The Hair Trial

The last seven days have undoubtedly been the most exciting so far in the wedding planning. With the food tasting last week, my bridal shower on Saturday, and now my bridal portraits (!!), everything is really starting to get "real". You guys already know I won't be sharing my dress yet, but I do want to show you all my wedding hair style!

I went into the hair trial with a few inspiration photos, all of which were half up, half down styles, with some romantic curls. I have a TON of photos of Carrie Underwood's hair pinned, so it was no surprise to me that my wedding hair would (hopefully) mimic one of her styles.

Images via Project Wedding, here and here

I have really always loved the look of a half-up 'do. It's such the perfect mixture of an up-do and romantic curls, and allows me to not have to make a decision between the two! You know how I am about decisions. 

My hair stylist, Lindey, of Studio H+L, took my inspiration photos and idea and ran with them, and I was so pleased with the outcome. I was a little worried because whether or not I really liked my hair, it was going to be in my bridal shoot pictures. Luckily, I was very happy with the way it turned out!

Getting started on all of those curls!

My hair is loooong, and I have a ton of it, so most of the appointment was trying to tame the mess on top of my head into beautiful curls :) After all the curls, she worked some magic, and I was left with some nice (and big!) Texas hair, and I loved it!

Work in Progress!

Last touches..

Taking a look at the final product

She left the curls pretty tight, and right before the pictures started I ran my fingers through them for those nice romantic locks I was hoping for. The style held up so well throughout the afternoon - in 95 degree Texas heat - and I was very impressed. I can be pretty picky about my hair, so it was nice to be pleased with the trial, and excited about having my hair styled for the wedding!

Were you guys happy with your first hair trial, or did it take a few tries until you got it right?

Let's Eat!

Last week on one of Mr. C's days off, we got to partake in one of the most exciting wedding events so far: the tasting for our reception food! I've mentioned a few times in passing that both Mr. Coach and I take our food very seriously :) We carefully chose the items off the Piazza's menu that we wanted to try, and were looking forward to checking out the quality of the food they would be serving. And y'all... we were blown away! From the presentation to the portions to the overall taste and quality, the whole experience was top notch, and you had better believe I'm going to make time for a least a few bites of that yummy food on our big day! 

Mr. C patiently waiting for the food to come out!

We started out with two hors d'oeuvres that would be served during Cocktail Hour: Mini Beef Wellington and Crab Salad in an Endive Leaf. For the tasting, we opted to go with food we could never choose without trying it first, that way if we weren't too crazy about it, we could fall back on an option that we already had an idea of the taste. For example, we also wanted to offer Bruschetta, but since we had a pretty good idea of what that would be like, we chose the other two (our limit for the tasting) as our options to try. 

I was really unfamiliar with Beef Wellington before the tasting, but Mr. C suggested we try it and I'm so glad he did! The Crab Cake had a spicy little kick to it, and the warm Beef Wellington was a nice way to neutral it out. Both of the hors d'oeuvres we tried were so, so yummy, and we chose to go with both, as well as adding Bruschetta for a nice little mix to be offered during cocktail hour. 

Next, we tried a Red Wine Poached Pear Salad, and.. we weren't really fans. In all honesty, we (mostly I) do not really venture out when it comes to salad. A ceasar, house salad or an occasional wedge is about all that we ever try, so this was a loooong stretch. I honestly think that for what it was it was good, but just not our style. 

Finally, the main courses! We had previously chosen to try the Bacon Wrapped Filet (I love my red meat!) and Chicken Grand Marnier. Both were absolutely delicious! If we were allowing guest a choice of two dishes, I certainly would've used both of these as I think they would both be big hits! We are only having one meal, however, and we ultimately decided that the (amazing) chicken was our best bet at pleasing over 100 people. I did love that filet, though. 

One thing that the Piazza did during the tasting that I really enjoyed was a "mini" wine tasting. They allowed us to try their four house wines throughout the food tasting, and it was such a nice touch. We were actually pleasantly surprised by one of their options, and chose to have it served during cocktail hour.

The whole event was a huge success and we were really pleased with the quality of food that we will be serving to our guests during the reception. I may or may not ask for a "to-go" plate to be made for myself, just in case I don't get to eat during dinner :)

Has anyone else done a food tasting recently? Were you surprised (good or bad) by the quality of food?  

