Call to Action...

So this morning I skipped my happy little self into work ( I was in such a good mood I actually dusted the whole office) and set down at my desk!
I first checked all my favorite blogs for new posts and then it was time to check my e-mail and BOO-YAH! There it was! The e-mail I'd been waiting to get for 2 and 1/2 weeks!
Engagement photos were ready for viewing!!!!!!!
I nervously, anxiously, excitedly flipped through them all...then a lil' frown crept onto my face.

Okay so they aren't THAT bad!!!! But I had such high hopes! I guess I thought a fancy camera was going to turn me into Gisele Bundchen! Not so much!
My honey sure does look handsome though! ;)

Anyways, I decided something good must come from these not so marvelous photos! It was the kick in my rear end needed to make me put down the burrito and pick up a barbell!
So from here on out I will be working out more often, spending more time with my friend Mr. Sunshine and I WILL ONLY HAVE 2 DRINKS the night of the Rehearsal Dinner!!!!!
(Why oh why did I think it was a good idea to have a whole bottle of wine the night before our photos!?!?!?!)

*I promise I will still post SOME of the photos at a later date.
Also our photographer really did do a great job and there are some really creative, beautiful photos!!!
MUAH!

Crazy Fact Thursday

Married Indian women place a red dot on their foreheads, between their eyes. It is practiced since times innumerable. In ancient times, a groom used to apply a spot of his blood on his bride's forehead, in recognition of wedlock! Today, the groom applies a small dot of vermilion, a powdered red lead, to the bride's forehead and welcomes her as his partner for life. It is applied for the first time to a woman during the marriage ceremony.

Oh me, Oh my!!!

I've fallen in love with these beautiful little ditties made by Cynthia of Red Light Studios, another Etsy member!
She's creating 2 custom birdies for us to perch upon our cake!!!!
Precious, right?
I plan to hand these beauties down to our future lil' angel to use when she gets married someday! :D
*P.S.-these are not the exact ones we are getting. They are going to be personalized in a cute way that I requested. You'll just have to wait until the wedding to see. XO'S!

Hair Me, Hair Me!!!!

While doing research for my sister (Simply Chic's Website is in the works and should be up and running in a day or two) I came across a picture that is almost exactly the way I want my hair...pretty lil' flower and all!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) I want a tousled updo!!!! Nothing too slicked back or formal looking!!!! This hairstyle will go perfectly with the dress I have pictured in my head! :)
Oh and I've contacted Chelsea @ Oh My Deer to make me a one of a kind, handmade flower for my hair!!!! If you haven't heard of or checked out her work, you simply MUST!!!!!!!
http://ohmydeerhandmades.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/feedback_public.php?user_id=5078881

Charlotte Bridal Showcase

So as promised here are some pics I snapped at Sunday's Bridal Showcase.
I'd hoped to get a lot more but there was never a moment someone wasn't stopping by the booth...which isn't a bad problem to have, right!? :)
Carly and Tatum did a wonderful job of setting up and preparing for their first event! I was ever so impressed and the turnout was much better than expected!
I just know the company phone will be ringing off the hook with bride's wanting to book their services! :) I'm happy to be the one in charge of the phone and booking appointments!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the photos! The last photo was take with about an hour left of the show. We HAD to take turns sitting on the chaise lounge because when you wear 4 inch heels for 8 hours it's hard to move at all!
Seriously, my legs still feel like I just did 1000 squats!

Light my fire!

Here's your first look at my first DIY (do it yourself) project for the wedding. :D

Mr. P picked up $100 boxes of matches for me at Wal-Mart for $10!

The rest of my supplies, pictured in photo #1, I ordered from Paper Source! In case you haven't heard of Paper Source you really need to check out their website! They have TONS of great paper products and almost anything else you'd need for a crafts project. I also just found out they opened a store in Charlotte and I can't wait to visit!!!

Anyways, I ordered an X-Acto Knife, pretty paper in our wedding colors, chartreuse green ribbon and the neatest little sticker machine ever!!!!

I've only made 10 so far, but I think they are just adorable and will look so cute displayed with sparklers for our exit! :D

Goodbye Weekend, Hello Monday!

So here's what my weekend consisted of...
I started on my very first DIY wedding project and the results, in my opinion, are so adorable. Pictures will be posted soon.

I baked brownies on Saturday...homemade and boxed. I wanted to have a taste test but they were both too different to compare, so we (P & I) determined they were both yummy! :)

We went to see the Golden Globe & SAG Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire with our great friends the Barzees. The movie was WONDERFUL!!! :D
I highly recommend going to see it! Definitely my favorite movie in the last year or so!

