Mmmmmm......cake!!

Last night was our first cake meeting. It's the part Mr. Bart has looked forward to the most and we were not disappointed. We met with Covenant Cakes in Independence. Interestingly enough, their showroom is located in the basement of an old church built in the same style as Hawthorn B&B. Mary, the baker, was extremely nice and very patient with this waffling bride. Her work has been featured in KC Weddings Magazine and is surprisingly affordable. After an hour or so we came to a design that features our favorite elements of these two cakes from Martha Stewart.



The shape will be that of the yellow cake but the pattern will be similar to the eyelet design. The top tier will have a disk under it like in the eyelet cake so the the scalloped edge will be set off. In my mind it looks something like this...




Note the blank layer. The pattern is yet to be decided. Perhaps it will match the yellow and eyelet flower girl dress or maybe it will be the lace pattern on my dress. We'll just have to wait and see.

Also, instead of the "crown" on top of the eyelet cake we'll have this cake topper. I should probably get around to ordering it, huh?


Best of all, she will be able to use my recent purchase from Crate & Barrel to display the cake! (Thanks Shirley, it was part of my Christmas gift from you and Chris!)


The main cake will serve approximately 74 and we'll have a grooms cake as well. The rest we'll have to fill in with either sheet cake, or depending on the budget, we may make 2 smaller and less elaborate cakes to coordinate with the larger one. Right now it's sheet cake, but depending on where the flowers end up we may get the mini-cakes. The result being along these lines:

Bridesmaids Dresses...CHECK!

Today Natalie and I headed off to Ida's for a little bridesmaid dress perusing. Lo and behold we found just the right thing! No, it wasn't the Priscilla, but it looks amazing on her and comes with a much prettier price tag. Luck was on our side because Gail, the lady who helped me find my dress, was there to help us. She is a wonderful consultant. Helpful and attentive, but not at all pushy.

Here is the dress we ended up with

And this is Natalie in the sample
See, I told you. Uh-maze-ing :)

My dream bridesmaid dress

Is it wrong for me to equally in love with a bridesmaid dress as my own wedding dress? Well, wrong or not it's happened. Sadly, it's is wayyyy more expensive that I'd like it to be. As in, more that double. But a girl can drool anyway.
It's a Priscilla of Boston and the closest possible retailer is in St. Louis. The closest boutique is in Chicago. I've been scouring the internet for used ones to no avail. I'm thinking if I just happen to fall into some extra money I may have to buy it. Sounds like a fun girls trip to me!

And this is it...
Drumroll please...

Only I would want it in wildflower...
Could it fit into our spring garden afternoon tea any better? Now, I realize this is potentially a hard dress to wear. You'd want to be tall, thin and beautiful. Fortunately my sister is all these plus some. I could not wear this dress. Not in a million. But Natalie would look amazing in it. I guess I'm just living vicariously through her.

We have STD's!!

Save the Dates, Silly! Why? What were you thinking? Today was a milestone day in the wedding planning process. Today things became a little more real. Today we mailed our save the dates. And tomorrow morning 57 green and yellow little birdies will be on their way all over the country to announce our impending nuptials. Can I get an "EEEEKKK" ?

"EEEEKKK!"
(thank you for obliging)


And this is what our nearest and dearest will be receiving in a few short days.

Sorry about the really horrible image quality. It's the best I got.






And they're off! Mom, just so you know, that's yours in my hand. It was the first to go. :)























I love the look on his face. You know, the look of "Seriously? I can't believe you're making me take a picture of this. I hope you know how much I love you." Yeah, that look.

I'm a weeeener!!!

I hate competition. I never win. Ever. And that is why I hate ebay. I know others get a real thrill from the "sport." I get sweaty palms and my heart feels like it might pop. But when I saw this deal I put my comfort level out of mind for the sake of the wedding.

AND I WON!
I realize to most of you this is no biggie. If so that's because you're winners. Give this regular loser her moment. And now for my conquest...

I was able to procure 72 tartlet tins for only $15 + FREE shipping! I plan to set tealights in them and place them around the centerpiece trays. OR, if I can find more to match at a reasonable price I may use them as tea trays for people to place their used tea sachets on.

Hawthorn Bed and Breakfast

Our reception site recently launched a new website and I just thought I'd share.

I just have to say how wonderful the owners have been to work with so far and their home is just beautiful!

Stick thingies as promised

Well I'm sure the employees at Michaels are having a good laugh at us, but I don't care! We had coupons and I'm a sucker for a coupon. With Mr. Bart in tow I managed to get all of our ceremony decor 40 and 50% off! We had to go everyday for a week and a half but I just think this is a great example of how teamwork and perseverance will pay off in the end. :)

Our ceremony site




All our our work paid off with these arrangements. We'll place them flanking the end of the "aisle". The candle holders were actually our first wedding decor purchase months ago and will go in the front corner of the ceremony site.

More inspiration

Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama...

So Mr. Bart is an amazingly wonderful man. Those of you know know him can attest to this. But last night he did something so great I felt the need to share.

He brought me this!
That's right, it's a passport application for our HONEYMOON!!! The most fun part is that I have no clue where we're headed other than I know there's a beach and cocktails with umbrellas involved and that it's obviously out of the country!

