10 - 9 - 10

I know, I know...
It's Tuesday which means #CraftyTuesday...
And I do have a few crafty stuff lined up to share soon...

But there is a very important post that trumps all craftiness: MBB and SassyMarie
Today is our 8th anniversary and even though I have missed noting a few special days on here this year, I will not miss this one!

To my other half, my man, my babe... I love you and cherish the last 8 years!


Namaste.

6 Years...

Happy Anniversary MBB - Love you with all that I have!









Namaste.

Time is Flying!

It has been two months since our big day!
Some days, I can't believe time is going so fast.

Other days - well, MBB said it best.
"Two months? That's it?? Feels like a LOT longer than that!"

Love you honey!
Hmmm. . .Should I change my nickname to Mrs. MBB?

Naw. . .I think I'll keep Sassy Marie. :)

Namaste.

Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

I must say that we hit the jackpot with our photographer!

Christie had wonderful picture ideas and takes gorgeous photos!
By the time the wedding got here, it truly felt like we had a friend taking the photos.
We were blessed that Christie's husband was there as the second photographer and I must say that both were wonderful to work with!

She does have wedding packages (gotta love the "something old", "something new" theme), but is very willing to customize the packages to fit within your budget / wedding (at least she did with us!).

If you are looking for a Wedding Photographer - Please head over to Gardner Photography and give their galleries a look and see what you think!

Namaste.

We're Married!

Yep, we did it!

10/9/10 is now a date that NEITHER of us should forget. :)

Here are some shots from our big day:

The vase that was our alter and then became the centerpiece for our "spiral stair" cakes.

Our "table cards". . .When the small plastic piece got pulled out, they lit up with a white light.

The candles on the wedding party table with my bouquet.

The centerpieces, quotes and favor boxes on the guest tables.

The bottom cake. Three of the tiers had this swirl design and the other two just had the edible white and black pearls.

Lots of cake! Spice w/ Apple, Red Velvet, Chocolate w/ Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry, Cheesecake, and Yellow. . .With mini cheesecake squares.

I'll try to share more later as people send me pics.
Nope - I didn't take one picture that day!!

Namaste.

Success!

Nickey and I finished the wedding invites.
I am VERY pleased with them! My apologies for the slightly blurry pictures. . .

This is the invitation that I kept for our scrapbook.
On the upper flap (that the RSVP card is laying on), all of the other invitations had a map printed on velum. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of someone else's and they are now all in sealed envelopes. :)
Namaste.

Sanity Check

I have been reading some funny wedding stories lately - mainly about Bride-zillas.
There have even been a few jokes about me turning into a Bride-zilla ("Where are the figs????").
I don't think I am, but deep down, I had some fears of there being some truth to the jokes. . .
So, I wanted to do a sanity check.
I found this definition on-line:

Bridezillaism is defined as the attitude of entitlement. Every real life bride, who I have identified as such, entered into her wedding planning with a definite attitude of selfishness and entitlement, which eventually, led to a disregard for the welfare of others.

Hmmm...
I frequently state that this is not "my" wedding, but "our" wedding.
The food? MBB's favorite.
The cake flavors? My favorite. The kids' favorite. One for the diabetics in the family.
The groom's cake? MBB's preference (he doesn't care for cake).
The bridesmaids' dressing? Their choice (I just picked the color, asked for it to be "about" knee length and short / no sleeves).
I created the guest list based on "the right thing to do" and as a result have had to leave some friends off of the list.
One or our registries is at a store know for the availability of 20% off coupons.
I deliberately chose things to put on that registry starting at $5. I didn't want to put high dollar items on it at all, but was reminded that some "groups" may want to buy a large gift. I put on just a few.
I am sticking to our budget and NO ONE will go into debt for this occasion.
I say "I" a lot in regards to the decision of the wedding, not because I have taken over, but because MBB really doesn't care. "Just tell me the time and location and I'll be there." is his response when I try to get him involved in the planning.

Am I turning into a Bride-zilla?
I hope not!

Namaste.

179

With our schedules being so hectic lately, I try to get little things done when I can.
MBB picked the kids up from track practice tonight and took the carpool to volleyball practice. . .
I had a few hours to get some things done.

My "To Do" list for the evening:
- Start one of our registries (my big "little thing" of the night).
- Grocery Shopping (hard to do when you're hungry!)
- Figure out what in the world we were doing for dinner
- Pick up the car pool from volleyball practice

When everything got crossed off of my list, I logged into the new registry to talk to MBB about stuff.
The first thing I saw: 179 days until your wedding.

Hmmmmm. 179.
I think I am still good in cruise mode for awhile.

