3 Piece Suit Inspiration

Well ladies, I think I've decided to go with the 3-piece suit, mainly because Arizona is warm and I want my groom to be able to go sans Jacket while still looking formal. Enough with the talk, here's the wedding p0rn...

A Suit That Fits

Mrs. Cowboy Boot

Ruffled 

Seriously isn't that detail shot of the vest with the pocket watch amazing? P.S. Mr. AZ has his great grandfather's pocket watch just like that, which would be a rockin' wed-cessory. Oh and I love the fact that it's another way to single out the groom from his groomsmen like in the very last photo.

What are you thoughts on the traditional 3-Piece "Wedding Suit?" Do you love it, or leave it?

113 Days From Now

I'll be a Mrs./Dr. well technically I'll be a Dr. 13 days before I'm a Mrs. But who's counting? Um the girl who went to 8 years of college. Oh that's right me! Anyway I wanted to pop in and tell you some amazing news our list of things to do is thinning out, and I couldn't be happier. Unfortunately productive weeks lead to sparse blog posts because I'm editing the content to share. So here's what's to come...

• Booked the Hair + Makeup Artist
• Got our AMAZING Invites from Blush Design Studio (more on that tomorrow)
• Ordered Pink/Burgundy/White Argyle Socks for the groomsmen
• Looked at suits and narrowed down our options
• Ordered our Flower Girl's dress
• Set our rehearsal dinner menu (geez it's long)
• The Future Parents in Law decided they were adding Arizona Chocolate Bars to our OOT Bags- score!

We also had some minor setbacks:

• While researching in our awesome Guidebook to Italy that Penga/Ms. Sewing sent us we found out that the dress in Italy is more formal aka Jenni needs some nice dresses.
• Our suit options are: 3 Piece Suit in either Black with Pinstripe or Dark Brown, so one could argue they have not been narrowed down.

So there you have it, a productive wedding week and it's only Wednesday! Holy Moly! Now we have to get our invites out next week and we're on our way to our real wedding.

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What have you accomplished this week? When did your weeks begin to be jam packed by wedding-ness?

Meeting My Dress

Meeting my dress in person for the first time was overwhelming, happy, sad, and exciting at the same time. Overwhelming because I had been waiting so long. Happy because I finally saw it in my own size. Sad because I had to leave it at the store. And exciting because well shit, I'm getting married!

Can you tell how ecstatic I am in that last photo?! Now comes the daunting task of having it altered. Because it is drastically too large in the waist. P.S. I clearly have to tone up those bulgy arms. Anyway, back to the alterations. Suzanne's Bridal recommends 4 fittings starting approximately 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding. First thing that's happening the bow has got to go.Sorry Bow, no hard feelings but you just don't fit into my design as ethic. Secondly the waist needs to be taken in. And then a very minute hemming needs to take place.

I advise all brides-to-be to keep alterations in mind and ask the sales staff about how much alterations run and how good the seamstress is. Suzanne (aka the owner of Suzanne's Bridal) is the seamstress and she charges very little compared to other bridal shops which makes my alterations a bit less of a headache.

How excited were you when you got your gown? Was it a flurry of mixed emotions or just sheer bliss? Share your "Meeting the Dress" story!

First Fitting Necessities

Well Suzanne's Bridal called me Thursday night and left me the greatest message ever. My beautiful gown was in! They wanted me to try it on within 48 hours to ensure that there are no mishaps. Apparently within that 48 hour window they can send it back at no additional charge to the manufacturer if anything is wrong with the gown. So I rearranged my schedule and headed over on Friday afternoon.

So in my happiness-tizzy I decided I should pack for trying on my gown, lest I forget an important detail. Hear me out, there are a few things you need to have when trying on your gown.

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Contents:

• Bag
• Spanx
• Strapless Bra
• Wedding Shoes
• Cutlets (Below)

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Did you "pack" for your first date with your dress? How excited were you when you got the call that it came in?

Bathroom Baskets

Let me preface this post by saying I have never once attended a wedding in which I received an out of town bag or seen a bathroom basket in a restroom. These are niceties which I fully DO NOT expect when going to a wedding.... other than ours. As brides, women, nay people we all tend to hold ourselves to a higher standard than that with which we subconsciously judge others. OOT Bags and Bathroom Baskets are my Achilles heel so to speak.

I think they speak volumes about the Bride & Groom who think to put this together, be it unnecessary, for the comfort of their guests. So I put together a quick Bathroom Basket today, I have a few things to add and the male version to start, but I wanted to show you my preliminary idea.

