"now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles
and falls brought me here..." - ben folds








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i'm 27, he's 28.  we've known each other for over twelve years.  we've been really good friends since high school and began dating in 2003.  we will have been a couple for almost six and a half years when we get married! 
we're not very 'traditional'.  we actually discuss marriage, kids, money, homes, etc. quite regularly.  we went together to look at rings a few times because he didn't want to get something i might not like (even though i told him i would like just about anything) and he bought a ring shortly after that.  i knew that he bought it because he told me (see? non-traditional...) and he hid it in his house for over a year.  (and yes, i wondered every day when and how it would happen!)

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fast-forward over a year later..........  he knew he wanted to ask my parents for their blessing, which he says took most of the time that he waited to propose, because he was so nervous and had a hard time figuring out how to get them alone... (because my brother and his FI lived with them...) but my parents are cool and he's known them as long as he's known me, so it really wasn't as daunting as he thought!

he went over to their house one night after work, meanwhile telling me that he was working late that day.  he sat them down and told them he loved me and wanted to marry me and they both immediately started crying...  and said "of course, yes!!!" and "it's about time!"  :)

he came home and we went to dinner at his grandmother's house that night.  he was acting totally normal, so there was no indication to me that anything was going on...  after dinner, we went back to his house and we had to get him packed because we were leaving the next day to go to FL to visit his mother for eight days and he hadn't even started packing.  i went into the bedroom and started laying out some clothes and he turned on the ipod stereo (which he always does) and he came in the bedroom and said "we don't have to do this right now..." and i started arguing, saying it was late and we had to get him packed before i went home for the night.  he pulled me out into the living room and nat king cole's 'unforgettable' was playing on the ipod and he started dancing with me (which is actually not that strange, because he does that every once and a while) so while we were dancing, he was asking me what i wanted to do while we were in FL so i started naming off places i wanted to go and i asked him what he wanted to do and he said "celebrate" and i pulled away from him and said "what?!" and he said "celebrate spending our lives together" and i covered my mouth and said "what are you doing?!" and he reached into his pocket and got down on one knee (i started screaming and bawling at this point!!!) and said he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and asked me to marry him and i was crying so hard he had to ask me if that was a 'yes'!!  i said yes like 40 times and he put the ring on and he started crying and we hugged for about five minutes!

we drove over to his dad's to tell him the news and quickly went to my parents' to show them the ring (it was about 11:00pm by this time...) and we went back to his house to finish packing him for the trip!
and i had totally forgotten about how the ring looked and i also had never seen it set, since he bought the diamond and the setting separately, so the ring was still a complete surprise!



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my parents are paying for the entire wedding - so i am doing my best to be a budget bride!!!
so, if you're looking for low-budget ideas, please keep reading!


***official disclaimer: i've been a hugely obnoxious picture-stealer for quite a while, so if
you would like credit - please page me on the toledo, oh board and i'll throw it into the bio***




the colors will be black & white (what i've always wanted since i was little...)
with "pool" (or "tiffany blue") and damask accents.

we would like to have a very simple wedding...  no best man, no maid of honor, just bridesmaids and groomsmen, (we'll assign those duties to the BM's and GM's), no flower girl,
no unity candle, no readings, no string quartet - just a simple, basic wedding.  however, even though we're pretty non-traditional, we are going to use traditional vows.


inspiriation board #1


...and #2 



these are our invitations - DIY from michael's
we won't be using fonts like what are shown here - we'd like to keep it simple with
something like century gothic or verdana.



these are our ceremony programs (i'll try to get a better picture once they're assembled)
i got two 40-pack DIY kits at michael's for $44.82, after using a 40% off coupon on each pack.



i purchased these bubble wands from michael's for the ceremony send-off.  
i'm going to tie alternating black, white and aqua colored ribbons to the tops with some sort of tag attached.
i got 72 wands for $11.00, using a 40% off coupon for each 36-pack!

...and here are my DIY bubble wands with little tags for our names and date (just two of the ribbon colors):



**be sure to register online with michael's and hobby lobby!!  they send out
printable coupons (via e-mail) almost every week and you can print as many as you want!  
you can only use one coupon per day, but what i did was go back several times a week
(and sometimes a few times a day...) to get what i needed with a coupon each time!  :)


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i found 2.5"-wide aqua satin ribbon at crafts 2000, so my florist will be using it for my bouquet wrap.


i'd like to have an all-white bouquet (with my aqua ribbon - like above)
probably white roses and possibly carnations mixed in.

