Finances

I love talking with Brad.  We have funny conversations and serious conversations.  We have our little jokes.  I don't feel scared about bringing up the serious stuff, either, which is awesome.  I have a partner that is going to support me and work with me to help me out of jams and plan for our future. 

Story time.  I overdrew my checking today.  Awesome, right?  I'm the most responsible 27 year old ever.  What I will say is that weddings throw off your budgeting completely and that it is hard to settle back down into reality.  Brad was going to write me a check for my birthday Land's End order and for part of the cell phone bill, so he just bumped up the amount a smidge to help me cover my butt until the next paycheck.  Not a big deal.  But finances and budgeting are big deals to us.  Brad and I see money differently and we are working towards combining accounts and making a budget and sticking to it hardcore.  So, I was upset that I stupidly overdrafted the account.  I don't normally do this and it bugs me that I was careless.  Brad just told me it was OK and gave me a hug.

What's really weird--if you know me--is that I'm looking forward to our budgeting discussion and setting my allowance (I'm the spender, he's the saver).  He and I both have financial goals that we want to meet and we're ready to start working towards that.  For instance, long-term we want to pay off my credit cards and buy a house.  Short-term we want to beef up savings (this will be a continual goal) and then buy furniture for the living room and bedroom. I figured once we buy furniture, paint, and anything else we need to spruce up the two rooms, we'll spend $1500 or so.

Children are also in our future and we need to make sure that we've got our stuff all straightened out before we add more to the grocery bill.  And Brad and I are looking at a not-so-distant time when we'll be OK to let things happen and see if we get a mini-Brad or a mini-Melanie.  All this means is that we've got to work this out.

How have you worked out finances with your significant other?  Did you combine all the way or do you have separate accounts?  For those not married, what do you see happening?  Do finances come into play now?

Birthdays are the Best Days

I love birthdays.  Even though, as a grown-up, I usually have to work on my birthday, it's still a great day.  For one, you get to decide when to go shopping and EVERYONE sends you coupons for your birthday.  I have a free drink from Starbucks, free lunch from Jersey Mike's, free dessert from TGI Fridays, $20 off a $20 purchase from Vera Bradley, and even Clinique Bonus Time is happening starting today.

This scone is delicious and I am in search of a recipe.

I also have a husband who let me place an order from Land's End yesterday (yeah new work skirt, dress, and tote at clearance prices) and has offered to write me a romantic email (love in the 21st century).  Now, I'll continue to do grown-up things, like work and laundry, but I still will smile all day long.

Black skirt, navy dress, green tote that will be monogrammed. :)

These images pulled from Land's End, in the sale section.

Today I turn 27.  I have a career in the field I've worked my butt off to get to and I'm married to a wonderful man.  With the exception of some sniffles today, I'm healthy.  I have family and friends who love me and I couldn't ask for more.  There's still a lot that I want to accomplish in my life and I'm looking forward to going through the rest of my birthdays with Brad at my side.

--Melanie

Little Things

I went into this wedding with big dreams and a little budget.  The best way to reconcile the two was to come up with some awesome DIY projects and actually DIY them.  That, or find the cheapest alternatives known to man.  Keep reading for information on the details of the day, DIY and other.

1. Flowers (bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages)
When searching for florists, I got some crazy quotes.  I needed 4 bouquets (mine + 3 bridesmaids), 3 boutonnieres (Dads and Grandpa), and 5 corsages (Moms and 3 Grandmas).  I was getting quotes of $1,000 to $1,600.  That is CRAZY.  I was outraged and I was just going to buy the flowers and arrange them myself.  Better yet, I was going to GROW the flowers and arrange them. Never mind that I can (and have) killed a cactus, two spider plants, and multiple poinsettias. 

Luckily, I was talked out of this idea.  I ended up going to a local grocery store (Kroger) and talking to the florist there.  She was wonderfully nice, though I wasn't sure she was exactly getting the look I wanted.  Flowers weren't a humongous deal to me, though, and I let her do her thing.  When we picked up the flowers the morning of the wedding, I was stunned.  They were gorgeous. And huge. And $200.  Amazeballs! I'm so happy I went with this option instead of the DIY. 

My bouquet was so stinkin' amazing!

2. Centerpieces
I didn't want to spend a lot of money here, either.  I opted for a slice of tree topped with three mason jars--one for a candle, one for flowers, one for succulents.  I love my family.  They jumped right on board with this project.  My father-in-law grew the flowers for our centerpieces and the man can garden.  He also sliced a tree for the base.  Well, actually, he and Brad sliced multiple trees to give me options for thickness and type of wood.  Amazing, I tell ya.  My mom happens to make candles, so that automatically went to her.  She also helped me make succulent terrariums (which I killed. See: gardening abilities above.) and then made final versions with my sister. I printed the table numbers from a template from Martha Stewart and had them printed on kraft paper. Beautiful.  Exactly what I wanted.

