Suddenly a Mrs.

RECAP! Ceremony!

2008-10-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This post is mostly pictures. :)

The guests had arrived...Our communion was ready and our wedding bands were shiny...We were ready to go. We took some fun pictures right before. All my maids wore different colored shoes to highlight their personalities that might get lost amongst their black dresses that looked the same. Plus, it made for a great group shot!

We took a fun picture with my brother Charlie and got him his "Charlie's Angels" shot.This is us in the elevator headed down to get married! Giving my girls a pep talk before we walk down the aisle. I almost started crying and it was something along the lines of "I can't imagine this day without you here with me. I am so grateful for your friendship...yada yada yada."Below is Mr. Scott waiting for me. I got a peak of him before he got a peak of me and I almost lost it. I am just so in love with him and felt like this was such a perfect beginning to our long journey. :) This is my father and I getting ready to walk down. I walked down the aisel to Thomas Newman's "Walkaway". I think it is a beautiful song and always wanted to walk down the aisle to something from a movie soundtrack. I had everyone else walk down to Debussy's "Claire de Lune" because it's one of my favorite songs and I didn't want anything too "weddingy".Right after I walked down the aisle, there was a brief welcome and then Mr. Scott and I grabbed a rose and he gave one to his parents and I have one to mine. No one knew about this except Mr. Scott and I and our parents were really pleasantly surprised. We just wanted to additionally honor them in some way.Time to get married! (Look at all the tears in the second picture below!!) I am so glad we did a congregational affirmation. We basically had Chuck (the man marrying us), ask the congregation if they promised to uphold us in our marriage, love us, encourage us, support us, etc. Everyone gave an enthusiastic yes, but it was so nice to turn around and see all of the faces who love us so dearly staring back at us. I really liked that part.I am very intent on getting my vows to Mr. Scott correct. :)Here is Mr. Scott putting my wedding band on my finger. I'm taken fella's! See my bling!Here I am putting Mr. Scott's wedding band on him.Taking Communion was something that was extremely important to us and I am so glad we did it. Not to mention our photographer got a lot of great shots! ;)We waited a few moments even after we finished communion to just take in the moment and hang out. It was nice to be able to just chat with Mr. Scott for a few minutes and catch up on our days and where we were. We laughed and told jokes and I think it ended with me say, "We get to bone later!" Yes I'm classy. :)

Here it is! Our first married Kiss!

Right before the recessional, we had everyone look up to the seond floor where our photographer got a shot of everyone. I am so glad to have this so I have a memory of everyone that was there! Then we were off to the reception! Next up...Recap! Reception Details!

All photos courtesy of Sean J Mason Photography.

RECAP! Getting Ready

2008-10-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

So my day started at 9:00 AM. I woke up and showered. At first I had thought I wanted to spend that night with people like my sisters. However, last minute I decided to change my mind and sleep alone. That was truly the best idea ever. I was able to gather my thoughts and take my time thinking and beautifying myself. I took a bath the night before, watched a cheesy wedding movie on TV, and then woke up and looked out on a beautiful sunny day.My mom called me to meet her downstairs so we could drive off to get my hair done. My mom, sister, Ms. Elle, and myself got our hair done at a salon in Santa Monica called Forme Salon. My girl was incredible and I loved her. My hair trial if you remember, was not so good. Well let me tell you, day of I LOVED IT! I basically was able to go back and tell her that while I loved the back, it tended to slip out and also that the front was too "bleh" for me. I wanted some volume and curl in the front. Well, when I left the salon, my hair came out looking like

this....

from this...

A better view from the back.

I am so lucky because it really turned out exactly how I wanted it. I highly recommend that every bride do a hair trial. I am so grateful I did.

After that, I had to re-write my vows? Not really. Mr. Scott and I didn't want to write our own vows because we both knew we wouldn't be able to get through them without crying, etc. However, we still wanted to write something personal. So, we each wrote a note about things we loved about each other and why we were excited to marry the other person and had our officiant read them during the ceremony. It was wonderful. However, I had left mine at my house, so I spent the next half of the morning re-writing those.
Then I was pleased to receive visits from friends and family when they used their "Bridal Chamber Passes". I have a secret crush/love for Mrs. Lovebug from Weddingbee. She posted this post regarding her "Backstage Bridal Passes" and I thought it was a great idea to do for my maids and to encourage family members to come by. Sure enough, it worked! :) I made this sign for the door:It read "Bridal Chamber (Identification required upon entry): Enter at your own risk...B to B inside!" I had to make fun of the idea of being a bridezilla with hopes that I wouldn't become one. The best part was when people showed up wearing my passes! It made me laugh and I loved it! Below is me with my grandmother!After that was my makeup. Maid Mrs. K did it for me and I was so grateful because she truly made me look beautiful. It was fun to just sit around and have my girls hanging around doing touch ups to their hair and makeup, keeping me calm, making me laugh and overall just hanging out! I didn't do a trial with Mrs. K because she has done my makeup so many times before, that I know she knows my skin and my eyes and how to do it well. I basically told her the look I was going for, and she NAILED it. :)

We busted out the champagne after that for a job well done. It was good times! Pretty much right after that, I was off to get married! Up next...the ceremony recap.

All photos courtesy of Sean J. Mason Photography.

RECAP! Ceremony Site!

2008-09-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Before I jump into flowers and everything else, I thought I would start with how we dressed the ceremony site. We didn't need to do too much because this was the view:It was simply so beautiful outside we didn't feel the need. I feel like our touches are really summed up below:I bought parasols from Chinatown in LA. They were pretty cheap, but do plan on spending a half a day there to wander around and look for the best price. I got mine for $5-$7 each. Also, a lot of the parasols are different colors with painting on them. Since we were having a black and white wedding, I didn't want to mess with that by bringing in colored parasols. I am so glad that I did that! Plus, it made for some really cool pictures post wedding. :)Another thing we did was line the aisle with lanterns. I didn't light the candles because it wasn't dark outside and I didn't think we needed to. The lanterns looked really cool and it was a great unique touch. It was very nautical too!

Finally our programs. Man were those a labour of love! It was about six pages. The first just had the date, time, and location as well as our names. Then we had the the bridal party and order of service, we had some announcements regarding our ceremony (later post) and regarding the cocktail hour and we ended with our favorite verse and a picture of us.

The beginning of the aisle was marked by two separate flower arrangements and blocked off my a shell rope (we kinda did a whole nautical theme accidentally). I was told to try to mark the beginning and end of your aisle...to really define it. We tried to do this and it turned out really nice.
We also had petal cones on the aisles to be thrown on us after the ceremony. That was a great idea and I strongly encourage that over confetti or birdseed. Its cleaner and classier. A tip I got from a florist was to use carnations because when it's just petals you can't tell what they are, and they are much cheaper. :)

Finally, we also had extra water bottles made from our OOT bags and so we brought those to the ceremony too. It wasn't too hot on our wedding day, but I know our guests appreciated it. :)

Coming up next...getting ready and ceremony details!
All photos courtesy Sean J. Mason

RECAP! Let them eat Cake!

2008-09-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Our wedding was SUPER DIY. Some of that was intentional, and some of it was not. So instead of recapping everything all at once, I am going to recap the DIY aspects first since those are so time consuming and many readers are prepping for their weddings.

One of the things I am SUPER grateful I did was to have Mr. Scott's Aunt make our wedding cake. We saved money and it turned out exactly the way we wanted. I have a few pieces of advice for any who take someone up on their offers to do something for your wedding. 1) Offer to pay for the supplies and mean it. We did this and though Mr. Scott's Aunt wouldn't hear of taking our money, we had budgeted for it just in case. 2) Make sure to give the person a nice note or gift. Mr. Scott's Aunt didn't make it to the rehearsal dinner because she was working on the cake until the morning of the wedding. We wished she could have been there to share in the joy of it all, but we have decided instead to give her an incredible thank you note and gift. 3) Be prepared that your cake may not turn out exactly like you want it. That was not our situation, it turned out PERFECT!, but I was prepared for it to not turn out the same just in case. I didn't want to be disappointed. If the cake is the one thing you care A LOT about, then have a professional do it. If there was something that mattered a lot to me, I paid out for it to be done professionally. There is something to be said for professional workmanship (it's the reason they call them professionals.) This was one of those things that I am glad I didn't pay out for. AND 4) make sure you like the work of the person doing the favor. Mr. Scott's Aunt has done hundreds of cakes before including a wedding cake to feed 1,500 people! I had looked through her book and told her things I liked and didn't like. I completely had 100% faith in her abilities and I truly think that made all the difference. So without further adieu, here is our inspiration, followed by our wedding cake!

Our cake inspiration is actually an April Reed cake.Doesn't it look amazing? She got exactly what I was looking for! So similar to the April Reed cake yet totally our own! The crazy thing was that my entire bouquet was Orchids...a fact no one knew until the day before...not even myself. AND! The flowers Mr. Scott's Aunt used on the cake? ORCHIDS! The bridesmaids bouquets were supposed to be closer together (something our DOC should have done...but that's for another post). A few of the flower petals fell off the cake, but I didn't care! I thought it was beautiful! AND SO TASTEY! I thought I would add a few pictures of Mr. Scott and I cutting the cake. Just for fun! :) All photos courtesy of Sean J. Mason...we love him!

Meet Maid Ms. B!

2008-09-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

Our Meet the Maids Series continues with Ms. B!WHERE WE MET: Ms. B and I met when I was in the womb. :) She is my biological sister so I do not even remember our first meeting. (Below is Ms. B with me when I was just a baby.)WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HER: Ms. B is hilarious. No really, she is one of the funniest people I have ever met. We laugh for hours about nothing and everything. More, she is more than a sister. I have always said Ms. B and I are sisters by chance, but friends by choice. She is my best friend. I call her for anything and everything and cannot imagine our lives without each other. We are related, so we have no always seen eye to eye, but the thing I love about Ms. B is that she is constantly trying to challenge me and allow me to challenge her. We both love each other a lot and have such similar insights, feelings, likes, dislikes, tastes, and preferences that I swear she is my soul mate. She is incredibly giving of her self, her time, and her money. She does so many nice things for people just because she loves them and cares. She is truly an inspiration to me. (Below is a picture of Ms. B and I when she was helping me move into my college dorm.)WHY SHE WAS CHOSEN: She watched the Sound of Music with me 100 times in a row and will sing and dance along with me. Who else would do that? Beside being my sister, I always knew Ms. B would be my maid of honor because she and I have such a close bond. We are close friends and close sisters. Of anyone in the family, no one's relationship is as close as ours. We have always had visions of getting married and watching our kids play together because we have never wanted to live far from one another. Ms. B has opened her arms and thus the family's to Mr. Scott. We have bonded a lot with Ms. B and her boyfriend Mr. B. We fondly refer to our favorite couple as B squared. I know how much she has come to love Mr. Scott as her brother and I am just so incredibly proud to have such an amazing older sister to constantly look up to. She is an incredible woman. (Below is a picture of us with B2)FIRST IMPRESSION: Since I don't remember, I will give you Mr. Scott's first impression of her "She seems nice and not like she is sizing me up. I hope she likes me."

Recap! Rehearsal Dinner

2008-09-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

Alrighty folks! So as I begin my Super Wedding Recap, I thought I would start with our rehearsal dinner. As a lot of people know, I had a big DIY list and was going a little crazy. But it truly all worked out!

Ms. Kryland, who lives in Seattle, came down the week before the wedding to basically run errands with me and help me finish...well everything. I have to say that there is no way I could have done this without her. She was absolutely amazing and I am so grateful for her time, energy, encouragement, and love. I had SO MUCH fun hanging out with her and spending time catching up on the important things in life. The few days prior we finalized and finished. So I will start with Friday, the day before the wedding.

Mr. Scott and I really wanted to do a laid back kind of atmosphere for the rehearsal dinner. We didn't want to do a BBQ or something on the beach, but that was a lot of extra work and having someone else do that for you is just much easier. We knew our wedding would be more formal, so we decided to have it at C & O's Trattoria on Friday night. They have amazingly good Italian food (Mr. Scott's favorite!) and a fun atmosphere. We brought in our own wine and dessert and that turned out to be a wonderful idea. Our friends and family definitely had a great time. The best part of the night though, was definitely when the ENTIRE restaurant burst out singing "That's Amore!". It was such a perfect evening!!!Here is Mrs. E and I. She was so gracious my entire wedding. I showed up to the hotel to check in prior to the rehearsal. I was exhausted, with low blow sugar, and desperately needed a shower. I walked in to find out she had already checked in for me, had crackers and cheese waiting, a fresh pot of coffee, and a hot towel. I was SO GRATEFUL and she put me in an instantly better mood. Words can't describe my gratitude enough.Here I am with all my beautiful maids!And Mr. Scott will probably kill me for this one, but here he is with all the guys goofing off. My brother is the one pretending to hit him...little jerk ;)

Recap! Bachelorette Party!

2008-09-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Mr. Scott's bachelor party was held the same day as my shower in LA. his groomsmen and friends did an incredible trip canoeing down the Colorado River for the weekend. I know he had a great time and I was so grateful to his friends for throwing an incredible party for him!

As for me, I didn't want to do my party the week before the wedding, so I did it the month before! We got together and met up at the Highland Hotel in Hollywood. The room was completely decked out with decorations, games, penis, condoms, and food! It was awesome! We sat around and opened presents (I got A LOT of lingerie!), ate Penis cupcakes and got dressed. Then we went to a FANTASTIC dinner with the girls (the only real going out we did). We were serenaded during dinner and I was proposed to as we left. Then we simply headed back to the hotel for a few games, some truth or dare, and a lot! of girl talk! :) It was just what I wanted in a Hen Party. It felt like a big girls slumber party / girls night out / bachelorette / hang out time. I loved every second. I think Ms. K said it best when she said "It was like a girls slumber party on crack." Perfect. :)Getting proposed to! There was also a table of four girls sitting next to us (who I can't find the picture of) who bought me a drink "with their condolences". They were so kind and I thought it was so sweet of them to do that. I told them I would "Pay it Forward" to the next bachelorette I saw.

That's right...I had a Penis Pinata... =...AWESOME!

The girls did a wonderful job and I am so grateful for their time, money, efforts, etc. Thanks ladies!

Meet Maid "Mrs. E"!

2008-09-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

I realized I never finished my "Meet my Maid" series, but really love the three girls I left out, and wanted to be sure that I posted about each of them. So I will finish up with Mrs. E, Mrs. K, and Ms. B!

Meet Maid Mrs. E!

WHERE WE MET: Mrs. E and I have been best friends since fifth grade. I met her at an open house. She thought I was a nerd, and I thought she was a snotty wench. But we worked through our differences and became the best of friends. (Below is us in high school in Mexico!)

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HER: Mrs. E also loves Jesus A LOT! She has been an incredibly loyal, supportive, encouraging, and fun friend to have. We have been friends for so long and have shared so much, it is almost hard for me to find both the words and the time to explain everything I love about her. One of the things that I have always loved about Mrs. E is her graciousness. She is always the first to offer help and encouragement and the last to seek it. She never asks for praise, but simply lives loving others as much and as deeply as she can. She is such an incredibly intelligent, smart, and beautiful person. We have many similar tastes and likes and dislikes. She encourages me daily and my only hope in life is that I can be as supportive of her and Mr. E as possible. We have been through thick and thin...tough times and good times. But we have always remained friends. Over the years, our friendship has developed and to this day, I can truly say our friendship means even more now than it ever has before. I just can't use enough words to describe how much I value our relationship. (BELOW: We worked together for one glorious year. It was so fun and I am so grateful for the time to re bond with her and try to be a better friend to her. This was at Disneyland for one of the conferences we went to...)

WHY SHE WAS CHOSEN: Mrs. E is one of my oldest friends. We share of love of many things and we share many memories. Beside not being able to picture my day without her, I simply couldn't imagine life without her. She was supportive and yet skeptical of Mr. Scott the way all good friends should be. However, she got to know him and grew to love him and value his love for me. She has supported us 100% and I can't imagine not having a person like that not standing next to us when we commit our lives to each other. I will never forget telling her I was engaged and watching her cry saying "I knew this day would come, yet I never thought this day would come!" and then laughed. She is seriously one of my favorite people in this world. I have been so blessed by God to have a best friend in her. (BELOW: Mrs. E at our wedding)

FIRST IMPRESSION: That Asian girl is such a wench! She is so snotty, I really want nothing to do with her." (Oh how times change!!!)

ABOVE: Mrs. E's wedding...

RECAP! Shower

2008-09-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

I realized that I had never posted about a few pre-wedding events. So before I really dive into my wedding recap, I thought I would post about the beautiful shower Mr. Scott's family threw for me. It was held down here in LA at a family friends house and hosted by his Aunts. The food consisted primarily of dessert (YUM!) and was attended mostly by Mr. Scott's family and family friends. It was such a blessing for me to be able to meet so many people who care so much for Mr. Scott and I was so honored to be thrown such a wonderful event with such wonderful people attending. Mr. Scott and I were definitely showered with gifts! More than that though, it was such a wonderful joy for me to be reminded that I am marrying into a wonderful family. Mr. Scott's family has welcomed me with open arms and I truly feel apart of their lives, not just that I am stealing there son. I can't imagine what it is like to have horrible in laws, or people you don't get along with because my experience is completely opposite. I am so thankful for that. First we played the "bag game". There were 21 different household items in individual brown paper bags and you had to guess what they were. The winner got to take everything home. I thought I would be terrible, but I ended up getting 20 of 21 correct!!!!

The food...My mother came down for the shower. It was a half surprise (I learned of it the week prior), but I was so touched that she could make it. Mr. Scott's mom and my mother get along extremely well and I am convinced they would be best friends if they lived closer. I think it was fun for Mr. Scott's mom to get to spend more time with my mother as well. This is Ms. B, my mom, me, and Mr. Scott's mom.This is Mr. Scott's Aunt Carol. She helped a lot with the shower and made our wedding cake! I adore her.I was SHOWERED with gifts! These were the beer glasses we registered for from Ms. J. I knew Mr. Scott would be excited.I got a very fancy nightie for night of from the mom of Mr. Scott's Band's old lead singer (did you follow that?). I LOVED IT!I was laughing at the back of this card which had a picture of Mr. Scott in Mrs. V's wedding years before. It was so special.This was a handkerchief from Mr. Scott's grandma. It was real Irish lace for his Irish lady. She had used as had three other generations in Mr. Scott's family for their wedding. It was to be my something borrowed.Here is me with Ms. B and my beautiful ribbon bouquet. :)

Suddenly a Mrs

2008-09-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, I have changed the blog title back! Because...suddenly I am a Mrs! I have to say it took a little getting used to. The whole idea behind the fact that I am Mrs. Scott now. Even at school when people say "Oh! You're married?!" I have to remind myself to say yes. :)

It's not that married life is really that much different at this point. Maybe when the new house, kids, safe white All-American neighborhood full of wasps becomes appealing to me...maybe then it will feel different. Maybe we just need a year to fully experience this whole "two become one" phenomenon that binds us together. Maybe we just need one more year of close intimacy for it to feel different.

Maybe not. After we were married, the only thing that felt different was the fact that Mr. Scott got to stay around for everything. it's great! But this simply feels like the next natural step...the next natural progression in our relationship. Mr. Scott makes me stronger and more confident. But I felt that when I was dating him.

Then again, there is a little something that is different. There is that fact that we come first in each others lives now, even before family. There is also a perk called benefits! Woo who! There is the benefit of insurance, but also of knowing you are the immediate next of kin. There is also the tax break that I am sure I will love come April. But above all, there is a social stigma that attaches itself to you once you are married. People look at you differently, treat you differently, and expect different things of you. I feel people expect me to be more grown up and mature than I feel now. I see them give me the once over when they realize my age. And of course, we are asked "out" much less than we were. We're married now..hence we are now boring or dull. Definitely not. :)

Needless to say, I was thinking and experiencing all of these things at Mr. Scott's groomsman's wedding, our at home reception, and law school orientation. So without further delay, here are some pictures from Mr. Scott's groomsman's wedding! This is me sitting with our friends waiting for the ceremony to start! This is Mr. Scott walking the MOB down the aisle. Isn't he handsome? And we finally got a picture of us (I had requested one all weekend!)

Falling off the face of the planet

2008-09-01T23:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I was told that once you get married, you fall off the face of the planet for a month. SO TRUE IT IS! Mr. Scott and I celebrated our one month anniversary a few days ago and have been living in wedded bliss ever since July 26th!

Here is a brief run down of what we have been up to:

1) We went to Jamaica and made it before they evacuated the tourists due to Hurricane Gustav! We also managed to avoid the Chino Hills earthquake down in LA while in Jamaica but for some reason got LA news on our TV in Jamaica and got to watch all the details.

2) We arrived home and moved in...sort of. We moved in but are still in the process of unpacking. We are hoping to have a housewarming / get together soon, but man is it time consuming and exhausting! I am hoping we don't have to move again for awhile.

3) I had orientation for law school and am about to start week three. Its not as horrible as I had imagined, but it is definitely keeping me busy. Mr. Scott has already been amazing and I am so grateful for him daily. It is my goal for him to know how much I love him and how grateful I am for his amazing selflessness and his incredible patience with me and school.

4) We saw one of Mr. Scott's groomsmen get married and experienced our very first wedding..post our wedding. Talk about a great experience!

5) We had out At Home Reception up north for my friends and family that weren't able to make it to the wedding. It was so laid back and fun and we really had a great time. My mother put in so much work and the credit really deserves to go to her.

6) Mr. Scott decided to start job hunting and is now in the market for a new employer, hopefully dealing with commercial real estate.

7) One of my very best friends Mrs. E and her husband moved back up north. It truly makes us sad to lose such good friends who lived so close.

8) We set the date for our Trash the Dress / Day After shoot with our photag. I adore him and am so excited to see all he has in store...more on this later.

9) We are truly disgustingly happy...Mr. Scott and I. :)

10) Finally, I have been so bad about posting over the last month. Its awful really. So if I still have some readers, bare with me while I work on getting back in the groove and updating life. I realized that this was such a great stress relief for me during the wedding planning and yet, I still need that release. So I will be trying to do some recaps on the wedding over the next few weeks. AND, if you're lucky, maybe you will even get some highlights from the above list. For now, I will simply leave you with one of my favorite things about being married:

I love that I never have to say goodbye at night. I love that Mr. Scott gets to stay! :)

JamaicianMECRAZY!

2008-07-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

We have arrived in Jamaica. Our flight took us most of the day yesterday, but we arrived last night to the wonderful scent of Jamaican Jerk Chicken and the chirping of tree frogs. PS The chicken was PHENOMENAL! We have FINALLY already started to relax and fully take it all in. We slept in this morning, made dinner reservations for tonight, and a couples sunset massage for tomorrow afternoon. It's going to be a great trip.

