if you like it put a ring on it...

yes, i realize i'm not single and do have a ring on - but i'd be lying if i didn't admit i'm pretty excited about getting our wedding bands. dave has also admitted to me he's pumped about wearing a band... and so this weekend brings: wedding ring shopping.

we've done many searches online, and of course there are oh so many types to choose from. from various metals to different types of wood, or precious gems to engraving - similar to everything wedding related, there are really WAY too many options.

dave tends to like plain, bold wedding bands...

while i tend to like dainty, rustic, romantic bands... 

we'll likely settle on something in-between... 

regardless, we can't wait to get out and get looking and get practising slipping those bands on our ring fingers...

play that funky music...

as we all know, music makes the moment - which is why dave and i are having such a tough time deciding on what to play and when...  choosing the right tunes to play at the right times - will affect the mood and tone of our big day.

that said - we have chosen "our" song. rather than doing the awkward first dance, we've decided to use the song to create our first moment as a married couple together and close ceremony by walking back down the aisle to it.

however, there are still so many other moments of the day that need to be filled with sound. from getting ready before hand, walking down the aisle, just after the ceremony, the dinner and the reception - we're realizing, we need a LOT of music!

and there are way too many options for music delivery. first, we need to decide if we want live music or try to arrange playlists on an ipod...

we absolutely love the sound of the steel drum, and especially the island vibe it gives. and, the drummers can wait for just the right moment to start up, drag it out stairway to heaven style if anyone is running late, or cut a song short when needed. however, it gives us a lot less control over what is actually played... 

an ipod gives us complete control over the songs, however very little control over the timing. and then of course, there's actually choosing the songs to play. though my love of groove is in the heart by deee-lite is very well known, i'm sure the track on repeat would be enough to drive everyone else crazy.

perhaps a jamaican version of this guy would be the answer?

in all seriousness though, we're having fun listening and choosing songs/music at this point... hopefully we can narrow down our mega lists over the next few months...  we are of course open to recommendations.

almost cut my hair...

i finally decided to head into my local hair salon for highlights, a trim and to start testing out a few dos for the big day... to my surprise, my hair dresser of 15 years - has left!! GONE. when i phoned to make my appointment i was shocked to hear "donka no longer works here". i felt like it was a prank or i had misheard somehow. how is this possible? she's always been there? she's talked about doing my wedding hair... she knows dave, she knows my parents, she even knows my parent's dog!! i almost feel lost without her... well, my hair does anyways.

i've heard rumours she now works at a car dealership, which left me with an even bigger - what??? it's all so strange. i was offered one of the other stylists at my local salon, but it just feels wrong. donka was the best, and i feel all others are amateurs. i'm sure they aren't, but they're no donka. she's been with me through long hair, super short hair, dark brown, platinum blond and even as a red head. i trusted this woman 100% with my hair. in fact once, in my super cheap student days, dave had tried to highlight my hair using one of the home kits - it of course turned out looking more like a cheetah head (blond patches) rather than highlights. donka noticed me, and freaked out... not only did she fix my hair for only $20 (blaming the bad dye job on the sister salon) she also offered to teach dave how to properly highlight... looking back, why o why did i not take her up on this offer...

so now, i'm desperately seeking a new hairdresser. though, like a lost puppy i'm secretly considering hitting up all the car dealerships in the area in search of donka....

but in all seriousness, any hairdresser/salon recommendations out there???

summer lovin' had me a blast

summer lovin' happened so fast...

people keep asking me how the wedding plans are going and i am realizing... hmm. they aren't. obviously the wedding is still on, but - to be honest i haven't thought about the wedding for almost all of july. how is this possible? our to do lists are growing and the countdown to 12/12/12 just keeps getting shorter and shorter. as of today, we are exactly 133 days, or 19 weeks exactly away from the big day.

i think we've been having a little too much summer lovin - everything from frequent cottage trips, summer birthday bashes, bbq pool parties, farmers market visits and just lounging in the backyard in the sun - our summer has been filled with fun fun fun.

despite still being mid-summer, we must return back to our wedding prepping ways. SOON. i know december will arrive before we are ready... and we still have so many things we want/have to do in preparation.

though, it's the august long weekend this weekend, and already our days are full of visiting friends, recreating our annual gillian's island boat cruise down the rideau river and yet another birthday celebration. so.. wedding planning/prepping can wait more week.  it has too. there is just too much summer time fun to be had!!

