Wedding: 4 months to go!

Well, 4 months to go before the wedding. Actually less than that. but I decided to do a quick blog post about some of the details.

We went to our final bridal expo/show yesterday. Got a few ideas from it and I had won a book on their Facebook page. Plus, I wanted to see the venue as it was the original place I wanted to hold my wedding at. It's time to get down to business with our wedding ideas that I already have. 

(Stolen idea from another blog) Here we have a list of items that are completed:

• The guest list
• The Venue (ceremony & reception)
• Save-the-Dates
• Wedding Website
• The photographer
• The videographer
• The DJ
• First dance song
• Photo booth
• Guestbook should be with the Photo booth
• Engagement photos
• Groomsmen
• Bridesmaids
• Bridesmaids dresses
• Flower girls /ring bearers
• Activity books for kids
• My dress (should be in next month!)
• Hotel block
• Most of my "Somethings"
• Cupcakes/cut cake - the ones that we went with has their own cupcake stand that will not be charging us to use so yay! Get rid of my crappy version.
• Bachelor party (Las Vegas next month, my maid of honor will be hanging out with me that weekend!)
• Flowers for flower girls (the crepe paper pomanders)
• Jewelery for flower girls
• Gifts for bridesmaids (notice how I'm not saying anything about groomsmen gifts...)
• Groomsmen ties & pocket ties
• Gift for Father of Bride
• Poem & Reader for poem

Still working on...

• A caterer

I think Luke & I finally decided on one. We had 2 proposals from 2 vendors. One $2700 more than the other. But his parents are willing to help us with money & now we're able to afford the one we want! We're waiting to see if we can get food samples from them like we did the other one.

• Candles

This was a DIY gone wrong. I was going to do stained glass. Then that turned into flat marbles. Which has now turned into frosting spray paint. Thank God for Pinterest, that's all I can say. Gotta wait until April/May when the weather is warmer to spray paint them outside.

• Groomsmen/ring bearers suits

This will probably be put off for another month I bet until some of our other more important items are finished.

• Flower girl dresses

I have the dress picked out online. Not sure when to get the mothers to order them since they are little girls & they grow so fast!

• Wedding registries

This is not as fun as I thought it would be. We came out of Bed Bath & Beyond with only like 30 items. Crate and Barrel, 9. We found a lot of Home Depot (since we just bought a house) but it's only available that that one particular store in Rockford, no country wide/website registry. Lowe's doesn't even have a registry. Menards is more local than any of them which doesn't help the out of state guests so we added stuff to Amazon Wedding Registry and hope people don't mind buying from Amazon.

• Something borrowed

Something old: Grandmother's Bible

Something new: Dress

Something borrowed: ??

Something blue: my shoes

And a silver sixpence in my shoe: I bought one from 1939 the year my grandparents got married.

I was hoping to borrow a pearl necklace but that doesn't look like that's going to happen so I'll have to borrow something else instead.

• My veil

Gotta wait until my dress is here to see if I should order the white or ivory, it's a ivory dress but has white lace overlay. So I'm confused.

• Makeup/hair person

No idea who to go for this. And should I spend the money for the makeup? Or the test applications for both hair &  makeup??

• Flowers

Met with the instructor here on campus that teaches Horticulture/Flowers. She's willing to help me so I'm excited about that. Shouldn't be that expensive.

• Toasting flutes

Instead of buying champagne flutes that we'll probably never use again, we're going to buy wine glasses and have them engraved. We're definitely more likely to use beer glasses, but wine is more appropriate for the wedding reception! I'll be drinking beer at the wedding but I'll have them fill up my wine glass with beer. Keep the alcohol intake down that way.

• Bachelorette party

I've tossed a few ideas towards the Maid of Honor and we're going to hold it in May, when the weather is warmer. And yes, you bet it will be in Chicago.

• Bridal shower

My wonderful, caring future sister-in-laws have decided to host this for me. That will be in April. I'm wondering if I need to buy them a present for hosting? Anybody know?

• Luke's wedding ring

I went to look at ones that I liked. He went to the same place and checked them out as well. We'll probably wait until I have to go over for a dress fitting to check them out together.

• Dance lessons

Yes there will be dance lessons. For the first dance. I have a Groupon that I'm waiting to use next month. We'll need it!

• Invitations 

Mostly done, waiting to be checked over by a graphic artist & printed. They look so much like a race brochure Luke says that we'll probably have people showing up thinking that it's going to be running involved.

• Programs

Mostly done, waiting to be finalised by pastor & then printed. I'm doing 4 sheets of paper, stepped in a 1/2" increments and tied together with ribbon.

• Alcohol

Have to wait until our caterer is picked for pairing food with the wine. But it'll just be wine & beer. Cheaper that way.

• Bartender

Not sure if we'll get one with the caterer or through the wine store.

• Cake topper

So many different options here. I found a website where they make cute figurines out of clay that look just like you! But at $350 a pop, no thank you. So then I saw on Pinterest the wood birds on sticks wondering if they could make some shoe silhouettes. Then again I saw on Pinterest a crochet heart glued on stick and of course I could totally make that! (I crochet now). Then at the wedding expo yesterday, I saw something that I could make to look like a finish line on top of the cake! So many ideas.

• Honeymoon

I know, it will come as a great surprise but Luke & I are basing our honeymoon around a marathon. I know, I know, shocking! LOL But I decided on Switzerland (which took Luke by surprise, he was thinking Ireland, I told him we'll go no matter what to Ireland, I want to go to a place that we'll probably never get to go again for our honeymoon; plus, he's Swiss). Then we started looking at races and found a marathon near the Alps. Yep, the Alps. So sounds like we might do that one and it's at the end of July.

• Rehearsal dinner

Luke's parents are taking care of this. It will be held at Luke's brother's house because he has a pool and we have kids at the rehearsal, they'll want to swim I'm sure. 

• Favours

These will also be place cards as well. But you know at races how you get bags full of advertisements & food? That's what they will have, only no advertisements! And small, 5x7" bags. I'm waiting to see if I can buy mini Clif Bar to put in them before I purchase the bags but Clif Bar keeps pushing back the production date. Boo! Now not until Mid-March.

• Timeline/schedule

I still need to look up how to do this. All I know is that Luke & I are running in the morning, having a first look, ceremony at 4 pm, bridal party pictures afterwards and reception done at 11 p and we're all out & done at midnight. Other than that, no ideas what's happening or when!

• Gift for Mother of Groom

I have an idea, have to get it soon.

• Songs for: introductions
• Decorations
• and ????? I'm sure there are some items missing!

Erin helped me on picking out engagement outfits for our shoot with our photographer. Thank goodness too, cause they came out great! Here's the link to view a few of them.

Also, here's a link to a photo album I've added that has a few items of the wedding details.