Sunday was the Bridal Showcase at the Charlotte Convention Center.
My sister Carly and her friend and coworker Tatum have started a bridal hair & make-up company called Simply Chic! They had the most adorable little booth (pics to be posted later) and I was just there to help out in any way I could. We had so much fun and they talked to LOTS of potential clients!!!
Being around all wedding vendors just confirmed to me that I really do hope to work in that industry some day!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! And not just because I'm planning my own right now, I think I could easily be obsessed for years to come.

Then yucky ol' Monday rolled around! BUT, Abby at Style Me Pretty, posted my Inspiration Board, and away went my Monday Blues! :)
http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/01/26/inspiration-board-xvi/#comments
Go check out all the entries! Maybe even vote for mine, BUT only if you think it's the best!
LOVE to all!
I'll post fun pictures soon enough!

The hunt is on...

I've not been feeling too well this week, it might have something to do with the fact I thought it was A okay to hang outside this past weekend in my tiny lil' dress in 10 degree weather? Hmmm??? Next time I'll listen to my ever so smart fiancee!

Anyways, I haven't devoted a lot of time to the wedding the past few days, but I've probably spent 15+hours researching possible Honeymoon spots. Now that I think about it, it's probably because I wanted to imagine myself somewhere sunny! Ahhh!!! :)
It's also because I love, love, LOVE the hunt!!!! Seriously, I do! There is just something about trying to find that ONE perfect place! PERFECT because it's in your price range, it's in a good location and it has almost, if not everything, you're looking for! I'm getting hyped up just typing this.
Really, if you need help finding your next vacation spot, enlist my help! I'll find it for you! ;)

Okay, okay I've just hopped off of my horsey! ;)

I will share with you my favorite spot thus far...
It's the Excellence Playa Mujeres Resort located close to downtown Cancun, but on it's very own untouched 20 mile peninsula, "seculded and serene".
This place is ALL-INCLUSIVE, ADULTS ONLY, and only 1 year old!!!!
7 pools, 8 restaurants, 11 bars, all the activities you could want, a white sandy beach, blue water and modern/contemporary ammenities.
Our room (that I've already booked in case this does turn out to be THE one!) has it's own private jacuzzi and direct access to the pool! How cool would that be to walk out your balcony and jump right into the pool!? HEAVEN!!!
Now I'm not dumb...I know that a website can make almost any place look fantastic!
That's why me and Trip Advisor have become great buddies!
I LOVE reading other people's reviews and looking through their own personal photos, and let me tell you everyone raves about this place! It's only been open for a little over a year and it already has 300+ 5 star reviews!
I'm going to stop going on and on now!
Hope the pictures take you to a warm, sunny place in your mind!
Happy weekend to all!
*These photos are all from their website!*

Etsy helped me to prevail!

So I wanted to take a small gift to the Engagement Party for each of my bridesmaids, kind of a small thank you gift for accepting the invitation to be part of the wedding.
I spent some time browsing the internet and I found these adorable custom wineglasses (picture in photo #1).
I thought it would make it more special if I actually painted said wineglasses myself.
I did lots of internet research and ended up ordering a whole slew of things "guaranteed" to make the process easy (pictured in photo #3)! HA!
I set up shop and tried on more than one occasion to get them to look like the photo online (me working hard pictured in photo #4).
Well let's just say that they didn't quite come out like I hoped.
So what's a girl to do? I turned to my trusted Etsy Site and VIOLA! I found the perfect thing!
Eleanor @ Decal Monograms had just what I needed (picture in photo #5)! I contacted her to make customized decals for me and she had them shipped out in 2 days!!! I still was able to decorate them on my own, but with a little help from a fellow Etsier! ;)
*The last few photos are of my finished product!
Hope you ladies liked them!
xo's!

Engagement Party Pics

I just had to post a few more Engagement Party pics! :D
*How cute is the cake and the whole food set-up? Amazing! Wish I had more pictures, because these just don't do it justice!!!
Much love to everyone who helped plan it and everyone that came!

Crazy Fact Thursday

Ancient Romans broke a cake over the brides head to symbolize fertility or abundance. Some other cultures dropped wheat, flour or cake on the bride's head, and then ate the crumbs for good luck. As the years rolled by with some varied addition and deletion of customs the tiered wedding cake was born.

*Cake Photo was taken from Style Me Pretty!

Engagement Party...