Anyway, we hopped on the Internet to email our families letting them know we arrived safely (and to let anyone who reads my blog know how happy I am), when we stumbled upon an email from our photag! I have to share, but he is such a tease. I am so blown away by his incredible talent. I can't wait to see the rest!!!! Also, he offered to do a Trash the Dress / Day After shoot for us for free! Mr. Scott and I are just...in awe. Sean and his wife Gina are just amazing wonderful people and we are so fortunate to have found them. Anyway, without further ado....here are some teasers from the amazing Sean!

I'm Getting Married!!!

2008-07-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today Mr. Scott and I are getting married. I am so excited to marry the love of my life.

Its so interesting because I have been waiting for my moment to hit...when I suddenly realize I get to be with this person who is so awesome for the rest of my life. And it hasnt happened. I have a theory. My theory is that I've already had that moment. It's called getting engaged. When I said yes to him, my whole life changed. I feel that these last six months have been a perfect opportunity for us to really prepare for our lives together. I don't have a moment because I'm ready. More than anything I am excited and happy to be marrying him. I can't wait.

T Minus three hours.

CRAZY!

2008-07-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

So, I am getting married in two days. Thats right...two. Im so sorry I am away and have been for so long. I still have so much to share and promise to do so...at a later date. Why? Well anyone that has gotten married understands there is just a lot that goes on in your last week. Let me recap where I am:

1) Just about everything is almost done. Today is my day to tie up loose ends. Lack of sleep up til now has actually proved useful.

2) Showering has fallen off of my priority list. Im just OK with smelling.

3) I havent worn makeup in close to a week. The bags under my eyes are starting to consume my eyes. Not a good sign.

4) Mr. Scott is tired and working hard. I love him more each day. However, I may need to reconsider number 2 if I wish to keep Mr. Scott. :)

5) I sugguest you try to process the concept of getting married before you are two days out. I cannot cram anymore to process into my tiny brain right now. Its full of vows, favors, and OOT bags.

6) Pay Kinko's to fold and staple our programs was the best idea ever

7) Having my mother and two sisters work non-stop on our wedding has been the biggest blessing and my gratitude extends beyond words.

8) Having Future In-Laws I like is incredible.

9) I'm pretty tired. I've started drinking coffee again...too bad my whitening will be all for not. Grind and Brew coffee maker, welcome back into my life!

10) I miss blogging. its such a stress relief for me. Hang in there crowd! Ill be back with plenty of details! I'M GETTING MARRIED!

Monkeys climbing on Branches

2008-07-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

So Ms. B and I are off to the flower mart today and to begin making our centerpiece mock ups! We wanted to use Manzanita branches as part of the centerpieces (the branches are amazing), but here is the thing: I'm cheap. You heard me. I am. You see, a three foot Manzanita branch at the flower mart in Los Angeles will run you anywhere from $15-$30. Where I grew up in Northern California, we had a backyard of Manzanita (much to my mothers dismay). But when I say a backyard, I really should clarify and say a forest. So the thought of paying $30 per branch when I had it in my backyard was sickening.Step in my Madre. She flew down last weekend for my shower and what did she bring with her? Manazinta. I love it! I am so grateful and it ended up saving us so much money in the long run. I promise to take pictures once I am done with the mock up, but in the meantime, here is Ms. B with our idea...

Hair Trials....Literally

2008-07-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

OK MR. SCOTT...YOU STOP RIGHT THERE!

I'M SERIOUS MR!!!

THESE FOR THE EYES OF FRIENDS, FELLOW BLOGGER, AND READERS ONLY!!! YOU MAY ONLY READ THIS AFTER OUR WEDDING....GOT IT?

OK, MAYBE I'M GOING A LITTLE OVERBOARD HERE...BUT I'M SERIOUS MR SCOTT! :)

Well, my first hair trial did go well (YAY!) but...it wasn't perfect. Let me walk you through this.

I went to Santa Monica to a salon called Forme Salon. They had some of the best prices on the west side for day of bridal hair...and really that is what was important to me. Anyway, I brought in some pictures. Let me be clear...I LOVED the back of my hair! But there are things I would

change. First...Pictures....Here I am san makeup and looking pretty gross and slightly cross-eyed all at the same time...it's a talent to look this good. Anyways, part one that I didn't like about my hair was the front. It just too boring and simple. It looks the exact same as what I look like when I go to work with a low bun. So...yes, we need to fix the front.

Secondly, I asked for a lot of body on the top of my head...in case you can't tell, I'll tell you it's not there. She had finished five minutes before and was already starting to sink...not good. So I may have her add an extension underneath the top of my hair to give it more lift. Then the real problems started...

After an hour, part of the back started to fall out...and then, I noticed how incredibly frizzy and gross the top of my head looked from all the teasing of it to achieve the body I wanted to badly...(see below)

I never showed a picture of the back, so here it is. Gorgeous right? All the curl that is pinned up is actually natural!

I went home and added my silk Gardenia to my hair...I love Gardenias. It looked pretty good. I couldn't add the veil because I was too nervous about Mr. Scott coming around. So at the end of the day I made a few decisions. It's OK that my hair started to fall out after only a half hour because 1) She didn't use that much hairspray and 2) the rest of it held up the entire rest of the day...including a ride in Mr. Scott's dad's hot rod at 85 MPH without a top on the car....can you say impressive? The things I have decided to do different are the following:

1) I will go in with my hair curly and not straight. I loved that my stylist didn't touch a curling iron to my head. I also have noticed that I have more body when I don't dry it straight. Further, I think having it curly in the front will help me not look so "everyday".

2) I will ask her to add some fake ...umph...to the top of my head to add some extra body.

3) I want the bun a little higher. It sat too far down and was literally sitting on my neck. I want a low bun, but it actually got hot to have all that hair there. I don't want it in the center of my head, but maybe a little higher

4) She needs to use a bit more hairspray without allowing the crunch factor...if that is possible.

5) My silk flower...I'm in love.

H2O is Better!!!

2008-07-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

On to DIY project two! Mr. Scott was wonderful and helped me put together out water bottles that will be in our OOT bags, as well as our ceremony site. We also made labels for our wine bottles which will be at the rehearsal dinner. They are VERY cute and as soon as I take a picture of those, I'll post one. In the meantime, here is Mr. Scott hard at work cutting the labels!

Here is a close up of all the labels (we fit four on a page!)

We used this adorable Nutrition Fact Sheet which said things that were extremely cheesy like..."Love...100%, Trust....100% Fear....0%" etc.

We just peeled off the labels, applied glue dots, and Voila! Our waterbottles! :)

The Sweetest Kind of Gift

2008-07-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

Alright! Today I promise and influx of posts! I feel like I have so much to share!!

Yesterday marked my last day at my office. :( It was truly bittersweet. I have been so fortunate to work with the wonderful people I have worked with and gain the experiences I have had. I am just incredibly grateful for it all. That was the bitter part...leaving them. But! There is a sweet part which is that I can dedicate myself 100% to all things wedding. So with that said, I shall begin my posting stories!! First up Charity Tokens!

Mr. Scott and I decided that we didn't want do traditional favors because we personally have never liked them and most favors cost a lot for no reason. Mr. Scott and I have also started to have a social conviction regarding the amount of money and waste that goes into weddings. So because of that, we decided our money was going to a good cause. While we have only picked one of the three charities (It's a lot harder to narrow it down then you would think), we have begun making the tokens. The idea was stolen from Mrs. Lovebug on weddingbee. At the time I didn't have a Xyron so I couldn't quite do the same thing she did, so I improvised. Below is a shot of all the supplies you will need.

Scratch paper, two colored ink pads, construction paper, hole punch, embossing powder in different colors, and embossing tool.

Since our colors are black and white, we made both black and white tokens. Step one, punch circles...

Step Two: Stamp each circle with desired stamp. Be sure it is nice and wet and then cover completely with embossing powder.

Step Three: Shake off the excess powder and apply heat from the embossing tool to the circle's ink and powder. Be careful of your fingers!

Once completed, you are left with wonderful tokens! :) The U is for our new last name and I LOVED the stamp. Once the tokens were complete, we put them into glassine bags and sealed them with a sticker the same size as the tokens with the same stamp. We will have three over sized Brandy glasses for each person at the wedding to go drop their tokens into. Each token is 50 cents and they can donate all six to one charity or break it up. We are really excited about how these turned out!

Elegant Elizabeth

2008-07-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

Has done it again! Elizabeth Anne Designs posted this board today and I had to share. Its so gorgeous!

See you in July?

2008-07-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

So I realized a promised a big post today but I forgot that Mr. Scott and I are going to see Coldplay tonight at the Forum here in LA. I am so excited to see them and have never seen them live before. It should be a good time. So instead...I will promise on tomorrow. I promise!!! In the meantime I will just fill you in on a few things that are going on to give you an idea of where my head is.

1) Mr. Scott had a fantastic time at his B party and came back very dirty and scruffy and tired. He was like a tall glass of water and I drank it in! :)

2) I got a lot of wedding stuff done thanks to bmaid Mrs. K. I have a surprise DIY project but I can't post it until after the wedding. I promise I will though!

3) I finally saw SATC with Ms. J, Ms. D, and Ms. JB...we had cosmos and then headed over. I realize I did nothing wedding related but it was so nice to just relax and take it easy and disconnect from everything wedding related for a night.

4) Mr. Scott's family threw me a beautiful shower on Saturday. Ill have pictures soon. I just feel so incredibly blessed to be welcomed in to such a wonderful family.

5) I went to our venue...things are looking good!

6) I got to see my mommy all day on Saturday!!! It was so much fun to hang out with her (OK, drag her around all day with me doing errands) and I was so grateful she got to come to the shower. I love my mother incredible amounts and things just aren't the same during this wedding time without her. Hooray for her coming down early!

7) I am majorly slacking on thank you notes...majorly!

8) We have lost our day of coordinator. I don't want to talk about it just yet...

9) I have wanted to post pictures for a really long time on my blog and haven't...sadness

10) My last day of work is Wednesday! Then my full time job becomes all things wedding.

11) Lastly, I was trying to catch up with thank you notes this morning on my train ride to work. I caught myself writing "Can't wait to see you in July!" And then it hit me...it is July. Mr. Scott and I will be married in less than two weeks. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I cant! And I can't wait!

2008-07-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

I have been so swamped at work lately and on the home front. Of course I am swampped this close to the wedding...Murphy's Law! I swear! Anyway, I am really REALLY going to try to post some pictures of finished products and little DIY stuff I have been doing. This weekend is Mr. Scott's bachelor party and I am SO EXCITED for him. His two best friends also happen to be his two best men and are planning the event. I am sure it is going to be the ultimate guys weekend. I am so grateful that Mr. Scott has such wonderful men in his life and more than that, that I soon will get share them too. It is such a treat when you get a whole new group of friends because they have relationships with and love the man you love!

Anyway, I hope to get a lot of good stuff done this weekend while he is gone and hope to get a big post together for Monday. Regardless, I will try to post a few details prior to this weekend of past events. Ill get to it tomorrow? Bad blogger, I know. In the meantime, here are some AMAZING inspiration boards that have already inspired me from weddingbee.

And another tasty morsel from Tastefully Entertaining...pun intended! :)

Toast Master!

2008-07-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Martha had these great champagne flutes on her blog the other day! I L-O-V-E the Edge ones!

Child's Play

2008-07-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Mr. Scott and I are still young and not too many of our friends and family have kids that will be coming to the wedding. But I was still inspired while reading through my Google reader today and decided to show some creative ideas to really entertain your small guests and keep them involved in your big day. First a little favor for the little ones.

Australian Entertains

Great idea for a centerpiece!Candy Spirit

The Knot

Creative table numbersLilly Darby

You and Your Wedding

Wedding Organization!

