Yay!!! Stay tuned for my post about a successful brunch courtesy of an awesome manager Jessie at El Torito Grille in RSM... After an even more successful visit for venue change for our welcome party!!! Yay yay yay!!!
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February 28, 2010
February 27, 2010
Going back to Cali... Cali
Last moments in dc and east coast "single". Headed to Cali to return back on the flipside!!!
Super excited. Wish me luck y'all!!!
Beautiful day i am leaving in DC
Super excited. Wish me luck y'all!!!
Beautiful day i am leaving in DC
February 26, 2010
Incorporate your Pet in your Wedding Day
As you all know, FH and I are dog people... and i'm so so sad that our pups won't be attending the wedding in CA... so this awesome article from one of the Relentless Bride sponsors as well as the discount code thrills me b/c i hope that other brides/grooms will incorporate their pets and i'd love to see them get a great deal doing so!
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Dogs truly become part of a family and stay true to the phrase "best friend". It’s no wonder why many brides and grooms include their canine friends in their wedding day. These adorable pet wedding accessories will be perfect for making your pet part of your special day. Consider a pet tux, satin ribbon bow or dog ring pillow.
Save 10% off all Pet Accessories
Enter Coupon Code: K9FRIEND
These adorable Best Man and Maid of Honor bandanas list 10 adorable reasons why your canine friend should have been your best man/maid of honor. Tie this bandana around his/her neck or save as a keepsake.
If you decided that your “best friend” must be part of your special day then be sure to get him/her suited up in one of these stylish tuxes or pet bows. Whether it’s for the wedding, holidays or another special occasion your canine companion will look dapper in these pet accessories.
If you’ve given your dog the job as ring bearer than he/she will need one of these fancy ring pillows when he/she walks down the aisle. No worries the ribbons run long in back so that you are able to tie to your dog's back!
Image Credits:
Best Man Bandana, Maid of Honor Bandana, Best Pet Bows, Pet Tux, Small/Medium Dog Ring Pillow Medium/Large Dog Ring Pillow,
These adorable Best Man and Maid of Honor bandanas list 10 adorable reasons why your canine friend should have been your best man/maid of honor. Tie this bandana around his/her neck or save as a keepsake.
If you decided that your “best friend” must be part of your special day then be sure to get him/her suited up in one of these stylish tuxes or pet bows. Whether it’s for the wedding, holidays or another special occasion your canine companion will look dapper in these pet accessories.
If you’ve given your dog the job as ring bearer than he/she will need one of these fancy ring pillows when he/she walks down the aisle. No worries the ribbons run long in back so that you are able to tie to your dog's back!
Image Credits:
Best Man Bandana, Maid of Honor Bandana, Best Pet Bows, Pet Tux, Small/Medium Dog Ring Pillow Medium/Large Dog Ring Pillow,
Pae Baek Korean Tradition
We weren't going to at first... but with a lot of mumbo jumbo with our rehearsal meal/welcome party venue site, the idea came up and we began researching it... ultimately, it was not something we HAD to do but i realized - when else would we ever get a chance to... and this is the one thing that we're actually incorporating into our wedding that is Korean... well besides some of us peoples! LOL
So, WHAT is PaeBaek? The most informative site i have found so far is from My Bride Story... So i'll copy and paste some info here, but make sure to check out that site b/c it is AWESOME! She's got a whole section devoted to the PaeBaek... (all images below are borrowed from My Bride Story!)
Click here to watch a video of the ceremony!
Are you doing anything to incorporate your culture? or A culture into your wedding ? How are you personalizing it?
So, WHAT is PaeBaek? The most informative site i have found so far is from My Bride Story... So i'll copy and paste some info here, but make sure to check out that site b/c it is AWESOME! She's got a whole section devoted to the PaeBaek... (all images below are borrowed from My Bride Story!)
Click here to watch a video of the ceremony!
Are you doing anything to incorporate your culture? or A culture into your wedding ? How are you personalizing it?
February 24, 2010
Mid-Week News and Updates
Have you RSVP'd for the Big ROCK THE LAUNCH Weddzilla Party Tomorrow night in DC? RSVP NOW!
Want complimentary tickets to the Wedding Bootcamp in LA? Use discount code RBLA3C!!
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Wanna win free photography package from Weddings by Chris Leary Photography which will provide one lucky couple with eight hours of free wedding photography worth thousands of dollars. Click here for more info - must enter by February 28, 2010
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Beau-coup is donating $5 from every purchase with one of our RELIEF coupon codes to the relief efforts led by the American Red Cross from 2/22-2/26. In addition to that, shoppers can save up to 15% off their purchases throughout the week.
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Brides now have a chance to win a Monique Lhuillier wedding dress worth almost $7,000 that America Ferrera of Ugly Betty, actually wore in the upcoming wedding movie Our Family Wedding!
Hitting theaters March 12, Our Family Wedding partnered up with WeddingChannel.com to give away this one-of-a-kind wedding gown that Monique custom-made for America’s movie character, as well as a $3,000 Bed Bath & Beyond Bridal Registry gift card. Not only can you enter to win these amazing prizes at www.weddingchannel.com/ourfamilywedding, but you can also check out a personal wedding website that WeddingChannel.com created just for the movie. It features the main characters’ love story, proposal story, wedding details, and an opportunity for fans to leave well wishes in the guest book. Plus, keep checking back, since we’ll be featuring an interview with America Ferrera on WeddingChannel.com soon!
