Merry Christmas

Just one more Christmas party to go, we've had four amazing ones so far.  The first was a quick weekend in Aurora (Party On Wayne) with Andrew and Jeaninte Zuerner + kids.  Taylor and I flew in late on Friday just before the blizzard and met Mark, Grace and Mike who drove in at varying times on Friday.  Had a great weekend with everyone and hope they move to Michigan next!  I'm so glad to know I'm a skilled Barbie sticker applicator.

Christmas Eve was spent at Mike and Grace's home, we were fed another delicious spread (who made the Caesar salad?!) and got to spend a fun evening with them AND Chris, Alison, Liz, Josh, Maddie, Caroline & Bella.  Taylor got to open her gifts from Mark and I, I'm taking the group bear hug as a positive sign she liked her digital camera!

Even later on Christmas Eve Mark and I decided to open gifts together, I am glad I was able to keep his coat a secret.  We had a rare dinner date at Somerset in October and he spotted this coat:

Then I hid the coat really well!!  Mark would mention it about twice a week and I would say they were sold out when I went back and that it was too much, etc.  Tee-hee. 

I got spoiled big time this year!!  It was fun to spend some quiet minutes together and open presents.  My new earrings are on as I type and I'm impatiently waiting to wear the boots, which I'm still impressed he was able to track down :)

Christmas Day we drove to Allendale to see my brother, parents and Grandma Carol.  It was a rainy day to be on the roads but we rolled in around lunch time.  Ken wasn't too far behind then, more presents!!  I'm blessed to have such a generous family.  Truly blessed.

See all you Shines on Sunday!

dining with the (almost) Mark Zuerners

ooooooooooo-wheee!  That put a chill down my spine and a smile on my face.  I'm going to be a Mrs. Mark Zuerner in like whoa, EXACTLY, three months and one day.  And cue the...oh snap, three months?!!? Time to buckle down.  Or is it four months and one day?  Yeah, four.  Math by Sara: takes you a wrong answer and a redo but you'll get it, eventually!

Next up, really need to get those invites figured out.  Gots to.

But the fun part of registering is about 60% done.  I believe we got all of our dining and kitchen things on the lists (Crate & Barrel, Macy's and Target if you care; if you really care about half our registry is on sale at Macy's).  Next up will be bed/bath pieces.  Phew, time consuming but the advent of online registering is a life saver!! 

Merry almost Christmas,
Sara

Really? I care about banquet chairs?

Well, OK. I think I had an actual bride moment this week; I rented fancy chairs for the reception. Now, I do realize that no one cares about chairs. Unless they are horribly uncomfortable do you even notice? Doubtful. But will mine look pretty? Yes. My true thought process behind this was why on earth spend money for linens when they have free ones and why on earth cover chairs with more linens when it's just a chair. Then I saw pictures. Not going to lie, linens make a big difference. Alas, I'm half Dutch and can't do it. But I'm also half Irish and want to have a sweet party. So the compromise is that I found a great deal on these chairs:

And now I'm skipping the fancy table linens. Cheaper to go this route and I like this look infinitely better than chair covers. Officially a bride now!

Side note: the best pricing on the Chiavari chairs that I found in Detroit is at A Moment Forever. Stacy is very sweet and you can tell she loves the wedding industry (the photo is of the actual chairs they own).  They offer lots of other services as well.

stolen ideas!

Over the weekend I got some sort of bridal magazine delivered so in order to stave off complete boredom I cozied up on the couch to flip through it on Sunday.  I about fell off the couch when I got to the page about using grey and yellow wedding colors!!  And the best part was they featured the same necklace I have been coveting!!!  Total copy cats.  Just saying.

Mark's mom is now going to do our flowers, yay!  Super helpful and (I imagine anyway) a cost savings.  We narrowed down the rehearsal dinner spots (Pizzapapalis or Fishbones, both in Greektown) and I found some invites I like that just need a color tweak and they'd be ideal.  I think I'm going to hire a graphic designer here to help tweak them and then find somewhere to have them produced.  Plus this way we can use the same design in table numbers, thank you notes and place cards, etc...right?  Good plan?! 

