The Monkey Suit

Tuxes have been picked out for the guys. We are getting them at Walkers Formal Wear in Knoxville. Measurements are supposed to be in by March 1st. I'm crossing my fingers on that one.

Here is a picture of what the guys will be sporting on August 2nd. It's a Calvin Klein suit....the funniest part is that Adam Foster and Julie Noonan (our friends who are getting married only a couple of weeks before us) picked out the EXACT same tux for their guys!!! What are the odds?!
The tuxes are scheduled to come in a week and a half before the wedding. We are planning a BBQ at my house (soon to be "our" house) for the Saturday prior to the wedding for the wedding party and their dates. The guys will then be able to try on their tuxes and make sure everything fits correctly. We will also enjoy the time with our closest friends as a HUGE THANK YOU for everything they have done for us and all of the love and support they have given us too!

Unity Candle

So I am sure you all have seen a unity candle done in wedding ceremonies. I just love the symbolism and I think it is a very important part of the ceremony. I saw a different version of the unity candle on a website, where the bride and groom have their traditional unity candle but also each guest is given a congregation candle (you know like the ones used in the candlelight Christmas Eve services at church).
The first guest's is lit. Guests pass the flame until all are lit. The mothers of both the bride and the groom come up to the alter to light the side candles. The bride and groom then light theirs together. This variation typically includes a proclamation that this ceremony represents the unity of friends and family supporting the couple in their marriage. I just LOVE this idea. I have never been to a wedding where it has been done but I think it will be very beautiful! If you will notice in the pictures I am posting, at this particular wedding (which was outside) they wrapped the candle with some sort of palm leaf or something--instead of those paper wax catchers. I wanted to make the candles look nicer than the paper wax catchers that come with them. I can't do the leaf thing because there ceremony is inside and I don't think it would look right. I have also thought about getting some pretty patterned or colored card stock and making my own wax catcher. Anyone have any other ideas?

Wedding dress shopping

Of course I will not reveal the picture of me in the dress I chose (you will have to wait for the wedding day for that).

Here are some of the others I tried on....some were just for fun....

For your viewing pleasure...

Here are some pictures from getting fitted for bridesmaid dresses at Rosalin's with my Virginia bridesmaids. We also decided to play around with the funny old wedding hats in the dressing room.

Wedding Registries

We have finally finished our wedding registries. We are registered at:

Bed Bath and Beyond

Pottery Barn

Williams-Sonoma

Restoration Hardware

Revival LLC (a small specialty store in Chattanooga, TN)
We are registered for our everyday china here. We chose the JULISKA berry and thread collection in the cappuccino brown and white colors.
12 W 13th St. Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423)265-2656

Glass Bazaar (a specialty store in Knoxville, TN)
6470 Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37919
(865)584-9072
We are registered for our everyday flatware, Christmas china, and you can also purchase our everyday china here. We chose the Ricci Merletto flatware.
Our Christmas pattern is Grenadiers by Bernardaud:

Our Honeymoon!!!

Michael and I are so excited about our honeymoon. We are going to St. Thomas and staying in the Ritz Carlton. Lindsey, one of my AMAZING bridesmaids, was able to hook us up there and we cannot wait. The hotel looks beautiful and I have heard wonderful things about it!!!

Escort Card Display

This is one of those small details that many people don't really think about, but it is important. We are doing an hors d'oeuvres buffet for cocktail hour followed by a plated dinner. Whenever you do a plated dinner, it is very important that table numbers are assigned to your guests. (Otherwise, people won't fill up the tables as complete as they should be and you end up needing a lot of extra tables) It is not as important to me to assign seats though. My mom (who has suddenly become a Martha Stewart fan--which I LOVE!!) has been watching the show. The wedding special was on a few weeks ago and it talked about this very thing. Mom liked the example they featured with a board and putting the escort cards in envelopes. That way if some last minute table number changes need to be made, they can be without having to remake the entire escort card--because with the envelope idea you have the table number written on a piece of paper and stuck into the envelope--the guests' name is actually on the outside of the envelope. I saw this idea yesterday and knew I had to recreate it. I am hoping I can get my hands on an unused composite picture frame from Kappa Delta. (crossing my fingers) I would make the background of the "board" peach dupioni silk and probably do pink and yellow escort cards. Not exactly sure, but i think it will turn out GREAT! What do you think? (it may be a little hard to see it)

The Save the Dates

After a couple of weeks of hard work, the Save the Dates are ready to send. Michael was a HUGE help. The magnets you will be receiving in the mail in the next few days were ordered from Magnet Street Weddings. I HIGHLY recommend them! They are wonderful to work with, their prices are very reasonable, their work is AMAZING, and they had my order to me early.

We made the hotel information cards that are coming with the Save the Dates. I ordered some shimmer paper (my new obsession) that actually matches the shimmer paper that is part of our invitation. I was also able to find the EXACT ribbon that is on our invitation and used it on the hotel information card to tie everything together. It turned out great! It took me forever to get those cards just so. Kinkos was a GREAT help because the cardstock shimmer paper is too thick for my printer so they printed them for me and after speaking with Julie (a friend and fellow bride-to-be), she told me they would also cut them for me. MAN DID THAT SAVE ME A LOT OF TIME! The ribbon took the longest but it was definitely worth it. Yesterday I took the Save the Date, envelope and the hotel information card to the post office and luckily it was standard postage! GREAT NEWS!!!! I was worried because of the thickness that is added when you attach ribbon. Anyways, all is good now!

This is the BEAUTIFUL ribbon that is with our invitation (and our hotel information card). We are finding ways to incorporate it into other aspects of the wedding :)

This is the save the date.

The Candy Buffet

I am really excited about our favors! We are having a candy buffet at the wedding. The tables will have a small mason jar (with ribbon and a gift tag of course) for each guest. We will have a candy buffet set up in the reception ballroom for guests to go up to and fill their jar to take home with them. This is a great way to continue the use of my color scheme and create a decorative element to the room while still providing a tasty treat for our guests! Since Michael's grandfather (who passed away last year) had such a sweet tooth and was known for his love of candy (and always had some in his pockets to share), we will be dedicating the candy buffet in his memory. This will also make it very personal and meaningful. Let me know if you have any ideas for peach, yellow, white/ivory, silver, and pink candy.

Update on things...

Wedding dress has been ordered (actually it was ordered right after Christmas) THE DRESS IS BEAUTIFUL....the only problem is that it isn't supposed to come in until mid- June......I hope it comes in earlier. I will let the dress be a surprise :)

Almost all of the main vendors have been booked--except for a florist and linen rental company. We are close to hiring the florist. We are just waiting to hear back from her on the cake flowers price (which shouldnt be too long after Valentines Day). We hired a wedding planner. Her name is Pam Newberry. (http://www.wtrplanning.com/) You should check out her website. I wish I had gotten a picture of our first meeting with her....oh well. Looks like I will have to make sure and get one for our next meeting.

I have been working on the inserts to go with the Save The Date cards. Those should be mailed out (hopefully) on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Check your mailboxes...

My mother is on the hunt for a MOB dress. If you have any suggestions as to where to go to find one, let me know.

We had our engagement pictures taken a few weeks ago. We bought the rights to one picture. See above! We had a blast--you would not have even known that Michael was sick as a dog, I was having a bad hair day, and we were both FREEZING outside. Check out all of our pictures http://www.waldorfproofs.com/pickpic/gallery/jump.php Just click on our engagement image and the password is “kmiec-crawford”. Please let me know what you think!