To top it off he ran a bunch of annoying errands for me today because I had to work. One errand included going to Michaels to purchase stick thingy's with my 40% off coupon before it expired. The stick thingy's are for ceremony decor which I will post later. Yep, I think Mr. Bart's a keeper!

Color Inspiration

Just because...

Everyday Dining Room Inspiration

I wanted to make sure the dining room items we registered for were cohesive so I created an inspiration page for them too. OK, so really I was just bored. The wine glasses we happen to have compliments of my sister 2 Christmases ago and we just love them!

Let the gift giving begin!

Today Colton and I finished registering at Bed Bath and Beyond. Let me tell you, he was quite the trooper. Two hours last Sunday plus two and a half hours today equals one shopped out couple! It was really a fun experience and we registered for some really cool stuff.

Our Registry

Me and the most coveted item on our registry.




Colton and I having a Triple B Battle. He kept trying to scan me and I told him I'd beat him with a rolling pin if he didn't stop. I forgave him when he told me I was the only thing in the store that he really wanted. Aaaawwwww!

Inspiration...

I created my official inspiration board. I consider it a living project. As the planning continues and I get new ideas or finalize old ones I'll update it. I think it will be fun to see where my ideas started and where they end up. So here goes!

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

Tonight was the first "official" BM shopping trip. We sorta cheated with Stephanie's dress. We found it on sale online at Nordie's and she ordered it in. Let me say that it is so stinkin' cute and at the risk of being a cliche, "she can totally wear it again." She doesn't even have to shorten it! I don't have a pic of her in it. Sadly, Steph broke her big toe and had to have surgery to put a pin in to fix it so photos are kinda off limits for the time being. Understandably so! Here's a picture of the dress on the model and I'm sure Steph'll look just as hot.


Now, for tonight's trip. Natalie and I grabbed Stephanie's dress for coordination's sake and hiked over to Mia's in Olathe. They have an extensive Bridesmaid dress selection and as they just finished remodeling also have a very nice showroom.
Poor Natalie though. If you've never met my sister, well let me just say that for as much of a girlie-girl as I am, she most definitely is not! I think the dresses burned when she put them on. :) She looked very pretty, but since she hasn't worn a dress since Mom forced her into submission and wrestled her into an Easter dress when she was three she didn't exactly feel comfortable today. Not to mention, the consultant acted like she didn't even exist and would only really talk to me. She was a trooper though and tried on all the dresses I pulled out for her. We did find this style as our favorite at Mia's but of course we'll keep looking.


It may not be "the one" but hopefully we'll be able to find a nice compromise between BM dress and punk rock jeans. The search continues...

Yummo!

Catering - Check!!
Last night we had a second meeting and full menu tasting with Terrace Catering. www.terracecatering.com We really had a lovely night. We invited my parents over, I made bellinis, and we booked a caterer!

They brought soooo much food and let me just say, these gals are fabulous!! They are super nice, make delicious food, are reasonably priced, and best of all - they are open for all kinds of ideas! They embrace doing things out of the "cookie cutter" and are so stoked about getting to cater a tea reception. In fact, they are the only caterer that we met who not only understood what we wanted, but were actually excited about it!

Tonight we tasted...

For cocktail hour:

Peaches wrapped with basil and prosciutto
Ham, zucchini and gruyere mini quiche
Grilled shrimp with orange cilantro vinaigrette

For the reception:

Crab, mango and avocado salad
Baked brie with fruit and bread
Roasted potato with garlic aioli
California pita sandwich
Smoked salmon and chive cream sandwich
Turkey and brie on croissant
Roast beef and horseradish on croissant
Roast chicken and cranberry sandwich (my favorite!)


Overall everything was excellent! We will be changing the peaches a little since apparently no one like prosciutto. Instead we will probably do a honey, lime and mint glaze. Also we won't serve the quiche. We're looking at stuffed endive, tomato, and potato. Mmmm, I'm getting hungry again!

I bought THE dress!!!

Well, today is the day I made the plunge! There has been much debate as of late over the dress. I had been considering a cute short little number. Completely adorable, however not "the" dress. There has been much controversy over the short dress amongst my family. Mostly the reaction has been less than thrilled.

Today I took my family to view both my favorite dress, a Mikaella lace and chiffon gown, and the short dress. First we went to Ida's to see the Mikaella. Mom cried, the girls ooohed, and I got all teary and had the biggest shit-eatin' grin you ever did see. I looked like a bride. But, it's a lot of money. Much more than I wanted to spend. I had a lot of trepidations about spending so much, no matter how much I love it. So, I dragged everyone to the Gown Gallery to try on the short dress.

Like I said, the dress is cute. However, there were no tears on my side and there certianly weren't any from my family. It was pretty tough. I really wanted to be practical but I'm not naturally inclined to do so and my entire party was rooting for the long dress. I tried on a few others but just wasn't feeling it. Finally a voice of wisdom chimed in, my dad. He pulled me aside when I had on a gorgeous, albeit "not for me", dress.

"Kid, what are you doin? Get out of this dress and let's go. You don't like it."

