The dress that almost wasn’t

There’s so much to share with y’all, I really don’t know where to begin.  We’ve been planning this thing for 7 months already, and we still have 7 to go.

I suppose I can start where I started, with the dress.  I’ve always loved wedding dresses.  Yes, I’m that girl who has been looking at wedding dresses since she was 12.  In all fairness, I was engaged once before (to Mini Crab Cake’s dad) and tried on a few dresses then.  I never found the one and would not have worn it to wed Mr. Crab Cake anyway.  But I knew what I liked then, so I figured I’d like the same style’s now.

I was so wrong.

I started looking at pictures online almost immediately. I didn’t look at anything with beads or lace and really didn’t want a train.  Minamalistic and simplistic was what I was looking for.  I also wanted ivory.

And I wanted to put off actually trying on dresses as long as possible.

About 3 weeks later, I gave in.  I had about 45 minutes to waste in town (we live about 30 minutes out) before I met Mr. Crab Cake for lunch and decided to go browse wedding dresses.

The first dress I tried on was a Casablanca.

Style #1831

Y’all, that dress fit me like a glove.  It hugged every one of my curves and supported my D’s with grace and elegance.  I might honestly have given up right then and there and bought the first dress I tried on if it hadn’t been for my consultant.

She took one look at me and ran off.  When she returned, she had three or four dresses with her.  I will go ahead and apologize now, I don’t know which ones they were, and I don’t have any pictures. I hadn’t told her what I thought I wanted.  But she knew what I wanted.  And it was this dress.

Alfred Angelo, Style 1136

It is everything I didn’t think I wanted.  It’s beaded, corset back, semi-cathedral train.  So completely not me. The only thing it did have going for it was that it is gold.

I loved it from the moment I put it on.

I couldn’t just buy the dress right there.  I was alone.  I had no one’s opinion but mine and the consultants.

I left, and drug Mum Crab Cake back about a week later.  This time, we got pictures!

author’s personal collection

Mini Crab Cake insisted on trying on dresses with me.  Although that dress matches mine nicely, it didn’t entertain me that much.  She actually wanted this dress with a bubble hem made out of tulle with silk petals loose in the bubble.  It was hideous.

Anyway, Mum didn’t cry, but that’s not how we Crab Cake women are.  She approved and the dress was purchased.

It arrived in August and I went to pick it up.  Thank God I decided to try it on before I left with it, because it had a huge stain on it.  Yeah, you read that right.  I stayed calm and my consultant freaked out.  Alfred Angelo agreed to take back the stained dress and send me another.  It took forever.

But it all worked out in the end, and the dress is safe in my house.  I have it stored in a canvas dress bag and hidden in my daughter’s closet.  Mr. Crab Cake is pretty adament about not seeing the dress or even pictures of the dress until the ceremony, so I don’t have to worry about him snooping.

Here it is hanging in the door to our office/craft room the day I brought it home.

Did anyone else pick out a dress that was not what they had originally thought they would like?

Vacation

I hope everyone had a good Turkey Day.  I had to work, but overall it was fine.  I still got Turkey.

Matt and I are off for California for 9 days in the am.  I’ll bring y’all back some pictures!

Registery Schenanigans

So what is the first thing we do when Mini Me goes away?

Shop, of course!

Well, first we went to dinner.  And then we truely did hunt for something better to do than shop, but alas, the movie choice was pathetic, and they’ve cancelled trivia until after the holidays, so shop it was.

Surprisingly, shopping was Matt’s idea.  Ok, not shopping per-se, but registering.  And where did we head?  Target (ok, it was 9 pm on Tuesday, our only other choice was Wal-Mart…).

When we bought our house, we registered at Target for our housewarming party, so we were familiar with the process.  What I wasn’t expecting was the little file folder of goodies we received.

It came with these little cards, I guess you are supposed to put them in your invitations?  How do y’all feel about that?  Seems a little tacky to me…

Anyway, we spent about an hour and a half wandering around Target scanning random objects.  It’s so hard to register when we already have a home and stuff.

We did register for some small kitchen appliances I’ve been wanting and a flat screen tv for our room.  But I think we had the best time once we’d decided we were done registering.

We found this horrendous display of nutcrackers… Scary…

Check out that great Fedora I found in the men’s section….

And then there were these awesome winter hats…Yeah, sexay!!!

But the sexiest thing ever was this lovely pair of pajamas.

I think I was exclaiming that if those fabulous pjs had a butt flap, I totally would buy them!!