I seriously have ZERO CLUE on how these things all work out.  I just searched my old emails for the "ridiculous" timelines my recently married friend's sent to me and now I am frantically trying to adjust them around my wedding.  No longer do they seem ridiculous :)

The joy of registering

My first advice is don't go when either or both of you are tired as crankiness makes the experience less fun.  Just sayin'.

Our game plan was for a walk-thru at both Crate and Barrel and Macy's, we stuck to it.  Then we decided which things we wanted at each store.  Stuck to it.  Next, we decided to add Target into the mix since it seems silly to pay department store prices for cooking utensils (i.e. whisk or spatula).  Finally, we walked back across Somerset and got started at CB...we picked a few items on our "for sure purchase at CB" list and then I wanted to browse.  Mark, it turns out, was less interested in browsing...so I had to let him point and shoot at random items to keep him entertained.  Bagel slicer?!  Sure...zap!  Colander?! Sure...zap!  My favorite part was when Mark stomped off to zap this giant pot that has a steamer thing on top because "that's the only thing he wanted."  I was thinking our pot set might have one that matches so we should wait and all but I had to smile and say zap it!  Except I think I hissed about the matching sets before I gave in :D

The great thing is we did agree on most of the big choices (cookware, dishes, silverware) and then on the drive home I found out Mark doesn't care about napkin colors so I don't need to offer him choices as he will just exercise veto power rather than discuss how the deep purple is more elegant but the teal is brighter.  I mean, that's how I looked at it.  He just said "purple" and I thought perhaps some more discussion was required.  Not so much.

Later that night we took the checklist that CB provided and went through and labeled which of the three stores we would get the necessary items from.  The game plan/list approach might be more effective than the two of us wandering in all sorts of directions.  I'm going to try to do some research on the best toasters, mixers, etc.  Side note Mark laughed when I said I wanted to register for a mixer because he's never seen me bake.  Forward thinking babesy I said...I mean I will probably have baking duties assigned as a mom or if we host a holiday dinner.  Duh. 

So tonight we are going to hit up Target and then another night we will tackle the Macy's list and also anything we don't find at Target (spatula wise) we will add on at Macy's.

Weekend update

Let's see, I was handed a invitation catalog a few weeks back and finally got around to ordering some samples.  The prices are way low but for someone who loves paper and design (me) it's not all that cute.  Budget says, it will work.  My inner Martha Stewart says we can jazz it up somehow.  Now I just need Markers to weigh in.  I will go out on a limb and say he picks the simple white invitation and really doesn't care if Martha attempts to improve them.

On Saturday (11/14) my mama had her birthday--yay!  And Heather and Ken got married--also yay!  I got to spend the day with both of them, Heather did a great job pulling the day together.  We both had so much fun and by the end of the night realized the next wedding we go to will be our own :D 

I (sort of) accomplished a wedding task!

Just the other day I emailed a flower vendor!  Woo-hoo go me!  I also asked for another reference and I also have another one in my head that I will contact.  Awhile earlier today I took a few, ahem, minutes online to find some yellow floral arrangements that I dig for reference.  Let me try to post something I like for you to reflect upon now:

I like the nosegay approach for bridesmaids.

And perhaps another to sustain you:

Simple and bright, I like the "stuffed" look.  Am just now wondering if these are dandelions because that would probably be a huge money saver...hmm...

That's really all.  Maybe it wasn't quite a noteworthy accomplishment.  HA!

Updates, multitudes of updates

Well that title is quite the exaggeration.  Oh well.  Let's see, this weekend I'm going to be in Grosse Pointe so my plan is to stop in and get a better idea of the alcohol needed for the reception.  Nevermind all the dozens of other things to get done, that one seems palatable for a Saturday afternoon.

Halloween night was fun, I was pleased with our Cabrera costumes.  Though while ironing on the decals I felt like I should put a disclaimer saying that domestic abuse isn't funny.  Here's the costume in action:

And here is the costume post action:

Last night I had the hardest time turning my brain off.  I remembered all the bridesmaid dresses need to be ordered, I need to follow-up with the ceremony coordinator, flowers need to be figured out, so on and so forth.  Wish I'd made a list because the only thing I was able to recall this morning was remind the girls to get their dresses ordered.

