decor, finalized.

I ordered my first batch of flowers today! Gotta make sure they don't suck before I order the rest. Here's what I'll end up with:

This vase ***edit** HOLD UP. Shipping for those vases is as much as the actual cost. DEALBREAKER.

So instead, I'll find some bud vases and fill them with some twigs (or these twigs... probably the first ones because they're cheaper. Heh). and a single daisy (I'll break up the bouquets) for the centerpieces.

I'll make some garlands for accents on the head table and probably buffet table.
The centerpieces on the head table are going to be made with three vases I got from work and some vase gems, so we (me, Marsha, Kate) can put our bouquets in them.

I'll make boutonnieres for the ushers/pins for the attendants with these flower heads.

Similarly, I'll make groomsmen boutonnieres with these wooden flower heads.

Darren's boutonniere.
My bouquet.

Ladies of honor bouquets.

Boutonnieres for our dads.

Wrist corsages for our moms.

Finally, because ceiling draping is so expensive (like $600 minimum, srsly!), instead we'll hang green and white lanterns up (sans actual lights). The tent lighting we're renting plus the shitload of Christmas lights I acquired should provide enough light- the lanterns will just be there to add a touch of awesomeness.
ALSO, I bought a new flower clip for my hair. Ordered it yesterday. The other one just wasn't doin' it for me. Or, the other two that I got when I ordered one. I mean, I like them, but I like this one better:

So maybe the other ones can be for mah ladiez.

(for my own reference: today I ordered the bridesmaids bouquets, 1 daisy bouquet, all the flower heads for pin-making, and the flowers for garland-making).

marriage prep

A friend of mine is in grad school right now studying Marriage & Family Therapy. She took a seminar and got her certification to lead Prepare-Enrich sessions. So she's hooking us up. All we have to pay for is the cost of online the assessment and, in return, we'll fill out an evaluation for her. Everyone wins! Plus we get a discount on our marriage license. Extra awesome.

So we met with her for the first time tonight, just to discuss the process. We're meeting again in two weeks to really get started. Sometime before then we'll do the assessments and go from there. I'm looking forward to it, despite that fact that sometimes people go through these courses and end up deciding not to get married. Kinda scary, sure. And sometimes people end up learning nothing new. If I were to fear one of those options it would be the latter- since we've lived together for almost two years we've already figured out a lot of the day-to-day stuff, the financial nonsense, the sexin'... you know.

But, yeah. Darren and I are awesome. I think this'll be pretty neat.

Suit for Darren? The one I posted several months ago doesn't exist anymore. Fail.

He's concerned about single-button jackets, but if he wears a vest... and/or does some sit-ups, I think it'd be fine.

Or maybe I'll have him come downtown and I'll drag him to Men's Warehouse. They have some suits in the same price range as my dress that could work. We'll see.

Five months!

dress!!

So. I was at the Mall of America today with Kate and Kelsey and we were walking past Deb, where they were selling prom dresses. So I was like "hey, let's go to Deb and I'll try on some white dresses because why the heck not?"

And I ended up finding a dress. This one, but in ivory. The ribbon can tie in front or in back. I tried on several dresses and liked two other ones too (this one and this one, both in white), but, you know. They weren't The One. The first one is The One. I walked out of the dressing room and Kate made the "I might cry" face. Wee!