tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21923248240139316542024-03-13T07:17:43.498-04:00Random Reflections of a PerfectionistDocumenting the trials and tribulations of an extremely detail-oriented bride...Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-68167486296792597912010-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:002010-10-28T09:00:14.484-04:00Making a change...Ok...so I've been thinking about this for quite some time.<br /><br />Official wedding recaps are upon us, and you have all been loyally following me here on this blog. However, in the past few months, Blogger has been giving me a ton of problems. One of these problems includes transferring my Weddingbee posts over. You see, I compose my Weddingbee posts in WordPress...and for some reason Blogger is giving me a heck of a headache when it comes to copying them over...the photos will not load for me. After failing about 20 times at copying my first recap over, I realized that I would have to upload each and every photo again through Blogger to post it here. For those of you who have already gone through the process of wedding recaps, you know how long it takes to compose one post...uploading photos alone takes a LONG time! I just can't do it for two different blogs...there isn't enough time in the day!<br /><br />So, this is what is going to happen: I will be posting all of my wedding recaps on my NEW blog -<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://rufflesandtruffles.com">She likes ruffles, he likes truffles</a><br /></span></div><br />Please please please head over there now and subscribe if you haven't already. I would hate for those of you who have been so amazing and supportive during my wedding planning to not be able to see the final results! And, guess what? <span style="font-weight: bold;">My first recap post is up today - so get excited!</span><br /><br />Thanks again to all of you for following me on my wedding planning journey - I am excited to share my day with you!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-19099559592529773112010-10-27T08:00:00.002-04:002010-10-27T08:00:06.474-04:00Lovely Tonight: My Last Night as a MissAfter the rehearsal dinner, our out of town guests headed back to the hotel. Conveniently, my suite was connected to my parents' suite...so we opened the two rooms up for everyone to mingle!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TMc_0VCiSBI/AAAAAAAACfw/sGE4XyZZDs4/s1600/May+2010+276.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TMc_0VCiSBI/AAAAAAAACfw/sGE4XyZZDs4/s400/May+2010+276.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532460835481470994" border="0" /></a><br /><p>We opened up a few bottles of wine, and the guys enjoyed some of the beer that was left over from the beach party that afternoon. We chatted, watched some sort of sports game that was on TV, and just enjoyed everyone's company.</p><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TMdADNNjuNI/AAAAAAAACgA/uFCFOYUZM4o/s1600/May+2010+278.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 355px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TMdADNNjuNI/AAAAAAAACgA/uFCFOYUZM4o/s400/May+2010+278.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532461091078256850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TMdACoq7NDI/AAAAAAAACf4/MgUgkL3nN8U/s1600/May+2010+277.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TMdACoq7NDI/AAAAAAAACf4/MgUgkL3nN8U/s400/May+2010+277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532461081269318706" border="0" /></a></p><p>Little by little, our guests trickled out of the suites and back to their rooms to retire for the night. However, sleep was the last thing on my mind. In the week before the wedding, I had been so busy and was trying not to focus too hard on projects. But, by doing so I completely forgot to finish creating Mr. Buttons' wedding day gift! D'oh!!!! Thank goodness that BM A and L were still willing to hang out with me. After a quick change to PJ's, they helped me to cut paper and arrange the photos from my <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/18/beach-photo-shoot/" _mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/18/beach-photo-shoot/">"beach boudoir" session</a> into an album. I also wrapped up my "gag gift" portion of his present: a screen printed shirt that I had made for him. Here...I'll show you - Mr. Buttons proudly wore it the day after our wedding, and everyone was taking photos/laughing at it:</p><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TMdA7HlmOII/AAAAAAAACgI/mSOzP6xB1qs/s1600/36714_1503746997504_1349119216_1329525_7106314_n-e1287698108858.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TMdA7HlmOII/AAAAAAAACgI/mSOzP6xB1qs/s400/36714_1503746997504_1349119216_1329525_7106314_n-e1287698108858.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532462051641145474" border="0" /></a></p><p>In retrospect, I suppose I didn't really have to have the presents prepared for Mr. Buttons because he never opened them during the time he was getting ready on the day of the wedding! I had them delivered to the beach house where the guys were, but apparently he never saw the gift. Thankfully, someone delivered them to the venue, so I WAS able to give him the presents...but not until after the reception was over!</p> <p>Anyway, after the presents were wrapped and ready to go, BM A and L retired to their room...and I was alone.</p> <p>Could I sleep? No, not really. I sat up for an hour or two, going over the timeline of events for the next day. I triple checked our guest list and escort cards and I went over the vows one last time before retiring to my bed. At that point, I attempted to quiet all of the little nagging voices I was hearing in my head in order to get some beauty sleep. However, I was like a kid trying to get to sleep before Christmas...I was just so excited for the next day!</p> <p>Were you able to sleep the night before your wedding?</p> <p>Need to catch up?</p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/" _mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/">The bachelorette party commenced</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/" _mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/">We had a night out on the town</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/19/bridal-shower-flowers/" _mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/19/bridal-shower-flowers/">Relaxation, excitement, and slight panic</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/" _mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/">Something went awry with our rehearsal dinner</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/" _mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/">We had a sunset wedding shower</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/17/tampa-rehearsal-dinner-locations/" _mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/17/tampa-rehearsal-dinner-locations/">The wedding party rehearsed</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/20/beach-wedding-inspiration/" _mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/20/beach-wedding-inspiration/">We had a beach party</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/30/rehearsal-dinner-2/" _mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/30/rehearsal-dinner-2/">Our guests attended the rehearsal dinner</a></li></ul>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-18428683832333836802010-10-13T09:00:00.000-04:002010-10-13T09:00:12.209-04:00Sorry I've been MIA lately...<div style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; padding-top: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><p>Hello everyone! I just wanted to pop in to say 'hello!' I know I've been slightly MIA with my wedding recaps lately, and I promise you that they are coming! However, I do have something pretty for you to look at in the meantime...</p><p><a href="http://rufflesandtruffles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Wedding-Trolley-500x333.jpg" mce_href="http://rufflesandtruffles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Wedding-Trolley-500x333.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-582" title="Wedding-Trolley-500x333" src="http://rufflesandtruffles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Wedding-Trolley-500x333.jpg" mce_src="http://rufflesandtruffles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Wedding-Trolley-500x333.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; " /></a></p><p mce_style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center; ">Pilster Photography</p><p mce_style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center; "></p><p>Our wedding was featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs' blog yesterday. Yes...some of my recaps might be given away with this post. However, I'd love it if you stopped over, took a look, and maybe even left a lovely comment!</p><p><span mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Go to the blog post </span><a href="http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/2010/10/12/whimsical-bird-theme-diy-wedding/" mce_href="http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/2010/10/12/whimsical-bird-theme-diy-wedding/"><span mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">HERE</span></a></p><p>I hope you are all having a fabulous week!</p></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-5752380489639252222010-10-08T08:00:00.000-04:002010-10-08T08:00:08.908-04:00Lovely Tonight: The Rehearsal Dinner<p>After a lovely afternoon of sun and fun at our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/20/beach-wedding-inspiration/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/20/beach-wedding-inspiration/">beach party,</a> it was time to get pretty for our rehearsal dinner! I rushed to our hotel to jump in the shower and threw on my dress, and then it was time to head to the hotel lobby to start a caravan for our guests! Remember our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/">rehearsal dinner nightmare</a>? Our OOT bags/info featured directions on how to get to the restaurant. Well, since plans had changed, my mom and dad organized a caravan for our friends and family to get to the NEW rehearsal dinner location. Thankfully, we all arrived in one piece!</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0946-e1285799619942.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0946-e1285799619942.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-129" title="rehearsal dinner table" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0946-e1285799619942.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0946-e1285799619942.jpg" alt="" height="400" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Uncle D, Aunt S, and Grandma & Grandpa Buttons</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-249-e1285795055749.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-249-e1285795055749.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-123" title="rehearsal dinner chat" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-249-e1285795055749.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-249-e1285795055749.jpg" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">BM K and MOH L had a chat while they waited for dinner to start. MIL Buttons made all of the pretty flower arrangements herself!</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0958-e1285799654434.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0958-e1285799654434.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130" title="rehearsal dinner table 2" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0958-e1285799654434.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0958-e1285799654434.jpg" alt="" height="400" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Sorority sister J, Sorority sister (my twin) M, my great grand little J, and her boyfriend</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal1.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-133" title="rehearsal dinner table 3" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal1.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal1.jpg" alt="" height="400" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Grandma, Aunt J, Cousin J, Aunt S, and Uncle J</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal2.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-134" title="rehearsal dinner table 4" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal2.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal2.jpg" alt="" height="400" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">BM K and MOH L with their fiances</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal3.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal3.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-135" title="rehearsal dinner table 5" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal3.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal3.jpg" alt="" height="400" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">BM L, BM A, Sorority sister J, and her boyfriend</p> <p>I had been pretty upset when we first learned about our closed rehearsal dinner restaurant, but our new location was fabulous! It was right on the water, and our guests were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset, along with a few dolphin sightings to boot! The staff at the restaurant were MIRACULOUSLY able to recreate our original menu...I was so amazed! Although it wasn't the enormous Italian feast that we had been expecting at our original location, we were all fed, the food was delicious, and we were all together!</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-247-e1285794910226.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-247-e1285794910226.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121" title="Rehearsal dinner food" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-247-e1285794910226.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-247-e1285794910226.jpg" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">BM L was awesome enough to remember to photograph her appetizer plate...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-254-e1285794984456.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-254-e1285794984456.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122" title="rehearsal dinner tiramisu" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-254-e1285794984456.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-254-e1285794984456.jpg" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">...and her yummy tiramisu...</p> <p><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-247.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-247.jpg"><br /></a><br /></p> <p>We posed for a bunch of photos after dinner was complete; you have to get group shots when your girlfriends are all together for the first time in years!</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal5.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal5.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-137" title="K and L rehearsal dinner" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal5.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal5.jpg" alt="" height="438" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">...with BM L...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0983.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0983.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-132" title="K, A, and J rehearsal dinner" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0983-e1285800614104.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0983-e1285800614104.jpg" alt="" height="400" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">...with BM/little sister A and great grand little J...