2007 & 2008

Just popping in to say Happy New Year!

(image found here )

A look back on some of the good things of 2007:

• Obtaining my Masters degree from Butler & starting my job
• Passing the CPA exam on the first try
• Becoming engaged
• A summer filled with a fabulous trip to NYC, a camping trip, summer concerts, weekends at the lake, and time with friends
• Celebrating the engagements of Kristen, Candice, and Laura

And looking forward to the events of 2008:

• Our wedding day
• The 2008 weddings of Jenn & Stephen and Kristen & Terry
• Buying a house and decorating it
• Finally living together in the same city and coming home every night to Chris
• The honeymoon
• The end of wedding planning (I'm only doing this once!)

The resolutions:

• To stop twirling my hair
• To say please and thank you more often
• To be more open to trying new foods
• To drink more water instead of pop
• To blog every weekday, even during accounting busy season

What are you looking forward to in 2008? Did you make any resolutions?

Rebecca Thuss

For those of you that are in need of inspiration, may I recommend the ultra fabulous Rebecca Thuss.

"Rebecca Thuss is an award winning photo-stylist, a creative director, wedding designer and crafter." And the fact that she used to work for Martha Stewart doesn't hurt! Her portfolio features eye candy from everything from favors to confections and cakes to flowers and table settings. If you cannot find inspiration through the images from her portfolio then there is no hope for you.

(photos from the portfolio of Rebecca Thuss)

Bridal Show Poll

Saturday January 5th Perfect Wedding Guide is hosting a Bridal Show in downtown Indianapolis. I am so excited to go, mostly due to the abundance of cake samples, but the fiance isn't as thrilled to attend. Is it wrong of me to ask him to go? Obviously it's what he would CHOOSE to be doing at 11am on a Saturday morning, but I would really appreciate it if he went to it with me to shared in the wedding planning bliss...even if it is just for an hour or two.

So, my newest poll asks the question:
Did your husband/will your fiance join you at a bridal show during your engagement period?!

{Results: 21 votes. yes: 8, no: 13}

The Florist

Tomorrow, I am going to be meeting with two florists.
Each of them asked for me to bring in pictures of what I want the floral arrangements for my wedding to look like. Problem. I have no idea. I mean, I have THOUGHT about it...but I am not even close to deciding. So. here are my thoughts:


My bouquet: I'm leaning towards an white, not too leafy, hand tied with ribbon, and very simple bouquet. Faye & Greer posted this board a while ago and I love them all:

{Clockwise: ranunculus bouquet from The Knot, anemone bouquet from Artfool, peony bouquet by Artfool via The Knot, hydrangea & rose bouquet from The Knot}

Ceremony info: Chris would like the BM's to carry some sort of plum/raspberry arrangement and have the GM's wear plum vests. Boutonnieres are still up in the air. BM's will still be wearing black dresses and obviously the GM's will be wearing black suits.

Reception info: I'm steering away from the "branchy" centerpiece idea. I would like to have half of the tables featuring a small simple arrangement of one of the above white flowers. I'm now thinking that the other half of the tables will have some sort of tall vase with floating candles to compliment the light the two massive (at least 10'x6' long) chandeliers will be giving off.

Help! Do you have any pictures of white bouquets like the ones that I have described above? Better yet, do you have any pictures/links to a plum/raspberry BM bouquet or GM boutonniere? And I'm sure that I will have to play around with the centerpiece ideas, but any other thoughts on the candlelight centerpieces?! Send any links and info my way! I have added a section on my blog page with a link to where you can send me your e-mails! Thanks so much!!

Congrats Candice!!

I have some exciting news to share!!

My great friend Candice (and faithful blog reader) got engaged on Saturday the 23rd!!! I am so excited for her and Landon!! Landon talked to me about a month ago and told me his plan to ask Candice at the Bears v. Packers game. She is a die-hard Bears fan and he always roots for the Packers so it was a win-win when the Bears won and he asked her to marry him! It went something like this, "Candice, I am so excited for this game and to see the Packers play and to be able to spend some time with you. The only thing that would make this day any better is if you would say yes."

Love it. Here is a picture of the two of them after the game when they were back in their warm hotel lobby:

Congrats you two! Can't wait for the wedding!!

I'm taking a little break from blogging until sometime on Friday. The fiance and I are in Syracuse, IN without Internet unless we go to the public library, which is where we are now. And we're still full from eating non-stop since Friday evening. Be back Friday!

