18 days to go…..busy, busy!

18 days to go and counting!  What I’ve been up to lately….

We met with our Reverend last week to go over the details of the ceremony.  Now that we have that laid out, I can start working on designing and printing the programs.

I have been packing all my “wedding stuff” up in boxes and labeling them to prepare to drive everything up to the Antrim the week of the wedding.

I finished a DIY project of making our unity candle with 2 tapers to match and several white pillar candles with black ribbon and rhinestone embellishments.  They came out fabulous and will add some nice touches to the party.

I ordered my flower girl basket and ring bearer pillow and they just arrived.  The basket is definitely smaller then I expected, but will do the job.

I have another DIY project planned of putting white and black ribbon wrapped on glass votive holders with rhinestone embellishments.  Since I have over a hundred to do, I’ve been putting this off, but I’m running out of time, so its now or never!

My current task is working on the seating chart.  This is proving to be a more difficult task then first expected.  You have to think about who knows each other, who will get along, pairing up the singles to fill a 10 person table….phew!  It is coming along though.  The way I see it is that our guests will only be in their assigned seats while they are eating dinner, so it shouldn’t be too big of a deal if some people are mixed up.  Its hard to please everyone!

Things to Do:

• Call up all vendors and finalize details of service, time line and final cost
• Design/Print programs
• Finalize seating chart
• Print place cards
• Buy/wrap gifts for parents, readers and bridal party (of course all the gifts for my bridesmaids are bought and wrapped, but the FI still has to get gifts for the boys)
• Pick up marriage license (also on FI to-do list)
• Finalize reception play list

Lots to do and not alot of time.  Better get to work!

Married in a month!

Exactly 1 month from today I’ll be walking down the aisle….ahhhh!  So much to do in such a  little time.  I am getting so excited!  I can’t wait for our big day….and the honeymoon that follows!  It will be here before we know it.

Vistaprint…a bride’s best friend!

If you are looking to get anything printed for your wedding, or any other event for that matter, I highly suggest visiting www.vistaprint.com  It is a wonderful website that offers very inexpensive professional printing for just about any item you can think of.  I have already ordered my STD’s with return address labels and printed a note for our OOT bags.  Today, I ordered a card with the schedule of events, return address labels for our thank you notes and a set of personalized stationary with my new married name!  Everything I have purchased from them has been top quality, arrived quickly and was very inexpensive.  I really cannot say enough good things about their company and customer service.  Highly recommended!!

More items purchased for the wedding…

I took a trip to AC Moore this past weekend and picked up some more supplies for the wedding. 

I found some place cards that have the same pearl detailing as our invitations.  I’ll be able to print them on our printer which will save lots of hand writing. 

A tall, white pillar candle was purchased, one I can decorate myself and will use as our unity candle.  I also purchased 2 matching white taper candles to complete the set.  Now, I’ll only have to purchase a stand to display the three candles together.  This DIY project will definitely save some money. 

Next on the list was a card box for the gift table.  It is in the shape of a trunk, covered in white fabric with a long slot cut in the top.  I was going to make my own, but now that its getting closer to the wedding, I figured I would save some time and just buy one. 

Lastly, I purchased two beautiful sets of glass candle holders.  Each set has 3 glass holders with red globes on top.  I’m not sure where we will display these yet, but they will be beautiful accent pieces.

Groom picked tuxes with his Best Man

A classic black Ralph Lauren tux was chosen for the groom, the groomsman and the fathers.  All will wear white shirts and matching black vests.  My groom will be wearing a black straight tie to complete his ensemble.  The groomsmen will be wearing a burgundy straight tie to match the bridesmaid’s dresses.  Both of our fathers will be wearing a black bow tie.  My FI’s nephew, our ring bearer will be in classic tails with a white vest, white shirt and white bow tie.  He is going to look so cute!  The tuxes were rented from Men’s Wearhouse in Frederick, MD.  The customer service there was wonderful!

I must give credit to my FI who has been really on top of his “wedding to-do list” now that it is getting closer to the wedding.  I guess he realizes that I need help and its crunch time!  Thanks FI!

My FI bought my wedding band!