champagne wishes and popcorn dreams

other than family, friends, and pups that are unable to join us in jamaica, i have two other great loves that sadly will not be making an appearance on 12/12/12

missing item #1: asti martini

asti martini - or nasti asti as my friends like to call it, is my number one celebration drink. whether it's new years, a birthday, anniversary, or just a beautiful afternoon - asti martini always make the day feel a little more special. and truly - no other champagne or sparkling wine compares to my nasti asti (which isn't nasty at all - i have no idea where this nickname came from)!!

unfortunately - they do not offer nasti asti at our resort. this has left me wondering... how hard is it to fly with bottles of champagne... i fear leaky baggage and dripping wedding decorations...

though they do seem to sell special bags just for those that wish to travel with their champagne;

and, they do serve champagne on flights, so... it must be flyable, no?

perhaps i'll look more into this. even just one bottle for dave and i would be more than perfect. asti on the beach is this bride's dream...

missing item #2: popcorn

similar to asti martini - popcorn is my go to snack. i could eat popcorn morning, noon and night. i so wish tiny bags could be pulled out as one of our wedding snacks. though fairly light weight - not wanting to fly with my air popper, or eat three day old popped corn - this is sadly not going to be an option.

i have actually seen popcorn at some resorts... my fingers are crossed riu negril will have a popper on site!

hairy state of mind

now that i have the dress, it's time to start to completing my wedding day look. i'm normally not hair obsessed whatsoever. in fact, i think my blow drier gets pulled out maybe three times a year - and usually for weddings! i do realize however, i need to put in a bit of effort if i want to not look like i just rolled out of bed while walking down the aisle. 

my goal: an effortlessly stylish, yet romantically pretty look. is this even possible?

to start... the veil. the quintessential bridal accessory. 

though i think veils look absolutely beautiful on everyone else, i somehow fear i will look like i'm trapped in a spiderweb... 

in all fairness, i've really only tried one on - but it made me look hideous and somehow i felt like it was my first communion 

after doing a bit more veil research - i've learned there's a lot more to veils than just throwing a piece of cloth over your head. varying lengths and patterns, there's a whole other veil world out there!

i know for sure - i DO NOT want a blusher... dave's seen me before, for many years. no sense hiding my face now... 

i do think the bird cage (the stylish blusher) is super fun, and have joked many times about sporting one down the aisle. but, it's perhaps a little too stylish for me...

 

no, i think i'll keep my face free of fabric for the big day...  

i do however think veils blowing in the breeze is gorgeous. perhaps i'll consider just bringing a piece of cloth and simulating the look for a few pics... 

back to effortlessly stylish, yet romantically pretty... this brings more decisions i just can't make. hair up, hair down? curly, straight...? i LOVE all of these looks:

or

of the course the indecisive me, will probably settle on something somewhere in between up and down, curly and straight

i definitely plan on trying out a few different styles throughout the summer (to ensure i have the heat and humidity factor just like in jamaica).  if only i could find an ocean breeze close by... 

fold, fold, fold, f*ck!

this diy bride has taken a step back in time.. to her six year old days of paper crafting with white glue and popsicle sticks.

the vision: easy to put together paper crafts to make the resort/beach wedding feel a little more our own...

after looking at various wedding decorations and accessories, i set my sights on beautiful rounded fans for our guests to cool themselves during our afternoon beach ceremony.

just as i was about to place an order for 60 of these gorgeous fans... i figured i'd try my luck at seeing if i could make them first.

so, we gathered in the backyard with a few of of our lovely wedding party members to start of our fandemonium. we had our paper, our glue, our paper punches, our scissors, our popsicle sticks, and of course, our fancy drinks.

the reality: our first few, okay the first many prototypes were disasters. from ripped paper, unsticking glue, uneven folding - you name it. i am sure a six year old could have done better. i'm not sure how many tries martha stewart has before recording, but... after an afternoon of fold fold fold f*ck, i realized there would be a lot more to these easy diy crafts than i originally thought.

refusing to believe i am not the next martha stewart i spent the next week working and reworking my fan prototypes. many nights were spent folding, punching, glueing and swearing. i finally took pictures of our most recent failures, but these really don't capture just how bad our first attempts really were...

and then. finally. after waiting for my glue to dry on what could be my 100th fan, i folded it open to find. it worked! it worked! i wanted to shout from my rooftop that i am the fan-master!!!

however,  i only have another 56 to make...

thank goodness for friends that are willing to fold, fold, fold, glue with us... hopefully with fewer four letter words.

of course, shortly after my first successful fan - my fancy paper punch jammed up. leading to whole other vocabulary of four letter words.

paper punches breaking and curse words aside, we are well on our way to keeping our guests cool with our very own handmade fans.

here's to hoping our next diy project is a little more user friendly...