Raspberry!?!

So lately I have been attempting to squeeze raspberry into the color scheme for the wedding. Most of the time, the response I get when I tell people is: "Raspberry!? Why would you want to throw THAT color into the palette!?"

Since hearing that response about ten too many times, (granted, I have only told ten people) I have stopped attempting to explain to people that raspberry isn't evil.

Style Me Pretty started my obsession with a plum/raspberry paring with this inspiration board:

Now granted, a little yellow/gold is incorporated into this board...but I could take or leave that portion of it.

So, what do you think!? I was envisioning adding the raspberry into the BM's bouquets with the plum and into the floral arrangements at the reception. That's all. Nothing TOO major. Just a little extra kick of color. Thoughts?!

What To Toss?

The post today is dedicated to one of my best friends, Kristen. Kristen is getting married in May (to Terry) and would like some input as doing a "ceremony toss" or the "grand exit."

Option 1. The grand exit would occur at the very end of the reception. After the "last call" all of the remaining guests would gather outside the venue to see Kristen & Terry off as they jump into a carriage for a ride around Monument Circle & downtown Indianapolis.

(image property of Jessica Strickland)

I love this idea because it's so classic and Kodak moment-ish!

Option 2. The ceremony toss, obviously, occurs right after the ceremony. Kristen would be deciding between having the guests toss biodegradable confetti, rose petals, or blow bubbles.

• Confetti can be customized in Kristen and Terry's wedding colors (plum and green) and packaged for the guests in SO many cute ways!

(image via our stellar photographer Nicole Green )

• Rose petals are SO romantic and beautiful. Kristen, you really can't go wrong with this one!

(image property of Jessica Strickland )

• I love the bubble idea! Besides the whole "it will stain the dress" mentality, its so fun and fresh and carefree.

(image via weddingbee & Scott Robert)

So here is where you, my fabulous readers come into play!

1. Vote on the poll (at the top right of the blog) for what you think Kristen should do!

2. Comment on this post with your knowledge, experience, opinion, etc. as to the cost of any of the options, the benefits/drawbacks of any of the options, or any resources that you might have for her! My goal is to get at least 30 votes to help her decide and 10 comments for her to peruse!

She thanks you in advance!!

{Results: 17 votes. grand exit: 4, biodegradable confetti: 3, rose petals: 8, blow bubbles 2}

All I Want for Christmas

My Wedding-Related Christmas Wish List:

• An e-mail from weddingbee accepting me to become a new member of the hive
  


• Free issues of any and every bride magazine.
• A massive sale at cards and pockets and at Nettleton Hollow for my invitation supplies and for branches upon branches to somehow craft the reception centerpieces.
• For the Cincinnati Ikea opening at least 4 months earlier than expected so I can get vases and picture frames for dirt cheap.
• To book our photographer.

• For vendors to respond in a timely manner.
• For September 2008 to come faster.

Status Update

The weekend is over, a ton of snow is piled up outside, and the holidays are upon us!! I thought that today would be a good day to share where I am in the wedding planning process...more for my benefit than for anyone else's. In listing out every minute detail I hope it looks like I/we actually accomplished something because it sure doesn't feel like we have.

• Got the groom
• Picked the date
• Narrowed it down to 2 dresses
• Forked over the money for the church

the church. picture by Turtle Pond Photography

• Have the contract for the reception hall in my hot little hands
• Coerced someone fabulous into designing and printing the invitations
• Booking our photographer this week (hopefully)
• Started researching rehearsal dinner locations, florists, and the honeymoon

Please excuse me as I pat myself on the back!

Hallelujah

We booked the church this morning!
Who wants to celebrate?!
Too bad we will be celebrating with some two buck chuck wine since our church cost us an ungodly $1,000....
But we will celebrate nonetheless!

{Update: We're booking the reception hall tonight!}
Have a great weekend everyone...I know I will!

An Open Letter....

Dear Jessica Strickland, Jessica Claire, Jasmine Star, and Stacey Kane:

(photo by Stacey Kane)

Why oh why must your torture me so? I read your blogs each and everyday and sit in amazement. And then amazement leads a twinge of depression. For example:

(photo above: Jessica Strickland. photo below: Jessica Claire.)

(photo below: Jasmine Star.)

