USPS, you dissapoint.

I just poked onto the USPS website to see what my options are for my invitations....(preview, DIY steps, and budget will be coming soon!!)

and this is what I found for my 59 cent invites--$60.00 for these?

I have to admit I'm pretty dissapointed. I'm not too picky about the way our envelopes look--I'm not doing a wrap around label (i think), not embossing a design on the flap, not sealing it with a wax seal. But I don't want my envelopes to look ugly.

There are other options...but is it worth it to buy a wedding stamp from Zazzle (many more options) or make my own on either Zazzle or Stamps.com?

(p.s. here's a little sneak peak from the invitations. My monogram designed by Paper & Ink.

or, my favorite E-pic.

Even with online coupon codes, my total goes from $60 to $95 for postage. I've gotta think quick, as I'd need to order these by tomorrow to have them in time to send the invites.

What would you do?

Shower Wear: emergency!

We interupt our regularly scheduled program of Italy Wear, for a tiny emergency. I just realized my first bridal shower is in less than two weeks and I have nothing to wear!!

I think this shower will be a little less formal, but I'd still like to wear a dress. My favorite style is a wide strap dress with a scoop neckline and a pretty floral print. Also, I've never worn yellow, and I think it'd be a fun time to start wearing it!

My budget is about $50 and my time is limited.
Here are a few ideas....but most of them are out of my price range.
Does anyone else have suggestions?

Also, in honor of the recent opening of Nordstrom Rack near my work, these are all Nordies dresses!

$138

$128



$118


$118

$98


$48

Inspiration [Fridays]

Yum, Yum, yum. I love inspiration.

Have a happy weekend!

1&2 by Jose Villa

3 by The Knot

some good advice

Well, I'm still just trying to get back to my normal life...and since I don't have much wedding stuff to report, I'm instead going to share with you some pieces of advice from A $2,000 Wedding, which I'm starting to take to heart as we do some wedding number crunching and job searching for when I'm an unemployed newlywed in just a few short months.

There's a lot of things here that I want my wedding to look like. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did!

(10) Start with the Big Picture, Not the Details
Sit down with your fiancé and figure out what kind of wedding you want. What do you want to be able to say about it when it’s over? What do you want your guests to say? How will you make your wedding memorable, relaxing, and fun? Develop a list of your goals and vision and then move on to the smaller details. Always ask yourself, “Does this small detail align with my broader goals?” Make decisions accordingly.

(9) Make It Happen
Once you know what kind of wedding you and your fiancé want to have, make it happen. Don’t let your parents’ preferences and tastes, your insecurities, or your budget get in the way. Have courage, stand your ground, and be creative. Your wedding should represent you and your fiancé, not anyone else.

(8) Limit the Guest List to Your Nearest and Dearest
Your wedding is not a show. It’s a celebration of your commitment and your community. You will feel much less stressed and nervous if you are truly surrounded by your closest friends and family. It’s your day. Don’t let anyone else commandeer the guest list for their own purposes.

(7) Distinguish Between Wants and Needs
When you’re planning a wedding, everything feels like a must-have. Use the 10-10-10 rule that was featured in O! Magazine: when making a decision, ask yourself: “What will be the effects of this decision in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years?” It will help you keep everything in perspective. Not everything is important.

(6) Don’t Let Your Wedding Overshadow Your Relationship
Planning a wedding takes a lot of compromise and consensus. It’s highly likely that you will disagree and probably even fight. Just remember that your wedding is only one day of your lives together. Don’t get too wrapped up in it.

(5) Build Relationships with Vendors
Working with others to bring your wedding to fruition is a very stressful process. There has to be a lot of trust. Do your best to build relationships with people along the way. They will have more investment in the wedding and be willing to go above and beyond for you. You will have fewer doubts about their reliability.

(4) Don’t Forget the Ceremony
Don’t get so caught up in the invitations, dress, flowers, reception, music, and catering that you neglect to put the same kind of thought and attention into your ceremony. The purpose of a wedding is to publicly declare your commitment and seek support from your community. It’s important! (And make sure your guests can hear everything that’s said during the ceremony.)