What a week

SO. Not a lot of blog updates lately, like I said, "what a week."

Last Wednesday was my Grandpa Ken's 80th birthday, it was also his last day with us. After a recent diagnosis with terminal cancer he took an unexpected bad turn and passed away on what was his 80th birthday. I wish he'd been awake to know we were all there to celebrate with him. But I think even though he wasn't awake he probably still knew we were there.

The memorial service was really nice and there were well over 250 people there to pay their respects to an amazing, solid man and to share stories, hugs and faith with my grandma. One last hug, story and rummy game would be nice but I know he's with our maker and waiting to see us again.

Mr Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy Delicious

DJ contract sent in: Mike Staff Productions, which comes recommended from a few pals.

Halloween costumes: TBD (Mark's not so into the creative costume route).

Party night: ON! Friday we went to game night at our friend Angela & Andrew's apartment where my "grown up" friends now realize what a terrible sport I really am. Tonight we are celebrating Heather & Ken's upcoming nuptials, hopefully there are no games in which I will argue and/or pout.

Izzo corn maze: 2, Christa/Sara: 1 Unfortunately after more than an hour we had only moved one section over in the maze...however when we gave up on both the hard and medium difficulty mazes we DOMINATED the easy maze. Dominated.

"i was runnnnnnn-innnngggg"

We made it! Mark plowed through the Detroit Free Press half marathon and I took what I hoped would be the easy route by keeping with tradition and running the marathon relay with my family. I didn't train enough and then I had too much wine for dinner. It was a tough 5-ish miles for me!! After giving my knee a week off I'm going to go back into my regular running routine so as not to be outdone next year.

Mark did great, I'm so proud of him for finishing! He didn't train either but assured me he is half-Kenyan so running long distances comes naturally to him (must be half albino Kenyan). He only walked once up a hill, which was better than I can say, and now he can barely walk at all. Must be the German half that has the sore legs...

Regardless of the tough run we are both looking forward to next year's race. I'm sticking with team RunShine and Mark might up the ante and run the full thing. Let's see if we make it through this year's Turkey Trot first though ;)

play that funky music, white boy

Saturday we met with Kurt at Mike Staff Productions to get an idea on music. They come highly recommend from our friend Moose (Nicole) who is using them for her February wedding. Prices were reasonable, it's a very professional operation and we were given a selection of DJs to choose from. The interesting thing is they are mostly WRIF folks who would DJ on the weekends and it just blew up into a full time gig. And then we saw the Killer Flamingos again, I hear they are "reasonable" for a band and while we love watching them I am not sure how they would translate to a multi-generational gig. Looks like we will stick with the DJ route...

another girl beats me to becoming a Zuerner

Well everyone, I've been upstaged. By a babe. On the afternoon of Saturday, October 10, 2009 another female became a member of the Zuerner family. She's beautiful and instantly loved and adored by the entire family. If she didn't poop herself I'd be insanely jealous. I am, of course, referring to Liz and Josh's baby girl Isabella Marie! The little bundle joined the family around 2:30 in the afternoon--Mark, Taylor and I were able to see her Sunday morning at the hospital before she was even 24-hours old. The raven haired beauty weighed in at 8lb 6oz and was 20 inches tall.

Here's a little snapshot of the booger sleeping comfortably at home:

And one of the happy family, Hallmark style:

I really SHOULD call ITT Tech

Well we've been without home Internet for a solid two months. I was sure there was an issue with the connection. Or my work computer was showing signs of age. Neither were correct. I unplugged the wires to the router as instructed by some technophiles. I unplugged the cable box on three separate occasions before I realized it wasn't the router. After a full day I plugged the appropriately disconnected router cords back in, but no lights came on. "Hmmm, that's weird," I thought but "shut up Pancakes" is what I said since she seemed to be smirking at me.


Only one thing NOW I thought, a plug obviously slipped away from the back of the router and it's been swallowed by the dust bunnies behind the TV. At this point I attempted to move our non-flat screen TV away from the wall and I followed an absolute labyrinth of cords to see what must have slipped down. Nothing. "Hmm again!" And then I saw it. SOMEONE (ahem Markers) didn't properly plug the router power cord into the socket, they only got one prong in. Unplug, properly re-plug and voila! INTERNET!

