Weddingbee Blog

As I mentioned on Friday, I had another makeup trial this weekend. This time was almost the exact opposite of my first experience - I walked out and Mr. Sundae said, “Did you not have the trial?” There was barely anything on my face…no foundation, no blush, no bronzer, just a little eyeshadow, some mascara, and some pink lip gloss. Basically, how I look nearly every day when I leave for work.

I asked about the foundation, and she thought that because my skin was clear I didn’t need anything. Sort of makes sense but at least some powder, no? I know, I know, I should have been pushier but halfway through I realized there was just no point. I wasn’t going to be using her so I just politely paid and made my exit. I didn’t even take pictures because, well, there wasn’t much to capture on film
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We’re heading up to Wisconsin this weekend for a mock-up of our reception tables and for a hair and makeup trial! I am so excited I can hardly sit in my chair. I guess after all these months of planning, knowing that things are getting close and finally being able to do trial runs makes it seem so real…this is actually going to happen!

My Mom is bringing up two table runners - one without any edging and another (this cracks me up) that has ribbon on one side and bias tape on another. She wanted me to be able to see the difference between the two and decide which one I like, so she lightly attached both. Yet another reason to love Mama Sundae.

After the tables are situated, I’m having a hair and makeup trial at The Abbey Spa. After my last experience, I’ll admit that I am pretty nervous. This time I’m armed with inspiration pictures, but I’m trying to think of other ways I can decrease the odds of looking like a drag queen. I tried to be as specific as possible with the pictures. Here is my favorite one (source):
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A few weeks ago I had a wedding nightmare that involved Mr. Sundae making a big mistake. We were up at the altar, and our officiant said, “May I have the rings?” Mr. Sundae responded, “Oh, we needed those today?” and proceeded to explain that he thought the rings were something we wore after the wedding, so he left them in a safe deposit box in Chicago. It was one of the more mild wedding-mares I’ve had, but disturbing nonetheless. So while we were on our way to pick out our wedding rings this weekend I made sure to explain that the rings needed to be at the wedding, seeing as how they were a vital part of the ceremony. He thinks I am crazy.

My engagement ring was custom made at Shelle Jewelers, and we love it so much there was no question we would head right back there for our wedding rings. They have craftsmen (is that what you call them?) on site who make the custom jewelry right there in the store. It’s actually quite fascinating - we got to go back and see what platinum looks like in raw form and how they make it into rings. Despite what I imagined about picking out our rings, it was actually really painless. I knew exactly what I wanted because my engagement ring was designed to have a matching band sit right next to it:
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I got a card in the mail this weekend from my Aunt, who we admittedly don’t see very often but is someone I’ve always thought highly of. The card was such a nice gesture in itself, but when I opened it up I found this handkerchief inside along with an explanation that the lace on the side is handmade!

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Over the weekend Mr. Sundae and I ventured from the city to the suburbs in search of wedding bands and suits on sale. We were hugely successful in both of those tasks (more on that later). So successful, in fact, that I was feeling pretty brave. But before I get into all the details you’ll need some background on the situation…

I don’t normally wear much makeup. I have pretty clear skin and therefore skip foundations in favor of light powder. My daily makeup regimen consists of a little eyeshadow, some mascara, and lipgloss. I’ve had my makeup done a few times in my life, always for special occasions, and I have always wound up hating it. But I realize I must have just had bad luck because now I’ve seen the magic that good makeup artists can create. I know without a doubt that I need some makeup help on my wedding day, but I’ve been avoiding that situation like the plague for fear of aforementioned hideousness (Miss Cupcake’s experience only heightened the fear). But like I said, on Saturday I was feeling brave.

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There has been much chivari chair discussion in the hive lately, and I am about to add to the madness. I had been dreaming about chivari chairs ever since I started looking at wedding blogs but eventually I talked myself out of it. Then Miss CreamPuff’s post got me worked up all over again, and I went hunting. These are the chairs that our venue offers for free:

(Image courtesy of Hertz Furniture)
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I keep thinking about these green shoes that Marie Labbancz shared on The Bride’s Cafe last week.

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Since we’re not having our ceremony in a church, the timing of all the events for our wedding day are pretty much up for grabs. In renting the area by the lake, we have it for the entire day… same goes for the reception tent. I really like the freedom of being able to schedule things however we want, but having the whole day open gives us a lot of freedom. We had to narrow it down so decided to work backwards.

The reception has to end at midnight, which I think is a good time for the party to end anyway. If we figure dinner will take a little over an hour and we want around three hours of dancing and drunken merriment, that means dinner needs to start around 7:30PM. Mr. Sundae and I have always liked the idea of a sunset ceremony, so we followed Miss Lovebird’s handy advice and checked out Sunrisesunset.com. According to the site, the sun will set at approximately 6:55PM on our wedding day. That would obviously be cutting it pretty close to dinner, so we figured if we start the ceremony around 6PM, the sun will be on it’s way to setting while we say “I do.”

