Ok, is anyone with me on this or am I just a nut job?  I bought my dress about 10 months before my big day.  It arrived within 2 1/2 months and I absolutely love it.  Afterall, it took me 2 months, 7 salons between Orange County and LA and at least 30-40 different gown try-ons before finding the *ONE*. 

But now, whenever I see a gown posted on a blog, in a bridal magazine or on a tv show, I start to have buyer's remorse.  Seriously!  How is that possible?  Don't get me wrong...I love my gown for all the right reasons and family and friends all tell me it's gorgeous.  But with SO many bridal options, styles and new lines coming out constantly and a LOOONG engagement period, it is easy to see something else that has similar traits and yet a different look to it and for a brief moment wish that I could have a do-over.  :( 

I don't seriously want to buy another gown - do I?  (sigh) I still love my gown, no doubt...but I also love that gown, and this one and then there's that one.  What's a girl to do?  Does anyone else feel this way?  It's like I have to quickly turn the channel or turn my head if I open a blog post that has pictures of gowns in it for fear that I will want to sell mine and buy another!  I need to put blinders on - seriously!

So many brides share their thoughts of eloping and pose the question to us ladies as to whether or not we would ever consider this?

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I often read blogs or hear brides talk of their desire to just throw the wedding plans out the window and run off to some intimate, romantic getaway to elope - some even just think of the traditional Vegas wedding.

Thinking of you and your honey whizzing off (preferably in a convertible) with the wind in your hair and not a care in your head is a beautiful fantasy.  No invites to print, no music playlists to be determined, no frustrating gown alterations, no constant fights with the fiance over how much money this wedding is costing you...ah, wouldn't it be nice to just let Calgon take you away?  (Yes, I dated myself with that question.)

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It's totally understandable to want to avoid all your stress, tension, nerves, anxiety and frustrations that bubble over during the engagement phase.  Sometimes, it's the mere fear of having 'all eyes' on you that makes a shy, introverted bride just wish she could meet the local justice of the peace up close and personal and be heading for the airport on a honeymoon. I, unfortunately, feel really sad when I hear these desires from brides...mostly because it does seem to come out of their frustrations and not because the couple truly wants a small intimate little affair.  I completely relate to the stress and anxiety...

And I completely respect those couples who want that little ceremony on a beach with their parents and best friends and their little dog as their ring bearer.  But I know there is absolutely no way I could ever do the 'elopement' thing...and it's not just because I'm an extroverted, love to entertain, doesn't mind being the center of attention kinda girl. 

No, the reason I would never do this and feel sad when I hear other brides longing for this is because the truth of the matter is a wedding is meant to be a HUGE celebration.  Haven't you ever heard the phrase "I want to shout about our love from the mountaintops"?  Where do you think that comes from?  It's the excitement and joy of knowing that you have found that special someone who makes your toes curl, your heart melt and your giggles go silly whenever someone barely mentions their name! 

Why would you want to deny the opportunity for family and friends to wish you their blessings, shower you with gifts and most importantly, support you in your decision to unify your lives in love for all of eternity? 

As brides, we often give some thought, but not a ton to the ceremony details.  And then we spend months and months planning the attire, invitations and reception.  We look for photographers, shoes, place cards, flower choices and amazing menus.  And though our vows are important, we forget about what really matters at the ceremony: 

**  Who are those people sitting in the front row?  Your parents, who gave birth to you and raised you and tried to turn you into 'marriage material.'  Your father is in tears as he 'gives you away' because he recognizes the gravity of this momentous event.  Your grandparents gaze at you and long for great grandchildren.  They are most likely the patriarchs of your family and this is a blessing you cannot believe for them to watch the grandchild they got to spoil turn into a lovely young wife (and hopefully new mommy which never happens fast enough for them).

**  Who are those people standing beside you at the altar?  Your siblings, cousins, best friends, mentors...they have probably spent the better part of your life with you laughing, crying, burning memories into your mind.  They were there when that ex boyfriend broke your heart and were ready to curse him to the ends of the earth when he showed up to a party he knew you were going to be at with a new girl.  They were there when you had to pull all night study sessions to realize your dreams of working towards your goal (and possibly careers).  They know every nook and cranny of your past...good and bad.  And you know what?  Today, on your wedding day, they are not standing there beside you because you asked them to wear a dress and throw you a shower.  No, they are there because they know this man you have chosen and they watched him court you and grow to love you and they know that he is the man who will in fact, love and cherish and respect you til death do you part.  They stand next to you to affirm that yes, this is the man we believe you should marry.

