Our Wedding Brought To You By Dr. Pepper and Snapple

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Weddings are expensive, and it seems like every time Chris and I say "wedding" the price seems to triple, if not quadruple. I think what is even worse is the nickle and diming -- corking fees, cake cutting fees, food shortage surcharges, photography usage fees -- it's vendors trying to squeeze every last penny out of you! Chris and I want to have a nice wedding, but we don't want to auction off our first child to do so! But one bride did just that! Well, not auctioning off her first child, but auctioning off a spot as a bridesmaid on Ebay to pay for her wedding.

Have you seen this article? It came across my RSS news feed yesterday. Apparently, a bride in Virginia auctioned off a spot as a bridesmaid to the highest bidder on Ebay in order to pay for her $7,000 wedding. With a combined income of $32,000 and a 1-year old, the couple was on a tight budget, so they turned to Ebay to offset the expenses. Who is the lucky winner? Dr. Pepper and Snapple! Not only did the company up the bid to $10,000, but is launching an online competition to decide who the bridesmaid will be -- with talk of a surprise celebrity. I have to give the couple major props for being creative! Now, they can not only afford the wedding, but the honeymoon as well.

This article begs asking the question --is this the new bridal trend: corporate wedding sponsorship? Chris and I are really trying hard to stay on budget, but I know that I couldn't have a corporate brand plastered among our decorations to offset expenses. I know the bride didn't mean for Dr. Pepper to be their wedding sponsor, but I have to admit my antidisestablishment side is fuming. What next is in the corporatization of America?

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...It's Off to Breck We Go!

Since none of our families had seen our venue, we decided to take a little trek up into the mountain to Breckenridge on Saturday. Like I said in yesterday's post, when Chris and I toured the venue in November it was ski season – not only was the patio where we would get married buried under snow, but the dinning room was converted into a café for skiers. Now that all the snow had melted and ski session was over, we could get a better picture of what the location would look like on our wedding day. So, my FFIL, FMIL, FSIL, my mom, Chris, and myself piled into our cars and drove up to Breckenridge to look at Ten Mile Station. The hour and half drive along I-70 is stunning!

When Chris and I toured the venue in November, we took the chair lift up to the Ten Mile because the road was buried in 6 feet of snow. Now that all the snow had melted, we could take the dirt road up. I am really glad we did this because finding the road in town is really, really tricky. Addition to my to-do list: 1. Make signs to point our guests in the right direction.

First off in our tour of Ten Mile: Inside. Lucky for us, they were setting up for a wedding, but unfortunately I couldn't meet with my coordinator, Britton, as she was hosting another wedding at one of the other Breckenridge Lodging and Hospitality sites. Another coordinator, Helen, graciously gave us a little tour of the facility and answered all of my questions.

Above, the bar/cocktail area. I really like how it is off to the side and separate from the dinning room. If too full, guests can spill off onto the patio. I did a count of the tables and after counting 8 High-Tops (I thought there was only 4), the Michael Miller Dandy Damask linens might be cut for cost. GRRRRRR! I want to think of a way to incorporate the fabric. Any ideas?

In the pictures is my FFIL, as well as our guest book table, escort card table, monitors for a slideshow, and table for appetizers. A some point in the evening the table for appetizers will go away and this area will be used as our dance floor. Off to the right hand side and not pictured is a little alcove for the DJ.

The big issue that we discovered were the tablecloths. In our pricing basic tablecloths are included, so I just went with them; however, this is what the basic tablecloths looks like --unpressed and dropped only a few inches off of the table. Although, I could potentially look past this, it just doesn't look good. Addition to my to-do list: 2. Hunt for better linens. Next up on our tour: Outside.

Above is a photo of Chris, his parents, and his sister.

