. classically modern .

Bespoke Silhouette Rings....

2010-10-19T20:53:00.000-04:00

Some people choose to engrave their wedding bands with their wedding date or names - but this is taking that to a whole new level! At Cameo by RUX you can create a custom band with a using the profile of your loved one!
Can you see the profile of the faces?

I'm pretty sure this is the coolest thing since sliced bread.
AND for those of us that already have our wedding rings, they have bespoke bangles!

Now I just need to figure out which anniversary is 'Resin' so I can convince Mr. Gloss to buy me one!

Images from Cameo by RUX

366 Days Ago....

2010-08-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our one year anniversary. We are officially no longer Newlyweds –
It’s hard to believe it has been a whole year since I married my first love and best friend.
And we threw one great party surrounded by our families and closest friends.

We are up in Maine, once again, to celebrate, surrounded by our families and friends (thankfully this time it’s not costing us as much :) ), eating year old cake with a splash of champagne and reaffirming our commitment by restating the vows we took only one short year ago. In fact, we are taking our whole honeymoon week off – I guess that would be our honeyversary?

Anyways, even though it feels like the wedding happened only weeks ago, so much has happened since then.
I didn’t know what to do with all my free time post wedding planning so I started my own business. It’s time consuming and challenging but I love it.
We also recently closed on a house. It’s 90 years young, so also very time consuming and challenging :).

If you are interested our new adventures, just need a little more Gloss in your life and/or the many DIY homeownership projects I’m convinced I need to tackle, you can find me here at Classically Modern Nest.

Lastly, I wanted to say thank-you. Everyone here has been a source of encouragement, inspiration, strength, community and laughter throughout this process. Your comments and messages meant more to me than you will ever know. Thank you for letting me be a part of it and share my story with you –
I wish you all the best of luck with your planning and futures.

I’m not one for goodbyes, they are so sappy and final.
So lets just leave it at 'adios', which translates to both 'farewell', and also 'goodluck'. I’m sure I’ll pop back in from time to time :)

xoxo,
Chelsey

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Spin Me One More Time

2010-08-11T10:55:00.000-04:00

While our guests were eating dinner, I got to steal a dance with my dad.
We danced to Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman.

At the end, he gave me the biggest hug - I don't think he was quite ready to let go.

Mr. Gloss danced with both his mother and step-mother to the Book of Love by Peter Gabriel and Simple Man by Lynard Skynard.

I think this was a great way to kick-off the night - after we were done with the 'special dances' the DJ invited everyone onto the dance floor and that is where they stayed ALL night.

Our photographers pulled us outside just for a brief moment to capture the sunset -

Before we went back in we stood off to the side, just to watch everything. Everything we had worked on diligently for over a year had finally come together. We looked around at all our family and closest friends having a great time and concluded that it was all worth it, times 10. The time, the money, the stress (because lets face it wedding planning is not all rainbows and sunshine), just washed away and we just watched, blissfully happy and only a tad bit sweaty.

Reflection time over - lets DANCE!

And while everyone was dancing I snuck off for some additional sustenance, since I had all of 6 bites of my dinner -

Yes, I made s'mores in my wedding dress and surprisingly enough didn't get *anything* on it!

And then headed back out for more dancing....
(the little boy you see on the floor a lot is Jack - he was 'break dancing'.)

At this point I was exhausted, we had one final dance to Ray Lamontagne's You Are the Best Thing. We said goodbye to our friends and families and were driven to our hotel.

We had arranged for transportation home for everyone who wanted to really celebrate. Unfortunately (or fortunately), no one wanted to leave so the poor bus driver had to sit in the parking lot for 3 hours. (He was still getting paid, so I don't feel too bad for him) but instead of driving everyone home, he ended up driving most of our guests to a nearby bar after we shut everything down - apparently there was more partying to be done!
There are photos from said bar floating around out in cyberspace, however I will not be posting them - you can breathe a sigh of relief and thank me later (yes, you all know who you are).

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Food & A Few Special Words

2010-08-10T09:55:00.000-04:00

While we were making sure everything was legal, our guests were lining up to get some of this yumminess:

We hired Diane Bartley to cater our event. Her home is only a few minutes away from our tent location which was key since the tent had no kitchen or water. Our menu was carefully designed so that everything could travel well since it would be all made off-site. She, and the food, was absolutely fantastic. She also allowed my mother (who is an avid gardener) to bring in her own fresh herbs and vegetables to encorporate into the dishes. Yum.

Our Menu included the following:

Marinated, Grilled Chicken with a Tomato & Onion Concasse

Sirloin Tips sautéed with Onions, Mushrooms & Peppers
Spinach Lasagna with Freshly Grated Parmesan

Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Fresh Vegetables & Feta Cheese
Caprese Salad with Fresh Basil Tossed in a Balsamic Vinaigrette
Oven Roasted Red Potatoes with Sea Salt & Fresh Rosemary
Summer Squash & Zucchini Medley with Garlic & Fresh Herbs
Yeast Rolls & Oatmeal Molasses Bread

While our guests were eating, Glossy MOH gave her speech.

We'd been friends for 10+ years at this point so there was a lot of good memories to reflect on - including how we still talk on Thursday mornings early in the AM and call it 'Locker Talk' (we shared a locker in high school).

I laughed, and I cried .... she's the best.

Mr. Gloss's brother (and best man) gave his speech next.

Parts of it were pretty amusing. When Mr. Gloss laughs really hard it sounds like he's going to choke - this was one of those times ....

Then, we got down to the good stuff - THE CAKE!

If you remember, my dad made the cake stands, I made the two cakes on the side and the top 2 tiers of the center one out of styrofoam - the bottom layer was real and made by my mom. My aunt and grandmother frosted and decorated the cakes that morning.

I thought it appropriate to annotate the photos below:
1. Me: Give me the knife, you don't know how to do it right. Him : We have to do it together.
2. Me: You're wrong, I'll do it.
3. Me : You better not smash this in my face, no seriously. (Look at that smirk on his face).
4. He's still smirking.

...and, he fed me nicely.
Look no mess!
So I fed him nicely.

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : For the First Time Ever....

2010-08-09T10:16:00.001-04:00

I can't believe its been almost a year since our wedding; I promised myself I would finish my recaps before our first anniversary, so lets wrap it up!

Last time we spoke (I know it was a long time ago) I left you with all our reception details and mentioned that we were patiently waiting outside the tent to be introduced as husband and wife.

Our parents and fabulous bridal party entered first, the music playing was the instrumental beginning to Angels & Airwaves - The Adventure.

...and then US! Mr. Gloss ushered me onto the dance floor where we had our first dance.
I kind of love the way he is looking at me in this photo -

Our first dance was Lovely Tonight, sung by Joshua Radin & Michelle Featherstone.

As people were starting to get dinner, we filled out the rest of the paper-work to make everything legal. As you can see in the first photo I'm clearly quite concerned about what our paster (FIL Gloss) is writing - more like what he is writing in as the paper clearly said BLACK INK ONLY.

Our witnesses, the best man and maid of honor, signed as we watched ....

...and then it was REALLY REALLY official.
Which was cause for more champagne!
(and check out the Mr. fufilling his husbandly duties of trying to keep me hydrated - it was HOT!)

Up Next : Dinner & A Few Special Words

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Reception Space

2010-03-09T07:21:00.000-05:00

While we were taking a few last pictures, and our guests were getting themselves off the boat, our second shooter Meredith zipped into our tent and took pictures of the set-up and details before our guests got in there. I'm so thankful she was there to capture photos of all the details I put my blood, sweat and tears into.

First up: the tables - if you remember, we opted for rectangular tables.
We had set up the bones of the space the day before (placed all the tables and chairs) but Emilie & Fiona of Pink Orchid weddings transformed the space just as we had discussed and it was perfect.

These vases were one of the first things I bought. I loved how the yellow flowers popped against the navy runners. Although my mom planted hundreds of flowers to grow for the wedding, I'd say only half came up in time due to a terribly rainy summer, so we ended up buying some bulk flowers. The week after our wedding though - the whole garden was yellow :)

Our place settings : I've refused to touch my sewing machine since sewing all those napkins and table runners. We ran out of time to iron all the tablecloths but the runners hid the crease down the center really well! I'm not sure if I ever got around to posting about our menus but they were gocco'd and tied on with blue and white baker's twine. Since we ended up doing a buffet, we kept the plates near the food stations and I think it really helped keep the tables clean and uncluttered for these photos.

Our escort cards : I cut these out of white museum board and used a laser cutter to engrave the names of the tables along the sides. Then I wrote out the name of the guest and tied more blue and white bakers twine around it.

The Signage : We named each of our tables after different boating knots (we were seated at 'snuggle hitch'). The table signs were backed with navy paper, the food/drink signs were backed with yellow, to keep things interesting but organized :)

Above : guestbook made via Blurb with our engagement pictures, photo sharing cards made via vistaprint with instructions for our guests to upload their photos to our flickr account post wedding.

I made special chair signs for myself and Mr. Gloss (shown below) since we were VIP's and all.

Our chalkboard welcome sign.

This was a big hit with our guests - some of our older guests found some accidental and not-wedding appropriate words, but I can't wait to hang this up once we buy a place of our own.

The Favors : We included a basket of flip-flops and pashminas for our guests, the flip-flops flew out of there, and even though it wasn't cold most of the pashminas were gone by the end of the night as well -

Our main favor was strawberry jam. My mom handpicked enough strawberries for 120 jars of jam - bless her, I wouldn't have had the patience :) Most of our guests had never had my mom's jam before (those who had took a lot more than one jar ;) ) and those who hadn't called or emailed all the next week saying how awesome it was. One person, who will remain nameless, admitted to making a PB&J sandwich and then eating the remainder of the jam straight out of the jar, it was that good. Smucker's has nothin' on my mom.

We also included bags of goodies for the kids to entertain themselves with. There were coloring books, crayons, some games/frisbees and random Martha Stewart crafts. They were a big hit!

Since I never posted about these before, I figured I would include them now since they kind of tie in with our favors - our Out of Town Bags. They included a few maps of the area, some water, snacks, matches and maple syrup that my parents bottled.

We also included a brief welcome note to our guests -

Gratuitous napkin shot - there were 6 facts in all.

and I saved the best for last: THE CAKES!

My mom made our cakes and my dad made the stands.

How I Knew I Wanted to Marry Mr. Gloss....

2010-03-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

Today is our 10th anniversary (pre-wedding of course). A decade is a very long time, in fact I've been with Mr. Gloss almost half my life -

So naturally, many things have changed since those first few months/years. We've grown-up and instead of growing apart like many couples that date from a very young age, we've grown together. Like all relationships its not rainbows and sunshine 100% of the time - but those are the times that I value the most. I'll admit sometimes I get so mad at him I don't even want to be in the same room together - and while I'm sitting alone, fuming, I realize that even though I can't stand to look at him right this second, there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be. Which leads me to the point of this post: I knew I wanted to marry Mr. Gloss when I realized I wasn't IN-love with him anymore. Now, before you gasp and gossip about me to all your friends hear me out.

To me, being 'in-love' comes early in the relationship, there are no worries or concerns, you can't stand to be apart and spend your days floating on a cloud of bliss. While that is all well and good it most likely will not last forever. When I realized I wasn't 'in-love' with Mr. Gloss anymore I also realized that I loved him so much more than I ever thought possible. Its just a different kind of love- I realized that I wanted to wake up beside him every day and take care of him when he's sick, or strategize together if we are broke. And as angry as I get when he never lets me have control over the remote, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. My love for him grows everyday, honestly- I'm not just saying that, and everyday (save for a few ;) ) I love him a little bit more than I did before.

So, having said that- I know the next ten years will not be all candy and bubbles and stickers; there will be hard days and I will appreciate them (notice I did not say 'like them') because they give perspective to the good days and make me realize how lucky I am 99% of the time.

So, cheers Mr. Gloss, and here's to the next decade!

When did you realize that you wanted to marry your fiance/husband?

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Back on Land

2010-02-24T08:42:00.000-05:00

After our lake cruise/ceremony/cocktail hour(s) was complete we headed back to the dock for the reception! It took some persuading for our guests to actually get off the boat, I don't blame them for not wanting to leave though :)
It's really humerous to me looking though these pictures now what prized possessions everyone helped carry off -
Important Item A - Bucket of Alcohol

Important Item B - Bag of Cigars guarded by the Best Man

Important Item C - Oh, what? You saw that cleverly hidden bottle of Veuve in my arms?