**  Who are the guests sitting in those pews/chairs?  Your co-workers, alumni, neighbors, friends...they see you day in and day out.  They watch your favorite tv shows with you and celebrate Halloween parties with you.  They appreciate all you do for them and at one point or another in your life, they were a daily, necessary and major influence in your life.  And now, they get to sit here as you take your vows and promise your heart and soul to this man and they agree with your decision and support your marriage.  They sit here today with their own vows...vows that are necessary for any bride and groom embarking on the great unknown path of marriage.  They will vow to support you as a husband and wife and love and encourage you as you grow together.  They vow to not interfere in your relationship...to not ever lead either of you astray...to babysit your future children...to remind you (when you feel like running or are in the biggest fight of your lives) that you will get through this and need to humble yourself and truly remember to love one another.  They are your biggest fans...and will prove it by soon toasting you and partying down on the dance floor (even dancing those lame crowd dances like the chicken dance and electric slide if you ask them to).

Ladies...the next time you think you want to just run away and elope...try to remember what the day is really about...remember that it is always most importantly about people: not flowers, not gifts, not your venue.  It's about your parents, siblings, family, friends, and you and your groom.  Don't deny yourself this celebration and these vows...embrace them and try to grasp the emotion that lies in them.  It is beautiful, solemn, liberating and oh so lovely.

First off, let me just say:  5 months to go today!  Woo-hoo.  I'm getting a little nervous but it's all coming together and whenever I share my ideas with vendors and others they say I will have a very fun and unique event.  :) 

Anyway, my fiance thinks about music and tells me has thoughts on things, but he won't share his ideas with me!  Supposedly, he has some 'surprises' up his sleeve for the wedding.  So frustrating!  Makes me nervous, too.  But I already have almost every type of song selection and music picked out for what I am hoping to incorporate into our ceremony.

For the recessional, I know I want something fun, upbeat and super duper lively to get the guests cheering, clapping, whooping and hollering and swaying to the music as we bounce with a jump in our step back down the aisle.  I also want to include some type of a throw back to the oldies as I really love the music of the 50's and 60's from Elvis Presley to the Beatles.  That's why I am hoping that this is the song we will have played right as we have our kiss!  The little intro gives enough time for us to kiss and our officiant to announce us just as we head back down for the recessional with our wedding party in tow.

So a while back I posted about my search for the perfect necklace and bracelet on wedding day.  I also talked about how I couldn't find the perfect brooch necklace I was hoping to secure and a similar brooch bracelet.  If you remember, I ended up buying a brooch and a pair of clip on earrings from an antique vintage swap meet in my area.  I then took them to a friend of a friend who makes custom jewelry as a side job.

Well, I'm excited to say that I picked up the pieces this past weekend and I love them!  Mr. Fix It tagged along so he has seen them and he was a bit leary when I told him I was going to be wearing pearls.  The thought in his head was of our grandmothers and an old lady feel.  I told him most girls wear pearls on their wedding day so stop worrying.

Enough rambling...what do you think of the final result, ladies?  (Side note: the designer, Jeanette was nervous as she said she's never taken pieces of jewelry like a clip on earring and brooch pin and turned them into a necklace and bracelet) 

The Necklace

The Bracelet (made with a clip on earring!)

What are your plans for your jewelry?  Do you have any special traditions, hand me downs or custom jewelry you are looking forward to wearing?

So a few of the lovely Blogger Brides on here have bestowed upon me the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award - aw, I am humbled by your recognition. 

2. I have never broken a bone in my body but have had one surgery and a couple weeks ago cracked a rib (wait, is that a broken bone?).

3. My daughter's APGAR score was 0 when she was born...which was by a c-section due to a prolapsed cord. She had to be fully resuscitated and put on a respirator in an incubator for 5 days...she truly is my miracle baby...though she is now almost 15 years old (in February).

4. I was the Editor-in-Chief of my yearbook my senior year in high school. The yearbook was named as one of the top 10 in the country...something I am still proud of to this day. Of course about 25 other people helped me make it. :D

5. I LOVE the Food Network and am a self taught cook from the many recipes you can find on their shows and web site.

6. Video editing is a hobby of mine...I've made hour long videos of my my daughter's soccer season, her all-star softball season, my best friend's wedding and my sister's wedding. People suggested I should do it professionally, but it takes me a year to put one hour long video together.

7. I used to want to be a wedding coordinator but decided it was too stressful, too competitive and demanded too much time on weekends and holidays.

8. By the time I was 19 I had worked at Cinnabon, Mrs. Field's, Kinney Shoes, Farmers Insurance, a clothing store, a furniture store, as a telemarketer, at an alarm company, and in a grocery store...but I worked in the grocery store for almost 10 years and have been at my current job for 7 1/2 years.

9. I met my fiance, John on match.com and ironically, neither my fiance nor I drink any alcohol...at all! Neither of us has touched a drink in over 15 years. Up until last year, whenever a recipe called for wine I would use grape juice as a substitute. I have found that the wine is much better in the food.

