Puttin' on the Ritz

So the boys are all squared away. We weren't sure what they were going to wear for a while. We went back and forth: suit or tux? brown or black? vest or no vest? bow tie or straight tie? what color tie?

Armed with a color swatch for the girls' dresses, we headed off to Men's Wearhouse. Our sales consultant was very patient and guided us through the process of trying on tuxes. I thought Wayne looked exceptionally cute in all of them, but ultimately he decided that he liked the chocolate brown tux.

Since our wedding is a backyard affair, we knew that we wanted to go a little more casual, so we opted for a straight tie and no vest. The red tie; however, looked a little too "Prom, circa 1992." Our clever consultant had another idea up her sleeve. Instead of a rented tie, we could just purchase ties for the men and she found a gorgeous textured tie that was exactly the right color! So, after all that deliberation, here's where we are right now:

We haven't decided on footwear just yet. The brown tux shoes were a bit yuck-ola, so we're considering these:

Or maybe something like this:

What do you think?

Cookie Condoms

Since this is my personal blog, I can call this post whatever I want. So "Cookie Condoms" it is. You'll see why I developed this inappropriate moniker in a bit.

When I began work on our OOT bags, I admit, it was with much gusto (My obsession has been chronicled here and here). I've been laboring over contents, design, distribution, etc. I've begun the process of collecting items, which has involved a great deal of internet research to find cost-efficient options. I found these adorable boxes of cookies:

at The English Tea Store. They had both key lime and coconut, which are such great choices for our OOT bags.

While the boxes are very cute, they don't match our colors. Now, admittedly, I have a problem. I'm a classic over-thinker (to borrow a line from The Office), so I decided to create a label to dress up the cookies. I didn't want to wrap the whole box like a present, because I thought it would be bulky and a bit amateurish. Ultimately, I decided to make a wrap out of kraft card stock.

So I pulled out my paper trimmer, bone folder, and scoring blade and went to work. Here are the wraps and cookie boxes, before they met:

Now sliding the wraps around the boxes was a bit trickier than I had imagined. I measured very carefully so that they would fit snugly, and boy did they ever (Hence my name for this post). I persevered; however, and triumphed over cardboard. I know I have a problem. Not everything has to have our logo and/or motif. But I can't help it; they are just so darn cute.

I created labels and printed them glossy photo paper, wrapped each box with brown ribbon, and affixed the label to the front:


Here they are, a box full of label addiction:

Next, I'm working on hot cocoa packets, lip balm, and sunscreen. Stay tuned as I continue to be my own worst enabler...

Music, anyone?

Admittedly, I'm not a total music addict. I enjoy it, and I even have songs on an mp3 player that I listen to occasionally. BUT I don't have a gigantic CD collection, and I don't often look to expand my music literacy.

That said, I have taken our wedding music VERY seriously. Spoiler alert: For anyone that wants to be surprised by our ceremony... quit reading here.

OK, now that they're gone, I can divulge to you our fun music lineup for the ceremony. For the prelude, we wanted a variety of upbeat love songs that would speak to our guests. Here is what we've decided upon:
Prelude:
• All I Want is You (Juno Soundtrack)
• If I Had $1,000,000 (Barenaked Ladies)
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwo ‘ole)
• Banana Pancakes (Jack Johnson)
• Alright (Darius Rucker)
• Love Will Keep Us Together (Captain & Tennille)
• How Sweet It Is (James Taylor)
• I Say a Little Prayer (Dionne Warwick)
• Annie’s Song (John Denver)
• Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours (Stevie Wonder)
• Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell)
• Long, Slow, Beautiful Dance (Rascal Flatts)
• Livin’ Our Love Song (Jason Michael Carroll)
• Too Good is True (Rascal Flatts)
• What A Beautiful Day (Chris Cagle)
• Beautiful Day (U2)

That is probably more music than we'll need, but I had to make a CD for the DJ, so I filled an entire hour with selections.

The ceremony music has been a little more challenging. My mom's favorite song is Ave Maria, so I really wanted to have the parents seated to that song. It's more traditional than I would have chosen, but I wanted to include it as a little thank you for the work she's done on the wedding. How, then, do I transition to the more contemporary music in the rest of the ceremony? The answer? Vitamin String Quartet, a fabulous group that does traditional string versions of contemporary songs. It sounds traditional, unless you listen closely and then you realize what the songs really are.

Since we are doing an outdoor wedding, there is no side entrance from which the officiant, groom, and best man can enter. As a result, we're having the men go down the aisle first. To VSQ's Star Wars Theme. Then the ladies will enter to VSQ's remake of Journey's Don't Stop Believin'. Glee fans rejoice! I had to have a classic 80s anthem in there somewhere.

I'll be entering to The Riddle by Five For Fighting. Our recessional song is This Will Be (an Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole.

Fun, right?

OOT Update

Yep, my obsession with OOT bags is back and in full force. Do I want saltwater taffy or molasses taffy? Whiskey or whiskey bread? Is there any chocolate in there at all? What if people don't like sweets (Emily, I'm looking out for you)? Hours and hours of time have been lost to internet research. What are other folks doing? What have their guests said? Do we need things like toiletries or just snacks? There is a lot that goes into these crazy things!

Since we've decided we're taking a "Hometown Homage" approach to our OOT bags, we've decided on the following items:
Georgia- peach preserves, blueberry preserves, Georgia peanuts, and biscuit mix
Florida: Key lime coolers, coconut cookies, saltwater taffy
Tennessee: Tennessee whiskey, moon pies

I found these adorable mini-jars of jam and the prices were so reasonable, I ordered 2 flavors!

Doing my part to support the Georgia Peanut Commission.

What winter gift bag would be complete without cocoa and marshmallows? I got a variety pack of cocoa so that I could include a couple packets in each bag. These will go with the snowflake marshmallows that I wrote about earlier.

Bridesmaid Dresses

Whew... After a lot of deliberation and trying on dresses, we've finally decided on Ruby from David's Bridal. Originally, I was thinking that Truffle would be the winner, but once I saw my girls in the red, there was no going back. Since I can't figure out how to get a picture out of my text messages, I'll just have to show you the choices from the David's Bridal website.

My girls will be able to choose whatever style they like (as long as the dress is knee-length or tea-length). They will also be wearing silver shoes, since I'm not a matchy-matchy kind of girl.