I've been documented.

We opted for another group shot with the boat in the background while we were waiting for our guests to get seated in the tent.

And the classic group shoe shot. (I thought this was classic - everyone else in non-wedding land was 2 stops past confused that our photographer was taking pictures of their feet.)

We took a few shots with my dad since our guests weren't quite ready yet,

and found some entertainment in the form of a giant anchor.
Giant anchors + alcohol = Swing.

As my bridesmaids walked toward the tent and our photogs captured one of my most favorite wedding photos:

Straight from the JCrew catalog - no?

Our guests were finally seated -

So, Mr. Gloss persuaded me to come along......

Nearly Nautical Nuptials: Martinis, Munchies, Mingling & Martha

2010-02-22T11:37:00.000-05:00

After our family photos we rejoined our guests downstairs at the 'official' cocktail hour.

We got a chance to mingle with all our guests.... (notice at this point my dress was bustled and veil was off - I felt so bad it kept whipping all our guests in their faces because of the wind - but it did make for some great photos :) )

....and ate some delicous food.

Those happen to be bacon wrapped water chestnuts and they are SO good.

My mom made the appetizers….and grew flowers for our centerpieces, and made our cakes, and boiled and bottled syrup for our OOT bags, made over 100 jars of jam with strawberries she picked herself, and grew fresh vegetables for our caterer to use in the dinner. AKA Martha Stewart on Crack.

This is normal to me, this is how I grew up – why pay someone for something you can do yourself? Our extended family was not as aware of her abilities to multi-task and as she ran around our house for a few days before the wedding she was lovingly dubbed “Martha Stewart on Crack”.

Our guests were enjoying themselves and Mr. Gloss and I snuck off for some alone time -

Our photographers happened to catch us, but since they were shooting from the opposite side of the boat we didn't even know they were there!

Mr. Gloss was wearing a ring - it was weird, but I liked it :)

At this point we were almost back to the dock, but we were temporarily distracted:

Let me set the scene a little for you:

1. It's HOT, really hot and they are all wearing dark jackets with pants. I'd say some were a little 'dehydrated' from the rehersal the night before too. ;)

2. There was a slight mix-up in the ‘Blueberry Lemonade Martini’ Recipe….i.e. the lemonade was missing. So the bartender improvised and added just a few fresh squeezed lemons to a vat of Stoli Blueberry, which she doled out in 12 oz. glasses to our unaware guests. Lets just say the party got kicked off ….Hard….while Martha, I mean my mom, frantically searched for the lemonade. The Lemonade was found, but not before a significant amount of damage was done to the intoxication levels of our guests.

Which led to this : Groomsmen G & J had found the boat's supply of life jackets.

OOOH lets put them on! They have whistles! and shiny reflective surfaces!

Oh yes, tonight is going to be a good night :)

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Pop That Cork!

2010-02-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

Our families and bridal party gathered at the bow of the boat immediately after the ceremony to do a champagne toast and start the family portraits. There was lots of hugging going on at this point. I gave a few to the other important men in my life -

My grandfather -

And my daddy-

If you remember, I was very concerned about why my glass had no champagne-

Our DOC's (Pink Orchid Weddings) were on top of things, (I was just too excited) - they were passing out glasses and handed me a bottle of champange. I tried to hand it off to Mr. Gloss to open, but he didn't know how to open a bottle of champagne (don't worry, we've practiced a lot since). So, anyways - I took matters into my own hands.

Here Mr. Gloss - hold my flowers -

Mr. Gloss was not-so-silently praying I didn't poke anyone's eyes out.

But I'm a total pro -

Magically everyone else had full glasses of champagne at this point (and by magically I mean our fab. DOC's).

Some of my facial expressions in these photos are pretty priceless, enter 'Surprised Chapagne Toast' :

And "I Find that Hilarious Champagne Toast"

The rest of our guests were huddled around the bar downstairs *I'll let you in on a secret about this later* while we were on the front deck gathered for family photos. I know these aren't always the most exciting photos so I'll do a quick snapshot.

Mr. Gloss and I started the action -

My Parents, Brother, Grandparents and Aunt

Mr. Gloss' Father, Step-Mother and Granparents

Mr. Gloss' Mother, Step-Father and Step Sister

Mr. Gloss' Brothers, Sisters and their spouses & kids (he has a big family, and thats not even all of them!)

Me & my mom

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : A Few Special Words

2010-02-18T19:24:00.004-05:00

When we left off, I had just made my way down the aisle.

Mr. Gloss’ father was our officiant. He welcomed our guests with a greeting…

My Little Brother read an excerpt from “The Art of a Good Marriage” by Wilfred Arlan Peterson.

“A good marriage must be created.
In marriage the “little” things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say, “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is having a mutual sense of values, and common objectives.
It is standing together and facing the world.
It is forming a circle that gathers in the whole family.
It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is not only marrying the right person — it is being the right partner.”

Then we exchanged our vows. Mr. Gloss wanted to go with traditional vows (mostly because he didn’t want to have to write and/or remember anything) but I really wanted something that resonated more with ‘us’. I told him I would figure them out and that he didn’t have to memorize anything, just repeat after his dad. He agreed to this. I searched and copied/borrowed from others* who have married before us (and posted their vows online) and we ended up with this:

Our officiant said:

Mr. Gloss & Miss Gloss, the symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed- well, I meant it all, every word.” Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, companion, partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in the past years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this - is my husband, this - is my wife. (partially taken from Robert Fulgham's Union)

And then we got to say:

I, Mr. Gloss/Miss Gloss, choose you, Miss Gloss/Mr. Gloss, to be none other than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know.

I will respect you as an individual, a partner, and as an equal.

I promise to laugh with you when times are good, and endure with you when they are bad.

I will always adore, honor and encourage you. You are my best friend and I will love you always.

Short, simple, sweet. I love them, I cried when I read them to Mr. Gloss the first time, I cried when we said them on our wedding day, I cried a little bit typing them now. They are so perfect for us.

(and I wasn't the only one who teared up a little)

Mr. Gloss’ little sister did a reading next, 1st Corinthians 13:4 :

“Love is patient, love is kind
It is not jealous, is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.”

This was followed by the sermon, and then by our ring exchange.

Mr. Gloss and Miss Gloss, the promises which you have spoken to each other today are inscribed forever in your minds, and in your hearts. But words are fleeting, and so those who marry wear rings as visible, tangible symbols of their commitment and of their emotional and spiritual connection. These rings announce to the world that you have been found. They are a reminder and a celebration of the promises you have made today and in exchanging these bands you knit your two lives together as one.

Mr. Gloss' brother and best man handed him my ring.

And then we said:

I give you this ring, that you may wear it as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. I pledge you my love and respect, my laughter and my tears. With all that I am, I honor you.

Woohoo! More bling :). I had already given Mr. Gloss the pep talk about which finger to put the ring on. I said “Don’t look for my e-ring, no – I haven’t lost it and yes I will be wearing it – but it will be on the wrong hand.” He didn’t fully understand, but complied - phew.

And then we called for a little group participation :

Each of you are here today because you bring something special to the lives of Mr. Gloss & Miss Gloss. Some of you have known one or both of them for years - and some of you are meeting one of them for the very first time today. But whether you’re an old friend or a new relation, you have a special place in their hearts. Likewise, you have a special purpose. As beloved family and friends, it is you to whom they’ll turn in the coming years, whether in joy or in sorrow. It is you with whom they’ll share their happiness, and you to whom they’ll bring their pain. You will watch their marriage mature; you will watch their children grow. And when hard times come, and the loving support of friends and family is needed, Mr. Gloss & Miss Gloss hope to be able to turn to you, just as they will turn to each other. And so they ask that you commit to them, as they are committing to one another. That just as they pledge to support and protect the other, you pledge to support and protect their relationship, today and always.

Do you offer this man and woman your blessing as husband and wife and offer their marriage your support, as loving friends and family? Please say, we do.
(Everyone responded, ‘We Do!’)

Please rise and toss a rock into the water as a gesture of your support.

It was really cool to hear all the rocks ‘plunking’ into the water. Some of the more sneaky wedding guests confessed to not actually throwing the rock with our names and wedding date on it into the water because they wanted to save it. They did however, think of this plan beforehand and threw in a regular rock instead. One such sneaky wedding guest depicted below:

We kissed :)

And were pronounced as husband and wife!!

Apparently this is my 'Hey Look, We're Married!' face.

And then, apparently keeping with tradition I raced my new husband down the aisle.

(I won again).

And then I was all "Why is my glass empty? Lets get this party started!"

Nearly Nautical Nuptials: The Shortest Walk of My Life

2010-02-17T14:24:00.000-05:00

Remember me? I started my recaps and then dropped off the face of the planet? Sorry about that, I have a good reason, I promise :)

When we left off we had just gotten on the boat.
..................................................................................................................................................................
After our captains declared we had reached ‘the spot’ they cut the engines and we got ready to process down the aisle. We lined up just like we had practiced the night before, and Mr. Gloss gave the we’re ready sign. I really don’t know who he was signaling to – but clearly somebody got the message because our music started playing and it was time to get married!!!

Our wedding party walked out to River Flows in You by Yiruma

The guys went first…

And then our parents. My mom couldn't resist picking at the flowers when she was sitting down - not surprising :)

Followed by my lovely ladies…

Glossy Gal A

Glossy Gal E

Glossy Gal M

Glossy Gal K

and my Maid of Honor M

My groom was waiting for us.

And the music changed to ‘I Love N.Y.E.’ by Badly Drawn Boy and that was the signal for my Dad and I.

Our aisle was short, very short, and also very narrow (hence the 'shortest walk of my life' title). These are not things I had thought out properly and you can see my face in the above picture was 'oh, no - i'm not going to fit'. My dress really wasn’t ‘big’ as big dresses go, but I was hard pressed to fit down the aisle with my dad beside me without tearing my dress on the ugly metal chair legs. So I kind of ran ahead – excited much?

I also forgot to pause at the actual ‘start’ of the aisle for people to rise – so our guests in the process of standing as I breezed by on my 4-second aisle walk. Not a big deal, but I wish I had thought about it before I booked it down the aisle. I think I totally win the award for most awkward aisle ever.

Someone really should have reminded me that it was not a race.

Santa checked our wedding registries!!

2009-12-09T20:47:00.000-05:00

I love shopping, and I especially love shopping with other people’s money ;). Macy’s was having some great sales this weekend (25% off, including sale items!) so I put those wedding gift cards to use and cleaned up some of the items off our registries. Instead of just coming home and putting them away I decided to wrap them and put them under the tree with a tag that read:

To: The Newlyweds

xoxo: Santa

This might seem crazy, but a) I love wrapping presents and b) now we can open them together just like our other wedding gifts! They were all things we either wanted or needed anyways (mostly kitchen stuff) and technically we didn’t pay for them, so it’s really like they are from Santa. (And they look pretty cute under our tree too) :).

Are you expecting any registry gifts for the holidays?

Wedding Ice Cream...

2009-12-07T09:35:00.000-05:00

I know I should be finishing my recaps, but my computer is broken – and my blackberry isn’t advanced enough to be able to resize pictures :). So they are on pause until I make up my mind about what kind of computer I want. Anyways, the point of the story is this:

My loving husband came home with what he dubbed ‘Wedding Ice-Cream’.
He really had me at ice cream, but wedding ice cream sounded like a huge bonus. As I manhandled the shopping bag from him I saw this inside:

image from Hood.com

Moosehead Lake Fudge.

That is the lake we got married on my friends. That is the lake where we promised our lives to each other, surrounded by our families and friends. And it is now available in ice cream form….and it is delicious.

And you better believe we will have a scoop of this with the top layer of our cake for our 1st anniversary!

Holiday Help Please!

2009-11-11T20:58:00.000-05:00

Alright my lovelies, I need your assistance.
Which design should we use for our holiday cards this year? I made a few options using our wedding pictures a) because I love them and b) I want everyone to see them!

Option 1 : Ornaments

Option 2 : HO HO HO

Option 3 : Peace.Love.Laughter version A

Option 4 : Peace.Love.Laughter version B

Any? Thoughts?

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Anchors Away!

2009-11-02T12:44:00.000-05:00

With our stealth operation to get onto the boat unseen complete, we went to the upper deck and hung out in the captain’s cabin until the remainder of the guests arrived. Luckily, we were also able to hang out outside in a few areas where we wouldn’t be seen because it was rather roasty toasty and my full-on bridal ‘glow’ was actually sweat.

