Congratulations Stacey & Scott!!!

This weekend Nick's sister Stacey and her long time boyfriend got hitched!

I flew to St Louis to pick up Landon and then the two of us flew to Las Vegas to meet up with Nick (who drove). We made it just in time for the rehearsal dinner.

The next day was the wedding at Ceasar's Palace. It was beautiful!

The whole weekend was pretty cold but it warmed up long enough to not freeze us during the wedding.

It was a short, but sweet ceremony (just the way I like it!) and then on to the reception!

Stacey dancing with her Father.

Mother & Grandparents of the Bride

(Linda, Dewey, & Mary)

Landon got the honor of the first dance with the bride, after Scott & her Dad of course!

Bridesmaids: Melissa & Alison

It was a great time and a very beautiful wedding!

Handsome man!

Somehow Landon ate his weight in cherries and chocolate covered strawberries.

Congratulations Stacey and Scott!!

It's about time!!!

Our wedding picutres are FINALLY available to view online!!! I'm VERY excited!!!! Anyone can order pictures if they want straight from the website!

So without further ado....

Just click on the following link and it will take you to the website to order and preview.

http://www.photoreflect.com/store/Orderpage.aspx?pi=1MIJ001F000000&po=0&pc=724

***Warning!*** There are 724 pictures. So make sure you have the time and a snack before you start viewing the pictures!!

Also, I wanted to send a special thanks to Kelly Jarman for taking all of these wonderful pictures!! I love every single one of them!! (Almost.)

ENJOY!!!

SQWEEEELLLL!!!!!

I am so VERY excited!!!! The wedding photos are ALMOST done!!! Here is a sneak peak!! This is all I have right now the rest should be done in a few weeks! I will be posting my favs and the link for ALL to see!!!

ENJOY!!!

All the world's a stage

This morning on the way to work Josalyn reminded me of all the new roles I will be inheriting this week. With all the wedding planning I guess I never really thought about all the things I would be gaining and become when I marry Nick. As she pointed out that not only will I become a wife, but also a Step-mom, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, granddaughter-in-law, and an aunt. No pressure!

Other than the in-law part, sister, daughter and granddaughter are all roles I’ve played before. But the wife, step-mom, and aunt (officially) are all new to me! The aunt role should be a breeze, “I will always have gum.” It’s the wife and step-mom that are a little scary. I suddenly thought of all the women in my life that have shown me through example how to be all of these things. They’ve shown me the way to being a good wife, an excellent (step) mother, a loving daughter, a caring sister, and a thoughtful granddaughter.

So to them I say, Thank you! You are loved more than you know. I could never repay you for all you’ve taught and have done for me. You are truly loved and cherished!

And to my new family: Thank you! For accepting me with open arms. For welcoming me into your family and giving me the chance to be a wife, step-mom, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, granddaughter-in-law, and aunt!

**Happy Mother’s Day!!!**

-pretty profound for 5 in the morning right?!-

Wed-vision

I’ve noticed recently everything is tainted with wedding bliss. Ever since Nick and I got engaged (ok for me it was before that) everything I see, hear, touch, taste, or smell turns into a thought about the wedding. I try to find ways to use or incorporate things I encounter everyday into the wedding. “Would this look/sound/taste good at the wedding?” I have become consumed. In fact right now as I listen to the radio every song that comes on I think, “I want this played at the wedding!” or “No way this is being played at the wedding”.

Simple daily life tasks are full of wed-vision. Getting the mail –Wonder who RSVP’d?! Going grocery shopping –is beer on sale? ‘Cuz we still need to get some for the wedding. Driving to work –should I take my car or Nick’s to the wedding? Nick would say I’m obsessed and that I need to get a grip. But I like to think that I have an eye for the details. **wink**

Cuz, “The details DO matter”!!

Curiosity ruins the fun

Can I just say, who ever created the online registry is a genius and complete idiot at the same time. I love being able to add and remove things from our Target registry at anytime time of the day or night without being in an actual store. It's AWESOME!!! However, I can also see what has been purchased! Knowing what has been purchased before someone gives it to you kinda ruins the surprise of opening a beautifully wrapped gift. So, I try really hard to look at the registry just to make sure there is enough things for people to choose from without looking at what has been purchased. I love a good surprise! And yet curiosity might get the better of me!

Words of Wisdom

As the wedding gets closer I’ve tried limiting my daily dose of wedding blogs and websites. Every time I’m on one I see something I should have done or WANT to do. But the truth is I simply don’t have time for any new projects or the money to change anything that I’ve chosen. I know in the end that I don’t regret anything that I’ve chosen for this wedding. It won't be a princess wedding at the Plaza for sure but it will be beautiful and prefect for me.

