Gifts for my girls

Hello friends. I’m so sorry to have been absent for a bit. I found out just a couple of weeks ago (nearly a month before my wedding) that I was being laid off from my job. It was a very big surprise as the company had not informed us that they were in any sort of trouble. Sparing you of the many details, I will say that I needed that couple of weeks to sort out my job situation and find a solution. I promise to fill you in on some of the exciting developments that are happening but first, I need to get back on track – there’s so much to tell you all about!!

Now that we are getting so close to the wedding, I am pulling together the last few bits of the gifts I’ve created for my maids.

These five girls have celebrated Frogger and I as a couple, supported me, kept me sane and there’s no way I would have been able to survive all of the wedding planning ups and downs without them.

Girls – you know you shouldn’t be reading this…so get lost. Kisses.

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Are they gone? Okay, good.

So first off I knew I wanted to do something that would celebrate how individual they all are. I’m having them all wear different dresses in the same color family and so it only made sense to continue that idea through to their gifts.

First, I searched through etsy (of course) and found some great handmade clutches. After looking through multiple designers, I knew I wanted to be able to customize them completely so they could really speak to each girl.

I found ModDotTextiles and couldn’t have been more thrilled with what she was able to do for me. She helped me find the fabrics for the bags, offered suggestions for the inner lining colors so they would coordinate and was genuinely interested in my thoughts for each bag. So…you wanna see them?

Ta da!

I decided there were certain little things that I wanted to give them all in preparation for the wedding day. Behold the inner contents:

Please disregard the chipped nail polish and cat hair covered pillow…classy.

Roll call: Nivea lip gloss (my favorite), blotting papers and SoleMates, holla!

I’m planning to wrap them up in tissue and tie with baker’s twine or possibly rafia. They will also be getting the hangers I created for their dresses as part of their gift as well. And of course, each girl will get a hand written note from me, telling them how very much they mean to me and how special it is to have them there on this most important day.

How did you decide what to give your maids?

Matchy matchy?

When I first thought about bridesmaid dresses I came up with an idea that I never shared…with anyone. I guess I just thought that everyone would think I was a sandwich short of a picnic. I just love that phrase. Ahem, anyway. It was one of those things that seemed too different from what friends and relatives had done in the past that I had a feeling it would be difficult to convince people that it could actually look good. Soooo I wrote it off as crazy bride brain and moved on (we’ll revisit so hang tight).

I’m pretty classic in my taste so I knew I wanted the girls to wear a dress in a color that they could get use out of in the future and a color that would look great on everyone. With our colors being gray, lavender and blue, I chose gray for the bridesmaid dresses and I was met with a happy response. In order to make things affordable, I decided to go the JCrew route. After searching, I narrowed it down to:

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I told the girls that they could choose the dress that appealed most to them…they were the same color, same fabric and same company so I knew they would work well together.

After ordering a few and having some of the girls try them on, I knew that this was going to be much more difficult than I thought. My girls are all different shapes, sizes and heights – they were just not the most flattering dresses on everyone. At that point I knew we had to make a change, my top priority was that all of them felt beautiful and comfortable – I wanted everyone to feel a great as I will so we are all free to have fun and make some incredible memories!

One weekend, I finally gave into my original idea and decided to do some real research to see if I could find photos of what I wanted to do where it was accomplished successfully. And voila…the internets delivered. Behold:

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You guessed it friends…I’m talking about coordinating, not matching dresses. For the longest time I thought about this idea and how much I loved the fact that they would compliment each other but not actually match. When I ran the idea past my maids, I was SO relieved when they all responded positively!

Since we are still finalizing ideas and getting dresses ordered, I don’t have the actual dress compilation just yet…but I will be sure to share with all of you as soon as we have the dresses so you can tell me – for real – what you think. I need outside opinions to ensure I’m not suffering, once again, from crazy bride brain. :)

How did you come to decide on bridesmaid dresses? Did you go with matching or coordinating or something completely different?

DIY for my maids

Since I had the materials on hand (thanks to my killer Michael’s trip…yes, I just referred to a shopping experience at Michael’s as killer – I know you understand), I dove right into my first project.

At this point, dear bridesmaids - read no further! These are little treats for you and I'd like them to be a surprise. Mmkay?

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I had become completely inspired when I saw these sweet DIY hangers – thanks Mrs. Gloss and MrsPaetz!)

(source) My inspiration shot

First off, I needed to find a font that I liked. I knew I had to turn to my favorite font site – Fonts for Peas! If you haven’t been to that site, prepare for cuteness overload. Ultimately I decided on Pea Stacy.

And let the DIY begin!

