The Blonde Diaries

I had my wedding hair trial last week. I am not sure what to think though now that I look at the photographs.  I really liked the look of the photos I brought for inspiration but something seems off once they were applied to my hair.  I’m not sure if it is the fact that my hair is still too short, the bangs are too long, or just the overall look is wrong for me.

Inspiration photos:

Actual look:

There was mention of putting in 1 hair piece in the bun to make my hair look more fuller and I’m wondering if that would help.  I know for sure I’m going to cut the bangs because I like them short everyday anyway but wasn’t sure how much hair I’d be needing for the wedding and let it all just grow out.  I wonder if that would do the trick or if I need to start looking for a new look.  Sigh.  Why can’t I  be a celebrity with good celebrity hair?  At least the makeup trial went much better.  That will follow shortly.

Planning a wedding is stressful.  If it isn’t one thing driving you nuts by being over budget, out of budget, or unavailable, it is another. Take for example, save the dates. Save the dates have recently become popular especially for weddings that are out of town (destination weddings for example) or where there will be a large number of people invited who will have to travel. So save the dates are sent anywhere from six months to one year ahead of time to alert people to the upcoming wedding so they can start deciding and making travel plans.

So save the dates are a good idea. The only problem is that they can be as elaborate as an actual invitation and run over budget very quickly if you are not careful. The most common problem is that you could end up with an unusual size or weight which increases your postage costs. With postage going up every few months it seems, this could be a small, but noticeable, budget buster. So what can you do? You want people to know about your upcoming wedding and actually come. No one appreciates a surprise especially when it is wedding related.

Well, I am personally doing two things to spread the word. I have sent out an evite to close friends who are technically savvy and then I have sent Save the Date postcards to the remaining guest list. Postcards are great because you can make them as elaborate or simple as you would like. They are also smaller and standard in shape and size so you can mail them at the standard postcard rates. I actually used some similar to these from VistaPrint. I can’t find the actual design I used on their site at the moment but this is close.

They were perfect as they were simple and elegant and they were a great deal.  I received 100 save the date postcards for $30.  I priced similar cards on the wedding invitation website I ordered from and they wanted to charge $1.50 per save the date.  At 75 save the dates needed, you can see where that price was going.  I am very pleased and encourage you to give the thought of save the date postcards from VistaPrint consideration to help with your wedding budget.

Wow April 2nd already. Mike and I have officially entered the double digit countdown to our wedding. It seems so quick and time just keeps flying. I don’t have too many BIG things left on the wedding planning checklist. I was able to book the rehearsal dinner site last week and secure it with a deposit as well as schedule the rehearsal at the church. This week I started to focus on small details. I have successfully scheduled my hair trial, a makeup trial, and booked the hotel suite for my girls and I to get ready in the day of the wedding. I am super excited that everything is working out so well.

Next on my list is to get together a list of who to invite to which shower, figure out a theme for each shower and finish registering for gifts. I also need to get a list of everyone’s addresses so I can start addressing invitations. That seems like it will take a while. Maybe I can tackle the theme aspects and the registering this weekend. We got about halfway the other day at Bed Bath and Beyond before they closed. Maybe this time around they will have their outdoor furniture on display so I can take a look at it and possibly register for some. I would love a table and 2 chairs so that Mike and I could sit on our balcony sometime. Ok maybe that is too picturesque. I think in reality it will be my maid of honor and myself using it all the time and it will be fabulous with a few margaritas. LOL

I don’t understand why society has turned wedding planning into a one year or longer ordeal. Actually, I couldn’t imagine planning my wedding for more than 1 year. We are right over 1 year at 14 months and can I tell you I’m so glad I didn’t go with a September or October wedding date as I’m tired and just ready to get married and be done with it all. I feel like everyday it’s a new detail to deal with. This week, I booked the rehearsal dinner venue and started tossing around menu ideas for our budget. Last week, it was wedding prep classes and the weekend before was suppose to be Mike’s return trip to the Tuxedo rental shop to try on 3 different tuxedos and finalize his choices for the wedding. Well, between work, family issues, and other wedding details we missed that appointment. I was surprised that no one gave us a reminder call but oh well. I guess we’ll just wait until after prom season and schedule another appointment to finalize this detail. Only 105 more days to go.

I didn’t realize that I haven’t given any wedding planning updates recently. I have a few things that I am hoping to get knocked off the wedding planning checklist this week starting with flowers, centerpieces, bridesmaids, and possibly a wedding cake baker/decorator. It should be a busy end of the week but at the same time really fun. My mother and I have appointments with two local florists and one cake baker. I have another one I am trying to squeeze an appointment in with so wish me luck.

I have 3 bridesmaids committed and I need to contact the last 2. Everyone is out of town so unfortunately, I am having to do all of my asking via email or phone calls which seems so impersonal to me. Maybe I will send cards and a small gift out in the mail later this week to personalize things and give everyone an early thanks.

Last week, I received my order from TheKnot.com which included a few “sample” centerpieces and a “sample” bridesmaid gift. I really liked the bridesmaid gift and the centerpieces – well 2 came out nicely and the third was hideous so I am sending it back and ordering one size up to see if that is the difference. I hope it is because I really don’t want to worry about things like this.

bridesmaid gift which will be filled with day of items we might need and personalized with everyone’s name:

Centerpieces:
Did not come with the greenery
the first one is full sized and the second is “favor sized” to fit on the tall tables.

More updates to come at the end of the week!