We are smooth sailing with the wedding plans with lots of little decisions…nothing truly blogworthy on their own but, progress nonetheless. Here’s the low down:
How cute are these dresses for our little ring bearers?! We are going to customize them so, they will look a little different but aren’t they lovely?! Can’t wait!!
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on March 21, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/lots-of-little-decisions/
I’m no good with make-up. I’m lucky if I have concealer and mascara on…every once in a while I try to push myself and wear lipstick, but that’s not very often. My first make-up trial isn’t until August so, I have plenty of time to make-up my mind (ba-dum-pump chsh). But, I honestly have no idea what to do for the BIG day. I’ve been trying to source some inspiration from the million wedding photos online, but nothing has really sparked my interest. Plus, our wedding will be in the morning, so I don’t want it to be too over the top for our daytime soiree.
Like I have mentioned before our venue has greatly set the tone of our wedding so, one thought was to incorporate some of the 1920s make-up trends. Maybe- lips painted in the shape of a cupid’s bow, kohl-rimmed rounded eyes, or bright cheeks brushed with bright red blush. But, at the same time I don’t want to appear like I’m an extra on the set of The Great Gatsby. The beauty of make-up being stylized over time, is that we can take it, tweak it, and interpret it to fit a more modern look.
So, through all of the “research” I’ve done here are some of the looks that have got me thinking:
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on February 19, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/wedding-make-up/
Here we are again, another love affair has arisen to the forefront of our wedding planning. Photo props! I have been collecting fun props for the past few months to take up our wedding photos up a few notches. There is so much inspiration out there is hard to stop… Luckily, there are some restrictions at our venue for certain things such as balloons and candles so that has helped me cut back some, but I think I need help…maybe an intervention of sorts, lol!
I mean look at all there is to inspire:
What are some of your favorites that you have used/seen/pinned?
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on February 17, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/weddingphotoprops/
I’ve been trying to write this post for a while…it’s the 100th post! I was so excited about reaching this milestone. At the same time I think I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of the milestone. I was not inspired to write anything really because whatever came to mind…it just didn’t seem enough. But, instead of postponing it yet another day I thought I would just go for it.
Today I wanted to get back to the real reason I started this blog. It all began because I fell in love, so I thought I would write a really mushy, corny over the top love list (it is Valentine’s Day so why not?). So here it goes all of my favorite things about falling love with my love in no particular order:
The list goes on forever but, I digress… Feeling lucky in love today! I hope you are too! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on February 14, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/valentines-day-love/
So, I don’t think that this is news to anyone but…I am obsessed with envelope liners(see here, here). This weekend the obsession was back in full force. We are just about finished getting our updated save the dates ready to mail out and I wasn’t planning on doing envelope liners, but I just couldn’t help myself. I love the way it looks! When we were out and about this weekend picking up our envelopes at PaperSource we overheard a newly engaged bride-to-be inquiring about the how-to on envelope liners and I knew I wasn’t alone in my obsession. I love how the new Save the Dates came out and a lot of that had to do with the envelope liners. I will reveal them soon! I have a feeling you’re going to love them too…
There are really a million options when it comes to envelope liners. You can choose a beautiful specialty paper, you could create your own and print them out on your home computer, you can use rubber stamps to create something unique, or my personal, budget-friendly option wrapping paper!
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on January 27, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/01/27/a-love-affair-with-envelope-liners/
Ok so with everything that has been going on…it feels a little bit like we are kind of starting over with the wedding planning. Just a little. Luckily, we were able to keep ALL of our vendors, which was incredible! But, we have learned a few things through this process that I thought I would share…
1) Soak up the Initial Excitement & Celebration
Be present in the moments that will go flying by…the time goes by way faster than you can ever imagine. I think it’s important to really soak up all of the love during this really special time. Pop the champagne, kick off your heels and really delve into that issue of Martha Stewart Weddings that you have been eyeing for umm 6 months or so before you got engaged.
2) COMMUNICATE
The good, the bad, the ugly…share everything with your partner. I’m not talking relationship communication…that goes without saying. But, wedding communication is HUGE! The saying, two heads are better than one, is a saying because it’s true. Trust! Keeping something from your soon to be spouse because you think you are protecting them is not advisable…even if it seems to be. If you really want something to be part of your BIG day talk about it, even if it seems like it might not fit in with what your significant other may want or it may not seem to be in the budget. If you talk it through you may come up with a great solution. Instead of holding onto something and being disappointed or bitter without thinking it through.
3) Spreadsheets are your new way of life.
Well that is if they weren’t before, like me. They are SOOO many variables and they change constantly. Excel will save some of your sanity. Create one for your overall budget, your floral budget, your catering budget, your everything! It makes your life so much more simple.
4) Know your limitations.
While getting married and planning a wedding is incredible…you have found the love of your life, you want to declare your love to the world, and start a life together. It doesn’t get much better than that! It is also pretty stressful: emotionally, mentally, physically…. Know what you can and can’t do and don’t sign up for more than you can handle. It makes things way harder or you and your partner when you do. If you really just can’t handle that DIY project tonight, just share that with your partner…if you need a break from working out, take it. Something’s gotta give sometimes. Just make sure you share that in a supportive, loving way (see #2).
