Wheeee!

Quick post today, but I just wanted to share a shoe update! 

I finished one of my shoes last night, and I am so happy with how it turned out.  I have been stressing about the whole shoe thing, because I really, really wanted them to be perfect.  I'm definitely happy about my shoe choice, but I was nervous about how they were going to look with the heel strassed.  

 

Wine?  Check.  Let's get down to biz.

I love strassing at my dining room table, because the lights overhead are halogen bulbs and they really bring out the sparkle in the Swarovskis.  It's like being immersed in glittery heaven.  Once I started, I got on a roll pretty quick and finished the heel in about three hours.  I was in the zone, seeing only this -

 

Yay!

 

 

And this - 

 

Necessity.

 

 

And of course this -

 

Zero personal space.

So without further adieu, here is a little video of the finished product!  The sparkle factor is amazing, I can't wait to finish the other one!

 

And then, it will be on to little Aislin's shoes!  Strassed like Auntie's, to match.  :)

 

Gah!!! So tiny and cute...

 

 

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

 

 

~M



Hello, Lover...

Hey everyone!  It's so crazy that it's 2014!  I can't believe I'm getting married in just five short months!  It feels like this engagement flew by so fast.  Time does fly when you're having fun, and 2013 was certainly a whirlwind.  The wedding is coming up fast and now is the time that we're working on more of the little details. 

A lot of people have asked me if I am going to the Wonderful Wedding Show this weekend, and all I can say is, been there, done that, got the crappy bag of flyers.  You can read about my experience at last year's wedding show here - and back then I fully planned to go again this year to check it out, and especially to enter all the draws again.  But now that it's arrived, I can safely say no way.  I'd rather get in the ocean with the whale sharks 100 more times than swim the Estrogen Sea again.  Plus, we already have most of the wedding planned and the vendors booked, and I can find more than enough inspiration on Pinterest and in my wedding mags, so I'm gonna take a pass. 

 

Indeed...

 

But I know what you're thinking, how could I bury the lead?!?!  It's the post you've all been waiting for!  Haha, well maybe not.  But I know I was excited when I finally chose my wedding shoes and ordered them!

This has honestly been such an agonizing decision.  Believe me, I know how stupid that sounds, but it has.  Way harder than choosing a dress.  I have waffled back and forth on how to approach choosing a shoe.  I knew that I wanted to strass a pair, but they needed to be exactly the right pair.  I didn't want to pay $800 for a pair of unstrassed Louboutins only to slap crazy glue all over them (have mercy).  But I also didn't want to spend 40 hours gluing $400 worth of rhinestones onto a pair of $40 shoes.  I was looking for a peeptoe pump with a hidden platform and a 4" heel or higher, and they had to be either white or beige, because even when strassing carefully some of the color of the shoe peeks through.  I looked and looked and looked but it was impossible to find a pair of quality pumps that matched all my specifications.

 

These are actually called "Very Riche".  Because you have to be very riche to be able to afford them.

Then I saw Christina Aguilera at the AMA's, wearing the exact pair of Louboutins I was inspired by.  And to be honest, once I saw them on a body, wearing a white dress no less - let's just say, me no likey.  It's like a blinding flash of bling, all up in your face.  With my dress, I am going for the "floaty and romantic" look, not the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" look.  I don't want to end up looking like I'm wearing two tin cans on my feet.  So after I saw these photos, it was back to the drawing board.

 

She looks stunning!  The shoes though, I don't love them.  :(

 

So now what?  Back to more of the CL Daffodile Strass style, with a closed toe?  More of a Manolo style, with no platform and a pointed toe?  Should I just forget this all together?  I mean, I'm only going to be wearing the shoes for the ceremony, photos, and dinner, I won't be dancing in them for very long.  And they'll be covered by my dress, so who cares?  But it's shoes.  I love shoes, and on my wedding day shouldn't I be wearing the most spectacular pair I've ever owned?  Gah.  Waffle waffle. 

