Wedding Blog Purging

Happy Easter & Happy Spring! These spring pictures make me want to get married right now! all images via Stylemepretty.co As my wedding is getting closer & closer (less than 5 months now!), I need less & less inspiration. I used to get up, look at Google Reader, check out my favorite blogs, & save my favorites. But now, as my wedding day is actually coming together, I find that wedding blogs are just overwhelming! If I find an idea that I love, I wish I would have seem it sooner. If I see an idea that I am already incorporating, I feel like it is overdone. Purging my blog reel down to my very favorites has really helped! My ideas are what I will be using, I don't need anymore inspiration. And how many of my guests are actually going to be reading wedding blogs to even know if an element of the wedding has been done before?!? Not too many.

So, on to the concrete! Most of my girls have picked out there dresses! Here are a few:

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Next weekend I am moving (yay! Can't wait to have our first home : ) ) & then I will begin ordering the rest of the things we need for the wedding! Five months sounds like a lot of time, but I know it will go by so quickly! Has anyone else stopped looking at wedding inspiration? Do you feel like you are in a good place with your wedding planning?

Crossing Things Off

We only have about 5 months until the wedding, and I finally feel like I have crossed off most of the "big" things on my list. There are a few big things, and a lot of little things still left to do. 1. Find a hair & make up person

2. Order and get out the invites

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3. Figure out my accessories

4. Details! Cupcakes, programs, signs, card box, corn hole, photo booth, out of town bags, lanterns, lights...

Is there anything big that I am missing? I am going to try to get a lot of things ordered and completed before the big day, but there are just some things that have to be done day of. What was the last thing you put together? What was something you forgot? Please leave suggestions in the comments!

Table Mock Up

I have talked before about how my wedding is a little modern with a little rustic. One of my "rustic" elements is wooden table runners. I saw a tutorial, on Pinterest of course, on how to age wood using apple cider vinegar and steel wool. I was thinking that I was going to stain the wood, but thought I would try this out. So I started with this:

Just a regular board and some steel wool and apple cider vinegar. And ended with this:

When you see the before and after, it is definitely different. However, to me, it is just more brown, not necessarily aged. The tutorial said that it ended like this:

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This is aged and grey and nice. Mine... not so much. However, I did learn a lot!

1. I am having long tables, so I wasn't sure how many vases I would need on each table. I decided on four, with candles. There are also going to be table numbers, so I don't want it too crowded.

2. How many vases I need! My floor plan is below, so if I have 4 vases per table, I need 80 vases (plus or minus a few in case they break or want to be used else where!) Like the vases? They are $0.79 cents from Ikea! Can't beat that! I also like them all the same- I was thinking of having different heights, but I like the simplicity of them all the same.

3. I wasn't really sure how long 8 feet was. Nice to know. Also, being able to visualize it, I have decided I need about 2 paper lanterns over each table. They are going to be linear over the long tables, and then a big conglomeration over the dance floor.

4. Carnations are under rated! I bought these because they were cheap and to see the vases with flowers in them, and I really like them! The texture is awesome, they are hardy, and they are inexpensive. I will most likely supplement with some garden roses and ranunculus as well, but I really like the carnations! On that note, I need about 3 blooms per vase, so now I know how many flowers I need as well!

Overall, it was a great learning experience. If anyone is thinking of doing anything with tables themselves, you should definitely do a mock up!

Dream vs. Reality

Some brides have dreamt about their wedding day since they were a little girl. While I don't remember doing this, I have put a lot of thought into it the last year or so. I think one of the hardest things about wedding planning is seeing all those pretty pictures, and turning them into your reality.

When I first started looking at wedding blogs and magazines, I was like a kid in a candy store. I want this, I want to make that, I want to have this.... but then you start thinking about how to implement it. Who is going to man that photo booth? Where are you going to get and transport 3 foot balloons? How are you going to make yard games? Who is going to hang and light all of those hanging lanterns.

Don't get me wrong, I think that having all of these pretty pictures to look at is great for inspiration. But turning inspiration into reality can be hard. The logisitics of the wedding day are key- if you have yard games that arent set up, a photo booth that no one can figure out how to use, and hanging lanterns that are falling into peoples' food- your wedding dreams become a nightmare.

Dream big, but remember, having a few details you love executed perfectly is much better than trying to do it all. Remember, your wedding is about you- make sure that your details reflect that and everything will turn out beautiful.

All images via StyleMePretty

Sweet Tooth

Like Kate, the cake wasn't something that I really thought about when starting the wedding planning. I knew that I didn't want something crazy and over the top, and I knew that I wanted to give my guests choice of flavor- there is nothing worse than going to a wedding and being stuck with a crazy flavor of cake that you don't like! I am very luck to have a talented sister & soon to be sister in law who both have made wedding cakes before; I know I am in good hands. So... I think I have decided that we will be having wedding cake(s) and cupcakes.

