OUR WEDDING: We Are Featured!!!

I'm soooo excited to share that our wedding has been featured on the Black Bride Blog.  Hop on over there to see all the highlights of our wedding and let me know what you think!

Photo from Alexa's Photography

OUR WEDDING: Final Thoughts

Tomorrow it will be two months since our wedding!  Things have calmed down significantly and we are settling back into life as usual.  Being able to look back, enjoy pictures, and still here great things about our wedding really warms our hearts and reminds us on a daily basis that we are blessed beyond measure with a strong support system of friends and family.

Going into this post, Kimili and I talked a lot about whether to tabulate our expense and see exactly how much we spent, which was apart of the original plan for the "final thoughts".  Now that everything is said and done, I think we are just content knowing that we were able to celebrate our love with a wedding that was uniquely us, we had everything we wanted and enjoyed the company of our loved ones.  Based on that, and the fact that we're a little freaked out to know the grand total, we chose not to do a detailed breakdown.  If I had to guess, I would say we spent between $15,000 and $25,000 in total; including catering which was gifted by my parents and the rehearsal dinner which was gifted by Kimili's mother.  This was by no means our budget, but due to an unanticipated headcount spike we ended up planning for about twice the amount of guests we originally planned for.  Being someone who was totally budget conscious and determined to pay for a majority of the wedding, having our budget turned upside down was extremely stressful to me.  We recognize that we were extremely blessed to be able to account for the increase and in hindsight, don't regret one thing we had to work through or plan for to have the wedding of our dreams.  At the end of the day we wouldn't change a thing!

Some elements of our wedding that I was not able to discuss in great detail, but were extremely important to us were our pre-ceremony cocktail hour with our favorite snacks, kids room with babysitter, our unplugged wedding ceremony, writing our own vows, bridal-party inspired candy station, recognizing my parents anniversary within our wedding, open bar & party bus transportation for all guests, and in general having a wedding that celebrated us but also showed our guests how important they were to us.  If you are considering any of these for your own wedding and have any question's please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Enjoy a few pictures taking by our family member and check out Alexa's Photography for a preview of what she captured.  For future brides, our advice would be to plan for what you want, research alternative options and realize you may have to bend a little.  Most importantly take time to slow down and cherish each moment of your wedding day, it goes by fast!

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

  

OUR WEDDING: Insta-Wedding

Social media is such a huge part of most of our lives nowadays.  When we were planning, considering all the details was super important to us and being able to share them with everyone long after was something that social media allowed us to do.  Being avid Instagram users, creating a custom #hashtag seemed the perfect way to go.  We thought with a little creativity we could come up with a custom #hashtag that was special to us.  Using a few tips and templates from Something Turquoise and Salt Water Studios we were able to come up with one that incorporated our wedding date and a catchphrase from Kimili's favorite comedian whom we've seen every time he comes to our town which has become sort of a "tradition" for us.  Some time soon we plan on printing these pictures to add to our collection of wedding memories.

If you're on Instagram be sure to search #pineapples0816 to see some of the fun we had and stop back by next week when I share photo's and final thoughts on our wedding.

From Something Turquoise

From Events by Social Graces

My Bridal Shower

This past month has been a whirlwind of activity, between my Birthday, Bachelor/Bachelorette parties and Bridal Showers it's been a fun celebration filled month.  By bridal party whisked me away to Charlotte for a bachelorette weekend where we had a great time hanging out and enjoying each other's company.  The following weekend my mother-in-law threw me the most fun bridal shower I've ever been to.  It was blast spending time with both sides of the family, getting to know one another better and playing super fun games (coming from someone who usually doesn't like shower games).

Bachelorette Cake Pops

Bachelorette Ladies

Bridal Shower Cake

OUR WEDDING: Invitations

One thing I firmly believe in is that invitations set the tone for any event. Kimili and I are really laid back and love to entertain, have a great time with family and friends so we knew we didn't want our wedding to be a stuffy uptight affair.  It was important to us that our invitations portrayed our personality and vision for our wedding.  With the added pressure of being a wedding planner, we wanted our invitations to WOW our guests.

Our first exploration into the wonderful world of invitations suite lead us to pockets, if you remember this post.   While we thought it was a pretty, cost effective invitation with a little pizazz because of the pocket folds and pretty ribbon embellishments, it just wasn't the direction we wanted to go in.

From Cards and Pockets

The next invitation suite we were eyeing we saw on Bella Figura.  I really liked the first photo below, Kimili thought the font was a little difficult to read.  Looking at it now, I can agree, so our happy medium is shown in the second photo.  The thing that really drew me to this collection was the letter press calligraphy, once we figured out the price, Kimili quickly shut this option down.

