Another Wedding Blog

Pro Pics Coming Soon!

2008-07-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

I just recieved an email from our Photographer this morning...it sounds like the pro-pics are almost ready...hopefully by early next week! I'm headed out camping this weekend...keep your fingers crossed that they'll be ready soon!

Family Bridal Showers

2008-07-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Leading up to my Bridal Showers (I had two - one in Ottawa from my Mom's side of the family and one in Wooler from Patrick's side) I was very excited…not really for the presents, but to see my family. This was going to be the first time in several months that I would be seeing my family - and I couldn't wait!

Because we live on the other side of the country, the gifts were mainly gift cards to the store where we registered - which was great :) I don't know if it was because I was majorly overwhelmed with my family's generosity, because I was opening gift cards instead of actual gifts, or if it was because everyone is watching as I opened these gifts, but my Bridal Showers were a pretty emotional experience for me.

Any Bridal Shower that I have attended involved the guests oohhing and aawwing as each gift is opened…often the gift will then get passed around. However, when you are opening mainly gift cards…there is not much for your guests to look at…I found it very awkward…but I also felt very lucky for all of the generous gifs!

I was so overwhelmed, that at one point at my Wooler shower I actually began forgetting the guests names (they were all people that I have spent significant amounts of time with over the last 9 years! How could I forget who was Aunt Judy and who was Aunt Cathy??). I also became very overwhelmed once the gifts were all opened and it was time to say a little impromptu thank you speech - I was literally left speechless, and actually began to well up with tears a little bit - it was not fun (and very embarrassing)! One of my cousin-in-laws noticed and asked me what was wrong, because I usually don't act like this. She was right, I don't normally act that way…I'm usually the one who likes to be in charge…not have the situation in charge of me…very bizarre...

The Bridal Shower experience did make me become a little more aware of myself. I've realized that I love planning, hosting and even being recognized for a job well done. However, I do NOT like being the center of attention! Pretty hard when you are a Bride and people are hosting parties for you!

The whole Bridal Shower thing is a weird experiences in itself. I mean, here I was at my Bridal Showers, receiving tons of gifts for doing absolutely nothing. I didn't feel like I deserved it - it was my choice to get married - nobody was making me…why were they giving me all of these wonderful gifts. It was a very strange feeling. I can even understand the concept of giving a wedding gift…something to commemorate the special occasion for the new married couple - but, the Bridal Showers were a little harder for me to grasp.

In the end I am extremely grateful to all the people who cared so much to host such wonderful Bridal Showers, and to my guests who not only astounded me with their generosity, but took the time to attend an event held especially for me. It is really wonderful to feel so much love in one room.

However, I am SO glad that I NEVER have to experience having a Bridal Shower again!!!

At the actual Showers we played the usual Shower games…bridal word jumble, remember what the Bride is wearing once she's left the room, etc. etc. At the Wooler Shower, the hosts even organized "video advice" - where the guests tape-record advice for me. The wedding week was so busy I still haven't had a change to watch it…the video is back in Ontario, so I'll have to wait until my next visit to see it.

At the Wooler Shower a one of the guests made this FABULOUS Barbie cake - how cool is this? I've *always wanted to have a Barbie cake…and at one of my Showers I finally did - whoot!

One of my favourite things that I took away from the Bridal Showers were these group pictures:

During the shower I passed around a basic white photo mat to those that attended and asked them to sign it. I framed the above two pictures and plan to hang them in our front bedroom upstairs…otherwise known as the "craft/reading/alternate-TV room." Every time I look at the pictures I'm reminded of all the love… :)

Seating Arrangements - Great FREE Online Tool

2008-07-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

We decided to have seating arrangements at our reception for a variety of reasons. One reason is because I think it brings a slight formality to an event (although this could be all in my head ;p). And, from my own experience, it relieves a little bit of anxiety as a guests. I'm not left wondering where I'm going to sit, and whom I'm going to sit with - it has been decided for me (this can be both a good and a bad thing though ;). Another reason is because I wanted to make Votive Place cards for each guest :)

When it came time to planning out where the tables would go, and who should sit where, I thought I would do something similar to Monica on Friends…you know where she cuts out little round tables and uses different colours pins to place guests at the different tables? Well, it turns out I didn't have to do all of that cutting, because I found that there are a plethora of computer programs available to help me do this!

I think Microsoft Word has some sort of seating arranger, but I never figured out how to use it. And, although there are several great programs that you can purchase, I couldn’t justify the added expense (especially considering we were trying to keep within a budget :)

What I found instead was a FREE online seating arranger from the Bed Bath and Beyond website - crazy, eh?

www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regHome.asp?order_num=-1

When you sign up for a wedding registry with this store, they give you access to a "Bridal Toolkit" which includes a Seating Arranger program (amongst a multitude of other handy tools :) So, I signed us up online (even though we don't have a Bed Bath and Beyond anywhere around us, nor did we plan on registering for actual gifts from there…I just wanted the free seating arranger!).

It is a fabulous tool that allows you to place different sized tables, including things like a "Head table," cake tables, podiums, etc. etc. It also not only allows for a full view and printout of the entire table layout, but also a zoomed in version of each table and who is sitting where. I'm probably not explaining it as well as the website can - but it is a FABULOUS tool!

Make sure you leave some time to enter in each of the guests names and such…it can be a little tedious and time consuming - but once you’ve entered it all it, it is smooth sailing from there. After you've finished arranging your tables and your guests at them, you can just print off the whole shebang and hand it over to your Day Of Coordinator, Reception Coordinator, or your family and friends that are helping you setup the room :) It also has the added feature where you can print off your guest lists and include which guest is eating chicken or salmon, food allergies etc (if you offered menu choices). I can't tell you HOW handy this tool is!

I really had fun planning the seating arrangements (believe it or not) - the only really challenging thing that came up, was when I showed people the completed table arrangements. There were a few changes I needed to make…but no worries, I just hopped back onto the computer, made the changes and printed off a new copy - easy peasie!!!

