The Good, The Bad and the Ugly...

...the wedding gift edition.

We're BACK! The wedding day was perfect, (a few snafus, but still perfect), honeymoon was amazing and relaxing. We got many fabulous gifts from our friends and family, some off our registry, some clever and thoughtful and some not quite 'us'.

My favorite registry gifts :
1. Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl (via Macy's) - I actually got this as a shower gift and use it ALL THE TIME. It's glass, but it has rubber on the bottom so it doesn't slide around on the counter. It also has a pouring 'spout' and 'handle'....so helpful for clumsy people like me. Love it.

2. KitchenAid Mixer (via Macy's) - Shocking, I know :). But I haven't 'baked' anything with it yet, I've made meatloaf with it - mixes those heavy ingredients so well. And mashed potatoes, again it just smashed right through them - no hassle at all. Perfect for lazy people like myself.

My favorite non-registry gifts :
1. Leather Picnic Set - for two :) (image)

2. Christmas Stocking - Inside was an "Our First Christmas" ornament and a gift certificate for our first Christmas tree.

Gifts I'm Still A Little Confused About :
1. Sex Straps - To um, bind our extremities to the four corners of the bed. So glad I didn't open that one in front of my parents. It wasn't a joke, we checked. This falls in the bad and ugly categories :)

Have you received any random gifts? What was your favorite?

Nearly Nautical Nuptials: A Few Quick Teasers

We're back from Maine and hastily packing for our honeymoon but I couldn't leave you guys without just a few teasers from our wedding.

It was beyond perfect, the weather was amazing, my bustle never broke, our vendors rocked and no one wanted to leave.

There was so much love and laughter surrounding us I don't think I stopped smiling all day.

Myself and the new hubby kick'n off the champagne toast.

Woohoo we're married!!Safety first of course :)

Above pictures from my new FIL.
Reception pic below picture from our DOC's.

I'm probably a bit biased, but best wedding ever, IMHO.
Hopefully I'll have some pro teasers when we get back from our honeymoon!!

One Last Miss' Post...

Dear Mr. Gloss

I don't have much to say except that tomorrow I will be your wife and I couldn't be more excited about it. This day has been a long time coming, but really our time together has flown by so fast. I can't believe we've been together for almost a decade, it seems like only yesterday you were leaving scribbled love notes under my windshield wipers in highschool. (I sill have most of them).
We have always just been.....right together. You are one of the only people I can be 100% myself with and I love you for it.

See you tomorrow, (I'll be the one in the white dress with the huge bags under my eyes since I've been too excited to sleep for the past week or so.)

And to the readers and fellow bees - thank you. Thank you for all your thoughtfulness and kind words; it has been a truly rewarding experience and would not have been the same without you-

xoxo,
(for the last time)

Miss Gloss

His & Hers Slimline Ring Cases

The clock is ticking, but I wanted to squeeze in one more DIY post before the big day. There will be quite a few after we get back since I've been too busy to post about a lot of projects recently, I'm a blog slacker, I know.

Anyways, I find myself with pangs of jealousy each time someone posts a picture of a super cute ring holder. I scowered ebay for quite some time looking for something to hold my rings, but nothing ever really jumped out at me (and was in my price range). So, I was forced to resort to alternate methods.

Ring boxes tend to be so bulky anyways, I wanted something slim and modern, that could easily slide into the pant or jacket pocket of our best man, since we don't have a ring barer. Then one day I came across this post on the dieline showcasing the rings and packaging of AMT studios.

I contacted the company but they were only making black cases at the time, it would say 'diamond ring' on it and there would be a sizing chart on the back, or they could do something else but it would cost a pretty penny. (We are out of pretty pennies at this point).

The wheels started turning and I ended up with these:

His and hers slimline ring boxes, with our wedding date inscribed on the back. I measured the diameter and height of our rings to ensure a snug fit and cut the pieces out using a laser cutter. I then used spray mount to hold the pieces together, each 'box' has a top and a bottom held closed with white elastics. Its a pretty simple concept, but we are pretty simple people-

Our wedding bands are already up in Maine, but I threw my e-ring in there so you can get the general idea :)

Have you found wedding inspiration in an unusual place?

Get Your Wedding Wellies Ready...

Looks like I’ll get to wear my Wedding Wellies after all thanks to the latest update to weather.com
That’s right – it’s looking like rain, although with the summer we’ve been having here in the North East, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.
When I checked yesterday it was only 20% chance of rain so lets hope it blows over quick!
At least Thursday seems like it will be nice – that is the day they are setting up the tent so hopefully that area will remain dry!! Gotta look at the positives people :)

Will weather influence what you wear on your big day?