A Bride at a Bed & Breakfast

This past Saturday, I attended my very own bridal shower! The entire day, leading up to, during and after the shower, was even more fun than I could have imagined. I got to see all of my bridesmaids at the same time, for the first time ever, I was able to see many family members and friends that I haven't seen in ages, and I received many wonderful gifts!

Momma C and I arrived early to unload some of the gifts we had picked up from being gift wrapped, and to be available if we needed to help with anything. The shower took place at the cutest bed & breakfast near my hometown. Roseville has the most beautiful gardens surrounding the house, and everything was in full bloom when we arrived!

After the guests arrived, the morning started with some yummy brunch food: the tastiest breakfast quiche I've ever had, a potato casserole with a little Lousiana kick, fresh fruit, and yummy petit fours for dessert. The whole spread tasted even better than it looked! After everyone had enjoyed their food, we all settled in for a little gift unwrapping.

I hate that the last picture above came out a little blury, because those Christmas stockings were a gift from Grandmother Coach, who HAND STITCHED all of the detailing. She started the whole set (which includes a tree skirt as well) about 5 years ago, and has worked on it off an on up until the shower. The stockings were passed around after I opened them, and there were a few tears that went along with the beautiful pieces of work :)

After all the gifts had been opened, we took a little time for pictures. I was so excited to have all of my bridesmaids in the same place, so of course we had to snap some pictures together. Next, I was honored to be in a picture with the cutest shower guests, my two precious flower girls and one of the members of my house party. I also got a picture with Bridesmaid J and Maid of Honor L, two of my closest friends from childhood.

Momma Coach even had a few of her close childhood friends attend and one of them was a generous hostess of the shower! I love seeing the three of them together - they giggle like little girls! :)

Finally, I got a picture with the hostesses of the day: Aunt Coach, Little Cousin Coach, and Momma Coach's friend, L, and then a picture with my mom, aunt and grandmother Coach. It was a great end to a wonderful morning, and now that the shower has come and gone, I'm really starting to feel like a bride!

At what point did you begin feeling like a bride? Did anyone else have their wedding shower this weekend?

Mr. C Found His Wedding Band!

...Sort of.

So, when I told you guys about my wedding band, I mentioned how we had initially shopped for bands at James Avery many, many moons ago. While I wasn't able to find a ring there, Mr. Coach found a nice band that he really liked! At that point we weren't looking to buy, but now we're at the point where we really need to buy (!) so we returned to the store a few days ago for another look.

We remembered the ring having both yellow gold and sterling silver on it, because Mr. C wanted it to match the watch he wears daily, so when we arrived at the store, he tried on this ring... something wasn't right.

Simplicity Wedding Band via James Avery

This ring was nice, but it was looking a little too "dainty" on Mr. C's hand. We were both a little confused, because this was the only ring in the showcase that fit our description. At this point, I started digging around in my purse to see if I could find the card they had given me during our last visit. By some miracle, I still had it and handed it over to the sales lady.

It turned out that the ring he had tried was in the showcase in another color option (titanium and silver), but also came in the option we had seen - they just didn't have it....Fail.

The ring they had in stock... / via James Avery

....And, the ring we wanted. / via James Avery

Since we had technically seen the ring (6+ months ago), we could've gone ahead and ordered it, but we chose to have it transferred in to the store so Mr. C could see it in person one more time before buying and having it engraved. It arrived at the store yesterday, and we're hoping to go check it out Friday and make the purchase. Then, we'll have to wait a little longer for the engraving, before it will officially be his! Sometimes Mr. C really surprises me by being the high maintenance one ;)

Anyone else recently found the perfect wedding band for your or your significant other? Do tell!

What to Wear: The Groom and His Men

I always thought finding the men's attire would be a breeze compared to finding my dress. Our first attempt at finding Mr. C's tux proved this idea to be very wrong. We didn't necessarily have a bad experience, but we also didn't find what we were looking for, so it was a negative in my book.

You might recall that my bridesmaids will be wearing red for the wedding. I know that there are many color options when it comes to tuxedo vests and ties, and at both stores we visited the salespeople told me (a little too) persistently that they could match the red dresses. I, however, did NOT want the men in red. I wanted them in black - black jacket, pants, vest and tie.

