Calling all brides-to-be! Time is of the essence here, so listen up!
I received an email yesterday from talented Chicago-based photographer, Melissa Hayes. She's offering her wedding photography services to three brides in three states over the course of the year. Sounds like Tennessee is her first stop. She states there are only two rules: The wedding must take place in 2010, and you cannot have already booked a photographer.
For all the details on how to enter, hurry on over to Melissa's blog: http://melissahphoto.blogspot.com/
The deadline to enter is March 20th. Only two days. So don't drag your feet about this!
Best of luck to you all!
...DIY aisle runner...
DG and I have pretty much been managing our wedding like a corporation. Everything is a branding opportunity, and we are a-ok with that. To that end, we thought it'd be nice to incorporate our monogram into the ceremony. The aisle runner seemed like a really appropriate place to do that, so we looked into having a custom runner made. Sounded like a great idea until I realized that we'd spend anywhere from $100-$300 to do it. No. Thank you.
I thought about it for about 30 seconds before I decided I was fully capable of doing it myself! It took a little time, but I think the money we saved was well worth it! I purchased the runner itself online for about $20 and bought our four shades of acrylic paint from Michael's for $0.69 a piece. I like $25 a lot better than $300...and I'm sure you do too. So I thought I'd share. Here's what we did...
Step 1:
I utilized DG's mad skills to project the image onto the runner, which we'd taped to the wall. We had access to a video projector, so that's how we chose to do it, but you could go old-school and do it with an overhead projector. You could also achieve the same result if you printed the image onto multiple sheets like a poster (I think you can do this in MS Publisher, maybe even in Word.) which you could trace. Most runners are pretty sheer, so as long as you fix your poster to whatever surface you're working on so it doesn't wiggle, you should be good to go.
Step 5:
I laid it out and let it dry for the rest of the day before I rolled it back up to store until the wedding.
When it was all said and done, I was pretty pleased. In case any of you are considering taking on this project, here are a couple of lessons learned:
I thought about it for about 30 seconds before I decided I was fully capable of doing it myself! It took a little time, but I think the money we saved was well worth it! I purchased the runner itself online for about $20 and bought our four shades of acrylic paint from Michael's for $0.69 a piece. I like $25 a lot better than $300...and I'm sure you do too. So I thought I'd share. Here's what we did...
Step 1:
I utilized DG's mad skills to project the image onto the runner, which we'd taped to the wall. We had access to a video projector, so that's how we chose to do it, but you could go old-school and do it with an overhead projector. You could also achieve the same result if you printed the image onto multiple sheets like a poster (I think you can do this in MS Publisher, maybe even in Word.) which you could trace. Most runners are pretty sheer, so as long as you fix your poster to whatever surface you're working on so it doesn't wiggle, you should be good to go.
Step 2:
I had a fine point Sharpie and traced away, hoping I was at least getting close.
Step 3:
We took a second to admire our handiwork. I wasn't too concerned about the imperfections because I knew I could smooth it all out when I started painting. Plus, it's on the floor at a distance. It's not like our guests are going to be analyzing it in detail.
Step 4:
I spent somewhere between three and four hours watching TV and painting over the weekend (in my PJ's...what's weird?). I was surprised that it went pretty much according to plan.
Step 5:
I laid it out and let it dry for the rest of the day before I rolled it back up to store until the wedding.
When it was all said and done, I was pretty pleased. In case any of you are considering taking on this project, here are a couple of lessons learned:
- I suspected that acrylic paint would work well, and it did, but you really do have to lay it on thick, and in some cases, two coats would probably be best. If I'd had the energy, I'd probably have done two coats on the entire thing, but I just don't care that much.
- The paint will definitely bleed through the fabric, so make sure you're working on a drop cloth or something. I sort of anticipated that it would bleed, so I was prepared....but let me also add, if you do not move the runner while your paint is still wet, it will dry and adhere to whatever surface is underneath. I did a major portion of the painting Friday night and was disappointed the next morning to discover that I had to peel the runner off of the sheet I'd been working on. It's thin, so it tore in a couple of places, but I was able to patch it up with some packing tape from behind and an extra layer of paint on top. It just would have worked out better if I'd have moved the runner to another position to let it dry completely. Don't make the same mistake.
