The time is here, the time is now

As I sit in my hotel room with hot rollers in my hair, I can't believe that the day is already here (and passing by in the blink of an eye). Today is the day! The day that I've been planning for almost a year...the day I have been talking about to every single person who has wanted to hear about it (or heck...those who probably haven't wanted to hear about it too...).

I feel like the day is going to pass by too quickly. I've already been awake for 6 hours, and I am trying to take in every moment; a mental picture of each and every experience that I go through during this day. Mommy Buttons has already been to the venue...she reports that it looks spectacular. I can't wait to see it.

This week hasn't been without its setbacks though...we've had some major issues and ulcer-inducing stress come into play. But, I'm here to tell you that everything DID work out in the end; the world has a way of working itself out. And, somehow I've been able to keep my head on straight.

I'm anxious. I'm excited. I'm a little bit nervous. But, somehow I'm extremely calm (for now). I can't wait to marry Mr. Buttons this evening. I can hardly believe I was lucky enough to snatch him up off the beach that fated fall day. I love him so much.

To all of you in the hive: thank you so much for sharing the journey with me. I have appreciated your kind words and support more than you could know. I am so excited to share my experiences with you (and...to show you what I've been up to the past 2 weeks or so). I'll see you all on the other side!

Make me beautiful...

One of the more difficult aspects of living a distance away from your wedding location is that it is sometimes hard to make appointments or set trial sessions for certain wedding details! It isn't easy to taste cakes, to hear a band play live, or to have a hair or makeup trial from long distance!

Since I didn't have time to find a makeup artist before I moved to Virginia last fall, I had to do it once I returned to Florida. Yes, I was cutting it close, but sometimes I work well under pressure! In my search, I came across Camposecco Artistry, and I requested more information. After speaking with Donna, we set up a time for a makeup trial!

A few weeks ago, Mommy Buttons and I met up with Donna at her home studio. And...she proceeded to make me look absolutely stunning!

We started with airbrush foundation. I had never been airbrushed before, and I really enjoyed it! Aside from the fact that it sprayed me with cold blasts of air (it is HOT here in Florida right now), it went on very smoothly and did not feel heavy at all!

She brushed translucent powder under my eyes to catch the remnants of eye makeup as she applied it. And, because I love you all so much, I'm going to show you a photo. This is frightening...

I was in awe of how amazing my eyes turned out in the end; they were dramatic yet still understated and romantic.

We also tested out fake eyelashes; I think they really gave the look a nice pop!

After the makeup trial was complete, I found myself longing for a hair trial as well. It was clear from the makeup trial that Donna understood the vision I had for my bridal look, and I wanted to see what she could do with my hair as well! She was kind enough to oblige me, and promptly got to work.

We went for a low chignon, placed off center. On the day of the wedding, Donna will add some "extra" hair to the chignon for a fuller effect. I loved it; the look was simple, chic, and it still looked like me!

I thought the complete transformation with both hair and makeup was fabulous! I couldn't stop staring at myself when I walked into the bathroom (or any other room with a mirror, or a car window, or any other reflective surface, for that matter). I took a few photos at night before I took my hair down and washed my face...still lookin good!

I can't wait to see myself in full wedding gloriousness on the big day!

Did you have a successful hair/makeup trial? Did he/she understand your vision for bridal beauty?

I'm in love...with my florist...

I'm just going to come right out and say it: I'm totally in love with our florist! Wait, correction...BOTH Mommy Buttons and I are in love!

After I won $500 in flowers from another florist, I was feeling a little pressured to book them for the wedding day. However, something just wasn't clicking completely, and I couldn't figure out what it was (well, that and the fact that the store reneged on their $500 prize because I wanted to purchase bulk flowers and arrange them myself...ugh, but that is another story for another day). So, I decided to at least look into a few other options before I made my final decision. I found The Bride's Bouquet on Carlouel's preferred vendor list, and I gave them a call. Thankfully, they were still available for our wedding date, so I set up a meeting. Mommy Buttons and I met up with Debbie and we talked flowers for an hour or two. She was SO nice, very knowledgeable, and had a ton of ideas to help with my vision. She really "got" the vision/theme that I am hoping to achieve for the wedding.

