Wedding Wednesday: March (AKA WEDDING MONTH) To-Do's!

Friday is wedding month!!

No more putting these things off until next month! This is it!!

 

As a reminder, below was my to-do list for the month of February:

-Purchase Cameron's wedding band - Check! Still waiting for the call to say it's ready to be picked up though.

-Purchase bridal portrait to display at reception - Check! And it's been received.

-Reserve the hotel room for the wedding night (yep, I'm cutting it close!) - Check!

-Purchase Cameron's wedding present(s) - Check! We decided to save the big gifts for our one year anniversary. I did get him something small and meaningful. :)

-Finalize cake - Check! So excited to see it and taste the deliciousness!
-Purchase fabric for lounge pillows - Check! Grandma Anna is making them and they should be ready by this weekend!

-Purchase random items like bins for koozies, something to put cards in, etc - Semi-check. Got the card bin. That's about it.

-Get signs to Shea for calligraphy - Nope.

-Stock the Bar party thrown for us by our wonderful wedding party! - Check! It was so fun! See recap of it here.

 

And from now until the wedding week before the wedding, I need to:

-Wrap all gifts.

-Cameron needs to order groomsmen gifts.

-Finish timeline. All I have to do is fill in the blanks for the times all of the vendors are arriving.

-Get signs to Shea. For real.
-Make signs for road.

-Purchase baskets for koozies and bins for pom poms. For real.

-Purchase more frames.
-Last shower is this weekend!

-Finalize all invoices / orders.

 

 

Is it weird that it still doesn't feel real? That it will actually be ME walking down the aisle to a handsome groom. MY handsome groom.

Someone Special's Birthday!

That special person would be my Dad!

 

Happy Birthday to the best Dad a girl could ask for!

I wouldn't trade you for the world.

I love you. 

Monday.

Ugh, I am not feeling it today. My sinuses are still acting up and I am just plain tired.

 

The only thing getting me through the day is the fact that Cameron will be home from his bachelor party when I get off of work today! Yippee!!! I missed that guy so much. 

Friday Five.

Happy Friday everyone!

 

-Today is my best friend, Emily's, birthday! She is the best friend a girl could ask for and I am so lucky that she is in my life! Always there for me when I need her and always lets me babble about the wedding to her. Hope you have a great day, Em, and I can't wait to kick your butt in bowling tomorrow night. :) (We're going to The Alley for the first time!)



-This morning at 6am, 9 of Cameron's buds came to our house and loaded up in a 12 passenger van to head to Florida to get on a cruise ship (not a Carnival ship, thankfully) to the Bahamas for his bachelor party! They were all so cute because I could tell how excited they were, especially Cameron. That stinker almost didn't even tell me bye he was so excited! I got up with Cameron this morning and made cinnamon rolls for all of the guys like a good future wife. :) Well not all of them, there were only 8 in the pack. Woops.

 

Two of Cameron's friends/groomsmen made matching shirts for them to wear. I even got one, too! :)



-On Sunday, Cameron's sister in law, Nancy, is holding a brunch at her house for all of the ladies in my (immediate) family and Cameron's (immediate) family! It's a rare occasion to just get all of the ladies in the family today so I'm really excited! It's so sweet of Nancy to want to do this for me.

 

-Oh, did I mention I'm typing this from my couch? Cameron passed along the sick bug to me and I started to feel bad yesterday. May just be sinuses though. I do have a small event later this afternoon and since I'm such a control freak, I'm going to go in to make sure nothing goes wrong. 

-Thanks to Caitlin, I just purchased this little beauty from Groopdealz for only $10.99, with free shipping! It's pretty much identical to the Stella & Dot Renegade bracelet that I've been eyeing since it came out.



Target Goodies + REDcard.

I've been browsing the aisles of Target a lot lately and I've got to say, I'm liking what I'm seeing.

 

Here. Also in cream.

Here. Also in mint and cream.

 

West Elm recently had a very similar doormat on their website.

 

Also, when I was checking out last time I was at Target, the cashier asked me if I wanted to save 5% blah blah blah (I stopped listening and just said no thank you). The girl behind me in line chimed in and said "I have it and it's awesome! You save 5% everytime you shop at Target and it just comes straight from your checking account!" Then the cashier said "you also receive free shipping on any Target.com order!" I was sold.