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0976.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0976.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-131" title="J, I, and K rehearsal dinner" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0976-e1285800921181.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0976-e1285800921181.jpg" alt="" height="400" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">...posing with our adorable ringbearer...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal6.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal6.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-138" title="group rehearsal dinner" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal6.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal6.jpg" alt="" height="402" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">...all of the ladies together again!</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal4.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal4.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-136" title="J and K rehearsal dinner" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal4.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsal4.jpg" alt="" height="600" width="400" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">...Justin and I had to take at least one photo together...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"> </p><p>A band started playing, and my mom danced with GM J. The other people in the background are random patrons of the restaurant that joined in!</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-274.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-274.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125" title="rehearsal dinner dancing" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-274.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-274.jpg" alt="" height="512" width="384" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">GM J then tried to convince Justin that he had made the wrong choice of who to marry the next day (just kidding...he's married too, for the record), but Justin was having none of it!</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsaldinner.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsaldinner.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-145" title="rehearsal dinner goofy" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsaldinner.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rehearsaldinner.jpg" alt="" height="1024" width="348" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Then...it was back to the hotel for an "after party" to complete our evening!</p> <p>Need to catch up?</p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/">The bachelorette party commenced</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/">We had a night out on the town</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/19/bridal-shower-flowers/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/19/bridal-shower-flowers/">Relaxation, excitement, and slight panic</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/">Something went awry with our rehearsal dinner</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/">We had a sunset wedding shower</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/17/tampa-rehearsal-dinner-locations/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/17/tampa-rehearsal-dinner-locations/">The wedding party rehearsed</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/20/beach-wedding-inspiration/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/20/beach-wedding-inspiration/">We had a beach party</a><br /></li></ul>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-45558230617518300722010-10-07T16:30:00.000-04:002010-10-07T16:30:00.638-04:00$50 Nordstrom giftcard winner...<div style="text-align: center;">I know you have all been waiting (im)patiently for this announcement!<br /><br />First, thank you to EVERYONE who entered this contest! I had a new record of 208 total entries - holy moly!<br /><br />Anyway, lets get down to business. The winner is...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><a href="http://tropicaleats.com/">THIS LUCKY LADY</a></span> (yep, you have to click through to her blog to find out)!<br /><br />Congratulations!<br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-66282036203453961252010-09-28T17:07:00.009-04:002010-09-30T07:33:07.672-04:00Giveaway time! Nordstrom gift card, anyone?Oh my goodness, get excited everyone: I have an amazing giveaway for you today, sponsored by the wonderful folks at <a href="http://www.designerapparel.com/">DesignerApparel.com</a>!<br /><br />During the wedding planning process, as a bride it is easy to get caught up with putting together YOUR perfect outfit for the day...and your mother's dress can sometimes fall by the wayside. Personally, I found it quite difficult to find dresses for my mom that I even liked at all, and sourcing gowns at different stores was a challenge. However, <a href="http://www.designerapparel.com/">DesignerApparel.com</a> has a section specifically targeted for Mother of the Brides (and Mother of the Grooms, for that matter)! Just click over to their <a href="http://www.designerapparel.com/theme/Mother_of_the_Bride.html">Mother of the Bride section</a> to browse the options (there are over 2,000!). They feature brands such as <a href="http://www.designerapparel.com/adrianna_papell.html">Adrianna Papell</a>, <a href="http://www.designerapparel.com/tadashi.html">Tadashi</a>, and <a href="http://www.designerapparel.com/eileen_fisher.html">Eileen Fisher</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Coincidentally, my beautiful mother wore a gorgeous dress by Adrianna Papell:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TKJeMOJ_NvI/AAAAAAAACe4/S8TaA9h3pGM/s1600/IMG_4680.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TKJeMOJ_NvI/AAAAAAAACe4/S8TaA9h3pGM/s400/IMG_4680.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522079657161078514" border="0" /></a>Pilster Photography<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.designerapparel.com/">DesignerApparel.com</a>'s retail partners include Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Bluefly, and Zappos...to name a few. The site also features tools such as free shipping notice, price comparison, and sale notification!<br /><br /><br />Now...for the part you've been waiting for: the giveaway! The wonderful folks over at DesignerApparel.com are offering a <span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">$50 Nordstrom gift card</span></span> to one of my lucky readers!<br /><br /><br />Want to know how to enter? The options are as follows <span style="font-weight: bold;">(make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, and MAKE SURE that there is a clear way for me to contact you if you win!)</span>:<br /><ol><li>Leave a comment and tell me what you would shop for at Nordstrom if you won the giftcard!</li><li>Follow me on this blog, and let me know how you are subscribed!</li><li>Head on over to my NEW blog, <a href="http://rufflesandtruffles.com/">She likes ruffles, he likes truffles</a>, and subscribe to my feed! Feel free to say hi as well ;)</li><li>Follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/SheLikesRuffles">Twitter</a> (if you aren't already), and tweet the following: </li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I just entered a #giveaway for a $50 Nordstrom gift card on @SheLikesRuffles' blog! http://bit.ly/bglHMb</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Then come back and leave me a direct link to your tweet.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">You MUST be following me on Twitter for your entry to count!<br /></div><br /><br />I'm sorry, but this giveaway is limited to US residents only. The giveaway will be open through <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, October 5th at 11:50PM</span> Eastern time. A winner will then be selected at random!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GOOD LUCK!</span></span><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com193tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-14582744614529723922010-09-22T08:00:00.000-04:002010-09-22T08:00:03.274-04:00Lovely Tonight: The Beach Party<p>Now that our mid-morning wedding rehearsal was complete, we had plenty of time to spare before our rehearsal dinner that evening!</p> <p>Since we had the wonderful beach house at our disposal, my family planned a beach party for the afternoon! And my, oh my, was it a beautiful day!</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607230687853_18200056_35691789_628375_n.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607230687853_18200056_35691789_628375_n.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-96" title="beach house view" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607230687853_18200056_35691789_628375_n.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607230687853_18200056_35691789_628375_n.jpg" alt="" height="720" width="480" /></a><br /></p> <p>We invited the bridal party, family, and any out of town friends that wanted to spend some time in the sun. My brother and his girlfriend, along with my Aunt S, Aunt J, and Grandma, had arrived at the house when our rehearsal was taking place, and they set up a wonderful spread for lunch! We had assorted sandwiches, chips, and other munchies...as well as a bunch of leftovers from the previous night's <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/">sunset wedding shower.</a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Our guests quickly filled their plates with food and grabbed a cold drink...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607229245743_18200056_35691744_6644147_n-e1284939238952.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607229245743_18200056_35691744_6644147_n-e1284939238952.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-93" title="beach party porch" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607229245743_18200056_35691744_6644147_n-e1284939238952.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607229245743_18200056_35691744_6644147_n-e1284939238952.jpg" alt="" height="400" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607229270693_18200056_35691745_6436825_n.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607229270693_18200056_35691745_6436825_n.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-94" title="Beach party porch 2" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607229270693_18200056_35691745_6436825_n-e1284939311277.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607229270693_18200056_35691745_6436825_n-e1284939311277.jpg" alt="" height="418" width="600" /></a><br /><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-218.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-218.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-82" title="Beach party porch 3" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-218-e1284939374610.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-218-e1284939374610.jpg" alt="" height="600" width="450" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">After we had our fill, it was time to frolic in the sand and surf!</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-034-e1284938616393.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-034-e1284938616393.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-91" title="Beach chairs Clearwater" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-034-e1284938616393.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-034-e1284938616393.jpg" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-225.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-225.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-88" title="Beach party Clearwater" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-225-e1284940190333.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/may-2010-225-e1284940190333.jpg" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Even the pups got in on the action: Stewart showed off his swimming skills with Cousin J and sorority sister J...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/beachpics1.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/beachpics1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-108" title="Beach dachshund swimming" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/beachpics1.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/beachpics1.jpg" alt="" height="300" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile, my beloved Theodore chased his frisbee. He also decided to explore the rest of the beach when our heads were turned...oops!</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/theodore.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/theodore.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-109" title="Theodore at Clearwater beach" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/theodore.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/theodore.jpg" alt="" height="352" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">After some fun in the sun, we retreated to the house to relax (for what seemed like 2.5 seconds) before moving my bags to the hotel, since I was staying there that evening. My mom read a book to our flower girl, and GM J decided to take a nap...right in the middle of the house. I kid you not - he slept on those cushions for about an hour or so, even with about 10 or more people chatting around him! I wish I could learn that trick...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/beachparty.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/beachparty.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-110" title="Beach party" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/beachparty.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/beachparty.jpg" alt="" height="300" width="600" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">All in all, the beach party was a great success! When we first realized that our rehearsal would have to take place <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/02/01/rehearsal-lunch/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/02/01/rehearsal-lunch/">early in the day</a>, I was a bit skeptical of how the day would work out. However, our time schedule couldn't have been more enjoyable! Both my family and Justin's family were able to get together in a casual environment, and I was able to spend time with both my family and my friends who had flown in from out of town to be with us! Plus, a little extra sun kissed glow before the wedding never hurt anybody...</p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">Next up - our rehearsal dinner!</p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">Did you have/are you planning to have some down time with friends and family on the day of your rehearsal?</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"> </p><p><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607230687853_18200056_35691789_628375_n.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/32443_607230687853_18200056_35691789_628375_n.jpg"><br /></a><br /></p> <p>Need to catch up?</p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/">The bachelorette party commenced</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/">We had a night out on the town</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/19/bridal-shower-flowers/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/19/bridal-shower-flowers/">Relaxation, excitement, and slight panic</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/">Something went awry with our rehearsal dinner</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/">We had a sunset wedding shower</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/17/tampa-rehearsal-dinner-locations/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/09/17/tampa-rehearsal-dinner-locations/">The wedding party rehearsed</a><br /></li></ul>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-31314791024398449912010-09-21T08:00:00.001-04:002010-09-21T08:00:08.203-04:00Lovely Tonight: The Rehearsal<p>So...where did we leave off?