2008-07-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well, let me start by saying if Russell + Hazel had come out with this beauty before I started planning, you better believe I would have rushed out and gotten it. However, they have graciously given us broke as a joke brides access to some of their organization power! All their templates are available on their website! Look here!

In the meantime, I will just say that there are some things to look forward to. This weekend, I had my hair trial, finished our water bottle labels, started our OOT stuff, started our programs, redid our budget a bit, moved in some more, and took a bit of time to relax. Ill have more posts to come about all the goodies! Stay tuned for tomorrow!

Black and White all Over!

2008-07-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Style me Pretty always has amazing inspiration boards. As I am a sucker for anything black and white, I decided to share!

Feeling Patriotic anyone?

2008-07-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE! Mr. Scott and I are off to hang out with Ms. J and her BF by a BBQ and pool for the day. Then it's off to Mr. Scott's parents for fireworks. I was feeling very patriotic and Sparkalatti had a great fourth inspired board.
Style Me Pretty has done it again! So I leave you with their blue, white, and black inspiration, with promises of returning soon!

Vintage me this!

2008-07-03T13:14:00.001-07:00

Southern Style Weddings posted this board and I LOVED it!!! I had to share.

Showers coming down on me!

2008-07-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well, though I still have not received photos from various friends regarding my bachelorette party, I did finally receive some pictures from my WONDERFUL Tea-Themed shower that I thought I'd post. There are a lot so bare with me. :) First off, then details. Look at this BEAUTIFUL table! Ms. B really out did herself. The colors were navy and yellow (two of my favorites). I loved her creativity and presentation.

The flowers had jeweled initials that read K-M-U for my first, current last name, and new last name!

This is my first picture of the food table until...

I realized they weren't done bringing it all out yet! Tea sandwiches, fresh fruit, freshly baked scones, veggies in dip, some of the best tea I have ever had, and this delicious soup served in martini glasses (which I failed to get a picture of). I loved how creative she got with her presentation. She also added peonies on the food table because Ms. B knows how much I love them. They were pink (which Ms. B knows I don't particularly like) but their fluffy goodness made the pink completely worth it!

I had to put this picture of my grandma in. There is no purpose other than to show how much she hates having her picture taken!

After our tea, we played a few games. The first one was a fill in the blank of old wife's sayings. Like "home is...where the heart is." "A penny saved....is a penny earned." Here we are hard at work.

Mr. Scott's mom won this round! She later confessed that she doesn't care about the prizes and just secretly loves winning!

My favorite aunt won Bridal Bingo!

Next came the gifts! And can I just say how blown away I was? People's generosity continues to amaze me!

My mom brought her wedding veil for me to wear. It just so happens that that weekend my family decided to show me all of their wedding clothes etc. I almost wish I would have known about it all before I bought my things because I still think I could have reused a lot of it!
While I opened presents, we played another game. Ms. B had called Mr. Scott and asked him a few questions. I had to guess the answers. I have no idea what I was laughing at below, but I LOVED this Anthropologie Apron Mrs. E's mom sent me! It totally matches our red, black, and white kitchen. That and it is the first apron I have ever owned.
I got an answer wrong so I was hiding behind an antique fan my mother gave me for my wedding day. The question "If Mr. Scott could be any superhero, what would he be?" My response, "Ohh that's a tough one because he was a big nerd and liked to read comics. It's either Superman or Batman...hum...I'm going to go with Superman and yes that is my final answer." It was batman.
The INCREDIBLY talented Ms. Elle gave Mr. Scott and I a beautiful picture frame. And inside, was a sketched picture that you will find in the corner of my blog. She is so talented and I just know I will cherish this picture for years to come. Mr. Scott's mom suggested I find a place to display the picture somewhere at the wedding and I think it's a great idea! I wish the picture was a little better so you could see it.

Here is Ms. B with our party favors...Lingerie Lollipops! :) She is just so creative. Doesn't she look lovely?

And at the end of the day, here is everyone minus Brenda who was taking the picture. THANK YOU LADIES SO MUCH! It was the BEST shower a girl could ask for! And a special thanks to my mother, Ms. B, and Ms. Elle who really pulled the whole thing together and worked effortlessly to shower me in style. I cannot express how amazed I was!

A few look

2008-07-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to lighten the look of my blog. I'm getting married in less than a month and the looming dark blue was kind of depressing, so I changed it. I thought I would post a few more pictures of hair I like. Im still open to ideas as the trial is this Saturday! Don't be mad...but I forgot to note some of my sources again!

I stole this from one of the bees on Weddingbee and now I cannot think of who it is...so I am so sorry Miss ___?

I love this look. I know this may sound weird, but I always wonder if the hair I like on blondes will look different on me because I am a brunette. Hum...

Gotta love a look that looks great from every angle!

BAD BLOGGER! BAD!

2008-07-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much what I feel like yelling at myself right now with how inconsistent I have been blogging lately! But honestly the past few days have been insane! Let me give you a quick recap:

Friday: night I left work a little bit late and headed to LAX to catch my flight to San Francisco for my shower. I had plans to visit one of my best friends Christopher but as my flight was delayed an hour, I ended up getting home at 12:30 and not being able to visit.

Saturday: I woke up and ran a few errands. My dad and I drove to pick up my future mother in law (FMIL) from her friends house to go to my shower. I think it was really nice for my dad to finally get to meet someone beside Mr. Scott in Mr. Scott's family. :) Then we headed over to my grandmothers house for my shower where my MOH Ms. B really REALLY outdid herself. EVERYTHING was absolutely beautiful and perfect. I couldn't ask for anything more. Truly. As soon as I get the pictures back from various cameras...I promise to dedicate an entire post to how amazing it was. After the shower, I drove my FMIL back and then hung out with Ms. Elle for a few hours, chatting it up. (We hadn't seen each other since I got engaged!). Then it was off to dinner with my Aunt, mother, MOH, Grandparents, and brother. After dinner I went over to my neighbors house (their mother is like my second mother) to hang out and catch up. By the time I hit the hay it was 2 AM!

Sunday: Woke up and got breakfast with my mom and siblings. Mom and I traveled around the bay shopping. I bought jewelry for my Bmaid's gifts, found my wedding earrings!, and was able to return six giant boxes of shower presents I couldn't fit on the plane. Now, I do not work for Bed Bath and Beyond nor do I get paid for saying things like this, but let me just say how much I L-O-V-E them! They have been so easygoing and made everything virtually painless. Not only did they return all six of my boxes, they then re-bought everything for me online and had it shipped to my house with FREE shipping so I wouldn't have to go back to the stores in LA to repurchase everything. (SO AWESOME!) AND! the one item they couldn't find online, they simply shipped to my house from their store free of charge. I seriously have a crush on them. After that, Ms. B and I were off to the airport for our flights home. Our flight was again delayed an hour and half and I ended up getting home close to midnight.

Monday: Worked all day and then began moving all night. Got a lot done, but got to bed late.

Tuesday: Woke up and had a dress fitting. This did not go as well as I thought. But then, this may require a little background information, which...maybe I should dedicate an entire post to. Regardless, the sleeves looked nothing like what I wanted and my dress suddenly didn't fit. Now, Ill admit I do not frequent the gym all that much, but I have also not gained that much, if any, weight since my last fitting. The only thing I could think was that when they fixed the bodice, the dress got smaller. My only option now may be to either loose five pounds, or go commando to save the inches...thoughts anyone? After my fitting, my FMIL and I were off to Costco to grab things we needed for our OOT bags. I got all sorts of goodies and cant wait to put them together! After that, we loaded my FMIL van with stuff from my apartment to move it to my new place when we suddenly found out that Mr. Scott had copied the original apartment key and it was a bad key! We were locked out! With nothing left to do but wait for Mr. Scott to get off work to give us a key, my FMIL and I went and got massages. I must say that it was SO relaxing and so nice to just sit still for a bit and have someone work out the knots that have been building in my back over the last few months. Of course, once this was over, it was back to moving into the new place all night. Everything I own is now sitting in our new place in boxes...I am wearing one of the few items not in a box to work today.

SO needless to say, I've been a little busy. If you are tired just from reading this (which you should be!), then you can imagine how tired I am from living it! :) I promise to be back to full blog post mode soon. Thanks for your patience and love!

Do the Do?

2008-06-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

This coming weekend I am going to begin my my first hair trial. I am actually really excited to see how it turns out. As such, I have started looking for inspiration to bring in. These are some of the exciting celebs that inspired me...below I love the volume of the hair and the makeup!Kate has a classic style and grace that I hope to copy day of.

I LOVE Catherine's hair too.

I stole this inspiration board from weddingbee. But I love inspiration.

I stole this hair from a knottie girl and I love her hair.

Hum decisions decisions....

Meet Maid "Ms. Kryland"

2008-06-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

My Meet My Maids series continues with Maid Ms. Kryland!

I heart Ms. Kryland!

When we met: We met when Ms. Kryland was in fifth grade. Our parents were dating. She was wearing a baggy T-shirt and spandex shorts and all I kept thinking was what a fashion disaster!

What I love about her: We share a name! But more importantly, Ms. Kryland really loves Jesus. Like a lot. She is so passionate about the poor and seeks to love others with a humility and relentlessness that inspires me daily. I love that she tries not to let society get the best of her and that she strives to seek the unloved and unwanted. I also love how funny she is without trying to be. I like how she sends me pictures of her poop and tells me funny stories that only could happen to people like her. I love that she is usually extremely joyful and fun to be around. And above all, I love that she loves me for what I am and what I am not. Our parents may have gotten married together other, but as the saying goings "Sisters by chance, friends by choice." I have definitely found a good one in her.

Ms. Kryland and I at Mrs. E's wedding reception. (She helped me avoid the creepy photographer and was the only person to dance with me all night.)

Why she was chosen: Ms. Kryland and I have an extremely special relationship because we connect on such a different level than I can with other people. We can spend hours debating issues or talking about life in general. One of my fondest memories will be spending time with her in Spain on the beach and in cafe's journaling. I will never forget that time in my life and will always remember that as a moment when she became more than a friend or sister and truly because a best friend. I truly respect her and love her. More, she has been an avid supporter of Mr. Scott and I from day one. She is so excited to welcome him into the family and I have appreciated all of her efforts to get to know him, support us, and welcome him into the family.

First Impression: "Who is this albino chick in spandex that is super excited to meet people she barely knows?"

Ms. Kryland and I at her College graduation two weeks ago.

Moving and Shaking

2008-06-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight I begin the second part of Mr. Scott's and my new life together (Part One was simply getting engaged)...moving into our new place. It's so hard right now to stay focused because the market is horrible and hence a perfect time to find a place to buy. However since Mr. Scott and I have no money, it looks as though renting will be our thing for the next few years. We found a great 2 bedroom 1.5 bath that actually has a lot of space. I have to be out of my apartment (goodbye roomie! :( ) by Tuesday next week. So tonight begins the packing and this weekend, Mr. Scott will be moving my stuff in while I get showered in SF.

Honestly, I am actually pretty excited to move. I will miss Ms. K but I am excited to move into our new home and begin creating a new family with Mr. Scott. As my current apartment is already overrun with all things wedding and Mr. Scott is not moving in until after the wedding, I have decided that I have no intention of "moving in" or unpacking until after its all over. Then I can really "set up house". I kinda can't wait!

Crawling up Branches!

2008-06-24T15:25:00.001-07:00

Ms. B went to the flower mart this weekend and bought branches to make a mock up of our centerpieces during fourth of July. This has of course inspired me to look for more branches….

Also, look how amazing this cake table looks!Cake table stolen from Ritzybee and branches stolen from WeddingBee.