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As you can see, I LOVE the ruffled, easy look (and just had to include the awesome sprinkle cake!). I also don't want a lot of height, I think I want 2 one layer cakes and one 2 layer cake (that is a bit confusing..) on different height cake stands. All of these are a bit more than I am going for, but you get the idea.

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As for the cupcakes, there is a plan in the works to use them as favors, table numbers, and seat cards all in one- but we need to think of about 10 flavors! So that is where I need you- what flavor is your favorite?!?

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The Registry Conundrum

Our registry was one of the first things Dan and I did while wedding planning. Why, you ask? Because Dan was far away and it was something that we could do together online. So, we picked out our china, towels, blenders, & bedspreads without seeing them in person (or getting to go crazy with the fun scanner gun!) And later I went to the stores to make sure I still liked it. I did, and now when I want to go shopping, I just add things to the registry!

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So, to my first question. What is something that you wished you put on your registry, but didn't? What are things that you love that you got from the registry? Or, what is something you thought was imperative and now just takes up space in a closet? We have most of the basics on the list, but would love some more input! We have never lived together, so we don't have much (I have pretty much always lived as a college student, & Dan in barracks). And the second question... all of the websites say to have double the amount of gifts on the registry as you have guests. But that is A LOT of gifts... our wedding is fairly big. Did you always have items on your registry? What happened when it started to run low?

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And the most important question of all, did you have a gift table? A card basket, birdcage or mailbox? How did you incorporate the gift table into your wedding decor?

All photos via stylemepretty.com

Long Distance Love

Madeline: Virginia Military Bride. That how this blog defines me. Virginia is where I grew up, where Dan and I met, and where our wedding will take place. A military bride is something that I thought that I would never be. When I dreamt of planning my wedding as a child, it was never with my future husband 7,000 miles away. But while the Marines took Dan so far away, they also brought us together and help us to realize that every moment together is special. So how do you plan a wedding on different continents? Like this:

Bridesmaid dress shopping! And how do you keep your relationship going when you're so far away? Like this:

Date night!

 And how do I know that being a future Marine wife means being a part of a big family? Because of these guys:

They moved all of my stuff out of one house and into another. In one day!

And how do I know that it will all be worth it in the end? Because of things like this:

My future husband may be halfway around the world, but he still makes me feel loved : )And that is saying something. Yes, some days it is hard. Some days every song that comes on the radio makes me want to cry. Some days, it feels like forever until Dan will be back. But I have amazing friends and family who tell me it will be ok. And I know there are many military brides out there that have it far worse than I do. Yes, Dan is far away. Yes, I miss him every single minute. But he is not deployed to a combat zone. I know that he is generally safe, and I can talk to him on a regular basis. So, to all of you girlfriends, brides, wives, families, and friends of those in harm's way- you are amazing. And here is a hug.

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What about you? Are you a military or long distance bride, wife, or girlfriend? How do you get through the hard times? Let me know in the comments!

Up, Up, & Away

Generally, when I think of decorating with balloons, things like this come to mind: left; right

While some people have this in mind for their wedding, to me balloons scream birthday party or a quick decorating idea. Until I saw the, now very popular, big round balloons.

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I LOVE them! I think they are whimsical and fun, yet still very modern. I would love to use them as a ceremony backdrop. However, how does one transport them? And have enough helium to blow them up? Does it cost a fortune? I think that they would make a great statement at the wedding and make for some very fun wedding photos! Does anyone have any experience with these giant (about 3 feet in diameter!) balloons? Or have any other great ideas on where to use them in the wedding?

Baby, let's go to Vegas!

I am at the point in my wedding planning where I have crossed a few big things off the list (man, venue, dress, date, food...) but seem to have so much more to do (bridesmaids dresses, nail down decor, flowers, guest list, invitations...)! This daunting list has me thinking maybe I should have eloped! That and the fact that it is freezing where I live and all these pictures are in tropical locations!

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I know that in the end the work will be worth it. We will have a beautiful wedding with all of our favorite people and many amazing memories to start off our married lives. What about you- did you ever think of eloping? Why did you decide to go with a wedding? What daunting tasks are your procrastinating? Or if you are eloping, what problems arose with the planning? Why did you decide to elope? Either way, remember that the big day is about you are your fiance. So even if you are having a 500 person wedding, try to take out a few minutes just for the two of you!

Bling in the New Year!

Christmas and New Year's are a very popular time to get engaged. So to new readers, congrats and welcome to the wonderful world of wedding planning! The first question most brides get is, "Can I see your ring?" It is such a fun time to show off your new rock! So, new (or old!) brides- what does your ring look like? Did you go classic? Modern? Antique? Custom? Personally, I fell in love with a band and could never find it as a setting, so my wonderful fiancé had one custom made at Washington Diamond, near Washington D.C. They were amazing to work with! I was so surprised! Did you pick out your own ring? Or trust your man to do so?

I snuck on my wedding band when Dan wasn't looking! :)

Here are some other beautiful rings (and creative ring shots!) for your enjoyment!

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So share with me what your ring story or send a picture to me (madelinepage@gmail.com) and next week I'll show them all off! Let's bling in the new year right!