These pictures are so amazing that I sometimes get a twinge of depression knowing that I could never fork over the amount of $$$ (that is well worth it) to book you as my photographer.
So, I would like to make a simple request. Stop taking amazing pictures like the ones above. Now I'm not asking you to stop taking pictures all together, I realize that you do have to make a living somehow. So feel free to continue to take pictures of babies, family portraits, etc. Just no wedding or engagement pictures. It would make me feel much better. Thank you.

Nearlywed Websites

If you haven't yet registered and paid for a wedding website elsewhere, you HAVE to check out Nearlyweds.com

Nearlyweds will give you an ad-free wedding website complete with the following features:
- a blog
- unlimited photo hosting
- online rsvp
- ability to upload a song/music file to play on your site
- the usual sharing of directions, wedding info, the proposal story, etc.
- bridal party pictures and bio
- allow guests to comment and share stories and pictures of their own
- fabulous, fresh, and colorful non-cookie-cutter template designs
- 2 years of hosting

All for the low price of $50. But, if you go to the bottom of the home page here you can get the discount code for 2 years of hosting for only $35! Or go to What Junebug Loves! and get the discount code for 10% off!

Check out a screen shot I took of the Peony template:


and the Spectacular design Love the idea. Love the designs. Love the price. Thanks to Christy at What Junebug Loves! for the heads up!

Before or After Poll

This weeks poll asks the following question:

Will you/did you and your fiance/husband see each other before you walk/walked down the aisle?

(photo via the a-mazing Jasmine Star)

It's definitely a big decision...what will you/did you decide?! Vote today!
And see below to aid us in our honeymoon destination decision!

{Results: 30 votes. yes: 18, not a chance: 11, cannot decide: 1}

Google Reader

I was talking to my potential fabulous photographer Nicole the other day and she reminded me that I had forgotten about Google Reader!

For those of you that haven't made use of this a-mazing feature of google, go here to read all about it! Google Reader constantly checks your favorite blogs for new content and shows you the updates of each site on one easy to read and condensed window. Then you can choose if you want to go to the blog itself and check out the full post.



So, no longer will you find yourself constantly going to your favorite blogs only to see that they haven't yet been updated! "Subscribe" to your favorite blogs today!

(Hint: searching for "jessicalynn402" should pull up my blog & allow you to subscribe!)

Choosing the Honeymoon

At this point, Chris has gladly taken on the challenge of researching locations for our honeymoon. We're looking into some sort of an all-inclusive resort and leaning towards one of the three the Sandals resort in St. Lucia.

• Grande St. Lucian

• Regency St. Lucia

• Halcyon St. Lucia

Have any of you been to one of the Sandals St. Lucia resorts or have any honeymoon input to share? Any input would be much appreciated!!

Looking Forward

Monday morning I will be driving back to Indianapolis from Cincinnati at 6am to get to work by 8:30am. Commuting early in the morning almost every other Monday for the last two years has grown quite old.

So, here is a list of things that I will NOT miss once we are married and living in the same city together.

• Putting 200 miles on my car everyother weekend
• Having to say good bye to Chris every weekend
• The bachelor pad that Chris currently lives in with 4 other guys
• Only seeing Chris from Friday at 7pm til late Sunday or the crack of dawn on Monday
• Having to pack and unpack every other weekend

There are SO many things about married life that I am looking forward to (but I won't bore you with a list of them). What is the one thing that you are/were most excited about regarding married life?

30 Days

You HAVE to go over to Blue Orchids Designs and check out the new series “30 Days to Plan a Wedding.” (image below via Blue Orchids Designs)

“For the next thirty days we'll cover all the major points that go into planning a wedding. We'll decode some contract lingo so you actually know what you are signing, we'll let you know which questions to ask that you may never have considered, and most importantly, we aren't going to sugarcoat things. What we won't be covering are the latest styles and the season's hottest colors (don't worry, there will be plenty of that come January and there is lots in our archives as well, so grab some hot cocoa and dig around). Planning a wedding is a lot of work and there is a lot of terminology and aspects that you will need to know even if you never have to deal with it again. Our goal over the next month is to help take some of the stress and mystery out of the wedding planning process, so that you can actually enjoy your engagement. Because - as the L'Oreal commercial says - you're worth it.”

I really think it is a must read if you are at any point in the wedding planning process. Features so far have included:
- Choosing the date
- Finding THE dress
- The officiant
- The budget
- The reception venue
And more to come, check it out today! Have a great weekend everyone! Tonight I’m off to a birthday party/pajama slumber party/girls night in with Candice, Kristen, and Justine before heading out to Cincinnati tomorrow. Back to posting on Sunday!