And...do you want to know my absolute FAVORITE thing about Debbie? The flower contract includes a flower preview! On Friday afternoon before the wedding, I will be able to drive to her shop to see all of our bouquets, boutonnieres, etc. all ready to go! It will also allow for changes to be made/ rearranging to occur. And, I will be able to have peace of mind knowing that everything will be gorgeous for the big day! Woo hoo! In the end, after taking a look at her price quotes, we quickly realized that The Bride's Bouquet was extremely reasonable. We booked Debbie as our florist on the spot!

Last week, we all got together again to go over our order/fine tune the details. I can't wait to see everything! Here's a little sneak preview of what will be included in our flowers:

• The mantle where we will be having our ceremony in front of will be filled with blush pink peonies and garden roses, as well as greenery and large white pillar candles. The other two mantles in the club will be filled with greenery and the large white pillar candles

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• The curly willow branches hanging in the dining room will be filled with small poufs of baby's breath throughout
• For the ceremony set up, every third chair on each side of the aisle will be tied with a pouf of baby's breath
  

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• Bride's bouquet: blush pink peonies, blush pink garden roses, and coral bell foliage (similar to this photo)

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• Bridesmaid bouquets: Originally, I wanted to recreate these bouquets:
  

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I was obsessed with the pink anemones (aren't they pretty?). Then, my beautiful friend and fellow bride K (aka kjpugs) got married in March. Her bouquet was stunning, wasn't it?

Oh, and it is unrelated, but seriously...how freaking CUTE are these photos? Ok...I digress...

Erin Hession

However, she did show/tell me that her anemones completely wilted over the course of the day. Ouch! Debbie assured me that this would not happen with my flowers, but in order to ease my mind, I decided to eliminate them. So, the bridesmaids will be carrying a similar bouquet containing blush pink garden roses, pink lisianthus, some cymbidium orchids, seeded eucalyptus, and some creamy colored stock.

• Boutonnieres: single ivory ranunculus (Mr. Buttons will have 2)
  

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• Mommy Buttons will carry a small tussy mussy filled with ivory ranunculus
• Corsages for MIL/grandmothers: these will vary to match their dresses
• Cocktail hour: tables outside will be set with a wine carafe filled with blush pink garden roses and greenery

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• Reception tables: each table will have 2-3 vases filled with poufs of baby's breath. After hearing Debbie's extremely reasonable quote, we decided to forego the DIY centerpieces. We will be delivering the vases to her, and she will make them beautiful. AND Mommy Buttons won't be stressed out. Win-win!

I am literally about to burst with excitement at the prospect of seeing my wedding day flowers! Thankfully, I only have a little more than a week to wait!

Were you in love with your florist/flowers/etc?

Miss Buttons on the beach: a sneak peek

What happens when you combine Miss Buttons, Mr. Stiletto's amazing photography skills, and the beach?

Gloriousness, I tell you!


I'll be sure to post a few more photos/speak about our awesome day of photography fun, but since Mr. Buttons isn't allowed to see them until the wedding...unfortunately - neither can you!


I had such a wonderful time working with Mr. Stiletto; even though we hadn't met prior to the day of our shoot it felt like we were old friends by the end of the afternoon! And, even though I was prancing around in a bikini in front of a camera, it was definitely not as awkward as I thought it would be (well, it was a little awkward). Anyway, I wouldn't leave you hanging without a teaser or two (don't worry, Mr. Buttons has already sneaked a peek at these)!


All images courtesy of Steve Koo Photography

And...although it was an extremely brief encounter, I did get to meet up with Mrs. Stiletto at the end of the afternoon to say hello! She was getting ready for a friend's wedding - doesn't she look nice?

Did you do a boudoir session of some kind? How did it go?

The Buttons' Beach House

The Button Bachelorette Party is taking place a few days before our wedding. At the moment, I am in the dark as to what is planned for the two days my bridesmaids and I are spending together. But, one thing I am aware of and excited about is our accommodations!

We are all going to be staying in an absolutely fabulous house right on Clearwater Beach! And...by right on the beach, I really do mean it...see?

The house has three bedrooms and a loft; it can sleep up to ten people. The bridesmaids and I will be able to wake up, sit on the big porch, eat breakfast, and lounge around.

I anticipate that we will have a lot of catching up to do (some of us haven't seen each other in YEARS...I haven't seen BM L since 2007 - seriously!).

