is it too late to apologize?

so i haven't posted since last week... and i most likely will not post until after this weekend.

between our housing hunt, sinus problems, cough, phantom migraines, and this weekend's bridal expo (which i will be a vendor at not a bride to be)... i need a blogging break! maybe i was a tad bit ambitious or crazy to load up my plate with so much during this wedding planning crunch, but that's just what i do!

so, for the sake of my health and sanity, sorry for the delay, but i will be back on the air soon! and between you and me, let's hope i don't post because that'll mean i'm getting distracted from my bridal show prep work.... speaking of, i think this post has been long enough!

b

Hoop Dreams....

on wednesday i went looking at housing options with my parents (since FI is so busy in the office 12 hours a day).  we looked all around in old town orange, since my FI will be finishing his last year at Chapman Law we thought it might be a good idea to live near campus, plus all the cute little craftsman bungalows are to die for!

first we checked out 2 "places" (i won't call them homes) that the University had to offer us, and to be totally truthful, they just aren't the nest i had envisioned for us to live.  

just after viewing these 2 non-options my parents suggested we pray about this housing situation, and my dad and i continued to look for rental signs in the area.

then while driving the neighborhood.... my dad and i called a sign on an adorable gem which was for sale.... not that we will be in a position to buy when we get married, but since i'm a Realtor, we could go in and check out the house!

here it is:

my car would match the house so well! =)

it has so much charm, and is so suited to our taste, that i asked the owner if they would consider leasing it - and they said it could be a possibility....

here's the adorable kitchen with stainless appliances and a farmhouse kitchen sink!

a little breakfast nook off the kitchen where the current owner (a recent law grad) has his study office all set up!

the bathroom with wainscoting on the walls!

last but not least - the yard which would be great for warm summer night BBQ's

this is where i need to come back down to earth... it's for sale, and there's no way we could afford to buy anything even though the market is so low right now.  the owner did say that they would consider leasing it to us, since they love the home and quasi know my fiance... there might be hope!

but if those of you reading this could pray that the owners would consider the lease option for us, it would be a real blessing to live this close to Chapman and in such an amazing place!

any other soon - to - be - newlyweds out there struggling to find their perfect place to call home?

random school spirit?

so i was cruising around on etsy.... not really looking for garters but found the GarterLady shop. after browsing through many of the handmade garters, many of which were team garters... i laughed and thought if only she had an SC Trojans one... 

uh- oh... now that i've found one, i don't know what to do....

very tempting to make this my toss garter and my way of tying in our alma mater....

maybe i shouldn't think about this too much.... but most of our single guys are trojans.... 

am i crazy to even consider this idea?

refreshments

since i am the queen of arriving to an event on what is called california time, we are helping guests out by telling them to arrive just a smidge earlier than they really need to be at the ceremony, that way the ceremony can start at the "secret" scheduled time! wink... while the guests are waiting and chatting we thought it would be nice to provide refreshments since it will be August in CA and about 90 degrees!  above is a photo i found while scouring many wedding photog's blogs in the early planning stages.  

when i started looking for dispensers for our pre-ceremony refreshments, i came across this online company, who had this dispenser featured in Redbook magazine.

these are made by infusion jars

above is the style i'm thinking about ordering, it's called the Messina Jar

when i do finally decide which one to order, i'm getting 2 jars, my mom said after the wedding it'll be one for me, one for her! =)

i also think i'll be switching out the spigot and upgrading to this user friendly chrome one.

i also haven't decided if the dispensers need a stand to sit up off the table, or if it's not necessary.

i do know that my new gocco'd cocktail napkins will be on the table with the beverages... more on the napkins later....

now what to fill the dispensers with...???

i was thinking ice water in one with slices of lemon, lime, and orange wedges,

the other, maybe some sort of blueberry lemonade with blueberries and sliced lemons.

now i just need to find a good recipe for the lemonade!

is anyone else concerned about their guest' pre-ceremony experience? and if you could help me get my hands on some lemonade/ with blueberry recipes, i would be ever so grateful!

image sources: 1 - 2 - 5 

let's hear it for the boys

when i started wedding planning, i had a vision for the boys to wear something very nautical, such a this - 

navy blazers with a khaki pant

sorry, i managed to loose track of which knottie bio this photo was from

cue the record scratch-------- not in this lifetime, my fiance wants to wear a tux he says!

so for the past few months we've been duking it out about nautical vs. formal attire.

and let's just say, i let him win this one, since he did make a valid point: it is his wedding day too, and he'd like to wear something special, like a tux.