On The Outs

I found my way over to the blog Planning Forever today and found a post on the top 4 wedding traditions that are on their way out. Here's my take on the 4 traditions she says we can live without:

1. The bouquet/garter toss. Let's face it. NO ONE wants to go out on the dance floor to catch the bouquet or the garter. And I'm not sure what bride is excited about being seated in front of her guests with her new husband taking his time searching for her garter. I'm crossing my fingers that I can eliminate this tradition.

picture from: Skiles Photo Blog
2. Formal guest books. Now be honest, will you ever pull out your guest book more than 2 times after your wedding? Doubtful. Many couples are opting for having guests sign photo mats, fill out wedding wishes on slips of paper, or get creative in a photo booth. I'm leaning towards the photo mat that can be displayed in our home.
3. Not seeing eachother before the wedding. I understand that most brides still want the first glimpse of her the fiance/husband gets that day is when the church doors open or when she comes down the aisle. I get it. I was like that too. Until I realized that I could squeeze in so many more GREAT pictures and time with my future husband in the hour or two before the ceremony. And then the moment that the church doors open won't be as overwhelming and I won't cry...as much.

4. The champagne toast for everyone at the wedding. Although I like the gesture, it is expensive to give each guest a flute of champagne for them to toast with. I think that it is acceptable for guests to toast with whatever they have in their hand...beer, wine, or a martini, it all works the same!

And now for my own personal touch:
5. Giving a favor just to give a favor. Unless its a tasty piece of chocolate, I would prefer not to get a favor at a wedding. I must have at least five 2x3 picture frames stashed somewhere that I have still not put a picture in. I have a burnt CD from a friends' wedding that my parents listened to once, but that was about it. And the little candle? Probably won't use it. Don't give a favor just to give a favor. Hint: Going with the candy buffet like my friend Kristen is going to do will please everyone!

What wedding tradition could you do without?!

Poll: The Wow Factor

Don't forget to check out the new poll on the top right of my blog! Which of the following would "wow" you most at a wedding?

(l to r: candy buffet, mashed potato martini bar, cupcake wedding cake)

(not pictured: photo booth filmstrip via pearls events)

{Results: 30 votes. candy/cookie buffet: 3, photo booth: 22, mashed potato martini bar: 4, cupcakes instead of a cake: 1 }

Splash of Color

Everyone loves a good splash of color...especially at a wedding.

(l to r: Chitown Bride, the knot, SpringChic, istock, the knot, CCLA bio)

A vibrant pink bouquet, a red table cloth at the reception, or grass green accents sparkled throughout the day are sure to catch the eye of your guests at any wedding.

What is your wedding "color scheme?" How are you incorporating color into your day? Maybe you are taking after Classic Bride and opting for the all white wedding. Regardless, I would love to know your vision for how color will play into your big day.

Sidenote: This post is not because I am thinking about changing my color scheme....or maybe it is....but that's not necessarily the point of this post....

Going Green

As our search for a church, priest, and reception hall start to wind down, we have another decision to make. The photographer.

I want to share a couple of photographs from Nicole Green, an Indianapolis photographer, whom I am hoping to meet with sometime next week:


I love her work, her packages are reasonably priced, and she is still available on our wedding date...which are three very important factors at this point in time in my search for a photographer.

Cross your fingers!

Tag! You're It!

I have been tagged by Elizabeth at Tie the Knot and Miss Artichoke from Silly Little Mischief
First, here are the rules:1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. 2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself. 3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. 4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I hate melted cheese. I refuse to eat it. I think its a texture thing. This means no nacho cheese or queso, and yes...I pick the cheese off of my pizza or order the pizza with no cheese.
2. I didn't get on an airplane until I was 22.
3. I am a Delta Gamma!
4. I am an only child and you would never be able to tell. Kidding.
5. The top three items on my Christmas list as a kid were a dog, a computer, and a cash register. I never got the dog or the cash register...and they still top my Christmas list to this day.
6. Chris and I began dating on 10/31/05 and got engaged on 10/31/07. I love Halloween.
7. I have a lot of letters after my last name. I obtained my Masters in Accounting and passed the CPA exam this past summer. So I can add M.P.A and CPA after my (already too long) last name.

