Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Reception Bathroom Kits

Last night I checked another item off my to-do list! Tim and I headed off to Walmart to get all the items we needed for our bathroom kits. We have been to several weddings where the couple put a basket in each bathroom will items that guests might need. We wanted to do this but didn't want to spend a ton of money so we thought Walmart was the perfect place to shop.

The girls basket is a bit fuller then the boys basket but only because girls tend to need more stuff!

The baskets we bought are simple teal bins from Walmart that were two for $3- very inexpensive and we can definitely use them in the future.

Now, let's dive into the baskets!


Inside the girls basket is:


  • Individually wrapped mints
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Tissues
  • Tampons
  • Wipes
  • Hairspray
  • Floss Picks
  • Lint Roller
  • Hair elastics
  • Bobby Pins
  • Safety Pins
  • Tums
  • Advil
  • Bandaids
  • Tide to go



Inside the boy's basket:


  • Individually wrapped mints
  • Tissues
  • Wipes
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Lint roller
  • Tide to go
  • Advil
  • Bandaids
  • Tums
  • Condoms
  • Safety Pins

Hopefully this will be everything our guests need! If you've seen bathroom kits at weddings, what was inside? If you've made your own what is the one item you thought was most necessary?

Have a great day everyone!

Thursday, September 20, 2018

30 Days!

Guys.

We are at the 30 day mark until our wedding! Can you believe it?!

Time is flying by around here and now that we are at the 30 day countdown I thought I would share my updated To-Do List.

  • Figure out what I'm attaching from Grandma to my bouquet  DONE! I will be attaching a pearl earring of hers onto my bouquet. 
  • Buy Rehearsal Dinner Dress- Still haven't attempted this... definitely something I need to get on in the next couple of weeks. 
  • Go To My Wedding Dress Fittings- Not done because I've been to one, but I have two more scheduled after that as well.
  • Finish Centerpieces- DONE! All boxed and ready to go to The Rotunda!
  • Make Ceremony Programs- We decided we do want to do this, now I just need to complete them.
  • Make Wedding Signage- DONE! Sitting by the centerpiece boxes and ready to go to The Rotunda!
  • Buy Wedding Reception Sandals- DONE! This was as easy as a quick trip to DSW with my mom after my dress fitting. I found sandals I love and my mom got shoes too!
  • Finish Bridesmaid Gifts- DONE! All packed and ready to go!
  • Gifts For Parents- Still not done. 
  • Pick All Music- We are close, only two songs we need to figure out.
  • Put Together Bathroom Kits- Still in the same situation as before, I have some of the items but not all so I need to head out and finish these!
  • Make Final Payments for Caterer, DJ, Day of Coordinator, Photographer, Videographer, Photobooth and put aside all tip money- a few of these are done which makes me a little less anxious about money! Out caterer payment is due 10 days before, so we have a couple weeks until that is due. I'm just waiting on our day of coordinator to send us an invoice and our videographer is having us pay the day of the wedding. I have about half the tip money put aside so far so I need to finish that up.
  • Seating Chart- DONE! 
  • Plan Out Day of TimelineMostly done, I just need to get answers from a few people. 
  • Make Nail Appointments- DONE! We have a 12pm appointment at a cute nail salon!
  • Make Escort Cards-  Almost done! Well the cards are actually done- we just need to buy more craft sand for the trays holding them. 
  • Get Our Marriage License- Since I started my new job and don't have vacation time to spare right now we will be doing this the Thursday before the wedding. Nothing like last minute right?!
  • Figure Out Toasts- We know who gives them, but when?!
  • Wedding Gift For Tim-  Halfway done! His present is hiding at my parents house where he can't peek. I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to get him something else as well.

We are doing pretty well! I'll keep you updated as I finish things during this 30 day countdown!

Monday, September 17, 2018

Guestbook, Place Cards, Suits and Jess' Bridal Shower!

Hey everyone! 

Today we are 33 days out from the wedding and I have some updates to share with you. I've been sending out a TON of e-mails confirming our day of timeline and making quite a few payments. I will go into more detail about all of that in a future post, today I want to show you a few things!

First of all....Our Guestbook!


I absolutely love it! I asked a family friend to custom make this for me and she did everything I wanted! It's a wooden sign with midnight blue lettering and we will have our guests sign around the saying. I really wanted our guestbook to be something we could hang up in our future home instead of putting it on a shelf and forgetting about it.





