First comes love, then comes marriage....

That's right, folks! After 5 wonderful months of marriage, my new hubby and I are expecting!

According to my nifty pregnancy apps, I am 4 weeks pregnant. This confuses me now as much as it did with my first amazing child. How can I be 1 month along if my ovulation date was about two weeks ago?

Well, according to a TLC article,
"Once your pregnancy has been confirmed, what you most want to know is your due date. The average length of a pregnancy is 40 weeks, or 280 days, from the first day of the last normal menstrual period."


So, the due date isn't necessarily based on the date of conception, which makes sense (in a way.) It has more to do with the day the egg matured than the day the sperm scored. (Which proves once again how marginal a man's role is in baby development, and how all-powerful the female body is.)


My projected due date is Wednesday, September 5, 2012. That means I'll have a Virgo child. I don't know what that means, but my dad's a Virgo, so I'm pleased. 


At this point, I'm told that my babe is the size of an orange seed:

(For you visual learners, you!)

This week (Week 4), two heart tubes are already in operation and will fuse to make the heart soon! The neural tube (which will develop into the spinal cord is also developing this week! I'm having to take lots of Folic Acid and DHA to aid in these developments. Things to stay away from: too much Vitamin A and mercury-rich fish. 


Symptoms so far: (Note, each pregnancy and person is different. My symptoms may not resemble yours!)
Bloating
Some light cramping (or, stretching, as I see it!)
Moments of uncontrollable, crazy, "I'm-going-to-eat-your-arm" hunger
Increased desire to nap... all day long
Increased desire to start looking at cribs, strollers and children's fabrics (Look out, Pinterest!)

Spreading the Love

I LOVED having my dearest family and friends at our wedding! I will cherish their presence at our union forever!

I LOVE how Baby Austin (just a few weeks old) left his thumb print!

My Wedding Day!

Woohoo! We're married! I never thought I could be this happy being someone's wife! It brings joy to me every day! I love my husband and the life we've created!!! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him!!!!

Pulling off a DIY wedding was tough! You have to be able to delegate and let the little things go. Some of the tiny details I worked so hard on fell through, which was okay. My driving instructions were way off, and that was okay, too! Somehow everyone made it - right on time! What was most important was that we had fun - and we did! 

Would I consider a destination wedding if I could do it over again? Absolutely! I had a great time making all of the crafts and designing everything, but the stress - family, catering details, money, thank-yous for gifts - increased as the day approached, and all I wanted to do was run away and have an intimate ceremony somewhere quiet and beautiful! 

My advice to DIY brides: get a coordinator for the big day. Seriously.

Seating Assignments

The Happy Family

Dessert Table

Table Setting 

Appetizers

Kids' Table

Dinner

The Kiss!

Fruit Platter

Guest Book

The Countdown Has Begun!

Okay, folks! We're at 6 days and counting! We got our marriage ceritificate (yay!), finalized the head count, drafted the schedule of the day and the transport list! I've already begun sending "thank-yous" out and got my passport for the honeymoon!

This week is all about R&R!

Ceremonial Site

There is a superb redwood tree at our site that we've decided to get married under. My sister and I created these music sheet flowers to place on the tree,

and I've since decided to add a tulle arbor to drape down the tree.

Reception Set Up - Practice

We recently went to our reception site to see if our table decor would work. We decided against renting linens, as they're expensive to rent in the first place, and prices double if they snag (which would be likely in the woods). So, we debated several ideas, including making tablecloths, then making wide burlap runners, to finally using kraft paper runners. I was going to go with plain kraft paper, but then I spotted these from Cake Vintage:

These rolls of their Cutlery Table Runner brought the ease and vintage detail we were looking for! Plus, how easy is it to clean up afterwards when all you have to do is recycle them??

 Here are a few previews:

This picture features the runner. (Please ignore the hammer!)

We wanted to go with something easy, yet elegant. I can't wait to see them all on the Big Day!

Busy Crafter!

