Wed Recap: Jane plain and simple

Or maybe I should title this post "Stacey plain and simple" ?

Today, I want to briefly recap my thoughts on my wedding day hair and makeup.  But first, let me just tell you ladies, that the days of the up do are gone...everyone had their hair down in my bridal party (and 3 years ago in my sister's bridal party)!

To share with you how I felt about the wedding hair/makeup, I'll remind you of how Mr Fix It told me my right eyelash was coming off during the soloist's performance in the middle of our ceremony.  As soon as I walked in to the bridal cottage after the ceremony, I just pulled the eyelashes off completely as I didn't want to waste time trying to replace it.  So basically, I was really complacent about how I looked on the wedding day.  Mostly because I just didn't feel like I needed to worry about anything...nor did I want to.

A few days after the wedding, Mr Fix It and I had the following conversation:

Me:  I wasn't really thrilled with my hair on the wedding day.
Mr Fix It:  Why?  I thought you looked pretty.
Me:  Yes, but all the girls looked way better than me.
Him:  You looked fine.
Me:  Yeah, but I felt like I just looked very...
Me & Him at exact same time:  plain.

Yeah, exactly...that's the word.  There was nothing spectacular or done up about my hair that day like it had been in the trials.  In fact, it barely held the curl at all (but that's not really the stylist's fault...my hair NEVER holds curl of any kind).  The main reason why was probably because of my inability to focus and remember things I had planned.  My 'go with the flow' attitude led to this conversation on the wedding day during my hair styling:

My stylist:  Ya know, I'm afraid if I use the extensions in your hair they're going to pull out your natural hair curls.
Me:  Really?  Why, do they look like they're falling out?
Her:  No, but I think the extensions are too heavy and will pull it out.
Me:  Ok, then...whatever you think is best.

BIG MISTAKE! 

I should have stuck to my plans and used the extensions because they definitely held curls better than my natural hair.  On top of that, I shouldn't have told my stylist on the wedding day to not do any teasing on my hair at all since I had let her tease the top a little during the trials. 

I did in fact feel like the girls' hair came out way better than mine did.  And I did truly love my makeup as well.
Granted, regardless of all of this, I truly loved my makeup for sure.  And the fact that we were able to do a post wedding shoot gave me the opportunity to do up my hair a little better and different while in my gown.  When Mr Fix It arrived on site the day of our post wedding shoot, he looked at my hair and immediately said "Now, THAT'S how your hair should have been on the wedding day...much better."

In addition, I have to rave about my stylist, Natalie Buketov because she truly was a sweetheart and it was so amazingly generous of her to do my hair/makeup free of charge for the post wedding shoot simply because she was disappointed that one of my false eyelashes came off during the wedding ceremony. 

Share Time:  Did you feel totally satisfied with your hair and makeup on your wedding day?

TODAY'S WEDDING TIP: Don't use old makeup, especially lipstick!  Sit down with an attendant or family member before your wedding day and go over photos, colors, styles, and anything you have to show them what you want or are supposed to look like on your wedding day.  Then when your hair and makeup is finished, have them check you out before the stylist leaves and give their approval of the finished work.  And stick to your plans if you liked them in your trial(s).

Wed recap: Embarassing the hell out of the bride and groom

That's really what toasts should be referred to...because most of them (at least the ones the guys give) are usually pretty embarassing.  In our case, our best man, Mr Fix It's brother started off his toast with a total perverted comment.  Watch my lovely reaction to this...and remember that I was very active in my church and that all of our guests know that I am a passionate Christian who tries to uphold and lead by example with some conservative and traditional values and morals.  :)

Best Man's Toast

In the end, it was very sweet what he said...short and sweet.  Probably a good thing.  But man, really?!?

Up next was my sister.  Of course the girls always talk a lot longer. And though it may seem like a long time, her speech flew by!  She was really nervous about it...she does not like speaking in front of crowds.  At one point, she even said she was just going to write a poem and recite it...which I would have loved because she writes amazing poems.  But I am so happy about the wonderful speech she shared...it was heartfelt, full of old memories and actually really funny, too!  She did great...and when you watch this, you'll get a great glimpse of insight into who both me and my sister are and our pasts as well :)

Matron of Honor's Toast

And finally, I just had to give a thank you speech. 

