It's really happening...

Dress shopping has been quite a major stress for me. I have a small bust & thicker hips. I've got some baby makin' hips. Sigh.

My local bridal salon had a sale going on 30-70% off all dresses from old stock. Well... I went in all "I want a sweetheart neckline, a full skirt (but not poofy) & lace!" I ended up with this:

* SWOON*

I'm a small bust bride (we're talking B's here) and the embellishment & deep V actually is really flattering. Did I ever think I'd end up with a dress like this? Never. I thought that this style of dress wouldn't work with my hips, but it gives me a smokin' shape! It is sexy. I never wanted to look like a princess, I want to look hot. lol. Also straps? Eww.. I never thought I'd get a dress with staps & here I am. Sigh. You don't know until you try it!

My advice to other brides is to throw your ideas out the window & just be open minded. The first round of dress shopping I ended up not liking anything because I had an idea in my head of how I wanted to look... when in reality those looks didn't flatter me at all. This time I entered with an open mind & I found such a pretty dress. I love how simple & beautiful this gown is. I couldn't be happier! haha well I do have some work to do to get my body looking tight enough to show that much of my back & arms, but I'm motivated enough to get 'er done!

Here's the best part ladies... hold onto your hats. This floor sample model was discounted 60% off. AND they threw in the 12% taxes. SCORE!

Have you found your dress already? How many dresses did you try on before you found "the one"?

Baggage Claim!

I've been trying to figure out if I should do favors or not. I go back & forth. I made a decision a few weeks ago that I wasn't going to do favors because our per head cost for the luncheon is over $100. Yeah.. for LUNCH.

I told my mom this & she FLIPPED. Here's our conversation:

Mama RB: WHAT? Of course you need to give out favors. Just give out cookies like you originally said you would. Your guests CAN'T leave without a favor!

RB: Um so the dinner, lift ticket & yummy cake is not enough of a "Thank you"? When do most of these people get treated to such an amazing meal served in the clouds?? NEVER! That's enough.

Mama: *laughs* I understand what you're saying- but people will talk if there isn't a favor.

FINE. I lose.

Then I found something super duper awesome: Luggage favor boxes! Yessssss.... Another way to tie my "travel theme" into the reception. Woo. Hoo!

These are $3 a piece. All photos from www.beau-coup.com

These are $2 each. I would beef them up with a nicer ribbon & a map thank you sticker

These fit my color scheme the best. I could put a navy blue ribbon on it, a thank you sticker & call it a day! These are also around
$2 each.

Okay with that being said- is $2-$3 too expensive for a container? It helps our theme... but what would you do with these after wards? Are you for or against favors?

I'm a DIY Wuss

I had designed a boarding pass invitation (below is the original computer copy) which I loved! For the last week I've been designing the boarding pass holder & playing with the details & design of the boarding pass invitation.

Well... then my computer crashed. Not just a little bit. I mean died & everything was lost! I had sent my work to my email, but when my computer died- so did my love for my invitations.

Now I'm looking online for something that goes with our travel theme wedding! I'm still not 100% sure what I want, but my fiance will have the final say. People go bonkers when they see my boarding pass invites in person, but they are A LOT OF WORK! Sigh. So I searched the internet & a few options that are cute!

#1: I like this option. It's not my favorite, but it's fun. The little circular stamp says "Love takes flight" and would include our names & our wedding date.

#2: This option keeps with our travel theme (check out the map envelope liner!) and can be changed to match our colors. I would make it a little more formal, but it is an all inclusive invitation suite for a great price!


So I'm not sure which route I'll go, but I realized I'm a DIY wuss. DIY is satisfying & fun... but on my long list of things to do (with immigration, job, the big move, etc) invites are slipping on my priority list. I'm leaning towards taking the "easy" route out & paying someone to do it for me!

Are you DIY-ing your invites? Have you had any DIY remorse?

Attack of the Brides*

*some brides! Not all... a lot were very kind & honest, even if they disagreed with my approach to discussing divorce. I appreciate different views & opinions... :)

I started a thread on Weddingbee.com asking if other brides have discussed divorce with their significant others. Once it got rolling I felt a little under attack & the need to justify my approach. No longer was the question being answered: instead it became a huge mess about how my decisions were basically the wrong way to go into a marriage.

I read some of the comments & I started to cry. A lot of the posters were so kind in their responses (even when they COMPLETELY disagreed with my choice!) and others basically made me feel like I was going to become a failure & end up a divorce statistic.

