#firstworldproblems

Michael asked me to marry him May 28th in Barbados, then proceeded to put this little number on my left hand.

Love it! Couldn’t have done better if I had picked it out myself (that's not an inside joke, he did it all by himself!).

So to complete our wedding ring ensemble, one rainy weekend we went wedding band shopping at Robbins Brothers. We both had done our own google research and had a pretty clear idea what we wanted.

Image via Robbins Brothers Ladies White Gold and Diamond Band

Personal picture of my engagement ring and wedding band together!

Image via Robbins Brothers Comfort Fit Band

The staff was very knowledgeable when we had some questions regarding the metals, the service was great, and it was relatively painless. They even were eligible for an A+ grade from me when they offered us drinks (aka beer) as we were checking out, which I definitely needed after spending that much money. Car dealerships could learn a thing or two from them. Anyways, the point is, it was great experience! I highly recommend them.

I was busy when Robbin's Brother's called to tell us the rings would be ready, so Michael went to pick them up by himself later that week after work. I was so excited until I got home and was greeted by this:

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Really? A plastic baggy?!!? I don’t even qualify for a box? Besides, it’s not even a real baggy. It’s like a ripped off piece of plastic that they dug out of the garbage and wrapped around my ring. SERIOUSLY?!?!? I felt like Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey during one of their Weekend Update routines that used to air weekly on Saturday Night Live.

Image via 20sixfresh

Ugh. Whatever. I’m too worn out from the post office to care right now.

#firstworldproblems

Moral of the story: this probably isn’t something I should really worry about, especially since I will be wearing it on my hand every day after July 14th, and not storing it in a box. But it’s the principal! You spend that much money you should be able to get a box. Know what I’m saying?

Did you have any #firstworldproblems situations? Maybe something you freaked out about but wasn’t really worth it?

Post Office:1 Me:0

My original intent was to mail our invitations wrapped up cutely in twine, tied in a bow, securely fastening an additional information tag to the outside:

Personal picture of the invitation suite fitting tidily into the envelope, tied with twine.

Well Mr. Post Office, you win.

You teased me with an initial belief that I could have my cake and eat it too when I was originally quoted a price of 85 cents an invitation. I was even willing to pay the next quoted price of a $1.05 to keep my precious’s wrapped prettily. But I knew those faces behind the counter didn’t mean it. I could tell that the shaking heads of colleagues on either side were really meant for me. Silly girl, if you run that package through our machines it will be eaten alive.

But then, (then!) when you finally decided to level with me and tell me the ugly, undeniable truth, that my invitation envelope was too thick and qualified as a “package” and no longer as a “letter”, what is a girl to do when said package now costs $1.98 to mail? You win! We will no longer attempt to mail our invitations tied-up nice and orderly in a little package. We have decided to sacrifice the aesthetics and attractiveness of our invitation suite and opted for the more economical route of throwing all our paper products willy nilly into the envelope with no order established whatsoever. My rational side has decided to finally prevail. That’s what happens with the dollar signs start to add up.

Personal picture of invitation suite scattered haphazardly throughout the envelope.

I however, will have the last laugh (although it will end up more of a snicker and less of a deep bellied laugh). I am determined as ever to hand deliver as many of our invitations as possible so that at least a few of our guests will get to gaze upon the amazing-ness that should have been viewing pleasure for all. But you stole that opportunity from them! You took it like a thief in the night and didn’t even think twice.

*sigh. No one cares as much as I do. No one cares as much as I do. No one cares as much as I do. No one cares as much as I do.

I’ll repeat this ten more times in the hopes that it will eventually sink in.

Did the post office throw you an unexpected curve ball? Or did they offer you a more rainbows and unicorns type experience?

FINALLY! A Card Box

Much like making my venue decision, I knew what I didn’t want. The traditional wishing well. I’m sure its great for whomever chooses to use it. There is a lot of tradition behind using the wishing well that I’m sure most people embrace and cherish. It was just one those items that personally, wasn’t for me.

