Last minute things

Stuff we have left to do:

-groom's cake-I am picking it up thursday a.m. & adding the details to it that night
-playlist-spoke with the DJ and decided to put the must have songs on the ipod and he can go back and forth with his stuff & the ipod stuff
-print those parent photographs and frame them
-give everybody our timeline/schedule
-print the ceremony script & readings into a booklet form for Nate & the people doing readings
-print a sign for the quilt guest book
-put thank you cards/messages in the out of town bags

thursday is the bridemaids luncheon, and daniel & the guys are going to lake anna that night. friday night is the rehearsal & then the rehearsal dinner at the blackfinn. & then a girls' night at kristen's!

Doubt thou the stars are fire
Doubt that the sun doth move
Doubt truth to be a liar
But never doubt I love.

-Shakespeare

Ancient Chinese Oath of Friendship:

I want to be your friend, forever and ever without break or decay. Until the hills are all flat and the rivers run dry, until it is hot in winter and snows in summer, until heaven and earth mingle, not till then will I part from you.

The Jefferson Hotel

Opened in 1895; The Jefferson Hotel, located in Richmond, Virginia.
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS

The Jefferson's history would not be complete without mention of the numerous dignitaries, celebrities and notables to visit over the last century.

No less than eleven Presidents. Harrison, McKinley, Wilson, Coolidge, Taft, both Roosevelts (Theodore and Franklin Delano), Truman and Reagan, and both Bushes have stayed at the hotel. Also among the rich and/or famous guests were: Admiral Dewey, Sarah Bernhardt, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Vanderbilts, Whitneys and Barrymores, Gertrude Stein, Sir Edmund Hillary, Charles Chaplin, Nelson Eddy, Robert Mitchum, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley who enjoyed a breakfast of bacon, eggs over easy, milk, no coffee, and home fries, capped off with a scoop of ice cream in cantaloupe. Sergie Rachmaninoff played in The Grand Ballroom and one of the world's most famous dancers, Bill (Bojangles) Robinson, was "discovered" as he waited tables in the dining room.

In recent years, a wide variety of actors, musicians, politicians, professional athletes, foreign dignitaries and other luminaries have visited. Members of the media have also taken an interest in The Jefferson, broadcasting live from the lobbies. ABC Weatherman Spencer Christian stayed at The Jefferson and broadcast his portions of "Good Morning, America" on December 4, 1992 and again during the spring of 1994. CBS news commentator, Charles Kuralt, filmed a segment for his "Sunday Morning " show on November 29, 1987. The Jefferson and its statue of Thomas Jefferson was backdrop for another segment of “Sunday Morning” in December 1994. The subject was the Statute for Religious Freedom.

http://www.jeffersonhotel.com/exp_history.aspx


This is where we will be staying on our wedding night, in a deluxe king room with room service breakfast for 2!

Bridal portraits

I met with my photographer Dave Anderl (of Dave Anderl Photography), on Saturday 10/18 and we shot my bridal portraits on Monument Avenue here in Richmond, VA.

Made with Fabriano Ingres handmade Italian paper

The brand of the paper we used to fold all the origami roses is Fabriano Ingres. It's handmade Italian paper, and you might recall that it took Daniel & I quite some time to find just the right shade of red and just the right texture of paper..

How cool is this?

"Ingres paper, also called fabriano ingres is the most elegant and equisite handmade paper from Italy. The paper is elegantly watermarked, mould made and acid free drawing paper with two deckled edges. The sheets are available in a spectrum of colors and a range of weights.

Each paper has a distinctive look with a rich appearance and an appealing effect. The paper features a soft laid surface. It is one of the popular handmade paper of Italy. The paper is mould made of lignin free cellulose."

Flowers..

Daniel & I have folded well over 1,200 origami roses for this project. All of our flowers are these origami roses; including centerpieces, boutineeres, bridesmaid bouqets, my bouquet & tossing bouquet, the cake topper, and each guest gets a single red rose at their place setting.

Our Centerpieces: Origami rose ball topiaries.





Bridesmaid bouquets:


Tossing bouquet:

progress..

Guest Basket for the restroom @ the Manor House
Programs with wax B seals!
Our 'guest book' quilt!!
origami roses..
cameras..
photo scavenger hunt list!
cufflinks..
menus..

These are in the mail....as well as the shoes I posted about last week!

I am trying to win this on ebay...!!!

I changed my mind when I saw these..

These are the shoes. Even though I already purchased wedding shoes, I have changed my mind about those since I discovered these.

Now I just need a six pence to put inside one of them..

Tux

We picked up Daniel's tuxedo last night. We are going to send it off for some alterations on thursday, though, but other than that, everything is good.

I made the toss bouquet and one of the bridesmaid's bouquets so far. 4 more to go, and then mine.

bubbles

it only took about an hour to tie all these ribbons on the bubbles i got!

