{Attire} His and Hers

This week has been about finding attire for the bridesmaids and the BFF. Success came today for the BFF! We went on the hunt for a gray suit and after a morning of hunting around the mall, and a yummy brunch, we came upon the perfect one!

Here's some pics of a few gray suits that inspired our search:

As for the girls, Leah and I went out this week to finally see what spring and summer lines were out.
We found a lot of purple and gray hues in various stores. I really like the flowery one from RW & CO, but because everyone has different body types, I just want them each to find something that works for them.

This is the one I like from RW & CO.

 And another one from there.

               A gorgeous gown from Esprit.

     

A pretty pop of purple from Banana Republic.

DIY {Centerpieces}

Keeping with the outdoor, rustic theme, I wanted something original and interesting for the table centerpieces. Of course I know that my mom will create a gorgeous floral arrangement, no worries there, but what to put it in?

I was first inspired by this idea a while back:

I like the feeling of a low, wooden box as it adds texture and a bit of character to the table.

Enter my grandfather, Pake Pete!

This is us on Easter weekend!

He is a semi-retired-ants-in-his-pants kind of guy. Love him to pieces, but both me and my grandmother know that he needs projects to keep him busy, especially when there is not enough to do on the estate (where we are having the wedding). So with enough barn board to go around, my dad and I mocked up a good ol' wooden box and asked Pake to copy it 20 times!

Le Sample!

 Small side note: Got this adorable ice bucket for the drink table! 

Don't ya just love the scoop!?

Checked in on his progress...and...

...Found four more were completed!

Totally awesome! Thanks Pake! I'm so thrilled by all the loving touches to everything.

Registry Musings {2}

This Saturday officially ended our registry experience. It was a much more pleasant time at Home Outfitters and Crate and Barrel then it was at The B_y! We've canceled our registry there! :) Here is a small sampling of items from Crate and Barrel that caught our practical eye. Practical meaning: reasonably priced for something that we will use often!

A cute and colourful appetizer plate.

Pretty glass gravy boat.

Beautiful Mixing bowls.

Funky glassware!

{GASP} Boxed Dinnerware! and other Registry Musings

Seriously Lady, get a life! Like I mean a real life, the kind where kids exist and drop cutlery on the ground. The kind where you heat up leftovers on a microwaveable plate. The kind where you go to your mom's for Christmas dinner and therefore do NOT need crystal glassware. Honestly, I do not live in a world that requires me to own expensive china or flatware or anything of the sort, nor do I even want it!

Can you tell I enjoyed our first registry experience? No joke, when BFF and I said we were not interested in registering for fine china, she replied with a gasp, “No! You don’t want boxed dinnerware for your wedding!” I had to refrain from getting up and walking away.

After spending about 2 hrs with a scanner in hand, the BFF and I only ended up scanning around 10 items! We quickly realized we were not made out for a registry for 2 reasons:

1) We both already have a lot of items as I live on my own and BFF did at one point too! Therefore we simply do not need as many items as someone who lives at home and moves out.

2) We are thrifty people. We buy things on sale and look for deals. We are both having a hard time putting items on the registry that we expect people to buy for full price. (Please, if you are reading this and are going to buy something for us, please try and find the item on the registry on sale, it will give David less anxiety!)

All in all, I know that it is helpful for people to buy items off a registry so they feel they are getting something useful. And I know it helps us so we don’t get items we already own, which to me would seem even more wasteful, possibly almost as wasteful as spending 2 hrs in a department store with a crazy registry lady gasping in disbelief at our practicality. I don’t think we were made me this!

Gett'n Dirty

One of my very first posts on my wedding blog was about the flowers that I enlisted my dad to grow for the wedding. In January dad and I selected a variety of flowers to start from seed for planting around the property and in the trellises (Remember this post?) that will adorn the entrance of the tent. This weekend I spent Saturday morning seeding about 10 trays that will hopefully grow into some beautiful blooms!

Some of the flowers that I seeded were:

Bells of Ireland: Pretty for a tall vase arrangement

Larkspur: So gorgeous, also for tall arrangements.

 

Petunias: A bedding plant for my grandfather's gardens, they also look nice and lush in these baskets!

Impatients: Also a bedding plant for my grandfathers gardens.

Meet my Maids

I'm pleased to introduce my bridesmaids. They are three lovely women who are my sisters for life. Well, one is my aunt, but I like to think of her as another older sister!

Janice

 Janice - My older wiser gorgeous sister! Jan and I are only 18 months apart, so she was only without me in her life for a short period of time. She is married to Derek and has one hilarious daughter, Hailee. Her and her husband recently moved, they are settling in and adding another to their family soon. Jan has always been a constant and loving source of strength in my life. She provides heartfelt insight and has a genuinely caring heart for others.

 Leah

Leah - My younger determined beautiful sister. Leah and I are 4 years apart. When we were younger we shared a room, a bed, she got my old clothes, . . . I think we shared too much because we used to fight like crazy! It's amazing what a little age and space will do for a relationship. :) Today Leah and I have a unique friendship where we can tell eachother any and everything. She frequently comes to visit after work and spends time with Tayson. Leah is a hard worker who sets goals and is determined to reach them. I'm so proud of her and that she learned how to design and create clothing! She's very talented!

Debbie

 

Debbie - My sarcastic caring gorgeous aunt! Deb has always been a constant presence in my life. From when I was very little I remember her being over at our house, mostly babysitting! Deb would agree that I was the perfect angel when she would babysit us! Right Deb? Deb generously gives of her time to her nieces and nephews and is always up for the latest adventure or family outing. There are many fond memories of spending summer vacations with Deb or just hanging out on weekends. She is an important and valued part of my life. 

Not quite on Target

The BFF and I went for a little day trip to pay a visit to our friends south of the border. We hit up Target first as the mall was not open when we arrived early.

As we were heading to the check-out, the last place I poked around was in the scrapbook/paper/crafty section. If only we would have known! They sell beautiful invitation kits that include everything you might need! And they are not just beautiful because of how they look, but also because of the PRICE! We found a few packages of 50 on sale for $17.00! Yes, $17.00! Converted that only about $20.00 CND buckeroos! My mind was doing mental somersaults, debating whether or not to buy them and see if I could return the paper I just purchased, or just go with what I had already set out to create. *Sigh* If I would have known, I would have gone with the pre-made, easy-peasy-put-together ones from Target, but since I did not know if I could return the paper and envelopes I just bought the week before, I was unsure if I wanted to spend more money on something we may not have been able to use. I was seriously kicking myself for spending so much money on invites that could have cost so much less.

So people, lesson learned is, if you are heading to the US of A and are getting married and still need your invites, check out Target FIRST!

We did end up buying some pretty Thank-You cards to send out after the wedding. I am happy with those!