Flower Girls

Brent and I are lucky to have 6 beautiful nephews and nieces...and one more on the way! We would LOVE to have every single one of them take part in our wedding, however, due to young ages some of them will not be able to participate. :( We have not finalized what we will be doing for the ring bearer(s), but we have decided that we will be having two flowergirls. We are so excited to have both Mary Jane and Julia walk down the aisle. They will be super cute...and if one gets freaked out, it won't be a big deal, because there will be a back-up.

And while out today my mom and I found the CUTEST skirt for the girls to wear down the aisle. My color scheme is Black, White and a brighter Pink. I will be in all white, my bridesmaids will be in all black...so obviously that leaves the flower girls to be in Pink! :) Check out the adorable skirt we bought at Gymboree:

It is definately not your traditional flower girl option, but I fell in love immediately! And how could I turn it down when the description of this "very berry tulle skirt" was "Our flouncy skirt looks great as she dances center stage. Satin waist and lining add shimmer and shine"? How great is that? Oh, and the price was quite nice as well...

We also thought that the skirt would look great with a white top with black polka dots, or a top that is slightly lighter pink. I'm stoked! They are going to look fabulous! :)

Invitation Websites

There are also websites that specialize in photo invitations - which is one the latest trends. I found some cute photo invitations at Rexcraft:

There are even Websites that sell ALL RECYCLED Invitations - often called "Naturally Ever After". How cool is that? One example of a NEA retailer is Invitations by Dawn and this is my favorite invitation on the site (except it isn't black & pink):

Wedding Paper Divas also has some fun new designs on the market!! They would not let me save the pics though, so you will have to check them out yourself!

Another option that people do not always consider is Target. My mom and I saw some cute invitations that we would have to print off on our computer, but they were a great price!

Any suggestions on where to purchase my invites?? :)

More on Invitations

I have found that there are 100s of stores and websites that sell wedding invitations! Almost every other page in wedding magazines has advertisements for invitation makers. So, if you are interested here are just a few of the places that I have found: (click on picture to enlarge)

From these advertisements, I have discovered that I have three options, 1) I can make my own invitations, 2) I can find a local shop and order/buy invitiations there, and 3) I can order invitations off-line and have them sent to me home.

Handmade Invitations

Archiver's Online has many supplies and ideas for you to make invitiations on your own. It also walks you through the steps of creating your own invitations: Select your colors, Select the size and style of invitations, Decide on specific pieces, Make a sample of each, Do the math, Gather supplies and Start Creating! Although, I am not sure whether or not I would want to put the time into handmaking each invitation here are a few samples from their website that I think are really cute!

Buy Locally
When I googled searched "Wedding Invitations in Wheaton" about 10 different locations popped up! So I know that there are plenty of options...but I don't have time to visit all of them. This is where word of mouth comes in handy. Luckily, my friend and bridesmaid, Caitlin Lautz, gave me a business card for Julie Detmer Ink located in Glen Ellyn the other day. Lautz was in her store and said she had a lot of really cute options, so I checked out her work online. Here are some of cute options off her website:

Order Online

Another easy, yet riskier option, is to order off-line. The only reason why I say it is risky is because you do not get to see the invitations in person before they are printed. However, it might be worth the risk since it would save time and energy spent making my own invitations or driving all around stores looking at invites. So, I tried it out and visited Now & Forever. Here are my favs off this website:

Check out my next entry for more cute invitations I found online...

She's Got "The Look"

While in September's Bride back in September, Meg from Meg Jewelry was hosting a trunk show. She covered me in pearls, and crystals, and swooed me with her lovely jewelry. She also placed a beautiful birdcage veil on my head. So when I found out she was going to be at The Left Bank, a jewelry store in Chicago, during my Christmas break I was stoked! My mom and I thought it would be fun to go check out her veils again now that I have a better idea of what "Look" I am going for.

I was so excited that Meg remembered me from 3 months ago, and she was ready to put something together. Luckily I came prepared. I showed her the following collages that I had put together to show her what I am going for. Check out "The Look" I am going for...

After reading through many bridal magazines I cut out images that I invisioned on my wedding day. After reviewing the pics we came to the conclusion that "My Look" seems Retro-Vintage-Glamour. And we went from there.

After trying on a couple different styles I found a look that I like. :) The Look would actually be a combination of the following veils...

