I privacy settings on my my bio. I have kept most of my DIY projects public, however there are several other pages that are more personal and private. If you will like to see them please send me a friend request and i will be more than happy to add you.  Note that i will only add you if you are an "active" member on PW. What does this mean? It means that you must have a profile picture and be posting regularly on the main forums. If you have zero posts, and no pictures, i will most likely not be accepting your friend request as i would like to know who is viewing my bio pages! thanks.

I had a wonderful TTD session with Kristen Weaver last weekend in Orlando! she posted these on her blog and I cannot wait to see the rest!

Source: Kristen Weaver Photography

************************************************************************

Here are a few more:

Source: Kristen Weaver Photography

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=184408165445&ref=mf

Credit by Dana Harell Photography. If you use any of these pictures please remember to give credit!

The Location

Getting Ready

FIRST REVEAL

Posed Pictures

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CRYING MOMENT

CALLING MUM

CEREMONY

RECEPTION

OUR DANCE MOVES

Our day was awesome although we had a few hiccups! We enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Here are a few non pro pics: I will post all of my pro pictures as soon as i get them.

Thank you for all the toasts and congratulatory messages. Now that i am back from my HM, if you have questions about anything, PM me and I will be more than happy to respond or help if I can.

The Location

Decorations & Details

The Ceremony

The Kiss

Reception

First dance

The Cake

Other Pictures

I have recieved a couple of PM's on how much i saved and spent on my wedding, My budget etc... So I am sharing, hoping to inspire some brides that it is possible to have a nice initimate wedding without breaking the bank. Of course.. we couldnt have managed this budget without the generosity of our family.

I planned my wedding with a 10K budget in mind (minus cost of engagement ring). Apart from my wedding gown which was a total splurge everything else I tried to save some bucks on! So here is my breakdown.

*************************************************************************************

1. Ceremony and Reception of Rental place was all inclusive (tables, chairs , set up, cleanup, white table linens) - $ 1600 for $150 guests. Tent rental + dance floor ($ 1200.00 was a gift from DH's family)

2. Glassware and glass plates for 190 guests (we needed only 150) we purchased from Criagslist for $350.00

3. Linens purchased wholesale at $16.00 per piece instead of renting for $15.00.(total $256.00)  Purchase 150 linen napkin at 1.00 . per piece (150.00). Chair sashes purchased @ .65 cents each on clearance (~ 100.00)

4)  Decoration: I used paper lanterns and DIY paper tissue pomanders for my decorations total cost   $~120.00

5) Silverware for 150 guests purchase for $ 120.00 total. 140 gold charger plates @ 1.50 each  $ ~ 210.00

6. So, most of you have seen how my pro pictures turned out! I love my photographer and i hired her for 7 hrs for    $ 500.00 ! Yep $ 500.00. For this package our photographer provided us with edited images on discs for us to make our own prints.

6a. Engagement photography was $50.00 for 1 hr shoot. photographer was a young artist looking to build her portforlio which i found on craigslist.

7. Videographer, (family member & friend) free

8. DJ (family member & friend) Initally this was going to be free but we ended up spending $ 300.00 to get another DJ....

9. Drinks; We serving wine, beer and champagne all through for cocktail and reception.  Wine was purchasef from trader joe at @2.00 per bottle . I ended up spending a total of ~ $400. We had 3 boxes of wine and 6 bottles of champagne left over which we are using for our thanksgiving dinner and x'mas dinner.  Cost for bartender with pouring license for the night -$90.00 + tips

10) Cake- $ 435.00 (Gift from FMIL). This included a topper for our anniversary, delivery and set up at location and we still had plenty left over which i donated to the children ministry at church.

11) Invitations (pocketfolds), programs, table numbers, escort cards, and all paper supplies for wedding - DIY projects Total cost ~ $298.00

12) Groom's suit purchased from italisuit.com for $141.00 (includes $15 shipping). Groom's shirt was

13) Earrings - purchased $10.00 from a knottie bride. Bracelet was $15.00 from Macy'sDesigner hair accessory was $320.00 which was a gift from my sister!