So this past Saturday was our Engagement Party and it's an understatement to say it was Amazing!!! :)
Our friends Chelsea and Ted hosted the event at their new beautiful home and they also helped plan it along with Emily & Scott Barzee, Carly & James, and last but not least, Leigh & Scott Teague.
A good chunk of our friends were able to make it as well as our parents!
The food spread was unreal, Nicole and Lauren brought a gorgeous cake, there was an adorable slide show, old school photos of P & I, lots of good drinks (too many for me), and I even went home with a cute Mrs. Diaz-Llaneza tank! :)
We are so lucky to have such amazing friends!!! We can't thank you all enough!!!
I'll have plenty of cute pictures to post later on!!!

*You can't tell from these photos, but Lauren bought us the most beautiful champagne flutes!
Thanks L!

Inspiration Board

Abby over at Style Me Pretty is having a contest based off of a question she received for "Ask Abby".
To enter you must put together and submit an inspiration board for "a bride that is looking for a shabby chic inspired, vineyard affair using a palette of raspberry and white. Feel free to bring in additional colors or styles as you see fit but let this description be your launching pad."
Since being engaged I've probably entered a dozen contests!!! Whether you are planning a wedding on a budget or not, who doesn't like to win prizes!? And this prize is 500 in cash!!!
There are about 100 different ways I could spend the money, all wedding related of course!
Wish me luck!

I've attached my board and hopefully win or lose Abby will be featuring it over the next week so keep an eye out.
XO's!

Crazy Fact Thursday

It is believed that originally, the veil was worn to show modesty and were worn at the ceremony as a symbol of her promise to obey her husband. The veil dates back to ancient Rome, when it was flame-yellow, always worn over the face, and called a flammeum.

Missing in Action, literally!

Please accept my sincerest of apologies for neglecting my blog these last few days!

Pepe and I took a trip to Charleston this past week and boy was it a good time!!!
I haven't visted nearly enough cities to be making this comment, but I'm willing to say Charleston, SC is the greatest place in the United States!
The food, the southern hospitality, the beautiful architecture, the harbor, the homes, everything is just breathtakingly beautiful!!!!
Saturday we had another AMAZING dinner at our favorite restaurant COAST and then we hit the King Street Grill for some horrible football...we had a great time despite the Panthers BLOWING IT!!!
Our hotel, Harbour View Inn was just lovely and right on the Harbour! My favorite part though was the Tempurpedic Dream Spa Mattress! Heaven I tell you!!!

Anyways we took our Engagement Photos Saturday at the Cistern on Campus and it went so much better than I could have expected.
Karyn, our photographer, was just wonderful and really made us feel at ease!
I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Then on Monday we had a tasting with one potential caterer and a meeting at our venue afterwards with another and Jerri, our planner!
It was all just glorious!
It was exactly what I needed to get myself back on the ball and inspired again!

Sorry for talking your ear off, or maybe I should say writing your ear off. Hmmm???

Anyways, I promise lots of fun stuff coming soon!!!
In the meantime I'll leave you with some photos of the area where our pictures were taken even though they don't do it bit of justice!
*In 2 weeks I should have the actual photos to share with you all.

I was incredibly bored yesterday at work, so bored in fact that I probably spent a good 3-4 hours browsing shoes online.
I'm 110% certain that I want to wear colored shoes with my dress, but what color to choose!?!?
I could go with our wedding colors and wear a shade of green or possible copper, or I could wear one of my favorite colors, blue possibly yellow, OR since we are getting married in October in the prime of College Football Season I could wear orange to support the Hokies! :)
All I know is that I'm almost as excited to pick out my shoes as I am my dress. I'm not really sure why, I've never really been a shoe person, but maybe it's because I know it's a chance to pick out something fancy I would normally never wear!
These were some that I was fond of during my search, however, many of them would cost more than I'll probably spend on my dress and I can't do that! I mean that would be ridiculous, right? ;)

Southern Weddings Magazine

Okay, I'm probably silly for getting excited about this, but I am, I'm pretty stoked. :D
My photo is on the Southern Weddings Magazine Blog!!! I sent in my photo of me with the 2 copies I luckily found and as I was peaking in for my last day's look at their blog I saw lil' oh me! YAY!

Go get a copy! It's the best bridal magazine I've seen to date!!!!

NIE IS BACK!

www.nieniedialogues.com & http://blog.cjanerun.com

About 2 weeks ago I posted about the Nie Nie Dialogues and the horrible accident Stephanie & Christian were in along with their friend, Doug.
Well if you haven't had a chance to check out Nie's blog yet, please do when you have the time. It's ever so inspiring, as is her sister's, Courtney.
Well Courtney has been updating Nie's blog periodically. Now Nie is out of the coma, out of the hospital and recovering at her sister Page's home.
Today when I got to work I checked her blog, the first thing I do every day, and there was GREAT news!
Nie will be back blogging starting February 16th! YAY!!!