I tag Polka Dot Bride, Glamour This!, Chere Amie, Blush, I Love Weddings, Little Miss Planner, Ready 2 Spark

The Venues

My check book will be busy this week. We are going to attempt to “book” the church, reception hall, and the priest. So I thought that I would take a moment to introduce our venues.

Chris and I will be getting married at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Indianapolis, IN.

(entrance to St. Joan of Arc)

The reception will be downtown in the ballroom of the University Place Hotel and Conference Center. The large ballroom will easily accommodate all of our guests and the convenience of the attached hotel is priceless. Having the reception downtown will give us so many options for picture taking, both before and after the ceremony.

(lobby of University Place Hotel & Conference Center)

We couldn’t be more excited to sign the contacts for our venues and put down the required deposits to save the date! My readers were correct when they said that it would feel like a burden is lifted once the venues have been finalized!

Rants and Raves

Rave: I have some pretty amazing friends. Last night we all met up at Blu Martini for an engagement party for my friend Kristen and I. It was so refreshing to spend a couple hours with my friends on a Thursday night and not have to squeeze our chatting in during Grey’s Anatomy commercial breaks. Here is one of the “fun” pictures we took last night:

(Laura, Maria, Candice, Me, Kristen, DDD, Justine, Monica)
Rant: This week I took three of my friends dress shopping with me. Although I have two dresses that I am in love with, at this point, there is no way I will be able to decide between the two. And, I’m not appreciative of the pushy sales women that try to stick 10 veils, headpieces, and flowers into my hair at the same time.

Rave: Last night at the engagement party I asked Debbie Deb to be my Maid-of-Honor…and she happily accepted! So excited!!

Rant: I have decided that it is time for me to delegate. As much as it pains my heart, I must relinquish a LITTLE bit of control over my wedding. Baby steps right? DDD, I am entrusting you with picking out the bridesmaids’ dresses. Just make sure they are black.

Rave: My Company holiday party is tonight…which provides me with another chance to show off my bling!

Rave: One last rave, just because it’s Friday…I get to see Christopher today when he comes in to Indy from Cincinnati!

(Chris and I in Central Park this past summer)

A New Feature

Today I decided that I wanted to add a new feature to my blog...a poll!
Each poll will remain open for voting for around 5 days and I hope to post a new poll weekly.

This week's question is:
How often do you visit "Tying the Knot"?

I would really like to get a feel for how many people actually view my page and how often they visit and read what I have to say! And be honest, you won't hurt my feelings! I am so thankful for everyone who reads this page and leaves thoughtful and supportive and inspirational thoughts and ideas!

The poll is on the right column of this blog....vote now!!

{Results: 28 Votes: once a day: 19, a couple of times a week: 5, once a week: 1, occasionally: 3}

Status Update

I love to-do lists. I would create to-do lists all day and everyday if I could. Creating a "pretty" to do list using a sharpie marker and a post-it is one of my favorite past times. I almost have as much fun creating the to-do list as I have crossing the items off of the list. Lately, however, I have begun to resent to-do lists....wedding to-do lists. Each and every time I log onto The Knot our to-do list has grown and I still have not been able to cross anything off.

Take a look at our planning timeline that I created way before we were engaged:

this timeline is courtesy of miss daffodil, get the link to her timeline here
It is now almost December of 2007 and the only thing that has been accomplished is the draft of the guest list, which was only accomplished last night. As you can see above, the priest, church, hotel, reception site, and photographer were all supposed to have been booked BEFORE November. We don't even have our wedding party selected yet!
As for the tasks that were to have begun by December....only the wedding gown search and the honeymoon research have begun.
As of today there is nothing, but the guest list draft, that I can cross off the to-do list. Nothing!

But, I am getting my sharpie ready to cross off some items because here is the plan for this weekend:

• Chris and I are checking out 4 reception hall locations on Saturday and hopefully putting down a deposit sometime next week.
• We are meeting with the priest on Sunday...hopefully he will agree to marry us!
• Visiting 2 churches in Indianapolis and make a final decision on where we will have the ceremony.
• Deciding the wedding party.

The weekend of December 15th or 22 will (hopefully) be spent testing out various venues for the rehearsal dinner, determining our photographer, and deciding on a website to host our wedding information.

What were you most excited to cross off your wedding checklist?