It's embarrassing the amount of hours I spent scouring the internet looking at shoes after this, so I'll spare you the details, but one glorious afternoon, lightning struck.  I came across a pair of glorious Badgley Mischka bridal shoes, and fell in love right away.  I have to say I surprised myself, because these are NOT AT ALL what I thought I would pick.  I thought for sure I would be wearing a pair of pumps.  But these little beauties totally embody the floaty and romantic look I'm going for, and they will match my dress perfectly.  May I present the Badgley Mischka "Adele":

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhhhhhh so excited!!!

I love these shoes for so many reasons, and I also love how much they remind me of one of my favorite shows of all time, Sex and the City.  Oh Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, how I miss you and all your adventures.  (Except your second movie.  That was a train wreck.)  Anyway, Badgley Mischka was the designer of Charlotte's second wedding dress, when she married Harry:

 

"Oh gawd...you look like Audrey Hepburn......owitz"

 

 

And as soon as I saw the Adele, they reminded me of these Christian Louboutin cascade ruffle sandals that Carrie wears on her last date with Big before he moves to Napa:

 

 

 

 

 

"Hello, lover...."

 

 

I still want a pair of blingy shoes, so I feel like these are the perfect pair to strass.  I can strass the heel of them and put a few rhinestones in the petals, and feel sparkly while still feeling dainty and pretty.  Ooh yayyyyy!  I simply cannot WAIT until they arrive!!! 

 

Now I just have to figure out how to stop....

Speaking of bling, Eric and I ordered our wedding bands this past weekend!  This was a really special experience, so I will be sharing that with you next week!  I don't have my engagement ring right now (sad face) because our jeweller is working with it as we speak, so hopefully by next Wednesday I'll have it back in time for blogging!


Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!


~M

Bling It On, Part 2!

What's up everybody!

Today's blog post is gonna be quick because it seems like I have a million things on the go with the social coming up!  If you don't have your tickets, message us on Facebook.  We're dropping off tickets all this week and next so we will be sure to fit you in! It's on November 16th and it's going to be awesome!  The cupcake bar menu is evolving into an extravaganza, and you can read about our amazing prizes here and here....plus there will be much more!  Tickets are running out fast so if you want to come and you haven't contacted me yet, be sure to do so quickly!

 

Getting ready to party!

The Second Saga of Strassing is about to begin, because my crystals arrived today from Swarovski!  I am so excited right now I want to jump out of my skin....I can't wait to start on Aislin's belt and shoes and of course, my shoes.  (I don't have the actual shoes yet, but that's just a formality.)  For the wedding I ordered the classic crystal in Clear Diamond.  I am mesmerized by the sparkle on these beauties...so gorgeous.  Swoon!  I will be sure to keep you updated on the progress! 

 

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!


~M

WARNING: Cuteness Overload

Hello all!

So as much as I loved trying on bridal gowns, and swishing and swaying in all the gorgeous organza and lace before finally settling on the perfect one, let me assure you that it is nothing compared to going through the same process with the cutest and tiniest of humans! 

 

"Their small features and oversized eyes trigger a hormonal response in humans.  It's autonomic.  It's what keeps us from eating them."

We took Aislin flower girl dress shopping on the weekend, and it was so fun!  I loved seeing her in all the adorable little dresses.  There is nothing cuter than a little girl in a fancy dress.

The first was a floaty white dress with an organza overlay and white flowered belt:

 

Oh she's cute....and she knows it.

 

 

Floof!

I liked this dress, but I really wanted Aislin to be a mini-me and there weren't really any flowers incorporated into my dress, so we passed on this one.


The next was a pink strap dress with rosette detailing on it (that did come in white) and pretty trim:

 

OMG.  She's just wee.

I liked this one too, and I loved the poufyness factor, but again wasn't a fan of the big rose on the belly.  So although she looked really cute and princessy in pink, we passed on this one too.


The next was a layered and striped dress, and in Aislin's words, "this one's a bit big":

 

Gasp.  I have no words.  What a little doll.

This dress is cute, but for someone older.  I don't believe that spaghetti straps belong on three year olds, so even though I loved the coutureyness of it and the fact that it looked different, it wasn't the right one.

It was around this time that I learned that trying to photograph a child is just like trying to photograph wild animals.  You have to be incredibly patient, you need to stalk them as they go about their business in their natural habitat, and if they get even the slightest sniff of an inkling that you are trying to take a picture of them, they will run away in the other direction.

