Favors

I been mulling this over for quite a while.. .almost since we have been engaged.

Favors

No favors? Eco-friendly favor? Homemade favor? Homemade & eco-friendly favor? Donating instead of favor? Donating WITH a favor?

AhH! I don't know!!!

I {{absolutely}} want to donate. There is no way I am not giving up on the idea. I may just do it without letting the guests know!?

A few other ideas that have passed through my head (sometimes over & over again):

• an Italian & English treat (in honor of our heritages)-- i.e. tea & biscotti
• homemade jam-- organic or not..
  
• homemade cookies (from a hometown bakery OR my Nona's famous delicious chocolate chip cookies)
  
• organic biscotti (that we discovered at Plymouth's Green Fair last summer)
• traditional Italian favor (jordan almonds-- which Big Nona {my great grandmother} used to throw at the bride & groom instead of rice. hahaha)
• muffin mix
  
• Photobooth be the favor (guests will be taking home photo strips)
  
• a good ole HUG & KISS from the bride and groom (just kidding!)

HELP!! Right now, my idea is to do the donation with a small favor in addition to the photo booth (I mean it's already paid for!)

If I do a favor... which one above is the best choice.. .THOUGHTS!?! :)

FYE

In honor of our new idea for the guestbook... MadLibs

We have been conducting MadLibs of our own.

::This is one of them::

**Sing to the tune "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles**

Ah, look at all the Happy Hot Dogs!

Ah, look at all the Happy Hot Dogs!

Elsa Poopastink picks up the Chicken in a London where a

Film Festival has been. Dance in a Lightbulb.

Hopping at the Guitar, wearing the Flip flop that

she keeps in a TV by the Kleenex. Who is it for?

All the Happy Hot Dogs, where do they all come from?

All the Happy Hot Dogs, where do they all Blow?

Guest Book- Revamped

The guestbook. Guest sign their names. Include their addresses. You barely ever read it. I know I wouldn't. Sorry : / That's the norm.

Hmm... the norm.

Needless to say, I have been trying to find a different approach to the guest book. A few that I found that I like:

• a book with pockets (kind of like those in the back of a library book) with note cards where guest can write personal messages.

• paper note pads labeled, "In 5 years", "In 10 years", "In 25 years.", etc, and guests include their predictions.

• Polaroid pictures of each guest that they take themselves and include a message under their pictures or on the polaroid itself.

• Sign aprons with fabric markers. I do like to cook & I {really} want an apron. Keeping hinting that I want one! haha.

• Sign pieces of scrap fabric that later can be sewn together to a quilt, or wall hanging. ((one of my favs!-- just wish I could sew with a machine better than by hand. haha.))

Lots & Lots of ideas!!!

All easy DIY projects.

Recently, found this fun & entertaining idea:

courtesy of theknot.com:)

Mad Lib guest book. I imagine on the backside, they fill just the words. Ya know, list "adjective. verb. noun. noun. plural noun. adjective..." Then, also include the name & may be even the address on the bottom.

Showed it to Chris. He liked it. I think this is one way to include our quirkiness & humor into the wedding. And what a way for guest to pass the time during the cocktail hour waiting for us to arrive fashionably late!

I think this might be the one. Oh yay!! :)

Now, where can we put this so guests can fill these out without holding up a line. Now, that is a GOOD question!! Havn't figured that part out yet ; )

The Calm Before the Storm... or ::After:: the Storm

I figured after that {long} blog yesterday, I think we all need closure.

Long story short...

There was drama.
Yelling. A lot of yelling.
Tears.
Apologies.
& now it's over :)

To be honest, I have never yelled so much in my life! I feel like a horrible person for doing so!!
Okay I lied... I have yelled at someone before. It was at a Dashboard Confessional (( LOVE THEM!! )) and I told a guy that was about 2 feet taller than me, "Back the F*** off!" Quite a scene....

Everybody & everything is much better now.

I'm off to wedding research. Stay tuned...

Wedding Planning VS Vacation

Vacation. It is something that I love. Something that I love to talk about. Something I have to look forward to (including thousands of pictures to look through). Besides teaching, vacation/traveling is one of my passions.

