Too Cheap for a Cricut

Like so many Bees before me, I have swooned over the Cricut.  In my opinion, it's just the mother of all crafting tools.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Cricut allows you to "print" shapes.  It basically cuts out special shapes for you with the touch of a button.  They even make a special device for cakes.  The possibilities are endless, and it can certainly make for some very creative DIY invitations, menus, programs, etc.  Not to mention the fact that it makes it much easier to obtain the highly coveted "bracket."

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The only problem I had with a Cricut was the price.  Sure, you can usually find one secondhand.  You may even be able to find an awesome coupon.  I still had trouble justifying it.  As Mrs. Hot Wings mentioned previously, it's best to keep it simple.  Wedding purchases are so often one-time things.  We pay vendors so much money for just one day.  We spend so much money on a dress that we wear once.  I just couldn't bring myself to buy something like this knowing that I would probably never use it again.  Sure, I could make birthday cards for friends...but I know myself and I probably wouldn't.  Fortunately, I found an alternative.

Did you know that Michael's has some pretty awesome sales sometimes?  They do.  I waited for a sale and I waited for some coupons.  Finally, I received the news that all paper punches were 50%.  I also received a coupon for 50% off of one regularly priced item.

I found these items for 50% off:

Clockwise from top left: 2" tag punch, 1/4" heart punch, and fleur de lis embossed border punch

Using the tag punch and the heart punch (along with my mad embossing tools from earlier), I made these for our future invitations:

The little heart just makes me melt a little bit, if I do say so myself.

I also wanted to get a few circle punches, but I couldn't decide on what size circle to get.  Then I found a circle cutter, which kind of works like a compass (sorry if I just gave you terrible flashbacks of geometry class!) therefore allowing you to create circles of all different sizes.  This did not count as a "paper punch," so it was not 50% off.  Helloooo 50% off coupon!

And finally, I borrowed a straight up paper slicer from a friend.

{all personal photos}

Overall, I saved about $80.  Not too shabby!  What kinds of crafting tools have you invested in or avoided investing in?

A Shower Fit for Our Quirks

Hive, I haven't been completely honest with you.  Well, I haven't lied.  I just haven't told the whole truth.  I told you how Mr. Lion and I met through mutual friends.  That's the short version of the story.  Truthfully, we met at a mutual friend's birthday party...when we were partnered up during a beer pong tournament.  Mr. Lion and I were beer pong partners, and lots of drinking led to lots of flirting.  I left the party that night with a smile on my face because I had met a cute guy who kept telling me I was cute (clearly, we were so deep back then).  I received a sober phone call from him the next day, and we stayed friends for years.  We would occasionally look back on the flirting that took place that night, and wonder if something more would develop.

Obviously something more did develop, and beer pong became something something surprisingly very near and dear to our hearts.  When our grad school friends told us they wanted to throw us an early shower before moving away after graduation, we suggested a stock the bar shower with a beer pong tournament.  They were all about it.  Best of all, they included a few fun details just for us...

...like the greatest cake topper in the world...

...and a DIY UF vs. UCF beer pong table!  Mr. Lion and his partner look infinitely more serious than my partner and I do...which is probably why they kicked our butts.

Our lovely host and hostess asked our friends to bring us a bottle of liquor or wine, or some stemware from our registry.  We ended up with some great things to help us out with entertaining, as well as some really thoughtful and creative gifts!  Sister Lioness even got us a "hot cocktails" cook book for winter-time drinks!  Best of all, the shower had a really laid-back vibe, which allowed everyone to just relax and enjoy themselves.

With some friends from PT school

With 4 of my 6 bridesmaids

Having waaaay too much fun opening presents!
{all personal photos}

I will be having a more traditional shower too (more on that later), but I was happy to do something a little different too!  And of course, it was nice to be able to include Mr. Lion in something he could enjoy too.  Are you having a less traditional shower?

OMG Shoes

I enjoy a good boutique sale like Rue La La or ideeli.  I get a kick out of special deals like Scoutmob or Living Social.  But I freeking love eBay.  Maybe it's the competitive side of me, but winning a good auction just makes my day.  It can be really hit or miss, but if you just so happen to stumble upon the treasure you were searching for, eBay can be absolutely thrilling.  It can certainly give a budget bride quite the sense of accomplishment.

