stuff

Yes yes yes, I never post anymore! But not like anyone reads this anyhow - a few do I think, but I don't have a long list of followers begging for my next entry. I started summer school (slightly regretting it) but I'm 2 weeks into an 8 week course, so that's promising.

Alex comes in 2 weeks!! yay!! I pick him up from the airport on 7/10 and we're going straight to Oak Park to Cucina Paridiso for a bite to eat and cocktail - once it's not too busy, Anthony will take us over to 19thCC so I can show him the space. I'm sooo excited b/c he's so creative and I want him to see it and help me with decor. It will be wonderful to have him be able to picture everything rather than just looking at pictures. And then, it's his 30th bday on 7/11!

I have been finalizing my ideas for flowers with my florist, Carolynn - she has been wonderful in dealing with my tight budget and my "all over the map" ideas. I think I have settled on something [above] minus a few things. I love love love this bouquet and am so excited. I'm having holly bouts (thank you Katherine Heigl wedding last winter where I got the idea).

We have been discussing ceremony music, and still doing counseling with our pastor... things are moving, nothing HUGE, but moving! TGIF!

Less than 7 months....

So I got the Knot countdown email a couple of days ago reminding me there are 7 months, now less, to the DAY. I'm not behind on anything, except thinking about what we want to do for ceremony music... I just sent in deposit for DJ.

One great thing that has happened, somehow I stumbled upon a weddingbee blog of a girl by the name of 'Miss Stiletto' (http://www.weddingbee.com/author/stiletto/) that is getting married at the 19th CC as well - as she & I have discovered, there is not much info online about the venue. We have traded emails discussing different things and she has put me in touch with a local Oak Park florist 'Fleur Lily Chic' [www.fleurlilychic.com]. I have been speaking with Carolynn and she has had some great suggestions for flowers in Dec that will fall within my budget. I am excited - as I previously discussed, my brideman will be arranging the bouquets, but Carolynn will be ordering the flowers for us to use. While this kinda takes away from the excitement of going in the morning and picking out random flowers, it also ensures the flowers will be of good quality and available... probably a safer and more reasonable option. She will be making my bouts and my corsages as well.

In a previous post I showed a bouquet of dahlias that i LOVED and would like exactly, but unfortunately they are not available in December - which I was afraid of... Their season is June-Oct, for all you summer & Fall brides - I LOVE dahlias... But Carolynn has suggested deep red Gerber daisies, somewhat similar, anemones (red with black centers) and some others that can definitely work as well.

Happy Spring!

It's been nicer lately; flowers are coming up and I found this picture that I felt was appropriate for a nice spring FRIDAY! And my friend and I were just talking about tulips - if either one of us were having a spring wedding (and we are not) how awesome it would be to have tulips everywhere, and tulip bouquets!

flowers, bouquets, etc....

I am at that lull part of planning - there are not pressing things that I NEED to get done (music is starting to be though...) so I'm feeling a little lost and anxious - like I should be doing something. But according to my KNOT checklist, I am ok! One thing on the list is "set up appointments with various florists to discuss options". So I have been thinking about it.

We do not have a lot of $ in our budget for flowers, but this is ok - I was always planning on only having fresh flowers for my bridal party and family. I have been reading up, and thinking about the idea of heading to Whole Foods (a couple blocks away from hotel) the morning of with my BrideMan [Alex] to get some flowers for the wedding. He has experience doing this, and the "eye" and I always love what he comes up with. For some reason, this does not give me anxiety or make me nervous, b/c I have faith in the Oak Park area and Whole Foods. I brought it up to him, and he loves it - so I think this is what we will do. He assures me he knows how to put a bouquet together, as he did his sister's wedding, and his grandmother was a florist. I'm excited.