One poster summed it up perfectly when she said "If you think about it- many people prepare for the worst while hoping for the best- take life insurance for example. None of us think our fiance's or husband will die suddenly- but people do die suddenly and young. And life insurance would let you live more comfortably afterward. But no one looks down on people for buying life insurance! As women, we need to take charge of ourselves and our own destiny."

Amen, sister friend :)

Am I going into my marriage HOPING we get divorced? Never. Look at Jon & Kate. Look at divorced couples you know. Did they get married with the hopes of one day breaking up? No. We all want to live happily ever after & I'm no different.

I really wish every couple a lifetime of happiness :)

Cake flags, you make my heart sing!

You make everything...
Groovy.
I said cake flags...
I think I love you!

*end song*

Phewf. Now that I got that out of my system,
how awesomely cute is this?

And finally the pièce de résistance:

*drool* it's the best of both worlds! I'm going to be doing something similar to this cupcake/cake tower a la Martha :)

Are you going to be having a traditional wedding cake or cupcakes... or both? Don't you just love how cute these little flags are?

E-Love!

Email love (sort of)! That's how our story starts....

(Courtesy of Revival Arts Studio)

Mr. RB & I met online! *Gasp* Neither of us were looking for love either... I mean, the stars had to align for us to meet. We were both dating other people (he was with her for 6 years, I was with my guy for 2 years), we were playing a 30 day free trial game of Catan online that randomly matched us up... had either of us could have slept that night- we wouldn't have been paired up! We talked all night & I added him to my IM chat. That was the last time I talked to him until I moved to Vancouver & was newly single.

During that time he kept randomly emailing me things like "Hey. U good?" or "Whats up?" That was all... One or 2 word emails! It annoyed the crap out of me! Like seriously you hillbilly, you can't even write a proper sentence? So I ignored him.

I had just moved to the other side of the country, I didn't know a soul & I was bored one night- so I emailed him back. He called me that night, we talked for 5 hours straight... and the rest is history! We met in person in Seattle a few months later. The sparks flew & we knew it was going to turn into something serious.

So, he's ashamed of how we met & he won't tell anyone... I'm not at all. I'm an open book for the most part lol. I'm 23 & everyone my age meets people online. You're weird if you don't! He's 35 & his friends feel like if you have to meet someone online you're a pathetic loser. I don't see anything wrong with meeting a someone online... I'd prefer to meet someone online than at a bar. I can atleast e-stalk them before I meet them! lol Ooooh yes. I google everyone & everything!

So there you have it! How did you & your SO meet??

Sucks when you job gets blow'd up!

I've struggled with my blog & how much of my personal life I really want to reveal. I'm trying to keep some anonymity for my FI's job... but today, it's all about me. I own a small business. It's a franchise of a local bakery & it's been my life for the past 2 years. The fee to start my business was 6 figures & I needed some serious love money. [Insert my cousin.] He became my business partner. I am so grateful for his help because I never would have been able to start this up on my own! Since getting engaged, my cousin and I discussed him buying me out so I could move to the US. [Insert lawyers.]

This has been going on for the last 6 months. This entire situation is similar to a divorce. Our relationship is strained. We're fighting over petty things & we're trying to stick it to each other any chance we get.

I was advised in the middle of October to take a leave of absence. Well now I've been told I need to quit my job. After finding someone to step in as management... I'll be officially unemployed! I'm not upset because I knew this day would come, just not as soon as it had. Overall, my spirits and my state of mind are pretty healthy, but I am upset that my cousin is being such a shark. I'm a little bummed & want this all behind me.

I've always been a glass is 1/2 full type of gal: at least I'll save $250 bucks because now I don't need to invite my cousin or his wife to my wedding!

Tis the season... for soggy breasts?

From my disney Christmas... drool. My fav tree in Toon Town

In Canada, Thanksgiving has come & gone... ours is the second Monday of October! So my focus is already on Christmas!

I spent Christmas with his family last year & I found out they don't do the whole sit down turkey dinner because its so close to American Thanksgiving! I hated that!! I love a big Christmas meal... and since it was our first major holiday together as a couple, I tried to start a tradition for our future family! I decided we would have a Christmas dinner with just our household & open most of our presents on Christmas Eve.... but save a few for in the morning from "Santa". My parents are German and quite often in Germany they celebrate on Christmas Eve.