From Bella Figura

From Bella Figura

After a lame attempt at designing the invitations myself, I stumbled upon Do-de-line Design Studio's website via Southern Weddings (I believe), and our design inspiration was found!  See the entire invitation suite here.

From Do-De-Line Design Studio

Now we had a direction, but no conceivable way of how to accomplish this fun, whimsical, sophisticated invitation that we absolutely loved.  At this point the invitation process was becoming a bit overwhelming for me.  Enter Kimili's cousin (who is a graphic designer and does this professionally) after a few e-mails and a meeting, here is what we came up with, hope you love it as much as we do!

Design: Jaxn Design Haus 

Printing: UPrinting

Envelopes & Solid Envelope Liner: Paper Presentation

Calligraphy: Classic Calligraphy

Envelop Liner (Stripe):  By Invitation Only 

Personal Photo

OUR WEDDING: Checklist Update - 1 Month

OOOHHHHH EEEMMMM GGGGEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! 1 Month to go!!!! Where has the time gone?!?!? In exactly one month today, Kimili and I will be celebrating our union along with our family and friends! We are super excited and can't wait for our big day!

Photo from Alexa's Photography - Engagement Session

Last month we:

Scheduled final walk through with venue

Ordered items for candy buffet

Finish last few DIY projects

Begin pre-marital counseling

Finish paying final balances

Finalize reception song list

Meet with our ceremony officiate

Wedding gown fitting

This month we ABSOLUTELY MUST:

Apply for marriage license
Meet with vendors one last time
Final walk thorough of venue
Enjoy Bachelor/Bachelorette Party
Enjoy Bridal Shower
Final Dress Fitting
Update Registry
Finalize Guest List
GET MARRIED!!!!

OUR WEDDING: Checklist Update - 2 Months

Aye Aye Aye, where does time go!  We've been a little crazy the last month but still made some progress on our "To Do" List.  June 1st a our family members and a few of my bridesmaids and friends all got together and had a DIY party, I am forever in debt to these phenomenal women, without them I wouldn't have been able to get half of what they took care of done.  Between them and the help of our Wedding Director, Veronica, from Behind the Scenes Inc., they are all playing a huge part in helping me keep my sanity!  THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!  

Photo from Bridal Guide via Ashley McCormick Photography

  

Last month we:

Put together DIY projects

Assemble invitations

Mailed invitations

Stuff welcome bags

Began paying final balances for vendors

Submitted partial song list to DJ

Worked on vows

Finalize everything with our coordinator

Contacted pre-marital counselor

Checked on wedding gown status

Bridal party make-up trial

Finalized all signage

Verified bridal party received attire

Next month we plan to:

Schedule final walk through with venue

Order items for candy buffet

Finish last few DIY projects

Begin pre-marital counseling

Finish paying final balances

Finalize reception song list

Meet with our ceremony officiate

Wedding gown fitting

Send Rehearsal dinner invitations

Order groom's shoes

OUR WEDDING: Checklist Update - 3 Months

We are getting down to the wire!  Just under 3 months to go and I must say I feel great!  Take a look below at one of our favorite engagement shots.  Alexa's Photography did an amazing job with all of them!

Photo from Alexa's Photography - Engagement Sessiono

Last month we:

Started working on details with vendors

Hired a calligrapher

Set up hair & make-up trails & appointments

Ordered welcome basket components

Ordered final bridal party gifts

Ordered veil & shoes

Finalized transportation

Received Engagement Photos (YAY!)

Next month we plan to:

Put together DIY Projects

Assemble Invitations

Mail Invitations

Stuff Welcome Bags

Schedule final walk through with venue

Submit Song List to DJ

Work on Vows

Finalize everything with our coordinator

Order items for Candy Buffet

OUR WEDDING: Checklist Update - 4 Months

We just had a super fun engagement shoot with Alexa's Photography this past Saturday, can't wait to share pictures.  The photo session made realize it's crunch time!  With 4 months (to the day) to go, we still have quite a few little projects to complete.

Photo from Bella the Magazine 

So far this month we have:

-Booked rehearsal dinner
-Created rehearsal dinner invitations
-Planned rehearsal dinner(Toasts, Gifts, etc.)
-Booked {mini}moon
-Groomsmen fitting
-Bought wedding party gifts
-Booked transportation
-Finalized ceremony selections & program with officiant
-Looked into premarital counceling
-Finalized musical selections
-Took engagement pictures
-Received all the components for our invitations
-Set hair appointment for wedding day

Next month we will:
-Hammer out details with all vendors
-Order welcome bag components
-Order veil & shoes
-Confirm bridesmaids dresses arrival
-Finalize transportation
-Begin working on invitation assembly
-Organize DIY projects

OUR WEDDING: Vendors

My how time fly's when you're having fun!  Almost four months away and growing more excited by the day. I wanted to take a moment to introduce our stellar wedding vendors.  Working in the wedding industry in the triad for the past five years has afforded me the opportunity to work with some pretty awesome wedding professionals.  When it came to selecting our vendors, it was a no brainier for me and luckily my sweet fiance just went with the flow!  Here are the amazing people that will be bringing our wedding to life.

