June 20, 2011
June 18, 2011
Dance Recital!
Dress Rehearsal! She wanted me to do her make-up, so we did a practice-run on this day. Looks pretty damn good to me!
Here's the day of the recital! Her hair was curly when the day started! She decided she wanted me to do her hair, as well (against her bio mom's and her family's wishes). It's her recital, so she gets her way. :)
Hanging out with Daddy in between dances.
She received an award!
Most Promising Student Award!
June 3, 2011
How it all went down!
Ah! So so sorry, I am so far behind! Anyway, breakdown of the wedding weekend!
Friday night~rehearsal and rehearsal dinner:
We arrived 30 minutes early, and had our music ready. Now, the hotel had said that we would have to put the music on a cd, NOT an iPod, but we decided to do both, just in case. 1 hour into the rehearsal, we were still standing around, trying to figure out how to get the damn POS that they had to recognize our cd. Luckily, we had decided to put the playlist on our iPods against their advice. Jim ran out to Radio Shack and bought a cord and adapter, and THANK GOD it worked. So, tip of the day, TRUST YOUR GUT! We had a feeling something would happen, so we had our iPods on backup anyway. Screw what the professionals say. We won that battle. FF-rehearsal went pretty well, for the most part, after all of that. Then we had our RD at Fox & Hound. It went alright...they were trying to tell us that we would have to pay more for more food, as we had ran out. Um, we had RSVP'd 30-some people, and about half of that were there, and not everyone was able to get everything before it ran out. There was NO excuse why we should have to pay more. So, my (now) MIL and I had a talk with the staff. All in all, it worked out. We handed out BP gifts, ate well, and drank to our health. Jim was kidnapped by his GM, so I stayed home with the kids and finished packing everything up and cleaning the house (couldn't sleep). Around 3:30 am, I felt something move in the room, and jumped up. It was my fiance, attempting to crawl into bed without disturbing me. About 30 minutes later, my phone rang. It was Jim's BM...his car was stuck in the middle of an intersection. Jim left to go help him. I have no idea when he got back. :S
Saturday (THE BIG DAY!):
I woke up and got Alyssa up (literally had to shake her to wake her up). She looked at me, and said, "Are you doing my hair?"...but as she said it, she smacked herself in the forehead and said, "Duh. Nevermind.", and jumped out of bed. My MOH picked us up, and we met the other BM that was going to the salon with us. FF through 3 hours at the salon, and we were dolled up and ready to go. We made it to the hotel, and by luck, our room was clean (the suite for that night), so the girls were able to use that room to get ready in, rather than the small hospitality room. The wife side of the photography team came (Dawn) and started working while we were all getting ready. I was running around in my underwear and tank top, eating lunch meat and drinking someone's pop (still not sure who's).
Then they said it was time to go down for the ceremony. I freaked, and said that we were doing a first look! (They had forgotten) Our first look was awesome. I heard Jim gasp, and much of our BP (including men) shed tears. After that, we got some photos done, and then we all went to hide while guests were being seated. While hiding, the weather showed a tornado warning, and I was trying to see where it was. The BP said it was far away from us. I later learned that it was the county next to us. Normally, I LOVE tornadoes, but not at my wedding. Sorry!
Ceremony time~I have no idea how it went prior to my walking out, but I know my entrance went fine. Both my parents walked me down without killing each other, so that was a plus. Once the ceremony started, the RB was tossing around the pillow, and Alyssa was scolding him from the other side of the room. It was quite cute. Once we got to our vows, Jim went first. Let's just say, his were WAY better than mine. FF-first kiss. Cheers and clapping. Then we walked out. I looked out the window, and saw that it was still sunny. I screamed and started jumping. We had planned on going back in to release the guests, but we quickly changed our minds and just did a receiving line, which, despite what the photographers said, didn't take very long at all. Then we left and had pictures outside in a park.
While taking pictures, a homeless man was going around, asking everyone for money. Oddly enough, he was very well dressed to be homeless. He even asked for credit cards. Bizarre. It was hot and humid, but we made it before any rain!