Hitting theaters March 12, Our Family Wedding partnered up with WeddingChannel.com to give away this one-of-a-kind wedding gown that Monique custom-made for America’s movie character, as well as a $3,000 Bed Bath & Beyond Bridal Registry gift card. Not only can you enter to win these amazing prizes at www.weddingchannel.com/ourfamilywedding, but you can also check out a personal wedding website that WeddingChannel.com created just for the movie. It features the main characters’ love story, proposal story, wedding details, and an opportunity for fans to leave well wishes in the guest book. Plus, keep checking back, since we’ll be featuring an interview with America Ferrera on WeddingChannel.com soon!
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The CW is currently casting engaged couples wanting to lose weight before their BIG DAY!
The CW along with the creator and producers of “THE BIGGEST LOSER” have come together to give one lucky couple their DREAM WEDDING. With help from our fitness experts, couples will compete in weekly challenges to shed those extra pounds. We are looking for OUTGOING, COMPETITIVE couples that want to lose between 30 to 60 lbs each. If you and your fiancé are up for the challenge and want to win your dream wedding, now’s your chance.
Please submit at least two pictures of the happy couple, a brief description of your dream wedding and your complete contact info to: shed2wedcasting@gmail.com
The CW along with the creator and producers of “THE BIGGEST LOSER” have come together to give one lucky couple their DREAM WEDDING. With help from our fitness experts, couples will compete in weekly challenges to shed those extra pounds. We are looking for OUTGOING, COMPETITIVE couples that want to lose between 30 to 60 lbs each. If you and your fiancé are up for the challenge and want to win your dream wedding, now’s your chance.
Please submit at least two pictures of the happy couple, a brief description of your dream wedding and your complete contact info to: shed2wedcasting@gmail.com
The Wedding Dance {She Said: Lesson #4}
It scares me to think that we have only one lesson left because I feel like we are really starting to get the dance, dancing together and more than that, enjoying it... but its true. One more dance lesson...
The first thought I had when I realized our Lesson #4 was done was "Already?" Granted, we were tardy - but it was more b/c I was thoroughly enjoying myself. What a difference a refreshed (or fresher) FH made!
We started off a little rough. I mean the blank look on FH's face was priceless. He couldn't remember a thing... so I tried to lead him with what I remembered of the beginning of the dance... well I also forgot a big part - the TWIRL! I love the twirl. We got started and it was a little bit of staggering and trying to figure what we were doing... I mean, it felt really bad at first - like we just weren't melding well.
Well Deborah, our awesome instructor (whom I love even more every time I see her) from The Wedding Dance Specialists, broke it down for me... she grabbed me and said "Let me dance with you!" It was not more than 10 seconds before she diagnosed a big part of the issue... I was not in the right position nor was I firm and providing any resistance. This does not prove helpful to FH who needs to lead me, but if i can't sense his next move b/c i'm not providing the proper resistance to, it won't matter how much he tries. A very helpful suggestion was to try dancing with my eyes closed b/c this would MAKE me reliant on FH.
Oh, did i mention? I took my fabulous Wedding shoes with me? yup, my gorgeous 4.5 inch stilettos... yea, I made it through, but started to feel pressure obviously - my main concern - b/c they weren't tied to my feet - the possibility of them slipping off. But the height also helped FH get used to how tall I'd be the day of and i think it helped him hold his position b/c he didn't feel like he was bending over to me... (and that was in my 2-3 inch shoes LOL).
The best part was figuring out the dip... I mean, we don't have to dip - but i want a dip... and twirl and all that romantic fun stuff. Keep in mind, the high school was difficult just weeks ago for FH - so i wondered to myself, was I asking too much? Well, Deborah had FH dip her but as they landed the dip, she quickly realized that she forgot to instruct him on the proper way to get up... so they stayed that way for at least 30 seconds ... just kinda stuck with me giggling on the sidelines.
FH and I got home ... and at a decent hour. So i put my fabulous shoes back on - we cleared out the rug, put our song on repeat and began practicing. There were some frustrating moments - but being alone and practicing was VERY helpful. We expressed what we didn't like about certain patterns and steps, how we thought we'd like to implement certain steps and where in the song... but more than that, we were able to criticize each other openly about what we thought the other was doing wrong and then communicate about how the other person can help that problem. Our neighbors probably are wondering ... what the heck? Repeat like 30 times? but it had to be done... and I feel much more confident but ready to tackle how to make our dance appear fluid and our transitions from patterns, twirls and dips seamless (or at least appear that way) :-)
A reader commented on The Wedding Dance {He Said: Lesson #4} and asked a question I want to address: Firstly, if any man was opposed to dance lessons - it was my FH. I love him dearly and he'll try but he just never enjoyed dancing nor did he ever seem interested even though I really love it. He can play baseball, football or basketball - but put it to some music and a blank look would cross his face. so i feel ya. However, when I asked him if he'd at least like to look at least somewhat like he knows what he is doing on the dance floor - I think he was ready to tackle this demon... dancing demon LOL. Our main concern was the same: Can Rhythm be taught to someone who is self-proclaimed as having no rhythm? And Deborah said this one thing that really stuck for me: #1. It can be learned but takes time and it develops with that time (practice makes perfect my mom always said) #2. As long as I follow his lead, we may not be to the MAIN tempo/beat/rhythm of the music but we would be fluid and together and 99% of the people watching wouldn't even notice the slight off beat b/c we'd be at the same "mis-beat" and working together... I think this is key. Even if FH goes off rhythm or starts doing something crazy... it will look "correct" since i'll be following...
BTW, i'm still working on the following and closing my eyes while we practiced at home helped A LOT!
Stay tune for more He Said, She Said on our First Wedding Dance - instructed by Deborah from The Wedding Dance Specialists (aka best wedding dance teacher EVER!)
