Bridesmaid shoes: the hunt

It is official: I get hung up over the most ridiculous things when it comes to wedding planning.

I think it is perfectly understandable when a bride-to-be frets over the bridesmaid dress selection process. There are so many options, so many colors, so many styles...it can be a daunting task! Well, if you recall, I made that particular decision rather quickly. Remember these?

J Crew

It was easy peasy to select these dresses...and I quickly moved on to planning other aspects of the day. I wasn't concerned with jewelry, as I tend to like subdued things (aka I'll probably just have them all wear pearls in whatever way, shape, and form that they want).

Oh but wait...what about their feet?

SCREEEEEEEEECH. The bridesmaid attire train (which had previously been speeding down the tracks) halted to an abrupt stop.

Initial impressions from some people; "have them wear gold or silver shoes."

That would be the easy and simple route, wouldn't it? I will admit, I pondered this for a short time, but to be really 100% honest, I was not feeling it. I don't even own a pair of gold shoes (or silver) myself...I guess they really aren't my thing?

I emailed the Button Bridesmaids and asked them to send me photos of any and all shoes that they owned that would match the dress. My thoughts were as follows: if everyone has something that will work, and they will somewhat coordinate, then that would be awesome!

Well, that was wishful thinking on my part, because it didn't work. Only 2 of the 4 actually owned shoes that would look appropriate with the dress. Darn it! Well, at least I tried, right?

Resigned, I started to hunt more vigorously online and in stores for something that made my heart skip a beat. The first question I tackled: what color shoes do I want? Originally, I was set on green...but upon further inspection, I realized that locating the appropriate color of green shoes in stores was almost asking the impossible. Oh, I could find some amazing green shoes...don't get me wrong...but they usually carried a price tag of over $100, or were so hard to track down that I wasn't unsure if we would be able to find a pair for each of the bridesmaids!

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Sigh...I wish...

My next venture was to investigate dyeable shoes. I visited both Payless and David's Bridal to test out a few pairs and view their color selections. I was happy to find that both stores carried a beautiful grassy green hue. BUT, when I tried on the different styles, I was underwhelmed by the cuteness factor, and actually a little bit in pain.

All images from David's Bridal

There were a few shoes that I thought had promise, but when I walked around in a few of them, my typically tough feet were feeling a bit sore...darn it all! As much as I was hoping that they would work, the dyeable shoes were nixed.

Ok, so what in the world was I going to do?!?! As the days whizzed by, I was really unsure if I would ever find the perfect shoe(s) for my bridesmaids...

Did you select shoes for your bridesmaids, or did they go on a hunt themselves?

A pillow for our ring bearer

Sometimes the tiniest details involved with the wedding day can turn into my favorites!

Do you want to see what I mean?

I hadn't put much thought into my ring bearer pillow until recently...I figured I'd DIY one when the wedding date drew closer. I'm such a slacker! But then, by some stroke of luck, BusyButtons came into my life...

It is only a coincidence that we share a "button" moniker, but I have to think that destiny brought us together for that very reason...

Go check out Tracy's (aka BusyButtons) Etsy shop and see the beautiful custom ring pillows she creates! I know you'll love them just as much as I do...

We created mine to match my wedding colors; I sent along a picture of the bridesmaid dresses and the groomsmen's ties as a reference, and this is what Tracy came up with!

I love the little lace flowers, and the blue buttons/green ribbon match extremely well with the bridal party attire!

I can't wait to see our ring bearer carrying this down the aisle! He'll be oh so very precious!

Did you get really excited about a small detail involved in your wedding day?

Continued registry drama...

Come on now hive, you didn't think my registry problems ended with unwanted items appearing on my list, did you??? Nah, that would have been toooooo easy!

Mommy Buttons and I made a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond so that she could help me finish my registry. I wanted her opinions on pots and pans, as well as a few other items. And, she thought that my registry was pretty dismal...so I obliged and added to it slightly (I'm still a "registry rebel," don't get me wrong...). We spent over an hour walking the aisles, picking out kitchen gadgets, some more sheet sets, and cookware. When we finished, I turned my scanner in to the customer service rep...and once again we were on our merry way (sound familiar???).

The following day, I log on to the registry website to show Mr. Buttons what we added. When I pulled up the list, none of the items I had registered for were there...it was the same as before. Frustrated, I just closed the laptop and told Mr. Buttons that it must take 24 hours for the items to appear, so we would check again the next day.

Well, the next morning I log back in to the registry, and again...no new items. I got on the phone with the store and asked them how long it takes for items to appear. The woman on the phone informed me that they should have been up by the time I got home the night I had been in the store.

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Crap! Where did my items go!?!?!

The customer service rep quickly became uncomfortable (probably because I started rambling on about how every registry I've made has problems...), and she put the store manager on the phone. I explained the case of the missing registry items, and he assured me that they would figure it out, but that I would most likely have to come in to the store again and re-scan everything. At that point, I could feel my heart sink down to my toes. This was just my luck; I had painstakingly walked through the store and selected these items, and now I would have to do it again?!?! And, I'd have to do it immediately, because my bridal shower is quickly approaching, and guests had already started purchasing items...

After a few phone calls to my mom and Mr. Buttons, as well as some frantic Tweets, I jumped in the car and headed in to the store.

