Meet Maid "Ms. Elle"

I have so been slacking off this week with posts. My apologies. I was sick in bed all last week and this week was just extremely tumultuous at work, etc. With that said, I am finally posting something. :) I have decided that I am going to go through a "Meet my Maids Series". Don't worry, it won't all be about my Maids over the next few weeks. I'll be sure to post inspiration, etc throughout.

But first off, Meet Maid Ms. Elle.Here are a few facts:

When we met: September 2002. She was literally my first friend at UCSD. Below is a picture of us out with the boys.What I love about her: Ms. Elle opened my eyes to the world of art. I had always loved art but it was she who put my first paintbrush in my hand and told me it didn't matter if I wasn't any good if I liked doing it. We used to go to shows and she would tell me all about new and coming artists. Another reason why, is because she literally saved me from hell my Freshman year. I had a horrible living situation and Ms. Elle would let me sleep over all the time and comfort me telling me I wasn't a horrible person. Also, she is my eating buddy, and anyone that knows me, knows how much I love food. As that is the case, Ms. Elle has truly become my favorite culinary companion. And finally (which maybe should have been first), Ms. Elle is one of the MOST kind, compassionate, sweet, funny, happy-go-lucky people I have ever met. I cannot think of any BIG fight Ms. Elle and I have gotten into. We have had a few disagreements here and there, but overall, we are like peas and carrots...we just belong together.

Why she was chosen: She has always been INCREDIBLY supportive of Mr. Scott and I and has truly made an effort to get to know him. She and I have been best friends for so long, I couldn't imagine my day without her kindness and laughter.

First Impression: "Who is this bubbly little chick running around my dorm right now?"

I LOVE YOU Ms. Elle!

60 Days and Counting!!!

Well we are 60 days out. That's right folks! Less than two months and I will be the new Mrs. Scott. YAY!

Today Mr. Scott and I went down to the jewelry district in downtown near my office. Mr. Scott's family has a jeweler they go to for all their jewelery needs and that is where my engagement ring came from...though it was custom made. I knew what I wanted already for a band as did Mr. Scott, but it was fun to go in together and try on rings and see what matched my engagement ring. I really like it and both rings are much less than what we budgeted for, so that is always exciting.

We also filled out our marriage license certificate. A great thing about getting married in Los Angeles County is that you can submit your marriage license online and then simply go in to pick it up. It saves time waiting in line and to be processed. These are important things to us since neither of us have a lot of time to take off work with the pending wedding.

So, with that said, I am moving on to table numbers and more inspiration. Mr. Scott and I have been talking a lot about how we are going to do table numbers (since I was not thrilled with the idea of doing plain numbers, but don't have a lot of time or money dedicated to this feat). Well low and behold that I go to weddingbee and find two separate posts on this exact topic! Check them out here and here and let me know your preference and help em decide!

Finally, here is some inspiration. I love this first one that really captures a perfect mixture between country and chic elegance. So pretty! I also loved this one...especially the cheese! I have had an intense love affair with cheese ever since moving to Paris and would love to have a cheese wedding cake, but (a) I don't think Mr. Scott would appreciate it and (b) I love pastries much more than to sacrifice it for cheese at my wedding.Finally, I LOOOVE the idea of having the same color flowers but in all different types for my maids. As I am doing flowers myself, I will probably have to have a more "fly by the seat of my pants" attitude toward flowers. So the idea of being simple yet unique really stands out as a brilliant idea to me.

I again forgot to cite my sources but I know some of this came from Style me Pretty and Snippet and Ink

Escort Service

No not that kind of an escort!! I am finally posting ideas about escort cards. I had originally wanted to make buttons with people's names on them and attach them to a piece of cardstock with their table numbers printed on it. (think a la flair below)However, upon researching my button idea, this proved to me much to expensive. So I am reducing myself to other options. As my colors are black and white, I like the idea of incorporating them both. Not to mention these are pretty.
I also liked these though I obviously wouldn't have brown. I think they may be a bit too plain though.
I REALLY liked these. Simple yet chic. The ribbon around the back is gorgeous. It may not look the same however with just white on white.
These were just so cute with their bicycle I had to include them.
This was one of the few cards I could find that were black...so obviously I had to steal them.
This is such a neat way to add a touch of color. I was thinking a nice cream colored ribbon for me instead.
This is my absolute favorite though. I love the simplicity of just the name in beautiful caligraphy with loose flowers since I will be having a lot of loose flowers at the reception.
Everytime I mention escort cards, I have people ask me what that means. There is a great post here about the difference between escort cards and place cards. Basically I am doing assigned tables not assigned seating. I am also planning on using Martha's great idea to hold seating place cards should I decide not to do tents.