Getting Our Marriage Licence

2008-07-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

(don't mind the googly eyes ;)

On June 16th, the Monday before the wedding, we drove to Napanee Ontario to apply for our marriage licence. Why did we drive to Napanee instead of getting it in Kingston (where the wedding was) or in Belleville (where we were mainly staying) - well, it was because Napanee charges only $80 instead of Kingston's $110 and Belleville's $100 (I think). Plus, Napanee is about halfway between Kingston and Belleville, so it really wasn't much of an effort to stop in…plus we got to stop by Patrick's old work to say hi to everyone - that was a nice added bonus :)

Anyhoo, getting the marriage licence was rather painless. Just needed appropriate ID, ideally both of us there at the same time applying, and the cash. There are no waiting periods, blood tests etc to get a marriage licence in Ontario - and it was all ready to go within 20 minutes…we were very happy to have this uber important thing crossed off of our list :)

Dress Fitting Review

2008-07-16T16:41:00.001-07:00

I had my first dress fitting on Friday May 16th - a little more than a month before the wedding…and a little less than a month before we left for Ontario. I wanted to wait until the last possible minute so I had a little bit of extra time to lose those couple of pounds I mentioned;) FYI: I did it!

I used the seamstress that Blush Bridal referred me to - not that I had much of a choice. I had very few options because I purchased my dress online - which was one thing that I hadn't thought of when I ordered my dress. I thought I could take it to an atelier or bridal store and they would happily take my money and do the few alterations I required…so not the case. Some stores had "policies" about not altering dresses purchased online…others "didn't have time" because they had their own clients that had purchased dresses from their stores to worry about - eek! Who woulda thunk it would be such a challenge.

I finally did find a very nice lady through Blush Bridal - I hate to say it, but at this very moment I can't recall her name - I think it is Noshi? At any rate if you call Blush Bridal in Victoria, they'll give you a contact name and number. She doesn't have a website or anything like that.

Anyhoo, my two 'maids and I (my other bridesmaid who lives in Ontario got her Mother In Law to alter her dress - she did a great job!) went into her little shop downtown for our first fitting:

I had MAJOR sticker shock when she tallied up the costs of our alterations. My dress is two layers (very few for a Bridal gown) to hem, a French Bustle to put in, and it needed the bust taken it a little bit - oh and I had cups put in because the bra I purchased could bee seen from the back. Anyhoo, they came to $275 - eep! My dress came to $290 (before tax and shipping) - the alterations were as much as the dress! My bridesmaids, who needed similar, minimal alterations came to $175 each. I agreed to pay for them seeing how there dresses were $250 + each (yes, I realize that that is a crazy amount to spend on a bridesmaid dress…but the needed to be separates and have a maternity option ;)

When we went in for our second fitting, I tried on my dress and discovered that the hem was a wee bit too short…so she had to fix that, but overall I think she did a pretty good job - her prices seemed REALLY high for me though.

Another thing that bugged me was that she only accepted cash or cheque - what the heck?!!? No debit machine and no VISA/MasterCard option - verrrry annoying.

A kind of funny aside to this whole experience, was my negotiation skills. At the end of our original meeting she gave me an invoice for what the costs were going to be. Then, when I went to pick up the dresses, I told her that I felt her prices were very high and was wondering why she was charging so much (everyone I had talked to thought she was charging crazy prices). She tells me that she does "very good work." So, we chat about my concerns some more and she says "I want to make you happy, let me see what I can discount you" - score, right? Well she works it out and says "I'll only charge you $650" - I wasn't thinking clearly because I was kinda embarrassed for bringing up the costs to begin with - but I was really sick of being overcharged because it was wedding related. So I say very appreciatively "thank you" - I was full of glee! I told my then fiancé on what a great discount I scored. But when I get home I realize she gave me a $0.40 discount - LMAO…I feel like such a dork ;p

Total Cost: $650
Rating: B+ (lost some points for the lack of debit/credit acceptance and for the lack of negotiation on her prices)

Ceremony Rehearsal & Our Rehearsal Dinner - Venga La Fiesta!!!

2008-07-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

The ceremony rehearsal went off without a hitch. Our Priest Father Stan knew exactly what he was doing, was very clear with direction and had a great sense of humour - bonus!

Although Patrick and I had met with him the previous September to go over the ceremony program we had omitted to select a reader for a couple of items - oops! I didn't know we had to do that…it all worked out though. I did forget to bring a copy of the Ceremony Program - which was kind of annoying…ah well, we rolled with it.

One thing Father Stan told all of us to ease any stress we might have had was that the ceremony needn't be tightly choreographed. He'll tell us what we need to do if we forget. And on the day of the ceremony, her was so right! If everyone is so focused on what they need to do and where they need to be, they are unable to enjoy the ceremony or "be in the moment." For example, after Patrick and I were announced as husband and wife, we were so excited we began heading up the aisle before the organist had begun to play the music. Father Stan whispered to us "not yet" and once we realized what we were doing…as well as the rest of the guests - we all had a little giggle about how excited we were to exit the Church…it was pretty funny. My point is, it will all work out :)

----

After the ceremony rehearsal, we headed to Belleville, where my awesome new in-laws planned and hosted a FABULOUS Mexican themed Rehearsal Dinner. The decorations were awesome (including a Dora the Explorer piñata, handcrafted and painted cactus, Mexican blankets, tons of Mexican food and divine Margaritas…recipe posted below).

It meant a lot to me to have his parents put so much time and thought into this party…especially with all the Mom stuff going on. You could tell they really cared about this. Plus, it was tons of fun! The people that attended are still telling me how much fun they had and how the my in-laws know how to "throw a party" - very cool! I should also give a shot out to Patrick's Gramma, she too put a lot of effort into the food, and her outfit! She wore a Mexican inspired skirt and blouse…she looked great! Here are some of the pictures of the evening:

Aunt Sue's Margaritas

1 can limeade
1 can tequila (or 1/2 can depending on the type of party you are after ;)
3 bottles of cheap beer (or any beer)
Ice to chill
***Simple and delish!

Bridesmaid Thank You Gifts

2008-07-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

I fibbed...I'm going to wait until I have a picture of my awesome MC before I do the MC Timeline post...if your eager to see it, leave your email and I send it to you ;)

My Bridesmaid's are awesome…however, they are three pretty different girls. I played with the idea of getting them each something completely different or exactly the same. In the end, they each got some items the same as each other and one thing slightly different. I don't have pictures of the whole gift together - because I didn't assemble them until l got back to Ontario and for some reason I wasn't as snap happy as I usually am ;)

Here is a picture of the note cards and earrings:

A close-up of the earrings:

I purchased these while we were in Maui last November…they're freshwater pearls. I thought that I would get them some sort of pearl jewellery to wear on the of as I was wearing pearls ;) I opted out of matching necklaces because the dresses already have a bead detail around the neckline.

