Details, Details DETAILS!

One of the most important aspects in planning my wedding (besides the music!) is the littlest details. It's the smaller things in life that make pictures, moments, and life. While, true, one could care less about the font on the menu cards, I believe the details MAKE a wedding. Why else do we go out of our way to order flowers and arrange tables? Why else do we make sure the dress, shoes, hair, makeup are perfect? Because when details come together, they make memories.

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While I don't want to give away all of the intimate details of the wedding, because I'm sure you'd prefer to see them for yourself, I do want to share a couple of ideas that we will be encorporating into our special day!

We have been throwing around ideas for our card table for months! It has been such a topic of concern, mostly because when people will walk into the reception/cocktail area it will be the first thing they see. Therefore, it really sets the stage for the entire wedding. *MINOR FREAK-OUT* There are two ideas we are currently considering - branches vs. keys.

Because we're going for a really romantic feel, we love the idea of branches. In fact, the branches will most likely make up the majority of centerpiece decorations.

We love that the place cards are hanging and guests will have to locate their names. However, our concern is that if the branches are not sturdy enough, that people will be pulling on the branches and they will break. Also, if all the cards start turning like Christmas ornaments, it may be difficult to locate one's name.

Our second idea is keys. I love the symbolic meaning of an old key, however my concern is that the look and feel is not as romantic as the branches. We would have to find 150+ vintage keys and tie the escort cards to them. The symbol of a key is pretty romantic in my mind and it definitely goes along with my love for the Tiffany key collection. :) We will be going with one of these ideas but I'm going to keep it a surprise!

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We will most likely be doing the branches for centerpieces. HOW we do them is still up in the air. We still have not found a florist but we're working on it!

I love the branches with hanging votives but I know the higher quality, sturdy branches will be more expensive. But I do think this goes along with our "Romantic" theme very nicely don't you?

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In other news: Makeup! I have found my makeup counterpart in Linda Camacho. She is an independent licensed esthetician and makeup artist that was highly recommended to me by a stylist friend who is using her in her August wedding. She has a facial package for brides and I just did my first facial this week! I LOVE LOVE LOVE facials and she uses Bioelement products which I am familiar with. 4 days later, my skin looks absolutely beautiful. I want to make sure my skin is perfect in 4 months so I'll be going once a month, with the last facial being the week of the wedding!

I have not even done a trial with Linda yet, but I know she's the esthetician for me! I will be doing a trial with her within the next couple of months. The look I'm going for is flawless skin, eyes that pop with black liner and lashes, and a pretty pink lip. I LOVE Carrie Underwood's makeup here....

I love her hair in this picture too. I have described my bride styles as "Romantic" along with the theme of the wedding. My dress is in a soft ivory tone with lots of lace and beaded accents. I am wearing my hair down in soft curls, and want everything to be synchronized with the low candlelight - very soft. Side note: it's particularly hard to find celebrity makeup pictures who have the same skin tone as me. Probably the closest would be Julianne Moore! But she often does a red lip that would look hideous on me!

I am MOST excited to do my hair and makeup trials and have everything finally come together and transform me into a bride! :) And don't forget, it's all in the details.

Yes, I Googled.

I'll be the first to admit it: I am a Google fiend. If someone went through and checked my daily "googles" I'm sure there would be many, and they would be obscure.

Because sometimes I'm just sitting here at work and think of something I would like to know the answer to. And away I click and type.

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Today's topic of googling was "Changing Name After Wedding" because I'm clueless! Part of the reason I have a wedding planner is because I've never been in a wedding, my mom never had a wedding so I have no immediate experience or help! So, I felt pretty silly after googling this topic, however I also found it very insightful. Because as we start getting closer to the big day, I am realizing how many things and different documentation I am going to have to change.

