"Wedding Crap"

I am sure brides to be out there can attest to the mounds of stuff that piles up in throughout the wedding planning process. The title of my post is how Mr. Lemon refers to all of the wedding related items that have taken over our guest bedroom. I prefer to think of it as our amazing, cannot live without, and absolutely necessary in every way wedding stuff. Whereas Mr. Lemon likes to call it, "wedding crap." In the words of Stephanie Tanner, "How Rude!"

Warning: Mom, if you are reading this, now would be a good time to exit this post. I apologize in advance for the shock and horror you are about to see. I know this is not the daughter you raised but I cannot help it. I blame Etsy and Pinterest!

Our Guest Room aka The "Wedding Crap" Room

It's not that bad is it? Ok, yeah it's a little scary. Hey! I can't help it, I wanted to get an early start on the wedding planning process (told ya before I am impulsive) and I started shopping around. Any excuse to shop is a good excuse to me! I had ordered the welcome bags, bought enough flip flops for a small nation, and bought some crates to put them in. That's all...well not quite. I had also gotten an adorable basket from Goodwill that I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it but I had to have it. I can't forget about the horribly hilarious photo booth props I scored at Goodwill. Mr. Lemon did not understand why we needed two green wigs and five clown hats. Hello?? Because they are awesome and they cost like $0.50! No brainer if ya ask me! Like I said, I am impulsive.

 Do you brides to be have wedding items taking over your house? If so, does your future spouse pick on you about it? What are you planning on doing with the items after the wedding?

Shoe Box & Adding Some Pizazz!

Now that I had a ba-zillion (that's a real number right?) pairs of flip flops for my guests achy feet, I needed something to display them in. I was on the hunt for a shoe box/basket/tub thingy. I wasn't sure what I was looking for but had an idea. I knew it needed to be big enough to hold the flip flops and I wanted it deep enough so I could stand the flip flops up. I also wanted it to tie into the wedding colors. Mr. Lemon and I went to Ikea on a random Sunday on the hunt for some wedding items. I thought I would surely find a shoe box here. We searched high and low and although we found a crap load  few other items that could be used for the wedding, we did not come across anything for our flip flops. Bummer. We then went to A.C. Moore and searched there. Again, we found some items but still nothing for the flips! One day I was at Joanne Fabrics browsing by myself and I came across a wooden crate that would be perfect for the flip flops. What do you think?

White Crate from JoAnne Fabrics

I know it does not look like anything special but I knew I could dress it up a bit and make it fit in with the wedding colors and theme. I got two of them (since we bought a monstrous amount of flip flops). They were on sale for $7.99! I also had two 20% off coupons (SCORE)! I brought them home and was so very proud of myself for finding these. I immediately went on Etsy to see what I could find to dress them up with. I somehow ended up in this adorable Etsy shop called ThePinkLatern (do yourself a favor and browse a little). This shop had the cutest stuff including flip flop basket signs and size tags (double SCORE)! I immediately sent a message to the shop owner to see if she could do the tags for me using navy ribbon. She responded promptly and said it would be no problem. Before I knew it, the signs and tags arrived in the mail. I was so excited that I had to see how everything looked together. And here my friends, is my shoe box crate with my flip flops!

Aren't they precious? I was so happy with how they turned out. Do you think my shoe box crate is too plain or do you like it how it is? 



Meet the Men

I know that I have introduced my five amazing ladies, but realized you have yet to met the the five hunk-o-licious men that will be standing next to Mr. Lemon when he marries his amazingly beautiful and intelligent bride (me). After Mr. Lemon and I got engaged, we knew almost immediately who we would be asking to be a part of our special day. My sister and BFF Ali were there the night we got engaged and I asked them right away. I had seen so many cute ways to ask someone to be in your wedding but I had jumped the gun again (you will find I do this a lot). By the next day, all of bridesmaids had been asked. Hey, what can I say, I am impulsive! Mr. Lemon knew who he wanted to ask but wanted to ask them each individually. He called each of them and asked them. They all graciously agreed and they decided to meet for drinks to celebrate. I find that men will find any reason to meet for drinks and celebrate. Boys Men will be boys men. So here are they are (no drooling please):

