1 Month to Go!

I'm a fail-bride because the big one month mark came and went last week without so much as a peep from me!

So here we go with my very last monthly update...

Past Month Goals:

1) Decide how I want my makeup to look and purchase anything I need for that. Semi-check. I bought false eyelashes earlier in the month and tested them out. As for the rest of my makeup, I realized that I don't really care all that much. I have my hair and makeup trial on Sunday, and I'm going to ask for something "natural with some oomph". I think we'll figure it out just fine.


2) Schedule dance lessons. Check! We used a groupon I had purchased for 80% off 2 private dance lessons at our local Arthur Murray Dance Studio. We learned some basic moves like the box step, some swing, and how to incorporate turns and spins. We have another lesson scheduled for Wednesday, but if we continue, we have to pay $350, and attend 4 more times. We haven't decided if we're going to proceed or not.

3) Print menus and reception timelines. A big fat X for this one. I was going to do it, but then I found out I had to have the menus approved by our reception venue. After they were ok-ed, I just got lazy.

4) Print table numbers. Check! Ryan found a deal on Shutterfly for 50 free photos, so we turned my table number design into matte photos, which will be placed in Tolsby frames.

5) Frame family wedding photos. Check! Ryan and I took advantage of a frame sale at Michael's to pick up six 8"x10" silver frames to display wedding photo of our parents and grandparents.

Ryan's maternal grandparents

6) Create activity books for the kids. Check! I just finished this yesterday. We don't have a lot of kids, so I only had to print 6. We did them on our home printer, I used a 3-hole punch, and tied the pages together with leftover bakers twine.

Making this list each month has really helped me feel productive. It's so nice to look at a solid list of all the things you've gotten done, instead of focusing on all the things still left to do.

Other Accomplishments:

• I added wooden handles to the back of my chalkboard speech bubbles (which I don't think I showed you... they are props for our photo booth).

Sort of like this.

• I started writing my vows. I feel like they are suuuper long, though.
  
• I numbered all the cards for our wine box.
• We picked the songs for our reception. The entire bridal party will enter to "Marry You" by Bruno Mars (looovvvee this song), and our dance with our Father and Mother will be to "Hold My Hand" by Hootie and the Blowfish (we will all dance at the same time).
• I bought some cute gifts for our readers and our soloist (but some of them read this blog, so that will remain a mystery for now).
• We booked a trip for our honeymoon. We will be ziplining and riding 4-wheelers while in Mexico.

Source

• We tracked down every single guest who hadn't RSVPed. Thank goodness I'm only getting married once!

Every little item that I get to mark off our master To Do list gives me endless joy.

Goals for the Upcoming (and final) Month:

• Print menus, timelines, programs, and miscellaneous signage.
• Create OOT bags (this is mostly my mom's project, but I'm helping out).
• Send a day-of timeline to all our important guests and the vendors.
• Finalize seating at the reception and create our seating chart.
• Get our marriage license.
• Buy gifts for the flower girls.
• Buy stuff to fill the bathroom baskets.
• Pack for our honeymoon!
  

... that, plus a bunch of tiny little things I wouldn't dare bore you with here. Our motto for this last month is basically just "confirm, follow up, pay".

It's finally starting to hit me just how close this is. Ryan and I are heading to Illinois this weekend for the final time before the wedding. We'll meet with our reception venue to finalize the details, I'll have my final dress fitting, we'll meet with our DJ, and I'll have my hair and makeup trial. I promise to post photos next week!

RSVP or Die

We sent out our invitations mid-March. Our RSVP deadline was May 1st, which gave our guests plenty of time to send them in.

But did they? Oh no. In fact, when May 1st arrived, we were still missing over 40 guests. Gurrrrr.

Three weeks later, and we've tracked down most of them. I seriously don't understand what goes through peoples' minds. Our most recent card arrived on Friday. Did that person really not realize they were sending it in 3 weeks late?!

And then you get the people who tell you verbally... like I'm really going to remember what meal you want!

Okay. End rant. Here come the numbers...

Invitations Mailed: 109
People Invited: 261 (everyone got a +1)
Yes: 154
No: 98
Still MIA: 9
Acceptance Rate: 61%

Breakdown...

