It’s been a while. This planning a wedding thing takes up a lot of a girl’s time. On the up side, only 2 months, 4 weeks, and 1 day until our wedding!

Lately, all I have been doing is pushing through my to-do list of DIY things for the wedding. Right now we’re (me and yes, the prospective groom, Kevin) working on getting the invitations cut out and assembled. I designed them myself, printed them on handmade seaside papers, and now we’re trimming them up and attaching them to some sturdy “eggplant” colored cardstock. The invitations should be going on the first week of April.

Next on the list of things to do is to stamp out the “wish jars” on some cardstock. Guests will be asked to leave their wishes, hopes, and advice for us “in” the jars at the reception. I’m really looking forward to what you all will have to say!

Also, I have to find a guestbook I’m happy with. At this point I am thinking about just going to Hobby Lobby and buying the one that matches the flower girl baskets and ring pillow. I was going to go for a more creative idea, but now I’m kinda…eh. Whatev. Let’s get this show on the road.

Here’s a short list of things that I have left to do. I assure you I am forgetting some of them.

• Finish slideshow
• Make more sparkly garland
• Figure out order of ceremony
• Purchase cardstock for wish jars and programs
• Put together program & print
• Get Kevin’s ring engraved
• Purchase gifts for attendants
• Locate & purchase cylinder (tower) vases
• Purchase Mason jars

Whew. I’ll be back later today with some links for you to enjoy after your Sunday afternoon nap. Off to church!

—————

Have a nice nap? Good. I gardened.

• Obama: Your conscience means nothing to me
• The cutest measuring spoons I’ve ever seen
• LOST Cake by Ace of Cakes

A little video I put together for our wedding site. Enjoy!

For more information about the wedding ceremony, or if you’re looking for travel accommodations for that day, please visit our wedding website: kevinANDlizabeth.com

This page is a work in progress and I will update it periodically throughout our engagement. It’s basically where I am storing all our options and ideas for things. Some are set, some are not. Everything is subject to change.

Bethel Assembly of God
Duncan, Oklahoma
June 6, 2009 at 6 p.m.

Colors & Themes
→We’re going for a blackberry theme during the ceremony and reception. Our primary color will be some shade of dark purple.

Along with the purple we will be incorporating cream/white.

Wedding Attire
Bridesmaids
I will be having four bridesmaids and each will be wearing a chiffon dress with vertical rouched bodice and horizontal rouched waist. (Ava by Mori Lee, style #427 Chiffon)

Reception
Like the rest of the wedding we are going for a southern feel here. Right now the plan is to set up a large tent inside the youth facility at the church and create a garden look. The rough plans are to create the illusion of sitting beneath a large tree with lanterns, lights, and crystals hanging from the “limbs.” There will be a head table for the wedding party, a few reserved tables for immediate family members, and a few dozen tables for our wedding guests.

I really hope all attending are able to stay for the reception because as we’re planning it now, it is going to be gorgeous. While we had been planning on using the reception hall and the lawn, it was looking like there were going to be a few snags in setting up the tent outside and I didn’t want to trouble the church with it. The tent inside the building does sound a little odd, but I think we’re going to get the perfect effect–a really beautiful, nighttime atmosphere.

Today marks five months until Kevin and I are married. Time is really slipping by now and it’s hard to believe that we’re well past the halfway point. I thought it would be fun (for some of you) to hear all the things that we’ve been working on recently and what is DONE.