Mr. Gloss and I had a few more impromptu photos sessions while the Glossy Gals & Guys made sure things were going down as planned.

The guys were handing out programs and rocks* as guests entered the boat.

The girls were making sure Emilie & Fiona of Pink Orchid Weddings (our DOC’s) had located everything they needed for the ceremony and reception set-ups, pinning on more flowers and rope bouts for those who were not in at Blair Hill (parents/grandparents), and keeping me company.

Oh, and trying to keep my veil under control!

Once everyone was onboard we left the dock listening to a carefully crafted playlist played on…..terrible speakers :).

The fearless captains** (depicted below) led onward to our ceremony destination while our guests enjoyed the ride and views. Honestly I have no idea how long it took us to get to ‘the spot’, or what our guests were really doing – time had sort of froze and warped forward at this point – thank god Fiona was there to tell me what to do/where to go/etc. because I think my mind had gone blank/was thinking everything possible.

Even though we hadn't kicked off the official cocktail hour yet, knowing my family its probably a good thing that the 'Under 10's' were driving ;)

* Will explain later :)
** Not actual captains, obviously.

*photos by Erica Lyn Photography (except fearless captain photos by friends & family)

Previously:

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Gals Get Ready
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Putting on my Party Dress
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Guys Get Ready
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Gift Exchange
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The First Look
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Wedding Party Photos
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : A Few Moments Alone

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : A Few Moments Alone

2009-10-29T11:55:00.000-04:00

After a few bridal party photos (alright, maybe it was more than a few). Mr. Gloss and I snuck away for a few photos of our own.

The shots in the Adirondack chairs are my favorite, and I don't think it would feel like a true Maine wedding without them!

And the view isn't that bad either ;).

Although it looks as if we are looking lovingly out at the view in the photo below, Mr. Gloss is actually staring at the canon and discussing how much fun it would be to shoot it off.
Me: 'No, I'm not going to ask if they will let you shoot off the canon..."

The PDA came a little more naturally when all our friends and family weren't around -

While I may look blissful and composed, about now I am freaking out (albiet, in my mind) about the time. I should have sewn a pocket for my blackberry into my dress. Not that I would've been chatt'n it up on my wedding day, but it gives me a sense of security - and I would've known what time it was. Fortunately our photogs were awesome and we were right on time! We piled myself and my dress into my MOH's Jeep and it I basically felt like a giant snowball in the passenger seat. Word on the street is that we got some looks while driving, I wouldn't know since I was up to my eyeballs in dress.

The plan was to get on the boat by 3:30. The boat was scheduled to leave at 4:30, we figured guests would start arriving around 4. But when we got there (3:30ish) guests were already there! an hour early! I made my dad drive me aproximately 50' from the parking lot to 4' from the entry of the boat where I got out and dashed up the ramp. It was more of a diversion technique, I'm really not that lazy I swear!

I tried to sneak onto the boat as best I could without being seen, but I’m pretty sure I was spotted :).

*photos by Erica Lyn Photography

Previously:

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Gals Get Ready
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Putting on my Party Dress
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Guys Get Ready
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Gift Exchange
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The First Look
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Wedding Party Photos

Nearly Nautical Nuptials: Wedding Party Photos

2009-10-28T13:13:00.000-04:00

After our first look we got started on shots of our fabulous bridal party.

Never one to forget anything my MOH remembered to bring everyone's flowers out -
Look how excited they got!

Flowers in hand - session commenced.
First up - classic prom poses :)

and vogue ... you know we belong in a JCrew ad ;)

There are about 200 more where these came from but you only need to see a few right? Four will suffice to prove we have amazing friends who love us and will wear navy wool blazers and long sleeve shirts and pants in the 2 o'clock in the afternoon in 80 degree weather - mmm yeah - our bridal party rocked.

Ladies first of course...

Aren't my friends gorgeous?

And the boys....looking so GQ.

Is that is?! Are we ready to get married yet?!

(not quite, Mr. Gloss and I snuck off for a mini photo-session, while our friends continued to...hydrate)

*photos by Erica Lyn Photography

Previously:

Nearly Nautical Nuptiuals : The Glossy Gals Get Ready
Nearly Nautical Nuptiuals : Putting on my Party Dress
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Guys Get Ready
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Gift Exchange
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The First Look

Newlywed Blog Is Up!

2009-10-21T12:09:00.000-04:00

I will continue to finish up my wedding recaps here, but in the meantime, my newlywed blog is up and running at Classically Modern . NEST!

It will be a little bit of everything in my life as a newly married lady – a little cooking/baking, the search for our first house, decorating inspiration for when we buy that house, and random things I feel necessary to share throughout the week :). I hope you will come and continue to follow me there!

xoxo,
C

Would You Like Salt on That?

2009-10-20T04:04:00.000-04:00

Just a Reminder!

What: Boston Meet-Up.
Where: Fajitas and 'Ritas [25 West Street], close to both the park street (red/green line) and downtown crossing (red/orange/silver lines) t-stops.
When: 6PM.
Why: Margaritas +Wedding chatter - enough said.

From the looks of things we are going to have a pretty good turnout!

image

You can take a sneak peak at the menu here :
http://www.fajitasandritas.com

dear wedding industry...

2009-10-19T17:03:00.001-04:00

Dear Wedding Industry,

I have already gotten married, please stop sending me multiple daily emails. I do not need to know the ‘#1 Hot Floral Tip for Brides’, or that it has been ‘Two Months Since Your Wedding’. I have unsubscribed from your mailing lists, that I never subscribed to in the first place, countless times and still you ignore my requests. I have marked you as ‘SPAM’ and still you come back for more. I get really excited when my phone vibrates alerting me that I have a new email and am perpetually disappointed when I learn that it is only you.
Please leave me alone. That is all.

Heres my ‘Hot Tip': If I were to get married again I would make a ‘getting married email account’ and use it for all wedding sites. That way I could completely ignore you after the big day except for on the occasions where I am bored at work and actually want to wade through the countless mass emails.

xoxo

(and that goes for you too VistaPrint).

Nearly Nautical Nuptials: First Look

2009-10-14T09:04:00.000-04:00

After the guys arrived, our photogs quickly worked out the details of where our first look should take place (the lawn) and confirmed that I was ready to see my groom (I was). They arranged our bridal party in a haphazard-esque circle around Mr. Gloss, who’s back was toward me.

*Pardon the interruption, but I need to set the scene a little more…On the weekends, in the summer, the Blair Hill Inn has outdoor concerts. At this point I was hardly focused on anything but myself, but I did note what looked like a band rehearsal out of the corner of my eye as we were preparing for our first look. As our photographer motioned for me to start my walk the band started playing (totally coincidental!). And what were they playing you ask? Oh, it just happened to be At Last by Etta James – could not be more perfect for a couple that has dated almost a decade right!?

Here I was walking towards my groom with a small trio of beautiful music guiding me – seriously, this was like planets aligning and jackpot signs lining up, at that point I knew it was going to be a perfect day no matter what happened.

He started to turn...

...and we hugged.

Thinking back about it know, I wish we had done this alone. Neither Mr. Gloss, nor I, are one to express emotion in front of others and I think we both sort of avoided the situation by a) not looking at each other for more than like 2 seconds and b) not really acknowledging what exactly was happening, so we wouldn’t get all teary-eyed.

So after we hugged, instead of sharing an intimate moment together, I backed away and was like….’uh, so, what happens now?’

I was really thinking, this is so awkward to have everyone looking at us...maybe I'll just play with my dress a little more.

Nice right?

I would’ve stayed close to him for much longer, maybe some nice words would’ve been uttered, (and we might’ve even kissed!) had ALL our best friends not been staring at us, (in case you didn’t notice we aren’t too big on PDAing). In fact, we were practically FORCED to kiss during our ceremony rehearsal by our families (I think this stems from the fact that we started dating in HighSchool and we weren’t really ‘allowed’ to kiss, let alone in front of our families!).

Whatever, you live and you learn…

…and then he goes in for the kill when he thinks no one is looking.

We took shots of our fabulous bridal party next!

*photos by Erica Lyn Photography

Previously:

Nearly Nautical Nuptiuals : The Glossy Gals Get Ready
Nearly Nautical Nuptiuals : Putting on my Party Dress
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Guys Get Ready
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Gift Exchange

I love a good blow...OUT!

2009-10-12T09:04:00.000-04:00

This weekend was supposed to be my PWC weekend and I was VERY ready. I was google image searching ALL Friday for 'short curly hair' knowing that I was ready for a big change (which doesn't happen that often). After venting my frustration about only finding decaying pictures from the 80's and early 90's - Mrs. Cupcake confirmed my fear that there are no cute short haircuts for CHG (curly hair girls). But, ugh - I was SO ready for that change. I though about changing the color but I'm waay to lazy to maintain something like that.

So, I ended up with a PPWC a 'PARTIAL post-wedding chop' and an awesome blow out (not always the case for us curly hair girls!) While not a total change, my hair feels SO much healthier!

Did anyone else not do the big PWC?

Nearly Nautical Nuptials: Glossy Gift Exchange

2009-10-09T13:04:00.000-04:00

While we were still sequestered away in our separate hotels we exchanged our gifts.

I forced Mr. Gloss to write me a sweet, heart felt note about how much he loved me. No really, I gave him the card to write it on and everything -

He gave me a beautiful jewelery box from Pottery Barn (which I like the believe comes with a lifetime promise to fill it with more shiny things). *cough*diamond studs*cough*

I wrote him a note (knowing he would probably skim it, hoping he would keep it to read later). He totally lost it. At least he pretended to read it for the photographer.

And then he opened his 'gift'.

Which happened to be a new acoustic electric guitar. I wrapped it well huh? I didn't want to lug it up to Maine so I gave him a guitar IOU and some new picks in his favorite color.

Look how excited he got!

What are you giving your groom?

*photos by Erica Lyn Photography

Previously:

Nearly Nautical Nuptiuals : The Glossy Gals Get Ready

Nearly Nautical Nuptiuals : Putting on my Party Dress

Nearly Nautical Nuptials : The Glossy Guys Get Ready

Black, White & Chic All Over

2009-10-08T13:04:00.001-04:00

I have a confession, I'm married - but I'm not over wedding planning! Apparently I didn't get it out of my system, and I can't say Mr. Gloss is going to be happy about that one when I ask to plan another party. It could get really out of control ;) , so for now I'll resign to fake-planning other people's weddings.
One of my MOH's good friends is getting married next summer AND an avid WB stalker (although who wouldn't be?). So at my MOH's wedding recently, we had a little wedding conference in the 'cocktail area' while the boys watched and rolled their eyes (they were totally just jealous). Anyways - she started dishing about their plans - a black and white tented cocktail reception on her grandparents property (which apparently is castle-esque) and then the wheels started spinning....

Enter : Black, White and Chic All Over

{Click to Make Larger}
1. SMP 2. Snippet & Ink 3. Orange Beautiful 4. Green Wedding Shoes
5. A Lovely Morning 6. Elseachelsea 7. Casey&Natalie 8. b-persnickety

I'm picturing an all white reception (white tent/white linens/white serving dishes) with a few black accents for punch. Since it's a cocktail reception and sit-down tables probably wont be provided, it would be great to have more of a 'lounge area' where people could sit and chat (with all white furniture of course).
The bride would carry a gorgeous white anemone bouquet wrapped in black silk. The bridesmaids and hightop cocktail tables would have lush bunches of either hydrangea or baby's breath.
I would do a silhouette theme for the event - to be translated to cocktail napkins, programs, the cake and obviously the invitations. It's such a simple, timeless and classic concept.
Near the end of the night the waiters would bring around oreo cookies set on top of shot glasses filled with milk as a little midnight snack!

How did you fill your wedding planning void?

Nearly Nautical Nuptials: Glossy Guys Get Ready

2009-10-04T13:37:00.014-04:00

Meanwhile, the guys were getting ready down the road. I know they were contemplating the meaning of marriage and the seriousness of the day...

...I mean getting their mother to iron their clothes...

...and updating their fantasy sports leagues on their iphones...

...and trying to figure out exactly how to tie their ties...

...and button those tiny buttons on their shirt cuffs.

Mr. Gloss' brother (and best man) helped him tie his tie.

He put on his jacket...

and they were ready to go!

Putting on the boutonnieres was apparently too much to ask and when they arrived for our first look and formal photos my girls had to put them on for them. It was a safety pin and a piece of rope people....

