Wedding Day Recap 1

Hello all! 

It has been over 6 months since TJ & I were married and quite some time since my last post so I have A LOT to share! I've been thinking of the best post to return with and I believe a recap would be ideal.  So here it goes!

First of all... I think Kaylee was excited for our wedding and to debut her beautiful Flower Girl dress!  <3 her so much!

The day began with morning preparations... hair and makeup.  I had stayed at my parents home the night before while TJ stayed at the apartment.  I ventured to the salon bright and early.  My hair was done by my usual hair stylist, Sherri, at Salon Bellissima.  

My loving friends, Holly, sent her husband over with Starbucks for Sherri and me, too!  So thoughtful and needed!

Once my hair was finished, we raced to my parents' house to pick up my dress and the rest of my caravan!  Here we are en route!  Wearing my DIY puffy painted Mrs. Hunter jacket :)

When we arrived, the race was not over... I ran up to my makeup appointment with the girls at the Heldrich.  I absolutely loved the relaxing setting and it definitely allowed me to take time to breathe (I had been forgetting to do that, apparently).  

I could not believe how amazing my makeup looked!  I was so impressed with the professionalism of the ladies at the Heldrich and I was so thankful that my sister in law Joan stayed with me the entire time!  When I arrived at the suite, the nerves set in!  The photographers were there already and prepared to begin taking pictures.  My wonderful cousin, sister in laws, niece, mom and dad were all there helping to set everything up.  Mary was snapping beautiful pictures that rival the professional shots taken!

While I was getting ready, Mary took a few shots of the little details along with the photogs.  Such a great eye!  This is one of my all time favorite pictures taken by Leah and Jeremy of Art Work Photography...

While the ladies were getting ready at the Heldrich, the guys were getting ready at Jeff & Carmela's house. 

All of the sudden, I was told my limo was ready to take me to meet TJ for our first look at Old Queens of Rutgers. 

When I arrived, I had so many butterflies in my stomach I couldn't stand it!  I could not wait to see my groom!!  My limo driver, Marla, was great... she helped me with everything; my dress, my veil, my flowers, my nerves...  I walked up to meet TJ.  I could not hold in my emotions any longer.  

He looked so handsome and he was all mine! :)  When he turned around to see me, I will never forget the look on his face!  He had this sweet, surprised look and simply said, "wow." 

We were able to take some of the most amazing photos in Old Queens.  We loved the old architecture mixed with our formal attire.  The middle photo above shows where we were to marry... a beautiful Gothic church covered from sidewalk to bell tower in scaffolding... That is our angry shot.

From our first look, we picked up our fantastic bridal party and shipped off to Rutgers Woods to take even more photos.  After a bottle of Patron Cafe and other lovely alcoholic beverages, we had arrived and were ready to strut our stuff! 

To be continued...

Our Happily Ever After...

Salutations! It's been a while...

So, the wedding has been over for just over 2 months now and life could not be better! We just received our professional photos from our photographer and it is stirring up many memories from our amazing wedding day! From the flowers to the DJ, from the First Look to the last dance, the wedding went magnificently off without any major hiccups. Of course there were some minor set backs (no sparklers, DJ forgetting a special dance, messed up cakes, unused cocktail stirrers...), but it would not be a true, fun wedding without them! Also, you need something to laugh at when you look back!

I will recap a few details and then the day in this post. I may get winded and have to split this into more than one post.

The entire day was a whirlwind to say the least! Everyone told us that the day would go by fast so we took many married couples' advice and took it all in. We made sure to stop throughout the day and look around us and talk to each other about everything. I remember doing this and because we did, I remember even more than I would have had we just gone about our day. One thing I remember vividly is when we first entered the ballroom during the cocktail hour. It was just T and me and we walked around looking at the centerpieces, the favors, cakes, lighting, our sweetheart table, etc. I also remember our First Look VERY well, but I will explain that later.

After many discussions about videographers and whether or not to hire one, we agreed on hiring someone to tape just the ceremony. I could not be happier we chose to do this! Just before I get out of the limo with my parents, I began to have a panic attack. From then on, I do not remember many details about the ceremony. Guests told me a hopped after being pronounced husband and wife... nope, don't remember! But now, thanks to Shaun & Tim and the miracle of DVDs, I can see myself in all of my cheesy, humiliating glory!

To be continued...

stationary...

So it is the final countdown (cue the song by Europe)! Only 4 days left and I will be a Mrs.!
I have been looking through everything I have made up to this point and even T said I should put together a portfolio... my second career idea other than Sweet Disposition!
The most recent of my DIY stationary endeavors would have to be the programs that will be distributed to our guests who attend our ceremony (FYI: to those of you who don't know, the beautiful church we chose to become married in is now covered from sidewalk to bell tower in construction scaffolding). We decided to go with a simple single folded program in white cover stock (see the post about staples). This way, I could design the entire thing and print it at home with ease. That is exactly what happened. I made a few drafts and asked T to choose his favorite. He ended up choosing the program on which I placed graphics from our invitations. I framed the outside and inside with hemispheres and scrolls from our invites. I then used one of my favorite free font websites to add a little font flair. I even added a little fairytale touch to the back hinting at a happily ever after. The last thing I added was a little sparkle, of course!

