ALERT:

I HAVE PURCHASED 2 MORE DYES.

I WILL ATTEMPT TO DYE MY CRINOLINE 2 MORE TIMES

BEFORE SETTING IT ON FIRE.

{this was supposed to be green!!! ahhhhhh!!!!}

THAT IS ALL.

My Progress:

When I'm gone for a while I like to think it's not n vain, I hope you feel the same way. Without further ado, my progress!!

I took the day off yesterday and picked the bridesmaid shoes.

The overall look will be somethng like this:

The actual shoe is this:

I purchased what will be our memoy candles, for our grandpareents who have passed. Working with Busy Vee on designing the velum paper that will wrap each votive.

The left is a prototype, the right is what I purchased...the weddings on the intercoastal, we're caribbean, the shells seemed to o with the theme :)

I am covered in green paint and glitter becuase my bridesmaid gifts are done!

and for Christmas my mom presented me with the best gifts ever!! My completed table runners, veil, and sashes for the bridesmaids dresses :)

Little known wedding facts

One of my favorite bloggers, Bridal Bliss posted this, and since it was interesting to me, I thought it'd be interesting to you. Enjoy!


"In case you've ever wondered why certain things are almost always done at weddings, the answers are here (well, at least most of the ones I've wondered about). For example, why the bride carries a bouquet or wears a veil? Or why guests throw rice or rose petals over the newlyweds? Below are the origin and symbolism of some of the most popular Wedding Traditions.

This comprehensive list of wedding traditions comes from a delightful little book entitled The Romance of the Wedding Ceremony by Rev. Richleigh Hale Powers, Ph.D. This book has helped many couples personalize their wedding ceremony in a format that is both enjoyable and easy to use.

THE BRIDE'S BOUQUET
Bridal bouquets have evolved through the ages. Saracen brides carried bouquets of orange blossoms to symbolize fertility, and Roman brides carried sheaves of wheat to symbolize prosperity for their husbands. In the eighteenth century, the practice of carrying a bouquet of flowers or herbs became a popular tradition, which symbolized fragility, purity and new life. Bouquets of dill were among the most popular herb carried. After the ceremony, the dill was eaten to "provoke lust." Today, bridal bouquets are tossed to assembled single women to symbolize new life and to pass on the bride's good fortune.

THE SPECIAL MEANING OF THE BRIDE'S VEIL
The veil represents modesty and respect. It symbolizes the sanctity and exclusiveness of the marriage covenant and reminds the couple and the witnesses that the physical relationship is to be entered into only after the vows are completed.

RICE AND PETALS
In the Middle Ages, handfuls of wheat were thrown over married couples to symbolize the hope for fertility. In modern times, rice is thrown instead of wheat to symbolize fertility. In recent years, flower petals have become another alternative, symbolizing beauty, happiness and prosperity.

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE
Old and new items jointly symbolize the passage from the old unmarried state t that of the new married union. The wearing of a borrowed belonging demonstrates community participation in and approval of the wedding. Blue is worn because it is the color that signifies purity, love, and fidelity.

WHITE AISLE RUNNER
A white aisle runner symbolizes walking on holy ground. A marriage covenant is not made merely between two people and their witnesses. It is made in the presence of God and He is actively involved in the agreement. The white aisle runner symbolizes God's holiness.

SPECIAL SEATING FOR THE PARENTS
The parents of the bride and groom are part of the marriage covenant. The commitments they make during the ceremony are just as binding as the vows of the couple. The final responsibility of parents for their children is to determine with them God's will for a life partner. Thereafter, they serve in a chain of counsel for them and their children. Parents enter in the line of authority and leave in the line of counsel.

THE GROOM ENTERING FIRST
By this action, the groom signifies that he is the covenant initiator. This is important because whoever initiates the covenant assumes great responsibility for seeing it fulfilled.

THE FATHER OF THE BRIDE WALKING DOWN THE AISLE
This action has two meanings. By doing so, the father is saying to the bride, "I am endorsing this young man as God's very best choice of a husband for you, and I am now bringing you to him." In addition, the father is saying to the young man, "I am presenting to you a daughter who I have earnestly endeavored to raise as a pure bride."

THE BRIDE AND GROOM TAKING EACH OTHER'S RIGHT HAND DURING THE CEREMONY
The open right hand offered by each party symbolizes their strength, resources and purpose. By clasping each other's right hand, they pledge these qualities to each other so that each partner can depend on all the resources that the other brings into the covenant relationship. The handclasp goes far beyond sealing the contract. It symbolizes the cleaving together of lives which is to be accomplished in the marriage covenant.