There was a fair amount of hydration going on.... I think Mr. Gloss was the only one who opted for a non-alcoholic version. But, in all fairness it was HOT and he does love purple Gatorade.
I think he picked up that gatorade at the same gas station he bought those $3.99 sunglasses in, the sunglasses that just happened to show up in 80% of our wedding pictures.....I'm pretty sure they say NASCAR on the side.

At this point I was mostly relieved that
a) everyone was mostly on time
b) the guys were dressed and they had located both the pants AND tie for Mr. Gloss (which I had handed to him less than 12 hours previously)
and c) no one was in the ER. This may not be a foremost concern for most people but after I learned that their 'relaxing guy morning' included driving out into the middle of the lake and jumping of a 40' cliff via a rope swing I had my doubts.

But they were all in one piece and ready to go...

*photos by Erica Lyn Photography , except for the rope swing pic ;)

Previously:

Nearly Nautical Nuptiuals : The Glossy Gals Get Ready

Nearly Nautical Nuptiuals : Putting on my Party Dress

Nearly Nautical Nuptials: Putting on My Party Dress

2009-10-04T11:55:00.009-04:00

Gently suspended from her monogrammed hanger, there she was....my party dress. A delicious creation made by the one and only Melissa Sweet hanging out in the window, just waiting to be put on and twirl the night away.

I unzipped her....

....and stepped in to the last dress I would ever wear as 'Miss' Gloss.

There was some finagling in order to not give our photog a full on frontal. My girls formed some sort of protective circle around me and initiated a complex dressing sequence - one to hold the veil, two to pull off my dress without ruining my hair, one to keep the wedding dress up and one to supervise.

I was on the other end making sure the ladies didn't jump out...

...and then they started to zip.

*interupts to say* Man, my back totally looks ripped in this pic. I'm pretty sure it doesn't normally look like that, but then again, I guess I don't see it that often. Continue with soft, pudgy back pics below...

And this would be my 'OMG are we done!? am I really a bride now?! I'm so excited!' face.

After the addition of a few accessories...

...I was ready to put on my shoes in all their bright yellow, Cole Haan loveliness.

One final look-over in the mirror and I thought I was ready, until....

...I felt a slight breeze, looked back, and....
....noticed my wedding party was under my dress. They were quote: "Just making sure they knew how to bustle it later"...but I'm pretty sure they were just sneak'n one last peak before I was officially a married lady ;).

One more adjustment confirmed my ladies wouldn't be trying to make an escape in the next 20 minutes and I was ready to go!

Erica and I went out onto the porch to take a few bridal shots before the guys arrived.

We had a fantastic view of the lake I would be getting married on shortly -

Then we heard the guys pull in and I went into hiding for a few more moments until our photographers worked out the details for our first look.

10 points to whomever can tell me which bee lent me one of my two somethings bee-orrowed shown in the photo above :)

*all photos by Erica Lyn Photography

Previously:
Nearly Nautical Nuptials : Glossy Gals Get Ready

Nearly Nautical Nuptials: Glossy Gals Get Ready

2009-10-02T18:12:00.012-04:00

All I wanted was a good night sleep the day before our wedding. I wanted to be relaxed and ready and not stressed, but mostly I didn't want dark circles under my eyes. So after the rehearsal dinner (and maybe two bars) my MOH and I headed to the Blair Hill Inn where I proceeded to fall into the most delicious bed ever. In spite of this, I slept for maybe 2 hours the entire night....I was waaay too excited, and OH SO anxious. At 3:45 AM I did, however, remember that I had not in fact paid our florist yet, so I guess some good came out of it?

Anyways, I'm the worst bee ever and totally forgot to take pictures of the room or the AMAZING breakfast that was served to us the next morning. The owners (Dan and Ruth) were absolutely amazing - it was like we were the only ones there and that we were more like old friends not just guests. Ruth brought us out celebratory mimosas on the house with our breakfast and my wedding day officially began!

There were quite a few steps before this:

So lets rewind a little bit....

One of the drawbacks of getting hitched in a small town is lack of options. There are only a few salons in the area and although my trial went fantastic there was only one stylist....for the whole salon. So to get 6 heads done by quarter of two (three of which have A LOT of hair) we started early, 8AM to be exact.

We sort of took over the salon - painted our nails, waited for them to dry. Steamed the dresses, put on our faces and had a little lunch via a quaint picnic on the floor.

Meanwhile, someone was always in the chair....I think Glossy Gal M was getting her hair pulled at this point......or someone said something humorous....probably the former.

Although I totally forgot actual sustenance and the girls had to run out to get lunch I did bring champagne! Yep, those are cans of champagne.....just to keep it classy ;) and yes they are pink and come with straws - perfect right?

Then it was my turn in the chair. My hair was twisted and curled and pinned (lots of pins!), we added my something old (a vintage milk-glass broach that I turned into a barrette), Glossy Gal E grabbed my veil, we added some more pins and the first stage of my bridal transformation was complete!

We rushed back to the Blair Hill Inn (I think we were only a few minutes late) where we met our photographer Erica Lyn and started officially 'getting ready'.

My lovely ladies got dressed first.

There was a bit of debate as to how they should tie their sashes, and much assistance required.

They helped each other put on their jewelery.

Sometimes I had no idea what was going on....but I know I was having a blast.

And then I think everyone busted out a lint brush because those dresses picked up everything! How many lint brushes can you find in this picture?

This little lady was hanging in the window the whole time and I was itching to put her on 'officially'.....

Up Next- I Put on My Party Dress

*salon images by me
*all good pictures by Erica Lyn Photography

So worth the wait....

2009-10-02T12:14:00.002-04:00

Guess what arrived in my mail today?
Our wedding photos!!! Really this means I have little to no reason to put off re-caps anymore, besides the writing....and resizing photos....and not getting sidetracked into reliving the day every time I look at the pictures ;)

There are almost 1800 little gems from my photographer Erica Lyn and her fabulous second shooter Meredith.

As for my 2 month hiatus - I've been enjoying our wedding gifts (mostly in the form of fresh baked cookies via the kitchenaid mixer), procrastinating on thank-you notes, and just enjoying being a newlywed. I deleted over 100 wedding blogs from my google reader and am working on filling it up with cooking and home inspiration instead. Although, I did leave a few wedding related staples in there, because I can't just go cold turkey after being addicted for so long :)

And just to keep you on the edge of your seats until I get my act together.......

Fajitas & 'Ritas in Boston

2009-10-01T21:14:00.004-04:00

The Boston Bees are planning a meet-up and would love for you to join!

image

The meet-up is on October 21st @ 6PM at Fajitas & 'Ritas [25 West Street], close to both the park street (red/green line) and downtown crossing (red/orange/silver lines) t-stops.

You can take a sneak peak at the menu here :
http://www.fajitasandritas.com

Please comment below if you plan on attending!

Happy Quarter-Century Birthday to ME!

2009-09-20T17:27:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the crappy camera phone pic, but check out what Mr. Gloss bought me for my big day....

....a big shiny new sailboat!

Kidding!
Our birthdays (6 days and 2 years apart) fell so close to the end of our wedding that we elected to keep down the birthday spending this year in order to more seriously save for our first home. Plus, we just had a fabulous party with everyone we love and got loads of fabulous gifts about a month ago :).
So, we headed down to Newport, RI this weekend for the International Boat Show, hit up my absolute favorite sandwich place, climbed around on a few million dollar yachts and lived vicariously through those who were actually buying them :). The weather was gorgeous all day and then we met up with some friends for a low-key dinner.
Mr. Gloss was also vowed to be my personal chef for the entire weekend and he makes a mean breakfast sandwich :)

Have any of your typical holidays or spending habits changed to account for wedding spending?

Good Stock...

2009-09-03T14:05:00.003-04:00

While I’m waiting, sometimes not so patiently, for our wedding photos to be processed by the lovely Erica Lyn, I cannot help think about what I will do with them. Our photography package does not include an album (although we obviously have the option of purchasing one) so I have a number of options to consider. We could do a blurb/my publisher style album, the quality is decent and the price really cannot be beat. But then I see the professional photographer albums with their really thick, lay flat pages, start drooling and think it would all be worth it ;)

Enter Good Stock.

While they are not cheap, their books are completely swoon worthy and archival quality. You can even match the fabric spine to your wedding colors! After searching both their website and blog, it seems they will do most anything you can imagine to make your book perfect for you.

Are you going to tackle your own album or let the pro’s do it for you?

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly...

2009-08-31T20:54:00.004-04:00

...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

2009-08-17T16:37:00.006-04:00

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...

2009-08-14T06:28:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-12T08:42:00.006-04:00

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...

2009-08-07T15:17:00.003-04:00

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...

2009-08-06T21:34:00.004-04:00

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...

2009-08-05T11:26:00.004-04:00

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

2009-08-04T18:01:00.001-04:00

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?

Final Fling Before the Ring: Bachelorette Party Packs

2009-07-28T08:25:00.003-04:00

I knew my girls had been planning something fabulous for my bachelorette party (even though I had NO IDEA we were actually doing), so I wanted to get them a little something to kick the weekend off right and thank them for doing all that planning for little 'ol me :).

Enter the Bachelorette Party Pack:

I should’ve taken a picture of the contents before we devoured them, but I didn’t….so, sorry!

The ‘packs’ contained :
(1) Glow in the dark bracelet.
(2) Ring Pops.
(1) Candy Necklace.
(1) Package of Breath Mints.
(1) tube of Lip Smackers (assorted delicious flavors like Blue Raspberry and Nerds….mmmm)

These were all wrapped up in the purple plastic polka-dotted chinese take-out box (purchased from Michaels).

I wanted to fit the water in there as well, but it top didn’t allow for the box to close. So, next to it I had a half-pint water bottle with some Advil sewn between pieces of vellum labeled ‘Take 2, and call me in the AM’.

Will you pull together any gifts for the ladies hosting your parties?

Attn: Marc & Lilly P.

2009-07-25T10:04:00.001-04:00

Dear Marc & Lilly,

Please stop making cute white dresses and putting them on sale. In case you are not aware I have already bought seven, yes 7, dresses for the rehearsal dinner and/or wedding day morning. You are making my wallet very upset.

xoxo,
Miss Gloss

P.S. For those of you who haven’t yet purchased a weeks worth of clothing for one day, please buy one of the cute dresses below and send me pictures so I can live vicariously through you :).

Marc Jacobs @ Saks

Lilly P. @ SaksLilly P. @ Saks

Does every dress/outfit you see turn into something you can wear for a wedding event?

Vendor Stalking...

2009-07-24T08:28:00.004-04:00

Our photographer isn’t the best at updating her blog – but when she does, I absolutely fall in love all over again. Check out some shots from her latest wedding -

I also stalk our DOC’s blog to see what clever ideas they come up with. Most of which I convince myself I *need* to have :). I also browse around to see what other fabulous weddings they have done recently and get more and more excited to have them around for my big day-

Oh, laser-etched escort acrylic escort cards, how can I have you in my life?

Do you stalk any of your vendors blogs?

*Images: 1, 2, 3 by Erica Lyn Photography
*Images: 4,5 by Pink Orchid Weddings

Upcoming Bachelorette Weekend!

2009-07-21T19:08:00.004-04:00

The ever fabulous Glossy Gals have put together a little shin-dig in honor of little 'ol me *blush*. They have done an amazing job keeping secrets about what is happening, which makes me very excited mixed in with just a smidge of nervousness :). I'm sure whatever they have planned is going to be excessively fabulous but I still get a little nervous when I think of the possibility of potential male genitalia everywhere.
I got a little preview of this weekends festivities yesterday when this arrived:

And I can only hope to look that cute all passed out with my bottle :)

Little do they know, I have a little surprise for them (which I will be sure to share with you all on Monday!).

Did your girls go above and beyond to celebrate your big day?

E-Pics FINALLY!!

2009-07-21T09:15:00.003-04:00

Some of you super observant readers noticed my new Bio picture and guessed that we FINALLY had our engagement pictures taken and you were right! I’m under strict orders from the mister that these pictures not get plastered around the internet…..but I couldn’t hold out from you guys. So I figured I could post just a few of my favorites, and deal with any consequences later :).