First Up: Best Man Bernie



Best Man Bernie and Mr. Lemon at my 21st Birthday - January 2007

Bernie is Mr. Lemon's cousin and best friend. They grew up a few blocks from each other and were both surrounded by sisters. They went to the same school and played on the same sports teams. Although, Bernie is slightly older than Mr. Lemon, they have remained best friends since childhood. Bernie was one of the first extended family members Mr. Lemon introduced me too. He is very tall and very funny. He has always had Mr. Lemon's back and I know he will make the perfect best man.



Me, Mr. Lemon, and Bernie back in the day

Next: Mr. Lemon's BFF Bill aka Rubber

First I will explain Bill's nickname. All of his friends call him Rubber. His last name sounds very close to a type of contraception also known as a Rubber. Don't ask. Mr. Lemon met Rubber in high school. Rubber was the class President. He is very social and has such a kind heart. He will make small talk with anyone. He loves animals and has a black lab named Dude. Another lab lover? Yes please!

Third: Mr. Lemon's BFF Edmund aka Mund

Mr. Lemon also met Edmund in high school. Edmund has the most insane laugh anyone has ever heard. Think asthma attack. He inhales instead of exhales and it is absolutely hilarious. You can recognize this laugh anywhere. Mr. Lemon knew immediately that Mund was going to be a groomsman. I think Mund was most excited about being in a wedding. He had never been in a wedding before and was asking all kinds of questions regarding tuxes and colors. I loved his enthusiasm.

Next: Mr. Lemons future Brother in Law Bill


GM Bill and Mr. Lemon (& Bill's dog Ginger) on vacation in the Outer Banks, NC - August 2012

We met Bill when future SIL Stacey brought him home to meet the family. He made a lasting impression on the Lemon's and we love him for his dead honesty. Bill will not hold back and will tell you exactly what he is thinking. Over the years, Mr. Lemon and Bill have grown very close. They love to talk football and drink some beers.  Mr. Lemon was in Bill's wedding and Mr. Lemon knew he wanted Bill to stand up with him at his own wedding.

Lastly: Mr. Lemons other future Brother in Law Frank

Frank is married to Mr. Lemon's sister Kelly (also a BM). Frank is a fireball. He has a mouth like a sailor and you can literally go deaf if you’re standing next to him when he is talking. He is sooo loud. Frank is very funny and is always making jokes about people. He is a good sport though and can handle it when he is the butt of everyone else's jokes. Mr. Lemon and Frank have grown close over the years and enjoy talking about their love of hunting and the outdoors. Mr. Lemon was also one of Frank's groomsmen at his wedding so he knew he wanted him to be apart of our wedding as well.

So there you have it everyone. The five men that will be standing next to Mr. Lemon on April 20, 2013. Now you have met almost the entire wedding party. Still to come: the ringbearers and flower girl!

On Finding my POP & My Inspiration Board

Narrowing down the bridesmaid dress color to navy pretty much decided that the main color of our wedding would be navy. I then got to thinking about what accents colors we should incorporate into our overall wedding theme. I know for the most part out wedding is going to have traditional feel. We will be getting married in a Catholic Church and will have a full mass. After mass, cocktail hour and the reception will be held at The Desmond Hotel which has a very traditional look and feel. The linens at The Desmond are all ivory including the chair covers. I think ivory and navy look beautiful together but I wanted to add a POP of color here and there. I came across these pictures on Weddingchicks.com (click to see all images) and feel in love with them.

I knew right away that I had found my accent color and the perfect POP: PINK! I love how the pink brightens up the dark navy dresses. It also has a very girly feel without being overly feminine. I just love the peonies and know that I am going to demand ask nicely to have a exact replica similar bouquet. I just love the overall look of the navy and pink together. I decided I am going to add pops of silver into the mixture as well. This brings me to my inspiration board:

What do you think? I love how all of the colors flow together in such a beautiful way. Was it tough trying to find your POP of color or did you know right away? Did you do an inspirational board? Do you think it makes the planning process easier?