The first thought I had when I realized our Lesson #4 was done was "Already?" Granted, we were tardy - but it was more b/c I was thoroughly enjoying myself. What a difference a refreshed (or fresher) FH made!
We started off a little rough. I mean the blank look on FH's face was priceless. He couldn't remember a thing... so I tried to lead him with what I remembered of the beginning of the dance... well I also forgot a big part - the TWIRL! I love the twirl. We got started and it was a little bit of staggering and trying to figure what we were doing... I mean, it felt really bad at first - like we just weren't melding well.
Well Deborah, our awesome instructor (whom I love even more every time I see her) from The Wedding Dance Specialists, broke it down for me... she grabbed me and said "Let me dance with you!" It was not more than 10 seconds before she diagnosed a big part of the issue... I was not in the right position nor was I firm and providing any resistance. This does not prove helpful to FH who needs to lead me, but if i can't sense his next move b/c i'm not providing the proper resistance to, it won't matter how much he tries. A very helpful suggestion was to try dancing with my eyes closed b/c this would MAKE me reliant on FH.
Oh, did i mention? I took my fabulous Wedding shoes with me? yup, my gorgeous 4.5 inch stilettos... yea, I made it through, but started to feel pressure obviously - my main concern - b/c they weren't tied to my feet - the possibility of them slipping off. But the height also helped FH get used to how tall I'd be the day of and i think it helped him hold his position b/c he didn't feel like he was bending over to me... (and that was in my 2-3 inch shoes LOL).
The best part was figuring out the dip... I mean, we don't have to dip - but i want a dip... and twirl and all that romantic fun stuff. Keep in mind, the high school was difficult just weeks ago for FH - so i wondered to myself, was I asking too much? Well, Deborah had FH dip her but as they landed the dip, she quickly realized that she forgot to instruct him on the proper way to get up... so they stayed that way for at least 30 seconds ... just kinda stuck with me giggling on the sidelines.
FH and I got home ... and at a decent hour. So i put my fabulous shoes back on - we cleared out the rug, put our song on repeat and began practicing. There were some frustrating moments - but being alone and practicing was VERY helpful. We expressed what we didn't like about certain patterns and steps, how we thought we'd like to implement certain steps and where in the song... but more than that, we were able to criticize each other openly about what we thought the other was doing wrong and then communicate about how the other person can help that problem. Our neighbors probably are wondering ... what the heck? Repeat like 30 times? but it had to be done... and I feel much more confident but ready to tackle how to make our dance appear fluid and our transitions from patterns, twirls and dips seamless (or at least appear that way) :-)
A reader commented on The Wedding Dance {He Said: Lesson #4} and asked a question I want to address: Firstly, if any man was opposed to dance lessons - it was my FH. I love him dearly and he'll try but he just never enjoyed dancing nor did he ever seem interested even though I really love it. He can play baseball, football or basketball - but put it to some music and a blank look would cross his face. so i feel ya. However, when I asked him if he'd at least like to look at least somewhat like he knows what he is doing on the dance floor - I think he was ready to tackle this demon... dancing demon LOL. Our main concern was the same: Can Rhythm be taught to someone who is self-proclaimed as having no rhythm? And Deborah said this one thing that really stuck for me: #1. It can be learned but takes time and it develops with that time (practice makes perfect my mom always said) #2. As long as I follow his lead, we may not be to the MAIN tempo/beat/rhythm of the music but we would be fluid and together and 99% of the people watching wouldn't even notice the slight off beat b/c we'd be at the same "mis-beat" and working together... I think this is key. Even if FH goes off rhythm or starts doing something crazy... it will look "correct" since i'll be following...
BTW, i'm still working on the following and closing my eyes while we practiced at home helped A LOT!
Stay tune for more He Said, She Said on our First Wedding Dance - instructed by Deborah from The Wedding Dance Specialists (aka best wedding dance teacher EVER!)
February 23, 2010
The Wedding Dance {He Said: Lesson 4)
Tonight's lesson was a short one because we hit some traffic on the way to the dance studio. It seems people don't know how to drive in the rain. We got there a few minutes late and we couldn't run very much past our allotted time because Deborah had another lesson following ours but still gave us an extra 10 minutes to try to make up for our tardiness. Anyway, Deborah continued to work with us on our first dance, starting from the grand entrance through the big dip at the end. Of course, I had forgotten what I was supposed to do at the entrance, but after a quick refresher from Deborah, Amy and I were back on the same page.
After getting that out of the way, Deborah started to teach us a few new things to add to the routine. The first was a way for Amy to spin from a position where our arms were extended and she rolls down my arm into my chest where i can hold her tight for a second. I really liked this part, as it gives us a chance to really feel together as one while on the dance floor. After Amy spins down my arm and into my chest, Deborah then had her do a little seductive dance around me....of course this i really liked lol. We worked on this for a little while and then came what i thought was the highlight of the night...the dip. Deborah had Amy watch, and showed me what to do. I dipped her a little to low so we had to work on that. The lower you dip, the harder it is to come out of the dip. Well, I guess it was even harder than normal, because as i dipped Deborah, she realizes and exclaims "oh no, i forgot to tell you how to bring your partner out of a dip" while I was still holding her just a few feet from the floor. Once I lifted her back up, she explained the correct way to do this, which definetly made it much easier than just trying to use brute strength from an awkward position lol.
