Planning Rush

Lon and I are both on vacation this week and are busy working to get everything done before the maddness of work and school resumes.

So far we've selected our registries at Macy's, Crate and Barrel and Breed and Company. Breed & Co. is a local shop that sells both hardware and kitchen ware - fine china! We went with Pickard, the American made the manufacturer whose clients include the Airforce, Whitehouse, all American embassies and fine hotels. We chose this pattern, with our monogram, DIL in the center:

(my mock-up)

Wedgewood Stemware in Barbara Barry:

Lenox Studio Flatware:
Today we're setting up a room block at La Quinta, finishing our registry at C&B and picking out Lon's tux.

Tomorrow we're turning off our phones and doing nothing! Nothing at all! (if that's even possible ;))

Getting Very Close

Last week was pretty crazy on the wedding planning front.
- My wedding dress arrived at the shop in Dallas (early yay). Lon gets to pick it up when he goes there for work in two weeks!

- We got the wedding invites finalized--will post after they mail--and are now in talks with a printer. Looks like I'll only pay less than $300 for him to print the entire job (addressing the envelopes and paper included). Nutz.

- I randomly checked out the bridesmaid dresses on JCrew and realized that they had gone on sale - exiting - er scary! I quickly contacted my girls to ensure I had the right sizes and got ready to buy them. Then I checked their homepage to see if I could score free shipping and found a coupon for an additional 30% of all sale items. Sweet! All said and done, I got the dresses for $95 with shipping and taxes.

Having those items checked off my list is such a relief. Now I can turn to other things that I've been slacking on. Primarily, finding a DJ. For a while I was entertaining the idea of just playing an IPOD and having my friends MC. Based my ridiculously picky nature with music, and my habit of changing songs mid-way during our parties, I think it best to hire a professional. But here's the prob - I dont want to hire a professional wedding DJ. Austin has so many talented DJs who play funk, soul, hip hop and etc that I should be able to find one that will keep our party going, and not play the chicken dance.

Anyhoo....we're decorating our Christmas tree today! Here's a pic of Lon in front of it. Notice the sweet holiday vest I made him two years ago, nice eh!

Paperwork

Things in the wedding planning area of my world are moving pretty slowly these days, so I haven't had too much to report - until now!

TMoline is working on our invitations and etc. and we absolutely LOVE them!

I'm dying to show you, but if I do, you'll have nothing to look forward to!

I can tell you that it incorporates one of my favorite pieces of his art(not the one above), is very colorful and romantic.

Exciting!!!

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...