Weddingbee

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My response to the head shaking was probably something that made it much worse, like, “Well, he has red on him! Matches the wedding! And he’s OPTIMUS! He can protect our rings! He’s the leader of the Autobots, and he DID save our planet, you know. And look at his legs! They have flames! Flames are HAWT!”

The truth is, I’ve always had a bit of a crush on Optimus. One of the only toys I remember playing with growing up belonged to my brother, a gigantic (it seemed at the time) Optimus Prime robot that transformed into a battle station and a truck with a trailer. Today, I still have a few Transformer toys around the house.

With the help of the recent movie, our ring bearer (Mr. GT’s nephew) is plenty familiar with Optimus Prime and loves to play with my Transformers when he comes over. Though his handsome little self can definitely make any ol’ ring pillow look good, I think the smile on his face will be much brighter if he gets to hold Optimus instead. On top of that, OP’s appearance will not only make some rockin’ pictures, but may also make my brother (the ultimate Transformers fan) a little proud. And just as a bonus, when the little one grows up, there is no doubt that I will forever be remembered as the cool aunt with the fresh wedding hookup.

So when I was on the hunt for the perfect Optimus, (he had to be nice and big, have to actually transform, etc.) who took me to the toy store? Yup, my MOH. I’d like to think that I’ve shown her the light about my style of personalization, but the fact probably is that she’s wise beyond her years and knows to ‘accept what she cannot change.’ With her help, and my brother’s help, I now have this baby sitting on top of my pile of wedding crap.

(Image Source)

Before I go, I shall also share my Somethin’ Blue - Optimus Prime temporary tattoos (one for the mister and one for me. That’s right, for better or for worse baby, and I ain’t down with being the only one wearing blue!). Mine will probably go on my ankle.

Now all that’s left to figure out is how to get Optimus to hold the rings with some dignity. Ribbon around his neck just ain’t gonna fly and I am not sewing him a mini pillow with an Autobot symbol.  Any ideas?

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top view

side view

with my engagement ring

The “ring pillow” actually doesn’t holds rings very well, but that’s okay the Toucan ring pillow is just for show. No way I’m letting a six-year old be in charge of our wedding rings! That job will be given to the best man.

Who is in charge of keeping your wedding rings? Are you letting the ring bearer take it down the aisle?
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Are they adorable? They even come with pocket squares! This time I was able to score these two-piece Sean John suits in size 4T! I got them at the Young World store in my neighborhood. I had one of the boys try it on and it almost brought tears to my eyes. He looked soooo cute! They are going to be miniature Mr. Lovebirds since he’s wearing a tan suit as well.

The funniest part was while little Devan was trying the suit on, he said ”I don’t want to hold the ring, I want to throw flowers like Divya (his older sister).” Then Divya says, “I’ll hold the ring!” I’m not sure how it’s all going to play out, but as long as they get down the aisle somehow, I’ll be satisfied.

I’m also hoping it won’t be too hot for the boys to wear the jackets. I’m hoping they’ll just wear it for the trip down the aisle and then take it right off. I’m leaving that up to the parents, cuz the last thing I want to stress out about right before walking down the aisle is dressing two 3 year olds. It’ll be their call whether or not to put the jackets on them. Kids are too unpredictable.

I think my ring bearer suit process took longer than usual because I have two ring bearers as opposed to just one. One of them already had a black suit, but the other one didn’t, so I had to find something new that the both of them could wear.

For those of you who are having ring bearers, how easy was it to dress them? What did you decide on?
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Thanks to suggestions from the Hive, I made Zoe a pearl necklace to pretty her up for the Big Day. It was as easy as stringing some big vintage “pearls” (already in my crafting stash) onto elastic cord and adding a red ribbon to hold the rings. The pearl collar was almost invisible in her fluffy ruff, but the ribbon stood out nicely.

(For anyone who remembers our search for a classic-but-unusual wedding band for Mr. T, we ended up with a “Love” ring from Cartier. Click the photo for a better look.)

