RIDICULOUS OR FABULOUS?

if i were forced to define my personal style, i would say it's midwestern prep with a mix of eclectic grandma. i wear a lot of black, cannot say no to j.crew and am very snobby about what brand of bag i carry.

one of those brands is kate spade. and the new apple of my eye is that sparkler above: the "i kissed a frog" clutch.

so, dear reader, i ask you: is this not amazingly perfect for my upcoming wedding day or do you agree with b and wonder where on earth i'd actually carry it?

WEDDING WEDNESDAY: OUR INVITATIONS.

drum roll please... it's our wedding invitations!

these went out to guests nearly a month ago and we are getting rsvps in the mail daily. it makes my day to open a "yes" one!

i designed the suite and couldn't resist adding something just a bit cheeky on the rsvp card. guests have the option to say "i'll be there ready to boot scootin' boogie" or "i can't make it and there's a tear in my beer", two quotes from classic country songs.

some of the little details. i made the envelope liners myself using rifle paper co's new wrapping paper. the gorgeous return address stamp is by steph creekmur, who is based - where else?! - in nashville.

a close up of my favorite part: the gold foiling! we worked with kseniya thomas of thomas-printers, who did our save the dates, and i absolutely love how they turned out.

we have passed both the 100 day countdown and the three months to go mark until the big day. i'm so ready and i hope the invites got our guests excited, too!  

APRIL IN SEATTLE.

in between quick april showers this weekend we took a quick walk to the grocery store. the path takes us through some of the prettiest parts of our neighborhood, including by the space needle!

directly below. it's on my seattle bucket list to go up in the needle soon.

right next to the needle is chihuly exhibit. you can see the piece peeking just over the trees.

beautiful fluffy clouds!

hi from seattle!

I TOTALLY DO THINGS BESIDES WEDDING PLAN. NOT REALLY.

i haven't taken out my dslr since february, but here are some things i did catch recently with my phone.

i participated in a work event last week that was held on and around the university of washington campus. it is pretty - and was named one of the 15 most beautiful - but i am still partial to the brick lined streets of athens.

the sunny skies of the uw photo may lead you to believe it doesn't rain every single day here. and you would be very wrong. walking to work in it is the worst. upside: i have a ton of cute new rain gear.

if we are eating out in seattle, we are at little water. however, i talked b into hopping into a bar that's a block away from our house: belltown pub. the service was great and they serve hush puppies, which basically caused me to have a flashback to our days in the good old south. plus, they allow dogs. 

sidebar: i want a dog so, so, so badly. i routinely talk to dogs while on my walk to work {"you are so pretty!"}, know the name of our neighbor's dog {fiona}, but not the name of our actual human neighbor, and basically freak out whenever i see one. now, if we just had a house, a yard, mo monies and a bff who could babysit him/her when we were out of town, we could totally get a dog!

up on the roof, b's favorite spot.

 

we finally {only two months in} explored our neighborhood a bit last weekend. we walked down to the sculpture park and this is what is right beyond it: the beach. it's no sunny california, but the gorgeous view  does make me just a bit less mad about the daily precipitation.

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES.

it was the famed lyricists the spice girls who sang "too much of something is bad enough." they went on to express something profound about love, but in my case, it describes a lot of what's been going on these past few months. or really, these past few years.

moving to denver was a huge change. but, making friends happened relatively quickly and finding a job i loved happened on only my second try. it was a lot of change. especially when we were living in that 400-square-foot apartment. there was not a lot besides change in that apartment.

then, we got engaged! it's not only a change in your daily focus, but also preparing for upcoming change.

and then, seattle. which really came out of nowhere. a new job, no friends, learning a new city.  

i am a fan of change. but sometimes it's overwhelming. and that's where i am at today. and where i've been for the past few months, which is why i haven't been blogging. 

i love having this blog and being able to look back at what we were doing on a random weekday in 2011. so, i'm going to try to make time for it again.

see you soon, loyal readers, aka b, sandra and spammers.

WEDDING WEDNESDAY: THE LIST GOES ON.

look, i'm alive! honestly, between this new {very demanding} job, trying to lose weight, planning this wedding and the stress that comes with opening "no" rsvps, ain't nobody got time for this blog.

but, nothing makes me happier than a to-do list, so here's an update. and, just in time: friday marks 100 days until the wedding! 

1. set a date
2. book a venue
3. book photographers
4. engagement photos
5. book videographer
6. book band
7. recruit bridesmaids and groomsmen
8. create wedding website
9. book florist
10. buy wedding dress
11. let bridesmaids choose dresses
12. get b fitted for a suit 
13. pick out groomsmen attire
14. find veil - i still don't know if i'll wear one, but i have cousin melissa's gorgeous veil in hand.
15. book cake baker
16. buy cake knife and server - i'm registered for one! here's hoping someone buys it for us at my bridal shower.
17. order save the dates
18. finalize guest list
19. buy cake topper
20. order stamps
21. send save the dates
22. order guest book
23. register
24. reserve hotel room blocks
25. hire a calligrapher
26. mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom dress shopping
27. find wedding shoes
28. choose wedding jewelry - earrings pictured above!
29. find garter
30. something old
31. something new
32. something borrowed
33. something blue
34. make day-of emergency kit
35. book makeup artist
36. book hair stylist
37. choose wedding favors
38. buy getting ready outfit
39. complete menu tasting
40. complete cake tasting
41. do hair and makeup trial
42. get measured for dress
43. dress fitting
44. order invitations
45. send invitations
46. buy bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts
47. purchase wedding bands
48. get marriage license
49. book transportation for wedding party
50. buy welcome bag stuff
51. stuff welcome bags
52. complete music request folder for band
53. create playlist for cocktail hour
54. book wedding night hotel room
55. order thank you notes
56. gather tips and thank you notes for vendors
57. submit engagement announcements in paper 
59. book ceremony musician
60. complete pre-marital counseling
61. create sign for front of venue
62. design programs
63. print and assemble programs
64. buy glow sticks for exit - which was a very good idea from my friend sandra!
65. book caterer
66. order rentals
67. create decoration for bride and groom chairs
68. frame parent wedding photos
69. make reserved table signs
70. create "no formal seating" sign
71. hire coordinator
72. buy flip flops for dance floor
73. assist mother-in-law with rehearsal dinner
74. buy rehearsal dinner dress
75. buy bridal shower dress
76. help find bridal shower location
77. buy bachelorette party dress
78. book honeymoon
79. buy hostess gifts for shower
80. create ceremony backdrop
81. buy wedding dress belt
82. find makeup artist for day-of
83. book getting ready hotel room
84. figure out a first-dance song - we {i} chose one and then we {i} decided it was not the one
85. choose a parental dance song
86. book flights to nashville
87. buy parent thank-you gifts
88. rent a cake stand
89. write vows
90. settle on ceremony order
91. stay sane - i am failing very hard on this front.
92. GET MARRIED!

it does feel good to see so much marked off the list! and, next week we'll be in the single-digit countown. eeep!