Condolences and Congratulations.

Hello Hive. *sheepish wave* I have to start by apologizing to you for my hiatus. When they say that the last month before the wedding is crazy, THEY MEAN IT (though I don't know who "they" is...).

The month of July was filled with last minute projects, finalizing plans, signing contracts... and family tragedies.

Two weeks before the wedding, Mr. Hottie's grandma was life-flighted to the hospital with a massive stroke. She was in the hospital for 6 days when she suddenly passed. It came as a huge shock to the entire family. We had just seen her 2 weeks before that and she looked better than she had in years, since Mr. HD's grandpa passed.

She was the hub of the family. The glue. The driving force in so many ways.

The funeral was 5 days before the wedding. It was one of the most painful things we've experienced together. Although I am hurting on many levels, I know my hurt pales in comparison to the loss that H. Dizzle is dealing with. I know that all I can do is be there for him, as his wife(!), friend and partner.

I have to admit that I was a bad blogger the last month or so, and neglected to take photos while finishing up our projects. I'm sorry!

I'll leave you for now with a photo of my PWC. That's right, I did it! My long(ish) hair was driving me nuts, so I chopped it off. REALLY chopped it. :)

Before:

After:

I LOVE it!! It feels so great to have all that hair gone! haha Not to mention, my ends were pretty fried from not enough trims.

I hope you are all as excited as I am about these recaps! I've already got the photos from our wedding a WEEK ago! That is how amazing our photographer, Sarah Christine Photography, is!

See you soon, I promise!

The big reveal!

OK, so now that the invites have gone out, I think it's safe to share them with you guys!

This is what our guests see in their mailboxes! See that sweet little doggy stamp? You want to see a close-up? Of course you do.

This stamp makes me smile :) See? We decided to go with the Animal Rescue stamps, wedding theme be-damned. We are such big animal lovers that it was totally appropriate. And how can you resist that face?! The stamps featured other dogs and cats as well, but he is the cutest ;)

This is actually one of my favorite parts of the invites... the return address! You'll notice that the heart is on pretty much every paper project for our wedding. I feel like it really ties everything together. We also used the same fonts throughout.

Here's the whole suite together. You can see the envelope liner in this pic, which was actually my favorite paper of the bunch.

OK, maybe this is my favorite part of the invites... haha I absolutely ADORE the wood-grain paper we chose! It fits perfectly with our rustic, ranch theme. And the best part? I printed on it with my home inkjet printer, no problems!! Oh the texture! Oh the pretty fonts! *swoon* And look, that little heart made an appearance!

Wanna' see another project that took an obnoxiously long time to make? Take a gander at that map. Though I love it dearly now, it was the bane of my existence for several days. It's not that it was hard, I just kept tweaking little things here and there. Overall, though, it was totally worth the work and I love it! (see the heart in this one?)

The front of our postcard RSVP. There's the heart again...

The back of our RSVP card. Obviously this is only half of the card; the other side has our address and a stamp. We decided to go for something very untraditional for our response cards. MAD LIBS! I've gotten a few cards back and they are all pretty funny! It's totally fun reading what people have written :)

Part of me wishes I'd used more visual elements, more scrapbook-y things. Like maybe it should have a little bit more dimension. But I really am happy with them. And the simplicity really hints toward the vibe we're shooting for.

Amen for having those done and out the door!!! Anyone else SUPER relieved when their invites went out? haha

6 hours of my life that I'll never get back.

And just what was I doing during those 6 hours? Tracing, cutting and glueing envelope liners!!

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they turned out and I really feel like they added a lot to the invitations (post forthcoming!). Buuut it was definitely an unnecessary project.

The up side to this project is that it didn't cost me a dime! I am a totally scrapbooking maven so I have a huge stockpile of papers. I decided that I'd like to use what I already have, and consequently, used several different types of papers for the liners. Want to see?

This is the paper stack that I pulled from, and then there were some other random paper selections.

This is just a few of the liners that I cut during my marathon. I actually really like the idea that there are several different designs and know two guests that know one another will get the same one! I feel like it adds an element of... surprise, even if I'm one of the only people who knows it. :)

UP NEXT: The invitation reveal!!

Did you DIY envelope liners or order yours? I wish I'd ordered mine... haha

We drink our beer from a mason jar...

No, really, we do. Or, at least we WILL. I have spent the last year collecting these...

Source

These are NOT my jars. But you get the idea. The reason I don't have a photo of MINE is that they are scattered in various corners of our garage and spare bedroom. It would be quite an undertaking to gather them all together for a photo. I realize I need to gather them up soon, anyway. But why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? ;)

Anywho, we've collected about 200 of them! Each guest will get their own to drink from and to take home (part of the "favors" we came up with to replace the jam). Also, whatever is not used for the guests will be used in our centerpieces!

I think they will go very well with our theme and who doesn't love a mason jar? So what have you been collecting for your wedding??

P.S. We plan on selling whatever jars are left over. So let me know if you'd be interested!

Sorting out the ceremony.

To me, the ceremony sets the tone for the whole wedding. It's the reason everyone is there. Knowing this, we wanted to make our's very personal. That's why we decided to have my brother officiate. :) I can't even begin to describe how excited I am about this! I wanted to honor him during the ceremony and this is the best possible why, IMO! It will mean so much to have him up there with us.

Another way we're personalizing it (other than writing it ourselves!) is by including an uncommon ceremony, a wine box ceremony. You may recall this "nontraditional tradition" from Mrs. Cowboy Boot's AND Mrs. Lab's posts! (Mrs. Lab is saving my bridal-booty during this process, let me just tell you!!)

A wine box, or love letter box, is a small box that you put a bottle of wine and two glasses into. Then you and your lover write each other mushy gushy love letters, describing why you love him/her and why you're marrying him/her. Then you seal them and place them inside the box. The idea is to seal up the box on your wedding day and not open it until your 5th wedding anniversary. However, if you're experience insurmountable hardships in your marriage, you open the box, drink the wine together and read the letters.

Both Lab and Cowboy Boot were totally right in saying that this is a realistic, yet very romantic ritual. It is naive to believe that your marriage is going to be all rainbows and ponies, especially in a world where something like 40% of marriages fail. (I didn't look that up, I'm just pulling it off the top of my head, so don't quote me haha). I like the idea of creating a "love time capsule" that can transport you back to your wedding day.

Source (This isn't our box, but I have to keep you in suspense somehow!)

We're also doing a few readings during the ceremony. My favorite one happens to be a very popular one - "The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. I feel like its especially fitting for us since we travel a LOT.

We're also including a couple scriptures and "Blessing for a Marriage" by James Dillet Freeman. If you haven't read it, Google it STAT!

I'll leave you with a passage from our ceremony that brings tears to my eyes every time I read it (which is a lot because, well, I love reading our ceremony haha). I heard it while listening to Sterling on KLOVE radio. There is no title and she didn't allude to where she'd gotten it.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.
These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.
These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.
These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.
These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.
And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving the you same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

What is/was your favorite part of your wedding ceremony?