"Dad, I'm trying to be practical. I can't splurge on every aspect of the wedding. If I get the Mikaella the budget is maxed out. There's no wiggle room for emergencies. What if something comes up? What if it rains and we need a bigger tent, there won't be any money for it."

"What if, what if, what if everything is perfect and you don't get the dress you love and regret it when you look back on your pictures?"

"Ok, you're right, as usual."

Another factor was that the room was packed when I came out. I was met with very mixed reviews. While I heard several "Oooh! How cute!" I saw many more raised eye-brows and crinkled noses. I even heard "That's just not right." I do not want that reaction on my wedding day. I know that I won't notice anything except my handsome fiance at the end of the aisle but I still don't want to hear about it later on. Especially since I've never felt "the one" feeling in that dress.

Plus, I really like working with Ida's soooo much more. It's not that Gown Gallery was bad, but Ida's was just wonderful. I always felt important and like we were on a quest to find my dream gown. At G.G. I felt more like they were trying to sell me a dress.

I would love to describe the dress but you know what they say about a picture. So, without further adieu... THE DRESS!!!



P.S. I have more pictures, but they're on my Dad's camera. I'll post when I get them. Also, I look like Hell. I'd been crying, don't have much make-up on, and had just finished a lunch of beer and salty pizza.

Dress Shopping...again

Today I went to Ida's to try on dresses. In an effort to find something slightly more traditional I found Mikaella Bridal style #1313. I didn't want to like it, I really didn't. But it fit all the criteria. It has an interesting neckline, plunging back, and gorgeous lace. To bad it's way more than I wanted to spend. Hmm, what can I sell to make money for this dress? Anyone need a kidney?

About Ida's. I would recommend them highly at this point. My consultant, Gail, could not possibly have been more sweet, more helpful, more patient, or more just plain fun!

DIY Bout's

Ok, so in anticipation of the upcoming bout/corsage get together I went to the craft store and bought supplies. Well, the anticipation was killing me so I had to assemble one. I didn't want to look like I didn't know what I was doing at get together where we're going to learn this stuff

Anyway, final product of Colton's bout.




....and me trying to imagine what it'll look like on him!




P.S. It was sooooo easy, and TONS of fun. To the point that I'm thinking about selling some on etsy just so I can keep making them.

Cake inspirations...

My Bouquet

My hairstyle

and if I go with the first dress....

Well, minus the feathers.

Something simple that doesn't cover my mouth.

It will be coming off after the ceremony.

POSSIBLE dress ideas:

I really like this one. My family doesn't like that it's short, but they may have to get over it.

I think this one may be to formal for what I want.

I love this last one, but there's no way. It'd eat up half our budget!

My "dream" shoes

Our inspiration:

The whole wedding has seemed to come back to finding these tea packets. Everything from the type of reception to our wedding colors had stemmed from them!

The Photographer:

Jason Domingues

http://www.dominguesphotography.com/

Make sure to check out his blog. Our favorite is Tessa and Tobias.

In fact, we were so in love with his work that we changed our date so we could book him!

The Venue

Hawthorn

A Bed and Breakfast

Independence, MO

The owners, Jim and Wendy, made us feel right at home from day one. They have already spent many hours going over details and answering all of our questions. The place is just beautiful and has so much of what we were looking for in a venue. The ceremony will be held outside in the garden, the cocktail hour will be held in the house and on the porch, and the reception will be in a tent on the grounds. The concept of our reception is "afternoon tea".

Colton and I were engaged on Monday, May 12th 2008.

He Went to Jared!

The proposal was soooo romantic. He really put a lot of thought into it. He told me last week that he had an important meeting Monday and that he would have to leave work at 5:00. Of course I was upset that I didn't get to take off early as well, but after a lot of griping agreed to stay in case the phone rang.

When 6:00 finally rolled around I went out to the car and found a note that cleverly told me to go home. Now, we've talked about marriage before so my first thought was that he was picking out the ring or went to speak to my parents and was trying to make sure I didn't accidently go somewhere I shouldn't be, but never in a million years did I think that this was "it". I mean, who proposes on a Monday? Seriously.

But when I got home there was a pink rose on the stairs with a note attached and then it hit me! (Pink roses incidentally are the first flowers he sent me for my birthday when we first started dating.) The note began a scavenger hunt which led me to all the places we went on our first date before sending me home again. When I came home the second time there were more roses and "Walk the Line", which we watched on our first date, was playing on the TV.

He told me that he picked today to propose because it marked the 2 year anniversary of when a "mysterious pink toothbrush" showed up at his apartment and when he didn't freak out he knew that I was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. (What a guy, I mean who remembers dates like that!) Then he sang me a song that he wrote me and dropped to one knee. Through tears (I had been bawling since the first rose) I of course said "Yes!" and gave him the biggest mascara filled hug ever! I think it was about 5 minutes before I came to my senses and he asked me if I was even going to look at the ring! It's gorgeous by the way!

When we finally stopped crying and screaming (I seriously was like a middle school girl from excitement) we realized we were hungry and took a few hours to ourselves to go out for sushi and Coldstone Creamery.