So, after giving up visions of pink, I visited several bridal boutiques around the Chicago area. I even visited a shop on the infamous Oak St (they're known for taking your entire bank account and STILL having to use a credit card for the final payment!) I really tried all kinds of places. Finally, all on my own, I went to a tiny place out in the 'burbs. I walked in at 10:55a for my 11a appointment... and I walked out twenty minutes later with my dress.

You see, by the time I bought my dress, there were two lil numbers that I had fallen in love with... one was double my budget, the other quadruple. Um yeah. I didn't buy either of them. Wanna know which ones?

MONIQUE LHULLIER - MAGICAL

ROMONA KEVEZA LEGENDS -  not sure of the model number anymore

Magical was easy to let go of... because it costs a fortune. I still think it would have been so fun to wear, and it's perfectly my personality - but that was just not happening. I'm pretty sure it's worth more than my car. The Romona Keveza was a bit tougher, but I had made a pact with myself not to go overbudget - so I didn't.

When I visited the tiny suburban bridal boutique, I showed her a photo of the Romona Keveza, and I told her I'd like to see something in that style. Lucky for me, they had a silk shantung Romona Keveza in-stock as a sample, and they'd sell it to me for half off. I tried the dress on, and while there were definitely problems with the dress (mainly the fact that it had a bubble hem, which I didn't like,) the fabric and stitching won me over. I tried to get 75% off, as you really can find samples for that cheap, but the saleslady wouldn't budge. My negotiating skills failed me in the moment. It did irk me that she said "I'm not even supposed to give you 50% off," which we all know is untrue.  But whatever - it was a small fly in the ointment - everything ended up working out! I could see the potential - and it was fully in my price range. Cha-ching!

What I find funny is that the dress I ended up wearing looks a LOT different than the dress that I purchased, even though we (my seamstress and I) didn't do too much to change things! This...

...became this (at my final fitting:)

Big difference, right? We changed the bubble hem into a flat hem, added a sash at my natural waist, and then tiny buttons down the back. I didn't really have an emotional connection to my dress until my first fitting, when we sketched out what the changes would look like. I admit it - I cried! I had had many doubts about my dress until then... would the final product be something that was worth all the effort? In a word... yes. I loved my dress, all the way, through and through.

I do have to give major props to Kyle Pearson, who handled all my alterations, including making my sash and veil from scratch. She was really one of the best people I worked with throughout the course of my wedding. If you are in the Chicago area, and you'd like to contact her, please do, because she is A+

So that's the story of my dress. What's yours?

Heather & Tom's Wedding Highlights from Vanessa McKellar Productions on Vimeo.

Throughout the wedding planning process, I had harbored secret hopes of contracting a videographer for our wedding, but I wasn't sure if Bossyboots would go for it. We were so conscious of spending our hard-earned dollazzzzz on only the important stuff... food, booze, fancy shoes - you know what I mean. It's so easy for your budget to get away from you.

In the end, we went for it. Videography tends to be that swing vote - sometimes yes, sometimes no - is it necessary? Probably not... but in the end, it was a priceless addition to our wedding day for which I am so thankful.

I'm not ashamed to say that when Vanessa sent us the video, I cried through the whole thing - and that's what you want, right? A visual expression of one of the biggest days of your life.  Even Bossyboots had a single, lonely tear falling from his cheek, over his Miller Lite (he is clearly not a beer snob,) and onto his computer keyboard.

Vanessa and Brent were fantastic to work with, and they did an amazing job.  Mrs. Frozen Yogurt - who is your friend and mine - referred us to Vanessa, and she was right! Both Bossyboots and I loved them, so if you're in the market for a videographer... go forth and hire with our highest recommendation!

Bossyboots and I love to go to Galena, IL for little weekend trips. Mostly because we are 86 years old on the inside... but also because we got engaged there. It's a tiny little resort town located about three hours away from Chicago.

You know we had to start our road trip off right!

We also needed snacks and reading material.

I enjoyed the view while Bossyboots did all the heavy lifting.

Now, I am a healthy eater. I will eat the sh*t out of some broccoli and carrots, but 90 minutes into our drive, the Belvidere Oasis is located specifically to appeal to my basest instincts...

The closer you get to Galena, the more beautiful the scenery. The gray, urban buildings fall away, and you're left with wide expanses of trees, rustic barns, and cows. Always cows.  The funny thing is, we always pass this huge tease of a lookout tower. Supposedly, you are allowed to climb to the top of this impressive structure and appreciate the hypothetically gorgeous view.

It's always closed.

Whatever. This time Bossyboots and I weren't to be denied, so we pulled over to survey the view from ground level. As a result, a very tiny tear rolled down my perfectly rosy cheek.