Originally we had not intended to get e-shots taken. We didn’t think we would use them for anything and that it would be a waste of money, oh and Mr. Gloss HATES having his picture taken. One day I was mindlessly wandering through the WB Classifieds and came across a post for free engagement session in Boston with Nicole Chan. At this point I was regretting not getting any pictures taken previously because I wanted to use them for our guestbook, and I also thought it would be good practice to be in front of a camera and additionally, I wanted test out how my ‘wedding-day make-up’ actually photographed. So I dragged Mr. Gloss down to the Boston aquarium on 4th of July weekend thinking that everyone would have left the city for the holiday since we typically do. I convinced him it would be empty and no one would see him getting his picture taken. Boy was I wrong. The city was packed since it was one of the first nice (ie not raining) days of the whole summer!

So Nicole and her assistant showed up and we tried to erase the scowl off Mr. Gloss’ face. It took a little while, but eventually he warmed up :). She was a pleasure to work with – neither of us are very comfortable in front of the camera, but by the end we felt much more open and were really enjoying it (well probably me more than the mister). Some of my favorite shots are definitely the out-takes with the genuine smiles, rather than posed, which completely confirms my decision to go with a ‘documentary style’ photographer for our wedding pictures.

So without further ado a few pictures from the lovely Nicole Chan*:
*all images are captured and processed by Nicole, but I did a little additional post-processing so don’t hold it against her!

Did you have engagement pictures taken? What were your reasons?

Vendor Response Grace Period

2009-07-20T11:57:00.000-04:00

I have one vendor who has been a little unresponsive as of late (I’m not going to name names here, but let’s just say they are pretty crucial to the wedding day :) ). I try to keep reminding myself that not everyone has my wedding on the brain 24/7 and for every 4,000 times it crosses my mind they have only probably thought about it once (if that). Each day seems so much longer when you are awaiting a response, where a normal person might check their email 3-6 times a day, I probably hit refresh every 4-6 minutes (even through my browser updates automatically and I also get my email on my phone). So in my mind it seems like they have taken forever to respond (even though in most cases its often no more than a few days).

In this case it has been almost two weeks. I think I have been very patient but I’m starting to freak out. Why aren’t they responding? Are they not coming anymore? What do I do if that happens?

Am I freaking out prematurely? How long is your ‘vendor response grace period’?

Old, New, Borrowed & Blue

2009-07-16T06:44:00.000-04:00

I have something old- vintage broach turned hair clip.

I have something new- (well many somethings actually :), take your pick)

I'm lacking something borrowed,

And maybe something blue- (I have a pair of blue VS 'bridal' undies that I will probably wear)

Obviously I googled 'something borrowed' to figure out what I should be looking for and got this:

"Something borrowed" should be an item from a happily married woman. The borrowing will give the new bride good luck, (which is why the "loaner" needs to be a happily married woman). "Something borrowed" also reminds the new bride to look to her friends and family when she needs help.

What have you/will you borrow? Did it mean something special to you?

Can't Lose this List...

2009-07-15T08:58:00.003-04:00

I love making lists. I make lists of lists.
I am also, unfortunately, very likely to lose said lists.

With the wedding only one month away (eep!) these lists are becoming more and more precious. Lists of things left to do, things to remember to bring, people I need to call, etc. So I’ve made my lists digital –

Enter the brilliance of Google. They already have reader (best thing ever!), and the ability to share documents and calendars (so helpful!) and now they have TASKS. I’ve basically gone and entered everything left on my Knot checklists, checklists from my DOC’s and other random things I think of during the day. The benefit of having them synched with my google account is that they are right there, staring me in the face all day looming over my head saying ‘complete me’ :).

You can check them off when they are completed (such a good feeling!), set deadlines, add notes and make multiple lists.

Are you a list keeper? How do you keep track of upcoming wedding tasks?

Hair Trial - Round One...

2009-07-14T11:55:00.003-04:00

I made another trip up north this past weekend for my bridal shower (post forthcoming – waiting for pics!) and jam packed the weekend with various other vendor appointments including a meeting with our caterer (we have a menu!) and my hair trial.
The salon was booked later in the afternoon, so I snatched up their 9AM appointment in hopes I would be done and back for my bridal shower brunch at 10:30. The timing worked perfectly and I think the hair worked out pretty good as well :).

We also tested it out with my veil and earrings.

I think we are going to go a little wider with the smooth piece on the right (it looks a little off here because she was done and I was playing with it more as an afterthought).

The good news – it survived all day without a serious amount of hairspray. By the end of the night (around 11ish) it was still mostly intact. And I definitely didn’t baby it – I was on the lake, in the boat, took a nap, drove around in my mom’s wrangler for a while and it still took like 20 minutes to get all the bobbi pins out!

What do you think? Was your first hair trial a success?

the Duties of a Bridesmaid...

2009-07-10T11:38:00.002-04:00

I know we’ve all heard (or experienced) stories about Brides demanding ridiculous things from their bridal entourage (aka bridetourage). I love my girls and want them to look and feel as amazing as I do when the big day rolls around. For dresses I chose about six or seven dresses from J.Crew and told them they could chose whatever style they liked. Of course they all ended up choosing the same dress :) (but I didn’t push it, I swear!). So when it came time for shoes I left it up to them. I said I would like them to be yellow, to add a little POP to their ensembles.

Setting: MOH and I are having an internet shoe searching date. I suggest about 4 normal pairs and throw in the pair below (sent to me a few days prior by Glossy Gal K).

MOH proceeds to fall out of her chair laughing and comments that she thinks her grandmother has them. She then decides to sent an email to the rest of the bridetourage with a link saying the following.

“Ok Ladies... I finally did it and took the plunge. I ordered my final choice for shoes this evening... Thanks to Glossy Gal K for discovering them!!! They're running short on sizes so order fast if you want to get a pair like this too!!!”

Glossy Gal K immediately responds : “Don't you LOVEEEE them? I'm so excited that they're perfect for the wedding, walking on water, and possibly running a marathon.”

---------the next morning------

Enter email from Glossy Gal A: “I had already bought my shoes, and to be honest, I don’t like these at all. But if you really like them, and that’s what everyone else is getting, then I will buy them.”

Um, what?! You would pay $100 for lace-up, yellow, cork, platform, sneaker shoes and wear them for me? Awwwwww
Obviously these are NOT the shoes the girls are wearing, but how dedicated/awesome is my bridetourage?

Have you ever had to wear something ridiculous for a wedding?

Confessions of a Plan-A-Holic...

2009-07-09T20:19:00.004-04:00

Hi my name is Miss Gloss and I am a plan-a-holic.

I have to think through every detail, understand every ounce of how my vision will come together before I can fully commit to a plan.

One of the benefits of having a tent wedding is that I get a blank slate. I don't have to buy into any one else's idea of decor, I can do whatever I want- make my own space. (Believe me a tented wedding was no accident!)

I recently came up with a few diagrams to help explain my concept for our 'space' and so our vendors would know where they are expected to set up.

Diagram 1 : the TableScape (click on any image to make larger)

Diagram 2: the Floor Plan

Diagram 3: the Ceiling Plan
Did you/Will you create detailed diagrams of your plans to ensure your day comes out exactly as you envisioned it?

the Big 'B'...

2009-07-09T09:23:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Mary Jane talked about the the Big 'D'- well I'm going to talk about my personal evil - the big 'B'...budget.

Do I have one? Yes
Do I follow it? Not really
Will I put myself in debt? Nope
Does that make it okay to spend, spend, spend? Jurys still out on that one-

When Mr. Gloss and I first started discussing the wedding we said, it would be crazy to spend more than 12K on a wedding. After we did a little more research we moved the bar to 15K. Needless to say our wedding would not be extravagant, we are low key people and all we wanted to do was get married and throw a great party, we should be able to do that for 15K right? We were so naïve, enter me and add wedding blogs, all that inspiration bombarding me daily and me saying, ‘True, we don’t need that, but wouldn’t it be great!?’

Now, I know we could’ve gotten married on $12K, when you think about it we could really get married for just the cost of a marriage license, but that wasn’t the wedding I wanted-

So, this whole time, I’ve been trying to balance my vision with my budget….my ‘vision’ has a tendency to win. I’ve stopped adding things up – I’m scared of our total and we are still a month out. All our vendors fit within our budget (except that DOC I added). But it is all the little things I'm too terrified to add up that scare me. And rings and honeymoon most definitely do not count.
My financial goal in life has always been to have enough money that I don't have to worry about it. I am a worrier, living paycheck to paycheck would be a huge stress for me (not that it is not stressful for everyone, but we are talking about something that I would worry so much about it would make me physically ill). So we live well with-in (probably below) our means and in doing so I have extra money to buy whatever I want whenever I want. (Note: we are talking clothes and home decor here, not like cars and diamond jewelry). So knowing I have the funds to make my wedding happen the way I want it, without any financial strain makes do just that! It basically works like this: I find something I ‘need’ to have, I find the best deal I can, and go from there. We aren’t talking all out luxury here, but these aren’t necessities either.

How closely do you follow your budget? Would you spend more if you could?

A Deserving Dress Hanger....part Two!

2009-07-06T12:01:00.005-04:00

I already made one ‘hanger cover’ for my dress, but in the meantime I had come across this board post by MrsPaetz, and got motivated to make cute initialed hangers for all the ladies (aka. the Glossy Gals). I figured making them for the boys would be a waste of time, because lets face it, I’m going to be happy if they remember to bring their pants.

So, when I went to pick up my dress (she is now back in my possession!) and realized I was already more than halfway to Ikea I figured I’d just pop over and grab some white hangers. If you have ever been to Ikea you know how long it can take to make it through that store – even if you have just one item you are planning on getting :). Minutes after my decision was made, as if on cue, I get a text–

7:20 PM – Mr. Gloss: Where are you?
7:21 PM – Going to Ikea, be home never.
7:23 PM – Mr. Gloss : NOOOOOOOOO

I can spend HOURS (days if they would let me) in that place and spend way too much $$, all too common knowledge for Mr. Gloss.
So, I snatched up some napkins/candles/votives/ and a variety of other things I in no way needed, and oh yeah, the hangers I went to buy :).

I printed out some snazzy initials to transfer onto the hangers and then used a super old school method to transfer the letters onto the hangers.

1. Shade the back of the paper with a pencil.
2. Tape letter onto hanger and trace outline of letter.
3. Remove paper and start coloring in your letter. (I used a fine-tip black sharpie).
4. Et Voila!!

What great tutorials/ideas have you found on the boards?

Tin Cans Redone...

2009-07-03T10:26:00.002-04:00

I've been seriously neglecting my google reader lately, and while going through a little clean-up last night I came across this image on 100 Layer Cake.

Cute - Check!
DIYable - Check!
Wallet Friendly - Check!

But I already have a concept for table numbers so I was thinking what else could I do with these?

'W E L C O M E'
'L O V E'

They would look so cute on our entry table, or possibly at the rehearsal dinner?
What would you spell?

Signature Drink #1 - Check!!

2009-07-02T08:03:00.004-04:00

While browsing around Williams Sonoma this past weekend I happened upon our first signature drink....the Cranberry Daiquiri. The description reads "the classic daiquiri gets a citrus twist in the cranberry-orange pairing".....um, what? the cranberry/orange combo is my faaaavorite. Since we hadn't really thought about what we wanted to serve and this sounded delicious we quickly scooped up 15 bottles. My MOH (being the awesome gal she is) was fully prepared to carry these bottles throughout the rest of the mall - hows that for dedication? (Don't worry, I asked to pick them up out back ;), they were super heavy!) So now, we have one drink checked off our list - I'm working on the second one and thinking something lemon-y and blueberry-y.

I also need to come up with some way to serve them. The really large (3 gallon) infusion jars with spigots are more $$ than we would like to spend (ie I don't really need two $120 jars sitting in the basement after the wedding).
So Hive, I turn to you for your help - Are you having signature drinks? If so, how are you serving them?

The All Important First Dance Song...

2009-06-28T21:05:00.003-04:00

image

We owe our music selections to our DJ pretty soon (like yesterday) and we cannot decide on a first dance song! (Among other things :) ) I feel like there is SO much pressure for this song to be perfect -

Right now my front runner is 'You are the Best Thing' by Ray LaMontagne.

We both like 'Into the Mystic' by Van Morrison, but I'm concerned its overdone.

Also in the running:
'We are Man and Wife' by Michelle Featherstone
'The Way I Am' by Ingrid Michaelson
'By the Way they Dance' by Jump Little Children
and 'Look After You' by The Fray

I must be forgetting some great ones - what will your first dance be to?

its overtaking our apartment!