I don't think you want to be with me when it goes down to two digits. :)

Namaste.

Wedding Vendors

I have been struggling with finding Wedding Vendors on-line. Especially vendors that fit within my plan of an "economical" wedding - in other words, they fit my budget.

I heard that the average wedding in 2009 cost $25,000. NOT US!
We plan on being WAY UNDER that figure. So far, I am right on target.

Since I know that many find this blog via Google, I thought I'd throw out some of the vendors that I have found through various means. . .For some reason, I didn't find most of them on Google with my "wedding searches" no matter what combination of terms I used.

Wedding Photos / Photographers
For Northern Kentucky / Cincinnati area:
- Gardner Photography and Design
- Light Bloom Photography
- Murdock's Photography
- JK Photography08
- Thomas Bargler Wedding and Event Photography
For Central Ohio / Columbus area:
- Sides Shots

Caterers
For Northern Kentucky / Cincinnati area:
- Haller's Green Derby Catering

Halls
For Northern Kentucky area:
- Kincaid Lake Multipurpose Building
- Alexandria Firehouse Hall
- Alexandria Community Center

I hope that this post helps someone out there pulling out their hair trying to find some companies that have good quality, but an affordable view on their pricing structure.
I'll update this post as I find more.

Here is another site that seems to list tons of good quality vendors:
http://www.weddingwire.com/brides-choice-awards/cincinnati-dayton/515-r.html

NOTE:
I received no money from these vendors for endorsing them. In fact, none of them are aware that they are on my blog. This post is simply to help other frustrated brides and grooms by providing more options.

Namaste.

Sassy's Taxi

Sassy's Taxi has been running full force lately.
I am currently sitting in the parking lot of a school waiting on my next "riders" to get out of practice. Yep, it's my night for the car pool.

I forgot to bring the memory cards, so I'll just have to keep "post pictures on the blog" on the "To Do" lists for awhile.

A few things that were crossed off the lists:
- Get on a caterer's books.
- Get on a photographer's books.
- Get on the minister's books.

Feels good to get some things crossed off!


Lesson of the week:
It is always a good idea to check for toilet paper in the stall of your choosing before you do your business. It may be a long wait until a co-worker visits that room.

Namaste.

AUGH!

I would love to finish the initial planning for our wedding!!!

Do you hear that hall rental people?
I am interested in your location and would love to look at it and potentially schedule a day!

Did you hear me, hall rental people???
I WANT TO GIVE YOU MONEY!!!!

CAN YOU PLEASE RETURN MY CALLS???????????

If they don't want to return calls, they need to take the pictures off of their website.
I fell in love with this place because of those stupid pictures!

Namaste.

Hiding

Sorry about the recent absence. . .I have been hiding.
For the past week, my house hasn't been feeling real well.

Case in point, OB was watching the superbowl with me tonight and fell asleep half way through the first quarter. Yep, he still doesn't feel good.

I have also been working on a new blog for the wedding.
Yep, we are going to attempt to collect about 65% of the RSVPs on-line. For a selected few, we are sending postcards in the invitations and I'll log them on-line for them.
Wish us luck!

Namaste.

Wedding Stuff

I began the wedding planning a few days ago.

There were so many "unknowns" that I felt like I was running in circles!
I thought I had the budget set, but I'm finding some things cheaper, some not-so-much.
I started looking at locations, debating dates and strapping down my head so that it wouldn't spin away.

Then today, I may have reattached my head correctly.
I flipped off a few emails.
I touched base with MBB.

I'm hoping to firm up some items in the next week so that I can start enjoying this planning process!

Namaste.

Great Sale - Pretty Flowers

Hobby Lobby was having a 50% off sale on their flowers last week.
I found some really pretty ones, so I did some shopping.
I have a feeling that these are going to be arranged into some great creations!

My favorite flower is a star-gazer lily.
These aren't exactly star-gazers, but I think they are pretty!
Namaste.

Bridal Set

MBB took me to pick out my ring.
He said there was no way in the world he was going to pick it out for me (good call!).

To be honest, I am not a fan of engagement rings.
I do not like how they look with wedding rings.
But MBB said that I deserved an engagement ring.

When I was at the jewelers and mentioned that I didn't like the look of two rings together (along with preferring marque cut), they immediate pulled out a set and handed it to me. It was the look of the set together that I liked and caused me to chose that set.

I already shared a picture of my engagement ring.
Here is my bridal set. . .
It is perfect for me.
Just the right size (though I am still figuring out how to put my left hand in my pocket) once I remember to take it off before working on the house.

Namaste.

My Christmas Gift

Yep - I got an engagement ring for Christmas. :)
No, we haven't set a date.

Namaste.