how i wish we lived in LA!

because we would be married here, at the Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse. absolutely breathtaking!

finding the dress

so... i called the 4 shops closest to me that carry the designer of the dress with no avail. it is a style from several years ago, so i figured it might be a hard dress to come by.

saturday, i awoke with an itch to just find this dress! i at least wanted to try it on, no matter how far we had to drive (well, within reason).
the first two places i called = SCORE! yesss. each are only a 2 hour drive.
now i have two options, and both can order the dress for about the same price, around $700.

this is sort of a win-lose situation.
i'm winning because $700 for the dress of my dreams is not at all bad, considering the price of most wedding gowns. i'm losing because that much money could buy us the cozy chair-and-a-half recliner we want so dearly.
i mean, i'll wear it once... it is SO hard for me to justify that purchase because $700 is A LOT of money to us right now.

but... it'll be the most special day of my life... what to do, what to do.

ive been checking oncewed.com every single day with my fingers crossed it'll pop up! now only if i knew my size.. dress sizes don't seem to be very true from what i've came across and tried on.

hodge farm

dear hodge family,

little do you know, we will soon be writing you a letter because your farm/barn is the most amazing thing we have ever laid eyes on. it is perfect in every way for our location. we will pay you well and take out an insurance policy!

the dbf was driving out in the country last week (there's a lot of "country" around here!) and found this amazing barn. it's truly everything we've been looking for! it's perfect for both the ceremony and reception. we are going to write a letter to the owners and i've got my fingers crossed it just might work. if not, we'll fall back on farm lake, so no biggie.

P.S. this picture doesn't do it justice! you should see the entrance and gorgeous (maybe oak?) tree.

the dress!

nothing was on tv last night, so i ended up watching 3 episodes of say yes to the dress after the dbf went to bed. it really put an itch in me :) i did some searching until about 2:30 this morning online.. i lost complete track of time! but... i found one that is truly everything i want... i think this one might be "it".
the dbf will be reading this, so i'll not post a photo. email me if you want to see it.

spur of the moment, i went today with my mom, grandma, aunt, and two cousins to try on dresses. it was just a fun, prelim girl trip to get some ideas. they didn't have the dress i wanted in stock, but i found one similar and liked how it looked on.

new ring idea

so... because of several reasons, we've decided against the herkimer diamond.
although a great thought, here's why:
1. we can't get it until april
2. it looks less like a gem and more like glass

although the new york trip would've been amazing, the big thing is we can't go until april.
sooo.... that led me googling once again for diamond alternatives. it also let me to this article and i am honestly appalled. as an advertising major myself, i know how incredibly powerful it can be. this seems to be one of america's greatest marketing scams of all time. we have been tricked into believing that diamonds equal love.

after looking at white topaz and white sapphire, i came across an incredible stone called moissanite.

this gem has both more brillance AND fire than diamonds! it is also almost as hard on the Mohs scale, so you can wear it everyday without worrying about damaging the stone. i've read that it takes a great jeweler to tell the difference between a moissanite and a diamond. it occurs naturally in tiny amounts and is now synthetically made by a company called Charles & Colvard, Ltd ... and the best part? it's 1/4 the price!!

take the time to read this very interesting personal article about diamonds and moissanites. it deifnitely convinced me!

i'm trying to stay around the $1,000 range... still a little more than we can afford, but very reasonable considering i will get a 1 carat stone. i've always wanted a square princess cut stone, but this stone shows less color when cut round.. so i think i'll go with round.

here are two i love that are about $1,000

and then.... the ring OF MY DREAMS! :)
this was a custom design, i'm sure it's $3,000+

farm lake

there's a barn about 1/4 mile away from our home. the woman who owns it hosts parties and other events there, mostly for the local university.

however, i spoke to her and she said there have been quite a few weddings there as well!

the cost of $740 includes a bonfire, hayrides, tables, and chairs! this is just waaaay more convenient for us. my family won't have to drive 4 hours and his family and friends are right here in town.

we won't have to rent restrooms, chairs, or tables! plus, it's cheaper to begin with. we will just save a ton of money doing it there.

the location is definitely not as romantic or dreamy, but the other things outweigh that, hands-down.

so, it's been awhile

i took a hiatus... a very LONG hiatus!

