The Wedding Countdown

source

We are in full wedding planning mode around here. We have just a few more days to get everything squared away! There are so many little things to make sure to remember to check on and confirm. It's amazing how much goes in to a wedding.

As many of you already know, I've gotten fed up with the planning process countless times in the last 11 months. It's much more work and less fun than I thought it would be. However, looking back now, I am very happy we are having a party to celebrate our love. 

For one thing, without having the wedding to plan, I think I would have been miserable at work. Where work was boring and easy, the wedding picked up the slack. It gave me an outlet to be creative and to feel challenged so I could learn and grow as a person. I really appreciate that. Also, I really liked trying on all the fancy dresses while trying to pick out my dress, the bridal shower/bachelorette party that was all about me (I love attention), all the smiles and love we have received from countless people congratulating us (thank you!), and the cupcake tasting (YUM!).

Now that we have such little time left before the big day, I'm trying to relax and enjoy myself as much as possible...and surprisingly, I'm doing a pretty good job at it! I know everything will work out exactly the way it should. At the end of the day, Spencer and I have each other and that's what matters. Plus, we get to go on our honeymoon which will be awesome! I am so excited to travel again; it's been too long!

Wedding Blues

I have to admit, I really dislike planning my wedding. I am burnt out on sappy, wedding sh*t. I don't care about programs or where people are going to sit. I am tired of planning this huge party to celebrate myself and Spencer and I am sick of people asking me about it. Seriously, I'm so over it that I don't even want to have a wedding anymore.

I just want to marry Spencer and not think about any of the things that I should be thinking about, like:

 How many candles do we need for the tables?

What time does the photographer need to be there to start taking pictures?

What kind of music do you want played during dinner?

How many rectangular table cloths do we need?

Who is going to hand out programs?

Are the bridesmaids walking down the aisle with the groomsmen? Or by themselves?

Where are we going to get all the candy for the candy bar?

Do we have to have father/daughter and mother/son dances? 'Cause I'm pretty sure my dad doesn't want to dance...

What time are the rentals showing up?

Did we get all the RSVPs? Who is going to call all the people who didn't send their cards back?

AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Is it bad that all I think of for the answers to all these questions is "I don't care"? Aren't I supposed to care?? I want everything to work out and be pretty but if it doesn't, I don't care. I do not care about the wedding anymore.

It's just fluff.

All those tiny details that look so cute in all the photos on wedding blogs do not matter in the long run.

However, I still I feel like such a sham...an impostor bride, not a real one, because real brides should care if their bridesmaids wear shoes or not. Real brides should be looking forward to their wedding day, not dreading all the last minute planning and despising guest books and program ideas.

Then I saw this:

source

...and I realized, we are going to have this wedding whether I like it or not. I want to marry Spencer and there is no way I'd let myself call off the wedding and get married somewhere else, because we already spent so much money on it.

I've decided to change my attitude.

It's okay if I think weddings are lame and still have one myself. It's okay if I don't love every second of the wedding process. It's okay if our wedding isn't as cute as the ones on the wedding blogs. It's okay if I wear Rainbow sandals instead of sparkly heels. It's okay if everything gets messed up or is the wrong color or the wrong song gets played at the wrong time.

Everything will be okay!

 You know why? because I don't really care about any of those things anyway and that's okay!

I feel so much better now, like a weight has been lifted! I do not need to worry about anything because everything will be exactly as it should be and Spencer and I will be together.

(Thanks for listening. Sometimes I just need to get it all out there!)



Sinking Heel Solution

Our wedding is at a very good family friends' house in their park next to their house. That's right, they have a park! It's a huge open grass area with trees, flowers, a pergola, outdoor bathrooms, and a small, outdoor kitchen. It is perfect for the wedding, exactly what we wanted.

Weddings are generally a fancy affair and many girls are going to want to wear heels. Have you ever worn heels on grass for an entire party? It's terrible! You literally have to stand on the ball of your foot the whole time to avoid sinking into the ground. I had to do this at my bridal shower and you could see my feet turning red through my black lace tights! (They were that red!)

Today, while parusing the internet, I have found the solution to this problem! Yippee!

They are called SoleMates and I think they are a fabulous idea! I've never tried them before, have you?? If you have leave a review in the comments I would love to see what you think of them! :)  



Crochet Flowers

How adorable are these Forever Flower Garlands??? They are hand made in the UK and can be custom ordered so you can pick the colors. What a fun project. I think they would look great at a vintage wedding, don't you?



Wedding Hair Inspirations

 source

 source

source

source

These are my current wedding hair inspirations. I have very long, fine hair and so I want it all up to avoid difficulties and sadness on account of ugly hair in the photos. If you have any similar styles you think I might like please send a picture to aspoonfulofsugarblog (at) gmail (dot) com

Paper Doily Envelopes

I used to think paper doilies were cheesy and lame...until I saw this! This is such a cute and easy DIY. I love the feminine charm of lace and this is basically like paper lace envelopes. Perfection. They would really add a nice touch to a wedding invite. I'm not sure if these would actually fair well in the mail but would probably be better as an inner envelope.

first seen here



Tissue Paper Frilly Cupcake Topper DIY

This is my favorite topper so far! I love the frilly, softness of it and I can just imagine it billowing softly in the warm May breeze on my wedding day. It's fun to play with the different color tissue paper and make pretty color combinations. 