I did however find two little bits of wonderful advise that really have helped throughout this whole process.

-No cares as much as I do.
-The details DO matter.

These little words of wisdom have become my mantra and balance. Realizing that all the people I love in my life that want me to be happy and have MY perfect day, in the end don’t care as much as I do! Knowing this has actually helped me to let some things go.

Knowing that the details DO matter has helped with my internal battle of spending money for the sake of pretty. And has helped with a new look at life in general. Yes flowers will die and no one would miss or even know if they weren’t there and candles were on the tables instead. But I would know. I WANT the flowers. They are beautiful and elegant and it will make me happy.

There is something about the details that makes things all worth it. My favorite flower in full bloom, a beautifully wrapped gift (no matter what’s in side), a hug from a loved on for no reason at all, a simple ribbon added to the save-the-dates, a wedding blog. People did notice the ribbon added to the save-the-dates, and a couple people commented on them too. And much to my amazement people are reading this blog.

I want our wedding to be filled with details. Not just aesthetic but emotional. Life is all about the details and moments that take our breath away. My hope for this wedding is not just a celebration of a marriage but a chance for everyone to appreciate the details in life all around them.

I have this wonderful journey of wedding planning to thank for taking a moment to appreciate the details and little things in life. In THIS moment; for we’ll never get it back again.

The beautiful sky on a clear blue day. A sleeping toddler. My dog snoring. Nick holding my hand in the car. And creating beautiful details just for the sake of pretty.

Obsessions

Other than my shoe obsession (here, here, & here) I have to admit I have a problem.
“Hello everyone, my name is Jayme and I’m an addict.”

I am addicted to wedding websites!!
My drug of choice is:
Weddingbee.com

I can and do spend hours on this website. I read other bride’s blogs and find fun and new DIY projects to attempt. Reading other bride’s blogs has become very therapeutic. Just knowing that other brides have and are going through the same thing is comforting. Their funny names (for the sake of privacy) are entertaining in themselves. I find at times that I HAVE to know how Miss Button’s and Miss Frozen Yogurt’s last DIY project went and what dresses they chose.
Also knowing that they too are going through the same things and some even worse than me helps me keep things in perspective. Like the other day Miss Sewing’s future husband (who is sewing her wedding dress for her) spilled RED soda on her gown!!!! Luckily he did get the stain out (he truly was touched by an angel)!

My other favorites are ProjectWedding.com and StyleMePretty.com. These two are more pictures and visual than Wedding Bee. But just seeing all the beautiful decorations, dresses, and photos makes me want to plan this wedding all over again (Frugal Jayme just threw up in her mouth a little bit). I’ve seen some pretty wild themes on there and most I am not daring enough to ever try!

** Carrie -this has you written ALL over it!!!** =D kisses!!

You're Invited!!

The most difficult part of the invitations was not picking the design, or choosing the wording, or even assembling them. No. The biggest challenge was getting all the addresses!!! With some help from Nick, my dad, aunts and a LOT of help from fast data (**wink**) I finally had 90% of them. Nick’s grandma helped with some and there are even some addresses trickling in even now!

The boys helped with the invites. Nick insisted on heat embossing all the information cards that went with the invites. He’s so crafty!

And Landon helped with the clean up!! Such a good helper!!!


Now the invites are finally in the mail! So excited!! I can't wait to see who will be joining us in celebrating this wonderful times in our lives!

*such a good sport for letting me take pictures of him!!!

Cheater, cheater!

As I mentioned previously (here) I purchased my shoes from Zappos.com. But during my search for shoes I stumbled upon this

I love everything about this look. The fluffy dress, the veil, the beautiful peonies and of course the SHOES!!! Let’s take a closer look shall we?

SWOON!!! I LOVE these shoes!!! Princess Jayme is screaming “BUY THEM NOW!!!!! YOU KNOW YOU WANT THEM!!!” And I do! Oh, I do!! But alsa, Frugal Jayme has prevailed for now. These beauties are Christian Loubitans. And origanlly sold for around $800!! For a pair of shoes?! That is ridiculas! That is almost 3 times more than I paid for my dress! I have stalked these shoes on every website available and they have gone down in price and can be found at the bargain price of $189! Now Princess Jayme is REALLY mad!! She wants these shoes BAD!!! I can envision her throwing herself on the floor kicking and screaming and pouting when Frugal Jayme calmly tells her it is still too much money to be spending on shoes. Unfortuantely DIY Jayme can not help in this situation. I may be crafty but Gippedo I am not!

So for now I sulkingly stalk my beautiful virtual shoes online, imagine that I’m wearing them happily ever after..

