Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Veil

I've been having a rough time finding one of the most important pieces of my wedding day, the veil! I can hardly remember what the one I tried on at the bridal salon was like, so it becomes a little more difficult. I think I'm looking for one hip length and plain. But I've fallen in love with so many! The veils at the bridal salon started at $150, so I knew I definitely was NOT buying one from there. I was planning to make it instead, but I'm finding that I have less time to do so. Another option I've looked in to is buying one online off of Etsy. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect one, but here are some that I've had my eye on!

I'm so torn on what to get, but I noticed I'm still gravitating towards the hip (33") length and pretty simple and plain. Do you have any tips on picking the right veil?


xo. Nicole

Friday, April 19, 2013

Insta-Lately

I've been super busy lately with work again! But on the plus side, more and more things are getting done for the wedding! I ordered the bridesmaid gifts today and I wish I could share them with you, but they're a surprise and will have to wait until after the wedding. As you can see above, I've attempted to hang some pictures that we've had laying on the dog's crate since we moved units. I am on the hunt for some nice prints to add in there!
My baby boy! Gunner turned 19 weeks old on Monday and he's just gotten so big! He's watching me cut vegetables here. Gunner is so smart. I taught him to lay down in about 10 minutes and he does it every time now. He also carries around his stuffed animals in his mouth and sits at the patio door with it, while staring at me to let him out. We've recently broke our own rules of no dog on the couch or the bed, and have been enjoying his cuddles every day. 
My only pair of jeans ripped last week so I've been forced to wear either yoga pants or a skirt to work. On Monday I wore a skirt so I figured I should get dressed up a little bit and had my hair down for once. I love the red but I'm thinking of going a bit brighter for the wedding. 

What have you been up to lately?

xo. Nicole

Friday, April 12, 2013

Our Wedding Invitations

Allison from Crafted Love designed our wedding invitations for us! I can't even begin to describe how in love with them, I am! She listened to what I wanted and we're pretty sure we have the same tastes (they even adopted a dog that looks similar to Gunner ;)) I couldn't wait to share these!
The RSVP's were designed to be post cards! It was the only piece of the invitation set that we had printed on both sides. Allison did a really nice design for the backs of them, but financially, it was going to cost us a lot to have both sides printed. We got all the pieces, except the RSVPs, printed at a photo shop, and the RSVPs printed at Staples. We just started receiving all of our RSVPs and it's so exciting!
The is one of R's favorite parts of the set. He told me he really likes how Allison did the map! It still looks like a chalkboard, too!
I knew when I saw Allison's invitations that I wanted her to do ours! I actually won a giveaway she was hosting on her blog for a design and this worked out perfectly. It also worked with our budget, too. She listened to every thing I asked for and really found a way to give me everything I wanted. I definitely recommend Allison to do your invitations, or any design for that matter! She also designed A Broke Bride's current design/layout!

Thanks again, Crafted Love!

xo. Nicole

A Centerpiece Preview!

My Maid of Honor came over tonight and helped me finish up the last mason jar from the centerpieces! They didn't take long, but it was a bit of work to actually cut the fabric, hot glue it, and then tie the twine around. They turned out really nice, though!

xo. Nicole

Sunday, April 7, 2013

We Moved!

Two months ago, our room mate lost his job. We gave him a good month's notice to find a job or move out, and he decided to not find a job so we kicked him out. It was probably the best thing we could have done because we are much happier in the one bedroom unit we moved in to! We only moved down 2 floors, but it's better all around.
It has a fireplace! We won't be using it because it has a cheap cover on it that the cat's already tried to go through, and we don't want her to jump in and track every thing through the house. I love having the brick, though!
I never realized how much junk food we had. I've had to dedicate an entire cupboard to it. Maybe if I start baking, it will all disappear? Most of the stuff in here isn't Gluten Free so it appears I'll be making it and giving it away to coworkers and friends. Nothing wrong with a little sharing :)
Koshka's never been outside and so all she does now is meow and stare out the patio door. There's a cat mafia (as we call them) outside and I'm too scared for her to be sucked in to it, or get on the wrong side of them. I've been thinking about getting her a leash and a harness to gradually make her way outside..
One of the best things since we moved is that Gunner has a little back yard! I bought a stake and a cable/leash and he just looooves it outside. This is easier to house train him as well, as just today he sat at the patio door and put his paw on the window to go outside. One step closer to being house trained! He's 17 weeks old in this picture and tomorrow he's 18 weeks :)

It's only 70 days until the wedding! R's Aunt bought us all the burlap that we needed, so I get to finish making the centerpieces, favors (yeah...we decided to make favors anyways), and my bouquet! I think I get it tomorrow and I'm pumped to have everything done. 

We also booked the DJ! R found him online and this guy does more than just music. He's a little expensive, but we've found a way to make it work (ie. a family member is going to help us!!) and so we're putting the deposit down next Thursday when we meet up with him. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's so exciting to have everything moving along with the wedding!

xo. Nicole

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Cloud 9 Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since R (the fiance) can't eat Gluten anymore, we've been looking for alternatives for him to eat. It's not all about going to buy the specifically Gluten Free baked goods or bread, it's more about changing our eating habits. Instead of buns and such for dinner, we'll have salad and some meat. It's a healthier lifestyle but it's pretty hard to get used to. I've decided to make the change as well because when we have children, they probably won't be able to eat Gluten either. It's just easier to make it a Gluten Free household so it's fair and less chance of cross contamination.
That being said, a treat once in a while isn't so bad, just like everyone who CAN eat Gluten. R heard about a store in downtown New Westminster called Cloud 9 and it's supposed to be really good. He went down there one day and picked up this Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie mix! I gave it a go today.
They smelled SO good and they taste the same. They're sooo chewy :) We're definitely going to be buying this mix again. I was hoping to find a recipe for GF cookies from scratch, though. 
Have you made anything Gluten Free lately?

xo. Nicole

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

A Little Preview...

I've just about finished making the centerpieces! All I need to do is buy some burlap, and Rob's Aunt's friend is making some tree trunk pieces for the mason jars to rest on. I'm so ready for these to be finished but it's just the little things that need to be done now, for them. I kind of want them to be a surprise, or rather not seen, until the wedding, but I decided to give you guys a bit of a preview! :)
Working on things and finishing them up just gets me more excited for the wedding! These are also pretty simple to make and don't require a ton of money to do. My Maid of Honor gave me a TON of mason jars for free, which helped a lot!

xo. Nicole

Monday, April 1, 2013

April

Happy April! This month is going to bring a bunch of great stuff for us. It's only 2.5 months away from the wedding, so I have a ton of things to do still, but I'm looking forward to it. 

Today, Gunner and I walked to Starbucks and the pet store. He picked out a toy and I picked up a stake and leash for him to be able to run around outside. Him and I are both enjoying the sunshine! I've got laundry and a roast going as well :)

Elizabeth also had me answer a question about what I'm excited about for spring! Check it out!

How did you spend the first day of April?

xo. Nicole