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



Dressing the Maids

Now that you have all met my 5 wonderful bridesmaids, it is time to discuss one of the best (or worst) parts of being a bridesmaid...the dress!

After we had decided on a date and a venue, I immediately started to think about all the details. The number question I got asked was, "What color are your bridesmaid dresses?" Initially I thought I wanted a dark plum/eggplant color dress. I figured that purple is flattering on everyone and it is dark enough to almost be black and everyone likes black! Here are some dresses that I had in mind:

The bridesmaids were so excited about going dress shopping. I was getting emails and text of different dresses daily. Finally, we all couldn't take it anymore and we decided to go dress shopping on night after work. We went to Bijou Bridals in Ardmore, PA. The girls immediately spread out all over the store pulling dresses of the racks asking "do you like this one?" and "what about this one?" and "I like this style." We pulled a bunch of dresses and we sat back and watched as the ladies tried them on. We found one we liked but we thought it was a bit overpriced ($220). We decided that we would keep looking.

For our second bridesmaid dress shopping trip, I made sure all of the ladies could be there. We made an appointment on a Saturday in February at David's Bridal in Springfield, PA. My Mom and future MIL Mrs. Lemon even joined us. After pulling some dresses, the ladies put on a show for us. Majority of the time, our faces would give away how we felt about a particular dress. We finally narrowed it down to two dresses and then quickly ruled out one because we felt it wouldn't flatter everyone's figure. I also really had my heart set on a satin bridesmaid dress and this wasn't it. Although it did look beautiful on, we decided it wasn't *the one*.

David's Bridal Lapis (Style F14010) in Plum

The winning dress was one that all of the ladies were able to try on. They all looked great in it. I liked it because it wasn't strapless. When I was in a previous wedding I hated wearing a strapless dress because I have a larger chest and I felt like I was constantly tugging and pulling the dress up all night. I did not want my ladies to have to go through with that. So here was the dress that we all decided was the one (except it would be in David Bridal's Plum color).

David's Bridal (Style F14430)

Here are some pictures of my ladies in the dresses! They did not have the plum dress in the store but they did have enough dresses for each lady to try on!

Yay! We had made a decision! After we finished up at David's Bridal we headed to Panera for some lunch. We had a wonderful time and lunch and BFF Ali had us all cracking up by telling some her Match.com horror date stories. What a great day!

We had an awesome lunch and finally settled on a bridesmaid dress and a color...or did we????

Meet the Maids

I don't know about you, but I think Pinterest and Etsy are the best things out there since The Snuggie was invented. Gotta admit, that idea was genius!

I feel sorry for those brides that had to plan a wedding before Pinterest and Etsy were around. How ever did they have a wedding?? I am kidding, I am sure many of the ideas on Pinterest and Etsy have been around for a while but it is such a great place to get ideas! Like the Meet the Maids table. How adorable?

I saw these on Pinterest and thought they were just the cutest! What a nice way to introduce your wedding party to your guests. You can even have this on display at a shower. It is just a nice touch to show your ladies that they are more than just a maid. You can post a little blurb about how you met or why you choose them to be in your wedding party. Just presh!

Without further ado, I would like to introduce my Maids! I choose 5 women to stand beside me on the day I marry my best friend. All 5 of these women have a role in my life with Mr. Lemon and are very special to us. I couldn't imagine any other 5 ladies standing next to me that day. Plus they are all super gorgeous and who doesn't love a good looking wedding party?

First up my Maid of Honor - My younger but much smarter than me sister Jenn (I like to call her Jenny because she hates it - it's so cute though right???)

Jenn and I are 3 years apart. Jenn is my best friend. She has a brain that holds tons of knowledge, most of it useless, but some of it useful. I am not kidding she is a freaking Guinness Book of World Records. She knows the craziest stuff. She has a great sense of style and has no time for generic brands. She signs her cards like a doctor. She is obsessed with Harry Potter. She is destined for greatness (just ask her...kidding! Don’t let anyone tell you differently). She is hilarious and so beautiful. I am so glad that she will be standing directly next to me on my wedding day. I wouldn't want anyone else fixing my train because I am not sure anyone else would be as OCD as she would (thanks in advanced Jenny). I love you to the moon and back little sister and my best friend Thanks for keeping it real and for putting up with me.