FF-we arrive at the reception just about 5 or 10 minutes late. I am thrilled. I quickly use the potty (btw...tip here...SIT BACKWARDS! IT WORKS!), and then we start bustling. BIG ISSUE HERE. It took about 40 minutes. Bummer. Nobody knew how it bustled, and the map wasn't much help to the BP. One of the hooks should have been an eye, so we had to use safety pins. After that, we FINALLY made it in for our grand entrance, which.was. AWESOME! I made sure that we ate, and then we went around to each table (we made it to all but maybe 3 or 4, and they were ones that we'd been talking to people at those tables anyway). Cake cutting took too long, and we got a little pissed, but it was fine. The only cake we had time to eat was what we fed each other. We got a little on the faces, but no smashing.
First dance seemed to go okay, but I'm really anxious to see the video for proof. It was different than when we had rehearsed, because I was in those wedges with a HUGE dress on...so I kept a lot of distance between us. I hope it looked okay. We did have fun, but I have a feeling it didn't turn out so great. I guess we will see.
Bouquet tossing...well...someone forgot to grab my toss bouquet, so we use my MOH's instead. It went to a very well-deserved friend. :) Garter tossing...somehow, Jim got the wrong one, so he had to go back under to get the right one. lol A son of a (not married) friend caught it. Quite hilarious.
All in all, the reception was fun, but midway, someone told me it was storming really bad, with HUGE hail. Once that news hit, people started leaving. We shut it down very early, which made me sad, but we were VERY tired, so it was probably just as well. Once we left and got to the hotel, we realized that he didn't carry me in, so we went back out and did it. Some hotel guests were in the hall, and clapped and cheered. Our last hooray of the night. I couldn't sit well in my dress, so I tried to get on the bed to open gifts and drink a Cherry Coke. I couldn't make it up there, so Jim threw me up onto the bed...BUT I COULDN'T BREATHE! So he had to quickly (like that's possible for anyone) untie my corset dress. We sat and opened some cards and gifts....and stuff. Immediately showered, as the hot and humid day, combined with hair spray, 30 lbs of make-up, and 200some people hugging me throughout the day and night, made me feel nasty. After that, we were STARVING. All that's open...McDonald's...Jim's favorite (sarcasm). We got back, ate McDonald's in bed, updated our Facebooks, and fell asleep.
I really can't complain too much. I do wish that we could have spent more time with guests, but that's always a given. I wish that we would have had more time for pictures. Much of what we wanted, we didn't have time for, so I'm kinda nervous about the end result. Other than that, it went down well, and I can't believe it's over. I am DEF having the post-wedding blues. I don't know what to do with my life! :) I will be posting pics as they come, and I will be doing a HM post sometime, as well. :)
Friday night~rehearsal and rehearsal dinner:
We arrived 30 minutes early, and had our music ready. Now, the hotel had said that we would have to put the music on a cd, NOT an iPod, but we decided to do both, just in case. 1 hour into the rehearsal, we were still standing around, trying to figure out how to get the damn POS that they had to recognize our cd. Luckily, we had decided to put the playlist on our iPods against their advice. Jim ran out to Radio Shack and bought a cord and adapter, and THANK GOD it worked. So, tip of the day, TRUST YOUR GUT! We had a feeling something would happen, so we had our iPods on backup anyway. Screw what the professionals say. We won that battle. FF-rehearsal went pretty well, for the most part, after all of that. Then we had our RD at Fox & Hound. It went alright...they were trying to tell us that we would have to pay more for more food, as we had ran out. Um, we had RSVP'd 30-some people, and about half of that were there, and not everyone was able to get everything before it ran out. There was NO excuse why we should have to pay more. So, my (now) MIL and I had a talk with the staff. All in all, it worked out. We handed out BP gifts, ate well, and drank to our health. Jim was kidnapped by his GM, so I stayed home with the kids and finished packing everything up and cleaning the house (couldn't sleep). Around 3:30 am, I felt something move in the room, and jumped up. It was my fiance, attempting to crawl into bed without disturbing me. About 30 minutes later, my phone rang. It was Jim's BM...his car was stuck in the middle of an intersection. Jim left to go help him. I have no idea when he got back. :S
Saturday (THE BIG DAY!):
I woke up and got Alyssa up (literally had to shake her to wake her up). She looked at me, and said, "Are you doing my hair?"...but as she said it, she smacked herself in the forehead and said, "Duh. Nevermind.", and jumped out of bed. My MOH picked us up, and we met the other BM that was going to the salon with us. FF through 3 hours at the salon, and we were dolled up and ready to go. We made it to the hotel, and by luck, our room was clean (the suite for that night), so the girls were able to use that room to get ready in, rather than the small hospitality room. The wife side of the photography team came (Dawn) and started working while we were all getting ready. I was running around in my underwear and tank top, eating lunch meat and drinking someone's pop (still not sure who's).
