Be My Guest

Sorry, I am really not like this but I am also not going to lie...I loved seeing that my guestbook is part of Amanda's advertising on Etsy! I cannot praise this woman enough - she was awesome to work with and found this beautiful paper for me. She also never told me but added in our monogram swirls to the actual guestbook pages (how cool is that!).

I am happy we went with the polaroid guest book because I do think people really liked it. I will say that this was a huge hit for many of our young guests, however the older crowd were a little bit confused. I even had a relative keep asking me where the "real" guestbook was located. But we were able to get some of these folks to break from conformity and actually do some photos, so it was good!

Please be warned though - with alcohol flowing for several hours, several guests decided to take some rather vulgar shots (in bathrooms, underneath tables...I hope you get my drift). I pretty much knew this was going to happen, but it is still a little bit of a shock to see a naked bum congratulating you on your special day!

Lovin My Molcajete

I will be honest - I barely remember doing our Crate and Barrel registry because I unfortunately, did one of their registry parties and drank a little too much. It was not until the next morning when one of my co-workers joked that I must have really liked vases (because I had registered for about 10 vases) that I realized my registry did not really make sense to a sober person. Oops...however, I am thrilled that I registered for this sucker - a Molcajete. I actually used it for the first time on Monday to make guacamole! Well, I used this recipe and it was awesome! This is a must for your mexican dinner nights!

Just call me Mrs. Peacock

Remember when I said I never even noticed the peacocks on my first visit to our venue at Meyer's Castle? It was not until we did our scouting trip at Meyer's with the oh-so-lovely Jeremy from StudioThisIs last month that we realized they were even there. Well, the peacocks must have been reading that post and felt very slighted, because they became part of our ceremony on Sunday. I mean in a big, big way. They actually held up our ceremony for a good 10 minutes, because they crashed the outdoor veranda where our ceremony was held and would not leave. They also made sure to voice their opinions on the ceremony as well. It actually brought the house down because whenever our pastor would ask for the congregation to pray or sit, they would squawk (and I mean a really loud and long squawk!). They did settle down and stood behind our pastor for the remainder of the ceremony, allowing us to say our vows in peace. I received an email on Monday from one of my co-workers who attended the wedding - he said - "I don't want to alarm you but I think you may have actually married one of the peacocks instead of your fiance". These were some of the photos my sister-in-law got as they started their mayhem. I am soooo hoping Jeremy got some great shots with our new friends!

It's Official!

Yup, it's official - we are married! Yesterday was unbelievable - gorgeous weather, great friends and a lot of celebrating - so much that I can barely keep my eyes open as I write this post! I took this photo today and I think it gives you a preview of the big day. My fiance just gave me a glass to plop my bouquet in - I loved that it was a guinness glass!

Everything went without a hitch! I cannot wait to share all the photos and stories soon! We leave for our honeymoon, but I have a feeling I will be posting a couple shots later this week! Happy Memorial Day!

P.S. Did you catch that? I just edited this and realized I called him my fiance and not husband! OH WOW! This is all so new!

Less than 24 Hours...

Final DIY project was completed today! I ended up wanting to do chocolates for favors. My sister's friend who is now starting her own business said she could help with the chocolates - we did a buckeye (because I am from Ohio), a clover leaf (He is irish) and then our initials. The funny part is I always carried around a real buckeye for luck, so we just thought this was a cool idea.

The chocolates arrived from Columbus yesterday via my sister so we boxed them up today. They came out looking great. Unfortunately, some of the chocolate (the buckeyes) made a grease mark on the original boxes, which meant new boxes had to be found. My sister's friend actually sent some with us but I fretted that they were too big, and then we could not find liner that could fit either. At this point -I just found tissue paper and then placed them in the box. At first I did not think they looked great, but then with ribbon and our logo sticker on them - they came out really well. I don't want to ruin the surprise for my guest so I will wait and then make sure to post some photos up after the wedding.

But before I head off to bed, I did want to show off the groomscake. My sister's friend also created this! It came out perfect and my fiance who is a huge superman fan could not believe how cool it looked. If anyone is looking for a very reasonable priced chocolates and cake (My feeling is you would have to be in the Columbus area for it to work) - Please email, and I will give you her contact information - she was awesome!

I am off to bed. I can't wait for tomorrow! Thanks for the blog love - A Windy City Wedding and Semi-Hipster Homeowner - You guys are too sweet!

Simply Vera Mini-Clutch

I never have really shopped at Kohl's, but had received a gift from my shower there and had to return it. I came across this bag and had to have it. Unfortunately and fortunately, they had it in a deep chocolate and I realized this was my final gift to my bridesmaids. Plus - it was on sale. They don't show all the colors on their website but they come in brown, light brown, lime and amber.

Must-Have Purchases

I ended buying a couple last minute purchases that were a must. I found this on Brooklyn Bride a long time ago, and just kept it in the files, but ended up purchasing a couple weeks ago - Kiehl's Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant Cream. I have been trying this stuff out for the last week, and it is wonderful (and probably more information than you need to know - I sweat BIG TIME and I was amazed how well it worked).

A Steam Buddy for our dresses. Even though my seamstress said I could probably iron my dress, I ended opted for this little guy. I broke it in last night and I think it worked really, really well. We will see how it handles on Sunday.

Lastly, Hollywood Fashion Tape. This stuff rocks.