The 'R' Word

I refuse to recognize it by name right now. I am trying as hard as possible to dance around it, but I now know it is a possibility. As of right now, the weather is saying 30% chance of showers with possible thunderstorms. Now, the good part is that it is a high of 72 degrees. Not too hot, not too cold. But the 'R' word...seriously?!

I have had a few people give me some comfort. Bridesmaid C said that 30% precipitation is for that entire area, not necessarily that exact spot. We may not even see a cloud in the sky.

Mom Doe said that most regional weather reports predict there will be precipitation. However, the local channels are predicting that it is going to be clear.

I am not sure if they are just trying to make me feel better, or if that is true. I am hoping for the latter.

Remember this post I wrote about awhile back where I discussed our back up option? Everyone agreed the back up option is just as gorgeous. It truly is, but I of course want the wedding outside if at all possible. At the end of that post I said:

Therefore if (insert 'R' word here) decides to rear its "lucky" head into our wedding day, I will embrace it with open arms. Bring it on rain, i'm not scared of you.

I am now scared of you rain. Please go away for another day.

What do you think, Hive? Should  this Doe break out her umbrella and goulashes?

Okay, now i'm been dramatic. It is certainly not going to snow, right?....RIGHT?!

How are you dealing with the possibility of the 'R' word on your wedding day?

Changes

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. -Maya Angelou

I have come to realize that no matter how far in advance you plan your wedding, there will be last minute changes. Some due to your own decisions...some not so much. My wedding is soon...very soon. I have had my fair share of changes the past few weeks. I have found that the best way to deal with this is to just roll with the punches, but also have outstanding vendors that will roll with you.

We had a few changes to my floral decisions that needed to be dealt with. With one change came another, and then another...until I realized pretty much everything I had originally planned for had somehow changed in one way or the other. I was overly concerned that I was going to be bothering my florist, but instead she assured me that this was no problem. She more than welcomed my changes and made me feel completely at ease. Bravo to Blooms By Martha Andrews for making me realize that I was not being crazy, but instead just being a bride who deserves to have things the way I want it on this once in a lifetime day.

On another note, our numbers were due a week ago to our venue. Due to a few people calling last minute to say they will not be there, there of course were some more changes. Changes to the seating chart, meal options, bar package...and so on. This turned into a nightmare for me because I just could not seem to get the numbers right. Every time I thought I had it right, I would then realize I was a number or two off. I had to resend my final paperwork to my venue approximately three or four different times.

Our venue, Monte Verde Inn, took it in stride and helped me every step of the way. I am so thankful that they assisted me in getting it all figured out through numerous emails and even a Sunday morning phone call. They have really perfected their work in the wedding world. I know for a fact that they have weddings booked every single weekend of the year. That is a ton of weddings! However, they have been able to make each bride and groom feel as though they are the only couple getting married at their property. I know that if I was dealing with so many weddings, it would be difficult to place such importance on each couple. They have done it though, and for that we are both grateful.

As I said before, it doesn't matter how well you have planned your wedding...there is going to be last minute changes. The very best thing you can do is to just accept the changes, and make sure you have some great vendors who have your back.

Have you had to deal with any last minute changes? How did you handle them?

A Friend For My Shoes

Our wedding venue has large areas of grass, which makes for a beautiful setting. However, heels don't bode so well with grass. The last wedding I attended where there were large amounts of grass, I was basically stuck in the grass all night. I knew this was a problem that needed to be handled pronto. 

I did some research and found a company called Solemates that make a piece of plastic that sticks on your heel. It turns your shoe into somewhat of a platform so that you are able to walk on grass. 

Hello, genius.

Of course I had to order some. This may just solve all my problems. (Shoe problems. It would be even more genius if it solved ALL my problems :) ) 

Let me show you what they look like:

Not the same shoes you might remember me having? Yeaaaah, about that. I didn't write about it because there really wasn't a great story. 

Girl had coupon, girl returns old shoes, girl buys new shoes and saves some dough. End of story, girl smiles big. 

Anyway, the Solemates actually work. You get to have the fun of spike heels, without the issues of sinking into the grass. 

Although Mr. Buck doesn't understand why I don't just wear slippers under my dress since nobody will see my shoes. Boys. So precious sometimes. 

Have you ever had issues with heels and grass? Have you heard of Solemates before, if so have you tried them out? 

Hey, That's A Great Idea

When it comes to bridal party gifts, I am a huge supporter of something they might actually use again. I wanted to avoid getting them something that said "groomsman" or "bridesmaid" on it. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just wanted to go in a different direction.