</p> <p>After a wonderful <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/">sunset bridal shower</a>, the bridesmaids and I spent the rest of our evening catching up and cleaning up the beach house in preparation for the following afternoon. I was relaxed and having a great time. The clock ticked, and soon it was after 10pm. I logged on to my computer, and it instantly felt like a train had hit me when I pulled up my to-do list.</p> <p>I hadn't finished writing the vows!</p> <p>I hadn't made a CD with our ceremony music to play during our rehearsal!</p> <p>I didn't have a CD player or set of iPod speakers on which to PLAY the music!</p> <p>AHHH! Weren't these important details? <b>HOW IN THE WORLD HAD I MANAGED TO FORGET ABOUT THIS!?!?</b></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01669.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01669.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-51" title="writing vows at computer" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01669-e1284600252499.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01669-e1284600252499.jpg" alt="" height="367" width="490" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">It was going to be a long night...</p> <p>So...what did I do? I hunkered down at the computer, plugged in my printer, and GOT TO WORK! We tore apart the beach house and discovered a boom box that played CDs in the living room. Whew! Then, I frantically called Justin. He was at his "bachelor party" (yes, I used quotations...it involved the guys playing Putt-Putt golf and eating dinner. I married a wild one, I tell you!), and his brothers/friends wouldn't let him answer his phone. They figured that I was just calling for mushy gushy talk. WRONG!</p> <p>Meanwhile, MOH L took the opportunity to put together a ribbon bouquet:</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01671.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01671.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-52" title="ribbon bouquet" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01671-e1284600353896.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01671-e1284600353896.jpg" alt="" height="367" width="490" /></a><br /></p> <p>After hitting 'redial' about 10 times, Justin finally returned my call. I am pretty sure that I started speaking so fast that he couldn't understand me, but he ended up getting the message that I needed him to go to the 24 hour drug store ASAP and buy some CDs for me to burn music onto. He delivered them, gave me a kiss (or two), and left me to my work. I crashed into bed somewhere between 12 and 1am.</p> <p>The morning of the rehearsal, I woke early, jumped in the shower, and gathered up copies of our vows, readings, and the music. My parents picked me up, and we arrived at the venue early to meet with the manager to go over the wedding day schedule one last time. Our DOC Kyle (from <a href="http://www.eventionsfl.com/weddings" mce_href="http://www.eventionsfl.com/weddings">Weddings by Eventions</a>) arrived next, and quickly began to organize everyone as they arrived.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01675.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01675.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-54" title="wedding rehearsal" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01675.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01675.jpg" alt="" height="480" width="463" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Apparently I thought it was time for a mid-morning nap...</p><p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">Our rehearsal was in the morning due to the fact that another wedding was being held at our venue that evening. However, since the weather was nice and the wedding was taking place outdoors, Chuck (Carlouel's manager) had already instructed the staff to set up the chairs for our ceremony!</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01674.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01674.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-53" title="wedding ceremony set up" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01674.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01674.jpg" alt="" height="512" width="384" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">Dang. This was all becoming a little bit real. My heart started beating at a rapid rate. I had no idea what I should be doing. Thankfully, Kyle and our officiant Rev. D did!</p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">Now, my wedding was the very first that I have ever been a part of, so I am not sure if this is a typical order of events for a rehearsal...but I thought it was very smart! First, Rev. D gathered the entire wedding party in the spot that we'd be standing for the ceremony. We stood in formation and went through our entire ceremony. As we did this, our flower girl, ring bearer, and their younger brother were able to play...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01677.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01677.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-55" title="kids playing" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01677.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01677.jpg" alt="" height="310" width="318" /></a><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01683.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01683.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-58" title="baby playing" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01683.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01683.jpg" alt="" height="512" width="384" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">After the ceremony itself was rehearsed, we practiced the recessional. Then, once we had recessed to the lobby, it was time to practice the processional! Everyone took their places and waited patiently for their turn...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01680.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01680.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-56" title="wedding rehearsal" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01680-e1284602022829.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01680-e1284602022829.jpg" alt="" height="367" width="490" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Some were maybe a little LESS patient (i.e. our flower girl and ringbearer). Meanwhile, BM A and L were sporting identical pensive looks...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01682.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01682.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-57" title="wedding rehearsal2" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01682-e1284602097303.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01682-e1284602097303.jpg" alt="" height="367" width="490" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">One of the highlights of the rehearsal was definitely our flower girl and her sprint down the aisle. Look at her hair flying: she was on a mission!</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01685.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01685.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-60" title="flower girl wedding rehearsal" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01685.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01685.jpg" alt="" height="367" width="490" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">MOH L snapped a photo as she practiced her walk down the aisle.</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01684.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01684.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-59" title="wedding rehearsal3" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01684.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc01684.jpg" alt="" height="429" width="490" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;">Once the entire bridal party was up front, it was my turn...</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc016861.jpg" mce_href="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc016861.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-64" title="wedding rehearsal processional" src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc016861.jpg" mce_src="http://shelikesruffles.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/dsc016861.jpg" alt="" height="451" width="382" /></a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">And then, as quickly as it had started, our rehearsal was complete. Now it was time for a big beach party!</p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">Did your rehearsal fly by before your eyes? Did you forget to prepare a few important things before your rehearsal?</p> <p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;" mce_style="text-align: left;">Need to catch up?<br /></p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/">The bachelorette party commenced</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/">We had a night out on the town</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/19/bridal-shower-flowers/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/19/bridal-shower-flowers/">Relaxation, excitement, and slight panic</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/">Something went awry with our rehearsal dinner</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/27/outdoor-wedding-shower/">We had a sunset wedding shower</a><br /></li></ul>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-46382885688891512972010-09-01T08:00:00.000-04:002010-09-01T08:00:13.053-04:00The state of our unionHello again everyone! Guess what? Today marks 3 months since Justin and I tied the knot. Let me tell you, time flies.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TH2gMilLAaI/AAAAAAAACeM/59fumvipaWg/s1600/CJL_2679.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TH2gMilLAaI/AAAAAAAACeM/59fumvipaWg/s400/CJL_2679.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511737656272945570" border="0" /></a>Pilster Photography<br /></div><br /><br />I thought that I would give you a little "state of our union" address at this point...you know...to keep you updated on how things are going, and to give you some insight regarding married life.<br /><br /><ul><li> I know I alluded to it already, but marriage, for us, doesn't feel all that different. And to be honest, I don't think I would want it to be. I absolutely love how comfortable Justin and I are around each other, and if things happened to change drastically after rings were placed on our hands...there'd be a problem.</li><li>I now find myself lost under enormous piles of laundry in amounts that I was not previously accustomed to. That also includes sweaty gym clothes. Ah, love.</li><li>I now have a personal cheerleader for the trials and tribulations in my life, and I have become Justin's biggest cheerleader as well. The mentality of being a "we" and a family has really started to sink in. Justin receiving a bonus at work is not only his personal victory, but a reason for us to celebrate as a couple. When I am frustrated with searching for a new job, he shares the burden with me.</li><li>The two of us are still adjusting to each other. Justin has had to learn to deal with some of my quirks, including the way I like hangers placed in our closet (once something comes off a hanger, it has to be placed in one spot, because I HATE going through the entire rack to find empty hangers when I am doing laundry) or how I can't stand dirty dishes being left out on the counter. And, on the flip side, I have discovered things like the fact that Mr. Buttons isn't a fan of me being on my computer 24/7...so I try to limit my usage and put it away when he gets home from work.</li><li>It is really comforting, and really quite nice, to wake up next to Justin every morning and to give him a kiss goodnight each evening.</li><li>I find my inner domestic diva coming out to play much more often than in the past. I have tried dozens of new recipes since Justin and I moved into our new apartment 3 months ago, and thankfully he is very open to trying each and every meal that I place in front of him. Bless his heart, he has even been willing to humor me with my strange recipes...including black bean brownies and chocolate cookies made out of cannellini beans (by the way, both of them are very tasty).</li><li>Over the past 3 months, we've started establishing some give-and-take types of routines. For instance, I cook dinner every night, and Justin is in charge of washing the dishes. I do the laundry, and he takes care of our furbaby, Lucia (I am not a fan of picking up poop).</li><li>I've learned that it is absolutely impossible for me to be mad at my husband. If we get into a bit of a disagreement, I find myself immediately trying to work things out, and vice versa. We don't relish the thought of going to bed mad at one another, so we've made a conscious effort of resolution before that time (not that it happens a lot). We do say "I love you" every night before we go to sleep.</li><li>The novelty of calling Justin "my husband" has still not worn off yet. I still find myself trying to insert the phrase when I'm conversing with others.</li><li>We are still very excited about what is to transpire in our lives in the coming months. The two of us are starting to contemplate when, where, and how we will take our honeymoon, since we weren't able to go on one directly after the wedding. We're hoping to relax in a tropical locale at some point before our first anniversary. Ideas have been spinning around in our heads as of late, and I'm excited at the prospect of sharing our experiences with you!</li><li>Three months after our wedding, the day itself is indeed a little bit blurry. Every detail that was incredibly important to me during the planning process has started to blur together a little bit. I feel as though I've been left with an "overall feeling" of the wedding day as time has gone by. And, I'm trying to focus on the big picture rather than hone in on every little detail. The truth of the matter is: even though some small details of the day might have gone awry, in the end I married the love of my life. And that, my friends, is the most important detail of them all.<br /></li></ul><br />So, there you have it...the state of our union!<br /><br />For those of you married ladies out there: have you noticed some quirks about your spouse since you got tied the knot? Have you had some pleasant discoveries regarding married life?Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-33662925268403133592010-08-20T08:00:00.001-04:002010-08-20T08:04:59.266-04:00You don't get a "do-over"Hello there everyone! I know I've gone MIA in the past 3 months; waiting for your pro pics to arrive is definitely a study in patience. <p>However, in the days/weeks after our wedding, I've been going through an incredibly varied range of emotions. For the first couple of weeks after the event, all of our family and friends couldn't stop talking about the day. We reminisced about the fun we all had, and how smoothly everything ran. It was bliss.</p> <p>Then a few more weeks passed. The online photo gallery became available to us, and the questions and nit-picking started to occur. I was officially depressed.