After getting that out of the way, Deborah started to teach us a few new things to add to the routine. The first was a way for Amy to spin from a position where our arms were extended and she rolls down my arm into my chest where i can hold her tight for a second. I really liked this part, as it gives us a chance to really feel together as one while on the dance floor. After Amy spins down my arm and into my chest, Deborah then had her do a little seductive dance around me....of course this i really liked lol. We worked on this for a little while and then came what i thought was the highlight of the night...the dip. Deborah had Amy watch, and showed me what to do. I dipped her a little to low so we had to work on that. The lower you dip, the harder it is to come out of the dip. Well, I guess it was even harder than normal, because as i dipped Deborah, she realizes and exclaims "oh no, i forgot to tell you how to bring your partner out of a dip" while I was still holding her just a few feet from the floor. Once I lifted her back up, she explained the correct way to do this, which definetly made it much easier than just trying to use brute strength from an awkward position lol.
I really enjoyed tonight's lesson, and since we were late and had a shortened lesson, Amy and I practiced for over an hour when we got home. This was good because we were able to bounce ideas off of each other. In just 4 lessons, Deborah has done an amazing job teaching us (me) the fundamentals and has given me so much more confidence in what i'm doing, although i am by no means very skilled at this point. What I am though, is confident that in less than two weeks, I will be able to pull off what looks like a very good dance with the girl I love, and if you had read earlier posts, this was no small task on Deborah's part.
My last thought, if you go back to the Introduction post I did about this, you'll remember that my father made our wedding gift conditional on me taking these lessons. He told me yesterday "hahahahahaha, I was just kidding you know right? I didnt think you of all people would actually do it". Well, although him saying that I had to go as a condition is what got me to agree to do these dance lessons, the smile on Amy's face when we dance, along with me knowing how important our first dance is to her, and being able to at least do an acceptable level of dancing for her, makes it all worth it. So regardless of what kind of coaxing it took to get me there, its been well worth it, and I'm very happy to be doing it...and enjoying it as well. Deborah deserves all the thanks in the world, she's a wonderful teacher, and if any of you knew me, me saying I'm enjoying dance lessons is really saying a lot. Just one more until the wedding...I wish we had started sooner.
Stay tune for my portion of the She Said (and read more He Said, She Said here) on our First Wedding Dance - instructed by Deborah from The Wedding Dance Specialists (aka best wedding dance teacher EVER!)
Stay tune for my portion of the She Said (and read more He Said, She Said here) on our First Wedding Dance - instructed by Deborah from The Wedding Dance Specialists (aka best wedding dance teacher EVER!)
Garter !!! - Check
I was very excited that I would be getting my very own Julianne Smith Stylish Garter b/c I had gifted a friend of mine one for her wedding...
Working with the very amazing and talented Julianne Smith has been such a treat. She is not only very creative, but super easy to work with and has simplified the process of creating your own customized garter. In fact, when designing a custom garter, she's given these tips on her Custom Garterpage to help you figure out what kind of garter you want. For someone like me, I know what i don't like - but when faced with so many fun, cute or simply stunning options - i was at a loss and completely indecisive. Julianne helped walk me through all my ideas and we decided to stick with my wedding colors. B/c they are from MY wedding - they remain a timeless color scheme even though the style itself is modern and completely unique...
So the day I saw, Julianne tweet (under her twitter ID Garter Girl)
I really didn't expect that I would see her at the DCCWC Event at the Decatur House only 4.5 hrs later with MY very own STYLISH GARTER!!! so, ok - enuff of my yappin... here are some images of my garter. I am hoping to get even nicer pro pics on the day of b/c my color scheme is a bit hard to photograph but i don't want to leave y'all hanging! I am so in love with it and very very happy that the actual garter came out even better than what i was envisioning!
Firstly, it came in this super cute little bag:
And here are some images:
Isn't it so cute?
Although we aren't doing a garter toss or a bouquet toss - it was really important for me to still do the tradition and I really think that FH will love finding this little detail later that night ;-)
Stay tuned for more pics on the day of with my Stylish Julianne Smith Garter!
Working with the very amazing and talented Julianne Smith has been such a treat. She is not only very creative, but super easy to work with and has simplified the process of creating your own customized garter. In fact, when designing a custom garter, she's given these tips on her Custom Garterpage to help you figure out what kind of garter you want. For someone like me, I know what i don't like - but when faced with so many fun, cute or simply stunning options - i was at a loss and completely indecisive. Julianne helped walk me through all my ideas and we decided to stick with my wedding colors. B/c they are from MY wedding - they remain a timeless color scheme even though the style itself is modern and completely unique...
So the day I saw, Julianne tweet (under her twitter ID Garter Girl)
Firstly, it came in this super cute little bag:
And here are some images:
Our initials A + L and the date 3-6-10 is stitched in with our accent color of Navy...
Although we aren't doing a garter toss or a bouquet toss - it was really important for me to still do the tradition and I really think that FH will love finding this little detail later that night ;-)
Stay tuned for more pics on the day of with my Stylish Julianne Smith Garter!
February 22, 2010
Welcome Party Venue - CHECK!
It was a big debacle to say the least, but we have decided on returning to a delicious and familiar choice for our Welcome Party venue... Woodranch BBQ & Grill.
It's a local favorite of my brother's family and we had our CA engagement party there. The service was awesome, the food was amazing and everybody loved it... so albeit a bit repetitive - most of the folks attending our welcome party are from OOT - so it won't be that repetitive.
The price was so much more affordable than what the places in the Dana Point Area were quoting us and they were willing to really work with us regarding timing.
We are still doing a 3pm party - thus its not called a "rehearsal dinner", but "rehearsal meal" sounds so weird, so we are going with welcome party... and hoping it really sets the tone for the weekend... of well partying!
We will have our slideshow which i'm working on - and have to say i'm pretty dang good at LOL (imovie is awesome) and we are probably doing PaeBaek (more about this in another post) and then celebrating with our OOT guests - probably about 75 people.
