Photo Gallery | Wedding Wednesday: Week 21
You may know me as News 8's "Good Morning Quad Cities" Reporter, but when I'm not hitting the links for the DOVE Women's Golf Tournament or covering the Iowa Primary Election, I am planning a wedding!
Welcome to Wedding Wednesdays!
Days Until We Say "I Do"... 66!
This Week's Theme... In Control
Sometimes - and I think this is probably true in all aspects of life - you just need one thing to go right to get your life train back on track and feel like you can move forward, catch up, and stay in control. This past weekend was one of those moments. Aside from a little bit of stress (my veil was not completely ready for my hair trial, but since it's June 6th and not August 6th, I'm not too worried about it), the last week has pushed my stress level down and shot my positivity up. Instead of thinking -- How in the world am I going to get all of this done? I'm cheering for myself -- You can do it! You can do it! You can do it! I'm like the Little Engine That Could (What's up with all the train references today?)
I have to give all the credit to my Mom, who's one day trip to the Quad Cities planned a month ago turned into an entire weekend visit. I am so lucky to have her. By the time I woke up, she had already gotten through a pot of coffee so she was always raring to go (Side Note: I don't drink coffee, so my parents actually gave me their old coffee maker to have at the house so that whenever they visit, they can make their own coffee. It literally sits in the corner of a closet until the day before they come to visit, haha). Whenever I looked at my Mom during an appointment for advice, she gave me an honest and realistic answer. She remembered things that I forgot, had fantastic ideas that I never imagined myself, and was still talking to me by the time she left the Quad Cities... which just shows how patient she has been with me the last eight months. She and I both have NO IDEA what we're going to do once August 12th rolls around :)
Okay, onto the good stuff! On Saturday, we had my hair trial and first alterations appointment... both went great. We were able to pick up the Bridesmaid Dresses... which all look great (pictured above). Plus, we spent the morning with Zach's Mom and had lunch at my favorite restaurant in the Quad Cities, Cafe Fresh... which tasted great.
The afternoon was spent at Hobby Lobby (AKA: DIY Bride Heaven), where we picked up the supplies for our Plan B Centerpieces. As we sipped our Frappes from McDonald's on the I74 Bridge, I knew what we were both thinking... What if this doesn't work? Well, I've very happy to say (and this was the turning point moment), that they turned out beautifully!
As you look at the pictures above, you'll see the steps we took to get our finished product. Basically, we spray painted a wine bottle (We were able to just keep the labels on, which saved a lot of time) with primer spray paint, which is basically a thicker spray paint that covers the entire glass bottle in one or two layers. After an hour, we sprayed the bottle again with adhesive spray, which makes the bottle very sticky (I recommend gloves of some sort for this project, by the way) then rolled it on a tray full of Epsom salt (found at Walgreen's or any pharmacy store). The salt makes the wine bottle look like it's covered in sparkles or beads... it's really cool, especially when it catches the light. That's it! I spent the next day, Sunday, taking over the garage (which I'm sure Zach appreciated, seeing that I put the bottles in his car spot) and repeating the same process.
You'll notice three of the bottles are also spray painted gold, which is just something I added afterward. These three bottles will be the main centerpieces in the middle of the Peacock Lounge on a serpentine table that has an ivory cover. The rest of the bottles will go on nine bistro/cocktail tables, which are now covered in a gold satin table cloth with a purple tie (this is something we changed from earlier in the planning process - to give the Peacock Lounge more glam). Last, but definitely not least, we found some cool gold "ting ting" and peacock feathers at Hobby Lobby (50% off, whoo!) to bring in all the colors and keep the theme going from the ceremony to the reception into the lounge. CHECK!
Mom and I had a lot of fun trying out this project, especially because it worked in the end, haha. There were a lot of high fives, sighs of reliefs, hugs, and glasses of wine following this project... and once I was completely done with it on Sunday night, I felt a huge weight pushed off my shoulders. As soon as I put a thick blue line through that task on my list, I felt empowered... like anything was possible and June would be MY month to get it all done. There's nothing like having a craft project go right when you're such a bad crafter to get you excited :)
So, the to-do list continues on... but it feels a little lighter now that those 12 wine bottles are in a wine box in the corner of the wedding room, not to be taken out until August 11th. Bring on the invites! Bring on the seating chart! Bring on the vows! (Gulp)
Before I leave you for the week, I want to give a BIG CONGRATS to my good friend, Raegan, who got engaged over the weekend (she's the cute, tiny blond in the middle of the last picture above)! Raegan's fiance is Derek, who is one of Zach's Groomsmen and closest friends. It was so much fun to pass along some wedding magazines to her (my first pass!) and celebrate with them over the weekend. I know you read this blog every week, Raegan, and I hope it inspires you (not scares you, ha) and helps you in the coming months. Zach and I are so happy for you two!
Next Week... Continue On!
