Our rehearsal dinner and wedding party gifts!

I must preface this post with a side note: Apparently, I've developed an ulcer in my left eye. And so I'm looking at my computer one-eyed. Crazy? I know. Because of this, I had to miss school today... even though I only have 3 days left. It's more of an inconvenience than anything else. I can't drive, be outside, see the sun, wear contacts, etc., etc., etc. But anyways...

Our rehearsal & rehearsal dinner was last Thursday.

Chelsey, Me, Brett

My matron & maid of honor!

Here's the whole wedding party... yah, it's pretty hard to get a shot of 16 people where everyone is looking (at the same camera) & smiling...

Dinner was really fun! It was also the place where we gave everyone their gifts!

For the bridesmaids... I may have gone a little overboard. Some things are just so cute! And I had to get them. Here goes...

These bags were really cute. I think they're from Target? They were purchased months ago and were the perfect size for all the girls to carry around the morning of!

My mom made these gift tags. They were so pretty and embossed with glitter so that instantly makes everything more wedding-ish.

I'm so forgetful and forgot to take pictures of the jewelry before it was wrapped [I'll point it out once pictures are posted]. But each of the girls got the same pearl necklace, and I tried to get all different pearl earrings but Kohls didn't have that many pairs. So, a few girls got the same ones. But let me tell you - jewelry from Kohls is totally the way to go. It's inexpensive to begin with and almost ALWAYS on sale.

I knew I wanted those pictures of the bridesmaid dresses hanging with my dress. So, I bought enough pink hangers to do so! And I thought I'd add it to the gift bag because it was bright pink?

My aunt offered to make these shoe bags for each of the girls. And they were PERFECT. I filled the shoe bags with metallic-sliver flip flips from Old Navy and I think the girls enjoyed changing their shoes after the ceremony. :)

I'm really lucky because another one of my aunts works at a salon and gets samples of so much stuff ALL THE TIME. And I don't know any girl who doesn't enjoy getting all the cute little stocking stuffer/sample things. So...

I found this back massager at Bath & Body Works and it was pink and cute so they all got one. :)

If you live by a Christmas Tree Shoppe... that's where all this stuff is from. I got the foot spa stuff in case their bridesmaid shoes killed their feet. The shoes were pretty high...

Lastly, Sean's band is sponsored by Monogram Apparel and they have cute neon sunglasses that I thought would be perfect to take fun wedding party pictures in. So, everyone got a pair!

I have to admit, the groomsmen didn't really make out as well. But it's because of what they got and boys aren't really easy to shop for?

Of course, they got pink and black gift packaging. Not that they necessarily noticed... :)

And gift tags...

And they each got the shoes Sean wanted them to wear during the wedding and pink socks. Do you remember We love colors?

And they each got sunglasses, too!

:)

Groomsmen Socks.

I told you about We Love Colors, right?

Well, originally I ordered the orchid pink socks for all the groomsmen because I want pictures like this:


And when they came they were bubble gum pink. Bubble gum. I couldn't even take a picture. And nothing against bubble gum pink. I love all pinks. But it just wasn't right... with all the other pinks in the wedding... ya know?

So I sent them back. Quickly. And even quicker, I got an email from the company asking me if I needed help finding the exact pink since it seemed like I was on the hunt. ;) how nice!

When they mailed me the new socks in Fuchsia... the coloring was much better. And much closer to my vision...


After all... these are the bridesmaid shoes:



And, now I'm thrilled. ;)

Groomsmen

Type "groomsmen socks" into Google and you'll find some of my favorite wedding pictures. That's right. I said it. My favorite! I don't know why... but I just love this idea!




So I knew... I just had to do this, too!

My problem... I couldn't find the socks! I looked high and low... and nothing! Except for Polo... and let's be honest -- these boys are never wearing these socks again.. $9.50? Pshh!

So I was feeling a bit defeated... and sad... and like it wasn't going to happen.

I looked online, too! But all the pink socks had navy in them and while I love navy it has nothing to do with my color scheme.

But then!

My mom found this site: We love colors

Have you heard of it? I never had... but I'm glad I did!

They have 51 colors ranging from bright to dark... including neon ;)

And for $3.50 a pair (and only $5 shipping) I snagged 8 pairs right away.

I choose orchid pink:


Don't worry, this is just a color guide and the socks aren't this tall [imagine!].

But I'm so happy to find them and can't wait for their arrival! ;)

Oh, and thank you to all who gave advice about the anonymous RSVP... I think waiting for process of elimination is the best I can do.

;)

Happy long weekend!

Successful Day.

It was very hard for me to decide on a dress for my bridal shower, which is now in about 13 days!

I didn't know if I wanted to go really fancy or relatively casual... bright colors or dark tones... patterned fabrics or just something solid. It was so difficult! I kept going back to the mall, checking stores and looking online. Nothing seemed right.

But today I told myself that I was going to find something. Anything. And I wasn't leaving the mall without a dress. It was hard especially since the mall was so crowded! And I guess it's time to go prom dress shopping because the dress sections were packed.

I ended up in Express and (basically) bought the outfit on the mannequin (I love doing this!). So here she is...


I think it's "spring-like"! But, I mean, this is Massachusetts. So I bought a violet cardigan to go with it. I don't want to freeze...

While searching for a dress for my shower I came across this dress on modcloth.com...


...and I'm pretty sure I need it. Rehearsal/rehearsal dinner? I think it's perfect! Wanna know what's not perfect? It's out of stock in my size. =(

And look at this...


I would love to change into this toward the end of our reception. If I can squeeze it into the budget... I'll own it pretty soon. I L.O.V.E. it. So much.

Aside from dress shopping/stalking I bought more bridal party gifts. I've come to the realization that whenever I want to buy something for my bridesmaids... the stores are never prepared for my purchases. Anytime I attempt to buy something... they only have 5 of what I need. EVERY TIME. But I need 7. Seven is the lucky number in this situation. Which means, most of my time is spent going to the same store - in a different location in search of the 2 items they're missing. It's not really that fun... I wish stores just had what they sell. All the time.

If I'm feeling up to it tomorrow maybe I'll try on my shower outfit and take a picture. Maybe...

We have a dance class tomorrow, I heard from our videographer yesterday ;) and we choose invitations in eight days. It's becoming real!

Dancin' shoes.

Our last dance class was canceled because the instructor was feeling sick, and I still haven't rescheduled. I hope we haven't forgotten our steps!

I've been buying lots & lots of wedding things. Bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts, thank you cards (from Paper Source!) for my upcoming bridal shower [March 19!], and I'm in search of something that I'll reveal at a later date... IF I find it.

Next weekend, it's time to pick invitations!

And stay tuned for all the details about our food tasting which was last Wednesday. As soon as I get some pics they'll be up on the blog. ;)

Presents.

I started buying bridal party gifts! Yay!

I absolutely wish I could share what I'm buying... but in an effort to keep it a surprise, I'm going to wait!