A Cure for Cold Shoulders

When we first announced that we would be marrying outside, in January, it seemed the first piece of unsolicited advice thrown my way was what to wear with my wedding dress. "You have GOT to wear a fur stole!" was (and still is) the most common. I didn't even know what a stole was:

Image via Martha Stewart/Photo by Thayor Photo

Ah ha, that's a stole. Without a doubt, gorgeous, but it felt too classic and traditional for me. I think I would feel differently about it if I had one that was passed down from a Grandmother; one with meaning, ya know? I couldn't see myself going out and searching for a fur stole knowing I would never wear it again. 

I turned to my own collection of winter accessories, a la scarves, and was 99% sure this would do the trick:

Image via Style Me Pretty/Photo by Jessica Claire/Styled by Jesi Haack



Okay, confession: I was obsessed with this shoot for the first six months of being engaged. I wanted that dress (and her waistline), her flowers and her groom that scarf. After I found my dress and realized my love for statement necklaces, I thought a scarf might be just too much. I needed something simpler. A shout out to our own Mrs. Cardigan who perfectly rocked the, well, cardigan. So, somewhere along the way I decided I would wear a sweet and simple cardigan:

Image via The Brides Hairstylist/Photo by Shannon Nicole Smith Photography



Image via Inspired by This/Photo by Our Labour of Love
Um, side note, I'm pretty sure this is the couple who got to have my dream dessert buffet. Lucky ducks.

Image via Once Wed/Photo by Keefer Photography

I love that cardigans are simple, it won't take away from my detailed dress or the (undecided) statement necklace. It will be the perfect accent to my attire, while of course being functional at the same time. Plus, how cute are bridesmaids in cardigans?

Image via Love and Lavendar/Photo by Courtney Wilson Photography

Image via Style Me Pretty/Photo by Smitten Photography

Since the girls will be in navy dresses, I think gray cardigans would tie them all together (although I'm loving the look of multi colors!). Hmm, bridesmaid gifts?! I will go with either a navy or peach cardigan. With fall clearly in the air here in Colorado, it is the perfect time for cardigan shopping...



What kind of seasonal accessory are you wearing for your big day? Did you receive unsolicited advice in regards to your attire?

Wedding Pro's

Hi, Hive! Remember me? Sorry I've been MIA recently...the Honey's attended BM Scoot's wedding this past weekend and I had the special honor of being a bridesmaid so I got to spend an incredible 5 full days with some of my favorite girls. BM Scoot's wedding is the ninth wedding we have attended since we began dating in 2010...and it was the last wedding we will be attending as an engaged couple. That means the next one is OURS!

Mr. H & I at BM Scoot's Wedding

While my title is a bit of an exaggeration, as we aren't actually pro's, we have had the opportunity to take in so many weddings and learn things from each and every one. I've always been a lover of weddings, but they take on a whole new meaning when you are a bride-to-be yourself and get to attend as a guest or participate as a bridesmaid. It sends bridal brain into stimulation overload, in a good way of course. I have developed a new understanding for what the whole day takes and what the day means.

On an aesthetic level, the effort it takes to plan a wedding is ginormous. Never again will I forget to look at the table numbers or admire the flowers. I will always sign the guest book and I won't forget to take in the feeling the bride has created for her day. I will RSVP immediately and I will admire the invitation suites that the couples put so much effort into. I will never let it slip my mind that this is her perfect wedding. Because every bride and couple is different, every wedding is unique. And perfect.

The nine weddings we have been to have been all over the board, from traditional Catholic or Christian ceremonies to personally scripted ceremonies; lavish affairs to backyard BBQ's; a tented event to a grand ballroom. Whatever the style or decor, whether prime rib or roast chicken...one thing is certain: the couple wakes up engaged and goes to sleep husband and wife. The meaning of a wedding is always the same. It's so easy to get caught up in the planning and let the stress get to you, but in the end it's about the commitment to one another for the rest of your life.

I love Weddingbee and other wedding blogs because it allows us brides in planning to completely consume ourselves with pictures and ideas, and talk weddings non-stop with those who are just as giddy. What I love even more though, is that while each of us have had our moments of being consumed with the material parts of the wedding, in the end we will each be a wife/husband/life partner to our significant other. No matter what kind of wedding we had.

There's one moment at every single wedding that brings tears to my eyes and goosebumps to my skin. The moment when the bride stands at the top of her aisle, waiting to take that walk to her man who is ready to commit his life to her. It's my favorite tradition and one that doesn't have too many variances. It's the moment I always remember and it's those few seconds that I anticipate the absolute most. Remember how I picked out my 'aisle song' very early on? I've heard it said a million times, but it's like everything and everyone disappears on that walk. While everyone is looking at you, you are looking at him and he is only one that gets to lock eyes with you. I haven't done the walk yet, but I can only imagine how magical that moment is. All details aside, it's your last few steps as a Miss and your first few steps towards making the ultimate commitment. *Chills*

Evidence of my favorite moment at the past 3 weddings: Friend JS, Friend JW and BM Scoot.

