Wedding Wednesday: 30 Day Update

It's the final countdown!

Here is my 30 day countdown update. (It's more like 20 days, but who's counting?) 

I wanted to get this up last Wednesday and time just got away from me. I feel like I have had an event almost every single day the last 2 weeks. Tis the season! 

Anyway today I just want to talk about how I'm feeling and all the things I have been doing in the past month. 

Let's start with how I'm feeling. 

I'm currently feeling all the emotions. 

First and foremost I am super excited. I am excited to marry J and start our life as husband and wife. I'm excited for the day to be here and share that with all our friends and family. I'm excited to see everything finally come together and just have the BEST time with everyone. I know that even if something goes wrong the day will still be absolutely perfect! 

I'm starting to get a little nervous. I'm not nervous about the actual getting married part. That part I'm really excited and ready for. I'm nervous for a lot of other things. What if something goes wrong? I know everyone says they never know if something went wrong, but you plan so long and put in so much work you just want everything to be right. I'm also nervous that I'm going to cry. I mean I know I'll cry, but I hope it's only a little and a small cute cry not a huge uncontrollable sob. haha

I'm also really nervous about the ceremony. 150+ people will all be staring at me and J! I know I'll black out. (I always do in moments like that.) However, on the off chance I don't I will probably freeze and not be able to repeat my vows. haha

I'm also not going to sugarcoat things... I have definitely been a little stressed. I would say the last 30-45 days is crunch time. All your vendors start reaching out to finalize things and for payments. You also have to start ordering all the little things like a guestbook, signs, table assignments, gifts, etc. (Unless you're just really ahead of the game.) There were also things I forgot about like a cake server and card box. Luckily my wedding planner went over everything with me and a girl I work with just got married and helped me make a list and check it 10000 times. 

The seating chart has also been a lot to take on. And did I mention J has been in Australia for the last 3.5 weeks while all this was going on? He helped as much as he could, but with the time change and not being here it was tough. Just remember to breath and know it will all get done. Lean on your fiancé, wedding planner, friends, and family as much as you can.

I know that can be easier said than done. This whole wedding planning experience has made me realize how hard it is for me to delegate tasks and let go. I've always struggled with that, but especially during wedding planning. My advice here would be to let everyone help if you can. Let them make a phone call, let them do research, let them go to an appointment with you. 

Now let's talk about what I've been doing in the last couple weeks leading up to the 30 day countdown. 

We did our 30 day walk through right before Thanksgiving. (It was a little earlier than 30 days, but I'm kind of thankful for that.) 

Once we did that and got our seating layout it was time to start working on the seating chart. I've also been ordering so many things like I said above. Think guest book, seating cards, signs, card box, cake topper, etc. I also finally ordered our cake 2 weeks ago. We waited way later than I would have liked, but I'm just thankful it's done. We also waited until right before Thanksgiving to find someone to marry us. (oops!) 

I've been finalizing a lot of last minute things with vendors and paying outstanding balances. We still need to work on our DJ list and fill out some forms for our photographer and videographer. Once that is done and all our booze is bought I think we will be in a good place. I did delegate the booze to J's parents so yay me! haha

I know I haven't been the best about keeping up with Wedding Wednesday posts. I have a lot of ideas and a lot of things to share. I promise in 2020 I will be sharing so so much from the wedding planning process. It will also be a lot easier to share because some things I don't want to give away until the big day. 

Stay tuned for lots of wedding content coming soon! 

Wedding Wednesday: Bridal Shower

Happy Wedding Wednesday! 

I haven't done one of these in so long. It can be hard to share things leading up to the big day because I don't want to give too much away. Today however, I'm so excited to share my bridal shower with y'all! (I'll also be sharing my bachelorette and another shower in the upcoming weeks on the blog.)

