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.