Bridal Shower I

We bought our tickets for the bridal shower in MN! After some thought, we decided to add a day to the trip. We'll be traveling from January 14th through the 18th, and staying with Aunt Sherrie and Uncle Tom. It's going to be snowy and cold - Yay!

We found the best priced tickets on Frontier Airlines - the only downfall being a 3 hour layover in Denver. I'm hoping we can take advantage of the time for a quick jaunt to the city (a place I love).

Is it possible to make a trip to the city and back in 3 hours?

Lon's parents plan to fly in that weekend as well. I am so excited for our families(extended) to meet and get to know each other. It's going to be a snow-filled blast!

On Shoes

I just saw these on J Crew and thought they'd be really cute with my dress. But, are they at all bohemian? I'm told my dress is a bit boho chic...

I could also do these lovely little things and match the dresses my bridesmaids will wear...

The Happs

Budget 2.0 has made things a lot easier on me, forcing me to narrow my focus and make some final decisions.

Last week, Jessica and I bought all of our centerpieces at Garden Ridge (including a lovely trip to the location in Shurtz, TX). These pics don't do the look justice, but as you can see, I'm going for a warm/romantic look.
I surrounded the candle holders with store-bought river pebbles and added rocks from the River House. We came up with this idea when my parents where here to visit in May. While they were here, we took a trip to the River House and collected rocks from the river in hopes of incorporating them into our decor. They seem to fit perfectly here and pay honor to a special part of Lon's family and now ours. As I noted here, our linen color will be similar to our kitchen table, but brighter. We've also considered adding colored glass or a sash to add dimension. But at this point, I am happy with how it looks.

I am also in talks with a friend about DJ'ing the wedding. She has an impressive repertoire of music, amazing taste and has similar experience working at weddings. I think she'd make a fantastic DJ and hope she will seriously consider accepting the task.

With the centerpieces done, and DJ in works, we're getting very close to the end. Next, I need to choose a tux for Lon and his groom's men and register at Crate and Barrel and Bed Bath & Beyond. Then all that will be left is execution of the invitations and other DIY projects. Everything's wrapping up so quickly now - it's exciting but scary!

Emerald and Aqua

Snippet and Ink must have read my mind today... this post brings be back to my original color palette - Emerald and Aqua...

Depression 2.0 = Simple Elegance

Lon and I had our first big budget talk since Depression 2.0 hit. It's become abundantly clear that our recent budget (which had busted our original one of just $10K), was not appropriate in this economic climate.

That said, our poor little burgeoning budget took a hit tonight. Yep, we made some cuts, and developed a new outlook on our wedding - simple elegance. It's been coming for awhile now, so it almost feels right to accept it and move on. Looks like we're not the only ones...

Things that got the axe:

Gone is our hired DJ - instead we'll ask a friend to MC when needed (announcing us to the reception and various toasts/dances) and use our Ipod.

Gone is the decor for our ceremony and most of our reception - I had considered flower arrangements for the tables briefly, but now think my original plan of using candles will work best--and be best for budget 2.0. We also talked with the florist about ceremony decor (after steadfastly saying no to it all along, citing our rustic preference for the ceremony) but cut it instead.

Gone is my hair and make-up artist. Yes, this seems silly, but it was one luxury I was looking forward to. Luckily, I enjoy doing make-up and am good at styling my hair, so I'm confident that I'll be happy without help. Instead of hiring someone, I think I'll have my make-up done at Neiman's before hand for ideas and buy a few new products.

Gone are the appetizers. I already cut these a few weeks back, but now realize I was preparing us for more cuts ahead.

Also on the chopping block:

- Our wine and beer selection will likely take a hit. Originally, we planned on serving Texas wine and beer. Clearly, we can find cheaper imports. I'm a big fan of Yellow Tail Shiraz/Granache, so we'll probably use that. Lon is also willing to settle for a mid-rank beer, instead of his higher- priced favorites.

- Helping our bridesmaids pay for their dresses. I really wanted to do this in an effort to help their budgets, while getting nicer dresses. We'll probably just give them a color palette to work with and have them spend what they are comfortable spending.

- How lux our save the dates and invitations will be. T. Moline is designing them now, and will be getting back to us on the cost of printing them. Hopefully, this wont be too much more than printing them on Lon's mom's printer, if so, we'll go back to printing on Janet's printer.

- Our invite list - I'm pretty sure this will self-edit with the costs of airfare and gas as high as they are and likely rising. Lon and I are getting used to the idea of a more intimate wedding. I hope seeing all my Minnesota family at my bridal shower in January will make it easier for them to decline attendance if necessary.

The most reassuring part? Lon and I both have good jobs, savings and a healthy outlook on all this. As he said during our discussion, "Either way we're getting hitched." I couldn't agree more.

Color Scheme

The idea of a two-color wedding has gone out the window. Gone are the simple aqua and emerald notes from this spring. I honestly can't nail down two colors (and don't really see the point in only having two). Instead, I now have aqua, fuscia, cream, emerald, and silver (with hints of lemon and orange). This post today on Snippet and Ink was so refreshing to see...

Descision time

After much hesitation, I've made lots of decisions recently!

The dress - I got my dress a few weeks ago at Lulu's Bridal in Dallas. On my sixth attempt, I found it - and for less than $1K. I'd recommend Lulu's over any bridal salon in Dallas - or Austin for that matter. The store is all about customer service. From the moment I walked in the door to when we left, I had an attendant by my side. She helped me pick dresses out, try them on, accessorize, and even helped seal the deal with a little bit of special-effect lighting. The details of the dress may be the only aspect of our wedding that I won't share - wait and see!

The groom - Lon will wear gray. This monochromatic look is nice, maybe we'll go all gray. (more on this later)

Bridesmaid Dresses - (and shoes from J Crew)
The florist: Parkcrest Floral. Martha was so enthusiastic and passionate about her work. We sat with her for nearly two hours. It was fantastic.

The baker: Rosanne DeMoss.

The invitations: Lon's mom Janet and I started some drafts and now we're collaborating with our friend, and local artist Terrence Moline on a design. He's a fantastic artist and recent transplant from NOLA. We met through his lovely wife Christine. I'm excited to share a piece of his work with you.

Now its on to music, registering, hair and makeup, and many more details!