I'm thinking of using silver sharpies for people to sign so the saying stands out a bit more, but if anyone has any opinions on that please share!

Next up is our place cards which I worked on a LOT this past weekend. I originally planned to write on the sand dollars but after a few tries I discovered it just wasn't working so I changed the plan.






I picked up some twine and made some labels on the computer.


I need to buy some more sand so they can stand up nicely but I like the way they are turning out!


In progress, but coming along!


I also went with Tim to check on his suit. So handsome- he made me tear up a little bit when he showed me the custom wording he had done in the suit lining. I can't wait to see him when I walk up the aisle!

Yesterday I kept with the wedding theme and went to Jess' Bridal Shower!



Doreen did such a nice job with the decor- it was gorgeous!


Jess and Kyle are getting married in November and I couldn't be more excited for them!


Jess got a lot of really nice items and it was such a nice group all there to celebrate her.





It was such a fun event and I'm so happy we will be able to celebrate with them in November!

What did you do this past weekend?

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

New Hampshire Weekend Trip

Today we're back up a little bit to talk about our Labor Day Weekend Trip to New Hampshire! A total last minute decision but so much fun! Derek and Ally invited Tim and I to join them in Manchester New Hampshire and although we only spent two days there we ended up doing quite a bit and I thought I would share.


Tim and I arrived in New Hampshire just before lunch on Sunday and met up with Derek and Ally at the hotel they were staying at. They asked us what we wanted to do and of course, being indecisive we didn't really care we just wanted to have fun! They mentioned a winery and distillery that they had passed the day before and we decided that would be perfect.


Flag Hill Winery and Distillery had a tasting room as well as a ton of wines and spirits to buy. We looked around and then headed over to the bar to do a tasting.





You can see the items I picked and it was cool to try so many new things. I now know how beer lovers feel at breweries. My favorite actually turned out to be something I didn't pick but the bartender had us try. Their rosé was absolutely amazing and I ended up buying a bottle to take home. I also picked up a bottle of the sugar maple liqueur which we are going to try to make fun fall drinks with. Tim picked up a bottle of the 11 year apple brandy for him and the groomsmen to drink before the wedding. We all left with bottles of new drinks and decided to head to lunch at...


Mr Mac's Macaroni and Cheese! This is apparently a chain restaurant but we don't have them in Rhode Island so it was certainly a treat!



As you know I love macaroni and cheese but I have to say I prefer my Kraft to this. It wasn't terrible, just not the best mac and cheese I've ever had.

One of our afternoon activities was going to a bar called Boards and Brews.


They have over 1200 board games and for a $5 admission you can stay and play as many as you want! They have drinks and food and tons of big tables to set up games.  The first game we played was The Office Clue which I won with my awesome detective skills.


See? :)


For a snack while there we ordered a "Connect 4" where you could pick four snack foods. It was such a cute idea and fit in well with the theme they had going.



It was just such a cute idea and I really think we need one of these in Rhode Island. We were able to play some old favorite games like Yahtzee and learn about a new game Exploding Kittens which Tim and I now want to own. I can't stop raving about it to everyone since we went. If you are in the area definitely check it out!



For dinner we went to The Thirsty Moose and I forgot to take a picture but my French dip sandwich was fantastic! I would definitely go back again and everyone seemed to enjoy their meals!

We headed back to the hotel room and called it an early night since we had some things we wanted to do the next morning!



For breakfast we ate at The Bacon Barn and my omelet and homefries were great. We all had delicious meals and it is certainly another restaurant I'd return to in the future.



We spent part of the day at the Mall of New Hampshire shopping and hanging out. I was able to buy a few new items for fall and then we headed home.

It was a short vacation but a fun one! Have you ever been to Manchester NH? Have you ever been to a board game bar? Let me know!

Monday, September 10, 2018

August Empties

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing all my empty products from August with you so I can tell you allll about them!


It was another small month for empties. I think the summer months are hard because I tend not to want to burn candles, I wear less makeup and use far less product then any other time of year. Let's get started and I'll share my thoughts on what I did use up with you.


I finished one shampoo from Not Your Mothers. This way to grow shampoo is great especially since I'm trying to keep my hair long for the wedding. I like that it focuses on anti-breakage and makes my hair feel clean. I would definitely repurchase this in the future and have used it at least one other time in the past.


Tide Pods are one of my favorite laundry products right now due to convenience. Since I constantly am going up and down two flights of stairs to do laundry in our shared apartment laundry room carrying just one pod is easier then a huge container of detergent.