I decided to venture over to eBay to do a little bit of wedding shoe searching.  I typed in "green" (one of our wedding colors), "7" (my shoe size), and two of my favorite words in the language of fashion:

Kate.  Spade.  She is absolutely one of my favorite designers, but when it comes to my everyday budget, she's on another playing field more appropriate for a special occasion...like a wedding!  I'm a big fan of the classic and sophisticated style that this designer brings to shoes, handbags, and jewelry.  Well, my eBay find wasn't exactly what I would call classic or sophisticated...but it was certainly more me!

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I had struck gold.  Bright green and pool blue, our wedding colors exactly.  Fun and whimsical, our wedding style exactly.  The little gift bow seemed to say "to Miss Lioness with love."  I had to have them.  Best of all, they were $30 plus shipping!  I felt like that was a pretty good deal in general, but for Kate Spade it was just amazing.  They were in pretty good condition too...just a little scuff on the sole, though it was not nearly as bad as the seller had made it sound.  I bid, won, and waited patiently by my mailbox as I imagined myself twirling through our first dance in these dancin' shoes.

Have you found any bargain wedding items on eBay?  Or have you struck out?

Mr. Lion Gets Creative

When Mr. Lion and I first started talking about getting engaged, I made it known early on that there was a family stone.  You see, my mom inherited some jewelry from her grandmother, who was married to a wealthy physician in Russia.  When they immigrated to America, they maintained their social status.  Their daughter (my grandmother) ended up marrying my grandfather, who was the son of poor Jewish immigrants.  The whole thing just sounded terribly romantic to me (well, the simple version does at least).  My great-grandmother passed down pearls, costume jewelry, and one lone aquamarine screwback drop earring.

We don't know what happened to the other one, but one was all I needed!  I'm a big fan of the ocean, and I'm a March baby, so aquamarines have always been my fave.  As a little girl, I used to lay the earring across the top of my ring finger just to see how it would look as a ring.  We had no idea how many carats it was or how much it was worth.  We didn't even know how old it was (though the jeweler Mr. Lion worked with was able to estimate that it was from the 1920s, based on the design of the earring).  All I knew was that I'd had my heart set on it for ages.  I told Mama Lioness, who agreed I could have it if Sister Lioness could have the pearls some day (such a fair ruler).  So, Mr. Lion knew where to turn for the stone.  But what about the setting?

I told Mr. Lion that I wanted a tulip setting.  Tulips are my favorite flowers, so what better to complement my favorite stone?  I could have sworn that this was a real thing and that I hadn't just made it up.  I later found out that Mr. Lion pretty much designed the setting himself since the jeweler had never heard of it!  So maybe I did make it up.  Maybe this image was stuck in my subconsious from decades ago:

Source: Disney via Magical Screencaps (10 bonus points if you can name that film!)

Mr. Lion didn't know he had it in him, but he ended up designing quite the unique setting.  On the day Mr. Lion proposed, I was thrilled to see the stone I had been eyeing for so long, but I was blown away by the setting.  It's one of a kind, and the reason why it's one of a kind makes it even better!

Without further ado, RING PORN!  A la Anne Ruthmann's tutorial, recently described by Miss Elephant and Miss Hippo!

{all personal photos}

What's your favorite part of your ring?  The setting, the stone, or the story?

Bridal Style vs. Daily Style

So now that you've seen my dress and my headpiece, I'll bet you think you have a pretty good sense of my personal style.  Frilly, romantic, girly...were you thinking of something like this?

Sources: ModCloth

Actually, the style represented in these items is pretty far from my personal style.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this look, but I just don't feel like I can pull it off on a daily basis.  If I had to describe my personal style (a la Tyra), I would have to say it varies between preppy and mod.

Preppy, by Vineyard Vines

Mod, by Anthropologie

Basically, this chick right here is my fashion icon:

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Emma Pillsbury's closet can do no wrong.  I mean, she's a redhead and she can pull off yellow!  Not sure how that's possible, but I'm sure as anything not gonna fight it!  I love everything this girl wears, so you'd think her wedding dress would perfectly suit my style.

