Music Monday # 5 (Cake cutting option?)

So I mentioned several weeks ago that I am still struggling to find a song for my own cake cutting (as well as the garter and bouquet toss selections).  If you haven't figured it out from any of my posts or comments, I'm a Christian girl who has been pretty involved in my church for about 10 years now and it is important to me that there is no vulgar or obscene or foul language used in any of the songs we have playing for dancing or what not.  That said, I don't know why I keep finding myself drawn to this catchy dance song for a possible cake cutting option.  Honestly, I think it's a just a bit too risque for me to have playing at my reception, but what do you girls think?

I just love songs with the word 'sugar' in them for cake cutting options...just fits to me for some reason...and I think this is such a fun song...but when you listen to the words, well, hard for me to have that playing at my reception while my impressionable 15 year old daughter will be standing right next to me.  So I am leaning more towards something hard rock and upbeat like this (but probably the original Def Leppard version):

What are your thoughts?  Do you have any songs or genres that you are concerned about?  Or arguing with your honey or family members about to have played during your big day? 

REALLY personal invitations (actually, envelopes)

So I was telling a fellow Blogger Bride about how I have so much time at my job to play around with wedding ideas on the internet.  I'm lucky because I don't know how I would do all this if I didn't have so much free time at work.  I guess it would get done but not be nearly as creative or put together as I hope everything comes out on the day of.

Well, the newest little thing I found that I wanted to share with you fellow brides is how to create truly personal invitations...before your guests even open the envelope!

You may or may not know that the United States Postal Service offers a service to personalize your stamps with photos or images.  Well, I knew as soon as I heard this that I wanted to put one of our engagement pictures on the outside of our wedding invitation.  The guests may or may not notice it (they would be silly if they didn't) but it would start off my hopes of blowing them away with things they've never typically associated with weddings right off the bat...before they even get there.

You can play around with things like: * amount of postage you need on the stamp  * borders and colors of borders  * picture (use Photoshop or an editing program to colorize or spice up your photo)
Here is what I came up with playing around on the site today:  Photo Stamps

Our invitations are currently in process (can't wait to share the mockups with you when they are finalized).  But they are going to be aqua, black and white.  We will most likely go with a white linen envelope and then use an envelope wrap around label in an aqua damask type pattern to bring some color to the envelope.  Adding the touch of aqua to the stamp will be a cool way to bring it all together.

The best part...as I mentioned in my previous post, I did a google search for Photo Stamp Coupons and found a code for 10% off my order!  Woo-hoo!

What do you think?  See if you can come up with some of your own stamp ideas and share the samples!

Seriously Saturdays (Some Serious Toasts!)

Ok, so this weekend's Seriously Saturday is all about something good!  This is definitely an "Are you kidding me?" kinda post but in a totally awesome way!  Like, seriously - who could pull this off?!

I want these friends and future in-laws at my wedding serving up some amazing toasts like these.

For your viewing pleasure...they're not short videos but oh so worth it.  One had me laughing and the other had me crying!  What do you think?  Could you imagine someone pulling this off at your big event?

Seriously!  Think about the time and effort that went into those!  Seriously amazing!  To see the origination of Seriously Saturdays, click here. 

Share your wedding on the web

Ok, so this is the coolest thing! While browsing through another blog today I noticed off to the left side one of the ads. (I NEVER look at the ads on a web site but for some reason this one caught my eye.) It is an advertisement for a LIVE broadcast of your wedding on the internet. How amazing is that?

Our original guest list is like 300 people (including children of friends that we will not be inviting to the wedding due to budget and space limitations). We have a lot of family and friends but the venue can only hold 200 guests inside the room we want to use as a reception area. And then of course we will have a few guests who live out of the area and can't make it anyway. With this feature, you pay a minimal fee (I think it was like $250 for 50 guests to log in) and then your guests can watch up to 4 hours of your ceremony and reception. You can either have your videographer work with the company to arrange for broadcast or if you have a laptop, a DV or USB Video Camera and obviously an internet connection, you can set up everything yourself.

I might seriously consider this as there are so many more people I wish I could invite but won't be able to add to the guest list due to our budget and the reception room restrictions.

Check it out here.  Would you consider doing this?

Thankful Thursdays # 2 (Traditions)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I would be shocked to find a whole lot of people on the blogs today but just wanted to be sure I keep up with my routine to have a post for every day :)

Anyway, today's Thankful Thursday is obviously perfect since it is in fact, Thanksgiving.  And today, I am simply thankful for family and tradition.

Every single year for as long as I can remember, we have been driving out to my Grandma and Grandpa's house (though Grandpa passed away about 17 years ago) to have our big family turkey dinner.  In the past we've had as many as 35 to 40 people in my Grandma's 2 bedroom home.  But we love it.  All the little kids, my aunts and uncles, cousins...it's so amazing. 

Almost every year I look at my Grandma, who is now almost 95 years old, and think (or say to her) "Grandma, can you believe that all of the people in this house are here because of you?!"  It's amazing to me.  Granted, our family is not perfect, we have our issues and our little tiffs...but when the holidays roll around, everything seems to fade into the background and we all just hang out catching up, watching football, playing with the kids outside and of course EATING!

Now one tradition I can do without is the fact that for the past 10 years probably they have been making us 'cousins' all do the dishes and clean up after.  As much as I hate that part, it is so fun to hang all with all my girl cousins in the kitchen setting up an assembly line of washers, rinsers and dryers.  :)

This year will be a bit smaller as we have about 8 to 10 family members who won't be making it this year...I am really sad about that.  But also just thankful for the ability to have us all come together at this one time of year and enjoy our family tree.  I'll really appreciate it so much this year since next year after I'm a newlywed we will have to start the decision making process of alternating holidays at me and the hubby's family's houses each year.  (tear)

Have a great day everyone and eat well - but plan on exercising those extra calories off!  I made 3 Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tarts yesterday and am hoping they are devoured!  What's the one favorite food you have at Thanksgiving?