I heart Google and I am a winner!

I know I promised an escort card post, however that will have to wait for tomorrow. Two amazing things happened to me in the last 24 hours and they all have to do with Google.

I want to state that I have a crush on Google. It started a year and a half ago when I learned about igoogle. Igoogle is basically the Google search page that lets you customize your view almost making it a very personal homepage. I receive my "Today in History", "Art of the Day", and get to watch NASA TV. (What can I say? I'm a huge nerd!) In particular, my back drop is my google fox. Every time I log in, he is doing something different....washing dishes, eating, feeding the ducks, etc. It's wonderful and he brings me so much joy.

My Google obsession only continued from there and having a wedding to plan has really caused me to utilize their features. First, there is google documents. Mr. Scott and I have uploaded our guest list, budget, gift list, etc and have the documents shared so anytime one of us makes a change, it automatically updates the other persons. This saves us a lot of time emailing attachments back and forth. I also love Picassa which has allowed me to upload lots of photos of inspiration, mock ups and trials, as well as fun things Mr. Scott and I get to do. Obviously I love blogger since I am on it all the freaking time! But I have really found how awesome it is and how much I have loved using it compared to other blogging machines. Google Calendar is another lifesaver. Not only do I get to make multiple calendars for myself (work, personal, etc) but Mr. Scott and I have a shared calendar and I can share my calendar with my friends. This has saved me some time from saying to people "when are you free" because I can just look.

More recently I have created a google group for my bridesmaids. Mr. Scott and I may expand it to the whole wedding party. I am still a newbie with this feature but I like it already! Finally, I LOVE google reader. When you write a blog, you often get inspiration from other blogs. Google Reader allows me to type in web addresses and then will let me know when an update to that site happens. It is amazingly useful and has actually cut my blog reading time down because it doesn't show me what I have already read unless I want to. There are still some sites I visit on their actual page (Knot and weddingbee) for things like their boards and wikis because google reader will not work with that.

So....you ready for my good news? One of the sites that I read daily is With This Ring. I happened on their site the other day and they were having a contest for the Perfect Table Plan Software. Planning a wedding on a budget = I often enter myself into free giveaways hoping for a win. And what do you know? I WON! I am so incredibly excited to use this amazing new program. I truly cannot wait to get it. YAY!

And second good news (and the real final google gadget I love)? Mr. Scott introduced me to google analytics. It has helped me stay motivated to keep posting because I can track if people read my blog and the average time people stay on it. While looking at my most recent report yesterday I stumbled upon another wedding blog. "ANOTHER?" you say? Yes. This one is different though because I am listed as a link in her blog. AKA someone actually reads my posts! I was so excited I spent nearly an hour stalking her and her blog. I discovered her GORGEOUS invitations and that she is planning a wedding in LA (like me!) for around 300 people (a little more than me). Her bridesmaids gift also inspired me, but for my ladies...don't get any ideas and start stalking her and ruin any potential surprise I may have. I got so excited thinking about the fact that maybe just maybe someone else is getting use out of this blog. Anyway, if anyone else is reading this blog, definitely check her out at Orange and Pink!