This is the patio where Chris and I will get married. I love, love, love the long walk down the aisle! And the mountains in the background! *sigh*

In this photo you are seeing my FFIL and myself discussing the grate issue. Right were I will be standing there is a grate that I could potentially get my heels caught in. I can just image myself happy, tearful Cookie blissfully staring into Chris' eyes and then !!!!BAM!!! nose dive into the pavement. Although the aisle runner will cover it, there needs to be something hard underneath to prevent heel and bodily damage. Addition to my to-do list: 3. Cover for grate.

A photo of Chris and myself in the exact spot where we will get married. *sigh*

And finally on our tour I leave you with this: my sunburn. That's right, on Friday I did a whole post about the altitude, but did I even think of putting sunscreen on my shoulders, no! Although, I did put it on my face! I was only out in the sun for 30 minutes max, but at 10,000 feet the sun is 40% stronger. I am really hoping it will fade by September, but I have a tan line from a burn last year on my back that still hasn't faded. Oh, well. Addition to my to-do list: 4. Apply aloe vera to burn liberally.

A Little Something Special

Yesterday, Chris surprised me with a dozen Black Magic Roses. Unbeknowst to him, these are the exact roses that will be in my bouquet. They are beautiful, stunning, and a I cried when he gave them to me. I don't really need or want a lot of material things, but once in a while it's just nice to get some flowers from my honey! I truly love this man!

At Altitude

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Since Chris and I are getting married at an elevation of 10,234 feet, I feel it's necessary to warn your about the possibility of altitude sickness. To be honest, I don't think anybody will get sick. I am really more concerned about the affects of altitude on our older guests rather then the younger ones, but it affects people differently. And with all the debauchery, shenanigans, and inebriation that I know will ensue at the wedding, I thought I would give you guys a heads-up.

What is altitude sickness? The above photo is a of the sign from Mount Evans, one of Colorado's Fourtenners, warning about the dangers of high altitude. According to WebMD, "Altitude sickness occurs when you cannot get enough oxygen from the air at high altitudes. This causes symptoms such as a headache and not feeling like eating. It happens most often when people who are not used to high altitudes go quickly from lower altitudes to 8000 ft or higher. For example, you may get a headache when you drive over a high mountain pass, hike to a high altitude, or arrive at a mountain resort.
Mild altitude sickness is common. In the United States, more than 20% of people visiting the western mountains have it.1 Experts do not know who will get it and who will not. Your age, being male or female, and how physically fit you are play no role in whether you get altitude sickness."

Really the best way to avoid altitude sickness is to acclimate, which is the process of adjusting to the decreasing levels at lower altitudes before accending to high ones. Unbeknowst to you, we have devised a plan to acclimate you to the altitude. Since many of you are traveling from sea level or slightly higher, we asked that youstay a night in Denver before heading up into the high country, not only to acclimate, but to enjoy our rehearsal dinner. At 5,900 feet (the elevation that Chris and I live) you will begin the acclimation process while dining on roasted pig without even knowing it.

Also on our web site, I have a devoted a special page to all topics related to mountain health: altitude sickness, the affects of alcohol and caffeine at altitude, weather, and sun exposure. Although none of you are climbing Mount Everest to get to our wedding, I want all you to have a good time. The last thing I want is for you to be stuck in their hotel room sick and miss all the fun!

The Short and the Long

I have always had straight, short hair. When I was five, my mother cut my hair into the infamous Dorothy Hammil haircut. Although, I had several different hair-dos --including really bad perms in the early 90s --for the next fourteen years of my life I had nothing but straight, short hair.

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In college, my short hair was fantastic. I would roll out of bed, grab a quick shower, blow dry my hair, toss a little product, and run out the door. No fuss, no mess. I loved it! To illustrate how short my hair was, below is a photo of me, circa 2005. Please note the differences and similarities to the Dorothy Hammil do.

