What’s in a Name?

We won’t be numbering our tables. Yes I know, I know it would be so much easier to just number the tables and hope that no one feels shafted for being sat at table 15 when they thought they should be at table 3. So once we were set on not numbering our tables we started to think about fun alternatives. We could do famous couples or better yet couples that we admire (starting with our family of course). After writing down all the couples we wanted to include we realized we would need far more tables or we would be leaving someone out. So we scratched that idea and moved on. We could do cities we have been to or even just cities we would like to go to. But this idea wasn’t all that fun in my book. I could easily name 50+ cities we have been to together or places we want to go so this one was scratched for being a little too impersonal. My next idea was our favorite anything (TV, food, candy, etc.) but sitting my grandparents at a table named WWF (world wrestling federation) or my anti baby friends at Jon & Kate plus 8 just didn’t feel right on so many levels. So I know we have so many University of Arizona tributes going on in our wedding we wondered if naming our tables places in the Old Pueblo would be a little over the top. But after realizing that our little tributes to a place where we met and fell in love would not be taking away from our classic elegant wedding we were set. Our tables will be named after places in and around the University. Things like Old Main (where Barry snapped many pictures of Brittany and Jen swimming in the fountain), University House on 8^th St. (Brittany and Jen’s college apartment complex and where Brittany and Barry first officially met) and Wilber & Wilma (the Husband and Wife mascot team for the University – who by the way were married at half time of a football game, how cool is that?). This is just a little start on the names and fun facts we plan to add at the tables. We hope it will encourage our guest to talk, laugh and maybe even walk around looking at the other table names met a new friend or just learn something new about us. Now I just need to start designing them, and I am stuck on if I want to include pictures that match the name.

xoxo
britt

Pillow Me This, Pillow Me That

We have the rings, we have the ring bearer but do we want a ring pillow? So I turned to the internet in search of a ring pillow that called my name. After thinking about ring pillows I have decided against it. No offense to anyone who uses one but I just don't see our jersey clad ring bearer walking down the aisle with a little pillows in his hands.

Would a lovely pillow with a large orange flower suit us? (think orange flower)

What about a pillow with a gray ribbon? (gray ribbon, although the orange could work)

Oh what about the ever popular Palmoas Nest?

Or what about a pillow with the Arizona A on it? (imagine it with out that other schools logo)

For us none these hit it out of the park. Not to mention the little voice in my head asking, “what would I do with it after the wedding?” So I started to think about toys, yes toys. Something our ring bearer would like to keep and maybe even use long after the wedding. What about an actual bear? Or better yet one dressed in Arizona gear.

(maybe a bear dressed in a letterman's jacket)

But that too didn’t seem right but than it hit me like a ton of bricks. A miniature basketball. Yes I said miniature basketball. How perfect? A jersey clad ring bearer carrying a basketball with our rings securely tied by a ribbon (a ribbon that is easily removed right after the ceremony).

(Remove all Standford images and Replace with Arizona goodness)

So now all that is left in order to officially check “Buy ring pillow (or in our case – ring basketball)” off the to do list is to make a trip to the University bookstore during one of our visit and make the purchase.

xoxo
britt

Viva Las Vegas!!

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to my Cats who beat up on the ScumDevils this past Saturday. Can't wait for December 20 when we head to Vegas.

Bear Down!!!

xoox
britt

Can I Have Your Cake & Eat it Too?

So far during our engagement there are only a few things that have remained constant. One being my want and desire to marry Barry, one being our want for a summer wedding and the last my want for our cake design. When we first got engaged I found the most perfect cake and immediately copied the picture to my desk top, and didn’t think I would need to look for another cake. Considering I don’t even like cake, and in all the weddings I have been too have NEVER, I repeat NEVER had a piece of wedding cake I knew it was and still isn’t at the top of my priority list. So since it isn’t at the top of my priority list I was surprised to hear that cake is one of the things that my mom is really excited about. Based on talking with her I know she wants a big beautiful cake. Maybe not as big has the Donald’s cake (picture to the right) but I think she wants the cake to be a focal point. So since we get a cake with whatever package we go with at our location I started looking for different cake options. Round cakes, square cakes, hexagon cake, cake with flowers, cake with ribbon, cake with crystal bling who would have thought choosing cake could be so hard. After looking at so many beautiful cakes on various websites I keep going back to the original cake that I found over a year and a half ago. I think with a little tweaking this cake can be the elegant beautiful focal point that will make all involved very happy. So now that we have a design concept in mind finding the perfect baker should be a breeze, a breeze considering our location only have 3 preferred bakers and our package cake has to come from one of them. I guess considering all the bakers in the Southern California area our venue is doing us a service by narrowing our choices to three. Next up the search for the perfect cake topper and baker.

My Perfect Cake!!

xoxo
britt

Crazy Orange or Classic Black?

The easiest group to outfit was my groom, his groomsmen, the bridesmen, and my father. Considering they are spread across the country I thought we were going to have to go through a big chain store to get them suited up but within 5 minutes of talking with Clint we knew exactly what they would be wearing and how to get him all their measurements.

