freedom of choice

i adore each and every one of my bridesmaids. i started out with a list of 16 people that i would like to include in my bridal party. that list got narrowed down to 7. why 7? i made tyler choose his groomsmen. and then i tailored my list to be the same amount. i couldn't bear to cut anyone out, so, theoretically, i made tyler do it for me! but, i must say, i am so happy with my 7. my bridesmaids are some of my favorite people in the entire world, and each of them have had such a huge impact on my life. they all have also been extremely supportive of mine and tyler's relationship. i could go on and list what i love most about each of them, but that's what a wedding website is for. :)

anyways... one thing that bugs me about weddings is when people have an army of bridesmaids. now... every bride has their right to do things however they wish. but i think my bridesmaids are all so beautiful. i don't need to tell them how to fix their hair or do their makeup. they're all skilled at that as it is! the only thing i picked so far was their dresses. i toyed with the idea of letting them choose their own dresses, but i'm working with a tricky color scheme, so instead of having to give "final approval" to the girls' choices, i just made one blanket decision, but i made sure to ask their opinions. i even had them vote! haha! i also picked out some makeup, because i have a dear friend who offered to do my makeup and my girls' makeup, but i'm giving my bridesmaids the option of doing their own or having someone else do their makeup. i want them to still have individuality. guidelines are fine (ex: wear black shoes), but i refuse to dictate everything they wear down to their underwear. mine will choose their own jewelry, shoes, hair, etc. i've been in weddings before where i was dressed from head to toe, including hair and makeup, without my opinion being known or my voice being heard. it was completely unnatural and frustrating. i didn't feel comfortable, and it made for a difficult day. i don't want any of my bridesmaids to remember my wedding as a frustrating event. i want them to be happy and enjoy themselves! after all, i chose them, because i adore them - just the way they are.

fin.

tacky weddings

one of the hardest things i've had to do, that i never considered before, is trusting myself and my decisions. i've tried to describe my vision to some people and have gotten nothing but blank stares in return. i finally found some pictures that help relay my vision, and people finally get it. but i've had to stand strong with what i want. after all, a wedding is a reflection of the couple's, but mainly the bride's, individual style. never before have i had an opportunity to plan such an event or to display my individual style to all my family and friends, so it's easy to second guess myself. i want to leave an impression - but a good one. i want everyone to leave thinking that they just went to a beautiful wedding and reception that was fun and highly personalized by the bride. the word "tacky" should not even be part of the equation.

so, in my endless quest of planning an elegant affair, i have perused nearly every wedding blog on the web. however, when i found a site dedicated to tacky weddings, it was a refreshing change. after seeing these wacky weddings, i know that mine will be beautiful. it's like watching a car wreck... you just can't look away. hope you enjoy it as much as i have!

fin.

playing with numbers.

as i've said again and again, i'm in LOVE with our venues. however, one mistake that i've made during wedding planning is that you shouldn't do ANYTHING until you have your guest list firmly in place.

we reserved patten chapel super early, because we knew that was exactly what we wanted and it was big enough to fit any size guest list. however, seating for a reception is a bit trickier. while our reception venue, the fairyland club, CAN hold the amount of people on our guest list, it may be standing room only if our guest list stays the size it is. it's so hard to make cuts when you want to share your day with so many people, but it is a necessary evil.

so, if i could give any advice to someone getting ready to plan, it would be to figure out your guest list first before you do anything else! while the idea of having a simple affair with family and close friends only is lovely, the size of families and defining who is a "close" friend can be more difficult than expected. additionally, the quickest way to cut your wedding costs down is to cut down your guest list. fewer guests means fewer food, fewer linens, fewer decorations, fewer favors, etc. however, the economic reality vs. the emotional toll can be rough. i've had a hard time thinking of hurting people's feelings by not getting an invite. but it would be harder on me to take out a loan to pay for 50 extra guests! this is where the budget crunch gets hard, but i, personally, would rather have my dream wedding with fewer guests than a bare bones event with more guests... because i really don't want my husband's third grade bff's "plus one" for the evening showing up in all my wedding pictures... can you imagine looking through your wedding album and seeing some floozy with big hair, too much makeup, and a too short dress in half your pictures? and then, to think, you paid for her dinner... get real!