Candy, topiaries, & Dr. Wily

I purchased all the candy for the candy buffet yesterday. Remember, we have various glass jars for our candy buffet table! These candies will be in the different jars, all unwrapped (except for the caramel cubes), with candy scoops and bags for people to fill up. There will also be labels for each jar that says what it is. I think we've got something for everyone!
Sour patch kids, caramel cubes, old fashioned candy sticks in banana & butterscotch (mmm! my fav!), m&ms (in dark brown, brown, & plum!! called the 'fall mix'), york peppermint patties, 3musketeers, peppermint puffs, whoppers (daniel's fav), twizzlers, peanut butter pillows (they are gold!!), and of course, Heath Bars (since Daniel's middle name is heath..& they are only the best candy bars around).
I can't wait to set it all up! But I won't be able to until nov. 14th, the night before the wedding...This will be set up in the library at the Manor House.
I spent less than $100 for all this candy! I got most of it from Target (and the candy sticks & pb pillows from Cracker Barrel). I couldn't believe the sales Target had on candy, since Halloween is just around the corner..so I stocked up! We probably have more than we need, but leftovers can be given away to family, friends, & coworkers. (They definitely won't be going home with us!)
I was originally going to order all the candy from candywarehouse.com, but the prices were crazy and the choices were limited. If I bought from CW, I would have spent probably 3x as much, plus shipping (I did the math)...yikes! So, this is a fun and cheap way to do favors! Get your jars & candy, candy scoops, & you're set!


Here I am making some more centerpieces. We're finally done with them..more photos to come!








Dr. Wily is bored with all this wedding planning stuff going on. He really wants to play with all those rose balls and ribbons..but he just isn't allowed...:( Poor Dr. Wily.

26

I got 13 12-packs of wedding bubbles for $13 total! $1 a pack! What a deal!

Daniel is 26 now. And he has some gray hairs.

67 days to go

According to our theknot website at http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=3283501679672458, we have 67 days to go until our wedding.

Wedding color meanings (from paper source):
You are down to earth, comfortable with who you are and have a great ability to find joy in life. You don't take things personally, you can rebound from failure, and you go for what you want.
You are spirited and energetic. You are sunny and don't dwell on the past. You are a team player, realistic, cheerful and flexible.

Maybe these are a mixture of the two of us.

I am picking up my wedding dress & rehearsal dinner dress this weekend. My mom, Fayth, Jackie, & all the girls (Bonnie, Kristen, Natalie, Georgia, & Paige), all have their dresses.
This Thursday we will finalize on the tuxes for Daniel & the guys (Joe, JB, & Jerrod).
My brother will wear his dress blues during the ceremony.

Kevin MacDonald is our DJ, so we have been finalizing playlists and making final decisions on special songs.

We're still folding roses, and we're mailing out our invitations in a week!

a perfect dress for his perfect bride

Saturday 8/23 was a road trip out to Lynchburg with Bonnie & Kristen. My mom & Natalie met us at the bridal shoppe for my appointment there.

The owner gathered my rehearsal dinner dress, shoes, bridal gown, & my mom's dress.
My mom tried her's on & she looked great in it, just the right color and everything. My brown rehearsal dinner dress was just right.

The shoppe owner unwrapped my dress and I dove into it. It fit perfectly. It weighed a ton, but it was so worth it.

I came out of the room & I should have taken a picture of everyone's faces-it was hilarious. Bonnie got pictures with her camera of me, but I wish I got pictures of them on the couch.

It seemed like a dream, though. I guess being engaged for such a long time (2 & a half years) makes it hard to believe this stuff is actually happening.

We have 82 days to go. Invitations are going out on September 15th, Daniel's 26th birthday. The RSVP deadline is October 15th. Payments will be due soon....and there are lots of little small things to get done but all the big stuff is taken care of. I reorganized all of my planning materials Saturday when I got home...it's quite scary how organized I am now.

Honeymoon in Venice

Venice, Florida= the shark tooth capital of the world

Fossil Hunting in November?

We were thinking of maybe going fossil hunting for our honeymoon, instead of skiing. We could go someplace warm & beachy perhaps. We have a lot of fun looking for fossils, shark teeth, and even gems. It might be cool to go mining for diamonds, rubies, or emeralds in North Carolina or Arkansas. The only thing is, we'd need to be somewhere warm in November..

Accommodations within 5 miles of The Manor House

These are some of the hotels located within 5 miles of the Manor House. We haven't blocked off any rooms yet for any of the guests but we are trying to get some ideas of what's available for them to stay at.


Comfort Suites Glen Allen

Hampton Inn & Suites Richmond/Virginia Center, VA

SpringHill Suites by Marriott Richmond- Virginia Center

Holiday Inn RICHMOND-NORTH I-95/PARHAM RD

Sleep Inn Richmond

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites RICHMOND NORTH ASHLAND

Quality Inn & Suites

Making..

Save the date postcards
Invitations
Programs
Centerpieces w/ table numbers
Table placecards for guests
Candy bar menu list with name placecards
Menu-check about making one for display if caterer isn't
Candy paper sacks with B monogram

more..

Progress

Date: November 15, 2008
Location/venue: The Manor House at King's Charter
Caterer: Catering by Jill
Baker: Cakes by Graham
Photographer: Dave Anderl Photography
Officiant: Nathan Bradley Miller
Flowers: realistic origami roses made by the bride & groom
Music: Daniel Brown-ceremony (pre-recorded), Kevin MacDonald-DJ services

The Manor House at King's Charter