(Picture this veil facing the other way, so the netting is covering my eyes.)

What I love about this veil: The silk flowers, and the pearls crystals in the center of the pearls. Also there are tiny crystals all along the netting giving it a slight shimmer

What I dislike about this veil: I don't like that it is so small. It is perfect for the reception, however I would like my veil to be a little bigger

What I like about this veil: I love how the netting is all around the top of my head. I also love that it covers my face on a slant (not straight across the front)

What I dislike about this veil: I don't like that it is so plain. I would prefer something snazzy on it (but not gaudy) like the silk flowers.

SOLUTION: Put them together. :) Meg said that I could get the veil with the silk flowers for the front of my face, and then have a detachable back that would surround my head, and that I would be able to take off for the reception. She showed me what it would look like, but I forgot to take a picture. Woops!

Even though I LOVED the look, I decided to wait to make any purchases. I figure I will look around a little bit longer, so if you see any similar veils let me know!

Oh yeah...Meg also put some B-E-A-Utiful earrings on me. I love the single drop pearl. This specific earring has swarvoski crystals around the pearl, which is great too, however, I think that I may be able to find similar earrings for a little less. Since I may be purchasing 2 veils (ha ha) I may need to cut down my shoe and jewelry budget. Let me know if you find any pretty earrings or a bracelet that will go with my dress.

The Wedding Binder

So, I just spent, literally, 5 hours organizing my "Wedding Binder." I do not know if other brides are like me, but I am super organized and like to have all my information in one place, and neatly organized and categorized, so I put together a binder. My binder has all the contracts I have signed, fun ideas I have found in magazines and information about potential vendors. It is HUGE, and needed some cleaning up, and reorganizing. Now that I have a better idea about what my wedding/reception is going to be like, I was able to throw out a ton of articles that I had in my binder about outdoor weddings and stuff. I also took some of the magazine cut-outs and put together collages, so that I can help vendors visualize the theme I am going for. Check it out...


I'm tired, and have a busy day with my mom tomorrow. We are going to a wedding jewelry/veil trunk show in Chicago, and then we are going to go to the mall to see if there are anymore bridesmaid dress options. I better make up my mind soon...or I'll go crazy. Night!!!

Oh My Goodness - PERFECT

I know I already bought my wedding dress...but that does not stop me from drooling over other bride's dresses. Check out "Hanging with Marie Labbancz" - a photography blog. She posted pics of an absolutely awesome dress by Monique Lhuillier. Totally out of my price range, but still...I love how it goes from long to short in one night!

How does everyone feel about the bride changing into a new dress half way through the reception? I love my dress, but I also love to dance, and I don't know how "moveable" my dress is going to be. I may have to go pick up a white Charlotte Russe or H&M dress for the reception. OOOOOO or check out this cute dress my mom found at J-Crew:

If Only...

(Sigh) What an amazing night! I can finally say that I have knocked one of the items off of my "Bucket List" - to go see a Celine Dion concert! It was incredible! My parents and I may have been sitting in THE LAST row of the United Center, but it was worth it. She has the most amazing voice I have ever heard, and as much as I try, I will never be able to hit the notes she does.

So, why write about this on my "Wedding" Blog? Well, during the concert I could not help but think what if Celine Dion sang during my wedding ceremony? How cool would that be?!? I would be in heaven. Anyone have any bright ideas to get Celine to visit Holland, MI at the end of June? If only...

More Bridesmaid Dresses

I just can't seem to make up my mind about what to do for Bridesmaid Dresses. Right when I think I have it all figured out, I start to doubt myself and think I see something I like better. Well, once again I think I have found a dress that I like better than all the rest.

Yesterday, while in Macy's I saw some really cute black dresses, so I decided to try some on. I found one that would look really chic for my girls to wear! And they would DEFINITELY be able to wear one of these out again. It is a Ralph Lauren dress, and was $180, however if you open a Macy's card you could get between 20-40% off the dress (depending on the deals going on). That could cut the price down to about $110. I also think it would look great on ANY body type, because it has a sheer top that would cover the chest.

Here is another dress, Calvin Klein, that was very similar, that I liked...but I think I like the Ralph Lauren a little better.

Ladies - if any of you are reading this...what do you think?!? I would like to have a dress picked out in the next month if possible.