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Women's Basket Includes:

• Body Lotion
• Aerosol Deodorant (because who'd want to share a solid or gel deodorant)
• Hair Spray 
• Static Guard- one of my favorite things on this planet!
• Gold Bond Powder 
• Tampons
• Panty Liners
• Renu Eye Drops
• Clear Nailpolish
• Renu Contact Solution
• Hand Lotion (different scent because it's all about smelling good)
• Tic Tacs
• Lint Roller
• First Aid Kit 
• Dental Floss
• Tide To-Go Pen

Men's Basket Includes:

• Aerosol Deodorant
• Body Lotion
• Gold Bond Powder
• Lint Roller
• First Aid Kit
• Tic Tacs
• Opti-Free Contact Solution
• Dental Floss

Yes I realize the Men's Basket is a little less full. Mr. AZ and I discussed putting in OTC drugs (like Tylenol or Advil) but decided against it, as our venue is public and there may be unattended children in the vicinity. Are you making these unnecessary niceties part of your day? Are these "little touches" important to you? Would you forgo the Bathroom Baskets?

Not Wedding Related: DIY

So today I bring you- the 60 minute Diaper Cake! That's right, everyone is jealous of the "Martha" that brings the diaper cake to the shower. Generally I don't take on this daunting task, but because of what we purchased for said Baby Shower I decided to give it a go. We bought the Mom-to-Be a diaper pail, diaper pail refills, diapers, and an ear thermometer (inside joke as I'm an Audiology Student). From start (aka buying diapers) to finish this took me only 60minutes. Seriously.

First step, watch this really lame video...

Creative Baby Shower Ideas

Second, ignore the stuff about the "bottles filled with little treats for the Mom" lame and adding additional expense. What I did was take the cardboard tube from the inside of wrapping paper and cut it to size. Then I stuck one of the small diapers into the middle of the tube at the top. To finish it I wrapped the rubber bands with 2 monochromatic purple satin ribbons and then topped it off with a lilac satin bow. 

Witness the BAD-A$$ Diaper Cake...

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Did crafting for your wedding turn you into a DIY-Freak?! Before your wedding crafts would you in any sound mind craft one of those puppies? What's your favorite NWR craft?

Ever Changing Hair Inspiration

Well although wearing my hair down and in beautiful curls would look amazing... I have succumbed to peer pressure and high temperatures. This past Sunday was a fluke day in Phoenix. The temperature was 96°F in the middle of April.

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See, I told you- 96°F. Please notice it is followed by more accurate April temperatures in the 80°-70° range. So whilst I was sweating in April I decided to look into some other hair styles for the wedding, just for kicks.... and because I decided to be a bit more practical.

I looked up and down, Offbeat Bride, Weddingbee, even the dreaded Knot. But I found, well MOH found, an amazing website that I thought I'd pass on to my fellow brides/readers. It's called Model Bride and they have great photos, images of every hair style from the front, back, and side. Perfect to show a hair stylist. Don't believe me? Look at the amazing NEW inspiration...

Model Bride

Now I could be just jumping on the bandwagon late, you ladies may have known about this site forever, but in case you didn't I needed to share the gold mine. Plus my fabulous hair flower from Mrs. Star (aka RedHeadedActress on Etsy) will look awesome with this hairstyle.

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Did you find any gems while searching for inspiration? Feel free to share!

Guilt

"Guilt is the price we pay willingly for doing what we are going to do anyway"- Isabelle Holland 

Talking to Momma AZ the other day she not-so-lovingly referred to our wedding venue as "The Middle of Nowhere" and then explained that if you looked in a dictionary under the entry ARIZONA you would find that same description.

The Middle of Nowhere, AZ

I may or may not have had a small breakdown at this assessment of the state in which I reside. Let me give you the full backstory though. When we first discussed engagement we decided one thing: in order to have OUR wedding we would need to plan it BEFORE we announced it. That's right, it was a covert op. Seriously, we met with the caterer, the venue, secured hotel property- it was on. Then I announced it to my family who, as predicted, said we should get married in Miami, in Atlanta, in... well anywhere but ARIZONA!

To this slew of insanity I responded calmly with "We've planned to get married in Sedona, and we've put money down." I could swear I sucked the air right out of my mother's lungs with that sentence.

So what's the point of this rant? I know that deep down my family would complain about anything I do- it's a wedding and I understand it brings out the crazy in people. But this is the way that both myself and Mr. AZ want to start our marriage and once they see how beautiful the Middle of Nowhere is, I think minds will be changed. If not oh well, it really will be our wedding, just the way we'd like it.