14) Veil & hair flower- DIY  for less than $20.00

15) DH's ring -$ 65.00 from overstock.com. My wedding band came with the engagement ring

16. Wedding shoes (Nina Elke)...from Nina.com with 20% off coupon and free shipping.. $75.00

17) Cake stand- purchased for $99.00 instead of renting for $60.00

18)  FG dresses ($55.00 each) & ring bearer ~ total $160

19) Honeymoon: 1 week in Costa Rica ~$1400.00 (includes plane tickets for 2 from chicago). I booked flights separately and researched resorts we were interested in staying at . We Booked hotel rooms directly and through expedia (with 20% summer discount) rather than through a travel agency to save. For the same itenerary . Our HM was a wedding gift.

120) Food: We choose a location that would allow outside catering, so ordered food (Ghanaian) from a caterer for 75 persons for $600.00. This included food for cocktail hour. The Liberian food was cooked by DH's aunt and mum for FREE. (Total cost for food for 150 guest- $600.00)

21). Flowers- purchased flowers wholesale from online for $500. I DIY'd all the flowers, centerpieces, pomander, boutonairres...  

22. DOC/planner- $ 540.00, Bridal MUA- $ 100.00, Bridal hair (FREE)

23). Chocolate bar favors from Ghana- $ 100.00

24) Reception dress ensemble through Etsy -$ 145.00

25) Miscellanous cost: Marriage license $20, donation of $100 to pastor, DIY thank you parasol & BM'ds parasols $40.00, thankyou cards-~60.00.00, Centerpieces vases , Ribbons and accessories for flower bouquet ~ $ 170.00, Dress alterations $ 300.00, Massage and pedicure/manicure for me :-))  $150.00 tissue paper napkins and plastic plates for cocktail -$ 60.00. Total miscellanous = $900.00

*================================================

Our out of pocket expense DH and I spent for our wedding. $ ~ 8,000.00. This total does not include the cost of my dress or any of the items that was paid for as gifts from our friends and family. 

 My wedding weekend was awesome, although we had a few hiccups (what is a wedding without hiccups? Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves tremendously with family and close friends.

On Thursday most of my friends started arriving in town. All the online flowers were delivered early morning and I was very happy with them. We got our marriage license from the county we were getting married in and my FMIL put in my hair extensions which I loved.  We manged to find another DJ (after we found out on Wednesday night that our DJ had pulled out on us) which calmed me down. That morning, my best friend called me to tell me that her BM’ds dress had been ruined and so she had no dress. Like WTF!!!  So she explained that her roommate from her med residency program threw a green liquid over her suitcase for absolutely no reason. She was all packed ready to leave from Virginia to Atlanta  and when she got back from the ER all her packed stuff was gone!  I almost had a heart attack on the phone. My MOH , older sis, took charge and they both called dry cleaning stores to see if it could be fixed, but every store said they could not get the stains out.  So by late afternoon I had decided I was going down the aisle with 4 BM’ds.  She filed a police report and also reported her roommate (apparently the two were feuding over competiveness to the residency program…but I seriously wanted to strangle this girl for doing that to her) to the director of the residency program.

On Friday morning, it was all about me. I refused to run any more errands and, I went for a hot stone massage and got my manicure  and pedicure.  By Friday afternoon my BM called and said she had found the same ann taylor dress on craigslist over the night and she drove to Blacksburg, VA for the dress (she paid $30.00) and now had a dress although the zipper was broken.  So when she arrived at about 3pm on friday we had to go to walmart after the rehearsal to get a zipper for the dress which my aunt to sewed on graciously!

Our rehearsal went very well. My DOC had a rain plan ready as the weather had 60% chance of rain.  We decorated the tent with fuschia and orange paper lanterns  and left. Once I got home, my aunt, cousins and my BM entourage helped me put together all the centerpieces, boutonairres and bouquets for the wedding. It was a bit challenging in the beginning but I LOVE the way all the flowers turned out. 

