#Gottadoit

After our wedding, there is one thing that I think everyone should do for their wedding... and that is to make their own Instagram hashtag. I knew I had to do this after seeing the idea online and doing the same for my bachelorette party... but my wedding hashtag was very successful, I think we got over 60 tags and it is so cool to see all of the "action" shots that people are taking during your wedding. I created a little sign that ended up at the entry of the wine cave, where most of the night took place... just a simple Instagram logo and our tag painted on a piece of wood!

awful picture, I know, but it worked

 If you decide to do a tag for your special day, I suggest searching your tag ahead of time so that it is a unique tag that someone else hasn't used already. Here are a few of my favorite Instagrams from our wedding night... I can't wait to turn them all into magnets for our fridge!

So awesome! But another thing that I thought was so cool to have at our wedding was this chalkboard that I made, inspired by an Etsy shop I saw (very similar to this one). Although I drew our chalkboard myself I still think that it would be way worth it to have something custom made to keep forever( Most of the Etsy shops actually use white paint made to look like chalk so that it never smudges or smears). Anyway, it doesn't have to be a chalkboard, maybe something printed and framed or something painted on wood (both could be done very cheap)... a ton of our guests took pictures with our little sign and everyone loved it!

 

  

DIY(ish): Wedding Party and Family Gifts

Bridesmaid Gifts - Stuffed Clutches

I knew that I wanted to get my bridesmaids something that they could actually use and that is why I went with clutches stuffed with stuff for the "day of". Although I don't think everything that I filled the clutches with got used that day, it was all stuff that the girls would eventually use. I wanted to add a personal touch, so that's why i decided to sew the purses myself. I used a very basic pattern/tutorial that I found online because I am no sewing pro and knew I needed to keep it simple. I can't seem to find the exact website tutorial that I referenced but this one is exactly the same, very simple and straight forward. I found some light colored muslin at the fabric store, along with some zippers. I got the fabric flowers at Michael's and the I already had the scrap fabric that I used to line the clutches with. I didn't save the receipts for this project but if I had to guess, the empty clutches themselves probably only cost around $20 to make, if that.

Then I raided the "travel mini's" section at Target for some things I thought the girls might need througout the day! Turns out, the best thing I could've gotten everybody was umbrellas (funny thing, I also bought each girl a pair of flip flops... haha!)

The girls seemed to like the clutches and the tissue definitely got good use!

Groomsman Gifts - Whiskey, cups and beer openers

With all of James' groomsmen being into drinking (duh!), I knew I wanted to do something along those lines. We decided to get them some antique glasses, the ones we chose were antique, Southern Comfort whiskey-esque goblets that I found on Etsy, I chose them because I really like the colors.

I also found some antique beer can/bottle openers for pretty cheap, they each had logos from old beer companies. And then we topped the boxes off with a mini bottle each of whiskey! I thought they were cute, a few of the boys even took shots before the ceremony...

All the gifts, packaged up and ready to go

As for our parents, I wanted to get them custom embroidered handkerchiefs for a long time. Although it's not the most unique idea, I just think it is a precious gift that delivers a personal message that they can use forever. There are tons of shops on Etsy that will create these awesome hanky's, but I got mine from Inspired Stitches and they turned out great, our parents loved them...

 ...and we found precious, tiny little boxes to put them in.

 For my Fiance, I bought him tickets to go see his favorite comedian (which we went to last weekend and it was so so fun!) and I also found a shop on Etsy that makes the most adorable, customized penny keychains, Simply Stacy Designs. James has a thing for lucky change so I thought this was a cute gift...

The pennies are from the years we were born, the year we met, and this year, the year we got married!

Then finally, I decided to homemake the cards for our parents and for my card to James... nothing special just basic on the outside and a sentimental hand cramp on the inside!

By the way, hand-written cards are the way to go, I successfully made everyone cry... my lovely groom wouldn't even finish reading his card until 3 days after our wedding!

Going to see Joey Diaz!

The Aftermath

Over the past couple of months, I wondered if I would suffer from post-wedding blues. The thought crossed my mind at around t-minus 3 months when I realized that I wasn't doing anything that wasn't wedding involved. Every thought, every spare minute, was about my wedding. I had been pinning, planning and prepping for the better part of 2 years and the recent months were completely dedicated to that one day. I was driving my (now husband) crazy with projects and I literally didn't have one day out of 90 that I didn't do something wedding related. So what would I ever do with my time after the big day... I mean, did I even have a life or hobbies anymore?

As it turns out, my life just went back to normal, and thank god for that. By the time our wedding was over, I had no remorse, no regrets, except that I put so much time into it. Granted, the weather on our wedding changed everything. It changed my attitude and it changed what was important on that day. I stopped worrying so much about the details because with the rain, a lot had fallen by the wayside. Like I've said before, I was able to really focus on what was happening... I was getting married! So anyway, when everything was all said and done, I do wish that I hadn't stressed over everything that just "had to get done"!

