One of my favorite details from the wedding were our table numbers. They were a lot of work, but I think they turned out great, see what I mean?
I could give you the play-by-play of how to make them, or I could point you to Vintage Glam Weddings, where I ripped this from. Hey, I’m on vacation!
This weekend was one of the most fun weekends. EVER. For real…when you walk into a house and you are greeted by this:
It’s going to be a fun night.
First up, we had a little girly time over at Spa Vouge. This place is swwwannnkkkyyy. Loved the chandeliers, zebra stair runner and mostly naked man poster in the bathroom. Wait, what?
After nail pampering, and mimosas, and cheesecake, it was back home for peach Bellini’s, lingerie and party games. P.S. Patrick I love you but I know nothing about you and have a monster wad of bubble gum to prove it.
Before long it was time to get all dolled up (don’t you just love that phrase? cause I do) and head out to dinner.
Dinner was amazing (the Black Pelican always is!) and after yawning through dinner (you try drinking champagne all day), we perked back up when we hit the house. This time the girls were not going to let me leave the house with out the accessories I had snuck out without before.
I gave the veil some extra poofing through out the night to keep it Southern style.
We headed out to Kelly’s which is the place to be on the beach (I had no idea!) and got our boogie on. There were so many bachelor/ette parties going on that night, it felt like we were in Charleston. By the time the 4th group of “hey we’re here with a bachelor party, you should come over” guys came around, I was all “honey, that’s what they all say.”
3 things I wish I had pictures of: the longest mullet I have ever seen (and I live in North Carolina), the lead singer in the band who was a dead ringer for Vince Neil, and this energizer bunny of a dude who would not stop his ridiculous gyrating dance moves for a good half an hour. That may have been my fault, as I’m pretty sure it began when I said, “No, let me see you really break it down.”
Other highlights of the night were when the DJ came up beside me because he was trying to give me a shout out (sweet!) and I asked him if he was security, the quote, “Erica, I’m not saying you are one, just sometimes you have to be one” and seeing someone instantly stand up straighter when I told him who my dad was. Oh and cake!
Cake that did not get eaten that night, but isn’t it just the cutest thing?
Finally we made it home and to bed, only to get up 3 hours later for pictures on the beach. They turned out pretty nice though, huh?
Finally it was time to eat, and I was huuungry. The perfect antidote for no sleeping mixed with lots of drinking is a greasy spoon breakfast, which is exactly what we had. I also distributed my “look how anal retentive and obnoxious I am” 10 page wedding itinerary.
Before I knew it, it was time to go home. Erica and I putzed around the Grandy Farmer’s Market, visited with Grandma Faye, and I was back on the road to Raleigh.
Oh and can I get an “amen” for this sign:
Any good bride will tell you that it is absolutely imperative that you go on a strict diet and exercise regime between 6-9 months before your wedding, and for the last month you should be on a steady meal plan consisting of cabbage soup and diuretics (got to get rid of that water weight!) Well you already know what I think about good brides…
I’m not usually this bad, but this is what I ate on Monday, September 7, 2009….a mere 19 days before I wed.
Breakfast:
3 chocolate chip pancakes, coffee
Lunch #1:
2 chocolate chip cookies, Sprite
Lunch #2:
Whopper Jr. no onion, no tomato, extra pickles, water
Dinner:
Little Thickburger w/cheese
french fries
Coke
All of it, delicious.
Planning a wedding is a daunting task. There, I said it.
Never did I imagine that it would be so. We knew what we wanted, what we were working with, and what the final vision looked like in our heads.
All we wanted was to throw once heck of a party for our family and friends. Lots of laughing, hands in the air kind of dancing, people eating so much that they couldn’t make room for cake (but how could they not?).
Then I discovered wedding blogs.
Style Me Pretty
Snippet and Ink
Martha Stewart Weddings
Wedding Bee
And then things got complicated. Maybe I was to hasty. Maybe I didn’t want slightly formal with purple and green and paisley everywhere.
Maybe I wanted an intimate backyard barbeque.
A breakfast wedding with Beligan waffles and mascerated strawberries.
A garden party with ladies in hats and garden roses.
A rustic picnic with mason jars and fireflys and bunting.
But you know, the funny thing is I soon realized that these things aren’t what I wanted. I wanted lots of laughing, hands in the air kind of dancing, and people eating so much that they couldn’t make room for cake (and really, how could they not?).
And that will all happen, with or without oversized waffles, pretty hats or bunting hung from the rafters.
The place doesn’t matter, the decoration doesn’t matter. Having the people that mean the world to you there to celebrate is all that matters. And that makes it seem not so daunting at all.