Adults: 138
Teens: 9
Children: 7
OOT Guests: 58%

Those 9 missing people are driving me crazy. I told my family that if we don't hear from them by the end of the week, I'm marking them as a definitive "no". Ryan and I have to have the seating chart completely done by next weekend when we have our final meeting with our reception venue.

I can't believe how quickly this is going, and how much we still have left to do!

Bad, Blogger!

I know, I know. I haven't written a real post in 2 1/2 weeks. Does anybody even read this anymore?

We are almost 1 month out from the wedding.
My map business is keeping me busy!
I'm starting a photography business. That takes up the remainder of what little free time I have.
Along with that, I'm still working full time (duh).
And, I ran a half marathon on Saturday.

So, pleeeeease forgive me for my absence!

Here are some photos from my Bachelorette party a week ago to make you feel less neglected...


11 of my awesomest friends came to Chicago for the day to celebrate my bachelorette-hood. I was 100% in the dark about our plans for the evening, but they made it awesome.

Obviously, we all dressed as catholic school girls. That was my wonderful Maid of Honor's idea. How fun. She hand-made all those pink ties so we would match.

Our first stop was an all-male revue. I don't have many appropriate photos from that, but I was called up on stage. It was super fun and totally mortifying at the same time.

After that, we went to a western-style bar where we danced on the bar and rode the mechanical bull (a first for me).

Then, we headed to another bar for some more dancing. I had to find guys to perform weird tasks like serenade me (the bottom photo).

We ended the night around 3am back at our posh penthouse suite, after I had 10+ drinks and an amazing time.

I never expected it to be as much fun as it was. And it was so cool that my friends from different places could all get together and get to know eachother... so now they won't be strangers at the wedding.

Stay tuned... I'll post tomorrow about our RSVP numbers!

Gocco for Sale

I'm selling my Gocco PG-10. It comes with 10 bulbs, 5 screens, 15 BRAND NEW inks, 4 less-than-half-used inks, and all the bells, whistles, instructions, etc.

I will sell it for $250 with free shipping to anywhere in the continental US.

If you're interested, send me an email me at kel (dot) schultz (at) gmail (dot) com.

Answer: False

I knew I wanted to wear fake eyelashes on our wedding day. They look great in photos. But I also knew that the thought of applying them was scary, and the possibility of them falling off and looking dumb was pretty significant.

So I did a test run yesterday.

First, I watched a you tube video that explained it in great detail.

So I bought eyelashes, cut them to fit my eye, applied the glue, let it dry (for about 45 seconds), then slapped those suckers on.

And, voila (click to enlarge)...


Verdict: They held up for a 9 hour day at work, which included an hour-long video shoot outside in 20 mph winds with my eyelashes shoved in an eyepiece. No one noticed the lashes without me telling them (Ryan and two of my coworkers). In my opinion, that's a plus. I didn't want to look ridiculous. I'm not a super "makeup-y" type of girl, so something that looks natural is more my style. I though they looked good. They added a touch of length and drama without being too much.

In case you're interested, I bought mine online. I went with the Model 21 False Eyelashes No. 24T and a tube of their dark lash adhesive. It cost $13.10 (there are 10 pairs of reusable eyelashes in the box), and arrived in about a week.

I feel much more confident now that I've tried them out. I might even break them out for my Bachelorette Party next weekend!

Are you wearing fake eyelashes for your wedding day? And do they terrify you as much as they did me?!

Mother of the Bride

Does anyone need a Mother of the Bride (or Groom) dress? My mom purchased a non-refundable one a few weeks ago, then changed her mind.

It has never been worn, and still has the tags. The only flaw is a small snag on the back near the zipper (looks like someone got it caught while zipping up the dress), but that's fixable by a seamstress.

She paid $360 for the sample dress, so make us an offer. We will ship for free. :)

Color: Indigo

Size: 12, unaltered

Jasmine Jade Mothers Dresses, Fall 2010. Floor length tiffany chiffon gown with an off the shoulder neckline and cap sleeves. Skirt length can be changed to tea-length or knee-length.

Fabric Contents: 100% Polyester Lining, 100% Acetate

Cleaning Method: Professional Dry Clean Only

If you're interested, leave a comment or email me at kel (dot) schultz (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thanks, blogger friends!