Saturday morning I was up by 6.30 am. I couldn’t really sleep that night because I was too excited about the next day and was a bit worried about the rain. My DOC  sent me a text to assure me that the hr by hr forecast said scattered showers.   My FMIL arrived at 8am to start my hair. We decided to go with a bun because of the humidity. We figured if I wore curls down it may not hold the whole day. She did a fantastic job using this pic as inspiration.

After I got my hair done, I put finishing touches to all the bouquets and we drove to the location where my MUA was waiting. 

Inspiration:

Actuall Hairdo. Didnt my MIL do a great job?!!

My DOC was awesome.. she was already there setting up. FH was also there with his GM helping out. My MUA took about an hour and a half to apply the makeup and by then my Godmother  had brought all the bridal party lunch! (yummy).  The photographer arrived just in time when I started getting ready.  I slid on my dress and shoes because we had pictures at 2.30 pm!  I sent the Bpic book to FH and heard a scream and a couple of Ooohhs and ahhhsss from him (his room was across mine). Photographer told me that he was pleasantly surprised……Up until this point it was cloudy and humid but no rain so we got some pictures taken outside with the girls. Next FH and I had a first reveal which was so cute.  At that very moment it hit me that I was really getting married!  We had our our moment which was very special and took some photos. At about 3.30 guests started arriving so I went back inside the house. My aunt and the reverends wife made a call to the bridal suite and seeing her there made me miss  my own mother so much that I burst into tears. The more I tried to fight the tears the more it came.  We quickly called my mum on the phone and after speaking to her, I felt much better.  We said a quick prayer and it was time to walk down the aisle.

My brother walked me down the aisle. Walking down the aisle, I smiled the entire way, I was just so happy and wasn’t scared or didn’t feel apprehensive one bit. Halfway through the ceremony, it started drizzling, so we moved the last 10mins of the ceremony to the tent. We each said our vows and when we were pronounced man and wife FH dipped me when kissed me (lol).

Right after the ceremony we had the cocktail hour. I learned half way through the cocktail hour that our Ghanaian caterer was late! But at that point, I really didn’t  care because everyone was having a good time and barely noticed the absence of Ghanaian appetizers.  At the reception, we had FUN!!! There were a few sporadic speeches from family and friends which made it so special and at some point so funny.  Our first dance was fantastic… FH lifted me (LOL)…. The Ghanaian caterer made it and food was served, the music was good and the cake was excellent. I really like the way the cake turned out, the caterer brought my inspiration to life and she got the colors right. I ordered cake for 120 people but we still had lots left over. The only thing that I didn’t like was the humidity in the tent, started melting the butter cream icing a bit as you will see from later pics…. But the cake was delicious….

I got so many compliments for the everything, the décor, food,  dress (both reception and wedding dress), color coordination etc. and every time I got a compliment I thought of PW! Seriously I don’t think my wedding would have been as nice without PW.

We were both exhausted by the end of the night, BUT we both enjoyed it and we talked about it all the way back to Wisconsin and on the flight to Costa Rica.

cake inspiration

our cake

my DIY crystal monogram did not fit the cake so we ended up using flowers at the last minute.

~See our wedding video recap here~

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=184408165445&ref=mf

Costa Rica (CR) was so much fun and such an adventure. No kidding when they say CR is "pura vida".  We arrived in San Jose late tuesday night after a 2.5 hr flight from Miami. On our arrival, immigration was pretty smooth (if you are a US green card holder or citizen you do not need a visa ior visiting CR for 4 wks or less) and they officers were very friendly. After we picked up our bags we were met one of DH co workers in CR who took us out for dinner. After our journey i was ready for some food. Our first encounter with CR food was fantastic! We opted for typico food , nothing fancy really, and went to a food canteen . There we had the famous "chicharones" which is fried pork, (yep it was post wedding so i free to eat whatever i wanted, lol), tortilla, picadillo, yucca fritas, rice and beans, fried plantains, CR imperial beer. Yummy!

chicharones, yucca fritas, fried plantains etc

After dinner we stayed in a small town near San Jose called Escazu. The hotel we stayed in was FANTASTIC. We loved everything about it.  