It’s a 14kt white gold band with 9 round channel set diamonds and a little less then 0.5kt total diamond weight.  I love it!  He did a good job.  He wanted to choose a ring that complimented my engagement ring perfectly.  It looks like they were bought as a set.  I’m looking forward to the day that he can slip it on my finger! Less then 5 weeks and counting!!

Wedding menu decided

We have worked with the chef at the Antrim 1844, Michael Gettier on designing our wedding menu.  Everything the man touches is amazing!  He is a French trained chef who also runs the Smokehouse restaurant at the Antrim.  We have decided on the following:

Salad:
Baby spinach salad with mandarin oranges, red onion, toasted almonds with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Entree:
Grilled and sliced sirloin steak
Bacon wrapped crab stuffed jumbo shrimp

Sides:
Scalloped potatoes
French green beans

We really wanted to do something different.  Almost every one of the 30 or so weddings we have been to since we have gotten out of college has served filet mignon and a crab cake.  Don’t get me wrong, those are two of my favorite things to eat!  We just wanted to do something different, while still incorporating the surf and turf aspect of the meal.  I think it will be wonderful!

Appointment with wedding coordinator

We have an appointment with our wedding coordinator at the Antrim 1844 this Saturday.  We will be going over every detail of the wedding from the menu, to the time line, to the decorations.  I am very excited to go up to the venue again.  I can’t believe how close our big day is getting.  Less then 6 weeks to go!

Thank yous mailed!

I finally got around to finishing up writing all the thank you notes for the gifts I received from my bridal shower.  I wanted to do something a little different, so I purchased blank cards and envelopes and hand stamped each one.  I was very happy with the way they turned out.  I thought it was cute that my FI was impressed with my craftiness.  One more thing off the to-do list!

What should you wear? Wedding Attire for Wedding Guests

With having a formal event at the Antrim 1844, we decided to make the dress code Black Tie Optional.  I didn’t realize that so many people would have questions as to what that entailed and what they should wear. 

I have taken a few excerpts from an article on The Knot (www.theknot.com) called “Wedding Guest Attire Cheat Sheet” to clarify any confusions and help you out when planning your outfit for future events.  Hope this helps!

White Tie:
This is the most formal of all wedding dress codes (think state dinners and the Oscars).
He should wear: A tuxedo, a long black jacket with tails, a white pique vest, and a bow tie. Black, formal shoes and even white gloves for dancing are appropriate.
She should wear: A formal, full-length ball gown in a neutral color like dark brown or black. Glamorous makeup and dramatic jewelry and hair are appropriate.

Black Tie:
This is the next most formal wedding dress code and usually means the wedding is an evening affair.
He should wear: A tuxedo. A black bow tie, cummerbund, and patent leather shoes are also suggested.
She should wear: A chic cocktail dress or a long evening gown in a dark, neutral color like brown or black. The bride, wedding party, or friends can help answer questions about the appropriate dress length.

Formal or Black Tie Optional: (Which is what we are doing)
The wording here suggests something slightly less formal than black tie. This means that a tuxedo isn’t required but the event is still formal enough for one to be appropriate.
He should wear: A tuxedo or a formal dark suit and tie.
She should wear: A long dress, a dressy suit, or a formal cocktail-length dress in a dark, neutral tone like brown, gray, or black.

Beach Formal:
This suggests an elegant beach wedding — so dress to impress, but also dress for the elements (sun, sand, and water). Anything you’d wear to a nice restaurant on a summer day is appropriate.
He should wear: A summer suit with a linen shirt (no ties required), linen pants or khakis, and sandals.
She should wear: A formal summer sundress at tea- or knee-length with flat sandals. Makeup and hair can be natural and everyday.

Semi formal or Dressy Casual:
Depending on the time of the event, you’ll want to dress somewhere between formal and casual. Wear darker, more formal hues for an evening fete; opt for light colors and fabrics for a daytime wedding.
He should wear: A suit and tie, dark or light depending on the season and time of day.
She should wear: A cocktail dress or a dressy skirt and top.

Casual:
Generally, casual means anything goes. That said, jeans, shorts, and tank tops are probably not appropriate unless they’re specifically noted as acceptable. For the purposes of wedding wear, assume business casual to be on the safe side.
He should wear: Dress pants with a button-down shirt or polo.
She should wear: A summer sundress or a skirt or pants with a nice blouse. Makeup and hair can be natural and everyday.