Engagement Party!

This past weekend Mr. Smith's family threw us a little shindig in Chicago to celebrate our engagement. It was the first time our families have really gotten together for more than like an hour so I was a little worried how it was going to turn out. Luckily, our families are pretty similar (awesome people come from awesome families, am I right?) and everyone got along really well! Here is a sneak peak of the party... This is the basket of cookies that greeted everyone as they walked in. Kevin's sister-in-laws mom was nice enough to make them as party favors. If you look closely you can see our initials on them!

New family member...

I thought you all would like to meet the newest member of the Smith family. For some reason I can't get a picture of him to save so you will have to follow this link to meet him! He arrived yesterday and we decided that the most appropriate name is Woody. I can't wait for tonight because we are officially going to break him!

Save the Date

Now that it is getting closer to the wedding (only 7.5 months away!) I need to get working on a save the date! I found two that I really love on this great website called Minted and I need help deciding which one I should use. Here are my top two choices: I think I am leaning towards the one on the bottom because it comes in this great blue color and I can use one of Mr. Smith and I's engagement pics!

Alternate BM dress ideas.

Now that I know my favorite bridesmaid dress won't work I have started to come up with some alternatives. So far these are my favorite so I need your advice on which ones you like best...

1. Watters
2. Badgley Mischka - (style #950315) I know it is strapless but it is so hard to find cute bridesmaid dresses that aren't!
3. Prisciall of Boston

There are also a few at Jcrew that I love but the colors are so strange. Why can't they use a normal light blue vs a shiny bright blue?

Does anyone have any other suggestions on where to look? I feel like I have looked everywhere and haven't really found anything that I love!

Wee ones!

Now that all my cousins are getting older and none of my siblings have children we really don't have any little ones who will be coming to our wedding. Mr. Smith's older brothers have little kids (1.5, 3, 5 & 8) but since none of them live anywhere near Texas they are talking about leaving them behind with extended family and attending the wedding sans-kids. Is it weird not to have a ring bearer or flower girls at your wedding? I always thought it would be so cute to have them involved but I can't really force them to bring their children. Or can I...?

Sad, sad day.

So this weekend when I was at home I decided to go visit my dream bridesmaid dress in person and realized it just wasn't going to work. It was still as beautiful as I thought it would be but when I tried it on (yes, I modeled for my sister and Na$e) it just seemed to be a little bottom heavy. I had my sister try it on also so we could see how it would look on another body type (she is 5'1 and I am 5'7) and I realized that it would be horrible for my shorter bridesmaids because it is impossible to hem the bottom due to the ruffles on it. Now it is back to the drawing board to try and find something else that I love. Who knew it was going to be harder to pick a bridesmaid dress than my own wedding dress?!

Registry dilemma

Mr. Smith and I register a long time ago (obviously!) because we both were very excited about that part of wedding planning. We chose Macy's, Williams Sonoma and then I went ahead and created one for us online at Crate and Barrel so we could get some stuff to decorate our house with. The problem is that I do not like the Crate and Barrel bedding (I had a duvet that was ruined in like the first .5 seconds of owning it) so I really want to register for two duvets I found at Pottery Barn. Is it obscene to register at four places when one of them only has a few things on it? Mr. Smith says "yes" but he hasn't seen how fantastic the bedding is!

Check it out...

Thoughts/feelings?

Flowers? Check. Cake? Check.

This weekend I went home so I could get some wedding planning accomplished and I am happy to say that I took care of my flowers and cake!

My florist is this awesome lady who sat down with my mom and I for about 1.5hrs, listened to everything I wanted, looked at all my inspiration pictures and in the end she said she could definitely do all of it (yippy!). I decided to stick to my gut so I went with all white and ivory flowers for everything and couldn't be more excited!

I also met with my cake lady and was able to do a cake tasting! I picked my cake and also a super fantastic grooms cake that I am going to keep from Kevin until the big day. I can't wait to see his face when he sees what it is...

I am going to keep my final decisions a secret but there will be some of these:

and some of these involved:

Engagement pics!

This past weekend Kevin and I got dressed up all pretty like and had our engagement pictures taken. We have a good friend who is a professional photographer here in Chicago and he was kind enough to take them for us - for free! How lucky are we? We didn't do anything super fancy and actually picked our outfits out day of, but I really like how they turned out. We went to union station and then down by the lake so some of the pictures actually look fake because the background is so gorgeous. Here are a few for your enjoyment...