I've been distant... I'm sorry. I have not been submitting posts as often as I'd like. There has been SO much to do! I've been very crafty over the past few weeks, and I thought I'd share what I've been up to:

1. Menus - We finalized our catering menu (phew!) and I made the displays for each buffet table. 

*We initially rejected the idea of a buffet table, as you usually end up with very hungry people waiting in long lines. Since our reception is in the woods, however, family-style serving would prove difficult for our 1-member waitstaff. Also, we would need a LOT of food nets to protect against the buzzing, crawling and flying native inhabitants. Since our reception is at 1:00 and we're starting with a cocktail/hors d'oeurves hour, we're hoping that people won't be too hungry in line.  

I painted poster board and my sister burned the edges.

2. Guest Books - As mentioned previously, I chose two alternatives to the traditional guest book. Here are the instruction posters:

3. Thank-you Cards: I took large manila envelopes, cut them in half (enclosing the top opening so that there was only one opening for each half) and stitched them closed. I also added a few grains of "wedding rice."

4. Cake Toppers - We've pretty much abandoned our idea of a dessert menu, choosing an assortment of cakes instead. 

5. "Day of" Decoration Organization - To prevent chaos during set up on our wedding day, I've begun to organize items that are ready to go. First, I gathered a bunch of shoe boxes I had been saving up, I labeled each box (Table 1, Ceremony, Food Table, etc.). Next, I distributed things accordingly. Now, if I  finish a project or buy something, I'll have a place to put it!

In each Table box, I have the table runner, pictures for the table, insect candles, tags for herb centerpiece favors and individual seating tags (with diagram of where each person sits).

My Wedding Closet.

Now that all of that is finished, I'm off to do the rest!

Music Sheet Flowers for Ceremony

I made these to attach to the big redwood we're getting married under...

I got directions (for free!) from Instructables.com

Photo Feature!

Today we were featured on our photographer's blog!

Thank You Notes

I got this idea from a post on the knotty bride! (See earlier post.)

I LOVE the idea of mailing it in an open-ended envelope that is sewn closed:

Photo from TheKnottyBride

(The envelope would, obviously, be opaque, and the tag would be a cute address label.)

Table Runner

I'd like to do this:

DIY Ceremony

Here is a DIY tip from A Practical Wedding:

http://apracticalwedding.com/2010/10/writing-a-non-traditional-wedding-ceremony/

Alternative to Ceremonial Arbor

I'm trying to figure out what our ceremonial vision is, now that we're having an actual ceremony. This weeding from Ruffled has sparked inspiration...

I like the idea of something like this, instead of the typical arbor.

GreenWeddingShoes showcases "Glamping"

http://greenweddingshoes.com/glamping-at-the-resort-at-paws-up/

How amazing would this be?????

Camp Wedding!

http://greenweddingshoes.com/real-wedding-becca-brooks-camp-wedding/

Some fitting decor:

Rustic Woodsy Wedding

http://greenweddingshoes.com/real-wedding-renee-randys-fashionable-wedding/

Love the centerpieces:

Plus, she wore Jimmy Choo's in the woods...

Vintage Spoon Tags

http://greenweddingshoes.com/diy-vintage-spoons-for-your-wedding/

Busy Bees!

Over the past two days, we've been VERY productive! We viewed and secured a ceremony/reception site, purchased Steve's suit coat and ordered his ring!

Tomorrow, the mother-in-laws meet and we'll discuss more of the details!!!!!

Invite Frenzy!

Now that we've moved the wedding date up, we're making mad dashes to get invitations out. I've read so far that it's typical to send to the A-list round between 7-8 weeks before the date. After requesting a quick RSVP (around 2 weeks after delivery), you can send out to your "B-list" invitees (how awful does that sound - "B-list") depending on how many declines you receive.

So, with that timeframe in mind, I'm spending every non-working hour creating my DIY invitations. Since there isn't enough time to warrant a "save-the-date," I might use those for announcements instead. Announcements are apparently good for reaching out to people who weren't invited (or, as I like to put it - people you couldn't invite without taking a loan out for your big day).