10. I have led groups of high school and college girls in weekly bible studies for almost 9 years now. The group I have now is made up of 5 ladies in their early 20's that I have been with for about 4 or so years. They won't leave, they just keep coming back each week. And I love them for it.

Bonus facts: 11. I don't like wearing makeup or curling my hair. I will only do it on special occasions when I have to and it drives my fiance crazy. But hey, I work in an office where I'm all by myself for 8 hours a day...what's the point?

12. I have been skinny my entire life and rarely ever work out or exercise. I often get frustrated because no one has any sympathy for someone who struggles to GAIN weight!

I have already seen this award passed onto many many of the ladies I would like to recognize so I will do an open call here and share with any other bloggers who would like to copy the award and share some fun facts about yourself with us!

And thanks to the following wonderful gals for their inspiration, support, and just overall amazingness when it comes to blogging about all things wedding!

Chocolate Lover, Bicoastal Bride, Mrs. Castaneda 2B, Heathernwill, pinklovebird, a cape cod bride, new mexican bride, sassy bride on a mission, rhonda joel, soon 2B mrs. book, marcheleven10, nuflaiir, e32285m, and almost mrs. telo!

So since I started my first Music Monday with my baby sister's wedding playbook song selection, I figured I should follow up with 2 more songs from her big day 3 years ago. 

Last week was the garter toss and so it is only fitting that this week I share her song for the bouquet toss for all the single ladies (which btw, if your DJ suggests Beyonce's song for your wedding bouquet toss they're not being too original.  Don't get me wrong...I love it and would love to use it too because it is so fitting, but seriously girls, let's hope we can find things that are a little more original.)  So, when they were calling the single girls (which was me at that time) onto the floor, this song began to play:

So I'm a huge Grey's Anatomy fan.  But even before the hype of some of their catch phrases, I think I was already using one of the word's that has shaped many a conversation in my life.  If you're not sure what I'm talking about, check this out:

I've noticed many brides on the blogs have nicknamed their future hubby's rather than use a first name.  I think this is cute and want to jump on the band wagon.  So I decided to term my honey Mr. Fix It. 

Photo Credit: Brisbane Electrician

When John (now Mr. Fix It) was right out of high school, he began working for a large department store installing carpet and flooring.  Over the many years, he became more skilled at his trade and picked up a lot of other useful abilities.  Eventually, he started his own company and now does everything from installing all types of flooring to remodeling bathrooms and kitchens, countertops, etc.  Hopefully one day soon he is going to get the next step up the rung in licenses so he can be a GC.  But that takes some schooling and time.

Anyhoo, he bought his house as a foreclosure and since he's owned it he has put on a new roof, installed all new flooring, counters, bathrooms, a garage door, recessed can lighting, a new garbage disposal, new windows, doors, water heater, telephone wiring....I could go on but it's just crazy.  On top of that he can change the hoses, brakes and filters in my car.  Woohoo-screw you rip off, mechanics! But beyond that...it's not just that he *can* do all these things for me and whoever else might need them...it's that he *wants* to do them. 

I learned early on in our relationship that Mr. Fix It's best way of displaying his love, care, and affection for friends and family is to offer them assistance in whatever way possible.  (Once we were driving down the street and a poor older man was trying to push his broken down car off to the side of the road - Mr. Fix It immediately jumped out of his car and began pushing the vehicle and told the man to jump in the car and steer.)  When he talks to a neighbor and finds out that they have a problem that needs repair, he is the first to offer his services.  He would give you the shirt off his back. 

And that's why I love him...he is a servant, loyal, giving, kind, funny, sweet and sexy man...oh, and ever so handy around the house!  :)

Ok, so I have seen several blogs where brides share songs they like for potential use in our weddings or whatever.  I thought that was kind of cool as I *love* all things music.  I even have a playlist in my ipod of all the songs I have selected to use in things like the ceremony, grand entrance, first dance, bouquet toss, wedding video, etc.  Yes, I unfortunately listen to it almost every day - and I still have 5 1/2 months to go! 

Since I love just about any type of genre (except for vulgar gangsta rap), you will find all kinds of things from pop, love songs, oldies, soft rock, classic rock, hard rock, techno, disco, hip hop, Christian and the list goes on.  But to start off with my very first music post, I thought I would share something from my sister's wedding playbook.  She is uber creative when it comes to song selections and we had so much fun with all the choices at her wedding three years ago. 

If you've got the funny bone for it, this is the song she played as the DJ called all the 'single' fellas out onto the floor for the garter removal and toss.  You can skip to 1:00 in as that is where the chorus begins and she had her DJ start the song at that point :)