Breakfast the next morning in Beacon hotel in Escazu

We were off the next morning to Arenal were we spent 2 nights. The journey from San Jose to Arenal was about 3hrs. We used Gray line buses (highly recommended) for all our transport across CR. Arenal was breathtaking. We enjoyed a junior suite with a view of the arenal volcanoe at the Arenal Manoa resort. For our time here we had adrenaline packed activities... We went sky treking in the forest and ATV'ing through arenal. Wild life was abundant and just beautiful to see. We loved everything here: the food, service, hotel, the people...it was awesome

After Arenal, we traveled 4hrs by bus to the Guanacaste region where we stayed in Ocotal resort for 3 nights. The views here were breath taking, however, we didnt like two things about the resort; 1) Their resturant wasnt good at all it was horrible 2) The resort was old & lacked proper maintenance. The pools were dirty and there wasnt much action on the resort at all. On our first night it rained and we found that our rooms were leaking, so we asked to be moved to another room, which was also leaking!! In the end we were bumped to a master suite for the inconvinience which was very nice :-))) Service here wasnt bad however, Overall i would not recomend Ocotal resort and will not go back there again to stay. 

We left to San Jose where we spent two nights again in Escazu. There, i indulged in a swedish massage offered by the hotel, while DH went downtown to meet with his co-workers at the CR HP office.

We both would love to visit CR again in the future....

Some of the Wildlife we saw in CR

So i have been researching online resources to help decide where i can find the all the flowers i would like to use for my wedding. I found that www.globalrose.com has the BEST online prices for purchasing bulk rose. YOu can get 500 roses in your own colors for $.68 per piece and this includes delivery via Fedex! I googled the web for reviews and so far i have seen good reviews. Knottie shook_girl and ChiMonique have both used them and have posted great reviews in their planning bio. I called them about ordering my flowers for October and was adviced to wait at least two before the date to order. They are growers which is good because it means the flowers will arrive fresh from the the farm! They have other flowers too, but for my budget of about $500.00 for flowers, i think i could swing it!

Here is my floral wish list

Green Roses (jade)

tangerine orange roses

Hot pink and Fuschia roses

Green mums

Green button mums

Orange  & Pink Calla lilies   *** Brides bouquet and boutonnaires only

Pink Peonies ** this will not be in season in October :-(

Green hydrangea

Orange and Pink Dahlia's  ***If my budget permits.

 **** UPDATE***

I ended up placing my order online with www.globalrose.com for the roses and florabandance through lwflowers.com. My initial flower total came down to $634 . When i posted this i realized i have OVER estimated the flowers i need for the bouquets and centerpieces. SO i sat down and calculated how many i needed with a few extra and this is what i came up with.

1. Green roses (150...not 250)
2. Fushia and orange roses (100 not 250)
3. Button mums green (140 stems)
4. Green spider mums (70 stems)
5. Orange and hot pink dahlias(70 each)
6. Green carnations (150)

Revised total tab =  $473.25 instead of $634.00 . This is within my flower budget of $500.00

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The online flowers were delivered on October 8th early morning via fedex. See my review post here for cost and source of flowers

http://www.projectwedding.com/post/list/review-ghana_bride-online-flowers-pic-heavy

We DIY'd  everything floral at the wedding, bouquets, boutonaires, FG pomanders and centerpieces. It seemed challenging (no kidding) at first but it came out great! In the end although it took a lot of time, it was worth it.

Bouquets:

Here is a pro pic teaser of me and my bouquet sent by my photographer this morning

credit dana harell photography

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FG pomanders

Boutonairres

DH

Groomsmen

Centerpieces

We got engaged April 10th, 2008.  My ring, aka "the bling" is absolutely gorgoeus. I love its simplicity and art deco style....

Our epics was done by kbattle photography in Milwaukee. She did a fantastic job and we enjoyed shooting with her!

