miss peacock's weddingbee blog

Sharing My Secrets: The Bouquets

2008-10-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

I loved my flowers. Loved, loved, loved my flowers. Viviana at Petal Play Design was definitely able to compensate for peonies being out of season. I am so glad that Dean captured so many gorgeous photos of them. Get ready for lots of photos of my bouquet. Some butthead took it home with them and broke my heart. I can only relieve this pain by staring at these photos. :(

Flowers die, so I shouldn't be that sad about losing my bouquet. What I am very sad about is losing the little charm and the rosary that were wrapped around it. My Grampy made me the rosary just for that day. The charm (made by Romero Designs- I highly recommend them!) was of my Great Gram Kirby, my Grammy, my mom and me. My Great Gram Kirby and Grammy passed away shortly after this photo was taken. I loved having it attached to me most of the day. They are both now lying in someone's trash. I've spent way too much time crying about that, so back to happier photos!

Seeing my bouquet for the first time while I get un-bustled.

My back-up singers and their bouquets. Think it oh-oh-ver...

The junior bridesmaid bouquet.

Mr. Peacock's boutonniere.
My brothers and their bouts.

Everyone together now!

More flowers next time!

Sharing My Secrets: Our Photobooth

2008-10-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

The photobooth was really Mr. Peacock's idea. I thought they sounded like fun, but I wasn't sure if we needed it or how it would work. He did the research, found a great company and booked it. He even made a logo for us to add to the bottom of the photobooth strips. What a man, I tell you. Our guests LOVED it and I have such a crush on my guestbook.

The booth had an attendant who monitored the activity and printed the strips. Each group received two strips- one for them, one for our guestbook. The attendant made sure that they knew what to do. I bought a Kolo book from Paper Source along with an extra set of pages along with some colored pencils, a pencil sharpener, two rolls of double sided tape and an eraser. The photobooth was set up on one of the two balconys branching off of the main dining area, which meant gorgeous views of the city while you were waiting for your chance in the booth. It was also quite close to the candy bar. Party time!

Photo by Thorsen Photography

We added one of my favorite photos from Erin's wedding to the cover.

Photo by Thorsen Photography

You have to click on that image to really see the adorableness that is Mr. Peacock's parents. We found these photobooth pictures while compiling the rehearsal dinner slideshow. His mom had written a note on the back with a few details about the photo. Unfortunately, the middle photo has been removed and is now missing, so we only know that it was in the 50's and that they were going to see a movie. Sigh, so darn cute!

We brought some props, but only a few people used them. They all loved the colored pencils, though! Here are a few of my favorite pages. Click to enlarge and get the full effect.

My bridesmaids made this work of art for me. Don't ask about the political stuff, lets just say that it was a theme at both the ceremony and the reception!

The top set is of a few of my favorite relatives, including my Grampy. The bottom photo is kind of hilarious, with my cousin Mike and his new wife Jessica.

My cutie parents.

I give a thumbs up to the very popular wedding photobooth. The images will give us the giggles for years to come. Are you considering a photobooth guestbook?

Sharing My Secrets: Our Wedding Gifts

2008-10-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

A few months before Mr. Peacock and I were engaged, a friend from work got married. Her very sweet husband bought her a cocktail ring with an orange stone as a wedding gift. They met at the University of Illinois (whose colors are orange and blue) and were married in October with bright, fall wedding colors, so this was a perfect gift. I came home going on and on about that beautiful ring. Mr. Peacock must have been listening. He surprised me with a little something blue the day before our wedding.

My blue ring, my Grammy's wedding band, and my engagement ring.

Blue is my absolute favorite color. I chose not to use it in the wedding for a variety of reasons, but it was so nice to have a little something blue on my finger (and on my feet!)

He also bought me a very sweet and understated necklace with a quote from Goethe inscribed "Nothing is worth more than this day." Awwww... I felt so special wearing both the morning of the wedding.

The necklace had a small, red stone and a silver, inscribed oval hanging from the delicate chain.

Showing my rings to two of Mr. Peacock's sisters.