Midday, we pulled into our chosen place of lodging.  Usually, we stay at the Ryan Mansion, which is AWESOME. This time, we decided to be dangerous and branch out.

I have to be honest - we actually strayed from the Ryan Mansion because we planned to have a drink or three at dinner, and we wanted to be able to walk to our hotel from the restaurant. Does this make us responsible adults? Yes? Good. Because that's the conclusion I've personally decided to go with.

I will tell you that we had a great time. The bed and breakfast was perfectly lovely structurally, but we don't think we'll stay there again (which is why I'm not telling you the name.) The innkeepers just weren't very friendly. It's payback from *Annie Wiggins for abandoning her!!!  

*Annie Wiggins is the ghost that haunts the Ryan Mansion, and she's a vindictive lady.

Galena is full of all kinds of shops - we spent the day sampling about a million dips, oils, jams, and salsas.

Galena is also the place to go for wine tastings around here! So of course we spent the afternoon obliging, while practicing calling each other "wife" and "husband"...

We were ecstatic to find that Galena hosts a St. Patty's Day parade every year. A surprise parade? Full of yay.

The local Piggly Wiggly grocery store sponsored a float, and guess who played Grand Mascot....

I about died - this moment made the day! Pigs are my spirit animal.

We took a leisurely dinner at a local Italian joint, emphasis on leisure. It was a great time just hanging out and people watching.

We spent the evening on the porch at our B&B, drinking our wedding champagne and smoking the last of our Macanudos.  The next morning required an early lunch, followed by our drive back to the city.

We had a truly wonderful time away from the excitement of our wedding, just hanging out and having fun. I loved it and so did Bossyboots. I think we get so sucked into wedding planning that it feels strange to spend time together without discussing floral arrangements!

Do you have a minimoon planned? Where will you be going??

 

And then this...

A little bit of this:

And finally, we devolved into this:

At one point, I was holding TWO cigars, a vodka tonic, and a Kobe slider. All at the same time. Apparently, I was done being classy by 10:30p. :)

We had a perfect day, and I don't mean to say our wedding was perfect, just the fact that the love we felt all day long, surrounded by our nearest and dearest made for something pretty spectacular.

And now? Well, this happened, too:

I know this sounds crazy, but it feels different being married. We already lived together, so theoretically, nothing should be different - but it is. One week in - eleventy billion to go! Who else got married this weekend? Congratulations!

My fiance and I have been wedding planning for about a year now. In Wedding World, there is a major emphasis on making choices based on how your photos will look. "If you do XX, it'll look great in photos." "Choose XX color, it'll look great in photos." "That just won't photograph well; don't do it."

Mmmmm, ok? :(

Bossyboots works in lighting, I work in media - we care about what things look like. We have educated opinions. However... making choices about an incredibly important day based on what looks good in photos feels no bueno to me. Many of our wedding choices WILL look great in photos, but I don't want to make a wedding choice purely because it'll photograph well. For example, I already tried a makeup look that was geared towards photos, and it made me feel like a cakeface. This look suits me much better.

For a long time, I definitely was in the "do-things-for-photos" camp. Well, (Bossyboots, cover your ears) I was wrong. This is our wedding. We love each other - that's what this is about. When I think about the intention for our wedding, it's not to create a magazine article. We're not having a wedding in order to create a fashion show. We're having a wedding because some things in life are worth celebrating.

This is our Wedding Intention:

• To celebrate the fact that we get to love each other for the rest of our lives.
• To celebrate every person that got us here.
• To create memories that will last a lifetime.

My makeup isn't geared towards photographs. We aren't doing a First Look. We chose flowers that are beautiful and make us feel good. We geared our budget to food that will make our guests happy. We chose a photographer who is a spectacular photojournalist. 

On the flip side... my wedding shoes WILL look pretty fun in photographs. :)

I guess what I'm getting to is... many people tell us brides and grooms to make wedding choices based on the exterior or superficial factors. Bossyboots and I will definitely have a gorgeous set of photos by which to remember our day - but it will be a legit day, not faked in any way. Life isn't a magazine, it's a series of special moments, and I don't want to sacrifice something special so that I could "get THAT photo." 

Are you struggling with making these sorts of decisions? How are you handling it?

If you're new to the Clarisonic game, this thingamabob is a turbo cleaner for your face. I realize this may seem like a strange gift, but I've been wanting one of these babies for a few years, but I could never bring myself to buy it. It seemed like such a luxury. 