Photo from Southern Weddings Blog

Attire, Groom & Groomsmen - Men's Warehouse 

Attire, Wedding Dress - Dawn's Bridals Inc. 

Attire, Bridesmaids Dresses - JJ's House

Bakery - Maxie B's

Calligrapher - Holly's Calligraphy

Caterer - Peppermoon Catering

Ceremony & Reception Venue - The Lofts at Union Square

Details, Candy Buffet - Em for Marvelous

Details, Invitations - Paper Source

Details, Ceremony Decor - Paper Mart 

DJ - Mike in the Night

Florist - Design's North Florist

Officiant - Rev. Ayana Newton

Photographer - Alexa's Photography

Rehearsal Dinner - Natty Greene's

Rentals, Candy Buffet - Save the Date Event Rentals

Rentals, Linen - Fete by Design

Rentals, Misc -  Triad Event Rentals

Stationer, Envelopes & Liners - By Invitation Only

Stationer, Graphic Designer - Jaxn Design Haaus 

Stationer, Signage - Suite Paper

Wedding Coordinator - Behind the Scenes Inc.

OUR WEDDING: Check List Update - 5 Months

Less than 5 months to go and we are soooo excited!  We have all of our vendors booked, projects decided and some of our bridal party has even received their dresses and tuxes!  August can't get here soon enough!

Photo from Wedding Bee

This month we:
-Began working on the ceremony
-Chosen some musical selections
-Finalized our honeymoon plans
-Ordered components for DIY projects
-Finalized our invitations
-Ordered our invitations
-Booked a stationer for ceremony signage
-Placed orders or other "details" of our big day
-Decided on date & location for engagement photos
-Began working on timeline with our wedding planner
-Contacted venue for rehearsal dinner

Next month we plan to:
-Finalize ceremony
-Narrow down musical selections
-Book our honeymoon
-Take our engagement photo's
-Book rehearsal dinner location
-Work on invitations for rehearsal dinner
-Look into wedding day transportation

OUR WEDDING: The Date

By now you might have assumed we have selected a date for our wedding, as evidence from our 7 Month Update.  We will be married on August 16, 2013.  This date is very special to me because my parents got married on that date, 27 years ago this year which was when my great grandparents were married too.  In fact, when my parents got married, it was my great grandparents 50th anniversary and they renewed their vows before my parents ceremony.  Because of this significance Kimili and I felt that this date couldn't be more appropriate for our wedding.

Personal Photo

OUR WEDDING: Dress Shopping

Every little girls dreams about wedding dress shopping with her mom and friends, getting that special feeling when she tries on "The Dress" and every one crying when the special dress is selected.  I am not the most fashion forward individual, and in fact loathe trying on any type of clothes.  The thought of dress shopping seemed more like a stressful chore than an exciting moment I'll cherish.  Luckily, I am blessed with amazing, supportive family and friends and the two trips I took were unforgettable.

The first attempt at dress shopping was in Maryland.  My mom, sister, cousin and bridesmaid were actually looking for bridesmaids dresses.  Based on Watters, the designer I picked, we found Casa Mauricio.  The owner was extremely helpful, giving a personality test to determine my "dream dress,"  making helpful suggestions like allowing my bridesmaids to select their own gowns based on a profile of them collectively (which I agreed with, more on that later), and most importantly letting me try on the wedding gown I'd been eyeing,  WToo Desdemona, only to find out that it wasn't the one for me.  But I did try on the Watters Austin Gown and instantly fell in love with it!

Personal Photo - Wtoo, Desdemona Gown

Personal Photo - Wtoo, Desdemona Gown

Personal Photo - Watters, Austin Gown   

Back in North Carolina, I visited Dawn's Bridals with most of my bridesmaids which turned out to be a really fun trip as well.  Since these ladies know me best and dress me well for birthday's and Christmas I figured who better to help me find my gown.  After the first dress shopping experience I really had no clue what I wanted in a dress.  Armed with four bridesmaids and two flower girls we agreed they would all select two dresses and see what they came up with.  What a brilliant idea!  It was here that I "Said Yes to the Dress."

Personal Photo - Designer Unknown

Personal Photo - Designer Unknown

Personal Photo - Designer Unknown

Personal Photo - Designer Unknown

Personal Photo - Designer Unknown

My girls know fashion don't they!  Since this visit I have Dawn's Bridal's again with my Mom, Sister, Grandmother, Godmother, God Sister, and a dear family friend, to try on the gown again for these important women in my life.  My future mother-in-law was sick and we missed her on this trip, she will most definitely come along for the fitting!  We had a ball and ordered my dress before we left, stay tuned to see my dress, it's not pictured above but if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you've already seen a sneak peek). Yay!

