Bringin' the Honey to the Hive!

Yo Yo HIVE!!! Miss Honey here. Even as I sit here typing this post addressed to THE hive, I'm still in a huge amount of shock that I have been accepted as the newest bee! Yowza. It was just a few short days ago when I read Miss Parasol's introduction post and imagined what it would actually be like to write that same post. And now here I am, and I can tell you it feels incredible. I'm a beeeee! (I know so typical, but it really sums up the excited energy!)

I spent my weekend camping and away from all things technology, but I couldn't shake this anxious feeling I had and couldn't wait to get back to service and to work Monday to check my email. And there it was, the email from Pengy. Given this moment tons of thought in the past months, I thought I would avoid the email and hit the open button with my eyes closed. But I kept my eyes open and gleefully read, and re-read the email stating my acceptance. This was the first email I checked when I got to work bright and early this morning, and so I had to contain my squealing and giddiness for the e.n.t.i.r.e day. I sent a text to Mr. Honey telling him I had been accepted to blog about our wedding for my favorite wedding blog and when I didn't get a response in less then 2.5 minutes I decided to walk down to his office and tell him in person, but he was so busy I just blurted out in the front lobby told him I loved him and left. Hmph, it was kind of anti-climatic. I'm sure he's super excited to here the details tonight over dinner.

So why Miss Honey? Well, I'm gonna be honest, I chose my character without any input from the mister. I know it's shameful, but I also know the man and I know he would say "Whatever you want dear honey", plus he works a long 12 hour day and if I waited for him to get home it wouldn't have been until late tonight to decide on one together...and that's far too long for a new-bee to decide on a character!! So Miss Honey...besides the icon being ridiculously adorable, Mr. Honey and I have disgustingly cute pet names for each other, he calls me Princess or muffin regularly and I refer to him as sunshine face. It's okay to gag at our cuteness. I also adore the catchy phrases from the honey-lovin bear, Winnie the Pooh...and in all honesty I'm way more excited to see the new Pooh movie than the other movie that opened the same day. Side note, when I graduated high school, I road tripped to California with my cousin and we waited in line for hours to take a picture with Winnie & Eeyore. And, ironically, Eeyore even played a small role in Mr. Honey and I meeting (more on that to come!). So, the Honey's it is...or would it be the Honey's we are?

So who are we? And, because I love looking at pictures of other couples (that doesn't sound creepy.) I have included photos for your viewing pleasure.

We are a couple who met and fell in love quickly, knowing that we were following our hearts.

{4th of July in Silverton, CO}

{Six Flags in Denver, CO}

We live in a mountain town where people play more than they work, and we sure do love to play.

{River Parade}

{Fall Motorcycle Ride}

{Halloween 2010}

We surround ourselves with good friends and great adventures.

{At a friends wedding a couple weeks ago}

{Camping trip with friends}

We spend many evenings cuddled up on our couch watching recorded episodes of The Office and Friends. Snuggled up next to us we have three cats and doggy:

{The Honey Pets}

Mr. Honey is a Southern boy with an appetite for Southern food who ventured to my hometown to do everything the area has to offer. I was born and raised in this mountain town and love that we both now call it home. Together we snowboard, camp, raft and ride our cruiser bikes all over town. He kayaks, canoes, skateboards, sails and rides motorcycles . I try to keep up, but most of the time my cautious mentality kicks in. I appreciate his adventurous spirit and like to think that he appreciates my "be safe speech" every time he goes on an adventure.

{Mr. Honey plays}

Now here we are in this wedding planning voyage together, where we will say I Do in the middle of the Colorado winter surrounded by our friends & family. I have visions of  rustic details and whimsical touches, loads of DIY and a room overflowing with love, happiness and good beer.

And because this quote is just oh-so-fitting: "That buzzing-noise means something. If there's a buzzing noise, some body's making a buzzing-noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you're a bee...And the only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey...And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it."  Well said Pooh Bear.

{source of quote}

It's amazing to be here, hive, welcome to our journey!

Long Term Locks

I'm not the biggest fan of my hair and have hair envy of girls with curlier hair and girls with straighter hair. I'm also pretty awful at styling my hair and my hair has no style of its own which makes my lack of styling abilities even worse. I have weird cowlicks that cause my hair to grow funny. If I don't style my hair, one side curls under while the other side flips out, I refer to it as my hair wave. 