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Mama Sundae and I found this box at Hobby Lobby, but the first time we saw it I passed it up. When we went back and it was still there a few months later, on sale, I knew that I had to have it. It’s actually covered with a thick, almost canvas-like fabric and has some great grosgrain ribbon tied around it. Part of the reason I passed it up the first time is because I wasn’t sure what I would do with it. Then I realized that it would be the perfect box to house some black flip-flops and a sign that says “For Your Tired Toes” (or something along those lines).
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If I am perfectly honest, I can’t say I have much of a relationship with the wedding coordinator at our venue. I don’t dislike her, she hasn’t made any mistakes, but I always get the general feeling that she’s annoyed with me. Granted, she might have a right to be a little put off (I ask a lot of questions), but I can’t imagine that I am by any means the worst bride she’s ever dealt with. I feel like I’ve built a relationship with our other vendors, so I’ve been a little worried that her lukewarm feelings towards me were going to translate into forgotten details or misunderstood instructions. I realize that we’re by no means the only people she has to deal with and that she’s got a lot on her plate, but basically there wasn’t much trust there.

This and all of the other reasons I mentioned led me to hire our wonderful day-of-coordinator. No trust issues there! Mama Sundae and I are planning on heading up to Wisconsin in a few weeks to meet with said venue coordinator about table linens, and we decided that Danica (DOC) should come along. The meeting was set and a few days later I got an email that the venue coordinator is leaving and they’re trying to find someone to replace her. They’ve still ordered the sample linens for us to check out, but now we’re going to be meeting with the “temporary coordinator” instead of someone who will actually be there the day of the wedding. They’re not even sure when they’ll find a replacement. Read more…

As I’ve mentioned before, this was my original inspiration for our altar (still can’t remember where I found this picture, sorry). It turns out that none of the men in my life are interested in building me anything out of sticks. Their logic was somewhat reasonable…it would mostly have to be constructed on site, there would be several steps involved in making sure it wouldn’t blow over, etc. In other words, they’re not doing it.
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Part One

Exactly five days after Mr. Sundae popped the question, we welcomed a new addition to our family. My sister-in-law gave birth to the cutest little girl that ever was…we joke that the last week in July was the pinnacle of Mama Sundae’s existence. There are only two kids in our family, just my brother and I, and in that one week Mama Sundae watched me become engaged and my brother gave her their very first grandchild. Babies and weddings…every Mom’s dream week!

What does this have to do with my dress, you ask? Naturally all of us hopped on planes and few out to South Carolina where said brother, sister-in-law and new baby girl reside. Before I left, a friend told me about this great little boutique in Asheville, North Carolina called Wedding Inspirations. Turns out it’s about an hour from my brother’s house, so we decided to check it out when they finally kicked us out of the house and insisted we stop oohing and aahing over their baby.

We arrived to see this adorable old house that’s been turned into a boutique and were greeted by some of the sweetest women around.
 
Image from Wedding Inspirations website
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Last summer, I saw an article in Martha Stewart Weddings about cute ways to dress your dog for your wedding day. There is no chance that Lola is well behaved enough to be a part of the wedding itself, but we would like to get a few pictures with her beforehand. There are several collars and leashes made of ribbon in the article, but I thought that the pearl collar was too cute!

To make the collar you need embroidery thread, large faux pearls (I used 18mm), a needle and some satin ribbon. I also eventually opted for a clasp because tying the thread in a knot wasn’t quite as sturdy as I needed it to be. Lola isn’t a huge fan of the collar so I need to be sure it will stand up to her attempts at removing it! So first, measure around the dog’s neck and add about 12 inches. Then cut the thread to size:

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Much like Miss Peacock, I am not going to be able to reveal my dress to all of you lovely readers until after the wedding. There is a lot of lurking going on, not as much from Mr. Sundae, but from a lot of friends and family and I want it to be a surprise! I’ve kind of avoided the topic until now for that reason but I just have to tell you about the place I wound up finding my dress, and I can show some of the rejects!

When I started looking through wedding magazines, I was actually a little horrified at what I found. Why do they have to make the models look like angry, starving, 13 year old boys? How about a happy bride every now and again? It was a huge turn off for me. I am not one to go for a lot of poof or sparkles, massive amounts of tulle just ain’t my thing. The first dresses that I were attracted to were from Anne Barge, I was completely convinced I wanted this dress:
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That was my attitude towards wedding planning before we got engaged. It’s just planning a big party, right? I would tell friends that I love to plan, used to work in event planning, I am organized, I can handle it all on my own. Who needs a wedding coordinator? They would smile and nod, no doubt thinking to themselves that I am a huge moron.

I’ve said this before, but it’s really shocking how clueless I was about so many wedding related things! Not until I was months into this journey did I realize that I am so organized and particular, I am going to need help. It seems counter intuitive, but being overly organized and picky means that I do really care about how the place cards are set out. It matters to me that the cake table is set up the way I want it to look. And I also don’t want to be worrying about all of this the day we get married. I want to focus on the day and try to remember each moment, because I’ve heard so many people say that it goes by in a blink.

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