Just some Things I loved from a Real Life Wedding

I found a few things online that I thought were pretty or really cool for weddings. I love looking at bouquets especially those with fresh roses and here are some pretty ones I found from TheKnot:














The featured wedding today is from Lisa and Jerry's Wedding in CA from TheKnot. I was doing my daily browsing and loved almost every aspect of their simple, elegant, and classy wedding.





I love how the groomsmen are wearing sneakers. It just shows the individuality and creativity of the couple. I'm all about adding that personal touch or flair to weddings.









I have been seeing alot of these paper lanterns lately and I like the way it looks. I am considering using these type of lanterns at my reception hall.

Not Easily Broken

This evening the hubster and I watched this movie called Not Easily Broken by T.D. Jakes who happens to be a very famous pastor. Before some of you sigh and navigate away from this page, hear me out. Its not just another "Christian" movie. Yes it has some aspect of religion in it, but the main focus is around love and marriage; how to get and keep it. I know we all have our religious differences but on the subject of love, we speak the same language.

Seriously, seriously, seriously, I implore you to watch this movie if you are married, trying to get married, or just in a relationship. If I were teaching a premarital course or marriage counseling, I would highly recommend this movie. It touches upon topics that are highly important to building a foundation for any relationship.

A few important themes that the movie addresses are:

1. Keeping your business your business. Nobody else should be in your relationship but the two of you

2. Communication is key. No further comment is necessary for this one

3. Respect one another.

4. Support one another

Thats all because I'm not a relationship counselor. I'm still learning this stuff.

I know some of you may be wondering why I am writing about this and I'm sure a few of you know why. We spend so much time, energy, and money planning our weddings. The wedding lasts for a couple of hours that ends quickly. All we really have left are the pictures and memories. I think that we need to spend more effort into preparing for the marriage, which can last for years. When all the glitz and glamour is gone, the wedding dress is tucked away, what is left?

Think about it.

Save the Dates?

I went home this weekend and when my fiance came to pick me up, we sat down with my parents and told them about our wedding plans. My parents are super picky and difficult and want to have control over the entire wedding. Thank God I am marrying someone who is not afraid of my father. I got strength just by sitting there with him. I really want to enjoy my wedding day and the only way to truly do that is to put my foot down.
For the first time my father was speechless but really what can he say?
Now I can go full force with the wedding plan now that everyone is privvy to the information.
First things first: Send my security deposit to our reception place. I really hope our date is still available. The ceremony place is right across the street so we just have to coordinate and make sure everything is on the same page.
I've been thinking a lot about Save the Dates. I really like the idea of sending one but as we are on a budget, I'm not really sure it is necessary. It does help create the air of anticipation and I like creating the buzz around my wedding. I actually have an idea for our pictures and can do it myself to save money. So we'll see.
Here are some tips on Save the Dates from The Knot. I wanted to post a few save the dates I found online but felt weird posting people's names. Here are a few I found on WeddingpaperDivas so are having a sale until June 1st!
Are anyone of you doing save the dates?

Shoes Shoes Shoes

I love shoes, especially high heels although I am already relatively tall (5'7). One of my first wedding related searches had to do with shoes. I don't want to wear white shoes because I had to buy a pair for a wedding I walked in last summer and I hardly ever wear white shoes. I want to buy new shoes that I can also wear AFTER the wedding.
I've heard great things about Cole Haan shoes. Supposedly they do not hurt like so many other pairs of heels. I plan on dancing the night away and I don't want to go barefoot or change into flip flops although this may happen. His Cole Haan Nike Air high heel shoe collection is said to be a godsend! He teamed up with Nike and placed Nike zoom air bags in the heel and ball. The result is a shoe that feels almost as great as wearing your favorite sneakers except they look better! Ladies, you do not have to sacrifice your heel fetish for comfort anymore. Now you can have both because some of the shoes are cute and are still 3'-4' in height!



They also have a new bridal collection.






Like many women I think, I also have this dream fantasy of one day owning a pair of Manolo Blahniks. I just love them and I think they would look amazing with my dress.
Here is the pair that I would buy if it fit in my budget. They are elegant, timeless, and can be worn over and over after the wedding.













So anyways I found another interesting way to get new shoes. Not sure how good it is but it seems legit. I'm not brave enough to try it but maybe someone out there is. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian founded a new shoe company called ShoeDazzle. Described as the "premier shoe society", fashionistas everywhere can join this network for $39.00 a pair/or month. After filling out a survey detailing your personal taste, renowned stylists personally pick out 5 pairs of shoes. The shoes are delivered right to your home and you have the option of picking one pair. Every month, new shoes are sent to your home for your personal enjoyment! The shoes are pretty cute and the stylists have dealt with a few celebs that you are familiar with such as: Kimberly Locke, Audrina Partridge, Sophia Bush, Paris Hilton, Kanye West, Carmen Electra, just to name a few Check out the shoes for your personal enjoyment.

Other more budget friendly way to get new shoes are: zappos.com and gojane.com,
Craiglist and Ebay are other options. I see tons of people selling their wedding dresses and shoes on craigslist. I have myself purchased a new pair of BCBG pumps for a very low price, so its worth looking into.
I have my heart set on the Manolo Blahniks so I guess I have a lot more shoe shopping to do.

Happy shoe shopping!

Wedding Hostess

I've been to weddings where the couple had ushers; usually younger girls standing at the door handing out programs. Recently I heard about the term hostess, so I went google searching to see if this was something that could be beneficial at my wedding.
Here is what I read on Host and Hostess Duties at Weddinginsight.com about the duties of a Hostess. It sounds pretty straightforward but I can also see how it can be abused. I don't want the hostess to feel like a personal assistant because they are not. Their role would be to hand out programs and direct people at the reception especially those who were not invited to the reception.
I have a few people who I have in mind for this role, close friends who have the personality to pull this off. Do you think someone would take offense to being asked to be a hostess? Would they see it in a different light than intended?