We are down to the four month mark and I know I will be overwhelmed with the planning, but whatever gets done and whatever doesn't, does not determine the outcome of our day...becoming husband and wife. Now who can remind me of this when times get tough?!
And just for fun, BM Scoot had favors that I may be a bit partial to:

Honey Favors!

Have you been able to attend weddings as an engaged couple? What is your favorite wedding moment?

Don't Worry

I thank Bob Marley for my title, for one of the best songs ever and for our budget mantra. The budget is a very sticky situation for the Honey's, as it is for most couples planning/buying/saving for their wedding. We have set a rough budget that we don't want to go over; which is about a quarter less than the average wedding cost in our area, and while we are I am comfortable with that number, I typically say we don't have a budget. Is our budget limitless? The exact opposite actually. We don't have a budget because we simply don't have the money. It's like we are constantly adding to the account, breaking it and then fixing it and starting all over. 

Image Source

We have three parties contributing to our big day; my parents, Mr. Honey's dad, and us. We all contribute when we can, but it's that 'when we can' part that gets tough. My parents work their butt off to pay their bills each month and unfortunately sometimes there isn't excess. Mr. Honey's dad has the best of intentions but he lives a thousand miles away and sometimes the topic of giving us money falls by the wayside. And for us, well we aren't known as the best savers around, that's for sure. We have a wedding savings account that is growing as I write, but I find myself purchasing things from our joint account "because we have money in there right now, we might as well save the money in the savings account for larger purchases or when our own account is looking low". I keep every receipt in my wedding file, whether purchased from our joint account or from the wedding account. Currently we have spent pennies in comparison to our budget but I know with our wedding particular, a lot of expenses are going to occur in the month leading up to the day.

I wanted to address this for a couple reasons; one because I feel like I keep dropping the 'we can't afford it' line or the 'it's not in our budget' reason and also because I just talked to BM Fawn who is currently engaged and is in almost the exact same budget boat as we are...which made me think there must be other couples out there who are budgeting as they go, not budgeting with what they have. Sometimes I feel cheap, like when I talked about not wanting/able to pay for the photographer of our dreams. Other times, though I feel damn proud of myself, like creating the majority of our dessert table for under $30 (I say majority, because it is still a work in progress).

There's a lot we are scrapping or working really extra hard to find alternatives to, in order to afford not just a few important things, but the whole shin-dig. Our venue was so affordable, our photography is coming in for free, and we are doing a hekuva lot of DIY in order to accomplish the look and feel we want for the price we have to do it for. I'm envious of the brides who have the pot to grab from...not just the high-budget brides, but the ones who have the money already, whether that amount is two thousand or two-hundred thousand. Having the money available is our qualm with the budget. I'd be much more content if our budget wasn't dependent on what we put in this week or next, but rather the amount that is already there. Yes, we could have put off our wedding and saved, but that strategy just wouldn't work for us. We are the types that just go for it; plus it's giving us some great money management skills to work on pre-marriage. No matter how you cut it, budgets suck, and I do realize that even if your budget is on the higher end, it's still a budget.

Image Source

There are days that I panic and am ready to eat Ramen noodles for the next four months but that's when my mom chimes in and says "Don't Worry, it will be alright". We can't really go over a budget that doesn't exist, or when there isn't money to go over. This may sound disastrous or haphazard to others, and it is certainly not ideal, but it's working for us. Perhaps I find comfort in the fact that our wedding will be taking place just after the year ends (year end bonuses, cha-ching!) but I do have faith that we will have a wedding that we created at a price we won't loose too much sleep over. I have always found budget posts from previous Bee's really helpful and insightful, and I can't wait to share ours with you in the future, whatever our budget happens to be in the end.

Do you have a less than concrete budget? Are you going to create Platinum for Paper Plates?

Set in Stone

Our guests rock, we want to rock with them and we will be rockin' in each other's arm all.night.long. How do we plan on remembering just who celebrated with us ten, twenty and fifty years from now? In case you didn't catch all my cheezy hints, we are having a rock guest book!

I think this idea actually spurred from a picture I saw early on of signed seashells but then I came across this picture and I was sold:

Image via Polka Dot Bride/Photo by Ira Lippke Studios

We've been collecting little stones for the last year, and my favorite part is the BM Cruise has taken this wedding project so seriously. Every time he goes kayaking he picks out a rock from the put-in area and keeps it with him for his adventure on the river and then adds it to his stash. He's even keeping track of which rock comes from what section of each river. So cute. I like that the rocks have meaning in that they incorporate Mr. Honey and BM Cruise's love of the river and water. In my girly bridal brain, I'm flattered that our best man is taking it to heart.

