puppy bridesmaid?

if only we could have our new pup in our wedding party!

last weekend our home changed from being fairly clean and fairly quiet to slightly messier, slightly louder but filled with MUCH more excitement. we got a puppy!

sullivan

 we found sullivan at the spca in alymer, and it was love at first sight. at only 3 months old, he's already basically house broken (only a couple of accidents so far), has an amazing temperament and can already sit, lie down and stay (for very short periods of time). he is of course... a puppy - but we are enjoying chasing him around to replace our shoes, socks, slippers, belts, gloves, etc., with proper chewing toys.

sullivan is even slowly being accepted by our cat raid. we are sure these two will one day be best friends:

if only we can figure out how to get sullivan to jamaica for the wedding to include our new best friend in the wedding party... sadly, he too will miss the big event.

 i may however hire talhia do a mini photo shoot with the pup once we get back, because these pics are too cute:

say cheese

we've got a photographer... huzzah! the day will be officially documented. we lucked into finding a friend with superior photo skills who could be convinced to come to jamaica. from amazing photo ideas, to list compilations of what we want covered, to suggestions of timelines - this photographer seems like an amazing choice, and we are even more thrilled it is a friend we can be comfortable and have fun with.

we are oh so pleased Talhia can join us. and if you see a camera with this cute face behind it, smile. you will definitely be caught on camera!

the lonely bride

dave and i just realized our deadline for Jamaica booking is next week! though we do realize some of our guests are making their own travel arrangements, for the majority of those coming, the decision needs to be made by next wednesday. wow.

we do plan on reminding all of our potential guests of this oh so important date, however when getting the list from our agent i noticed.... most of dave's family had booked, while mine... did not seem to show up anywhere....? i have spoken with most of my peeps, and know they are making arrangements, but when a co-worker overheard the situation she couldn't help but laugh with me. what are the chances the bride does not have one guest?

i realize this certainly will not be the case, and i truly love dave's family as my own... but mom, MOH, and everyone else - you are definitely getting harassed this weekend...

to those of you who have booked - thank you! we cannot wait to celebrate with you! to those of you about to book - hurray!!! jamaica!!! and those of you still thinking... come on, you know you want to witness this:

the rainbow connection?

i used to think i wasn't the big dress bride. i was certain i wanted something minimal, simple, and classic with clean lines. i was sure i wanted to be the stylish, chic and cool bride, inspired by my fashion icons:

perhaps something like

or

however, apparently this dress style is not a popular one... at least not in the bridal shops i've visited. though i suspect i'll have to hunt through vintage shops if i want this look, i have of course, been open to trying on any and all dress options.

upon further investigation, it turns out my fashionistas did stray from their usual "style" for their wedding dresses, and yet all four still looked amazing:

my bridesmaid carol has been oh so helpful in finding various styles and looks, including some that looked hideous on the hanger. often they also looked hideous on me too,  but every so often i was surprised. trying on anything and everything, lead me to my new love...

tulle, glorious tulle!

this lightweight fine netting brought me back to my ballerina days...

cue Kermit singing the Rainbow Connection, and 8 year olds flailing arms and legs about

even my fashionable go to ladies have been caught in this wonderful fabric:

torn between simple and classic vs. the tulle princess, my dress search continues. rest assured, even i think there can and should be a limit on the amount of tulle - and yet audrey still rocks this look!

the "i like pretty things" wedding theme

according to the wedding sources i've been reading, most weddings/brides have a certain style to them, and determining your own can set the tone of the whole shebang. from invites, decorations and dress - everything can be affected by the "type" of bride you are... 