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And I’ll admit it. The first time this came up in discussion, I threw a fit. I’m not proud of it. I’m still not even really sure what happened. I’m 26 years old throwing a hissy fit in a restaurant. But it was never brought up again, so I think I still won, even if I lost a little bit of my dignity.

Some viable options that were always on the table, but I just wasn’t feeling 100%:

A friend of mine had used a bird cage at her wedding and I thought that it would add a nice vintage element if I chose to go this route. I figured it was a good Plan B if nothing else felt right.

Image via Etsy / Seller SouthburyTreasures

This idea was ok…. I feel like using the mailbox is starting to be symbolic of the Pixar movie UP!, and I couldn’t pull the trigger with that symbolism lurking in the back of my head. It just didn’t feel right. Also, Michael didn’t seem overly excited about using a mailbox either.

Image via Etsy / Seller SherrysStickers

I also had a few random ideas that I really liked:

Image via Etsy / Seller datcheldesigns

Image via Etsy / Seller SoPurdyCreations

Image via Etsy / Seller YesMoreFunk

But then, it hit me. It didn’t even feel like a ton of bricks. It was more like a slow realization that led to happiness because it felt 100% right. I love it when I have a gut feeling like that. It justifies whatever craziness is about to follow. Anyways, I’ll quit talking and just show you my glorified card box.

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Isn’t it great? Its simple and efficient; two adjectives not used as often as they should be in the wedding world. And luckily enough, I had already made my CARDS sign! Now the biggest problem is to decide how to display it. Oh yeah, and buy a program basket since that’s what I originally bought this wire basket for *eye roll.

So what do you think? Do I clothespin it to the top rung of the basket? Or string it on some twine?

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Just Say No To Tulle

Man, talk about unrealistic expectations. I love how TLC sets current, as well as future, bride's up to think that all bridal salons offer the same kind of service and knowledge as the shows on their channel. If your like me, and on a budget to NOT spend $3k+ on your dress (and that’s the LOW end on those shows!), then you realize quickly that not all bridal salons offer the same kind of service. Believe it or not, not all bridal salons are created equal.

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But you move on, and quickly realize that you can find something that you love. Without the heavy price tag attached. Or the pomp and circumstance that accompanies bride’s on those shows. I’m not jealous or bitter I swear! Sometimes, all you need is the accompaniment of a good friend and for her to tear up at just the right moment, and you know you have yourself a winner!

The first time I went dress shopping was a month or so into being engaged. I went with my friend, now bridesmaid (yeah!), Brandi. She loves all things wedding and had been loudly voicing her impatience for Michael and me to get engaged. To top it off, she wasn’t going to let a little thing like being 4 months pregnant stand in her way from going dress shopping. So, on the first free Saturday, off we went. She even scheduled the appointments for me! You couldn't ask for a better friend.

Now, on to the pictures! Just to clarify, I won’t be showing you the dress I chose. I have had a few requests by people to not see it, and since those requests came from basically the 3 out of 5 people who actually read this blog, I’m going to have to keep it a secret for a little while longer :)

These are a few of the dresses that caught my eye before even visiting the salons. I loved the detailing on the skirts and thought they were so interesting. I think my wedding dress taste is pretty “classic” but I did want a little twist on it, and I thought the detailed skirts would be so unique and different.

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The two pictures above were basically the same bottom, just with different tops. What I didn't like was the skirt material. It felt kind of scratchy too me. Even though I thought it was pretty, I couldn't get past the feeling of it.

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I loved the ruffle bottom of this one more then I thought I would, but it was very heavy. And I couldn't imagine carting that thing around all night. Least of all on a hot, July Texas night.

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I didn’t try this one on because it was out of my price range, but it was soooo pretty. But it had soooooo much tulle.

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Fail. Like fish out of water, flopping around, fail. When I tried them on, they just didn’t feel right. They didn’t make me feel like me. I felt like a little girl playing dress up. And all the tulle! I had forgotten how much I hated tulle. Being in dance as a tomboy, I had loved all the practices, but hated the actual performance at the end of the year with the costumes. The endless amounts of wedding dress tulle brought all those nightmare’s racing back.

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Oh, the purple tutu. Brings back memories. This picture was taken my first year of dance.