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So I'll share another piece of Momma AZ wisdom: "Eff it- you're the bride!"I realize this is where some of the "Bridezilla mentality" can stem from, but you know what, it's true. You're the bride (or groom), and you get this one day to declare your love and devotion to another human being and that's amazing. We should celebrate it just the way we want to, within reason, and be happy. For me that means feeling slightly guilty my family have to fly out here to come to the wedding, but also realizing if we had it in Miami or Atlanta all of Mr. AZ's family would have to fly out. Either way someone's flying- might as well fly to where we want to be! 

Do you have any guilt associated with your wedding choices? Would you, like me, make those same choices all over again? 

Veil + Hair Flower

Last night I had an intense debate with MOH of DOOOM who insisted I could rock both my hair flower and veil for the ceremony and then simply nix the veil for the reception. I wanted to share with you ways to do this, so I compiled some photos for some good old fashioned Saturday Wedding P0rn!

Mrs. Coconut

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JeniRae

Mrs. Tiramisu

I love all the plain veils and hair flowers together, but my veil has custom lace trim.... hmmm.

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Well, I'm sold! I will be wearing my hair flower + veil combo. What do you think, are you going to rock two hair accessories?

My Million Dollar Wedding Part II

...hey a girl can dream.... well here's my fantasy wedding.

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Chapel of the Holy Cross, which BTW does NOT do weddings it says so right on their website. ONE couple has ever been married there... they pretty much OWN Sedona. Anyway, look at how amazing it is, that cross is literally built into the red rock. It's breathtakingly phenomenal.

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I would buy this oh-so-Jane-Austen-inspired gown by Claire Pettibone, it's under $3,000 which is amazing for that line. But sadly it is a brand-spankin-new design and thus I couldn't buy it used so 3k just won't cut it.

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I would buy this beautiful headband from Lottie-Da Designs on Etsy, and even where my hair up to show it off! And just like my last installment of "If I Had a Million Dollars".... I'd be rich, and I'd hire Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine. Oh and of course I would request that he wear the signature velvet tiger-stripe lounge jacket.

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Maybe for a vow renewal? Do you have any crazy-wedding related dreams?

Attention Arizona Brides & Grooms

Since I want to keep Arizona in August running even after my August Wedding, I would love to open up submissions of real Arizona Weddings.

If you would like to be featured or know a bride & groom who would drop me a line at AZinAugust@gmail.com  Remember to include in your Email:

• Photos from your Arizona Wedding
• What made your Arizona Wedding Unique?
• Tell Me the Dirt! (aka your vendors- because our readers want to know!)
• And why you love Arizona!

Since, it seems, most Phoenicians are transplants- sharing your wedding information can be very helpful to our readers! Plus who doesn't love wedding p0rn?

DIY Centerpieces

.... I'm not having any, I'm having the standard dead flowers in glass, pretty but nonetheless dead. AZ Momma decided she wanted lush beautiful florals and she was happy to fit the bill.Seriously, how could I say no to these...

Bliss Floral

Did anyone notice Cathedral Rock in the background? Aka the image that's on our invites, OOT bags, and is the header for this blog?! Sorry I got really sidetracked by that happiness.

So let me tell you hat I was originally going to do...

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See that beautiful, lush pot o' flowers? It cost me $10 at Costco, and the best part is....

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After a little sprucing up with a silk runner (homemade thankyouverymuch) and tablecloth it looks rather pretty if I do say so myself. My only complaint: the pot, but that could easily be painted and made precious.

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Did you have any DIY-backup plans? Do you find it weird that I refer to floral arrangements as dead flowers? Anyone else love Costco?

BridalBuds!

Exciting news to share today, I'm the newest BridalBud! My new moniker is Cherry (as in Cherry Blossom)

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So please bear with me during this transitional time as I move my older posts over to Bridal Buds. Also be careful what you pick to be your blogging-moniker I already fell in love with a Cherry Blossom clutch and am simultaneously uploading old blog posts while justifying the purchase of this beautiful bag.

If any of my family would like to purchase it for me I wouldn't complain...

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If you're not too sure what BridalBuds is, leave a comment and ask! It's similar to Weddingbee in that it's a multiple-bride wedding blog in which the bloggers have monikers. The major difference is that the names are all flowers and the term Bud=Miss and Blossom=Mrs. Any other questions?