After college and right before I met Chris, I decided out-of-the-blue that I was done with the straight, short hair and decided to grow it out. So long Dorothy Hammil! Now, this was a major decision, hair altering decision considering I had spent almost 24 years with short hair. As my hair grew longer, I started to play around with all the different styles: flat, curly, and up-dos to see what I liked best. For my friend's wedding--where Chris and I would meet -- I decided to go curly. Below is Stacy(future bridesmaids) on her wedding day and myself.

Remember, Chris and I were in a long distance relationship. In between the day we met and the next time Chris saw me again was six gruelling weeks. Literally, the second phrase out of his mouth the moment we saw one another again was, "I thought you had curly hair? You had curly hair at the wedding." Subsequent photos and baby pictures would convince him otherwise.

When thinking about my hair style for the wedding, I thought back to the day we met and my curly hair. Now, my hair is longer than I have ever had it, and would be perfect for some long loose curls. So, I took the below image of Katherine McPhee hair at her wedding this weekend to my hairstylist for a pseudo hair trial.

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Here is how it turned out, and me trying to get a good hair shot in our bathroom mirror. I love it! My veil won't be done until the middle of July, but when I go for my cut and color in August I'll be able to take it to do the real hair trial. Below is my hair, eight hours later. The curls fell out a little more than I would have liked, but I think it still looks good.

Although, my long hair is defiantly growing on me, I am half tempted just to chop-off my hair after the wedding and go back to my short hair days.

When Cake and VW Bugs Collide

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One reason Chris and I chose our venue was the inclusiveness of the package --meaning chairs, tables, linens, dishware, food, beverage, and cake are all included in the price. This meant less time and stress running around finding a rental company, caterer, and baker. Another reason that we chose the venue was their pastry chef. When we signed our venue contract, Ned Archibald, Executive Pastry Chef and Chocolate Magician of the Keystone Resort, was the exclusive cake baker for Ten Mile. I didn't mind having to exclusively go with Ned because his work is fantastic.

About a month after we signed the contract, I got an email from our catering manager about the cake. Apparently with over 200+ weddings per year, Ned could not keep up with the demand and decided to not bake for Ten Mile. Now, our venue was on the hunt for a new baker and would get back to me shortly. Needless to say, I was disappointed but optimistic. A few weeks go by and I got another email from the catering manager saying that they had found a baker, Katie with Clint's Bakery. I emailed Katie and we set-up a tasting consultation with Chris and I in January.

To try to save time, gas, and money, we are really trying hard to limit our trips up to Breckenridge (which is about an hour and half drive from our house), so we pack our days with wedding planning activities. On this particular cold, sunny Saturday in January we had quite a day -- skiing the mountain in the morning, cake tasting, meeting with our catering manager to lock in 2007 food prices, and more skiing in the afternoon. At 6:00am we headed off to Breckenridge and as we turned onto I-70 we ran straight into bumper -to-bumper ski traffic. Three hours later and two very frustrated Cookies later, we finally make it to Breckenridge. By this time we have missed skiing in the morning and were about to be late for our cake tasting, when Chris hits a patch of ice going literally 5 miles per hour and runs into the back of a VW Bug in my mother's car! We all pulled off to the side of the road, made sure everyone was ok, and then we started inspecting the cars. My mother's car was fine, only the licence plate was bent, but the rear bumper of the Bug was broken and cracked. Ironically, the couple we hit was also engaged and getting married in Florida. They were really cool about the situation, and they eventually got a new bumper.

After swapping insurance cards, we rushed to our cake consultation. Clint's is more of a coffee shop than an actually bakery, so there was a ton of people sipping on espresso and chomping on breakfast burritos during our entire consultation. Katie was a really nice, bubbly girl -- who we later found our had just graduated from culinary school two years ago. She decided to go into cake baking after a few friends asked her to bake cakes for their weddings, and was now starting to build her business. Before the consultation, Katie and I had discussed a few options of cake we wanted to taste, and during the meeting I gave her our cake inspiration board along with a few other cake images to decide on a design.

