Archives – April, 2009
My mother raised me right. She always taught me: “Kill ‘em with kindness, Mur! If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.”
Mom, I love you, but this is getting to be too much. Is anyone else out there trying to plan their wedding and finding that they’re constantly being inundated with “Speidi” news?? For sobbin’ out loud, shouldn’t Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt’s fifteen minutes of fame ran up 2 years ago? Enough is enough already. They had a never ending engagement, filled with more drama than a season of The Young and the Restless, and now that they’re trapped in Mexico “honeymooning,” I still can’t seem to escape them.
And what’s worse is that while I’m so incredibly annoyed by it – because I’m blogging about it – I’m simply fueling the fire known as the Speidi Pandemic. Because I needed to vent, I have now become part of the problem, and not of the solution. It’s a double edged sword, and while I’m not happy about it, it is my hope that after the “honeymoon is over,” my planning will be Speidi free.
Who’s with me?
April 30, 2009
I better rock out mine like nobody’s business! Haha!
It seems that while planning my wedding, everyone has their own little pearls of wisdom to share, and my beautiful cousin, Carla, provided me some of the most precious pearls to date. She said, “Mary, while you can scrimp / cut back / trim down on many areas to keep your wedding budget from tipping the scales, there are two areas you should never… and I mean NEVER “settle” on. One is your entertainment at the reception. Two – and perhaps more importantly – is your wedding photographer!”
After thinking about it for a moment, I realized how right she was. A photographer not only will provide you with some of the best, most everlasting keepsakes from your wedding day, but they will also set the tone for many key events – from your first professional shoot at the engagement to the post reception send off. So, it was extremely important for me to find a photographer that not only did amazing work, but who also meshed nicely with the Mister and me.
Truth be told, my cousin Carla’s wedding pictures were BEAUTIFUL, but she was miserable. Her wedding photographer acted more like a Mussolini incarnate, dictating the bridal party with loud orders rather than a professional picture taker. She said she felt as if she was back in grade school – afraid to even whisper - in fear that she would lose a gold star. Haha!
I lucked out and found a girl who not only captures the simplest of moments beautifully, but who has the personality that will be able to rally the troops instead of instilling fear in them. Her name is Jessika Feltz, and she has been nothing but wonderful. This weekend we have our engagement session, and she has been gracious enough to drive to where it all began… back to IU in Bloomington! I’m oh-so-excited, and I’ll be sure to post the pics! Wish me luck!
April 29, 2009
Andrea, the Wedding Coupon Guru with her main squeeze, Landon
Alright, so my Mister and I have been together a little over three years, and within those three years, we have gone to 31 weddings together. That’s right. I said 31. And while that may seem like a lot, it has worked out famously for me! I’ve been able to pick out things I love, and even more importantly, things I didn’t love… to ensure my big day would be dressed to the nines and looking fine!
Approximately three months before my wedding in November, I have the distinct privilege of being the maid of honor in my girlfriend, Andrea’s wedding. She is marrying her college sweetheart, who she has known since grade school. Awwwww. And while I’m uber pumped to be a part of their big day, I’m also pumped to have such a great friend to plan with! Her wedding - even though it hasn’t taken place yet – has seemingly been my most beneficial wedding to date! She has provided me with more specials / sales / and coupons than I know what to do with! And here’s how…
Like most retailers and online stores, the minute you purchase, they cordially send you a “Save 20% OFF on your next order” email, which for most stores is great. With wedding supplies, however, it doesn’t always work. Unless you’re planning on sending out two sets of Save the Dates or giving your bridesmaids two bouquets… doubtful.
So, if you have a friend or family member who is getting married or just recently got married, try to see if you can get up on the wedding coupon train. Hopefully, it will help save you some money… cause Lord knows, weddings are expensive; so, it’s nice to cut some corners when you can… to have moolah left over for more important things… like your dress… or your SHOES! Haha! So, swoop in and use some of her “would-be-wasted” savings on yourself!
April 24, 2009
Does anyone remember the Disney movie, Bambi? In it, there is a seen when the wise old owl is describing the unavoidable, elated feeling animals get when Spring has finally sprung… he refers to them as “twitter-pated.”