- Finally, you'll see in the corner there where I dropped my paintbrush. Do not drop your paintbrush. I got lucky in that I dropped it close to the edge, where we'd already planned to crop the runner because the end was torn in shipping. The moral of the story is, this is sort of a one chance kind of thing. If I had really screwed it up, we would have had to chop it off and start again from step one, so be careful!
…ashley’s bride guide=great resource for local brides…
I'm especially excited for two reasons:
A) ABG has seen a major face lift here lately and has a TON to offer brides both in the Nashville area and beyond. It's so pretty and SO helpful! And she's added lots of new features. Get inspired in the new Inspiration Gallery or see how it's being done with her Real Nashville Weddings section. More than that, there are some terribly helpful resources for those of you who are in the midst of planning, like the directory of wedding vendors, or the wealth of DIY ideas and ABG bride savings for those of us who are trying to have a little something left for life after the wedding.
B) ABG has a whole section dedicated to the blogs of Nashville brides and vendors alike. And guess who appears right there among them? That's right. None other than yours truly. I think that makes me official or something. Big thanks to Ashley and her team for including me!
If you've yet to experience the genius that is this website, please, please do yourself a favor and check it out! And if you love it as much as I do, hop over to the link to us page and grab one of her adorable badges! I know I certainly couldn't resist!
...veil fascination...
The other day DG asked me if I'd blogged recently. I'm taking it on good faith that he probably doesn't read the blog all that often, so I'm safe to talk about my wedding day look at least a little. (If you happen to be reading on this particular day and don't want to spoil any surprises, avert your eyes.)
Our wedding website has pointed all of our guests to this blog, so I have been hesitant to spill all my secrets about the wedding, but I guess there are a few harmless details I can share.
Overly confident (as usual) in my ability to do things on my own, I've decided to craft my own little hairpiece, fascinator situation. I've gathered a few elements together and plan on working it out while DG's away next weekend. So in the meantime, let's study the inspiration.
Our wedding website has pointed all of our guests to this blog, so I have been hesitant to spill all my secrets about the wedding, but I guess there are a few harmless details I can share.
Overly confident (as usual) in my ability to do things on my own, I've decided to craft my own little hairpiece, fascinator situation. I've gathered a few elements together and plan on working it out while DG's away next weekend. So in the meantime, let's study the inspiration.
Even found a couple of tutorials on Nonpareil Magazine, a free and fabulous online DIY wedding magazine...
I plan to try my hand at making my own this weekend, so we'll see how it goes!
...look what I got today...
I ordered this from Simon's Stamps for $17, shipping and tax included. I am so, so pleased with the way it turned out and I know it's going to come in super handy as we start doing all our little crafty projects! Nothing else exciting to say for today. Just had to share!
…wedding weight loss, an update…
Like every bride, I, too, am on a mission to be all svelte and slinkdified on my wedding day. We began this journey here. I am happy to report that, albeit SLOW, DG and I have still been successfully chipping away at our formerly pudgier selves. (Ok, his progress? Not that slow. As of this morning, he's lost 59 pounds. I repeat…Fifty. Nine. Pounds. It's ok to be a little jealous. I know I am. And SO PROUD!)
I'm excited because I'm having one of those rare and precious days when I actually feel skinny. You girls know what I'm talking about. And it's happened with convenient timing because after work this evening, my MOH and I are going to another gown fitting. I'm excited! And I'm pretty sure that my dress is going to be a tiny bit looser than when I did my last fitting in January. (I have more stars on my little chart to prove it. 18 pounds now!)