</p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TG5vRTcB2MI/AAAAAAAACds/eg5srdLqMBo/s1600/633510654944936106-life-live-hard-there%27s-no-do-over.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TG5vRTcB2MI/AAAAAAAACds/eg5srdLqMBo/s400/633510654944936106-life-live-hard-there%27s-no-do-over.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507461737386989762" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pix.motivatedphotos.com/2008/7/7/633510654944936106-life-live-hard-there%27s-no-do-over.jpg" mce_href="http://pix.motivatedphotos.com/2008/7/7/633510654944936106-life-live-hard-there%27s-no-do-over.jpg">Source</a><br /></p> <p>This is the thing: it doesn't make a lick of sense. We had a wonderful day, overall. The weather was lovely, Justin and I were able to share our wedding day with our family and friends, and the party was a fabulous time. So, why the heck am I upset over it? Here, I'll make you a list of a few things:</p> <ul><li>I'm sad that it is all over.</li><li>I'm sad that we don't get to do this again, ever. The planning (and the party) is complete, and you don't get to have a "do-over."</li><li>I wish I would have made a few decisions differently during my planning.</li><li>I wish I would have had more time to enjoy our reception.</li><li>I'm depressed that our first look was only one photo, especially because that was one of the aspects of the day that I was most looking forward to.</li><li>I'm devastated that there aren't photos of my bouquet and the bridesmaids' bouquets: I was so incredibly in love with them, but they didn't get a moment to shine in our photos.</li><li>Was I the most beautiful I've ever been on our wedding day? No. Justin even confirmed this with me: I always thought that he'd say something to our kids like, "on our wedding day, your mother was the most beautiful I've ever seen her." Eh, I guess not (for the record though, Justin said that the most beautiful I've ever been to him was the first day we met...when I had no makeup and dirty hair up in a ponytail. It is cute that he thinks it, but kind of depresses me that I put a lot of time, work, and money into how I looked on the wedding day, and I didn't really feel that it was my best in the end.).</li><li>Even though we will [eventually] go on one, I'm sad that Justin and I still haven't had a honeymoon (actually, we have never been on any vacation together yet...not even a weekend getaway. Nothing).</li></ul> <p>I think that during the wedding planning process, it is easy to become enraptured with the ideal. You and your fiance will have a stunning wedding and reception, you will head off on an incredibly romantic honeymoon, and then return to newlywed bliss...for eternity. Now, I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but if you haven't already guessed, the ideal is not what most people are going to experience. Don't get me wrong; I love Justin, and the life that we have together right now is very happy. VERY happy. However, we definitely feel like we've missed out on a few things.</p> <p>The most common question I get asked nowadays is "how is married life? Are you loving it?" I never know what to say to them. Married life feels...the same. Justin and I have a similar schedule to before the wedding. Sure, we live together now, but the two of us already had a routine that we were comfortable with. I guess I figured that I would feel a little bit different. And...maybe we will...when we finally get to have a honeymoon in some shape or form (aka spend uninterrupted time together to really enjoy one another). Or, maybe that "newlywed bliss" feeling is just something I will never have. I guess I'll have to check back in with you in a few months to let you know about that...</p> <p>So, before my recaps officially begin, I just wanted to put these thoughts out on the table. Many Bees before me have talked about post-wedding depression, and I hate to say it...but it is indeed real. You spend months planning a huge, life changing event, and when it is over you can kind of feel lost. During the planning process I KNEW that everything wouldn't turn out perfectly, but it was all hypothetical at that point. Facing the realities of inconvenient timing, missing photos, and other various elements of the day is sobering. It is very difficult to NOT focus on the aspects of your day that aren't how you planned for them.</p> <p>Anyway, what I am trying to say in the end is: realistically, there is no way that your wedding is going to be perfect down to every single detail. SOMETHING, whether it is small or large, is not going to be the way you envisioned. And...<span style="font-size:130%;"><b>you are going to have to live with it.</b></span> Like I said before, you don't get to have a "do-over" on your wedding day. For now, I am going to work on focusing on the wonderful memories that Justin and I have of our wedding day, because there ARE many. And, I'm going to get pumped up to share my recaps with you...because like I said, there are many wonderful things about our day that I can't wait to divulge.</p> <p>Did you experience post-wedding depression? How did you learn to put aside the feelings of resentment for aspects of your day that went awry?</p>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-74121922600837024252010-08-16T09:58:00.002-04:002010-08-16T10:00:36.370-04:00Giveaway - Ring bearer pillowHappy Monday everyone!<div><br /></div><div>I just wanted to direct your attention to my new blog for an awesome giveaway: I have a ring bearer pillow AND a flower girl sash up for grabs - </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://rufflesandtruffles.com/2010/08/giveaway-ring-pillow/">ENTER HERE!</a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-6359445358871523352010-07-29T10:00:00.000-04:002010-07-29T10:00:06.329-04:00What I've been up to...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TFBLO6CxcnI/AAAAAAAACdk/1McJnm56-Lk/s1600/Picture+2.png"></a>Ok, so you may have noticed that my blogging has been rather infrequent in the past weeks. Yes, that is partly due to the fact that I'm waiting (im)patiently for my professional wedding photos to arrive in my hot little hands.<div><br /></div><div>But of course, that isn't the only thing. Changes are a-comin! If you follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/shelikesruffles">Twitter</a>, you might have noticed a mysterious name change over the weekend. I promised that it would all make sense eventually. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TFBLO6CxcnI/AAAAAAAACdk/1McJnm56-Lk/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498977864490513010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">You see, I've been working on something else. Yep. A new site. My own domain. My little piece of the Internet that belongs to me. I'm pretty pumped. It is slightly light on content at the moment, but I'm working on it. However, it is ridiculously good looking, thanks to <a href="http://iloveyoumuch.com/">Lauren</a> (aka Mrs. Scissors), who did an incredibly wonderful job with the design.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So everyone...I present to you: <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://rufflesandtruffles.com/">she likes ruffles, he likes truffles</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I encourage you to stop by, say hello...and you know...become a follower? I'll be transitioning to the site permanently after my wedding recaps are completed, so get ahead of the game and subscribe now! You know you want to.</span></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-65501663771092867922010-07-28T11:00:00.000-04:002010-07-28T11:10:48.785-04:00Enabling your online shopping...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TFBHKvmRUrI/AAAAAAAACdc/C2vvX7PM2pQ/s1600/51cX5jTvYuL._AA300_.jpg"></a>I love shopping. A lot. When I have free time, it is likely that I turn to the world of online shopping. It makes me happy. And do you know what else makes me deliriously happy? Fabulous deals.<div><br /></div><div>Enter: RueLaLa. The sales are short, but the deals can be awesome! Want an example?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TFBHKvmRUrI/AAAAAAAACdc/C2vvX7PM2pQ/s400/51cX5jTvYuL._AA300_.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498973394920624818" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>I snagged these Betsey Johnson bad boys from RueLaLa for around $70. Original retail price? $169. They arrived in pristine condition and in a timely manner. They even include a pre-paid shipping label if you aren't happy with the product; returns are a cinch.</div><div><br /></div><div>So...you know you want to have access to this site, right? Well, to do so, you're going to need an invitation. Annnnd guess what? Today is your lucky day, because I have them.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.ruelala.com/invite/kolsen20"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>CLICK HERE!</b></span></a> GET YOUR INVITE NOW! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?!</div><div><br /></div><div>AND if you sign up with my invite before August 8, YOU get a <b>$10 credit</b> in your account! Free money...how can you NOT pass that up?</div><div><br /></div><div>You...are...welcome.</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-67742448267778073672010-07-28T10:00:00.000-04:002010-07-28T10:00:03.856-04:00The Bachelorette: A sunset bridal shower<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEiyz_sUTfI/AAAAAAAACbU/qQc7JqD9I3M/s1600/DSC01647.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEiyz_sUTfI/AAAAAAAACbU/qQc7JqD9I3M/s400/DSC01647.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496839951546076658" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center; "><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEh2NlxO4II/AAAAAAAACas/HdzAeGARtCk/s1600/32443_607228816603_18200056_35691713_4164816_n.jpg"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Once our busy day of nail salons and flower previews seemed to be complete, the bridesmaids and I had one last activity! The girls had put together a small bridal shower for that evening - how fun! We were joined by sorority sister J, who had flown in that afternoon, as well as my mom, both my grandmothers, and my Aunt J!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEiyx4-c8II/AAAAAAAACa0/_p8Xidw3KLc/s400/DSC01631.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496839915383353474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The girls laid out quite a lovely spread of appetizers: hummus, pita chips, assorted veggies, homemade guacamole (YUM), baked brie, spinach dip, fruit salad, and some yummy desserts.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizCLcuC9I/AAAAAAAACbk/brtuYmXrL2U/s400/May+2010+167.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840195220048850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The big hit of the dessert spread was definitely MOH L's apple dip - it consisted of a whipped cream cheese layer, caramel apple dip, and heath bar crunch topping. My mom also discovered that it tasted ridiculously good when spread on top of a brownie. We are so healthy...</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizCeC6WZI/AAAAAAAACbs/JFGR2_3G6N0/s400/May+2010+168.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840200212076946" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; ">And of course, there were drinks...MOH L crafted some adorable drink tags for the guests.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizB5IffPI/AAAAAAAACbc/AvDS6uBumeA/s400/May+2010+166.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840190303370482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEiyyuUlvNI/AAAAAAAACa8/NIaolzQ9yu4/s400/DSC01632.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496839929703283922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">Each came with a beautiful handmade wine charm from an Etsy artisan. I loved them: each featured a different combination of beads and bird charms...they matched our wedding theme wonderfully! We had a spread of assorted wines, champagne, and even some champagne punch that the ladies whipped up!<br /><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We made some quick work of that champagne punch though...</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEiyzl70ApI/AAAAAAAACbM/UWJ1TWBG-tc/s400/DSC01637.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496839944631747218" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">After we stuffed ourselves silly, it was time to play a few games. For one, MOH L had contacted Justin and put together a list of questions/answers about himself that I had to answer.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizClN7RKI/AAAAAAAACb0/aE4a_5Z4JaQ/s400/May+2010+173.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840202137322658" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">For the most part, I did well. However, we all had a good laugh when MOH L asked me who Justin's best friend is. Of course, I confidently said it was me (yep, I'm vain)! But...apparently Justin had answered that his friend/groomsman J was! Sheesh! Of course, with the most perfect of timing, my phone rang right after that question was answered. It was Justin...and you can clearly see that I had to give him the 3rd degree about it...just kidding...a little teasing WAS an order though.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEh2NlxO4II/AAAAAAAACas/HdzAeGARtCk/s400/32443_607228816603_18200056_35691713_4164816_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496773321054675074" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">During our "game time," the beach house had some visitors. BM K's fiance and sorority sister J's boyfriend had spent the afternoon down at the beach, and returned to the house to retrieve their belongings. My grandmothers and Aunt J were excited that the "entertainment" had arrived, and requested that they perform a little dance for all of the ladies. Needless to say, they weren't biting at that offer...but it didn't stop my relatives from trying to persuade them!</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizOsvuiVI/AAAAAAAACcM/-M7rpYlNPLU/s400/May+2010+183.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840410316573010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizONRq-xI/AAAAAAAACcE/cWdeo3xXvPA/s400/May+2010+182.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840401869011730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; ">We all found it pretty amusing...</div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizDaMd-VI/AAAAAAAACb8/HF_zGCNnAKE/s400/May+2010+180.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840216358287698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Finally, the sun was setting, and it was time for a champagne toast! We trekked down to the beach with our fancy schmancy plastic champagne glasses for some sunset photos! BM A apparently wanted two glasses...</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizPIPsD_I/AAAAAAAACcc/3dP2pXrRaCU/s400/May+2010+185.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840417698385906" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">MOH L gave a short and sweet toast to the upcoming wedding weekend...</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizctujXYI/AAAAAAAACc8/k5_r9tDBB0U/s400/May+2010+196.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840651098250626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizc7ffEAI/AAAAAAAACdE/IBsvZSGfxIA/s400/May+2010+198.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840654793150466" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizcIu_fGI/AAAAAAAACc0/tV8NV9uOhn8/s400/May+2010+195.