Friday, September 14, 2012
The Toothless Princess
My baby girl, at just 5 years old, has lost her very 1st tooth. So young, so young. I can't believe how big she is getting. I think 5 is kind of on the young side for a tooth loss, but I can't argue with nature. I hope this is not a sign of things to come: I don't want my baby girl growing up too fast.
Her tooth was loose for some time and I found it hard at first to believe that she would be losing a tooth already. But she did and she sure was proud. With the help of her daddy, her 1st tooth came out. She was pretty scared as she wasn't sure what was going on with her wiggly tooth. But we explained to her not to be afraid, that everyone loses their teeth and it meant she was a big girl now. We have her tooth in a jar as a keepsake.
Wedding Vendor Check-in
As time progressed, I realized the vendor list of hires for my wedding kept getting longer. It seemed as soon as I checked one vendor off my list, another one made it on. I already had the reception venue: check! Found the caterer: check! Had the florist and photographer: check! Hired a DJ: check! But I was missing two really important vendors for the wedding: a ceremony location and an officiant. Can't have the ceremony without either of these two things.
It's really kind of odd that I would have a reception venue before I booked a ceremony location since it's usually the other way around. Since I did it backwards, I needed a ceremony venue that was close to the reception venue and cheap. I initially thought we could have the ceremony in the backyard but the more I thought about it, the less appealing a backyard wedding seemed to me. What if it rains? What about parking? Was the backyard nice enough for a wedding? I had family traveling to the ceremony, I needed to make sure it was up to their expectations.
The next idea I had was to have the ceremony in a local church but with all the requirements needed to get married in said church, not to mention not having heard anything from the Pastor, I thought it time to move on and get serious about finding someplace to get married.
Finally, I found a nice looking, rustic type lodge close to the reception venue, 4 minutes away. It is perfect for our simple ceremony and suits us to a T. It is original and totally us. I am actually excited to get married here. Even the terrace is perfect: this is where we will host our 'mock-tail' hour while we take pictures.
Now that the ceremony space was taken care of (contract signed and deposit paid), I had to go about looking for a lawyer who could legally marry us. Mother-in-law has a cousin who has a friend who can legally marry couples in Costa Rica. Her price was right, so we booked her. We will have an official meeting a month prior to the wedding to finalize details. Officiant: check!
Other vendors I can check off my list:
Transportation: check
Chair cover rentals: check
Hair and makeup stylist: check
Esthetician: check
It's really kind of odd that I would have a reception venue before I booked a ceremony location since it's usually the other way around. Since I did it backwards, I needed a ceremony venue that was close to the reception venue and cheap. I initially thought we could have the ceremony in the backyard but the more I thought about it, the less appealing a backyard wedding seemed to me. What if it rains? What about parking? Was the backyard nice enough for a wedding? I had family traveling to the ceremony, I needed to make sure it was up to their expectations.
The next idea I had was to have the ceremony in a local church but with all the requirements needed to get married in said church, not to mention not having heard anything from the Pastor, I thought it time to move on and get serious about finding someplace to get married.
Finally, I found a nice looking, rustic type lodge close to the reception venue, 4 minutes away. It is perfect for our simple ceremony and suits us to a T. It is original and totally us. I am actually excited to get married here. Even the terrace is perfect: this is where we will host our 'mock-tail' hour while we take pictures.
Other vendors I can check off my list:
Transportation: check
Chair cover rentals: check
Hair and makeup stylist: check
Esthetician: check
September Rush
Well, it's just about 2 months away from the wedding and I am busy as can be. Busier than a bee. It's only mid-September and my plate is overflowing with things I have to do, places I need to be and stuff I have to plan.
So far this month, I have 6 parties to attend, one in which I have to plan.Three of those parties are in one day, one of which is J's (Fatty's) 4th birthday. Also this month, I have a bridal shower to attend: MINE! Excitement is in the air as the wedding gets closer, and the pre-wedding events commence.
Also, my list of to do's are getting shorter. I was able to finally finish 'glitterizing' my ballet flats to the perfect sparkly blue color. And.... "drum-roll please" I found the PERFECT pair of heels for my pre-wedding parties: bridal shower, Bachelorette, and Engagement Serenade.
So far this month, I have 6 parties to attend, one in which I have to plan.Three of those parties are in one day, one of which is J's (Fatty's) 4th birthday. Also this month, I have a bridal shower to attend: MINE! Excitement is in the air as the wedding gets closer, and the pre-wedding events commence.
Bridal Shower Invitation: made by my lovely bridesmaid C!
Bridal Shower Envelope!
Party Gifts: 1 party gift for Saturday, the other 3 for Sunday!
Also, my list of to do's are getting shorter. I was able to finally finish 'glitterizing' my ballet flats to the perfect sparkly blue color. And.... "drum-roll please" I found the PERFECT pair of heels for my pre-wedding parties: bridal shower, Bachelorette, and Engagement Serenade.