Welcome Bags!

We do not have that many out of town guests, about 20 in all but we still decided that we wanted to put together Welcome Bags for our guests. Although we are getting married relatively close to home, the hotel is still about 45 minutes to an hour away from most of our guest’s homes. Since The Desmond is a hotel, we are encouraging our guests to stay overnight and join us for brunch hosted by the Lemons the next morning. Take a look at some of these cute bags! We I had to have them!

 We went to Mr. Lemon's cousin Frank's wedding last September and this was the first time I had ever seen a Welcome Bag or Out of Town Bag (OOT Bag). I thought it was such a nice touch and it definitely came in handy! It was filled with two bottles of water, some snacks that were made locally in the area (Lancaster, PA), some headache medicine, an invitation inviting us for brunch the following morning and a wedding agenda. As soon as we got to the room, Mr. Lemon was shoving his face with some sort of moon pie. All I could hear was, "(plastic wrapping being ripped open) mmmOh mm My mmm chomp chomp this is chomp (licking fingers) delicious. You gotta try one!" Very nice Mr. Lemon. The water bottles came in handy the next morning after we were left feeling a bit dehydrated which alcohol tends to do to people (if ya catch my drift). At the time Mr. Lemon and I were not engaged yet but I filed the idea of Welcome Bags in the back of my head along with many other must have wedding ideas I had seen over the years.

Soon after we were engaged I pulled out my wedding ideas file in my head and started going through it. One of the first things I wanted to get were Welcome Bags. We decided to stick with a Philadelphia theme since it is where we are both from. No, we are not getting married in the City itself, but Philly is known for so many great snacks that it just seemed to be a perfect fit for our bags. I ordered 50 personalized navy blue bags.

My Mom emailed me this website of a company called Favors You Keep that had so many different personalized Welcome Bags. Take a look at some of their adorable bags:

I knew right away that I had to have these bags for our Wedding Welcome bags so I immediately ordered them. A week or so later look what came in the mail:

All Bags are  from Favors You Keep



Philadelphia Skyline

 What do you think of our Wedding Welcome Bags? I bought some pink, white and navy striped ribbon and silver tissue paper to make them look like the fancy bags the website had. I hope our guests love them as much as we do!

Our next decision is picking out what to put in the bags. Any suggestions?

For the barking dogs...

No, I am not talking about Moose and Maci. I am referring to our guest's feet. Dancing and standing on your feet all day can really begin to hurt after awhile. One of the best feelings is taking off uncomfortable shoes after being on your feet for a while. Do you agree? Just ask John Candy's character from the 1987 movie Planes, Trains, & Automobiles.

I have been there. My feet hurt so bad at one wedding that I had to take my shoes off and sit barefoot at the table. I couldn't dance because I had just bought new shoes and being the know-it-all that I am, I thought they would be comfortable shoes since you know I tried them on for all of 2 minutes (note to self: break all new shoes in before going to an event).

I did not want my guests to have to experience what I went through. I saw some ideas on Pinterest and new immediately that I had to have this at my wedding. Introducing: The Dancing Shoes Basket!

I love them all!

I knew as soon as I saw these that we were going to have it at our wedding. I immediately started scouring the web trying to find out when Old Navy was having their annual $1.00 flip flop sale. After all, I love a good bargain! Once the sale date was released, I rounded up my Mom and the Maids and we headed to Old Navy. We got in line about 13 different times. You were only allowed to purchase 5 pairs each time you checked out. I had decided to stick with just black and white flip flops since I figured that would match most people's outfits. We grabbed a bunch of different sizes but grabbed more of sizes 7 and 8 since we figured most ladies fall into that category. Plus, they are flip flops so if they are bit too big or small it's not that big of a deal. Better to be comfortable in my opinion!

After getting all of the flip flops home and separating them by size I tallied them up. The numbers were in! We had in total of 68 pairs of flip flops (I occasionally had to borrow a pair or two throughout the summer). We ended up with a surplus of size 8 (happens to be my size)!