Bride's Thank You Toast

Mr Fix It is also not good in front of an audience.  It's funny because he is so loud and boisterous and extraverted in general but when it comes to gettin' up in front of a large room of people, he freezes.  Since I do not and I actually sometimes love speaking in front of crowds, I went ahead and handled our speech.  I wrote it out months before the wedding and read through it a couple times.  But never really memorized it.  On the day of, I just spoke from the heart and what I could remember of what I had written out and I loved it.  Though I have to admit, this would be the very last thing I'd have to do on the wedding day as far as speaking in front of everyone and I was a tad bit nervous and so glad to get this thing done. 

And those were the three lovely speeches that were shared at our wedding reception.  What do you think? 

Do you have any memorable stories from speeches you have seen, received or given at weddings?

TODAY'S WEDDING TIP:  I don't know if you did/plan on doing this at your wedding, but I highly encourage either the bride, groom or both to just share a few words. Doesn't need to be quite as long as mine, but just to say an overall thank you to those you love for celebrating with you.


All video clips courtesy of Video Keepsakes of Beverly Hills

Wed Recap: The only tears shed on our wedding day...

...at least that I know of, came when I was basically all alone in the bridal cottage. Well, it was just me...and my videographer. Silly, I know. There were a few brief moments that I got choked up:

*  When I turned the corner during my walk down the aisle and saw Mr Fix It
*  At the very end of the letter I read to him during our ceremony
*  And at one point during my speech/toast at the reception

But other than that, there was no time during our wedding day that I actually shed any tears (except for what I'm about to show you).  And if you know me, you know that is *SO* unlike me!  I am a bawler...anything that touches a heart string, scares me, saddens me, even makes me laugh hard will bring on the waterfall of tears.  So I was anticipating lots of them on my wedding day.  But nope...as you'll see in this video, this was the only time that I actually started crying.

Our videographer includes a little thing he calls the 'He Said, She Said' interview in his wedding interviews.  He basically takes a few moments on the wedding day to pull the bride and groom each aside individually away from everyone else, and asks them some basic questions about how they met, how he proposed, what they love about each other and what they want to say to each other on their wedding day.  Here's our little interview:

At first, when I saw samples of this on our videographer's web site, I thought it was cheesy.  But now, I love this because it totally shows our different versions of the key moments of our lives together :)  I love how Mr Fix It thinks he proposed on Christmas Eve (when we spent the whole night with my extended family) when it was actually Christmas morning with just my mom and daughter.  I love that the thing he shares about me that he likes is my OCD behavior which he constantly kids me about and complains about. 

As for the rest of the tears on our wedding day, I asked my mom if she cried and she said she didn't but only because she just felt so relaxed and 'present' in the moment.  She said she was truly able to enjoy everything because she knew I had it all covered.  I wish I could have said the same...I think if I had been 'present' myself, I probably would have actually been crying a lot more!

We did catch mom wiping a tear at this moment :)

Photo by Robert Mullins Photography

I asked my sister if she cried and she said she 'almost' cried when I was walking down the aisle, but she felt like it was mostly because of the words to the song I had playing.  That song was played on my ipod while I was driving for the entire year before our wedding and it made me cry every single time I'd listen to it before the wedding!

I did notice (and shared with you) that my sister-in-law and mother-in-law were crying when I walked down the aisle.  So sweet!  I expected that Mr Fix It might cry at some point during the day, but he held it together, too. 

It was funny, because when we let all the girls back into the bridal cottage after the interview, they all walked in and saw me crying.  My mom said to the videographer, Gary, "What did you do to her?!?"  I laughed and my makeup artist quickly touched up my eyes.  And that was it. 

So did any of you ladies cry on your big day?  Or if you are a bride-to-be, do you expect you will cry at some point? 

Tomorrow is one of my favorite video recaps:  our first look!

TODAY'S WEDDING TIP:  BLOT, don't wipe your tears if you cry.  Just dab at the corners of your eyes :)  And false eyelashes do wonders as well because if you do start crying, you can buy the black ones and don't even need to wear mascara!

Wed recap: Raise your hand if you're sure!!!

Today is our 2 month wedding anniversary!!!!

I was definitely sure on April 16th that Mr Fix It was the man for me

and that I was truly Born to be Mrs. Beever!

I wish I could say the entire day felt like this for me...but as I have said before and will continue to share, the day went by in such a blur.  I have no recollection at all of what was going on at this moment for me to be raising a fist above my head like that.  I am due to get my raw footage from our wedding DVD back this week - hopefully today.  I am hoping maybe there is some video footage of this moment that will help me remember.  :)

Anyone want to have some fun today and write a caption for this photo?!?  Come on, make me laugh!!!

