If My Dad Could Plan My Wedding...

Two posts in one day?? Shocking!

But, this, I could not resist.

The long-standing joke in my family has been that my parents, well really, my dad, would host a spectacular carnival wedding for whichever crazy daughter agrees to it. Every year, our family parish hosts a carnival, and a few years back, my dad started brainstorming.

He has it all planned --- the tent is already there, the band is already booked. We'll pay for beer, the guests all get pizza or hot dogs, and onion blossoms will double as both the centerpieces and appetizers. No really, he's thought it out.

And if all that wasn't stellar enough, the bride and groom get a free ride on the Ferris Wheel. Lucky us.

So imagine my shock/horror/chagrin when I came across this on The Knot's "Wedding Ideas We Love" blog:



I guess my dad's been right along when he claims he thinks about ten years ahead of the trends...

Shipped!

My invitations were shipped today, with 3-day shipping, which should put them on my doorstep on Friday.

What's so exciting about that, you ask?

Well, Friday's my birthday, and I couldn't ask for a better birthday present! YAY!

How weird is it going to be HOLDING my wedding invitation? Ahh...so strange!!

I just can't believe how soon everything is creeping up. It feels like just yesterday I was complaining to Tom that we wouldn't be married for another 2 years and pricing out a huge outdoor tented affair...and now it's 2 months away and couldn't be more perfect!

I still have moments where I kick myself for not coming up with clever favors, or not renting a photobooth (I priced one out over the weekend before coming to my senses), but then I have my moments of clarity, too. For being so detail-oriented, I find it funny that my vision of the wedding day no longer includes any details. All I see is Tom, waiting for me at the end of the aisle, and blurs upon blurs of family and friends smiling upon us. And then it hits me --- that's all that matters anyway.

Because I'm Not the Only Person Attending This Wedding...

The past two weekends have been fairly successful for members of my family out seeking dresses. Last weekend, my younger sister and maid of honor was able to find the cutest black dress for the wedding. It looks SO good on her (I already warned her not to upstage me!). I don't know where she got it, so I can't post the details, but be warned, it's seriously hot. And I'm jealous.

This weekend, I was out shopping with my mother for her dress. After trying on at least 20 dresses, most pretty classic mother-of-the-bride style, she found a winner. I can't really describe the dress, other than to say it's crazy, but in a really, really good way. It's certainly nothing you would ever expect as a mother of the bride dress, but it looks great on her, and that's really all that matters. I tried finding a picture of it, but no such luck. I did find a picture of her shoes, though, which are doubly awesome because they complement the dress perfectly.




The dress, a combination of black, blue and silver, should look really good in pictures (if you ignore the fact that my dad is wearing a green tie!).


In non-wedding news, Tom's back from 2 back-to-back trips, and I'm SO glad he's home! He's going to get his passport today, so we can check that off the list, too!

Add Another Flower Girl...

Congratulations to my sister Becca, my brother-in-law Rick, and my nieces Madalyn and Amelia on the arrival of our 4th flower girl!

Introducing the very sweet, precious (and fresh from the womb), baby Charlotte Joanne:



Tom and I will be meeting her tonight for the first time! We are so VERY excited to meet her and cannot wait to welcome yet another sweet little one into our growing family!

DIY Month: Update 1

So a while ago, I mentioned that I was working on lots of DIY projects, though not all of them were for the wedding.

As my newest niece, Charlotte, will be arriving shortly, there is a sense of urgency surrounding projects relating to her bedroom and my nieces' new "big girl" bedroom. A few weeks back, I completed a set of 6 or 7 throw pillows for their room, and just recently, Becca and I tackled a few more "decor" elements. Take a look at the lamp below, as well as the letter plaques that we spent almost 8 hours on:



Pretty awesome, no?

Kudos to my brother-in-law Rick for the lovely wall paint job (as well as the dresser, chair rail, and mirror, in addition to the bunk beds and custom closet, too!). AND, major kudos to Bec for all her work refining and creating her vision. It's really turning out awesome, and I hope to be able to show off the rest of the room later (including the SUPER awesome reading corner, complete with seating & a chandelier!).

PS - I love the reflection in the mirror ;)