Men are Mars, Women are from Venus

I am excited to be married. I do not think I will miss being single. However, I do think it is interesting how gender roles & stereotypes come out in relationships. Guys are expected to propose, be gentlemen 24/7, take initiative, and do the dirty, hard labour* jobs. Girls, are expected to say yes, be ladylike, docile, and clean house. One of the things I love about Mr. Scott is that these "traditional roles" do not apply. Do not misunderstand me, Mr. Scott has been and still to this day, is a perfect gentleman. He also was the one to ask me to marry him and he often is the one taking initiative. I have always appreciated that he opens my doors everywhere, and walks street side when we walk down the street. Some women hate this, and I am always confused why as I see these as a sign of his love and respect for me. But there are other areas we are less traditional. He is more of a neat freak than I am when it comes to the house. He is a FABULOUS cook...I am no Rachel Ray. And most of all, he loves me for being an independent strong woman and encourages me to stay that way. I think that is why we work so well. I have tried to respond in a similar little ways. Things like who I spend my time with and how that time is spent, how I dress and speak, how I conduct myself are all things that suddenly matter a lot more to me. I think having concern and respect for him has allowed me to become a better person and learn to love Jesus more fully. I love that he was more dedicated to our relationship in the beginning than I was, but waited for me to be ready. I love that he pushes me to do more with myself. And I also love that he doesn't feel "dragged into anything" by me but that we respect each other enough to make decisions together and with the others best interest in mind.He has challenged me in so many positive ways and I have developed more into the woman I wish to become because he loves me the way he does (cue that horrid Celine Dion song now...)

I have found it so interesting to watch people's expectations and excitement over our engagement and watch how their views on gender have responded. I think Mr. Scott and I are traditional in a lot of ways, but I love that we can show people a balance between tradition, and gender equality. I will get off my soapbox now and step away promising new inspiration tomorrow (Escort cards on the brain). For now, I thought I would use this blog for the purpose with with it was created...to vent ideas and thoughts and frustrations. I hope this didn't scare off the few readers I have! :(

*I often write words with the English spelling (much to Mr. Scott's dismay). I blame art historians in college for this error. My apologies.

Pictures taken from someecards.com and google image search

An aisle to walk down

I went to the venue this past weekend with Ms. B and she is always a wealth of wedding knowledge and ideas. She truly amazes me. Even though she was obviously tired, I could still tell that she wanted to blow peoples minds almost more than I do. She is so focused on making our day FABULOUS and wonderfully unique and special. I couldn't ask for a better sister in the world.

Anyway, Ms. B and I worked with some of the material we bought and measured the reception hall. We realized the color of curtains was wrong, as was the size. However, we re-did our room layout and I am very excited about it. We mapped out the smaller room as well which will have our guest book area, bar, and escort card table. We still have SO MUCH to do, but things are starting to come together. Next was the ceremony site. The fabric we picked to cover part of the gazebo looks amazing. As many know, I was not thrilled with the idea of our venue for the first month after we booked. The removal of the AstroTurf has simply revitalized my excitement about our venue. It looks so different. Walking out there this weekend was BEAUTIFUL. We were there at the exact hour we will be getting married...the sun starting to set, the water sparkling, breeze blowing, and all the flowers are blooming. It's simply stunning. As Ms. B and I figured out all our details for the ceremony and walked out the aisle, I started feeling very bridal and so excited. I AM GETTING MARRIED! And while the stress and time pressure is starting to kick in, I cannot wait for our special moment. In the meantime, I found more inspiration for me to divulge in.

I LOVE BRANCHES. Like a lot, so this looked amazing to me. A little too pink though.I really liked the arrangements lining the aisle and the candles bringing in a touch of light. I bet this would look amazing at nighttime or indoors. Too bad ours is outdoor.I loved this idea if someone cannot have a true "Bridal Entrance". I think it really adds to the suspense. As Mr. Scott and I will not be seeing each other before the ceremony, I think I liked this picture because of the suspense I felt looking at it, knowing I would have that same suspense day of.
I love the GORGEOUS Trees lining this path. It reminds me of one of the closing scenes of "My Best Friend's Wedding" when the fireworks go off as they are driving away. I love old cars!
Originally I was not going to do individual menus to save costs, but after seeing these, I am starting to reconsider...

A little inspiration

As I was wander through my various blogs, I have run across some amazing inspiration I wish I would have discovered sooner. I apologize as I once again did not write down all my sources. This board makes me think of our wedding, a little seaside, a little fancy, and a little sweet.

And I love the softness yet glamour of the board below.I loved these floral arrangements.And I thought these were simply beautiful!

