Is this how Willy Wonka felt?

I have been watching wedding shows for years, grabbing ideas from most of them. The key now is to be able to work the ones that I like the most into my ceremony. The one idea that I know that I am using is, a candy bar. I have a sweet tooth anyway, so it works out perfectly. The trouble that I was finding was that, all the brides that I saw who had candy bars at their weddings were using colors like pink, yellow or red. These colors are little more appetizing that turquoise. My mom is questioning why I want our guest to be walking around with their mouths looking the color of Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. I began to do some research, to find where I could obtain bulk candy in the color that I need. My local Wal-Mart use to have a candy store in it, but of course when I need it, it closes. Once I again I begin to surf the Internet to find what I need. Wow..when they say the world wide web they surely mean it. Even though the candy was not within reach, I still felt like a kid in a candy store. I found blue raspberry gumballs, blue raspberry Laffy Taffy and turquoise buttermints on The Candy Warehouse. On the Groovy Candies website, I found blue raspberry sours and Now and Laters. Of course, I went to the M&M to find the perfect color chocolates. It is not in my budget to add Chuck and I' s name on them, but I guess it does not really matter anyway since people will be eating them not reading them. At least I am just looking at the candy and not eating the candy. That would not do much for my current weight loss program.

Now that I know where I am getting my candy from, I need to find the containers that I want to put them in to. I want them to be different shapes and sizes, to make the display a little more interesting. I have found a lot of 3 on Ebay for $.99. What a deal!!! My mom found a real crystal bowl at the thrift store, ( one of my favorite places on earth). I think I have decided that I am only going to have 8 selections of candy at the reception so I only need to look for 4 more. To complete the candy bar area, I need to find some candy scoops and find the perfect bags that I can put my monogram on (well I guess I need to get on the ball rolling on creating that) for my guest to take the treats in.

This planning stuff takes on many layers. I thought that picking candy would be simple, but there are several other things that I need to do so that the candy bar looks that way that I want it so that my guest and I are both satisfied.

Wedding Tip of the Week: Wedding Planner

With all of the things that you have to get done for your wedding, selecting a location, picking flowers, ordering invitations, selecting a cater and choosing the perfect wedding dress, it can be a little overwhelming. With all that a bride has to do, having someone who can assist you in managing everything can be wonderful. That is where a wedding planner comes in. A wedding planner can assist with planning the entire event to just day of the wedding services. Some wedding coordinators can also assist with a la carte services as well. You can hire a wedding planner as soon as you choose your wedding date or as late as a couple weeks before. A wedding planner can also provide you for some resources of vendors in your area.

In choosing a wedding planner, select one that fits your budget, style and expectations. Always remember that a wedding planner does not plan a wedding based off of their vision for your day, but off of your vision that you have for wedding.

If looking a wedding coordinator in the cental Ohio area please contact A Perfect Pair at aperfectpairweddings@yahoo.com for a free consultation.

3 Things done...1,000 to go

I have gotten three things off of my checklist, confirmed the date with my pastor, selected my venue and my photographer. I am getting married at the Olde Gahanna Sanctuary. It is a beautiful church that was built in the early 1900's, that in 1997 turned into a rental facility after it was restored. It has lots of space so I will be having my ceremony in the sanctuary and then my guest will go to the the other side of the building for appetizers and then return the to where the ceremony is for dinner. Having the guest go to the other side allows for the tables to be set up in the room. I was glad I reserved the space when I did, since they were already becoming booked up for next year. No wonder they book up so quick, they are very reasonable, unlike other venues. People ask my mom and I all the time why I am not getting married at my church. My mom says it is because I am vain and my church does not have a center aisle. I have to admit, sometimes that is part of the reason. The main reason is that I wanted to have everything in one place. I love my church, but I had never imagined myself getting married there.

Another item I have off my list is my photographer. My friend Sarah Gee is an excellent photographer. I think that it started as a creative outlet for her, since she is an art teacher. She has taken several pictures of various weddings, baby photos and senior pictures. I have always known since seeing her photography that she would do my wedding. She also makes those beautiful storybooks with your wedding photos. I can not wait to see mine. Here are a few photos that Sarah took of a wedding at The Sanctuary, you get two for one, you get to see her beautiful pictures and where I am getting married. For more information on Sarah and her photography please contact her at.. vicphotogee@yahoo.com.

Shoes..Glorious Shoes

I must say I have a little bit of a shoe fetish. I love shoes. They can have a high heel, a wedge or a flip-flop, I love shoes. Taking me to DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) is like taking a food addict to a buffet. Upon entering the store, my eyes begin to glaze over, my heart starts to race and then I need to decided where to go first. I love the thrill of hunt. Seeking out the latest shoe style or the style that my friends do not even know about and I get first. The hunt gets better when I find the perfect shoe in the CLEARANCE section. Sometimes I do not have to have an outfit for the shoe, but build an outfit around the shoe making it the star.

