OMG where do I begin!!  This past weekend in Atlantic City was fabulous!!  My party planners, Grace and April did such an amazing job, planning the party to cater me!!  I am so blessed that my girls traveled from all over, SC, VA, DC, & NY just for me!  The weekend started by a 5 hour road trip to AC and checking out our lavish hotel, The Water Club (part of the Bogata).            

     This was part of our view from our room!  The whole view of Atlantic City right outside our window! 

     After admiring our hotel we got ready for dinner at Bobby Flays Restaurant!  Let me just say the food was to die for, shrimp as big as your palm!  Yummo!

Then back to the room we went for a little pre-game and off to The Pool Club in Harrahs we go!

     Saturday was the my fav!  My girls and I went to the Immersion Spa and had a relaxing day of massages, saunas, jacuzzis, and girl talk!  It truly was a relaxing experience! 

     As soon as all my girls finally checked in, we got ready for our Girl's Night Out!  Grace made purple feather fascintors for our party and  made me a birdcage veil!  All the girls looked so beautiful!  We headed to dinner at Izakaya, since I heart me some sushi!  
    

     After our delicious dinner, the girls sneakingly took me to a "show".  Hence, the dollar bills!  We'll just leave it at that picture...the rest will remain in AC!  "What happens in AC, stays in AC!"  HOLLA!!

So let the drinking begin!  Cause you'll know I'll need me some liquid courage!

     After the "show," we all headed back to our hotel and partied at MurMur with bottle service and all!  Thanks to Sara for getting us 30 shots from some stranger, nice to know you still got it girl!  Let me just tell you a little secret, MurMur is where my now fiance and I had our FIRST KISS, so I couldn't help but think of him while I was partying it up with my girls!

These are my beautiful 'maids, from the left:  my BFF Jen, me, my wonderful cousin Ting, and my forever friend Mar!  Can you see why I chose these gorgeous ladies to stand by my side!  Love ya'll!

     And these ladies, my GrApe Jelly and my wonderful event planners!!!  I adore you both, THANK YOU THANK THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for making this past weekend a weekend I will always remember!  Heart heart!

     Grace and April also planned a scavenger hunt for the girls to do while on our night out, with prizes included!  That was too funny!  In the end each girl one a prize...you go ladies!  

So to make the long story short...I had a blast!!  I was sad that it ended, but it ended on such a high that it'll never be forgotten!  I LOVE YOU ALL LADIES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A PART OF IT!!

     I have gone back and forth with the decision of the centerpieces.  At first, I had the "I don't care attitude" about them, but now that the wedding is creeping up, I've came to the realization, that it'll be an important piece to the decor of our wedding.  Months ago, in the beginning stages of the planning, I thought I was set on this centerpiece:

                                             SOURCE
It's simple and it keeps our beach theme going.  Then I thought that the wedding theme was too beachy, on the verge of being too many shells.  So after talking to the fiance about it, we agreed to go the floral route.  I emailed our wedding coordinator, Patrick, with pictures from my inspiration board (all floral inspiration photos are from TheKnot gallery) and asked to get quotes from our florist.  He quickly responded with price quotes for the following: 

                                                 $175
     I love the orchids and the monkey grass, but this was a little steep for our budget.  I could understand that orchids are a more expensive flower, but we couldn't justify that.   

                                                   $17.50
     I love hydrangeas-the look and the colors!  I think it has a elegant simple look to it, that doesn't need much work at all!

                                                      $30
     A more simplistic look for orchids, but maybe too simple for our large table of 12s.

                                                      $55
                        Hydrangeas again, but with sliced fruit. 

     So in the end, we decided to choose the $17.50 hydrangeas, but add 3 vases to each table (5 tables total).  We'll also add 5 or 6 votive candles surrounding the centerpieces to give it a more romantic look. 
     Do you think we made the right decision? 