Adorable. We also had a ton of fun arranging the flower jars.

Imagine random placement of flowers and exclamations of, "Fabulous!" 

3. Decor

Seeing as how Mom had candle-making on lock, I had her whip up some lanterns to hang around the covered porch of the venue.  Fun fact: She used lemongrass candles everywhere because they repel bugs without the strong smell of citronella.  You're welcome.

Lanterns. <3

4. Favors

I wanted to keep favors under $2 per person.  I wanted them to be edible so I didn't feel as though they were money wasted.  Daffy Apple will ship caramel apples to be used as wedding favors for under $2 a person, but they don't ship in the summer.  I was now stuck on caramel apples, though, so we made them.  The day after my bachelorette party.  I was a little grumpy and a lot hungover.  Not my best idea, but we pulled through.  I ordered the caramel from Daffy Apple and used popsicle sticks and treat bags from Hobby Lobby.  I bought most of the apples from a produce wholesaler near my house, but picked up a few extra at the grocery store.  Mom and I chopped peanuts and Heath bars for topping and were ready to go.  Adorable and tasty!  I even caught a few people stockpiling apples, which I found hysterical.  Of the 100 people at the wedding, only one was allergic to nuts.  If I had known this, I would have made him a special apple with a different topping.  Oh, well.

Yummy.

5. Guest Book

I did not want a traditional book of signatures.  Who has one of those and has looked at it since their wedding?  I found fingerprint trees on Etsy and fell in love with the idea, but not the price.  Instead, I commissioned a sophomore I work with to draw the tree.  She did a fabulous job and only charged $25.  I bought ink pads at Michael's, fine point sharpies at Staples, and baby wipes at CVS.  Framing was the expensive part, coming in at $298 at an independent framer.  I checked prices at three other places (Michael's and Hobby Lobby, included) and was amazed that the $298 quote was at least $100 cheaper than all the others. Ugh.  My kids better love this damn tree as much as Brad and I do.

Our tree, including our bride/groom birds.

6. Ring Pillow

Again with me bucking tradition.  I was going to cross stitch, dammit!  Suffice to say that I was up until 1 AM the night before the wedding cross stitching and it wasn't complete for the wedding, but complete enough.  I'm a procrastinator.  Still worth it, though.

I need to throw branches on the dark brown tree and add two more birds,

but I thought it looked pretty good for the wedding.

And, yes, we let a five-year-old walk with the actual rings.

7. Card box

Brad and his dad whipped up this beauty with reclaimed barnwood.  How stinkin' cute is it?  And, no cost to me.

Not the best picture of it, but you'll see this in pictures of our apartment, I'm sure.

The left side of the roof lifted up to allow cards to drop inside.

8. Dress

My dress came from David's Bridal--Galina T3039.  I paid $450 for it and the dress was dirty even before the ceremony began.  My sister started to freak a little, but I was fine with it.  I wanted an outdoor wedding and I wanted to enjoy the night.  If those two things are on your priority list, you will not be married with a pristine dress.  At one point, I was dragging a small branch under my dress and at another point, I must have walked through someone's spilled drink.  I had so much fun, though, and that is what counts.

My dress was huge, but so light.  I loved it and would wear it everywhere,

if that was socially acceptable.

9. Shoes

My shoes were sparkly blue TOMS.  The groom, groomsmen, and ring bearer all wore black canvas TOMS.  My dad showed up wearing his black Vans so he could fit in and I love that he did.

They look like little ballerina shoes in this picture.

10. Jewelry

I found my necklace at White House, Black Market and thought it was perfect.  I heard from my mom that a lot of people commented on how pretty it was.  I wanted a chunkier necklace and that's what I got.  Fifty dollars, but I was OK with that.

So pretty. Yes, I'm narcissistic.

Our rings.  I love this shot.

The table was the cake table and is original to the lodge, dating back to 1900.

11. Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

Old-Button.  My mom had a button from 1983 still in the package.  Our florist pinned it to the front of my bouquet.

New-Dress, Necklace.

Borrowed-I borrowed a bracelet from my friend and bridesmaid, Sam, and kept it in the pocket of my dress.

Blue-Shoes, toenail polish, underwear

Something old.  And charming.

12. Cake

Our cake, with its tangerine cream and opera cream flavors, was from the BonBonerie. The spoon on top reads, "Just Married. 09-16-11."  We also had Mr. and Mrs. forks that we fed each other with. (Thank you, Etsy.) My mom made the mini-us cake toppers.

Yum. Yum. Yummy.

Our mini-me's.  My dress is totally sideways.

We fixed that later.

Hey!

"What's that?"

"Looks like the blog got a makeover, including a header. Cool."

I have a husband!

We're married! 

I want to do a recap, but I don't know where to start.  I'll probably talk big picture today and throw some details up tomorrow.  Then, we can delve into honeymoon?  Let's begin.