I'm really excited that we will all be in the house together; we can relax, cook our own food, and enjoy each others' company. I'm sure there might be a few other "activities" planned though...time will tell!

And...if anyone gets a little too crazy...this is where they will be staying for the night...haha ;)

Did you have a low key bachelorette party, or have a wild night out on the town?

I hope our guests are wearing stretchy pants...

Well, its official. Our wedding is going to be an eating extravaganza. Yep. An all night marathon of food. I hope our guests are preparing for this in advance...

Mommy Buttons and I had a final (hopefully) meeting with Carlouel last week. I swear, each time we leave from one of our venue meetings, my mom and I couldn't be in a better mood. Everything about our experience with Carlouel has been a dream. And the menu is no exception.

Remember our first tasting? Well, guess what...we...nixed...everything...
After ruminating about our first tasting's selections, Mommy and Daddy Buttons brainstormed with me on what we would love to have at the reception. We were searching for variety, fresh foods, and a lot of different flavor profiles. After collaborating with Chuck, we were able to come up with what I consider to be a pretty amazing menu.

Get ready to start drooling...now...

Appetizers: Our guests will step outside for our cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony. They will be able to enjoy the following:

• Crudite table set up with crackers, cheese, fruit, smoked fish spread, and artichoke dip
• Lobster stuffed baby portabella mushrooms
• Parmesan cups filled with grilled mixed vegetables
• Caprese salad kabobs: 6" skewers with buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and basil marinated in balsamic

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• Open faced grouper sandwiches
• Poolside grill will be cooking kobe beef sliders to order

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After the cocktail hour, guests will move inside to their reception table. Salad will be served at their seat.

Salad: spring mix with carmelized pecans, gorgonzola, and craisins. The salad will be dressed with my mom's recipe for honey lime vinegarette

We will then open up the five tasting stations for dinner. Each station will serve a small plate of food (salad plate size), and guests will be able to take one plate, sit at their table, and come back for multiple tastings. The stations are as follows:

• Baby grilled rack of lamb with a light herb seasoning, served with tzatziki sauce, rosemary roasted red skin potatoes, and asparagus

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• Stir fry: choice of chicken, pork, or shrimp. Served with stir fry vegetables, sticky rice, and chopsticks
  

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• Chilean sea bass, served with julienne vegetables. Guests will have a choice of chimmichurri sauce or mango salsa
• 5oz petite filet mignon, served with a spinach souffle and au gratin potatoes
• Mixed veggies (black beans, corn, tomatoes, green pepper) and chicken, served in a homemade taco shell bowl, topped with cilantro, guacamole, cheese, and salsa
  

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About 45 minutes after dinner is complete, we will cut the cake. It will be served on a table with a coffee service and the following desserts:

• Mixed berry tarts
  

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• Mini key lime pies

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• Assorted cookies: chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and white chocolate macadamia nut

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At this point, guests might think that the night is over and they can be wheeled out to their cars; most likely with their pant buttons unbuttoned to accomodate all of the food they just ate. But wait...there is one more detail to our menu for the evening...

A french fry bar!
I really liked the idea of having a "late night eating encounter," and so we added one on! We will be serving:

• Fresh made french fries in paper boats
• Condiments: ketchup, malt vinegar, season salt, nacho/melted cheese, bacon bits, green onions, jalapenos, and sour cream
  

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• Chocolate milk shake shooters!!!!

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When Chuck suggested the french fry bar, I think my brain went into wedding bliss overload. Whenever I have a night of drinking, I usually start craving greasy food: pizza, french fries...perhaps a pot of Kraft mac n cheese. To me, this will be the perfect ending to our evening; I hope our guests will enjoy the surprise (or, lack of surprise if any of them happen to be reading this)!

So...are you full just thinking about the amount of food that will be served at the Buttons' wedding??? I sure am!

What is your favorite item on your wedding menu? Are you adding any late night treats for your guests?

Wedding cake: Take 3

In my previous cake-related post, I was pretty frustrated with the entire cake designing process. Since we were only about a month and some change out from the wedding date at that point, panic had officially set in. Must...find...baker...NOW!

