Getting Organized

     Okay so I'm a nerd and I'm obsessed with school supplies. Notebooks, hi-liters, dividers, labels, new pens, sheet protec- see!  What does this have to do with weddings you might ask? Oh, nothing, its just a major component to keeping your sanity!
     Planning. Organizing. Two of the first things I got excited about. Keeping everything neat and organized will help you "keep calm and carry on". *Or whatever, all this wedding stuff is making me weird!* Having a planning notebook is one of the most important things you can have to keep all wedding related papers in one place for easy finding and easier scheduling!
     Check out the Planning 101 section for more details on what actually goes in the notebook and if you're lucky I'll show you pictures of my notebook, which I'm pretty proud of if I have to say so myself!

Team Bride

     Bridal party. Check. Well, brides side of bridal party, check -fiance still has to decide on his!  I assume most girls automatically pick their sisters or close relatives, but uh, I didn't really have that option. *I do have 2 sisters but sadly, we are not speaking as of now :( *  I decided to chose my fiance's sister to be my Maid of Honor (MOH) What better way for us to start "bonding"? Besides that, she is great at this kinda thing and I'm hoping she will have fun helping me plan! BFF of like...8 years and girlfriend I have known 20 years will be my bridesmaids, although I have only asked one so far! More details on the Bridal Party (BP) later.
      Anyways.... I wanted to show you what I made for everyone. I thought it would be fun to wear these whenever we hang out doing wedding stuff and  after searching everywhere to find "Team Bride" t-shirts I finally decided to make my own after seeing that just one shirt could cost up to $25!! Don't get me wrong, I love the girls in my BP, but I don't even like spending that much $$ on a shirt for me, so why spend it on them? That sounded bad, but you know what I mean, right?  Well, this is what I came up with.

Handmade bows

For the MIL

What do you think?

Silly, but it worked

What I Do All Day

If I'm not working, I'm planning. Or at least researching. Obsessed?  Pathetic? Who cares? This is an extremely important and personal day and I figure the more researching I do the better. I will know exactly what I (we) want and how much the average cost should be. Every bride should do this- seriously! Search Q&A forums on wedding websites, DVR hours of wedding related reality shows, spend hours reading blogs. You can learn a lot and get a few laughs. (I know I am and some girls are crazy!!) For me, it's easier to figure out want I don't want and then go from there. So don't feel bad for spending hours on Pinterest, weddinggawker, or just mindlessly Google searching. Feel good, feel confidant that you and your future husband will have an amazing and memorable wedding without breaking the bank!

Guess What !?

You'll never believe it... I found a dress. Yes, the dress! The dress every girl dreams of her whole life. The dress I was so worried I wouldn't find. The dress I am going to marry the man of my dreams in. The dress I'm going to start the beginning of the rest of my life in... and it's absolutely perfect!! Sorry I won't be posting any pictures (don't want anybody peeking!) but believe me it is awesome!! For those of you that don't know, I don't really like shopping and trying things on and have maybe 3 dresses -that I hardly ever wear-  so to find a dress that I feel pretty in and actually like, is pretty darn amazing!
     I wasn't even planning on trying on, I even said, "No trying on today, just looking" but after looking around I decided maaybe I did wanna try some on, what could it hurt? Grabbing a little bit of everything, I had about 12 dresses to try on. I really wanted to get a feel for what looked good on me, silk, lace, long, short, sleeves, no sleeves. The third dress I tried on I was like "OMG, I love this!!" but was also like, "whoa, calm down, don't get to excited here!" but I just loved it so much!!.  I kept trying on the others though, just to be sure there wasn't another. I started feeling bad for the lady helping me because as she was doing up all the zippers and little hooks and buttons I just knew, nope don't like it! I ended up trying on that third dress one more time to see if I still liked it.. I did. So we went for the whole 9 yards- dress, heels, sash, and veil and got ready to walk down the mirrored hallway. Just thinking about it gives me butterflies of excitement in my tummy!! It was almost to much , I almost started crying. But I took a deep breathe, looked over at my crying MIL (Mother-In-Law) and walked down that hallway hoping not to trip. At the end was a little pedestal for me to stand on so they could show the dress off in all its beauty. They said, "when you find the one you will just know"  and I knew, this was it! It fits perfectly, no alterations needed -miracle! Another miracle- I was approved for the credit card!! (otherwise I would have left empty-handed)  I was meant to find my dress that day, it was meant to be. And now I just have to wait 20 months or so until I can show it off to Dylan!!
    Great.... I just realized.... 20 months of trying to stay the same size.... Bride Boot Camp here I come!