i am quickly realizing, there is no way i can decide on one certain style. they each have their own appeal, and after many discussions with dave, i could easily see myself fitting into any of these:

the eco bride: attempting to minimize the impact on the earth with the big day, many decorations are all natural with a whimsical earthy green feel. a long time lover of mother nature, this style really appeals to me:

a few of my favourite eco options

sadly, flying to jamaica is the least environmental route i can think of. dave and i are already investigating ways of offsetting the carbon footprint being created by flying 40 of our closest friends and family to jamaica for the event. and i am sure both canada and jamaica have pretty strict restrictions on what seeds, fruits and plants we bring in and out of the country. introducing an exotic species and being responsible for pine trees and pussy willows rising up all over jamaica will not be my fault.   hopefully we can find other ways of greening up our ceremony as we get closer to the date.

the DIY bride: the crafty bride trying to save money but still producing amazing looks:

we can do all this, and bring it to jamaica - right?

though we do hope to bring a few DIY projects, we obviously cannot take too much stuff on the flight... i've already inquired about getting additinonal luggage space...

the vintage bride: i'm not sure if this is a real bride style, but for me, it is. classic, hip and fun. perhaps my mom is right... a lover of archie comics from the day i started reading, there is something about the 50s vibe that just appeals to me. i think this was made clear in our invitations...  i can't help it. i swoon over audrey's style, marilyn's body and anything involving milkshakes:

hmm, does our resort have a soda shop? where's a pop tate's when you need one!

and of course, i think it's clear, i am definitely the destination beach bride: leaving on a jet plane to say i do while enjoying sun, sand and surf:

getting more excited each day!

after all of this, i think it's obvious... i just like pretty things. and will likely be a crazy combo of the ECO/DIY/VINTAGE/DESTINATION BEACH bride all rolled into one. 

as long as i'm not this bride type, i'm happy:

the barefoot bride?

to shoe or not to shoe, that is the question...

unlike most girls, i am not a shoe addict. not high heels anyways. a seeker of comfort, i am often found in flats, sandals, runners and boots. don't get me wrong, i think heels look fantastic, i just can't be bothered to squish my toes, upset my posture, or worse... damage these amazing knees of mine even further. i will of course fancy it up to a heel for special occasions - usually for weddings. and to be honest, i think heels look fabulous on brides...

however, for my own wedding, high heels seem like the last thing i'd want to wear. never mind the safety hazard of heels on the beach (i can see it now - heel stuck in sand, bride tumbles down aisle, takes out groom and officiant, all have broken bones for the rest of the trip - yes, i am this accident prone), but... i kind of feel heels on the beach look a bit ridiculous too.

i want to feel free to walk, run, jump, dance, move, etc. not attempt to walk without falling...

and so, i'm trying to decide between the various options of flats, for which there are oh so many..

or of course, the au natural look..

not sure i can forgo shoes completely, i'll likely end up in a combo of sandals/flats and barefoot. and who knows. i may even have a set of heels packed after all...

let them NOT eat cake!

rest assured, this does not mean no dessert... 

wedding cake - according to wikipedia: the traditional cake served to the guests at a wedding reception after a wedding, typically white to symbolize purity.

though these cakes tend to beautiful, in my opinion - they also tend to be tasteless and full of sugar. dave is not a cake man (unless it's ice cream of course) and though i do enjoy cakes, i usually seek out a more flavourful hearty cake, such as carrot with layers and layers of cream cheese icing... unfortunately, ice cream cake and homemade carrot cake do not seem like reasonable options for jamaica...

not wanting to decide between white or dark cake - just to have cake... we have decided to not have a wedding cake at all.

that said, we realize there is tradition around the cake - the action of the bride and groom cutting the cake is meant to symbolize their first joint task in married life while the gesture of feeding cake to one another is a symbol of the commitment the bride and groom are making. we have decided we will instead make our first task to choose the best looking dessert for that day together, and serve each other. it may end up being a piece of cake, but it could also easily be an ice cream cone, or even a pina colada... hey - it's still white right!

so, i apologize to our guests in advance for the lack of "wedding" cake. but, in sticking with our easy breezy beautiful wedding attitude, rather than letting you eat cake, we're going to let you eat whatever dessert you like!

i may however slip some silly cake toppers into our luggage to put on top of our cones or pina coladas... just for the photo ops!