Well it was just the 2 of us & I decided to make a chicken instead of a turkey. I've roasted a chicken before many times, but this time: I roasted it upside down! My chicken came out with a crispy bottom & soggy breasts!!! He didn't have a potato masher... My leek soup tasted dirty... it was the WORST meal I've ever made.

lol my dear fiance asked that we don't make that particular meal a tradition (but he's still down with our little family having turkey together one day!)

Have you and your guy created any holiday traditions?? Do you love or loathe any tradition?

Who would have thunk?

Out of all the things that actually go into wedding planning, who would have thought that Mr. RB's attire would prove to be the most difficult decision yet? (besides my own dress... but thats another post! lol)

His outfit helps set the tone for the day. If he wears khaki's with a dress shirt & tie its casual. If he wears a suit its semi-formal. If he wears a tux it's formal! Sigh. I was always very against him wearing a tux (especially for a daytime wedding) but then I actually saw him in a tux from a wedding last weekend. Oh. Emm. Gee y'all! If he wasn't 3000 miles away I would have ravaged him silly!!

My FI wears a suit every day to work... so if he wore a suit he wouldn't really be "dressing up" But is a tux too formal for a 12pm ceremony? Decisions, decisions!

Mr. RB then suggested, why not buy a 3 piece suit for the wedding? Hmm... I knew I chose this smartypants for a reason! Its perfectly in between semi-formal & formal and he'll get a ton of wear out of it after the wedding! So now the search begins for the perfect 3 piece suit!

What will your groom wear on your wedding day?

Flowers, flowers, flowers!

One of the reasons I had to have my wedding in my hometown is because I have a lot of connections in the wedding industry. My mom is actually a florist and she is going to do all my wedding flowers: for free! I have picked up the cost for the containers though...

Inspiration #1: I have requested similar arrangements to flank us and our officiant on either side where we're getting married! These flowers are my absolute favorites-- I love the creamy, luxurious whites with pops of green. I really want to use hypericum berries :) It's my favorite type of greenery!!

Inspiration #2: Reception Centerpieces (from Lilindy's Wedding on Weddingbee) I want an exact copy of this arrangement for our centerpieces only with white flowers, including white submerged orchids. lol I am in the process of making my own hanging crystals.


Inspiration #3: Reception centerpieces (also from Lilindy's wedding) These are going to be all white & will just be a shorter version of the tall centerpieces on alternating tables! I love the look of tight arrangements without greens :) This style of arrangement will also end up on our wedding related tables (guest book table, gift table, etc)



I am still undecided on my bouquet or if my men will get bouts! I love the look of pocket squares... it's so smart looking! :)

Are you using lots of flowers? Where did you find your inspiration?

To share or not to share... that is the question!

My guests will need to take an 8 minute gondola ride up Grouse Mountain to get to our ceremony & reception site. I found this video on youtube & I'm wondering if I should link this video to our wedding website to give our out of town guests a heads up as to what they're in for.

Most of my local guests are snow bunnies & I know the ride won't faze them... but I'm worried about our OOT guests, like my FSIL! lol the second she reads Gondola ride on our invitation she's going to be sh*tting bricks! hahaha sweet, sweet revenge (but that's another post!)

I have to admit that the ride looks a lot worse on the video than it does in person.

What should I do? Should I post the video or should I just let them deal with it the day of the wedding??

Almost living the "American Dream"

A lot of people around the world would love to immigrate to the Unite States of America. Millions of people have tried. Millions of people have been rejected.

Mr. RB and I have been preparing our final K-1 Visa package to be sent to the USCIS... I am terrified to my core. I pray & pray daily that everything will run smoothly, but I still worry. I have this gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I think I'm giving myself ulcers...

I'm just. SO. SCARED.

I don't want to get my hopes up for our wedding & then something happens to delay finally getting to be with my FI. We've been with each other for close to 4 years. I can't do this distance thing for much longer. Haha yes I can... thats an empty threat. What am I gonna do? Call it off because I can't handle the distance? Not likely.

Sigh. I just feel so alone in this sometimes.

How To Be a Good Wife: Advice from 1954

Over the past few years I've been trying to fine tune my domestic skills. Since meeting my FI I've unintentionally started to become a perfect 50's housewife. And I don't hate it either. I set women's lib back years & years, but I believe its a womans job to take care of her husband & family. It's the most important role of her life.