Vendor Review: MissNowMrs.com

Saturday I received my new social security card in the mail...I am officially Mrs. Beever now :)  But there's still lots more to do to finalize the name change process.  For those of us who decided to change the maiden name to either a middle name or drop the maiden and take on the new last name, it is a painstaking process to endure.

Again, something the women are left to handle probably because men are clueless and impatient.  (Can you tell married life is affecting me a little?)  Just kidding...

Anyway, I have seen media advertisements for a web site called http://www.missnowmrs.com/ and thought I'd give it a whack.  Here's my review:

Photos Courtesty:  MissnowMrs.com

1)  It was extremely simple to register for.
2)  It only costs $29.95 (which I think is unnecessary), however, if you are smart and do a google search, you can find coupon codes.  I used the following one:  BRAVO10 for $10.00 off!  You can even give gift certificates as bridal shower gifts for the service!
3)  It was extremely easy to complete the information online.  The only things I needed to gather were like my parents names, birth cities and social security numbers for applying for a new social security card.
4)  They give you good instructions.  Fairly simple to understand. 
     *  They let you know that you should start the entire process by first obtaining a certified copy of your marriage license (usually available within 4-8 weeks after your wedding date).  Mine cost $14 to pick up in person.
     *  You should then handle the name change paperwork with the local Social Security office.  I went in person and was out of there in less than 10 minutes!  Super easy.
     *  Then you have to wait at least 48 hours to go to the DMV to apply for your new driver's license.

The social security change is most important because all the other agencies/companies will be looking up your new name with your SS number.  The driver's license is important because it allows you to have picture ID to get everything handled with banks and such.

5)  Simple step by step fill in the blank process and nav bar menu on the left allows you to skip through different forms and parts.  You can save your info and come back to it at any time.
6)  Easy to view documents before you print them out and prints instructions from major government agencies with the paperwork for you to take with you or use to complete mailing.

7)  Provides you all government and state forms you will need for things like IRS name change, Post office mail forwarding, Soc Sec number, Driver's License, Voter registration, passport, etc.  All the forms are provided based on the state you live in...no need to do google searches and trudge through many different web sites or agencies to locate what you need.
8)  Also has form letters for notifying banks, credit card companies, utility companies, insurance companies, professional licenses/organizations, mortgage, medical and investment companies, etc of your new name and address. 

It even reminded me after a week or two that I had started the process and not yet completed it when I took a break for a while! 

So far, I have been really happy with it.  The fact that I didn't have to go visit 5-10 different government sites was time saving enough for it to be worth the $20.00 to me.  Though I don't know that it will be very useful for the notification letter part.  Though I intend to use it for a few of those things, it seems a little more tedious for that part of the process because you have to add in the names and addresses of all of those companies in order for it to generate the form letter for you.  I'm too lazy right now to get all that paperwork out and sorted to complete that part.  So for now, I've only completed all the government paperwork. 

The only bummer about the process so far for me is that California does not let you download or apply online for the new driver's license.  They use specific pre-printed forms that are only available by visiting the DMV or ordering it to be delivered in the mail.  So I am waiting for that to arrive and then once I get it, I'll have to manually fill it out and take it in to the DMV.  Then once that is done, I'll start mailing off the rest of my government forms and handle the passport photo taking, etc. 

So, what about you girls?  Any of you used Miss Now Mrs or another service like this?  Any thoughts, suggestions?

Disclaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with this company, organization or site, nor have I been approached, asked or compensated for the information or opinions shared in this post.

Wedding Pictures!!! A sneak peek...

Well, our photographer, Robert Mullins has finally had a moment to post some sneak peek pics of us from the wedding day.  I have been stalking his web site like crazy and have to admit that I am super excited about the first photos I finally get to see.  How is it that pro-photogs always seem to make everything look so much better?  :)

So here they are...

My beautiful Maggie Sottero SaBelle gown hanging up from the patio rafters outside of our bridal cottage prep area.  Our photog refused to touch the dress himself so he asked my girls to take it out and hang it up for him. 

My super hot groom, Mr Fix It - no really...look how hot he looks!  And those blue eyes - swoon!

A close up of me.  I have to admit, I loved my makeup for sure...the hair was another story for a future recap, but this photo made me realize how great pro-photogs can make you look.  And I absolutely LOVE my necklace in this shot...wish it was just a little more in focus but hoping he got some good shots of it!

 

Um, hello?  Is that me?  LOVIN' IT!  And so is all my family...their favorite so far.

 

This is one of my very faves because it is kind of artsy, it totally shows off that gorgeous train and made me fall in love with my gown all over again and it has that great shot of the venue's name in the background.  This is just at the end of the main entrance - what the guests saw as they first drove into the estate. 