2009-06-25T04:04:00.000-04:00

Who knew weddings had so much STUFF? napkins, lanterns, batteries, glasses, gifts, decorations, and the list goes on.
As our date gets nearer and nearer our apartment is getting overwhelmed with wedding paraphernalia and gifts.
There is no longer any point in 'cleaning up' the weddingness when people come over - there is NO WHERE for it to go - I have already taken over the guest room (which you can barely walk through right now). There are no pictures of the room because it is that much of a disaster! The back of my car is filled with Cranberry Daquari mixers due to a spur of the moment shopping spree at Williams and Sonoma this weekend and we have numerous packages scheduled to arrive this week!! Some of the stuff has already made its trek up to Maine (vases, water bottles, jam jars, syrup bottles, some of the alcohol) and the rest will go up in July. I cannot wait to have it out of here!

I know wedding planning commonly takes over your life as the date nears, but is it taking over your home too?!

SNACKRIFICE...

2009-06-24T20:59:00.006-04:00

Let me introduce you to the newest wedding related word in my vocabulary -
Snackrifice - giving up snacks to fit into that perfect (yet unforgiving) white dress

image

I've been trying to cut back on the snacking habits as of late but I'm SO bad at it. I have little to no willpower. Crackers and cheese are my weakest point. Rapidly followed by anything with sugar. I've tried, I swear.
I've done the brush your teeth a lot so nothing will taste very good and you wont eat trick. I learned I like things minty.
I've done the drink a glass of water before you eat so you will feel fuller trick. I haven't quite figured out the timing on this one, too soon and I don't get the effects of the fullness until I'm done eating. If I wait too long, I just have to pee.
I've tried not buying 'the bad things' .... but that really just makes me want them that much more.
I've thought about getting my jaw wired shut, but I REALLY like smoothies and it turns out smoothies with a banana base (which are the ones I like) have like 600 calories.....figures.

Anyone else have any snackrifice tips? Or are you just as bad at snackrifice as I am?

the grand exit...

2009-06-23T19:55:00.003-04:00

Maggie: What's your favorite thing you ever wore?

Dora: Ever?

Maggie: Yeah. In your whole life.

Dora: My going-away suit from my wedding. Black and white checks, very fitted. I felt like Jackie Kennedy in that suit.

I want that feeling.

I want to rush out of the doors wearing the perfect outfit, timeless and chic, to guests cheering our names and tossing rice. My new husband's arm will be locked with mine as we dash into the getaway car and drive off to our relaxing and exotic honeymoon location.

But then there is the other side........I don't want to leave the party!!

1. I've been planning this event for over a year now and want to fully enjoy all the hard work and long nights I've put in.

2. Our guests are traveling great distances (some which I don't get to see that often) and I want to spend as much time with them as possible!

3. I could absolutely see wanting to leave the reception early if we had never played twister before - because that would totally be worth ditching all our guests :) But that is not the case.

So anyways, there will be no amazing get-away pictures and we will probably be there until they make us leave (even though we got an amazing room).

Are you planning a fabulous get-away with a classic outfit? or are you going to stay until they kick you out?

Bonus Points if you can name the movie :)

An Event & A Confession...

2009-06-16T21:36:00.003-04:00

The Event:
We got our first wedding gift in the mail last week! It was SO exciting, and made everything feel so much more real!

We got all our new glasses and a tablecloth with matching napkins (don't worry we haven't used them yet!)......Thanks Auntie L!

So now comes the confession.....Yes, that would be a screen shot of my registry above and I was able to capture it because I can't NOT visit.....everyday.....multiple times.

Confession :
I am a full-blown registry stalker.

Any other addicts out there? Should we make a support group? :)

Wine Tasting and Wii

2009-06-15T21:23:00.004-04:00

Over the weekend we had a few friends over for wine tasting and wii to determine what types of vino we should buy for the wedding. Eight bottles later, we really only remembered what the first two tasted like.....but we tried :)

We had selected wines by Robert Mondavi since this was one of our favorite vineyards when Mr. Gloss and I were in Napa Valley last year. We love the 'Private Selection' label, but he also has a 'Woodbridge' label which is a few $$ less per bottle. Saving $4 bottle when you are buying in bulk adds up pretty fast, so we wanted to make sure there was a true difference between the two bottles.

The first we tested/tasted were the two Pinot Grigios and there was an overwhelming response for the cheaper bottle! (yesss!)
Next up : Chardonay - We liked the more expensive bottle of Chardonay, but not better than the Pinot. We may only buy one white and one red to make things easier, but we haven't quite decided yet.

Then we moved to the reds. The two merlots were first, and the decision was split - (ugh!)
The Woodbridge line does not have a Pinot Noir varietal (and both Mr. Gloss and I are big fans of the Pinot Noir) so we tested this against a Cabernet Savignon. The Pinot won....I think....

There was only 1 wine glass casualty, unfortunately it was one of the $30 crystal ones and not one of the ones I picked up at the Dollar Store (only likely huh?).

So hive, what should we buy?
a) The Best White and The Best Red
b) Two Reds and Two Whites
c) The Best White and Two Reds

Work In Progress : Welcome Wordsearch

2009-06-14T16:38:00.005-04:00

As our date gets nearer and nearer, its time to get all the projects I've had floating around in my head for a year into a physical (rather than imaginary) form.
So this weekend I started a chalkboard welcome word search for the entrance to the tent.

Obviously, its not quite done yet, the end needs to be trimmed since it was a little longer than I had planned on. I need to find (or make) a nice frame to go around the outside. And circle the words highlighted in red to start the fun!

Total Project Cost: under $30
Chalkboard Paint ~ $11
Primer ~ $6
Paint Roller ~ $6
MDF Board ~ $2 (found a good piece in the 'throwaway area' @ home depot! and cut down to 3'x4')
Xyron Permenant Adhesive ~$6
Posterboard for Letters ~ $1.50

First, I primed (2) and painted (3) the board. I put on a second coat of the chalkboard paint after 4 hours. I used a high-density foam paint roller to ensure a super smooth finish-

I blocked out a 2.75" grid with string (I was going to draw a grid on the board, but then I realized I would have to erase it after!), then started arranging letters I had cut out using a laser cutter. I think you could use a Xyron Personal Cutting System or Cricut to get the letters cut out as well. After I had them all laid out according to a word seach I had created in excel earlier (below), I ran them through the Xyron to get them to adhere to the board and we were good to go!

The letters in red spell words we felt described our big day - the remainder of the black letters I just filled in randomly.
We chose:
David
Chelsey
Welcome (these three will be already circled when people arrive, I haven't circled them yet since the paint instructions suggest waiting 3 days before you use chalk on the board)
Party
Promise
Wedding
Ring
Husband
Wife
Greenville (the town we are getting married in)
Friends
Family
Union
Celebrate
August
Cherish
Gift
Marriage
Pledge
and maybe a few others!

I plan on listing these words next to the chalkboard since I realized I had accidentally made some other words with the random letters that I don't want people circling (like snob) - o'well!

I can't wait to hang this in our home to remind us of the day we got married!

the Receiving Line...

2009-06-11T08:35:00.003-04:00

I’ve been thinking about our timeline lately and how I see the day progressing.
This has, in turn, brought up the debate about the Receiving Line.

image

Traditionally, you would greet all your guests as they exit the church after the ceremony, it takes a while, but it’s a great way to thank all your friends and family for being there to celebrate with you and be sure not to miss anyone.

The other common option is to visit all the tables and chat with your guests during dinner. Here’s the thing with that option – this girl likes her food :), and as much as I want to thank all my guests, I also really want to eat. So this is a mediocre option at best.

Since we are having the majority of our photos done prior to the ceremony we should have time to ‘enjoy’ our cocktail hour (less a few rounds of family pics) and I think this would be the perfect time to meet and greet all our guests (with a glass of celebratory champagne in hand of course)! This way our guests don’t have to ‘wait’ in line to talk to us and can go grab a cool beverage and enjoy the boat and lake while we make our rounds.

What do you think? Are you doing a traditional receiving line?

Magic Wedding Fairies?

2009-06-10T10:36:00.002-04:00

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There is a strong disconnect with the reality of time in the Gloss household.

We are coming up on the two month mark…..THE TWO MONTH MARK!! I get all nervous and flustered when I hear it, while an ever expanding to do list races through my head.
I casually mentioned to Mr. Gloss the other night that the two-month mark is rapidly approaching and that we should really:

Talk with the Caterer about Food Options
Figure out Music for the Reception and Cocktail Hour
Find a location for the Rehearsal Dinner (and figure out who’s coming)
Figure out what readings we are doing (and other program relevant information)

And his response was – well, we have TWO WHOLE MONTHS! (Like that is a lot of time or something?!) Maybe he doesn’t grasp the vastness of the “To-Do” List or maybe he thinks magic wedding fairies just come and put everything together?
All I can say is that is becoming very frustrating to be the only one who wants to check things off the list NOW and not wait until the last minute.

Do you all have super helpful grooms? (or magic wedding fairies?)

Barbie's Daddy Must Have a Black AmEx...

2009-06-04T18:55:00.002-04:00

How else could she afford all these fabulous dresses?

by the lovely Vera Wang

the talented Reem Acra

a swoon-worthy Monique Lhuillier

a classic Carolina Herrera

and a bejeweled Badgley Mischka

I love the Carolina Herrara.....
and Vera....
and Monique..
Which would you choose?

images: from here, and here

Long Weekend Vendor Bender...

2009-06-03T19:38:00.000-04:00

We took advantage of the long weekend and made the trek up to Maine for a 'vendor bender'. Unfortunately, it was prom weekend, so the florists and salons were pretty busy!

We revisited our venue (Mr. Gloss had never actually been on the boat) and checked out where the tent would be located, bathroom/kitchen situation, etc.

They are cleaning up the boat for the season so there was 'stuff' everywhere - Maybe a little cute get-away gazebo to steal a private moment or two?

We also found a florist. We haven't signed a contract yet (awaiting quotes) but I have a good feeling about it!
We hired a bartender - (Cost: $20/hr.) Score!
I found someone to do my hair. She seems knowledgeable - I will definitely schedule a trial before the big day. (Cost: $25 for day of!!! not just the trial!! I was S H O C K E D)

Finally some people who don't charge you an arm and a leg to get married! Let me just say it was a nice change of pace :)

Have you been pleasantly surprised by any of your wedding costs?

Giving Up Control...

2009-06-02T12:43:00.005-04:00

I did it! I gave up control…..of our honeymoon!! (very difficult for me and my OCDness)
I have no idea where we are going and I love it. I posted previously about not knowing where to go on our honeymoon here, here and then again here. I got so frustrated with the amount of choices and my desire for it to be absolutely perfect it was overwhelming. Add that on top of wedding planning and I was getting seriously stressed out.

So Mr. Gloss took over, with a few suggestions from myself of things I was hoping for-
My criteria: Someplace warm, where somebody will put a drink in my hand (preferably a margarita) and I won’t have to do anything all day long….unless I want to and in that case I want there to be a lot of options of things to do :)
My parents have offered to pay for our flights- so between my mom, Mr. Gloss and the travel agent I’m pretty sure they can come up with something wonderful. I get a few questions every so often about my ‘travel preferences’ from Mr. Gloss, like – ‘Are you planning on working out when we are there (ie do you want a nice gym)?’ or ‘Do you want there to be a TV in our room?’ And more logistical questions from my mom – ‘Should we book tickets in your new name?’

I’m packing a floppy hat, large sunglasses, and warm weather clothes no matter what.
I refuse to be told where we are going until we check-in at the airport, at which point I would like a travel guide for our location to read on the plane (*Hint Hint*).
I can’t handle surprises, I ALWAYS want to know what is going on, but for this one I am so excited!! and as of yesterday we are officially booked!!

Have you given up control over any part of your wedding and found it completely exhilarating?

Don't Forget!!

2009-06-02T05:04:00.000-04:00

Hey Ladies!
Don't forget tonight is the Boston Meet-Up!!
We are meeting at Radius [8 High Street | Boston, MA 02110] at 6PM and from the sounds of things we should have a pretty good crowd!

The restaurant said we didn't really need a reservation for a Tuesday night :) so we'll probably just take over a corner of the bar -
Can't wait to see you all there!

Me, Me, Me, Mine, Mine, Mine...