I'm super excited and big big big shout out to my brother and sil who helped coordinate this AWESOME deal for us at a fabulously delicious establishment!
It's a local favorite of my brother's family and we had our CA engagement party there. The service was awesome, the food was amazing and everybody loved it... so albeit a bit repetitive - most of the folks attending our welcome party are from OOT - so it won't be that repetitive.
The price was so much more affordable than what the places in the Dana Point Area were quoting us and they were willing to really work with us regarding timing.
We are still doing a 3pm party - thus its not called a "rehearsal dinner", but "rehearsal meal" sounds so weird, so we are going with welcome party... and hoping it really sets the tone for the weekend... of well partying!
We will have our slideshow which i'm working on - and have to say i'm pretty dang good at LOL (imovie is awesome) and we are probably doing PaeBaek (more about this in another post) and then celebrating with our OOT guests - probably about 75 people.
I'm super excited and big big big shout out to my brother and sil who helped coordinate this AWESOME deal for us at a fabulously delicious establishment!
Sweet N Salty By Design Giveaway
Who doesn't love a yummy treat, right? This weeks giveaway to one lucky Relentless Bride Reader is making me drool...
That's right, one lucky reader will win an original 1/2 dozen assortment valued at $20 from Sweet n Salty By Design... its so simple, all you have to do is:
1. Go to Sweet N Salty By Design and peruse the site
2. Come back here and leave me a comment letting me know which one is your fave flavors and make sure you provide your contact info.
3. You can enter once until March 1, 2010 11:59 PM EST.
4. If you tweet "I entered @relentlessbride giveaway 4 yummy Sweet N Salty By Design @swtnsltybydsign 1/2 dz treats, have you? Enter here http://ow.ly/19I21" and leave a comment letting me know, that is an extra entry.
Winner must be in the continental USA and will be picked by random.
Make sure to follow both the Relentless Bride and Sweet N Salty By Design on Twitter and follow both the Relentless Bride and Sweet N Salty By Design on Facebook to stay updated on the winner!
That's right, one lucky reader will win an original 1/2 dozen assortment valued at $20 from Sweet n Salty By Design... its so simple, all you have to do is:
1. Go to Sweet N Salty By Design and peruse the site
2. Come back here and leave me a comment letting me know which one is your fave flavors and make sure you provide your contact info.
3. You can enter once until March 1, 2010 11:59 PM EST.
4. If you tweet "I entered @relentlessbride giveaway 4 yummy Sweet N Salty By Design @swtnsltybydsign 1/2 dz treats, have you? Enter here http://ow.ly/19I21" and leave a comment letting me know, that is an extra entry.
Winner must be in the continental USA and will be picked by random.
Make sure to follow both the Relentless Bride and Sweet N Salty By Design on Twitter and follow both the Relentless Bride and Sweet N Salty By Design on Facebook to stay updated on the winner!
February 21, 2010
BRAG Giveaway Winner
It's taken me longer than expected to announce the winner of this fabulous BRAG Giveaway, but without further ado...
Congrats Miss Kriss - make sure to contact me right away so i can put you in touch with the fabulous people at the Brag Company!
Congrats Miss Kriss - make sure to contact me right away so i can put you in touch with the fabulous people at the Brag Company!
February 19, 2010
Weekly Updates
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E! Entertainment Television is Casting Brides-To-Be for HOUSE OF BRIDES
Are you preparing for your wedding but you won’t walk down the aisle until you LOOK perfect??? There’s a solution.
HOUSE OF BRIDES, a new competition reality show for E! Entertainment Television, is casting engaged women who want to go through a total image transformation before the big day.
The winner will not only look great, but also win her dream wedding with the help of Hollywood’s top wedding professionals. Giving her and her wedding the full celebrity treatment.
If you are a bride-to-be who is willing to compete with other ambitious engaged women for the wedding of your dreams then HOUSE OF BRIDES is the show for you.
Casting Directors will be in the following cities, but are accepting applications nationwide!
Atlanta February 21- February 26
Miami February 27 – March 6
Chicago March 6 – March 15
San Francisco March 10 – March 19
Los Angeles February 16 – March 27
New York City February 16 – March 14
To be considered, please go to www.houseofbridescasting.com . There brides can fill out the application process for potential cast members. The show is open to any bride in any state. Participants must be over the age of 18.
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Each week, 20 lucky (and correct) guessers will win a Product of the Year, from 1990 through 2010!
Also, be sure to check out their facebook and twitter page.
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Make sure to check out this site and also check out her Facebook and Twitter Page.
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Lucky for Relentless Bride readers, Sweet N Salty By Design is offering 10% off (Discount code: SWEET2010) for any custom wedding favor order! Be sure to check out this site... i'm drooling already!
Stay tuned for an awesome giveaway from them soon!
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HAVE YOU RSVP'd?
Double Trouble Monogram
So i recently won my own customized Monogram from Double Trouble Designs via Carolina Bride . It was perfect timing b/c i needed to come up with a banner for my photobooth as well as figure out a GOBO design - and the monogram worked out well...
Isn't it cute:
It incorporates all our colors - the Charcoal and yellow with the Navy ampersand and dots :-)
I'll show you our banner as soon as i get a draft for our photobooth :)
Isn't it cute:
It incorporates all our colors - the Charcoal and yellow with the Navy ampersand and dots :-)
I'll show you our banner as soon as i get a draft for our photobooth :)
February 18, 2010
The Wedding Dance {She Said: Lesson 2&3}
I love to go dancing, but when i go - i hate when people freak up on you or invade your personal space. I think I kind of know why now... I am a CONTROL FREAK! Lol and I like to do my own thing - dance to the beat of my own drum if you will...