The final element of their gift was a silver necklace from an awesome online company called "Dogeared" www.dogeared.com Each girl got a different necklace - not wedding related ;)

For my sister and Matron of Honour:

For my sister in law and Maid of Honour:

For my sister in law and Bridesmaid:

Once I got back to Ontario I put the gifts into a little gift back and presented them to the 'maids at the Rehearsal Dinner :)

"Day Of" Timeline

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

One of the compliments I have received during the planning process and at/during the wedding was how organized it all was (at least I hope it was a compliment ;). To keep organized I made list after list and timeline after timeline. To some it was overkill, but to me it kept me sane and stress free…or low stress anyway ;)

I distributed a "Day Of" itinerary to all of those involved in the wedding. Although all of it might not have pertained to everyone I thought it was a good idea to give people an overview of the day. The idea was that if they had a question the timeline could answer it, and if it couldn't someone in the wedding party should be able to…thus lessening repetitive questions to the Bride and Groom…sometimes this worked, and sometimes it didn't.

Anyhoo, here is the "Day Of" itinerary:

Ashley & Patrick’s Wedding Day Schedule – Saturday, June 21, 2008

9:30am
-Karen C picks up Ashley

10:00am
-Ashley, Karen C, Karen H, Meagan & Stephanie hair appointments:
Diva Salon
336 Princess Street
Kingston, Ontario
(613) 544-4067
*Stephanie Karen H, and Meagan to meet at the hair salon
*Request that Ashley & Karen C go first

10:30/11:00am
-Pat to put suitcase in car J
-Pat to go to Queen’s University Club to ensure laptop is setup and ready to go.
-Pat to go to LSP Designs (676 King Street West) and pick up the following flowers:
-Groom’s boutonnière
-3x groomsmen boutonnière
-MC boutonnière (same as GM – green orchid)
-Father of the Groom boutonnière

12:00pm
-Ashley & Karen C stop by QUC to check out décor, cake, etc
-Stephanie Karen H, and Meagan to meet back at the Radisson after hair

12:30/1:00pm
-Snack/Lunch (mimosas & muffins)
-Make up
-Ladies to dress
-Pat to dress

1:00pm
-Bridal flowers arrive at the Radisson hotel

1:15/1:30pm
-Pat, Mike, Dan, Richard, Egg, Martin and Paul to meet Lucas Tingle (photographer)
@ Tir nan’Og for pre-ceremony pictures.
Tir nan’Og Pub
200 Ontario Street
Kingston ON
-Groom & Groomsmen to put on boutonnières (watch your seatbelts in the car J )
-Mike gives Patrick Ashley’s gift to open

-Bridesmaid’s pre-ceremony pictures to take place at the Radisson Hotel with Melissa (photographer).
-Ashley to dress
-Ashley opens gift from Patrick

2:15pm
-Groom and Groomsmen arrive @ Church
-ensure flowers and pew markers are there
-ensure Program basket is there for Olivia
-VIPs begin to arrive. Ensure they each have their personal flowers:
-Granny O’Connor: purple wristlet
-Grandma Clake: cream wristlet
-Grandpa Clarke: cream orchid boutonnière
-Alexis: flower wreath
-Andrew: small freesia boutonnière
-Aunt Mary: rose wristlet
-Aunt Patti: rose wristlet
-Aunt Joan: rose wristlet
-Uncle John: cream orchid boutonnière
-Kris: small rose and freesia boutonnière
-Alexander: small rose boutonnière

2:30pm
-Guests begin to arrive
-Olivia to hand out programs
-Dan, Richard and Egg seat guests as they arrive (front 2 rows are reserved for parents and “special guests”)

2:45pm
-FOB picks up Bride and Karen C at hotel
-Meagan, Steph & Karen H depart hotel for Church

2:55-ish
-Groom and Groomsmen take their places
-Bride, FOB and Bridal Party Arrive at Church

2:55-ish
Momma Karen and Aunt Mary (the last guests to be seated) walk down the aisle and
light the two taper candles beside the Unity Candle

3:00pm
Ceremony begins
St. Mary’s Cathedral (Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception)
279 Johnson Street, Kingston ON

4:00-4:10pm
Post-Ceremony
-Immediately after recessional the Bride and Groom will go off for a moment alone.
-The Bridal Party to head outside and hand out rose petals (placed at back of Church) to guests and line up outside the doors of the Church – try to leave a pathway for us to walk through J
*Bride and Groom exit to rose petals toss
*Brief Hugs and Kisses (receiving line to be held @ reception)
*Assemble for Group Photo in front of Church.
*Bride and Groom depart in get-away car.
*Bridal Party and Family depart for Photo Locations.
*??? to transport alter arrangements, pew bows and unity candle to reception

4:20pm
Location #1: Queen’s University Club (QUC)
-Bride’s Side: Nesbit, Granny O’Connor, Karen C, Paul, Kristopher.
-Groom’s Side: Martin, Karen H, Meagan, Stephanie, Jon, Mike, Grandpa and Grandma Clarke.
-VIPs: Aunt Joan, Uncle John, Alexis, Andrew, Aunt Patti, Aunt Mary, Aunt Marcia, Uncle Jim C and Alexander

Location #2: Breakwater Park: across the road from QUC and down a bit
by the water
-Bridal Party: Karen C, Meagan, Stephanie, Mike, Dan, Richard, Egg, Alexis (and parents), Andrew (and parents).
***If you would like a picture with your significant other, make sure you bring them with you J ***

5:30/6:00pm
-Arrive back at Queen’s University Club
168 Stuart Street, Kingston ON

5:30/6:00pm
-Form receiving line in cocktail reception area:
-Nesbit
-Ashley
-Patrick
-Karen H
-Martin

Bridal Party to their relaxed “stations”
-Stephanie and Mike @ Guestbook (Mike to get chair for Steph)
-Karen, Meagan and Dan @ Escort Cards
-Richard and Egg @ card box area
-Paul and Matthew to test sound equipment upstairs

5:30/6:00–6:45pm
-Receiving Line/Mingle

6:45pm
-Begin assisting guests to be seated if needed (Egg to ensure card box gets locked up or
is brought upstairs).