How to keep your guests dancing all night long

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  If your guests are not enjoying themselves and comfortable, they will not be partying with you all through the reception.  In planning my own wedding, I am always making sure to remember what it felt like to be a wedding guest.  So I am very excited about one of my purchases for my own event: I want to be sure that my guests are enjoying themselves and comfortable.  I have lots of ideas to keep them moving and entertained all night.  But one of my favorites comes from my wedding coordinator's portfolio.  She suggests that brides provide a 'Kick your heels off' basket filled with inexpensive flip flops for the ladies (or anyone) to remove their tight fitting dress shoes and dance the night away without being in pain.

She suggested hitting stores like Old Navy or Target at the end of the summer when they are having their sales to get rid of these type of items.  But I found a wholesale site Dollar Days that sells these items to you at super great deals!  I bought 72 pairs of various sized flip flops (we have 200 guests total) for our event at the cost of about $1.51 each including tax and S&H.  You can get them in your wedding colors if you want, but I opted for a variety of colors so that they can maybe find a pair they'd wear again.  And the best part is, your guests will know you're thinking of their comfort and they get to take home an extra little favor at the end of the night.  Here are some sample images courtesy of In the Now Weddings.  But first, here is a picture of the flip flops I purchased for my own event:

And some ideas on how to serve them up:

Photos courtesy of In the Now Weddings

So ladies...what do you think?  Are you doing anything to show your guests you are thinking of their comfort and enjoyment on your big day? 

Would you risk your life for a picture?!?

Well, Mr. Fix It thought we should.  Ugh!  So we took our engagement pics at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach (yes, where the MTV show was filmed).  They have some great gardens, beaches, and artsy walls and such to shoot around.  We hadn't planned on doing an e-pic session but I really wanted some photos of us and my girlfriend is working as a wedding photog's assistant and offered to take them for us for free.  She wanted some experience behind the camera - score for us!

We had a lot of fun with her and her hubby and another girlfriend of mine.  They touched up my hair and makeup, held up the light reflector and generally just made us laugh and whistled at us as we smooched.  I highly recommend this type of session for you gals as it is super fun and actually romantic. 

Anyway, Mr. Fix It is afraid of heights.  Funny from such a tough guy but he is.  Now it doesn't mean he won't do a lot of stuff, it just means that when we are up high, he is very nervous and won't always walk to the edge of a mountain we are hiking or whatever.  But on this particular day, he decided that just below one of the places we were standing for pics, there was an amazing little cliff that we could get some great shots off of.  Here's what it looked like getting to the 'spot' he thought would be great - what you can't see is that on the other side of that little brush area he is trying to coax me over to is a little ledge about a foot or so wide...and then a huge drop to the rocks and ocean below!

Disclaimer:  There's some gratuitous kissing in this short little video :)

I have to admit, as freaked out as I was, we got some of my fave shots of the day at this location:

And right after we were done and hopped back over the fence, some staff members from the resort came down and told us we weren't supposed to be on those cliffs and that's why they have a fence up.  Oops.  Alright, so let's hear it...is there anything you did (or would be willing to do) in order to get a great shot?

Music Monday # 4 (First Dance options)

I am nervous about the first dance.  No offense to anyone, but I just don't like those first dances where the couple sways slowly (maybe a dip or turn or two) to some slow song that is really special to them.  The guests all ooh and ahh for about the first 30 seconds, if you're lucky, and then they turn to their tables and start drinking, eating and talking.  Argh...I want all eyes on me...not because I'm a diva who thinks I should have attention on me and my man at all times, but because I want to entertain my guests!  I want to get them excited, involved and jumping around with glee so that they can't wait til it's their turn to hit the dance floor!

Thus, I share with you my hope that my fiance will follow through on his original desire to want to take dance lessons and learn a swing routine for our first dance.  I say 'hope' because he has been sounding flaky lately when I mention looking into dance lessons as if he no longer wants to put in the effort.  I am hoping that I convince him otherwise and I am also hoping that I convince him that this is a great song for a first swing dance at our reception:  Crazy Little Thing Caled Love

And for your viewing pleasure, here's a couple who performed their own first dance to the song (I would actually use the Michael Buble version below and not this one):

And for the cutesy little Disney video for your viewing pleasure, here's the Michael Buble version we will actually (hopefully) use for our first dance:

Alright, spill it, girls...what are your thoughts and ideas for your first dance song selection?  Will you be taking dance lessons and go all out rock n roll or hip hop or will you keep it classic and timeless with a waltz?  Maybe jazz it up with a latin salsa or cha cha cha?  Or do you have that one special song that you will play while you simply basque in a single private (sort of) moment with your honey whispering sweet words to each other about how amazing your day has been so far? 

Or if you're already married, what was your first dance like?

I was originally thinking Michael Buble's Sway to a cha cha cha, but now I have a special surprise in store in addition to the song above - again, hoping I can get Mr. Fix It excited about it like me!  :)

Got the wedding shoes

So a few months ago the fiance and I decided to hit South Coast Plaza here in the OC to look at some jewelry stores and start the search for HIS wedding ring.  But really, I was also looking at the trip as an opportunity to browse for my wedding day shoes as I had been looking online and in shops and malls for a couple months and had not found anything that jumped out at me.

I knew I wanted something unique, different and red...I was looking for a deep cranberry red but only found one simple pair of nice heels in that color and I was not doing flips over them.  So I mentioned to the fiance that I wanted to check out some shops in South Coast for my shoes as well.  He said he guaranteed I would find something at Nordstroms so we went in there before heading into the main mall.