Lessons 2 & 3 proved to be challenging, yet very insightful. I feel more confident after those two lessons than i did after the first one and I can only think of one reason why ... I can dance to the sound of a beat but its hard for me to do it in slow motion or by a defined movement. Lesson 1 was doing basic moves... not to music and just to learn the most fundamentals of dancing... staying balanced, proper step techniques, shifting of balance, etc... I found myself stumbling and tripping and not feeling like I knew what i was doing. On top of which, i was told i need to give up control... LOL... um, yeah - i'm workin on that one.
The most recent lessons with Deborah, our uber cool and very awesome teacher from The Wedding Dance Specialists aka the best place to learn your wedding dance, were still filled with basic exercises but we also got to incorporate our music - so i think the excitement of formulating our first dance really got to me. I still stumbled through the basics of walking to the beat; whether it was a slow or quick, quick stop... and adding the claps and snaps didn't help. It was like asking me to walk and chew gum... i can't really do it too well if i'm thinking about it...
But when there is music... a beat, the sounds of instruments and beautiful lyrics... it is just a thoughtless gesture to feel the music. I was either tapping my foot, my hands against my thighs, or moving someway and i realized... YES! this is what i know... and instantly felt better and not as lost as the previous lesson. Now don't get me wrong - i wasn't a dancing queen, quite yet - but the familiarity of just doing a head bop to the music came back.
So, the harder part came with trying to combine all we've learned so far and adding it to our music. For me, i felt that it made everything else make sense... for FH, well, I don't think it was quite the same experience. The movements to a rhythm added with me in the mix, i think just made his head spin... that and perhaps, the lack of sleep and stress and tiredness from his work. But either way, his frustration was present and clear. I didn't know how to explain it to him other than "you play football, there are patterns and steps... you count. Sometimes those counts embody one step sometimes its two quick steps" hoping that would help - but it didn't quite fully...
I was so impressed by how serious he was and how intent he was to learn. Deborah and I took a break, during which time, he was still replaying the steps by himself... I'm almost afraid that he's trying so hard he'll miss the music itself... the flow... the feeling.
We still have a ways to go and with two lessons next week, i'm hoping we can improve some at home. This morning while we both got ready, i played our first dance song and asked him to hear the beats. He said he really couldn't discern them... i asked him to learn the song. memorize the words/tune/tempo... and instead of counting or thinking in terms of slows and quicks, to maybe use the feeling of the song with the lyrics as his internal metronome. Maybe if he can enjoy the song - it'll make dancing to it that much easier...
And yes... i still have to learn to let go of control - I am not there yet. but we still have two more lessons - so bear with me!
Stay tuned for more He Said, She Said from the next two lessons which will be our last two before the big day!
Lessons 2 & 3 proved to be challenging, yet very insightful. I feel more confident after those two lessons than i did after the first one and I can only think of one reason why ... I can dance to the sound of a beat but its hard for me to do it in slow motion or by a defined movement. Lesson 1 was doing basic moves... not to music and just to learn the most fundamentals of dancing... staying balanced, proper step techniques, shifting of balance, etc... I found myself stumbling and tripping and not feeling like I knew what i was doing. On top of which, i was told i need to give up control... LOL... um, yeah - i'm workin on that one.
The most recent lessons with Deborah, our uber cool and very awesome teacher from The Wedding Dance Specialists aka the best place to learn your wedding dance, were still filled with basic exercises but we also got to incorporate our music - so i think the excitement of formulating our first dance really got to me. I still stumbled through the basics of walking to the beat; whether it was a slow or quick, quick stop... and adding the claps and snaps didn't help. It was like asking me to walk and chew gum... i can't really do it too well if i'm thinking about it...
But when there is music... a beat, the sounds of instruments and beautiful lyrics... it is just a thoughtless gesture to feel the music. I was either tapping my foot, my hands against my thighs, or moving someway and i realized... YES! this is what i know... and instantly felt better and not as lost as the previous lesson. Now don't get me wrong - i wasn't a dancing queen, quite yet - but the familiarity of just doing a head bop to the music came back.
So, the harder part came with trying to combine all we've learned so far and adding it to our music. For me, i felt that it made everything else make sense... for FH, well, I don't think it was quite the same experience. The movements to a rhythm added with me in the mix, i think just made his head spin... that and perhaps, the lack of sleep and stress and tiredness from his work. But either way, his frustration was present and clear. I didn't know how to explain it to him other than "you play football, there are patterns and steps... you count. Sometimes those counts embody one step sometimes its two quick steps" hoping that would help - but it didn't quite fully...
I was so impressed by how serious he was and how intent he was to learn. Deborah and I took a break, during which time, he was still replaying the steps by himself... I'm almost afraid that he's trying so hard he'll miss the music itself... the flow... the feeling.
We still have a ways to go and with two lessons next week, i'm hoping we can improve some at home. This morning while we both got ready, i played our first dance song and asked him to hear the beats. He said he really couldn't discern them... i asked him to learn the song. memorize the words/tune/tempo... and instead of counting or thinking in terms of slows and quicks, to maybe use the feeling of the song with the lyrics as his internal metronome. Maybe if he can enjoy the song - it'll make dancing to it that much easier...
And yes... i still have to learn to let go of control - I am not there yet. but we still have two more lessons - so bear with me!
Stay tuned for more He Said, She Said from the next two lessons which will be our last two before the big day!
The Wedding Dance {He Said: Lesson 2 & 3}
Due to the massive snowstorms which wreaked havoc on the DC area, we had to postpone our second lesson with Deborah, our instructor at The Wedding Dance Specialists. We finally were able to reschedule, but with the wedding quickly approaching, we decided to do two lessons in one night. This seemed like a great idea at first, but after working long hours every day and all weekend, to put it lightly, I was exhausted before we even started. This led to some humorous comments as the night went on, most notably from Deborah "You are doing better now that you are comatose".