One of many blurry action shots that ended up on my camera phone...lol

 



It was also at this point that she couldn't understand why we were parading her around in dresses like a circus monkey oohing and ahhing at her when all she wanted to do was run around naked and play.  So we shoved another dress on her, but she was pretty much not having it.  And I can't blame her either, I also have zero shopping stamina.  Five outfits is like my max, and then I just wanna get the hell outta dodge and have a cocktail.

But luckily for us, and her, we found the perfect adorable little dress for her to wear on our big day, this floaty organza dress with a crinoline underlay and ribbon detailing on the back:

 

CUTENESS.

 

 

Love the interesting back...

 

 

 

 

Another photo of her on the run...

 

  

Now I can't let my cutie little mini-me go out in front of all those people without being appropriately blinged.  So in addition to strassing her a little pair of ballet flats, I'm going to make her a strassed ribbon belt, to go with the dress since the front of it is pretty but plain.  And we changed the organza ribbon on the back to white as well.  And of course, when the sales associate asked me if I wanted an extra layer of crinoline underneath for extra pouf?  UM, YEAH.

 

 

 

I know.  Shopping tires me out too.  Let's blow this pop stand

and get some Kinder Surprise.



I would tell you about bridesmaids dress shopping as well, but there's not really much to tell.  I have the most efficient set of bridesmaids a girl could possibly assemble.  We were in and out of David's in about 15 minutes, and zero photos were taken.  It pretty much went like this:

Me:  "Okay, you guys pick some dresses you like, and I'm gonna go sit over here."

Jess:  "How about this one?"

Melissa:  "I like that one."

Tara:  "Me too"

(they all try it on)

Me:  "Okay so we're all good with this one?"

Bridesmaids Superforce:  "Yep."

Me:  "Want to try anything else on?"

Bridesmaids Superforce:  "Nope."

Me:  "Awesome, let's go to Joey's for bellinis."


Done and done.  They ended up choosing this famous Vera Wang in black:

 

Unique, chic and super fashion forward.  It looked awesome on all of them, and I love it!  I also love that it was on Gossip Girl.  Except we will do without the weirdo fascinators.

So that's two more things crossed off the list!  Yay!  I feel like a wedding planning beast these days.


Just a reminder that our wedding social is coming up on November 16th!  I will be doing another post soon about our awesome prizes!  Based on the crowd that has already bought entry to this shindig, you will not want to miss out.  It's gonna be an awesome party!  Message me for tickets!
 
 
Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!



~M

Off To Vegas!

Finally the weekend is almost upon us and we will be hitting the open road to Fargo tomorrow and then onto Vegas for the weekend, for our big co-birthday Bachelorette celebration!  It feels like forever since I've had a proper vacation, so I am really looking forward to this weekend of fun, sun, and shenanigans!

My b-maids Tara and Melissa have been dropping hints here and there as to what surprises might be in store for me, and I am very excited to find out!  However, I figure it is probably best to blog about the trip now, as when it is over, A) I probably won't remember most of it and B) likely none of the pictures are going to be blog-appropriate.  Come on guys.  Kids read my blog.

So here we go!

We'll start off with our road trip to Fargo, which will include listening to a lot of this -

 

 

And this -

 

And maybe even a little of this -

 

 

 

I'm not even remotely embarrassed either.



Which will of course be followed with gut-busting reminiscing about the time I faked a fainting spell to get my b4-4 CD autographed, which Backstreet Boy we each liked the best, my short lived love affair with the band Hanson, and trying to figure out whatever happened to Ashley Parker Angel of O-Town.

Once we get to Fargo it will be all craft stores, shopping, dinner and plenty of in-room bevvies at the end of the night.  We don't have too early of a flight in the morning, so a Happy Harry's soaked shindig is likely in order.  Continuing to blast the music of course - see above.

(PS:  I know what you're thinking.  "Back up......craft stores?!?!"  I have centerpieces to make okay?  Don't judge!)

Onto the plane, where I will quickly settle in with this -

 

 

And this -

 

 

What?  That's not what those little airline baggies are for?

 

 

And then we will arrive in sunny (hotter than the seventh circle of hell) Las Vegas where it will be a whirlwind!