I will talk about the baskets we are using and signage for soon. I am not that much of a DIY person so thank goodness for Etsy and craft stores like Joanne Fabrics and Michaels! Has anyone else seen the flip flop baskets at weddings? What were your thoughts? Were they a welcomed sight or did you make sure you wore comfortable shoes?

My Feelings on Bridal Expos

After getting engaged and throwing myself full fledged into the wedding planning process, my Mom and MOH Jenn were getting into the all the hoopla too. I was getting daily emails at work regarding wedding talk. It was so much fun. We decided to attend some Bridal Expos. I had been to a Pet Expo before so I assumed it was sort of the same deal. Crowds of people swarming around. Lots of tables set up with vendors wanting to sell your on their business.

When we arrived, my predictions were dead on. We squished by people who wouldn't move walked from table to table meeting different vendors. There were some neat giveaways and a fashion show. We looked at some limos and trolleys in the parking lot but I thought their prices were a little on the high end. I did however decide that I did want a limo bus to accommodate our wedding party. I did not like the idea of having a limo that I needed to climb into and then slide down so others could fit. We wandered around and had some snacks. Each bride got their name entered into a drawing for a door prize. I won a $50.00 gift card to a local nursery. This would be perfect for planting some flowers around the house for outdoor wedding pictures! YAY! When we left, I had a ton of stuff and paperwork from all of the vendors. I think in total we went to about four different bridal expos. I was not a huge fan of them because I hated feeling like I had to listen to their spiel and be sold on their business. I would rather just walk from table to table and browse what they had to offer. If I had a question, I would approach them. Not every vendor was pushy but I found most were. With that being said, I did end up finding two of my vendors at two different bridal expos. We ran into Christina from Paper Rock Scissors in Conshohocken (Check our her website). She had the most adorable invitation table set up. We were drawn to all of the lovely pocket folds, gorgeous satin ribbons and amazing letter press invitations. Christina wasn't pushy, answered any questions I had, and even offered advice on when I should start the invitation process. I made a mental note to take a look at her website when I got home. The next vendor we found was Greg from Photo booth Events (Take a look). There were many photo booths at the bridal shows so the competition was tough. Greg was standing at his table with his girlfriend. They were very personable and not pushy what-so-ever. Notice I like the not-pushy vendors. We got some pictures in his photo booth and talked to him for some time. We learned how he first got into the business by making a photo booth for his sisters wedding. We decided to put a down payment on the photo booth that day due to a special he was running.

In conclusion, I would say overall I am not 100% sold on Bridal Expos however they weren't a total waste of time because I did find two of my vendors there. I like the fact that you get to speak with the person right then and there without having to make an appointment. You can get an instant vibe from the person. On the other hand, you are fighting the crowds and competing with other brides for the vendor’s time. Although I am not a huge proponent of bridal expos I think it may be worth it for a newly engaged bride to go to one or two expos. It does give you an idea of what is out there and you can get it all in one shot. Although I found them to be a bit overwhelming, I am glad I went but think I would have been good just going to one or two. Four was too many and I started to recognize vendor’s faces. How do you feel about Bridal Expos? Were they successful for you or did you feel like you were wasting your time?

If the shoe fits, buy it in every color!

I had initially thought that I wanted to have blue shoes and they could double as my "something blue." I am loving the trend of brides wearing bold shoes. It is a great way for the bride to show of some individuality plus it makes for some adorable pics! I am loving all of these unique shoes! How do you feel about the new trend of wearing 'fun' shoes on your wedding day? Are you loving it or are you sticking with the more traditional shoe?

Check out the groom's shoes!

I have even seen the bridesmaids joining in on the "pop of color " shoe trend.

I could look at shoes all day. Can ya tell? I was browsing online one day and I came across the most beautiful shoes in the whole wide world. Cinderella's glass slipper had nothing on these beauties. I had to have them. I found myself going through the motions of adding them to my cart and entering my credit card number. I was in a trance and the only thing that mattered was that I had these shoes. A few days later...something came in the mail!