The invites look pretty similar to these (below), however the text will probably be typed horizontally, with three pages varying from short to long. The first page will have some kind of image, the next will feature a quote (presumably) from Mark Twain:

"A marriage will give new gladness to the sunshine, a new fragrance to the flowers, a new beauty to the earth and a new mystery to life."

On the last page, our invitees will find the wedding details.

Here's a picture of the Paper Source invite backing (#10). I've duplicated them on my Silhouette die-cut machine (which has been considerably cheaper, although really time-consuming).

Will post the finished product at the end of the week!!!!

Engagement photos!

I LOVED our photographers (Rachel and Rico of Studio Castillero). They were so charming and fun and talented!!!

News!

It's been officially way too long since I've posted. I typically find it damaging when bloggers admit that, and now I can put my foot in my mouth. However, I have some news that will hopefully justify my absence.

We're moving the wedding up! It's going to be a crazy shift in preparation, but I'm excited about that. I went from having my dress, caterer and venue picked with over a year left to plan to having my dress and caterer and only 9 weeks to plan. That's right - nine weeks!

The rationale? For one, money. Second, the idea of having an abundance of time has been driving my Type A personality bonkers. With so much time on my hands, it's been difficult to resist shifting any decision upon sight of the latest wedding blof posting. I keep coming up with new ideas!!! Our e-sssh photographer said something that stuck with me. Their wedding was planned over the course of seven weeks. He said that window of time prevented them from worrying about some of the frilly stuff - stuff that looks cute but is unecessary. His Wes and smile expressed overjoyed in how nice their wedding was, and it gave me Some much needed perspective on what a weren't should be - a celebration of the union. I've been really concerned about little details, and it's starting to drive me crazy.
So, I will officially post the weekend confirming the date and (new) location of our upcoming "I dos."

DIY Infused Vodkas!

This post from Design Sponge is just what I needed! Our herb garden has grown out of control! What better way to utilize the surplus than to create tasty drinks with them! In fact, how awesome would it be to feature our own infused vodkas at our wedding?! I'm really enjoying the idea of using our own plants and flowers. There's something very comforting about that. I really want to create this "living room hospitality" vibe for the reception. Our guests are the reason we're even having a reception and not running off to some beautiful destination to tie the knot.
Anyway, check out the post! I really appreciate the herb and fruit pairings they suggest!

Wedding Glimpse

I really like a lot about this wedding. Check it out!

Stella and Dot = Happiness!

After going to a Royal Wedding/Stella and Dot event hosted by Kim from Kim'sKitchenSink, I indulged on some wedding (and pre-wedding) jewelry.

It got here today:

Look! Even the inside of the cardboard box is cute!

 For the Big Day:

For now:

 For whenever:

 "You have a great eye!"

... Thanks, Stella and Dot.

Overall, I loved the packaging. The ego-boosting quotes are a bit silly, but the presentation of my pretty, shiny jewelry is enough to pursue purchasing from them again. Establishing a strong brand is something that really fascinates me. Last summer, I expressed my love/hate relationship with brands in this piece I call "Branded."

It features Yogi Tea quotes, a picture from an Urban Outfitters dressing room (Where else can you find chandeliers in dressing rooms??), the birthday cake candle necklace Anthropologie sent to me last year, and the floral packaging that came with a pair of Lucky Brand earrings I bought. These are brands I love because they either have a positive image or establish relationships with their customers (despite being big companies). They may only offer illusions of customer appreciation, but they're pretty good ones. 

Here's what I got from Anthro this year:

It really isn't even a decent discount. What sold me, however, was the cute little fabric envelope with star button and adorable verbiage. "This little gift is for you and only you, and cannot be turned into chocolate, flowers or cash." Come on! How cute is that?! Or, "What's in the stars for you Taurus?"

Pretty freaking cute.

I'm sold... 

I mean I'm branded.