Category Archives: Wedding Planning

A Love Letter

Posted in Dating, Love, Wedding Planning by

This weekend Luke and I attended our Pre-Cana retreat on the south side of Chicago. Pre-Cana is the day long preparation class all couples who get married in the Catholic church are required to attend.

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to spending my Saturday in a room from 9:00 – 4:00, but it ended up being a pretty enlightening day. The purpose of the retreat was to prepare Luke and I not just for our wedding, but also the life-long marriage that comes after it.

It’s easy to get caught up thinking about the wedding portion without spending much time preparing for the marriage. During the day we talked about everything including: how we define the word commitment, how many kids we want to have, how we’ll manage our finances and how our faith will play a role in our lives.

My favorite part of the day was when we were asked to write each other a love letter describing our feelings about our upcoming wedding. It was nice to have a moment to document my thoughts and also to read Luke’s in return.

The letter was to start with the line “the biggest emotion I have about our upcoming marriage is…” I won’t go into detail, but some of the words used in our letters include: excitement, hope and anticipation.

I’m planning to keep those letters locked away safely, so on our anniversaries Luke and I can pull them out and re-live the emotions we’re feeling leading up to our wedding.

I wonder if we’ll have the same feelings years from now or if we’ll laugh at how naive we were! Either way, it will be a sweet memory to relive.

Colorful and Personal Bachelorette Favors

Posted in Wedding Planning by

This past weekend was my bachelorette party in Chicago and we had a GREAT time! Thirteen of my closest girlfriends were in town to help me say sayonara to my single-dom with some dancing, drinks and a little drag (don’t even ask!).

I wanted to get my ladies all something little as a token of my thanks for helping me celebrate. I wanted the favors to be personal, something they’ll actually use and not something that would bust my bank.

Last week I was pondering what to get them while getting my nails done when I came up with the idea of buying Essie nail polish’s with names that match each girl’s personality.

I love Essie because their nailpolish names are so inventive and there are a ton to choose from. Here are some of my favs:

One of a Kind – for your friend who is unique and has a style all her own.

one

Eternal Optimist- for the girl who always has a smile on her face.

et

Jackie Oh My – for your friend with a classic style.

jac

Hard to Get –for the girl who loves being single and playing the field.

har

There are so many great names to choose from! I found ones that PERFECTLY matched my friend’s personalities, which I think everyone loved. Plus it was super easy to throw the polish in their purses for a night out.

Thanks again to all my wonderful friends who came out with us to celebrate!

Words of Wisdom for the Wedding Bound

Posted in Wedding Planning by

Hi all –

I’m one of Liz’s soon-to-be-a-bride friends guest posting this week.

Now, I myself don’t have any great words of wisdom for the wedding bound since I’m just about to walk down the aisle, but thought I’d share a cute idea and some advice from family and friends that I’ve received so far.

For my bridal shower a few weeks ago, all the ladies created a chainlink countdown (you know, like this one, ala grade school crafts —>).  

Each person wrote a note about me and my fiance, marriage or advice. Each day since the shower, we’ve been removing a link, and it’s been a fun thing to look forward to each night (especially when the RSVPs start to slow down – you know, there’s a boom at the beginning when you send out and then they slowly trickle in). I highly recommend this to anyone who has to throw a shower!

So here are some of the Words of Wisdom I’ve opened so far and have stuck in my mind –

  • Those who cook together stay together
  • Always have something to look forward to
  • Never go to bed angry and always kiss goodnight

And of course a few funny ones –

  • If you don’t get something you want, CRY, and then you’ll get it
  • Avoid wearing oversized T-shirts (suited for the gym) to bed
  • Remember, just because you’re married doesn’t mean you have to let him win

Enjoy!

Another Etsy Fav: LuLu Splendor Jewelry

Posted in Wedding Planning by

Lately I’ve been perusing Etsy to see what the sellers have to offer in terms of bridal jewelry. I still have no idea what I want to wear until I have my dress fitting, but it’s fun to see the different styles.

I came across one seller called LuLu Splendor that had some gorgeous jewelry that I just had to share with you guys.

combbraceear

Very glamorous, bold and beautiful jewelry, right?  I also really love that it’s made using vintage components and real pearls.

I think I’ll ultimately go with something a big more understated since my gown is intricate, but I think this jewelry would be perfect for a bride with a simpler dress who is still looking to make a statement.

What do you guys think? Do you like the intricate floral designs?

TGIF!