The line-up

Well now that I am back in the blogging world I thought I would introduce you all to my ladies! Here is the official line-up:
Sister - This one is easy enough, she is my sister and now my maid of honor! Super creative and helpful when it comes to the wedding planner, I think we have a possible business between the two of us! Everyone give KT a round of applause for dealing with me up until this point.
Ash- We lived together after we graduated from college and bonded over our boyfriends (now, fiances) living in another city! She gets bonus points for living in Smalltown, MO and still being fashionable and happy! One day I will be asking her to provide me with xanax so my kids don't drive me crazy (she is going to be a pharmacist so it is legal).
B - Childhood friend and partner in crime (we had some gooooood times at her house in high school - sorry mom!)! She has definitely known me the longest (well, besides my mom and sister) and is probably the most generous/selfless person I know. Ask her the joke about the turtle on the fencepost...
Mrs.G - We lived on the same floor our freshman year of college and were brought back together when we both moved to Chicago! Mrs. G, her husband and her dog were all my roommates at my first real place in Chicago before my (now, former) lady roommates moved in. I am her official puppy sitter.
Klowe - She lived next door to me second semester sophomore year and then with me every year until she moved to NYC (single tear). She was definitely my college partner in crime and is known for "bringing her dancing shoes" so she will be someone to watch for on the reception dance floor!
LT - Another one of my roomies from senior year and for the past two years. Has great words of wisdom for every situation and a mean beer bong so everyone will be asking her for pointers at the bachelorette party.
Na$e - My other partner in crime from high school (sorry again, mom)! Has the best stories and laugh and will keep you entertained for hours! She might be the only person I can say is almost as strange as I am...

There are still some other people we are going to ask to be involved in other ways so I will introduce them once we ask them!

Another one bites the dust...

I thought you all would like to know that MY SISTER GOT ENGAGED! Now my parents get to have two weddings about four months apart because she is thinking Labor Day weekend 09! Wahooo for sister and cuatro!

Bad, bad blogger

I have been a bad, bad blogger lately. Things have started slowing down with the wedding stuff since I have a lot of the big pieces completed so I haven't really had much to share with you. Well that, and I have been really busy at work so I haven't been able to think straight!

Now let me get you caught up on what has been happening so far... I am going home over Labor Day weekend and will meet with the cake lady we are using and a couple florists. I am hoping to choose one while I am at home so I can have that all taken care of! This weekend our friend who is a professional photographer in Chicago is taking engagement pictures for the two of us so now I am on the hunt for the perfect outfit...

Bridesmaid Dress!

So now that I have my ladies I have started focusing on a dress for them to wear. I found this one at Priscilla of Boston and am totally and completely in love! The only problem is that the dress is a little more expensive than I wanted and I am worried that it will be even more if they have to get alterations. What do you think is fair for a bridesmaid dress?

Facelift!

I think it is time my blog got a little facelift, what do you think? I will be playing around with some ideas this afternoon so let me know if you like any of them!

The big reveal...

I can tell that you all have been anxiously awaiting the reveal of how I asked my bridesmaids, so here it goes...

I found a designer called Decadent Designs, LLC on my favorite website (etsy) who made "will you be my bridesmaids" cards that I really liked. I decided to email her because the website said she could do custom orders so after going back and forth with her a few times about my colors, her papers, ribbons, etc she came up with these:

and I absolutely love how they turned out! On the outside they say "will you be my bridesmaid" (or "maid of honor" for my sister) and on the inside it says "because my day will be perfect with you by my side"! Most of my ladies already knew I wanted them in my wedding but I thought it would be fun to do something special when I asked. Hence, the cards!

Update...

I am just waiting to hear back from two more ladies (they live in the middle of nowhere so apparently mail takes longer!) and then I will post pics! Here is a sneak peak...

I am so excited, and I just can't hide it!

(yes, I am singing in my title)

Yesterday morning I was casually drinking my coffee and browsing through my morning line-up of blogs (er, I mean working) when came across a posting at Brooklyn Bride that literally made me jump up and down and clap at my desk (I almost knocked over my coffee!). I then proceeded to forward the link to anyone who was on gchat at the moment and would talk to me!

The middle picture on the post is exactly what I want my color pallet to be for my wedding!

Now one would think I would just take the picture as inspiration and be done with it. Well, not Future Mrs. Smith. I found the ladies on etsy (my other favorite website to browse) and asked them if they could potentially create a save the date or even invitations for me! I just got an email back this afternoon (again, caused more jumping and clapping) so I will keep you posted on how it goes...

Shoes!

