Awesome Wedding!

I've officially found the most amazing creative wedding ever! I stumbled across Kelly & James' wedding on the knot and was blown away. Kelly had a fairytale themed wedding and I can't ramble enough about how beautiful it was. Kelly's got major style and every single one of her vintage and fairytale inspired wedding photos reflect just that. I Can't give her enough kudos for daring to be herself on her wedding day.

 

Gotta love that.

 

Halloween 2009

When witches go riding,and black cats are seen,the moon laughs and whispers,‘tis near Halloween.~Author Unknown

How ludicrous is is that my wedding isn't even over yet and already I'm planning the next big event? This year I want to throw an outrageous Halloween Party! While looking for interesting wedding planning blogs I stumbled across Hostess With The Mostess daily blog and Oh my I am in LOVE. So why this obsession with Halloween? Well for one I love the holiday. I think maybe even more than Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's just so much fun! Plus it takes place during fall. Who doesn't love fall? There's just something magical in the fall air. I love the cool weather and only regret living in Florida during the months of September-November because we don't get much of a season change down here. I wish I could see the leaves change color. I don't even think I'd mind having to rake up leaves.

"The" Dress

Finding a wedding dress can be the most stressful and the most exciting part of wedding planning. Most women dream of their wedding day since well pretty much as long as they can remember. The funny thing about dreaming about a wedding to actually planning one is that sometimes you discover your taste in wedding gowns has changed dramatically since the age of five. Toilet paper and curtain dresses are no longer an option and somewhere along the line you might have even lost the affinity for a dress like one Cinderella wore. Or maybe not, hey to each their own. Point is at the end of the day no matter what style dress a bride chooses she just wants to feel like a princess in it. We all want a dress with that "wow" factor. Who doesn't want to take their fiancé's breath away while walking down that aisle? The hard part is finding that dress.

For those of you who have not been wedding dress shopping or have not found the right dress yet, don't despair. She's out there. The best advice I can give to a bride in search of a wedding dress is to throw all the rules and preconceptions about wedding dresses out the window. Try on every dress you like, and don't stick to just one style. Don't be afraid to try a dress on even though you think it might not be the right cut or style for you. You might just be pleasantly surprised.

As cliché' as it sounds when you try on the right dress you'll just know. The first dress I tried on was the "one" it was also a dress I never thought would look good on me. As a matter of fact I didn't even know I'd like this dress style. It was definitely not something I had pictured myself wearing on my wedding day but after putting the dress on how can I possibly get married wearing anything else? I was a skeptic and I was proven wrong. If I would have listened to the authors of "what dress you should wear for your body type" I definitely would not be wearing this dress. Point is you are and will always be your best critic. You're the only one who knows what looks and feels good on you. Not a book.

Here's a compilation of all the dresses I've liked. Some are losers, only one is the winner. Which one? I'll never tell, You'll just have to wait and see...

Indecisiveness at it's best

Wedding planning kicks you in the butt because frankly you'll never know how much thought goes into planning a wedding until you're planning one yourself. What do you mean I have to decide what color napkins I want on the table? Aren't all napkins white? Yea... That was me six months ago. Wedding planning is not for the indecisive like myself.

My new task is picking out a ring pillow. Seems simple enough no? Ugh. I wish. I can't seem to find one I'm in love with... I can't even seem to find one that I'm in 'like' with. They all sorta look the same to me. I wish someone else could make these decisions for me. I wonder if that's what wedding planners do? I'd love to be able so say "ok lady this is what I want. Make it happen" Oh wait.. now I remember why I don't have a wedding planner! I'd never be able to make up my mind on anything and I'd drive the poor woman crazy!

My new obsession...

My poor FI is going to divorce me before we're even married if I keep looking at wedding porn and getting new ideas. My new obsession is with chuppahs.

A chuppah (also spelled hupah, chupah, or chuppa - plural: chuppot or chuppahs, Hebrew: חוּפּוֹת) is a canopy traditionally used in Jewish Weddings. It consists of a cloth or sheet, stretched or supported over four poles, or sometimes carried by attendants to the ceremony. A chuppah symbolizes the home the couple will build together. Chuppah literally means a canopy or a covering.

How beautiful is that symbolism? Even more of a reason to want one...

It seems simple enough to build and I'd definitely be making the decor a DIY project. I love the look of the hanging crystals and orchids.

As usual though transporting this baby to Islamorada is going to be a nightmare.

I have go to put down all this wedding porn.