Look at those classy suits! / image via Polka Dot Bride, Photo by Janine Kaye

This is where the disappointment came in; at both locations we visited, the vest and tie options looked a little...cheap. Yes, we are renting, and we obviously want to save money, but we were fully prepared to rent one of the "nicer" suit options, and when they held the vest and tie swatches up to the jackets, they just didn't look the way we wanted. Mainly, they really made the more expensive suits look not so great.

So, we left. And returned to square one.

We've talked a lot about our options since then, and what we have finally decided to do (although we haven't made the purchase, yet) is to rent the nicer suits - jacket and pants - and buy black ties for Mr. C and his men to wear and to keep. Somewhere in the process we completely nixed the vests because Mr. C just really doesn't want to wear one, and although skinny ties are very popular for the no vest look, Mr. C really isn't a big fan of those, either. So, at the end of the day, the guys' attire should look something like this:

Photo by: Glass Jar Photography on The Brides Cafe via Lover.ly

Classy, huh? :)

We're planning to find a nice tie for Mr. C to slightly distinguish him, and then a coordinating tie for all of his guys - all in black, of course. I really like the idea of doing a bolder print for the mister, and then something a little more muted for the guys. Maybe a paisley and some stripes?

Images found here and here, via Dillards

Of course, it's ultimately Mr. C's decision, but I do like to help ;)

Did anyone else have a not-so-great first experience with tuxedo shopping? How did you and your fiance recover?

Pop Quiz: Wedding Planning With (Or Without) Your Fiance

Hey y'all! We've already had some fun Pop Quizzes so far; Mrs. Hawk had some questions about details before your engagement, and Miss Dragon talked about some of life's big decisions that come with relationships. 

Today, I want to talk to you guys about the nitty gritty of planning, because I am right smack dab in the middle of it. I'm very lucky in that Mr. Coach is (usually!) very willing to help me with planning, but there are times when I can see his eyes just glazing over. I want to see what parts of planning are the most enjoyable for everyone, as well as the not so enjoyable decisions for you and your significant other (for the sake of giving Mr. C the day off every now and then!) Let's see how we all compare! My choices are at the bottom!

1. Overall, how involved in the wedding planning is/was your significant other?

1.     Only the “big” decisions like when and where

2.     A little input here and there

3.     They help with every detail, down to the last table linen and floral centerpiece

4.     I’m not doing most of the planning, they are!

5.     I’ll be lucky if they even show up on the right date, because they haven’t had any part of the planning!

2. What is your fiancé’s favorite part of planning, if any?

1.     Choosing the wedding venue/location

2.     Food and cake tasting

3.     Meeting with vendors – DJ, Photographer, etc.

4.     Something else (tell us what in the comments!)

5.     He/she loves it all!

3. What is your fiance’s least favorite part of planning, if any?

1.     The big choices like date and location

2.     Meeting with vendors – DJ, Photographer, etc.

3.     Details like colors and flowers

4.     Searching for his wedding day attire

5.     Something else (tell us what in the comments!)

4. What is your favorite part of wedding planning to do together?

1.     Big choices like budget decisions and venue locations

2.     Picking the food and drinks

3.     Making music selections

4.     Working on paper details like STD’s and invitations

5.     Something else (tell us what in the comments!)

           

5. Do you and your fiancé have a designated time for wedding planning?

1.     Yes, we set aside a certain day of the week.

2.     Yes, we do wedding planning at a certain time each day.

3.     No, we just plan whenever something comes up.

4.     No, I do it all so there is no need for a designated time together.

6. What has been the hardest wedding related decision for you and/or your fiancé to make?

1.     Budget – we just don’t agree on how much to spend

2.     Date and Location

3.     Color scheme and flowers

4.     Photographer

5.     Music

6.     Something else (tell us what in the comments!)

7. What aspects of planning and/or wedding details did you keep “secret” from your fiancé before the big day?

1.     Not a thing – he’s seen the dress and he knows all of the plans

2.     Just the dress

3.     All of the wedding day ensemble – dress, veil, hair, jewelry, etc.

4.     Your wedding day ensemble + Some wedding details like colors, cake, or flowers (tell us which details in the comments)

5.     It’s all a secret – he doesn’t know a thing about the big day!

My Answers:

1. Somewhere between choice #2 and #3 - Mr. C is involved in pretty much every decision that's made regarding the wedding, but I did give him a "pass" to skip over the meetings with florists!