I guess Clint deserves a little back story. Clint’s Formal Wear has been in business for a LONG LONG time and when you walk into his store in Buena Park you see all the celebs he has outfitted from former presidents to TV personalities pictured on the walls. Among all these famous people whom have turned to Clint in their formal wear times of need a few special people in my life have also looked to Clint to get their Tux and Suits just right. You see when my parent’s got married in 1981 they too went to visit Clint to outfit their wedding party. I knew we would be in great hands if our wedding party was in Clint’s hands.

After a quick look around the store we had a couple of options for the guys. Barry knew he wanted suits and that he would be buying his. So our options were the classic black, tan, or gray. I loved the gray. It reminded me of the movie The Wedding Date, don’t ask me why but I would have bet $50 that they wore gray suits. But since these are Barry’s guys and he didn’t get a say in my outfit or the bridesmaids for the big day we went with the classic black. Yes I know it could be worse and while we were in the store it almost was. Orange is one of our colors and at the start of the planning process it was THE color, and as planning has gone one it has become more of an accent color. So imagine my horror when in walked an orange tux and Barry looked GREAT in it. So after humoring me for a few pictures we were out of there. Classic black suit, white shirt, and gray tie, perfect. Done and done.

Yes ladies he is taken!!

xoxo
britt

Huppa, a Whata?

For us the ceremony is important. Although we are letting our officiants (a rabbi and a reverend) have full control over our ceremony I have given great thought into what I wanted the ceremony site to look like and lately I have been obsessed with the huppa. We are getting married at the country club over looking a beautiful lake and golf course so I wanted our huppa and other decorations to enhance the already beautiful terrace and view. In the Jewish religion the couple is married under a huppa. Usually the huppa is held up by the parents of the bride and groom but for us (and our mixed ceremony) our huppa will be a free standing structure. I knew we needed a huppa large enough for Barry and I to stand under along with our rabbi and reverend, I knew we wanted it to be light and airy, and with a little bling to go along with it. So I looked around the internet for inspiration and found a couple huppas that provided inspiration.

White cover, hanging down flowers, bamboo poles, and large enough for us is what we wanted.

When I was home a few months ago I got some fake orchids to hang down, some crystal prisms and my parents even got the bamboo poles so I was just looking for the white shear cloth to drape over the top. Enter Cost Plus World Market for the beautiful cloth that will drape over our huppa. It is white with a little gray detailed border that I have decided to sparkle up by added rhinestones to the edges.

Yes, It is a bed cover but will be our huppa cover!

It is beautiful and perfect, what more could I ask for. I can’t wait because in less than 8 months it will be put to great use.

xoxo
britt

The Newest Member of my shoe family, Jimmy!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Oh my goodness this year has flow by and before you know it we will be ushering in the New Year and be months away from finally tying the knot. But this thanksgiving I am grateful for so much. I have a wonderful fiancée, a loving family (who all think I am a good cook), great friends, and even a new friend name Jimmy. You see I met Jimmy yesterday while shopping. I know, I know most people don’t shop until the Friday after Thanksgiving but I love how dead malls and shopping places are on Wednesday.

Yesterday my parents and I met my brother at Arizona Mills for lunch and mainly to go check out the Kenneth Cole Outlet (my brother needed/wanted a pair of shoes that had been discontinued). Well I dragged my mom into the Off Sak 5^th Avenue store just to look, maybe even find a Bridal Shower dress, Rehearsal dinner dress, who knows anything. Well little did I know in the shoe area I would find my new best friend, Jimmy, Jimmy Choo. My mom has been great during the whole wedding planning process and one thing she asked for was that I wear orange shoes. Well orange shoes are way harder to find than I thought when I agreed to this great idea. I have spent countless hours searching the internet for orange shoes that are sexy, not that high, just the right orange, and don’t look like striper shoes. I had high expectations for my wedding day shoes as these would be the shoes that would carry me through the ceremony and the ones that would see me through as I walked hand in hand with my husband down the aisle as our family and friends looked on.

Well wouldn’t you know sitting on the discounted rack was Jimmy. Now this story is kind of like the story of the Goldilocks and the three bears. First my mom found one pair that was way to small, than one pair that was way to big. Getting a little disappointed I walked away sad that those damn near perfect shoes would not fit my too big or too small foot (depending on which sample I had on). Well I gave it one last go around to see if I had just missed seeing another pair. And there Jimmy sat beautiful as ever. I grabbed the box sat down and pulled them out and wouldn’t you have known they were BROKEN. My perfect sized shoe BROKEN. Good thing my mom is handy and without missing a beat goes “I can fix these.” So up to the register we went box in hand to see what the store could do in terms of letting us buy a pair of broken shoes. So we politely explained the situation to the woman ringing us up and than the manager and she said 30% off, hot damn, SOLD!!! So I got my perfect $1100 Jimmy Choo shoes for $185, I feel like I damn near robbed the store.

You may be wondering “wait 30% off $1100 is not $185” well let me explain. You see since Jimmy had already been on the discounted rack he was marked down to $345 than since all shoes on the discounted rack were 30% off I got that too thus making my Jimmy’s about 85% off. WOW I love me a great deal. Without future ado here’s Jimmy (please excuse my chubby little toes & my unpainted toe nails).

One Picture of Jimmy is never enough!!

xoxox
britt