I don't think I've shared my DIY aisle decor on my blog yet so here it is... Please keep in mind I really just out these together in five minutes so hopefully they'll look much better the day of.

So they say that before every big life event it's normal to have weird dreams. Well I wish mine would stop because the lack of sleep is taking it's toll. Last night I had not one but two bizarre dreams.

The first was a typical recurring dream of me being pregnant. (Trust me, I'm not and it's not happening for a while) I don't know why I keep having this dream but it just keeps happening. I must have had the same dream about four times this week. The dream is basically Lucas talking about the baby (in my dream I don't even know I'm pregnant.) It's always him talking about the baby. Weird, but moving on because it's just not happening.

I want to have a baby when we're both ready and we plan for it. Babies are not leverage or bandages for relationships..They are needy living breathing things and not an accessory you can leave at home on a late night (oh and taking your baby out with you doesn't really make it any better. You can't necessarily tell the bouncer "Well ya know he's on the tit' now so I pretty much take him any where I go) Plus, I don't want to be the pregnant lady at the bar.

Second weird dream was a dream I had with my dad at my wedding. I guess I've been having this one since I invited him. To give you the background on that my dad and I no longer have the greatest relationship. To be honest I'm not sure we even have a relationship none the less a 'great' one.

Growing up my dad was the best dad a kid could ever ask for. He played and joked with us all the time, he took us out every weekend on new adventure it was always about boating or go-karting. It was always something fun. Basically my mom had not four kids but five. My dad being the biggest. We had a nice family but somewhere along the line and mostly when his three baby girls weren't such babies anymore and rather teenagers things changed.

It wasn't fun anymore and I guess it freaked him out that we grew up. For a control freak losing control is the worst thing that can possibly happen to you. Point is we no longer really speak.

I'm not sure exactly why I invited him to my wedding because I know the chances of him going are pretty slim to none. I guess I did it so I can have closure. If something were to happen to him I know I extended my hand and made an effort. Now I wish I could just get him out of my head and dreams.

Last night I dremt that he had gone with me to my dress fitting.

Anyways, enough of being the girl with daddy issues. I never meant to blog about him or anything else sad or morbid.

Call me cold but it's how I cope.

Guys Garb

So I've been considering Lucas' wedding day attire a lot lately and mostly because we disagree on what looks best. I'd like to see him in a classic black tux with a skinny black tie.

Whereas he'd like to wear a beige suit.

I know and understand it's his wedding too so he should have a lot if not all the say in what he chooses to wear, so right now I'm just sitting back and voicing my opinion on not what color suit to wear but rather on accessories- it's more fun this way anyhow. I really love the look of a formal elegant event but I also adore splashes of funky and uniqueness. (Thus this is where all my opinions on accessories come in)

I was thinking that if FI chose to wear a classic black tux it would be fun to pair it up with black converse sneakers.

I have always been a converse girl and remember wearing those sneakers for as long as I can recall. Growing up I owned a pair in ever color imaginable. My favorites were always a red "high top" pair and the classic black "low tops". I've been shoving Converse sneakers and a little bit of rock & roll edge down my FI's preppy boy throat for years and he's finally starting to get into it.

On the other hand, if FI chose to wear a beige suit I thought it would be fun to pair it up with a funky colored tie. I personally love the bright colored/funky tie look.

I found this great Brent Morgan silk pink polka dot tie online and on sale for $29.99.

It would match perfectly with the girls baby pink bridesmaid dresses and with our pink theme. I have to say for a girl who doesn't really care for pink I can't even begin to tell you how surprised I am I went with a pink theme for my wedding. It really all began when I fell in love with our invitations in a "Magenta" color. After that everything just started falling into place and I have to admit pink is not so bad after all. My poor FI is having an all pink wedding. In my defense however, I did ask him if he minded being bombarded with pink on his wedding day and because he's so wonderful he replied "nope".

Yes I think the title of my blog can be misleading... No I don't think I'm a bridezilla (at least not yet anyhow)

After a long day at work I was pleasantly surprised to come home and find another RSVP. This RSVP is not like rest however because ladies and gentlemen, this is my first out of town RSVP!!! This just makes everything seem so much more real. I'm getting married, and my family is flying in from Virgina. How could I not be happy?

I've already forgotten about the rough day at work...

Teaser Time!

I have my first real dress fitting this weekend and am beyond excited because I get to wear my dress again. I don't get to wear it nearly as often as I'd like. My dress was purchased last September by both my wonderful sisters as a wedding gift (how amazing it that?) and even though I'd love to tell you more about it I can't because I don't want my FI knowing what it looks like until he see's me in it the day of.

