Recently someone was asking me about how the Boy and I are having two weddings and how we are handling it. What she wanted to know specifically was, “did we have to handle any tricky or delicate issues while planning the weddings and how did we manage them?” My answer to her? Well, it’s not pretty but…

I have this one sister who hates me (when I told this story to my Mother-in-Law she said, “That girl doesn’t just hate you. She REALLY hates you!”). Anyway, she’s not invited to the wedding in May but I didn’t have the time or energy to care about not including her in this one. Unfortunately, she ended up trying to make the entire thing about her (instead of… oh, the couple getting married or my dad).

First, she arrived the night before the ceremony (when we were supposed to do a rehearsal and get chairs for seating) with a bag of material and announced to my mom and my sister that she needed them to make her a dress. A WHOLE DRESS. From scratch. And oh yeah – she’s had this pattern and material since 2008 (the receipt was still in the bag). So, all the little things I needed my mom and sister to work on so that we could have a rehearsal and set-up the ceremony site did not happen. Can you say frustrating???

Also, at the ceremony she kept shoving herself into pictures and it was really pissing me off. I only had the photographer for a few hours (and for free) so I really didn’t want to waste time getting seven million individual shots of her and her son.

 And lastly, you know how at the end of the ceremony the parents of the couple always walk down the aisle with each other? Well, not in my wedding. No, no! Apparently, at my wedding, it’s totally normal for the sister of the bride to bumrush the ceremony after the couple kiss, grab the dad’s hand, and walk with him to the reception site (leaving the mother standing around without an escort). That? Pissed me off, too. Luckily for her I didn’t find out that stuff until days later when I looked at the pictures… because that might have been the point where I got stabby.

Handling this? I just grinned and beared it. She’s done this sh*t my entire life and my mom never stops her and acts like it’s everyone else’s fault when it happens. There was no point in getting angry (to anyone except The Boy that is) so I just moved on. My advice to all of you planning a wedding around someone else’s agenda? Concentrate on what you want and ignore the reason. Just move on and you’ll be much happier in the end.

I am a planner. Completely and unapologetically so. I like sorting things out, making lists, and filing things. So one of the THE MOST exciting things about planning my wedding… has been that actual act of PLANNING my wedding (all those ideas and tutorials!). Here’s how I’m doing.

First up: The Binder

Within a few days of getting engaged, I had hit up my local bookstore for a wedding planner… and they were all found lacking. Either they were ridiculously over-the-top (ala planning the Royal Wedding) or they were HOT PINK. Anyhoo, I ended up finding a hot pink one that had great content on well-designed contemporary pages. So I bought that and then picked up a more modern looking binder from Target to make one. Check out how I ended up DIYing my own wedding planning binder.

Next: Magazine and Book Inspiration

I am a diehard reader so I naturally turned to the written word first for my wedding inspiration. For magazines, I was all over Martha Stewart Weddings, the Southern Living Weddings issue, and the Real Simple Wedding guide. I kept a little thing of sticky flags and a highlighter next to me and when I would find a great idea – I could highlight and/or flag it for reference later.

For books, I also really liked the Simply Stunning Weddings books and the Handmade Weddings book. Both had great ideas and DIY projects that were set up by theme or party style. Adore!

*I’m a part of several affiliate programs with companies that I enjoy and shop from on a regular basis. If you purchase one of these linked items, I will recieve a wee kickback as a thank you from the company. Thanks for understanding!

Last: Online Inspiration

 Three Words, y’all. Pinterest. Wedding Gawker. Between the two, I think I actually found the bulk of my wedding inspiration. I’ve pinned and favorited so many GREAT ideas from bloggers and craftpersons all over the Internet. I also love that I don’t have to lug around my wedding binder or flagged magazines all the time. If I’m trying to explain an idea to someone, 9 times out of 10 all I have to do is pull up Pinterest on my phone and show them an idea I’m working off of.

So, that’s my planning and inspiration ideas. What are y’all doing to find and organize yours?

I don’t like cake. THERE! I said it!

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I like cheesecake, cupcakes, and chocolate but there’s just something about a big o’ slab of stale wedding cake with gum paste flowers that does nothing for my taste buds. So for The Boy and my wedding… NO CAKE FOR YOU!

Instead, we’ll be doing a dessert table (ala Amy Atlas) with mini fruit tarts, mini pecan pies, cupcakes, a few bowls of candy, fresh fruit, and cake bars. Yes, cake bars – courtesy of Blue Note Bakery in nearby Austin. It is, quite literally, a small bar of cake covered in honey fondant (actually VERY tasty!). Very simple and stylish, they stay fresher than a huge wedding cake and everyone gets to choose which flavor they would like they’re mini slice from (one is even “tie-dyed”  inside to match our wedding colors! Suck it, Martha!). Also, since we’re not having some big, complicated cake – we were able to save hundreds of dollars on a delivery charge by having a member of the wedding party pick it up that morning. SCORE!