Without further ado, here are the do-it-yourself instructions. I hope you like it! 

Supplies needed:

- tissue paper

- scissors

- glue (I used hot glue but I think a normal white glue would work great!)

- ribbon
- lollipop sticks

Fold tissue paper in half and glue the ends together lightly without creasing the fold. Gluing it will make it easier to cut the fringe. Cut the fringe in however big portions as you like.

Lay the tissue paper down flat and put a line of glue along the bottom. Roll the paper onto your lollipop stick. I started with a yellow, smaller fringe in the center and blue on the outside to make it look like a flower.

Roll it up!

Finish it off by gluing a ribbon around the bottom of the tissue paper to get a finished look.

C'est fini!

Engagement Photos

Here is a selection from our engagement photos! I am so excited to share them with you!  

Our wedding photographer took them. His name is Jason Maxwell and he is so awesome and down to earth. He was so easy to work with and made us feel comfortable from start to finish. He and his wife a photography duo based in Sacramento. I highly recommend them!

Enjoy! :)

Thank you so much Jason! I love the photos!

Wedding Band

source

Spencer and I are exactly two months away from getting married! I am so excited but there are still a zillion things to do, including picking out our wedding bands. I really wanted to have something special and handmade. I would much rather support an artist than a big jewelry retailer, plus I love one-of-a-kind-things. They make me feel special.

I heard of Andrea through my friend Lindsey, looked her up on Etsy, and met up to discuss options (bonus: she's local!) She is a jewelry designer/maker who followed her dream and studied the art of jewelry crafting in Florence, Italy. She is so nice and very talented. I can't wait to see the finished product! 

I've been on the lookout for wedding bands that I love to pass on to Andrea for inspiration and this one caught my eye. I really love the leaf design!



Friday Flowers

I LOVE this bouquet! I love everything about it. I am so emailing this to my florist!

first seen here

Wedding Gown



I love this wedding gown! I love the simple, strapless top, the waist right at the perfect spot, and those beaded arches (!) with all that soft tulle. It's perfect. Stunning. Brilliant. I love it!

I first saw it on Pinterest.

Bow Cupcake Topper DIY

Here is another taste of the "simple, yet elegant" line of cupcake toppers I made. Bows are so feminine and cute; I am totally in love with them! 

Below is a tutorial on how to make a bow cupcake topper. There are instructions on how to tie a bow out of ribbon. I know some of you are master-crafters and know how to do this but I wanted to include it for those who are baffled by the concept and needed some extra help. This project really is so easy that anyone could do it!

Happy crafting lovelies!

First you need two circles for the base. I used a puncher I got at the craft store.

Glue the stick on one circle.

Then add the other circle, being sure to make them even/lined up.

To tie the bow: start by holding the ribbon in your left hand (for right handed people) with the end pointing down. With your right hand, loop the ribbon around so it looks like the picture.

Hold the loop together with your thumb and forefinger and take the long end around where you're holding.

Bring it all the way around and it should look like the picture above.

Then, pull the long side of the ribbon through the loop you just made in the previous step.

Pull it through and you will have a bow! Usually, I have to work with it, pulling and adjusting, for a while before it's the way I want it to look.

Next, cut your ends so they have a cute points. You do this by folding the ribbon in half and cutting it at an angle.

Now your bow is all done and ready to go on your topper.

Glue it in the center and you're done! Now, I told you it was easy! :)



Love and Hearts

I love this cute little print! So charming.

first seen here



Lace Cupcake Topper DIY Instructions

Cupcakes are so delicious, fun to eat, and cute but they are nothing at a wedding without a super cute topper. I've been making a lot of different cupcake toppers recently and I even got a little help last weekend from my friends who came to visit: Amanda and Alicia. It was so fun to have people to craft with! Spencer even joined in on the fun which was awesome and a total surprise to me!

I let them get creative and make whatever they wanted as long as it was within the color scheme. They did such a good job!! I love having a good mix of toppers. I think the best line of the crafting day was Spencer asking if it was okay to get "spherical," to which I promptly replied, "yes!"

Below is the first of a few of the designs I made. This is my first total do-it-yourself post with instructions and multiple pictures so please give me any feedback you have! I hope you like them!  

(p.s. sorry for my poor photography!)

First, I cut out circles with my handy, circle puncher I got at the craft store. I used a slightly thicker scrap booking paper. You need the thicker paper to help the circle keep it's shape when you cover it.

 Cut out a piece of lace bigger than the circle and with the pattern you want.

 Lay the lace over the circle where you want it and flip it over. 

 Hold it between your thumb and forefinger and cut the lace around the edges of the circle leaving enough lace to attach to the back. 

 I left this much lace around the edges.

 Start gluing (I used hot glue) the lace in a circular fashion and be careful not to pull it too tight at first to avoid stretching the lace into a weird shape on the front.

 It should look vaguely like this when you're finished.

 Then glue the stick on. I used a lollipop stick from the baking section of the craft store. I think they are cuter than popsicle sticks or tooth picks. I like that they are sturdy, white, and round.

 Lastly, I glued another circle on the back to cover up the glued parts and the stick. I used the same color paper, but you could use another color if you would like.

 It's finished! Lace cupcake topper is ready for its cupcake!