A little bit more...

Why I'm doing this? Well, I'm a busy girl and it can be hard to stay in touch with everyone, so I decided to start this blog. I'm not your "traditional" bride. Hell, I'm not even a "traditional" girl - I own like 3 dresses, two purses (does beach bag count?) and yes, I'm ashamed to admit but, only one pair of heels! This whole wedding-planning thing will be a new, different kinda challenge for me. So here is my point of view as I enter the foreign land of sparkly girlie things to plan my wedding! How hard could this be, right?

Decisions, Decisions

     Don't get to excited we haven't decided on a date yet. We have however decided on a few things. We have decided we want something small, in wedding terms "intimate"  but filled with great food, cold drinks and lots of dancing! Also something outside. (Living where I do there is pah-lenty of options for that!) And of course, something affordable!! Outdoor weddings can be very expensive in Southern California though so, the smaller the better!  We're also thinking black and white with hints of red. These may not be the biggest of decisions, but they definitely help when considering a venue. Trust me on this one because so much goes into picking a venue it'll make you crazy! Is there a sound system for the officiant? What about for the bridal march and recession? Are there cake cutting fees? Is alcohol provided or do I BYOB? Will there be a day of coordinator to keep things moving along? How bout a room for the Bride to get ready in? Is there time included for picture taking or is that an additional cost?  See? That's just the tip of the iceberg, the questions go on forever!  I could keep going but really, who wants to read all that? Not even me, really!  This is just the beginning, so it's exciting when we decide something- small as it may be.
     Besides I'll take all the easy ones while I can- it's going to be a helluva time picking a dress! 

Top 7

Things I Can't Stop Thinking About... Already

      7. Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip  Me and heels are the best of friends

      6. Don't blink, don't blink, don't blink  If you know me you know why I feel this way ;)

      5. Finding flowers. I love flowers and there is just SO many to choose from!

      4. Long? Short? Color? Straight? Curly?  Hair, almost as many options as

      3. Finding a dress I like  I own like 3 dresses I'm not girly and very picky..what?!

      2. Location  Where is all of this supposed to go down?

       I find myself always slipping away and daydreaming about

      1. Seeing him at the end of the aisle  I'm in love and my fiance is hot, what else can I say? 

We've Only Just Begun

I can't believe it has already been a month!! Lots of questions, little answers.The question that comes up most," Have you picked a date yet?" No.  No, we have not. It's not like we haven't thought about a date (our anniversary, the day he proposed, hel-lo people!) but how can we set a date if we haven't booked a place? The day we want may not be available at the place and time we want. I know, I know, it's our day and it should be when we want, but be honest, outdoor, spring/summer, weddings in Southern California aren't that popular, right? Right, lol. Actually, I've done some research (define some) and found out that it's actually not to bad for something in our style slash range. I feel a little awkward looking at wedding stuff *at time of writing I am not sure whether or not I'm getting laid off do to cutbacks* but I know that no matter what their will be a wedding!!  When the big day does come I remember, it's not about how big the party is, it's about the wedding itself.  If we can have a giant party to celebrate the wedding and us becoming a family, great! But It's not about the party- it's about me and Dylan starting our lives, together as a family. And, technically I only need Dylan and $83 to make that happen.... Calm down, I'm just sayin'. (I can hear the panic attacks already) So  to sum it up we know we want it outside and in nice weather, obvi - but what's the rush? Let's be young,engaged and have fun before those sleep depriving things called kids come along!  And again, I have to say calm down to some because I know some of you got excited just reading the word kids, there is NO kids! Any way, jokes aside I hope this gives you a little inside to where we are in the planning and a little B2BPOV  (bride-to-be point of view)