Twiggy

This weekend my parents and I were reception hall shopping and actually came across a centerpiece idea we all loved! Three tall cases of alternating sizes were stuffed loosely with branches and a large white hydrangea sat propped up on the very bottom of the vase, amidst the twigs.

The arrangement was simple, affordable, and would add height to the tables at the reception hall. I would like to place the tall twig centerpieces at every other table and place a smaller and shorter gathering of hydrangeas at the other tables.

I found this picture on The Knot that captures some of what I am envisioning.

I would love to wrap/tie a thick plum ribbon around at least 1/2 of the vase.

And then I found this picture on The Knot and I would decorate the church like this in a heartbeat if I was going for a winter wonderland or fairytale themed wedding. The last thing that I need to do is think about changing my theme...again...

Are any of you doing anything twiggy or have some twiggy inspiration to share?!

The Interview

This coming Sunday Chris and I are meeting with the catholic priest who MIGHT preside over our wedding. I suppose this is the preliminary interview where all the uncomfortable questions are asked…or at least some of them. Do any of you have any insight as to what questions he might ask Chris and I?

Whhhhhaaatt?!?

I wanted to put together a list of "things" that have stopped me in my tracks during my 24 days of "actual and authorized" wedding planning and made me say, "Whhhhhaaatt?!?" Call me crazy, but I couldn't believe some of the "things" listed below:

• All Catholic churches in Indianapolis cost $1,000 to rent for your ceremony. Insane.
• A veil and headpiece can cost around $250. For a yard or two of tulle?! Snagging mine on eBay or perhaps borrowing one from a friend.
• The Grooms' parents are "supposed” to pay for the marriage license. Seriously? I think that Chris & I can cough up the $18 Indiana license fee ourselves.
• One reception hall wanted to charge $.30 for a small votive candle that would be placed on the tables. Ikea has 100 for $2.99 = three cents each.
• A keg of beer for $300. Now, I know that the reception places have to make their profit somewhere…but that equals out to about a $200 profit margin per keg!

Did any of you have any “Whhhhhaaattt?!? moments?

Light Bright

Now I know that in my last post I went on a little semi-serious rant about Martha Stewart.
And you can't blame me for that. I don't think that there isn't a person out there that doesn't pick up a MS magazine and stare in awe at her creations, and then resent seeing them because her perfection cannot be matched. And although I dislike her unmatchable perfection,
that doesn't mean that I can't still oogle over the projects featured in her magazines.

Check out this DIY light bright project:
Ala new piece of inspiration! I am thinking about putting one board covered in white fabric and one board covered in black fabric as a backer on various tables around my reception: escort card table, gift table, etc. I love the simplicity of the "firework" pattern and I think that it would add a little sparkle to my reception!
Go here for directions on how to make your own Light Bright!!

To be Thankful...

As Thanksgiving approaches, it is important to take time to reflect on what one is truly thankful for. Here are some of my meandering thoughts:

• To Microsoft Excel. Thank you for helping me to create a spreadsheet for everything under the sun related to wedding planning. I have only been engaged for 20 days and already I have six fully functioning spreadsheets with multiple tabs and mind boggling color coding.
• To Flickr. Before I discovered you, all of my images were hosted in one giant wedding folder on my desktop. Now, I have hosted them with you and they are nicely organized and readily available to upload to your friend, the Mosaic Maker to turn into beautiful inspiration boards. Ala, my newest plum inspiration board which will be making an appearance later this evening.
• To the Internet. How in the world did a woman plan her wedding without the Internet? I mean seriously, forget it.
• To pretty, full, white hydrangeas that are almost as pretty as peonies. Since it would cost more than a month's of my apartment rent just to SHIP over peonies from Holland for my wedding, thank you for being in season during the month of my wedding. I appreciate it.

• To My Monogram. When Erin at Lucky Me! made you for me, I was on cloud 9. You have inspired me and I am so ready to plaster you on all of my invitations, escort cards, save the dates.....
• To my Favorite Blogs. Thank you for getting me through the day, providing me with snippets of inspiration, and for allowing me to copy and paste your ideas into my wedding vision.
• Ohhhhh, and my fiance! Without him this whole wedding kind of wouldn't be possible.

However, one thing came to my mind that I am not thankful for:

• To Martha Stewart. You make me want to replicate everything in your magazines, all of which would come at a great cost to me and are therefore unaffordable and unattainable. I mean, individual monogram sponge cakes!? You just HAD to didn't you? Only kidding Martha, but your expert craftiness and perfection does get a little out of control at times. Let's work on that.
  