I quickly realized I wanted clean lines in the skirt, no tulle!, and a sweetheart neckline. This dress, is the dress that brought tears to Brandi’s eyes (although could have been the hormones), but I knew it was for real when the same thing happened with my Aunt and Mom on the second trip. It had all my requirements; a sweetheart neckline, clean skirt lines, and when paired with the Enzoani belt, Diana, was perfect.

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It looks WAY better in real life. This picture does not do it justice.

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But, it was not meant to be. I couldn't pull the trigger. I was just going to have to find a “classic” dress, with clean lines, and unique detailing somewhere else. Or, had I secretly already found it?

Did you do any secret wedding shopping when no one was looking? What did you buy?

*Side Note: We visited 4 bridal salons that day, and only 2 of them made my pregnant friend work. Well, really one and a quarter. We had a bad experience at David’s Bridal and basically just left without really trying anything on. However, I would like to mention that if you’re ever shopping in the DFW area for a wedding dress, we had a great experience at Lewisville Bridal Boutique. They had great service, our consultant listened to what I had to say, and the staff seemed very knowledgeable about their selection.

Chalkboard Signs

As you can tell from my posts, the DIY's are starting to add up. Not money wise, because we're saving tons there (I promise, babe!), but all the stuff is starting to literally pile up in our second bedroom. I haven't even told you about the burlap table runners, bridal brooch bouquet, and our picture display. These are all diy's that have either been finished, or are in the process of being finished by yours truly.

But today, I want to address Michael's next question (Oh, that man is just full of questions these days), “Megan, how are our people going to know to write their name on the label?” And yes, we still refer to our guests as “our people”. Are we really the only ones that do this? I digress.

Funny you should ask Michael, because I found this handy dandy picture to help our guests out:

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Even though the rational side of me was thinking, “really? You need a sign to tell you to put your name on your glass?” The bride inside me was saying, “What a cute sign! I must have this at my wedding!” So cute in fact, that when I came across the sign below, I knew how I would display it as well.

Image via Etsy / Seller AndTheSignSays

I had already procured chalkboard spray paint on one of my many visits to Hobby Lobby, since I just new I was going to need it at some point. I then took my time finding two frames’s that were the right size, as well as having the right look. The black one (which will tell you to take a seat wherever you want), was bought from Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon, and the silver one (which will tell you to write your name on your cup), was bought at Michael’s when their frames were on sale. Or maybe I used a coupon, I can’t remember. Either way, it was 40% off as well.

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While at Michael’s, I also bought enough foam board to fill each of the frames. Luckily enough, nothing had to be engineered together because my two picture frame openings were small enough and required only one board each. I also snagged a chalkboard pen. I wanted to be sure to get one that could easily wipe off in case 1. I messed up either of the signs, and 2. try it out to see if this would work better then regular chalk for the cups (jury is still out, I’ll let you know the outcome when I buy some chalk).

At last, I had all my supplies.

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After gathering my supplies, I cut the foam board to size for each frame. I then picked a pretty afternoon and sprayed my foam boards.

I don’t have any special insight into spray painting other then read the instructions. However, when it says “spray in a sweeping motion beginning off the surface and continuing off other side”, do it. At first I tried half-assing it and didn’t go all the way off the sides, but doing this created huge blotches on the edges of my foam board. I think one coat would have been ok, but with my first coat creating darker patches on the edges, I went with a second coat to even it out.

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The last step is going to be figuring out how to attach the foam board to the frame. I tried packing tape, but after a couple hours, it came loose. Another idea I had was a small finishing nail bent over the foam board. I might have to put Michael on that small detail. I’m sure he can come up with something :)

Have you ever started a project, only to realize at the end that you need a little bit of help? Or another visit to the craft store? :/

*Note: If doing a lot of diy’s, your second home will become your local craft store. For a while, I was going every. Single. Weekend. It was ridiculous.

Mason Jar's & DIY's

When it was first suggested to me to use mason jars as center pieces, I had been reading wedding blogs for a couple months. I quickly scoffed at the idea and said I would not be jumping on that wedding trend train.