The wedding was perfection!  I was relaxed and ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner that day.  I laughed and smiled.  I was giddy right before walking down the aisle and my dad smiled at me.  Brad and I said our vows, slipped on some rings, and kissed.  We ate, we drank, we danced.  We smiled for pictures and drove off to the Pub.  We drank a little more and went to the hotel.  I only took off my dress because I needed to pee and didn't want Brad to help.  Looking at the hem, I noticed dirt from the woods, a (faint) footprint from my niece, and a spot from where I apparently walked through someone's spilled drink.  I had a blast in that dress and loved every inch of the filth that covered the bottom hem.

The rain stayed away, though the temperatures dipped to mid 60s in the day and mid 50s for the evening.  I brought along a jean jacket, but I never wore it.  I never felt the chill.  The day was everything I wanted it to be and I loved hearing how perfect it was from other people.  I'm glad that it was beautiful and meaningful for our guests and for us.

Holy cuteness, Batman.

She was a little bored during the ceremony.

At one point, she called out, "C'mon, c'mon.  What's next?"

Hot tamales!  From L-R: Amanda (my sister), Me, Kerry, Sam

The boys looking sharp.

L-R: Aaron, Brad (husband), John (my brother), Ross

The whole crew. 

If I could whistle, I totally would. 

I adored being a bride.

I love him so much.

This was taken with our photographer inside the cabin and us outside. 

I love how the window frames us.

For more pictures, please check out nathanpeelphoto.com. 

Our wedding and our engagement pictures are both listed on his blog. 

All of the photos on here have his copyright and logo.  I pick up our DVD of

images today and I was just too excited to wait any longer to post images.

More tomorrow, including details.  We'll talk wedding this week and then we'll figure out how the transition of this blog from wedding to life will go.  Please stick around.

--Melanie

Ack!

So, here we are--three days before the wedding.  THREE.  Tonight, I will try to come up with table numbers and finish the ring bearer pillow.  I also need to get together everything that needs to go to the wedding. 

Tomorrow, I get a little relaxation time and maybe a little time to use a Victoria's Secret gift card that I have.  ;)  Kerry comes back into town tomorrow night and I can't wait.

Thursdsay we have mani/pedi day, take stuff to the lodge, and rehearsal dinner.  Friday is wedding.  Good Lord, help me get through it all with a bit of sanity.

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My bachelorette party was this past weekend and it was a blast.  We started the day with a couple friends, my mom, my sister, and my niece.  We had lunch and explored Bellevue's Art in the Park.  So fun.  Then, we hit up Hofbrahaus and drank until I passed out.  It didn't take as long as I thought.

Sunday, in my very hungover state, we got together all of the wedding favors.  These were made with love, people, and please don't forget that. 

--Melanie

This weekend kicked off Saturday with Brad making me a delicious breakfast of grits, scrambled eggs, and hashbrowns.  He doesn't cook for me often, but I so appreciate it when he does.  He let me have a lazy kind of morning, complete with watching House and fretting about wedding-related activities.  After a bit, we headed out to run some errands.  We went to Michael's and Hobby Lobby, where Brad waited in the car.  We went to Men's Wearhouse, where Brad picked up some new shoes, socks, and shoe trees.  Since he bought all the guys' suits here, on his credit card, he had $150 in rewards and spent about $20 for all his new purchases.  Not too bad!  We also stopped by the mall so I could pick out a gift for my dad.  While there, I noticed that the Gap was running 50% off all women's clothes and Brad let. me. shop.  Now, for those that we don't know in real life, this is a huge deal.  Brad is the saver and I am the spender of the relationship.  I took this as a sign that the weekend and short bit of time left until the wedding would be wonderful.  :)

Saturday night found us at a wedding for Tracy, a girl I went to grad school with and work with currently.  She and her now-husband got engaged a week or two after Brad and I did and we have been thrilled to have someone to talk weddings with. 

Isn't she a beautiful bride?

Delicous candy buffet.  Brad was a huge fan of the gummies.

This isn't the highest quality photo, I know.  I took it hurriedly

with my iphone as I was trying to enjoy the wedding.

Their gorgeous (and delicious!) cake. 

On Sunday, Brad and I woke up early to go to church with his grandma.  She lives two hours away from us, so it was an all-day affair.  We went to church, lunch, and then she had cake and ice cream for us!  It was a sweet day and we capped it off with a visit to his parents, since I haven't seen them in weeks.  His dad wanted to show me how the flowers were doing and talk with me about some other DIY projects I have him signed up for.

Tiny church.

More flowers from Brad's parents' flower garden. 

I am thrilled that we'll have home-grown flowers at the wedding.



Kids, we are at 17 days until the wedding.  I finalized cake yesterday and picked up our guest book.  I finalize flowers on Wednesday (for the bouquets).  The to-do list is seeing some progress, but I will be so happy when Brad and I can just sit at home, as husband and wife, and watch TV.

--Melanie