 

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FI's little sister passed away suddenly in 2005 at age 18 and we would like to honor her in several ways throughout the wedding.  
we miss her very much and she would have been a big part of our wedding, so we will have a "K" brooch placed on each bouquet
(her first initial).   and of course, we will also have a section for her on the memorial table at the reception.
we purchased six of these brooches at crafts 2000 in monroe, michigan for $1.97 each!



these are my ceremony shoes (and my something blue!) purchased on ebay for $19.99!!
we're doing outdoor pictures after the ceremony, so i'll change into the next ones right away!



my reception shoes!  there's no way i am wearing uncomfortable shoes all day!
and how many people will see my feet anyway???
i purchased them for $10.99 on amazon.com by searching for "platform sandals".




we're not doing a garter toss, but I got this detroit tigers garter on ebay and it
will be a surprise for FI later in the night!  :)


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my e-ring (excuse my ugly hand!)


my e-ring & wedding band...   :)
the band is graduated, channel-set round diamonds halfway around - FI got them together as a set.


  
here is the ring he chose.  it's white gold, 7mm, comfort-fit, bevel-edge and brushed
along the flat edge - purchased from osterman jewelers.


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these are my earrings!  purchased for $14.60 from macy's after 40% off + a 20% off coupon!  



this is my bracelet - i got it on ebay for $7.99.



my necklace - also from ebay
(i splurged on this one... it was $50)

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alfred angelo 2009 collection - style #7026


i will purchase a sash for each dress from david's bridal in "pool"
to add to the dress, which will tie/drape in the back

here's a good pic of the basic look:




i originally wanted blue hydrangea for the BM bouquets, but since it is out of season in may, i will probably do
something similar to this - maybe white roses, dyed aqua carnations and some greenery.

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fi will wear a black tux with a white vest and white tie.


the groomsmen will wear black tuxes with black vests and "pool"
ties and pocket squares.


i love orchids and my florist will do orchid bouts for only $5.50!  
so, FI's will probably have a double and the GM's will have a single (below).




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i'd like the back to look like this  



...and the front to look like this

       
these styles are just about perfect!



if i decide to wear a veil, i'd like to have it placed like this one
(but definitely not with my bangs pulled back!)


favorite makeup ideas:

   
i want to have a natural look with dramatic eyes.
i never wear foundation, blush, etc. but i always wear eyeliner, shadow and mascara,
so i think these would still let me look like "me"!  :)
   


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apparently, most of our ideas for our wedding day are "weird" or "silly", according to our parents, friends and others...  so if you're looking for ideas for a traditional, mainstream wedding, you may want to start elsewhere!

we aren't going to do a unity candle, sand ceremony, readings or garter toss.  there won't be a best man or maid of honor.  our groomsmen are going to wear tennis shoes (yes, even during the ceremony and pics...)  our bridesmaids are not going to have matching hair-do's (unless they all happen to choose the same one.)  we aren't having a sit-down dinner.   don't get me wrong - i love weddings!  we are very excited for our wedding, but much more excited to finally be married.  
and don't worry, it won't be a crazy, unorganized day either...  :)


these are our placecards - they match the invites!
my mom is going to do the calligraphy


i created these cards on vistaprint.com for photo sharing!
they will rest in front of the favor boxes on the tables.
i got 250 cards for FREE!


i love this card table idea (but w/ my placecards above, of course)


we'll have white linens and chair covers with black sashes.


since our reception hall provides votives/candles, i'd like to have
this kind of setup for our head table.



i'm going to DIY curly ting ting branches with black and white glitter and add some clear and aqua glass
gems (6 bags, purchased from michael's for $0.99/bag)  to a 7" cylindar vase (2" wide) as our centerpieces.
(photos to come!)


this is what curly ting ting looks like!
again, mine will be black and white & glittery!
i bought 800 branches for 12-13 centerpieces - $1.99 per bunch of 100 from crafts, etc.!


our reception venue provides free use of clear votive vases with tealights, so i will put 4-5 around each vase.


the entire centerpiece only costs about $3.50!



these are our gorgeous swarovski toasting flutes - thanks to my brother and SIL for letting us use them!



we'll have this 11x14" french memo board (purchased on ebay for $4.99!),
with a few photos of us, set up at the reception.


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and this is my crude cake mock-up!
we're still working on choosing the flavors, but it will be a four-tier cake with round
layers and a 1" black ribbon and 1/2" turquoise ribbon around each layer.
the topper will have flowers (probably sugar, not real) with our monogram
letter in the center.


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tissue paper pomanders:


here's me, happily cutting away!
i'm using the instructions from knottie Ponticelli.


here's a closeup of one of them - a turquoise one!
i've yet to finish making a whole one - they take about 6-8 hours each to make!!
but if you have the patience, they're a great cost-saver!


here's three of the pomanders i've been working on so far.
i'm doing a few in each color as decorations for the ceremony.


"I DO" cake table letters:


here are the letters (from hobby lobby, 50% off!)  they're 3-D paper machet.


i was originally going to paint the front black and the sides aqua,
but the color came out kind of minty green, so i nixed it!
i used acrylic black paint from hobby lobby.


i bought these rhinestones in the scrapbooking section at hobby lobby, also 50% off!
to separate them (they're adhesive, single rows), i used a straight razor to slice the glue between each rhinestone.


here's one of the letters, painted completely black, as i started to add the rhinestones.
(and my straight razor)


when i thought i was finished, i realized that i wanted to add rhinestones to the centers of the "D" and "O",
since the "I" looked a lot busier...


and here's the finished products!  i'm really happy with how they turned out!


here's my cake table "look" trial using faux aqua flower petals from michaels.



centerpieces:


here are my first centerpiece trial pics!
i used a 7" x 2.5" cylindar glass vase (from hobby lobby - 50% off!)
with black, aqua, white and frosted glass gems from michael's (also
50% off, w/ coupon) and ting ting sticks from craftsetc.com that i
painted with black acrylic spray paint from hobby lobby.
i might also add some glitter (black and pearl) to the curls of the branches.


a close-up of the vases.