I was not even supposed to be in the shoe store tonight, but my mom was looking for something and I went with her..you know for moral support. Of course, I went through my routine of being overwhelmed with all the beautiful shoes. As I make my way to the clearance section, all the time running through my head that I was not going to purchases anything, I spot them. The perfect shoes for my wedding. ( the above photo is sort of looks like the shoes) I walk up to them. I inspect them. I caress them. Then I realize that they are 40% off, which makes them even better. As I look through the other evening/bridal shoes in the store... I begin to think about how great a deal these were. I refuse to pay $46.00-70.00 for a pair shoes that I am probably only going to wear for 2 hours and take off for a cute pair of flip-flops at the reception. I decided to take the plunge and try them on. Of course, they fit perfectly and were comfortable to boot. The only problem was, I was trying to decide if the heel was to high to stand next to my fiance. He is not a short man, but sometimes when I wear certain shoes , like a stiletto, I am shoulder to shoulder to him. My mom liked them and they felt good to walking. I had to make sure that they were dye able,since I would like the shoes to be dyed the same color as my sash on my dress, aqua (my something blue). I decided to put them on hold so that I could check the Internet to see if I really was getting a deal. I will probably end up going to get them, because they were on sale, made my calf look really long and lean and they really need a home. Never leave a shoe orphaned.

Whose wedding is this anyway?

I love that show on the Style channel called, "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?". In this short time of planning my wedding, I sometimes feel like that. Have you ever noticed that when you are planning for your wedding ( if you have not planned one yet...get ready) everyone has an opinion. Everyone from your friends, bridesmaids, church members, parents and yes even your fiance (oops, I guess he should have a say) has something to say. I have ideas on what I want to do, and yea I might be moving a little slow at this point. Heck, I have 13 months....well a little under that. I know that my wedding day will be here before I know it, but I want to savor every moment of it. I want to enjoy the day that I pick out my table linens, discover the fabric for my bridesmaid's dresses, find the perfect saying to put inside of Chucks' ring and going shopping with my mother to find my dream wedding dress. I want to make this MY ( should I say our ) wedding and not what everyone else wants it to be.

Me? Am I really 35?

Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to Dana. Happy birthday to me.

I actually turned 35 on March 20th, but am celebrating all weekend with family and friends. On Friday, I went to the Cheesecake Factory with some girlfriends and sorority sisters. It was fun after I got past pouting with the restaurant manager, about him saying that we would have to wait 80 minutes to a table was ready after I was quoted 60 earlier in the day. Needless to say the pouting worked and he sat us down earlier. It was an enjoyable meal, filled with conversation, laughter and sharing new foods (some people had not eaten there before). After the dinner, we went to see Tyler Perry's new movie Meet the Browns. It was great movie, I think that I laughed the entire time. I really enjoyed myself. It is always nice to spend time with people that you really care about and love.

(I love the picture of the cupcakes. This is what I want for my wedding. If I can just get my mom and fiance to agree.)

Wedding Tip of the Week: Bridesmaids

When selecting your bridesmaids, make sure you select people (because the new trend is to have either male or female attendance for either bride or groom) that you really trust and care for, and they feel the same way about you. Being a bridesmaid, is not just having someone stand up there with you one of the happiest days of your life, but someone who will be there for you when your cater screws up the menu, the flowers that you want for your bouquet are not in season and when your groom is fussing about the rising cost of the budget. Your bridesmaids should stand with you not only on your wedding day but stand beside you through out your marriage.

15 pounds....50 more to go!!

Yeah, I got some great news today. I went to doctor and I have lost another 15 pounds since last month when I saw the doctor last. I have been trying to work out 2-3 days per week and watching what I eat since the beginning of last summer, when I realized that I was starting to look like Ora the Killer Whale. I have had my good months and I have had my bad months with my regular exercise and eating, so my weight would go up and down. I have been really watching what I am doing since I got engaged. I do not want to look like the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man ( the big marshmallow man that got shot down in the first Ghostbusters movie) when I walk down the aisle. Losing 15 pounds in a month is a big deal, especially when I am used to losing 7-8 pounds a month. I was also surprised due to the amount of lemon creme Girl Scout cookies I have been treating myself to. Well, I am not going to complain something worked. When I first started this quest to committing to be fit, I had to find a variety of different exercises to do since I would become bored with just going to the gym and walking on the treadmill. I have been talking a hip hop aerobics class and a water aerobics class at the gym, walk with a co-worker when the weather is warm and take yoga once or twice a week.

The one workouts that I look forward to every week, is my belly dancing class. I have been taking belly dancing for almost a year now. I started taking classes in May of last year. My classes are taken at Habeebas Dance of the Arts http://www.habeebas.com/ . I really enjoy the way that my body moves and how the classes make me feel. Besides they are fun. I try to get to classes twice a week if possible, so that I can dance. My teacher is trying to talk me into performing with the troupe this summer. I said that I might depending on what dance I did. I really like the dances that we dance with the scarfs. We will see how the next few months go with the dance classes and wedding planning to see if and when I am going to perform.