I also made Zoe a ribbon leash, out of the wide ribbon from my bouquet handle. I just made a loop at one end the size of Zoe’s neck and a loop at the other end the size of a hand, and then secured the loops with fabric glue.

We didn’t exactly ask permission to have a dog at our ceremony venue, so the Sheltie Wrangler lurked outside till the appropriate moment, then set Zoe loose down the aisle. Zoe was a bit confused by all the people in the audience (she loooves people), but did an admirable job of trotting straight to us.

The hardest part? Untying the ribbon knots! It’s definitely best to be sure any knots are tied loosely, or you can use fake rings on the dog/pillow/etc. and keep the real ones tucked away in a pocket.

(Almost there….)

(Success!)

Who or what will “bear” your rings?
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While I was running some errands, I went into this children’s clothing store called “Youngworld” in my neighborhood to kill some time. Look at what I found and bought two of in size 3T!

This four-piece FUBU set was also a bargain at $19.99 each. And the best part was that it matched our wedding colors!

Not only is the shirt blue, but the vest and tie have orange and blue circles on it! The only bummer was that the store has a 1 day refund policy on these type of outfits. I guess because they are afraid of people wearing it one day and returning it?

I had to have at least one of the boys try on the outfit the next day and it turns out, it didn’t fit! NOOOOOOOOOOO! Oh well. Back to the drawing board. The lady at the store said they get shipments all the time, but no guarantees. I’m going to check back periodically and hopefully I’ll get lucky.

Don’t you just hate it when you find something that’s perfect and it doesn’t fit? Any suggestions as to where to get ring bearer outfits?
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And here’s what she made out of it:

It’s got a little clip-on pouch for the (fake) rings…

…and she even put a little “Love” clip on it with a heart-shaped ring:

As you can see, Chaucer’s mad that I’m blogging about it before he even gets to try it on:

Sorry, buddy. But I know in the chaos of this week I might be too busy to take proper portraits.

I know, I know. Unnecessary expense. But it was only $14 (we had the tie already); not bad for a 30’’ silk collar.

For anyone else including a pooch in the ceremony, did you get him/her a special “outfit”?
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The hat made its rounds, too. First BIL Petunia donned it for a while, though there is no evidence to prove it. Then my younger brother took it for a spin:

Of course, a certain bride rocked it for a while, too:

How could I resist?
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The girls getting ready to get all gussied up…

Such pretty little princesses!

After a little while, this is where we ended up …

Truly the most adorable, happy, beautiful children EVER! I mentioned before how they really are miracle babies, and we couldn’t be more honored that their whole family can be a part of our special day!

Oh, and these pretty little dresses are a steal! Their mom found these pink tulle dresses from Target for ~$12!! Though it looks like they are ~$18 online, it is nonetheless a great deal! Plus, it goes with our wedding colors of pale pink and green!

Cutest kids ever!!! We can’t wait to see them again!
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C) I’m out of middle-mark limbo and can begin wedding projects!

WOOT WOOT!

One wedding project that I’m not completely sure we need (as we aren’t having a ring bearer) is a ring pillow. No ring bearer = no ring pillow, sounds logical enough.

But unfortunately logic stands little chance against:

Martha.

Linen ring pillow using vintage handkerchiefs (try ebay for the handkerchiefs, or a local flea market!)

Ribbon trim ring pillow

Cozy knitted ring pillow

Pretty eyelet and lace pillows

Silk flower ring pillow

* All pictures from http://www.marthastewart.com/

Oh Martha. The things you do to my brain. If it weren’t for you (and a slight case of housekeeping OCD), my pantry wouldn’t be arranged by height and food group, the lids on my flour and grain jars wouldn’t be hand-painted a lovely robin’s egg blue, a handmade paper boxwood wreath wouldn’t hang above our bed, and my dog wouldn’t wear ribbons half as much. But he does, and I did, and I do love Martha - even after reading her scathing unofficial biography by Jerry Oppenheimer.

So, because I am completely brainwashed (in a lovely shade of hen’s egg taupe), I am currently looking at making a ring pillow for a ring bearer that we do not have.

Maybe one of the junior bridesmaids could carry it? What do you think?
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