Don't worry hive...this does have a happy ending!

When I arrived at the store, the manager came out to speak with me, and luckily had some answers! Come to find out, the girl who has given me the scanning gun at the counter had me scanning SOMEONE ELSE'S REGISTRY. So, that person had all of my items added to theirs. Luckily, that particular person with the same name as me was married back in 2008. But, come on customer service lady! I can't believe that she missed that the wedding date was in the PAST! Anyway, they were able to extract the exact items that I had selected, and then they transferred them back to my registry. HUGE sigh of relief. I do have to commend the manager of Bed Bath & Beyond for how nice he was during this debacle...MUCH better than the "oh I'm sorry but we really can't do anything" that I got from Target. No one had to lose an arm or a leg...I didn't turn into a scary monster of a person...and the problem was fixed! I like it when that happens...

So, for now...my registries are in a state of harmony...key phrase = for now...

Has your registry pulled a Houdini on you?

Pintuck perfection

Remember when I was head over heels in love with pintuck linens? And, after receiving a price quote for rentals, I was slightly broken hearted?

Well, I am broken hearted no longer!

When I found out that I would have to shell out $35 a piece for the linens, the little gears in my head began to turn...surely there would be a more inexpensive option...could I buy some? Could I make them myself? I took a trip to JoAnn Fabrics to investigate their fabric selection.

Left: JoAnn's fabric, Right: linen sample

Bingo! I came across a fabric that was very similar in color and texture to the sample that the linen company gave me...AND it was very affordable (with a coupon, only about $2.00 a yard). I had a small swatch cut, which I then sent to...Grandma Buttons! Why hadn't I thought about this before? Grandma Buttons is a wonderful seamstress (is that the proper title?), and I knew that she'd be able to help me out. Sure enough, she had some good news! After receiving the fabric sample, she tried out the pintuck and sent it to me!

Grandma Buttons' sample is the large piece; the linen rental sample is in front...pretty nice match, wouldn't you say?

Oh yes, this will do just wonderfully. Right now, the plan is to make the tablecloths with 4 inch square pintucks instead of the 2 inch ones that the sample came in. I think it will give the same visual impact on the tables, but will take Grandma Buttons much less time!

Grandma Buttons is going to complete a sample tablecloth and send it to me so that I can test it at our venue before we go into full production, but I cannot wait to see how this turns out!

Did you have a family member or friend that came out of the woodwork to help you with something?

Tampa Bay area meetup: it DID happen!

Left (bottom to top of photo): BossLady, Teal, and august15bride

Right: Miss Rainbow, sevoge02, (a very scared-looking) Mr. Buttons, Miss Buttons

Oh heyyyy there everyone...remember when I said that the Tampa Bay area bees were having a meetup? Remember when I said I had just moved back to Florida? Yeah...I was the punk who took photos and then couldn't find my camera cord (which was in a box labeled "kitchen," do not ask me how that happened) to load them onto my computer until today.

So, Tampa Bay area hive members, please forgive the delay!

A lovely group of us met up at the Bahama Breeze on a Friday night. The restaurant was absolutely packed, but we all managed to squeeze into a booth and proceed to chat and eat! Well, that was AFTER a few girls (who will remain unnamed) almost joined the table of ladies having a bachelorette party a few feet away! Hey, the girl was wearing a veil...easy mistake...right?

BossLady, Teal, and august15bride

Miss Buttons, sevoge02, and Miss Rainbow

We all had a fun time chatting about wedding-related things, blogging, and proceeded to make Mr. Buttons a bit uncomfortable (how to maneuver going to the bathroom on your wedding day?). Yeah, he gets major major brownie points for being such a good sport. In my defense, I told him he didn't have to come and sit with a bunch of ladies...

I had such a fun time hanging out with everyone! Hopefully we will get another Tampa Bay area meetup scheduled soon for those of you who had to miss out on this one!

Light it Up!

If you’re not already following along with the creation of my centerpieces…first I accumulated my vases, then I went through a trial run with the baby’s breath.

Next, I assembled a few samples!

In addition to my vase-purchasing frenzy, I also cleared TJ Maxx and Marshalls on any and all of these adorable little bird figurines. I now have a rather sizeable flock!

I wanted to create the ambiance/arrangement that we will have the evening of the wedding. Ideally, the lighting will be low and the reception tables will be illuminated with votives. Perhaps like this?

Aren’t the little birds adorable?

I plan to use one tall vase and one short vase in the arrangement. I’ll add a bird on one side, and the table number/letter on the other. Votives will be scattered around the table.

So…what do you think? Did you have an easy time turning your visions into reality for your reception tables?

How Do You Know?

I stumbled across the move “Enchanted” on TV the other day, and was inspired by one of my favorite moments. I love the scene where Giselle breaks into the song “That’s How You Know.” It never fails to make me smile. And today, I got to thinking of the multitude or reasons how I know Mr. Buttons loves me…

He washes the dishes, pots, and pans after we eat dinner.

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He buys me ice cream (lots and lots of it).

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He is happy just sitting on the couch with me.

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He buys me flowers (sometimes “just because”).

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He wears outfits because I mentioned that I like how he looks in them.

He always tells me I look pretty before we leave to go somewhere.

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He lets me control the TV remote (I know…ridiculous, right?).

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So…how do YOU know?