Monograms

I would first like to shot out my new followers. Thanks for joining the ride down the aisle!! I now have 6! Hey I just started blogging at the end of May so I am happy someone else wants to read this!!!!

Anyway lets talk monograms so as some of you know we were all set and ready to use I DO Originals well I LOVE their work but a fellow knottie Mycicybride debut the work of Custom Printable so I checked the site and I liked their work but was still sold on I DO. Well y'all know I an a frugal bride so I started price matching and I DO has a great deal 5 stock monos (monograms) for $15 that's a great deal. BTW you can get 3 for $10 too!! There custome designs are 3 for $30 not bad! But Custom Printables are $8 a piece so I saved 6 bucks! You say aww that's nothing but then divide 6 into .40 = 15 so that is 15 pairs of flip flops!! Now you see what I am saying AND Custom Printables matches prices by 20% so I can great 5 monos for $12 instead of $15 which = 7 pairs of flip flops and 1 flop :o) I LOVE a good deal!!

But we needed pre and post wedding monograms so I was going with the 5 deal. After FI and I picked which monos we both liked **sidebar** he and I both picked 2 and we picked 1 together...that's that compromising at its best baby :) Now back to the story... so after reviewing the monos we both liked they were all post wedding monos so I knew that I wanted to get 3 custom ones made as well. I know.... I know who really needs 8 monograms?? I mean really. I have an answer.....we still needed the pre-wedding monos so those are the ones that we are having custom made from Custom Printables and we picked monograms that we could use for our family stationery and the such so I don't feel bad for have 8 monograms and I will find a place for them all....

Recap: we were originally going with IDO for all of our monos but now Custom Printables are doing our pre-wedding monos and I don't know yet who will do our ceremony and post-wedding monos that's still to be decided. Val from Custom Printables is very talented and great to work with AND she will beat anyone's price by 20% that's a great deal. She has been working on my monos for a few days. I have seen the drafts and I LOVE them. I can't wait to show them off.. SO far so good! Please check her out! She does invites, STDs, monos, and more!!!

Here is some of her monograms!

Thursday Thoughts #4

I forgot yesterday. I have been off this week and lost track of the days of the week! So I doing Thursday thoughts on a Friday. I found this on another blog and Yes I know I need to be do better at giving credit for pics and such findings. I will work on that.. {I pinky swear :D} This is too perfect for us! trust me :O

Our Hertiage

The Maasai Bride

We are incorporating various elements in our ceremony to pay homage to our culture and heritage. We are having a libation during the ceremony. We will jump the broom obviously from the title of my blog :). We will have the Yoruba Tasting of the Four Elements and I want to where a Maasai wedding necklace at the reception. I will discuss each of these cutoms later but for now here are pics of a Maasai bridal necklaces.

The beadwork here is amazing!

This is a traditional bridal necklace!

**I LOVE THIS ONE **

Maasai mothers make these beautiful necklaces, called “engarewa,” when their daughters are to marry. To the basic collar, the mothers add knee-length strands of beads ending in cowrie shells for good luck and wealth. The color of each bead in the necklace is chosen for its meaning in Maasai culture: Red for unity, blood, and bravery; blue for peace, water, and the sky; green for health and the land; orange for the gourds that hold the milk that is offered to visitors; yellow for the hospitality signified by animal skins on guest beds; white for purity; and black for the hardships of life which the bride and groom will weather together. Brides wear these necklaces at their wedding, and when they go to the home of their husband for the first time.

I'm OBSESSED with WooD!

So as you know I plan to have lots of earth elements in the decor design for the wedding. I came across these beauties and I plan on using these in our wedding. {somewhere}

::I absolutely LOVE this::

!this is totally an DIY and easy at that!

These are birch tress and the one above it is teak wood

Fab Find #2 & CHECK: Dancing Shoes

Yesterday I had a hunch to go to Micheals I was looking for some clay for the BMs earrings and as I was walking up guess what I see??? Flip flops!! I saw them last week when my mom and I were there but she advised me to wait to buy them and I am glad I did. I went back today I got 25 pairs for {are you ready?} 10 bucks! Yes you read is right. 50 for $20. They were .40/pr! Now the only problem was they didn't have our wedding colors but hey I am ok with that.

I also brought some cute orange candle cans that I will use to put my ladies earrings in. I will post a mock-up once everything is completed

I LOVE PICS

So I am a scrapbooker! I just started when we got engaged and I love it. But b/w working and planning and blogging, I got backed up! Basically, I am attempting to capture the whole engagement thru marriage via photos so I take pics of everything and I mean everything. However I haven't scrapped since March and a lot has happened since then so last night I pulled out my suppiles and like a million pics and got started...

Well I came across some pics that I want to share....

Us at his cousin's wedding in April

These are some of my fav pics even though they are 'posey'shots

Us at the rehearsal dinner for his cousin's wedding

FI's mom, cousin, and me at Tam's bridal shower!