6:55pm
-Bridal Party to be seated

7:00pm
-Paul announces Bride and Groom

7:00-7:30pm
-Paul does his MC thing (see separate timeline)
-Paul introduces Wedding Party (feel free to stand and give a wave J )
-Paul invites Father Stan Alanen up for grace

7:30pm
-Dinner is served
-Salad
-Intermezzo
-Main Course
-Dessert

-Speeches (~2 min each max)
-Paul to call up FOB, Nesbit, to make speech
-Paul to call up MOG and FOB, Karen and Martin, to make speech
-Paul to call up MOHs Karen and Meagan to make speech
-Paul to call up BM Mike to make speech
-Paul to call up Aunt Cindy Bratkowski to make speech
-Paul to call up Bride and Groom

8:30/45pm
-Paul to suggest to guests to take a step outside so the tables can be rearranged for the
dance
-“Cake and Dancing” guests may begin arriving now. Bride and Groom will be
downstairs to greet as guests arrive.

9:00pm
-Dance begins
***At about this time the Bridal Party begins to usher guests back inside/upstairs for the first dances***
-Paul to announce Bride and Groom’s first dance
*Matthew to play: Somewhere Over The Rainbow/It’s A Wonderful World
-Paul to announce Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dance
*Matthew to play: World On A String

9:45pm
-Paul to announce Cake Cutting
*Matthew to play: How Sweet It Is
-Resume dancing ***Bridal Party on dance floor to get the party started!***

10:15pm
-Paul to announce Bouquet toss
*Matthew to play: Wishin’ and Hopin’
-Paul to announce Garter toss
*Matthew to play: Wild Thing

10:30pm
-Pizza buffet

12:30pm
-Last dance

12:35pm
-“Clean up” (gather table runners, picture frames, gifts, guestbook, etc.)

Not everything went as planned. For example, the receiving line didn't happen, the wedding party didn't need to be at their "stations," the dinner dragged on way later than planned (more on that later), not everyone got the flowers they were supposed to (I still have no idea how that happened)…but it was VERY helpful to make this Bride feel organized and somewhat in control ;)

Up next: MC timeline :)

I'm Married!!!

2008-07-04T14:38:00.001-07:00

I can't believe the day has come and gone - it was beautiful! But if I am 100% honest, I'm glad it is over! I know, that might seem like a terrible thing to say - but the day was everything I'd hoped it would be. The family and friends that care about Patrick and I were there to support us and share in our day - it was fabulous!

I won't get into a full wedding recap now, as I'm waiting on our professional pics (which I am really excited about!) but I will give you a little insight on into some of the things that went wrong, and some of the things that went terribly right!

The Great
1. The weather.
Leading up to the wedding day there were predictions of rain and thunderstorms, but on the actual day it was blue skies and a bright sun. The weather was perfect. We couldn't have imagined better. It wasn't terribly hot (as Patrick was fearing) and it wasn't terribly cool (which I was fearing)…it was warm with a slight breeze.

2. Our family and friends.
You couldn't have wished for a better group of people. They were there when they were supposed to be, and pitched in where they saw the need. They were great! The day before our ceremony rehearsal they even braved my one (or at least I think it was my only one ;) Bridezilla moment. Here's what happened: We didn't rent tuxes or suits - we just asked our Groomsmen to wear a black, preferably 3 button suit with a white shirt. For some reason a couple of the guys purchased white SHORT-SLEEVED shirts…you would think that this wasn't a big deal, but for some reason I thought this was the end of the world…lol. I was worried that the photographer would ask the Groomsmen to take off their jackets during the pre-ceremony pics and I was terrified that two out of the 4 guys would have short sleeved shirts - a la Office Space…you know with pocket protectors and such. Anyhoo, after I had a mini freak out with my fiancé he called up the two guys and asked them to go and buy long sleeved white shirts…lol… And being the great guys that they are, they complied with this Bride's request.

3. The Rehearsal Dinner
Patrick's parents did an amazing job. We had a Mexican themed party and it was awesome! They put in so much effort and time into it (from the Mexican Wedding Cake, to the piñata to the handmade cactus)…I will post about it all shortly.

4. The Ceremony
The ceremony was absolutely lovely. We had a Catholic ceremony including a mass (when there is Eucharist). Now, some people had concern over the length of the ceremony as a result…I also think that some were worried that they would be board…well the entire ceremony lasted an hour and it went by so quickly. We were married at a Cathedral so there were tons of beautiful things to look at - it was perfect!

The Not So Great…and down right crappy

1. My Mom
She didn't come to the wedding. This was a total shocker to me. We had made very special and specific plans JUST for her to be able to attend…she has some mental health issues that she has been dealing with nearly my entire life…since I was a year and a half to be exact. I saw her at my Bridal Shower the Saturday before the wedding…all seemed to be fine. I then received a call from my sister on the following Monday night (well Patrick took the call) that she wasn't well enough to come. WTF. I was seriously depressed (and couldn't stop crying) that entire evening and for the next two days. I just couldn't believe it was happening. I would just start crying at random things. We went to the local mall on the Wednesday before to help my bridesmaid to find some undergarments for her dress…and I would just start tearing up…it was brutal. People would ask me if I was excited for the wedding and I would nearly begin crying. At that point I was not excited. Then on Wednesday night I get a call from my Mom saying that she has decided to come and will get a ride… At that point I was so numb and void of feeling, I just didn't care either way. The next day was our Rehearsal Dinner…I decided that I was going to be happy for the people that were with me. At that point it also seemed like my Mom might actually make it to the ceremony - if not to the dinner. We had a fabulous Rehearsal Dinner. The next night we went out to dinner with my Mom's side of the family (they couldn't make it to the Rehearsal due to my Granny needing dialysis). That is when I found out that my Mom wasn't coming - period. At that moment I was in shock, but I put it completely out of my mind. I mean, my Mom has missed nearly all of the important events and milestones of my life, so it almost seemed appropriate that she would miss this one too (to be fair some of those times weren't her fault…but others she could have made the effort). Anyhoo, I still don't think that I've fully dealt with her not coming. I'm sure it will hit me one day…but I'm still trying to keep those feelings on the cusp of my consciousness. It is just too sad. I foresee my future children asking me one day why there Grandma isn't in any of my wedding pictures…it's sad to say that it was because she didn't take care of herself…or didn't care enough to attend.