In high school I had long, straight hair...I would dye it occasionally but nothing to extreme. It wasn't until college that I really started experimenting. I chopped it off bit by bit and tried darker colors and highlights until I finally found the style I loved. The structured bob, that sits just below my chin, colored a medium shade of brown...and sometimes reddish highlights.

Personal picture circa 2009

Like most brides, I have been trying to grow my hair out for the big day. Yes, knowing that I like my hair shorter and knowing I look better with shorter hair. It's been rough to say the least. I haven't drastically chopped it or colored it for about a year. Prior to my recent hair cut, the last hair cut I had wasssss, well lets just say I have only had it cut once in 2011 and that was two weeks ago. On the very rare occasion that my hair is down and not in a ponytail, it looks like this:

Personal Picture in April 2011

When I went to get my hair trimmed a couple weeks ago, I talked to my stylist, who is also a great friend about doing my wedding day hair. And she is in! She will come up to the lake the morning of the wedding and do my hair and whoever else wants theirs done. And she will drink mimosas with us because she's cool like that.

This got me thinking about what I want for my "I Do" hair. To be honest I really wasn't excited about figuring out how to wear my hair because I've had bad luck with up-do's in the past. I knew right away that I didn't want an up-do, it would just be too formal for the Honey wedding, but I didn't really know where to start and didn't know what I was looking for.

Enter Pinterest. The greatest hair inspiration site ever. There are enough images being pinned daily to indulge any bride-to-be. Cha-ching! Just like my wedding dress inspiration, I have a very clear pattern in what I desire...



Image via Pinterest & Perfect Bound Blog/Photo by Kaysha Weiner/Stylist Serene Bridal Beauty 




Image via Pinterest, from SunshineandPearls



Image via Pinterest, from Style Me Pretty/Photo by One Love 

{Image via Pinterest, from Everything Fab}

...And what I desire are curls. Soft and romantic curls! Plus this is something I never do with my hair so it will be different from my daily routine. Obviously I would love for my hair to instantly be longer so I can pull of some of the longer versions, but I think even with my (almost) long hair, it will look perfect. The only style I have come across that varies from the lovely curls is the beautiful low, side chignon:



Image via Pinterest, from Martha Stewart Weddings

Unfortunately I don't think my hair would look this perfect, and you have to have some good length to make that chignon work.

My hair inspiration post may seem a little premature but I needed to focus on the long term and see where I wanted my hair to be in January. Knowing I don't have the most disciplined habits with trimming and taking care of my hair, I wanted to get a jump start. These pictures help me remember why I'm growing out my locks in the first place. At my last hair appointment I told my stylist to expect me two more times between now and January (perhaps she will help hold me to my word?), and of course we will do a hair trial closer the day.

Being that I use a hair dryer and hot iron on my hair nearly every single day, I also invested in this amazing product:

Image via Amazon



I've been using Moroccan Oil for two weeks now and it's perfect. My hair feels less damaged and it looks much more nourished than before. The fact that it smells insanely good is just a bonus.

My plan may not appear to be too hard, but considering I've very much neglected my hair over the last year I'm hoping to salvage what I've got left. Here's to happy, healthy and long hair in six months!

Are you growing your hair out for you wedding? What strategies are you implementing to get your hair to it's healthiest and longest for your big day? Fill me in on your secrets Hive!

Breaking it Down: Gettin Our Drink On

"I don't care about anything except an open bar!"

My current wedding-planning self can't believe my young-naive self ever made such a comment. But it's true, back in the day I thought that open bar was the only important thing. Obviously I didn't have a loving man, didn't consider my amazing family (I did consider my fun friends, hehe) and I didn't think about the price tag. I have been to cash bar weddings and full open bar weddings (I'm talking Jager and Whiskey shots, open bar) and everything in between...I just wasn't sure we'd be able to pull off an open bar. BUT our venue states that unless we are having an open bar, we need to attain a liquor license. And gauging the other weddings we have attended recently, purchasing kegs & beer, with either a specialty drink or just a couple options for liquor & mixers...it's not too bad. So open bar it is! There ya go, young-party girl self, happy!?

Our venue doesn't have a bar...I know right, that's ca-razy. There is a counter like wall, between the kitchen and the rest of the room that was left open, they may have intended for the bar. However I don't want adorable pictures of dancing and mingling to be ruined by the stainless steel refrigerator and stove in the exposed kitchen. Nope. Being the problem solvers that we are, we are borrowing a free standing bar from a friend. It's kidney bean shaped with a glass top and tons of storage space. It's rattan, so it will add the rustic vibe and that means I will get to add some whimsical touches with decorations. Woop woop!