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840641167981666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">And we all enjoyed the beautiful sunset the evening had in store for us. We couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous night!</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizO7y3h9I/AAAAAAAACcU/Q7fuqOQq3-o/s1600/May+2010+184.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizO7y3h9I/AAAAAAAACcU/Q7fuqOQq3-o/s400/May+2010+184.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840414356277202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizdWuu4lI/AAAAAAAACdM/0KCCQX_ZtWU/s400/May+2010+199.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840662104859218" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizrDq1Z2I/AAAAAAAACdU/eFHee8M3Q90/s1600/May+2010+207.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEizrDq1Z2I/AAAAAAAACdU/eFHee8M3Q90/s400/May+2010+207.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496840897506404194" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Need to catch up on the wedding week festivities?</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/">The bachelorette party commenced</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/">We had a night out on the town</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/19/bridal-shower-flowers/">Relaxation, excitement, and slight panic</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/20/it-wouldnt-be-a-wedding-without-something-going-awry/">Something went awry with our rehearsal dinner</a></div><div><br /></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-21177448318465296372010-07-21T10:00:00.000-04:002010-07-21T10:00:05.039-04:00It wouldn't be a wedding without something going awry...<div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">I already alluded to the fact that when BM L, A, and I drove past the rehearsal dinner location, I thought something looked strange. At that moment, I put it out of my mind, but nevertheless, it kept bugging me.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">When we returned to the beach house, my cell phone rang. It was my mom, and she had some interesting news. Justin's mom had arranged with the rehearsal dinner restaurant to drop off the centerpieces on Friday morning so she wouldn't have to worry about them on Saturday. She had arrived at the restaurant that morning to discover the doors were closed, chained, and padlocked! She had spoken with the manager that Tuesday, only 3 days earlier...and there seemed to be nothing wrong at that time. However, at some point between Tuesday and Friday, the restaurant had closed. And, of course...they hadn't informed Justin's mother of this.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDKWnCuY6I/AAAAAAAACaY/VuTnONWfhPU/s400/129156859821724277.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494614035178349474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://ihasahotdog.com/2010/04/24/funny-dog-pictures-i-know/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IHasAHotdog+%28Loldogs+%27n%27+Funny+Dog+Pictures+-+I+Has+A+Hotdog%21%29">Source</a></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">So...there we were...without a rehearsal dinner location for the following evening. If it was a small dinner, I might not have been concerned. However, our rehearsal dinner was scheduled for 60 guests, and it was being held on a Saturday night....on a holiday weekend. As soon as my mom told me the news about our original restaurant closing, I could feel my heart (and stomach) drop down to my toes. This...was...not...good!</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Now, I'm going to pause the story for a moment. During my planning process, I constantly was hearing how there really is no way to avoid at least one thing from going wrong in relation to your wedding day. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Something IS going to go wrong at SOME point during your wedding festivities. But, you know what? Things have a way of working themselves out. Breathe in...breathe out...</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDLKWlOH0I/AAAAAAAACag/hvpPfTcG154/s400/saupload_calvinhobbscalmdown.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494614924112830274" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 353px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EEDwXC0iqLg/S4kph-IVnWI/AAAAAAAAEaw/yvXrX-uNpWY/s400/saupload_calvinhobbscalmdown.jpg">Source</a></div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">At first, I thought that our rehearsal dinner was going to be a catastrophe. How in the world were we going to resolve this problem in less than 24 hours? I figured that we would have to order pizzas and eat them in our hotel lounge, or something to that accord. Well, luck happened to be on our side. Justin's mother had frantically searched around the area, and ended up visiting a restaurant where Justin's brother had held his rehearsal dinner a few years back. They were able to accommodate the size of our group, AND they were willing to recreate our menu to the best of their ability (our guests had already pre-selected their dinner choice for the evening). Problem solved! The only thing we had to do now was to inform our guests of the new location, and give them directions! Sigh of relief? Indeed. Crisis...averted!</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Have you had a moment of panic during your wedding planning?</div></span></div></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-29051236289140222162010-07-20T09:00:00.000-04:002010-07-20T09:00:09.848-04:00The Bachelorette Festivities: Relaxation, excitement, and slight panic sets in<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">After a <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/">day at the aquarium</a> followed by a <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/12/florida-bachelorette-party/">night on the town</a>, the bridesmaids and I decided that the next day would be one of relaxation. Well, sort of! We slept in a little later than usual, then quickly dressed and ran out the door to get to the nail salon.</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We picked up some sustenance in the form of Panera sandwiches and coffee, and proceeded to the nail salon for manicures and pedicures. It was definitely nice to sit in a comfy massage chair for an hour or so...with the hustle and bustle of pre-wedding excitement, it can sometimes be difficult to take a moment to relax and take everything in. However, I highly recommend taking some time to yourself before your wedding day if at all possible!</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">After the nail salon, the bridesmaids and I headed over to my parents' house. Some of my relatives had arrived the previous afternoon, and I was eager to say "hello!" Do you remember how I mentioned that I had committed my relatives to slave labor on my behalf? Well, my mom, both my grandmothers, my aunt, AND my grandfather had been hard at work on our favors into the wee hours of the night. They must love me...</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEC_Ff9TANI/AAAAAAAACYs/yQ071yMtuCY/s400/100_0030.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494601646590853330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px; " /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span><div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEC_Fn-bszI/AAAAAAAACY0/nh01127LTMc/s400/100_0031.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494601648743101234" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 315px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">They look happy enough, right?</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEC_GAF7wZI/AAAAAAAACY8/inG4DiaONUY/s400/100_0032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494601655217013138" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEC_GgETwpI/AAAAAAAACZE/kh5y23515ao/s1600/100_0034.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEC_GgETwpI/AAAAAAAACZE/kh5y23515ao/s400/100_0034.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494601663800132242" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The idea for our favor came up randomly one night. I was at dinner with my parents, and we were discussing some wedding details. My mom and I were commiserating about the situation. The original idea was to bag up some yummy key lime cookies from a local bakery. However, something about it was just not exciting us. Then, out of nowhere, my dad came up with a brilliant idea! If you recall, Justin and I <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/12/29/shall-we-begin/">met because of our pups</a>. When I was a kid, my mom used to make a delicious snack called "puppy chow" all the time - a combo of Crispix cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar. Why not bag up some "puppy chow" for our guests as a nod to the furry friends that brought us together? The decision was made on the spot. So, a few days before the wedding, my family members were wrangled into melting peanut butter and chocolate, shaking bags filled with powdered sugar, and portioning each treat into white coffee bags that I had affixed monogrammed stickers to.</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Things were incredibly busy at our household when we arrived; bags had to be packed, supplies had to be delivered, and we still had an important appointment to go to that afternoon! Do you remember how I said <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/05/20/tampa-florist/">my florist would give me a flower preview</a>? It was time for mine! When we walked into my appointment, I was bracing myself...even though I knew that Debbie had a firm grasp on my vision, I was very anxious to see if it was realized!</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Oh boy, was I ever excited! As soon as my eyes landed on our flowers, a huge grin spread across my face. They were perfect. No, more than perfect, if that is even possible! Ok, so I am going to go ahead and spoil my pro pics by showing you my flowers now...but I just can't help myself! Can you see why I was about ready to jump for joy?</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDBsnLn02I/AAAAAAAACZg/tvUtAIN9x6Q/s400/IMG_0924.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494604517568140130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDCzgjSxBI/AAAAAAAACZw/ZhGj_y-SaTE/s400/IMG_0933.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494605735559087122" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Fun fact: I don't know that we ever discussed the size of my bouquet in our meetings. My bridal bouquet was LARGE and IN CHARGE! Seriously: look at it next to me!</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDBsKWjG-I/AAAAAAAACZY/Am84gtCsyuY/s400/May+2010+154.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494604509829340130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">However, it was perfect. Absolutely perfect. The peonies and cabbage roses looked stunning together, especially with the seeded eucalyptus.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDDcscIoRI/AAAAAAAACZ4/6GI4s_nKrzs/s400/IMG_0938.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494606443124924690" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Debbie even added sprigs of rosemary, as it is a calming herb (and what bride doesn't need a little bit of calm on her wedding day?). The bridesmaids' bouquets turned out beautifully as well; they were created with cabbage roses, creamy stock, lisianthus, white cymbidium orchids, and seeded eucalyptus.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDEAYr7p8I/AAAAAAAACaI/EkXgel7K594/s1600/IMG_0936.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDEAYr7p8I/AAAAAAAACaI/EkXgel7K594/s400/IMG_0936.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494607056297764802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDDdPzVduI/AAAAAAAACaA/MN_qCIU-6eo/s1600/IMG_0929.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDDdPzVduI/AAAAAAAACaA/MN_qCIU-6eo/s400/IMG_0929.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494606452617475810" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Gorgeous. I pretty much did not want to leave my flowers at that point; I was infatuated. But alas, there were things to do and people to see, so BM L, A, and I headed back to Clearwater. Bye bye my lovelies...</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TEDEBOvsJ-I/AAAAAAAACaQ/KGZ652zcSVM/s400/IMG_0942.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494607070809040866" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">On the way back to the beach house, I took BM L and A through some back roads near the water. It was a lovely scenic drive. I also wanted to point out to them where our rehearsal dinner was going to take place the following evening. When we drove through downtown Clearwater, I saw the restaurant up ahead. As we passed by, I made a comment that something looked strange...but I couldn't put my finger on it.</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Little did I know what was to come...</div></span></div></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-39056282497680917282010-07-19T08:00:00.001-04:002010-07-19T08:00:08.471-04:00Happy Monday - and we have a winner!Well, I hope everyone's week is off to a good start! I know that it certainly will be for one lucky individual, since it is time to announce the winner of the <a href="http://uprinting.com">Uprinting</a> custom notecard giveaway!<div><br /></div><div>Drumroll please....</div><div><br /></div><div>Congratulations to<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b> Ali from </b></span><a href="http://hisbirdiesnest.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>His Birdie's Nest</b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>!</b></span> Woo hoo! If you don't already follow her blog, I highly recommend you click over and start to. She is always posting scrumptious looking recipes, and darn it, she is just an all-around lovely individual!</div><div><br /></div><div>Again, thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway; I'm looking forward to the next one soon!</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-19647538260333669722010-07-12T10:00:00.001-04:002010-07-12T10:00:00.439-04:00Bachelorette festivities: a night on the town!<div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">After our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/07/01/florida-bachelorette/">trip to the aquarium</a> and soaking up the sun all afternoon, it was time to get ready for a night out! The bridesmaids and I got gussied up and headed out for a delicious dinner at Island Way Grill. We shared some edamame, drank a few cocktails, and noshed on some delicious dinner (mmm wasabi mashed potatoes? Yes yes yes). We did have to keep our eye on the clock however, because a sweet ride was coming to meet us!</span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOxH9sayZI/AAAAAAAACWM/RDsGv3eGQcM/s400/Slide1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490927121072834962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We hurried back to the beach house after dinner to meet up with our limo for the evening! Mommy Buttons has clued MOH E in on a great Groupon that a limo company was offering, and she snatched it up for the night!</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">After getting settled in our limo, I was handed our itinerary for the evening. It involved some bar hopping in a few different locations. Fun! Of course, on the way there we had to pop open some bubbly. Well, not "we," more like "me," since none of the other girls were willing to open a champagne bottle in fear of taking someone's eye out! Thankfully, I have opened quite a few champagne bottles in my day, so I was able to help them out...