I'll leave you with this picture as a teaser. This is part of my veil.

This year feels like it's been the shortest year of my life. Time seems to keep flying by. I can't believe my wedding is only 72 days away! That's practically two months away.... omg. two months! I remember just getting engaged, even though that was about a year ago. If I say I'm not nervous I'd be lying. I'm worried about how much money we're spending,I'm worried about not having enough time to get things done, I'm worried about something going wrong the day of, but mostly I'm worried about being a bad wife or rather failing at my marriage.

Living together for the past 3 years assures us that not a lot will change. It's not like he's going to suddenly start leaving his socks lying around the house (he already does that, and I don't know how but I can totally deal) I already know his quirks and habits and he knows mine. Our fur baby- James will still see us as "mommy" and "daddy", our daily routine will still be the same. However, marriage does change things and I'm fully aware of that too. When your married there's not a lot of "I" as there is a "we". It becomes where WE want to live, what cars WE want to buy, when WE want to have babies, where WE want to be in 5 years. I'm looking forward to knowing that I'll always have someone there for me. It's an awesome feeling knowing that no matter how bad my day is and no matter what has gone wrong I can always go home to someone who will love me and support me either way.

I think the best part about getting married and in our case getting married young is because you will have someone to grow up with and grow old with. I think the most beautiful part of marriage is the life experience you get to share. This is why when the time came to think about our wedding and what sort of ceremony we wanted to have it was easy to decide that we wanted a 'Blessings of the hands' to be part of the ceremony. It's perfect in every way, it basically describes everything I wanted to say in this post just a lot more put together, less panicky, and a lot more eloquently.

I can't even read this without tearing up so I know I'll be a mess my wedding day. Credit for reading goes to my fellow knottie Tiffany and her bio

"Lorena, please face Lucas, and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.

These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.

These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too feels his child stir within you.

These are the hands that look so large and strong, yet will be so gentle as he holds your child for the first time.

These are the hands that will work long hours for you and your new family.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief overwhelm you.

These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled with his overwhelming love and desire for you

Lucas, please hold Lorena’s hands, palms up, so that you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she promises to love you all the days of her life.

These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.

These are the hands that will will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will help you hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.

These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, or console you when you are grieving.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch

May these hands that we see today be blessed.

May they always be held by one another

May they have the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment.

May they remain tender and gentle as they nourish each other in their wondrous love

May these hands continue building a relationship founded on love, rich in caring, and devoted in reaching perfection

May Lorena and Lucas see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter, and guide."

Now to sit and wait..

An itty bitty tiny little rant...

I've come to the conclusion that waiting for RSVP's are the most stressful part of the wedding planning process. I mean seriously, how hard is it to check a box, write your name, place your card in the already stamped RSVP envelope, lick it, and stick it in a mail box? I guess the only thing I can do now is sit and wait. If anything from this experience I've learned that when someone sends you an RSVP gosh darn it you reply almost immediatley and make sure you mail it back just as fast.

In other news...

I'm almost 2 months away and I think i'm starting to freak out a little bit. I have to much to do and so little time!

Cake, Cake, and More Cake...

First let me start off by saying that I am a cake girl, not only a cake girl but a chocolate girl, a sweets girl, a cookies girl, an icing girl, basically I love everything and anything baked and covered with sugar and yummy carbs. When it came to picking out a cake I thought it'd be well... a piece of cake. (No cheesy pun intended) so far, it's been anything but. Deciding on a cake design, flavors, and vendor has proven to be a lot of work! So far, I've discovered I lean towards more traditional and vintage looking cakes rather the modern and colorful cakes. I've been eyeing white and off-white cakes for months! There's just something about an all white cake I can't stop admiring. After what seems to be like a million cake tastings I just can't seem to find a vendor that not only can promise a beautiful looking cake but one who can also deliver a mouth watering cake, and yes yes yes I've already heard "but nobody eats the wedding cake, they're all pretty bad either way so don't worry about it". But that's the problem! I do worry about it. I don't believe "Nobody eats the cake" Well I eat the cake damn it and I don't ever have just ONE slice (yes, this would also explain my ever expanding waist line) The wedding cake to me says so much about a person and their wedding. It sets the mood for the wedding and with that last little sliver of dessert everyone will remember the fabulous meal you just provided. Is the cake a formal cake? It is colorful? Is it just one flavor? Is it a plain Jane vanilla cake? These are all the things I notice and surely someone else has to notice them too.