I really want to do something different with my bridal shoes vs the traditional white or ivory strappy sandals most brides wear. My first love was from Jcrew:But I wasn't sure if I wanted to drop $235 on my shoes so I held off and have started looking for some cheaper alternatives. After doing some research I found that Nine West actually has some great wedding shoes! Here are a few of my faves:

I really like the last pair because it incorporates my light aqua and green color but part of me thinks they are a little too much for how classic my dress is. Another option is picking a pair of dye able shoes and making them whatever color I want but I think I am a little scared of that option!

Here are the dream shoes I would purchase if I was a celebrity or had $800...I love you Christian Louboutin!

Another favorite flower!

Mr. Smith and I went to our local farmers market this past weekend and he picked me out a beautiful bouquet of flowers from a local florist (lucky girl, huh?). What he didn't know is that in this floral arraignment I would find another new favorite flower - peonies! None of them had bloomed when we bought them but the second we got them home and put them in water they turned into gorgeous, white, fluffy awesomeness! I think they would go really well in a bridal bouquet with my other favorite, hydrangeas! Here is a great pic I found on theknot.com which shows how great they look together:However, I would want mine to be all white!

Bridesmaid

So in all of my excitement I forgot to take pictures of how I am asking my bridesmaids. However, once they all receive the item I will post about it and tell you where I got the fantastic little item! I hope they all say "yes"!

They're here, they're here!

The way I am going to ask my bridesmaids is finally here! I will post pictures after it is all said and done!

LOVE!

The other night I was watching the Style Network (thank god for premium channels!) and there was a show on called My Celebrity Wedding by theknot.com. It was about a couple from New Jersey who was getting their entire wedding planned by theknot and the inspiration was Christina Aguilera's wedding. Of course I decided this had to be recorded and I am sooooooooooo glad that I did! Their wedding definitely was not my style but their centerpieces were! They used the same orchids I posted about here and paired them with hydrangeas - I almost died. It was so beautiful how they used the two together and kept the color pallet at plain white but used different colored table cloths for a pop of color. Can someone say "yes please"? I searched everywhere (theknot, the photographers website - no, I am not a stalker) to try and find pics and this is the best I could do... If you look closely you can see the hydrangeas under the orchids. Oh, be still my heart...
(photos curtesty of theknot.com and Brian Dorsey Studios)

Hello lover...

Mr. Smith and I are going to register this weekend (yippy!). We haven't picked out anything yet but I do know that this is the first thing on my list:

weird...

I don't know why the hair post ended up under the cake one. Anyone know how to change the order?

More cakes!

I found some more cakes I am in love with curtesy of Style Me Pretty and theknot!

I absolutely adore the white one with the white flowers and the green thatch(ish) patterned cake! What is your favorite overall?

Hair!

Since I can't play dress-up for another two months (who knew your wedding dress takes four months to come in?!) I have started to think about my hair. I purchased a cathedral length ivory veil for the big day and I think having my hair up would help show off how absolutely gorgeous it is. I know I really want a soft, simple up-do and really want to put some sort of flower in it. However, after looking at the first picture I really like the hair piece!

Does anyone else notice that all of the models/brides have blonde hair? When did people get so biased again us beautiful brunettes!? (all pictures curtesty of theknot.com)

Bouquet

So I finally saw the Sex and the City movie last night (better late than never, right?) and I absolutely fell in love with Carrie's bouquet (well, before it was smashed to smithereens)!

It is so classic and elegant and not what I was expecting for her at all! The bird in the hair, yes. The gorgeous rose bouquet, no. I think this might be the inspiration for my own wedding bouquet and then the hydrangeas for my bridesmaids. I knew seeing this movie was a dangerous idea!

I love chocolate.

I love chocolate (hence the title) and I really want to have a chocolate cake at my wedding. However, I don't like brown or the idea of having a brown wedding cake. I guess I will have to break my rule (if chocolate was meant to be white it wouldn't brown) and have a white chocolate wedding cake on the big day. Here are a few designs I found that I am leaning toward...

I really like the idea of having different sized cakes but I also really like different height tiers. I will have to do some more research and find some pictures so you can see what I mean. My mom has a great cake lady who basically said I could bring in a picture or idea of whatever I want and she will make it for me. How lucky am I?

It is Friday and I am dreaming of cake... is this day over yet?

I want these...

at my wedding or rehersal dinner (either will do).

Wedding Party

The big decision has finally been made, we have chosen who we are going to ask to be in our wedding party! Mr. Smith and I have gone back and forth (and by we I mean Mr. Smith has gone back and forth - I knew who I wanted all along) but I think we are going to start asking people this week. Surprisingly it was way harder for him to make decisions than it was for me. Originally he had a list of about 12 people and I told him that there was no way we were going to have a 24 person wedding party so he had to start making some cuts. We finally decided that eight was our magic number, and although some people think we are crazy, it was the perfect number for the two of us so we could each have the people we care about involved. Plus, he does have two brothers and is asking my brother (no, I could not convince him to be a bridesman) so he really had to narrow his party down to five friends and three ushers (yes, I caved and he only had to shave one off of his list). Check back next week because once we have talked to everyone I will introduce you to our party! In the meantime, enjoy this pic of Mr. Smith and I on the beach in Mexico. Oh, how I wish I was back there...

Band!

From the beginning Mr. Smith and I knew that we wanted a band to play at our wedding but it has been a little difficult to make a decision since we don't live in the city where we are getting married. Thankfully, my mom is a rock star and knows a lot of the bands on the Dallas wedding circuit because she works in event planning (no, she doesn't crash weddings) . We ended up narrowing down our options and decided on The Special Edition Band. We basically chose them because they will learn any song we want as our first dance, are not $10,000 like many of the others, and they already have Journey on their play list. I want everyone to go to their website, listen to their demos, and tell me what you think! Also, there is a copy of the songs they know so feel free to make wedding suggestions...

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Miss me? Sorry for the lack of postings these past two weeks. My life has been a tad bit hectic (to say the least) and you know I would have found time to post if I could have! Good thing my friend LM gave me a shove back into reality and told me I had to update my blog so she could have something to keep her busy at work. Love you Madeline!

So here is an update in the life of Ms. Smith:

1. Mr. Smith and I made the big move on May 25th and now live together (sorry Mom). Now I don't know about you all but I am from a pretty traditional family so this didn't go over so well with the rents, err well with my mom. My dad said "good luck, living together can be hard" my mom said "this is a terrible idea." In the end, we had to do what was best for us and so we got a fabulous little apt in the city.
2. I went to a friends wedding and got some great ideas from her reception! She used big white balloons to mark all of the tables and had a bunch of different shaped clear candle sticks on her tables with light blue candles - it was lovely.
3. I got to thinking about seating arrangements. More to come on this later...

Flowers! (again)

I found a new love today!My sister could not believe that I had never seen them before (in all fairness, she used to work with flowers!). Apparently they are Phalaenopsis orchids and they are my newest addition to my wedding ideas folder. How great would they look on the aisles at the church or even as a bouquet like they are here? I also love them as a centerpiece because they would drape down the sides of a vase like this...
(Centerpiece picture is courtesy of a wedding featured on The Bride's Cafe)

Who knew?

Well it's official (as if it wasn't already)! Mr. Smith and I met with the priest on Sunday to start the process we have to go through with the Catholic Church in order to get married. All I have to say is "wow", there is a lot more we have to do than I ever expected. I basically thought we met with the priest, went to a pre-cana class, and then "tada!" we were ready to get married. Apparently I was wrong! On top of doing those things we each need to have two people fill-out a witness form (I don't even want to tell you the questions on it), meet with a "sponsor couple" and take a personality test! Does anyone else think this is strange? I mean we are already engaged and planning a wedding, what happens if we aren't "compatible" in the eyes of the Catholic Church? I guess we better start studying...

Sign, Sealed, Delivered, Their Mine (errr, I mean Ours!)

I think we have officially chosen our wedding photographer! Mr. Smith and I signed the contract and faxed it to my mom this morning and I couldn't be happier. We decided to go with a place in Dallas called Brooks Weddings. It is actually a husband and wife team (how cute is that?) that take all of the pictures and they mainly focus on taking candid shots (the reason I chose them)! Here are some of my favorite pictures from their site...
I know this one isn't wedding related but it is so cute I couldn't resist!


After searching through their website and blog (yes, it is fantastic but don't read it because you might like it better than mine!) I just know that they will catch all the fantastic moments, expressions, etc that are the most important part of a wedding day.

Party dresses!

I really love wearing dresses and now that I am engaged I am going to have so many fun opportunites to wear them! Is it weird that I have already started looking for bridal shower, rehersal dinner, and engagement party dresses? Here are some of the best that I have found... (Dress #1 is from Banana Republic, Dress #2&3 are from Jcrew, Dress #4 is Nordstroms)

In case you haven't already noticed, I have a thing against strapless dresses...

Flowers!

When I was growing up I would spend the summers with my family in Chatham, MA. Every year we would drive past this house called Hydrangea Walk and that is where my love for hydrangeas began...(I actually just searched Google Images and this is like the third picture that came up - this is the actual house!)

I am not sure if my love for them stems from all of my happy childhood memories or maybe just because they are big and fluffy. But what I do know is that they will be my primary wedding flower! Here are some of the great ways I have seen them used:

(All pictures are courtesy of theknot.com.)