an installment of wedding bliss

however stressful it may sound or even seem sometimes, i can't say enough about the fun i am having planning our wedding! i find stuff everyday that i love or that inspires me. there is so much great stuff out there that it can be overwhelming. i would love to pass on any tips i learn and share some of the sweet stuff i come across.

i am going for an elegant vintage feel for our wedding. one element that i had already decided to incorporate were going to be feathers. i was shopping etsy for wedding veils, stumbled upon Jujubee Designs, and i fell in bliss with their feather bouquets! while i will probably not have an actual feather bouquet (my heart is set on a solid white bouquet of peonies... perhaps) i think this one will make an awesome accessory for an eccentric bride like myself!


i am also loving birdcage veils like this one, and it is one accessory this bride probably will be rocking down the aisle! so classy. actually, i love all of the wedding stuff from Londonxox's shop.

once every other month

seems to be my blog posting pattern. and its the same old excuse. time is not on my side. love, however, seems to be. i got engaged to my boyfriend of eight years on december 27. the proposal was very romantic and everything i have always dreamed of. its amazing how you feel when your partner makes that promise to you. i always knew richard and i would spend our lives together, but having proof on my left ring finger really puts things in perspective. i feel a little stronger knowing that its a reality to have this person to lean on, to grow with, and to love for the rest of both our lives. i can't wait to make the ultimate promise to each other before God.

with a little help from mom, i am also planning my entire wedding by myself. it is my dream to become a highly sought-after event planner, plus being the crazy control-freak that i am, i'm ecstatic to be able to do what i want. on a very small, practically non-existent, recession budget of course! i would love to share my economical yet fabulous wedding ideas and inspirations with the world. maybe i can turn this blog into mandy's candy & fabulous weddings. ha!

i am not the only bride-to-be around either! a very dear friend of mine will tie her own knot this may! all of the girls are super excited to be planning and throwing parties for her. its such a fun time and i can't wait to share in j & c's beautiful spring wedding very soon!

on a side note, another justified excuse for my blogging slackness is my start of another blog, one for the restaurant i work at, Catherine's. after moving home this summer i was super lucky and got my old job back! its a great place to work and i missed it when i was in greenville. so glad to be back. the blog is under construction, but please check it out by following this link.

http://catherines1770.blogspot.com/

on a crafting note, i got lots of scrapbooking/card making stuff for christmas. i have done a little scrapbooking in the past but never really got into making cards or anything like that. its so much fun! and super-special to give someone something that comes straight from your heart. i have made victoria an adorable shower card with adyson's name on it, and also a collection of recipes & memories for my bestest friend ever, aislinn, after her great-grandmother passed away recently. do i run the risk of sounding selfish when i say that those kind of gifts are the best in the world to give? sometimes a small labor of love speaks volumes to the ones dear in our hearts.

on a baking note (something i will always find time for), some goodies i have been experimenting with are more flavors of marshmallows (which have been hit-&-miss... lemon wasn't great) and these cake pops from bakerella.

the recipe is a variation of a cake ball recipe, found here.

i had made cake balls before and they were great, but i made them too big. they sort of looked like snowballs. this time i got lollipops sticks from michaels and made devils food cake balls dipped in chocolate for valentine's day. they were fabulous.

although my track record states that i won't be back with a post until april, i hope that isn't the case. until then...