This isn't my bible or anything. lol I found this online for my post:

HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE
Home Economics High School Text Book, 1954

1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
   
2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
   
3. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.
   
4. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
   
5. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.
   
6. Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.
   
7. Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.
   
8. Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.
   
9. The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

I realized after just reading this list that I've done these things anyway. Sure the novelty of playing house will wear off, but I really do believe that men are simple creatures with simple needs. If my FI comes home after work and I have dinner on the table, the house is clean & his shirts are ironed-- he's so relaxed & at peace.

Sometimes I feel like if I say I want to cook & clean for my husband I'll get kicked out of the "Modern" Girls Club. I don't know... perhaps its because I'm a child of divorce and have unrealistic expectations? I just think in the 50's family values and morals were of the utmost importance & that they did some things right. I think there needs to be more emphasis on raising well-adjusted, polite families and less on material crap.

That's my 2 cents of the day. :)

Come Fly With Me

I've flown a lot. A lot. With three flights still pending, I'm just under 160 000 miles. I speak in airport codes. I can navigate my way around DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth Airport) and ORD (Chicago-O'Hare Int'l) blindfolded. American Airlines sends me Christmas cards & actually gave me 100 navy blue boarding pass holders for my invites. Traveling has been such a major part of our relationship, so obviously we're going with a travel theme!

(Made by yours truly!)

My first DIY wedding project: Our place cards!! Yay me :) I'm going to put the names of our guests on the tail end of the plane & attach it to their unused wine goblets (excuse my dirty cheap glass).

I'm done. I'm finally done. No more cutting. No more dotting. Now I have to wait until I find out who my guests are... I'm not sure who will write the names on there as my writing is fug. I may just trace writing from the computer. Ahh I may be creative, but I always find the most difficult way to do something.

What do you think is the best way to go about getting our guests names on the planes? Enlist my mom or a calligrapher or be a complete perfectionist & do it myself off the computer screen?

Olive Juice?

I actually despise olives. I'm a texture gal & these things do nothing for me. However... I searched and SEARCHED for a good blog name, but they were all taken. Yep thats right. All the good names are taken & whats even more annoying is that the majority are INACTIVE!! Most were started in 2002 & never touched since.

Seriously blogspot, start deleting inactive accounts! My options were the one I have now or "a129smah30sjgj.blogspot.com"! They were the only 2 names left (haha or so it felt like...)

Anyway after getting this close to giving up on blogging I heard this in the background:




It's a sign!! A sign I tell you!! Praise the [INSERT RELIGIOUS ICON HERE]! I was supposed to start a blog & I'm pretty happy with what I ended up with :)

How did you end up choosing your blog name?
Were you frustrated with the lack of options available to you??

Paybacks a B!tch...

Uh, between the 2 of us we have been in 30 weddings. 30. The other day we were trying to plot our revenge on all these couples. Bwaaaahahahahaha.

My FI is an Usher/Groomsman next weekend & he had to pay $175 for the tux. We've decided this groom is going to have to BUY a golden towel & use it to wipe off our elderly guests chins.

Are you plotting your revenge on past relatives/friends
who's weddings you've been apart of?

Clink-Clink-Clink!

Our venue wants us to discourage our guests from "clinking" as an attempt to get us to smooch. Their stemware is pretty gorgeous, so I don't blame them. As I mentioned in my first post we're pretty private when it comes to necking! lol

The thought of tons of kissing in front of parents & grandparents makes me lightheaded! So I needed to come up with an option that wouldn't get everyone involved, but was still entertaining & got SOME crowd involvement. I hate where the clinking never stops... IMO there's nothing sexier than a kiss when you're both stuffing your faces with salmon & beef. Mmmm gravy lips :)

Anyway, after extensive research I've narrowed it down to 3 options:

#1. A Love Song! Our guests have to sing us a line from a song with the word "love" in it. This could be quite comical & I know we'd get interaction b/c my family & friends are big singers.

#2. The Kissing Game! I have no idea where I found this option (probably from someone off of WB named Bean), but its a game w/ dice. We met playing a game online & we love board games (okay, we're both just highly competitive), so I thought this might be a cute way to incorporate our second favorite pasttime.

#3. Monkey See, Monkey Do! This is a game where we have to copy whatever our guests do. Mrs. Seabreeze did this & it was just hilarious. I have a feeling that my guests wouldn't feel as fun or comfortable with something like this though. lol my guests aren't cool like that :(

(Mrs. Seabreeze: Dinner Game)

Which option would you choose? Are you considering something like this so your guests don't "clink" all night long??

A Party for 2!

My FI and I are very private when it comes to matters of the heart. We are extremely romantic behind closed doors, but prying eyes make us nervous. Also, it just plain grosses me out when I see people sucking face in public lol.

When we thought about our wedding day & our overall "vision" we knew wanted something smallish with only our nearest & dearest peeps. We wanted our day to oooze with romance... insert problem. If we had a typical evening reception & wedding we'd be too tired to enjoy our remaining time together.

(photo from Elizabeth Anne Designs)

So we decided on a daytime reception that would end at 4pm so we could enjoy each other for the rest of the night! I got a lot of mixed reactions from people... but this day is about us. I had to keep reminding myself of that.

And then *cue trumpets*... I read this from Sarah on "A Practical Wedding"

The strange thing is that when people voice concern about morning weddings, they normally ask you, "Well, what did you do afterwards?" Here is the scoop. Afterwards is *the best part.* We drove away from our venue, waving like crazy, at 2:45 pm. You know what we did? We went back to the hotel room we'd splurged on. We lounged around. We talked about the wedding. We giggled. We looked at our wedding rings. We blissed out. We went shopping at a used bookstore and bought books for our honeymoon flight. We went out to a really nice dinner, and I wore my wedding hair flower. We drank mojitos. We went to sleep. We woke up not-hung over. The after-the-wedding is the best part of getting married in the morning.

Think about it this way: you're marring your partner because you like spending time with them. Morning weddings give you lots of time to hang out together, married, on your wedding day. And then you wake up sober and happy. What could feel better than that?

So, are morning weddings better than evening weddings? No. Evening weddings are fantastic too. But morning weddings are the unsung heroes of the wedding world. People tell you they are only worth it for the discounts, and I'm telling you that we got no discounts and we would do it again in a heartbeat.

Incredible. If we weren't planning on a daytime wedding this would have convinced me to change my plans... :)

Anyone else convinced? Are you planning on having a daytime wedding?

A little somethin' somethin'

To be 100% honest... I never, ever thought I'd start a blog. I'm an active member on Weddingbee (where EVERY GAL has a wedding blog) and I always admired their commitment to blogging. I thought that there was no way I could squeeze time in it, but alas here. I. am.

Anyway, a little about me...

I'm 24 years old & live on the West Coast of Canada. I live in one of the top 3 cities in the world (#1 to be exact, but I didn't want to rub it in! EIU says so) and the home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games!!

I like to explain to Americans that I live in the California of Canada. We rarely see winter. Snow on the ground? Pssshhhaaaaw maybe 3 days a year?! However the mountains surrounding us have it year round. The ocean is minutes from my apartment. The beautiful mountain top where I'm getting married is 15 minutes North of me. Vancouver has the best of all worlds... it's where the Sea meets the Sky!

(This is actually the view my guests will have while eating dinner at our wedding reception, minus the gondola lines)

A little about him...

My FI is 35 years old and lives in Kentucky. He is the most intelligent, thoughtful and driven man I know. He lives in one of the least desirable cities in the US. There's no ocean, there's no mountains, there's crappy stormy weather year round & weekly threats of tornadoes! Despite the undesirable living situation I can't wait to spend my days with him. I'd live in an igloo if it meant I got to wake up next to him every morning. *blushes* enough mush... (we're a very private couple that way!)


A little about us...

When people hear "who we are" I don't know which is more shocking to them? Are they gasping & smiling through their teeth b/c they're shocked about the age difference or the physical distance between us? hehe if I really wanted to freak them out I'd tell them we met on the internet playing a game!

I'm in the extremely draining process of immigrating to the USA. My life is being disected!!! I'm slowly being broken down & every step makes my pockets a little bit lighter ($455 USD to send in a piece of paper-- really?). As long as there are no hold ups, I plan to make the big move summer 2010!

By the time we marry, we'll have been travelling back and forth for 4 years. I will have flown over 175,000 miles (I'm a Platinum AAadvantage member, yo!) I'll have spent 179 days in Kentucky. He'll have spent 15 in Vancouver haha!

We plan to get married July 10, 2010 in Vancouver. Lots more on that & immigration later...