That being said, I am 33. Not elderly by any means, but my skin has definitely aged since college, when I was made of teflon. I have wrinkles, lines, reptilian scales - you know, all the normal markers for aging. :)

Bossyboots picked out the Mia 2 for me - in PINK - so it's perfect. I have to tell you.... this thing has absolutely lived up to its reputation. Everything you've read about it is true. My skin is in the best condition its been in for years. I use my Clinique mild facial cleanser with it twice a day, and have nothing but great things to say about it. Many people I know use Cetaphil, but Clinique works just fine for me.

After a month of use, I'm sold. This is the best device I've used on my face ever (although I also liked the Neutrogena Sonic Wave, which is much cheaper.) 

Do you have a Clarisonic? What are your best tips to the us sonic-newbies?

Sooooo...... I guess I really am a difficult makeup client, but I digress.

Anyway, Wrigley-T (a Snapdragon bridesmaid) also plans to do her own wedding day makeup, so we joined forces and stormed our local Southport Ave. Benefit store. Wrigley-T and I are both perfectly competent at doing our own makeup, but we needed Fancy Makeup.  We made a girlytimes date of it (sans pillow fight.)

I know we're supposed to post some ugly-looking, dire, starving photo of ourselves as a before post, but Wrigley-T and I never look bad. I mean, I looked all through our photos and couldn't find one. ;)

So that's what we look like when left to our own devices getting ready for a night out!

--- And yes, I know the collage above is creepy because it's digitally cut together and it kinda looks like we're taking this photo together but kinda not. The creepy is what makes it funny. ---

The Benefit store is basically candy in a life-sized box. Very pink and girly - so I loved it, of course.

I brought with me a "look" I had seen on the Benefit website: "Eye Gotcha" and I showed it to our new Benefit employee/stylist/friend Lauren.

I told our new friend Lauren what we were up to... "cute but not juvenile" "hot not bridal" "sophisticated but not old" "don't cover up my freckles" "I don't want to spend a million dollars" "good luck sister, I always hate it when other people do my makeup, you've got your work cut out for you"

Needless to say, Lauren was a trooper. :)

New Friend Lauren got started with me, and Wrigley-T and I got to try out fancy new looks...

Throughout our DIY makeup trial, I got to take a peek at what was working and what didn't...

 Surprise, surprise, a miracle occurred because I loved what Lauren did!

Seriously, guys, I have NEVER liked what a makeup stylist has done with my face, so this is a big deal! I was very happy. The picture makes my cheeks look a little washed out, but in person they were just what I wanted. Success!

Now... it was Wrigley-T's turn:

Wrigley makes friends wherever she goes! New Friend Lauren did a great job with Wrigs' makeup trial, too.

Trying not to laugh so that she doesn't lose an eye. A very delicate part of the operation....

Well lawsy mercy, you done got hit with a perty stick!

Both Wrigley and I bought a number of things from our DIY makeup trial, but these three things are my most favorite Benefit items...

• They're Real mascara $22 - I debated between the Benefit BADgal Plum mascara and this black They're Real mascara, but in the end I went with the showstopper. The Plum is fantastic, but I had to choose! It was like Sophie's Choice. Not really. At all whatsoever.
• Posie Tint $29 - Oh goodness so pretty. This stain is the perfect shade of girly pink. As New Friend Lauren taught us, for Wedding Day... we need our makeup to last, and a stain will help keep our cheeks last for the long haul.
• Eye Bright pencil $20 - I love love love this pencil. You wear it around your eye line to brighten up your eyes. It's a light pinky color, so it makes you look like you just took a nap without using a stark white color that's really too harsh. For my everyday look, I use Eye Bright and mascara, even if I wear nothing else [on my face.] I always wear at least wear pants and a coconut bra.

We were super happy with our new fancy looks and are all set to be especially glamorous on Wedding Day. 

And then..... lunch!

What's your favorite makeup product? And don't say you are all natural, all the time - that is a LIE.

This weekend, Bossyboots and I had our Pre Cana, which is one of the requirements the Catholic church places on people who are planning to wed. Our day started off in the usual way (of course!)

Our church's Pre Cana is held in the rectory, and when we entered, what did my eyes spy but these...

Do these people not realize that there are a herd of brides starving to fit in their dresses coming to Pre Cana?

Apparently, yes they did. And those donut holes were on. purpose.

I ate the daylights out of those donuts. Actually, the whole day was full of unhealthy food... sodas, donuts, coffee, brisket sandwiches. I actually had a sugar headache by the end of the day, but whatever. Worth it.

We enjoyed Pre Cana. Maybe because we live in a major city, our church is much less conservative than some. I'm not naming the church because I don't want to get them in trouble, but they were very "with it." By this I mean that they didn't act like their classroom full of 30-year-olds were all virgins. They didn't act like birth control is the devil. They treated us like we had brains of our own. Etc and so forth. So I appreciated that. They gave the official church position, but they didn't ignore the way that most people live, or that any of it was wrong. They treated us like adults with our own educated opinions, so that was a big A+ from me.