Then they said it was time to go down for the ceremony. I freaked, and said that we were doing a first look! (They had forgotten) Our first look was awesome. I heard Jim gasp, and much of our BP (including men) shed tears. After that, we got some photos done, and then we all went to hide while guests were being seated. While hiding, the weather showed a tornado warning, and I was trying to see where it was. The BP said it was far away from us. I later learned that it was the county next to us. Normally, I LOVE tornadoes, but not at my wedding. Sorry!
Ceremony time~I have no idea how it went prior to my walking out, but I know my entrance went fine. Both my parents walked me down without killing each other, so that was a plus. Once the ceremony started, the RB was tossing around the pillow, and Alyssa was scolding him from the other side of the room. It was quite cute. Once we got to our vows, Jim went first. Let's just say, his were WAY better than mine. FF-first kiss. Cheers and clapping. Then we walked out. I looked out the window, and saw that it was still sunny. I screamed and started jumping. We had planned on going back in to release the guests, but we quickly changed our minds and just did a receiving line, which, despite what the photographers said, didn't take very long at all. Then we left and had pictures outside in a park.
While taking pictures, a homeless man was going around, asking everyone for money. Oddly enough, he was very well dressed to be homeless. He even asked for credit cards. Bizarre. It was hot and humid, but we made it before any rain!
FF-we arrive at the reception just about 5 or 10 minutes late. I am thrilled. I quickly use the potty (btw...tip here...SIT BACKWARDS! IT WORKS!), and then we start bustling. BIG ISSUE HERE. It took about 40 minutes. Bummer. Nobody knew how it bustled, and the map wasn't much help to the BP. One of the hooks should have been an eye, so we had to use safety pins. After that, we FINALLY made it in for our grand entrance, which.was. AWESOME! I made sure that we ate, and then we went around to each table (we made it to all but maybe 3 or 4, and they were ones that we'd been talking to people at those tables anyway). Cake cutting took too long, and we got a little pissed, but it was fine. The only cake we had time to eat was what we fed each other. We got a little on the faces, but no smashing.
First dance seemed to go okay, but I'm really anxious to see the video for proof. It was different than when we had rehearsed, because I was in those wedges with a HUGE dress on...so I kept a lot of distance between us. I hope it looked okay. We did have fun, but I have a feeling it didn't turn out so great. I guess we will see.
Bouquet tossing...well...someone forgot to grab my toss bouquet, so we use my MOH's instead. It went to a very well-deserved friend. :) Garter tossing...somehow, Jim got the wrong one, so he had to go back under to get the right one. lol A son of a (not married) friend caught it. Quite hilarious.
All in all, the reception was fun, but midway, someone told me it was storming really bad, with HUGE hail. Once that news hit, people started leaving. We shut it down very early, which made me sad, but we were VERY tired, so it was probably just as well. Once we left and got to the hotel, we realized that he didn't carry me in, so we went back out and did it. Some hotel guests were in the hall, and clapped and cheered. Our last hooray of the night. I couldn't sit well in my dress, so I tried to get on the bed to open gifts and drink a Cherry Coke. I couldn't make it up there, so Jim threw me up onto the bed...BUT I COULDN'T BREATHE! So he had to quickly (like that's possible for anyone) untie my corset dress. We sat and opened some cards and gifts....and stuff. Immediately showered, as the hot and humid day, combined with hair spray, 30 lbs of make-up, and 200some people hugging me throughout the day and night, made me feel nasty. After that, we were STARVING. All that's open...McDonald's...Jim's favorite (sarcasm). We got back, ate McDonald's in bed, updated our Facebooks, and fell asleep.
