Cupcakes, Smores, and Pies ... Oh My!

To say that I have a sweet tooth would definitely be an understatement.  The truth is ... most nights, the only reason that I eat dinner is to get to dessert.  As my FI/roomie would know - I eat ice cream 7 nights a week and (beyond) thouroughly enjoy it (my favorite part is the cool whip with cinnamon on top that I put on the side!).  Furthermore - most of my friends/family would most likely say that I have a major addiction to Splenda, although I am currently attempting to switch over to Truvia, a natural sweetener, I promise.

But enough of my confessions of a dessert addict.

There will be no shortage of sweets at my June wedding.  Fellow sweets lovers, you are in luck.  Here is the assortment of desserts that will be served:

Pies - My mom's idea. She's right, nothing evokes the feeling of a backyard event quite like a pie.  Perhaps what she is most excited about, however, is the vintage, rustic stands that the pies will sit on.  They will fit in with the wedding theme perfectly.  And I am sure that they will be delicious.

Smores - Mom's idea, again.  And another good one.  Just as the sun sets (on what we hope will be a beautiful, rain-free evening), our guests will have the option of the indulging on that childhood favorite.  And again, another dessert that fits that backyard theme.  Good thinking, Mom.

Cupcakes - This one's all me.  In lieu of a traditional wedding cake, Mr. BB & I will be cutting into vanilla cupakes with brown liners & flags on top.  And although my grandmother is still a little concerned with the whole idea, this is one aspect of the wedding that I knew right from the get-go.  I have always loved cupcakes ... baking them (Betty Crocker style!), decorating them, and of course, eating them!  Is there seriously anything cuter than a cupcake?  And Momma, not to worry .... there will be a cake on top of the cupcake stand that will be reserved for our first anniversary.  Here I am at our cupcakery over the weekend, after finalizing the details:

We can only hope that after all the yummy food that my mom has been busy planning over the past few months, our guests will still be hungry enough for all of these delicious sweet treats.  However, if they are anything like me, there is always room for dessert!

All Hands on Deck ...

I don't know that either my mom or I (the two driving forces behind my upcoming wedding) realized what we were getting ourselves into when we started the journey towards our vintage/informal/DIY backyard wedding.  Doesn't a backyard wedding convey the feeling of an event that would be somewhat easy to plan?  Wouldn't you think?  Needless to say, easy is definitely not the word for it ... fun, yes (most often).  Rewarding, I definitely think so.  And time consuming, for sure.

Luckily, we have had help from many special people who have taken time out of their busy lives to complete various DIY projects, attend meetings, and to simply offer their advice.  This week, I have been thinking about just how lucky we are. 

While Mr. BB, his mother & I attended the tasting last weekend, my mother attended a bridal meeting of her own.  This one focused on a rather comprehensive plan for the food at the wedding (details of the "food plan" to come, at this point, I probably wouldn't get it right!).  My mom, a personal trainer, was joined by several of her clients who just want to help in any way that they can.  And after that meeting, she had a second to disuss many details of the decor that we plan to have at that backyard wedding.

Thank you to those who are helping make our (sometimes crazy) vision a reality - your support is appreciated more than you know, and we definitely couldn't do it without you. :)

Baby, It's Cold Outside ...

And I don't know if I have ever been this sick of it.  Although I am particulary fond of sweaters, boots, fur, skinny jeans, and have a current obsession with colored tights ... I am officially ready for the warm weather to return.  It is just me, or has the winter been colder than ever?  This morning, for example, was quite painful as I drove to school in a dark, rainy mess.  I could only attempt to run into 7-11 to get my morning coffee fix without being soaked from the rain & numb from the cold.  Greeting my students on a cold, rainy morning is especially hard - when I ask my usual "How are you?" as they walk in the door ... 99.9% of the responses are either tired or cold. 

But enough complaining ... when old man winter gets you down, the best way to cope is to look ahead.  And as I sit in my cozy bed with my personal heater blasting in my face, that is exactly what I am doing.  I have been excited ever since Mr. BB & I agreed on a possible honeymoon idea this weekend - one that may actually be in the budget.  The truth is, while we both have high hopes of tropical drinks on the beach in Antigua, that vacation may just have to wait until our first anniversary.  However, we both agree that we will honeymoon somewhere, even if it is in a tent in our backyard. 

While discussing our options with my cousin over the weekend, her solution was a trip to California, one in which we could possibly use her time share for our hotel accomodations.  While both my FI & I have traveled all over the country, neither of us have been to California and have always wanted to go.  And, more specifically, I have always had a strong desire to vacation in Napa Valley (most likely due to my love of wine, even though I am perfectly content with Trader Joes' version). 

After researching (on google) ... it seems like this could be the perfect start to our life together ... somewhere that is relaxing, romantic, beautiful, & that we have always wanted to go.  And considering our Virginia Beach weather lately, if it is over 70 degrees & I have a few days off work, I will be one happy newly-married Burgundy Bride.

5 Months & Counting

It's official - in exactly 5 months, Mr. BB & I will be married.  That's right ... married, meaning that we will be husband & wife.  I will no longer be a Ms., but a Mrs. ... We will file our taxes together, share the same last name, and both have a ring that represents our commitment.  And let's face it ... once I am married, I will legimately be an adult.