OUR WEDDING: Check List Update - 6 Months

WOW!!! Where has the time gone???  We are about 6 months out from our wedding and so far things are falling into place beautifully! 

Personal Photo

Last month we:

-Secured Caterer and DJ for ceremony & reception

-Ordered my wedding dress

-Sent Save the Dates

-Purchased Wedding Bands

-Ordered Wedding Cake & Grooms Cake

-Communicated with Wedding Planner about details

-Ordered materials for DIY projects

-Selected gifts for bridal party, parents, officiate, hosts

-Begin working with Stationer to design Invitations

-Talked about engagement session with Photographer

-Begin narrowing down honeymoon destinations

-Communicated attire details & order dates with bridal party

-Began working on ceremony details

Next month we plan to:

-Finalize ceremony program

-Decide on musical selections

-Finalize honeymoon plans

-Begin DIY projects

OUR WEDDING: Check List Update - 7 Months

Tomorrow will exactly 7 months until our wedding.  So far we have crossed off quite a few items off our “to-do” list!

Photo from Bella Figura

Since November we have:

-Selected a date
-Determined our budget

-Selected our bridal party and their attire

-Determined our guest list

-Booked the ceremony & reception venue (will be held in the same place)

-Hired a wedding planner

-Selected on an officiant

-Gone dress shopping

-Designed Wedding Website

-Created and printed Save-the dates

-Blocked hotel rooms for out of town guests

-Created registries

-Booked Photographer

-Secured Rentals

-Selected Cake designer and details

-Shopped for wedding bands

-Compiled a list of DIY projects

In the next month we plan to:

-Book a caterer

-Hire a DJ & musician for our ceremony

-Book a stationer or decide to DIY

-Send our Save-The-Dates

-Order my dress

-Order all attire for bridal party

-Talk honeymoon

-Schedule engagement session with our photographer

OUR WEDDING: Wedding Party

I just have to say, I'm super excited to be blogging about our upcoming wedding!  As a planner it's been a little difficult for me balance the joy of planning with Kimili and the "know-how" I already have.  I always tell my couples to collect or e-mail me pictures of any inspiration they find online.  Once they have amassed a collection, and they go back through it most often their "wedding style" pops out at them.  What kind of professional would I be if I didn't follow my own advice?!?!  The look on Kimili's face was priceless as I literally dropped this stack of inspiration on him one night ...

Personal Photo

After his initial shock, one of the first things we did was decide our wedding party.  Wedding parties are a part of a wedding that I very rarely deal with until the rehearsal day, so this was a fun new exciting part of wedding planning for me personally.  After a lot of discussion we settled on 8 members on each side (he still thinks that's way too many!), 3 hosts, 3 ceremony participants, a minister, and escorts for honored guests (parents and grandparents).

Since we LOVE entertaining, it is really important to us that our wedding not only celebrates our marriage  but our guests as well.  They always say invitations set the tone so, I wanted to come up with a unique special way of asking the special members of our bridal party.  Thanks to my inspiration pile, coming up with something for my girls was easy!  Though I opted not to do inspiration boxes since we would be sending them thought the mail, I loved the style of the cards in this brides DIY project on the Wedding Chicks site.

For the guys I had to get a little creative!  Kimili turned down most of the idea's I found through searching and Pinterest, but I think our final idea was a winner.  He is a basketball coach, in fact we met while we were both managers for the women's basketball team in college.  So for his invitation we created a media guide, which is like a booklet, that professional, college and high school teams publish with stats, team bios, schedules and expectations for the season.  His media guide included preliminary information about our wedding, attire, names of the groomsmen and important dates.  Since most of the groomsmen are heavily into sports as well, I think a media guide was meaningful and recognizable to everyone involved.

For the remaining members of the bridal party we opted to do hand written notes using a save the date template found here on Wedding Chicks site again.  Everyone was super excited to get their personal mail and LOVED the sentiment and thought put behind the invitation.  We are just as thrilled that these amazing people will be apart of our ceremony!

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Personal Photo from Bridesmaid

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Personal Photo

Personal Photo

   

I'M ENGAGED!

That's Right!!!!  Last Thursday evening, my then boyfriend popped the question!  With the aid of our close friends, a tasty dinner at Mellow Mushroom and some exceptional planning they pulled of the BIGGEST surprise of my life.  I didn't even see it coming!!! I'm pretty sure I'm still in shock but I am so excited to share this news with you!

Here is a picture of us right before he got down on one knee & a picture of my beautiful ring!

Personal Photo

Personal Photo