Okie…on to more superficial things that didn't go 100%

2. Parking at the Cathedral
When my Dad and I arrived at the Church, there didn't appear to be a large enough spot for my Dad to park in. One was supposed to be saved for us in front of the Church…my Dad was very concerned about this at the rehearsal. Anyhoo…it lead to some frustration for my Dad…and in turn my lack of patience for my Dad. I still feel badly for being short with him

3. Reserved Seating at the Church
My Aunt and her boyfriend were sitting in the front pew…the one that was supposed to be reserved for my Dad. This might have been avoided if I had made reserved signs for the front pews. I thought it was common knowledge that the front pews were reserved for parents...apparently NOT. And apparently people let them know this and even suggested they move. My Dad squeezed in anyway…but it wasn't ideal and made for a slightly awkward moment at the end of the aisle.

4. The Receiving Line
Many people are against having these. But, it was very important to my Dad. Well, this was one thing that I didn't organize very well…and quite frankly, I didn't know how to organize. So as a result we didn't end up having one. I think that this disappointed my Dad - I still feel badly about this.

5. The Cake
It was a yummy cake, but it is NOT what I had envisioned in terms of colours. Both my cake maker and my florist (although I still loved all of the other flowers she made) missed the mark on this one. It looked like it belonged at a tropical wedding…lol.

5. The Dance
I think it was kinda bunk. I don't know if it was because we self DJ'd, if it was because the bar was downstairs, or if it was because we started too late as a result of the dinner going to late.

All in all it was an AMAZING day :) Over the next little while I plan on doing vender reviews, and filling you in on all of the DIY stuff that I didn't get to write about.

If you're interested in viewing some "candid" pics received from our guests, here is a link:

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129926&l=17dfd&id=658325106

PS I so didn't write the last post about being "Mrs Patrick Harris"…my lovely husband did that for me…we're both keeping our mutual last names…more on that in a future post ;)

A Quick Reminder

2008-06-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

In 11 days I will be Mrs. Patrick Harris:)

The RSVPs have just been flooding in - and have stopped :(

2008-06-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

Nearly a week after we mailed out our wedding invitations we began receiving RSVPs…we had been getting a minimum of three nearly every day. I'm not sure if the quick response time has something to do with the tight timeline…the RSVP due date is June 7th. This only leaves us with less than a week to follow up with any non-responders, make changes to our seating arrangement and finish printing menus before we catch our flights back to Ontario…but it will have to do. However, in the last week they have all but stopped :( I think we've received maybe 4 more cards. Whenever we pull into our driveway I dash off to our mailbox in hopes that a bundle of them have arrived…so disappointing when the mailbox is empty!

Perhaps tonight is the night the bundle arrives in the mail! Only 3 more days until the rsvp deadline!

My Bridal Shower Favours

2008-05-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

As I've been watching my "To Do" lists begin to shrink, I have been thinking more and more about Bridal Shower Favours…yes I realize that they are not a "must have" and that I should be looking for ways to bring the budget down a bit, I couldn't resist making a little something for those that will be attending my shower…I mean, they will be bring me a gift…plus, I found these uber cute candy rings at Michael's Craft Store that I just couldn't resist. I used a circular punch that I already had to make little favour tags with some cute colourful paper, and purchased thank you stickers to adhere to it. Then, using a little bit of ribbon I tied the favour tag to the ring…I think it looks very cute! Here are some pictures:

The materials were about $30 and I was able to make 60 favours and still had 40 thank you stickers left and lots of cute paper that I can use to make cards in the future…so they weren't terribly expensive ;)

E-Gads! 25 Days Away!

2008-05-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

It is crazy to think that in a mere 25 days I will have a husband and will be somebody's wife - eek! I think I am really going to miss being a fiancé…it feels young…I want to remain young! LOL

With 25 days to go, our "To Do" list is both shrinking and growing at the same time. I've almost completed all things DIY - the following is all that is left:

-Escort card holder (which I am loving less and less)
-Creating and printing a new label for our Groomsmen/MC gift
-Finishing up the Bridal Shower Favours (which I plan to post about next)
-Printing the dinner menus and adhering Swarovski crystals
-Finish cutting the ribbon for our wedding favours (I can't believe how much ribbon I need!)

Other "To Dos" Include:
-Completing seating arrangement
-Final Wedding Attire Fittings
-Confirming dates/times with Venders
-Finalizing Day Of Timeline and MC Itinerary
-Finalizing Play lists (this one is a biggie)
-Purchase one more thank you gift…what would a 17 year old going on 18 year old boy like as a thank you for acting as our DJ?!?!?!!?
-Packing (trying to figure out how to fit everything for the wedding, a week of clothes AND a week long Jamaican honeymoon into 4 suitcases is going to be verrry interesting!).
-My fiancé needs to finish up his thank you cards as well as write his part of our thank you speech

Other than that we can't do anything until we arrive in Ontario ;)

Rehearsal Dinner Planning & Invites

2008-05-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Our Rehearsal Dinner plans have evolved significantly over the last several months. First we were hoping to host it at one of our favourite Kingston venues - Margaritaville (different from Jimmy Buffet's - but similarly fun) at Lone Star. We love Mexican/Southwest food and most of our family enjoys it as well. Plus, we thought it would be a fun casual atmosphere to enjoy an evening. Well, we opted to forgo hosting it at a restaurant for a few reasons…mainly budget. We figured that we would have just as lovely of a time at a backyard BBQ as at a restaurant where the bill could be upwards of $1000 (ok - it likely wouldn't be that high…but factor in all you can drink margaritas and super sized Coronas for possibly 29 people - but more likely 15-20 people… it adds up).

So, our next option (seeing how we are from out of town and thus lacking our own backyard) is to host the Rehearsal Dinner at my fiancé's parents house. We've decided on a "Mexican Fiesta" theme complete with a piñata (I've always wanted to have a piñata!).

We'd like to keep the menu fairly simply - but yummy! Here is what we are thinking for a tasty menu:

-salsa, sour cream and nacho chips
-grilled marinated shrimp
-grilled corn on the cob (if there are yummy looking ones available)
-south of the border coleslaw with cilantro and jalapeño
-Mexican chicken on a stick (aka chicken squewers)
-Jalapeno corn bread
-Mexican wedding cookies (anyone have a good recipe?)
-Dos Equis beer and margaritas to drink - YUM-O!