Anyway, after having to admit that I didnt do the "homework" after our first lesson, I need a quick refresher of what we had done 2 weeks earlier. That didnt take long and we jumped into the focus of our next lesson, which was to try and really hear the beat of the song. I think i now realize that I am tone deaf lol. Aside from that, we continued to work on getting the right pace down to our chosed first dance song. This was a lot more work that you'd imagine...or at least that I imagined. Deborah had us clap our hands and then snap our fingers to the alternating beats. This is not easy when you are unable to snap your fingers. The look on Deborah and Amy's faces when i said that was hilarious. I think they thought i was kidding at first. I wasnt. A quick google search reveals that I am not alone and there are in fact groups on facebook of people who are similarly challenged. I will not join such a group lol. I got my revenge when i called out Amy on the fact that no sound comes out when she claps her hands. Granted it was because she wasnt clapping very hard, but i still had to get a little revenge and mock her for that.
Back to the dancing. We continued to practice our pace of "slowwwww, quick, quick, slowwwwww, quick, quick". This was also much more difficult than it sounds. Especially when you are all legs like me, and have to consciously try to shorten your strides because your future wife has little tiny steps and can't step as far as you. I was having a very good time, as my competitive nature sees this whole dancing thing as a challenge, but even though i am enjoying it much more than i thought i would, i still want to learn to do it right. This led to comments from Amy like "could you look any more serious? this is supposed to be fun". I could have lots of fun and have a smile on my face, if i didnt care to try and actually learn what I am supposed to be doing. I will not be so stiff at the wedding, i sure hope, but for now i was just trying to learn as much as i could, so i was concentrating very hard. The music doesnt just "flow through me" like it does some people. I may even be tone deaf lol.
We eventually moved on to practicing how we would do our grand entrance and merge seeemlessly into our first dance. Deborah showed me what I had to do. I did it once with her. Then i tried with Amy. Yes, I quickly forgot what i was supposed to do. At this point i think i was just a zombie. After a few tries, we got it down pat...i think. Or I hope. We will see when we go back on Monday for our next lesson. Hopefully my muscles can remember what to do, because i think my brain was about shut down at that point.
In short, I am amazed at how much Deborah has been able to teach us in just a few lessons. I'm trying as hard as i can, and this feels like the most challenging thing i've ever done in my life short of the bar exam. But once i start something, i want to see it through and get it done right...so our next lesson Monday will hopefully add even more confidence and move us closer to our goal of pulling off a perfect first dance.
Stay tuned for the She Said portion of Lessons 2 & 3 and for more He Said, She Said from the next two lessons!
Anyway, after having to admit that I didnt do the "homework" after our first lesson, I need a quick refresher of what we had done 2 weeks earlier. That didnt take long and we jumped into the focus of our next lesson, which was to try and really hear the beat of the song. I think i now realize that I am tone deaf lol. Aside from that, we continued to work on getting the right pace down to our chosed first dance song. This was a lot more work that you'd imagine...or at least that I imagined. Deborah had us clap our hands and then snap our fingers to the alternating beats. This is not easy when you are unable to snap your fingers. The look on Deborah and Amy's faces when i said that was hilarious. I think they thought i was kidding at first. I wasnt. A quick google search reveals that I am not alone and there are in fact groups on facebook of people who are similarly challenged. I will not join such a group lol. I got my revenge when i called out Amy on the fact that no sound comes out when she claps her hands. Granted it was because she wasnt clapping very hard, but i still had to get a little revenge and mock her for that.
Back to the dancing. We continued to practice our pace of "slowwwww, quick, quick, slowwwwww, quick, quick". This was also much more difficult than it sounds. Especially when you are all legs like me, and have to consciously try to shorten your strides because your future wife has little tiny steps and can't step as far as you. I was having a very good time, as my competitive nature sees this whole dancing thing as a challenge, but even though i am enjoying it much more than i thought i would, i still want to learn to do it right. This led to comments from Amy like "could you look any more serious? this is supposed to be fun". I could have lots of fun and have a smile on my face, if i didnt care to try and actually learn what I am supposed to be doing. I will not be so stiff at the wedding, i sure hope, but for now i was just trying to learn as much as i could, so i was concentrating very hard. The music doesnt just "flow through me" like it does some people. I may even be tone deaf lol.
We eventually moved on to practicing how we would do our grand entrance and merge seeemlessly into our first dance. Deborah showed me what I had to do. I did it once with her. Then i tried with Amy. Yes, I quickly forgot what i was supposed to do. At this point i think i was just a zombie. After a few tries, we got it down pat...i think. Or I hope. We will see when we go back on Monday for our next lesson. Hopefully my muscles can remember what to do, because i think my brain was about shut down at that point.
In short, I am amazed at how much Deborah has been able to teach us in just a few lessons. I'm trying as hard as i can, and this feels like the most challenging thing i've ever done in my life short of the bar exam. But once i start something, i want to see it through and get it done right...so our next lesson Monday will hopefully add even more confidence and move us closer to our goal of pulling off a perfect first dance.
Stay tuned for the She Said portion of Lessons 2 & 3 and for more He Said, She Said from the next two lessons!
February 17, 2010
Transportation - CHECK!
I can knock this one off my list too... it took a while, but it is DONE! For some reason, my relentlessness is starting to wear on me ... b/c i want to research EVERYTHING until i am confident its the best decision but i'm starting to wonder if its worth my time.. LOL. Luckily the fact that i'm saving money according to my budget, helps me know its been paying off.
