Flowers...

I just got home from the LA flower district and I am soooo glad I went there! I ended up getting ALL of my wedding flowers for under $700! 18 center pieces, 6 corsages, 10 boutonnieres, 4 bridesmaid bouquets, my bouquet, and flowers for the arbor. I am so excited. I priced all of this online and it worked out to be over $1500. I put $100 down, and the balance is due 1 month before the wedding. The picture is of the "mock" center piece they made for me to take home. The center pieces are yellow margarita daisies, white gerberas, fern, and baby's breath in glass square vase, with 3 yellow gerberas coming out of the top with a white ribbon. My bridesmaids will be carrying three yellow gerberas wrapped with silver ribbon, and I will be carrying a bouquet of white margarita daisies with yellow gerberas and fern.

The invitations are here!

When I came home from running errands this afternoon, there they were, waiting for me on the porch in a plain brown box. I ran up the stairs and knew that inside that boring box were my invitations -- exciting! I opened it right away to inspect my loot, and saw how perfect they are! So happy!
Here is a link to my invites: Invitations by Dawn -- the text is in Turquoise and we went with the pearl lined envelopes to match the daisies on the invite!

Spring Break...

Well, I've been a busy bee over the past week, and this week is going to be even crazier because I'm on spring break. So, last weekend my moh and I went to LA to:

1. Look at wedding cakes in China town
2. Check out hotels in Westwood
3. Find a decent nail salon in Westwood
4. Find a place that does hair and make-up (for a reasonable price) in Westwood

I would consider this trip one of the most successful we've been on. We managed to not only look at wedding cakes, but after only an hour pick one I liked and order it! I love China town -- we ended up getting it at Wonder Bakery. I'd post a picture, but the only pic I have was taken with my moh's cell phone and the cake was behind glass with bad lighting. It is a sweet and simple cake -- only two layers, one 10" and one 8" round. The cake is called "bridal white" and it has fresh strawberries w/bavarian creme filling. It will be frosted with whipped cream and decorated with buttercream daisies that look like they are "growing" from the bottom layer and lady bugs on the leaves. Yummy! Best of all it feeds between 75 - 85 people for only $185.00! Ok, so yes I know we are having more than 85 people at our wedding, but we are also doing a Vienesse sweet table, so I don't see the point in having enough cake for everyone. We also ordered a birthday cake for my grandma - she is turning 90 the day of our rehearsal dinner, so we are throwing a suprise party at the rehearsal!

We also made a hotel reservation! After looking at a few near the UCLA campus, we finally decided to get the "mega suite" at the W. It was cheaper for all the bm's and me to chip in and pay for one suite than have us each get our own room . The suite has 2 bedrooms, 2 couches (one pullout bed), two bathrooms with a total of 3 sinks, 2 showers, and a separate bathtub. It is 1,200 sq ft -- that is almost double the size of my condo!

Nail Salon -- there were so many and they all charge between $25 - $35 for mani/pedi -- so we are going down again this Thursday to check them out.

Hair and Make-up -- Me and two of my bm's have appointments to do hair and make-up this Thursday at a place called Ali's. The owner was very funny and said he would work with our budget. I'll keep you updated.

Okay, so now this week I have a ton of appointments for make-up and hair, I'm getting my hair colored again (it has been a long time), I'm going to the LA flower district, and I have an appointment for eyelash extensions (for our engagement photo on April 6th). What fun!

Flower Inspiration: Centerpeices

A little color; simple and maybe a little wild.

Round and full; good color contrast

Modern and simple; but a little on the wild side.

Sweet and simple; but a little wild.

So, what do you think? So far my bridesmaids are all leaning towards #2.

It's a brand new day...

Okay, so last night I went to my fmil's house to go over the invite list. My family is inviting about 50 people (35 that I think can make it to the wedding). So, my fh and I decided that his family would also be allowed to invite 50 people. Well, we went through the list and before we got to the "out of country" invitees (whom we know won't be able to make it, so I guess they don't count) we were at over 78 people. Just when I was about to mention to my fmil that cuts would need to be made, my fh's grandpa walked in the room. He asked how everything was going, and I said "fine", then he said, "I'd like to help out, I'd like to give you $5000 towards the wedding." OMG! I didn't know what to do; in my family that would be such a big deal. As it is, my parents are giving us $10,000 for the wedding, and this is a HUGE deal. I am paying for the rest of the expenses myself, and my fh is paying for the honeymoon. Grandpa told me that the money was to be used on the wedding and not the honeymoon and that he wanted us to be able to invite whomever we wanted without worrying. I cried. Wow. My fh said that he wasn't surprised because grandpa has money and no way to spend it. He also thinks it funny that grandpa is giving me the moneyand not him. So now things have changed a bit. The wedding will be bigger than planned, 150 instead of 100 guests, and now I can hire a florist (was diy) and I can get a wedding cake. I'm also going to buy a digital video camera and have my brother video the wedding for us. I still can't believe it. Now I won't have to put everything on credit and we can start our marriage debt free! I'm all smiles today!

My dress...

My dress! I wanted something that would flow and move with my body, sparkle in the sunlight, and flatter my figure. I found the dress awhile ago, I've tried it on a million times, and now I've decided to share it with everyone. I love this dress -- it is perfect for me.

On the right is the back of the dress -- except I won't have a bow on my butt. The bow actually tucks inside so it can not be seen. Also, the panel under the laces won't be there, so my back will be visible all the way down.

On the left is the front of the dress. It is difficult to see in the picture, but there are sworovoski crystals all over the dress and the skirt has "tulip" shape that has crystals all along the edges. Both pictures are from maggiesottero.com.

Hair and Make-up...

Okay, so now I am beginning my hair and make-up research. I actually did a preview with a make-up artist a few weeks ago, and I was VERY disappointed. I wonder, why pay someone to do something that I do every day? But, then people remind me that I should have a "stress free" wedding day, and having someone else do my hair and make-up will allow me to not have to worry. So, I have two more previews scheduled. I just hope they go better. The quotes I've gotten vary from $400 for the Bride and $100 for the Bridesmaids to $135 for the bride and $65 for the bridesmaids. The wierd thing is that the expensive quote came from someone who is supposedly straight out of school and building her portfolio. I've already decided to get eyelash extensions instead of wearing temporary false lashes. I'm going to Puff Beauty Salon in Pasadena to get my eyelashes done, and I've decided to get them done in April for the engagement photos as a "trial run". Ok, I've got some internet research to do. Bye!

Spa Day!

Hello! I belong to the best gym in the world -- Total Woman Gym and Atmosphere Day Spa -- and I am a "spa" member, meaning that I get one massage or facial a month included in my membership. Now, generally I would not be able to afford such a luxury, but when I joined 3 years ago they had an educators special that could not be beat, and they never raise the monthy rate. So, once a month for the last three years I've been getting a massage. So, today I went in for my monthly massage and two great things happened. First, they are running a special for current spa members to upgrade for only $35.00 extra a month to a two treatment plan -- so now I get a massage and a facial once a month! Which is great because I always ended up buying the facial anyway (which is $70.00). Second, they are running a special to purchase three treatments on a gift card for the same price as two treatments, so I decided to buy each of my bridesmaids a massage. The plan is to have a bridesmaid "spa day" the week of the wedding! I am so excited!

On another note, I am finishing my guest list by next weekend so I can order my invitations! Now I need to start thinking about wording...

Bye for now!