I browsed the shoe department and found a super cute pair in purple that I thought would have been perfect for my dress because they had a rose on the toe that would have matched the flowers on my dress.  But purple was obviously the wrong color...though I later found out that I could have bought them in red online. 

Didn't matter though, because the fiance was not feeling them.

Didn't find anything in the shoe department so decided to just walk down the clearance aisles on our way out of the store for fun...and there in my big ole size 10 shoe section was a pair of gorgeous red shoes just sticking out like a sore thumb...but in a good way.  :)  I put them on and they felt comfortable, sturdy and still sexy and unique...and the fiance was loving them.  Plus, they were 1/3 of the price of the other shoes I really liked...can't beat a bargain deal!  So here they are:

Seriously Saturdays: Do I need to put blinders on?

Ok, is anyone with me on this or am I just a nut job?  I bought my dress about 10 months before my big day.  It arrived within 2 1/2 months and I absolutely love it.  Afterall, it took me 2 months, 7 salons between Orange County and LA and at least 30-40 different gown try-ons before finding the *ONE*.  But now, whenever I see a gown posted on a blog, in a bridal magazine or on a tv show, I start to have buyer's remorse.  Seriously!  How is that possible? 

Don't get me wrong...I love my gown for all the right reasons and family and friends all tell me it's gorgeous.  But with SO many bridal options, styles and new lines coming out constantly and a LOOONG engagement period, it is easy to see something else that has similar traits and yet a different look to it and for a brief moment wish that I could have a do-over.  :( 

I don't seriously want to buy another gown - do I?  (sigh)

I still love my gown, no doubt...but I also love that gown, and this one and then there's that one.  What's a girl to do?  Does anyone else feel this way?  It's like I have to quickly turn the channel or turn my head if I open a blog post that has pictures of gowns in it for fear that I will want to sell mine and buy another!  I need to put blinders on - seriously!

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Swept away with wedding plans

It happens often...a woman, a man and a love story begins. They talk on the phone, send each other sweet messages, go on romantic dates and get to know each other all the while falling in love along the way. At some point, they decide they want the rest of their lives to be like this and a decision to get married leads to a proposal and the official engagement. And then...the wedding planning begins...and somehow the entire relationship is sucked into throwing a big party. Most conversations involve something having to do with wedding details and date nights are replaced with vendor appointments, tastings and dress fittings. There is a statistic that says that 20% of engaged couples will never make it down the aisle...that's 1 out of every 5 couples. So sad.

After waiting for 36 years to finally begin planning my wedding, it is easy for me to get caught up in the details and potentially neglect the one whose proposal set the whole process in motion. So I am very aware of trying to be sure that Mr. Fix It and I have many conversations and time together in which I never bring up a single detail. Funny thing is, I have found that now he sometimes brings things up. :)

Life tends to become stressful when you are a single mom raising a teenage daughter and planning a wedding while still trying to have a life.  (You all can relate whether you are a student, mother, career woman, etc)  Life has become about doctor's appointments, meetings, practices, paperwork and keeping up with crazy schedules. I have been feeling overwhelmed. But in the midst of it all, I received a simple text message: "I lv u." (I love you.) That's all it took...those 3 simple little words coming out of nowhere in the middle of my day. No voice spoke them aloud, but in my head I heard them over and over again from the man I love.

And I remembered all over again why it is that I enjoy all the plans and details and color swatches and flower choices and song selections...because when the planning comes to an end and the guests have arrived on April 16th, 2010, I will be staring at the man that God has brought into my life and I will follow my Lord down that aisle to the man that has made the planning all worthwhile. I enjoy the wedding planning because it ends with the marriage to John.

My Idea for a Unique Guestbook (Part 3)

So I've teased you long enough.  And now I'll finally share what I came up with for our guestbook from the suspenseful precursors I posted here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).  Mind you, don't get all worked up...it's really not anything hugely spectacular.  But what I have found is the perfect combination of all the ideas and things that were important to us in a guestbook:

1)  Something with pictures of our guests so we can remember what they looked like on our special day.
2)  Something more than just their signature or well wishes but a place for them to write (and draw) out some fun and personal answers to and about us.
3)  Something they will actually *want* to participate in and sign.
4)  Something entertaining and serves as a favor as well.

So after talking about my scrapbook idea with my sister, I started randomly browsing the internet and found it...The Guestbook Store!

The Guestbook Store offers a book that has pre-printed personalized pages that you can select from for guests to take a page, fill out some fun answers to questions and then we can later add a 4x6 photo on their page. The pages are front and back and you have a couple different options of the styles (formal or casual) the types of questions you want them to answer (wedding memories or predictions) and how many pages you think you'll need for your total guests. You can also select pages that don't need a photo on them.

As a surprise for Mr. Fix It and our guests, I have rented a photobooth from a company called Cheesy Photobooths and I got a great deal on a rental for 6 hours which includes a 4x6 color photo of 4 photos. Each guest will have 2 copies of their photobooth shots printed...one to take home as a favor and another to leave with their completed guestbook page for us to mount in our book.

I LOVE this idea and can't wait to get back from the honeymoon and read all of the special things our guests will write along with their fun and hopefully goofy photos. I am asking my sister (MOH) to take the guest book and pages and photos home and mount them and assemble it while we're on the honeymoon as a favor.

Here are some photos of all the fun details which I am hoping the guests will absolutely have a blast with!  I went to a Halloween costume store a few weeks ago and bought several props (hats, noses, sunglasses, wigs) at 50% off and am also making mustache props out of felt for the guests to use in the booth.  The company also provides some props as well and I am looking to find/make a couple chalk boards, too.

  

Front page of guestbook (photos: the Guestbook Store)

Back page of Guestbook

I can't even imagine what silly and stupid pics our guests (and especially family) will draw of us in that top right corner :)  And I love that it asks them to write something we should remember about this day...I am hoping we get all different perspectives on things that went on throughout the wedding that maybe we didn't see or won't remember years from now.