Bling-Tastic Giveaway T30SB

Just wanted to do a quick update to let my followers know about an amazing giveaway that ends tonight!! Want to see the bling-tastic-ness? (It's a word)

Want to see more beautiful bling at the Lottie-Da Etsy Shop! That beautiful hair band could be your just leave a comment at the Thirty-Something Bride. :o) Good luck to you all!

Metallic Paper Woes

I was asked by Marigold (aka Mrs. Spaniel) if there are any difficulties in addressing metallic envelopes. This is a great question, so I decided to do some quick research on Wedding Wire. The answer is a resounding: yes there are difficulties, sometimes. Apparently you cannot print onto metallic envelopes with standard inkjet home printers. So I decided to research some solutions....

The first was the wrap around label, made popular by Martha....

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And then I found it... a calligraphy pen built specifically for the stardream line of metallic envelopes.... behold it in all it's glory...

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Okay so it's not really glorious but how awesome is it that my envelopes have a matching pen that works for addressing the sometimes-hard-to-address-but-beautiful metallic envelopes?! I know I get excited by weird things I guess. Did you use metallic paper products? Any tips you want to share?

New Obsession: Envelopes

But not just any envelopes my friends, Metallic beautiful envelopes. I can't believe I didn't know about these beauties until Liz from Blush Design Studio mentioned them to me. She was able to find metallics that matched my overall color palette better than matte envelopes did. Just for fun take a peek at some beautiful eye candy...

Luna Lux

 Metallic Red Envelopes+ Metallic Gold Cardstock

Ana de Roux

 Playful pink metallic envelopes!

Whisker Graphics

Look at that shimmery dream known as a gold metallic envelope! 

After goggle showed me so many lovely photos of how metallic envelopes popped I was in love! Wouldn't you love to open up the mail box and find a shimmering envelope waiting for you? I couldn't think of a better wait to transport my invitation babies. 

Just in case you were wondering Liz has also agreed to take some photos of the actual letter-press process for the blog and perhaps some of my beautiful shimmery envelopes will be in the images!

Hot Tub Time Machine

Inspired by the touching film Hot Tub Time Machine....about 4 men, a ski lodge, a lot of booze and a hot tub...

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Um... not quite. Anyway... Mr. AZ and I did see this on Saturday and found our very low expectations pleasantly surpassed. This inspired me to ask my married friends what they would have done differently at their weddings... and here is what they said they would do (if of course they had a hot tub time machine).

• EAT
• Have a Day of Coordinator or someone enlisted to act as one
• Enjoy the moments
• Let go and don't stress over the deets

So I've composed a little checklist to keep myself honest and obeying those 4 commandments of getting through the wedding day. My MOH of DOOOM is in charge of nagging me to eat every 2 hours. I'm hypoglycemic, yo! It's important. My FSIL #2 is a trained paralegal and will be in charge of the wedding binder which contains our timeline, vendor contracts, and contact information for EVERYONE.

As for the last two... they will be the hardest as they are mental tasks. But I've decided that on my wedding day, much like men think of "Baseball" I shall think of "Hot Tub Time Machine"... it makes me laugh and it doesn't try to be serious- exactly what I am striving for in our wedding. Did you find inspiration in the weirdest place? What's the most random experience you've had that you've applied to your wedding?

Makeup + Hair Inspiration

Wow, so you heard earlier that Fairy Godmother Blue, also known as my FMIL has gifted me and my bridal party with hair and makeup. You also know I attempted to DIY my makeup, but my limited makeup skills didn't get too far. So I give you my "real" inspiration aka what I'm giving to the guy or gal doing my hair and makeup!

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I'm going to be going for a very '50s vintage/glam look to play up the vintage-ness of my wedding gown. This look is nothing like my everyday and I simply couldn't accomplish it in my own DIY Trials, but I have great trust that a real MUA will be able to make it work.

Now moving onto the hair... originally I thought I'd just curl it and be done with it.... but I am severely curling iron impaired and ended up with weird Shirley Temple Curls every time... don't believe me?...

Personal Photo from the AZ Cardinals Superbowl!

Well we couldn't let that happen on W-Day, so here are my REAL Hair inspiration pics...

Mrs. Dumpling (Front View)

Mrs. Dumpling (Side View)

Mrs. Dumpling (Back View)

What do you think of my NEW and IMPROVED hair + makeup inspiration? Did anyone else plan on DIYing only to have luck fall into their lap? Do you think I'm crazy for changing my mind again... no wait again don't answer the last question!