luckily, tyler and i are good at compromising and we have already worked through a lot of guest list difficulties. we're still going to have a large wedding, mainly because we both have big families, but it's still going to be elegant, intimate, and fun... with no strangers. because, after all, STRANGE is the root word of stranger.

fin.

stuff

i started out wedding planning with the mindset that i wouldn't fall in love with "stuff". there were certain things that i wouldn't spend a lot of money or effort on, because i didn't think they meant that much to me.

but then, i fell in love... with "stuff"...

first was my venues. i'm totally in love with both of them - patten chapel for the wedding and fairyland club for the reception. amazing, amazing, amazing. the architectural design of both and how they compliment each other is just perfect. not to mention the view at fairyland club. i can't wait to fill both of our venues with our loved ones to celebrate with us! they are both so warm and inviting and gorgeous! i could go on and on about them, so i'll just stop there...

second was my dress. i didn't want to blow my budget on a dress, because i was only going to wear it one day. but then, i fell in love. i named my dress - FANCY. (don't judge me.) if i love it, i name it. i name my favorite handbags, i name my cars, and i named my dog. i would have named tyler, but he has a good name already so it's not necessary, but he has plenty of nicknames :) ANYWAYS (i'm side tracking bad today...) i actually didn't blow my budget on a dress. thanks to a trunk show, we got a great deal on my dress AND my veil. and when i say "we" got a great deal, i mean me and my mommy. (THANKS, MOM!) also, stephanie at monica's was wonderful! she is actually the one responsible for picking out my dress. but, back to the point, that was strike two on my plan of not falling in love with things...

third was our invitations. tess of lovebirds stationary has been absolutely wonderful! she has matched the color of our invitations exactly to the color of my bridesmaids' dresses! her prices can't be beat, and her designs are wonderful. i originally said that invitations were only paper that would be thrown away, but then... i fell in love again! (strike three!) luckily, i didn't have to blow my budget on my invitations either, because tess gave me great options to include all the information that i needed at an unbeatable price. (trust me... i shopped around.)

i've fallen in love with many other things as well. flowers by ruth's florist and gifts. design and planning with mcford event planning. rings by wright jewelers. i could go on and on... working with such amazing vendors has made my job as a bride so much easier!

where i have really gotten in trouble, however, is with our wedding registries. (strike four!) it's not my fault! bed bath and beyond, belk, and williams-sonoma just have tons of good stuff! and every time i find a new gadget, i get all kinds of giddy.


so. i've said ALL that to say this... the stuff is nice. it makes me go "ooh" and "aah", but when it comes down to it... it's all about us starting a life together and being happy in plenty and in want. that's a lesson that, for me, has been reinforced this week. and while there are some things we need and while it's ok to dream... it really helps to take a step back and realize that as long as we have each other, it will all be ok... in fact, it will be GREAT! i can't wait to be mrs. evatt! 264 days!

fin.

new year. new beginnings.

2011 has officially begun, and the start of a new year has me thinking of all the things that this year will bring! they say that whatever you are doing at midnight on new year's is what you will be doing the rest of the year. in my case, that means that i will be cuddled up with tyler on the couch wearing pajamas and enjoying a sweet kiss. if that's what my year will be full of, SIGN ME UP!

this year has so much to offer - graduating. finally moving back to my home city. new home. new job. marriage. tropical honeymoon. settling into married life with my new husband. our first holidays together. and then another new year's! there are a lot of firsts this year and a lot of exciting things happening; there are also so many unknowns. sometimes, it makes me feel uneasy, but it mainly makes me feel excited. tyler and i were having a conversation about all the unknowns the other day, and he told me "you never have to do anything alone ever again." it's so good knowing that no matter what comes my way, i'll never face anything on my own. 2011 truly feels like a new beginning... as if my life has finally picked up wings and has found its official start. i know this year is going to fly by, but it is my new year's resolution to soak up every moment so that i can take in all the specialness of every second.

i hope i am not too presumptive, but i think that 2011 is going to be the best year ever!

fin.