Perfect blue flats with lots of sparkle
Kick-ass heels for my pre-wedding 'fiestas'!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tadada-daaaah!
My engagement ring is finally in. Confused? Thought I already had an engagement ring? Ok, let me start from the top. I know I already had an engagement ring that I loved. However, it was not the ring I imagined I would have, so I kept looking for my 'dream' ring, hoping to find it for a great price.
I finally spotted THE ring on the JCPenny website and felt it was fate. Not only was the style of ring I loved, it was at an amazing price. I couldn't pass it up. I talked with Hubby, showed him the ring and he said what he always says when I see something I like: "get it"! Don't tell me twice, I did. There were some issues with the bank and shipping that left me anxious but 2 weeks later, I got my ring and I could not be happier.
Beautiful, isn't it? Nothing grand, nothing ostentatious, nothing over the top. It's just right. A cute sparkly delicate ring for my delicate fingers. I am in love!
I finally spotted THE ring on the JCPenny website and felt it was fate. Not only was the style of ring I loved, it was at an amazing price. I couldn't pass it up. I talked with Hubby, showed him the ring and he said what he always says when I see something I like: "get it"! Don't tell me twice, I did. There were some issues with the bank and shipping that left me anxious but 2 weeks later, I got my ring and I could not be happier.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Wedding Fever!
Saving money is what I am all about when it comes to anything but especially for this wedding, I am saving money all over the place with great steals, deals and bargains. Now I might be a little obsessed with this wedding (of course I am, it's MY wedding), but what I am more obsessed with is saving as much as I can while getting the most I can.
My ceremony shoes. Yes, I wanted to wear flats. What I really wanted though were sparkly, glittery BLUE ballet flats. What I got: silver ones instead. Why? Because Costa Rica does not have any glittery blue ones anywhere in the entire San Jose area (I just about checked every store I could). Who knew it would be this hard to find shoes. Anyway, when I found these, I just had to buy them because the price was just too good to pass up. Next step: buy blue glitter and glitter the blue into my shoes.
Flower girl dresses are super pricey. Having a mother in law who knows how to sew is priceless. She saved me $30-$80 bucks by making this dress for my Princess.
Favor Boxes from Oriental Trading Company are a great option for affordable favors. The boxes themselves are cheap and shipping is pretty good too. However, shipping to my mailbox proved not as budget as I had hoped. However, it is still the cheaper option: favor boxes here in Costa Rica are much more expensive, so I still save.
Why buy ready made unity candles when I can make them myself? Good question and here is the answer: candles I bought at a local flower shop, some decorative ribbon and string from a pharmacy, and voila! Unity candle (personalized label from Vistaprint are free for 140, just pay shipping. The iron candle holder is mine (a gift from ages ago.)
Like my own, Princess's ceremony shoes proved difficult to find. I wanted her shoes to match mine. however, not having any luck led me to settle for these darling silver flat sandals. At least her shoes will match the silver flats the bridesmaids are wearing. If by chance I can find her blue ballet flats, I will have her wear the sandals to the reception.
And just for fun, what my shoes look like ON my feet. Pretty comfy I must say and I am liking the peep toe aspect.
Pre-Wedding Attire
We all know the most important outfit for a bride is her wedding dress! After searching for years (for some brides), trying on dozens (even hundreds) of dresses and spending a small fortune just to look perfect, no other outfit can compare. But there are other outfits to consider: the pre-wedding ones.
Now, I am the kind of girl who will go out and get a new outfit for an event. Who wants to wear the same old thing party after party? I mean, I am in no means a celebrity but I love to shop and I love to look pretty.... So when it came to my pre-wedding attire, of course I had to get something new for each event. And I most certainly will be wearing each outfit again, just not in a grand fashion like I did the first time around.
Now, I am the kind of girl who will go out and get a new outfit for an event. Who wants to wear the same old thing party after party? I mean, I am in no means a celebrity but I love to shop and I love to look pretty.... So when it came to my pre-wedding attire, of course I had to get something new for each event. And I most certainly will be wearing each outfit again, just not in a grand fashion like I did the first time around.
This little black number is for the bachelorette party. It's fun and flirty and worn with the shoes below, it'll be perfect!
Now, this blue strapless dress is slated for the rehearsal and dinner. And I made it! That's right, I MADE THIS DRESS!!! It's blue and goes perfectly with my wedding colors, a nice nod to the big day the night before.
Finally found my perfect bridal shower dress... this outfit is a knockout. A little on the fancier side, but what the hey... it's for my shower. A party in my honor, why not dress to the nines. I must say, the fact that it's silver and ties in nicely with my wedding colors is just a coincidence. Oh, and the black flower 'sash' is removable!