I am so Lucky (especially for being Irish!)

2008-06-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

I just returned from the most wonder bachelorette party a girl could ask for! My girlfriends are amazing and I am so fortunate to be surrounded by such love, friendship, and support. I’ll post a few shots and details soon, but in the meantime, let me just say how honored and loved I felt. The whole weekend was perfect and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect time with the ladies.

Moving on, lately it’s been hitting me how soon I will be a Mrs. It’s actually pretty crazy to think about all the changes that are coming and how far we have come. People have often told us to “enjoy” our engagement time. Mr. Scott and I are getting married so quickly after our engagement that it’s honestly been a little hard to enjoy it because there is just so much to do. We have really tried to enjoy it though and I am so proud of us both for taking time for each other and to maintain the proper perspective throughout this whole process.

In a little over 30 days, I will marry my best friend and truly the love of my life. I cannot imagine being without him and the love he gives me. I feel so blessed by God both to have received this gift, and to have been able to focus on the commitment we are making to each other before God during this time in our relationship. We still have so much left to do and plan…LIKE A LOT! but we just have so much to be grateful for. Often, as I read all of these wedding blogs, I hear about these awful tragedies….floods or the power going our during the wedding, or a photographer just not showing up. We have yet to run into a single problem and it just fills me with gratitude to God for his faithfulness and provisions. OK OK, enough with the sappy emotion and on with the inspiration, DIY, and planning…I'll be back later.

SWPW

2008-06-20T16:53:00.001-07:00

So I never posted details about our Super Wedding Planning weekend. First off...our tasting! The champagne was fabulous! The house white was good and the house red was less than impressive.

Then we tried the house salad which actually turned out to be our favorite!

Then we had our main course...Chicken Dijonaise with red rosemary potatoes. We asked to change the veggies to asparagus for both the look and taste. This is us looking very satisfied after our tasting!

Then it was off to get our marriage license. I was obviously very excited!
YAY! It's official! We have 90 days to get hitched...hooray!
This weekend my maids have planned a super bachelorette weekend! I will have a full report when we are done.

Meet Maid "Ms. K!"

2008-06-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

My "Meet the Maids" series continues. Now I must warn that I have three "K's" that are bridesmaids. However, one is Ms. Kryland, one is MRS. K, and the third is Ms. K. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, MS. K!At Ms. K's Birthday last year

When we met: Ms. K and I were both RA's (HA because she was in a different college...UCSD has a weird college system, don't ask!). I think the first time we actually met was at the beginning of the year during all campus RA / HA training. However, I don't remember her. I am also sure that during one of the many on campus events I ran into her...but I don't remember meeting her then either. When I do remember meeting her was when we were RA's together at a summer camp in June 2004. Academic Connections. Through all the craziness that went on that summer, Ms. K and I really really bonded together. She is such a special and wonderful person and I truly love the woman she is. Which leads us toAt the midnight showing of Harry Potter 5 last year

What I love about her: She loves Harry Potter! But mostly, I love that Ms. K because she is so dedicated and loyal to her friends. I am a big talker and tell long stories and Ms. K never gives me anything but her undivided attention. Food, again, is a big part of our relationship and if you ever meet us, be sure to ask about our "Just Keep Eating" stories. They're great! Also, I love Ms. K's tenacity and dedication to things she loves. I love that she is not afraid to be a tomboy or a girl-girl and that she has a lot of knowledge about random things. I love that we can hang out and do nothing and still have a great time, or go out and be the life of the party. I love that Ms. K is no drama and hates drama girls and that in our entire friendship we have rarely fought. She is definitely my favorite little Jew!

Why she was chosen: Ms. K and I have been through each others relatively short yet extensive dating histories. She has seen heartbreak and happiness. Ms. K has been there since day one of Mr. Scott and I meeting and has supported us 100% through it all. As my current roommate, she has gone above and beyond to lend a helping hand and listening ear. Her patience (especially lately) with my lack of time is incredible. Not to mention, I had to have Ms. K around for her "no nonsense, no stupid white frilly girliness that means nothing to your big day" attitude. :)

Post a glass of wine and three hours of trying to write my law school admissions essay and right before Ms. K's office Holiday party. (Obviously she looks a lot better than I do!)

First Impression: "Oh my! I really hope this girl doesn't think it's gross that I just shook her hand after she just got out of the bathroom stall."

Colored Shoes!

2008-06-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

I found a picture of exactly what I was looking for from photographer Laura Kay! Thanks!

Ceremony Comfort

2008-06-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking regarding what will make our guests more comfortable. I saw the photo below and already knew I was doing this. While I had of course though about the parasols, I had not given thought to having SPF or fans there. Since I am planning on getting parasols in Chinatown, why not grab a few fans as well? I love how each SPF bottle is individually decorated.

Then I saw this board from Fashion Me Fabulous and knew instantly that I wanted all of my bridesmaids to wear fun brightly, colored shoes under their long black dresses! How much funwould that be? I'm thinking different colored peep toes...?

Finally, I saw these invites and LOVED them! It's a good thing I already ordered mine and sent them out!
Invites courtesy of Green Paper Company. I forgot which Knottie Bio I stole the first picture from.

Vintage Inspired!

2008-06-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well I survived our Super WPW, and I will update more on that later. In the meantime, I have to confess I have been overwhelmed with how much I LOVE anything Vintage right now. Throughout this process, everyone tells me my style is "classic and vintage". With that said, let me show you my thought process these last few weeks. I give you Snippet and Ink's AMAZINGNESS!
Also, I have become obsessed with birdcage veils. My dress doesn't allow me to sport one, but I am warning you that if I find one, I may need to then purchase a going away outfit to then wear one. I love this first one from birdcage veils.Finally, I have been, and will continue to be, obsessed with old fashioned coupe champagne glasses. I have always loved them and the thought of toasting with some at my wedding is almost too delicious for me not to go out and buy some. Lucky for me, my already stretched pocketbook is keeping me from doing so!

Waterford Crystal Lismore Essence Champagne Saucer $80 each Ebay has a set of 8 for $232 plus shipping

Super WPW

2008-06-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

It's my Super Wedding Planning Weekend! Here is what is on my list:

* Dress Fitting
* House Hunting
* Reception Food Tasting
* Meeting with Site Coordinator
* Meet with Wedding Coordinator (sorta)
* Look for places to take portraits post wedding
* Work on more DIY projects
* Meeting at Rehearsal Dinner Venue

I'll keep you posted and let you know how it all goes!

Something Old, Something Blue

2008-06-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well I officially finished one of my DIY projects last night and decided to share with you all. I have a lot of bridesmaids...7 to be exact. I realize for some people that is too many, but after reading a wedding ettique book, I learned that for a formal evening wedding, anywhere from 6-12! bridesmaids is acceptable. So I felt much better.

Anyway, as there is 7, I couldn't ask my bridesmaids to help me with my "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, & a sixpence in your shoe". So I decided to ask the ladies of Mr. Scott's family and my family to help me. I basically assigned each woman a different category. Mr. Scott's Mom, Mr. Scott's Grandma, my Mom, and my Grandma are all very special women and I cannot wait to see what they come up with. I put them in the mail already so I have no problem posting about them. :) SO, here is my first completed DIY project details!

I started with blue cardstock and used a silver ink with one of my border stamps from Paper Source to line the edges.Originally I had printed the note I had written on the vellum paper but soon realized it would be harder for people to read. (The close up below shows the fun print on the vellum paper.)So using my paper cutter, I placed a sheet of white paper behind the vellum with glue dots. (I could probably write a whole post on how much I LOVE glue dots!)
Then I simply punched two holes at the top and attached the vellum. TA DA! My completed notes to the ladies!

Meet Maid "Ms. J"!

2008-06-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well, another installment of "Meet My Maids". This week is Ms. J!(Please ignore Ms. D's face in the background)

When we met: Ms. J and I met through Mr. Scott. She and Mr. Scott have been friends for a very long time and while her boyfriend is one of Mr. Scott's Men, she has actually known him longer. We first met at a bar in Santa Monica. I was out for a night on the town to meet all of Mr. Scott's friends and was soooo nervous about making a good impression. She struck up a conversation with me and made me feel so comfortable that I instantly liked her. Our friendship has only grown from there.

What I love about her: Ms. J is so much fun to be around. She and I never look for things to do because life is exciting when she is around. She is so creative and brilliantly talented and I love watching her create projects, paintings, and photography. Almost a "Jill of all Trades". Our personalities are extremely similar in our sense of humor, fun, and even in how we deal with problems in life. She has become a close friend very quickly and a huge support of Mr. Scott's and my relationship. I have appreciated her advice and wisdom, patience, and love. Ms. J is also my "girl amongst guys." As most of Mr. Scott's friends are single right now, there is a slight shortage in women we all hang out with. It has been nice to add some estrogen to our group and have someone there that understands me better than other people.

(Us at our "Bad Christmas Sweater Party" last year)

Why she was chosen: Ms. J was chosen because of both our friendship and her friendship with Mr. Scott. She has been a good friend to us both, as well as a cheerleader for us, confidant, and friend. We have become so close in such a short time and I know our friendship is only going to develop further from here. I cant wait to continue making memories with her!

First Impression: "There is a fiery lil redhead over there who is giving me the eye. I hope she doesn't hate me."(I am still unclear why my friends have this thing with getting in the background of my pictures. :) )

Broache This!

2008-06-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

I am still awaiting the arrival of my bridesmaids dresses. I'll be honest...I do not think these are the prettiest dresses ever and I am not in the bridal mode of "I LOVE THESE DRESSES!" and I also do not think the girls could shorten them or wear them again. However, I think being a bridesmaid as often as I have has caused me to hate anything that has to do with a bridemaids dress. With that said, these past the price quota and the "It'll do" test, so we ordered them. We bought them online because they were 50% cheaper than buying in store. Though we did go into a store to try them on first and I am SO GLAD we did that.
Moving on. The dress originally was designed in all black with a white sash. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the white sash, and since it was attached to the dress, I opted for black on black thinking I could always add a sash. Well this sash idea has certainly stuck with me and once i found these fabulous broaches for a VERY decent price, I couldn't resist!
All photos courtesy of someecards and Pugster.

We're Back!

2008-06-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

We had a FABULOUS time in B-E-A-UTIFUL Seattle. It was a little cold and we substituted fun 80 degree southern CA weather for cold 45 degree weather, but it was totally worth it! I have really missed my family and it was so nice to spend some quality time with them. I also really felt like we got a chance to spend some time with Ms. K even though she was the sought after Hostess of the weekend. It was so special for Mr. Scott and I, and Ms. B and her BF to hang out with Ms. K. We loved it.

As for the wedding, I spent both flights re-organizing my wedding binder so that it is more useful and I am more organized. I wrote down some deadlines and dates for DIY projects, made a few lists (I love lists) and started making some preparations. So tonight, I am off to finish organizing my apartment, finish organizing my binder, and continue work on my charity tokens. I want to finish them by this weekend. So I will come back tomorrow with lots of wedding inspiration. Until then, I leave you with a picture of my fabulous Ms. K sista...in her very "sista-like" pose. I love her!

Tid Bits to Inspire

2008-06-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

So this post will be short today as I am off to sister Ms. K's college graduation in Seattle! YAY! I am truly so excited for her and while I know she is concerned with not knowing what she wants to do with her life, I have every confidence in her that she will be fantastic. I admire her so much because of all she does and the person she is. I know it may stress the fam out that she doesn't have a "real job" yet, but I appreciate the fact that she is looking for something to be passionate about...something that she can truly be dedicated to. So I will say GOOD LUCK Ms. K! AND CONGRATULATIONS!