 

Do any of you have this card? Any drawbacks??

 

*This is not a sponsored post, I just love the concept!*



Wedding Wednesday: Invitations.

Grab a seat and a cup of coffee, because this post might be a long one.

Before getting engaged, there were a few things wedding related that I thought to myself "why do people spend so much money on or care so much about these things?" Invitations were one of those things. I just didn't get it - you open the invitation, glance at the few key points like date, time and location and then either throw it in the garbage or post it on your fridge until that day comes..and then throw it in the garbage. They were just one of those things that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on. But then when it was actually my turn, I totally understood why people spend so much time on picking out an invitation. They set the tone for the wedding!

Back in March last year, when I wasn't even thinking of ordering invitations yet, a Groupon popped up in my inbox for wedding invitations. I thought to myself "I bet this company is going to be super cheesy, but I'll take a look anyway."

Boy, was I glad I didn't automatically delete that email.

Before I purchased the Groupon, I visited their website to make sure there was a design I was interested in, and looked at their prices to make sure the purchase was worth it. The Groupon was to spend $299 and receive $800 worth of product. Saving $500 off the bat is a great deal if you ask me! The company was called Delphine Press and come to find out, they had recently moved from California to Charleston! Pretty sure this is why they ran the Groupon in our area.

I knew I wanted an invitation that was very simple and classic. Letterpress would have been nice, of course, but it was more than I wanted to spend on invitations. We decided to go with the Monogram invitation and matching RSVP card. The standard invitation only came in white and since I wanted them to be ivory, I had to upgrade to the "off white cotton" invitations and envelopes, which at $.20 per invitation, rsvp card and 3 different types of envelopes, it adds up quickly. Minor complaint. However, there were a lot of font colors and types to choose from. I chose "jet black" as my color and "karolina" as my font.

The proofs came within 6 days and even though I ordered the Monogram invitation, I was debating on whether or not to keep the B or just delete the monogram all together. I worked with a girl named Brelyn and after 3 days of tweaking the invitations and rsvp cards, I finally signed off on the proofs and they were off to production!

I honestly can't remember how long it took for the invitations to arrive on my doorstep, but it must not have been too long if I can't remember. The only small issue I had with the shipment was that some of the envelopes came in white, when they were supposed to be off white. I contacted Delphine, they apologized, and quickly sent the correct envelopes.

And now, the reveal!

Another minor complaint, was that I wish the writing was bigger and filled up more room.

 

All in all, for 200 invitations, rsvps, rsvp envelopes, outer envelopes and inner envelopes, went spent $573. Without the Groupon it would have been $1373. I'm only posting pricing for future brides so that they can have an idea of what invitations cost, because I had no clue.

I received many compliments on our invitations, which made me thankful because of all of time and effort I spent into picking out the perfect one!

All in all I was very happy with my experience with Delphine Press and would use them again! They also offer other paper services such as thank you cards, cocktail napkins, etc!

38 days to go! Holy moly.



Tasty Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Soup.

I have a handful (ok, maybe two handfuls) of food loves in my life. Among pickles, Greek food, and steak, buffalo chicken anything is included in that list. Especially when paired with blue cheese / gorgonzola.

 

 

Buffalo Chicken Soup

Recipe and photo found here.

 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8-10 oz), cooked and shredded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon flour

32 ounces low-sodium chicken stock

1/3-1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce

1/3 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

sliced whole wheat baguettes, toasted with parmesan cheese

sliced green onions, crumbled gorgonzola and cilantro for topping

 

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions with a sprinkle of salt to the pot, stirring to coat, then cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add in garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Sprinkle in flour and stir for another 1-2 minutes. Add in stock, buffalo sauce, chicken and grated cheeses, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every so often.

 

Serve soup and top with toasted baguettes, cilantro, green onions and gorgonzola.

 

*Cameron made a comment that there wasn't enough substance to the soup so I think maybe next time I'll crumble up some tortilla chips and toss those on top. I also didn't make the baquette, so that could be why he said that.

Weekend fly-by.

The weeks and weekends are starting to fly by at warp speed. The next 6 weeks are only going to fly by even faster!

