Be My Maid?

Now that they've each received their gift in the mail, I can share my "bridesmaid booklets."
Again, these photos were taken with my iPhone, so the lighting and color is a little odd. Not the best quality photos, but the only ones I have now that the booklets are "gone"--distributed to the girls!

I wanted to something special for them, after all each girl is a very special and very close friend. Also, I wanted to "officially" ask. After looking at several different bridesmaid gift ideas, I came up with the booklets. I combined the idea of the "can't say I do without you" message with the card-momento booklets that I have seen on Pinterest.....and came up with my bridesmaid booklets.

I made four total and am currently working on another, slightly different one for my MOH. My sister.
Here are a few pictures.

The pages of the booklets combined my favorite photographs with sweet sayings.

Three of the booklets bound and tied with ribbon.

Weekend Treasure

The weekends are going to be my new blog-updating time. Saturday mornings are so nice and lazy (when I'm not working on my bachelor's thesis...ugh! Why Piedmont requires one, I don't know). I'm going to designate them the "AmpnAbi" hour.

Yesterday, Mom and I discovered a tiny treasaure trove: 13 metal lanterns! For an incredbly reasonable price. Thanks to Pinterest and The Knot, I have plenty of lantern-decorating ideas.
Here's a sneak peek at our find. The rainy overcast skies created some weird lighting--so unfortunately color is hard to ascertain. But, you can get an idea. They come in three shapes.


This may be my favorite shape




The tiny lantern




The big lantern



Also, here's a sneak peek at some decorating ideas. I've been collecting magazine clippings and pinning ideas like mad on Pinterest and The Knot websites. Both of which are a not unpleasant distraction these days from schoolwork. Obviously, these are not my wedding colors. Just ideas.

If used indoors

If used outdoors

Hope you enjoyed the peeks at my planning! I won't be sharing too many--because I don't want to give away every detail of the day. However, I just couldn't contain my excitment over these lanterns.

In the Cold

Over the Martin Luther King break, I drove up to Virginia to meet Mark half-way at his parents house. Although temperatures in the valley were below freezing, we decided to brave our favorite hike one more time.  Sharp Top at the Peaks of Otter, once thought to be the highest peak in Virginia due to its intimidating profile. A little cold never stops us (although it does make me whine a little, I have to admit).
These photographs were taken by Laura Beth Lindsey, Mark's cousin and one of my closest friends. She was smart enough to actually bring her camera along on the hike. You can tell from our excessive layers that it was pretty chilly out that morning.

Mark and I at the peak



The boys bouldering



Laura Beth and I



On the cabin roof



Venue

Well...I bought my Iphone sometime at the beginning of last semester....and it only took me until January to figure out how to set up my email. The sad thing is: I can explicate Bakhtin, Plato, and Derrida in my Literary Criticism class, but I simply can't perform the simple task of emailing myself from a smart-phone.
Lord help me. Are we sure I'm ready to get married...?
 Just because I'm young does not mean I am technologically capable.
Anyway.

I am now able to share photographs of our venue with you!
The "quest" for that perfect spot was less difficult than I imagined. Of course, we ran into a few of those outrageous places who apparently take exceptional pride in the quality of their establishment. One rustic location in Cleveland loved their venue to the tune of $12,000 for 75 guests...that's not including chair, tables, or any set-up assistance. Mom and I on the phone: "Surely I misheard you? Oh...oh you're serious... Well, have a nice day!"  Mark's immediate family alone totals 75 people. We could've been married there, of course. I could've had the barn wedding, replete with organza-draped rafters...but only the groom's family could have attended. Here comes the bride! Sorry, she's a cardboard cutout. The real one couldn't afford to be here today.

We called several differnet places but prices and strange stipulations (No, you absolutely have to serve alcohol at our venue! But please! We don't want to! No, its included in the price, it'll be there whether you want it or not.) stopped us at every turn.
That's when the light-bulb came on.

What about the community house? Now, I know what you're thinking: its going to be a banquet hall with drop-ceiling and scruffy carpet. No. Surprisingly, our tiny Southern town has one of the most beautiful community centers I have ever seen. Built in the 1930s by the WPA, the Cornelia Community House is a gem: a large stone lodge that has as much (or more) character than any expensive Atlanta (or Cleveland!) venue.

And the cost? For a fraction of the price of the other venues, we rented the location for two full days.
Success, I think yes!

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

Spending the holidays with Mark's family in Virginia put a temporary halt on my blog postings, but I have returned!

Flying to Dulles was an adventure in itself. After spending four hours at Hartsfield-Jackson, I finally made it to Washington, D.C. During the delay, my cellphone died so my poor fiancee had no clue that the flight was going to be late. He sat at baggage claim from 10:30 to 1 am and somehow still was happy to see me! That's a much better spirit than I ever would have had, that is for certain.
The next day, we drove to Lynchburg, VA to spend Christmas and ring in the New Year with his family and our friends. Several teeming plates of holiday ham, casserole, pumpkin pies, and hearty soups later--I'm back in Georgia...hopefully with no "extra baggage" of holiday pounds. Needless to say, I'll be hitting the gym this week. With only nine months until our wedding, I need to tone up for this gown.

Speaking of which, I'll post a gown update and venue pictures soon. I have exciting news to share! I will say: we have had wedding gown success!

Until next time!