Moving on, here are a few boards I have collected over the last two days. While only a part of the board I love, I am really digging these ideas.
This is by John Partridge photography. I think he has an incredible talent, but the main reason I picked this was for the draping of the sheet across the chairs and lining the aisle. It's so differnt and I love it. I wonder if it would be too hard for me to on my aisle? Or too expensive...
These next two photos above and below are from photographer Nguyen Tran. I love the bouquet above. The "dusted"color of the flowers above. Very romantic and clean. The sparkle shoes on the other hand? A bit much for this girl. The board below is just amazing. I love the menus wrapped up like little waiters, the gorgeous floral design on the escort card table, and the escort cards themselves. The little ribbon on top looks amazing!I'll be back soon with more, for now, I'm off to the Emerald City!

Great Expectations

2008-06-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

With less than two months to go, I am starting to feel the pressure. This of course got me thinking about expectations.

It has forced me to think about these great expectations that we brides set for ourselves. I am completely guilty of leaving no stone unturned when it comes to seeking out the “perfect” ideas that will knock our guest’s socks off. I pore over wedding blogs every day, trying to grab bits of inspiration that will make our wedding a conglomeration of magnificent ideas and personal touches. Some days, I am excited and thrilled with all of the possibilities and awesome ideas I have piling up. And other days, I just feel exhausted from it all. I see photo after photo after photo of all of these gorgeous weddings in exotic locations with charming little everything and I feel like I’m a failure of a bride if I do not produce something amazing!

These are the days I have to remind myself to step back, prioritize, and not obsess over every. single. detail. These are the days that I escape from it all by cuddling on the couch with Mr. Scott, or going for a run that forces me to breathe deeply, or even taking a walk with Mr. Scott and point to all the interesting things on our journey. And suddenly... I’m reminded that what it’s all about. Not the perfect invitations or the perfect signature cocktail or the perfect jewelry or the perfect perfect perfect…. it’s about the perfect guy for me and how perfectly happy he makes me, and how perfect our wedding will be to us — not because of all the details, but because it’s that’s ours.

That’s not to say that I don’t love gorgeous cakes, or adorable favors, creative reception designs, or fantastic shoes, or drool-worthy stationery. And while there’s nothing wrong with trying to add lots of personal touches and fabulous finishes to our wedding, I do have to learn to focus on our big picture instead of everyone else’s big picture that I want for myself. And at the end of the day, I look at Mr. Scott and it's all worth it. I am marrying the man of my dreams, my love and the one who surpassed all my expectations. How great is that?

Cake Stands

2008-06-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Style Me Pretty had a great post today on cake stands and I really liked it because it got me thinking about our cake (OK, it's not OUR cake. It's an April Reed cake, but I LOVE her cakes and it is the style we are designing our cake after):

Mr. Scott and I had considered a cake stand and decided it wasn't worth the extra expense or work. However, this post made me think about actually getting one and maybe even making it myself. Then Mr. Scott mentioned that he felt that the cake may actually look weird without a stand and that that was one of his favorite parts of the cake. So I am going to check with Mr. Scott's Aunt who is making our wedding cake and ask if she has one. If not, maybe I can make a fun one myself!Pictures from April Reed and Style Me Pretty

Hair Power!

2008-06-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

"If you're going...to San Francisco....be sure to wear some flowers in your hair."

OK, so while I grew up in the Bay, I am not officially getting married there. However, I have always known I would wear flowers in my hair for the day of the wedding. My grandmother often shows off her Kleptomaniac side by plucking random fresh flowers anywhere we are and adding them to her hair. I have always thought it makes her look young and fresh and classy...what I want to look like on my wedding day. I thought maybe I would wear a fresh orchid in my hair due their simple beauty and durability...but once I saw these SILK FLOWERS below, I have begun to rethink my plan.

Perhaps the white Lilly above? Or maybe the magnolia below?

But what about a Ranunculous? It would be white of course!While I love peonies, I am not so excited about the silk rendition...I stumbled upon Butterfly Enchantress on Etsy and found this wonderful gem! Since we are using A LOT of Plumerias in our reception, how great to have them in my hair!But THEN! I saw my inspiration board...I just LOVE IT! It totally reminds me of the classy Jazz inspired era I am going for. This of course led me to think about GARDENIAS! How much more classic can you get then Ella or Billie wearing Gardenias in their hair while belting a sultry number. Or Greta Garbo dancing the night away with this stunner in their hair? I may be rethinking my original fresh orchid idea....

What do you think? Anyone that reads this blog (if anyone reads) have an idea? Next up...choosing a hair style...

As an FYI...the best silk flower shops I found beside Etsy, were GabbyMac and Hibiscus Flowers. All photos were taken from Gabby Ma c or Etsy. The inspiration board is from Style Me Pretty. Look I finally remembered to cite!!!

Inspiration

2008-06-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

I got a lot of inspiration this weekend on centerpieces. I loved the clustered look of these:

And I LOVED the branch look here. I would be curious to find out where they found these hanging tealights from.

Also, I have recently fallen in love with Peonies and Ranunculus flowers. These below are delicious! Enjoy!

As I have gotten SO BAD at saving sources, I vow to do so from this moment on. The flowers were from Faye and Greer but I don't remember the first two. My apologies!

Meet Maid "Ms. Elle"

2008-05-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-05-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-23T10:57:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-05-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-05-13T17:22:00.001-07:00

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?

2008-05-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-05-08T16:23:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-05-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-05-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

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

Accesorize me please!

2008-04-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

One of the really fun things for me about my wedding is all of the shopping I get to do. Let's see, dress, shoes (X3), Honeymoon shopping, lingerie shopping, new house shopping, window shopping (registry), arts and crafts shopping, reception (decoration) shopping, etc. I already have my wedding dress and shoes, and Ms. B gave me an ADORABLE white halter dress for my birthday that was exactly what I had been looking for for my shower! But I am still missing things for all of my other events.

Today marked my first day to begin looking for accessories and outfits! I need something to wear for my bachelorette party and something for a potential second shower with my FMIL and Mr. Scott? I need a new bathing suit and some honeymoon things. I still haven't decided if I am going to change into a "leaving the reception" outfit or stay in my dress. (Thoughts Anyone?) I definitely need more lingerie. But today we will limit it to my bridal accessories for day of.

How about a classic lace garter?

Or maybe a fun black and white polka dot?

(Can you tell I liked the polka dots?) Maybe one with fur?

Some classic elegance...

Or maybe I'll show off my patriotic side? (YUCK!)

When I started looking at earrings and bracelets (I won't need a necklace with my dress) I ran into a snag and stopped looking right after I started...do I go with diamonds or pearls? Hum...?
Photos Courtesy of Etsy.

Wedding Woes

2008-04-29T11:23:00.001-07:00

I will return to my hopelessly optimistic future Mrs. self tomorrow, but for today...here are some of my wedding peeves:

Top Ten Wedding Peeves of the Moment:

1) Unity Candles - whoever decided that this was the perfect addition to a Christian ceremony that HAD to be done...was on crack. I actually hate it. So you light a flame together...how on earth does that unify you under Christ? ridiculous...Also, I used to think sand would be cool only because you could keep it somewhere in your house afterward. Mr. Scott reminded me of several verses regarding the folly of sand and have henceforth linked sand ceremonies with unity candles....ridiculous! :)

2) Cheap wedding favors - NO ONE likes them or keeps them unless they are a hobbit...Such a waste of money

3) Crunchy wedding hair - you do not need to use a gas mask while doing your hair to be beautiful.

4) Wedding Junk Mail - You go to one bridal fair and your weekly contribution to global warming erupts

5) The fact that when you say the word wedding, all I see is $$ in people's eyes.

6) Bridesmaid dresses - have never, will never, like them. Period. I like mine, but even then part of me feels that I picked just to get it over with. I think being a maid too many times may have made me bitter.

7) People who do no RSVP - while I have yet to encounter this, I am sure it is coming...

8) Wedding Website - people not checking it for information and it not working properly sometimes furthering people's reasons not to check it.

9) Marriage pessimists - people who tell me not to get married, constantly mention high divorce rates, bathe in their singleness reminding mine is coming to an end. So annoying because I haven't been single for awhile now and frankly, Mr. Scott are making this for life...so there!

10) PREGO COMMENTS - we prefer (God willing) not to have children for a MINIMUM of five years. So start rooting for us and not against us!

Sorry, maybe I'm on wedding burn out. Ill be happy and back tomorrow! :)

Birthday Time!!!

2008-04-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed my birthdays. I do not understand people who say "I hate my birthday" because I don't. I think it is in large part due to the fact that growing up, birthdays were the one time we were allowed to spend that extra dime we didn't have. My mother had a knack for making our birthdays incredibly special without spending too much money and ever since then, I have always loved my birthday. I thought for awhile that it was selfish to celebrate the fact you were born. But I have come to realize that it is a celebration of life and all the good things life holds.

I have always imagined that my Golden Birthday would be a huge bash with lots of gold. I imagined my gold outfit and my gold shoes as 50 of my closest friends wined and dined. Once I met Mr. Scott, I had visions of a gold and silver party (his birthday is only 5 days after mine and he was going to be 25). Lots of friends and food and gold and silver! But since we have gotten engaged I have had neither the time nor the energy / motivation to plan such an event. I realized this is because I will be having the coolest bash ever already this summer. My wedding! So my original sadness of no golden birthday turned into excitement for my birthday. I won't bore you with too many details, but it was FABULOUS! and here are some highlights:

* My WHOLE family called me to sing (often alone) me the birthday song.

* My co-workers tricked me into thinking I was in trouble before bringing me to the conference room for cookie cake and fun

* Mrs. E (one of my Bmaids) drove from the westside to share a crepe with Mr. Scott, myself, and our two friends

* Mr. Scott made me the best birthday card ever! It was gold for my golden birthday and listed all things gold in my life (I take the gold line metro, Omar Vizquel is a gold glove winner, etc). He also gave me a beautiful golden bouquet of flowers. So sweet!

* I have a great crepe at a wine bar

* Scott surprised me with AMAZING sushi at the Geisha House in Hollywood and had my sister and her boyfriend come along. I hadn't seen them in a long time so that was awesome!

* One of my Bmaids and Mr. Scott's groomsmen threw all the April birthdays a BBQ at their place. SO FUN!

* I got a gift certificate from Grandma Mrs. Kelsey to BB&B hence showing me she discovered our registry.

* And when my birthday highlights are all done...Mr. Scott's birthday is Tues April 29! Yay Taurus!

90 Days and counting!!

2008-04-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

Ok so its really 89 and counting but this weekend marked the big three month mark. We still have have so much to do and so far to go but there is still some excitement over the fact that we could get our marriage license if we wanted hooray!!

Yes, Please!

2008-04-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

I popped open my registry today after realizing we were going to need a drying rack for laundry that cant be dryer dried, and low and behold look what I found!

I was so excited to learn that I got my super sweet mixer to allow me to bake all sorts of goodies for Mr. Scott. J I didn’t register for a stand mixer (much to many women I know dismay) because I didn’t feel I baked enough things that warranted a stand mixer. Not to mention the fact that I thought the money someone spent on the mixer could go toward to many other things we needed. (I did however make Mr. Scott promise that if I wanted one in a few years, he would get it for me for Christmas and my birthday) This in turn, made me check our Macy's registry instantly to learn that someone bought us 8 of our 12 5 - Piece place settings in our China. Can you believe it? I can't! And to think we almost didnt register for wedding china. I am already amazed at people generosity with us. My maids have been good enough to spend a pretty penny on the dress of my choice, Mr. Scott’s Men will be renting tuxs, our parents and my FILs (Future In Laws) are helping us financially and mentally, and here I run across a few brilliant gifts!