Let me start by saying this day and party could not have been more perfect! Two of my Kelly's ( I have 3 bridesmaids named Kelly) offered to throw this for me at one of their parents house. My friend asked me for the guest list and everything else was a complete surprise.
From the moment the invitation arrived I knew it was going to be an amazing day. I mean it was pink and gold and said "Brunch & Bubbly". Could it be anymore me?
Upon arriving I was greeted by a donut wall & champagne bar!! ( If you're new here those are 2 of my absolute favorite things!!)
There was also the most amazing breakfast spread on the bar for everyone to feast on. It included mini chicken and waffles, multiple quiches, fruit, yogurt bar, bagels, cake pops and more.
I also need to take a minute to talk about the decor. They went with a tropical theme which is partially the theme of our wedding, my bachelorette and really just the theme of my life. haha
The donut wall had huge palm and banana leafs adorning it with some bright pink florals and a balloon garland. All the tables had beautiful floral arrangements they made themselves.
There were also a few personal touches. The donut wall had our names & hashtag on it. One of my favorite things was a wall with photos of J and I from childhood to now hanging from a string of twinkle lights.  And of course, no party would be complete without initial balloons!

Dress: Red Dress Boutique | Sunnies: Target | Shoes: Target | 

Earrings: Francesca's | Purse: Etsy

Overall it was an amazing day with friends and family. I truly felt so loved by each and every person there. If any of you are reading this I want you to know I truly appreciate you coming and celebrating with me. Kelly, Kelly, & Sandi if you're reading this I cannot thank you enough for hosting such a beautiful shower. A gal really could not have asked for a better more beautiful party! I love you all!

Wedding Wednesday: White Outfit Options

Happy Hump Day!!

Today I finally have another Wedding Wednesday for y'all. (My goal is to do at least one a month...)

There are so many great white pieces out there right now. Now is the perfect time to stock up for your bachelorette, bridal shower, & rehearsal dinner.  (Especially if you are getting married in the winter. There won't be as many white pieces out there during that time.)

Check out the wide variety of styles below. There is definitely something for everyone and every occasion. 

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ten

eleven

twelve

thirteen

fourteen

fifteen

sixteen

seventeen

eighteen

I hope y'all like these pieces. Let me know if you purchase any for your upcoming wedding festivities! 

Wedding Wednesday: How I asked my Bridesmaids

Happy Wednesday friends!

I finally have a new wedding Wednesday for you. (It’s been so long since the last one.)

I’ve been meaning to get this one up for a while and have just been so busy. It is no joke when you have a full time job, blog on the side and try to plan a wedding. If I don’t master time management this year I don’t think I ever will.

Anyway, today I’m sharing with y’all how I asked my bridesmaids to be my bridesmaids! (And Man of Honor)

This was one of the first things I did as far as wedding planning. I’ve known who I would ask for years now! I knew when I asked I wanted to make a little box for them since they will be doing so much for me over the next year.

I started looking on Etsy for “bridesmaid boxes” but couldn’t find anything I loved. After searching for a while I decided to make my own box. I started with drinkware. I feel like drinkware is pretty standard and with good reason. A photographer told my friend once cups are a great gift so you have cute cups in your photos instead of a giant McDonald’s cup. (No offense McDonald’s.)

Next I knew I wanted a piece of jewelry. Most of my friends already have bar necklaces with their initial and I wasn’t feeling earrings so I decided on a bracelet. As soon as I saw the knotted bracelet I knew it would be perfect. They also came on cute cards that said, “I can’t tie the knot without you.” (I didn’t think my man of honor would want a bracelet so I opted for cufflinks instead. It can also be nice to differentiate your maid of honor.)

The last part was the champagne since we were obviously celebrating. I got each of them a split of champagne as a little extra touch. (If you are shipping your boxes I would recommend cans of champagne of rosé. I thought I was going to have to ship my Man of Honor’s so I got a can of rosé. I’ve had friends get broken boxes many times in the past.)

After I had all the gifts picked out I found cute cards on etsy and ordered different ones for each person. I tried to pick ones that fit their personality/our friendship.

Finally, let’s talk about the actual box!  These can actually be really pricey. I eventually found photo boxes at Michael’s and just ordered each persons name in gold vinyl to put on the front. Then to make the inside extra cute, I got white and pink paper shreds to place on the bottom. Viola! Cute little bridesmaid box for all my friends.