They even have the option of ordering extra pages for you to mount a sample of your invitation and add extra details like what the weather was like, what the bride and groom remember about the day and other blank journal pages if needed. You can also order special scrapbook type colored pens and select from a ton of different colors and styles of book covers.

A sample courtesy of Cheesy Photo Booths showing the set up.  I love that people outside can see how silly the people inside are being.

A sample from Cheesy Photo Booths of what the finished 4x6 prints look like:

We even get to add our logo, monogram, verse or thank you message to the bottom of all the prints! And you get to pick the color of the backdrop and the colors in your monogram so you can match your theme if you'd like. How cool is that?  Here is what I have come up with...the design is taken from our invitations and will be incorporated throughout stationery at the wedding/reception.

And we have the perfect location for this type of setup at our venue. Right off of the reception room and cocktail area is a back covered patio:

 

Now let me just remind you that you don't need to spend a ton of money to pull off something like this.  There are lots of DIY ways to incorporate something similar without spending the money I did on it.  You can ask a friend to take digital shots of guests as they arrive or turn in their guest book pages and then later print the 4x6 photos to place in your guestbook yourself.  You can also create the pages yourself using a basic computer program and then insert them into your own binder as well.  (I even saw someone who created pages almost exactly like the book when I did a google search.)  So be creative and don't feel these ideas aren't attainable on a tight budget.

And if you *do* have the money, then there's plenty of photobooth rental companies out there to look into.  One that I looked at even did video recording as well as photo strip printing.  And the bride and groom get a DVD of all the pictures and videos recorded after the event!  Our own company will provide us a CD of all the photo images so even if a guest takes a couple extra shots in there and tries to run off with the photos, we will still get to see and print them later!  (wink, wink)

So what do you think, ladies? What are your guestbook ideas? And definitely check out the Guestbook Store! And use the word THANKS in the coupon code when checking out for an additional 10% off :) FYI - they also have books for showers, anniversarys, birthdays, etc.

My Idea for a Unique Guestbook (Part 2)

So as a follow up to yesterday's post, here's more info on my thoughts on our guest book.  I knew I wanted something very different, unique, creative and personal and it definitely had to have pictures of the guests, not us in it.  I mean afterall, we will have plenty of freakin' pictures of us from the engagement session, wedding day, honeymoon, showers, parties, etc.  I want to remember what my guests looked like on my big day and I sure as heck don't want to ask my photog to run around my reception snapping "Smile!" pics of the guests at their tables.

So I came up with a few ideas:

1) The photo album/book that has pictures of us in it that people can sign on blank areas and pages. (This is a great idea, especially if you want to show off your engagement photos.  But like I said: I don't want pics of us in my guest book - it's about the guests!)

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2) The polaroid book where a friend takes polaroids of each guest (couples/families) as they arrive or approach the guest book table and then places the polaroids in a book for guests to write a nice message to us next to it.
3) A scrapbook that my sister creates of wedding themes and leaves blank places for us to add photos of the guests later. They sign a card that has a specific question or two for them to answer and then put it on the different scrapbook pages. A friend takes a digital snapshot of them and we later print the digital images to place in the scrapbook next to the cards the guests signed. The questions would be things like * What's your best advice for the bride and groom? * How did you meet the bride and/or groom? * What is your favorite memory of the bride and/or groom? * Where did you travel from today to attend the wedding or who/what were you most looking forward to about the wedding? (I loved this idea but after talking it through with my sister, the scrapbook was going to be very expensive and HUGE for 200 guests.)

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4)  Another take on the scrapbook idea is having a book full of little envelopes with cards/tags for the guests to write on and insert into the envelope.  KMattso over at Happily After All took on this idea as a DIY project and posted about it here. 
5)  I also had heard of things like the wish tree or a vase or platter that your guests can sign.  (This also follows with the signature photo of the bride and groom that is then framed with a large mat for the guests to sign around).

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Very sweet...I do want my guests to give me their advice and wishes. But I find that at weddings I've been to when you do this you get the same generic "Wishing you years of happiness and lots of babies!" Or "We are so glad to have been here on your special day. Can't wait to celebrate your 25th anniversary with you." Those are real nice and all, but there's not a whole lot of originality in them.   I wanted something like my scrapbook idea that would actually 'direct' my guests with some specific questions that I would get personal and unique answers from them.

And then I found it! The perfect combination of everything I was looking for...stay tuned for part 3!  :)

My Idea for a Unique Guestbook (Part 1)

**  Disclaimer:  If you are using any of the items I refer to in this post, please don't take it as a personal offense in any way.  Every single bride (groom) has their own tastes and style that they just fall in love with and there is nothing wrong with anything you choose to offer, do or display at your wedding.  I am just sharing my own personal style and the things that I appreciate at weddings.  **

Over the past several years, many of my friends have gotten married and one just booked her wedding for the weekend after mine.  One of them worked as a children's director at our church.  She is super smart, sweet and full of energy and great ideas to keep little precious children laughing and active.  She married a youth pastor who (like my own Mr. Fix It) is a huge surf addict.

I expected their wedding to have a beachy theme (the ceremony took place at Salt Creek Beach here in Dana Point), but I also expected it to have some youthfulness and fun little things mixed in, too.  Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed.  In her defense, she was super busy when planning and slightly overwhelmed so she didn't have the time to put a ton of thought into every little detail.  But I thought she'd at least be a little more creative than to offer the small 2x3 sea shell picture frames with an engagement pic of her and her hubby in them.  I mean that is done at most weddings and while you don't have to wow me with something spectacular, I just like to see something with a personal touch (the pic and the beach theme) but with some uniqueness to it.  What am I supposed to do with a 2x3 seashell photo frame?  It's up in a closet somewhere right now because I didn't have the heart to get rid of it.