THE GROOM MAKING THE FIRST MARRIAGE VOW
The groom must be the leader and assume greater responsibility for fulfilling the marriage covenant. As covenant initiator, he must commit himself to the purposes of marriage which God established in the beginning, and these must be reflected in his vows.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE WEDDING RINGS
The wedding rings symbolize the promises binding two people together in marriage. The unbroken circle of the wedding band represents the continuity of undying love. Greek theory believed the fourth finger of the left hand to be connected to the heart, making this the appropriate finger to be "bound" in romantic attachment.

KISSING THE BRIDE
During the Roman Empire, the kiss between a couple symbolized a legal bond. Continued use of the kiss to seal the marriage bond is based on the deeply rooted idea of the kiss as a vehicle for transference of power and souls.

THE COUPLE BEING PRONOUNCED "HUSBAND AND WIFE"
This establishes their change of names and a definite point in time for the beginning of the marriage. These words are to remove any doubt in the minds of the couple or the witnesses concerning the validity of the marriage.

SIGNING THE WEDDING PAPERS
The newlywed couple signs the wedding papers to establish a public document and a continuing public record of the covenant.

SIGNING THE GUEST BOOK
Wedding guests are official witnesses to the covenant. By signing the guest book, they are saying, "I have witnessed the vows, and I will testify to the reality of this marriage." Because of this significance, the guest book should be signed after the wedding rather than before it.

THE PURPOSE OF THE RECEIVING LINE
The receiving line is for guests to give their blessings to the couple and their parents.

THE MEANING OF SERVING FOOD AT THE RECEPTION
Food is part of the covenant celebration. It further symbolizes the unity of the couple. Entering into a meal itself is a form of covenant.

THE BRIDE AND GROOM FEEDING WEDDING CAKE TO EACH OTHER
This represents the sharing of their body to become one. A New Testament illustration of this symbolism is The Lord's Supper."

straight from Bridal Bliss

Few more things in the works:

So I dont know if I explained how apparently every single thing I like is "so last year"... My wedding dress:DISCONTINUED. Flower girl I want:DISCONTINUED. The green dye for everyones shoes: DISCONTINUED....the material for the runners, you guessed it: DISCONTINUED!! I dont know whats up, someone has a sick sense of humor becuase if planning a wedding is hard imagine finding the item you like (scratch that LOVE) and then being told sorry, you cant have it!

But I will not compromise my vision!! The damask print for the runners was found after searing 7 different Jo-Ann Fabric, for this effect:
***another great My Mom creation***

This is almost exactly what I'll be doing except for my notations, the menus and I'll have Chavarri chairs :)

and then the dye for the shoes....aye the dye! Well again the greens you usually see for wedding are more pastel...I am not a pastel kind of person so my green is called celery and I've found 1 Davids Bridal that carries it for this effect:

What do you think??

Has it been that long!!

I cant believe it's been 2 weeks since my last post! I'm getting so bad at this...really it's becuase I've been slacking in the wedding department...kind of lol.

I paid off the venue (YAY!!)...got my BMs gifts and my MOHs too (so awesome!!) and we've verified that we've got money to cover everything we signed up for (suggest doing that before you sign a contract) and now we're just looking for the hotel, my shoes, and I guess I'll try dying my stupid crinoline again...

Meanwhile my time away has not been in vain....here's what we've done to the house!!

My Office

The Hallway

and more to come becuase these cute little collages take me forever! lol

Just when you thought all the complications were over

So remember that post where I mentioned wanting to die my crinoline and the great deal I got on my veil...yeah well...

I went to Joanne Fabric and brought the dye. Followed the directions and came out with crap. Literally. My crinoline now looks like seafoam green crap. Mind you, the packaging showed tropical green, but my crinoline is anything but tropical...and now it's all wrinkled too!! Thinking of just trashing it and getting another one :(

As for my veil...lord, lord, lord. I've had it for a nice amount of time. During this time I have it to my mom to add another layer to make it fuller. She originally wanted to make it for me and bought 2 colors of crinoline and I picked the whitest one but she had difficulty making it so I just bought one....well she added the layer like I asked. It looked awesome so I brought out the dress to see them together....ummmm yeah. My veil is bright white and my dress is not so much...They dont match! So we're back to square one. Mami bought more of the darker crinoline and is starting all over with the veil...and I feel so bad, it took her weeks with work and her personal things...but it didnt match!