Mr. Peacock is a big fan of the French cuff shirt and he has started to acquire a nice collection of cuff links. It seemed fitting that I buy him a special pair for the wedding day. I found a pair of locket cufflinks on Red Envelope and snapped them up during a sale. I put photos of us, his parents on their wedding day, our puppy and our new home inside. Mr. Peacock had already decided to wear his father's wedding day cufflinks that morning, so, rather than chose between the two, he wore one of each.

I love this photo because Mr. Peacock looks so happy and excited for everything that is going on that day. I also love it because my brother-in-law is tying my brother's bow tie for him in the background. There is nothing sweeter than seeing our families together like that. I still can't get over how handsome Mr. Peacock looked that day. He should wear tuxedoes more often.

Are you planning to exchange wedding gifts? Will they be a surprise?

Sharing My Secrets: The Cake

2008-10-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

When it came to my cake, this is what I had in mind.

In order to achieve this look, I purchased a mold from Decorate the Cake and brought it to my baker. She seemed pretty confident that she could pull it off. She even tested a bit while I waited to see how it would turn out. She planned to use the mold to create the design on each layer by removing sections. Hopefully, this would create a new design on each layer. It didn't turn out exactly as I was hoping. The layers were quite thick, far from the delicate lace I was hoping for. I didn't actually realize how poorly this was executed until just this moment, comparing the photos.

My cake was absolutely saved by my cake topper.

Photos by Thorsen Photography

How sweet are those little birds? My aunt made them from her handmade alpaca wool, using alpacas from another Aunt and Uncle's farm. She made the hat, just in case you were wondering. All the little pieces were borrowed from other super crafty projects that she had going on around the house. My uncle created the legs out of a strong metal wire, allowing them to nestle perfectly in the top of my cake. They were made with so much care and love, how could they not fix my sad and saggy cake?

Me and my crafty Aunt/Godmother Denise

I do want to mention that the cake was delicious, even if the design did not live up to Martha's standards. It was very soft and perfectly sweet.

Is there anything that are you worried might not go according to plan?

Sharing My Secrets: The Food and Drink

2008-10-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

This post isn't destined to be the most thrilling- either in photography or content- but I know that we had such a hard time deciding on our menu. I thought this might be helpful to others in the same boat. All photos by Thorsen Photography.

Mr. Peacock and I wanted to make the food as easy as possible. Although we truly trusted Calihan Catering, we had been to too many events with seared tuna on a wasabi cracker. We wanted simple, comfort food and that was exactly what was delivered.

Pigs in blankets, with "fancy" mustard. Mr. Peacock makes these at home all the time, so it was a sweet, kind of silly homage to his cooking skills. The rosemary sprig really classes it up, no?

Mini cheeseburgers. These were (according to the red meat eating guests) totally delicious. There was a fresh slice of roma tomato on each burger. We also served pretzel bites with mustard (my favorite) and little slices of pizza.

Our signature cocktails were margaritas (my specialty) and Fat Tire Beer. This is where things got a little wonky, and it was one of the few places where one of my vendors messed up. I was told that they were ordering 2 cases of Fat Tire in 30 oz. bottles. Once poured into smaller glasses, that should have been more than enough for everyone to get a taste of our favorite beer and then some. Instead, 2 cases were ordered and the catering staff started handing out bottles. I thought that I had received a bottle because I was special. The Fat Tire ran out way too quickly and very few guests even realized that there was a specialty beer. Sad... but not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

My mom was making fun of me for drinking beer out of a bottle in my wedding gown. "But Mom, look how pretty the bottle is!"

I also didn't realize that they were going to be using icky margarita mix with inexpensive tequila. They look pretty, I guess. My poor Grampy loves a good margarita and he wasn't able to finish his.

I don't have any photos of dinner, but it was yummy! For the salad, we served a small greens salad with a little mug full of yummy tomato basil soup and two wedges of grilled cheese. Aside from a few guests thinking that the soup was salad dressing, it went over really well! The head table could all join the clean plate club. We chose a stuffed chicken breast (they left part of the bone in, keeping it juicier) with sweet potato fries, asparagus and roasted cherry tomatoes.