     I must say, planning our Welcome Dinner was the hardest thing to do in our wedding planning.  Trying to find a place that can accomodate that many guests in the price range we were looking for was the difficult task.  We were also trying to find a location that was walking distance from our hotel.  Though we could have easily hosted the party at the Westin, the fiance and I wanted to venture out a little, even if it is a 10 minute walk!  
     We did consider Gianni's Italian Restaurant, Matthew's Beachside Restaurant, and Aqua Grill.  Gianni's and Aqua Grill are in walking distance from the Westin and Matthew's was in the next town, which we would have to provide transportation for our guests.  Unfortunately the Westin doesn't have a shuttle, so I asked if they can provide one, they agreed, but said it'd be $5-$6 per person.  Though Matthew's had a cheaper price menu, factoring in the cost of transportation and the hassle of it, didn't seem appealing to the fiance and myself. 
     Gianni's on the other hand, has a really nice location (closest to the Westin with an outdoor patio), but the menu they came up with for our budget, was not at all appetizing.   We didn't want to treat our guests to that the first day they arrive in Aruba, so decided they were out of the running.
     We ended up booking our Welcome Dinner at Aqua Grill for our 50 guests.  Aqua Grill won us over for their attentiveness and menu selection (a 3 course dinner with alcohol).  Irma, the Aqua Grill contact, has been on top of her game and is very quick to respond to my questions and emails.  She has done a fine job of convincing us to have our dinner with them, even to say that she'll make personalized menus for our party.  I can't wait to eat good food, drink great wine, and spend time with our closest family and friends!
     What was your biggest hurdle while planning your wedding?

     Everything is set for you Catholic Church ceremony, eeekkkss!  We met with our priest this past Wednesday and went over last minute details for our May chapel ceremony at St. Michaels' Catholic Church.  For those that don't know and not very many do know, Jeff and I have decided to get married in our church, to recieve our Sacrament of Marriage.  We felt that it wouldn't feel right if we didn't marry in our church, being that our faith is a big part of our lives and our relationship!  After all I do thank GOD everyday for bringing Jeff into my life (corny, but true)!
     This ceremony will be very small and intimate, just our parents, our Godparents, BFF & her husband, and my sissy and beautiful niece!  It'll take place at our church's day chapel with our ever so witty Priest, Father Dan conducting our ceremony.  Afterwards, we booked a table at Brio Tuscan Grille for some good food and celebration!
    

                                                             SOURCE
Then for our wedding evening, the fiance and I reserved a room at Hotel Sierra, you know, to get our honeymoon on-haha!  We're so excited about the day and can't wait! 

                                                            SOURCE

     I just found this picture and I feel in love!  I know you hear me say that a lot, but its true!  During my wedding planning our MAC and the Web have been my vice (just ask my fiance)!  Anyway, when I was thinking about what I wanted to stuff in our OOT bags, I thought it would be neat to add some Virginia flair to it since that's where we live together.  Thinking of things that were "Virginia,"  ham was the first thing that came to mind, but whose gonna give that as a gift?!  Not me!  Then I thought PEANUTS!!  That would be a not-so-much-hassle thing to bring right?!  So in my search I found this today! 

                                                  SOURCE

                                               SOURCE
    
     Isn't it too cute?  Now I just have to look for the sack and stop by our local Virginia Store (another excuse to go to the mall and shop)!  Don't you just love it when when you get inspired by others!? 
     Oh yeah, do you think this will be a problem at the airport or customs!?  I hope not 'cause I'm lovin' the idea!

     Our response cards were due March 5 and I'm still missing a couple, but  I'll just assume they're not coming!  But the turn out will be great, 50 of our closest friends and family will be coming along to witness our wedding day!  I can't wait and now it's GO TIME!  It's funny how a simple number can be detrimental to your wedding.  I told my BFF that everything you do (wedding wise) revolves around that number!  The last couple of months I've with held the urge to complete wedding projects because I didn't know the guest list number, but with the final count in, I can start plugging along!  On the list to finish:  programs, menus, OOT purchases, welcome books, and the list will go on and on!  I keep adding things to my DIY list (without the fiance knowing-he'll kill me)!
     But now I'm super excited and I know that the next couple of months will be chaos in our house!  I can't wait to get crafting!
Did your guest list number matter to you?

