The little things...

I posted about all of the old bottles I have been collecting for the centerpieces at the reception but I noticed something super cool the other day.  We have been using a couple of the bottles for tea and such and I happened to glance at one the other night at dinner and noticed this....

Stamped on the bottle is "since 1852"....Phi Mu was founded in 1852 and I thought this was the neatest and most ironic thing! It's definitely those little things in life that excite me the most. I absolutely love it and can't wait to keep and use this bottle after the wedding! It's perfect for storing sweet tea and looks super cute when serving :)

Makes me even more excited to be a wife!  I can't wait to have a home to take care of and a husband to tend to....it has always been something I have looked forward to!

Big Purchase!

I'm back as I promised! If you couldn't already figure out from the picture, I went dress shopping! I made an appointment two Friday's ago at Low's Bridal in Brinkley, AR (cool fact: Michael lived on Main St in Brinkley when he was little).  I had heard nothing but good things about the wedding dress shop and was anxious to see what was in store.  I'm not going to lie, I was nervous to go dress shopping.  I'm picky when it comes to my wardrobe and I was terrified that I would not be able to find a dress that I liked, or that I wouldn't be able to make a decision.  

No worries, I didn't have any of those problems.  I took my mom, my Grandorothy, my aunt and my cousin (one of the bridesmaids) to help me search for a dress.  My sweet aunt brought along her big camera and documented the day for me! I'm so thankful she did!

 

This place was so neat! They have converted an old hotel into their store and it is just too cute.  Very great experience and fun place to go! 

 Three generations...Norris, Danielson, and future Mooneyham hehe. We are a family with few girls...none of us have sisters (my phi mu "sisters" reading this will beg to differ on my behalf! hehe).  I love these two so so much.

 

And the lovely, tall brunettes are my aunt and cousin....the best aunt and cousin! I was 8 when Kaylee was born and you could say I was the proudest and happiest girl ever! I finally had another girl in the family! If you tried to do the math that makes her 13 soon to be 14....yeah you would never guess.  She has turned out to be a beautiful girl who is just as equally beautiful on the inside.  I love her lots! (she outgrew me years ago if you were wondering ha) I was happy these two could join me for our fun day!

 

Filling out some paperwork before my appointment.  

Here's the inside lobby. I'm not going to lie, I got even more worried when I disliked every dress on display downstairs.

Just browsing through the dresses in the lobby with my cute grandmother. 

 

I started the appointment looking through their sale dresses....I didn't like ANYthing in that room.  You could say at this point I was really really worried that the day was going to be a waste.  With no luck there, my consultant took me to the couture rooms and sent me looking through the racks to pick out dresses I wanted to try on.  I was a bit overwhelmed.  I couldn't tell what anything would look like off of the hanger and there was just so much material to dig through. I managed to pick out only 4 dresses that I thought I could try and start with.  

Lucky for me, my dress was the second one I tried on out of those four! All 4 of the dresses were COMPLETELY different styles and it was obvious that I didn't have my mind set on anything before I came in.  After I tried on all 4 and modeled them for my family, they asked me what I thought and began to subtly give their opinion.  We were all on the same page and immediately eliminated a couple of the dresses.  I tried on the second dress a 2nd time, and at that point knew it was the one! 

I felt most comfortable in it, it showed my personality, and was very unique and girly.  I really love it!

Bad news...I can't show you yet! That has to wait till the big day! 

(Michael reads this and can't see hehe)  

Lucky for us we got a deal too! (my dad was most excited about that part) It also made my decision much easier.  We bought the floor sample for a fraction of the cost and got to take the dress home that day! Yay!

Leaving with dress in hand!

Yay! We were forced to take this picture. haha

I'm so relieved to get that big purchase checked off my to-do list. 

More than anything, I can't wait to wear my dress as I walk down the aisle to my MR!

Stay Tuned

I apologize for slacking so much on updating the blog! I'm now two weeks into a summer accounting class, on the last week of my internship and preparing for a getaway to the beach next week! I've made a big purchase that I can't wait to share....so hold tight! I promise when I get some time soon I will be filling you in with all the details of a fun and exciting day!

Waves of Good Wishes

It's fourth of July weekend meaning there will be lots of fireworks and sparklers consumed.  I love the look of sparklers in pictures as the bride and groom leave for the night after a wedding.  I love everything about my reception location but had to give up one wish....they don't allow the use of sparklers. They suggest throwing birdseed or bubbles....boring.  One night while researching weddings I came across a very cute idea....ribbon wands!

Aren't they cute?! I like how they give a cool look when being waved and will show up in pictures.  I found ribbon online that I ordered in bulk.  I couldn't find the exact color seafoam in mind so I settled for a robin's egg blue that will still be super cute and blend well enough.  I have figured out that I can't find everything perfect to my liking so I have to compromise in some regards.

 The wands themselves are super easy to make.  I bought wooden skewers that you cook with.  I cut the sharp end off with some scissors so no one pokes themselves.  Then I cut the ribbon into pieces that are about 3/4 yard long.  I have chosen to use an ice pink satin, a pink and minty blue grosgrain, and a simple white satin with a dainty edge.  After I cut the ribbon lengths I tied them in double knots towards one end of the skewer.  And....

 whaalaa! 

I have ribbon wands! I'm really liking how they are turning out.  I've made a good start on them but still have lots to complete.  I've got nothing but time and this is just a fun project that will probably mean more to me than anyone else when I see them waved as we make our getaway.  

Here are some of my pretty wedding magazines on display in a cute metal basket I picked up in an antique shop in Oxford last weekend.  They were green when I purchased them and I picked up a can of satin nickel spray paint to spruce them up.  I plan to have these on some cute display tables at the reception and one of them will most likely hold my collection of ribbon wands for guests to grab and wave at the end of the night!

Hope you enjoyed my sneak peek at one of my wedding projects! The Mr. should be here any minute so we can go grab some dinner.  Good thing, because I'm starved.  We will head to Pickwick in the morning to spend a couple days at the lake and celebrate on this beautiful holiday weekend.  

Happy 4th of July! America! hehe