With 57 or so days left to go, I still have enough time to see some pretty decent progress, so I've been trying to really kick it up a notch to ensure I have no regrets. I'm pretty pleased with myself…but here lately I've been feeling super overwhelmed. Training for the half-marathon, plus working full-time, plus planning a wedding, plus an additional part-time job on the weekends=no rest for the weary. I'm pretty sure I cried four times yesterday for no reason. So I have a new plan. The MOH and I are just going to walk the half-marathon. I think it will be really nice to have some time the Saturday before the wedding to reflect and talk and do what we do. It will probably do a lot to set my mind at ease….and now I'm actually looking forward to it. We'll keep doing our long walks every Saturday morning between now and then to make sure we don't start limping at mile four, but the rest of the week, I'm going to do what I want!
And what I want is this…
A couple of weeks ago I found a 50% off gift certificate to Bikram Cool Springs for 30 days of unlimited yoga classes on Half Off Depot. For those of you who might not know (cause I didn't) Bikram Yoga is a series of the above 26 postures over the course of a 90-minute class in a room heated to about 105 degrees and 40% humidity. (I have never sweated so much in my life!) Granted, it is a serious workout, but it doesn't feel like something I have to do…it feels like something I do for me. So rather than all those extra runs during the week, I'll be in Cool Springs sweating and bending and twisting and loving my life. I might be kind of cheating the system here, but Groupon featured a deal for 30 days of classes at another studio this week, so I promptly purchased that as well. Once my current deal runs out, I'll use the Groupon. I'll be doing half-price yoga up until the wedding, and I couldn't be happier. Here's the best part! While I was trying to decide whether or not to abandon my running today, I did a little research. I wanted to know what how my calories burned would compare because I certainly don't want to disrupt my progress. According to a number of sources I found, I am burning somewhere between 650-1000 calories a class. That's more than running! I'll take that!
Here's hoping the fitting goes well tonight! Maybe they'll have to take it in. J
…let’s skip to the honeymoon…
But seriously. Planning weddings is overrated. Does anyone else agree???
My ever-growing to-do list has become ever more overwhelming. On the one hand, I'm getting really excited because we are now two months from this crazy event and it's shaping up to be exactly what I'd hoped for. On the other hand, I'm tired, and I'd like to take a nap on the beach. Is that so much to ask?
With less than 60 days to go, it's a mad dash to the finish, as DG and I are tackling tasks every day. I'm calling and emailing and ordering and writing and designing like crazy. We're running a wedding factory around here. But I don't want to talk about any of that right now. Let's talk about something fun…
Like how hot my mom and dad are going to be come Wedding Day. Check 'em out!
My MOH and I basically forced my mother to buy this dress way back in July because it looked so good on her and was oh-so-fun! (I think I've blogged about this dress before.)
They're going to be so snazzy that they just might out-do me and DG. I'm ok with it.
My ever-growing to-do list has become ever more overwhelming. On the one hand, I'm getting really excited because we are now two months from this crazy event and it's shaping up to be exactly what I'd hoped for. On the other hand, I'm tired, and I'd like to take a nap on the beach. Is that so much to ask?
With less than 60 days to go, it's a mad dash to the finish, as DG and I are tackling tasks every day. I'm calling and emailing and ordering and writing and designing like crazy. We're running a wedding factory around here. But I don't want to talk about any of that right now. Let's talk about something fun…
Like how hot my mom and dad are going to be come Wedding Day. Check 'em out!
My MOH and I basically forced my mother to buy this dress way back in July because it looked so good on her and was oh-so-fun! (I think I've blogged about this dress before.)
She later started to feel that it would be more appropriate/would make her more comfortable if she had a little jacket or something to cover her arms. I supported this decision. Rather than exhaust ourselves looking for a matching jacket that did not exist, we went straight to the fabric store and found a pattern and some fabric from which to have it made. I am so excited about this hip little number! So perfect! (Her's is pattern C.) She's pretty much going to be the hottest mom of all time.
Skip to my dad. My mother, of course, is dressing him…and she is under the impression that weddings are like prom, meaning that if Dad is her date, he obviously has to match. So she bought him this.
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