our table is done and absolutely BEAUTIFUL! all of our hard work paid off. it is stained a very, very dark mahogany and we used a vintage gray printed fabric to cover the

anyway..... i was getting a little too overwhelmed way too early. i took a step back and thought to myself... ya know, you'll have plenty of time to do this after the ring! just enjoy it for now :)

we had a conversation last night and decided it was a much better idea (and just "us") to take a trip out to New York and visit the Herkimer Diamond Mines. my ring will be made with one of these stones, which are actually quartz crystals! we both think that taking a trip to New York will be much more fun than spending money we don't need to on a several thousand dollar diamond ring.

it will mean more to us because it's "different" and the Herkimer Diamond story is such a unique one!! they are only found in this certain area of New York and in just a couple other places in the world. it is also used by "new agers" for healing and energy purposes, which is also very appealing to us.
we both are pretty humanitarian as well and the diamond trading/selling/mining scene is really, really sad. it will make both of us feel good to know we are not giving in to the "box" stores and consumerism.

unfortunately, the mines close each winter from the end of october until the middle of april. so, it looks like we'll be waiting awhile!

herkimer diamond ring at etsy.com
$350
by: Onestonenewyork

focusing on other things

on monday, i moved into an incredible duplex with my wonderful dbf (dear boyfriend).

i have made numerous craigslist purchases over the past several weeks, including a small desk, a small dresser, and a (rather large) dining room table.

sanding....... here we come!
we are out to refinish/paint these three pieces and probably more to come.

the wedding has gone a little to the back burner.. i have over a year to think about it! right now, i want this house to feel like home :)

our soon-to-be-gorgeous $65 craigslist table and chairs:

the binder/my favorite inspiration

i began my "idea" binder last night.. there are SO many beautiful photos and blogs out there.

those women really put together some amazing and breathtaking things!
i am currently following about ten wedding blogs.. and they all have something fresh each day. it's nice to have so much content right at my fingertips... so inspiring :)

here is one of my absolute favorites. natural. elegant. rustic. simple.

the guest list

the budget hasn't been determined yet. our engagement isn't "official", so we haven't sat down with our parents to talk about finances quite yet.
i figure anything the parentals aren't willing to cover, we will. we expect ~150, so we'll see if that's possible soon enough.

since most people invited will be couples, families, or a single and a guest, i'd imagine we'll send less than 100 invitations.
my dad has a HUGE family (because it's combined with my step-mom's, 11 brothers and sisters total!), so we'll have to account for that.

i have to keep in mind that it's a 2 to 4 hour drive for everyone, so not all people are going to be able to make it.

wish us luck :) :)

fonts

oh, how i LOVE fonts!

i am trying to find a gorgeous one to use for the envelope addresses.
calligraphy is beautiful... but incredibly expensive.

jane austen (i think this one might be perfect!)

byron (little hard to read?)

ol ho deboi (a little too "dark"?)

the king and queen (a little too "fun")

all found at dafont.com

days of rest

i've taken a little break from the whole wedding deal. since wedding planning IS my dream job, i've been a little indulgent in it! it was nice to remember i do have FIFTEEN months :)

i took my 12 year old sister to the brookfield zoo and a jonas brothers concert saturday.. we had such a great time! the weekend just flew by.
and on top of that, i'm moving out of my apartment WEDNESDAY!
it's been a very busy past couple of weeks.
i can't believe the last time i posted was on june 30th... wow!

_________________________________________________________

i am just IN LOVE with this mason jar idea! i don't have my heart set on it 100%, because they are slightly expensive ($24.95 for a one gallon dispenser)

i am planning on getting several handles of sweet tea vodka. (YUM, you should try it!). it will be the only liquor served which will help save on costs (you mix it with water, it can't get much cheaper than that!)


oh, and the lanterns. how absolutely romantic.

first invitation design

here is the first mock up of our invitation.
i LOVE designing!!
i really do like this one.. i'm considering not even trying to make another.

inspiration

dreamy. romantic. rustic.



hanging mason jars = gorgeous and inexpensive.

love the bouquet colors.

we can't have candles inside the barn. i'm thinking flameless? not quite the same, but i'll do.

location

so... we did not end up going to any of the 3 parks!

we found a new venue and it was absolutely amazing!

