Random Questions

What accessories do you wear everyday?
My engagement ring :) (thats my most favorite accessory), earrings, but i change them up depending on the outfit.

What is your beauty routine?
I have mild adult acne (i think it is from resting my chin on hands when I am at work, hormone changes, and stress) that i am trying to remedy so I try to switch it up every now and then. I love L'oreal PURE ZONE products (which I am pretty sure they removed from the shelves for some reason but I stocked up so much at one point that I am still using it. I also occasionally use YONKA products--which I love! I moisturize only in the morning before applying makeup.

What was the last item of clothing you bought?
2 dresses and 1 pair of shoes from Ann Taylor LOFT! (i love that place)

Do you use a dresser, closet, or both?
Dresser, Chest of drawers, a few rubbermaids under the bed, and 2 closets. YIKES!

What type of earrings are in your ears right now?
Pearl studs


What type of figure do you have?
I am 5'5...definitely pear shaped (i get that from Mom).

Do you wear glasses? only when I am at work staring at the computer all day

What type of handbag do you carry? I switch it up a lot.....but usually they are always BIG bags....i call them work bags. I have so much JUNK in them though

What is your ideal style?
In a nut shell, ANN TAYLOR!!! I love that stuff!!!

What jewelry are you wearing right now?
pearl studs and my engagement ring :)

Do you wear knee-hi stockings?
nope

Do you have to wear matching lingerie?
My bra and panties ALWAYS had to match when I first started wearing bras....now, not so much. I would love it if they did though.

Do you wear makeup?
Absolutely...otherwise it is a very scary sight

Do you wear nightgowns?
yes. I don't like wearing pants to bed because they get bunchy and twisted and its all very uncomfortable

What outerwear do you put on when going out on a typical winter's day?
I love my northface. But when I dress up, I have a long black coat.

What is your favorite perfume?
Classic--Banana Republic
Michael--Michael Kors
Light Blue--Dolce&Gabbana

Is your motto "quality over quantity"?
it depends what it is. For basic/classic items that I will use again and again - I prefer quality. For items that I think I might only use for a season, I will go to Target or TJMaxx

Do you wear rain boots?
sometimes. I have these really cute wellies that are black and white polka dotted :)

Do you wear socks or slippers when your feet get cold?
usually both...my feet are always really cold

Do you have a set of travel luggage?
Not really. I have a few pieces from a set I used to have, but the airport guys banged it all up and broke the wheels off of some of the pieces. My mom and dad bought me 1 piece of a new set, but we never finished off the set. We registered for some though to go with that set!!!

What is your daily uniform?
To work? There isn't one. I can wear jeans and a tee shirt if i wanted.

If you are married, did you wear a veil with your wedding dress?
engaged - yes I am wearing a veil

Do you wear a watch?
no--i use my cell phone as my watch

What item of clothing always makes you feel extremely beautiful?
I love my wedding dress!

What is your favorite type of yarn?
??? I don't knit

Do you prefer zippers or buttons? zippers are definitely easier but I like the look of buttons better

More cute dress finds :)

I found a few more bridal shower dress options...what do you think?


This is a cute dress from GAP!


Here are 4 dresses from Banana Republic that I like as well:

The great search for bridal shower dresses...

I have been looking for cute new dresses to wear to my showers and have come up a bit empty-handed. Usually, I have no problem finding about a dozen dresses at Ann Taylor but this year nothing has really struck me. I want to go with some bright fun colors (--so dresses from the black and white store won't work). I went shopping with my friend, Julie, and we found my rehearsal dinner dress (see picture above). I tried on a JCrew dress that Julie has and I liked it--so it is definitely a contender. (see below)


I saw this dress featured on TODAY yesterday morning and I might look into getting this one....what do you think? Can anyone recommend anywhere to get some fun dresses for showers?


This dress is on mega sale and I LOVE it! It's from this website CK Bradley. I hadn't ever heard of it, but they have some cute stuff....if you get it on sale, the price tag isn't too horrible. What do you think? The only drawback is the color since it so closely resembles my rehearsal dinner dress.

The Church

Michael and I are getting married at Brainerd United Methodist Church in Chattanooga, TN. It just so happens that his parents were married there too! It is a really beautiful church!! Here are some pictures I have of the church!!!

On My Way To Toned Arms!