Are they treats for me Mom?

No, they weren't dog treats Moose. They were my amazing, completely and utterly adorable wedding day shoes!!!!!

Badgley Mischka Goodie Platform Pumps in Blush 

Here they are ladies. I had my wedding day shoes. No they were not blue like I originally thought I wanted but I could handle that. They just spoke to me through the computer screen and I knew the belonged to me. Yes, I had my shoes before I had the dress but hey, they were made for me! Did anyone else have a love affair with their wedding day shoes like me? Do you think it was wise to get the shoes before the dress?



Can't stop looking at them!



On finding the perfect photography...

So now that we had the venue, the church, the bridesmaid dresses and the color (navy), Mr. Lemon and I began our search for a photographer. We really had no clue how much wedding photography costs. We started out basically clueless. Not sure what we were getting into, we decided to make a list of the things we wanted the most in a photographer.

1. Reasonable price
2. Long shoot time (at least ten hours - we didn't want to miss a moment)
3. Second shooter
4. Personable/likeable (if we were going to be with this person all day, we had to like him/her)
5.Full gallery and proofs of our photos

Seems like a resonable enough request list right? We thought so.

Until we had our first meeting.

We could not believe how expensive wedding photographers were! Packages that included everything we wanted were running around $5,000.00. Holy Macaroni! Is this real life? There had to be someone out there who had what we were looking for.

One day, my co-worker mentioned the name Quincy Adam Photography. I did a Google search and found his website (check him out) and fell in love with his images. I decided to email him and set up an appoinment. Turns out, Quincy lived right near The Desmond Hotel (our reception venue) and wanted to meet at the Fox and Hounds restaurant. A chance to go and check out the venue? Yes please!

Quincy came fully prepared with a package for us to look over. During our meeting, Quincy Adam showed us different albums and talked about his wedding. Guess what?! Quincy and his wife had their wedding reception at none other than The Desmond! This was fate!

After we left Mr. Lemon and I both had a feeling that Quincy was going to be our wedding photographer. Maybe it was the fact that he had his wedding at The Desmond and had the same great taste as we did or maybe it was the fact that we really enjoyed his company or maybe it was his undeniable talent! It was all three. Bonus: Quincy was also affordable!

Wow. Did we really manage to get everything on our must have list? Yes, it is possible. How about you? Were you able to get everything you wanted on your list from your wedding photographer?

I will leave you with some images of Quincy's work. As Quincy would say, Cheers!

All photos are from: Quincy Adam Photography http://quincyadam.com/

Dressing the Maids...AGAIN!

After we had decided on the Maids dresses and color, I found myself thinking about it more and more. The decision would keep me awake at night. I found myself on the computer pulling up the two pictures that I had taken of the girls in their dresses on a daily basis. I was starting to not like them more and more every time I looked at them. Now first let me explain that I am a horrible decision maker. I am a compulsive shopper and will buy something on a whim (i.e., a puppy) without thinking it through. Luckily the puppy situation worked out, but not everything I have bought compulsively has worked out. Take my red sectional couch that is sitting untouched in our basement that has yet to be finished. I had to have a red couch and I had to go and get it ASAP even though Mr. Lemon thought we should wait until the room was finished to buy it. Why ever would we wait? That would just be smart ludicrous!

I finally mentioned something to BFF Ali to feel her out on it. ITurns out, BFF Ali agreed with me but didn't want to say anything to hurt my feelings! She said she liked the dresses we picked but she didn't love them. She felt we should still look around some more. I was so relieved! The other Maids agreed, they said the dresses were adorable but they thought we should keep looking to find the perfect dress.

Back to the drawing board!

