Monday, April 20, 2009

Shower recap - Way late

Saturday morning we woke up and ran a few errands including stopping at Ida's so Shirley, Bart's mom, could see my dress and we could pick up my fabulous veil! Then we headed over to Lee's Summit so I could get have my hair and make-up trial run at Salon Ahloe.

Shirley had a pedicure. Isn't she cute as a button?


Next we were on to the main event of the day. The shower!
We had a nice turnout including my 92 year-old great-grandmother, Grannie P.


We played 3 games. The first one we all had balloons that we popped and inside was a slip of paper with an event that occurred on May 9th. The winner was the person who's slip said that Bart and I get married on May 9th, 2009. Grannie P. won that one! Did you know that the beer pump and the first contraceptive were patented on May 9th?

For the next game they set out jars of spices and we had to guess what they were. I won that one with 3 right. It's a lot harder then it sounds!

For the last game they sent me out of the room and everyone had to write down what I was wearing. My bridesmaid, Stephanie, won that game. She did kind of have an unfair advantage though. We bought the same dress for the shower!! We didn't discover it until the night before and she had to get another dress. Sad I told her she didn't have to, but she insisted. So I think she totally deserved to win that game!

The food was delicious. My sister made some amazing cookies. We had a nice cheese and cracker tray and an awesome shrimp c*cktail with mango salsa. For drinks they served a champagne mixed drink with grape juice ice cubes that had strawberries and starfruit frozen inside. Super cute!

It was really nice to have my friends and family all together. I got some really nice and thoughtful gifts.


By far though this is my favorite gift. A handmade quilt from my Grandma.

(I'm tearing up now just thinking about it.)

I really have to give major props to my dad. My mom and sister have many talents, however party panning is not one of them and they'll be the first to tell you. Dad and I have always been the party throwers of the family. So when my dad caught wind of what Mom and Sis originally planned he sort of took over behind the scenes. He basically took care of all the menu planning and most of the prep and also did the decorations and favors. Then he stepped back and let my mom and sister take all the credit. My dad is really an amazing guy and if you can't tell I kind of put him up on a pedestal.

So while we were doing our girly thing Bart took Dad suit shopping for the wedding. They picked out a nice suit and then went home to watch the game.

I think they really have some nice man bonding time. I really think my dad is enjoying this since he's never had son to hang out with. Getting to enjoy sports is a little new for him. He's been kind of used to tea parties. Smiley

After the party we went back to my apartment and I gave my sister a thank you gift for hosting. I think she really liked it!


As cliche as it sort of is right now, the card says "I hope your next shower is as wonderful as mine was."



All in all the day was just wonderful. I couldn't ask for better family or friends and this is one memory I will always cherish.Four generations: Great-Grannie P., Grandma, Mom, Me, and my Sissie

From left to right: My mom, me, and Bart's mom

The whole gang!

Cheers!!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Beauty school drop-out - Thank goodness I can pay to have someone else do this for me!

I should be crunching numbers right now, but when faced with the task of widdling down the national deficit blogging about things like hair and make-up sounds so much less stressful. And apologies for the delay in posting, but I've been one busy bride with the countdown under a month now!

So on to the good stuff.

Saturday, April 4th was my bridal shower. More on that later. I decided to take full advantage of the picture taking I knew would occur and have my hair and make-up trial runs. OK, let's be honest, I needed something to occupy me while my mom and sister set up the shower. Otherwise I would have driven them batty.

I had the hardest time finding an inspiration picture. I had seen a gorgeous bride on one of the many blogs I follow months ago and said to myself "Wow, her hair is stunning. I wish I could pull that look off." Then I dismissed the post and moved along to the 101 others in my reader that day. The hairstyle apparently stayed in my subconscious because as decision time for my hair came near I thought about that post more and more. "Alright," I said, "maybe I CAN pull this look off. In fact, I think it would be perfect with my new brunette locks and vintage style dress." So for weeks I searched for that elusive post to no avail. I gave up hope and decided to try another route.

Finally, in the final hour, quite literally as it was midnight on Friday, I found my inspiration! It was not the original blog post but better. It was Kiera Knightly in Atonement. And it was perfect.

So this is what I took my hairdresser, Leigh:


And this is what she gave me!


I have a few adjustments to make but overall I love it!

As for the make-up I had fortunately been smart enough to pull out a picture I had seen in a magazine a month or two into our engagement. It was dewy, golden and very natural looking. The end result is this: