beautiful wedding!

i just hope mine looks half as good!

must. calm. down.

i just took my programs to kinkos to get copied. tomorrow will be consumed with our final marriage counseling session and lots of cutting!

why am i so freaking nervous right now?!!

flutter flies fickle butter bride

that is how i feel right now!

my very own!

so i am obsessed with twigs and honey: etsy.com/myrakim and i ordered a hairpiece from her a while ago. it is on its way to my house now! the only concern i have is that it is white and my dress is ivory, and i think i forgot to tell her that. but there is a little bit of ivory in it, so hopefully it will be okay!

boleros

wow look at these gorgeous boleros! i wish they matched my dress so i can wear them! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5202546

wedding weather

60 and sunny!

paradigm shift

i have cried about seven times within the past 36 hours. needless to say i am stressed out! i've cried because of this wedding, because of my students, because of myself, because of my family, and because of God's undeserving grace. God has blessed me with the support of friends and family who are praying for me and remind me of how blessed i am. throughout the next ten days, i hope i can be better focused on the things that are more beautiful and eternal than this wedding. nothing is impossible for me!

a song that blessed me today:

this is our god by hillsong

our grace is enough
More than I need
And your word I will believe
I wait for you
Draw near again
And your spirit make me new

And i will fall at your feet
I will fall at your feet
And i will worship you here

Your presence in me
Jesus light the way
By the power of your word
I am restored
I am redeemed
By your spirit i am free

Freely you gave it all for us
Surrendered your life upon that cross
Great is your love
Poured out for all
This is our God

Lifted on high from death to life
Forever our God is glorified
Sovereign king
Rescued the world
This is our God

weather

weather for friday april 3, 2009 (weather.com won't show me any further):

turks and caicos (our honeymoon spot): 81 mostly sunny
monterey (our wedding spot): 59 sunny
philadelphia (our current spot): 56 showers

yayyyyy meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

so little time left!

10 days left until the wedding day madness!
9 days left until rehearsal dinner/ hair makeup trial #2
8 days left until marriage license/ hair makeup trial #1, i see my bridesmaids!!
7 days left until i leave for california, finish up work for spring break, get final head count to caterer
6 days left until our last marriage counseling session, to pack!
5 days left until _____________. this is my only free day! i hope i don't have to tutor!
4 days left until my last day to shop before the wedding!
3 days left until justin's birthday party!
2 days left until the weekend!, have to get the music to the dj/musician
1 day left until my formal observation at school and last day of grad school for a couple weeks
0 days left until i freak out.

beautiful picture

a helpful guide

hi guys. here is a post to help people who are new to the wedding scene. we've been getting a lot of gifts lately, which has been so fun, and we're so very thankful for them! this article was taken off of smartmoney.com.

The Wedding Gift Etiquette Guide

WEDDING GIFTS ARE big business — billions of dollars big. According to research firm The Wedding Report, this year alone guests will spend $6.9 billion on wedding gifts.

Each time an invitation arrives in the mail, wedding guests face a common and sometimes frustrating dilemma: What should I buy the bride and groom, and how much should I spend? Depending on the couple, where they live and their culture, giving cash is either considered apropos or gauche. And then there's always the quandary over the registry, especially when the only two options left are a $200 waffle maker and a $5 garlic press. After all, there's a fine line between breaking the bank to buy a generous gift and looking like a cheapskate.

The idea behind a wedding gift, according to etiquette doyenne Peggy Post, is indeed a noble one: "It is a tangible representation of love and support, a generous offering to help married couples get a head start in their lives together."

It sounds lovely, but for guests who don't know the bride and groom well enough to conjure up such a representation or are on a tight budget, here's a gift etiquette primer to get you through wedding season:

1. How much should I spend on a gift?

The amount you should spend on a gift is one of those gray areas that vary based on the wedding location, your age and your budget. A typical amount, says Betsy Goldberg, features editor at Modern Bride magazine, is $75. If you bring a date, expect to spend twice that amount. Don't be afraid to ask other attendees how much they plan to spend to get a better sense of what people within your social circle are giving, she says.

Though the gift amount is somewhat arbitrary, Summer Krecke, deputy editor of WeddingChannel.com, offers a few guidelines based on the guest's relationship to the bride or groom: If it's a co-worker's wedding, you should spend $75 to $100; a relative or friend, $100-$125; and if it's a close friend or close relative, anywhere from $100 to $150 or more is acceptable.

2. What if I can't afford the $120 five-speed blender because I have four other weddings this month?

Most brides and grooms don't want you to go broke as a result of their wedding. Therefore, guests should always consider their budget constraints. If you've been invited to five weddings that take place within three months of one another, you'll need to take into account expenses for all those events (not just the gifts, but any required travel and lodging, as well). At destination weddings, for example, most couples understand that the $500 you shelled out to attend their Bahamas beach wedding doesn't leave you much to spend on a big-ticket gift. "They appreciate that people go so far to be with them for their wedding," says Goldberg.

Also keep in mind that your gift obligations don't start and end with the wedding. Factor in surrounding celebrations, like the bridal shower, bachelor/bachelorette party and engagement party. Tally it up and you'll probably feel like you need a second job to afford your loved ones' nuptials, making it all the more important you don't break the bank on one gift.