I really need to start looking at flowers to know what I want.

Save The Date!

Mr. Scott and I sent out some funny save the date cards. We only made a few to send to friends who had a sense of humor as we were getting married within six months of getting engaged and didn't see the point. While the reactions ranged from hilarious laughing, to calling us ridiculous, to my mothers "So...I got your save the date card...um...", we had fun with them. While googling "save the date" I found these and thought they were hilarious. So since I didn't do any real STD (save the dates) I thought I would include the ones I found...just for laughs!

Soon to be Mrs?

I have gotten some slack from people who harass me for having my blog title "Suddenly a Mrs" since I am not actually a Mrs but a Ms. I didn't care for awhile because the whole idea behind my blog was to write about the journey of being a Ms and then suddenly being a Mrs.I figured I would start with my engagement all the way through my first year if being a Mrs. But I am giving in. I am a "Soon to be Mrs" not a "suddenly" just yet. So once I am married, my title will be back.

Speaking of titles, I am begun the war inside my head regarding changing my name. The traditionalist in me has always known I would take my husband's name. It makes things related to personal lives and offspring easier and I like the way it honors the husband...not in the "I belong to you" kind of screwed up way, but in the "I am dedicating myself to this marriage and to you" kind of way. However, truth be told, I love my maiden name. I love that it shows my Irish heritage. It reminds me of "the golden ticket" I get to play in every Irish pub and while I was in Ireland. It reminds me of my love of everything potato and green. I just feel like I am not quite ready to part with it. The Mrs. Scott's Mom told me I could always make my middle name my maiden name, but I like my middle name and my maiden name is not a good middle name. I have thought about hyphenation as well. But ultimately, a lot of people I know with hyphenated names claim it is a big pain in the arse and some admit they secretly wished they would have just taken their husbands name. So what to do? Thoughts?

Charity Tokens

OK so I realize this is the most boring headline ever, but this is a quick post and I don't have much to say yet. Just wanted to vent that our Charity tokens are consuming my life. While I almost have 1200 cut, I still have 1200 to emboss. I am crazy as Mr. Scott likes to remind me. This weekend I am trying out a seamstress (so I'll let you know how it goes) and working on...surprise...charity tokens! But I am actually getting really excited with how these are turning out. I promise a full update with photos as the project progresses.

On another note, I got a phone call last night from the "Mrs. Scott's Mom" and apparently one of the guests we invited to the wedding (whom I have never met) wants to throw me a shower! I cannot believe it! So in July I will have a second shower with all the ladies from Mr. Scott's family and family friends. It should be lots of fun and I cannot wait! :)

And finally, I received our program paper last night in the mail. This is kind of exciting for me too because it means I can start my next DIY project soon. Too bad I need to 1) pick our ceremony music 2) plan out our ceremony 3) talk to our officiant and 4) design a template, before I can really get going on this stuff. Only 79 days to go and I am getting SO EXCITED!

We Passed!!!

Last night we went to our second...er...eighth...er...second? pre-marital counseling session. We took a class from our church that was meant for "newly married, pre-married, pre-engaged, just started dating" couples. It was amazing because we were able to receive input for couples who were in all stages of their relationship. We discussed things like finances, babies, sex, communication, how to fight, etc. All the topics a good pre-married counseling class should entail. While Mr. Scott and I had discussed most of these topic already, it was fun to get different perspectives and I believe we got a lot of useful tools out of it. At the end of our class, Mr. Scott and I decided we wanted to go in for a few individual counseling sessions, just to be sure we were on the right path and that there weren't any "hidden ghosts" we needed to deal with. In our first session, they informed us that normally they suggest anywhere from five to eight sessions. Mr. Scott and I discussed that we would probably do four - five since we had already taken our class.

The first meeting went well and our second meeting was last night. At the end of our second meeting, our counselors told us that we didn't need to come back unless we wanted to. They said that while "you're never fully prepared to be married," we were as prepared as we could be. I felt like they gave us the green light to get married and it was an amazing feeling. Our five sessions turned into two! It was almost like passing a test and as if they were saying "You guys are going to be great! You don't need us, so good luck with your marriage!" It was an extra vote of confidence we didn't really need, but was nice to have all the same. A lot of people have said to me that Mr. Scott and I "are one of those couples you know are going to make it." The fact that people have that much faith in us is an amazing feeling.