And while I'm on the topic, I know that not everyone changes to their husbands name after the wedding. Yes, I thought about keeping my name but that's what I have brothers for! And besides, I'm keeping the same initials and my new last name is very similar. Plus, bonus points for how cute "Kelly Connolly" sounds! :)

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But my goodness! what a process it is! From my understanding, the first step is to actually get married (ha!) and order a couple copies of the marriage certificate. From there, you must fill out paperwork requesting a new Social Security card. Then, hit up the DMV for a new driver's license. Next, gotta order checks, credit cards, business cards etc. with the new name. Car registration and car insurance will also need to know of your new married name. The post office wants to know, but that will go along with us moving. But I think the biggest hassle of all will be changing everything at work. Do I change my email because it is firstinitiallastname@generic.com? It only makes sense right? But what about all the people who know my old email? I think I'll keep the email the same and perhaps just add my new last name next to my old one in my signature. And for payment purposes, I'll have to submit my new S.S. card to my employer. So there's a process and it all seems to begin and end with Social Security. Go figure.

Of course I'm excited to change to my new name, but I hope I'm still recognizable as...well, myself.

4 Month Mark!

Ahh! Four months already? It seems like minutes ago that Mike and I started dating! But no, 5 years ago! Wow, I'm old!

We have so many exciting wedding related things coming up this week; the most exciting of all that is not even related to our wedding! (We will be doing invitations on Sunday, and some craft projects in between! Will update later!)

Saturday, June 12, 2010 we're attending the wedding of our good friends, Brandon and Herminia.

Photography by Nick Gerber

I met Herminia through my roommate from freshman year at NIU. We pretty much clicked immediatly when we found out common ground - We were both engaged! After being at a couple mutual parties and seeing each other multiple times we figured out everything else we had in common; English majors, love for writing, passion for fashion, larger (ahem) busoms. It was friendship at first site.

More recently, we've been making our boys go on double dates with us but it's not very difficult because Brandon and Mike get along swimmingly. Brandon and Herminia are just great people, great friends, that we are so lucky to have in our lives.

Throughout this whirlwind of wedding planning, Herminia and I have shared notes. We've taken ideas from each other, gone registering together, and share our wedding coordinator and DJ! I attended her bachelorette party a few weeks back and met all of her bridal party and friends. Herminia's sisters and friends are such a great group of girls! I cannot wait to see them at the wedding!!

I am beyond excited to see how all of their ideas have come together for their wedding. I'm sure she's stressing out like no other, but I know everything will be beautiful!

Of course both Mike and I are running around trying to get our outfits together, make sure we have a card, and work on transportation for Saturday but hopefully I will have pictures to post soon.

B & H: We are sooo excited! You guys are such the perfect couple and I am honored to share in your nuptuals! I can't wait to see how beautiful you look Herminia, but I'm sure Brandon is the most anxious of all! See you Saturday, love you!

The Lovely Ladies

This past Sunday, we had scheduled time for the bridal party and I to hit up a David's Bridal and try on some dresses! My original plan was that each bridesmaid would choose her own dress, complimentary to the other choices, in black. This idea supported the fact that all of my bridesmaids are different; different body styles, different personalities etc. And I did not want to be one of those brides who makes everyone wear some hideous dress because I like it!

For example, when Laura and I were shopping for my dress, we browsed the bridesmaid dresses quickly and I grabbed a long halter number and said, "This is really cute!" Laura said, "Yes, that'd be cute on you but you don't have to wear it." Which is why I wanted the bridesmaids to be in charge of their own dress destiny.

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Upon arrival, we immediatly went through all of the racks, pulling probably 30 dresses for 4 girls! (Only Vicky, Megan, Molly, and Rosie were able to attend) As everyone tried on their selections, I played assistant and zipped them in with flare. Molly had chosen two shorter, very slim numbers. Both very fitted and stylish but one looked a lot better than the other. We thought we had made her decision. Rosie was having a tougher time, trying on long flowy dresses that just did not look right. Megan tried on some really cute ones, but had issues with the bust fit (as I do!). And Vicky tried on about 5 dresses that all looked fantastic. Our favorite for Vicky was a long pleated bust dress but because Molly had chosen a short dress, we had the sales consultant bring out the same pleated dress in a shorter version. Success! The dress was gorgeous!

