It's April

I feel like I've been a funk for a while now.... not sad... definitely not sad... but this whole flu has thrown me off. Life has been off. Every once in a while I want to throw my arms up in a boogie... singing and dancing loudly... and then the rest of the time, I just want to curl up on the couch and sleep... which I do. M naps with her feet high on my body and face... and I nap.
I'm not used to being this tired. I want to wake up after a night of rest, ready to go, like I was two weeks ago. I want to get up, throw on some clothes, start my day, and go go go. I'm starting to question if it's still the flu messing with me (I've heard it is) or if I need to make a change. I rarely eat sweets... but when my sweet tooth kicks in... oh boy, does it kick in and I grow tired. Sugar makes me tired and it's currently in an upswing. (Give me chocolate.) I question, do I need to cut out sugar again? Or should I start drinking caffeine again? Is it more of my hormones acting up and regulating? Am I lacking a vitamin or something of nutritional value? Probably not-- but you never know--- I really don't know.
It's midnight. I'm drinking wine. "Wedding wine"--- yes... "wedding wine". You know.. that thing that was supposed to be taking place soon, very soon?  Fourteen days until my would have been wedding. Yeah, that. And surprisingly... I'm not sad... or upset... or anything about it. It's just "wedding wine".... bottles and bottles of wine that were ordered for a wedding that was supposed to take place. It's not taking place... and I'm not sad. I'm not indifferent... I have emotions, thoughts, and feelings-- much like anyone would have... but I'm not sad. Thats okay, right? I think that may be more than okay.
It's April. A month for celebration. Whether it's getting married---- or not getting married--- unexpected twists and turns... celebrating the weather--- or just being happy--  It's April and I'm looking forward to this month.

If you haven't already, I recommend checking out the buttons/links to the right ----> We've got some great sponsors.... and a few more discount codes up. We'll have a few more giveaways this month. At least one, probably two. Check out the links, use the codes, spend some time getting to know our sponsors.

And happy April, everyone. Enjoy every second of it... after all it is the only April you will have this year ;)

Save The Date! {{Out Of Alabaster GIVEAWAY}} -CLOSED-

You wouldn't believe the drama and problems caused by these little save the date cards. Or maybe you do understand because you've maybe planned a wedding ;) Picking a date was simple for us, we chose a season we love, that would offer: beautiful weather and minimal bugs.... also, we wanted a time that would offer good fruits, vegetables, and flowers... because for us, that makes sense. Easy! April, it is. 

Lindsey of Out Of Alabaster was sweet enough to contact me and offer her talented hand to design custom silhouettes for our cards... well, really, for anything, but I wanted cards ;) Nothing is more romantic to me than personalized cards, made with love, and delivered in the mail. Lindsey offered to do custom silhouettes of our faces, but being me, I asked for a little bit more. I wanted one of the photos taken from our 'engagement day' to be used, which Lindsey hadn't tried before. Amazingly, Lindsey did an incredible job and it came out perfect! (And now this option is available in her shop! Yay! You're welcome. hehe.)

Printing the cards? Unfortunately a whole different story. A lesson learned: find a good printer (person, not machine) to have now and always. Office Depot was a joke. And my local printshop was terrible (probably maybe even more of a joke). I was left with cards printed on the ugliest, thinnest, white cardstock....BUT luckily due to Michelle and I's crafty hands we were able to make them a whole lot better than what the printer left us with. Watercolor, glue, scissors, and a prettier cardstock can go a long way (and obviously a good design)! 

Also, thanks to the brilliance of the local printshop I was left with 500 cards instead of 50. I plan on parading up and down the streets, handing them out, yelling "SAVE THE DATEEEE!" No, just kidding, but it would be amusing. :) 

Oh, wedding bumps, mishaps, and problems :)

Got stories? I'd love to here them! 

*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------*

And! Thanks to wonderfully kind and talented Lindsey, one of you will receive your very own custom silhouette! 

