Hair Trial

When I was teaching high school, I was very blessed to have really, really great kids. One of those kids, Jordan, was really good at yearbook, but also always had other interests. For the longest time she talked about becoming a hair stylist. Over the past few years, she went to school, got her license, worked in her own salon space and became really good at doing hair. Jordan is really talented, and I am so excited she will be there to do my hair on my wedding day. Last week she came by my house to do a trial for my hair. I had some pictures, but to be honest, I wasn't very sure what I wanted. She did a really good job of mimicking the pictures and putting it all together just right. Plus, it was really nice to catch up with her.

When she was done I stood in the mirror seeing myself for the first time as I will on my wedding day. I love what Jordan did with my hair and this was just the test run. I can't imagine how perfect it will be on the day of!

Looking over the pictures of hair ideas with Jordan. 

Jordan getting it all pinned up!

The back

The front

Makeup Trial

Last week, I got my hair and makeup 'trials' done. This means I had both done as they will be done on my wedding day. For my makeup, I went to the Clinique counter at Macy's. A few months ago, my mom and I met a woman named Sherry there and it turns out she is a travelling makeup artist who comes to brides and does their makeup on location. That means she will be able to come out to my parents house on my wedding day to do my makeup. 

She did a really good job of taking care of my freckles. I love having freckles and I didn't want makeup that would make me look pasty or like I was trying to cover them. She also kept all my makeup really neutral, which matched my skin tone and eye color really well. I think on the day of, I will need a little powder because I was kind of shiny, but other than that my makeup looked great. 

The token "before and after" picture

Sherry helping me with my skincare products. I was using the WAY wrong mixture of stuff. 

Me and Sherry!

My Wish Bouquet

At one of the bridal expos I went to with my mom, we saw this company called Petal Wishes. The concept of the company was really cool (check it out here: http://petalwishes.com/). At your bridal shower or bachelorette party, each person gets a petal to write on, and then the petals are all assembled later into a bouquet that the bride can have as a keepsake. I really really liked this idea, but Petal Wishes wanted $80 for their kit, and that just seemed exorbitant to me. I looked at their website and at what they had at the expo and I decided I could do something similar to their kit for much much cheaper. I also knew that it could be simple enough that Isabel would be able to put them together. She is my maid of honor, after all!!

I used a toilet paper roll for the base and covered it in yellow ribbons and pearls. I stuffed that with green platers foam so I would have something to stick the flowers in. My mom cut out the petals from some vellum we got at Michaels and at my shower, each girl wrote their wishes for Jason and I on a petal. After the shower, Isabel and I sat down to turn the petals into flowers. We poked a hole in the end of each petal, pushed a silk flower through it and then wrapped wire from a flower pick around it. Isabel also glued each of the petals together so they would hold. In the end, she put them all together in the base, and now I have an amazing bouquet to use at my rehearsal ceremony! As I walk down that aisle to practice for the big day, I will carry with me all the wishes for Jason and I from my closest friends- it doesn't get much cooler than that.

And it's SO much cuter than a paper plate with ribbons taped to it. Hee hee!

Tuxedos!

There have been very few things about wedding planning that Jason has wanted to be a part of. Pretty much unless it has involved food in some way, he hasn't really been very into it. For some girls, this would be really upsetting. But, with Jason, it actually fits his personality to be uninvolved in this, and I never really expected him to get super pumped about wedding planning.

So when we went to Lillian Lottie to order the tuxes, I was expecting a 20 minute drop in where he picked the least expensive tux he could find, plopped down his order and peaced-out. Instead, two hours and many surprising decisions later, we were ready to leave. Jason spent so much time choosing his tuxes and how they would look. He went back and forth between numbers of buttons and length of coat. He looked at every single tux at least three times. I was expecting budget tuxes with ties and he went premium tuxes with bowties. He really really surprised me, and I couldn't help but smile and feel this overwhelming sense of joy as I realized that he really really cares about how he is going to look on our wedding day.

This is the tux he chose!

The yellow color he is pointing to is the color the groomsmen will be wearing. Jason's tie ad vest will match my dress, and the dad's will be in black. 

Each of the groomsman and the dads also had to get measured. For guys that were local, they were able to go right to Lillian Lottie to get their measurements done. The guys far away had to find a Men's Warehouse or another tux shop to get their measurements. Here are some pictures of my dad getting fit for his tuxedo at Lillian Lottie:

I wasn't expecting to care very much about the tuxes. I guess I had just figured Jason wouldn't be that into picking them out so me being into them would be weird. Plus, staying distanced from the process prevented me from being upset about Jason not caring. But I was so so wrong. Jason was meticulous and caring and intentional in his tuxedo selection and I absolutely can not wait to see him standing at the end of that aisle waiting for me to get there so I can become his wife (and we can begin forever).

My Bridal Shower!

A girl's bridal shower, like her wedding, is something she has thought about a lot before it ever happens. For my entire life, I hoped my bridal shower would be hosted by my mom's best friend Bonnie. My mom and Bonnie have known each other for 50 years. If that's not a time-tested friendship, I don't know what is. 

Through the process of planning my shower,  Bonnie did a great job of letting me have just a little bit of input without me feeling like I knew exactly what was happening. She gave me a lot of option: tea, lunch, brunch, etc, and I decided (or had decided a long time ago) I wanted a luncheon. 

Me and Bonnie

The week before my shower, my mom and I went shopping for the perfect dress. I've lost a little weight recently, and I was really looking forward to trying on dresses in my new 'runner's body'. We went Macy's (our favorite place to shop) and I think I probably tried on 20 or 30 dresses. I needed one that would be perfect for a mid-morning luncheon. Thanks to Jessica Simpson (who is totally crazy, but designs really cute clothes) I found this perfect dress:

The dress!

The day of my shower I could hardly breathe I was so excited. My mom picked me up at my house with my Great-Aunt Doris and we all drove together. When we got to Bonnie's, I tried to stop and take it all in. Every single detail was perfect. The tables were all set with these great butterfly picture holder favors and each spot had a yogurt and granola parfait. The kitchen table had been reserved for drinks with lemonade and coffee. Even the little dishes holding the mints and nuts on the tables were perfect.

As people started to arrive I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the women who I was surrounded by. Some I had known almost my whole life like Micki Remos. Some, like my sisters and Christina Flack knew me during a very dark time in my life before I found Jason and recovery. Others have only known me the last three years when my life has been completely transformed. The thing that impacted me the most was that they were all there to celebrate with me at my bridal shower.

Me and Christina 

Me and Isabel

The ASU PhD girls (including two of my bridesmaids Amanda and Lettice!)

Megan, A. Doris, Grandma and Marcy 

Johnna, Laura and Diane

Me and my mom

Devon, Mom, Me, Bonnie and Dawn

A. Doris, Grandma and Me 

Bridal Party!

Opening gifts was overwhelming (in a good way!). I felt so blessed to have such a huge pile of goodies in front of me! It was exhilarating because everything I opened was something I had registered, and the things that I hadn't registered for were totally exciting (like lingerie and new apron set to match my kitchen!)

At the end of the afternoon, my knight in shining armor swooped in to take me home. :)