3. Should the amount I give depend on the price per dinner plate or how posh the venue is?

Quite simply, no. "Never think about it in those terms," says Martha Woodham, author of "The Bride Did What?! Etiquette for the Wedding Impaired." Instead, think about it this way: You're not expected to pay for your meal at a friend's dinner party, so why should you be expected to pay for a night of dinner and dancing at a wedding? A gift is separate from the party itself and should not be considered "the admission price to the wedding," says Woodham.

4. If I can't make it to the wedding, do I still give a gift?

Yes. Ideally, says Woodham, guests give gifts to help the couple commemorate the occasion and start their new life together — and that should be the case whether a guest partakes in the wedding festivities or not. "If you care about the couple, you send a gift — not just because you were invited to the wedding," she says.

5. Is it always best to get a gift from the registry?

The great thing about wedding registries — and the reason why they're such a big business — is there's little risk involved. Brides and grooms tell you what they want, so you don't spend an afternoon shopping for the perfect espresso machine only to find out later that neither of them drinks coffee. With a registry item, "you know when they get it, they'll be happy and excited about it," says Woodham.

Since registry gifts veer toward the impersonal, Goldberg suggests including a note with the gift to make it less so. If you buy a couple that loves to entertain a cheese board, include a note that says something along the lines of: "We love coming over for your parties and thought this would be useful to you," says Goldberg. One bit of advice when buying from the registry: Shop early to make sure you have various price points to choose from.

6. Is it in poor taste to hand an envelope containing a check to the bride or groom during the reception?

Generally, a gift of cash or a check is acceptable — and, for the most part, welcomed. "I don't know of any bride or groom turning down a check," says Krecke. Most couples will put either the best man or a parent in charge of receiving and holding onto checks at the wedding.

What is inappropriate, however, is bringing a gift to the wedding — especially if it's a cumbersome 10-pound rice cooker. Many couples don't get married in their hometowns, so you make it more difficult for them to haul the gifts home post-wedding. Instead, send the gift directly to the couple's home address or to one of their parents several weeks before the wedding, says Krecke.

7. I can send them a gift later, right?

While it's fine to celebrate the special day with the couple and send a gift later — don't wait until well after the bride's written all her thank-you notes. Some people think "you can wait up to a year to give a gift," says Krecke. "We generally say anything more than six months is poor etiquette."

damage control

so yesterday john and i were talking, and through the rumor mill he heard that people are talking about me and my blogging. first of all, thanks for those of you who read because i have no idea who does considering NOONE COMMENTS. i had no idea it was that many people, but thanks for caring about how my wedding planning is going and just about me. i know that i have been using this blog as a sort of scrapbook of all the fun things i find and a place to vent, so those of you who read and might get discouraged because i sound stressed, i'm sorry, and i'll try to be more upbeat. things with wedding planning are honestly fine except for the minor etiquette things and overreacting of my mother at times. the craziness is starting to subside and i honestly am just working on last-minute things now like tables, my own stuff like shoes and jewelry, and the like. all of the wedding planning will soon be coming to an end!

anyway, the reason this is called damage control is because i wrote a post a couple weeks ago that apparently is causing a lot of controversy among people that may be coming to the wedding, and i may have been a little mean. like i said earlier, this is a place for me to vent, and in doing so i may lose some tact at times. i want to reassure everyone that john and i were very deliberate about the people we invited, and we are thankful to everyone that is coming considering we know that it is far and people are spendingn a lot of money and even vacation days to come celebrate with us. we don't want anyone to feel unwelcome because it is supposed to be a joyous occasion. at the same time, it has been hard because i am the first of my friends across the board, whether friends from michigan, cali, chicago, etc, so for me personally to not grow bitter when people are not tactful and don't have wedding etiquette has been incredibly hard considering wedding planning is hard enough as it is. in addition, because we are a young couple getting married, a lot of people are coming with the side intention of maybe meeting someone at our wedding, which is fine, but i still want a classy wedding, hence my comment about girls dressing appropriately. i think it's normal to say that i just want my day to be as perfect as possible, and my wedding becoming a club is one less thing i'd like to worry about.

i'm sorry if it sounds like i'm making excuses, and i'm sorry if you don't believe me. i hope everyone knows that i'm grateful for them in our lives and for coming to our wedding and the gifts that are coming, and we're both very excited to be able to share this occasion with you all.

this blog will be over soon.

oy vey!

am i really getting married in exactly a month?!?!?!?! :0!!!

i fell in love again

except that the object of my affection no longer exists... =(

OMG!!

THIS IS NUTS!! IT WAS IN A FROSTY AND SHE SWALLOWED IT!!!!!

this made me laugh out loud!

bows!

i love bows, and i almost wish i had incorporated them into my wedding, but i didn't, so oh well. for anyone who has incorporated them into their wedding, these earrings are darling!


this too is gorg!

snow day= my mom is so annoying day

today i had my third snow day of the year! it was quite wonderful. i got to sleep in and it was one day less of coming home stressed! or so i thought. instead of going to work, i stayed home and did a lot of wedding preparations, and what do you know, my mother and i spent almost the WHOLE DAY on the phone discussing rehearsal dinner, favors, and music. nothing really got done. blah. but here is a favor i love and hope to get:

wonderful and affordable bridesmaid dress