We will be getting married (again) on October 10, 2009 at the Mcgarity house in Temple GA. This location has an 8 acre piece of land which makes it ideal for an intimate outdoor wedding. We will be using a 40x60 tent for the reception for our 150 guests. The ceremony will also take place outdoors.

 

 

Check out the Mcgarity House blog here:

http://themcgarityhouse.blogspot.com/

I have been looking online for chocolate brown shoes for my 3 BM's. MOH shoes will come later. But I found these shoes on clearance with free shipping from endless.com and ordered them for two of my girls:

And for the other BM who prefered something less that 3 inches:

I cannot wait to recieve them and i hope it fits them comfortably

After much search i finally decided to purcase 6"x6"x6" square centerpieces for a good price off ebay (eie-vase)for $5.50 per piece. Shipping was at a reasonable ($42.00) to ship 16 of these to Milwaukee. I am planning to wrap ribbon around these vases for my centerpiece.

I have this in mind and it the end i hope to achieve something simple, modern and chic look for my centerpieces                              

Inspiration photo's:

I will be embellishing the ribbon with rhinestone buckles to add a little bling...

DIY instructions for ribboned vases can be found on martha Stewarts wedding website:

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/good-things/ribbon-cylinders?autonomy_kw=Ribbon vase&rsc=image_6

Items Needed:

• 2" & 1 " Satin Ribbon or Crossgrained ribbon in Wedding colors
• Double sided tape
• Rhinestone buckle OR any embellishment...

Here is a picture of my actual Centerpiece:

Bronze Metallic 5x7 pocketfolds: www.paperandmore.com (sold in packets of 50) www.cardsandpockets.com have these for 1 cent cheaper however it was 7.99 for shipping compared to $3.50 shipping from paperandmore.

Cardstock for inserts and invite: I used 98 lb cover Beargrass Aspire Petallics (made in Wiscosin :-)) cardstock to give it a little shimmer. I ordered these from www.anchorpaper.com. They sell wholesale paper by the pound which i purchased in person because i happened to be at their warehouse in Minneapolis last weekend. I ordered my envelopes too from there for a VERY reasonable price. Alternatively www.papermillstore.comsells these too at a very reasonable price.

Paper Cut: Kinko's cut my paper into the 5x7(a few mirco inches smaller though because i am not using backing paper and will have to fit within 5x7 dimension) and inserts for 1.59 per cut

Embillishments: I purchased these from Artbeads.com. Swarovski flat back crytals 3mm. Belly band: Jute fibre 1.5 inch ribbon in Sage from Micheals for my mock up. But i am ordering bulk (10yds per roll) for the invites from www.papermart.com

Design tools: I used adobe illustrator to design my inserts and invites. You can always download a 30 day trial version to use. Caution..if you have never worked in illustrator you may be better off using Microsoft word OR photoshop for these. Because it takes a much LONGER time if you are new to using illustrator

Glue dots and paper glue from Micheals...

Printer HP Color Laser Jet series... This was used for all my printing needs

We decided to name our tables after cities in Africa. I designed these templates in Illustrator using our wedding colors of sage and chocolate brown.  They turned out really well!

1) Monogrammed Aisle runner:

The monogram was designed in Adobe illustrator.

** I blew up the monogram, printed it on several sheets (using tile print option) and taped it together (yes i run out of white paper so had to print on blue :-))

** I placed my Aisle runner over it and traced it over.

** I then painted it using my wedding colors (sage and dark brown) using acryllic paint

Note: An i almost messed this project up because i forgot to remove the paper from underneath when i finished tracing and painted over it. It dried up and was stuck to runner. I had to carefull remove the paper when it was dried...

This is how it turned out:

I Posted pictures of my DIY project (see post http://www.projectwedding.com/post/list/my-diy-birdcage-veil)

and many brides requested that i post instructions so after much delay here are my intructions 

Materials you need:

18 inches of 9 yard wide Russian veiling material  (I ordered my veiling from Haberman fabrics in white and ivory)

Clear thread – from Micheal’s

Sewing needle

2 Clear combs

Fabric glue

Flat back rhinstones (optional)

Silk flower  (optional)

1 yard of 1/8 “ satin ribbon in white (optional)

1) Cut a piece of veiling 18 inches long.