The fun thing about registering for Mr. Scott and I is the fact that we get to start from scratch. Both of us have had the opportunity to live with brilliant roomies who just happen to leave our apartments fully stocked! So while it meant we had to register for a few less “fun” items because we need so much, it did give us a chance to really envision our new lives together. Could I see us sleeping on these sheets or do I think a higher thread count is better? Will we hate an earth toned bathroom after a few weeks or love it for years to come? Our friends warned us that it would be our first big “engaged/wedding” fight, but it has actually been one of my favorite parts of the planning process. Some things I loved and Mr. Scott hated. Other things he loved and I said absolutely not. But we laughed at disagreements and always found a middle ground. We felt special walking around Macy’s and “shopping” for our new life. Bed Bath and Beyond was amazing to us as they all said a truly heartfelt “Congratulations!” and “Do you need anything?” as we walked around the store. They even let us stay past closing to have the store to ourselves. It has become our favorite registry place to date.

The most amazing part of all, however, has been this new gift. While I haven’t received it yet, I am so honored someone spent the money on us. We were told when we registered to “Register for anything you want! Don’t feel selfish or greedy because people really do want to buy you things! And sometimes, even expensive things!” I didn’t believe them really and it has hard for me at first to not feel guilty for registering for things. However, I love shopping. So getting something I “window shopped” for is so fun. I have no idea who got these for us, but I am so excited!

Photos courtesy of Bed Bath and Beyond

Bargains ands Dilemas

2008-04-18T10:40:00.001-07:00

So lately I have had a few fun wedding finds, but have most stumbled upon a few dilemmas. Most involving which DIY projects to do myself. I didnt make my wedding dress or bridesmaid dresses because I was concerned about time. I didn't do my invitations because I wanted them to be pretty and didn't have the motivation to really throw myself into that project. I do not regret any of those decisions. However, now I have entered into the questionable state of "what is my time really worth, and what is really worth my time?" dilemma of DIY projects.

My first find was in my veil. I found my veil a few days ago and I am SO EXCITED about it! It ended up being extremely simple and cheap ($60) because I found an Erica Koesler outlet in North Hollywood. Who would have known my dream veil was a "classic yet vintage style"...pretty much sums up what every vendor has told me about my wedding. :) Anyway, I, being in a very bridal mood, drove home and tried on both my dress and my veil at the same time. I was amazed at how well the veil I had just blindly bought fit with my dress...fabulous!

I also went to target where I found my $5 white flip flops I intend to wear for the reception. Couldn't be happier about that find. :) Starting thinking if I should purchase a few extra sets of flip flops to put out on the dance floor for people to use during the reception...hum....extra work or worth the extra?

Also started, insanely I am told, thinking about DIYing my flowers. Crazy? Maybe....need a lot of thought about this one. I am going to start my flower porn hunt tonight and see what I come up with.

Also DIYing my escort cards, menus, and programs. Want to start on those projects as soon as possible. Have already found some inspiration but now am on the hunt for the right materials. I could be crazy...

Don't like the idea of a unity candle. Like the idea of sand ceremony...but mostly because I would want to keep the sand somewhere in the house as a reminder of our vows. Mr. Scott reminded me of the verse that talks about not building your house on the sand but on the rock...hence decided against the sand. Don't know what else to do, but trying to get creative...

I haven't figured out what I am walking down the aisle to, but really want to try to sort through the music. I really like the idea of musical soundtracks as the idea of walking down the aisle to the Wedding March gives me visions of marching away from my groom not toward him. So, yeah...I'll need to work on that too...

So many dilemmas and I am realizing so little time. :) Tonight it's off to watch Mr. Scott's genius on the computer as he tries to mail merge our addresses onto our our envelopes. In the meantime, I'll keep you posted because apparently I have a long list of things to think about...

50 Years of History and Rivalry...

2008-04-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Today is the day we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Giants coming to San Francisco. I feel like everyone should be celebrating in the greatest city in the world, but I am unfortunately stuck in Dodger territory. However, birds are chirping and I can feel the spirit of SF within me. All creation seems to be cheering for the Giants as they beat the first place national league team (D-Backs) yesterday. (it gives me a glimmer of hope in a season that promises to be one of the worst in our history). With the Dodgers in last place, what more do I need to celebrate the Giants? Everyone should celebrate them...it's what Jesus would do...

Lance the Gay Crusader

2008-04-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Lance. The name itself reminds me of rainbow flags. J Our story begins on summer day…

Roomie and I were still looking for an apartment and Mr. Scott had graciously agreed to come along for the ride since he knew the area well. We found an apartment on Allen and after viewing it and deciding there was no way in hell we would live there, Mr. Scott and Roomie were basically on their way out. Not wanting to be rude, I waited at the stairs for the landlord to lock up. Our conversation went something like this:

“So what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a law clerk at a firm downtown. I’m in the process of applying for law school.”

“Oh my son is an attorney! He went to Pepperdine Law. VERY CONSERVATIVE SCHOOL.”

“Oh really? I applied to Pepperdine. What firm does your son work for?”

“Well, he used to work for a big firm and hated it. So he left and started his own firm, and now he fights for the gays.”

…silence because I am trying not to laugh….

“My other son is an attorney too and hated where he worked too. So he also quit his job and joined my son’s firm and now he fights for the gays too.”

I muttered something and left before I lost it and started laughing. We got in the car and I relayed the conversation to Mr. Scott and Roomie who promptly started laughing. We had visuals of this woman’s son with a long stick with a point on the end and a rainbow flag attached to it as he prance….er…marched around waving his flag. Honestly, who uses the term “the gays?” We tried to come up with a name for him and decided he was “Lance, the Gay Crusader.” Realizing we had no name for our beta fish, we named him “Lance, the Gay Crusader…the fish.” So that is how Lancey Pants got his name.

R.I.P. Lance….

Margarita Movie Mondays and R.I.P.s

2008-04-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

So after my Bridal weekend, I got home Monday tired from work and my wonderful roomie was home! I commented that now that the writers strike was over, I felt like I didn't spend enough time with her. So we decide a movie night was in order. This of course led to movie snacks (chips and salsa) which of course led to margaritas. Hence the naming of the night "Margarita Movie Mondays". We love it! And decided that the "Margarita" could change weekly...maybe to "Mimosa Movie Monday" or "Martini Movie Monday" or "Midori Sour Movie Monday"...you get the picture. We were going to watch "Bridget Jones Diary" until I realized it was the second one, and until I realized roomie had never seen "When Harry Met Sally". This of course gave me the opportunity to give her a "WHAT?! How have you never seen this??!!" which I love doing to a movie buff like her. :)

Tuesday night, we wandered over to Mr. Scott's Aunt's house to discuss cakes. :) Mrs. Scott's Aunt is a genius when it comes to anything cake and has graciously offered to make our wedding cake for our wedding. It was a great night and really fun! We talked about some of the biggest cakes she has made (one for 1,000 people!) and some of the funniest. We talked about how when Scott was little he always wanted dark colored frosting the joke each year became "What color should I tell the parents their children's poo will look like from the frosting?". And we heard a little bit more about their lives and stories. Mrs. Scott's Aunt lived in Alaska for awhile while her husband was a court reporter for JAG. We got to look through their wedding album and discuss how Mrs. Scott's Aunt made both her wedding dress and going away outfit by hand. And, Mrs. Scott's Aunt also has Mr. Scott's Grandmother's crystal. It is a BEAUTIFUL antique pattern...much prettier than anything we found in the store. She told us that if we wanted it, she would finish the set for us as wedding gifts, Christmas gifts, etc. It is honestly beautiful and I felt so honored to really start "becoming a part of Mr. Scott's family".

As we were leaving this fun night, I got a text message from my roomie, "Lance is dead." I was heartbroken. There is a very funny story about we got Lance and decided to name him that I just lost motivation to write (though maybe I will later), but the bottom line is that Lance was like our child. Lance, our Beta fish. So I got home and roomie and I played "Circle of Life" as we gave him a proper porcelain burial. Poor little guy. He had a good life. I will miss coming home to him.

Other than that, this week has been a slow week. I made some more progress on our bridesmaid dresses by finding a few styles I like and calling a few salons to see if they have them in stock. But really I have been waiting for the weekend where I hope to get most of our invitation stuff out. I'll keep you abreast of any new developments.

Bridal Breakdowns

2008-04-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

So this weekend I went in for my first fitting. It was a disaster. First off, my dress is a little tight. Not too tight, but I am definitely going to pop out a bit if I am not careful. Second of all, my bridesmaids (two different ones) had different things come up last minute and weren't able to come with me. I shouldn't have gone alone and I have learned that now, but I did. Finally, I got quoted more than the cost of my dress for alterations. Ridiculous! So I was on the verge of a breakdown. :(

Here's the background on my dress, I bought my dress for cheap. It's beautiful and I love it, but it was bought as a "mass appeal" bridal gown. From the first day I bought it, Miss B warned me that what I was sacrificing in price was potential quality. I listened intently but in the end, decided it was still worth it. Anyway, as I said, I loved my dress and still do. I think my issue Friday was that being alone and made to feel like a fool when they told me the cost of alterations was the first time my dress felt cheap to me. It hadn't before that moment but it did in that moment. So I got depressed and began to feel ugly and depressed that I wouldn't feel beautiful in my gown. Needless to say these are all things no Bride wants to feel in her gown.

So I drove home all upset and called Mrs. Mom. I explained everything and she made a few really good points: 1) Be thankful to God that your dress arrived so early! You will still have plenty of time for alterations. 2) Be grateful you live in LA near the fashion district where it shouldn't be too hard to find a seamstress. 3) Realize that you are doing some hefty alterations to the gown and that it is going to feel totally different when you are done with it. This made me smile and feel OK about the whole situation. So I went home and lounged on the couch cuddling for the rest of the night with Mr. Scott and feel much better about the whole thing.

But then my weekend get better! Our invitations arrived! So we spent most of late Saturday afternoon watching UCLA lose in the final four while drinking a glass of wine and assembling our invites. I am actually very excited about them! Above is the assembly process! Below is our names...they turned out much better than either of us expected.

Below is the actual invitation. Not as crafty as if I had DIYed them, but I still love them!

We also took a much needed break from wedding planning and went to the last LA Kings game of the season. They played the ever hated Anaheim Ducks. I have to say though, I love any sport where the mascot is allowed to make fun of the other team and people chant things like "F*** the Ducks!" It's a great sport and we (I) really got into the game. :) While we didn't get too much done and the quest for my bridesmaids dresses feels like it will never end, it was nice to get in a fun break. For now, the hunt continues...

The Grass is GONE!!!

2008-04-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

It wasn't really until last weekend that I became really bridal. My sister and MOH took me thing called "Soolip Wedding Faire". Now my sister kept pronouncing it "Sal-o-pah" which in French is the word for a dirty slut. I later learned the correct pronunciation is "Sue-Lip" which made me feel much better. Anyway, Mr. Scott and I had been to a bridal fair before and hated it. First, I felt awful for making him go with me. Second, all the vendors where pushing their services so strongly it was almost overbearing and awful! It was almost as if the organizers said to themselves, "Here! Plan your whole wedding in three hours!". Yikes. Finally, everything about the fair was so cliche and "Bridal". There was pink and tulle everywhere! And I did not see an ounce of creativity in the building. I have respect to these vendors that I am sure run a wonderful business, I am just not the type of person to hire a pushy person.