Be prepared to be wowed again but this little jean like number: I made this as well. That's right, my design! This outfit (2 pieces) shall be worn at the engagement serenade, which I am so excited for. I plan to wear it with black tights to add a little "oomph" and nice high black glittery heels.
Some Wedding News and Updates
I have thrown myself full force back into planning seeing as I have only about 3 months left until W-day. I took a mini break due to lack of funds and lots of frustration.
First, the funds: due to my new job (YAY), I have been able to save save save like a working ant for the wedding day. This allowed me to finally get a few major items checked off my to do list.
Second, the frustrating part is far from behind me but I finally got 2 major vendors booked! The biggest vendor was the caterer. Oh boy, was this a hard to do to get done. First, all the good caterers were out of my budget, even the budget ones. Second, the ones that were in my budget were just too unprofessional for my liking. I mean, I am hiring these people to cater a wedding, not a back-yard b-b-que; the least they could do is act interested in securing my business! I had one caterer blow off 2 meetings with me and then told me to look for someone else when I asked if he wanted my business. The other budget caterer would never return my calls and then turned out not to be too budget after all. *Sigh* I just wanted to give up and cook the damn food myself (yeah right).
After a much deserved break from planning, in comes this caterer from nowhere (not really sure how they got my name and number... maybe at the bridal expo). Anyway, this guy kept calling me every couple of weeks. He would ask me if I found a caterer and check in on my progress. I must admit that at first he was just so annoying. Then I decided since I was having no luck finding caterers, I would entertain him and ask for some info on his company. Turns out their prices were pretty reasonable. However, I wanted to play hardball because I saw how much he wanted my business (which was very refreshing). I told him I had other caterers on standby with lower prices then his company (sort of true).
With that info, he talked with his boss and came back with a nice price offer I just could not refuse. Even though his price is more than I really wanted to spend, his company is by far the most affordable caterer for everything they have to offer in the per person price package. Also, the professionalism and attention to detail was really what won me over... I must say his persistence paid off and his willingness to please. I booked with his company without even tasting the food. Thankfully the food tasting was a big hit and I can say, I cannot wait for them to caterer my wedding.
Another major vendor I was losing some sleep over was the DJ. At first we decided not to have one, but the extra funds are allowing us some nice luxuries we can add back into our budget, and a DJ was the first to make the cut back onto the list. Hubby wanted to hire his friends brother, but after weeks of not making good on his promise to secure the DJ, I went ahead and did a search of my own. I have a meeting this Tuesday with the DJ I decided to go with and I hope it goes well. With the price and what is included, I think I am getting a great deal.
First, the funds: due to my new job (YAY), I have been able to save save save like a working ant for the wedding day. This allowed me to finally get a few major items checked off my to do list.
Second, the frustrating part is far from behind me but I finally got 2 major vendors booked! The biggest vendor was the caterer. Oh boy, was this a hard to do to get done. First, all the good caterers were out of my budget, even the budget ones. Second, the ones that were in my budget were just too unprofessional for my liking. I mean, I am hiring these people to cater a wedding, not a back-yard b-b-que; the least they could do is act interested in securing my business! I had one caterer blow off 2 meetings with me and then told me to look for someone else when I asked if he wanted my business. The other budget caterer would never return my calls and then turned out not to be too budget after all. *Sigh* I just wanted to give up and cook the damn food myself (yeah right).
After a much deserved break from planning, in comes this caterer from nowhere (not really sure how they got my name and number... maybe at the bridal expo). Anyway, this guy kept calling me every couple of weeks. He would ask me if I found a caterer and check in on my progress. I must admit that at first he was just so annoying. Then I decided since I was having no luck finding caterers, I would entertain him and ask for some info on his company. Turns out their prices were pretty reasonable. However, I wanted to play hardball because I saw how much he wanted my business (which was very refreshing). I told him I had other caterers on standby with lower prices then his company (sort of true).
With that info, he talked with his boss and came back with a nice price offer I just could not refuse. Even though his price is more than I really wanted to spend, his company is by far the most affordable caterer for everything they have to offer in the per person price package. Also, the professionalism and attention to detail was really what won me over... I must say his persistence paid off and his willingness to please. I booked with his company without even tasting the food. Thankfully the food tasting was a big hit and I can say, I cannot wait for them to caterer my wedding.
Another major vendor I was losing some sleep over was the DJ. At first we decided not to have one, but the extra funds are allowing us some nice luxuries we can add back into our budget, and a DJ was the first to make the cut back onto the list. Hubby wanted to hire his friends brother, but after weeks of not making good on his promise to secure the DJ, I went ahead and did a search of my own. I have a meeting this Tuesday with the DJ I decided to go with and I hope it goes well. With the price and what is included, I think I am getting a great deal.
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