After a bunch more dresses and making the girls go back and forth between them, we finally had Molly put on the same dress Vicky had been wearing. (The shorter pleated number) So cute!! We all pondered the idea of same dresses and Rosie said something weird about "the sisterhood of the traveling dress..." awkward. So we had Megan and Rosie try on the same dress style as well. (Mind you the pleated short dress came in a variety of colors. The black sample happened to be a size 2 so no one actually tried on the black! We had dark blue, lilac, orange, and green!)

Voila! The dress looked good on everyone! Every body type! The girls commented that it was comfortable! And wait for.....drum roll please ..... it has POCKETS! Yes, the skirt is pleated which allowed hidden pockets to be placed within the pleats! Doesn't everyone complain about not having enough room in their small evening clutch? Well, now you have pockets! So cute!

(Davids Bridal Style # 83312)

Laura and Krista still have to try it on of course before we start ordering the dresses but I really think that this will be the dress everyone will agree upon. The material is actually a sateen cotton which is nice because regardless of the early October wedding, it will work. After all, you can always put more clothes on but you can only take so much off! ;)

The girls will pair this dress with black or silver shoes of their choice and jewelry of their choice as well. (Because I have not yet decided what their gift will be. A lot of times brides give jewelry for the day of, but I think it's a little more individualized if everyone wears their own. Perhaps I can get them all different jewelry that shows their individual style.)

I will also be making or purchasing shawls for the the girls to wear, especially in church, and later if the weather is cooler.

***The most exciting fact of 4 out of 6 bridesmaids choosing this dress, is that the pleating on the top EXACTLY matches and mirrors the bodice pleating in my dress! (Unfortunatly my dress is no longer on Demitrios website and I would rather not post it anyway if Mike is reading this! :) )

Conclusion of dress shopping: very exciting and fun! We ended the day with Olive Garden, despite the suggestions for pie and tea from my mother. hehe! I can't wait to spend the next couple of months planning things with these girls! I'm going to put them to work on all my little projects - Megan has already seen the mental breakdown regarding our Save the Dates and address label making! Grr! haha Love you Megan!

Until next time....

Black White and Red all over! (Well, minimal red!)

The most important part of the wedding is the color scheme/theme. We're going for romantic elegance with Black and White and hints of red. I made a Dessy Style Board for inspiration:

Mark your calendars!

One of the projects we've been working on (actually our first major wedding project besides booking vendors!) is our Save The Dates. We wanted to wait until we had our engagement shoot with the previously mentioned Cristina G.

After obtaining the "good" copies of the pictures we could not live without (featured in blog) we "made" and ordered our Save The Dates through Vista Print.

Side note: We stole the idea for a postcard Save The Date from our good friends Brandon and Herminia who are getting married next weekend, June 12! Since our weddings were so close, we have been sharing different ideas and tricks of the trade with our wedding buddies. For example, after we booked Shannon Helmig as our wedding coordinator, B & H booked her as well to be the Day-of-Coordinator at their wedding. We also have the same DJ, Toast and Jam, also previously mentioned, so we'll get to preview their stuff in about a week! Just wanted to make it known that the postcards are ADORABLE but not our brainwork! :)

Since I have a day job :sigh: my sisters typically text message me updates and questions, about life in general. Molly just texted me saying a box had come for me and I could not for the life of me think what it could be. Then I realized it's probably our Save The Dates that we ordered a week ago! Mike and I still have some work to do with addresses and labels but they WILL be out by this weekend because that is our goal! I know you're interested so here is a preview!

And the backside:

Very simple and easy to do! I would recommend Vista Print to anyone, despite their annoying ads on the website trying to convince me to put this picture on a tshirt!

Toodles!

Friends that turn into Family, and Family that become Friends!