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As we entered the reception, I almost walked right by the little 'guestbook' she had sitting out on a table.  It was seriously the very traditional simple little white guest book with lines in it for the guests to write their name and address.  I signed my name in it only so years from now she can see that I was in fact there, but I really wanted to head straight for the appetizers since I know she has my address - heck, she sits in my house every single Wednesday night during our bible study...and I did get an invitation, didn't I?

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Anyway, the point is...the guestbook can be a very fun and simple element of your wedding that helps you stand out from just any other wedding.  And it doesn't have to be super expensive and it doesn't have to be uber creative like this little gem:

Thanks to Kristy from I'm Gonna Marry You Someday for sharing this with us :)

I knew what I wanted for my guestbook...I just had to figure out how to pull it all together - stay tuned.

Music Monday # 3 (The Recessional)

First off, let me just say:  5 months to go today!  Woo-hoo.  I'm getting a little nervous but it's all coming together and whenever I share my ideas with vendors and others they say I will have a very fun and unique event.  :) 

Anyway, my fiance thinks about music and tells me has thoughts on things, but he won't share his ideas with me!  Supposedly, he has some 'surprises' up his sleeve for the wedding.  So frustrating!  Makes me nervous, too.  But I already have almost every type of song selection and music picked out for what I am hoping to incorporate into our ceremony.

For the recessional, I know I want something fun, upbeat and super duper lively to get the guests cheering, clapping, whooping and hollering and swaying to the music as we bounce with a jump in our step back down the aisle.  I also want to include some type of a throw back to the oldies as I really love the music of the 50's and 60's from Elvis Presley to the Beatles.  That's why I am hoping that this is the song we will have played right as we have our kiss!  The little intro gives enough time for us to kiss and our officiant to announce us just as we head back down for the recessional with our wedding party in tow.

With This Ring (the Platters)

Let's hear it, ladies...any ideas for what you want for your recessional?  Will you have a live song sung (as my sister did when 5 lovely ladies with an acoustical guitar sang All You Need is Love during her recessional) or will you have something played (like me) from a CD or .mp3 version?  Will it be lively and fun?  Or will it be traditional and romantic? 

To dance or not to dance? The Money Dance that is

So for the most part, Mr. Fix It has let me pretty much have my way when it comes to things we don't agree on regarding the wedding. He has been married before and I haven't and he knows how much thought and effort I am putting into everything so he usually gives in. :) But there is one area that I had logically got him to agree with me on and yet he keeps coming back to wanting his way: the money dance. You know...that thing where you and your groom stand all dolled up awkwardly in the center of the dance floor with no one else around while your guests stare at you and others line up in hopes of waiting to sway with you for 15 to 25 seconds just to stuff money in your pockets or purse after they've already brought you a gift? Well, at least that's the way I see it.

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Now don't get me wrong...this is just my personal opinion. Almost every single friend and family member's wedding I have attended has had a money dance...but it's just not *my* thing. In fact, my cousin received over $1,000 at hers while my sister barely made it to $200 at hers. And my sister's wedding was much bigger than my cousin's. But to me, it just comes across as awkward, begging, greedy and BOR-ING. I would much rather allow my guests to shake their groove thang on the dance floor than kill 10 to 20 precious minutes on the dance floor making everyone stand around. And God forbid, what if no one wants to get up and dance with us? Or what if it's all of my honey's friends that I have no idea who they are so I end up making uncomfortable small talk with them for 30 seconds? Oh, the horror!

Mr. Fix It thinks that in these economic times it would be helpful to have every opportunity we can to receive some extra funds for the honeymoon. He said with 200 guests, even if they gave $1, that would be $200 extra we have (of course, he's not thinking of our 5 year old cousins who have no apparent income at the moment). I told him *I'd* give him the $200 if it was so important to him. But honestly, we'd probably get more than that because we have very loving and generous friends and family. Besides, I told him it's the economic times we live in that make it all the more so why we shouldn't have it...because people can't afford it!

Anyway, recently he called telling me again why he really wants to do it. I told him that I would consider more creative ways of 'earning' money at our reception. For example, our DJ told us a story of how one bride and groom had their bridesmaids and groomsmen split into two teams and then sing for all the guests. Afterwards, they walked around with hats and such allowing the guests to give money to the team they thought was the better singers. All the money was given to the bride and groom and at least it was more entertaining and a performance that got the entire guest list involved in the idea. But John didn't like that idea either.

What do I do? I know that in some cultures this is a tradition and important part of a wedding...but not in my culture. So what about all you ladies? What are your thoughts and are you including this ritual in your own wedding reception?

Seriously Saturdays: Why I strongly dislike the post office

I don't like to use the word 'hate'...hence the funny subject title. I mean, seriously...it's kind of a mean word.  But I have to say, I am so sick and tired of the USPS! Not only have I had them deliver mail to the wrong address, lose mail, have mail show up over 3 weeks after sent and have to deal with their ever increasing prices - BUT on top of it all, they charge you a ridiculous rate to send a simple card...like a Save the Date let's say!

I should have known to check on their site www.usps.com and find out how much they would charge to mail my save the date cards. But I figured, "Hey, they're only a 6x6 square card and weigh the same as most letters do." So I didn't bother to check the weight and size and all of my STD's came back to me in the mail.

Ladies, never ever take a chance...even if you think you know what you are doing. Always test the weight and size of anything wedding related you are mailing before sending. Because now many of my guests received envelopes that have that ugly 'Returned for extra postage stamp' on them! UGH! It wasn't the weight but the fact that the cards were square that gives the post office the right to charge me for TWO stamps instead of one...so silly.  SQUARE?  Seriously?  I mean, come on...what does the difference between square and rectangle have to do with anything?