I did buy one reasonable item, some fantastic shoes for Matt’s Grandmother’s 80th Birthday Party

Available here

How hot are those?  I wish my wedding were black, white, and yellow so I could wear them!!

Engagment Stsory Part deux

As promised, although later than the 11 o’clock news, here’s Matt’s version of the story.

Jennifer and I had very similar childhoods. We both grew up on the West Coast and moved to the Deep South in Elementary and Middle School. We were both raised Catholic, we each have brothers and sisters, our parents are divorced, and we have family scattered throughout the country (and even some overseas). We were also lucky that we both liked to go to Savannah for vacation, because that is where we met. A comment about what beer to try led to a conversation about beer in general. From there, we discovered that we were both living in the same town, some four hours away from where we were talking. After a few weeks of e-mails, phone calls, and instant messaging, we finally went on our first date in September of 2007. Comedy night proved to be just the right touch and within a few weeks, we were exclusively dating. After traveling with her to her grandparents house in Mississippi for the long Thanksgiving weekend, helping her sister out with a broken down car, and going to two college football games (including the Iron Bowl) in three days, I knew this was the girl for me.

I started saving at Christmas time for the ring, which was kind of difficult because of my job at a non-profit organization. However, after working two jobs I was finally able to buy the antique setting which I thought she would love in late March. Around February, I called my best friend Tyson who lives in Savannah, the same one I was on vacation to see when I met Jennifer. I told him that I was planning a short three day weekend trip in early April to Savannah and that I was going to propose and I asked for his help. He agreed to help me. So we head off to Savannah in early April on Friday about noon. We had a great time that evening with a bunch of our friends, and we stayed busy walking around town (in the rain) the next day. That night, Tyson arranged for us to have a very romantic dinner overlooking the Savannah River. I think she knew something was up, but I never let on. We had dinner, desert, and then…we left. We went out again with friends. I think she was a little disappointed that I didn’t ask her that night, but I had a plan.

Sunday morning started with a trip to mass at the cathedral in Savannah, followed by a short walking tour of the city. Tyson kindly led us as a tour guide, even though Jennifer just wanted to go home. Her feet hurt, she was tired, and she just wanted to go home. “One more little tour honey” I said. She reluctantly agreed. Tyson looked at us both and said “Hey, why don’t you two go over there near the fountain so I can get a picture of you in front of the cathedral.” So, Jennifer and I went to the fountain. Then he asked us to stand up on the fountain. So we did. As he was taking pictures, I was reaching into my pocket for the ring. And that’s when I proposed. As we are on the lip of the fountain, I got down on one knee and asked her to be my wife. She was totally shocked and surprised…and Tyson got it all on film. The wedding is scheduled for June 20^th!

I know, mines a lot longer.  I thought he would talk about how he hid the ring in the house for months, how he asked my Dad for my hand a couple weeks before that weekend.  But he didn’t.

Sneak Attack Engagement

Please let me preface this by saying that I totally completely suck enormous toes at cleverly naming my posts.  I really need some assistance in the department!

Anyway,

A couple weeks ago, I asked Matt to write down (or type up, whichever) his version of our engagment story.  Well, he finally got it to me, but not without swindling me into writing up my version too.

Y’all already know we met in Savannah.  It’s kinda our favorite city.  We love downtown and want to retire in a historic home facing one of Savannah’s squares.

When Matt suggested we take a long weekend trip to Savannah for our 6 month date-a-versary, I got a sneaking suspicion that something was up.

Let me back up for just one moment and tell y’all that I blatently announced to Matt after about a month of dating that I fully intended to spend the rest of my life with him.  I guess when you know, you know.  Anyway, so obviously, we’d talked about marriage and had moved in together very early in our relationship.

So, we make arrangements for Kinsley to be at her Dad’s and take off for a three day weekend in Savannah.  Friday night we met up with Matt’s best friend Tyson for dinner and drinks at the Moon River Brewery.  Yes, back there again.  We have a penchant for beer.  Anyway, We spent Saturday exploring Historic downtown Savannah.  The day was great, except I wore the wrong shoes (crocs, who would have thought the mary jane style would rub blisters into three different places on my feet) and we almost got sucked up in a tornado.  We had a fantastic time, ate some really good food, did a little shopping, bought fabulous yarn and got drenched.  Then it was nap time.