2009-05-27T22:32:00.000-04:00

Captain Hook: You, the cute little urchin in the front row, won't you share your thoughts with the whole class?
Maggie: Yes, I said mommy reads to us every night, because she loves us very much.
Captain Hook: Loves you? Isn't that the, uh, the...
Smee: The L word, Captain.
Captain Hook: Ooh, yes. No, child, your mother wants to read to you every night in order to stupefy to sleep, so that she and daddy could sit down for three measly minutes without you. And your mindless, inexhaustible, unstoppable, repetitive, and nagging demands: He took my toy! She hit my bear! I want a party! I want a cookie! I want to stay up! I want, I want, I want, me, me, me, me, mine, mine, mine, mine, now, now, now!

image

So maybe the whole story doesn't relate, but the "I want, I want, I want, me, me, me, mine, mine, mine, now, now, now" seem to be uttered quite a bit lately, and I think Mr. Gloss may have some opinions about the "inexhaustible, unstoppable, repetitive and nagging demands". :)

I thought about recent conversations I’ve had with my parents and Mr. Gloss about the wedding and everything is “We don’t need….but I want”!!

What happened to me? I used to be so logical and calculated with my money and purchases–

We don’t need a ring pillow since we don’t have a ring bearer, but I want one of these so we can hang it on our Christmas tree.

We don’t need rehearsal dinner invitations since we are only inviting the wedding party +1, but I want to make them!

We don’t need monogrammed hand towels in the bathroom since people are just going to wipe their hands on them, but I want to have them.

We don’t need super thick invitations that will cost more to mail because they are ‘not machinable’, but I want them!

We don’t need to spend hours online trying to find rope for the guys bouts, but I want the perfect color.

We [I] don’t need to buy another dress for the rehearsal dinner, but I want a new one.

We don’t need to have 3 wedding cakes, but I want it to look like this –

We [I] don’t need more diamonds on my wedding band, but I want more so there isn’t 13 –

We don’t need china at this point in our lives, but I want to have it for the future.

We don’t need a Kate Spade serving set, but I want to be able to cut our cake with it.

And the list goes on….

When did I get so selfish? This is not ‘my’ day, it’s our day. I don’t even want it to be all about me, in fact, I hate being the center of attention.

Please tell me I’m not the only one who has used the wedding as an excuse to buy things :)

Is there anything you ‘don’t need’ but must have for your big day?

Beantown Meetup!

2009-05-27T21:10:00.003-04:00

Come join us for a meet-up in Boston!
We will be meeting on Tuesday, June 2nd at 6:00pm at Radius.

Radius
8 High Street | Boston, MA 02110

Please comment below to let us know if you are coming! We'd love you meet you all!

Dropping the F-Bomb...

2009-05-26T22:18:00.002-04:00

image

I have a have time dropping the f-bomb (and obviously I mean fiancé)! I always thought I would relish in the days of fiancé-ness but now that I’m here I feel pretentious whenever I say it. Usually I can avoid it by simply saying “Mr. Gloss” rather than ‘my fiance’ but for people who don’t know his name it is hard to avoid! Mostly this happens in work/elevator conversations, when discussing weekend plans, etc. with coworkers who may not know my fiancé’s name. Before I would say ‘Oh, my boyfriend and I are going to do so and so this weekend’, and now I have to replace that word with fiancé. Or during introductions – I can’t say, this is my boyfriend Mr. Gloss, and I avoid the f-bomb like it’s the plague, so I say, “This is…..Mr. Gloss” usually with an awkward pause to replace where I avoided saying 'my fiance'.

It’s absolutely not a commitment issue, and I am very excited to be able to say “My husband”, I just have a huge problem saying fiancé.

Has this happened to anyone else?

The Glossy Invitations: Gocco Tips & Tricks

2009-05-21T06:04:00.000-04:00

In case I didn't mention it before, I printed our invites using a gocco. Since there have been many informative tutorials on gocco printing by other bees all linked to the wiki so I don't think we need to rehash all the details here again, but I wanted to share some tips and tricks with you that I found helpful!!

1. Be prepared for a mess. Printing and drying takes up a good amount of space. Also prepare for the fact that you will 'print' at least once without putting paper in and then have to clean your screen. (A little windex does the trick!)2. Never print the first few prints on your good paper. Do at least two or three prints to get the ink evened out and to understand where you need to align your paper.

3. If you are going to 'wash' and reuse your screen cover the edges in clear plastic packing tape. Make sure you don't cover up any of the area that got 'burned' but also that you cover all the surrounding chipboard area. Otherwise when you wash the ink off the edges of your screen will soak up the water and get mushy and warped.

4. To help align your design make small marks on your gocco pad to help you perfectly align them each time. I emphasized these marks more than I actually drew them on the pad (these were to align our envelopes) but they were SO helpful! (Again, just wash them off with windex when you are done!!)5. Do double duty if you can! Plan your screens so that you can burn more than one image if you have enough space. I planned out my screens so that there were more than one element on each since gocco supplies are so precious now-a-days! The screen below has all the elements for the backs of our cards and the 'and' that was between our names. I printed the 'and' first, and then simply covered it with a peice of paper so that the ink wouldn't transfer when I was printing the other sections. Another 'double duty' tip : I sized our address for our RSVP cards so we could also use it for the return address on our outer envelope. I printed the RSVP envelopes first since the ink was a lighter color (then washed it) and printed the navy ink on the outer envelopes!6. Use ink blocker around your design even if you are only printing in one color. The ink is going to spread out all over your screen once you press down, if you use the ink blocker it restricts the ink to a certain area and therefore less ink is wasted since it cannot spread out all over the screen.
**Right after I took this pic I turned around to set my camera on the coffee table and hit the gocco with my knee, it proceeded to slam down and printed a RSVP on my registration plate - hence tip #1.

7. If you are printing to the edges of your paper be prepared to clean your registration plate and screen a lot more than normal. I extended the lines from our names past the edges of the paper to make sure they would print all the way to the edges. Not my smartest move, now each time I printed a little extra ink squirted out where I had extended the line. So roughly every 5 or so prints I cleaned the registration plate and excess ink off the screen at the very end of the lines. O'well, you live and you learn.

8. Keep your screens!! We had a few people that didn't recieve our save the dates so I'm keeping our invite screens just in case we need to make more. I wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them in a plastic bag in the fridge - this keeps the ink from drying (mostly).

Do you have any useful gocco tipes to share?

Previously Covered:

Up Next:

Embossing & Wax Sealing 101

To DOC, or NOT to DOC...

2009-05-20T19:40:00.004-04:00

I’m stuck. I have no idea whether I should hire someone to help on our big day (or if I can even find one available and within our budget three months out), they must have some sort of Procrastinators Appreciation Discount right? :)

So, Side A : We hire a DOC, Side B: We don't. I made a list of pros/cons and am still undecided.

Side A: We are getting married at a ‘non-traditional’ venue so there is no one in house that would be in charge of me or my event. Which makes me think I need someone to be there to ensure things run smoothly.

Side B: Our event is going to have a pretty relaxed feeling, we have invited family and close friends – if anything went wrong I know I could ask any one of them to help out and be able to hopefully laugh about it later. Our guests won’t care that are flowers are/aren’t the perfect color or if our DJ plays a song we asked him not to. Which makes me think we don’t really need to spend more $$ to have someone there.

Side A: I have never planned an event before, I have a good idea of what needs to happen, but I’m sure there are a ton of things I am forgetting or have no idea that I am supposed to do.

Side B: There will be a ceremony, we will end up married and there will be alcohol at the fabulous party after….how bad could it really be?

Side A: I want to be able to enjoy the day and not have my family (mom) worry about what needs to get done next.

Side B: If nothing goes wrong, I will probably feel like I wasted $$.

I have been going back on forth on this decision for six months now and still have no conclusion. So I turn to you:

Are you having a DOC? Why/why not?

Image: 1

The Perfect Accessories...

2009-05-19T22:12:00.005-04:00

I have been searching for the perfect jewelery to go with my dress for what seems like ages now! I LOVE a lot of sparkle, but my dress isn't blingy at all and neither is our venue. I didn't want to wear my basic pearl studs (a birthday gift from Mr. Gloss) since I wear those almost everyday anyways. I wanted something a little more special and had the hardest time finding it!

Well, I was cruising around Etsy (surprise surprise right?) and found my perfect earrings with a matching necklace. They had pearls and crystals and were the perfect length - I immediately fell in love and decided to purchase them the next morning at work (my home computer has a terrible virus and I get nervous to transmit any banking info).

So, imagine my extreme dissapointment when I arrived at work this morning and they were SOLD!! I almost cried, the Etsy seller had a note on her site that due to her present workload she was only accepting custom orders for 3+ bridal party pieces. Ah, I had the perfect accessories and they escaped my clutches!!
I quickly messaged CindyV my plea for her to make me another set. She responded and said she would happily make me another set!

So- let me present the latest in a long line of 'wedding' related purchases:
I also asked if she could make a matching bracelet.....and she happily responded YES!Cindy's designs are lovely, she was a pleasure to work with and very affordable! I can't wait till my next fitting to try them on with my dress!

Have you found the perfect accessories yet?

*All pictures taken from CindyV's etsy shop

The Glossy Invitations: Edge Painting FAQ

2009-05-19T10:04:00.001-04:00

So, I filled you in on the overall design basics - Now, it's time for the details!!

The edge painting was one of my most favorite things about the invites. It adds in a pop of color without making the invitations too busy and it was SO easy!!

Supplies:
Bottle of Acrylic Craft Paint in bright yellow ~ $4 @ Michaels
1.5" Foam Brush ~ $0.59 @ Michaels
I used a foam brush instead of a typical paint brush because I figured the bristles would get paint all over the front of the invites - the foam brush still did this a little but it was much less noticeable and only on the outer invite. I painted them in small groups, rather than individually, which would have taken forever!! I did two sides at a time, waited for them to dry, and then did the other two. I definitely recommend having professionally cut paper if you are going to paint your edges, any size discrepancies would have caused the paint to be transferred to the sides of the invitation when they were being painted in a group. And thats it!! It honestly didn't even really take that long, little effort - big impact is my kind of DIY :)

Previously Covered:

Invite Design Basics

Up Next:

Useful Gocco Tips
Embossing & Wax Sealing 101

One Year Ago...

2009-05-18T12:04:00.000-04:00

Almost one year ago Mr. Gloss bent down on one knee, said some sweet words (which I wish I could remember) and handed me a box with a diamond ring inside.

obligatory ring shot by yours truly

I don't think I ever shared our engagement story with the hive so I thought I'd give you a little recap in honor of our almost engage-a-versary.

Setting the Scene:

Mr. Gloss and I had been house hunting for a little while, so each day at work Mr. Gloss would send me links to properties he liked to see what I thought.

The night before 'E-Day' he told me we were going out to with some friends downtown (Boston) to celebrate the fact that two of our friends had just finished their first year of grad. school. I work downtown so I will usually just hang out in the city rather than coming back to our apartment and then turning around and heading right back in, therefore I usually wear something work/night appropriate.

How it Happened :
At about 3:00 on 'E-Day' (which was a Friday), I got an email with a link to a property, I clicked on it and while scrolling through the pictures I recognized a few of them as ones we had taken together at a park we used to work at growing up. The last image had directions to meet him at the end of Long Wharf in Boston. So I walked (maybe a little fast :) ) to the wharf and there he was, standing there waiting for me. All I can really remember after that was this:

Me: 'Hi'
Him: 'Hi......do you want to be embarrassed?'
Me: 'Um....no - not really'

At this point he pulled me behind one of the brick pillars so we were hidden from the view of everyone hanging out on the wharf and proposed. I cried, the ring was huge (note: plastic rings at target are not good indicators of actual ring size) and my hands were shaking. He had made dinner plans at Mare, a Italian restaurant in the North End, so we walked towards the restaurant.....I'm pretty sure I didn't stop looking at my ring the whole time :). So we ate good food, drank good wine and obviously followed it with gelato :) When we arrived back in our apartment he had a bottle of wine he had been saving since I lived in Italy and he had come to visit me. So we relaxed with more delicious wine and called our parents and told them the good news!

In honor of our 'E-Day' I want to do something special for Mr. Gloss - any suggestions?!
Are you planning on celebrating your engage-a-versary?