One more thing on the list of things I absolutely will not be doing for the wedding.
But oh, aren’t they lovely?
So this weekend was so blissfully low-key that I won’t even bore you with the details except to say the following:
- Confessions of a Shopaholic was surprisingly hil-lar-i-ous.
- The dogs could not have been less interested in the dog park.
- A trip to the grocery store on a Saturday afternoon is almost never a good idea.
- Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family has entertained me more than once.
- I had not one, but two DIY fails this weekend.
- The boys need their own beds in my room. It was cute the first time they slept on my sham pillows, but now they are starting to smell.
- Thought about going out Saturday night, but it was raining so instead I had a huge bowl of ice cream. It was the perfect call.
Ohh and how could I forget…the R.S.V.P. deadline has come and gone, and we still have 95 outstanding. Here’s the round up of those we have heard from:
Total Yes: 109
Total No: 46
Team Stallings Yes: 55
Team Stallings No: 27
Team Loftin Yes: 54
Team Loftin No: 19
Ohhhh so close! It’s getting juicy.
And we’re back from the weekend. This weekend was full of shopping, food and fun.
Friday night Patrick came over with Caden to hang out. After working on a petit loaf of Sourdough bread we sat around and enjoyed some general laziness while we decompressed from the week. About the time we started cooking dinner, Patrick got called into a surgery. He headed out (Caden stayed, he’ll be here for the next 2 weeks anyway) and I sat down to watch a netflix movie.
Saturday we met at the Flea Market to do some shopping. I was looking for 5×7 picture frames, and a few larger ones for another project. We didn’t find as many as I needed, but we rounded up 4 or so at $1 each and a poster size frame for $5. We checked out lots of pure junk and some fun items (Mickey Mouse cookie tins!) along with some that I can’t imagine anyone buying (a swatiska flag???). On a whim we stopped by Big Lots and managed to round out the rest of the frames that I needed for my table number project for $2 each. Not bad!
I also dropped by the Target in Cary….BIG MISTAKE. It was move-in weekend for NCState, and the Cary Target is where all the parents go to load up their kids on Easy Mac and tv stands. It was a nightmare. I did snag some sweet outdoor chairs on sale for $10 each outside the neighboring Home Depot though, so I’ll call it a draw.
Saturday night we headed over to a going away party for one of Patrick’s friends. There were crab legs, hamburgers, hotdogs, and homemade salsa that was out of this world. The highlight of the night for me was talking soap with another girl there who also dabbles with a soap pot.
Sunday morning I drove Patrick to the airport (again! boo!) and he is now in Colorado for the next two weeks. Once I got home, I got to work. I spent the afternoon making favor tags and prepping for my table number project. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, so I’ll give details (and maybe a tutorial) after the wedding. Here’s a little something to whet your appetite.
After a butt-kicking workout (I did kickboxing for cardio and slow & heavys with weights) I hit the showers and relaxed a bit before calling it a night.
So that’s how I spent the weekend, but if you actually read all that, I know what you are really here for….the Race to the R.S.V.P.! I have to say, my trash talking must have worked, because Team Loftin really stepped it up this week. Of course, Team Stallings is still in the lead, but Team Loftin made big strides. Keep them coming!
Week 3 Results
Total Yes: 51
Total No: 25
Team Stallings Yes: 27
Team Stallings No: 17
Team Stallings Total: 54
Team Loftin Yes: 24
Team Loftin No: 8
Team Loftin Total: 32
The R.S.V.P.’s have been pouring in for a week and a half now, and I have to say that I never imagined how overwhelmingly positive the response has been for the design of the invitations. This was a team effort in the truest sort, with Patrick and I initially deciding on a design, mom and I double checking to make sure there wasn’t an easier route, me setting up the text in Power Point, Allison having a panic attack and re-doing it for me in her fancy-schmancy design software, setting up the printer, Grace, Cicely, Mom, Cheryl, Patrick and I putting them together, Patrick doing the wax seals and finally me addressing all 250+ envelopes.
Whoa run on sentence.
What I mean to say is that these babies were a monster, and I’m very glad you like them.
If there are anymore daring souls out there looking for some inspiration, here is the (mostly) step-by-step on how to create them:
Step 1: (not shown) Don’t be fooled, this is the hardest part. First you have to come up with your design. Budget lots of time for this.
Step 2: (not shown) Price everything out and layout your design. Here’s a thought, if you are buying pre-cut mats, make sure that they fit your pocket fold, or you will have to make a million tiny cuts.
Step 3: Measure and cut any paper that you need to “make work.” Measure twice, cut 250 times.