Anyway, Soolip was much different. Maybe it was because tickets were so expensive (my MOH got a GREAT! deal) or because it was the creme-de-la-creme of Los Angeles, but I left feeling very beautiful, the good kind of girlie, and very "bridal". It completely inspired me. As these vendors already make so much money, it was more about showcasing their work, talent, and creativity than it was about trying to get hired. Miss B and I got our names written in calligraphy, got a mini makeover by Aveda, ate a lot of H'ordervs, drank a few mimosas and glasses of champagne, watched a Caroline Herrara show, and ate a lot of cake! It was serious so much fun though. I posted a few pictures below.

Miss B and I in front of the "Bridal Bar" booth. They were handing out Mimosas all day! :)Miss B waiting for her closeup...er...makeup!

Waiting for my makeup!

After our makeovers!Talking with vendors...

At the cake tasting...though not surprising I did most of the tasting! :)

Waiting for the Fashion show to start...

Then it started!

This one was Miss B's favorite!

This one was both of our favorites!

Anyway, after that, we wandered over to a discount store to begin rummaging for good finds. While there, I ran across these black lanterns that I absolutely LOVED! I decided that the best way to use them was to line the aisle and to then move them to the reception. I'm going to place one on the bar, one near the guest book, a few on the patio outside, etc. I am actually so excited about these as I did not want to do a runner, but couldn't think of another way to create an aisle. I also found some great fabrics for our doorway and as a backdrop for our photo booth.

Then! As if my weekend couldnt get any better, I went to our venue to talk about a rehearsal dinner which we promptly decided was too much money. However, while there I learned two things. 1) We are allowed to use sparklers! This was one of the things I really wanted for our wedding and didnt think I was going to get to use, but we are!!! And 2) while there my coordinator informed me that "the grass is gone." I looked at her, completely confused until I realized she was referring to the Astroturf! One of the things about our venue that greatly concerned me was that there was Astroturf out by the gazebo. I was petrified of what it was going to look like as my stark white dress reflected the glow of green carpet. But low and behold, they tore it out because "it was too much of a pain to fix and repair". Praise the Lord!

Overall, it was a great weekend that really got me excited about the wedding and planning all that is wedding. I realized that while we still have A LOT! to do, things are coming along. One of my BM's (though I am sorry because I cannot remember who) told me, "Kelsey you have only been engaged for just over two months now. Think about all you have done, not all you have to do!". That has definietly kept my head above water. For now, I will be scanning my wedding bible, continuing my hunt for BMaid dresses, and attempting to sort through the rest of this mess they call wedding planning. Thank goodness I am organized! :)

Let them eat CAKE!!!

2008-04-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

I had a very productive weekend last weekend and one of things we talked about was our cake! :) Mr. Scott's aunt is a cake maker extraordinaire! so I am lucky enough to not have to hire a baker to do it. She has generously offered to make us a cake for our event as a gift to us. SO AWESOME! The next awesome thing is that since I have been to so many events with Mr. Scott that I have tasted her talents and they are goood! :) The only thing she asked for was more descriptions of what we wanted on our cake. So with that request, my hunt for the perfect cake has begun! Hence...cake porn!

This cake looks so real I didn't even realize it was a cake until I read the caption! So fun!

I liked the one on the right much more than the one on the left. For some reason the waves completely caught my eye...

All I can say is that I do like chocolate! Yum...there's already a rumbling in my tummy!

I loved the ribbons on this one and the subtle pearls around each base. Thought it was very chic!

I liked the simplicity. Granted this is a mini cake and ours would need to be much bigger...

I LOVE April Reed cakes! This one is beautiful...except I wouldn't have blue frosting...not my thing.

I like chocolate (above) and considered it for wedding colors for awhile and this is such a fun black and white cake that I had to put it up. I want to use black as more of an accent color so this got the ax. After looking at all of this though, I realized that I wanted something beautiful yet simple. So here are some of the finalists and some of my favorite details!
So it may look pink in the picture? Maybe it's just my monitor, but it is white. I like ribbons (obviously you can notice the trend) and I REALLY liked the bow ties!

Cake by Martha of course! But I loved it! The flowers are sugar and inspired me a lot!
Hence more sugar flowers. I saw these and thought "Sweet and homey yet classy" instantly.

The roses on this cake are beautiful and I thought the design on the ribbon added a rich look to the cake. I thought the design was amazing! It has a few too many roses for me though.

Cake by April Reed. This is my FAVORITE! Just enough detail yet still completely simple. Please share your thoughts and opinions on your favorites! I would love to know!

Some of these cakes are from people such as cakepower, the cakegirls, fayeandgreer, marylin's in the UK, and Judy Uson in Manilla. I tried to find the names of the artist to give credit but couldnt always find it so my apologies....

Stockings for my Cold Feet

2008-03-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

This is a long one so be prepared!

I do not have cold feet. However, I did need to put on some stockings this past week...

In the wedding planning there is a lot you have to get done. A lot! you have to buy a dress (which you would never guess but actually takes months), find a caterer, find a location to host all your people, decide which friend's place is overtaken by family as you trim an ever growing guest list, invitations, bridesmaids dresses, photographer, music, etc.

It can be a bit overwhelming. But something that is not talked about enough, is the emotional, financial, and spiritual process people go through of should go through in order to have a good marriage. Mr Scott and I have and are going through premarital counseling and this is definitely been already extremely beneficial. We have learned a lot of life tools that we will be using for years to come in our marriage. I can't recommend it enough.

However, something people don't talk to you about is the self preparation or as I like to call it, the "bitter sweetness" of getting married. The sweetness is that of being in a place in your life you never thought you would reach...of finding that person that loves you more than you thought anyone ever could and who's sentiments you match for the first time ever...of finding something that we all hard search for...of realizing you have someone to share you failures and successes with...of being in a place where forever doesn't ring doomsday bells in your head...of watching your dreams and plans suddenly include someone else. And of knowing that God is faithful to give you exactly what you need and help you discover its exactly what you have always wanted.

But there is a twinge of bitterness. While you haven't been "single" for awhile, you do start to realize how "single" you really have been. Your independence and autonomy will change and though they will not go away, you begin to let go of that and transform your thinking to put that person first, second only to God. I realize how much time I really had as a single girl and question what I did and where all that time went. Did I do enough in my church? Did I be the best friend to my friend I could be? Did I do everything i wanted to do and accomplish? Probably not.

And it makes you evaluate your friendships. Suddenly you see all the excess fat" if you will, of people that were actually acquaintances yet stole your time away from your best friends. It makes you hurt for your best friends and want to fix years of putting them second. You begin trimming and trying to make amends.

And suddenly your best guy friends have to make a choice. “Do I attempt to get to know this new man in her life and develop a relationship with both of them?”, or “do I decided that while I had a great friendship I am not that motivated to keep it and therefore start to back out now?” One of my friends, Chris, has done an amazing job of sticking by me. He truly impresses and amazes me and allows me to realize how much our friendship has meant to him. It is such a special thing to fully realize that a friendship that meant so much to you, is shared by another. Chris has completely stepped up to the plate. He ALWAYS asks about Mr. Scott and also asks about me. When he speaks of coming to visit, it’s to come see the two of us. Sure Chris and I may have phone conversations just the two of us, but he makes a point of making Mr. Scott feel completely included, important, and that he wants to develop a relationship with us. He has adjusted his way of being to be flexible to my new life in a sense. It is amazing for me to watch and it fills me with joy, love, and honor of knowing that someone cares so much about me, that they want to care as much about the person I love. It’s my friends like Chris that give me hope against the other people (who shall remain nameless) who have basically dropped me like a hot potato. Maybe it’s because I was their “substitute girlfriend”…maybe I fed them emotionally or spiritually and now that I am giving that to someone else (or maybe now that they notice I am giving it to someone else), my purpose is served and I am no longer needed. Maybe they don’t like Mr. Scott (though I doubt it). Maybe they feel alone and being around someone with another is too depressing for them. Whatever the reason, it hurts. It makes me feel as though we were never truly friends and that I was just a person to be used for their gains, or simply that I didn’t mean enough to them. While I know opposite sex relationships have to change once you marry, they don’t have to die.

This premature death I am experiencing now in my relationships is killing me. It makes me feel like “that girl” that gets married and loses all sense of self or identity. While these people leave thinking I don’t need them, they miss the main point which is I can’t get through life without them.

So to close…I do not have cold feet. Since the point when “I knew” Mr. Scott was it I have never doubted that. I have never wondered if I am ready for marriage or this change. However, my toes have chilled a little at this loss of friendship and what that means to my idenity. As I cannot depend on anyone to warm my toes, I will simply put on the stockings of knowing that I am gaining much in Mr. Scott and that that is worth almost any loss. AND I will rest in my God who “knows the plans he has for me”…

This makes me sad...

2008-03-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

It is things like this that make me physically hurt. I have never been on of those people who can work at a Nursing home or an animal shelter. My heart literally breaks everytime I am around it. Both are the kind of places that can bring joy and pain. For example, animals usually make me smile. I talk to them like they understand me and love them as if they were human. But when I see them in a shelter and know they are going to be killed or hear about mistreatment, I honestly almost cry. Nursing homes are the same. In high school I visited this one woman who had led the most interesting life. She told me stories from WWII, the All American girls baseball league, and of cours of her children...the same children that never visited her. It broke my heart because at the end of our conversations, she would always choke up and cry.

It is my broken heart that prevents me from volunteering my time in such places. But it this same broken heart that prompts me to become more of an activist. An activist for things that I think matter and for laws that I think will actually prompt change. With that, I recently read about the seal hunt in Canada. I almost threw up. The torture inflicted and the unnecessary killing of these animals was a lot to bear. Each year, there is "Seal Hunting Season". Harp Seals and their cubs are slaughtered each year. The seal hunt is tragic because the advantage is really to the hunters. Most of the seals killed are only pup just days of age and utterly defenseless. They are completely trusting of people and the sealers betray that trust in the worst possible way. I encourage everyone to each check out the horror of this hunt and sign the petition on their website at http://www.hsus.org/. Other things you can do to help is write a letter to the Canadian Minister of International Trade and boycott Canadian seafood products. It simple things like this that can make a huge difference.Also, if you want to know more facts about this horror or if you would like to know how you can further help, please check this site: http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/protect_seals/about_the_canadian_seal_hunt/ and http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/protect_seals/why_a_boycott_of_canadian_seafood/seafood_boycott_what_you_can_do.html

The planning begins!

2008-03-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

So I realize that all my friends and family are incredibly spread out. And I thought to myself...how fun would it be to create a blog to keep everyone updated on my life?

And here I am. We got engaged only 2 months ago and I am so proud of us for all of the things we have accomplished. We have a date, a venue, a photographer, food, and I bought my dress already! I will definitely post some pictures from a few of those things, but in the meantime, I decided to write about all things wedding. Hopefully, when my life is back to normal and back to anything but wedding, I can write about other things...perhaps more interesting. Until then, here goes!

Real Simple came out with their first edition of the wedding Magazine just in time for my engagement! :) It happens to be one of my FAVORITE places to go. Almost like a Bible for weddings.

We are hosting just about everything at the Marina Del Rey Hotel. I actually cannot wait! It will be so much fun and I think everything is looking good.

Sean J Mason is our photographer. I absolutely adore him and could not have gotten a better guy for the job. Our original number one choice was taken for our wedding date (email me and Ill get his name to you. He is based in San Diego but does weddings all over. He is AMAZING!) and while we had a solid B option, I couldn't help but feel like we were settling. Mr. Scott randomly ran across his name and it was love at first sight. I seriously feel like we got the BEST option! Check him out!