My ideal cake is an all white or ivory three tier cake. Each tier should be it's own unique and different flavor. My dream cake would be chocolate, red velvet, and key lime or coconut. Chocolate because my FI loves a chocolate cake (Chocolate is the universal flavor, psth. Who doesn't like chocolate?) Red velvet because it's my favorite. As a matter of fact I can dedicate a whole blog to red velvet and why it is my favorite. As for coconut or key lime, both are delicious and both not only make the cake fun but also reflects and compliments our Islamorada wedding. Below are pictures of cake design candidates...

After weeks of searching for the perfect cake and the perfect vendor I keep coming up short. I need to get my butt into gear and make some final and concrete decisions. Here are reviews from my experience with the vendors I have seen thus far...

*Yummy Cakes & More
Sophie the owner is an awesome lady to work with because she's so helpful and friendly. Yummy cakes and more has an amazing cream cheese frosting as well as a butter cream frosting but as for taste, I can't say much. The cakes at the tasting were not very moist, and the red velvet cake was the worst I have ever tasted. It seriously tasted like dried out cardboard. This was really disappointing not only because she was the cheapest cake vendor on my list but also because she came highly recommended. Cake prices were running around $260-$280 depending on the cake being a butter cream cake or a fondant cake. Delivery not included.

*Todo Dulce
Words can not describe how delicious their cakes were. I tried the coconut, key lime, chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet. All were delicious and moist except again for the red velvet which was dried out and pretty tasteless. Todo dulce also make very small cakes for a very large amount of money. 6,8, and 10 would be the cake tier sizes with cost being $330.00-$360.00 depending on design. Delivery not included.

*Cake Design by Edda
Again Super moist and yummy cakes except for the red velvet which tastes stale and flavorless. Cake sizing was a bit larger 8, 10, and 12 but then again so was the cost $380. Delivery not included.

*Divine Delicacies
Same complaint as the above. Moist 'ok' cakes except for the red velvet which once more was stale. Pricing was a bit better. 6,10,12 for $290. Delivery not included. Devine Delicacies cake was mediocre enough to even forget a flavor that really stands out as 'good'.

Back to the drawing board. The last vendor I'm meeting with will be Publix. Might sound crazy but they have the best red velvet cake I have ever tasted in my life. I'm really only worried about the design and wheter or not Publix would be able to deliver the beautiful cake I am looking for.

I never thought I'd say this but...

I am sick of cake tastings!

“A pair of shoes can change your life. Just ask Cinderella.” -Anonymous

To wear colored shoes or not to wear colored shoes that is the question!

I had originally purchased these beautiful (and on sale for dirt cheap! They were a steal at $40) white and traditional shoes from Steve Madden but am second guessing my choice after showing them to Fiance'. I had purchased white shoes thinking that Fiance would probably hate the non-traditonal look of colored wedding shoes

Apparently I was wrong. After I showed Fiance a few shots of colored shoes he was hooked. "You should wear colored shoes, look these girls have some balls".

I doubt those girls really have any balls.

What's in front of the lens is just as important as who's behind it

Particular doesn't even begin to describe how I am with photography. From day one of wedding planning I knew most of our itty bitty wedding budget money would be spent on a good photographer. When looking for a photographer most people look at a portfolio (very important) and recent sample work (also very important) and often forget to see or even care whether or not you and your photographer hit it off.

The latter was very important to me because I know that good photographs start with a good relationship with your photographer. Your photographer will solely be responsible for all the tangible evidence of your wedding many years down the line. How she does her job will be exactly what you'll have to show for your wedding. If a photographer is happy with her job you'll see it in her work. If she's not into it you'll see it too. What's in front of the lens is just as important as who is behind it.

Even though liking her job wasn't necessarily a pre-requisite to be hired to shoot at my wedding it definitely wouldn't hurt.

Luckily I found Ashley Colhouer Photography. Ashley recently moved down to South Florida from Atlanta and had posted an introduction on The Knot. I decided to check her out and I'm happy I did.

Ashley Colhouer is run by Ashley and her husband Phillip. Together they have a kick ass blog dedicated to their wedding related work. Stalking Ashley's blog is how I came across a destination wedding she shot in Jamaica.

How can anyone not love Ashley's work? She's got a great eye and loves color.

What sealed the deal was meeting Ashley in person. She's such a sweet and spunky person I knew she'd be perfect to shoot our wedding. She is so into her job it's crazy... I love this lady.