It's still hard to believe that I am old enough for all of this, although I definitely am.  (I just googled it, and I am actually older than the 25 year old median age for women when they are married). I am beyond excited to be a wife and all that comes with it, and just hope that the cooking thing that most wives do is instinctive after the ceremony.  (I promise I have the baking thing down ... thanks to Betty Crocker & Duncan Hines ... and I must commend myself on a talent for laundry, and most recently, for ironing).

It is days like these, when The Knot emails me to remind me of my wedding date & that I am formally 5 months away, when I almost feel giddy about the future, and more specifically, the marriage that will result from this June wedding.

So,  to my FI ... Happy Five Months to go!  I can't wait to marry you and to see what lies ahead ...

Our "Themed" Rehearsal Dinner

If this photo is any indication ...

Mr. BB; Age:  Approximately 6 or 7



My FI was destined to become a cowboy.  It's pretty clear that this career path didn't work out ... so instead, playing one at our rehearsal dinner is going to have to do.  For now, anyways.

As mentioned in a previous post, our rehearsal dinner is going to be in a barn ... complete with straw on the ground, a petting zoo, and a "cowboy" theme.  Not your traditional location for the night before a wedding, but, at this point, does it matter?  Here were the top three reasons for our desire for a hoe-down as our rehearsal dinner:  (1) we wanted something different & innovative, (2) we wanted the night to go with the vibe of the rest of the weekend, informal & fun, and (3) I wanted an excuse to wear cowboy boots, specifically, metallic ones.

Luckily, Mr. BB's parents agreed to support our wish for dinner in the barn, and this past Saturday, along with my future husband & mother-in-law, I attended a tasting for our rehearsal dinner.  We couldn't have been happier with the result, and are now even more excited for our themed event.  The food was yummy & perfect for the location.  What is on the menu?  The best crabcakes I have ever had, Mr. BB's favorite:  pasta salad & terayaki chicken skewers, and an assortment of to die for desserts ... to name a few.  Here we are sampling the menu:



Notice the extra large smile on Mr. BB's face ... sampling food has definitely been one of his favorite parts of this planning process (It is safe to say his face was not nearly as excited on DIY water bottle day). 

More details to come on our cowboy themed hoe-down ... in the meantime, get your cowboy boots ready!

The Whole Look: Part Two

As the sun begins to go down on this bitterly cold night, I, like most other Sunday evenings, begin to (A) reflect on the weekend events and (B) look to the week ahead.  It seems that lately, with exactly 153 days until the wedding, my days consist of completing a variety of tasks in preparation for June 25th.  Therefore, I have plenty to write about, and tonight is no exception.

I am happy to report that, along with many dedicated & caring family/friends,  Mr. BB & I were able to make major strides towards our garden nuptials over the past few days.  I plan to share the details throughout the week, but first wanted to expand on the attire for some members of our wedding party.  We now, officially, have footwear for all of the flower girls & ring bearers.   My mother & I (on "wedding Friday") made another one of those exhilerating fashion finds - you know, when you find exactly what you are looking for and it just happens to be on sale, and in the size that you need it!  (Shopping doesn't get any better than that ... )

Here are the green Vans that we found for our two precious ring bearers to adorn, and, as previously mentioned, they were on sale!

At Journey's ... On Sale from $30.99 to $19.99. 

So even though my grandpa was slightly hesitant to accept the fact that his great grandson will be wearing sneakers with his suit at my June wedding, I am certain that these are the perfect shoes for our boys .  And the best part is that they can use them after the big day!

PS - Papa, I was joking about the green Vans that I bought for you to wear with your suit.  You can wear whatever shoes that you see fit.

And on another side note, what will my mother & I do on "wedding Fridays" after June?  With our love for shopping and anything creative, I am certain that we will find something.  Although we are definitely excited about the wedding, we will live on afterwards.  The only reason I knew that there are 153 days left is because I just looked it up on theknot.com, which calculates it for you ... I promise.

The Whole Look

It was one of my favorite days in my Fashion class today - fashion police from the Golden Globes.  Award show season - second to Christmas, my birthday, and now, June 25th - is one of the highlights of my year.  Rating the looks from the red carpet (in order, from favorite look to least favorite look), can seriously never get old, even after doing it for four classes in a row.  And, as I told each of my darling, wide-eyed impressionable young minds, we always make sure to  ... "look at the whole look, from head to toe ... that includes hair, makeup, and accesories."

Even though I often wish that I didn't care so much about the whole look (it would probably save me some money), like most other fashion-obsessed, I live for shoes & accesories.  So when it comes to planning the attire that my wedding party will adorn this June, I have certainly put thought into their whole look. 

This week, we were able to check off two more items off of our wedding to-do list, and both happen to fall under the fashion/shoes/accesories category.  The first: socks for the groomsmen.  After a few weeks of searching for the perfect pair of shoes for our groomsmen to wear under their suits, we came upon them at none other than Target.  And although it took a little bit of work (driving to a few Targets in the city) ... we were able to get 9 pairs of green/white striped socks for Mr. BB and his groomsmen.  I am sure that the picture, inspired by this one:

    Will completely be worth it.

Our other fashion find of the week?  The perfect princess flats for our adorable flower girls to wear with their plaid dresses.  Guess where?  Target again.  For only $14.99.  I knew I loved that store for a reason.

What's next on the fashion agenda?  Dashing suits for our ring bearers.  Any ideas?  We already checked Target.