I started by printing out each letter – to determine the right size, I just printed multiple sizes on one sheet and cut out the one that fit best.

Then I turned the letter over and shaded it with a pencil.

Here you can see better how I shaded the back side…and please take note that our laundry is on standby – it will make me feel better if you also avoid housekeeping duties while working on DIY projects. Thanks.

I taped the sheet with the shaded side against the hanger. I used a regular pen to go over the letter a la elementary school style.

And voila!

I used the pencil marks as a guide to create the bling. BLING!

Once I got the hang of it, things moved along pretty quickly and before I knew it…I was done!

Ta-da! I did one for each of my bridesmaids and one for me in blue. I can’t tell you how much I adore these – it was such a fun and easy project. I know the girls will love them!

What do you think? Have you discovered any DIY projects that reinforced your confidence in crafting?

Bridesmaid bouquets: yes or no?

So I’ve been thinking lately about bridesmaid bouquets. I know, I’ve just lost any reader working in the floral industry. But hear me out. I’m not saying that brides should forgo flowers – I definitely think there’s a special place in a wedding for a bridal bouquet, ceremony flowers and reception centerpieces, among other floral adornments – I’m just thinking that in this economy, there might be other ways to address what a bridesmaid could hold that may prove to be easier on the budget.

Has anyone seen the incredibly creative things that some brides have chosen to do for their bridesmaids in lieu of bouquets? I saw one wedding where the couple met as kids, became high school sweethearts and decided to design their entire wedding in a school theme. The bridesmaids carried school books bound in a strap like back in the ’20s. I just loved that it worked in their theme but wasn’t cheesy. I also really love that I can’t find the photo or link to demonstrate. Have I mentioned how organized I am?

That got me thinking…what else could be substituted? What about using the bridesmaid gift for this purpose? There are so many great clutches out there (like the ones below), we all know girls love purses and will need something at the wedding to hold those few chosen items. Selecting a personal clutch for each girl that shares the colors of your wedding could add a splash of color as they walk down the aisle and it’s definitely practical.

Or perhaps there’s no need for anything to be carried if the bridesmaids are entering on the arm of a groomsman. In this case, maybe just a great hair piece like these from etsy or colorful sash for the dress would be enough.

But really, what do I know? There’s always something special about sticking with tradition….but there’s something equally special about creating your own way. You see how I sidestepped a real opinion there? I can be good at that. You.Are.Welcome.

Are you planning for something "outside the box" with your bridesmaids?

Sneaky bridesmaids

I love my bridesmaids but they are tricky little devils. Let me set the scene for you:

Maid of Honor Big Apple: Hey, so Matron of Honor Banannie and I were thinking that it would be fun to get together for lunch so you can fill us in on wedding plans and we can talk about your shower, bachelorette, etc.

Me: Oh yay, that sounds super fun! Loving that idea – when and where?

Maid of Honor Big Apple: Okay, we’ll figure it out and send you the details!

A few days later I got an email from Big Apple letting me know that it would be brunch at the resort she worked at – sounded great to me! I woke up that morning, threw on my bathing suit under my dress (wishful thinking since it was a resort), kissed Frogger goodbye and headed out to meet my two MOHs.

I pulled up to the property and had a text letting me know they were in a poolside cabana waiting for me. Yay!

I walked into the pool area and saw Big Apple waving me over. As I walked up…I saw not just Big Apple and Banannie but Creeker and Belle too! My sneaky bridesmaids had decided to throw me a surprise engagement party! (Bridesmaid Berk was the only one that lived out of state and as luck would have it, is getting married just a couple of weeks after me so she couldn’t fly in but I knew she was there in spirit!)

I settled in from the shock of this impromptu fiesta and my friends know me well…wine was chilling, my glass was full and food was on the way.

Me and Big Apple – the girl is pretty even with her eyes closed!

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the poolside cabana, yummy spa food and a glass or two of wine (I refuse to provide the true amount of wine consumed to protect the innocent-ish). As a fun twist, the girls decided that my gifts would be knowledge and advice from their relationship experiences and the experiences of those they are close to. As it turns out, Belle, Creeker and Banannie are all married so they were able to provide first-hand accounts of married life, while Big Apple surveyed friends, family and co-workers to get the goods and compiled a long list with words of wisdom.