Here's what Lindsey has to say:

My name is Lindsey, and I share my life, loves, and handiwork on my blog Out Of Alabaster. Drea was kind enough to invite me over to introduce myself, and I'm super excited to meet you and to offer a couple's silhouette portrait to you too!

When I'm not chasing down my speed-crawler, little miss Selah, I run an Etsy shop selling custom silhouette portraits. I create classic heirlooms with a modern twist.

Some of the places my portraits have been featured are: Style Me Pretty, Babble's Top 10 gifts for Baby's first year, Prudent Baby, and now Ohdeardrea!

I was more than thrilled to create a silhoutte portrait for Alex and Drea's Save-the-Date. I think it captures the exuberance of their romance in a fun and modern way. (Aaand Drea looks super-cut on her tippy-toes!!)

Each portrait is carefully crafted to showcase the tiniest of details, and to capture the essence of every little (or big, or furry) person! You can print your digital silhouette portrait and use it as art in your home, holiday gifts for loved ones, or even to personalize details of a birthday party or wedding!

I feel honored to create each portrait, and get a special sense of satisfaction knowing that they will be treasured for years to come.

Visit Lindsey's blog, shop, twitter.

To enter to win a custom individual or couples silhouette: 
Visit Out Of Alabaster and leave a comment stating which item from Lindsey's shop you would choose if you won!

For bonus entries: 
1. blog about the giveaway and leave a separate comment with a link to the entry.
or
2. tweet about the giveaway and leave a separate comment with a link to the tweet. ( @OutOfAlabaster custom silhouette GIVEAWAY on ohdeardrea! http://t.co/QiTAalI @ohdeardreababy )

Giveaway ends December 6th at midnight (eastern standard time).

What a great way to kick off this December Holiday season, right?! A perfect idea for a new baby, home decor, cards, first (or any) birthday gift, or even on the wall with a felt santa hat added on for that extra christmas cheer! (No seriously, how cute would that be?!) 
Happy December and good luck!


ps. All comments will be published! non giveaway entries will not be counted! 
pps. If you're family or one of the three friends invited (and happen to read my blog) and are wondering "HEY WHERE IS MY CARD?!" umm yeah, I'm slacking. Cards got mailed out yesterday evening. My bad. 

wedding wednesday: our wedding video!

Ok, technically it's not Wednesday but I was planning on doing this post yesterday but with all the ModCloth excitement I forgot. I've been so excited to share our wedding video with you guys, though. It's so fun to look back on this video and remember May 6th like it was yesterday. I still can't believe we just made our 6 month mark. Time flies when you're in love and having fun :)

video Philip Hover, song The Temper Trap "Sweet Disposition"

xox

Here We Go.....!

Soooo... I've been waiting to share something. Patiently waiting, until recently. I needed to wait until I felt secure and ready to move forward... and well, ready to plan. Well, here I am... not only ready, but actually excited! Alex and I are getting married. *smile* When Alex started trying to make his way back into my life I pretty much laughed it off and thought, "Well, here we go again". It turns out: he was serious and I was wrong. He was ready and wanting to be a family and he was going to make sure I knew it. During his visits to see Marlowe: he brought little gifts, like: my favorite coffee, records, or flowers, much like he had in the past (these things didn't phase me too much). Then he returned to New York and the songs started coming in again. An email or a text on his commute to work everyday with an "I love you" and a song. He was texting everyday. Everyday, telling me: he wanted to be with me, he loved me, and he was going to show me that he wanted to be with me forever. "Okay Alex, I've told you, words don't matter... show me".

I received a phone call one afternoon from Alex telling me there should be an email waiting for me. That day had already been incredibly strange (maybe we can talk about that some other time) and I really didn't know what to expect. I went inside, opened up my computer, and found a very long email addressed to my closest family members. He apologized to them for all his wrong doings. He was sorry for hurting them, for hurting me, and for not being there for Marlowe or I. He asked for their forgiveness, he told them he was going to make everything right, and he was willing to fight through anything to be with me again. I sat there in shock--- he wasn't normally the type to make such bold moves, but the email was right there in front of me. He was determined to make sure I knew how serious and sincere he was. 