From left to right: Row 1 take the cake, April Reed, The Cake Girls Row 2 April Reed and Erica O'Brien

Image from The Knot Colorado

We finally decided on this inspirational image for our cake. Please excuse the scan, but I gave the original image to Katie. The cake will be a three layer chocolate cake filled with real raspberry and raspberry preserves. The first and second layers will be separated with orange and red roses but the third will be sans flowers. The frosting will be a white fondant with tiffany blue royal icing detail, as well as, a thin brown ribbon on the bottom of each later.

After we decided what the cake looked like, Katie presented us with five different cakes to try --baked as adorable oversized cupcakes, however all the cakes were really dense. Because the cake was so dense, we asked if she could make it a little lighter. Immediately, a hurt look overcame her face. She told us that she had never had a problem with anyone liking her cake before, and would see what she could do. Chris and I left feeling a little worried if she could pull off the cake, but with the exclusivity of Ten Mile she will bake over 60 cake this summer alone. We are crossing are fingers that practice makes perfect.

On a lighter note, I found these adorable little salt and pepper bird shakers at Target for $5. Instead of a traditional cake topper, our florist will set the birds so they are peeping out of the flowers on the second layer.

If It's Sunday, It's Meet the Press

I wanted to diverge from the regular wedding blog to pay tribute to an amazing political journalist, Tim Russert. Tim, thank you for your hard nosed interview style that asked the questions we all wanted answered from our politicians with integrity and dignity. Sunday mornings will not be the same without you!

The Forgotten Guest Book

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While scrounging around for some unmemorable item a few years ago in the basement of my father’s house, I came across my parent’s guest book from their wedding in the back of a hallway closet. The thick layer of dust that caked the cover confirmed my suspicion -- the book had not seen the light of day in over thirty years. As I flipped through the pages and pages of names, I was surprised to recognize a majority of the names -- many whom were relatives or friends of my parents. Also, I found a list of the wedding presents my parent’s had received, along with my mother’s handwritten notes about thank you cards. Although very touching and bittersweet (my parent's are divorced), their guest book looked so sad and pathetic being tucked away and forgotten about these many years. So, when thinking about what we wanted for our guest book, I was reminded of my parent's guest book and knew I needed to come up with something that would be a visible reminder of the guests that surrounded us on our wedding day.

Since there are so many creative ideas for guest books, the hard part was figuring out what best fit with our personality as a couple. Here is a sampling of inspirational ideas that I gathered about guest books -- some of which are on the opposite spectrum of what we would do (ie. signed guitar great for a rocker wedding), but they got my creative juices flowing.

From left to right -- Row 1: Chair and Guitar from Brides.com, Jars from The Knot Row 2: All photos from The Knot

After thinking about it and since Chris and I love photography, I wanted the guest book to involve photos. One of the current, hot trends in guest books are the guest self portraits from couples photobooths that are then gluded in albums and accompanied by a cute, little note to the couple. Although I really like the idea of photobooths and guest book photo albums: 1) We are not having a photobooth 2) I didn't want an album that I would never see and forget about like my parent's lonely guest book.

From left to right: Brides.com, The Knot, The Knot

Ultimately, Chris and I decided on a guest book style that is very popular, trendy, and maybe passed its prime --the signing of names on the mat of an oversized frame. Even though this is a far too often done as a modern guest book, I love the idea! Of course the frame will eventually hold a photo of us on our wedding day. I love the metaphor that not only did our friends and loved one surround us on our wedding day, but they will surround our lives always! Maybe I'm reading too much into the guest book? ;)

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For several months and every time we made a Target run, we always ended up in the frame aisle debating about whither the mat will hold 75-100 signatures. Finally over the weekend we found a winner, and even better it was on sale for $22!

There is plenty of room on this puppy for the 75-100 guests and the occasional John Hancock's. Plus, guests have space to write a little message if they want. Instead of just one photo from our wedding, I like the fact that there will be five photos, and for the wedding I'll fill the frame with photos of our engagement protraits.