 

This!

 

 

 

 

 

And this!

 

 

 

 

And some of these!

 

 

 

 

And the glory that is this!

 

 

And some of this!

 

 

 

 

More of these!

 

 

 

Maybe a little of this!

 

 

 

 

...uh...of course i'm just kidding about that last one.  (awkward pause)

 

 

 

And then, when it's all said and done, it will be this -

 

 

 

And maybe a bit of this -

 

 

And a whole lot of laughs.  I'm so excited!  I love Vegas!  Peace out and see you on the other side!

 

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

 

~M



 

 

A Mixed Bag

I know, I KNOW.  I missed my blog again last week.  Thankfully I didn't get too much heat for it, I think everyone in my life knows that tax season is a gonger and some Wednesdays the blog takes a backseat to the sea of files in my office.  So if you see some sporadic posting between now and June, you'll know why!

 

"Yeah.....you're going to have to work this weekend."  I feel you Milton.

So I was very much looking forward to this week's blog, because over the weekend, I finished the ruby slippers I was strassing!  If you remember this post, I did them as a practice run for what will ultimately be my awesomely awesome bridal shoes.  And I am glad I did, because I learned a LOT that I will apply when I tackle this super DIY project.

...but you will have to wait to find out what that was.  I was so excited about the shoes that I took them to the dance studio on Tuesday to show them to my little Dorothy and let her try them on.  Of course she looked fabulous in them, I mean come on.  But then I let her dance in them - and unfortunately one side of one shoe lost a lot of rhinestones.  I started strassing using one specific type of glue, but it was thin and didn't stick well and halfway through I thought better of it and switched to E6000.  So the side that had the crap glue on it now looks pretty bare.  So I have to go back and fix that and unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of the shoes before they got all patchy.  So that post will have to wait!  The good news is, the other shoe didn't lose a single stone, so I know I've got the right glue product now! 

 

It's my turn next!  Yayyyyy!

So until I can fill you in on all the details of that particular DIY success, I thought I'd share a few updates with you and then gush about a couple of featured weddings that I am obsessed with these days.

I'm happy to announce that Eric and I have booked our photographer and videographer.  Two more things off the list of 135 things to do, done! 

Carrie takes such pretty and dreamy photos...

We have also decided that we are going to have our social centered around St. Patrick's Day next year!  So if you are reading this, consider yourself booked for March 15, 2014 for an evening of fun and frolicking amidst prizes wrapped in cellophane, plain chips on paper plates, plentiful booze, and cheese cubes.  And Eric and I will have tons of inspiration for our social, because........wait for it.......

 

SQUEE.

We are heading to the beautiful Emerald Isle this year!  Hooray!

I am so unbelievably excited for this trip to Ireland, because I have always wanted to go there.  It made the short list for our honeymoon, but after we picked South Africa it was put back on the "someday" shelf.  Well someday is now September 5, 2013!  Hopefully while we're there we'll get to see the ruins of McAuliffe Castle and have a pint of Guinness with some locals.  I'm especially pumped to visit the Cliffs of Moher and find me a horcrux.

Reeeeeeeteeteeteetee!

Anyway, back to the wedding blog. 

I just love glamorous, sparkly, elegant weddings.  I know I harp on it a lot, but I am so not the vintage lace/mason jar type of bride.  So when I see a wedding that gets away from that trend and goes big and beautiful, I gobble it up.  I wanted to share with you a couple of weddings that I found on Weddings In Winnipeg that I absolutely adore. (Click on the photos for a closer look!)

The first is one that I bookmarked a long time ago.  My absolute favorite part is the way that the stationery and design is incorporated into every aspect - their seating chart, menu cards, table cameras, favor cards, table numbers, everything!  And what a beautiful bride!  I envision myself with a goofy smile on my face all day so I really loved the photos of her looking so happy.

 

 

 

 

 

So pretty!  See the full post here.

 

 

The second is a wedding that was just posted today, and the photos caught my eye instantly.  Gorgeous dress, gorgeous bouquet, and gorgeous décor!  Love.

 

 

Beautiful right?  See the rest of the photos here.

And so ends today's hodgepodge of wedding blogmania!  See you next week, fingers crossed!


Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!


~M