    There are certain things that you can say aren't wedding etiquette and I hope forgoing the idea of handing out wedding favors isn't one of them.  I never intended on giving favors at our wedding 'cause I thought it would be too much trouble to pack them to Aruba, let alone the costs of something that will likely be thrown away later.  But a couple months ago I came across another Aruba bride who got married this past October.  She came up with the idea of taking her guests on an excursion in lieu of favors.  I thought that was a brilliant idea-so I stole it, ok borrowed! 
     After doing the research of pros and cons, getting estimated costs, and company comparisons, I presented the idea to the fiance!  I thought it was a great plan, but then he shut it down with a quickness!  He complained we were already spending too much money!  I was so sad, really sad!
     This past weekend, I brought up the idea again at our marriage retreat (the most opportune time-since we're "putting everything out on the table").  I put on my sad face and asked him again if we could gift our family and friends with a 3 hour sailing excursion (open bar, snorkeling, snacks, and tons of FUN included-oh I know right, how could he say no in the first place?!) and he answered, "OK if it makes you happy?!  But agree that there will be nothing else added!?"  I soon agreed and did my happy dance!  I'm so excited about it and can't wait to surprise our guest when they read it in our Welcome Letter!
     Thanks goes out to Christine (the other Aruba bride) for the idea and the recommendation!  We chose to charter a private boat from Mi Dushi.  It'll be a 3 hour sunset excursion, full of good times with great family and friends!  It's all booked and paid for so there's no turning back fiance! 
     Do you like giving surprises?  Are you surprising your guests with anything for your wedding?

     We just got back from our Catholic Engaged Encounter retreat and it was AMAZING, truly an enlightening experience not just for me, but for the fiance too!  For those that don't know what EE is, it's a time to reflect on your relationship with each other and what marriage means for the both of you.  This retreat is required by most Catholic Diocese if you wish to get married under the Catholic Church, but in my opinion should be done for all engaged couples.  I will say, that in the beginning there may have been a little hesitation coming into this weekend, but now I'll recommend doing this to any marrying couple I know.    
     During this retreat, all the couples (all 21 of them) "put it all out on the table," if you will, to their significant other (in private, not publicly).  We all expressed our feelings about our expectations, doubts (if any), and our goals as husband and wife.  This retreat was just a weekend event but we gained a lifetime of useful knowledge.      

     In between our Saturday session, we had a couple of hours to roam the grounds to reflect on our experience so far or further discuss topics that needed more attention.  Jeff and I knew that we were in the right track as far as our goals for our future so we had a little play time.
     Because my fiance is so sweet, he decided to pick flowers (or weeds), funny huh? 

     He can make anything so beautiful to me!  He truly has a kind heart and I am so blessed to have him in my life!  This weekend just reaffirms that I have made the best decision in my life, to marry the man that God has meant for me to be with!

     I'm really excited about the upcoming trip my friends are planning for my bachelorette party!  It'll be a fun filled weekend with my closest girlfriends in Atlantic City!  Some background information:  AC is where Fi and I had our 2nd meeting and our first kiss!  My girlfriends (April & Grace- the party hostesses) & I always referred to AC as our mini-Vegas!  So of course we saw it fit to have my last single-lady celebration at the place where it all began, besides the travel time and expense is far less compared to a trip to Vegas.  
     The final head count of girls attending this trip is crazy and gets me super excited when I hear it.  Get this, there will be 17, that's right 17 girls attending this out of town event!  A 5 hour drive for most and a whole weekend for all!  Recently, my friend told me that I was "popular" after hearing the final head count.  I told her, "I'm not popular, just LOVED!'  Her response, "ABSOLUTELY!"  That text conversation brought a smile to my face because I feel that it is so true and I'm very thankful for being so loved!
     So in my excitement, I went shopping for a dress!  I found the perfect dress at Bebe and on impulse purchased it on the spot!  Here she is:

                                        SOURCE
     The reason why its perfect, is 'cause it's sexy (which I try to pull off), it's my wedding color (coincidence), and I got it for a bargain (well kinda)!  The price tag to this beauty is $150, but I had $100 GC to Bebe that was waiting patiently to be used.  I've had the GC for 2 yrs, I know its a long time and I was scared I'd lose money on it, but that wasn't the case when I bought this puppy!  So, lesson learned, patience is a virtue!
     Are you doing anything crazy for your bachelorette party?  What are you doing to prepare for your celebration?

I have to show off my fiance's attempt at his DIY project!  I'm so proud of his work!  Months ago we agreed on making shell boutonnieres and actually finished that project months ago, but then he came across this:

                                        Source
This fun and funky bout. was found on peppermint cloud's Etsy shop.  This picture inspired the fiance to create his own version.  He was all about this project!  He dragged me shopping on Friday for the materials and then he finished it this evening!  Here's the first prototype: 

Cute huh?  Thanks to Peppermint Cloud for inspiring my fiance to DIY!  Anything that inspires him to participate in our wedding planning gets me excited even if its a change in plans!

Sorry I just had to add another picture, just because I'm so proud of him!  Has your Fi been inspired to DIY or participated in your wedding planning?