  

A Royal Monogram

Imagine my delight when I took some time this afternoon to browse my favorite blogs and came across a monogram designed especially for me at Lucky Me!



It is everything that I could have hoped for, and more! My jaw is still on the ground. I am putting this monogram on everything that I possibly can.
-Save the dates
-At the top of the invitation
-On the seal of the invitation
-Perhaps stamping it on the back of the outer envelope
-On the escort cards, if I can get away with it
-On the front of the programs

Am I forgetting anything?!

PS: Lucky Designs just branched out a little bit into Lucky Baby!
What a cute idea and a great little blog! Check it out at Lucky Baby!

Thanks again Lucky Me! ....I owe you big time for the latest piece of inspiration you have shared with me!

Escort Me!

Needless to say the best part of the wedding, for the guests at least, is the reception! When guests walk into your reception the first detail they see is normally some sort of escort card. The escort card will inform your guest(s) of the table that they will be sitting at for the reception. Take a look at some of these amazing escort cards:

(all pictures from The Knot)

1. I love the idea of hanging escort cards from ribbon when having the reception outdoors. And you can bring in a hint of your color palette by using ribbons that match your scheme.

2. There is nothing I love more than something that is neatly arranged and packaged. Written on the outside of the envelope is the name of the guest and assigned table number. Inside the envelope you could even leave a personal message to each guest!

3. These postcard escort cards are so creative!!

4. The sand dollars sitting in sand is a favorite of mine for sure...almost makes me want to have a beach wedding!

5. These escort cards each hang from bamboo stalk and they double as favors that every guest can take home and grow!

6. My friend Kristen is collecting wine corks to serve as escort card/place card holders...love it!

7. I had to throw this one in here for my old theme ....which I still love.

8. From Mrs. Anayisnins' bio . Check it out if you haven't already. What a wonderful winter wedding.

Happy escorting! And have a great weekend! I am going out with the girls tonight, trying on my top 5 dresses for my parents tomorrow, and then heading to Cincinnati to go to the Bengals game with Christopher and our friends! Back to posting Sunday-ish.

For the Pews & Chairs

Adding a little "bling" to the ends of pews or chairs at your wedding venue will have all of your guests taking note. Forget the standard draped tulle and make a statement with something different... (all pictures taken from The Knot)
1. Words cannot express how much I love this pew decor (but perhaps you could sense my love for it because of how often I have posted the picture on my blog)! How elegant, fresh, and classy!

2. Pomanders are all the rage. I love them for flower girls and for the end of the aisle. These flowers can even do double duty and have a place in the reception!

3. And now we're taking the pomanders outside and putting them on shepherd's hooks...love it.

4. The simplicity of this pew/chair decor is what I love. It works perfectly with the outdoor venue.

5. The alternating flowers are refreshing to see. I love how the ribbon is blowing in the wind and catching the eye.

6. Tin buckets on the side of the pew/chair are affordable and unique and can also work into the reception decor!

And I still love the candle-lit ceremony idea...it's what my parents did!

Dear Wedding Fairies,
What have I done to you?! Seriously. I mean, I try to be a good little bride-to-be...really I do! I blog almost everyday, except some weekends since I am with Christopher. I even started "pre-planning" a good two months before the proposal!

So you would think that you, the wedding fairies, would look down on me with favor and shower me with wedding planning luck. Wedding planning luck, however, is not what I am having.

Today you informed me that all three of my potential catholic churches for the big day would cost $1,000 to rent for a mere two hours. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!! And that doesn't even include the priest, organist, etc. Seriously, one thousand dollars!? I thought this wedding was occurring in Indianapolis, not NYC. Absurd.

Today you also informed me that peonies, the flower I have been dreaming of for my bouquet, is only available during the months of May and June. At any other time of the year the peony would have to be imported from Holland. I am sad to say that my September wedding will therefore not be graced with the presence of peonies.

Today you also informed me that the date that Chris and I have picked is in the middle of the NFL season opener weekend. Thus, if the Colts are at home I'm sure that downtown will be nothing less than a migraine.

One day...you had to tell me all of this on one day!? Thank God for family, friends, and Christopher that have talked me out of my impulse to jet off to an exotic island and get married with no hassles attached. Please tell me what I can to do get back in your good graces oh wedding fairies!!
xo,
jessica lynn
(PS please excuse the lack of pict with this post. I am without inspiration at the moment.)