we both wanted an outdoor ceremony and reception. but... since it's in october, we felt we also needed a back-up plan. having a barn to house the reception seemed like a perfect idea. it would give us an indoor/outdoor hybrid space and also would be very unique. but, where the heck can we rent a barn!? we researched and came across walnut grove farm, which is where we ventured saturday.

we can rent the entire grounds for $875 FOR THE WHOLE WEEKEND. all day friday, saturday, and sunday! most places have a hour by hour time slot, which makes things incredibly hectic. this just seems too perfect. we can take it slow and enjoy an entire weekend instead of just one day! the entire grounds includes the barn, plenty of outdoor space (even enough for a bonfire!), and a dressing room in the owners' victorian home).

the only things holding us back are:
1. we'll have to do something about the bathroom situation. there's only a single outhouse!
2. it's a 4 hour drive for my family.

finding "the one"

ring, that is!

we went ring shopping tuesday at the mall, just to look. we wanted an idea of carat weight, style... all those good things.
i saw a few i liked, but didn't make it to zales. so, we went back last night... and fell in love!

we loved the uniqueness of the "bridge" setting, meaning the diamonds in the band go underneath the center diamond instead of two separate sets on either side.

the only issue was that the center diamond was 3/4 of a carat, and he is set on a full one (and with absolutely no complaints from me!).

so, now he knows..... and the decision is all his.

possible locations

we're going on a road trip/picnic this weekend to a couple of places.

walnut point state park
ideal location : right in between both of our hometowns
can't find any good photos!

kennekuk cove county park
still, terrible images!

kickapoo state park
i've been here many times, but never thought about it as a wedding location.
it's gorgeous, though!

wedding favors = check.

the favors

the wedding favors are the first thing i've decided on for sure (it's all in the details! :) )

we both share a love of food. he spent several months working in new orleans after hurricane katrina helping clean, restore, etc.

i've always known that a man's stomach is ultimately the way to his heart, especially with this guy! the sunday after our first "date", i made him my gumbo (which has gotten rave reviews from prior eaters!)

he said it was the closest thing he'd ever had to the "real stuff" in new orleans. it meant a lot to me that he loved it, and i know it meant a lot to him that i slaved over the stove for hours :) (nah, i enjoy cooking A LOT!)


anyway, our wedding favors will be tiny glass jars filled with my "secret" blend of spices along with my gumbo recipe attached to the jar (which i hate to give away to everyone, but what's the point of a good recipe unless you share?)

i found 1.5 ounce glass jars here for only 32¢ each!
we're aiming for about 200 guests, so that will only be $64 plus shipping.
the spices won't cost more than $10.

and, of course, they will be decorated oh-so-cute :)

about

a whirlwind of events has led me to my soul mate.

after only a month, we know we will spend the rest of our lives together. should it take someone a year, two, three, four.... to figure that out?
we just know.

this blog will detail my journey through the next year of our relationship and wedding plans, thoughts, ideas, etc.

i am also an incredibly frugal person, so i hope to have an amazing wedding on a $5,000 budget.

enjoy.

our story

we had seen one another at work almost every single day for about 30 seconds each time for an entire year. we always smiled. there was always something there, but i wrote it off as him being incredibly good looking. i always wondered, though.

bored and thinking about him after he'd just walked out of the office on may 21, '09, i found him on facebook after twenty minutes of searching.
little did i know, he was so incredibly cool as to have a facebook application on his phone and within ten minutes, we were officially "friends" :)

there was a cubs/cards game on that night and being the passionate, avid and (sometimes crazy) cubs fan he is, i thought i'd ask him what his plans were for the game.
nada... really?

after a lengthy conversation and a few hours later, he came to town and picked me up.. and there we went on our first night out.
we talked the entire time and watched maybe 30 seconds of the game. we hit it off in an utterly amazing way. it was strong.

over the next few days, we couldn't get enough of each other. i wanted to spend every waking second with him. ironic, too-weird-to-be-coincidence things were happening.

the next week, he half-jokingly told me if the cubs win the world series, he would ask me to marry him. i became a cubs fan. (that's where the name of the blog comes from!)

we took a trip to ohio two weeks after that first night we went out. it was a blissful experience. we fell in love.

so now, i believe in love at first sight. i believe in soul mates. i believe in us.

we finish each other's thoughts. we feel each other... we truly can just feel. it's powerful and it's right. he's my hero. he's the person i am lucky enough to spend the rest of my life with.

and here our story begins.