(3) Dress Comfortably
It’s your wedding. You should enjoy yourself. Make sure you can walk, dance, and move comfortably from head to toe, from ceremony to reception. Seriously.

(2) Moderate Your Wedding Porn Viewing
Don’t spend too much time reading wedding magazines and blogs. Yes, they give you ideas. Yes, they are fun. But mainly they just make you doubt things you’ve already decided on.

(1) Just Breathe
Planning a wedding is stressful. Your expectations are high and the stakes feel high even higher. But remember: No matter what happens with the details (the weather, the vendors, the food) you will be married in the end. And anything that goes wrong will make a great story.
When you become too irrational, read the newspaper and remind yourself that the world has much bigger problems.

Inspirations [Fridays]

Well, today is day 7 that I've been pretty sick, and while I finally came back to work yesterday afternoon (following 3.5 days off in bed, bemoaning my life)...I'm still not better.
The doctor said it's a virus and it needs to run it's course...but it's just not running fast enough for me!

So while I'm hacking up a lung, wishing my baby was here to make it better, I'll just share this with you.


from etsy seller uniqueartpendants via Grey Likes Weddings


And, some photo inspiration. I love the little displays of affection

photos by Jose Villa

Italy-wear 2: wine-tasting and dinner-wear

E and I plan to visit a few wineries for some tasting and probably do some leisurely walking/biking in the countryside of Tuscany during the trip. I wanted some flirty, fun, breezy, but sophisticated dresses for the occasions.

This isn't a "what i would buy if I had $10,000 to spend on honeymoon clothes" type of post.

This is an "i already have this" or "this is something I could feasibly afford for the honeymoon" type of post (e.g. no Anthropologie here, as much as I wish!)

Old Navy: Cross-front Sundress--$19.50

Wouldn't this be fun with a big necklace and some bangles?

Banana Republic: Striped Jersey Empire Waist Dress--$59.99 (coupon code: $42!)

and lastly, my favorite

Nordstroms: Lush Rouched Jersey Dress--$25.90

Also, I'm stuck at home sick, and online shopping is making me feel just a little bit better.

Inspiration [Fridays]

I love the happiness, serenity and vibrant colors in this photo...and hope to copy it in 3 months and 5 days.


Photo by The Wiebners, of the Cupcakes


Also, remember my reception hair flower idea? Good thing I was a procrastinator and hadn't bought anything yet. I found one I liked a little better, which is ivory and not feathery (I wasn't quite sure feather was my style)

Meet Essential Katie by Muscari Designs

Love it? Me too.

Muscari has lots more and they're having a sale right now for 20%. Coupon Code: lovespring

Happy weekend bloggers!

wedding shoes are here!

DSW was having a sale. And I had a $10 off coupon. So i bought these beauties online, hoping they fit (I'm one of those always in between sizes) AND match the color of my dress (which is sort of an in-between ivory.

If they don't match my dress, the solution = dye them! I'm hoping for a bright pop of color to peep from under my dress. I wasn't sure if I'd be daring enough to do it, but if these don't match, I have the perfect excuse. Yes, my entire family and fiance will think it's ridiculous, but after receiving these perfect shoes in the mail, I'm not sending them back!

So here they are: Caparros Victor Satin Pump in Nude

oh, what's that? You want to see the bows a little closer?

no problem.

What do you think?

The more I look at these pictures (which were taken in low lighting) the more I think there is no way they'll match my dress! I won't find out until my next fitting in May. But they aren't as gold as they look here!

In the meantime I need to find the perfect shade just in case...I definitely don't want to dye them celadon (the color of my girls' dresses), but I don't know what color will coordinate with my ivory, sage and brown woodsy theme.

Right now, my only thought is teal. Any other color suggestions?

100

Checking my email before bed, I went to my google homepage, and glanced (for the first time in a little while) at the countdown ticking away the minutes, hours, and days before The Big Day.

guess what?