I was lucky enough to hand deliver each one and all my friends were thrilled and loved all the things! I can’t wait for them to stand next to me on my big day and all the fun things we get to do leading up to it.

Here’s all the links for everything I used.

Knot Cuff Links 

(They made me a custom card! They were so sweet & helpful.)

Knot Bracelet

Act Surprised Card

Soon You'll be my Sister Card

It's Finally Happening Card

Pop the Champagne Card

Obviously Card

(This shop has a TON of cards! And they are all so cute!)

Tumblers

(This shop has so many different options!)

The shop I bought my vinyl names from is no longer on Easy. I've bought from this one before though and they were great! 

Champagne Split

(Total Wine has a lot of different options. Lots of can options too!)

Rosé Can

Photo Box

Shredded Paper Fill

How did you ask your bridesmaids? I’d love to hear in the comments below.

Wedding Wednesday: First Things First

This past Saturday marked exactly 1 year until our wedding. It feels like just yesterday I was calling all my family & friends to tell them J had proposed. Since we are officially less than a year out I thought it would be the perfect time to start my Wedding Wednesday series. Not sure how often I will post these, but I definitely want to share some insight on planning a wedding. Since this is my first Wedding Wednesday I thought I would share some of the first things you should do. Here are my top 3 things to do at the very beginning of your planning.

1.     Make a budget

I know this doesn’t sounds very fun, but it’s very realistic. Your budget can dictate a lot of aspects about your wedding. It’s also a good time to talk with your fiancé, your family and their family about who is going to pay for what and what everyone is willing to contribute. Things are so different from back in the day when it was the bride’s family who paid for almost everything. Now many couples pay for their own wedding or there is contributions from both families. There is also even a combo where both families contribute what they can, and the couple makes up the rest. Whatever your situation ends up being you will be very happy you had this conversation up front and that it’s out of the way. (Tip: Have these conversations however you two are comfortable. If you want both families to sit down together that’s great. If you think it needs to be a more one on one thing that works too. Do what feels best and the least stressful!)

2.     Guest List

This is important to do next for a couple reasons. First of all, remember that budget? Well more people = more money! I’m not saying you shouldn’t invite the people you want to be there on your special day. Just keep in mind the more people you have the more food, booze, & favors you will need. There are tons of ways to get creative if you do have a larger guest count and don’t have an arm and a leg to spend on said food, booze & favors. The second thing your guest count can have a huge impact on is your venue. I didn’t even think of this until a girl at work mentioned it. If your guest count is going to be 300 people you don’t want to start looking at venues that have a max capacity of 150. You will never get enough regrets or be creative enough with a seating plan to make that work. Nor would you want to. You don’t have to have exact numbers, but a rough estimate will be really helpful.

3.     Venue

In my opinion your venue should be one of this first if not the very first thing you book for your wedding. Your venue is one of the biggest parts of your wedding. It can have an impact on your style. For instance, you don’t want to look at super rustic barns if your vision is a 1920’s glam wedding. Not saying this couldn’t work, but your venue will really help your vision come together. They also book up super fast! True story: I called a venue back in July to tour and the first thing all of them ask is if you have a date in mind. We were thinking January 5^th, 2020 but weren’t married (haha) to the exact date yet. (Mind you January 5^th, 2020 is a Sunday.) When I told her January 2020, she goes “Ok. We have all weekends open except Sunday, January 5^th and Saturday, January 18^th” I remember thinking are you freaking kidding me?? What crazy person already has a Sunday booked a year and a half out?! No offense to anyone that plans really far ahead of time but let that be a lesson that venues (especially popular ones) can book up QUICK!

So, there you have it. My top 3 things you should do first on your wedding planning journey. I am no expert, but just thought I would share what worked for me and some things I encountered and tips I was offered. If you have any other questions I would be more than happy to try and help answer them. Feel free to email me @ fashionablylateblonde@gmail.com. And if you have any wedding tips please feel free to also send those my ways.