Wedding Check-In -- No. 2

Hi there. Back atcha with another wedding check-in. I'd like to do several of these posts intermittently as we're planning just to document the process. Reading back through the first one got me so excited to read through all of these one day. I created a few prompts I hope to use for each check-in. So let's get into it!

Wedding Details

Date: October 3, 2020
Location: Lake Geneva, WI
Current Guest Count: 300+ (We know, we know...)

What We're Inspired By

I think what we're currently inspired by are things that feel like us and represent us. So I included this picture last time as a favor option, but I've since thought of another idea that plays on this on a larger scale which will let us utilize more space at our venue since we have several areas/rooms we can use.

I always wanted to do a candy bar at my wedding, so I thought it could be cool to have a long buffet table set up in one of the smaller rooms attached to the ballroom that displays our favorite snacks. One side would be filled with my favorites and the other would have Sammy's and then there would be a few things in the middle that we both love. I love the idea of our guests filling baggies up with candy and other snacks as favors to take home or snack on throughout the night.

I think one of my cousins is going to help with some of the florals—he's amazing—so I've been looking at images for inspiration there. I want to keep everything neutral and minimal so it looks elegant and classic. I want whites and creams mixed with eucalyptus and some lavender as a nod to France, especially since it's a scent Sammy and I love and use throughout our home.

Definitely planning on less is more with the centerpieces and probably won't have them quite frankly haha. I'd much rather have candles because I love the ambience they create with a few floral touches rather than enormous arrangements.

Same goes for ceremony florals. Definitely want to utilize our pergola with some cascading florals/greenery and maybe some lanterns on either side. I would also love to be able to make a sign or something featured at the front of the aisle.

Sammy is also getting inspired by looking up some possible options in terms of attire for him and his groomsmen.

Also getting inspired by honeymoon destinations! Any guesses on our top option below?

What We're Working On

-Picking a god damn hashtag. I know this is SO dumb, but we seriously can't think of anything we love. I see so many friends come up with the MOST clever hashtags and I can't believe we can't come up with anything. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear. So far our favorites are #EiffelEverAfter (as a nod to our Paris engagement) and #AlfanoYouDownTheAisle (is that clear enough? Like "I'll follow you..."??)

-Getting our DJ booked. I've gotten three quotes and I think we're on our way to choosing on. I think after that vendor, we're done with the big vendors which feels crazy since we still have so much planning time! 

-Engagement photos! We have some plans up in the air for these and I can't wait to get it all solidified. We're currently hoping to take them in May or June and I'm on the HUNT for a cream maxi dress to wear. And Sammy is busying himself with figuring out his outfits ;)

-Not much else! Which feels awesome. We now have time to plan leisurely which has been great. We bring up random things like what the groomsmen will wear, what song we want to play during this moment, etc., and can have conversations that don't need to be rushed which is crucial for our personalities. Even when we do make some decisions on "smaller" things, it's kind of too early to do anything about it, so we're just enjoying this brainstorming/idea gathering time.

What We've Done

-Continued to ask our bridal party!

We're almost at the tail end of asking all the members of our bridal party. I thought we would be done by now actually since we started so early (and now I'm glad we stared as "early" as we did!), but schedules haven't been the easiest to line up to see everyone. It's been a fun thing to drag on though, I'll be sad when we're done.

For our niece, OG flower girl, we got her a book on being a flower girl written by my Queen, Dame Julie Andrews, and a flower/gardening toy I thought was cute and on theme.

I'll be asking my cousin's kids this weekend and be giving them the same book along with little candy "flower" bouquets.

Since my last official update, I've asked all remaining adult women to be bridesmaids, which again, has been so fun. I made box for each (21+) bridesmaid with a mini bottle of champagne, monogrammed stemless flute, and gold chocolate and straw. I also made personalized cards for each.

For my underage bridesmaids (who happen to all be sisters), I made boxes with personalized candles, hair ties, and gold candy.

So fun to give to them on Christmas Eve!

I had to take screenshots of all four of their posts on social media 'cause they were so sweet!

   

  

And for the sweetest ring bearer that ever was, we gave him this little bear ring rattle (get it?). He's so young still, we didn't want to get him anything he could grow out of. So we'll have to spoil him some more closer to the wedding.