I have to let you all in on a little secret...its my new arm workout (in hopes of slimming down my flabby arms). My co-worker, Lauren, showed it to me and let me tell you...WOW! I think I can already tell it is going to work. She calls it 3 sets of TWENTY-ONES. This is what you do:
Take some small hand weights (I am starting at 3 lbs and working my way to 5 lbs--I may go for 7 if I feel the need) --another hint, bring them to work with you if you have a desk job. THEY ARE GREAT WHENEVER I TAKE MY EYE BREAK FROM STARING AT THE SCREEN
Do your basic bicep curls--except only bring them half way up (to a 90 degree angle) and back down. Do this 7x
Then, start out at the half way point (arms at a 90 degree angle) and bring them up for the "rest" of the bicep curl. Do this 7x (start at 90 and bring them up to the full curl).
Then do a full bicep curl 7x.
That completes your first SET of TWENTY-ONES. Do this 3 times... TRUST ME, you will feel the burn. Lauren tells me I will start to see the difference in a matter of a few weeks! I am so excited.

This area was the one area that I decided to focus on prepping for the wedding :) I think I am on my way.
I did 3 sets of TWENTY-ONES twice today to make up for missing yesterday.

Check out our wedding photographer's blog!

Michael and I are on our wedding photographer's blog from our engagement session. Check it out!!!

Waldorf Photographic Art

Wedding Jewelry

You have all heard the SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW SOMETHING BORROWED SOMETHING BLUE AND A SIX PENCE (or penny) FOR HER SHOE.

Something old: I have that one covered. I am using my grandmothers (now my mom has it) brooch and attaching it to my bouquet on the stems.

Something new: I suppose my dress, shoes, my earrings, and my new bracelet that I am having made. I saw a blog post on STYLE ME PRETTY with a beautiful bracelet.

This particular wedding that they were highlighting was in the middle of the winter so the bride's bracelet had a snowflake brooch. Obviously with an August wedding, that wouldn't exactly work, but I liked the idea of a rhinestone brooch and a multi-strand pearl bracelet--so I did some digging. As it turns out, this bride had the bracelet custom made. I found out that it was custom designed & made by the amazingly talented Christa Baker (starliftrc141@aol.com). I have since contacted Christa and she will be making my bracelet. We are both in search of the perfect brooch to use!!!
I saw these other MEGA expensive bracelets (they were almost $300 and the pearls nor the diamonds were real). They weren't exactly in my price range but they provide a nice inspiration.


Snowflake bracelet picture: Rachel Trigueiro
Other bracelets: Haute Bride

Something borrowed: My mother's pearl necklace.

Something blue: I am working on that one still. I think I might wear my sapphire ring and also go to the embroidery shop and get a piece of fabric embroidered with (blue thread) Michael and Meredith Crawford (or our monogram) and our wedding date (August 2, 2008) and have it sewn in my dress on the underside of the skirt.

and A SIX PENCE FOR HER SHOE: My aunt Wendy went to London for Christmas this past year and brought me back a British penny for my wedding day to bring me luck. This will be perfect! Its really shiny too!

Bridesmaid dresses are in :)

My mom was planning on going and getting them today--since she has time. I will see my mom the first weekend of April and I will get the dresses then from her to give to Lesli, Jennie, Christie, and Rachel. (I can also have my mom mail the dress to you if you would like)

Emily, you can either get the dress from my mom since you live sort of near there now or you can wait and get it from me later. Her phone number is 703-304-7658. Her email address is kkmiec@cox.net

Lindsey, you can get the dress from my mom since you live so close.

Melissa, Lara, and Marsha, you can get the dress from (my) mom next time you are in VA or we can mail it to you. Let us know which would be better for you.

If you ONLY paid a deposit on your dress, PLEASE CALL AND HAVE THEM RUN YOUR CREDIT CARD for the balance. (please try to do this today if possible)

ALTERATIONS:
Those of you who live in and around the Northern VA area are more than welcome to go to Rosalin's for alterations. I have the name of someone who will do alterations in Knoxville if you are interested. (just a reminder: you should wait to get alterations until you have your shoes to try on with it)

I think that's it! I am so excited they came in early!!!!!

is this thing working?

i have been having technical issues with blogspot......

The "to-do" list

Some of you (for whatever reason) think everything is almost done for the wedding....but unfortunately, I have 6 pages of a to-do list......I worked on it last night--combining items recommended by theknot.com, my friend Julie (and fellow bride-to-be), and from my wedding planner file/book. YIKES!!! I have 8 items to complete for this weekend. Wish me luck!!!

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!