re all fairly close to exact:
My Maggie Sottero gown: $768
Veil: $72
Shoes: $45
Jewelry, tiara, and misc. attire: ~$60
Flower girl baskets (4 of them): $16
Flower girl headpieces (4 of them): $30
Tulle and decorative flowers for ceremony: $50
Flower petals for ceremony: $20
Wedding Video!
June 25th, 2007 @ 3:43 pm by Mrs. Blueberry
We just got our wedding video in the mail today, and it was *amazing*! Our videographer, Heather Attig, captured the entire ceremony, all the ’important bits’ of the reception (toasts, cake cutting, first dance, etc), and interviews with our friends and family. It was a great deal for the price we paid, and we loved that we got to assemble it ’a la carte’–she gave us a list of services she could provide, and we picked and chose those that we wanted to include. So we didn’t end up paying for a bunch of nothing that we didn’t want.
Some things I noticed, while watching our wedding ’from afar’:
~I look like an idiot. And I sound like a four-year-old. Of course, I already knew this 
~It was wonderful getting to see our entire ceremony from start to finish. Because of course I don’t remember most of it as I saw it firsthand!
~The interviews with our guests were really funny and moving. It’s great how people dont’ always know what to do when a microphone is thrust into their hands.
~The first dance was LONG! We knew this as we were dancing, but now watching it on video I can’t imagine how our guests sat through that whole three minutes. Guess there’s really not a way around that one, though. Read more…
Wedding Photos - Mike’s Snapshots
June 23rd, 2007 @ 10:33 am by Mrs. Blueberry
My cousin Susan’s husband Mike (Kaitlyn the flower girl’s dad) took these pictures; they’re some of my favorites that we’ve gotten so far!
Before most of the guests showed up:
Wedding Pictures - More Snapshots
June 19th, 2007 @ 11:58 am by Mrs. Blueberry
These were taken by my cousin Julie and her family–Emily and Olivia, her daughters, were two of our flower girls!
Not much here that y’all haven’t seen before, but there are some new angles and such that I like 
The girls filling out cards for the ‘wishbowl’:
Vendor Review - MOH and MOB Dresses
June 9th, 2007 @ 10:53 am by Mrs. Blueberry
Maid of honor and MOB dresses: Fashions at Large, Overland Park, KS (a KC suburb)
I went to Fashions at Large twice in two days. The first time was a culmination of a whole day’s worth of MOH dress searching. In finding her dress, I tried to be *really* easygoing with Katie: I asked that the dress be blue, and probably tea-length. Those were the only requests I had. So Katie, her mom and I set out early one Saturday morning and began searching. We tried unsuccessfully at many department stores before heading over to Fashions at Large. This place retails Alfred Angelo, as well as many other brands of BM dresses. When we got there we were greeted by a nice girl (I’m pretty sure her name was Lauren). Katie tried on several different dresses, and ultimately found hers. Lauren was extremely fun to work with—very friendly and easygoing, and not afraid to offer her honest opinion. She really made us feel comfortable and appreciated, a feeling we hadn’t really gotten in the other stores.
One problem: the owner of this shop is a *talker*! She kept going on and on, long after we had ordered the dress and were ready to leave. She had Katie’s mom cornered for at least an hour, talking about this and that. We were all afraid to look at each other for fear we’d crack up laughing. Finally, and at her first opportunity (no, really), Katie’s mom grabbed us and we dashed off.
Life, As We Know It
June 6th, 2007 @ 3:52 pm by Mrs. Blueberry
I’m currently blogging from our ’backyard’ (I put that in quotes because it’s really just the small yard behind our house-turned-into-apartments, and because there are no gnomes. It’s not a real backyard without gnomes.)
Since you asked, our ring-a-ling-a-ding-dings:
Brunch Pics
June 5th, 2007 @ 4:28 pm by Mrs. Blueberry
Here are some snapshots from the day-after brunch.
It was just what we wanted–a casual affair with our close friends and relatives, the opportunity to unwind, eat some yummy leftovers (and Krispy Kreme!!!), and celebrate in a very relaxed way. I think everyone had a great time 
Everyone met at my parents’ house around 11:00, where Mom and Dad had set out leftovers from the day before, plus doughnuts, bagels, fruit, OJ, and coffee.
Near the end of things, people started urging us to open our wedding gifts–so of course we obliged.
I’m only putting this one up because the look on Mr. Blueberry’s mom’s face cracks me up:
Vendor Review - Bridal Shop
June 5th, 2007 @ 12:30 pm by Mrs. Blueberry
(I’m officially starting my vendor reviews….NOW!. Hope this helps another Kansas City-area bride!)
My wedding gown: The Bridal Shoppe, Kirksville, MO 120 N Franklin St, Kirksville, MO 63501 (660) 665-0122
I thought I’d start my vendor reviews with one of my absolute favorite vendors. In June 2006, my parents were visiting me for an afternoon in my college town. I mentioned to my mom that there was a dress I’d liked in the window of the local bridal shop, so we went down to check it out. We’d already had one massive marathon dress-hunting expedition, and I didn’t find anything I really loved. So even though it seemed like a shot in the dark, we headed over to the small bridal shop.