Invitation Production

My amazing buddy The Incredible Busy Vee, has started production on my invitation and so far so freaking great!!! I was quarantined for sweaty hand syndrome and was mearing the person who labled the hole punchers :( But I love, love, love them!!!

TAAAAAADDDDDAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!

Our 4 Year Anniversay

Last month Mr. D and I completed for years {Instead "awwwwwws" here} and we celebrated with a weedend away in Clearwater, FL (home of Hulk Hogan and the Scientology Headquarters). Awesome weekend on the water considering we're now an hour and a half away for the beach, with dolphin sightings, boating and relaxation.

RSVP rut but there has been progress!!

I know I've been gone for a while but I swear I have something to show for it!! I just dont have it on me now lol...

1- invitations are in production and so far AWESOME!!! I'll be posting pictures as soon as possible as well a information on where you can get equally awesome paper goods as well!

2- Honeymoon has been booked :)

7 night Cruise in the Eastern Caribbean:
Miami, Half Moon Cay, St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk

As for my rut, I need a cool RSVP option...like a smiley face/sad face option, thumbs up/down, transformer/decepatcon lol...I just know there's better out there than just a simple accept/regret option...but what is it!!! 6 months to go people!!

Kickin it Old School

Another post about Mrs. V's wedding!!! I'm a big believer in the non-traditional, seeing the unexpected, and all things that fall within that realm...check out some more sneak peeks in to Mrs. V's wedding that I definately appreciated:

For the Bride and Her bridesmaids

For the groom and his groomsmen

Put it all together and what do you get??

Love it!

all photos courtesy of herastudios.com

Beauty on Budget

This post is dedicated to new bride and Facebook buddy Mrs. V!
I always felt you HAD to have centerpieces! They must be huge they must be extravagent or the table would look bare....and then Mrs. V got married and look what she did with bold colors, print, petal and a candelabra :)

Guest Tables




Sign -Table

Sweethearts Tables

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. V! beautifully done!

and I'm sure it costs hell of a lot less then I'm spending! lol Ah well, life is all about lessons learned!

all photos courtesy of herastudios.com

Boudior Session

Out of respect for my honey, since he feels these are his pictures I'll only post the one, which I've blurred for a bit for anonymity lol. I received the result of my boudoir session and all I can say is wow! It is totally unlike I've ever seen myself before...sexy, seductive and in your face! Again, I recommend every woman do it! I see myself showing my daughter these one day, when she looks at me like I know nothing about being hot, I'll have proof that I invited hot! lol The photographer is the one and only Carmen of Studio by Carmen . Look her up! She does wedding too! LOVE LOVE LOVED the experience!

Officially a Gil Sosa Bride :)

If you're ever on The Knot in the South Florida section then you know Gil Sosa...this man doesnt even have a website and he's crazy popular! He is extrememly talented, sought after and amazing!!

He works with your vision and your budget and has an AWESOME following. And now I've got him :) My centerpieces will be similar to that shown :)

My mouth is watering as I type...

We had our fod tasting this past weekend and it was better than I can put into words. We all but licked the plates! At our wedding we'll be offering:

1- mixed greens salad w/ choice of 3 dressings
2-grilled veggies or moro (rice and beans)
3-grilled chicken with choice of sauce
4-grilled skirt steak cooked on site
5-penne pasta with choice of 3 sauces.

and I'm sure I missed something. But, um...yeah...I had dreams about that mean. This has officially made me excited. I can wait to eat and tear into my cake!! This isnt just a weddig it's the party of the century!!!
For you south Florida brides: Americaters!

We've got a winner! Meet my cake!

Red Velvet and Lemon...need I say more?? Well actually yes...lol the yellow would be green or it wouldnt make sense :) and the top piece is being replicated so we'll have our untouched piece for our 1 year anniversay!!!!!!! OMG I cant wait!!

Cool DIY site!

Wordle is this funky tool, where you enter some text, hit a few buttons, and you have created a great piece of art-work. The above was created using the lyrics to Ribbon in the Sky which I plan to walk down the aisle to :) and who knows maybe you'll see this around my wedding somewhere!!

Everyone I love, I love in groups:

The men in my life: Jason and Jelly {our puppy :0) }, my friends Leidy & Laura, my most important people...Mami, Mama and Manito (my mom, g-ma and big brother) and I introduce you to the most important 3:

The reason for this post is Wednesday I was informed my grandmother had suffered a heart attack. She's stable and thay're giving her a tune up but God! was that a scare. Last year my grandfather died, and I hadnt spoken to him for over a year before that happened. No bad blood I just kept putting off calling him until it was too late. Now my grandmother is the only one I have left and I hadnt spoken to her in over a month. This is my second chance and I'm taking it! She promised me 26 more years and I'm holding her to that! {she's 84}...take that as a sign, call your loved ones before it's too late.