</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeFPwXLpgI/AAAAAAAACXk/uSM88r-88cM/s400/May+2010+122.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492004776328275458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeFQMRQQlI/AAAAAAAACXs/Bn6oLToFUwk/s400/May+2010+123.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492004783819604562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeF0jgcU-I/AAAAAAAACYE/Wdj0aeWn4jc/s400/DSC01577.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492005408532616162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOzsPj8fOI/AAAAAAAACWc/3SAf7MytJP8/s400/Slide3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490929943367679202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The girls even brought some sliced strawberries to add to the champagne! And, check out MOH E's fancy work on the champagne glasses! She made one for each of us; don't they look great?</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeFPdjXoqI/AAAAAAAACXU/8p1CJTduXmA/s400/May+2010+119.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492004771279119010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We also bejeweled ourselves with some fabulous light up engagement rings - you twist the top and it lights up like a flashlight! Very useful...</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeE7IcFthI/AAAAAAAACXE/x-i2A9DEIYg/s400/May+2010+133.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492004422014055954" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">I opened a few presents at this time too, which might have included a few "unmentionables." And...this is probably very messed up, but is it sad that I got THIS excited over a bag of pretzel M&M's that BM L got me? They are so good.</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeFPrpqecI/AAAAAAAACXc/7CWErQjQaOk/s400/May+2010+120.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492004775063615938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">BM K made me an amazing bachelorette sash - how crafty is she?!?! I was so impressed with her handiwork, and it even matched my outfit pretty well! Score!</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeFzxrPm-I/AAAAAAAACX0/05eUZ3CrYXU/s400/DSC01579.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492005395156147170" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 393px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Well, it turned out that the limo driver was unable to locate our first destination on the list, so after driving around for about an hour, we finally made it to our second location. We were dropped off in the Channelside district in Tampa, where we headed into Howl at the Moon for some live piano music and a bucket of...alcohol. I'll be honest - the bar scene wasn't exactly hopping on a Thursday evening, but there WERE two other bachelorette parties taking place in the bar, so that was pretty entertaining!</div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeF08xTSXI/AAAAAAAACYM/xX6EcHj9SQw/s400/DSC01580.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492005415314213234" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOzsHOOJHI/AAAAAAAACWU/w8P1IxhVybA/s400/Slide2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490929941129077874" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeF1Mi4K3I/AAAAAAAACYU/xPrsI4AhkvA/s400/DSC01585.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492005419548683122" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">We sipped on our enormous drink, sang along with the music, and even might have danced on stage for a bit. The girls even paid to have a message written on the mirror behind the piano...ha...ha...ha...verrrry funny ladies...</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeIIo7jYrI/AAAAAAAACYc/f8q7kJu7aos/s400/DSC01610.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492007952609141426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">When it came time to return to our limo, we were tired. When we returned to the beach house, we promptly crashed in our beds. It had been a great night!</div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Are you planning a fun night out on the town/did you have a fun night out for your bachelorette party?</div></span></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-69892665558754148422010-07-12T08:00:00.004-04:002010-07-12T22:37:42.920-04:00Giveaway Time Once Again!<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Get excited, it is time for another giveaway, sponsored by the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.uprinting.com/">printing company</a> UPrinting!</span></span></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br />What is up for grabs this time?</span></span><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="http://www.uprinting.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDeL9QqytlI/AAAAAAAACYk/MoP3GTsVrfw/s400/greetingcards.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492012155164341842" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px; " /></span></span><div><div face="georgia" style="text-align: center; "><span><a href="http://www.uprinting.com/greeting-cards-printing.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Source</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">50 5x7 folded note cards with plain envelopes for your </span><a href="http://www.uprinting.com/greeting-cards-printing.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">greeting card printing</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> needs!<br /></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Details</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">:</span><br />The note cards are printed on 14pt cardstock gloss, with 4 color front and blank back.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The set comes with 4 Baronial blank envelopes.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The notes are half fold (scoring only)<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping<br /><br />Eligibility: Limited to US Residents only. Must be 18 years old and up.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to enter:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1. Leave a comment and let me know what you would use the note cards for. (1 entry)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2. Follow my blog, or if you are already a follower, make sure you remind me in your comment! (1 entry)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">3. Follow me on Twitter @QueButtons, and send out this tweet about the contest (and then remind me when you've done so!): I just entered a #giveaway for 50 custom note cards on @QueButtons blog- http://bit.ly/9Wru2F </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (1 entry)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The contest closes at 11:59PM Eastern time on Friday, July 16. I will then select a winner at random after compiling all of your entries!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br />***As a sponsored post, I am also receiving note cards from</span><a href="http://www.uprinting.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Uprinting.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> for hosting this giveaway.</span></span></div></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span></div></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-4646880613343769542010-07-08T13:00:00.001-04:002010-07-08T14:41:46.121-04:00Lovely Tonight: A Sneak Peek<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">You've been waiting for them. I've been waiting for them. Well...more like dreaming about them and pining after them in a rather impatient manner. I will explain the reason for the delay soon (trust me, there is quite a story behind it), but for now I'd like you to get excited because I have finally seen some photos from our wedding day! Insert trumpets and angels and musical instruments here...</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Are you ready??? Drumroll please....</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);font-family:Georgia,serif;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDRuEO0qMwI/AAAAAAAACW0/Ds26fv9MxEU/s400/KT3Q9546A-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491134864648975106" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 400px;" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);font-family:Georgia,serif;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDRuEY3l49I/AAAAAAAACW8/32sJnJ6RQiA/s400/KT3Q9624-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491134867345630162" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px;" border="0" /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);font-family:Georgia,serif;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDRuDB9jW9I/AAAAAAAACWk/WlXaQgg1-3w/s400/HI0I1785-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491134844016745426" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" border="0" /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);font-family:Georgia,serif;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDRuDhN87mI/AAAAAAAACWs/TP-5h321xL4/s400/HI0I9747-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491134852407029346" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" border="0" /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">All photos by the wonderful </span><a href="http://weddings.pilsterphotography.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Pilster Photography</span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />Ok, so now that I've thoroughly teased you, you're going to have to wait...again! I still do not have the rest of the photos in my possession, so we are all going to have to practice the fine art of patience. However, it WILL be worth the wait; judging by how beautiful our teasers were, I just know that there are many many more gorgeous images to come!<br /><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Were you on the edge of your seat while waiting to see images from your photographer?</span></div></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-55917488172278608242010-07-07T11:00:00.000-04:002010-07-07T11:00:04.288-04:00Married for a MONTH!<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkyok5iRI/AAAAAAAACV4/XjRts3M20Yk/s1600/P6300296.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkyok5iRI/AAAAAAAACV4/XjRts3M20Yk/s400/P6300296.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490913560487364882" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 322px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkGvrR--I/AAAAAAAACVw/WcKzbMiT8Ak/s1600/P6300293.JPG"></a></span><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Last week (exactly last week, actually), Justin and I celebrated one month of marriage. Woo hoo! Who knew that a month could pass by so quickly?</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Justin and I decided that we didn't want to wait an entire year to eat the top tier of our wedding cake; we don't have the space in our freezer, and we were concerned that in 12 months our cake would simply not taste as good as a fresh one. So, the top tier was defrosted in preparation for our evening!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">After a delicious dinner, we popped open a bottle of champagne and prepared to cut into our cake!</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOjS0gK-3I/AAAAAAAACU4/fLFfmVqmQU8/s1600/P6300267.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOjS0gK-3I/AAAAAAAACU4/fLFfmVqmQU8/s400/P6300267.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490911914421320562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOjSRPk3ZI/AAAAAAAACUw/y-26hzrBxbU/s1600/P6300264.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOjSRPk3ZI/AAAAAAAACUw/y-26hzrBxbU/s400/P6300264.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490911904956472722" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOjTI52E5I/AAAAAAAACVA/E1yFQbt_Ajs/s400/P6300268.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490911919897711506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">I was surprised at how good the decorations on the outside of the cake held up! Yes, some of the lace work cracked and is no longer straight, but considering it was wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil for a month, I was impressed!</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOjTn2lE9I/AAAAAAAACVI/_46klru0ISc/s400/P6300274.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490911928205513682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Oh, how I wish I had the pro pics of the entire cake from the wedding day - can't you tell it was ridiculously gorgeous?!?! Ohhhhh ok...I'll let you have a peek of the entire cake in all its glory, as captured by one of our guests:</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOl3gUhrUI/AAAAAAAACWA/DdGzESWgPIQ/s400/37270_1503736877251_1349119216_1329455_5151896_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490914743682182466" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span><div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">I was in love with it. Clearly.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">We had selected two different flavors of cake for the wedding: chocolate kahlua creme and amaretto. Justin and I had no idea what flavor the top tier was going to be until the knife went into the cake! Surprise - it was amaretto (which was great, because both of us had the chocolate kahlua during our reception)!</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkFr1BiOI/AAAAAAAACVg/FwmhsMHDcmE/s1600/P6300284.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkFr1BiOI/AAAAAAAACVg/FwmhsMHDcmE/s400/P6300284.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490912788266191074" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkFJm17PI/AAAAAAAACVY/upLN2UZ5cN0/s1600/P6300283.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkFJm17PI/AAAAAAAACVY/upLN2UZ5cN0/s400/P6300283.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490912779079904498" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Um...I was really excited about eating some cake, can you tell???</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkEjjZeEI/AAAAAAAACVQ/qlH07Rclrcw/s1600/P6300282.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkEjjZeEI/AAAAAAAACVQ/qlH07Rclrcw/s400/P6300282.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490912768864909378" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkEjjZeEI/AAAAAAAACVQ/qlH07Rclrcw/s1600/P6300282.JPG"></a></span></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">And I'm sure you are wondering, how did it taste? I was definitely a bit concerned, as month (or year) old cake has had mixed reviews from a number of other brides. However, we were extremely lucky; our cake tasted just as good as it did on the day of the wedding! It was still extremely moist, and the flavor was fantastic! I think that the white chocolate fondant was what helped; I'm no scientist, but I think that the fondant sealed in the freshness of the cake! Yum!</span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkGPzIdCI/AAAAAAAACVo/qzUkeV8cvNw/s400/P6300292.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490912797921932322" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">One month certainly went by in a flash; Justin and I have really been enjoying our time as newlyweds, and we are excited for what lies ahead of us!</span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkGvrR--I/AAAAAAAACVw/WcKzbMiT8Ak/s1600/P6300293.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkGvrR--I/AAAAAAAACVw/WcKzbMiT8Ak/s400/P6300293.