The day was full of interactive exercises, where we discussed solutions for potential relationship challenges with other engaged couples... finances, children, careers, sex, conflict resolution, kindness, etc.  I found it incredibly helpful.  I also enjoyed our group of people. Everyone was smart, friendly, and took the day seriously while still being fun.  By the end of the day, Bossyboots and I were ready to go home (we were both fighting major colds,) but we got a lot out of the class. Our instructors were really great, and we learned a lot.

The class finished with a final exercise where we each broke off into corners of the rectory and wrote a love letter to our spouse. We left this letter with the rectory staff, and each letter is mailed on our 1-year wedding anniversary. Is this something that happens in every Pre Cana class? I must admit... I teared up while writing mine. Hopefully, Future Bossyboots likes it when he receives his next year!

Did you write a love letter in your Pre Cana class? Or is that unusual?

Creating these invitations was a heckuvalotta work, but I'm happy with them. Of course, there are endless ways I see that I could have designed them in different ways, but at a certain point, you have to step back and send those dang files to the printer!

Let's get to it... you may recognize a few elements that have evolved out of my original wedding invitation design. I've learned how to use Illustrator since 2009, and I have to say designing in Adobe is much easier than MacGyvering in Word!

The entire suite was bundled in a belly band... this is what our guests saw when they pulled the invitation out of the envelope:

Inside, the suite was made up of four pieces, all double-sided:

• the main invite
• a double-sided map
• an info trifold
• a RSVP card

The entire suite uses a combination of hand-painted and digital fonts. Overall, we were going for a hugely personal set, with a folk art feel.

*Personal info obscured

Our main invite, front and back...

Our double-sided map of Chicago (where we live) and Dallas (where I grew up, and where the wedding will happen!)

The maps are hard to see! Here's a close-up...

For Chicago, I painted all the places that are most important to Bossyboots and I. Every place I painted has a story behind it. Can you spot Bossyboots and I on the marathon course?

I think my favorite part of the Dallas map is the giraffe playing hooky! I'm also happy that you can see my sister and I crossing the finish line of my very first marathon (which we ran together!) My dad and Bossyboots are just behind us.

Since our wedding is quasi-destination, I wanted to include an info sheet that guests could keep in a pocket or purse. The sheet includes parking and travel info, along with suggested activities and restaurants.  This info and more is also on our wedding website, but I think it's important for guests to get a hard copy that they can easily take to the actual wedding, as well! (If they get lost on the way to the wedding, it won't be my fault!)

 The RSVP card is the very last thing that I designed... and to be honest, I think you can tell. C'est la vie! The vegetarian meal option looks so short and sad, but the risotto really is SO GOOD, I promise!!

So there you have it! The Snapdragon invitations. Now, we pray and wait.

Many thanks to Mrs. Cupcake; who fielded about 85 emails from me asking for advice, tips, and cookies at all hours. She's a pro, which is why she can design invitations in about a quarter of the time that it took me!

Are you in the middle of designing your own invitations? Do you need a care package? Group hug, people.

So I googled "sequin appliques" and gathered my materials...

Firstly, I laid out all my sparkly appliques upon my satiny sash to figure out how many I needed (measure your waist first and leave room for the bow or fastener!):

Then, I scooted my appliques off the sash, in preparation for sticking them on in a more permanent manner:

I pulled out the fabric glue, and one by one dotted each applique and affixed them to the sash (dotting is important, so the appliques don't become inflexible!)

So on and so forth...

Now, the gluing part went SO fast, like I was done in 15 minutes - but then I realized that gluing alone wouldn't be sturdy enough with all the dancing and falling over I plan to do at my wedding. This meant some stitchin'. I [kinda] carefully stitched around the outline of each applique to be sure those suckers weren't going anywhere they weren't supposed to.

Finally, in great excitement, I rushed into my room to try out my brand new $43 sash. I put on my dress all by myself (NOT EASY,) and I of course had to put my fancy shoes on, too. The moment of truth...

That sash was too dang skinny... I needed a wider sash! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The next day I went to my first dress fitting, where I showed my sash to my incredibly amazing seamstress, and she said "You know... I don't think you need a sash at all." She was right.

Wasted DIY time!!!

Or.... is this a win? I don't have to make a new beaded sash. My amazing seamstress is making the non-beaded sash FOR me. Suddenly, the situation has turned around... 

Did I mention that she's also making my veil because she is 10,000 times better at it than I would be, and it won't cost $300? Another thing that I don't have to fail out in my attempts to save money. Jealous, aren't you! ;)

Anybody make their own beaded sash successfully? Or are you full of fail, like me? Tips and commiseration appreciated.