A few weeks back Mrs. Cola posted about her wishing stones guest book and it motivated me to finally figure this project out. Okay, it's not like there was much to figure out but I needed to find which writing device was going to work on the rocks. Mrs. Cola confirmed that a good 'ol Sharpie marker was what was used at her wedding so I headed off to Office Depot to search for a white Sharpie. I found the next best thing, Sharpie Paint Markers:

Our collection consists of both light and dark rocks so I wanted a white marker for the darker colored rocks, but was having a helluva time finding one. The package actually contained  the black and white, red, yellow and blue (and was on sale for $9.99!). We will only be using the black and white, but I know I will find plenty of good uses for the other colors at some point; they are so fun to write with! Last weekend I picked a few special rocks, read: two from the top of the pile, and decided to test out the Sharpie Paint markers. I gave Mr. Honey one and I kept the other, and we wrote bride and groom on them:

Actually, Mr. Honey first wrote this on his rock:

Shout out to the Hive!

I loved his sentiment, but flipped the rock over and re-wrote bride so that it matched the groom rock. While we aren't doing assigned seating, I think we will be able to show case our bride-n-groom rocks somehow; currently they are sitting perfectly together in my craft closet, which makes me smile each time I see them.

The paint markers worked perfectly, they didn't smear or drip, or get scuffed up by the rough texture of the rocks. Success! Knowing that I wanted to display them after the wedding, when I was at Hobby Lobby a awhile back I picked up a couple vases for 50% off. I wanted them to be sturdy and durable, so I chose to go with the thicker, square glass ones:

I loved seeing Mrs. Cola's rock guest book in display mode, it captures exactly what we are hoping to accomplish with our guest book:

Image via Mrs. Cola

There's still a few things I need to do for this project, like write a sign and come up with a good way to have guests store the signed rocks. Have I told you that I have an obsession with baskets? No? Well I do, it's a running joke amongst people close to me, so I will be on the look out for a basket for guests to toss the rocks into it without shattering my pretty glass vases.

I absolutely love all the guest book options these days, the runner-ups for us where the thumbprint picture, a bench a la Mrs. Sand Dollar, or puzzle pieces. How are you getting creative with your guest book? Let's hear it, hive!

Stands for Smackerels

In preparation for creating my dream dessert buffet, I began collecting pieces from garage sales and thrift stores. I didn't really know what I was going for, so at first the pieces seemed pretty random. A few glass things here, a ceramic piece there. My Papa also gave me a beautiful glass cake plate that my Nana adored. The jumbled collection kept growing without a clear vision, until I saw these two pictures on Pinterest:

Cake Stands from Centsational Girl & Bottles from Tip Junkie via Beach House in the City

The cake stand picture is a tutorial on how to create your own cake plates out of just about anything from the thrift store. In this case, two plates, a wine glass and a martini glass. Add some spray paint and you've got functional and cute dessert plates. I wanted something a bit softer though, while the DIY aspect was simple enough, the full on spray paint didn't make me swoon. THEN, the tutorial on how to make your own milk glass popped up. Those bottles are so perfect looking, they are in fact softer than the bold colors of the pink and orange stands. So, I molded the two tutorials together and made myself some dessert plates.

My collection consisted of mainly glass, so that's why the DIY milk glass appealed to me. Over Labor Day weekend I dug out my collection, gave them all a good wash and let them air dry while I hit up Wally World for the spray paint. I also purchased two small glass plates from the thrift store to do a sample run, just to make sure my idea would in fact work.

After my plates were all dry, I used some painters tape and taped the edges of the plates; the one thing I learned with those two practice plates was that the spray paint drips down to the edge of the plate and creates a sticky, unfinished mess while drying. For this project, I was only spray painting the bottom of the plate. I taped off the edge, so that when I set the plate down (bottom up) the rim would be setting on the tape, therefor avoiding the sticky mess on the glass. 

Taped Edges, Ready for Spray Paint

The second step is important. Because most spray paint is not actually intended for glass, you either need to use a primer or in my case, the Frosted Glass Spray Paint. I didn't get a picture of the can, but it's in with all the regular spray paint. This creates something for the normal spray paint to adhere to. The frosted paint takes about ten minutes to dry. Depending on the condition of your plates, you may or may not need an additional coat. A couple of mine did need two coats, while a couple were good with one. If it looked splotchy or uneven, I went ahead and did a second layer of frost. 

Looking Frosty!