2. I'd have to go with #1 for this question. We had the best time looking at the good venues and loved laughing at the bad (afterwards, of course!)

3. Probably #3 for this one. No particular details come to mind, just details in general that he doesn't understand the importance of. 

4. Choice #2 - We loooove food ;)

5. We have no designated time, but I try to refer to our handy To-Do list as much as possible, instead of just throwing things out at Mr. Coach.

6. Music! There's just so many songs we like, it's been hard to narrow it down to just a few "special" songs.

7. #3 - All of the aspects of my wedding day attire are a mystery to Mr. C!

The Almost Forgotten Guestbook

I'm finding myself beginning to "remember" a LOT of things concerning the wedding that weren't necessarily forgotten about, but rather just pushed aside because I would figure them out closer to the wedding.

With just over two months, we are now "close" to the wedding, and there are many things that I have had to force myself to make a decision on because there's just no time to procrastinate any longer! Luckily, I haven't completely forgotten anything or waited too late to take care of it (knock on wood!) but I aaaaalmost made the mistake of waiting to late to decide on the guestbook. A little over a week ago, Momma Coach text me asking about a guest book. We had talked about them shortly after Mr. C proposed, but I really hadn't given much thought to them since then. Momma C had mentioned that she knew someone who could make a custom bridal book, but in all honesty, when I pictured this I just saw a big ball of lace with a lot of old fashioned mixed in.

Maybe not that much lace, but you get the picture ;) / Image via Handmade Artists

I assured her I would find one, but it might be a little more contemporary, and Off and on over the last few months I would glance at guest books on Etsy. I really just browsed and never really looked with buying in mind. Then, I got Momma C's text, and realized I needed a guest book like, yesterday, because my shower is coming up (this Saturday!)

So, I headed over to Etsy (no surprise there, I'm sure) and took a look at my options. Some of my favorites were:

This romantic book from Modern Shabby, complete with a big 'ole bow!

 Romantic Guest Book via Modern Shabby on Etsy 

A custom, and somewhat modern, book from Transient Books:

Modern Guest Book via Transient Books 

And, a pretty little mixture of the two, from Emerson Bindery:

Damask Guest Book via Emerson Bindery on Etsy

Like I said before, I unfortunately waited a little too late to start looking for a guest book. I really wanted to have the guestbook for the shower so I could have all the signatures from the shower and the Big Day in one book, and many of the other options couldn't make it in time. However, Beth from Emerson Bindery was quick to respond to my message and more importantly, quick to get the book ready and send it to me! It arrived Saturday, complete with fun wrapping a a note from Beth. A handwritten thank you note can go so far!

I can't wait for those pages to be filled! 

Has anyone else almost made a critical error when it came to deadlines or planning? I'm so glad that I was able to find an option I liked, but I'm afraid next time I might not be quite so lucky!

The Shoe Dilemma Continues

Not too long ago, I shared my wedding day shoe options with you guys, and presented my dilemma of the simple red shoe versus the glittery-but-already-owned shoe. Y'all gave me an overwhelming amount of help (as always!) and many of you suggested shoe clips to spruce up my pretty red heels. I hopped over to Etsy to search for the perfect set, and found many options!

As a reminder, these are the shoes I'm planning on wearing / Leyla Peep Toe Pumps via Dillard's 

However, this post is unfortunately not a "thanks for your help and here's what I found!" post, but much more of a "I'm super dependent on you guys and need even more help" kind of deal. Yes, I found many options, but none of them seem to stand out to me, mostly because I don't like the look of a white/ivory flower on my bright red shoes - too Christmas-y for me. Tons of the options on Etsy are dainty flowers, but they're almost always paired with white or ivory shoes, so I just don't see how they're going to work with my red lovelies.

All over Etsy, but I just don't think they're going to work for me / Ivory Shoe Clip from B.Poetic on Etsy

Another option is a simple satin bow, but again, what color would I choose? The glittery options in the second photo below are certainly a fun alternative!

Satin Bow Clips from ElizaJaneClips on Etsy

Bows Gone Wild! / Bow Clips from Sofisticata on Etsy

Finally, I saw lots of "blingy" options, which do add a lot of glamour, but I'm unsure how they would look with my shoe, as well as my wedding dress. The glitzy bow in the photo below is one of my top picks, but I'm just not sure..