Next Up: My BFF Ali

Ali and I have been best friends since 7th grade. I first met Ali when we were about 7 years old. We were on the sports team and I remember leaning on the chain link fence next to her saying, "Man, it's sooooo hot!" and Ali said, "Yeah it is. Well I have an in ground pool but you can't come swimming in it." I was crushed! Little did I know a few years later we could become best friends. Since then summer we have been inseparable. We went to high school together and graduated in 2004. We now work together at the same bank and we love it. Who else gets to work with their best friend everyday?? I DO! Ali has an outrageous sense of humor and she will say whatever is on her mind. I love her for that. She is beautiful inside and out. I am the Mary and you're the Rhoda. Love you Winnie (inside joke from Hocus Pocus).

Now I will introduce my future sister in law Stacey:

Over the years, Stacey and I have grown extremely close. We have very similar personalities in that we are both very sensitive and want to please everybody. This is a double edge sword and we are both learning this as we go. Stacey and her husband Bill have given Mr. Lemon and me three adorable nephews. Caden, Rylan and Noah. These three boys are the cutest boys on the planet (no kidding). Stacey is an amazing mother to these boys even when they drive her up the wall. She is so patient and I hope I can one day be a Mother just like she is.  I love our wine nights and our phone conversations. It is so nice to have someone to relate to. Stacey is my best friend and I am so glad that I will be able to call her my sister one day. Thank you for being you! I love you!

Noah, Caden, and Rylan

Here is the fourth of my maids, future sister in law Kelly:

 Kelly is Mr. Lemon's oldest sister. Kelly and her husband Frank gave Mr. Lemon and I our first and only niece. Little miss Devin is a beautiful and feisty little girl. She cracks me up. She is just like her Mommy! Kelly is an excellent mother. Kelly has this laugh that is recognizable across the room. Kelly loves to cook and is always inviting the family over for dinner (we never miss those nights). She is totally in her element when she has her house full of her family and is feeding the hungry beggars (Mr. Lemon and I). Thanks for feeding us all those delicious meals all the time (keep the invites coming), so I don't have to cook! I can't wait to call Kelly my sister. She is truly one of a kind and she makes me laugh. I love you!

Devin

Finally but certainly not last...my little Jeanene!

Jeanene is also my childhood BFF. We became besties in high school. Jeanene is the most generous person I know. She will literally give you the shirt off her back, literally. She has the biggest heart and I love her for that. She lives in New York City. I am so happy for how far she has come and only hope she continues going up. The sky's the limit!  Jeanene I love you and thank you for being such a positive influence in my life. I hope to one day have a heart half as big as yours. I love you.

These my friends, are the most amazing 5 women you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. I cannot imagine my life without any of them. Thank you for being there with me through it all. Thank you for agreeing to stand up with me on the biggest day of my life. I wouldn't want it any other way. I love each of you in more ways than you will ever know. You are my family forever.

I have 5



Every Woman's Worst Enemy...

THE SCALE! eeeeekkkk!!

Ok, so maybe it is not everywoman’s worst enemy but I sure know a lot of chicks that do not dig the scale. Myself included. I am taking a break from writing about proposals, venues, and dates to focus on the nitty gritty side of wedding planning: Losing Weight. Looking your best on your wedding day is every bride's dream.I have always struggled with weight my entire life.

Back to the whole scale thing. Yeah, it is annoying but it is reality. We all strive to look our best and majority of women I know are always complaining about some body issue. Whether it is that their hair is curly, their arms are jiggly, they have chicken necks, or like me, their thighs rub together and they get major chub rub. It is the worst. (Hint: try rubbing deodorant on your thighs. It helps - if that doesn't work just stick to Capri’s and pants!) Sorry, that's all I got!

So after getting engaged and setting the date, I knew I needed to lose some weight. I had all of the motivation in the world so why was I still eating butterfingers at work all day? Seriously, my work has baskets of candy all over the place. And it's good candy. We're talking Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kats, Nuggets...amaze! Chocolate is my weakness...along with shopping. Thanks Mom-Mom Doris!

one of the candy baskets at work

I guess my advice would be, don't fear the scale. Own it. Get on it and get your reality check. Ok, so you aren't what you want to weigh at this point in time, but you know what? Hiding from the scale and avoiding it are not going to get you anywhere either.