(Oh, and remember how I talked about how dirty my gown was under the train a few days ago? 

Yeah, well, this is why!  Look...pure dirt that dress is sitting on.)

Another great shot that I love because it shows off the amazing grounds of the estate. 

Up to the right of this picture (the little deck you can hardly see) is the cocktail area where guests can gather and look down.  I am standing at the very back of where our ceremony took place behind all of the chairs that were set up (not in the picture obviously).  The building in the background is called Rick's Cafe...it is a little multi-level restaurant type building with booths and chairs and tables throughout.  That is how the guests got down from the cocktail area to the ceremony area.  We also used that building to set up our kids' corner area where the babysitters hung out with a few kids playing games and watching movies and cartoons on portable DVD players.

And finally, a shot of Mr Fix It and I from inside of Rick's Cafe.  In this one, we are standing on the balcony that you see dead center and just to the right of the blue light post in the pic right above this one.  The second photographer was inside shooting this shot from the inside looking out and our main photog, Robert was down where I was standing in the pic above shooting us from below up on the balcony.  :) 

I love the silhouette.

So there you have it...our first sneak peek.  I am excited to announce that Robert e-mailed me yesterday saying he is almost ready to send the final disc of all our pro-pics...and as soon as I get it, the serious recaps will be in full swing.  For now, I have plenty of things involving some other stories and shots from friends and family as well as honeymoon recaps to keep those of you who are interested busy - more to come!

I'm a Bride on the Brink!!!

I'm really getting to the brink (see the P.S. below), but for now check out this feature I got to be a part of over at the blog on MyWeddingFavors.com.  I am so excited to participate in this fun little spotlight they post called 'Brides on the Brink.'  It's an interview with brides who are within 3 months of their big day and is meant to share some encouragement, advice and information with fellow brides about planning your wedding.

(Technically, I'm 49 days and counting now - not 30 yet - thank God!)

And while you're there, browse around their site and check out all their cool little favors and items they have to offer - I smell a giveaway coming VERY soon on my blog that you might be interested in if you like what you see at http://www.myweddingfavors.com/!  Check back on March 1st!

P.S.  Remember how I said that I was praying for the 'no' responses to come in because we ended up inviting 224 guests but our venue (and budget) has only been allotted for 202?  Well, as of yesterday we are halfway to getting the 22 'no' responses we need!  Isn't that silly?  I am actually hoping for about 19 more no's (not just 11) because I have about 8 other friends I'd like to be able to invite that are on our 'B list' still :(  Hopefully we'll get a ton of RSVP's in this week...the reply by date is a week from today!

Look at me, look at me!

Ok, so there's been the big debate over whether or not the bride and groom should see each other before the big moment - the walk down the aisle :)  I think a wonderful post about whether or not to see each other before the ceremony can be found over on Budhoop's blog.  She offered some great truths about the reasons most people are for or against this idea.  And as she said, it's really a matter of personal opinion. 

For some, there is nothing like this moment:

Where the groom sees his bride for the first time that day...all dressed up in white with hair and makeup beyond beautiful.  Let's face it, a lot of guys cry.  It's pretty sweet.  And even if you don't want to see each other before the actual ceremony, there's still some fun ways to get some 'teaser' shots in before that big moment: 

Photo:  Rancho Las Lomas

Jenn over at a Bride's Brain posted about her First Look yesterday.  Check it out here.

As far as why we have opted for the 'first look'?  It's very simple:

1)  I don't want massive anxiety the first time I see Mr Fix It.  I will be all anxious and nervous and if he does cry or gets all emotional, no one will even notice because let's face it - everyone is looking at the bride at that moment!  Mr Fix It calms me down and seeing him several hours before our ceremony is going to put me at ease and keep me in a relaxed and fun mood.

2)  We can't stand having to wait for two (or more) hours for the bride and groom to show up at a reception before we can eat and get the party started.  A cocktail hour should be just that - an HOUR!  But when you have to take hundreds of photos after the ceremony, it's draining and keeps guests waiting.  I personally don't like it.

3)  We want to be a part of our cocktail hour.  We have hired a strolling magician to entertain guests during cocktails and we do NOT want to miss out on all the fun and tricks!  I mean since we are the ones paying him, shouldn't we also be able to enjoy his services?  Besides, the reception is already a difficult place to try to greet and chat with all your guests.  Having that extra hour in a relaxed setting during cocktails is a great way for us to get some extra time in with the guests.