Wine chilling, everyone smiling – yes, today is a good day

Here are some of my favorite little nuggets:

• Ask for help.
• You are two imperfect people making an imperfect union, and that’s wonderful!
• Marriage is a partnership. Commit to each other and to your marriage from day one, and work on your relationship every day. Wake up every morning and ask yourself, “What can I do today to make my spouse’s life better?”
• Before I said “I do,” my mom (who’s been married to my dad for 55 years) told me to take out a piece of paper and write down the top three things that bugged me about my husband-to-be. Then she told me to forget the things on that list and forgive him for not being flawless. Once you make a commitment this big, she explained, you can’t let petty things get in the way. In our eight years of marriage, my husband and I have had two kids, tackled cross-country moves and started two businesses – so far, so great!
• Love means never having to say you’re sorry…Oh please! In marriage, love sometimes means having to say you’re sorry even if you don’t know what you did or you didn’t mean to do it.
• Don’t order chicken wings and mac & cheese from room service the night before your wedding – just trust me on this one!
• Have a glass of wine before you walk down the aisle.
• Beware of invisible tan lines.

Creeker and I about to crash out at the resort for the night – what a fantastic day!

I don’t know about you but I absolutely loved the idea of getting advice after being newly engaged. How about you, did you receive any great advice from friends or family after getting engaged?

Bridesmaid brigade

When you first get engaged, once you’ve come down from the high of “Holy hell, I’m getting married!” you start to think of the people who you must have standing by your side.

After being a wedding blog stalker for many months years (I’m all about being transparent here), I discovered that there are actually people out there who do fun things (instead of just a simple phone call or lunch) to ask friends to be in the wedding party. Who knew?! Of course this got my wheels turning and in true Froggie fashion, I had no choice but to shower the girls I love with a little over-the-top humor.

I have five girls total standing up with me:

Matron of Honor: Banannie
Maid of Honor: Big Apple
Bridesmaid: Creeker
Bridesmaid: Belle
Bridesmaid: Berk

Four out of the five lived right near me at the time so I was able to meet with them in person and see their reactions to the cards I created. The fifth was sent in the mail followed by a fantastic phone call filled with laughter. Without further ado…here’s what my girls were given:

Never mind my practice C’s in the background…move along, nothing to see here.

Don’t be jealous of my paint skeelz

Although you didn’t ask for it and really there’s not much to it, I will give you the “I’m not allowed to call it a DIY because it was way too easy” DIY.

Step 1 – Consult your best friend Google for an image of a scary looking bridesmaid dress. Sorry hot pink dress girl but your dress is hid.e.ous.

Step 2 – Print out copies of said image on your cheapie home printer.

Step 3 – Grab leftover construction paper from (I’m guessing) elementary school since you don’t remember the last time you used it or why you even have it. Cut paper to same size as image.

Step 4 – Use leftover mega-size index cards previously meant as exam-cram flashcards from college and fold in half.

Step 5 – Cut out rectangles of black construction paper and use white-out pen to write “CENSORED” on them…are you still with me? I know, this is all very difficult and confusing.

Step 6 – Take folded index card as base, paste colored construction paper square on cover, top with scary dress image and protect that poor girl’s face with the censored rectangle.

Step 7 – Write obnoxious message inside that only your friends could possibly appreciate.

Voila! You are set to ask your favorite girls to stand by your side on your big day.

Now that you’ve seen the incredibly labor intensive cards I created (insert sarcasm font here) to ask them to be my bridesmaids, I think it’s time for a proper introduction.

Banannie

Banannie and I met nearly 10 years ago while working together at a resort in Phoenix. We share a sense of humor, love of cooking and desire to travel. But the main reason I’ve kept her around is that she used to be a bartender so she knows how to make a killer cocktail.

Big Apple

Big Apple and I shared a first day of work together and have been close ever since. We eventually became roommates bonding over bad furniture, burnt food and cheap wine. As my most common happy hour friend, Big Apple was fully supportive of a wedding in Washington’s wine country. She’s even offered her services at the wine tasting…

Creeker

I honestly can’t remember when I met Creeker, it seems as though we’ve been friends forever! We share a strong love for country music and making people dress up in funny costumes. Creeker works for a world class resort in Sedona…Creeker, we accept vacations as gifts, just saying.

Belle

I met Belle back when we lived in neighboring apartment complexes and soon became close friends. Belle always knows how to host a great party…perhaps she can give us a break and just finish out our planning – no pressure.

Berk

Berk is my oldest friend, we have known each other for almost 20 years. We survived the turmoil of middle school and threw our caps together at high school graduation. I decided to go out of state for college, Berk decided to go out state for college; I majored in PR, Berk majored in PR; I am now getting married…Berk, looks like you’re up – stalker.

Aren’t my girls just FAB? I adore them and luckily they are all as goofy and geeky as I am – plus, they allow me to say obnoxious things about them in my blog posts. Now that’s friendship.

How did you ask your friends to be in your wedding?