We decided to go to another bridal shop. I tried to make an appointment but turns out the dress shop doesn't make appointments. They work on a first come first serve basis. I had never heard of this before but decided it was still worth going to. We went to Irma's Bridal in Cherry Hill, NJ on a Saturday. BFF Ali and Maid Stacey were routing through the racks and came across this gorgeous dress. Being the 'ballsy' girl that BFF Ali is, she shoved Stacey into an unoccupied fitting room and made her try it on. It wasn't our turn yet but it was taking forever! This whole no appointment thing did not seem to be working out for anyone. So we Ali just took matters into her own hands and started the consultation for us! When I peeked into the fitting room, I couldn't believe it but I absolutely loved the dress! I loved the dress! This was the dress. Wait, but this dress isn't purple/eggplant/plum, this dress is a dark navy blue. That's right people, I changed the dress and now I decided to change the color. Once Stacey had the dress on, I couldn't imagine it being in any other color. It was stunning. Purple/Eggplant/Plum isn't that much different than Navy is it?

Without further ado, here is the bridesmaid dress (I promise this time!):
 

Bill Levkoff - Style 124 in Euro Navy

Isn't she magnificent? I can't stop looking at her. Classy, traditional, with a modern twist. I can't wait to see my beautiful ladies strutting down the runway aisle in this dress!

Meeting with Father

Mr. Lemon and I had both agreed almost immediately that we wanted to have a Church wedding. We were both raised Catholic and attended Catholic school. It was a very big part of our childhood. Since tradition states that usually the ceremony is held at the Bride's Parish, I knew I wanted to have it at my childhood Parish, St. Charles Borromeo in Drexel Hill, PA. I also attended Kindergarten through 8th grade at St. Charles School directly next to the Church. I have a ton of childhood memories and majority of them involve St. Charles in some way. Not only did the Church hold a ton of memories for me, but it was gorgeous. It has beautiful stained glass windows and has a gothic feel with large pillars. It is stunning. What do you think?

 We scheduled an appointment with Father Slobogin on a Sunday in January before Mass. We dressed our best and arrived at the Rectory early. I remember sitting in the living room (the Rectory is an old house) waiting for Father. We both were nervous and couldn't stop laughing. You know how hard it is to stop laughing when you know you aren't supposed to be laughing?? Really hard! We were sitting there waiting for Father looking around the room when all of the sudden we heard dogs barking. Wait, did Moose and Maci follow us here? Turns out Father has dogs of his own that live with him at the Rectory. Dogs? I liked this guy already!

The meeting with Father was very laid back. Father asked us about our childhood, our families, how we met, how long we had been dating, our interests and even the proposal! He explained that every couple that is married in the Catholic Church must attend Pre-Cana classes which are meant to prepare the couple for the sacrament of Marriage.  When we walked out we couldn't believe how relaxed that was. Why were we nervous again? Did anyone else have any fears when meeting with a Pastor or Church offical before getting married?

This was all beginning to get so real now. We had the Church booked and the Reception. Holy crap we were really getting married!

Happy Birthday Mr. Lemon

Today is Mr. Lemon's birthday. He is 27 today. It is hard to believe that when we met we were both just 17 years old. We were little babies and had no idea what was in store for us. Almost 10 years later, here we are, getting ready to start another chapter of our lives. I am looking forward to what is in store for us in the future. This is Mr. Lemon's last birthday as an unmarried man. All of these little milestones have such a deeper meaning now that we will be getting married. Everything is a "last" for us, "last holiday not married" or "last vacation not married." I cannot wait until we can start saying our firsts, "first Christmas as a married couple" or "first wedding as a married couple." It is bitter-sweet. I am looking forward to leaving behind our "unmarried" scenario’s but sort of sad because it means we are getting older. I know this is all a part of life and it happens to everyone but man time really does fly doesn't it? If time has to fly then I wouldn't want to be flying with anyone else by my side.



Mr. Lemon here is a quote that I think sums you up pretty perfectly.

Happy Birthday. I love you, my best friend, my future husband, my soul mate.

Oh and since the doggies don't have access to the internet, they asked me to wish you a Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to the best Labby Daddy in the world! We love you!

Love you Dad! Love Always - Moose & Maci

Here are some pictures from Mr. Lemon's birthday dinner at The Rose Tree Inn in Media, PA.

Mr. Lemon and Noah - this picture cracks me up!

Stacey and her son Noah

The original Mr. & Mrs. Lemon



Us