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Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Not only will we be using blue mason jars for centerpieces, but we're also going to be using pint sized jars for drinking glasses.

Image Source / Photographed by Michael Howard

The drinking glasses were actually my first idea (after the initial suggestion) for using mason jars at our wedding. I remembered eating at this restaurant when I was a kid, and I thought it was the coolest thing when they served us our drinks in mason jars. So I figured if I was going to have mason jars at my wedding, I was going to at least use them for what they were originally intended. Drinking moonshine! Just kidding....mostly. Anyways, in our case, we'll be using them for beer! And wine. Ok, ok they can be used to drink nonalcoholic drinks as well. But I don't recommend it. Unless you’re underage, in which case I don’t endorse under-age drinking! Drink some lemonade.

After I had decided to use mason jars for our drinking glasses, my next conundrum was raised when Michael asked, “But how will they know which glass is there’s?”. Well, since you asked Michael...I also found these cute pictures while scouring Etsy.

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Now, the heart shaped labels weren’t exactly me, but I was pretty sure I had seen the more rustic shaped label at Hobby Lobby. So away I went with my 40% off coupon and managed to pick up this punch for under $10:

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I also ordered some chalkboard contact paper from Amazon for $8.39:

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As well as hunted down around 18 dozen pint sized mason jars via Craigslist for $110. Total for all supplies was roughly $128.39 (I don’t remember exactly what I paid for the punch).

After I had gathered all my supplies, I sat in front of the TV and punched 216 of those suckers out. Then, we peeled the backing off, and stuck the adhesive side of the label to 18 dozen mason jars. We broke this step up into a couple Saturday afternoons. Each session didn’t take long, we just got tired of peeling the backing off. And this is what we ended up with!

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So cute! I can’t wait to use them for the wedding! Even more exciting, is I’ll get to use these after the wedding for little projects I’ve found on Pinterest! Can’t wait!

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Did you start a project for your wedding and realize half way thru that you could use it after the wedding as well?

Double Digit Desperation

Image via TheKnot

Thanks for the clocks Knot! I realize time is ticking!

So we have 94 days to go as of today. And recently I have developed this constant nagging feeling that there is something I should be doing. All. The. Time. But my DIY list is under control, most of our decor is bought, and we're right on schedule with the To Do list. Michael is working on addressing the invitations so we should have them sent out by this weekend, although I gave us a hard deadline of next weekend. All the Groomsmen have been notified of what they're supposed to be wearing and should be in the process of buying, all the Bridesmaid's have their dresses (and they fit!), so I think we’re right on schedule in that department. But then the doubts set in. There must be something left undone that I should be working on or scheduling. Those constant, nagging thoughts.

We still haven't met with the Officiant because he forgot about our first scheduled meeting, I need to get my dress altered so that I can schedule my bridal portraits, and we still haven't sent in a deposit to the rental place so that we can have pretty chairs! I need to write two thank you notes, stuff the invitations into envelopes, and buy postage (*note to self: dont forget to stamp the RSVP's before stuffing the invitations*)! I guess it's time to update my To Do list. Oh and add a few hours to the day. If only it were that easy.

I guess what I'm trying to say (more for my own benefit then for anyone else) is that if I stay focused and keep to the time table that I already set, everything should get done. Key word being should. Especially since lately I have been slightly less than focused. But taking a night or two off here and there is probably good for me. You know, smelling the roses and all that jazz.

Last night I smelled some roses and went to a Mavs game. The 2011 NBA Champions Dallas Mavericks that is. Thank goodness they finally released Lamar Odom so I didn’t have to worry about watching his lazy butt run up and down the court (sorry to the Kardashian fans out there, he just wasn’t good).

Ultimately, smelling the roses is what it’s all about in the end. My “desperation” will probably heat up over the next couple months, but then, on July 14th, it’s going to disappear. We’re going to be getting married and all my crazy antics/thoughts will just be future fodder for Michael’s jokes when he’s poking fun at me. As my husband, dun dun dunnnnn (sounds weird saying that). And that’s the important thing to remind myself of when those nagging thoughts visit me.

Did you take time to smell any roses while you were engaged? What did you do to unwind?