Have you had a run in with the Post Office or frustrations or problems with mailing or receiving your wedding related items?

Seriously Saturdays originated here.

My FFF's

If you hadn't noticed, off to the side of my blog I have my FFF's (Fun Follower Friends). 

Well, today, Megan over at Bee Only blog became my 50th follower!  Yea!  I started this blog barely a month ago and now have 50 'friends' that I love to visit their blogs and share ideas with and support from.  I have already had some issues come from my blogging experience though... :(

A Cupcake Wedding just posted about her Flower Girl's attire and I fell in love with the dress she picked out.  It is so cute and even comes in a baby blue that *might* match my other BM dress.  The problem?  I already bought my FG dress!  But I don't like it at all...and so now, thanks to Cupcake, I may just have to put that one up for sale on ebay and purchase the new one from http://www.girlsdressline.com/flower-girl-dresses/yoro-chiffon-dress-cc611.html

What to do, what to do?  Anyway, just wanted to say a quick thanks to you 50 wonderful ladies who have decided to follow along on the path to my big day...and peek into the insanity that is my thought process and life.  :)

Now I am thinking that since I see all these wonderful giveaways I might have to join the fun and offer my own.  I am thinking that I will go for something good to giveaway once we hit the 100 follower mark - so stay stuned!  :)

Pretty pretty bling bling (custom designed jewelry)

A couple months ago I had a fun weekend as far as wedding planning goes.  I had searched high and low for the right jewelry (bracelet and necklace) to wear with my gorgeous Maggie Sottero Sabelle gown and had found some great ideas from the little site known as Etsy.com.  But when I continued to browse Etsy, other web sites and bridal salons and jewelry stores, I just could not find what I had pictured in my head.  I'm kind of weird, too because I have this thing about the little 'dent' in my neck where I really want it covered by the necklace.  It's like an insecurity about how it emphasizes how thin I am which I do not want to do.  Anyway...back to the search.

I found this on Etsy:

Gorgeous, right?  Very different and yet still pretty.  Not quite what I wanted to spend...above the $100 range but somewhat worth it.  And though I loved them, I was nervous about buying something online and I wasn't totally thrilled with the brooches in the pieces.  So I posted a status update on Facebook asking friends if they knew anyone who made custom bridal jewelry?  I was connected with a woman about 15 minutes from my home and she told me about this cool little antique/vintage swap meet that happens once a month at a local college.  So a month ago my sis and I trekked down there and found the most beautiful brooch and a pair of earrings.  I was so excited.  The more I look at the brooch, the more I fall in love with it.

And the honey knew that I was heading down there and out of the kindness of his sweet little heart handed me $40 to spend as I wished.  Well, the brooch and earrings came in at under the $40 so I was happy about that.  I met with Jeanette (the jewelry maker) and showed her the pieces.  I showed her the pictures I had found and she began pulling out pretty pearls and sparkly things and lots of bling bling.  We matched the colors to the brooch and my gown.  I asked her if it would be possible to take one of the earrings and use it as a brooch for the bracelet and she figured out a way to 'make it work' (in the infamous words of Tim Gunn).  I was THRILLED!

Granted, the prices she quoted me were not really saving me much compared to what I could have bought online but now at least I custom designed it myself and know that I will L-O-V-E it!  And it will be my something 'old' for the wedding day since I bought it at a vintage swap meet.  So, here they are...my necklace and bracelet (made out of a brooch and a clip on earring):

What about you ladies?  Anyone custom designing their jewelry or have ideas of what they want? 

This is me...bowing my head in humble appreciation

So the wonderful lady over at Westside Wedding bestowed upon me the Kreativ Blogger award - Yea!  I really love her blog so I would highly encourage you to go check her out if you are not already a follower.  She often shares lots of templates and printables on her site and lately has been posting super inspirational images of gowns while blogging about her gown search.  Not to mention a recent fun post on the top 10 Wedding Movies of all time.

So the rules are to name 7 things about yourself that people may not know be it fun, interesting, or even embarrassing and then nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

1)  This has been a sucky past year in the way of health issues.  My fiance was in a surfing accident last year that required surgery to reattach his bicep to his elbow and left him out of work for 4 months.  This past July I passed out at the beach (for no real reason that the doctor's can find) and smacked my head on the concrete requiring 6 stitches under my eyebrow and leaving me with a lovely scar for the wedding.  A week later, I was in a car accident and rear ended which left me in the emergency room for the day and am now trying to settle the thousands of dollars of medical bills I incurred.  Last month I cracked a rib after a horrible coughing bout due to being sick for over a week.  Needless to say, I'll be happy to see 2009 go - especially since my wedding is in April!
2)  I worked in the grocery business for almost 10 years as a checker and bookkeeper.  You'd be sorry I am not still there since I was by far the fastest checker in our store!  I just don't understand why checkers tend to screw around and look everywhere but at the UPC code on my groceries when I am trying to get out of the store and home after a long day at work!
3)  I work for a multi-millionaire who is involved in real estate investments and property management.  I found the job on monster.com and after working for him for 2 years, I decided I wasn't happy here anymore and so I found a new job and gave him my notice.  He begged me to stay and asked me what he could do to keep me.  I jokingly responded "Double my salary."  He did and needless to say, I am still here 5 1/2 years later and LOVING my job!
4)  My sister decided not to name my niece with a middle name.  Her name is Analeigh.  Her older brother (my 2 year old nephew) is named after his two grandfathers: Philip Joseph.  We call him PJ.  I told my sister to name my niece Analeigh Joy so that we can call her AJ.  How cute is that?!  She considered it but has not decided to make any official name change so now I am the only one in my family who calls her AJ.
5)  I am a huge fan of talk radio and new radio shows.  I listen to Bill Handel on the way into work almost every single morning and Frank Pastore on the way home from work every single afternoon.
6)  My daughter's Aunt and Uncle work for Jay Leno and we often get to go watch tapings of his shows and sometimes meet with the guests afterwards for photos.  We were supposed to go see Taylor Lautner (from Twilight movies) this Monday but my daughter made it to the final round of soccer tryouts at her high school and we had to cancel! :(
7)  I played softball for 9 years growing up and then randomly chose to run cross country my first year in high school.  My daughter played softball for 10 years growing up (and soccer, too) and then randomly chose to run cross country her first year in high school.  It is scary how much this child is taking after my own life history!