Red Carpet Ready

2 weeks ago 3 of my 6 bridesmaids came up and we hit the town along with Mr. D on a missison to find their dresses, and find them we did!! Like previously posted we foudn all the dress at White House Black Market for the incredible price of $29.99 each! Now they're not comlete, we still need a green sash to go around each one and shoes and jewelry but this is a HUGE step in the right direction, and I show present Busy Vee, P.lo and Little Leidy!

This is Busy Vee looking quite pretty in her Matron of Honor attire :)

Next is P.lo in a dress not quite her size, but looking gorgeous non the less, Maid of Honor at its finest! Her dress {seen in a previous post, came a week later} and fits great!

and finally the Bridesmaid of all Bridesmaids, Little Leidy!

The dress wore by Little Leidy is the same gown the rest of the bridemaids will be wearing, the same dress went up to $59.99 the next weekend....so I went ahead and bought them all! lol

Weekend Buys: Live from Wedding Headquarters!

This weekend was what I would call "productive"...I was window shopping, just minding my own buisiness, when BAM! out of nowhere pop these awesome finds!

Without further ado I present you this weekends purchases!

This little beauty came from T.J. Max for an amazing $4.99! It stands about 20 inches tall and will hold one of our engagement photos that I'm having put on canvas.

This is our future cake stand and came from Home Goods for $16.99...I haven't ordered our cake yet so all I know is it better fit becuase it's this or nothing! Do you know how expensive cake stands are! Jeez! Almost as much as the cake!

and finally! For wedding headquarters...we've got curtains!!! Because only God knows how hot this room has been with this Florida sun...I dont complain in front of Mr. D becuase I dont want him to know that he made the right choice giving up this room lol...

Oh and that color you see....that's "Fushia Flock" lol not to be confused with pink :)

It fits!

My MOH received her dress today from White HouseBlack Market and it fits! Yup, this dress was $29.99 when we went, the next day it was up to $59.99 and regular price is about $168 so it was a steal!

My goal is to find a green sash for this and all of the dresses to bring them all together.

Bring in the Ringbearer!!!!!!!!!

Now that we've gotten official confirmation I'd like to introduce you to Jaden, our ringbearer! He is my FH's, cousin's son...got that? lol

Mr. Jaden hails all the way from Bradenton, Fl and will be accomplianing my cousin's daughet, Alana, down the aisle...kids are so freaking cute! My planis to have both of them formally dress with a twist...maybe some Chuck Taylors?

Now when I say "Pro" you say "Gress"!

Progess! Progress!! I'm so psyched! and if you know me I'm not easily psyched for fear that things will fall through..taking a minute to knock on wood....but we've found and purchased dresses for the Bridal Party!!! 3 out of my 6 girls are sorta ready to go... By sorta I mean my MOH didnt find it in her size so she ordered on and hopefully when it comes in it'll fit.

As for the dresses they came from White HouseBlack Market Outlet and were on sale for $29.99!!! So my MOH and M(atron)OH will be wearing different styles from the rest of the girls and my MOH will be in Black and white while everyone else will be in black with a green sash {we have yet to start the hunt for the sashes} and I of course in white...the struggle ahead lies in the other 3 being able to find the same dresses...They're in an outlet, which means not everyone will be able to find them...and the other girls are in NY, Miami, and WPB so fairly spreadout. I'll keep my fingers crossed though ;0) My goal is the above, wish me luck!

Photo Guestbook, my latest venture

I was up past midnight last night designing what will be my "Photo Guestbook" similar to the one seen above. I didnt want your customary sign-in guestbook becuase 1-I'll never look at it again 2-it's a bit boring for me and 3-If I'm never going to look at it I'd rather just x it completely.... but I do want to remember everyone that was present and give them the opportunity to lay down the wisdom so instead I went this route. Through Shutterfly I uploaded my images, layed them out how I wanted them (over 20 pages) and added in quotes, songs and sayings on marriage, leaving just enough room for messages from my guests. I used my engagement session photos since this'll be a nice way to dispaly all 50+ photos.

With shipping (which was waived on orders over $25) I got it for a whopping $27.99!! I did find other site that did it for cheaper but the layouts they provided weren't to my liking... I'll also be putting on of our photos on canvas for the sign-in table (and later for our hallway) and making a book for my boudoir photos :0) Hope they come oput nice I'll repost as soon as I get them!