Those are our main reasons for knocking out all of our photos before the ceremony.  Yes, it means that we'll have to start hair and makeup at 8 am for us ladies.  And yes, the guys will all need to show up about 4 hours before the wedding (but they'd have to be there an hour before anyway to greet guests and seat them anyway).  Besides, that 3 hours or so that we will be knocking out lots of photos gives us the chance to not feel rushed and enjoy ourselves. 

So how will we do our first look?  As Budhoop suggested, they are in fact staged to a degree.  Here you see the bride making her way to her groom who has his back to her so as not to ruin the 'moment' they turn to see each other:

Photo Robert Mullins Photography

In this one (and with our own plans) the groom will walk up behind the bride to greet her.  How amazing are all of these next sequence of shots that were taken by our own photographer Robert Mullins? 

The groom takes her hand as she turns to see him for the first time:

He takes in all her beauty:

Look!  He's even getting emotional!

And they get that one special intimate moment with just the two of them to embrace and just be in love:

I can't wait to share the idea we came up with for me and Mr Fix It's first look.  I won't go into all the details as you'll see it on video at some point in the next several months, but I will say that when I told my future sister-in-law about the idea, she started getting teary eyed :)  And yes, our first look will include our family to some degree....not just the two of us.

So, are you / did you opt for the first look?  What do / did you like or not like about it?

Words of Wisdom - A Bride's Keepsake

I absolutely love throwing/planning weddings. I even once seriously considered becoming a wedding coordinator - even had business cards made. But alas, it is not meant to be for me other than through my own wedding dreams and the assistance of helping friends and family when they have planned their big affairs.

So when it was time for my baby sister to get married 3 years ago, I made sure I pulled out all the stops to make her big day as special as possible...including all the fun events and parties leading up to the big day.

One idea I came up with that I thought I would share with the blogosphere was our main gift to her at her bridal shower. We had at least 40 family and friends attend a luncheon in baby sis' honor. For the months leading up to the shower, I became a nuisance to every invited guest...for I asked each person (even those who were invited and yet could not attend) to please e-mail me a photo of them with their significant other (or with the bride if they were single) as well as e-mail me a very brief message with their blessings or words of wisdom on being a bride, wife or making your hubby happy.

The very first gift that baby sis opened at her shower was the book we (I) had made her with everyone's contributions.  Now she has a lifelong keepsake from her big day that she will always be able to read and remember those that celebrated her and 'showered' her with love, blessings and words of wisdom. 

In today's day and age, just about anyone can easily make professional looking hard cover albums on internet sites...I prefer shutterfly.com.  This was the creation we came up with: 

Click here to view this photo book larger

Another take on this I've read about is asking each guest to make a scrapbook page and bring it to the shower to place in an album for the bride at the event. 

Now I know that most of you brides will most likely not tell your MOH's and BM's what to get you for your shower, but thought I would share this anyway as I know you will inevitably host or attend a shower in the future and might find this a thoughtful surprise for the guest of honor.  And maybe your BM's follow your blog and might see this little post and be inspired?  It was so much fun to put together for her and so much more fun to watch her open it and browse through the photos of loved ones.   She's not emotional like me, I would have bawled...but she really loved it.  Here's a little 1 min video of her opening it up (sorry the first few seconds are a little blurry):

Do you have any special gifts or surprises that you have received or planned for a bride on her celebratory shower or bachelorette party?

Got the garter!

One of my favorite fun purchases:  the garter!  Now when most girls buy this little garment, they think blue...for their 'Something Blue' and then they end up getting a smaller, similar garter in a twin pack as their 'toss garter.'  But not me, everything needs to be different and unexpected.  Thus I was super excited when I found this crazy little feather and lace garter with a satin bow that I just died for.  And it was super affordable, too.  Found it online of course at Cinderella's Pumpkin.  Here is what it looks like in my color: RED!

And here is a larger picture of it in a different color:

And of course, I don't want my fiance to toss away this fun little beauty...I'll be pulling it out on future anniversary nights :)  So to mix it up a little and leave the lucky fellow who catches the garter with something funky and fun that he'll want to hang from his rear view mirror, I went with something in my wedding color scheme:  an aqua polka dot garter from Invitations by Dawn:

We'll have our coordinator slip the toss garter into my then husband's pocket just before we do the tosses. 

So after he pulls my garter off, he can make the switcheroo.

Oh, and don't worry...I'll share my 'something blue' in a future post :)

So what do you think?  What are your ideas for your garter?  Share your pics...can't wait to see what everyone else has found!