Seems that even though you can stop your life for months at a time for a wedding, it will still be there when its all over and I still have tons of projects to do, books to read and other weddings to be excited for!

Buuuut... there is still a lot of wedding "stuff" that needs to be finished... (sigh)

Post wedding projects:

Finish blog posts of final projects

I still have a few DIY projects that I plan to post

Thank You cards

I am not excited for how sore my hand is going to be but I am so glad to finally be able to send these (soon)! We are so, so beyond grateful for all the awesome gifts and contributions to our honeymoon! We had to wait to get our pictures back from our photographer because we took some cute photos holding "thank you" signs and I just completed and ordered our thank-you-postcards last night. I can't wait to see how they turned out and start the process of writing/sending!

Get wedding dress cleaned - ugh... how much does that cost!?

Do something with dried petal from bouquets - I have a few ideas in mind, obviously, thanks to Pinterest

Get my rings "stuck" together

Figure out whose insurance is better or if we are sticking to "separate" -  I don't even know where to begin!

Change my name

 I've started this process and it isn't fun. First you have to wait for the marriage license to get filed. Then you have to go (in person) to the County Clerks office and pay again ($15) for a "certified" copy of your marriage certificate. Then you have to mail a form into your local Social Security office along with proof of citizenship and identity (in my case, my passport). Then you have to wait for your new card to come in the mail. Only then can you go to DMV, in person, with all those new documents to get a new license, registration, etc. And after that, you can finally contact everyone else in the universe to let them know you've changed your name... your doctor, your insurance, your bank, your credit card companies, utility companies, mortgage company, your school and the list goes on! Oh, plus I have to get a new name placard for my cubicle at work.
 
Do something with wedding photos

I want to frame a few and possibly get one or 2 printed on canvas, the problem is, I love all of the pictures so much that I can't decide which ones I want on my walls! I also (eventually... one day... another sigh) want to scrapbook some of the photos... but who knows when that will happen. Another thing that I want to do is make magnets from all of the Instagram pictures we got using our #jshitched hashtag (one of my most successful ideas of the night!). I found a few tutorials online to do it at home rather them printed (the online Instagram printer places are WAY too expensive for my taste)

And last but not least, start to use all the fun  kitchen/household gadgets we got as gifts!  - Can't wait to make some homemade beef jerky!

SEE! There is still so much to be done, and our kitchen table still has wedding junk all over it!

It's Like Rain on Your Wedding Day

Soooo, for those who live in Sacramento area, specifically the Sierra foothills, you know that Saturday, September 21st 2013 we had torrential downpours, thunder and lightening. Friday was beautiful, warm, with clear blue skies... as was Sunday. But Saturday... holy cow... I wish I would have taken more pictures of the storm the storm that rolled through! The forecast of was way off and we definitely had to improvise.

the rehearsal dinner, all pretty and clear!

 

 

The night before (the rehearsal dinner) we were all convinced it wasn't going to rain, the forecast still said something like, "20% of light showers". Come Saturday morning, the skies were gray, and by noon, it was pouring. We decided that our ceremony, which was supposed to take place outside, would now be taking place inside the deep wine cave at our venue, Saluti Cellars. The owners, Tina and Randy, worked non stop all day. Randy patched up leaks in outdoor trellis area (where we would be having dinner)... he moved wine barrels in the cave where the DJ would now be setting up... and we changed almost every detail of our reception, down to the number of guest tables in order to keep everyone dry. James' parents should up early, as well as a few family friends, and worked their asses of trying to set everything up (and with very little instruction). They were just amazing.

You don't know how many times somebody mentioned Alanis Morissette's song, "Ironic" to me that day, but what was really ironic was that after a crazy, muddy, soaking wet day leading up the ceremony, while we were in the cave saying our vows, the skies opened up to a beautiful rainbow and the rest of the night saw no more rain drops!

In the aftermath of it all, even though I had never been more stressed or anxious in my life, I am actually glad it rained that day. I am grateful our amazing guests still trekked through mud, with umbrellas or coats swung over their heads. I am grateful we still had an amazing dinner with beautiful skies in the background. And I am so grateful that we had our ceremony in the awesome wine cave because that was probably the most intimate, sexy ceremony I have ever been a witness too (and not just because it was my ceremony!).

dinner

dancing in the cave!

Outside, we had a giant bonfire where all the dudes shared in a few fatty cigars, and huge heaters provided a bit of warmth for the guest tables. Inside the wine cave was a crazy dance floor where the DJ's disco lights bounced off the walls and made a super fun atmosphere! During the bouquet tossing (despite many warnings to throw my bouquet low) I slammed it against the cave ceiling, sending petals flying... and my little sister, my maid of honor, caught it... leaving destruction in her path!