• The save-the-dates are finished and should be going out sometime this week. Kevin, bless his sweet little heart, finished cutting them out sometime around 4am today, as can be seen on the time stamp of his twitter announcing his accomplishment to the world. And folks, it was no small feat. Those things were a pain to cut out and, poor guy, he knows what a perfectionist (aka, woman suffering from OCD) that I am and didn’t want to make any mistakes. Thank you, dear!
• I’ve contacted all the women that I would like to have serve as hostesses for the wedding and I am just waiting for a few of them to respond.
• Bridesmaids dresses are picked out and so far (as I know) one of the ladies has been fitted for hers. I love the dress and really wish I was getting to wear it, too. Though I am quite content with my own
• I had my first dress fitting! It’s fantastic. Saturday was the first time I got to see the dress with the crinoline underneath and it makes it look even better. It’s kinda poofy.
• I’m in the middle of ordering fabric samples for my veil. The one I’m getting is a drop veil, but I have yet to decide the length. Considering how detailed the entire dress is, I worry that a veil that is too long would take something away (even though I would REALLY like one that was the same length as the dress; that would no doubt get really annoying at the reception and I’m not taking the veil off).
• It’s time to get my tan on. Haters, be gone, because 1) I have naturally dark skin that tans in a minute, 2) there is NO history of skin cancer in my family, 3) nothing against yellow skin, but it sure doesn’t look good on me, and 4) my ancestors walked this land for centuries before it was stolen from them and they were half-naked in the blazing heat. I’m not concerned.

Heather and I will be going to a bridal fair in OKC on January 17 and maybe this year I’ll win something? It’s only the third time I’ve gone. Advice to other brides who may be attending: DO NOT put your address on ANYTHING at the Celebrity China booth. They really like to call you around 8-9pm. Especially nice for older ladies like myself who sometimes treat themselves to an early bedtime.

There’s a lot done and a lot left to be done. I’m trying not to stress out over the state of the economy and how that means some changes, as well as attempting to focus on the things that I have control over (realizing that doesn’t mean everything) and accept that there are going to be little things that don’t turn out exactly the way that I envision them, and move forward. This isn’t about what cake topper we choose, the way the flowers look, whether or not an arrangement ends up where it needs to be, or how many pieces of dangling crystal we hang from a fake willow tree on that day. It’s not even about that day. It is terribly cliche (an offense worthy of flaying, I think), but it’s a beginning. I need to remind myself that, while it’s very special, it’s just a day, a marker, a symbol—of something so much bigger. We’ve all been told that a wedding means a happy ending, but I find it really comforting (while absolutely overwhelming) to know it’s not that at all.

I finally got down to business and finished these puppies. Probably going out in the mail this week. If you are planning on attending and think that I don’t have your address, please email me at liz@misswisabus.com.

Thanks to Elizabeth Diefenderfer for her wonderful work on these. I can’t wait to see how the ones from the wedding turn out!

These, along with a few others that will be uploaded in the next few days, are only available to a few people on my Flickr. FRIENDS AND FAMILY – If you would like to view these photos, please comment on this post or email me and I will set up a guest pass for you on our engagement album.

In case you were wondering, it’s now 198 days until we get married–just a little over 6 months.

The engagement pictures are done and I should have some to show you in the next few days.

My dress is in and locked up in a boutique in OKC (I just love the thought that someone hand sewed this for me in Barcelona. I want to go to Barcelona).

And on a somewhat unrelated note (but sorta related because it’s going to make me a more pleasant person to be around), my hormone/herb cream is going to be here today and THAT is a reason to be happy, for sure.

I find these things altogether thrilling. What’s thrilling you today?

Updated the Wedding page. If you aren’t into clicking on links, here’s the update on the reception:

Like the rest of the wedding we are going for a southern feel here. Right now the plan is to set up a large tent inside the youth facility at the church and create a garden look. The rough plans are to create the illusion of sitting beneath a large tree with lanterns, lights, and crystals hanging from the “limbs.” There will be a head table for the wedding party, a few reserved tables for immediate family members, and a few dozen tables for our wedding guests.

I really hope all attending are able to stay for the reception because as we’re planning it now, it is going to be gorgeous. While we had been planning on using the reception hall and the lawn, it was looking like there were going to be a few snags in setting up the tent outside. The tent inside the building does sound a little odd, but I think we’re going to get the perfect effect–a really beautiful, nighttime atmosphere.

I posted a photo a while back but this one is closer and a little better. And to celebrate getting the ring back from the shop after a little work (8 weeks worth!), well, here you go!