I have the day off today, which actually worked out well because Cameron is home sick. I don't feel 100% either, but I definitely feel better than he does. Poor guy. All he wants to do is feel better for his bachelor cruise this weekend!

The only exciting thing we did this weekend was Friday night, after I met my co-workers at Maria's for a drink, Cameron and I went downtown to meet Beth (Classic Annie) & Kevin at Social for a few drinks! It was so fun to finally meet Beth in person since I felt like we already knew each other..which we pretty much do since we email back and forth to each other just about every day. Beth & Kevin are getting married the weekend after us in Charlotte!

Saturday, I had to work a wedding and it was literally raining right up until the ceremony started. Then, the sun came out and was shining so brightly!

Yesterday I started the oh-so-fun task of scanning pictures for our rehearsal dinner slideshow. Not only do I have to scan them, but I also have to rotate and crop every single one of them. Now I know why it takes photographers so long to edit pictures before getting them back to you.

Also, special shout out to my friend (who also does my hair), Kady, who welcomed her baby girl into the world in the wee hours of Valentine's Day! Can't wait to meet sweet Ellie!

Motivation.

Motivation as a wife, a daughter, or a friend.

Motivation for your career, the perfect bod, or a healthy diet.
For anything!
What motivates you?

Here's what motivates me..
 

My fiance is a hard worker, y'all, and I don't brag on him enough. So I believe that he should be able to come home to a clean house and relax while I make dinner. His happiness is my motivation. Now, is it always clean? No. Do we have gourmet meals every night? No. But I try to make a concious effort at it. There are only so many hours in a day, people! And when I ask him to help me with dinner, clean up or with the laundry - you better believe he helps me. :)

 Having friends that go to my same gym and enjoy the same group classes as I do, is a HUGE help. Emily, Katie and I text each other almost everyday to see what class we all want to go to that day. I used to feel guilty for going to a class that would ultimately make dinner run late, but now that Cameron has starting going again, that motivates me to go even more! I may or may not put a little extra weight on my Body Pump bar to impress him...

 

The most obvious form of motivation, for the past year and two months anyway, is that white dress I'll be wearing in 43 days and the fact that I will be living in a bikini for a straight week after that.

 

I will admit that I do wish I was more motivated with my career path, but it's hard to be super motivated when you don't know what you want to be "when you grow up!"

 

Yes, this is a rambling, random post.

But that's just what's on my mind today.
Happy Friday and happy weekend! 

Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Nightmares.

Today let's talk about wedding nightmares.

I'm sure any girl who has gone through wedding planning has experienced them. There are just so many thoughts that go through our heads during the day regarding wedding planning and I guess they don't slow down when we go to sleep!

 

Nightmare 1 -

Location: A barn, and not one of those rustic, cute ones.

The drama: No band, keg(??) beer runs out and I send Cameron to the store to get more. He is literally gone the whole entire reception and I am left crying in the bathroom.

 

Nightmare 2 -

Location: No clue

The drama: I arrive to the reception location only to find out that the centerpieces are COMPLETELY wrong.

 

Nightmare 3 -

Location: Our actual venue

The drama: More drama with the flowers (can't remember exactly what), I left my wedding shoes at home, and my beloved band decides that they can't make it to the reception and gets a crappy band to sub for them, I totally freak out, and then I find my friend, Kelly Anne, wearing my wedding dress! This was probably the worst one of them all.

 

Luckily, I am friends with the lead singer in our band so I texted her that morning to tell her about my nightmare...

 

According to Brides.com, here are some wedding nightmares deciphered:

 

Scenario #1: You're naked at the altar.

A dream that you're in the buff or wearing something embarrassing may indicate that you're nervous about being the center of attention. It can also mean that you're still coming to terms with the changes marriage will bring. "This dream is typical of someone who's embarking on an enormous change," says Gillian Holloway, Ph.D., a psychologist and author of The Complete Dream Book of Love and Relationships. "It can reflect that you're feeling vulnerable." If your dream-self isn't embarrassed about being naked, though, relax. This can mean you're at peace with both the attention and the upcoming life changes.

Scenario #2: You're missing something.