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Dress by JCrew

I was certain that I would have similar taste in a wedding dress, but this style just wasn't me.  Perhaps I have an alter-ego side of me that's just dying to try something new!  How about you?  Is your bridal style similar to or different from your daily style?

Flowers and Etsy and Veils, Oh My!

I tried on a few different veils in stores.  I liked some better than others, but none thrilled me more than the birdcage style.  I loved the vintage look of it, and I loved the way it looked with my dress.  As I've mentioned before, I'm a huge Etsy fan.  So when it came time to find a unique veil for a reasonable price, I looked no further!

I had read about different Etsy shops all over the 'Bee, but one post by Mrs. Dolphin really jumped out at me.  Etsy seller Fine & Fleurie (formerly known as JMG Jewelry Design) features handmade jewelry and hair accessories perfect for weddings and other special occasions.  I was immediately enamored with the shop.  Everything was so romantic, so feminine, so PERFECT.

Something y'all should know about Mr. Lion: he does not want to know ANYTHING about my wedding day ensemble.  Nothing.  Not the dress, not the veil, not even the shoes (we'll get to those in another post!)...so forgive me for interrupting this story to say Mr. Lion, read no further!

Upon perusing Fine & Fleurie's shop, I decided on this birdcage veil:

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It's bandeau style, meaning it wraps straight across rather than poofing up or out.  I thought this would be more comfortable for someone fidgety like me!  There are dainty pearls at the bottom of the veil, adding just a touch of elegance, and I was able to order it in ivory to match my dress.  I felt like the veil alone wasn't enough though...I needed a little something extra.  Then I found this fascinator:

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This fascinator is silk and lace with crystals and pearls in the middle.  I felt like it was made to go with my dress!  I loved it so much, that I decided to get miniature ones for my bridesmaids so that we could match!

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The mini fascinators came in sets of two, so I only needed to order three for my six bridesmaids.  Still, that along with the veil and my fascinator ended up being a pretty big order!  I convo-ed the seller to see if she was willing to give me some sort of discount for being such a wonderful customer, and sure enough she was happy to oblige.  A few weeks later, I received the items, beautifully gift-wrapped and attached to a lovely thank you note.  I absolutely adore sellers like this because they seem to really enjoy what they do.  It makes such a big difference, and it leads to very happy customers!

Personal photo: iPhone and a bathroom mirror, myspace style!

What does your headpiece look like?  How did you find it?

Sharing Our Engagement

The thing about a 20-month engagement is that life goes on.  The world does not revolve around my wedding planning; in fact, it keeps on spinnin' on its own!  Crazy, huh?  Well, life did go on...and it took the form of other proposals.  Lots and LOTS of proposals.  Prior to our proposal, I had been to 7 weddings, two of which I was old enough to drink during.  Mr. Lion had been to even fewer.  Since our proposal, 7 more couples among our circles of friends have gotten engaged.  Yep, I will soon be doubling the number of weddings I've been to.  As the news of each of these new engagements reached us, my first thought was utter excitement.  Of course, I was happy for our friends!  The second thought, was a tinge of anxiety.  Many people, especially women, have the tendency to compete.  I feared that sharing engagements would result in "one-upping" and "keeping up with the Joneses."  You know what I'm talking about:

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I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised!  Wedding planning has actually been a really fun experience to be able to share.  It's been helpful to have someone to bounce and idea off of, knowing that they'll be considering that idea as critically and honestly as you would because they're weighing the same options.  It's been a relief to have someone to vent with when things get stressful.  And most of all, it's been an interesting lesson in bride individuality.

My favorite part of wedding planning is how it's such a unique form of personal expression.  I adore personal touches at weddings, and I love when the bride and groom's personalities shine through.  It's been really fun to witness our friends' weddings take shape in the form of their personalities.  No two weddings are exactly the same, and the differences between them are what make them so beautiful.

Two of the newly engaged girls are fellow Gators, though we didn't become friends until PT school.  They have since moved back to Florida, so our weddings/showers/bachelorette parties have been excellent excuses for reunions!

Personal photo: Chomping to show our Gator bride unity!

Personal photo: Then we had to do some baby Gator chomping to show off our bling.

Have you shared your engagement with friends?  Has it been a positive or negative experience?