As I type this I'm on hold with everyone's favorite local company, Comcast. I'll give them some serious kudos if they reimburse me for the non-usage for the past two months. Fingers crossed team.

Official bridesmaid dress update. Official.

I've posted some dresses I liked before. Then I went to Miss Kate's Maids in Birmingham to see the dresses I had previously posted. It was there I found the color "smoke." This luxurious, funky dark gray is the official color and THESE are the dresses Caitlin, Liz and Jennifer will be selecting from

Option 1 (in smoke) strapless with a sash that ties in the back, simple cut with figure flattering pleats:

Option 2 (in a color where you can see the detail), semi capped sleeve with pocketssssssssssss:

And Option 3 (again in a color that you can see the detailing); also strapless with amazing pleat detail and pocketssssssssss:

And let's not forget about our rocking junior bridesmaid Taylor. Here is the dress she picked out of the three options she had, adorable "tip of the shoulder" neckline and flower detail:

Food prep

On Tuesday (black Tuesday for all you Tigers fans) the Grosse Pointe War Memorial hosted a tasting party, complete with an assortment of appetizers and entrees. Since Mark had to work my mom filled in as the carnivore taste-tester. The event was helpful and Mark and I will be able to go through our menu selection process much easier now that I've actually tried a few things.

There were vendors there as well; linens, flowers, cakes, chocolate fountains, dress makers, photographers. They should really blow that out and have more vendors in for couples to meet with.

time for another list

So we decided that we'd been making decent progress without a planner and nixed the idea. My heart starts palpitating (is that a word?) when I say this out loud but we can use that cash towards something fun now. I need a list to slow down the heartbeat. Next up we need to work on the following:

1. invitations
2. finalizing the people participating in our ceremony
3. research florists

Side note, I am kind of a boring blogger. My bad. I will use pictures in the next post for excitement.

Going to the chapel

Last Thursday Mark and I left the Tigers game (sad loss to Kansas City) in the 8th inning, allowing my Uncle Jim to catch the foul ball instead of us, to meet with the coordinator at the church and put a deposit down. Just seven months prior to April 10 we finally have our ceremony site! For the past month we have been attending Fort Street Presbyterian in Detroit; a beautiful and historic church downtown (read some of the history HERE) across the street from the new Freep/News building. The bonus is we’ve really been enjoying the services there and Taylor likes the children’s church.

Next wedding item to tackle is the invitations, I’m looking to do some cost-cutting here since, no offense to my wedded friends, I throw the invites away after the wedding.

donde estas?

Hey everyone (assuming anyone is actually reading this)-

Apologies on the hiatus, work has been coming at me like a MAC, ahem GMC Sierra HD, truck lately. Can't complain when there are folks calling MARVIN but it takes away from my social time.

Let's see what is new with the planning....ah yes, we are pretty sure we have finalized our guest list. We received a quote from one planner and are awaiting the quote from another. Brides scope out (http://merrittrosenthal.com/ and http://www.momentsintime.biz/) for the two we've talked to.

Sending love and congratulations to the newly engaged Heather Longstreth and her fiance Ken. The lovebirds met at our engagement party...aww!

make some noise brides!

Oops, forgot to update everyone on the Bridal Show Extravaganza; “make some noise brides!” Does the sound of me gagging on the cheesiness count?

First off, punch my face if I ever say I’m going to be IN the show. The girls on the runway…wow…confident, and good for them! In all I think this show is best suited for people in the very beginning stages of planning but the entire thing is overwhelming and I’m afraid to look in my MSU email account since 98% of the booths were just seeking your contact information. The vast majority of vendors were photographers, DJs, tuxes and transportation companies. A few honeymoon “win a trip” tables and a few linen rental places. Only two floral displays and no “party favor” people. The best part for me was hanging out with Liz, Jo Lynn and Julie!

Photo booths are the new craze for weddings, here’s a few gems I’d like to pass on to you:

Awkward photo booth photos for your enjoyment:

Click number ONE: Suckered in, fortunately didn’t have to leave my contact info (I faux left it by ghost writing one then throwing it away when they weren’t looking)

Click number TWO: Smile! Nah, blink or stink eye only.