Yesterday we went back to Saluti to take some more (sunnier) photos (our photographer is awesome) and walking into the wine cave kind of sent me back. For the rest of my life, every time we visit that winery, just the smell of that cave will remind me of our special day.

Although a ton of our decorations didn't get used, luckily our best friends are getting married next year and can hopefully use some of them. Almost everything I had planned like a crazy lady for the past year kind of went out the window that morning when I woke up and looked outside, it really made me focus on the reason why I was there... to marry my best friend. I will never forget our vows in the wine cave and dancing to our first dance, crying my face off in my super wet and muddy wedding gown.

I am so grateful for everyone who made it out to Somerset in the crap weather to celebrate with us, for everyone who helped make the crazy day absolutely perfect! They say it's lucky if it rains on your wedding day and for the amount of rain that fell that day, James and I should be married for centuries!

Now... to focus on the honeymoon in Cancun! Their is rain in the forecast... no, I'm not kidding... but rain doesn't scare me anymore... I can't wait to sip Mai Thai's in the rain!

(stay tuned for a lot more posts after we get home... all the stuff I couldn't show before the wedding day!)

Final Thoughts (as a single lady)... 2 days to go!

It's hard to do a wedding blog when there is so much that you don't want anyone to see yet! I have many projects that would fit great on my little DIY page, but it's all going to have to wait until after the wedding. I've got boxes and boxes in my house, overflowing with burlap, twine and raffia... the past few nights I've had the boy working on multiple projects and he even enlisted our roommate to help. Our kitchen has become a war zone... it looks as though a bridal bomb was dropped onto our home and the haz-mat clean-up team has made a "shrapnel pile" where our dining table once was. On any giving day this week you could have walked into my house an either been overwhelmed by the smell of either spray paint, wood stain or burning glue gun. It's a mess. Needless to say.

But other than a whole bunch of random wedding décor that just needs to be carefully organized and packaged... other than a few dozen (yes, dozen) lists that need to be looked over and checked off... other than my gnarly fingernails and unshaved legs... (sigh) I am excited. I really am. It has been rough though, I'm not going to lie. Planning this wedding basically 100% on my own wasn't easy, but it's what I wanted. I, and my helpers, have in countless hours but in the end I really think I've saved myself quite a bit of money. Although a few of my "projects" didn't end up being so frugal after all ( and I can blame my NON-green thumb for that) most of them turned out great and I can honestly say I'm proud of the outcome... so far, that is. Until the wedding is over and done, I won't be able to really say whether or not it was worth all of the hard work, but my gut says it will be!

Regardless of all of that... I can't wait until Saturday when I can relax (for the most part), get my hair done, get my makeup done, drink champagne and most importantly, marry my best friend!

My Lovely Bridal Shower...

...mostly pictures, but hey, that's the fun part, right?

So my bridal shower was fantastic! Yes, I was super stressed out and I do wish that I could've had like 15 more minutes to reapply my makeup before my guests started arriving... but after a long day, a cousin's baby shower in the morning and a horrible migraine to top it off, I eventually relaxed and drank numerous glasses of sangria!

My mom, sister (and maid of honor), Annah and I arrived back at my mother's house one hour before my shower was supposed to start and went into power mode. My other sister, Kristen, arrived at the same time and was our saving grace, she took care of and prepared ALL of the food while my mom and Annah set up everything else and I put my unwashed hair up in a sock bun... I guess there is no time for a shower when there are wine bottles to be opened!

With little direction, my mom and sis rifled through my many grocery bags full of random decor and somehow managed to set everything up exactly how I imagined my shower. I don't know how it was all done in under and hour... we literally did almost nothing the night before except hang up the twinkle lights! Wait... scratch that... I did wake up at 5 am in the morning to sounds of electric beaters and my mom was in the kitchen making red velvet cake... she hadn't even gone to bed yet after getting home from a late shift at work! Sadly, the cake didn't even turn out... poor ma... 3 boxes of cake (and sleep!) wasted!

Despite the craziness that was "pre-shower" once the guests started showing up, everything mellowed out and we were able to relax, eat, drink and play a few games!

A special thanks to my momma and my sisters for all of their help... it was the best shower a bride could ask for!

Sangria Station

The Taco Bar

Our tissue paper center pieces

Aunts and Cousins!

Dolly and I

My cousin Jenna and I

A few of my best friends and bridesmaids

James' grandma, mother and sister

Jenna made my beautiful rehearsal dinner bouquet... literally the PRETTIEST one I have ever seen!

The bouquet!

The maid of honor and I after the festivities