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Also, I am gathering old wedding photographs from Chris and my parents, grandparents, and greatgrandparents to not only surround our guest book but to honor those who have passed on.

The Rant of an Overworked Bride

Please be forewarned: this is a rant of an overworked bride!

I have two jobs. Yes, not one but two jobs. During the day, I sit behind my computer and either write grants or plan fundraising events for an affordable housing nonprofit, and then at night I moonlight part-time as a designer and painter for a children's theatre. Both jobs are equally rewarding, because I feel like I am doing some good in this world, but both are equally tiring! I took on a second job to help pay-off student loans quicker, but with planning our wedding on top of two jobs, I feel like I am being pulled in a million directions.

Currently, I have two major projects at both of my jobs. I'm planning a fundraising event for my first job, and I've got a gigantic muraling project for the theatre. My time is being gobbled-up with an endless to-do list that keeps expanding instead of shrinking. My days and nights are consumed with work, and my weekends are consumed with either work or wedding errands. Hopefully, my work life will clam down in the middle of June when both projects end. But this rant isn't about working two jobs. What gets this me incredibly frustrated is when work creeps into my personal life, especially wedding planning. I highly value my personal time, and I try really hard to set boundaries between work and my personal life, but lately all my time has been consumed with work.

Since I am a theatre major and a portion of my job is planning fundraising events, I decided not to hire a wedding planner to save money because I could it all myself. Lately, I really wish I would have because I've had to put aside a lot of major wedding projects that need to get done asap, particularly invitation design and printing, to finish other work priorities during my personal time. I've delegated some wedding planning duties to Chris like planning our rehearsal dinner, music planning, and anything having to do with his attire, but to be brutally honest the actual wedding planning is not Chris' thing. Chris and I will only get married once (hopefully)! I just want to savor every moment of planning because it will be gone all too soon, and not have that time stolen way from me because of work. And besides, I have a lot of fun wedding planning!

Ode to Damask

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Finding this blue and brown Damask from Michael Miller started my love affair with the pattern. I love Damask because of the duality in the tone -- old and modern at the same time. (To be honest, a lot about our wedding screams duality, which I can attribute to being a Gemini.) I wanted to incorporate this fabric somewhere into the wedding, but was a little hesitant. Damask is a very bold pattern , and I didn't want it to overpower other elements in the wedding. At first I wanted to make table runners, but then decided against it after seeing the centerpiece designs from my florist and realizing that the Damask would take away from the flowers. So, after much deliberation I thought," Why not drape Damask linens over the bar tables?" Perfect!

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Above is an inspiration for the bar tables. I bought this really beautiful Espresso Ribbon at Crate and Barrel when they were discounting all their Christmas gift wrap, and I found red tea candle holders at Hobby Lobby for $3.99 a piece. I think this will be a great way to give a little character to the cocktail/bar lounge.

My Own Personal Cary Grant

Too often, the focus of wedding attire is solely on what the bride will wear and not the groom. Like the bride, I think the groom’s attire has equal weight in revealing the groom's personality and setting the tone for the wedding. From a Hawaiian shirt and shorts at a beach wedding to a tux with a bowtie at a more formal wedding – anything is possible! Lately, Chris and I have been discussing his wedding attire.

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On one of our first dates, we went to this French restaurant in the Adams Morgan part of DC. I distinctly remember Chris wearing this very handsome blue dress shirt, and as he was dapperly leaning back in his chair the image of Cary Grant flashed in my mind. The icon of the charismatic, debonair man I can’t think of a better inspiration for Chris’ attire than Cary Grant. Not that I think brides and grooms have to matchy-matchy, but with my modern, old Hollywood look and Chris’ homage to Cary Grant I think the two are a perfect combination.