A few days later I was off to Massachusetts. He said he would like to see me and wanted to try to come and visit. I said "Okay Alex, whatever you want to do" came out of my mouth while my mind said: "The email was nice, and as much as I would like him to show up, he won't".  Like I mentioned before, he did show up... and he surprised me. What I didn't mention... was that I later found out he had been emailing my mom back and forth, trying to plan a way to surprise me.... to propose. His plan was for me to be waiting, flustered, at the train station, and for him to get off the train and propose right there... well that didn't happen, but this was my own (unknowing) fault. After his surprise arrival we spent the afternoon with Marlowe and my family before heading out on a drive together. He didn't really have anything in particular planned, but he knew he was going to find somewhere beautiful. Well, he did: a blueberry farm, it was beautiful and it was perfect for us. (We have a long tradition of visiting farms and fruit picking) We were the only ones in the field, with the mountains behind us, and he told me he wanted to be with me and he wanted to marry me. 

I wish I could say: I loudly proclaimed "YES!" right away, but honestly, I didn't. He had taken so many steps to show me he wanted to be with me, but I told him I needed more--- I needed time, but if things kept going the way they were going... well... of course I would love to marry him.

Here we are, a few months later, and we've been steadily working on and progressing in our relationship. I am now ready to move forward and plan our wedding. As a girl, who never dreamed of a long white dress or my wedding, I've been a bit hesitant on planning, but Alex has been persistent. So here we are and more importantly, here I am: actually planning a wedding. Now that a location and date has been decided on, I can say: I am beyond excited for all this to happen. So excited that I couldn't keep it a secret any longer! I look forward to our wedding day, and even more so to our marriage. 

Also, I couldn't keep it a secret any longer because... I would like (need) some wedding help. I know nothing about weddings or wedding planning. We have a location picked, a few set details, and on occasion I peek at Once Wed, but other than that I'm at a bit lost in the wedding world. Can you ladies maybe help me out? I'd love if you could email me (or comment) with anything wedding related. Anything from: favorite wedding shops, dresses, shoes, accessories, invitations, decorations, photographers, wine, rings, anything! It would be beyond appreciated!

By the way, it's been decided... we're having our wedding in April :)

Five short months away. I know in wedding world that is quick quick quick, but why not?!

Have a love filled weekend, everyone! 

edit: thank you for all your congratulations! my phone is exploding with love (mostly via twitter)! I've had a few tweets and other things mentioning pinterest.... for different reasons. Yes, I have a pinterest.... I just recently got it (specifically for this)... if you follow it already.... then yeah, I'm pretty obvious... you already knew I was planning a wedding... but if not, then feel free to follow along with some of the things I have found and love ;)

our wedding: formals

Some things that kept us sane while planning the wedding were weekly date nights, wedding off limits conversations, and an amazingly supportive group of family and friends. You all will be pleased to know that I did not turn into a bridezilla! I was calm and collected the whole time {sans morning of}, and my bff/MOH Lizzie was actually the one to turn into what she dubbed a "MOHzilla." 

 love this photo so much bc the photographer said, "Ok, now give the bride a kiss," and I puckered up and closed my eyes. 

hehe I love my bestie Lizzie!

 my brother Anthony! 