The late night snacks were a hit in miniature form- little shamrock shakes and bite size reuben sandwiches. My dad and I anxiously await those green shakes every year, so it was fun to have them passed on trays during their off season. McDonald's should be on watch!

What inspired your menu decisions?

Sharing My Secrets, Vol 2.2. The Paper

2008-10-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

(Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Dean Thorsen)

Sharing My Secrets, Vol 2.1, The Paper

Lastly in paper, escort cards and table numbers.

Inspiration from Saipua.

Reality from my head.

This was the first place finisher in the "surprise curveball at the end" category of wedding craziness. The goal was to attach the placecards to the metal garden stakes in such a way that they could easily be removed by our guests. We didn't want any injuries if everyone was walking around with sharp metal object. Our plan was to use removable glue dots to stick the cards to the stakes. They kept falling off and the placecards would not lie flat. We tried more glue dots, magnets and string. We realized Elmer's Glue would do the trick, although we still weren't sure how to close the placecards. A hole punch and ribbon may have seemed like overkill several weeks prior, but they worked in a pinch.

Yes, we grew our own boxes of moss. We crazy! But, they are still blooming in my mom's backyard and they look lovely. My dad built the boxes and white washed them.

I wish I had the talent to have made these, but alas, I am no artist. I bought the cards from Paper Source and the easels from Hobby Lobby. My original plan was to frame old wedding photos of our parents and grandparents. I scratched this idea when I came up very short on photos from Mr. Peacock's side. Plan B were these sweet "counting cards," each with a different bird highlighted.

Our candy bar was not your typical candy bar. Candies were chosen not for their color, but for their ideal taste. Mr. Peacock and I chose our favorite candy and then invited our parents to chose theirs as well.

The bags said "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I've Got Love In My Tummy. Thanks for sharing our day with us! Love, Mr. & Mrs. Peacock." We bought the bags online and printed them on Paper Source 2" labels. Easy, peasey. As is usually the case, the candy bar was a smashing success.

I took Mrs. Lemon's lead and made cards directing our guests to our Picasa photo page. This, plus another email reminder, helped us create an awesome collection of photos. It was totally one of those last minute "do I really need to do this?!" things, but it worked like a charm.

The little chandelier was drawn by Margot of Atelier Isabey to match the two gorgeous chandeliers hanging from Cafe Brauer's celing. We used the image again and again on our menus, candy jars, napkins and more.

Whew! Believe it or not, there is even more that I could say about paper, but I am sure you have all had enough. Next up: food and drink!

Sharing My Secrets, Vol. 2.1, The Paper

2008-10-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Two comments to preface this post. All photos by Dean Thorsen, all paper from the Paper Source. My two BFFs. This is a glimpse into all of our DIY goodies!

Say hello to the winner of the "this shouldn't take very long... and then it does" award. My menus.

I used to LOVE making fortune tellers when I was in grade school. We would write silly things like "You will marry Kermit the Frog" on the inside and giggle, while secretly wondering if it could be true. When I saw Darcy's suggestion for a fun cocktail party game, I knew I had to have it. Chicago knottie katvon was also inspired and kindly sent me her template. My dad helped me use Visio to make it my own as I couldn't find an appropriate program on my Mac. The design ended up being pretty straightforward.

Folding 200 of them... not so much. I never thought I would say this, but I heart my bone folder. I could not have made it through without her. In the end, the menus were fabulous and my guests loved them. They also looked pretty cute on their napkins.

Next up, my programs.

Here was my inspiration, from the Bride's Cafe.

And here are mine. Please pretend that there are pretty, swooshy last names instead of big white blocks.

Our chosen quote

This was truly a team effort. I wrote the program and laid out the format in PowerPoint. Mr. Peacock messed it up when he tried to re-do it in Word, and then he and my dad recreated it in PowerPoint, printed, cut and folded them (with the bone folder!). My mom sewed them closed. I lurved them so!

This post got a little too long, so look out for round two- escort cards, table numbers and a few other little goodies.