Next up, spray paint with your chosen color. I used navy blue and gray. I'm NOT a good spray painter, but my best advice is to use quick sprays from a good distance away. Usually I end up with spots, drips and bubbles but I must say I rocked this spray paint project. Lastly, LET THEM DRY for A LONG TIME. The can says ten minutes, it's a lie. I let mine dry for a good twenty-four hours, until they weren't sticky feeling anymore. I even had to do another coat on the navy blue and let it dry another day. This is the most tedious part of the process, I had to refrain from picking the things up multiple times because they still felt like spray paint.





For the bases, I scored one day at the thrift store and got six candlestick holders, all ceramic and all in white. Not that it really mattered, because they too would be spray painted. This process was pretty basic: spray paint, dry, turnover, spray paint to cover missed spots, dry, and spray paint once more for good measure. And dry. 

From white to blue and gray

A couple of things to note before I enlist your help, Hive. In the tutorial from Centsational Girl, she uses silicon to attach the base to the plate and advises to do so before painting. I didn't do that because, a) that was too risky for me and b) these will more than likely be a one time use, so I won't be using/washing them every time I host a dinner party. I think (and hope) super glue will do the trick for me. Second, she also uses doilies to display her food, but because I only spray painted the bottom of the plates, the food will not come into contact with the paint. If you spray paint the bottom AND top of a serving dish, make sure to not poison your guests, and put the food on something before you serve it. The last of my PSA for making your own dessert plates, is that it's hard to tell what flaws the plates may have until after you spray paint. It seems that the spray paint magnifies the tiniest of knife cuts...they are much more apparent in the light, when held up to a window, and will hopefully be less noticeable in a darker building with treats on them. See?



See how the middle plate looks a little scuffed, it may be my lack in photography skills as well.

This gray plate turned out just about perfect; thick color but it looks creamy beneath the layer of glass:


I have a few other plates in the arsenal, but right now, I'm trying to decide how to match these ones. Blue on Blue and Gray on Gray OR Blue on Gray and Gray on Blue?! Decisions, decisions. 

Blue on Blue, Gray on Gray



Gray on Blue, Blue on Gray

One more for good measure (hey, I'm proud!), a shot of all of them:

So, Hive, which do you like best?

Option A: Blue on Blue and Gray on Gray
Option B: Gray on Blue and Blue on Gray
Option C: Just mix 'Em All!



Smackerel's of Sweets

Mmm sweets, I've got a big sweet tooth so it's no surprise that I've put just quite a bit of thought into what kind of sweetness we will have at our wedding. I love that we aren't pinned into the cake corner anymore and that nowadays we have many more options as to what smackerel to serve our guests to appease their own sweet tooth. Cakes being the standard, but beautiful choice...I'm drawn to ruffly and Ombre colored cakes that double as a work of art:

Image via Style Me Pretty/Photo by Millie Holloman

Knowing that the artsy detailed cake would not fit into our budget, I did what I do best: advised Google for other options. And oh, the options. I was dead set on the cupcake tower last fall. I love the over-the-top look of the display and the ability to provide multiple flavors:

Image via The Knot/Photo by Crystal Genes Photography

Somewhere along the way, though, I lost the love for the full on cupcake tower and was convinced I needed a candy buffet, and this inspiration image keeps slipping into my dreams:

Image via Big Wedding Tiny Budget/Designed by Amy Atlas

My colors, however, do not scream sugary candy-coated goodness. Quick, think of a pretty navy colored candy. No? How about gray? Aside from jelly beans, I was having a hard time coming up with the perfect candy for my palette. Then somehow the wedding God's, as if really feeling my need for the perfect dessert, provided me with this image; the holy grail of wedding desserts:

Image via Ruffled/By Sweet and Saucy

I was immediately smitten; the variety, the sweetness, the display. This picture has since replaced all previous dessert crushes. And, with this image in mind I started off the garage sale season with the hopes of finding an eclectic mix of cake/dessert plates.

Specifically, I don't have the details of what desserts will be displayed, I do know there will be little amounts of quite a few varieties. I'm seeing pies, dipped strawberries, and cookies. And, caramel apples, I really want caramel apples. Oh, yes and cupcakes and candy. It's like the best of all dessert worlds!

Even though we aren't going the traditional wedding cake route, we will still need some sort of purty cake for us to cut-n-smash, right? Thanks to this post from Mrs. Socks, we will be creating this kind of cake:

Image via Style Me Pretty/Photo by Red Ribbon Studio

I'm going to have to agree with Mrs.Socks when she says "Ohmygodrockcandycake"! This satisfies my desire for an artsy cake, but because Mama Honey says she will make it and I can stick the candy on, it will be much more affordable. Can I get a woop, woop?! I'm so excited to share my cake plates with you...up next.

Tell me about your sweet treats, hive! Cupcakes, candy, cake? All of the above?