 2) 2) Thread your needle using about 8-10 inches thread
3) Weave the thread in and out of the holes on the first side row of the veil.

4)   Pull the thread to create a gathered bunch on the side

5)   Do the same to the other side
6)   Wrap the ribbon on the end of the clear combs (optional) in order to cover the comb.
7)   Sew the gathered part of the veil onto the clear comb making sure that you sew the covered flat part of the comb to the veil

8)   Do the same for the other side

9)   You may attach the back of a silk flower to the comb by sewing it on to the ribbon on the comb or use fabric glue.(if you choose to do this step, you must remove  center and replace with rhinestones OR any jewelry of your choosing.  luper77  &  Jackieg both have instructions on how to DIY a hair flower.

See this post

      http://www.projectwedding.com/post/list/my-2nd-trial-my-diy-hair-flower
 
10)  You may also choose to embellish your veil with Rhinestones. You will have to use fabric glue and flat back rhinestones….
 

Note : If you do now want your veil slanted and you just want it falling on your face, instead of bunching the two 9 inch ends, just bunch one of the 18 inch end and attach comb with any other embellishments you choose.

I apologize for my poor sketches but I am not an artist and I tried my best.

***Credit is also given to instructions i followed from the book "The DIY Bride" written by Khris Cochran

Another set of intructions posted here:

http://www.oncewed.com/9492/diy-blog/diy/diy-wedding-birdcage-veil/

DIY- Ring pillow: Hand sewn using material, ribbon and brooch purchased from Joann's.

This is how it turned out:

Thank you parasols are very popular these days. I purchased 5 parasols (4 white for my BM'ds) and one in Chartruse green for myself to use as props for photos that will later be used as thank you cards (Another DIY project).

Here is what you will need:

•  Acrylic paint (from Hobby Lobby)
• 32 inch parasol  $ 5.50
•  Paint brushes
• Microsoft word or adobe illustrator or powerpoint
• Pair of Scissors and pencil
• Tape
• Lots of patience :-)

I wrote out thank you in chopin script and blew it up in Illustrator to 550 ppts. I then printed out the words using my HP laser jet printer.  Next i taped the words together and cut out a stencil and placed the stencil behind the parasol securing it lightly with tape.  I then traced out the stencil onto the parasol. Once i finished tracing the outline, i removed the stencil and painted the outline on the parasol with the acrylic paint. I used dark brown as my paint color of choice and mixed it with 1 part of fabric paint. This paint was leftover from the stock i used for the aisle runner. Make sure paint is not to thin (it may run over) or thick.  I let the paint dry over night and voila...here is your painted "thank you" parasol.

My  estimated cost for this is roughly $ 8.00 (5.50+ $2.50 for shipping) compared to $60 for a painted thank you parasol!!

Here is my finished product:

This has been a working project over months! It takes so much time to make these tissue paper pomanders. PW bride marinag inspired me with her green and brown tissue pomanders. But half way through this project I have decided to use a combination of tissue pomanders i have already completed and 8 inch paper lanterns (chartruese color) for my ceremony decor!

Tissue paper pomanders:

Paper lanterns

Here is a mock up of my DIY escort cards. I used Adobe illustrator for creating the card. I printed them using HP laser color jet printer  (4 per page) and cut them using a paper cutter to this size (3.5 x 5 inches) unfolded, which becomes 3.5 x 2.5 inches when folded.

Here they are!