{You get the idea...}

Our bar (okay, it's not ours) is larger and not quite as modern...plus we opted not to use chairs, since the bar isn't that big and we didn't want four large chairs taking up valuable real estate at the bar. Although I did ask my mom if she would be willing to make some cute cushions to coordinate with the vibe...she shot me down. Remember when I was painstakingly debating about what pretty thing to hang in the reception area? Well I think this is where I can venture away from my yarn spheres and choose something else to decorate the front of the bar...imagine that.

Fabric Bunting

 {Fabric Bunting via The Sweetest Occasion}

{Fabric Bunting via The Sweetest Occasion}

Flag Bunting

{Image via Deanna Nash}

{Bunting with a Message...via Etsy}

While something quite adorable and DIYed will be gracing the front of the bar, I am very happily jumping on this wedding bandwagon trend:

{Paper Straws via Dandyyou}

{In action and adorable via Slash Food}

I loved these little suckers (ha, pun intended!) since I first came across them way back when I was first engaged. Then I really loved how they mirrored the gray chevron background that is making appearances in my pretty paper.

Tackling the task of what to actually serve is going to be the doozy (ha, another pun!) because D has a far more picky alcoholic palate than yours truly. I can happily put down a PBR or four, while he much prefers the taste of a dark micro brew.

              {PBR source}                                                           {Durango's own Ska Brewing source}

I'm hoping the cost of his palette will jolt him back to reality. We could meet in the middle, as Diamond Rio suggests, so obviously we have not made a decision on this. No fear, there will be beer. We also know we need to appease the non-beer drinkers with some vino. While I love myself a delish glass of wine, I (and certainly not D) am no connoisseur. We will serve a simple red and simple white. Done and done.

As for liquor...D is a sweet and fruity cocktail lover, no I'm not kidding. He's known to order Banana Split-tinis or Caramel Apple-tinis. I on the other hand can enjoy a sip or two of these and then I'm ready for vodka or whiskey. It might be overdone right now, but I'm loving the Sweet Tea Vodka drink. It's not to sweet and not to liquor-y. Plus, this could be a nod to my other Southern half, he does love his sweet tea (I'm constantly trying to perfect the recipe). And remember how this concoction loosened me up for engagement shoot?!

{Sweet Tea Vodka with a Striped Straw! Perfect.}

Another staple in D's party routine, that I will never say no to? Jager:

{Ice Cold Jager}

While I know we won't be able to provide bottles of Jager for shots throughout the night, I know we will have bottles stashed for shooting, hehe. Probably a bottle of whiskey too, cause that's just how we roll.

Wondering about the champagne toast? We aren't doing one. I love a mimosa but buying champagne for everyone, I just know it will be a waste. While doing toasts, everyone will toast with their drink of choice. D bought us super cute monogrammed flutes for Valentine's Day though, and I know we will incorporate those somehow.

I'm ready for a cocktail, It's 5 O'clock Somewhere, right?! 

A Non-Wedding Weekend.

We took a much needed break from all things wedding; a break from attending wedding events and a break from thinking about our own. So what did we do? We played and we played a lot. Although it's no secret that D and I often put playing at the top of our list (much to the dismay of my parents), this weekend was focused on nothing else. While we do a ton of stuff together, our hobbies sometimes take us in different directions on the weekend (I can't go kayaking with him and he doesn't enjoy vino with ladies quite like me) but this weekend we managed to spend 99.9% of our time with each other. It was lovely.

A recap:
Friday night we ventured down the Animas river with Zeus for an evening swim and then made homemade beef stroganoff and watched The Dilemma. Saturday was a kayaking event at Vallecito Creek*, and because there were other spectators I got to -put my life in danger by trekking down a scary cliff- watch from a rock high above the creek. Sunday involved a lovely afternoon nap and a giant slip-n-slide in the park and BBQ with friends.