Updates: Gifts, MOH's, Cake stands, favors, even more deatils...

Since it is now officially crunch time, my rear end has been set into hyper drive when it comes to the little details and DIY projects that I have decided to take on...

The girls' gifts are finally complete and have been packaged up nicely.  They are ready to be delivered this Saturday at our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  I really hope they enjoy them as much I had in choosing and putting them together.  My flower girl's gift is super cute and I cannot wait to give it to her.  

Don't worry... I will be posting pictures once they have been given to the girls... I cannot go and spoil the surprise that I have been so good at keeping! 

A quick update about MOH... I am the luckiest bride around because I now have 2 MOH's!!  My very best friend and my "little" cousin <3 Love them both so much!

Our fabulously delicious cake will now be sitting atop an awesome cake stand.  My dad has really taken the idea of the tree stump cake stand and run with it.  He was nice enough to carve the top of the stump so when the cake is taken to be cut and distributed to our guests, guests will be able to see the carved stand on display!  I cannot wait for everyone to see this piece of art!  Here he is in action!

This wedding is a family affair!  My mom finished the favors for the wedding and they are awesome!!!  I will be taking pictures of them all together but if you forget what they look like, check it out!

One other project I have taken on is a Bride and Groom sign for our chairs so no one gets confused and takes our chairs from the sweetheart table (because that would really happen... no comments please :) ).  I had taken even more tree cross sections (like the ones used for the tables numbers) and painted Bride and Groom (font inspiration from a special free website).  Holes will be drilled in them and ribbon will be strung to hang on the chairs. 

 

Last thing that might be of some interest... I found my dream shoes and could not be happier!  They are pink, they are Kate Spade and they are phenomenal!  Pictures to come soon.  

I cannot wait to see all of the details come together... hopefully they will! 

The Official Countdown... 10 Days!

So it is official... we are down to only 10 days!  I can remember when we had 150 days left!  I would remind TJ of the remaining days each day by looking at my app that I downloaded from TheKnot with a daily countdown.  TJ finally asked me to let him know when we only had 150 days... then when that day arrived, he asked me to alert him of 100 days... then 50... then 25... now 10!!  I cannot believe that it is almost here.  I was telling TJ that with all of the planning and our lives being taken over by table linens, flower choices, dress debacles, DIY details, and favors, it feels as if the planning will never end and the wedding day will never arrive... It has become commonplace to be stressed, pressed for time, and fearful of the details not falling into place as I imagine.  However, lately, I have been feeling a sense of calm.  

There have been so many hiccups along the way of planning that I seem to be immune to any more set backs.  Just for the record, here are just a few of the hiccups (in case you are unaware):  the original wedding gown I feel in love with was discontinued when I went to buy it, it rained on our engagement shoot, it rained on my bridal shower, the person I originally hired for my makeup cancelled on me last week, my moh (love you!) cannot make the ceremony, the original canter cannot sing at our ceremony, and to top it all off... the entire Church is covered from sidewalk to bell-tower in construction scaffolding.  

Now, you might be reading this and saying to yourself, "But these little things do not matter in the end.  All that matters is that TJ and you will be married!"  This is the notion that I have been conditioning myself to understand (while suppressing the inner princess) and I finally have become numb to any other bumps in the road.  If I cannot get to making the I-Spy cards... Oh well!  

This is the metaphor I have used to illustrate my feelings:  I have been rollerskating down a very steep and bumpy hill (the entire planning process) and now I have hit a ramp and am flying, weightlessly (carelessly) through the air, waiting to hit the ground and come back to reality (post-wedding).

I am tired, stressed, fatigued but still so excited to be marrying my best friend and soul mate.  After all, that is all that matters <3

P.S.: Words to the wise (teachers)... DO NOT get married during the school year!

More details...

It is coming down to the wire... 24 days to be exact!

The little details are falling into place.  Most recently, I visited the Heldrich to choose our table linens.  T and I were thinking of traditional black floor lengths with white overlays and purple napkins... however, when I saw it in person, I wasn't a huge fan.  Instead, I chose (after sending pictures to T and getting his OK) a floor length chocolate linen with no overlay and maize napkins.  This will go perfectly with our theme of "Enchanted Forest" by pulling in the warm browns and setting a nice backdrop for the wood-sy decor.  The coordinator helped a lot by dimming the lights and giving me an idea of what everything would look like. 

I originally bought about 20 beautiful leaf pattern table cloths but quickly realized they would not be appropriate and would not convey the feel that we wanted for our wedding.  The chocolate linens will make the white plates and silverware pop along with the many candles I am requesting for both the table and the centerpiece.  I figure if we make the table linens simple, the details will stand out even more.  Less is sometimes more... unless we are talking about glitter!

My School Bridal Shower!

More to come...