So...it's been awhile

So...I guess it has been awhile since I last wrote. The end of Christmas break went by rather quickly, and I spent much of it traveling. And since getting back to school life has been even crazier, and I have had zero time to blog...and no computer to blog on! ha ha! My laptop broke before Thanksgiving break, and I finally took it in to get looked at and they said it was a broken mother-board, which is pretty freakin-expensive. So, I had to work myself up to forking over the money for a new laptop. I tried doing the whole college thing without one, but could not do it anymore. EVERYTHING involves computers now! So, I finally went to Walmart and bought the cheapest computer I could find (I did not really plan buying a new computer into my wedding budget, so cheap was the way to go). But I was lucky, and they had a crazy awesome deal on this Compaq (owned by HP).
Well, mine is a little different then the one on the website - no webcam, etc - but for $398 it's great. Anyway, even though I may have not written in awhile, does not mean that I have not been keeping up on my wedding plans! :) Here is what Brent and I have been up to:

• My mom and I found all the bridesmaid dresses!! We went on a wild goose chase, but were able to get all of them (at varying prices). They were originally $180, but we got the price down to $133/girl
• We have asked my niece, Mary Jane, and nephew, Zeke...and Brent's niece, Julia, and nephew Levi, to all be in the wedding. We will be sending all four down the aisle. It will be so cute!
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• Brent and I finalized our Honeymoon Plans. We have an 8-person condo (ha ha - a little big, but that's ok) at the Sheraton Vistana Resort in Orlando FL, from Sunday June 28th to the following Sunday. Check it out!
• Mrs. Boersma's friends are throwing me a Wedding Shower and it will be held on February 7th, when Melissa, Brent's sister-in-law will be in town. It will be fun that she can be there!!! So, Brent and I are started making our registry list of things that we will need.
• The Guest Lists are being finalized as we speak. This is a difficult one!! It is hard to keep numbers under 200.
• I asked my cousin Sean to play a song (piano) and sing at the wedding, and he said yes! Sean is an awesome piano player and writes his own music. Check out this jingle he wrote for snickers... (I am thinking about having him sing "Marry Me" by Ed Cash, but that is still in the works)
  

• AND, a new theme is in the works! Although, I really like the Pink/Black/White damask look it is getting kind of pricey. We would have had to buy a table runner and cake plate for each table, and can not find very reasonable prices. So check out the new idea!

So, I still want to keep black and different shades of pink, but now I am going for more of an outdoorsy, love-bird look. My mom and I have found some REALLY cute ideas for table decs, favors, invites. Check out all these links... (I know it's a lot...I will break them down in future entries)

Invitations
DIY Impress Rubber Stamps
Vintage Perch
Swirls & Swallows
Two Birds
Love Birds
Sittin in a tree
DIY Martha Stewart
Whimsical Bird

Ceremony
Curly Willow Forest down the Aisle

Reception
Bird Place Cards
Wall Dec for entry way
Bird Cage Letter Holder
Balloon Ceiling
Chic Pearls

Table Decorations
Branch & Birdies Centerpiece
How to Make Bird Centerpiece
Inexpensive Vases
Crystal Flower Stems
Nests
Branches
Birds Nest Centerpiece

Favor Ideas
Blooming Bird Flower Card
Bird's Nest with Candies
Little Bird Boxes
Little Bird Boxes 2

Cakes
Cute Cake Topper
Forest Cake
Love Bird Cake Toppers
Sugar Birds and More Cake Ideas

Extras
Love Bird Stuff
Pretty Bird Necklace
Love Bird Garter Set
Birds Galore

So, what do you think of the new theme?? I hope you like it!

Utilizing the Curly Willow

As I said in my last blog, I am planning on using curly willow in my wedding. I LOVE CURLY WILLOW!! It is so unique, however it can be difficult to incorporate on it's own. At first I was thinking of just having curly willow by itself, but I am considering adding some kind of flower as well. Here are some pictures of how curly willow has been used in other weddings...

What do you think? Any other fun ideas? Anyone else use curly willow before?

Meeting with Indigo Floral

(Sorry there have not been any blogs recently...my computer is broken, so I have to rely on school computers...poop)

Today, Brent and I visited Indigo Floral to talk prices and floral arrangements for Dimnent and GHGC. The lady there was nice, and she helped bring all of our ideas to life. She helped me picture what the bouquets and floral arrangements would look like by actually bringing out flowers from the cooler and placing them together. It was nice to be able to get a basic idea of what they would look like. It was a lot of fun and we put together some really neat ideas. Here are our thoughts so far...

Bridal Bouquet - completely white! White Lillies or Orchids, and white stock, and white stephanotis (with pearls in the center). White peacock or ostrich feather coming out.

Pearled Stephanotis

White Lilies

White Stock

White Ostrich Feather

Calla Lilies and Stock (not sure if I would do this one though)

Bridesmaids - White, Bright Pink, and Black! Maybe some white lillies and purple cezanne roses. Possible little black feathers throughout the bouquet.

purple cezanne roses

White lilies

Black feathers

Dimnent - Have two pedestals by the unity candal, with large white vases and white curly willow. Then ferns by the stairway. Curly willow and tule on every 4th pew.

curly willow (would be white though)

I tried to paint in what the stage would look like...kind of poorly done :)

GHGC - Take the large white vases of curly willow and put at ends of head table. Then collect all the pew curly willow, and put into another large white vase to be displayed somewhere in GHGC. Or Brent thought of a cool idea - to somehow have the curly willow surround the four pillars around the dance floor. Bridesmaids would put their bouquets into vases that would sit on the head table. No new flowers would be needed, and we could do it ourselves...unless we want flowers on the cakes. :)

Those were just some ideas we came up with the lady. She priced everything to come out to be a little under $1100 (including the flower choices above). When I met with the guy at Flowers Etc. a couple weeks ago, he approximated everything to be about $1000 (this was the price without specific flowers). So they have similar prices...what do you think mom???

270 Days until the B-I-G day!

Exactly 129 days ago Brent asked me to marry him. Since then I have been in a whirlwind of plans...and now we have 9 more months until I am officially a Boersma, or a Lamade-Boersma (I have not decided yet). :)

I figured, since I only get to do this whole wedding planning once, Lord willing, I should start documenting the journey. Although it has been over 4 months since getting engaged, I still feel like I am in the beginning stages of the process. In August, after many sleepless nights, Brent and I (and my parents) decided that we would have the wedding be in Holland, MI. And more importantly, that we would have the ceremony at Dimnent Chapel. Although it would have been nice to get married in my home town, Brent and I decided to get married in a setting that is special to BOTH of us. Since we switched churches when I was in high school, I do not have a deep connection to Wheaton Bible, and it will be nice to look back at my pictures, and remember all the great memories we created while at Hope College.


After deciding that we would get married in the beautiful Dimnent Chapel, we quickly reserved Grand Haven Golf Course for the reception. Not only do they have decent rates, but the room for receptions is a perfect size, and the golf course is beautiful. They are even going to let us take out the golf carts to take fun pictures on the course. I have also heard that the food at GHGC is wonderful, and is prepared by local students at a culinary arts school (so they HAVE to do a good job, to get a good grade). :) Should be a lot of fun!

Here is a pic of the room...Stacy (bride in the pic - Brent's sister-in-law's Sister...ha ha mouth full) is letting me borrow the fabric hanging from the ceiling! Woot woot...how nice of her!!!

So...first step done...99 more to go! :)