Tyson has set us up with reservations at a really nice romantic restaraunt overlooking the Savannah River.  I’m, of course, expecting what ever is going to happen, to happen at the restaraunt.  We had an awesome dinner, shared a bottle of wine, and splurged on desert (Matt is diabetic and really shouldn’t eat that kind of stuff, and I just don’t need to).  He even asked the waitress to come over and take a picture of us.  Then, we left…. no announcement, no proposal, nothing.  Back to Moon River for more beers.  I’m sure he isn’t going to do anything in front of all our friends, so I’ve decided by now that I’m confused and there will be no engagment this weekend.

By the time we are ready to check out of our hotel on Sunday morning, I’m a bit peeved.  Ok, that’s like the understatement of the year.  I’m pissed.  I’m tired.  My feet are killing me from wearing the wrong shoes the day before, and then wearing heels on Savannah’s cobblestone streets on Saturday night.  We head off to church (yeah, we’re not usually that good, but I really wanted to go to Mass inside of St. John the Baptist, our diocese Cathedral) and I bitched and moaned the whole way.  After Mass, we had brunch in some rediculously expensive little restaraunt, but besides paying aomething like $12 for an omelet, my mood is improving.  I know we’re going home soon, and I’m determined to change my clothes (and take off my heels) the minute we set foot in Tyson’s tiny garden apartment.  And I did.

Then Matt says one more errand before we go, a walking tour of the squares and a quick stop into some Irish store he’d been dying to visit.  I start with the bitching and moaning again, but figure it’s just a little bit longer, and go along.

Tyson lived across the street from St. John the Baptist and LaFayette Square, so obviously it was our first stop.  While Matt is trying to get Tyson to tell us about the history of the square (which I don’t understand because Matt is the historian, not Tyson), I’m just trying to put on a happy face.  My feet hurt so bad, even in my comfy (regular) crocs.  I just want to go home.

Matt is a picture hound.  We take pictures to commemorate everything.  It’s good one of us is.  I suck at remembering the camera.  So, when Matt asked for a picture in front of the fountain in LaFayette Square with the Cathedral in the back, I didn’t think anything of it, I just went to stand in front of the fountain.  Then Tyson says, “climb up on the fountain ledge.”  Ew, I looked at that fountain water and decided I was not getting on that ledge for fear of falling in that nasty water, but Matt was already pulling me up.  A few more photos and then I start to feel Matt wiggling around.  I turn to look at him, and he drops to one knee.  My first thought is “really, here? ok..”  He’s shaking, I’m shaking.  He pops that question, and I (obviously) said yes.  It was awesome!  Tyson had the whole event on film.  Those two had been plotting against me for months!!!  But it was perfect and my e-ring was exactly what I had hoped for.

You know you want to see the pictures that went along with it right!

yeah, enough pictures already, can we go home now?

smoochie smoochie  You can so tell I’m not interested.

omg, what is this!  Now, here, really!? ok…

Yes, of course, more smoochie smoochie, Now I’m into it!

Put the bloody thing on!  Yay! It’s perfect.  Oh, except it was really too big, and I had to have it resized twice!

The most unflattering picture of me eva!  I can’t remember what was happening here.

ma bling! All shiny and new.  And my nails looked good too! Bonus!

And the nurse in me says, wow, check out that vein, I could get it from here!!!

And on the 11 o’clock news, the bridegroom’s version….

Bridal Lingerie?

In our house, I’m known for casually steal Matt’s shirts and turning them into sleepwear.  They are so much more comfortable than my (usually too tight for sleep) t-shirts.

I think he finds it uber sexy.

I wonder how he would feel about this?

The His is Hers shirt, available at Claridge + King

It’s not your typical men’s dress shirt!  Collars and cuffs are liningless to minimize discomfort and it comes in blue and white.  Bonus points for cute feminine mother of pearl buttons and 5 different monogram styles!

I heart these pjs!

Dancing in the rain-Part II

If it is going to rain on our wedding day, I would love to wear wellies under my dress.

Here are some lovely choices.  Not all of them are ones I would choose for my wedding, but they are definitely fun.

These, however, are a definitely maybe.  Not exactly vintage, but I guess the roses mixed with the paisley will have to suffice.  The colors are definitely right.  Available here.

I really love these, something blue anyone? Available here.

Another something blue, available here.

Bird themed, Available here.

High-heeled, crazy expensive, available here.

Apples, anyone? Available here.

BTW, Target has the best selection, at least as far as I’m concerned.  More prints and colors than anyone else.  Yay Target!!!

We fired our caterer

OMG, yeah, I know.  Here we are less than 7 months away from our big day, and we have no caterer.  It’s ok, really.