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490912806478937058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TDOkFr1BiOI/AAAAAAAACVg/FwmhsMHDcmE/s1600/P6300284.JPG"></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">I am chomping at the bit to begin our wedding day recaps; I can't wait to get my hands on our photos so that I can share our special day with you all!</span></div></span></div></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-78870077947485251122010-07-02T08:00:00.000-04:002010-07-02T08:00:05.576-04:00The bachelorette festivities commence!<div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Since the bridesmaids are all from out of town, we realized that the easiest plan for bachelorette festivities would be to hold the events a few days before the wedding. That way, each maid only had to purchase one plane ticket (what can I say...I like to save money when possible)!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />The girls all arrived on Wednesday; MOH E's flight was in the morning; we grabbed lunch, and then spent the afternoon packing things up for the beach house. After picking up BM K and A later that evening, we stopped by the Cheesecake Factory to share some appetizers, drinks, and (duh) cheesecake while we waited for BM L to arrive. Side note: their new Stephanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake is seriously TO DIE FOR. 2 layers of red velvet cake, 2 layers of classic cheesecake, cream cheese frosting, and white chocolate shavings. Just...look...at...it:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCy3CCHWqAI/AAAAAAAACRc/xYbXz7k3W0c/s400/stephanies_cheesecake.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963291413129218" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu/Cheesecake/stefanies_ultimate_red_velvet_cake_cheesecake"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Source</span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was so great to catch up with everyone...and it was almost as if no time had elapsed since we were last together. Once all of the girls were packed into my car, we drove to the beach house to settle in for the night. However, we did have to go dip our toes in the ocean before we did so!<br /><br />The next morning, we woke up bright and early (well, I did at least), as we had a fun trip in store! The ladies and I took a trip to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for a special visit!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />Now, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is probably not what you would consider the "typical" aquarium; it is definitely not Sea World. However, it stands for an awesome cause. The aquarium focuses on rehabilitation of the animals it takes in; unless the animals are unable to return to the wild for some reason, they are rehabilitated and released. Look at these cutie pie otters!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzRjTzM8nI/AAAAAAAACSk/dYBmo51wCGw/s400/IMG_0881.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488992450398450290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We took a "behind the scenes" tour of the facility, and learned some interesting facts! Did you know that sea turtles can be "stunned" by cold water? We had an incredibly cold winter in Florida this past year, and with the cold water temperatures, many sea turtles went into shock. Their bodies freeze up, and they appear to be dead. The aquarium received many calls from concerned beach goers who came upon cold stunned turtles and thought they were dead. However, once the team at the Clearwater Aquarium brings them in and warms them up, they "unfreeze" and can be returned to the wild!<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The volunteers at the Clearwater Aquarium also babysit sea turtle nests; during nesting season they scout and mark the nests that they find, and when it is close to hatching time, a volunteer babysits, especially at night time. When a sea turtle hatches, it naturally heads towards the light (which, originally was the moonlight...reflecting off the ocean). However, now that the beaches are filled with hotels and houses, there are lights everywhere. The baby turtles can get confused, and sometimes head away from the water (towards the hotels and houses) instead of to the ocean! Poor little guys...I'm glad that there are volunteers that are at the ready to assist them to the sea!<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After our tour, it was time to see the dolphins! There are a few resident dolphins at the Clearwater Aquarium; each of them was unable to be returned to the wild for different reasons. Nicholas was found on Christmas Eve in 2002, stranded with his mother Noelle. Noelle passed away, and Nicholas suffered severe sunburn (yes, did you know they can get sunburned? Dolphin skin is very sensitive). He has to remain at the aquarium because of his dependent status at the time of his stranding. Indy was found with both shark and dolphin bites on his body. See the marks?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzZy3yIYaI/AAAAAAAACUE/esO3MVTCQdA/s400/IMG_0917.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489001513848693154" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">He was unable to be released to the wild because they were unsure if he could survive since he was stranded at such a young age, and he refused to eat live fish while in captivity. These two dolphins put on a show for us; we were able to sit right at the edge of the tank!<br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzQehZVk0I/AAAAAAAACSM/OEIhRnEEgGo/s400/May+2010+023.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488991268637086530" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzbEAdvZ-I/AAAAAAAACUU/uG8xbiAFiHw/s400/IMG_0922.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489002907748493282" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzafEcJeNI/AAAAAAAACUM/jp6gslFVgi8/s400/IMG_0920.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489002273160394962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzV-A8em1I/AAAAAAAACTs/6pr-tV_fFgg/s400/IMG_0911.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488997307240061778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzY-_UECdI/AAAAAAAACT8/6d3y3JOPuxI/s400/IMG_0914.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489000622516865490" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzXZ46079I/AAAAAAAACT0/sa0_1Hk06Bo/s400/IMG_0912.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488998885633617874" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">However, there is one very very special dolphin that resides at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Her name is Winter...have you heard of her before? As a 3 month old baby, Winter was discovered tightly wound in a crab trap line. They were able to rescue her, and after many nights and days of volunteers holding her up in the water so she could breathe, she survived. However, due to the injuries she sustained, her entire tail and a few vertebrae were lost. Yes...Winter is a dolphin without a tail. See?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzUXniMw4I/AAAAAAAACTE/MEOZF7Q8xVQ/s400/IMG_0895.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488995548072297346" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">However, she has amazingly adapted to a new swimming pattern. In doing so, trainers at the aquarium realized that by moving her tail from side to side to swim (similar to a shark) instead of up and down is bad for Winter's back, so they began the process of creating a prosthetic tail!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzTFAQnw2I/AAAAAAAACS0/RhlBLvodAMg/s400/IMG_0892.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488994128780313442" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 234px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Winter is first fitted with a stretchy plastic "sleeve," similar to those found on human prosthetics. Then, her tail fin is attached. Winter has training sessions where she learns how to properly use her tail; how awesome is that?<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCy4U7JpSZI/AAAAAAAACRk/syZg_MD2vJI/s400/wintertail.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964715472832914" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 160px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://www.seewinter.com/explore-cma/animals/dolphins/winter"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Source</span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We were able to get our hands on her prosthetic tail. BM K was especially intrigued by Winter's tail - she currently works with human prosthetics herself, and apparently Winter is a big celebrity in her field!<br /></span></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzVNNyxBSI/AAAAAAAACTc/LMrDuAfV_Ag/s1600/IMG_0901.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzVNNyxBSI/AAAAAAAACTc/LMrDuAfV_Ag/s400/IMG_0901.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488996468875396386" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 307px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzVMFbKgmI/AAAAAAAACTU/9Ahu1hyyJEc/s1600/IMG_0899.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzVMFbKgmI/AAAAAAAACTU/9Ahu1hyyJEc/s400/IMG_0899.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488996449449050722" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzUYOms1zI/AAAAAAAACTM/EbNqZQI6doQ/s1600/IMG_0897.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzUYOms1zI/AAAAAAAACTM/EbNqZQI6doQ/s400/IMG_0897.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488995558560159538" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Winter's favorite "toy" is her floating mat in her tank. She shimmies onto it and floats around.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzV9VIAmGI/AAAAAAAACTk/x_EDe5nl7a8/s400/IMG_0903.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488997295477266530" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzTk3gACmI/AAAAAAAACS8/L4O2lCUwgFU/s400/IMG_0894.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488994676184713826" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">She is so cute! The entire time that we were there she was vocalizing...a LOT! Winter's chirping is adorable, and it seems like she has such a spunky personality.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzRkJx81fI/AAAAAAAACSs/9sJqpwzHqkg/s400/IMG_0889.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488992464888714738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 231px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What a cute little dolphin...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzQeMhgkzI/AAAAAAAACSE/bM7nacPHG6Q/s400/May+2010+018.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488991263034217266" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After the aquarium, the girls and I chowed down on a delicious lunch at Frenchy's (ummm blackened fish tacos? Yes please.), then spent the afternoon frolicking on the beach.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzQfB8iazI/AAAAAAAACSU/r1tI44P_rMk/s400/May+2010+034.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488991277374663474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yep - thats us out there in the water!</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCzQfuNi8NI/AAAAAAAACSc/oqeWtGObE_A/s400/May+2010+111.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488991289257160914" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our plans for the evening: a night out on the town! But, I'll get to that later...<br /><br />If you would like more information on the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and/or Winter the dolphin, visit their website:</span></span><a href="http://www.seewinter.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">HERE</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. You can even make charitable donations to help them; they are a nonprofit organization and they work hard to not only help injured sea creatures, but also to educate about respect for marine life and our environment.<br /><br />Did you take a fun and/or educational trip as a part of your bachelorette festivities, or am I the only nerdy one out there?</span></span></div></div></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-81918985587248420132010-06-28T11:45:00.000-04:002010-06-28T11:45:00.430-04:00Last minute projects...I like to procrastinate!<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">The week before the wedding was an absolute blur, and I mean it! The amount of appointments and tasks on my to do list was staggering, but somehow the clan was able to pull it together in the end!</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">I wanted to share a few of my last minute projects that were pulled together before the wedding! Lets begin with...OOT bags! Our guests were staying at a suite style hotel, so each of their rooms was equipped with a full kitchen! This definitely allowed for us to provide some yummy snacks for them!</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">I'll be honest; I didn't take photos of the contents of the bags, but here is what each of them included:</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">2 water bottles with monogrammed sticker label (this one):</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCS2b1Qb5RI/AAAAAAAACP0/3NxczfSn5o8/s400/Monogram+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486710835312846098" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px; " /></span><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">2 instant lemonade mixes</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">bag of microwave popcorn</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">2 chewy granola bars</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">2 bags of Miss Vickie's chips</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">1 bag mixed nuts/trail mix</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">2 packs of crackers: cheese and peanut butter</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Welcome packet/information</span></li></ul></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">All of the goodies were placed in a pretty gift bag that I adorned with pinwheels. Pinwheels? Oh yes...remember those pinwheels I told you about a few months ago? Well, that particular project was abandoned part way through, and I was left with a big stack of pinwheels that I wasn't going to use. Hello, OOT bag decorations! I used my hot glue gun to attach a few pinwheels on each OOT bag, and voila! Fancy pants bags!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTCRyVw9PI/AAAAAAAACP8/xu-arxk8mkk/s400/IMG_0862.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486723856870733042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span><div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTDBACCDuI/AAAAAAAACQM/xuz0NaBmsoY/s1600/IMG_0864.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTDBACCDuI/AAAAAAAACQM/xuz0NaBmsoY/s400/IMG_0864.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486724667999915746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTCSVrMQHI/AAAAAAAACQE/zHR_UT3ThG0/s1600/IMG_0863.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTCSVrMQHI/AAAAAAAACQE/zHR_UT3ThG0/s400/IMG_0863.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486723866355843186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTDqRDXPeI/AAAAAAAACQc/O-98-yqvcLY/s1600/IMG_0869.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTDqRDXPeI/AAAAAAAACQc/O-98-yqvcLY/s400/IMG_0869.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486725376943537634" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">***Sigh...