Engagement Pictures are Trying to Kill Me

Mr. B and I planned to take our engagement pictures on the boardwalk, but I recently discovered The Best Pictures Ever, which have me reconsidering.

These pictures so good they prompted me to send the following string of one line emails (copied from my Gmail) to Mr. B at work. Seems I type like I'm drunk when excited:

LOOK AT THIS http://www.100layercake.com/blog/archives/12687

scroll to very bottom

SIGH 

IM IN LOVE adn im in love with her outfit

brad we need boat pics. f the boardwalk everyone does the boardwalk!!

omg lets do BOHT

You might be wondering what these engagement pictures are:

Required Reading

I am a book junkie*. I will read about anything, and I read like crazy- in fourth grade, I won a contest for reading 40 books in one month! (I am a little less intense now).

My reading obsession has combined itself with my wedding planning obsession, and consequently I’ve consumed a ton of books and magazines on the subject.

But really, there is only one wedding planning book you need. Brides, you know what I’m talking about:

Say Yes to Which Dress?!

For some girls, dress shopping is the worst part of the bridal experience. They feel like someone else in a huge poufy ballgown, or complain nothing flatters them, or they hate the stores and salespeople they visit.

I am the opposite of those girls.

I LOVE dress shopping. There is something so exciting, hopeful, and girly about stepping into a giant cloud of tulle wrapped in layers of ivory satin, and topping it off with the veil, the ultimate bridal accessory. I love to stand in the mirror and watch the saleslady lift and straighten the train, and then turn around to admire the yards of intricate beading or delicate lace. I want to jump in the air and land in a haze of fabric. The first time my mom and I went dress shopping, we had so much fun that we immediately went to two other stores. Every dress we've seen or tried on has been beautiful in its own way.

Which creates a problem. How do you pick just one?! I am 5'6 and thin, with basically nonexistent boobs, so my body type makes it difficult to narrow down to a certain dress style. My shorter friends disappear in ballgowns, the well-endowed ladies know they must choose straps, but I am thankfully not restricted by my figure. A good problem to have, but it does make the decision harder. I want a strapless, drop-waist gown- but this can have so many variations: a ballgown, a mermaid, a trumpet, satin, organza, silk, beaded, lace, plain, sweetheart, ruffly, chiffon, trendy, classic, princess omgtheoptionsareendless!

I'm going to Kleinfeld's for the obligatory (and awesome) dress shopping experience Friday, and am hoping that the expert consultants there will be able to put a little direction in my search.

In the mean time, here's some dresses I've liked but decided against so far in my shopping, after the jump:

Ladies' Lunch

So a few weeks ago I shared with you the cards I sent to ask my friends to be bridesmaids. In the card, I invited them to a brunch at my house, to get any necessary introductions going and amp everyone up for being part of Team B&T. Plus, I know that being a bridesmaid can be a bit of a time and financial commitment, so I wanted to do something nice to show everyone that I appreciated it. Orr I just like excuses to drink champagne at noon. So I invited the girls over for a yummy bridesmaids' lunch.

Invitation Making Class

My mom and I love to find random things to do together. Sometimes we check out trendy restaurants in the city, to see if they’re as good as people say. Sometimes we go to wine tastings at local wineries, other times we spend hours in the Lenox outlet, ogling the china. (These activities make us sound a lot fancier than we actually are!) This particular weekend, we took the Wedding Suites class at Paper Source. It's a two hour class that goes through some of the basics of creating your own wedding invitations, and it was really fun. I'm not going to DIY my invites, but I do plan to maybe do some other elements, so I definitely felt like I learned how to add a little professionalism to whatever projects I do. The class was $30, which can add up when combined with all the stuff you’ll undoubtedly buy. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon together, could even be something cute to do with your bridesmaids!

 

Some class highlights:

We learned some basic envelope lining techniques, as well as some cute ideas to decorate the liner.

As you can see, I had a little trouble using that particular punch, but you get the idea.

Engagement Pictures- Where to Take?

Long before I was engaged or all that involved in the world of weddings, I knew I wanted to take our engagement pictures on our favorite boardwalk. It's where so many of our "firsts" have taken place- kiss, date, anniversary, etc. In the summer, we're there pretty much weekly, hitting up the bars with our friends or walking the boards, picking out our dream beach houses. There's no question its "our" place, so it seems a natural choice for the engagement pictures.

Here’s the kind of thing I had in mind:

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Signature Booze

Since our wedding is pretty traditional, I’m always on the lookout for ways that I can bring more personality to the party. Early on, I thought a signature cocktail would be a good way to do this, but Mr. B and I don’t share the same taste in hard liquor. We do, however, agree on craft beer.  During the summer, you can find us almost every Saturday night hanging out in front of his firepit, grilling with our friends and sampling different beers.

So, enter our signature beer: Brooklyn Lager.

 

Source 

A-Team: Band

Mr. B's parents always "know a guy." They "knew a guy" when it came to picking a wedding photographer, and they "knew a guy" when it came to picking a band. "He'll give us a break. Just meet him" they told us. As you may recall, we were not thrilled with "friendor" photographer, so when it came time to meet the band, we gritted our teeth and braced ourselves for lackluster, generic wedding music.

Boy, were we wrong! The band was awesome. I was actually at the point of contract with another band, but was so blown away by this group that we booked them immediately and cancelled the first. 

So who are they? 

Our A Team: Crest Florist

Finding a florist was gloriously easy. Shortly after we got engaged, I went to a bridal show with my mom and Mr. B's mom. We wandered over to a table with a gorgeous white flower arrangement that was reminiscent of everything I wanted.

"I know it's too soon to start looking at florists, but want to ask this one what arrangements like that cost?" asked my mom. "So we can start figuring out our budget. We're not going to use these people, so let's not worry about looking stupid enough to get scammed and just ask."

FMIL and I agreed this was a good idea, and approached the woman at the table. Kim was super warm, animated, and friendly, and explained how she'd work with our budget, how she could cut costs by choosing seasonal flowers or certain styles of arrangements. She was honest about what would look better or worse, and how to make something less expensive look better.  She was stylish and easy to talk to. Do I even need to say that obviously, the three of us decided we immediately we wanted her company, Crest Florist, to be our florists?  We made an appointment to see Kim and discuss our options.

Interfaith Issues

Mr. B and I are part of an interfaith couple- he’s  Jewish and I’m Catholic. Like many couples, this doesn’t pose an issue when it’s just us- I join in his holiday celebrations, and he joins in mine. It worked, or at least it did until we realized we’re going to want kids eventually, and we need to figure out what to raise them.

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Bridal Party Card Reveal

So here they are, the finished product! Unfortunately I'm not fantastic with a camera, but they did come out nice. Here's what they look like:

A slightly sharper closeup:

 

And the interior: 

 

Before I mail them, I'll be writing a little message inside, inviting them all to a bridesmaid's brunch at a later date. 

So there you have it! My first wedding DIY!

The supplies I used are:

4 Bar Folded Cards in Paper Bag, 20 for $5.50 at Paper Source

4 Bar Note Cards in Chocolate, 20 for $3.00 at Paper Source

Pink Patterned Paper, $4.95 for 20x29 sheet at Paper Source

Stamp: Inkadinkadoo 
Dotted Scallop Edger Punch, EK Success (I got it at Michael's)

Embossing powder, ink, and heat tool from Michael's.

Bridal Party Cards

Alright, so the next part of the bridal party cards was to actually make the cards. This was the inspiration I used for the cards:

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