I really can't complain too much. I do wish that we could have spent more time with guests, but that's always a given. I wish that we would have had more time for pictures. Much of what we wanted, we didn't have time for, so I'm kinda nervous about the end result. Other than that, it went down well, and I can't believe it's over. I am DEF having the post-wedding blues. I don't know what to do with my life! :) I will be posting pics as they come, and I will be doing a HM post sometime, as well. :)
May 15, 2011
AW AW AW!!! Our wine box is DONE! :D
Obviously, I'm SUPER excited about this! This was one of the very first DIY projects we started, and it's the last to finish! :) Due to moving, weather, and technical difficulites, this took MUCH longer than anticipated. BUT....here it is! We started off with pine wood. Obviously, cut, sanded, and stained everything. Months and months and MONTHS later, we began working on it again. :) We figured out what we wanted to engrave on the front, and printed it out. Traced it as best as we could, then used a router to make it. Our initals and the date are engraved on the front. I had seen a box online (that sold for around $400. Kiss my arse!), and I liked that you could see a little bit inside and it was a kidney-shaped hole. We took that idea and ran with it. :) All the pieces were then screwed together. Then we used this conforming foam (bought at Michael's) and covered that and the insides with satin fabric, glued down with Tacky Glue. The hinges and the hook for the lock were screwed in. We just need to buy a small lock and key, but it is done! The wine is something that I actually like (shocking!) and we will be drinking that on our wedding day. The glasses are black (one of our colors) and engraved with our names and the wedding date. Not nearly as cool as our reception flutes, but we liked that they're black. :) Forgive the dust and fingerprints...we need to try to clean it off. I can't wait to put our letters inside and lock this box. :) We are calling it "Locking the Box" in our programs. <3!!!
The inside. Our wine glasses (BLACK AND ENGRAVED!!!) and the wine, which is the same wine we will be drinking at our wedding. :D
Far away pic.
Jim really did an AMAZING job finishing this up. I LOVE this part of our program, and I hope everyone else does too! :) We still need to buy a lock (lost ours during our move last October), but we both have our letters written, so we just need to get them ready to be placed in the box! SOOOO EXCITED!
May 12, 2011
Rehearsal ribbon bouqet
I know I'm not supposed to do this myself, but I don't really care. I did buy the big bow and 1 ribbon. Most people used gift bags or gave gift cards or checks, so I didn't have much to work with. I used some leftover ribbon for the handle. :)
May 10, 2011
Aisle runner!
This was probably THE MOST dreaded DIY project I had to face, yet it was one that I could not toss aside. Before I begin, I must disclose that I used The Road to the Aisle's instructions, for the most part. :) Our aisle runner is wider than most, as I will have both of my parents walk me down the aisle. Originally, I was going to have our regular monogram, but as I played around with it, I decided that I liked this idea, so I ran with it. So, I had bought the acrylic paints and brushes on sale last Christmas at Michael's. My mom bought the ivory fabric from JoAnn's just two weeks ago. :) Hey, I had good intentions of getting this accomplished as soon as possible. When it came down to it, I was chickening out. ANYWAY, I was thinking that the fabric would be too thick for me to see through to trace, but I was BARELY able to see MOST of it. I printed everything the first time, and it was WAY too big. Second time was perfect. I taped them all together and folded the extra white paper to keep it out of the way. Then I taped it to our (expensive! :S) table. We measure down about 7 feet and held the fabric down with heavy nursing books :). I traced as best I could. We then put wax paper on top of the paper I used to trace, and put the fabric back down. I started with the pink J, then worked my way to the right. Then I did the & in the middle, then my name. Lastly, I did the date. Obviously, I had forgotten the comma in the date when I was tracing. I realized this as I finished painting. I free-handed that, along with the dreaded "s" in James and half of the &. All in all, I think it went pretty well.
You can barely see where I traced over the paper, if you look REALLY hard!
Finished product! What do ya think?
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