*** Don't they look fabulous??? I know, I'm totally biased...</span></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTDByMAXTI/AAAAAAAACQU/6YH8zhqIY5M/s1600/IMG_0866.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTDByMAXTI/AAAAAAAACQU/6YH8zhqIY5M/s400/IMG_0866.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486724681463520562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">The next project on the agenda? Table letters! Yes...I said letters. I decided that I wanted to use letters instead of table numbers simply for financial reasons...less materials to purchase in the end! I am in love with how they turned out! Let's take a little peek at them...</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTDqho0xbI/AAAAAAAACQk/nRjDfyTsMPs/s400/IMG_0871.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486725381395629490" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">I purchased all of my materials at Michaels, and the process of putting them together was so easy! I purchased the required number of wooden letters, the corresponding number of flat circular discs (located right next to the wooden letters in the store), a bottle of cream acrylic paint, another in brown, and 2 bags of reindeer moss. I painted each of the disc stands brown, and each letter in cream. Using my hot glue gun, I attached each letter to a stand, and then glued bunches of reindeer moss to the stands. Easy peasy...and I think they look fabulous!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTE1TLdLGI/AAAAAAAACQs/HLhKHmD3o7I/s400/IMG_0875.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486726666004540514" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">And finally, the escort card display! I found some awesome antique-inspired trays/boxes one day, and I knew that they would be perfect to display our escort cards on! We realized that they were a bit too deep to just set the cards into, so we had to come up with a pretty solution! We used some leftover cardboard boxes laying around the house and created a "platform" of sorts in each tray. From there, we fastened some sheet moss to the cardboard so it was no longer visible. It created a pretty platform in which to display the escort cards I printed!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTE16yu10I/AAAAAAAACQ0/dU5Cg6Cx62I/s400/IMG_0877.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486726676638259010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Of course, that really wasn't the end of the projects...but it is the end of the projects that I have photographic evidence of! Justin and his dad created a wonderful faux-to booth for our guests to enjoy, and Justin and I had some fun with spray paint to create our card box!</span></div><div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCTKN8Vk07I/AAAAAAAACQ8/WAdq0tQn-3s/s400/IMG_0852.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486732586927838130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Don't worry - the garage door is open so we wouldn't asphyxiate ourselves! And finally, we committed my grandmothers, grandfather, and aunt to slave labor in order to create our favors...</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Hopefully I'll have some photos to share with you of both of these items when my pro photos come back!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Do you ever leave projects to the last minute? Did you have any wedding-related projects that didn't come together until the final deadline?</span></div></span></div></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-33200443247596296542010-06-23T11:00:00.000-04:002010-06-23T11:00:06.875-04:00Bestowing the bridesmaids...with gifts!<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">For our wedding week festivities, my bridesmaids arrived a few days early to start the party! Because our pre-wedding plans involved some sun and fun, I wanted my bridesmaid gifts to serve a practical purpose! Yes...I said practical. I wish I could say that I am a creative gift giver, but alas I am not! I happen to be the person who gifts practical items. I know that many brides before me have gifted their bridesmaids with adorable monogrammed tote bags, jewelry, and the like, However, two of the ladies are getting married in the next year (so their monograms would be out of date soon), and my taste in jewelry sometimes differs greatly from that of my maids. Alas...I hit the drawing board.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Inspiration hit me in the store one day when I saw a display of some adorable beach bags for sale! They were lightweight, large, and have a zipper closure (3 very important beach bag attributes, in this Florida girl's opinion...). I was sold...and thus my gift bag was started!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCE3jHMYCqI/AAAAAAAACPU/2kQ7P1BC7cc/s400/IMG_0854.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485726897479879330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">What is a beach bag without a towel? My next addition to the gift was a brightly colored beach towel for each maid, along with an aluminum water bottle.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCE4Q4aSxWI/AAAAAAAACPk/q_CwDyUJbak/s400/IMG_0858.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485727683785704802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Next up was a small goodie bag that I put together. It included their favorite candy, a pretty pink nail polish, a nail file, two note pads, and a Burt's Bees chapstick!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCE3jjUw0vI/AAAAAAAACPc/DrarXJcNkvY/s400/IMG_0855.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485726905031250674" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 400px; " /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">And...I didn't want my maids to get bored at the beach...so I included a puzzle book (sudoku, crosswords, word finds, etc.). I never go to the beach without one!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Finally, each of the bridesmaids received a tank top that I crafted for them. I sewed some fluffy organza flowers and attached them to pins. Each tank had two flowers on the strap; because the flowers were attached with pins, the maids can attach them to other items, keep them on the tank, or remove them completely...whatever their heart desires (see...practical Katie...)!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TCE4RYuDPaI/AAAAAAAACPs/LJ7JAYD8nqk/s400/IMG_0859.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485727692458507682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">I carefully placed all of the items in the beach bag, and I presented them to the bridesmaids on the first day of our bachelorette festivities. They were able to use the items throughout the course of our wedding weekend festivities to tote their beach items (a few even made their way to our venue as tote bags to carry their "dancing shoes," touch up makeup, and other items)!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /><br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Are you a practical gift giver when it comes to your bridal party? What did you gift them/are you planning on gifting them?</span></div></span></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192324824013931654.post-66997417036642215532010-06-18T10:00:00.000-04:002010-06-18T10:00:05.663-04:00Wedding Shower #1<div style="text-align: left; ">For our nuptials, I was given two wonderful showers. I'll be honest, the first one took place a few months ago...so I'm way way way behind in telling you about it! Truthfully, my new camera was holding my photos captive until recently, so that is my (poor) excuse...</div><div><br /></div><div>In early March, my Aunt S and my mother's friend Ms. Z threw me an absolutely wonderful bridal shower! It took place at my parents' house, and we had quite a lovely turnout!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBow3CvnzXI/AAAAAAAACMw/gRPpecss0No/s400/IMG_0331.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483749218464550258" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div>Guests arrived, mingled, drank iced tea or homemade sangria, and proceeded to have their gifts attacked/inspected by Theo (he loves tissue paper).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBoxGhPYqjI/AAAAAAAACM4/JuI30gbp0cw/s400/IMG_0336.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483749484348877362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBox1iqitOI/AAAAAAAACNA/oEHyCHomnpk/s400/IMG_0344.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483750292185068770" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBoyY0G9n2I/AAAAAAAACNI/uNSyOuEKxPI/s400/IMG_0343.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483750898163097442" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px; " /></span></div><div>Aunt S introduced herself, and guests went around the room and explained how each of them knew me. Then it was time to eat!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBoyZTvlCZI/AAAAAAAACNQ/ebxAHEPk8JY/s400/IMG_0345.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483750906654951826" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBoy3yq-BAI/AAAAAAAACNY/GrrCwgpPUOc/s1600/IMG_0349.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBoy3yq-BAI/AAAAAAAACNY/GrrCwgpPUOc/s400/IMG_0349.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483751430353191938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div>Aunt S, my mom, my grandma, and Ms. Z made a lovely spread: we had 3 types of quiche: traditional quiche lorraine, one with red peppers, spinach, and bacon, and another one with red peppers, spinach, bacon, and mushrooms! Talk about delicious...</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo46isTPKI/AAAAAAAACO4/lLWgXY4tcDg/s1600/IMG_0536.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo46isTPKI/AAAAAAAACO4/lLWgXY4tcDg/s400/IMG_0536.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483758074673183906" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo45lDK3NI/AAAAAAAACOw/noZn4eOadmM/s1600/IMG_0535.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo45lDK3NI/AAAAAAAACOw/noZn4eOadmM/s400/IMG_0535.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483758058126105810" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px; " /></a></div><div>And...what was even better: my mom made sure they used low fat half & half in the recipe so that it would be guilt-free! Everything was served with your choice of two salads and fruit.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBoy4WBpauI/AAAAAAAACNg/wY7Pz9nS2Qc/s1600/IMG_0354.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBoy4WBpauI/AAAAAAAACNg/wY7Pz9nS2Qc/s400/IMG_0354.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483751439843551970" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div>At the shower, we were able to get a small "preview" of some of the reception decor; we were glad to have an opportunity to utilize some of our birds and vases before the wedding day!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBowjOvqlcI/AAAAAAAACMo/Kj3oloAtaVg/s1600/IMG_0330.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBowjOvqlcI/AAAAAAAACMo/Kj3oloAtaVg/s400/IMG_0330.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483748878088574402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBowQhatiAI/AAAAAAAACMg/pDZQcnCtmkg/s1600/IMG_0329.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBowQhatiAI/AAAAAAAACMg/pDZQcnCtmkg/s400/IMG_0329.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483748556683446274" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBov-ahxH7I/AAAAAAAACMY/gntFhQf9oRc/s1600/IMG_0327.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBov-ahxH7I/AAAAAAAACMY/gntFhQf9oRc/s400/IMG_0327.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483748245596348338" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; ">After we ate, it was time to open presents.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBozVkCJTRI/AAAAAAAACNo/h4GR-a7p9Pk/s1600/IMG_0366.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBozVkCJTRI/AAAAAAAACNo/h4GR-a7p9Pk/s400/IMG_0366.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483751941819944210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center; "></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo0NV8-_gI/AAAAAAAACOA/iNEIrTlK_tQ/s1600/IMG_0419.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo0NV8-_gI/AAAAAAAACOA/iNEIrTlK_tQ/s400/IMG_0419.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483752900112875010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBozv20qaeI/AAAAAAAACN4/y8dW57veq3w/s1600/IMG_0372.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBozv20qaeI/AAAAAAAACN4/y8dW57veq3w/s400/IMG_0372.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483752393540266466" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBozV5-r6DI/AAAAAAAACNw/YlchWN_Y2Qw/s1600/IMG_0370.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBozV5-r6DI/AAAAAAAACNw/YlchWN_Y2Qw/s400/IMG_0370.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483751947711014962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div>I was blown away by everyone's generosity, and I am so excited to use everything! Some of the things we received that I was pumped about (although, I was really excited about everything, to be honest):</div><div><ul><li>Memory foam mattress topper from Justin's Aunt Punch</li><li>OXO pop container set from Aunt S - oh man...I love these sooo much!</li><li>Part of our place settings from Crate & Barrel from my mom</li><li>TONS of kitchen gadgets - YAY!</li><li>Knife set from Justin's parents - the set we'd been using was SO dull...</li></ul>After presents (and getting lost in a sea of wrapping/tissue paper), it was time to cut the cake!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo3bL6SBJI/AAAAAAAACOY/3f_gsNc9Jfk/s400/IMG_0517.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483756436470236306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div>Now, this was a ridiculously amazing cake. A local bakery, J.J. Gandy's, makes a famous key lime pie. I seriously dream about it; it is the most perfect key lime pie ever. Well, J.J. Gandy's also makes key lime CAKES! The cake itself is a white cake; they drizzle a key lime liqueur over it as soon as the cake leaves the oven. The filling in the cake is their key lime pie filling, and the cake is frosted with buttercream. Oh...my...gosh...the cake was so delicious it should be outlawed. Seriously. If Justin didn't hate key lime pie, I would have demanded it as a wedding cake. But...I digress...</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo4OfhTf1I/AAAAAAAACOo/_QelFuGaaAs/s1600/IMG_0522.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo4OfhTf1I/AAAAAAAACOo/_QelFuGaaAs/s400/IMG_0522.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483757317907513170" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo4N8VEJQI/AAAAAAAACOg/nXyQzbktkXA/s1600/IMG_0521.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qZfpGM8gkG8/TBo4N8VEJQI/AAAAAAAACOg/nXyQzbktkXA/s400/IMG_0521.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483757308460934402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; ">Ack! I didn't want to ruin the beautiful cake design!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Once the guests chowed down on cake, we began saying our goodbyes. I had such a lovely time, and I was elated that so many wonderful women were able to join us for the occasion!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Were you overwhelmed by the love that was showered on you at a bridal shower?</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01971232144056105034noreply@blogger.com4