 (plus i'm growing less and less interested in decision making as the wedding approaches) 

a place i never thought i'd find myself!

after a failed attempt at MTux (Men's Warehouse's tux store) we tried again at the South Coast Plaza Friar Tux shop... and we were pleasantly surprised by the attentiveness and actual knowledge of the sales guys. 

here's FI looking very dapper in tux coat #1 - a look i like to call California Casual (lame joke)

(this was the most expensive, of course, the guy has expensive taste)

man, i'm really diggin' the shorts and RVCA shirt with the jacket!

look #2  - the skinny/ shinny lapel - this option was quickly ditched for option #1

he appears to not like this paparazzi style of documenting this wedding errand

now for the rest of my groom and his entourage's attire...

i really love the way this groom tied his shirt and tie in with the wedding's color pallet, it also helps dress down the fact that he's wearing a tux 

(i like this idea, i just think a tux is too formal for our wedding)

just to refresh your memory, we have some very bright BM's dresses we're working with here

sorry this dress is no longer available at Jcrew

here are the 2 most "creative" ties offered for rent at Friar Tux, 

which work with our color scheme...

the paisley - we are thinking will be the GM's ties, unless we find something better

and here is the stripe and dotted tie for senior groom, 

and like the GM's this will be his tie unless we find something better

now about that something better.... ideally, we'd love to get the guys ties that they can keep... and maybe have a custom tag sewn into it with the date or our names to personalize it.

in my dreams (from L to R, CW) are the best ties for our wedding, according to my internet hunting! =)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

four of these ties are made by Thomas Pink, if you haven't heard of him... oh, he has great menswear, but not a cheap price tag! 

i never thought there would be so many elements to picking out what the guys will wear... has anyone else found themselves caring a whole lot more about the guys' attire than they thought the ever would?

showered with butterflies and other beautiful things

ce'leigh, this post is for you, i know you have been waiting ever so patiently! =)

last month i posted about the invitations and inspiration for my bridal shower, which my sis-in-law and 2 bridesmaids were hosting.  the photo i gave the girls was straight from martha stewart, of course, but boy i had no idea how beautifully they would adapt the concept for my shower.  here are the fruits of their labor of love:

above: they set a long table, and at each setting they placed a butterfly notecard which all the guests self addressed, so i could use them to send them shower thank you notes. (sorry folks, i'm lagging in that department at the moment) handing above the table with white paper lanterns with colorful butterflies attached to them.

down the center of the table were potted hydrangea which had long sticks with butterflies on them coming out of the flowers.

here's everyone seated for brunch below

side note: my bro & sis were awesome to open up their home for this shin-dig, even though the backyard is still in the process of completion, it made a great backdrop for the event!

two of the hostesses

the other hostess, SIL Lisa, scoping out the food levels no doubt! 

(she's the one in the white dress) =)

my bro & sis looking on from the door to make sure things are sailing smoothly.

here's a montage of all the food goodies (since we all know i love food!)

starting top left going clockwise:

1 - serving table with more butterfly lanterns, finger sandwiches, 

quiche, fresh fruit salad, and mimosas.

2 & 3 - the awesome cake and mini cakes 

4 - the desert & coffee table (such pretty colors)

5 - my absolute favorite photo of the lanterns - i love how bright and airy they look!

6 - the game we didn't get to play (the ladies were supposed to guess my age in each photo)

just before the gift opening begins...

the Schron ladies discussing my bedding which SIL is making since among other things she's a interior designer and fabulous seamstress - what can't that woman do?

ok and the random expressions montage....

1 - i like the photo album, i promise, i think it was more a face of not wanting to take pics with each gift?

2 - hand cross-stiched gift from grams, no idea why i was laughing so?

3 - this is either me saying "yessss!" about the pillows or showing my army press form?

mommy and me photo op, crazy, i really do think we look a lot alike

here's one of my many super cute gifts - a door mat that say's "welcome to our love nest" - way to go Mich with this off-the-registry pick!

everyone horsing around for group photos 

some of my mamsita's friends from work, i'm so glad they could all make it!

from left - right: my MOH, Wendy and her mom who flew in from Chicago!

BM, Erin and her mom

and of course mom and i

a note about the butterflies: Jess apparently cut, by hand, over 400 BUTTERFLIES!!!! which 

A) i wouldn't have the patience for and 

B) think i would've gone cross-eyed after staring at so many of them! 

So thanks Jess... and Ce'leigh, and Lisa for all the hard work, it came together beautifully and i know everyone, especially me enjoyed the day!

pardon my absence

this past week has been pretty crazy, i didn't think it would take me this long to get back online to post about everything... but unfortunately it has.

here's what you'll have to look forward to:

the 1st batch of invites went out this past week: that means i can officially share them online

my close friend's bachelorette party: my DIY favors i made for the girls (gocco'ing on fabric)

my 2nd bridal shower: probably one of the most amazing and absolutely beautiful showers i've ever attended (and i'm not just saying that because it was my own). =)

my FI's tux shopping adventure: boys don't like shopping..... let's just say that