Click number THREE: Overserved perhaps? Or were they just that happy to have a baby-sitter?

Click word SAY: Oh man, Gordy sure likes weddings (and eye contact)!

Click word CHEESE: And finally, not OK…ever.

losing inches, gaining inches

When Mark and I decided to join the Madison Athletic Club in Madison Heights I was looking forward to getting back on track after nearly one year of slacking off in the exercise department. As part of our package we received a complimentary training session--Mark was gung-ho about the tutorial and I was resisting the "sales pitch." Almost immediately Mark got his free session then signed up to do a handful of training sessions. I put off my initial session for at least two months but finally went. I thought it was a good workout but more so thought how big of a kick in the butt I needed. Here is where I also mention my inability to say "no;" I signed up for three months of sessions. Insert Mark saying "SUCKERRRRRR!" here.

Well my three months just wrapped and I have to say the kick certainly worked. I lost two inches across my abdominals (below the bellybutton) and one inch from my waist. I gained half an inch on my biceps and half an inch on my calves. These results were lined up with what my trainer, Kelly D, and I planned for--less jiggling and my pants fitting me again. I did almost zero working out other than the sessions and I didn't change my diet, though I would argue I'm generally a healthy eater. So major kudos to Kelly (and Mike who filled in a few times) at the MAC for the great workouts.

The next time you see me you may ask to see my muscles but only after you get the scoop on whether I did a workout that week!!

my first wedding event :)

So it looks like my Aunt Jill, along with my grandmother, are organizing a bridal shower for my dad's side of the family in October. This means it's time to start registering!!!! I'm excited but also a bit lost as to what exactly I will need, not to mention we don't have a house so I have zero idea on colors or even the comforter sizes/number of bathroom things to even register for. Plus, you have so. many. options. Mark really likes Crate & Barrel or Williams-Sonoma for things but those store locations are limited. Macy's seems to have a lot of what we would need too. Who doesn't like Target?

Wish us luck because we need to have a partial registry ready to go in the next 30 days!

catching up

I spent the weekend in Allendale with Taylor and my grandparents—we had a great time and Taylor is on her way to being a serious Rummikub (Rummy Cube) contender! I saw my Grandma Carol’s TWO outfit choices for the wedding (weather dependent), both are beautiful and it’s an awesome feeling to know how is excited she is.

Since the last post I’ve also made contact with two planners and will be trying to organize meetings for next week. The guest list has been printed out but I think the Tigers trumped Mark actually going through it.

THIS weekend my friend Jo Lynn, who is also planning a wedding, got us tickets to the Bridal Expo at the Palace. Hopefully we come away with some good local people/contacts to help make our weddings stellar!

Signing off for now,
Sara

The Joy of Planning

Last night we accomplished making lists. Most of you know I love lists, however what I truly love is crossing things OFF the list.

Our new list:

1. Print the guest list so Mark can review
2. Set up appointments with DJs
3. Email a church (oh wait I DID this one, yay! But no reply just yet)
4. Email a professional planner

I read on a blog last night that you spend around 250 hours, or SIX work weeks planning a wedding. Um, about that...I already have work weeks; and on a good day I can take a full hour lunch, these good days come about once a week. So that means during normal business hours I need 250 work days to plan this bad boy. Um, about that....April 10 is 233 days away.

While I still have lots of fun ideas for our wedding last night Mark and I talked about our (ahem, my) rage level during the planning process. I currently have mild crabbiness at all things wedding. I would prefer to have zero crabbiness and actually focus on having fun. So with that Mark has offered to get a second job to pay for a planner...sweet but not necessary, I found a few local firms that should fall within our budget and help take most stress away. Too bad my handy dandy list is on the kitchen table. But hey, what's one more day?