This week has been YUCKY thus far and I told P just this morning that I couldn't wait for it be over.
But then I read Courtney's sweet words and the ugliness of the day, of my week, just kind of vanished.
Here's part of what she had to say on her blog but I encourage you to go read the whole post...

"When the day came that we heard her doctor say, "She is out of the woods!" we cried. And started to prepare her world for her return. And slowly slowly slowly she awoke. So slowly in fact, that I hardly noticed how heavy it had been. The whole process of seeing someone die and live again. In due time I couldn't help but notice that the more I heard her voice the less of her voice I needed to be. Which is a tribute to the natural process and the fact that sisters are connected in ways that cannot be described on a blog or elsewhere. But it wasn't until this very evening, I saw my sister completely herself with light in her eyes. So I asked her, if she were ready to take back her blog. Her loved hobby. Her public. (Which had grown immensely since sleeping.) She agreed to continue her own story (in some form or another) by January 16th (of this year). Then as sisters we had an incredible laugh at all the funny parts and not-so-funny parts of the last episodic months of our lives. And shook hands (though she said, do it really softly please.) Then asked me to scratch her back because it itches. And with two of her children, I loaded up the car and came home."

Crazy Fact Thursday

Life in the 1500's: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.

*Bouguet image via Martha Stewart Weddings

Oh baby!!!

My mama is crocheting these ADORABLE little baby booties that I'm just head over heels about.
This unfortunately isn't the clearest photo, but can you see the little button on the side? PRECIOUS!!!
She also makes the most darling little hats!
I unfortunately don't have too many friends with lil' babies right now, but if you do and you'd like to purchase a set, let me know.
(Sorry mama san, I had to!) ;)

BOREDOM!

Have you ever had one of those days that just never really gets going?
A day so slow in fact that I don't feel like doing ANYTHING.
Nothing is inspiring me, I don't feel creative in the least, I basically feel useless.
All I wanna do is going home to my 2 loves (Tucker & Pepe of course), eat a huge burrito, work out because I feel guilty about said burrito, and then GO TO BED with hopes that tomorrow will be a much happier, brighter, inspiring day!
And that my friends is exactly what I'm going to do!
See you tomorrow for CRAZY FACT THURSDAY!
Nite!

Psst....

Hey there my few fellow followers, like the space cadet I can often be, I didn't realize my blog wasn't set up for you all to comment!!!!
Silly, silly me!!!
I would love to hear your comments, suggestions, etc.!!!
Please let me know what you think, like, dislike if you feel so inclined.
XO's!

The First Look

If you would have asked me just yesterday if I would want to see P before walking down the aisle I would have responded, NO WAY!
However, I just read this great article that I came across via the Little Black Book on Style me Pretty and it truly has me thinking it could be a good, scratch that, GREAT idea!
This, of course, is something I need to discuss with P, but we are both pretty nontraditional people and I think doing this just might make the whole day/evening run more smoothly.
I can just see myself being a big gigantic ball of nerves as I walk down the aisle, which means I'll also probably be crying uncontrollably (cause that's what I do when I'm nervous, inherited that fine quality from my mama).
Anyways, I think it could make for a really nice moment and I'd love to get as many photos out of the way before the ceremony! That way not only will be able to get a the shots we still need right as the sun is setting, but we won't have to feel rushed to take them all!
Plus we are planning on a cocktail hour that I think we'd both like to enjoy and if all the photos are taken after the ceremony it's likely we'd miss most of it.
Lastly and most importantly, I think it would be wonderful to be able to spend a little time with just P before all the fun hoop-lah begins!

So lovely!

Hi ladies and gent (I think P is my only male reader thus far), I just had to share this picture my mother sent me of the antique dessert plates she was able to find the other day.
If you remember the theme of the bridal luncheon is Shabby Chic and I couldn't adore these more!
Oh and in the background are the absolutely darling salt and pepper shakers she found.
Swoon!

Ahhh the WEEKEND! :)

It's quite possible (with the exception of walking the dog) that P and I won't leave the house this weekend and I LOVE IT! :)
On the agenda...
football, cleaning, cooking, 3 dvds, more cleaning, organizing Christmas gifts, cooking, probably more cleaning, working on a wedding related project that I can't reveal for another week, and of course lots of relaxing. :)
I made homemade biscuits this morning with my new fancy biscuit cutters my mama got me and they were the BEST batch to date!!!
Afterwards I made my first ever, totally from scratch, cupcakes and I'm pretty happy with the results. I call them Emie's Winter Wonderland Cupcakes. ;)
Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend!
xo's!