I like to use this same verbiage to describe the world right now. We’re all twitter-pated! It seems that no one, and I mean no one can avoid Twitter Talk! You know something is big when your grandparents are asking you questions like, “Mary, how do I follow Oprah?” Wow.
So, to keep pace with the rest of the world, we’ve decided to follow suit and open our very own account. Hooray for US! So, stay tuned in and turned on for the latest and greatest wedding news!
April 22, 2009
So, I just read that a slice of 138-year-old cake is to be sold at an Antique’s Fair this week. Honestly, I’m all about “savoring the moment,” but at some point, I think it’s just time to let it go. Heck, I’m even struggling with the thought of eating the top of the wedding cake on my one year anniversary.
This particular sliver of cake is said to be the last and only remaining article from the historical wedding between a British Royale and a “commoner.” (Oooooooh, the scandal) So, for all you potential buyers, the fair is in Birmingham, England. Feel free to pack up and get your hands on some tasty century old cake. And, please, if you do, let me know how it goes!
April 16, 2009
While every girl might have a plan in mind for how she hopes her engagement goes, I’ve always enjoyed the ones that don’t go to plan. Hence, why I delight in mine being filled with inexplicably bad hair, rain and some smelly, barnyard favorites.
The future Mr. and I had been together a little under 3 years, when he finally racked up the courage to pop the question. He reported after the fact, that he had ran through several scenarios before deciding to go for broke at our local Christmas at the Zoo. He figured between the snow, twinkling lights and holiday cheer, it would be perfect… perfect – obviously - being the operative word.
The night we had tickets, it was freezing cold, ultra sludgy and pouring down rain, which is always an amazing combo for my naturally frizz-nasty hair to shine. The minute we stepped out of the car, I went from perfectly quaffed to down right dump. My hair swelled to twice it’s normal size, and even though it was freezing, it still managed to take on tropical storm’esque ferver. As we flopped from display to display – 95% of which are outside – we became wetter, colder and smellier, until we finally reached Santa’s Workshop… <sweet sigh of relief>… an INDOOR Exhibit!.
The sweet sigh of relief, however, was quickley turned into frantic gasps for air, as we realized it was hotter than Blue Blazes inside Santa’s Workshop and couln’t get all out layers off fast enough to rebalance our internal thermometers. So, with incredibly unladylike fashion, I began to sweat… not glisten or glow or any other verb women try to use to make themselves feel better… I was full on dripping sweat. Both awesome and attractive.
Not only that, but like any woman with naturally curly hair knows… the damage done from humidity is down right inconceivable. So, just when i thought my hair souldnt’ get worse, it did. But, did I let this get me down? Nooooo. Instead, I began to embrace my new look as a homeless cave man and kept on trucking. As we left Santa’s Workshop to reemerge ourselves in the great outdoors, I noticed Tanner (my Mister!) started to talking in all kinds of sentimental tones.
Now, as a female, I realize it’s blasphemy to say this, but I’m actually not really good with all the super mushy speak. And apparently, neither is Santa’s Little Helper, because just as Tan Man really started to get onto a roll, he was rudely interrupted by the pungent smell coming from the reindeer one pin over… I mean, really? They should biohazzard that stuff.
Finally, as we neared the end and approached the exit, I noticed that Tanner wasn’t beside me any longer. Frantically, I tried to find him through a sea of massive curls and giant umbrellas, and when I finally locked eyes with him, I couldn’t help but cry. There, in front of a lit up Hot Dog Stand, soaking wet and down on one knee was my Tanner… in all his glory… asking me… in all my glory… to be his wife. It was my imperfect / perfect proposal and the best gift I ever received at Christmas.
I can’t even wait for the wedding and all the adventures I’ll get to have with you, Bunny :)
April 13, 2009
Now, really… who can honestly say they aren’t at least curious about celebrity style? I, myself, live for shows from E! News and all things celebrity related. I don’t know; there’s something about watching what people with lots of money, lots of help and lots of choices do, and letting everyone know what I would do to make it better. Haha! Of course, I’m only comfortable doing this because, as of today, the Paparazzi aren’t following me around, catching me at my worst and leaving me open with a target on my back.
So, until that day comes, I will continue my incessant celebrity gawking… hoping to get inspired, and find it for cheap :)
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April 13, 2009