I fell in love with paper lanterns last year when i decided i wanted them for my reception tent decor. Paper lanterns are a fun way to add color and beauty to your wedding decor.  In febuary i started researching on how to light my lanterns and the tent. I came across  Mrs Tiramisu post on weddingbee.com.

http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/04/03/if-only-i-had-majored-in-event-lighting-instead-of-biology/

Using this as my inspiration and guide, i did a mock up of my DIY lights and tested it on a 12 inch lantern.  Here is what I used:

1) Tape

LED lights 100 pieces of  10mm 25000mcd LED Lamp -Ultra Bright White  purchased for ebay user (led-hk) for $13.99 

Fishing line

Batteries 100 Lithium CR2032 CR 2032 3V Cell Button Coin Battery purchased of ebay for $17.00

1) I taped the legs of the LED light to the battery (+ve to Negative & vice versa) to get it to work.

 I also taped the fishing line to the light so the battery so i could suspend and hang it within the paper lantern.  I left the lantern on for 4 days and it was still going strong after that. For the 12 lantern, using 2 per lantern gives it maximum light.

*** Total cost:   ~ $36.00** for 100 pieces of LED lights for paper lanterns

Stamped Cocktail napkins. I got this Idea from YaryandAlex  & spongebob when they posted this cute idea, So in the true PW fashion, i followed suite. I used Archival paint from Micheals and custom stamp from online.

I Promise

Dorothy R. Colgan

I promise to give you the best of myself
and to ask of you no more than you can give.
I promise to respect you as your own person
and to realize that your interests, desires and needs
are no less important than my own.
I promise to share with you my time and my attention
and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship.
I promise to keep myself open to you,
to let you see through the window of my world
into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams.
I promise to grow along with you,
to be willing to face changes in order to keep
our relationship alive and exciting.
I promise to love you in good times and bad,
with all I have to give and all I feel inside
in the only way I know how,
completely and forever.

 

 

Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of its Love

Edmund O'Neill

Marriage is a commitment to life,
the best that two people can find and bring out in each other.
It offers opportunities for sharing and growth
that no other relationship can equal.
It is a physical and an emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.Within the circle of its love,
marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships.
A wife and a husband are each other's best friend,
confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic.
And there may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing,
and the love of the other may resemble
the tender caring of a parent or child.Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life.
Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher,
commitment is stronger, even anger is felt more strongly,
and passes away more quickly.Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life
is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life,
new experiences, new ways of expressing
a love that is deeper than life.

When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage,
they create a spirit unique unto themselves which binds them closer
than any spoken or written words.
Marriage is a promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people
who love each other and takes a lifetime to fulfill.

From “Letters To A Young Poet”  
by Rainer Maria Rilke

Marriage is in many ways a simplification of life, and it naturally combines the strengths and wills of two young people so that, together, they seem to reach farther into the future than they did before. Above all, marriage is a new task and a new seriousness, - a new demand on the strength and generosity of each partner.

The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of their solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust. A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development.

 

But once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side by side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky.

 

 

 

From "Gift From The Sea"

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (b.1906)

"When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb.

We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity - in freedom, in the sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern.

The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship
and accepting it as it is now.

Relationships must be like islands, one must accept them for what
they are here and now, within their limits - islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides."

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding planner/coordinator - Erin Stroup – “its all in the details”

http://www.itsallinthedetailseventandweddingplanning.com/index.html

Wedding photography-   Dana Harrell photography  http://www.danaharrellphotography.com

Catering (Ghanaian food )  -  Eunice food services, Atlanta

Bridesmaids dresses-  Netbride www.netbride.com  &  Ann Taylor  www.anntaylor.com

Bridal dress & alterations - Zita's bridal  http://www.zitabridal.com/

Tent rentals-  Unlimited party rentals  www.unlimitedpartyrental.com

Ceremony and reception location - The Mcgarity House www.themcgarityhouse.com

Wedding cake- Cake from the heart  http://www.cakefromtheheart.com

Wedding DJ- Laptop Music entertainment

Boudoir photography- Studio by Carmen www.provocateurbycarmen.com 

Boudoir Make-up- Brittany Edens, professional makeup artist, Chicago

I will be reviewing all my vendors after the wedding

***Completed

DIY birdcage veils ****(pics in bio)

DIY flower fascinator for reception (pics in bio)