When a bride dreams that something critical is absent at the wedding, it often means that something's missing in her life, says Robert Waggoner, president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. Ask yourself, "What does that thing that's missing in the dream symbolize?" If the musicians don't show up, for example, and music is a major source of happiness for you, the dream may be trying to tell you that your hectic schedule has cost you some joy. If your fiance is MIA in the dream, it may be a sign that you need to spend more time together.

Scenario #3: You're marrying the wrong guy.

This can be a particularly upsetting dream, but—breathe a sigh of relief—it almost never means you think you're marrying the wrong person. "Whether you're marrying your fiance's best friend or Simon Cowell, I wouldn't read too much into this one," says Holloway. "It's likely your brain's way of coming to terms with the whole gamble of marriage."

Scenario #4: You're late!

Nightmares in which the wedding date has changed and no one shows up, or you're rushing to make it to the church on time, are "pretty straightforward anxiety dreams," says Waggoner. Since they symbolize that you're feeling overwhelmed by details, take them as a reminder to delegate some chores to others and to set aside time to relax.

Decoding the Symbols

Not every wedding dream involves a walk down the aisle. Here are some symbols that you may see while you sleep, along with common interpretations, from I Had the Strangest Dream, by Kelly Sullivan Walden. To determine what a particular image in your dream probably represents, think about the emotions and associations it brings up for you personally.

Hills, mountains = struggles and challenges
Ring = permanence, partnership, and unity
Teeth falling out = insecurity and powerlessness
Cake = reward for your hard work and accomplishments
Long hair = an increase in personal power
Short hair = fear of losing your power
Falling = loss of control and confidence
Father = support, protection, and heroism (or lack thereof)
Mother = unconditional love (or lack thereof)
Water = healing, cleansing, and sexuality
Aisle = order and a need for symmetry
Flying = freedom and joy

 

Did you have any crazy wedding dreams/nightmares?

Do tell!!

Tasty Tuesday: Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers.

Made these for dinner last night and they were awesome! Nice and light for me, yet hearty enough for Cameron. I ate one half of mine and saved the other half for lunch today. It's a pretty cheap meal, too!

 

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Recipe and photo found here.

 

8 oz. Thinly Sliced Roast Beef

8 Slices Provolone Cheese

2 Large Green Bell Peppers

1 Medium Sweet Onion

6 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms

2 Tbs. Butter

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 Tbs. Garlic – Minced

Salt and Pepper – to taste

 

 

Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds.

Slice onions and mushrooms. Saute over medium heat with butter, olive oil, minced garlic and a little salt and pepper. Saute until onions and mushroom are nice and caramelized. About 25-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400*

Slice roast beef into thin strips and add to the onion/mushroom mixture. Allow to cook 5-10 minutes

Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese.

Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are nearly overflowing.

Top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown.



Stock the Bar Shower!

What a fun weekend! Saturday our wedding party threw a Stock the Bar shower for us and about 40 of our closest friends were in attendance. These showers amaze me everytime. The thought, hardwork and love that go in them make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They are truly appreciated.

 

Now, on to the pictures!

 

 

Emily made this super cute beer cake! Loved the little pennants with our monogram on them.

Caroline made these adorable wine bottles with our wedding date on them and filled them with flowers.

Kara brought the delicious dessert that was made by her and Cameron's cousin, Elisabeth, who is also making our wedding cake! People could not stop talking about how good they were all night so I'm extra excited to taste the wedding cake now!

[key lime bars on the top, coconut blondies and fudge brownies on the bottom]

 

 

After the party, we packed everything up and headed to a random, yet fun bar on James Island (IBG for you locals) to partake in some karaoke singing and watching.

Jen and Jenny singing "Fancy"

I think it's safe to say that our bar has officially been stocked.

 



Pause.

Sorry I have been MIA that past few days! My co-worker put in her 2 weeks last week and I have been assigned to all of her big events and tasks while my boss figures out what to do with her position. I finally realize what it feels like not to be able to sit on Pinterest, Facebook and blogs all day because of being so busy at work! I kinda like it, too.

 

 

Y'all. We are 50 days away from the wedding today!!

 

LOTS of exciting things are happening today, this weekend, and up until the wedding!

 

Today my work is throwing me a little luncheon / shower, which I think is super sweet of them.

