When I tell people about the Gocco, they’re taken back by how cool it sounds. It really is cool, and I am so glad I stumbled across it. It is a Japanese desktop screen printing machine that instantly burns an image (printed off a laser printer) on a hi-mesh screen. You can burn and start printing in a minute. It’s so awesome!

We used it for the exterior of our invitations as well as the return address on the back flap of our envelopes.

Initially, we wanted to hand print the entire thing but after realizing how many we had to make and how long it took for each one, we decided to drop it off at Paper Slam in NYC.

You can view the tutorial here. Anthony took pictures of the entire process!

We have blocked rooms at two hotels, which are right next to each other in Downtown Fort Worth. In case you’re wondering, we will be staying in the Ashton Hotel.

Here is the following information you’ll need to reserve:

Courtyard Downtown/Blacksone
Room: Double Queen
Rate: $189/night $169/night
Please mention when booking: info to come
Phone Number: 817-885-8700
View Website

The Ashton, a boutique hotel
Room: Single King
Rate: $259/night $200/night
Please mention when booking: Thai/Armendariz WRB
Book by: April 17th
Phone Number: 817-332-0100
View Website

Thank you for all of your emails and comments about shoes. It has definitely helped me find some! Now, to narrow it down will be no easy feat.

I’ve always been and will always be a stilettos type of girl but since Ant and I are similar in height, I will have to sacrifice that so that our pictures don’t come out looking like I’m some sort of giant.

I was going to go with flats but after endless searching, nothing really caught my eye. A few nights ago, I started looking into small-medium heels. Here are some of my top picks thus far (a couple of which are pretty high.. I couldn’t help it!!).

Report Signature “Amelie”

Giuseppe Zanotti

Pure Lopez

Nina Shoes “Kayleen” (Thanks Laura!)

A few months ago, I never would have guessed that I would be faced with a fit of uncertainty about the size of an invitation.

A few months ago, what used to be a small, trivial detail has taken me weeks to come to a conclusion.

But today is a brand new day. I have just ordered the paper and envelopes for our DIY invitations! They were even cut to size, which will save me hours of hard labor in the upcoming weeks. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

I did a lot of research on cardstock weights, sizes, textures, and colors coupled with research on envelope sizes, flaps and linings. I hunted for bargains and compared prices. The best website had to be The Paper Mill Store. Once I get these in, I’ll start cataloging my adventure. For any reason, if anyone wants to learn from my mishaps, there will have photos and captions to avoid any mistakes I will be making. And trust me, there will be mistakes.

I love TheKnot.com. It’s a great resource for brides and I cannot keep count of how many times I have heard people suggest the website to me. No hard feelings.

Tonight, I decided to browse the May 2009 community section and was quite floored.

Most have their invitations printed and ready to send out, some have even sent them out already. Some have their centerpiece supplies stored away in their closets. Some have their shoes, their undergarments, their garters. Some have their rehearsal dinners planned and their entertainment booked. I could go on, but it will only make my throat feel tighter.

Oh geez, someone please enlighten me.

This has not one iota of cosmic significance, but I thought I would blog about it anyway.

Is it me, or am I not stressed out enough? Silly question, I know. According to the stories I hear and magazines (and blogs) I read, I should be pulling my hair out and biting my nails. Instead, I’m sitting here calm and settled.  

I feel like I am in a bit of a slump. Things keep thrusting themselves at me to be done, which (unfortunately) makes me want to do them even less. Perhaps it’s my horrible trait of procrastination that is calming me. You know what that means. In a month, I will be in a sea of anguish and pounding my head against the wall, and of course, pulling my hair out and biting my nails.

This leaves me in a state of uncomfortable comfortable-ness. Only 4 months left and the only thing we have accomplished thus far is this website.

Perhaps I should stop rambling now and go call a vendor. Yeah, I think I might do that.

Anyone that knows me well knows that I have an obsession with crazy shoes, a style only my sister-in-law can relate to. I own a plethora of shoes, shoved into any empty corner of our closet, of which my fiance can use against me when I try to  buy a new pair. I sneak in a few pairs every now and then and purposely wait a few weeks before I decide to wear them hoping that he won’t remember. It doesn’t work very well.

Anyway, that was more of a rant.

I really wish that I could have translated my normal shoe fetish into a wedding style that would satisfy me, but these are the few cases that I must pick comfort over style. I have decided against stilettos and will be wearing flats. This will help me walk easier on grass and down steps. I assume that I would be nervous enough walking down the aisle, I don’t want to worry about sinking into the ground while walking. Besides, noone will see my shoes anyway beneath the dress.

I want to wear purple flats, but I can’t  find any for the life of me!

Has anyone seen any cute ones anywhere?

I have been battling with myself about centerpieces for a long time! I love orchids of any kind, especially dendrobium orchids.

Orchids, via Jessica Claire

Orchids, via electic images

It would be ideal to have orchids at our wedding, but there are hefty price tags on those babies. Instead, I’m entertaining the idea of using carnations as our centerpieces. I always disliked carnations when they’re used individually, but I really like the look they have when bunched in a ball. Whatever it is we do, we’ll be doing it ourselves.

Carnation table setting, via hystudio

I have grown to really love the look of that. It’s so pretty and will definitely be affordable for 20-25 tables. I will post a DIY blog once we do a mock of one and it becomes DIY-blog-post worthy.

I shot up in bed this morning at the thought of only having 5 months to plan our wedding. The time has flown by, and now that we have our website out of the way… we are ready to move on to other things such as invitations. Except, we’ve been sitting idle doing nothing.

Wake up, Natalie. FIVE MONTHS!

Everything else has seemed peachy keen, until now. Things have come easily, I love planning and getting things together. But, there’s that other part of the equation. Noone else will work on my schedule. Therefore, we need to book our justice of the peace, entertainment and hotels.

The hardest part will definitely be paying for everything. It’s easy to sit here and imagine all the pretty, colorful purples we will have in our centerpieces or that nice photo booth we want. Then comes reality, where you have to dish out the cash for what you really want.

What we have left to do:

Today is a special today.
Today marks the day that I check another “To-Do” off of my “To-Do” list.

We have found the bridesmaid dresses and my girls have all purchased them.

I had a pretty standard criteria on what I was looking for. Of course, the purple had to be the perfect shade. I did not want my bridesmaids to wear something too typical or anything you can find from a David’s Bridal catalog. I wanted it to be a cocktail type dress that was simple and cute. It had to be a nice dress that they can wear again.

Albeit, it’s cliche of a bride-to-be to say that she wants her bridesmaids to be able to wear their dress again and then go on and choose a floofy thing that pretty much makes a mockery of the entire phrase “wear again”. But, I think I was able to do it.

For those who know me well, my style is anything but ordinary. Simple, yes. Ordinary, no. I want our wedding to be simple but not ordinary.

Without further adieu, I present to you the bridesmaid dresses.

I think it’s perfect. Heck, it even has pockets. Any dress that has pockets is awesome in my book.

We have also been planning our Bachelor/Bachelorette party.

I cannot believe we are only 6 months away. It is going to fly by!