The Glossy Invitations: Invite Design Basics

2009-05-18T10:04:00.000-04:00

Last time I left you all with this teaser pic of our invites, and now for the delicious DIY details!!!
If you are planning on making your own invitations I very much recommend checking out Mrs. Cupcake’s 12 Steps to Creating DIY Wedding Invitations. The three tips I found the most useful were:

3. When designing, START WITH YOUR ENVELOPES!!!!!

8. Print out drafts of your design — don’t just look at it on the computer.

10. Weigh everything before buying postage.

I knew I wanted to use an inner and outer envelope to keep everything together, since we did not elect to use a pocketfold type of invitation. Outer envelopes in specific colors are difficult to find, so plan ahead! I ordered the solid (outer and RSVP) envelopes from Paper Presentation, the outer is a A7.5 size envelope (5.5”x7.5”) and the inner translucent envelope is a generic A7 (5.25”x7.25”) envelope from Paper and More. This determined the size of our main invite to be a basic A7 (5”x7”) card.

Early on I decided that I wanted REALLY thick paper for two reasons. 1) I wanted to paint the edges (and be able to see the paint) and 2) I wanted to have a fairly solid invite that was able to stand on its own (without any type of cardstock backer). I ordered SO MANY SAMPLES and ultimately decided on the Crane Lettra paper. This line of paper is specifically designed for letterpress, so it’s very soft but still thick at the same time….it’s basically paper heaven in my mind (and they have free samples!)

For the main invitation we chose the 220# Crane Lettra in Fluorescent White. For the enclosures we dropped down a thickness, and went with the 110# in the same color. We ordered the paper from Kelden Paper (they are one of the few retailers where you can purchase the Lettra line by individual sheet) and had them cut down the paper to our two sizes ($25/per size). We probably could have gotten the paper cut cheaper elsewhere but they did a great job and I was nervous about shipping the large sheets (24”x40”) of paper cross country knowing how beat-up some of my other packages have been delivered. The total for the paper was around $150 including cutting and shipping and I have PLENTY of extra.

I had a hard time balancing the carefree attitude of our wedding with the importance of the event itself. Some designs were too formal, and didn’t fit the lakeside, easygoing feel we were trying to create. Others were too casual and lessened the importance of this momentous day. Ultimately we emerged with this design, which I am completely in love with.

I designed everything using Adobe Illustrator. The ‘handwriting font’ is from Fonts for Peas. To extend the letters to either side of the paper I used the paint tool and drew some squiggly lines (much more difficult when using a mouse than drawing by hand!) so it definitely took a few tries to get lines I was happy with.

I had designed them so there were elements on the front and the back of the invitation, but ended up not printing the alternate sides for two reasons:

I started printing the hearts on the back of the main invite and didn’t like how they were coming out, it was very difficult to align them perfectly with the lines from the front.
As many of you pointed out, probably no one would see them anyways!

So, I nixed all the reverse printing except the RSVP date. I also nixed the rounded corners because rounding 1600 corners sounded AWFUL :)

We included 3 enclosures with our main invite. A RSVP card, an information card, and a 'send-us-a-note' card (just for fun!).

The RSVP was pretty standard, with a place for names and food choices - we elected to use icons because we still have no idea what we are going to be serving! We are doing a buffet, so I don't think the numbers are too critical, but we wanted to have a general idea of what people wanted to eat.

The Information card had a link to our website. Rather than creating multiple inserts with directions, accommodations info, etc. we elected to just direct our guests to the website where we had already placed all that information.

The 'Send-Us-A-Note' card was partly for fun and partly for guest info. We asked our guests to tell us when they are arriving/where they are staying so we would know who to include in pre/post wedding festivities (we are not inviting all our guests to the rehersal dinner but are thinking we could all meet up for a welcome drink after). Then the fun part, the Mad Libs Marriage Advice! I can't wait to read all the responses!!

We put everything into a vellum envelope with the RSVP date facing up so it will be the first things the guests see (just so they don't miss it!!), tied it with blue and white bakers string and sealed it with a wax stamp!

This envelope then went into the addressed outer envelope with a custom liner. (I couldn't find ANY paper that I wanted to use for our invites so I developed a pattern, in Illustrator again, and printed it out).

Up Next:

Edge Painting FAQ
Useful Gocco Tips
Embossing & Wax Sealing 101

The Glossy Invitations...Are DONE!

2009-05-14T22:14:00.001-04:00

What do you get when you combine a graphic design loving bride with ultra luxurious Crane Letterpress paper, a bottle of yellow paint and a gocco?

If you were thinking “Miss Gloss’ invitations” you are absolutely right!

If you were thinking “a huge mess that took over multiple rooms, 2 rolls of paper towels, a ruined carpet and lots of stained clothing” you are also absolutely right!

But they are D O N E, and I love them. Loooove them.

And it seriously pained me to have to blur things! So sorry!!

I haven't even put them in the mail yet - so you guys are getting the first glimpse because I couldn't wait to share them any longer :)

So here is a little bit bigger sneak peak, to be followed by DIY tutorials with details!

Tutorials forthcoming:

Invite Design Basics

Edge Painting FAQ

Useful Gocco Tips

Embossing & Wax Sealing 101

So stay tuned!!!

Try #2...

2009-05-12T20:26:00.001-04:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm planning on DIYing my make-up for the big day since we are getting married hours away from a metropolitan area and have a petite budget. Lo, of Lo and Co, was kind enough to pass along some great tips for me which I talked about here. I wasn't really feeling the eyeliner on the bottom lashes and so I tried again. I guess that is one benefit of doing your own make-up, you can practice!!

So this was try #1:

And this is try #2:

Better?
Which eye make-up do you like better?

A Deserving Dress Hanger...

2009-05-11T20:10:00.005-04:00

In my quest for amazing pictures of my wedding day I whipped up this little bad boy - a cute dress hanger cover!! No accidental "I only have the plastic hanger and its going to ruin my dress shot" emergencies for me!

I was going to add a simple navy bow, but I think it would draw too much attention to the hanger and distract you from the dress itself. Instead, I think I'm going to embroider our wedding date and monogram in a light ivory.

Are you planning on getting a special hanger for your big day?

MOB Dress Shopping...

2009-05-10T17:26:00.005-04:00

My mom was in town this weekend to help me with the invitations (a post is coming soon I promise!) and to celebrate mother's day, so we took advantage of our time together and decided to search for her wedding day dress! In my mind, my mom is wearing a short dress in some type of champagne-y color or maybe a light taupe or oyster? We looked everywhere for something in a style like this:

image

A simple sheath dress with cute bolero......shouldn't be too hard right?

WRONG!

Some of our favorites were:

image

Option#1: This little bridesmaid dress is from Ann Taylor, at almost $300 its a little more than we were looking to spend but still a contender. BTW it looks way better on my mom (and the mannequin for that matter) than it does on the model above.

image

Option #2: She tried on this dress at Banana Republic in navy, I really didn't think I would like it - but it was actually a nice mix of conservative mom in the front and then sexy party in the back. It was really quite cute, but she didn't think she should wear navy since my bridesmaids are.

image

Option #3: We found this little sheath at Lord and Taylor, but they didn't have the size we needed (of course). You can't really tell from the picture, but there was threads of gold throughout and an interesting texture/design. We liked that it was simple and classic.

Option #4: (the first image) is by Tahari and they didn't have this style at the two Nordstroms visited.

Needless to say, we left empty handed. So, I have two questions for you:
1. What color is your mom wearing? and
2. Where did you end up finding her dress?

Thank You USPS...

2009-05-08T10:44:00.005-04:00

My mom is coming into town this weekend to help me finish up the invitations so I went out and purchased stamps this morning. I brought a mockup of our invite to the post office and had them weight it because I had an inkling our invites might weight more than 1oz. which would require extra postage….and I was right :(. While I was there, I snatched up some of the forever stamps since they will go up in price on Monday for our RSVP envelopes and checked out the options for 2oz. stamps after the price increase.

Every cloud has a silver lining right? If my invitations didn’t weigh so much I wouldn’t be able to use this super cute new ‘wedding’ stamp without feeling frivolous throwing extra money away on stamps.

Mmmm…cake…
I’m pretty excited to pop this bad boy onto our invites – I was so over the heart stamp.
They also have some other new ‘wedding’ designs that are quite cute:

So, Thank You United States Postal Service for getting some decent wedding stamps for those of us who cannot fit Zazzle custom stamps into our budgets :)

Are you excited about the new stamp designs even though they are two cents more?

*all images from usps.com

100 Days Out...

2009-05-07T07:26:00.001-04:00

Today, we are officially 100 days out....yikes! While a lot of the big stuff is done there are a few things looming over my head that have yet to be touched.

1. Florist - I'm not really concerned about centerpieces since we are just doing single stems in these vases. (Seems pretty easy to DIY right?) Bouquets are another item all together, I think I am waaay to anal to be able to pull these together myself and have them look acceptable. I've been procrastinating on this since none of the florists in the area have websites (which is how I have done a majority of my research) and I haven't been back to Maine since Christmas.

2. Menu - We have not yet told our caterer what she will be cooking for the big day because we haven't been able to decide. Although, since we are having a buffet the information doesn't need to be printed on the RSVP cards so I think it can wait a little longer.

3. Hairstylist (and hairstyle for that matter) - My hair is naturally very curly and I'm really nervous about the heat in August. Plus, I don't know of any great stylists in the area where we are getting married and am really nervous to end up with 80's prom hair.

4. Honeymoon - We have gotten nowhere with this one due to the hurricane season/swine flu combo. This one is on Mr. Gloss' plate -

What was left on your list at 100 days out?

New Email on Retainer...

2009-05-06T07:04:00.000-04:00

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After Bruschetta's post a few days ago about 'we-mailing' I realized that my email address has the initial of what will soon be my maiden name. Although I think it's perfectly acceptable to keep using this email, a little part of me is really excited to use my new last name. So I created a new email address to embrace my married last name. It may be a little premature, and I swear I won't start using it until after the wedding since it's probably 'bad luck', but I wanted to reserve it ASAP. It's a little like practicing signing your married name before you are officially married - who hasn't done that right?

Will you change your email to reflect your new name?

Planning for Aunt Flo*

2009-05-05T07:04:00.002-04:00

*(not useful for other unwelcome relatives)

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Having Aunt Flo as a house guest is basically equivalent to me taking handfulls of crazy pills each morning. Not to mention, every time she visits I get really agitated, bloated, my face breaks out and I’m just generally uncomfortable. I take on a ton of ‘water-weight’** which makes me discouraged and therefore even more irritable. This is not what I want to feel like walking down the aisle thankyouverymuch.

So I’ve started to monitor how I feel throughout the month. If Week ‘4’ is Auntie Flo's scheduled arrival, Week ‘3’ is the prep week. I think Aunt Flo is allergic to chocolate, therefore I feel it is my sole responsibility to eat everything chocolate in our apartment to prepare for her arrival. What kind of hostess would I be if I just left that stuff lying around? Again, not something I really want to deal with when I’m trying to look my best in an unforgiving color. So, let’s say weeks ‘3’ and ‘4’ are out.
This leaves us with weeks ‘1’ and ‘2’ –

Scheduling Week ‘1’ for my wedding week seems like it would be fine, I definitely wouldn’t have to worry about Aunt Flo showing up on the honeymoon :), but this means that Week ‘4’ just ended and I really don’t think I need Aunt Flo hanging around right before the wedding since she will only add an extra dash of crazy to what is sure to be an exhaustive and stressful week leading up to the wedding.

So, that leaves us with ‘Week 2’ as the optimal wedding week. It’s coming right up, so I’m going to try to really monitor how my body feels throughout the week and make sure this week brings about the least crazy/skinniest/clearest complexion out of my four options. This would leave at least one week free and clear for the honeymoon, and since Aunt Flo usually visits near the end of Week ‘4’ I’ll have most of that week as well!

I’m planning on adjusting Aunt Flo’s travel schedule ASAP, once I figure out the optimal week, because messing with her plans closer to the actual wedding date seems like a recipe for disaster. Once she gets used to a certain cadence of visits it's sometimes hard to change and I'd hate for her to show up unexpectedly :)

**This IS and will remain 'water weight', despite having admitted to consuming copious amounts of chocolate the previous week. Please leave me my delusions :)

Are you making any plans for Aunt Flo?

Sneak Peak....

2009-05-03T20:07:00.003-04:00

Just a little sneak peek at what happened this weekend -
Bright yellow edges on our invitation paper!!
And to think they wanted to charge me $400 for painted edges. A $4 bottle of paint and a $0.59 foam brush later, I say - Mission Complete!
It was a messy paint and gocco filled weekend - more details to come I promise :)