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The best way to describe our overall wedding tone is rustic, elegance, which has the option of being either semi-formal or formal. With the groom’s attire, therefore, Chris has the option of a suit or tuxedo. I found these two images of Cary Grant, one in a suit and one in a tux. Which one do you like best? Let’s take a vote? Suit? Tux?

I HATE Being Sick!

For three days, I've been stuck inside my house trying to get over a nasty cold. I hate being sick, and I think my body is rebelling against me. It's telling me to slow down and not stress out over work, wedding, and foolish little things. It has bee a great little break, even though its been a lot of nose blowing and sinus pressure.

I am a BEE!

On Wednesday, I got an email saying that I had been accepted to be a Bee on the Weddingbee!

Now, I will be blogging as Miss. Cookie on that site. I will still be blogging on our site, but not as frequently. So, if you are bored at work, check it out!

The Office Wedding

SPOLIER ALERT! DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU ARE AN OFFICE FAN AND WANT A LITTLE SUPRISE!

Images via Perfect Bound

My honey is a huge Office Fan, so I decided to share these spoiler photos as it will be on this evening. Are Pam and Jim going to get married? I love watching their sweet romance! I guess we will just have to tune in.

Crate and Barrel

Ok, so I did say that Macy's was our final registry, but this last weekend we registered at Crate and Barrel. When thinking about places to register Crate and Barrel was on my short list, but it originally got cut in favor of Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Macy’s. I thought there was an unspoken limit to three wedding registries, but apparently there isn't. I've seen brides register for upwards of six or more, and depending on the number of guests that many registries might be necessary.

Even though we are anticipating less than 100 people to attend, our guest list is approximately 150 people. A bride should anticipate that 20% of your invitees will decline; however, with the number of out-of-town guests we are inviting I am realistically anticipating that we will have 40% of our invitees decline. Why am I anticipating that 40% of our guests decline? Because they have already told either myself or our parents that they will not be attending, but they would like to send a gift. With gas prices and the economy, many of our invitees just cannot afford to attend our wedding. I am not really disappointed in this fact - it's just the way it is - but I think it's very considerate of them to even send a gift. So, we thought it might be necessary to have one more place to register to give people more options.

Back to registering at Crate and Barrel. Unlike our previous registry experiences, we completed our Crate and Barrel registry in one hour. We knew what we wanted and scanned it. We stuck with non-seasonal items per the advice of the Crate and Barrel associate helping us -- which I think it absolutely necessary for this particular store as they rotate seasonal stock so often. It would be a big pain to have to re-register constantly because a majority of our registry items were discontinued. Also, we registered for the same set of knives, again. That makes three places were we have registered for the same knives. We really want a set of Wüsthof Gourmet knives, and registering at three places increases are chances of receiving a set.

Having completed four registries, I’d like to share of advice for those starting the registry process.
1. Take Inventory: Look around your home/apartment and ask yourselves: Where are we in our lives and what do we need? Kitchen gadgets? Furniture? Flatware? When my MOH got married right out of college, they moved from Montana to DC immediately following the wedding, which made an impact on their registry. They were at a place of transit in their lives, where as Chris and I are a little older and already own a home. Not only will answering these questions clarify your needs, but hopefully the conversation will happen before hitting the stores, thus saving you time.

2. Style: Register at places that fit your own personal style. If your not into registering at places like Target or Crate and Barrel, don’t! Many small, independent online stores now allow for couples to make registries or wish lists.

3. Number of Invitees + Number of Parties = Number of Registries: Like I said, I thought there was an unspoken rule of a three registry limit, but apparently there isn’t. If you are only inviting 50 people two places to register should be enough, but if you are inviting 500 people six or more registries might not even be enough. Also, when determining the number of places to register take into account the number of showers and engagement parties you will be having. I’m having two showers, so that is why we decided to add Crate and Barrel to the registry in order to give people more options.