Now, don’t stress, we will be having a small cake to slice for photos (and to signal the traditional “end” of the wedding reception/when guests feel comfortable leaving politely). I make a pretty killer yellow cake with cream cheese frosting that The Boy LOVES and specifically requested for “our” wedding cake. It’s small, only 6” round and about 9” tall so I can whip it up in less than 2 hours (start to finish) and most of that can be done days before.

So, The Boy will have this cake and eat it, too (Heh. Had to!).

Images Courtesy of: Just Wenderful, The TWIPS, and Design*Sponge.

Hey, y’all – wanna know all about The Boy and my plans for our wedding rehearsal dinner? Traditionally, the groom’s parents host it but… y’all know we ain’t traditional. And that means that the Boy and I are hosting our own rehearsal dinner. At our house. Post rehearsal. But two days BEFORE the wedding date (instead of the usual day before).

There are a million reasons for this. One, we’re adults and our parents aren’t paying for any part of our wedding – which includes the rehearsal dinner. We’re doing TWO days early because I want people to be able to come to the rehearsal right after work, rehearse, and then enjoy themselves (and drink if they want without anyone being hung-over at the ceremony). Also, I haaate seeing people have a rehearsal and dinner the night before and then feel all pressured to stay up all night DIYing/setting up. Or they’re so worried about getting a good night’s sleep that they rush through dinner and don’t get the opportunity to enjoy their wedding party’s company. I did not want any of that. So, the Thursday before our Saturday wedding is perfect for us.

Now, we have about eight billion people in our wedding party – mostly kids. That means that we have to invite all of them + parents + spouses + siblings. That comes to about 50-60 people. Yep… 50-60 people. So, obviously dinner out at a nice restaurant was going to be ridiculously expensive. And that’s when we decided to host a seafood Cajun boil! This is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite meals when we visit Rockport every summer and I just knew that our Missouri, California, and Alaska wedding party members/guests (basically 90% of the rehearsal dinner guest list) would adore it and find it fun and unusual.

For us, a seafood boil is not only a regional dish but it just makes great financial sense. We are stupid lucky and have access to hundreds of pounds of fresh caught (that day) wild Gulf Coast shrimp for a VERY affordable price – add in inexpensive corn on the cob, local-ish crawfish, potatoes by the pound, and some tasty homemade sausage and we’ve got ourselves an inexpensive but memorable rehearsal dinner. We’ll be finishing it off with chunks of homemade wheat bread, melted butter, hot sauce, and lots of ice cold beer and soda. For dessert? Empañadas on a stick and strawberry shortcake (made with Southern biscuits and homemade whipped cream!). This menu is not only affordable but makes great sense for a crowd since it requires no utensils and offers something for everyone (the vegetarians, the gluten-frees, and so on… Luckily, we’ve no seafood allergies in the bunch!).

But next is the décor. I love the colors aqua and red and plan on using them heavily for the rehearsal dinner since… about a year ago I was gifted with an enormous stack of red and aqua blue gingham fabric. Not my style personally but PERFECT for a seafood boil wedding rehearsal dinner! I’m thinking of layering some of the red gingham under a thick layer of newspaper on the main eating tables and then doing up the dessert and beverage tables with the aqua gingham. As we speak, my best friend and her stepdaughter (my Matron-of-Honor and a Junior Bridesmaid) are making me 50-60 red gingham cloth napkins for the dessert table (we’ll use rolls of kraft paper towels on the seafood table [along with mini bowls of lemon water for cleansing]). So, what are y’all doing for your rehearsal dinners?

Images Courtesy of: Every Last Detail, What’s Cooking America?, and Sophie’s Favors

Hey, y’all know that old saying “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Sixpence in your Shoe”? Well apparently, when you get engaged – this is a VERY IMPORTANT THING. Even though you are not traditional at all. Even though you are not superstitious at all. It is still VERY IMPORTANT to like, everyone on the friggin’ planet. So, my suggestion? Just cobble some stuff together that you were already planning on doing anyway and tell everyone THAT’S your SOSNSBSBblahblahblah.

That’s what I’m doing. My wedding dress was an OLD one from a NEW friend. My wedding jewelry is NEW, BLUE, and was made for me by an OLD friend.

My wedding veil is BORROWED from my matron-of-honor. And I’m thinking of adding some NEW and BLUE shoes to the whole kit and caboodle. Lastly, I saw this on Pinterest:

Image Courtesy of: Sequins and Candy Photography

The bride cut a heart out of one of her dad’s blue workshirts and had it sewn into her wedding dress. I’m planning on doing the same with one of my dad’s OLD red bandanas (his signature look – ala Willie Nelson). I’ve been stealing them for years (every time I went home for Christmas) and think that it’s time to put them to good use. I think he would’ve liked that.

So, that’s my plan (to get all those people off my back). What’s yours? Is the old superstition important to you? Or will you do it just to shut people up (like me)? Let me know!