There you have it...and now for the 7 fellow bloggers I'd like to pass this award onto for being uber Kreativ and super supportive:

Crystal at My Carmel Wedding

Shooting for a $3,000 Wedding

Bride to Be Courtney B

Budhoop

A Los Angeles Love

August 15th Bride

35 Year Old Bride

Thankful Thursdays

So Ashley over at Ramirez Family blog has this thing she calls Thankful Thursdays.  I am all about giving thanks (not just on the holiday) but every single day of my life.  Because I know that without my Jesus, I would have nothing.  I know that every good and perfect gift comes from my Father above and I know that the people (family, friends, acquaintances) in my life have blessed me beyond belief.

So I just think this is such a great idea that I am going to 'borrow' it from Ashley and start my own Thankful Thursdays.  Now I know you might think this is getting a little ridiculous since I am already incorporating Music Mondays and Seriously Saturdays.  You might be wondering "Is this chick gonna make every single day of the week a theme related post?"  Well, I can't make you any promises...I do love me a good theme.  Maybe I will start Terrible Tuesdays, Wacky Wednesdays and Friday Funnies?  So what if I do?  :)

Anyway, it doesn't matter...the fact is, I think it's good to have a direction or 'open ended' question to get conversations and thoughts flowing.  So here it is, my first Thankful Thursday.  And what am I going to reflect upon that I am thankful for in my very first Thursday post?

The two things (people) I am most thankful for:  Mr. Fix It and my mini-me...otherwise as known as my fiance and daughter.  These two people make me want to be a better person.  They make me want to love as deeply as possible and stand up for truth and justice.  They make me want to give more than I get.  They make me laugh (and sometimes cry)...but they make me 'feel' my emotions.  They remind me how good my God is and they reflect His presence in my life.  But most importantly, they love me unconditionally...and I am so thankful for that.

So what about all you lovely ladies...as we head into Thanksgiving season, what are you thankful for?

Guestbook ideas: Be unique!

Well, I will soon be sharing my super fun guest book idea that I am so excited about - stay tuned next week. But while browsing through one of my bridal magazines I found a few other options that I thought were very different and fun to share:

1) Purchase a small wooden bench for your porch that guests can write their well wishes to you on.

Source

2) A useful rolodex with bright, colorful cards where guests write their message to you on one side and their contact information on the other side.

3) My boss is building a custom home with a private wine cellar in it. When he and his wife got married 3 years ago, they had picked out some small tiles and bought some permanent markers. The guests were asked to write their wishes on a piece of tile which is now being used to line the floor of their wine cellar.

4) My sister custom designed a calendar with photos of her and her hubby from childhood through their relationship together. She had it printed at a professional printers shop and then set it out at her wedding. As the guests arrived, they were asked to sign their name on their birth day in the calendar. This way, she had a 'guest book' to use all year long and also a useful way of collecting all of their family and friends' birthdays for future reference and card sending.

What about all you ladies...what are your ideas for fun, personal and unique guestbooks?  I will share my own guestbook idea soon!  (little teaser)

A Mysterious Giveaway!

So while browsing through the blogs I follow tonight I stumbled across Ashley over at Ramirez Family blog.  I am super excited to have found her and be a new follower.  And since she recently crossed the 100 follower mark, she decided to do a giveaway.  But the coolest part about it is that she is surprising the winner with exactly what it is she is giving away.  So definitely check her out here and see what all the buzz is about.

She is now at 115 followers.  I can't even imagine having that many followers - how exciting!  But then again, if you would have told me three weeks ago when I started this blog that I would already have 47 followers, I would have laughed at you!  :)

One other side note, thanks to Ashley's inspiration, I will be starting a new themed weekday post titled Thankful Thursdays...what a wonderful idea!

I so needed this laugh today!

If you are not already a follower of Chocolate Lover's Confessions, you truly need to go check her out.  She encouraged me to start this blog and I love her great ideas and encouragement as I share thoughts and questions regarding all my wedding deets.  She even posts some great recipes to share sometimes.  But if that is not enough of a reason to check out her blog, then definitely go read her post today regarding this funny little gem!

From food to animal: My new last name

So my last name is Campbell...soon to be Beever (with an e). 

My entire life I've been referred to by nicknames such as Campbell Soup, Soup, Sopita, etc.  It's kind of a no brainer that my last name is pretty famous, common, but still famous.  I love my last name.  My sister loves it because her initials were JC growing up (like Jesus Christ - not in a blasphemous way...she just liked having that connection).  I actually have two middle names (Lee Ann)...thus my initials were always SLAC.  Kinda silly but whatever...until now.

Source

I am now going from a 'soup' to an 'animal' (beaver) as my friend, Kristin likes to say.  Even though the Beever is not spelled like the animal, the name still gets referred to as such.  Now my initials will be SLAB...I don't think I like that.  And I know I don't like Stacey Beever as opposed to Stacey Campbell...this has been my name for 37 years afterall! 

Source

I'm scared...I say my new name...have not practiced writing it yet...but I say it.  It scares me.  But I am a traditional woman who will take on her husband's last name.  Ugh!  Beever...

I do however love my blogging name "Born to Be Mrs. Beever."  Something about it just speaks to me :)  And now you know the history behind my handle. 