I consulted various wedding vendor directories for my area, and frantically sent out emails/inquiry forms to about a dozen, hoping that they would be available on my date! After sending out the S.O.S.'s, I sat back on the couch for a moment of respite. About 20 minutes later, my phone rang. It was one of the bakers, returning my inquiry...talk about a quick response! She was very sweet on the phone, and we set up a meeting for later on in the week.

On the day of the tasting, Mr. Buttons, Mommy Buttons, and I met up at The East Lake Cafe, which is where Cakes by Nomeda is located. The cafe is only open for breakfast and lunch, so when Nomeda met us at the door, we had the restaurant to ourselves. We sat down around the table, and she presented us each with a plate full of FOURTEEN different cake samples!

I instantly began to drool at the impending deliciousness.

Nomeda makes both American and European cakes. At first, I was confused; I had no idea about this! But, once we started to taste them, we could detect the difference in texture between the two. You are most likely familiar with American cakes (I think...). However, in comparison, the European cakes were denser and had a smoother texture to them. Both were delicious though! I'm sure you are curious to know the different flavors we tasted! They are as follows, starting at the top and working clockwise around the plate:

American cakes:

Chocolate with toffee creme

Chocolate kahlua creme

Red velvet

Vanilla with vanilla buttercream

European cakes:

Signature cake (it features nuts as a layer; you can choose pecans, macadamia nuts, etc.)

European chocolate cake

Hummingbird cake (a spice cake with pineapple and pecans)

Champagne cake with strawberry creme

Amaretto creme

Orange creme

Lemon creme

Raspberry creme

Mango creme

Vanilla creme

We worked our way around the plate, eating half of each sample so that we could go back a second time to re-try any that we liked. We instantly eliminated the berry creme-related flavors, as the three of us all tend to gravitate towards the richer flavors (I'm a fiend for chocolate). All of us loved the hummingbird flavor; it was one of the most unique cake flavors I have ever had, but it was absolutely to die for! It reminded me of coffee cake almost (it features pecans, pineapple, and banana; it is a southern cake). Although, it did come with a higher price tag per slice than some of the other flavors. After finishing the samples, we each shared which flavor was our favorite. Mr. Buttons quickly stated that the amaretto was his, and Mommy Buttons liked the chocolate kahlua creme. I was stuck between the hummingbird cake and the chocolate toffee creme. Thankfully, the cake flavor only has to be solidified a week or two before the wedding, so we had time to think about it at this point before making decisions!

After tasting the cake, it was time to discuss the design! We paged through Nomeda's HUGE book of previous cakes; there were so many lovely cakes that she has made in the past! At that point, I pulled out my design inspiration picture, along with my cake topper:

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I took a deep breath, expecting a similar response to the previous baker. Instead, I was met with excitement! Nomeda informed us that she has had 2 years of training in specialty lacework for cakes, and that creating a design similar to my inspiration would be an awesome challenge for her! After inspecting the design, she told us that she would make the lace design itself out of fondant, instead of piping it on the cake. When it is time to cut the cake, the lace can be pulled off easily. Awesome! We decided that the lace work should be in white, and the cake itself should be a beige/champagne colored fondant to match the tree on our cake topper. I know, some of you may be thinking, "yuck...fondant tastes awful," but guess what? Nomeda imports white chocolate fondant from Switzerland. It is rolled out to be only about as thick as a few sheets of paper, and it tastes good! Typically, bakeries use a sugar fondant which is thicker, tougher, and might not be pleasant to taste. I was so happy to hear that the fondant on our cake would be edible!

Then came the issue of pricing. I was on pins and needles to hear the quote, because after pricing out the previous bakeries, I was starting to realize how incredibly expensive wedding cakes can be! However, I was incredibly surprised (in a good way!)! Nomeda charges a very reasonable price per serving for her cakes, and she DOESN'T charge any extra fees for her design work. SCORE! On the way home from our meeting, Mommy Buttons and I stopped by Publix to price out the same size of cake, just for a comparison. Guess what...the same size cake at Publix would have been around $100 more (and you have to select your design from a book)! I couldn't believe it.

So...as you can probably deduce...our deposit was in the mail ASAP! I am really looking forward to working with Nomeda, and I can't wait to see how the cake turns out on the wedding day!

Did you taste any unique cake types/flavors at your tastings? What flavor(s) are you hoping to select/did you select?