-Started the dress hunt! (both wedding and engagement haha)

I've determined (along with my latest consultant) that I am a Pronovias bride. I just love their dresses SO much. I can't imagine wearing anything else.

Some dresses I've tried on and really liked but haven't compared to the last one I tried on before leaving Kleinfeld back in November:

*the Kleinfeld beauty*

It has been SO fun to try on dresses. Even more fun than I thought it would be. I will definitely, definitely be sad when it's over.

-Went to the wedding vendor show at our venue!

I posted about this before, but I want to include it here as well. We went to the preferred vendor show at our venue and it was such a fun afternoon. My mom, Chelsie, and Amy got to see our venue, we got to taste apps, drinks, meet some really sweet vendors, see some possible table settings, etc.

Really excited to start thinking about how we can lighten this space up. All cream/white linens, glassware, dark (if not black) chairs, white draping, etc.

Winter view of our ceremony space :)

We saw such cool options our venue offers like a s'mores bar.

-Booked our photographer! Who happens to be the sweetest human ever (and who I message on Instagram like every day haha). She sent us this SWEET as hell package and it made my whole month.

-Purchased important T-shirts ;)
I got the cutest French inspired shirt as well as a "bride vibes" sweatshirt I'm going to wear embarrassingly often.

And my girl bought herself one as well ;) can't wait to wear them together.

-Booked our videographer! We're using the same wife and husband team that did Chelsie's video and I couldn't be more thrilled to be working with them.

-Technically had my makeup and hair vendors booked since day one since my cousin is my forever MUA and my hair dresser/goddess was asked a week after we got engaged if she would do my hair haha, but I forgot to mention in my first check-in, so... we booked those! Haha.

-Started working on our wedding website! I'm having so much fun with it.

What We're Looking Forward To

-continue enjoying the planning process

-engagement photos!

-finding my dress!

-finishing our wedding website

-registering! (I've only been waiting my whole life for this moment.)

-booking the last of our "big" vendors

-bachelorette/bachelor party brainstorming!

-our tasting

Next Steps

The next immediate steps are pretty much as follows above, almost in that exact order. I really want to focus on just enjoying everything. We've had an incredibly stress-free planning process so far, so I'm hoping that continues throughout the entire process. Next specific focus is definitely on engagement photos :) and officially booking our DJ.

How We're Feeling

The last time I reflected on this I feel like I was such a ball of nerves. We had only been engaged a short time and I was still reeling from all the emotions as we entered into the holiday season and all the emotions and stress that comes from that time of year.

Now that we're out of that phase and coming up on spring, I'm feeling so, so good. So much less nervous/anxious. I don't immediately retreat or want to pull back any time Sammy or anyone else asks me a wedding question or wants to talk about something wedding related. I've noticed Sammy reacting in a similar way, and while it stinks to be in limbo in regard to your emotions, I'm glad we both experienced a similar amount of anxiety and overwhelming feelings at the same time for the same amount of time. It would have been harder if one of us was super excited while the other was more reserved about everything.

I'm super thankful we don't have family members that have been overwhelming with their questions and have truly left me and Sammy to our own planning devices, only offering opinions when asked. It's made the entire adjustment period SO much easier.

I'm finally feeling like a bride and am so excited to wear this hat. I know there will be moments when this excitement wanes and that anxiousness might creep in, and that's OK. I'm just happy I've arrived here. I think it's only going to get more exciting.


Thanks for reading, you guys. I know these posts are packed to the brim with wedding stuff. Back tomorrow with some "Friday Favorites!" xo

*bare with me when I post wedding-related stuff, I know it's not for everyone! but I also know how much I'm going to love looking back on these posts, so I definitely want to get them down while the memories and opinions and reflections are fresh. And if anyone has any advice to give, I would sure love to hear it!*

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, all! We made it. 

Starting off the favorites of the week with this so lovely engagement gift my cousin gave me when I saw her last weekend for her baby shower (like who remembers to bring someone else a gift at their own shower?! Ugh love her): these beautiful Kate Spade mugs. Do you die?

We got the sweet, sweet, sweetest valentine in the mail from our niece. I can't with the scribbles!

for you non-Italians, "Zio" and "Zia" mean Uncle and Aunt :)

This is a very dork "favorite" but this delivered to my office last Friday. It's SO good for anyone who's in the editing/publishing/writing world (or anyone who likes grammar? haha). So funny and wildly smart.