Step 4: Finalize your text, double check it, have your fiance check it, have your mom check it, have your neighbor check it. Due to the large number of invites, we had a printer do our work for us, but for a smaller wedding you can probably do this on your home printer. Check out our goods.
Step 5: (not shown) Tape everything together, assemble per your layout.
Step 6: break out the wax seal and play. When you get the feel for it, go to town on your invitations.
Step 7: Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Step 8: Sit back and admire your work. Get a hand massage, then send your babies into the world.
We used the following products:
Pocketfolds: Archivers Yours Truly in Blackberry
Invitation Mats: Archivers Yours Truly in Moss
Paisley Sidebar: Archivers Scrapbook Paper
Invitation, Inserts, Envelopes and Printing: Sir Speedy
Fonts: Trajan Pro and Zapfino
Font Color: Pantone color-matched to Blackberry (I have no clue what number that was, sorry)
Papercutter: X-ACTO Heavy Duty 12″ Laser Trimmer
This weekend was our second wedding shower, this time in Belmont. It was a fun weekend of Barbecue, presents and friends.
Friday night we got on the road after a late start. We didn’t get to Patrick’s parents house until a a little after 11, but that didn’t stop us from all hanging out for a while and catching up. Eventually every one was off to bed to rest up for the big day!
Saturday we had our usual Belmont breakfast, chocolate chip pancakes! After we were well hopped up (as Grandma Doris would say) it was time for showers and Saturday morning laziness. Once everyone was ready to go we headed to downtown Belmont for a barbecue cook off. I have never eaten so much western NC barbecue in my life! (Yes, I am a purist.) There were people from all over the place set up cooking their pigs. It was a hot day and the asphalt and cookers only added to the heat. I wouldn’t be surprised if the one tent handing out bottled water won!
After about an hour it was time to head back home and get ready for the shower. We arrived at the church half an hour early and my bridesmaid Jackie was already there and helping set up! She is too good to me. We had a great time catching up and visiting with the rest of the family. I got to see Ashton’s dress, her “princess dress.” A girl after my own heart! Soon it was time to start opening presents and once again we were overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity.
After the shower, mom, dad and I decided to drive out to Ikea (how could we resist?). Mom and I had a great time walking around and exploring everything, dad got lost and sat on a bench outside for the remainder of the shopping trip. Typical.
While we were shopping, Mr. Benny was getting the grill hot. We had a huge dinner with filets, grilled corn on the cob, broccolli, cheesy rice and garlic bread. Because we hadn’t been eating all day.
After dinner Patrick and I headed downtown to a tavern to meet up with some friends. It was nice seeing everyone, but that is about all you could do due to the dude with the guitar and HUGE speaker on stage. Seriously, we all love live music, but if you can’t hear anyone else talking then it makes your night out a little pointless.
At church the next morning our crew took up a whole pew and Patrick’s Aunt Myra called us out to the whole church. That was fun. We had a nice lunch at a new restaurant in Cramerton, Center Street Meeting Place (I think) before getting back on the road.
Once back in Raleigh, my parents took off as fast as they could for the second leg of their trip while Patrick and I settled in to work on Thank You notes. We are almost finished with the ones from last weekend, it has been quite a project. Before long I was in bed, sleepy but happy after another great weekend.
P.S. I know, another weekend with NO pictures. I hands have been to busy for a camera. My bad.
P.S.S. I’ll update our R.S.V.P. race when tonight, but rest assured, I am still winning. 
Yesterday I had 15 R.S.V.P. envelopes in my mail box. 15! Oh, and one envelope that I forgot to put postage on. 1 out of 250 isn’t so bad, right? Yesterday was the earliest possible day that they could get here, I put them in the mail at the post office at 4:30 pm on Friday afternoon and approximately 25 seconds later the first one arrived at someone’s house. That may be a slight exaggeration, but in all honesty I had no idea they would arrive so quickly.
Since (mostly) everyone has had the opportunity to see their invites up close and personal, I will give a quick sneak peek, but there are a few that may still be in transit so I’ll hold off from posting the whole she-bang and tutorial for a couple more days.
The current R.S.V.P. count (because I can make anything into a competition) is as follows:
Replied Yes – Team Loftin: 3
Team Stallings: 7
Total Yes – 10
Replied No – Team Loftin: 4
Team Stallings: 1
Total No – 5
Team Loftin total: 7
Team Stallings total: 8
It’s going to be a close race, but not only am I winning with over all numbers, I am kicking butt on getting the Yes checks back. Woo hoo GO TEAM STALLINGS!
Note: Numbers are based on R.S.V.P. cards received, not number of people coming. This will keep the numbers more fair as an equal amount of invitations were sent to both sides.