I finished a Mrs. Meyers Multisurface Spray in Basil. This is my absolute favorite Mrs. Meyers scent and I will continue to purchase it. I love this spray because it doesn't have all the bad ingredients that other cleaning products do but it still makes everything super fresh and clean.

The Mrs Meyers Mint Dish Soap was a seasonal item this past spring and I really liked it. I will definitely purchase this again next year to mix things up but I still prefer the basil.


My Macadamia Deep Repair Masque is the best thing that's ever happened to my hair and I will keep repurchasing it and you'll keep seeing it in my empties!


This Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Body Wash was just okay. The wash itself was fine and the scent wasn't anything really special. I don't think I would purchase this in the future since I prefer some other scents.


Three chapsticks in Cake Batter were finished this month and I will keep buying them in bulk! I also absolutely loved this Smashbox Face Primer and definitely want to pick up the full size next time I'm in Sephora. It made my skin really dewy which was great for applying foundation and other face products.


We finished up two hand soaps in August. The first is a Dial Complete soap and the second was Soft-soap in Sooth Aloe Vera. I liked both but they were both kind of boring! I like soap with more of a scent and don't think I would pick these up again unless they were free with couponing.


My last item was a WallFlower from Bath and Body Works in the scent Caribbean Escape. I really did like this and would repurchase it in the future. I definitely think these help keep our kitchen smelling fresh.

That's all for me, what products did you finish this past month?

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Our Wedding: Just A Few Updates

Good morning friends!

Today I'm just sharing some updates on wedding planning. I've been busy doing all sorts of errands for the wedding and thought I would share what I've been doing and working on. 

Last Saturday my mom and I headed up for my first fitting of my wedding dress! I have no pictures from the fitting, but scheduled two more and my pick up appointment! That day also marked exactly 7 weeks until the wedding...we are in the final stretch!

After my fitting, my mom and I grabbed lunch and then decided to head to DSW. My mom wanted to get shoes to wear with her dress and ended up with some nice navy blue shoes that will match her dress perfectly! I wanted some reception sandals since my ceremony shoes are 3" heels and I definitely don't want to be stuck wearing them all night. 

While I was there I also spotted the clutches and thought it would be a good idea to pick one up so I have someplace to hold my chapstick and my phone. 


These sandals have a low heel which will be perfect for dancing! I like that they are simple and I could wear them to other events in the future.





The clutch is so sparkly and fun! I know I will use this in the future for weddings and other events.  Two less items to buy- I love checking things off my wedding to-do list.


I've also started my seating chart. I haven't received all the RSVPs yet and as I receive them I will pull off any flags of people that aren't coming (I've already been able to bring it down from 20 tables to 19!). I can't wait to have this completed so I can get my escort cards done.


I also picked up a container for the guestbook markers. I found this in HomeGoods in the bathroom section- it is originally meant for toothbrushes but I love how sparkly it is!


I think it will work well! I just need to get my guestbook in- which a family friend is working on making. I can't wait to show it to you!


I also started working on our wedding signs. I don't think this will be the final product because Tim is much more artistic then me so he may be able to create a better product!


I picked all these signs up at Michael's which I am loving for all my wedding crafts!

We have 6.5 weeks left and so much left to do, I will keep bringing you along for the ride :)

Monday, September 3, 2018

Life Lately: New Job, 50 days and Everything Else

So, I never meant to skip a full week of blogging...but I just kind of did. Life has been SO busy lately! There have been a lot of changes going on in my life and a ton of items on my to do list but I really want to make sure to keep up with the blog so I have this time of my life documented- so I will try to be better!


A big item on my to- do list was to finish all my thank you notes for my shower and I managed to get them all done very quickly. Definitely a huge task that I was relieved to get out of the way.


I also left my job of FOUR years! I worked for South County Orthopedics which then became Ortho RI. After four years it was time to move on and I managed to find a job that was well worth leaving! For privacy reasons I won't say where it is,  but here's a picture of my current office:


I am loving it so far and am very happy with this decision.


Football and fantasy football are back! We had a live draft which was brand new for me but so much fun!

Other then all of this we are in the final stages of wedding planning- last Friday was officially 50 days until the wedding! I will be doing a post updating you on everything I've been working on.

Also, we spent this weekend in NH! I will be sharing all of that with you too- so keep an eye out.

Have a great day everybody!