Hopefully our menu won't be too difficult to pull off. I figure the most labour intensive items will be the Jalapeno Cornbread and Mexican Wedding Cookies…if all else fails I'll just buy some yummy sugar cookies from a supermarket and call them "wedding cookies" and focus on the corn bread…the rest should be pretty simple ;)

The only not so ideal thing about hosting the RD at his parents house is that it is about an hour away from our Ceremony site - seems a bit crazy, eh? So we'll be having our Ceremony Rehearsal at 5:00pm…we should be done by 6:00-6:30pm and then drive 45-60 minutes to the dinner location. Not ideal…but it a way it works out better for the majority of people involved. How does that make sense? We’ll, most participants that are involved in the wedding live in the same city as the RD location…so we won't have to worry about people driving far distances at night. It will also be easier for people to get themselves home afterwards…they can enjoy a few drinks and then have a quick taxi home - this way we don't have to worry about drinking and driving. So, in the end I think it is a better option.

In keeping with our Mexican them, I created some fiesta festive invitations. I purchased two packages of red flat cards and envelopes as well as some festive Mexican inspired stickers. I opted to use a southwest looking font for part of the text and downloaded a fun image of two entwined chilli peppers.

Other than having to redo them once someone from http://www.weddingbells.ca/ pointed out that I had misspelled "Rehearsal" - I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out.

Yay for being done one more project!

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UPDATE: Patrick's parents have decided to cater the Rehearsal Dinner...luckily it will still be Mexican though!

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Exactly one month from today is the Big Day!

BM Dresses Are In & Finally Found GM Ties - whoot!

2008-05-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday two of my 'maids drove the nearly two hours up island to pick up their bridesmaid dresses (from Bride's Closet - recommend!) - whoot! The fit pretty well considering I took the measurements myself ;) They don't recommend doing this, but last time Meg (my MOH) paid for her measurements to be taken they were incorrect and resulted in a dress double the size it should have been - eek! Anyway, here are a couple of pics:

I can't wait for my pregger bridesmaid to come and visit in less than 10 days! Whoot! I think she is going to look great in the maternity version of these dresses.

AND we finally found 4 navy and green ties - big relief! I know that we could have just picked up plain navy ones, but this was one of the few things that my fiance was insistent upon. He wears a suit and tie to work everyday and has never worn a solid tie. Although his groomsmen don't currently have to wear ties to work everyday, he figured they'd be more likely to wear a striped tie than a solid navy one ;) Plus the green pics up on the other accents that will be present at the wedding. So, yay!

Accomodations

2008-05-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

We've booked our accommodations! Whoot! Well, at least part of them. I still need to book a hotel room for my Mom the night of the Rehearsal Dinner as well as for the Friday and Saturday of the "wedding weekend." And g-whiz…it sure isn't cheap. Rooms at the hotel I booked at are $199/night. Eeps! I probably could have found a room closer to the $150/night range, or even the $55/night range if we were willing to spend our wedding night at my University Campus Residence…lol…but for some reason those rooms don't remind me of romance ;) I've never actually stayed in one (I lived off campus throughout university…with my fiancé ;) but they remind me of essays and exams…yuck! I was also hoping for a somewhat nice looking room for "Getting Ready" photographs. Our photographer will be meeting us at my hotel room at ~1:30pm (which reminds me, I still need to confirm this with her!)…so I'd prefer a room that doesn't scream early 1990s décor ;) Out of nearly all of the hotels in Kingston, I would have to say that the hotel we selected has some of the most updated and simple décor.

Here is a picture of the room that will likely be very similar to ours (at will be water view too!):

My original plan was to book the "Murphy Bed Suite" at a hotel that I had heard about from a friend. She had her wedding at this hotel and said the room was perfect. Her and her bridesmaids were able to sleep there the Friday before the wedding as there were 4 pull down Murphy beds. This also allowed for lots of getting ready room the next morning because they just pushed the beds up. Since I heard about this suite I have been calling the hotel since (about a year now). Apparently they hold this particular for the bridal party that is getting married there…they can only book it to others once they have released the room. Well, it doesn't look like that is going to happen. So, instead my 'maids and I will all meet up on the morning of the wedding and come back to my room to get ready. Which, in the end I think will be nice…I'll have the bathroom to myself without worrying that 3 other people need to get in there. It also allowed me to book the room for two nights in a row and thus make it our wedding night hotel as well :) Even though we have to be up and out of the hotel by 3:00am to catch our flight to Jamaica out of Ottawa - double eep!

Our Wedding Invitations

2008-05-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

After nearly a year and a half of designing and redesiging…ordering components, printing, cutting and assembling my DIY invitations - they are FINALLY finished and have been mailed out! Whoot!

Our invitations are truly a labour of love. I totally get that most people will end up throwing the inivtations into the trash, but I don't regret all of the time and dollars that I spent on them. Like most elements of our wedding, we are doing them because they are important to us and I enjoy doing crafty things :)

Both www.weddingbells.ca online forum and www.weddingbee.com were huge sources of inspiration for our invitiations. Ultimatly I chose elements that I like from many different invites and created one to meet our needs.

The invitation itself was designed using Adobe Illustrator, but I'm sure similar ones could be designed using Adobe Photshop or even Microsoft Word. The flower swirly art was traced from a stamp I found at www.PaperSource.com The fonts used are Shelley Allegro and Copperplate Light. I downloaded both for free using various free font websites - do a google search and some should pop up.
The following list are the components I used to make them:

-White Linen Paper from Staples
-White Luxe Petal Folds from Paper Source
-White Luxe 5.5 x 5.5 inch envelopes from Paper Source
-White Luxe 4bar envelopes from Paper Source
- Stardream Quartz 5 x 5 inch Flat Cards from Paper Source
- Stardream Quartz 4bar Flat Cards from Paper Source
-Clear Labels from Staples
-HP 2000 Printer
-Martha Stewart Glue Stick from Michaels Craft Store
- Flatback Swavorski Crystals from www.Artbeads.com
-Gel Glue from www.Artbeads.com
-52 cent Stamps from Canada Post

If I take into account all of the supplies I used (there was plenty extra though ;), 88 invitations including postage were around $5.50 each - eep! But, like I said, I have a few extra invitions as well as a bit of extra materials…so it was likely more around the $5.00 mark - still not cheap, but not crazy expensive either ;) Here they are:

Oh...if you see any mistakes PLEASE don't point them out AND I do realize that becuase this year is a leap year June 21 is no longer the first day of summer. We realized this shortly after they were printed but decided to leave it because the whole reason we chose our date nearly 2 years ago was because it was the first day of summer...and nearly all of our anniversaries will fall on this day anyway.