Mr. Buck really wanted to get something unique for his guys, so when I came across something called a Capcatcher, I knew instantly this was perfect.

I don't know about you, but one of my biggest pet peeves is finding bottle caps around the house. Capcatchers solves that problem. A capcactcher is basically a bottle opener with a pouch that catches the caps. All on a heavy duty magnet so that it can hang out on the refrigerator.

You are also able to personalize it to add an even more unique touch. I personally am not a fan of typical bar gadgets and decor, but I wouldn't mind having this on my refrigerator. So long as the caps are routinely cleaned out :)

I was able to order these, personalize it, add in gift boxes, and all of it arrived to my house within four days. FOUR DAYS, PEOPLE. That is some awesome customer service right there. 

 I'm a fan of these, and we hope that the guys are too!

Have you come across a unique idea for a bridal party gift?

Miss Doe's Fake Hair

I wrote about my hair trial here, and most of you agreed with me that I should go in a different direction. Many of you commented that I should wear my hair either all down or half down. This is interesting to me because never once did I consider this. However, it definitely would get me far away from the "prom look" that I was trying to avoid.

I brought this up to my hairdresser and she immediately suggested that I pick up some hair extensions. I thought, what the heck do I need hair extensions for? I have been growing my hair out for sixteen months now, and my hair is curly with a decent amount of volume. She said that it is not necessarily all for length but to add a little oomph.

Well see here's the thing, I love me some oomph. So off I went to find some.

Any normal person would probably just go to Sally's Hair Supply or something of the sorts to get hair extensions. But you see, I love to do things the most difficult way possible. In doing so, I usually have bad results. However, this time around it all paid off.

I searched the internet high and low for the best possible clip in extensions. I wanted something that would stay tight in my hair, but also look the best. I came across a company called Head Kandy that had excellent reviews. I decided to give it a shot. Here are a few things you should know though:

• They are based in the U.K. Somehow though, they have managed to perfect their shipping. I was not charged any astronomical fees, and they arrived on my doorstep less than one week after I placed my order.
• Their customer service is fantastic. Granted, they are on a different time zone which means I would receive responses at oddball hours. They were very prompt though and incredibly helpful.
• If you email them a photo of your hair, they will recommend the best possible shade for you. 
• Returns and exchanges are easy, should you need it.
• Everything arrives in a perfect and well put together package.

If you can't tell, I already liked this company before I had even tried on my hair extensions. When they did arrive, I was completely shocked at how strangely perfect the color matched my hair. It is literally dead on, and I don't necessarily have easy hair to match with my highlights and all. 

Here are a few photos of me with the extensions in. Keep in mind, this is after wearing them all day with out any hairspray. I didn't want to use any goop on them and mess them up until the actual wedding day. They are also incredibly long right now and will need a bit of a trim to get the length just right. 

They are a little more pricey than the typical clip in hair extension, but this is definitely a case of "you get what you pay for." I had personally never seen extensions not attached to the head before, so I wasn't sure how these matched up to others. My hairdresser attested to the fact that these come with far more hair than typical extensions, and are definitely of great quality. 

So there you have it, Miss Doe's fake hair!

Discontinued Numbers and Dad Saves The Day

A few weeks ago I was at my mom and dad's house and they were helping me finish painting table numbers. I realized at one point when I had bought my supplies, I must have miscounted the numbers. Easy to do when you are buying so many numbers all at once. I brushed it off and said no big deal, I can run back out to Michael's to pick up the rest. My dad asked me what I was going to do if they were out. I responded with, "they ALWAYS have these in stock, I will go pick some up right now."

Guess who discontinued their wooden numbers? You got it, Michaels. I freaked out, what was I going to do? I started looking online and it seems as though many other brides did the exact same thing I did. These numbers are nowhere to be found and brides have been able to sell their used numbers for a high price. I started looking for comparable wooden numbers but just could not find anything. I finally settled with the fact that I was going to have a few mismatched numbers.

I called my dad to tell him what happened and he told me he thought he could make them himself. It was worth a shot, and so he got started crafting away.

A few hours later, one pain in the butt and tons of sawdust everywhere...he had made wooden numbers that look nearly identical to the ones that I already had. You can't even tell that some were hand made.

Since we still have a few RSVP's trickling in, he made a few extras just in case we need to add a few more tables.

So there you have it, reason gazillion why my dad is awesome and saves the day. Go dad!

Have you ever had a family member go above and beyond to help you out? As a side note, did you scramble when you found out Michaels no longer carries those wooden numbers?