All in a weekends work...

Today is Sunday and I am taking a rest. I think I will go to some thrift stores and to the bookstore with IPOD and camera in hand to look a wedding mags. I am not sure if the Aug issues have hit the racks. I cancelled my PT session for today. I need to rest after a long weekend. I had 2 events this weekend both were out of town so after all that driving...I'm beat...Here are some pics...

I did not get to see the final product of this reception. It was a tropical theme. My FSIL was a guest so I will have more pics.

I think that this wedding reception came out really cute. I loved to damask print hints that were through out the room!

Cute: check this out

A fellow Knottie posted this link today and I loved it so did my FI! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0
I don't know how to upload video yet so here is the link.

Thursday Thoughts #3

I am late but here are my thoughts...my ManOH asked me the other day 'is there difference between commitment and monogamy'? and my immediate answer was that monogamy was a level of commitment... I have been thinking about the question...Here are the definitions per dictionary.com
Commitment: the act of committing;a pledge or promise; obligation
Monogamy: marriage with only one person at a time



Is marriage the ultimate form of commitment? Do you have to be monogamous to be commited to a person ?

More thoughts

The Art of a Good Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In the Art of Marriage: The little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say ’I love you’ at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry.It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for the things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

Upcoming Trend: Clay Flowers

Years ago a friend of mine made me the cutest earrings ever!

Your asking what does this have to do with weddings? Well look these lovies! They are all clay bouquets and so are my earrings.

So I am DIYing my girls earrings out of clay! So what do you think?

Wine Anyone???

I decided that I should host a little get together for my girls to mix and mingle. My ManOH and I started bouncing ideas off each other to come up with a theme and we did and I love it... We are hosting a wine tasting! At first we were going to include the guys but I talked to FI and he said they will do something different. cool bean!

I wanted a cook off : top chef style each person bring the fav/siggy dishes and we have a pot luckish. Then we thought about all the cute wine tasting decor that we saw and Micheals the other day and decided on a Bridal Attendant Wine Tasting Mixer! The ladies will bring their fav bottle of wine/liqeuer and I will provide snacks and games...

I put the info in the newsletter so I will wait for responses! I am EXCITED!

Bridal Attendant Newsletters!

I made my 1st issue of our wedding newsletter. I used Letterpop to make/ publish and email the newsletter to the girls. It was really simple and they have a variety of templates to choose from. The only drawback it I don't know how it looks when they received it and I can't seem to post the 1st page here. I couldn't just copy and paste so I took pics of my computer screen with my camera that why the quality of the pics are poor. Sorry :( I tried.

Anyway it's 4 pages, The 1st page you can see above- the pic comes from eParty when the girls were opening there "will you be my" gifts also on this is page is date and location information. 2nd page has color info, 3rd page has pics from eParty and the last page had info about upcoming events. I think it looks okay! I will probably try something different for Issue 2! Publisher?

Did you do a newsletter?

Mini Checks!

I went to the crafts stores after the bridal show, coupons in hand and ready to buy something! So we go in AC Moore and I see 50% of baskets now this sell will probably occur several times before my wedding next year but hey the baskets were cute, sturdy and I wanted to buy something so here are my bathroom baskets.

You can't see the color that great, but you get the jest of it. I got 2 for $6 not bad right! I will add monograms and notes to it later!

I also saw some feathered wreaths that I like for the outside of the ceremony doors. I would like these wreaths with monogram letter in the inside if that makes sense. Here are the pics of the wreath and monograms. For you to get a feel of my vision!

I like the idea if a branched pomander with flowers and feathers! Here are some balls made from branches. While I was there I saw these cute branch breaths that were small and could possible be used for a FG halo!

Bridal Show

My mom, FSIL (brother's FI), niece (FG) and I went to a bridal show at our venue today! We had a good time. Ahh how fun it is to go to a show without working it. I enjoyed myself! I finally caught up with the DJ I wanted to use for our wedding and he was apologetic but now I am wary of him. I know he does wonderful work but professionalism is mandatory is this business! We gotta sleep on this one? Yall know I got pics!

***Update*** Baker#1 was at the show and my mom did not like the cake so she on the back burner for now!

Pretty Cupcakes!

My mom, my brother's FI and I are going to a bridal show tomorrow. It should be interesting! This is my first bridal show were I wasn't working the show. As you know we had our first {cup}cake consult and mini tasting! We really liked Baker #1 her personality was great and she was welcoming which I loved. We are like 90% for cupcakes at this point which prompted my interest in making our cupcakes pretty. Here is what I have found:

The cupcake wraps! These are pretty but a little costly! Going avg rate: 10-12 for $13. If I do this it will be DIY project!

Sunflowers are my fav so of course I liked this one!