Another huge factor in keeping me sane was all of you. Seriously, and I mean seriously, I am so grateful for all of your support. Having Wedding Wednesday posts was a way to keep all my thoughts organized and getting your thoughts and opinions about hair, dresses, guys attire, song choices, etc. was invaluable. I appreciated your advice, experience and knowledge more than you know. I think that's why I didn't go all crazy, because I had all of you there. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of our wedding and letting me share these photos with you. I love you guys!! I hope these photos weren't too much over the course of the week. I learned that I'm not the best photo editor because it was so hard for me not to include all 800 photos! {I luckily restrained myself though}. 

xox

photos by Bret Cole Photography

our wedding: DIY and Details

One thing I kept hearing for months after the wedding was how personal and unique the whole day was. It makes me so happy because I definitely put a lot of effort and time into the planning process. I was so lucky to be in a situation where I was working part time throughout the engagement. I was really able to do so many crafts and DIY projects, that I might not have had time for otherwise, which ended up saving money, and also being a lot of fun! I remember staying up soo many nights saving inspiration photos {pre-Pinterest}, making venue and photographer spreadsheets, and planning my craft schedule for the weekends. Here are some detail photos with descriptions of the DIYs I did with the help of my amazing Mom and friends {and Matthew of course}!

 invites by Ma Joie Press

 bunting for the ceremony made with my Maid of Honor Lizzie over Christmas

 Wood-burned basket for the programs {programs designed by my brother..so cute I'll have to share later}

 Drink Menu and Striped Straws!

 Matthew likes Belgian-style beers and he brewed all the beer for the wedding! 

 Cookies and Milk Bar {baked by my mom, cake stands made by Lizzie/MOH}

Wood-burning done with Eden and I hand-stamped 100 cookie bags with stamps designed by my brother

 Ms for the back of the chairs made with Lizzie/MOH {yellow paint + lace attached with adhesive}

Seating chart made with pretty fabrics {and painted white by me!}

Flowers by Eden and pretty ring pillow by GiggleRoom made with vintage tea towel calender

Green burlap squares cut and sewn for the tables with wood stumps, cut/stained/painted/glued table numbers 

and Menu Board made by me

Bunting for the cake topper made with my mom, photos of our grandparents

 Homemade pillows made with my mom and Lizzie/MOH

I'm hoping to share more of the DIY step by steps with you over the next couple weeks. Maybe taking back the Wedding Wednesday spot. I've missed those posts but I'm so happy I can share the photos from the wedding with you now! If you guys have any questions about anything you can always email me!

Something Old My late Paternal Grandma’s pearl ring, Michael Kors Perfume {worn on my first date with Matthew}

Something New The belt my mom and I made

Something Borrowed My late Maternal Grandma’s pearl necklace

Something Blue Garter from my bridesmaids

Brides&Wives: What were your Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue?

xox

photos by Bret Cole Photography

our wedding: the reception

While my favorite part of the wedding will always be the ceremony, I looved the reception! I did so many DIY crafts so to see it all come together was really wonderful. It was actually so hard to step back and not be involved with setting everything up, considering I was involved with every other step. Luckily I had my amazing friend Eden to help me out and everything looked even better than I could have imagined.

My goal was to have our wedding reflect us as a couple. We chose to have a small wedding with just our family and closest friends. Our guest count was under 100 and I loved that I was able to talk with everyone and also enjoy myself, and dance with Matthew. And, you know how I have a big sweet tooth? Well dessert was a very important part of the reception. We had a cookies and milk bar, a chocolate cake!, homemade caramels as favors, as well as huge lollipops for the kids. You'll see more of the details and crafts tomorrow. 

Matthew and I have taken photo booth pictures throughout dating {and still do every time we see one!} so we knew very early on that a photo booth was a must for the wedding. Magnolia Photo Booth made the night soo much fun for everyone! I loved seeing my little cousins get in there as well as my aunts and uncles. We ended the night with a sparkler send-off, which was so fun and romantic. The perfect ending to the perfect day!

Song Choices

First Dance: At Last Etta James

Father/Daughter: What a Wonderful World K.D. Lang and Tony Bennett 

Cake Cutting: How Sweet It Is to Be Loved By You Marvin Gaye

Bouquet Toss: Wannabe Spice Girls

Tomorrow: the Details

xox

photos by Bret Cole Photography