I was on the phone with my step-mom one night.  She expressed some remorse at not being closer and not being able to help with the food.

Matt and I were still struggling with and worrying about how exactly we were going to be able to afford 4K for hors d’heuvers.

Enter our solution.  Mom has volunteered her kitchen (with double ovens) to my step-mom who will head up the foodies.  Step-mom has volunteered her love of party throwing mixed with her excellent foodie-ness and her sister (who is hostess extraordinare).  Our friend Susie Hamlett, who is the socialite here in Columbus, has also volunteered to do some prep work.  There is a catering kitchen in the museum that we are going to be able to use at least the day of, but hopefully most of the week as well (what a great work place for the floral project too).

So, all that being said, we had to figure out what we were going to do.  What shall we serve.  Matt and I thought about it for a couple of days, and decided that we should definitely go with a Southern theme.  Since so many of our guests are coming from out of state, we just thought serving traditional southern yummies was perfect.

We don’t have an official menu yet, but here’s a visual representation of what I’m leaning towards.

Wow, it looks so yummy all together like that.  If you click on the picture of the snack, it will carry you to the recipe.  Yummy, huh?

Now I just need to figure out what we are going to do about a bar.

Fabric Squares

If you will hunt back in the recesses of your mind, or my blog, you’ll remember that I am doing a quilt guestbook.  I want something I can hang in my house and enjoy daily as a sweet reminder of our special day.  We have decided that an actual quilt is probably a bad idea, for several reasons.  Reason numero uno, bed get used and abused.  Small children pee in them.  People get sick.  Matt has bloody noses when he is over tired.  Then they must be washed.  I’d rather not leave such a cherished heirloom to the mercies of generations of small children and grandchildren and (hopefully) great-grandchildren, along with animals.  Our second reason was that we decided a quilt with hundreds of signatures on it would look strange on a bed.

After talking it out, we decided that a wall hanging would be a better choice.  Even though it may end up being a very large wall hanging, due to our anticipated number of guests (at about 200).

So, then I had to worry about what kind of fabric to use.  Colored or black and white, solid or patterned, and where would guest actually sign their names?  Would there be space for lengthy passages, or would be just have names?  Lots more little tiny decisions to be made.

After seeing this post on StyleMePretty,

I was inspired to create my own fabric.

The girl who did these squares silk screened hers.  That is far too much work for me, especially with the developement of SpoonFlower.

If you don’t know about SpoonFlower yet, go over and check it out.  You can upload an image and they will print it on fabric.  Now, the price per yard is a little steep, but considering that I would have to buy all the things needed for silk screening, I would rather just pay the exorbatant $18.00 per yard.

Anyway, now I had figured out how and where, but I needed a what.

Inspired by this post, and these tiles and these frames, I got busy designing my own fabric in paint.net.

I won’t bore you with the details of how I went about designing these, but here they are.

Tile #1

Tile #2

And now I need some help.   Which do y’all like better?  The crooked one would make for an interesting wall hanging, with diamond shaped blocks instead of square ones, but I kinda like the cohesiveness of the straight one.  What do you guys think?

Dancing in the rain

While June is probably not the rainiest month in Columbus, it definitely rains.  Daily.  Anytime between 2 and 6.  For about an hour-ish.  Sometimes it’s just one big torrential downpour, lasting about 12 minutes on average (and yes, that is a very accurate statisitic, right out of my head, based on years of living in the south, and therefore years of research).   Othertimes, we actually get a decent rain.  The problem is, you never know.  A rain cloud can pop up out of no where and all of the sudden you are stuck in the rain.

So, I am seriously concerned about the fact that our brief window before the ceremony for photo-ops may be ate up with rain.  And the only thing that makes me feel better about this, is fantastically cute bride with umbrella photos.

(1, 2, 3)

How sweet are these umbrellas from SignatureBella?

While this is completely out of my price range (at a whooping $96.00 each!!), I love love love the shape of that umbrella.  It’s so vintage!

BellaUmbrella has a rental option, with way more reasonable prices. I love this umbrella, it has that same vintage shape, which is apparently referred to as Pagoda style.

Here’s a feathered option for those modern brides

Got to love the polka dots

Umbrellas.net has this lovely lace umbrella

PareUmbrellas has this great floral motif umbrella

And for the classic umbrella image, here’s a clear umbrella

From Umbrellasandbeyond

I really love the idea of renting those gorgeous pagoda umbrellas from BellaUmbrella.  I don’t think I would rent one for each of my girls (there’s 6 remember?) but maybe 3?  What do you think?