Wedding Planning. It is something that I should love. Something that I should love to talk about. Something I should look forward to (including tons of pictures to look through-- no pressure Robin! haha). I'm not loving wedding planning & loving to talk about wedding plans & looking forward to my wedding. Well, okay, I lied, I am looking forward to the wedding.. TO BE OVER!

Unfortunately, I {absolutely} am regretting this whole wedding thing.

Don't get me wrong, I love Chris with all of my heart. I am excited to spend the rest of our lives together. Take his last name. Have babies (especially this one!). I'm excited to make the commitment to ourselves & God that we would be true, faithful & loving to each other forever and always. And all the other ::wonderful:: things that come with marriage.

However, wedding planning is nothing like planning a vacation. Vacation planning is exciting. Finding all of these cool places to go sight see. Indulging yourself in a new culture. Meeting new people. Hoping that you could live there. May be for a month or two. Please!?

So, why, you may ask... do I feel this horrible about my own wedding. WHY!?

May be it's because every one of my "creative" ideas get crap from people. Mind you, I don't pull these ideas from my bum. I see them on theknot.com (multiple times) & wedding blogs. Real people have ALSO utilized these ideas! May be it's because I am told constantly, "It's not me. But, whatever, it's your wedding." with a rolling of the eyes. May be it's because I am told I should revise almost all of my ideas so guest aren't confused. Ever thought guests might like to see something DIFFERENT than the typical, cookie-cutter wedding. Ever thought that I am not the TYPICAL bride. Ever thought about that it is MY wedding. Ever thought that may be I ask for opinions & tell you my ideas not so you can "mock me" but because I love you so much I want you to be involved & so you will listen to & support me.

When you read this, you may think some of the following:

• "Wow! Christina is crazy."
• "Gosh! That really stinks."
• "Why would she say that!?"
• "Fine. I won't help."

Think what you will.
I love my family.
I love Chris' family.
I want everyone to be a part of this wedding because everyone means so much to me. Not that this blog reflects that so much : /

Originally, I wanted everyone that was involved with this wedding to be only close friends & family (including many vendors). I wanted a simple wedding with a big guest list (haha, I know, quite impossible. I wanted to make it work!). I wanted a wedding where guests went home and said "Wow! That was SO Chris & Christina. It was so meaningful and full of love & happiness." I wanted this experience to be some of the happiest moments of my life.

It has grown to be the most stressful moments of my life. More stressful than Calculus. And let me tell you, Calculus is... bad! I have cried more than in the last few months that I ever have my entire life. Quite frankly, THIS SUCKS!

So, what do I do now? Post this blog. Hope others will read it. Hope they will not take offense to it. Hope I don't get crap once more. Hope others will realize that I love them and this is not meant to hurt them. Continue to suck up my feelings and just let others plan the wedding without elements of my own wedding be reflective of the couple Chris & I are and have become.

I just don't know.

I may have to lock myself in the apartment until things cool over. I might not have to. Let's hope I don't.

All I know, is that Chris means everything to me. I can't wait to be husband & wife. I'll leave with a quote that pretty much sums up my life right now:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Hair**

Lately.....
I've been deciding on my hair.

Up?
Down?
Curly?
Retro??


One thing I know for sure. I want... no I need a large flower in my hair.
I have a veil for the ceremony that has a flower (or two), but I will not be able to wear it for the reception. [[Obviously. Who wears their veil at the reception?!?!]]

Sooooooo I've looked on etsy.com to help me solve this "problem".

& I found these lovelies..
**all images courtesy of etsy.com**

The bottom two are my favorites. Which end up the being the most & least expensive (($42 & $20)).

Now with the hair styles...

:::Some I found that I like:::

both from: short bridal hairstyles



from: theknot.com

Not sure which is my favorite. My hair is kind of short, and yes I do have more time to grow it, but many bobby pins will be needed for an updo. Most likely, I'll bring these samples to a hair salon (which I still have to find-- HELP!!) & let them work their {magic}.

**Other News: E-mailed JustBaked to schedule a consultation for a cupcake tower. STILL deciding on a bakery. Haven't found one I'm in love with.