Mike and I are so very blessed to have many people that make our lives special. Probably the best part about planning and having a wedding along with wedding related events is seeing people that you love. Some of these people you don't get to see all of the time; some of them you see every single day, but it doesn't make any person more special than the next.

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We are so fortunate to have a GREAT group of friends who are always supportive, not to mention a good time! Now that I am down to only one job, I have a lot more free time on the weekends to spend with these people near and dear to my heart. Sooo fun!

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We had such an easy time choosing our bridal party because of how much these people mean to us! I would like to formally introduce you to our bridal party!

My sisters Rosie (above left) and Molly (above middle) are my Maids of Honor. I chose them because they're both my sisters and I just couldn't pick one over the other! Rosie is nearing 18 and will be a senior at Mount Assisi Academy in the fall. She loves music and going to concerts but mostly loves shopping with me! Molly just graduated 8th grade and is 13 years old. She'll be attending Mount Assisi along with Rosie in the fall. I'm going to have them have different dresses or flowers or something to make them stand out as Maids of Honor. They will both walk down the aisle with the best man.

Our best man is Mike's best friend, Joe Sceerey and boyfriend of one of my bridesmaids Laura Kilbride. The story of how Mike and Joe officially met involves lots of liquor in the dorms my freshman year in college. But basiscally, their brothers from another mother.

My cousin Megan McGovern (above right with my sister Molly) is a bridesmaid as well! She just graduated from Montini High School and is going to Loras College in the fall to study Special Education. Not only is Megan family, but she's one of my closest friends!

This cute couple represents a bridesmaid and a groomsmen! Vicky and I went to high school together (MAA 05!) and Kevin is her boyfriend. Kevin and Mike have become really good friends over the past couple of years and they are one of our favorite couples! Vicky just graduated from Lewis University with a degree in English with a teacher certification. She'll be teaching summer school at Mount Assisi in a couple of weeks! Kevin is currently attending Lewis.

Laura Kilbride (yes, Joe Sceerey's gf) and I met in the dorms freshman year at NIU. We lived together Sophomore and Senior year and she is an '09 graduate in Sociology. She currently works in Accounts Recieveable at Stonewall Inc. Laura is a bridesmaid!

Krista is also a college friend from NIU, also lived on the same floor freshman year and I lived with her and Laura sophomore and senior year! Krista is a '10 graduate with an Elementary Education degree who, despite graduating, still enjoys long walks on the beach and a stiff drink. (Just kidding Krista!) Krista is also a bridesmaid in our October wedding!

My brother Jim will be joining the groomsmen. He just finished freshman year at Marquette University where he is involved in a radio show called "Marquette Metal."

My youngest brother Marc (lovingly referred to as "Choodles") is also going to be joining the groomsmen. Marc is 14 and will be sophomore at Mount Carmel High School in the fall. Marc enjoys playing lacrosse, xbox, and humoring me by joining me in board game fun.

Tim Wolf is also one our friends from my freshman year at NIU. However, much to my dismay he didn't actually attend NIU, just hung out there every weekend. Not dismay, delight! Above picture is Tim trying to steal someone's car at Dark Lord Day '10 which he attended with groomsmen Jim and Joe, as well as my father and Mike. Tim currently works at a green house in Hampshire, Il.

Finally, Tim M. is a friend from college as well. Him and Mike have bonded over many things including but not limited to good beer, computers, and sweet cars. Fun Fact: Tim actually went to high school with bridesmaid Laura. We're just all connected in the circle of life!

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And there you have it people! Thank you for allowing me to share some of my favorite people with you! We cannot hardly contain our constant excitment for the night of 10.10.10 because Mike and I know that chaos and fun will ensue. One last picture just for fun, because my family makes up over half of the bridal party. We're loud and crazy, there's 5 of us and we wouldn't have it any other way! As we get older, our personalities are more and more apparent as featured in this picture.

From left: Marc "The Chill Dude", Rosie "Giggles", Jim "I support this Picture", Kelly "The Diva" and Molly "Mini Diva".