Becoming a Bride

When I saw this the first time, I thought to myself "That is so me!" I just wasn't into the cute DIY invitations, pink or bright red flowers or bridesmaid dresses, and I didn't have my wedding picked out like everyone else around me seemed to have done already...even those that weren't engaged! It truly made me begin to question whether I actually had a va-j-j or not.

Well this weekend I definitely found my va-j-j. Don't go down that X-rated path because I am actually talking about the fact that I may actually be become a bride. First, I began my first DIY project and I am absolutely consumed. It's all I can think about. Well, that and my next project.

Second, we opened our first wedding present. Mr. Scott's extended family in Nebraska bought us a GORGEOUS Waterford Crystal vase that we didn't even register for. We can only imagine the cost and I was so overwhelmed by the generosity I don't have words to express it. I am sure this is just the beginning...

Third and finally, Mr. Scott's birthday, my FMIL's birthday, and mine are all within five days of each other. We went out for dinner Saturday night to celebrate. After dinner we went back to the house to open presents and what did Mr. Scott and I receive? Six of our five piece place settings in our wedding china! Now don't get me wrong, my registry already told me I was receiving them, but to actually physically hold them in my hands was amazing. I began imagining my new home with Mr. Scott and hosting holidays at our place on these dishes. I was so excited! Over china! Who would have thought that I, Miss Kelsey, would ever get excited about wedding china? Not me! Apparently I am becoming a Mrs or at least very bridal after all.

You can never trust a guy in a bowtie...

As I already have my dress and am working on alterations (I put a call in this morning to a seamstress courtesy of Miss Roomie's mom's recommendation), I have shifted my thinking for today to tuxedos. I told Mr. Scott that since I get to pick out my dress and what I want to wear all day, it was only fair that he received the same treatment. Beside, he is the one who is going to be wearing it. Mr. Scott also decided not to tell me what he is going to pick out for himself. (He wants to surprise me) While I was a bit worried at first because I like knowing all the details (I'm not a bridezilla just OCD), I have come to see this as a very cool idea. If he doesn't get to see what I am going to wear, why should I get to see what he is going to wear. Mr. Scott has very good taste and an excellent fashion sense so I am not too worried about what he will pick. He is so hansome that I have no doubt he will look dashing. The thing that concerns me, is Mr. Scott's mischief side. Will I get something like this?

Or what about this?

I realized his personality is a little crazy sometimes even though funny. So I warned him, "You know me. And you can also think of a few things that if you did / wore on our day, I would walk the other direction down the aisle." With that, I leave the rest in his hands and trust him completely. But just for fun I provided a bit of inspiration...

Hello Handsome! (Mr. Scott per Larry David says you can never trust a guy in a bowtie...but I think this is a classic look that I love!)

Tails could be fun! Though maybe too formal and old fashioned for Mr. Scott. Good luck Mr. Scott! I am excited to see what you come up with!

Photos courtesy of imdb.com and other unknown

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day everyone! Though the shouts for equal rights and citizenship of Mexican protester echo in the streets below, I am in an incredibly good mood today. Hence, I decided to share some wedding humor I have stumbled upon. But first, a mini update from our planning stages:

Mr. Scott and I got incredibly organized last night with wedding things. We like lists a lot so we made one of everything left to do...and I mean everything! It's a lot but it has motivated us to start scratching things off that list. :) My wedding nightmares turned into productive wedding dreams because last night I dreamed we finished our programs, menus, and escort cards all in one day. Granted Mr. Scott went a little away from our vision in my dream, but I actually woke up laughing. I feel much more organized and ready to start more planning. Tonight I am going to tackle our "favors" and hopefully I will have a few pictures to post from it. Yay for being excited all over again about my wedding!

And now, for your humor: (I hope some of my pictures turn out like this...just because it is hilarious!)

And finally, I wish we had't already printed our RSVP cards because these would be hilarious!Photos courtesy of another f-ing wedding