4. Price Range and Store Options: Offer your invitees a wide variety of price ranges. With the economy the way it is many people are hunkering down on their finances, but would still love to give you a gift. In addition, maybe you’re like us and your invitee list is scattered throughout the county. Although the internet allows people to shop online without a store physically located in the state, not everyone is internet savvy. Pick a least one store that you know is located in state of your invitees.

5. Don’t be Afraid of Big Ticket Items: We love to cook and subsequently have a well stocked kitchen. Registering for kitchen gadgets meant upgrading or registering for unique items like a mini torch. But what we really need is furniture. Let’s face it furniture is expensive -- we don’t expect guests to purchase big, expensive pieces – so, we registered for smaller furniture items like a chair, bookshelves, a leather bench for our bedroom, and a wine cabinet that were moderately priced and would fit into our home. However, you can go sign-up at http://www.felicite.com/ and have guests contribute whatever amount they would like toward your big ticket item. When the total cost is met, the website places the order for you.

6. Register for the Same Item at Different Stores: Since we cook a lot the one item we really want is a set of Wüsthof Gourmet knives. In order to increase our chances of getting a set, we have registered for the same set at three different stores. Don’t worry about the possibility of receiving the same item, or even not getting it. I’ll explain more in advice #9 and #10.

7. Register for Open Stock and Sets: When registering for pans and knives consider registering for both Open Stock and Sets. For example, a set of Wüsthof Gourmet knives is $400, while one 6” Chef Knife is $100. Not only does it give a better price range for your invitees, you might end up getting an entire set by registering for open stock rather then not getting anything at all because no one wanted to pitch-in $400 for knives.

8. Update: Depending on the length of your engagement you should update your registry every season, and especially six weeks before your wedding. Items that you registered for in March might be discontinued by your wedding in September. Seasonal items are really tricky to register for because it is likely the item will be gone before your wedding. You don’t have to constantly stock your registry, but definitely check on it before the big day.


9. Spreading the Word: My fiancé and I differ on this piece of wedding etiquette, but I say do not put your registry on your invites. Many stores now give you will little slips of paper to announce your registry items. I am totally being a snob about this, but it’s kinda tacky. It is customary for the parents of the couple to pass the word onto the invitees about your registry. Although, I think if you have a wedding website, it is perfectly fine to post your registry stores there because it is meant as an information place for your guests.

10. 10% After the Wedding: Stores are now offering 10% off any item still on your registry after the wedding. Put items more items than your invitee list and that they probably won’t buy, but you intend to buy later. Also with gift cards, returned items, and the discount you might be able to cover the cost of that beautiful espresso wine cabinet that you really wanted.

11. Returning: Returning is inevitable. Your favorite aunt will forget to give your registry list while checking out at Target, therefore, the item doesn’t go off your registry, and subsequently your favorite uncle buys the same item. It’s going to happen. That is why you registered for more items then your invitee list. You’ll just return the item (hopefully they gave you a gift receipt) and get 10% off another item on your registry.

12. Give to a Good Cause: Your wedding is a great time to give to a charitable cause. As a nonprofit fundraiser, this is especially close to my heart. You can either have guests make a donation directly to the charity of your choice or guests can give when they purchase your registry gifts though the I Do Foundation. Go to the I Do Foundation’s website for more details on how you can give back to your community.

Make-up Trial

Back in November, I bought the bridesmaids dresses from Ann Taylor. As my future sister-in-law is my only bridesmaid to live in Denver, I went with her and my future mother-in-law to try them on. Afterward, we decided to do an impromptu make-up trial at MAC. At the time I was riding the fence about whether to hire a make-up artist or DIY, and going to the MAC counter helped. Here are some photos of the trial:

Me without any make-up

Kirsten, the lovely MAC make-up artist, apply the make-up

FSIL and me after the make-up trial sans lipstick

After going to the MAC store, I decided to DIY my make-up. Why? Kirsten did a fantastic job with my make-up, I loved my look! If I was having my wedding in Denver I would have hired her without any hesitations, but with my wedding in Breckenridge I don't want to pay for her travel expenses. There are plenty of spas/salons in Breckenridge, but they charge almost $200 and not in my budget. Many of the make-up artists I have talked with recommended hiring a professional, which they should as a salesperson, in order to apply enough make-up for the photographs. I do admit that your wedding day is the one of the most photographed days of your life, and if you don't feel comfortable applying make-up hire a professional, but if you do save yourself the money and DIY. With my background in theatre, I feel very confident to not only put on enough make-up but achieve my desired look.