;) Sara

Sunday, FUN day

This weekend was hot, hot, hot and action packed. Friday night after the gym I sampled Inn Season Café cuisine with my fellow veg-head friends Angela and Andrew. Saturday was Dream Cruise with the almost in-laws, Liz and GC—'twas my first ever Dream Cruise. A little hot and while I love old cars I prefer walking a parking lot to really look at them, not watching them drive by. Saturday night was Jody’s bachelorette party out in Novi—great fun with good friends. Despite all the fun this far into the weekend, Sunday was my favorite day. Mark took the day off to spend with ME! It was amazing since he and I rarely get an entire day alone together with our schedules. We had no major plans and spent the afternoon at the pool sipping margaritas, snuck into Royal Oak for sushi at Ronin, then popped over to Woody’s rooftop to celebrate Christa’s birthday. I know I wish we had days like that more often but we sure made the best of it.

Alas, we did no wedding planning other than repeatedly tell each other we really needed to figure out where the ceremony will be.

and the photographer is...

The Shooting Gallery! Thanks to all who shared their input, as you could see from the links a few posts back we had a tough time choosing. Dionne at TSG was very fun, I really liked her attitude and saw a few images in her books that were exactly what I had pictured in my head. The kicker was she showed me an album for a couple who requested about 4 shots and then let the photographer and her team do what they do. The album was exquisite and I'm so excited to see mine next spring. So excited in fact that I dreamt about it on Monday night.

Thanks again to the other contenders for taking time to meet with us and share your amazing work!

or was this one my fave?

I'm sure tomorrow after going to Miss Kate's Maids in Birmingham, MI I will have a bazillion new ideas, but now I'm thinking this is the dress I liked best.

in "shadow:"

http://www.priscillaofboston.com/dress_detail.jsp?gid=51&sfid=51014&f=

bridesmaid dress ideas

Here are some 'maid dresses (by Melissa Sweet) I am digging on...see the color "shadow":

my personal fave, funky version:
http://www.priscillaofboston.com/dress_detail.jsp?gid=50&sfid=50844&f=

the more elegant version:
http://www.priscillaofboston.com/dress_detail.jsp?gid=50&sfid=239&f=

the Taylor (junior bridesmaid) version:
http://www.priscillaofboston.com/dress_detail.jsp?gid=955&sfid=50862&f=

Dandelion color if we do flower girls at all:
http://www.priscillaofboston.com/dress_detail.jsp?gid=950&sfid=51034&f=


Stay tuned for what the final choice will actually be, these are just my first round of dresses I like

Slacker planning with Sara and Mark

Greetings and salutations!!

Our big plan of setting and accomplishing a weekly wedding planning goal is careening into a fiery pit of despair faster than Lindsay Lohan’s career. Outstanding items thus far are:
~ Book a church
~ Book a photographer*
~ Pare down the guest list to fit our venue
~ Gather addresses for said guest list

* I am however meeting with our last featured photographer, The Shooting Gallery, this evening after work. Unfortunately Mark and our other faithful planner, Taylor, won’t be joining me. That said, we will have one outstanding item crossed off the list (ahh, satisfaction) once I’m able to see Mark with BOTH of us having our eyes open long enough to actually discuss who we want to book.

Ohooh-ohoh, ohooh-ohoh….alright stop: shower time.

It was a very fun and family-filled weekend for Miss Elizabeth’s baby shower. Were you in Michigan on Saturday? Did you have an outdoor garden themed baby shower in the torrential down pour? I did. Thankfully the "Power at the Shower" (GC and Kate-tastic) had a large tent to keep us on the dry side. GC and daughters made some amazingly tasty quiche and muffins and cupcakes; the whole event was really beautiful and a good time.

On Sunday, did a little swimming and saw the Julie & Julia movie—good flick. I think I need a better blog theme than wedding and I too could have a book and movie deal. My coworker and I have tossed around Sara & Sarah (with me channeling Sarah Palin). The movie would obviously star Tina Fey and, as of late my celebrity lookalike is usually Kate Walsh, formerly of Grey’s Anatomy. Or Gisele. HA! Only the main issue is I would never want to channel Sarah Palin. So on to idea number two: blog about having a name that is the subject of a popular 80s song. Too bad there would be about three entries long and, as it turns out, Jefferson Starship already has a video. I welcome your suggestions as mine are lacking…

"rad to the power of sick"

Weddings are not cheap. In fact, without the graciousness of my parental units our wedding would be more like, the two of us at a courthouse then off on a stellar vacation. Though I think Mark's parents would still host a rad dinner at some point :) While the courthouse is NOT a bad option, and one that appeals to me ever so much at times, I'm too afraid of the wrath of the Shines if there is no bash since we only seem to get together at funerals these days.