A Whole New Threshold...

I get it. I finally understand how wedding budgets spiral out of control. It's the spending threshold. After you spend $180 on a pair of jeans (even if it was a special treat just once kind-of-deal in your mind) $90 jeans just seem like a bargain. You've broken into another spending category and there is no turning back.

I mean whats another $400 when you've already spent $10k? I have added a ton of 'extras' because at the time they seemed like such a small amount of money for the added benefit.

Today's Converstaion: Oh yes, let's upgrade those buffet plates to china since its more white. An off-white would ruin my table scheme. (Where is that little wedding angel that is supposed to be sitting on my shoulder saying 'NO ONE WILL NOTICE'?) It's such a tiny fraction of the overall costs there is no way all those extras could add up to be a lot in the end right? :)

Oh yeah, and after I upgraded I remembered our plates wont even be set on the tables since we are having a buffet. $h*%! Maybe I'll call back tomorrow, and change our rental order yet again, I'm pretty sure they already think I'm crazy.

I don't have a solution, it's too late for me anyways, but I know the problem - and thats half the battle right?

Have you kept your wedding costs in check?

More Bridal Bling...

With a little prompting from the State of Massachusetts we picked up our wedding rings last week. How did they prompt us you wonder? They decided it would be a good idea to raise taxes by 25% on August 1st. We had already met with our jeweler and he worked his magic making us beautiful rings, but we decided to leave them there as long as possible since:

1. I knew I would wear it around the house, and

2. We figured it would be safer than to have them hanging out in our apartment.

I tried on just about every ring he had.....at least twice :), ya know – just to make sure. He would be creating my ring using the platinum bar my grandmother had given me and when he was writing down the specs he noted there were 13 diamonds…..

Me: ‘Um, excuse me – did you say there were 13 diamonds?’
Jeweler: ‘Yes’
Me: ‘Oh, hmm. Do you think that’s bad luck?’
Jeweler and Mr. Gloss stare at me with puzzled faces.
Jeweler: ‘We could do 12?, or make them go all the way around?’
Me: ‘No, I don’t want them to go all the way around- I need to know which side is the top.’
Jeweler and Mr. Gloss stare at me with puzzled faces…..again.
Mr. Gloss: ‘If they went all the way around you wouldn’t have to worry about ‘the top’.’
Me: ‘Yes but I NEED there to be a top and a bottom, so I know it’s on correctly’.
Lightblub turns on over my head – ‘LETS ADD TWO!, THAT’LL BE 15! ITS OUR WEDDING DATE, ITS PERFECT!’.
There may have been an eye-roll here coming from Mr. Gloss, but I didn’t care – I was too excited :)

Mr. Gloss was also super picky about his ring, he wanted something simple, but not too simple and absolutely NO BLING. I swear he was more difficult to please than I was – We left without him deciding on a ring and after numerous email conversations between himself and the jeweler we ended up with a fairly thick band in a brushed finish with polished, tapered edges in Paladium.

Who’s wedding band was more difficult to find for you?

T-10 and Counting: The Final Exam

I feel like I’m back in school again – I paid attention all semester and completed assignments on time, yet I still find myself cramming for the final….I mean the wedding. I’m not dreading it, I’m excited – I know I’m prepared; but I can’t stop studying, and by studying, I mean planning/preparing/DIYing, because I know I can ACE this bad boy. Mr. Gloss on the other hand is totally fine taking a ‘C’ I think – he’s been slacking on the wedding duties (not that he was ever that involved :)). He just wants to be married, and we are both at the point of ‘I can’t wait for this to be over’. If he only knew what he was getting himself into, I’m not so sure he would’ve put that ring on my finger ;)

After the rehearsal Friday afternoon, my planning period will be officially over – I’m going to enjoy the rehearsal dinner and the wedding day I’ve put so much time and effort into. I want to laugh with my family and friends despite the fact that it will, most likely rain and we are getting married outside….on a boat. In the end, only I will notice if things don’t get done and we bought enough alcohol to erase any bad memories (IE a soaking wet ceremony and/or reception site).

These last two weeks have been intense - everyone keeps asking me if I’m excited? or nervous? And yes – I am. I’m excited…and nervous…and exhausted…and stressed…and anxious…and overwhelmed…and a little more excited. I’m a whole ball of emotions these days trying to confirm vendors, finish projects (there are still a few yet to be started) and make sure everyone else (ie our bridal party) knows what is going on and what to wear, etc. I can’t wait to GRADUATE, and in lieu of a diploma, I get a husband – how great is that?