Groomsmen Gifts!

Like most couples, we want to give our groomsmen a nice gift to thank them for being a part of our special day. But because it's me and Jordan getting married, we also want to give them something a) useful and b) hilarious. To us, money clips or pocket watches or engraved mugs just aren't personal enough. So instead, Jordan came up with the idea to get our groomsmen (and groomswoman!) these:
I'm sure you've seen wedding pictures in which the groom poses together with the groomsmen, maybe wearing sunglasses, trying to look cool. Well, I'm hoping to get some great pictures of our groomsmen wielding these bad boys. :)

In addition to that, I didn't want Jordan to feel left out, so I got him this:

I figured he'd get a lot more use out of that then any typical gift a bride could give her groom. :)

Now I'm just waiting for the big day...when I'm sure to be pelted with at least a few clips of NERF darts.

Sneak Peek at Bridal Portraits!

I had bridal portraits taken by Matt Lovell of LH Images yesterday! And by this afternoon, he already sent me a preview of one picture!! He is awesome to work with and this picture is by far one of the most amazing things I've seen in a very long time. We were intentionally going for a Victorian/antique look for this image.

I'm normally super critical of pictures of myself, but I can't find anything wrong with this one! I just have to share (and don't worry, Jordan doesn't know about this blog). :D You can click on the picture to see the full version (which is still not the best quality because the file size had to be reduced for posting).


It was taken on UGA's campus. My maid of honor, Amelia, braved the summer sun with me and she was so wonderful! She kept fixing my hair and dabbing my face with a damp paper towel. I can't thank her enough!

I can't wait to share the rest of the pictures!

A bit of coloring

I was browsing on etsy the other day and I found a really adorable idea: a couple's story timeline/map thingie. I couldn't afford to buy one from the etsy seller, but I decided to try making one myself!

After an hour of agonizing over my terrible drawing skills (I'm convinced my airplanes look like sharks on rollerskates), I finally had a draft complete. Next I redrew everything as carefully as possible, this time taking two hours. Then, with the help of a wonderful graphic designer who works with me at UGA Press, I had the original image scanned and printed 12 copies onto 12x18 sheets of white paper. Each of these will be used as "centerpiece placemats" at our reception...I will have one on the center of each table and our tall slender vases will be placed in the center (where I left just enough white space).

I'm really proud of how it turned out! :) It's a little blurry on here because the file is so large, but you can view the full size version by clicking!

DIY stuff!

My mind has been on other things lately, so I haven't been doing much wedding-related stuff. However, I did manage to make my tosser bouquet for less than $5 total! :D Check it out:

I found the pink gerberas at Hobby Lobby and pulled a bundle apart, then tied them together with turquoise ribbon I purchased for our programs. I added the blue and pink pushpins, found at Target, and voila!

Another project I recently completed:



I've been searching for several months for some sort of pretty, sort of antique-looking container that could hold the bubbles and the ceremony fans for our guests. I also found these stone bowls at Hobby Lobby, for only $20 each! So we'll have these set out at the entrance to the Mansion courtyard, and our guests can take some when they enter. (The bubbles are lying on top of some petals left over from the flowergirl basket.)

The last bit of news I have today is that I FINALLY purchased Jordan's wedding band. It has been a nightmare trying to find an affordable tungsten carbide band that he actually likes, but we did it! Here it is:

The best part is that it was only $25!! :) I might share my secret if you ask nicely. ;)

First Dress Fitting!

It's about that time! :D Our wedding is in just over 3 months, so I went in to have my first official dress fitting (other than just trying it on to be sure it's the right size). Thankfully I don't have to have any height or weight alterations...it's perfect! This was also the first time I wore all of my jewelry, shoes, etc. at the same time as the dress!

I realized again just how much I am in love with my dress! It's not heavy, it's not hot, and it doesn't wrinkle easily. :) Two of my bridesmaids went with me and took some great pictures, so enjoy!

This is the dress bustled for the reception!

Showing off my shoes. :)