5) Be Proactive.
You never know what curve balls life might throw you. Be as proactive as possible, which will help you bounce back from some hiccups. When we were weighing our options about whether or not we would have to push back the wedding we called ALL of our vendors to see what would happen if we did postpose the wedding. We asked about our deposits, their availability to rebook late in the year, etc. Once we had all of the facts we made a decision together and got to work. I was immediately researching ways to infuse a little more fall into our original spring wedding. We have come up with a few ideas that we are both really excited about.
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on January 24, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/5things/
It’s a snowy, COLD, COLD, COLD day here in the Baltimore area. I am enjoying the whimsical parts, yesterday I only had a 1/2 day at work and went home to snuggle by the fireplace with the puppy and the Mr. Then this morning Mr. Brady and I had a blast playing in the snow. He is a snow dog. He loves the white stuff.
But, at the same time I have been craving me some blooms. I wish I could just cover every surface of our apartment with peonies and ranunculus and dahlias. Needless to say blooms have been on the brain it’s seems like it’s the only thing on my mind (exhibit A). So, I have been thinking that with our date change…making our wedding closer to fall I might make some changes to our wedding flowers. Here are some of the bouquets that have been inspiring me:
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on January 22, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/fall-wedding-flowers/
Flowers…can you DIY them? Sure you definitely can! But, should you…umm I think not. I am always trying to do something a little different in my everyday life. If that means try a new hat, a new lipstick, whatever…so I was hell bent on doing something different with almost every aspect of my wedding. Not excluding my flowers! I had soooo many ideas. First it was paper flowers. Granted, I think they turned out beautifully:
The rose on the left was rather simple I just followed this incredibly easy template by the elli blog. So, I got cocky and decided to try the ranunculus template… 4 hours later I got what sort of resembled a ranunculus bloom, the flower on the right. While it was an interesting project and I was pretty impressed with the results, I don’t have the time for that. Plus, the more I thought about it flowers were not something I wanted to eliminate. Nothing can compare to the natural beauty, the fragrance, or the countless hours of my life that I would never get back if I made all of my flowers, LOL! So I say flowers are a definite BUY in my book.
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on January 20, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/diy-or-buy-8/
And now back to your regularly scheduled programming! It feels good to be back! Today we are dishing on the new trend in tiny desserts, petit fours. When my Mom mentioned that she would like to have a tea party themed Bridal Shower I was on board. Maybe a bit too on-board, lol! I got really excited! Of course I had a million ideas and some of them I was so passionate about my Mom didn’t want to say anything. But, in all honesty I was too much, which tends to happen on occasion. However, one of the things that my Mom really wanted to do that I had no influence over was to make petit fours for the Bridal Shower. I, of course, loved the idea!
What I thought was really special about the idea to make the petit fours, was my Mom’s inspiration. The tried and true Betty Crocker cookbook, adored by both my mother and I. I love that cookbook. I made my first dish based off of a recipe from that cookbook, a delicious French omelet. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was probably close to 10 years old and I felt so self-sufficient and grown up, not to mention sophisticated because it was not just an ordinary omelet…it was a French omelet. Haha, but anyway the point I am trying to make is that the cookbook has quite a bit of sentimental value!
So with the Betty Crocker Cookbook and determination we set out to make some beautifully, delicious petits fours…or so we thought. Without going into too much detail…in short they were a mess. So, we will be attempting to make them again around Valentine’s Day. Until then I thought I would do some “research.” This week I was in Annapolis for a work conference so I thought I would slip into Sweet Hearts Patisserie to see if I could detect any secrets from taste testing a few of their beautiful petits fours. I mean just look at them…
They were not only beautiful but, also very delicious. I would have to say the Red Velvet was by far my favorite by they have lots of delectable flavors to choose from. The biggest “secret” that I took away from my “research” was they fact that they use chocolate to cover the little mini cakes as opposed to the royal icing that we had set out to use. So, stay tuned to see how our attempt at round 2, petits fours goes around Valentine’s Day.
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on January 17, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/advance-with-caution-petits-fours/
Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Our venue finally got back with us and we have been able to just push the wedding back a few months. What are a few months when we will have the rest of our lives together? Right!?
We have been so strong for each other through this. The experience has given both of us more confidence in who we will be as a married couple: a great team! They say everything happens for a reason and I think this has shown us that.
Onto a brighter note, now I have a few more months to fit in some fun DIY projects that I was going to scrap because we were running out of time! We started them right away, together! It was both personally therapeutic and at the same time great for our relationship. I can’t wait to share them with you. Until then the new countdown begins. 09.13.14 will be here before we know it!
Posted by soontobemrschadwick on January 15, 2014
https://soontobemrschadwick.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/thank-you-a-new-wedding-date/
Inspiring People
After my 105 pound weight loss, I started this blog to inspire and motivate others to live a healthy lifestyle!
DIY Wedding Invitations For Your Perfect Day
FOR ALL OF LIFE'S SPARKLY MOMENTS
"She lets her imagination run away with her"
Soon to Be a Mrs. 