The next type of exercise that I am interested in is pole dancing. One of sorority sisters took this class and said it really gave her a good upper body workout. I am trying to figure out when I can fit this into my schedule. This class has two-fold benefits, a great arm and leg workout and future newlywed benefits (if you know what I mean). Here is a place that offers pole and exotic dancing, called Dolphin Dance, http://dolphindanceexotic.com/ . Maybe I will see you there!

Invitations: To make or not to make, that is the question.

I have received several emails about pocket invitations. I posted a comment on roadtotheaisle.blogspot.com, when she was explaining her invitation process. I must say I was really inspired by her creativity on making her own invitations. I consider myself a "Crafty Kathy" myself and have looked into all options, well the cheapest, option for my budget. For pocketfold invitations here are a couple of resources that you can use:

• 
  http://www.anchorpaper.com/ This company has the right shade of Tiffany blue that I have been looking for. Actually this is the paper company that the bride to be on the road to the aisle blog used for the paper she used for her invitations. The person that I had contact with was Tom (tpeterson@anchorpaper.com). He was really helpful and responses quick to email. He can assist you with the custom cutting that you need for your invitation. The colors of paper that match the most for my wedding were Metallic Astrobright Glisten Lunar Blue and Stardream Metallic Aquamarine. I ordered samples from them. They do charge for the color sample, due the recent demand, but I feel it is totally worth it.





• I have also checked out http://www.cardsandpocketsstore.com/. They have a variety of different types of pocketfolds. The site also shows the sizes and shape of the inserts that are needed for each of the different types of folds. They have a minimal charge for a sample pocket in the color that you want. You can also order a color swatch from them. All samples have free shipping on them, that is great for a bride on a budget.

In emailing Tom and reviewing the information that was mailed to me from Cards and Pockets, the prices were not that different from one another. You just need to decide if you want, or have time, to be crafty. I need to figure out if I feel like folding and gluing 250 pocketfolds or just have them all ready put together by someone else. If you do decided to make them yourself I would refer back to the roadtotheaisle.blogspot.com for detailed instructions on how to make them. She has photographs and step-by-step instructions. I just need to be serious with myself and think if I am really am going to have time to complete all of them plus all of the other items I need to do on for my wedding. I think that sometimes just put the to do items to the back of my mind, since I am not getting married until April of next year. I should know better since I am a part-time wedding planner and am constantly on my brides to get the things done that I need them to do.

With the pocketfolds I need to decide on which style I like the best.

I am looking at one of these two styles. I am not going to need that many inserts since I am having my wedding and my reception all in the same place. That means one set of directions and one RSVP card. Which cuts some of the cost of what I need to order and to print for each of the invitation. It might even make it a little bit lighter to mail since who knows what the USPS will do this time next year when I get ready to mail them.

On the Cards and Pockets website there were several different teal or aqua colors shown. They have Tiffany, pool and teal. When I obtained the sample from them I thought that the Tiffany color was the closest to the color that I have chosen for my wedding.

I hope that this information helps and I will keep you posted on what I really end up doing or if I find any more sites or information.

21 Questions

Have you ever noticed that once you get the ring....you get all the of these questions? Sometimes when I am talking to someone I feel like I can hear the music from Jeopardy playing in my ear. The questions range from " How are they wedding plans going?" to " When are you guys having a baby?" I just want to say "Slow your roll, we just solidified a date.".....April 11, 2009. Sometimes I feel like that people do not see me or hear me anymore. They just want to hear about my event. Not to say I am not excited..I waited to damn long for this. It is just sometimes I think that they are more excited than me.

13 months to go!!!

I have 13 months to go until I get married. I got engaged on December 26, 2008, after a less than exciting Christmas. On Christmas with all my family and friends around we were exchanging gifts, as we got to the end, I began to wonder were was my gift from Chuck (my then boyfriend). I just figured that since he was a private person that he would give me my gift once everyone left our house for the evening. I went and began to wash some dishes from dessert, Chuck came up behind me with some paperwork. I looked up and he began to talk to me about that he was going to give me my ring this Christmas but the jewelry store sold my ring to someone else. It all became a blur, as looked at the paperwork with nothing shiny next to it. Before I knew it, curse words were flying out of my mouth and I was tell him to get out my face. As he walked away saying sorry, I did not know that he had told all my friends and family what he was doing and they were laughing in our living room.

At 3:00 am, Chuck came into our bedroom yelling and screaming about a mess or something downstairs. I was still half a sleep, trying to figure out what he was saying as I fumbled for my glasses so I could see. When I finally got my glasses on and got out of bed, I realized that he was standing there with the ring. Of course, I was speechless and tried to play off my shock. He asked me to be his wife, I began to cry. It was not one of those cute cries, it was one of those ugly, snot rolling, losing your breath cries. Through all that I finally got out YES!!!!!! We have a mortgage together, do you think that I would not say yes? Thus...the planning begins.