 

Also today, shout out to my soon-to-be brother-in-law, Gil! It's his birthday today! He and his wife are actually a house divided like Cameron and I, so come Carolina / Clemson weekend, we like to switch significant others. Not literally - that would be weird.

 

This weekend, our wedding party is hosting a Stock the Bar party for us and we are so excited!! Booze for everyone!

And this month, we'll celebrate my BFF's birthday, Cameron will go on his bachelor cruise, and I will continue to grow more and more anxious / excited as the countdown numbers get smaller.



Tasty Tuesday: Scalloped Potatoes

This is the scalloped potato recipe my mom used for dinner Friday night. They were soooooo good. Warm, cheesy and the cayenne pepper gives them just a tiny kick. Can't promise that they're healthy though. :)

 

Scalloped Potatoes

Photo and recipe found here.

Makes 6 servings

 

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 dash cayenne pepper

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated cheese, to sprinkle on top

paprika

In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.

 

Let sit for a minute.

 

Add all of cold milk, stirring with a whisk.

 

Season with salt and cayenne.

 

Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.

 

Reduce heat and stir in cheese.

 

Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased one quart casserole dish.

 

Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.

 

Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.

 

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

 

Top with some paprika for color.

 

Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F.

Weekend Updates.

 

Monday again already?? I guess I'm ok with it because I've got a very busy & exciting week / weekend coming up!

 

Here's what made our weekend go by so fast this weekend..

 

Friday night we ate a DELICIOUS dinner at my parents house - salad, ribs, scalloped potatoes & crusty bread. Afterwards, Cameron & my dad smoked a cigar and the girls (me, my mom and sister) played a rowdy game of Phase 10. We're wild, I tell ya.

 

Saturday Cameron and I ran some errands, which included checking the guest book off of the to-do list and also included me scoring a pair of green skinny jeans from Old Navy for $9! Around 4, we went to James & Holly's wedding celebration and had a blast! There was a band, catering from Hometeam BBQ, hula hoops and super strong margaritas...only I didn't know how strong they were at the time I was drinking them. Woops.

 

Sunday we went to go pick up a china cabinet from my grandma's friend that is moving to a small apartment and doesn't have enough room for it. I cannot wait to replace the hardware and paint it! Lots of time will be spent on Pinterest today researching colors and painting tips.

 

Later in the day, of course it was Superbowl time. We went to Cameron's aunt & uncle's house for oysters, chili, wings and lots of apps. I made the salami, cream cheese and pepperoncini roll ups that I posted about on Thursday and they were a big hit! We left during the power outage and watched the rest at home. For someone who really didn't care much about the game, I actually watched the whole thing! Probably because it turned out to be such a close game!

 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Yay for the groundhog not seeing his shadow!! Bring it, Spring!

 

 



Loving.

Goooood morning, friends! It's going to be a GREAT day and a FUN weekend!
Tonight we are going to my parents house for a relaxed dinner and back porch sittin' (and drinkin') and tomorrow we are celebrating a sweet couple's wedding that took place in December. They had a small-ish wedding in North Carolina and wanted to have a big, rowdy celebration in Charleston once they got settled into married life. So celebrate, we will!

Other than a fun weekend planned, here are some other things I've been loving this week:

-Miss Jenny's Pickles! I was contacted by someone at Miss Jenny's Pickles saying they loved my pickle-loving blog and wanted to send me some of their pickles to try! I emailed her back immediately and said "yes, please!" So glad I did because they are delicious! I kindly requested the dill pickles and not the bread and butters ones and my request was granted. I was sent the salt & pepper pickles, along with the jalepeno salt & pepper pickles! The jalepeno ones had a little too much of a kick for me, but Cameron and my dad loved them! I think they would be really good fried though!! The pickles are tasty, have no preservatives or additives, are supa fresh.

Sadly for us Charleston girls, the closest location to buy these pickles is on Pawley's Island, but they do give you the option to purchase online!

 

-Receiving RSVP's in the mail!! One of the most exciting aspects of wedding planning is when you start to receive RSVP's back in the mail! I LOVE coming home every day, checking the mail and finding a stack of mini envelopes in the mailbox!

 

-Along with finding those mini envelopes in the mail, it is so fun to read the little comments on guests' response cards! The winner of the best response card (so far) goes to my very own Matron of Honor, Emily!

Hope you all have a great weekend!