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born july 17, 2008


this is piper!
she's a boston terrier - and insane!





her first day home


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i've been battling my weight for most of my life...  from march of 2003 to august of 2005, i lost 86 pounds.  
i have maintained that weight-loss for the last three years, but i still have 22 pounds to lose to get
to my goal weight and one of the major motivations is now the wedding!  :) 

i exercise 3-4 times per week, count every calorie (EVERY calorie!) and i try to eat as healthy
as possible - although, with FI, that's a challenge sometimes!



this is my GIS inspiration board!

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i always wonder what other brides spend on certain things in their bios, so i decided to share my budget.
we are trying our hardest to have a budget-conscious wedding, since, like i said before, my parents are paying
for everything and i am not about to make them go into debt for this!!
i'm not going to say what our overall budget is, but you will see the total once the wedding is over!

almost everything below was either purchased at a discount and/or with a coupon!
FI and i are paying for my shoes, my jewelry, his wedding band, his tux, my hair, my nails, our honeymoon and possibly the limo.

here are the items we have purchased/paid for from beginning to end
(and we're obviously not done spending):

my dress (including $10 dress bag for storage)	$651.18	david's bridal
invitations	$37.36	michael's (DIY kits)
ceremony send-off bubbles (72 total)	$8.52	michael's
reception placecards (120)	$11.19	michael's
"I DO" table letters and art supplies	$5.55	hobby lobby
ting ting branches (800 total) for centerpieces + glitter & glue	$26.79	www.craftsetc.com
my crinoline	$25.80	ebay
photographer deposit (1/2 package price)	$650.00	our photographer
faux flower petals for the cake table decor	$3.84	michael's
deposit for florist	$50.00	our florist
glass gems for the centerpiece vases (6 bags - blue, white, clear and frosted)	$7.39	michael's
1/8" aqua, black and white ribbon for the ceremony bubbles (6 spools)	$1.29	michael's
hat boxes to make the card box (one large, one small)	$10.82	hobby lobby
reception hall deposit	$1200.00	our reception hall
13 vases for our centerpieces (8" tall x 2" wide)	$21.06	hobby lobby
deposit for the DJ	$100.00	our DJ
1.5" script "K" bouquet pins (6 total)	$12.53	crafts 2000 (monroe, MI)
mirror letter monogram cake topper - 4.5"	$3.15	crafts 2000 (monroe, MI)
3 yards of 2.5" aqua satin ribbon (for my bouquet wrap)	$5.88	crafts 2000 (monroe, MI)
4 spools of 3/8" white poly-satin ribbon (for my 100 favor boxes)	$8.35	crafts 2000 (monroe, MI)
5 sets of white christmas lights (6' each) - for the head table decor	$8.32	crafts 2000 (monroe, MI)
100 turquoise favor boxes w/ lids (2 x 2 x 2")	$36.94	efavormart.com
spray paint for the centerpiece sticks - 1 can	$5.33	hobby lobby
ceremony programs	$44.82	michael's

                                                                                    total (so far): $2,897.88

if you have any questions on how we found/got such great prices on these things, just ask!
i'm known to my family & friends as the "coupon queen"!

e-mail me at the_boda@hotmail.com

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excellence playa mujeres, mexico
all-inclusive, adults-only resort!
we will be leaving the monday after the wedding for a week!
we booked everything through expedia and saved a bundle.

    

   

   

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ceremony location:  Park Church United Church of Christ

reception location:  hilton toledo

photographer:  jordan powers photography

flowers:  sharry's touch (local)

dj:  ultimate nights

cake:  mary poppins cake factory

my dress:  david's bridal

tuxes:  men's wearhouse tux

jeweler (my rings):  jared

jeweler (his ring):  osterman jewelers

limousine:  TBA

my day-of jewelry:  ebay and macy's

invitations:  DIY from michael's

favors:  turquoise boxes w/ white satin ribbon bows

centerpieces: DIY from crafts, etc., saveoncrafts.com and hobby lobby

honeymoon:  excellence playa mujeres, mexico (see pictures above)




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mrs.pootiekins

IAM4UK

WeezerMonkey

AnotherName

wittliz

CaliopeSpidrman

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bobo...

...please don't look past this point!!!

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if i find out you saw this dress....

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...something tragic will

happen to your ipod!!!

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it's an oleg cassini (cv190) from david's bridal

the back - the train is so pretty and the perfect length.

the detail along the bottom edges - it's beaded all the way 
around the dress and the train!