We haven't gotten the OK to move into our new space for real yet (hopefully by March 1), but we had to return the crates we've been storing our stuff in to the movers, so I unpacked most of my desk yesterday afternoon. I'm liking how it's turning out so far! It's going to be so fun to work down there.

Sammy made dinner Monday night since he was off (and when he's off during the week he usually cooks dinner himself, or at least helps, to give me a break since I do a majority of the cooking) and he made this awesome skirt steak and roasted potatoes in a garlic butter sauce.

I was laughing while getting ready for bed the other night because I've officially become my brother. Jurassic Park and Green Bay anyone? (I don't even like football... those pants are just the softest, thinest flannel EVER and I love them so much.) These two things are literally the epitome of my brother's childhood existence haha. Now I just need an Indiana Jones shirt...

Aerie was having a sale on underwear and bras for Valentines Day and I had recently read somewhere that someone said they threw out all their underwear and bought all new nude underwear so they never had to think about color per their outfit again and didn't have to dig through a bunch of underwear they never wear/don't like. Genius. 

SO I took advantage of their 10 for $30 sale and got a few pairs in three different styles. I haven't worn Aerie underwear since high school so I wasn't expecting to like everything but boy was I wrong. I LOVE them all and won't wear anything else now. Definitely want to get more the next time they have a sale. I'm also a huge fan of their cotton bralettes (I have one they've since discontinued that I will never throw away because it's so comfortable), so I grabbed one for $15 that I'm really loving.

I had to order another package of makeup remover wipes and my perfume from MAC (HUGE favorites of mine) and I got to pick a free sample item and I went with their cleanse-off oil, which would normally be a no-go for me since I'm super oily but this winter has just dried out my skin more than previous ones, so I figured I'd give this a whirl. Holy shit guys, I LOVE this too. It melts your makeup off and made my skin so soft afterward and it smells amazinggg like all MAC products. Every sample I've tried of their skincare products, I've loved, loved, so the next time I go into a store, I'm gunna blow everything on skincare.

Please ignore the grossness that is our hand holding. I had just mentioned how I was excited to be going to our wedding venue on Sunday (for a wedding show) and I grabbed Sammy's hand when Henry laid his head down like this. Since I wanted to get a picture of him before he moved (which he did three seconds later), I was trying to move minimally myself, and therefore, the hand holding remains. Gross. This picture is about Henry ;)

I edited my first book for Smithsonian this week which was super exciting! I can't wait to see this baby out in the world. It is not lost on me what a privilege it is to work on books with licensors like Smithsonian. They help us get facts and new words and gorgeous illustrations and photography into the hands and minds of all the littles out there.

Made one of my very favorite meals Wednesday night—Sammy and I never seem to tire of it. I made a variation of Andrea's chili recipe and I think adding brown sugar is a game changer.

Saw this quote on Instagram last night and it hit my heart like a bulldozer.
*Store away in brain forever*

Last night I threw together some sausage we had in the freezer, beans, spinach, a can of tomatoes, and some pasta and called it soup. It actually turned out really well and will definitely be making again.

After reading rave reviews about this lipstick (that has apparently been around forever!) on Cup of Jo, I ordered one off Amazon. I am in love with the formula—it feels like you're wearing chapstick and is so hydrating—and the color is a really pretty berry kind of color despite how dark it looks in the tube. It sort of reminds me of "Amorous" from MAC. Will definitely be wearing it during this dry season. (I had a little try-on party with some heart Reese's ;) )

 And I'll finish out with my favorite of all—the best boy to grace our planet ;)

We are trying to get in tomorrow morning to have my ring resized, but after that I'm hoping to get together with Chelsie to have lunch and see Rebel Wilson's new rom-com and then have a low key night at home with Henry, maybe try to watch a nominated movie or something in preparation for Sunday?

And, as mentioned, I'll be going up to Lake Geneva on Sunday with my mom, sister, and Chelsie for a wedding vendor show at our wedding venue. I remember signing up for this event back when we booked the venue—I can't believe it's here! I'm sure the whole planning process will feel like this with events suddenly coming up in record time. I'm excited :) And then I'm hoping my mom and sister will hang around at my house to watch the Oscars afterward!

Have a great weekend everyone! xo