A dear friend, the E.V.E., sent me a link that got me thinking of a great way to make some cash money for our bash. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd6-n7MhVg8

If you see a beautiful brooch going for 500 times it's original eBay price....mhmm!

stomach bug

I'm still a little under the weather but our new weekly goal for this week is to find a church....at this point we're not sure that we are going to find a family church, one we join as a family, prior to the wedding. So now we're googling churches you can rent. This isn't ideal but it gives us more time to find the right home church.

Side note I did find a bridesmaid dress I really like, as soon as I get 'maid sign off I will post a picture!

Toodles,
Sara

Mini rant

Just when I think of a cool idea I see it blogged somewhere else. Jerks, I wanted credit for doing something new. I guess I will revel in the fact that um...uh...I'll think of something! All I need is a cool, inexpensive idea that's unique. HA, let's be serious I need more cash money or at least more free time for brainstorming.

g'nite, SARA

Rhinestone cow(girl)!

I want to add a little sparkle to my dress and tried a brooch on at the bridal salon. YUP...need one. I found this little gem (har-d-har-har) on eBay and am eager to see how it will look.


Sneak peek: $11.98 with shipping sure beats the $650 price tag the salon brooch had. If it looks lame then you shall see this pin out and about in Royal Oak.

I covet this necklace...shhh

I'm panting, like my weird downstairs neighbor, for this necklace found at http://www.marlainastone.com/ (go to collections, then necklaces, this is near the bottom on the far left). Too bad the price tag doesn't match my budget!

Hot bridal salon event

I went out with a good friend, Jo, from my days at Brogan & Partners who is in the midst of planning a 2010 wedding. We went to Le Salon in Royal Oak since they carry the gown designer she likes. They had a little event going on with some beauty salons, accessories vendors, etc. Definitely a place to consider shopping if you are looking for a unique gown. There were some traditional looking gowns with bold jewelry and some very couture (some funky, stunning), beautiful dresses. Side note: I'm all set in the dress department and this is one secret I'm going to attempt to keep!

OK, so there is, of course, a funny story to this event: They were offering chair massages. So I had one. Here's where I mention it's like 80+ degrees in the shop with no air flow. I could FEEL my legs slipping off the knee pads they were resting on. I am trying to enjoy the relaxing massage but I'm more like, "how in the world do I stand up and wipe off the padding covertly?" Impossible, I was a sweaty leg mess (is that normal to have sweaty SHINS!?) and all over the leather chair. Awkward times 10! I was trying to stop the sweat on my forehead as I got a spiel about airbrush make-up AND keep anyone from looking at the sweaty shin marks. Fortunately Jo Lynn and I made eye contact and could bolt. And air me out.

Say cheese!

Mark and I are working on what I think is the most fun part of planning: the photography! After scouring scores of photographer websites/blogs and sending link after link to Christa and Liz for input I landed on the following three to meet with:

http://www.jeffreysimms.com/
http://www.adamsparkesphoto.com/
http://www.theshootinggallery.com/

Each has their own style but all three definitely have a photojournalistic edge that Mark and I really like.

The goal is to have our choice finalized by NEXT weekend. Not easy!

~Sara

Playing with our color combo

So I feel like I'm a creative person...but the visions in my head are never quite translated onto paper, film, screen, etc. I think saying I'm a creative visionary might be more accurate. Maybe one day I can become a sweet graphic designer, until then I will use PowerPoint. Here's my attempt at a web-page header, doesn't load well:

:) SJH

In the beginning

So we've picked a date, narrowed down a color scheme (gray and yellow) and are working on the remaining details...stay tuned! The photo was snapped by my dear friend Heather at our surprise engagement party--though I was the only one surprised. In case you didn't hear how Mark proposed, please pop over to my FAMILY'S BLOG for the photos and story.

xoxo, SJH