This is a great idea for DIY wrappers! Just use a paper doily. Way more cost effective I snagged with from Knottie mycicybride from The Knot AAW board. I was going to use (laser cut) scrapbook paper from Micheals. Colored paper liners are also a cute way to dress cupcakes and it's cost effective. These cuties are only $8.99 for 100! Great deal right. I found these at A Cupcakery, they have a variety of liners to chose from in various different colors and prints!

I am thinking that if we do the wrapper we probably won't have a topper. But if we do the liners then we could get on of these cuties that I found on Etsy.

This one is by etsy member Maddie Claire. I would customize our colors and use one the monograms! Cost $7.50 for 15 not bad right .50 for one! This can totally be a DYI project!

I like photo cakes so why not photo cupcake toppers. The top pic is from BugandBoo on Esty. The others are from Etsy seller Vintage Scraps. I really like the bottom pics. I'm thinking that we can do photos of during the course of our engagement and maybe incorporate friends and family pics as well. I will go with the black and white pics. I love the vintage feel.

So what you think? Tough decisions right?

tunnel vision

we went looking for invites today (later on that), it was an interesting experience which caused me to think about the total feel of the wedding. i'm seeing clearly.....

we want our wedding to be a reflection of who we are indivdually and collectively! there will be elements that represent us and our families. we want it to be very family-oriented and we want our guests to have a good time. that's why we plan to kept our guest count low and limited to family and close friends. this marriage is uniting 2 families into 1 and although we will create a family in our union. we are the extensions of our immediate family so therefore we want to keep our wedding a intimate affair.

i was reading about setting your budget and how you should pick 3 elements to spurge on (the most important to you and FI) and 3 things that you could careless about or should i say scale down a bit. we will not start a marriage in debt from having a wedding!

here are my top three:

1. photography/videography- very important to me!
2. dj/entertainment- i want a great party!
3. venue-i want it to be a place that we can always come to and visit and i wanted ceremony and reception in the same location!

gotta be for the lo in order to go:

1. stationery- don't get me wrong i want cute paper but i refuse to pay $5 or more for an invite that will in up in a landfill (not even recycled) not happening..
2. florist- i am not a flower girl. i want some for accents and that's all folks
3. cake- i want it to taste good but not $5 per slice good!

the middle child:

1. dress- i want a dress that fits my personality but i am not willing to pay but so much for it sorry! not happening!
2. honeymoon- we deserve a nice vacay so i willing to budget a little extra this way!
3. catering/bar- i want good food and drinks but i don't think we should pay for people to get inebriated! not happening!

what is the most important aspect of you wedding budget?

Thursday Thoughts #2

Some Thoughts on What Marriage is Really About: Becky Jackson

It's funny the perspectives many of us have on what to expect from our marriages. Hollywood and the media would often have us believe that marriage should be an extended honeymoon with Carribean cruises, romantic evenings, and Victoria's Secret lingerie. Articles and talk shows encourage us to demand that our needs be filled and when they aren't, we're assured that it's totally acceptable to look for happiness in another partner. Both men and women are paranoid in making sure no one "tells them what to do". All these misconceptions and false expectations float around in our heads and distort our image of what a real marriage is about.

In real life, marriage is often about figuring out what's for dinner and who has soccer practice. It's about paying the bills and reading to the children. When we're lucky, there is time for a knowing smile between partners, a good audible laugh together at a favorite sitcom, or a heart to heart discussion of our goals and dreams. Small and unheralded, this is the good stuff. It's not the date nights or candle lit dinners that make a marriage happy and successful. The hardest part may be arriving at that conclusion.

Marriages don't work on their own. They only work if the people in them are willing to work-- with each other. Marriage is about putting sincere effort into bringing happiness and comfort to your partner. It is about investing time and energy into meeting your spouse's needs, whether those needs seem reasonable or are the same as your own or not. Marriage is about feeling responsible for the well-being of your mate.
Marriage is NOT about having life as fun and easy as possible and making sure your spouse doesn't get in the way of that. Marriage requires you to let go of some old things to make room for new.

Marriage is about compromising and changing when the relationship requires it. It's about expressing to your partner what you need from them without expecting them to be perfect or to be able to read your mind. It's about listening and letting go of childish stubbornness, because sometimes marriage requires you to swallow your pride and say you're sorry. Marriage is about making mistakes and how you deal with those mistakes. It's about admitting mistakes and personal faults, learning from them, then moving on. Marriage is NOT about quitting when things get tough. It's about giving, forgiving, or even giving in, but never giving up.

1 word: AMAZING!!!

i just ran across the best photobooth idea EVER! I LOVE IT! I'm drooling and yes I may put this one on my dad's DIY!!


This faux photobooth was created by Sasha Souza and its perfect!

• They used a piece of wood and covered it with wall paper
• Made some cut outs
• Put frames over them
• VIOLA a masterpiece...really