I'm getting married in one hundred days.

oh so happy :-)

the fitting

...was not what I expected. When I stepped out of the dressing room, it wasn't quite the "magical moment" I'd been dreaming of.

It's a custom made dress. It was my first fitting. There's supposed to be some tweaking...right? My seamstress is a rock star. I have full confidence that she'll pull the dress together exactly how I want it. But there is some work to be done.

E, don't you dare keep reading.
not kidding.
love,
me.

*photos are all linked to prevent fiance peeking!

She said she erred on the side of modesty and made the top with a LOT of coverage. One of my biggest fears with the neckline of my dress, was that my teeny little chest would be swimming in the space left for it. I want it fitted, sleek and tiny. It was not. It was also pretty lopsided. I think she saw that immediately when I put it on.

The custom back wasn't quite as low or wide as I wanted. I think this is probably a quick fix.

Lastly, the straps were too thick. (see first photo)

I'm sure I must've sounded like quite the bridezilla when I stepped out of the dressing room, with nothing but things that needed to be changed, but I was dissapointed that the dress didn't look exactly like i'd been imagining and I couldn't help but blurt it out.

It truly does have all the right elements though, and I know it'll turn into something beautiful!

And as BM Rae, and my sisters and mom said, "Katie, it's really not that bad!" (did I mention we got there right when she opened on a Saturday morning? we were armed with starbucks, but the sleepiness still shows)

Also, I did a pseudo make-up trial that morning. I felt like I was heavily coated. Sis K1 and Rae said it was barely noticeable. (And the only photo that barely shows the unnoticeability is an awkward mid-sentence, confused, dark, and shadow-induced double chin shot. Aren't you bloggers lucky I have no shame?)

In an effort to not be dissapointed again, and to let Richelle know how happy I am with the dress overall, I sent an email to her this morning thanking her for all her hardwork and sending her some more inspiration photos of the specific tweaks I wanted made.

Here are the photos I sent her:
Mrs. Cherry Pie
Romona Kaveza
Anne Barge


Here's to hoping it will all come out in the end. :-)

[Inspiration] Fridays

It's almost the weekend.

I plan to make a birthday dinner with two friends tonight
Meet my dress for the first time (!!)
send my love a love letter
and hopefully finish all that invitation cutting.

Hope you have a good one!


I love/want this shot

and this one

this bod

and this place

photos 1 & 3
photos 2 & 4

courtesy of OnceWed

it's only fitting

WOOHOO!

I finally heard from my dear, patient seamstress, after I bombarded her with "are you done yet? I'm so excited! What does it look like? When can I come?!! EEEEE, I'm SO EXCITED!!!" emails about the status of my wedding dress. My dress is ready for a fitting!

She was open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday...and it's just my luck that I have a [rec]vollyeball game on Tuesday night (I feel like I have to clarify that I'm not still in school and playing competetive sports. ha.) and I have my baby sister's sports award banquet on Thursday night.
So Saturday morning, the moment the shop opens, my mom, sisters, and my BF/BM are heading over for the big reveal and my first fitting.

I'm very excited, but nervous--as I have no concrete idea of what the dress will look like, after my last-minute-changed-my-mind bridezilla moment.

I'm also concerned about how my very teeny assets will look with the neckline I chose...but a post on that to come.

How nervous were you for your first fitting? (Or am I the only one?)

What I did this weekend.

See that stack? I have 6 more of those to create....I feel like this has been my new part-time job. How is there still so much left to do?

It's true, what they say; invitations are a labor of love. Because I do love them. (the big reveal is still 6 weeks away...)

Italy-wear 1: bathing suits

Can't stop thinking about the honeymoon...and more particularly, what I'm going to be wearing!
Granted, we won't be on a Caribbean Island. But in the three days between the wedding and the honeymoon...and maybe a little bit when we're in Milan, I'm hoping to break out the bikini, a good book, and do some relaxing.

There'll be several posts in this series, but today I can't help thinking about the summer and swimming and laying out. I've never bought a suit at American Eagle, but these cute suits are now must-haves!

Now to get to work on that bikini bod...