Our transportation is booked for the big day. Since we've got about 100 guests at the hotel, we needed to provide the proper shuttling to and fro the wedding venue. I had a hard time with this issue due to hourly minimums and high costs all the way around. I didn't want to pay for a shuttle to sit for 4-5 hrs doing nothing just b/c the minimum required was 5 hrs and my event needed 2 chunks of 3 hrs each... it was a mathematical debacle... but i finally found a great company to work with.
Best Chauffeured was recommended by another local company who just couldn't work within my budget with the vehicles she had. I called them and he was able to finagle a decent price and get me a game plan approach to shuttling my guests without wasting money due to the hourly minimums. The one thing Todd did say to me in our first conversation was this: We may not be the cheapest, but i guarantee our service is the best around...
That really stuck with me... last thing i need is a 100 guests stranded with no transport the day of. Or almost as bad, bad service. This sets the tone for the day and reliable, prompt and efficient service is important.
Figuring out the transportation for the big day also forced me to sit down and start thinking logistically 1) what time do we start getting ready? 2) what time do we take before pics 3) what time MUST guests be ready to be picked up... and more...
so PHEW! A huge huge check off my list... and in case you were wondering how we did this:
To the Venue:
1-35 Pax mini coach (3hr block) to start service with taking wedding party to before pics/venue and return for a pick up at the hotel (30 minutes each way)
1-55 pax Motor coach to also do a one way (transfer rate) from hotel to venue.
To the Hotel:
1- 35 Pax to start shuttling service at 9:30 for older or more tired guests and will return for the last pick up around 11pm.
1 - 55 Pax to do a one way from venue to hotel at 11pm.
Sounds simple... but the options were crazy and we were able to save about 200 dollars off the overall costs!
What are you doing for transportation? Was this an area your expectations for cost and value were met? Or were you surprised like me at the normal market rates?
Our transportation is booked for the big day. Since we've got about 100 guests at the hotel, we needed to provide the proper shuttling to and fro the wedding venue. I had a hard time with this issue due to hourly minimums and high costs all the way around. I didn't want to pay for a shuttle to sit for 4-5 hrs doing nothing just b/c the minimum required was 5 hrs and my event needed 2 chunks of 3 hrs each... it was a mathematical debacle... but i finally found a great company to work with.
Best Chauffeured was recommended by another local company who just couldn't work within my budget with the vehicles she had. I called them and he was able to finagle a decent price and get me a game plan approach to shuttling my guests without wasting money due to the hourly minimums. The one thing Todd did say to me in our first conversation was this: We may not be the cheapest, but i guarantee our service is the best around...
That really stuck with me... last thing i need is a 100 guests stranded with no transport the day of. Or almost as bad, bad service. This sets the tone for the day and reliable, prompt and efficient service is important.
Figuring out the transportation for the big day also forced me to sit down and start thinking logistically 1) what time do we start getting ready? 2) what time do we take before pics 3) what time MUST guests be ready to be picked up... and more...
so PHEW! A huge huge check off my list... and in case you were wondering how we did this:
To the Venue:
1-35 Pax mini coach (3hr block) to start service with taking wedding party to before pics/venue and return for a pick up at the hotel (30 minutes each way)
1-55 pax Motor coach to also do a one way (transfer rate) from hotel to venue.
To the Hotel:
1- 35 Pax to start shuttling service at 9:30 for older or more tired guests and will return for the last pick up around 11pm.
1 - 55 Pax to do a one way from venue to hotel at 11pm.
Sounds simple... but the options were crazy and we were able to save about 200 dollars off the overall costs!
What are you doing for transportation? Was this an area your expectations for cost and value were met? Or were you surprised like me at the normal market rates?
February 16, 2010
OOT Welcome Boxes
For our out of town guests, we are providing little welcome boxes upon their arrival... instead of the traditional bags, we're doing Gable boxes... I'm envisioning a look like this (Image borrowed from Beau-Coup):
But i needed a bigger gable box, and found the perfect one at Paper Mart (with the serious help and guidance of Paola!!!).
So here's what i got... (images all via Paper Mart)
And i personalized this label from Beau-Coup:
But i needed a bigger gable box, and found the perfect one at Paper Mart (with the serious help and guidance of Paola!!!).
So here's what i got... (images all via Paper Mart)
And i personalized this label from Beau-Coup:
Starburst Design in Grey
and of course, to scroll tie these suckers:
I got this navy twine:
Yay! FINALLY... my OOT welcome boxes are done! I've been sitting on this task, debating colors and this and that for over 2 weeks - what a relief to be able to say it is done! :)
February 15, 2010
My Vistaprint loot
So, i know i've mentioned this, but i'm a HUGE fan of free stuff... so when i get these emails from Vistaprint telling me i can get free stuff, i go a little nuts... check out all this cool stuff I got recently!!!
Not to mention address labels...even super cute "just married" labels!!! Ok... i spend too much time on their site... but when its free or super cheap, its almost too good to pass up! LOL!!!
Notecards: figured they are cute from the newly married and (legalized) family that we've become!
Sticky note pads... yes how cute, right?!
Personalized pen to have our guests sign our guest book!
Business cards that will be used to remind our guests how to easily share their photos with us!
Personalized letterhead that we will use for our welcome notes to our OOT guests!
"Commemorative" 2010 Calendar with our pro-engagement photos!
Desk Calendar
With our wedding date prefilled in ... :)
Album for our guests to look at to be placed at the escort card table!
Not to mention address labels...even super cute "just married" labels!!! Ok... i spend too much time on their site... but when its free or super cheap, its almost too good to pass up! LOL!!!
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