And for funsies here is a picture of my fiancé's handiwork after I asked him to help…lol:

Invitations Are In The Mail - Whoot!

2008-05-02T14:53:00.001-07:00

Last night after we picked up the keys to our new house (yay!) we dropped our wedding invitations into the mail. *Huge Sigh Of Relief. So, hopefully in the next few weeks we'll receive tons of RSVPs in the mail with "Yes, we'll attend." My plan is to post about the actual invites in a week or so :)

As my fiance and I dumped the invites into the mail box handfuls at a time, I kind of had an "OMG this is really happening moment" lol…in a good way of course. Sorry no pics…for some ODD reason we weren't in a picture taking mood…weird of, I know ;)

About a month ago I brought a sample inviation to my local Canada Post to have it weighed and to ensure our square invitations met the postal standards. They were just on the cusp of being a little heavy needed two stamps. My fiance spoke up and said that he thought one stamp would be fine and the Postal Clerk agreed. His only tip was to mail them in a regual drop box and not at a postal outlet…where things get more regularly weighed? I sure wish I knew a Canada Post insider who could tell me my chances of having each invitation weighed…and thus returned. I *think it will be OK though…at least I am hoping it will be.

I also still have a bit of anxiety of how the invitations will be received. I think I've mentioned before that not all guests are invited to the dinner…but to the ceremony and to "cake and dancing" followed by our favourite pizza as our "midnight snack." I'm hoping folks will be understanding…but I'm still a little worried about it.

Only 50 days to go!

Started Dance Classes After All!

2008-04-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Whoot! At the very last minute we were able to find some dance classes to partake in. Last night we attended our very fist "Social Ballroom Level 1" dance class. Much to my fiancé's chagrin the classes run for 10 weeks…two of which will be happening while we're in Ontario…and one in which he will miss (it's next weeks in fact). Much to his chagrin, it is also double the money - eep!

Over the next 10 weeks (well, 8 for us) we'll be learning the waltz, tango, foxtrot, jive, cha cha and rhumba. Last night we began with the foxtrot, so I'm wondering which dances we'll be missing out on by missing the last two lessons...

It was weird, my foot was cramping up for some random reason (I HATE it when this happens)…I was trying to work it out, but it just looked like I was totally uncoordinated and didn't know what the heck I was doing - lol.

Although I kept messing up the "tension" between us, I thought that we were both pretty good at the steps (other than my foot cramp thing). However, whenever the instructor or instructor's assistant would come by we (OK, I) got all nervous and giggly and totally messed up the dance…again making us look like we had no clue what we were doing - gah! It was pretty embarrassing.

I'm not 100% sure what we hope to gain out of the lessons…other than having some quality time together ;) I am *hoping* that we'll become good enough at one of the dances (I think the Jive would be fun) to use it as our wedding dance…rather than just glide around the floor together wondering when our first dance will end…lol

Dance Class Bummer…

2008-04-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

Last night was to be our very first dance class…but it has been cancelled! Not just tonights class, but all of the sessions! Apparently we were the only ones that had signed up :(

So we are searching for other classes available…the problem is, is that they have either already begun, or they start in a few weeks and will carry on well into our weddng day… We have driven by a ouple of dance studios, but we haven't been able to find their contact information…so we are going to drive by them tonight and stop in ;)

The other option that I am pretty excited about is the Ballroom Level 1 course that is offered…it isn't specficaaly for formal or wedding preparation, but it covers various dances and best of all, it begins this Friday, so we haven't missed any yet. The only downside is that it is 10 sessions long (instead of 5) and thus is double the money…plus we will miss the last two lessions…and Friday night classes are kind of a bummer…but who am I trying to kid…I'm usually a homebody on Friday nights anyay…so all is not lost!

And Then There Were 3...

2008-04-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted about this before, and quite honestly I didn't know if I would, but because it has been part of my whole "wedding planning experience" I thought I'd share it here.

Soon after my fiancé and I had become engaged we talked about who we would like to have stand up with us on our wedding day - re: Wedding Party.

My fiancé and I both had clear ideas of who these special people would be. He choose his brother as his Best Man and three childhood friends (two of which had grown up on the same street as him). I knew that I wanted to have my sister as my Matron of Honour and Pat's oldest sister as my Maid of Honour (yes, I believe you can have two people share this important role ;). I also knew that I wanted Patrick's younger sister as well as one of my childhood friends to be my bridesmaids.

Once we had decided whom we would like to ask I crafted these little cards for my gals. Each one agreed to be part of our wedding day - yippee! This was in the summer of 2006.

At that time, other than my sister, all of my 'maids lived across the country. To have everyone stay in touch and abreast of the wedding planning I painstakingly mailed out Bridesmaid Newsletters every few months. To my knowledge everything was going swimmingly and everyone was happy.

However, just before I was set to fly back to Ontario for my Future Sister-In-Law's wedding I received an email from my childhood friend (who had also remained my friend throughout high school and university…although we didn't gab on the phone as much as we did when we were kids). She told me that she would no longer like to be in our wedding and that she thought she was a "filler" bridesmaid to even out the wedding party (i.e. each of us having four attendants). She felt that I did not put enough effort into our friendship by calling her more often. In my defence I emailed her constantly, but she is more of a phone person that an email person I guess… This happened in the fall of 2007 - over a year after I had asked her to be my bridesmaid.

As you can imagine I was quite upset over this. I didn't realize that I had done anything wrong and had upset her. I asked her if she'd still like to attend and she said she would - so at least I haven't totally lost her as a friend.

Sometimes I think if I could do it all over again I would have waited to ask my attendants and perhaps only have one attendant to act as a witness and sign the marriage certificate.

At any rate, what is done is done, but it will remain a very sad memory for me and a sad time during the whole "fun and wonderful" wedding planning experience.

Fabulous Time In Vegas - But Wedding Shopping Kind Of A Bust

2008-04-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

We loved Las Vegas - it was tons of fun - tons of stuff to see and do…I've now said this a million times, but 4 days is just not enough time.

Besides all of the hotels, casinos, restaurants and shows to see, there is tons of shopping - a lot of high end shopping as well. We did do a little window shopping at the fancy stores…but our budget couldn't handle the $800 Louis Vuitton clutch/wallet thingy. Instead we spent some time at the Outlet Mall. This place also has some higher end stores (Lacoste, Coach, etc) - but it also has tons of mid-range stuff…Brooks Brothers, Kenneth Cole, Gap, J Crew, etc). My fiancé was too focused on snagging deals on causal clothing to focus on finding a 3-button black suit…I guess he figured he could find one of those for a good deal easily enough back home. He did find some new black shoes…but they'll likely be worn out before the wedding as he'll be wearing them to work on a daily basis.