So...do you have any little stories, thoughts or ideas about your blogging name, your new last name or the dilemma of whether or not to keep, hyphenate or take on a new last name?

A NEW Award :)

So Lil (yes, I'm calling her Lil now) over at NuFlaiir just left me a wonderful little gifty:

Translation: Your blog is Super Cute!

She just started a new wedding blog in Portugese and received this award.  What a sweetheart she is to think of passing on some international love to me.  I am so lucky to have her as a fellow featured BB over on Get Married's Blogger Brides as well.  I am a new fan of her new site and am so grateful to her for thinking of me with this little gem.  So be sure to check out her new and improved site. 

The rules for this one are very simple.

- Indicate the award to other 10 blogger and let them know.
- Leave a message to the person that gave you the award.

So I decided I'd like to gift this to my 10 newest followers:

His n Her Towels

Chic n Cheap Living

Our Day by Design

Gracie Bella Butterfly

Mr. Jones and Me

A Los Angeles Love

San Diego Budget Bride

Recessionista Bride

Where's My Dessert?

A Bride's Brain

Music Monday # 2 (the Bouquet Toss and Cake Cutting)

So since I started my first Music Monday with my baby sister's wedding playbook song selection, I figured I should follow up with 2 more songs from her big day 3 years ago.  Last week was the garter toss and so it is only fitting that this week I share her song for the bouquet toss for all the single ladies (which btw, if you use Beyonce's song for your wedding bouquet toss you're not being too original.  Don't get me wrong...I love it and would love to use it to because it is so fitting, but seriously girls, let's try to find things that are a little more original.) 

So, when they were calling the single girls (which was me at that time) onto the floor, this song began to play:

Lonely People (by Jars of Clay)

Again, I tell you that you have to understand my sister's silly sense of humor.  I particularly like the 2nd verse that specifically says "This is for all the single people, thinking that life has left them dry." 

I figured I'd throw in another fun one for you as a double shot on this fine Monday...so for her cake cutting...though not quite as silly, she used this song (start at about 1:00 where the chorus begins):

Lips Like Sugar (Echo and the Bunnymen)

Get it?  Lips, sugar, kisses - cake...cutting the cake, kissing after?  Too cute. 

So, got any great ideas for your own tosses at the reception or your cake cutting?  I still have no idea for my own so I would love to hear other's ideas!

Seriously Saturdays: How my wedding made me jealous of a child

Ok, so how in the world could anyone ever be upset with or jealous of these 2 beautiful faces?  I mean, seriously...how cute are they?

This is my darling baby sister, Julie and her darling baby girl, Analeigh.  Is that just the most precious baby face you've ever seen?  And how gorgeous is my little sister?  (She also has a 2 year old boy, my nephew PJ who is just as freaking cute!) 

So how could I possibly be upset with either one of them?  Well, here's how:  My baby sis got married three years ago and ended up coming back from her honeymoon and finding out she was pregnant within a month...they didn't waste any time.  2 years later, Christmas morning, 2008 I got engaged!  Yea me (and the fiance)!  I was so excited.  We were also really happy for my again pregnant sister. 

By January, 2009 we had our date set - April 16th, 2010.  So exciting!  I began making plans, booked all my vendors, started buying little wedding related items and had the ever-so-creative and talented scrapbooking sis start working on designs and ideas for my big day.  A couple months later, baby girl, Analeigh was set to be born.  Her original due date was like April 25th I think.  But in early April my sis tells me she is having problems with the gestational diabetes she was diagnosed with and the doctors are just a bit concerned.  They'd like to induce her a little early.  How early?  Oh, they just so happened to pick April 16th, 2009!

WTF!?  Seriously?  I mean really?  I kind of flipped out on her and told her there is no way that baby better be born on the exact day of my wedding (one year earlier obviously).  How evil am I?  I mean how could I seriously let my wedding nuptials turn me into a nut job who would be jealous of her own baby niece?  But it happened:

Source

I turned into a bit of a bridezilla...only aimed at the family!  How horrible!  I think I told my sister that there was no way she was having her baby's 1st birthday on the day of our wedding.  I figured that somehow everyone wishing my little niece a happy birthday was going to distract from what we were really there celebrating.  I insisted my sister tell the doctors that they had to reschedule and that they needed to let her wait until her due date at the end of the month.  How silly is that?

I finally calmed down and realized how stupid I sounded and tried to play it off as I was only joking...in reality, I was actually a little upset.  Turns out they induced her on April 14th so now she will celebrate her 1st birthday 2 days before our April 16th nuptials.  This of course will cause some sort of problem as I pointed out to my sister that it was not going to be easy for me to attend a birthday party the weekend before my wedding when I would be so busy.  And we can't have the party the day after the wedding because we will be spending that day with all of our OOT guests from both sides of the family.  And then we leave that night for our honeymoon which means if she has the party after our wedding, I won't be there :(  That makes me sad.

It also made me realize that unfortunately from this point on for the rest of my little niece's life I will potentially be missing her birthday parties as the hubby and I will most surely go away to celebrate our wedding anniversary on some years.  (sigh)

My wedding coordinator was sweet enough to say that we will be sure to have some type of 1st birthday cupcake at our wedding to recognize my little Analeigh's big day at our reception.  Of course I am excited to do that (now that I have calmed down and realized what an a$$ I was acting like).   I mean, seriously...why is it that us girls suddenly turn into a raving lunatic as soon as that little gem of a ring is slipped on our finger?

It really surprised me that I reacted that way.  So what about you gals?  Have you had any unexpected, out of body, unlike your personality type of rants about something wedding related?  Have you had any problems or issues with your wedding date that you are concerned about or could potentially be an issue for future anniversary celebrations?

FYI:  Click here to see about the origination of Seriously Saturdays.