"Rachel" Shoe Clips from KirstenKuehnDesigns on Etsy

Rhinestone Shoe Clips from BigRockBridal on Etsy

So, what do y'all think? Am I completely missing a shoe clip option that would look great with my red shoes? Are any of the options above keepers? Maybe I'm just overthinking the white-on-red Christmas color scheme? Help me, Hive!!

The One Thing Standing Between Me and The Wedding...

..Is now completed! This past weekend, I had my 15 minutes 10 seconds of fame, walked across the stage (without falling), and received my college diploma!

I don't want to sound like a crazy, wedding-obsessed girl who just wanted to finish school and get married, buuut.... that's exactly what I've been since Mr. C proposed last October, and dare I say, even before that? I've always been a great student, and always knew I wanted to go to college and get my degree, but to be perfectly honest, when I realized about 2 semesters in that I could graduate early, I was stoked. Mr. Coach graduated early with his degree, in just three years, and when I realized I could do the same, and possibly marry this man a little sooner, and I was pretty darn excited. So, when the wedding planning came into the picture, even though I was "getting out" early, my graduation day couldn't come soon enough. I really just wanted to finish up all of my classes, and be able to focus 100% on our Big Day.

Now, that time is finally here! I will undoubtedly start searching for a job after the wedding, but I'm very lucky in that Mr. C has a great job, and I can just enjoy these next few months of wedding planning without feeling like I need to focus on a job hunt right away.

My diploma was actually in the tube! So exciting to see that document!

My graduation from college also marks the end of a pretty extensive stage in mine and Mr. C's dating relationship. We have been dating for almost four years, with 3 of those being while I was in college, so there has already been, and will continue to be some transitioning. I've already realized it's a little different not having your own places and schedules, and going from a long distance relationship to living in the same place is certainly a change, but overall, everything that is happening right now (moving, graduation, marriage!) is very exciting and all very positive for us!

I'm really hoping to fill these next 2 months (um, what!?) with some fun projects, and of course lots of last minute planning. I can't wait to share it all with you guys, and I really can't wait for October to get here so that I can marry my best friend - as an education woman! ;)

Has anyone else hit any big non-wedding milestones lately? It's so hard for me to not be completely focused on the wedding and push other things aside, but I really enjoyed getting to walk across the stage and focus on a non-wedding celebration with family for a few days!

Wrapped Up in Belly Bands

It's no surprise that wedding planning makes me obsessed with minute details and things that would otherwise be overlooked. Y'all have already dealt with my postage infatuation and helped me make a tough decision concerning table numbers, but today's obsession: belly bands.

You know, that cute little detail that is completely unnecessary, yet has been occupying my invitation-related thoughts for oh, I don't know, months.

Image via Lover.ly / Invitation Suite by Ruby and Willow

Photo by: Diana Marie Photography on Wedding Chicks via Lover.ly

I started out thinking I wanted to DIY a belly band for our invitations like so many others have done before me. But, if you remember, I mentioned in a previous post that I had a limited list of DIY projects, and really wanted to keep it that way. We ordered our invitations from Minted and although they offer many personalization options and add-ons, no belly bands. 

I would've just given up there, had I not made an interesting discovery during one of my belly band binges. Notice anything these invitation suites have in common?

Image via Lover.ly / Invitation Suite by Simple Song Design 

Photo by: Aaron Delesie on Snippet and Ink via Lover.ly

Image via Lover.ly / Invitation Suite by Minna Designs

Surely this last one will help you out:

Photo by: Kriste Taylor Photography on The Brides Cafe via Lover.ly

It's ribbon! Each of these beautiful designs incorporated a ribbon as their belly band of sorts, and I think it's such a romantic way to tie together (pun very much intended) their invitation elements.

I haven't figured out exactly how we're going to use ribbon for our invitations - I love the elegant bow, (like you're unwrapping a fun package!) but I'm also swooning over the unique wrap in that last photo above. What do you guys think? I can't wait for all of the elements of our invitations to come together, and I really can't wait to share them with y'all! Soon!

Have any of y'all used something unique instead of the "traditional" belly band? Those of you that DIY'ed the belly bands - was it worth the labor of love?