What did you do for your make-up? Did you hire a professional or DIY?

What's in a Name?

"By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself."

Act 2, Scene 2 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

So, what's in a name? For Romeo and Juliet, it was the entire reason that their love was forbidden. For me, it’s who I am!

Before meeting Chris I had a very strong mantra, I would not take my future husbands last name, period! I like my first, middle and last name. It’s me, it’s who I am, it’s my personality… A new name means a new identity, a death to my former self. I want to hold tight to the person I have become, and letting go of my name means ending the journey of my current self. So, when Chris asked me to take his last name, needless to say I had my hesitations.

Randomly one night the last name discussion was breached; would I consider taking Chris’ last name? Now, Chris has a lovely last name, very easy to pronounce -- no qualms about the name itself. Slight digression: What I appreciate about our relationship is our communication. Six month of long distance dating really allowed us to build our relationship on a strong communication foundation. We both listened to each others opinions about the last name– mine of my own identity and Chris’ of wanting to become a family. How can you argue with an argument like that? “Honey, I know your name means a lot to your identity, but it would mean a lot in symbolizing the beginning of a new family.” Now, I was facing an internal conundrum. I love Chris with all my heart and soul, and what a deeply profound way of symbolizing the start of our journey through life together then by changing my last name (Chris didn’t want to change his last name). However, I still wanted to retain my identity. Because I heard in his voice how much it would mean to him, a compromise was reached. I would indeed take his last name, but my maiden name would become my middle name. Now, I’ve written and said my “new” name out loud several times just to get used to it, but it will take a little while to adjust. With two out of three of my married bridesmaids keeping their maiden name as their middle name, I’ve realized this has become a very common practice among women today.

Did you or did you not keep or change your last name after you were married? Please, share your story?

Blue Crush

Remember my post I Heart Shoes...I searched high and low for a pair of blue shoes, and even though these shoes aren't Tiffany Blue, I finally found a pair of BLUE shoes from JCrew! At the outrageous price of $245 per pair, I don't think they fit into my budget; however, I am drooling over this blue clutch. At $98 it is still a bit out of my price range, but I do have a little less than 5 month until the wedding so I've got time to stock it until it goes on sale!

I Joined the Etsy Bandwagon!

I joined the Etsy bandwagon! For those of you who don’t know, Etsy is a fabulous online community to buy and sell everything handmade, and it is a great place to purchase unique wedding accessories at affordable prices. The plethora of one-of-a-kind merchandise can be a little overwhelming to search through, so I did a “Something Blue” search. I went to Etsy and typed “blue, wedding.” Here is just a handful of some of my favorites…


(from left to right)1. Brass Paper Clip, 2. Cyberoptix TieLab, 3. Lizbee Jewelry, 4. stacysdesigns88 5. Laurie’s Shop 6. Field and Sea 7. OriginalsByLynnette 8. Jennifer Rydin Designs 9. Sarah Ridley Letterpress 10. Dear Emma 11. MarlaJDesigns 12. Amrita Design

It's the Little Things

Last night, Chris surprised me with a massage. He had candles, romantic music, and apparently rose petals were in the works if I hadn't ruined the surprise just a little. As you can tell from my posts, I've been a little stressed out lately; it felt so nice to get pampered for an evening. It's the little things, like a surprise massage or putting away dishes after dinner, that make me fall in love with him more and more everyday. What little things does your boyfriend/girlfriend, fiancé, or spouse do for you?