Here's the evidence:

 {Zeus loves rocks, he could search for the perfect one for hours}

{Cooling off}

 {Joe Dirt D & I}

{Hanging my toes off the 50+ foot cliff...vertigo ensued}

{Vallecito Creek...best 1 mile of boating in Colorado}

{Perspective on the size of the 'creek', an 8 ft kayaker below}

{Giant Slip-n-Slide!}

{D taking is first slide down}

My first trip down was with the girls:

And later, a train:

{personal videos from a friend}

We had such a good weekend, further proof of our awesome life. Now, those Save the Dates are in the back of my brain just calling out for addresses and stamps to be affixed...

*okay, just one wedding side note: Vallecito Creek is in fact the creek that feeds into Vallecito Lake; where our venue sits. I drove by our venue on my way to the creek and it was so gorgeous sitting there in all it's Colorado summertime glory. I couldn't help but think that we will be there gettin' married in six short months.

My Motivating Song

We are all too familiar with the mile long To-Do list that we as engaged ladies face. My checklist on The Knot is 150 items overdue, needless to say, I don't use this tool like I should. I get overwhelmed easily with the amount of tasks a wedding requires so I tend to avoid the lists like the plague. This is more my style:


Image via SME Marketing

I go through phases where I'm 100% sucked into all things wedding and completely motivated to slumps where I find every excuse to go play rather than think about writing our ceremony. Or whatever needs to be on the list. 

When I first got engaged and began reading blogs, I always loved reading what song the bride walked down the aisle to, which is funny because it's something that never crossed my mind. You mean we all don't walk down the aisle to "Hear Comes the Bride"? Thankfully, not. There are the common songs that no matter what, conjure up images of a bride and the aisle. But I love hearing the alternative songs that are chosen for a bride to make her trek down the aisle. Now I anticipate this moment at weddings. The most recent wedding we attended, the bride chose to walk down to Sweet Pea by Amos Lee, and now that song gives me chills thinking about her walk down the aisle.

Since this aspect of the wedding was not given much thought prior to being engaged, it's funny that choosing the song to walk down the aisle occurred within the first couple of months of being engaged. I had never heard the song prior to my ah-ha moment; it popped up on Pandora one day and that was it, I had found my processional song. Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson. Go ahead and push play, I'll wait while you listen and envision this Honey in full bridal attire.

From You Tube

The lighthearted chords and soft tone of Ingrid's voice just make my heart pitter patter. I love the lyrics, they encompass such a peaceful thought of love. The beat is slow enough to hopefully prevent me from charging down the aisle, but have enough of a tempo to not be boring. The song makes me smile and I love that. It makes me want to walk down the aisle, like, yesterday.

What does Ingrid's song have to do with motivation? I envision myself walking down the aisle to this song so strongly that when I'm far from motivated in the wedding planning department, I push play on this song and it reminds me that all of the hard work done now will put me at the top of the aisle, walking to become a wife. *Chills*.

Do you have a song that helps motivate you when you are feeling unmotivated? Did anyone else find their processional song in an unexpected and random time?

199 Days On the Countdown

199 Days. Mark one down, one less day. 198 days. (To the tune of 99 Bottles of Beer. Mmm beer).

I digress.

Thanks to the many email subscriptions I signed up for on day one of being engaged, I get the (not always welcome) daily reminder of how long or short until the big day. Today? 199 days. Depending on what's on my bridal brain, this can either seem like an eternity away (we still have 2 weddings this summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas...an eternity away) or it can seem like ohmygod.onehundredninetynine.short.days. Like 6 months short, and that's my feeling today. Panic.

{techzoogle.com}

This past weekend, we had round two of Wedding Extravaganza 2011. I knew this wedding was going to be the most similar to ours and so we were both giddy with anticipation, and it was perfection. I had the privilege of helping set up and decorate the morning of, which really popped my eyes wide open to how much work is involved. The bride and I have been gossiping our weddings for nearly a year now, she was always the one I could discuss flowers/rings/vows/aisle/venue/food with; and now her wedding is come and gone. I think back to where we were six short months ago, and where were we? Mexico, for her bachelorette party, which at that time July 3rd seemed like an eternity away.

{The 2 Brides-to-Be in Mexico}

{With the bride on her wedding day, excuse the crappy camera I own}

We've got a couple big items checked off the list: the venue, the dress, the engagement pictures, the save the dates...but so much more to do. The food, the music, the photography, the alcohol, the lodging, the gifts. The list goes on.

It must be normal to have unmotivated moments while planning such a huge event, but these next six months are gonna fly by and this gal moving at turtle speed, needs to step it up a notch:

{Turtle Rocket, ha!}