We searched high and low for the specific navy and green ties we are wanting for the Groomsmen - but no luck. I fear that we'll end up purchasing some simple solid navy ties - and at this point, it is A-OK with me. We'll make one more attempt at the local Moore's store…

And believe it or not I only ended up purchasing one item…which will likely be the dress I wear for our Ceremony Rehearsal…it is uber cute…here's a pic:

Now I'm just trying to find a pink shirt for my fiance to wear...any suggestions?

Our First Wedding Gift!

2008-04-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd posted this already….but I just looked back at my posts and it looks like I haven't yet! My fiancé's Aunt and Uncle came for a visit on Easter weekend…not only did they bring us some yummy chocolate treats, but they also brought us our first wedding gift - the only thing is, is that we don't know who it is from…lol. OK, we have an idea that it is likely from my fiancé's Aunts and Uncles, but we don't know exactly who. We were also told that we can't open it yet…and you know what…we still haven't!

I've been reading some things about etiquette though and apparently when you receive a wedding gift (or gift in general?) you are supposed to open it right away and promptly send a thank you card to the gift giver - seeing we have yet to receive a card, we figure there is no harm in waiting a little longer to both open it and send out a thank you card. The main thing is that my fiancé's Aunt and Uncle can let the gift giver know that we have safely received the package :)

Hair Accessories

2008-04-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

Other than my veil I wasn't too sure what I wanted to do in terms of hair accessories…if anything. I knew I wasn't a tiara kind of gal, and I wasn't too keen on the idea of having little flowered hair pins throughout my 'do. Other options I considered were using fresh flowers, or perhaps having nothing at all. However, I knew that I wasn't going to wear my veil during the reception…I still haven't deciding at what point I will take it off (After pictures? After dinner?). But I knew that once the veil was off I wanted to have a little something in my hair. I came to the decision to use a hair comb because it was larger then hair pins, but smaller then a tiara. Plus it was something that I could keep as a little memento…and perhaps even wear for special occasions again?

So began my hunt for the *perfect hair comb. My criteria was as follows:
-Under 4 inches in length
-Included pearls and crystals (I'll be wearing pearls and my dress has a crystal detail - so this type of comb would link the two)
-A metal malleable comb rather than a hard plastic comb (from past experience I've found that plastic combs are more likely to pop out of my hair compared to bendable metal combs)
-Under $30 or $40 (I wasn't keen on spending $50 plus dollars on this little accessory…because I'm having mini regrets about spend nearly $100 on our cake topper ;o)

With all of this "criteria" I set out on my hunt for a perfect hair comb. I looked on ebay…but I it frustrated with using that site…either I can't find exactly what I'm looking for, or it looks very cheap…plus shipping costs to Canada can be a nightmare. I tried using referrals from weddingbells.ca, but it led me to mainly tiaras or sparkly accessories without any pearls. I also looked at my local bridal shops, and although their hair combs were beautiful many of them were upwards of $100 - too expensive!

After I exhausted the above resources, I considered making my own. I went to Michaels Craft Store to price out the items that I would need. Cha-ching! I would need to purchase all of the jewellery making tool (mini pliers etc) plus packages of crystals and pearls - more than I would need)…so that idea went out the window - I had nearly given up finding the *perfect, simple hair comb…that was until l received a facebook invite from one of my old high school friends to check out her etsy.com store: http://www.silverglade.etsy.com/ - of course (duh!) I had totally forgotten about Etsy! My friends store mainly carries earrings and necklaces (I purchased a lovely pair of earrings - you should check her store out ;) - so I did a search for "bridal comb" and several results came up…many were priced higher than I wanted to pay, until I came across a lovely store called "Sara Libbey's Jewellery" at http://www.saralibbey.etsy.com/ At only $8.00 and $3.00 for shipping - it was a bargain - I love it!

Here is a picture of how I imagine placing it in my hair - likely tucked in on the side…I plan on wearing my veil over top of my hair - over the ponytail in this picture...only 72 days to go!

Off To Vegas Until Tuesday!

2008-04-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

This afternoon my fiancé and I are headed off for a long-ish weekend getaway to Las Vegas with my sister and brother-in-law. I have never been to Vegas, and my sister has gone once with her husband - it was a Christmas gift from her father (yes, we have different Dads ;). Other than travelling to the Dominican Republic for her destination wedding, the four of us have yet to travel anywhere as a couple. My brother-in-law Paul, and my fiancé get along very well, so I know they'll have a blast. And although my sister and I don't have tons of stuff in common, one thing that we both love is - shopping! Was it hard to guess that one? LOL

I've posted on my other blog - The HamiHarri Update - about all of the things we plan to do and see, but one thing that I hope to fit in is shopping at some of the great outlet malls in Las Vegas. There are a few things on my *need list that are wedding related.

I *need a couple of dresses, or skirt/top combos for my two (wahoo!) Bridal Showers, as well as for the Ceremony Rehearsal/Rehearsal Dinner. I also *need a couple of new bathing suits for the Jamaican honeymoon (double wahoo!!). I guess I technically do have enough suits to last me for a week…but I'd like to add one or two more fun ones to the mix.

I'm also hoping that we have time to stop for a "makeover" at Sephoria… My skin is not the greatest and I would love to see what a professional application looks like…we'll see how that one pans out though ;) If it doesn't jive with the shopping I'll just make an appointment with a MAC consultant here in Victoria.

We also *need to find 4 groomsmen ties (possibly 5 matching ties if we opt to give one to our MC to wear) as well as a tie for the Father of the Groom and one for the Groom himself. Ideally my fiancé will also find a smashing deal on a fabulous black suit…and we'll have to see how that one pans out.

You're probably wondering why I don't just purchase these items here, or even online. Well, honestly, we've been searching for these items for the last year or so. We either can't find enough matching ties (and they can't order more in) or they are $60 per each tie - eep! AND, as much as I adore online shopping, when one is looking at navy and green ties online, it is hard to tell which colour each strip is on the computer monitor. PLUS, the US (and particularly the outlet malls in Vegas) have MUCH more fabulous stuff to choose from :)