DIY design template and Mock for invitation

Table Numbers

Pocket fold invitations & Enclosures

DIY Monogrammed aisle runner

Ring bearer pillow

Thank you parasols

Reserved seating cards

Order flowers for DIY wedding flowers

DIY flower girl baskets

Tissue paper pomanders

Place cards

DIY Wedding Programs

DIY lighting for paper lanterns- Using instructions posted by Mrs Tiramisu on weddingbee.com 

http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/04/03/if-only-i-had-majored-in-event-lighting-instead-of-biology/

***IN Progress*****

 Bathroom baskets and welcome baskets for OOT guests

Here is a list of blogs i visit from time to time.

http://www.thebridescafe.com  - This site has the best wedding photograpphy ever!!!

http://budgetsavvybride.wordpress.com - Information on how she saved $$$ for her nuptials

http://www.diybride.com - This is my secret for getting inspiring DIY ideas! I even purchased the book!

http://jessicaralph.blogspot.com/  - An Atlanta bride blog

http://tenthousandonly.blogspot.com/- blog on how she is spending $10,000 on her wedding

http://theperfectpalette.blogspot.com/- If you need color inspiration here is the perfect blog for you

http://www.mydiyweddingday.com/  - The name says it all

http://www.stylemepretty.com/- This is one of the best DIY wedding sites i have come across.

http://www.wishspecialevents.com  - Great resource for inspiration for bridal decor

http://www.polkadotbride.com/

All Sale items include shipping from Milwaukee. I will not ship to overseas OR to unverified accounts on Paypal. For some of these items i prefer local pickup. I will accept payment through paypal! You can either PM or email me: tamika370@yahoo.com. As i go through my stuff, i will continue to add to this list.

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3)   RECEPTION ITEMS

•   Chocolate brown Pintuck overlays 85" x 85" (16 pieces) - $ 12.00 per piece + Shipping 

 130 Chocolate brown linen napkins $ 1.00 each (130.00 + Shipping total)

4) 100 Sage organza chair sashes  $.50 cents each ($50.00 + Shipping)

7)  Paper Lanterns.

16 " (50 pieces) orange paper lanterns- Some are BN and some may have holes.   ($2.50 each )

8) Fuschia Louboutin Knockoffs (Noelle) Size 9 purchased from Louboutinbox for $ 141.00. Brand new never worn! Will sell for $120.00

10)  Monogram Cake topper with partial swarovski crystals

 Ampersand sign (&),  $ 5.00

Letter M  $ 20.00

14) Fuschia Satin Ribbon Double Face 1-1/2 inches (~48 yards) (used just 2 yards for my bouquet wrap) ($6.00)

15) Rhinestone Square Buckles "1.75" (14 Pieces)  $ 2.00 per piece

Used for vase decorations and bouquets..

18) 150 Wine glasses from Ikea Brand New $  (140.00 total)  Pickup from Atlanta

20) 4 Acryllic Gold trays for serving food- $ 10.00 for all + shipping (sold)

22) Custom made Vintage Audrey Hepburn Reception dress Size 8-10 street size  $ 70.00.

23)  Crinoline for RD dress $ 20.00

24) Floral belt for RD ($35.00)

25) Original Toni Federeci (origami style) Bridal Hair Comb with swarovski crystals. Purchased for $320.00. Make me an offer I cant refuse. 

http://headpieces.com/2009/pg.php?mod=hair_accessories&catagory=2&pageNum_rsCollections=2&totalRows_rsCollections=42

FREEBIES

Because i love my PW girls, I would like to giveaway a few things I DIY'd from my wedding for FREE. You just pay for shipping.  Please do not ask for these things if you do not plan to use them. After use, you must return it to me. ** You must be an active PW forumer with a bio and have a small budget to work with ***     Although i will give this on a first come, first serve basis, i reserve the right to decide who i can give it to!

Hair flower (taken)

DIY Birdcage Veil with flower fascinator (Taken)

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Tissue paper pomanders (fushia, green and orange)! Local pickup OR you pay for shipping. It may need to be ruffled