To Veil or not to Veil?

When trying on my dress someone asked me “Is this the dress you’ve always dreamed about?” Looking back on all my fairy tale daydreams about this day I never stopped to look at what I was wearing! The dreams were always about location, the guests, my dad walking me down the aisle, walking toward the love of my life (usually a faceless man until NOW!), my friends standing next to me crying, but I never looked in a mirror. (Shame on me!) So I have no idea what the dress of my dreams looks like and in that respect if I’m wearing a veil or not?! Luckily I found my dress (here) but now came the question of a veil. At my dress fitting with my bridesmaids in tow the discussion of a veil came up. They asked if I’d picked out a veil yet. I say, “I’m not sure if I’m gonna wear one.” Skrrrreeech! Record stopped, crickets chirping in the back ground, all eyes on me. Wide eyed and dropped jaw, they all say, “You HAVE to wear a veil!” Ok then. Veil it is. (seriously should have seen the looks are their faces! Priceless)

So, now the hunt for a veil begins. At the bridal shop I think they brought me every veil they had to offer. Again Godilocks…

too short


too long


too… yeah.

**ok, so this one wasn't at David's Bridal. But I had to put it in there cuz it makes me laugh!**

perfect!
Found one! It works with my frame, compliments the dress and is pretty too. But wait!!!

** Record scratching, music stops!**

What did that price tag just say?! $149!!! NO FREAKIN WAY!!! It’s a piece of tulle wrapped around a plastic hair comb with beads sewn on the edge! Are you freakin’ kidding me?! Frugal Jayme has just had a heart attack!! We need a crash cart STAT!!

I tried looking at other bridal shops for veils that might be cheaper and comparable to the look but still they were all over $100! I tried friend’s veils for my favorite price of free (and my something borrowed). No go; not the right look. I’ve even tried my good old friend Craig (craigslist.com); but still no luck. Luckily DIY Jayme is too the rescue. I’ve decided, "I can totally make that!" And for way cheaper than $149!!! So my DIY veil project will be starting soon. I’ll keep you updated on the outcome! Wish me luck!

Zappos!

Since this new found website has become a mini obsession for me I’ve decided it needs its own post. With my heel height in mind and my color selected I have about 183 different styles to choose from! YEAH! Let the virtual shopping begin! These were my favorites…

#1 - 4 1/2" heel #2- Kate Spade -enough said! #3 -Fun!! but not for a wedding

#4- Perfect!

But then I started feeling like Goldilocks. #1 was too high, #2 was to pricey, #3 was to.. woah! But #4. #4 was just right! Fuchsia, just tall enough, the right price, and cute! Ladies and Gentlemen we have a winner!!! I promptly ordered 5 pairs. Yes, you read that right 5 pairs. I too will be wearing these lovely shoes on my walk down the aisle!

About 7 days later I patiently waited for the UPS man to bring me my package. When that wonderful big brown truck stopped at my house I stopped pulling weeds and ran to the front door! Ripped open the box and walked around the house for about an hour in my new wonderful fuchsia shoes!! My bridesmaids all claim they too love the shoes (except my sister –blah!) but who knows what they really think. Either way I’m glad they are doing their bridesmaid duty of loving everything I pick!
I have the best bridesmaids!!!

The Hunt is ON!

It is official: I have become obsessed with finding the PERFECT shoe!

Since choosing the bridesmaids dresses was a snap, I figured, “how hard could this be?” After all, I love shoes! Since I went with a black dress with fuchsia trim I wanted fuchsia shoes. And heels were a must!! Now, for heel height this was tricky. Between my bridesmaids I have a tomboy, klutz, bad ankles, and height working against me. I also had a concern of the perfect shade of fuchsia. In my search I found that not all fuchsia is created equal!

Now really is that fuchsia?! NO!

First I found these lovelies…

.. but alsa Nine West no longer makes them. **sigh** Next came these..

and these…

Again both are no longer available ANYWHERE! Believe me I looked and looked! The thought of dyables entered my mind but they remind me on 8th grade graduation. Also, dyables take 5 weeks to get the shoe and in and NO ONE actually carries the shoe in stores. Basically you order from a catalog submit a color swatch for matching and 5 weeks later hope that the shoe fits and doesn’t pitch your little toe off! So, that idea was definitely OUT.

Then I found Zappos!! If you haven’t heard or found this website than you should check it out immediately! They have latterly thousands of shoes, free delivery, items are shipped and at your door in 7-10 days and if you don’t like it or it doesn’t fit their return policy is totally easy too! Just let them know you want to return something and send it back free of charge!! SCORE!