Application

I wanted to share the news that last night I sent in my application to

to become a part of the "hive!" For those of you that are not brides-to-be and are not familiar with weddingbee (or for those of you that ARE brides-to-be and are living under a rock and are therefore not familiar with weddingbee), allow me to explain a little bit about the website.

weddingbee is a place where 20 brides-to-be, called "bees," blog everyday about their journey to the alter. The bees post about everything from DIY projects to how they found THE dress. I have found the site so helpful and full of inspiration during both my "pre-planning" stage and my current stage of planning. Hopefully I can become part of the hive! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Peonies?!

In envisioning my wedding with my previous theme in mind, I thought I would carry a green bouquet. Now, with this new theme of "A Black & White Soiree" I am liking the idea of a bouquet of white peonies like the ones on the first row below:

(all images via The Knot)

My bridesmaids will be wearing black dresses and I am now toying with what color of bouquets I will have them carry. I am in love with the light pink and raspberry peony bouquets above in the second row, but my accent color will be plum, not pink.

So it's back to the picture galleries for the bridesmaids' bouquets, but I think I'm set on the white peonies for my beautiful bouquet. Any thoughts on plum bridesmaids bouquets?

I also love the idea of wrapping the bouquet in a pretty white ribbon and affixing a broach or a locket as a special touch!

Friends & Family

Over the past two years of our relationship, Chris and I have been supported by our wonderful friends and family. I thought it was only appropriate to dedicate a post to them:

My friend Angie gets a special mention in this post. Now I consider the fact that Chris and I met at a Rascal Flatts concert fate, but Angie swears up and down that she brought the two of us together since she approached Chris's group of friends. Either way, thanks for taking a chance with me and going to the concert AJ...not only did we have an amazing time but I got a fiance out of it!

Angie and I, the night of the Rascal Flatts concert

Later that night AJ took a pict of Chris & I dancing...I already knew I had a keeper!

My best friends are the ones that I met in college and mostly consist of my sorority sisters. I consider the five of you the sisters that I never had and I love you all. Thank you for the times that we have spent over the past 6 (yikes, we're getting old!) years. And I'm glad that you all approve of Chris, you're kinda stuck with him now!!

My crazy sorority sisters and I on one of the crazy nights they joined me in Cinci minus JSto

I assume that none of Chris's friends read this blog, but I wanted to give them and especially his roommates, a shout-out for putting up with me as the seventh roommate for the past 2 years. You're pretty much like the brothers that I never had. But I would like to thank my parents for never having a boy, because they do smell at times. Sick.

Mike, Chris, & Nick...the other 3 roommates are elsewhere....

Most importantly, our families. My parents love Chris just as much if not more than they love me and from day one they have been supportive of us (no matter how many thousands of miles we racked up traveling to see each other) and that has meant the world to us. Chris's family has welcomed me with open arms and I am so excited to enter their HUGE family.

Weather Underground

Is your wedding or reception going to be outside and you're already agonizing over the weather forecast for your special day? Do you want to be extra sure that it won't rain on your wedding day...even though you wouldn't mind taking pictures with a cute umbrella or parasol?

photo by Michael Barber

Check out Weather Underground!

Weather Underground allows you to enter the location of your outdoor event and will give you the results from the past 20 years of the weather on that day for the area you inquire about. From the chance of cloud cover to the chance of precipitation on your big day...you'll have every little statistic you ever wanted! (Info from Modern Brides magazine)

The A List of Indy's Photographers

The Indy Channel has recently released "The A List" of Indy's Best Local Businesses, as voted upon by Indy residents. Categories range from Cheap Eats to Auto to WEDDINGS! And thanks to my wonderful friend Kristen, I was able to spend a good two hours tonight browsing over top rated Indianapolis vendors! I bee-lined it right to the photography section.
I am not surprised that Jessica Strickland is among the top photographers in Indianapolis. Love love love her work:

Now for those of you that can't benefit from the A-List, since you don't live in Indy, I wouldn't want this post to leave you empty handed! Here are some other inspiring images from Indianapolis based photographers:

LOVE this photo from Brand Photo & Design even though it's so blatantly posed:

This picture by Bobbi + Mike has to be one of my favorite pictures of all time:And talk about a picture captured by Turtle Pond Photography on a whim that turned out to be such an adorable picture!