Sharing My Secrets, Vol. 1, The Ensemble

2008-09-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

Aloha, everyone! After a week in Maui, a few days in So Cal and a crazy week back at work, I finally have a moment to recap our wonderful day. There were quite a few things that I kept on the DL during planning and now I can spill the beans. I also have a few fabulous vendors to brag about, including my photographer, Dean Thorsen of Thorsen Photography. Please credit him if you borrow any images.

First up, my shoes!

I heart Foot Petals!

After much internal debate and a little help from the hive, I had settled on a lovely gold pair of Jimmy Choos. I later realized that I could buy Mr. Peacock a nicer band if I exchanged those wonderful shoes for a less expensive pair. Back to Nordstrom they went! I had been wanting a blue pair anyway and these blue suedes from JCrew were just the ticket.

Next, my dress. Mr. P was adamant that he did not want to see my dress before that day. He reads my posts on the WB regularly, so I needed to save the big reveal until after he saw me. Here she is, in all her glory.

I loved my dress so very much. You will see in later photos that there was a strap of fabric around my neck like a halter. I think it is so classic looking. Sigh... good thing I got to wear her one more time (more on that later!).

Lastly, the jewels. I had purchased some warm gold beaded earrings and an opera length necklace. When I had a dress rehearsal the week before the wedding, I realized that it was too much. My aunt had lent me a pair of my Grammy's earrings to use as shoe clips. They were the perfect vintage touch. I had already planned on wearing her wedding band on my right hand. My Grammy had passed away when I was two, so any way to have her there with me was a wonderful gift.

More on that first ring later! The center ring is Grammy's band and my engagement band at the end. Old, new, borrowed and blue all on my fingers.

Did anyone else hold back a few secrets from family and friends until after the wedding?

Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful

2008-09-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

It was Mrs. Peacock, in the church, with all the love in the world.

Mr. Peacock and I are married!!! Everything was absolutely and totally perfect. The forecast was 76 degrees and sunny, everyone we love was surrounding us and we were celebrating until 2:30 in the morning. I am married to a wonderful man who couldn't stop sneaking kisses all night. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Until I get back from Maui, the only thing that I want to say is that the after party was way more fun than I anticipated. It was pretty simple- a hotel suite, chips, beer and an awesome crowd. I wanted to share my favorite photo with you. It may not seem like much, but it definitely sums up the mood of the day.

My hair is undone and I am in yoga pants instead of my gown. My friend is draped over the back of the couch. Us, laughing, friends and family everywhere. Perfect.

Poster Board Saves The Day

2008-08-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

I have been using Perfect Table Plan to keep track of our RSVP's and I have been loving it. I was able to import our guest list and keep track of their responses with ease. Meal choices, guests, and "who invited them?!" were all included in the handy chart. When it finally came time to start seating people, things got a little trickier. Being able to drag and drop was nice enough and the auto-assign function was a great start. Maybe it was the size of my room or my long rather than round tables, but I was starting to get frustrated.

I fell back on some skills that I picked up when I planned non-profit fundraisers. Whom was sitting with whom was very important and the guest list was changing all the time. The easiest way to plan it out was a big piece of poster board and a post-it note for every guest. I would then hang it up in my cubicle and stare at it until I found the perfect arrangement. Fortunately, I spent the weekend up at the lake rather than in my cubicle, but the trick worked just the same.

Everyone found a seat. This also helped me come up with my best idea yet... the kids table! Mr. Peacock's mom is paying for a babysitter for all of our neices and nephews. I had no idea how I was going to get all six of them at the same table, with the babysitter and their parents- most of whom are in the wedding party. I was never planning on doing a traditional head table with just the wedding party and no dates. We loved the idea of sitting with our immediate family, but our families combined equalled 19 adults, 6 kids and a partridge in a pair tree. Adding a kids table meant that Mr. Peacock and I could sit with our siblings, our parents and grandparents. It also meant that all the adults could have a fun time, leaving the work to the babysitter. Hurray!

How did you figure out your seating plan?

Things To Avoid On The Big Day: Handcuffs, Tasers

2008-08-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

There was a brief period of time when Mr. Peacock and I considered scrapping our plans for a big Chicago wedding. We thought it might be sweet and romantic to get married close to his family's lakehome in Southwest Michigan at the delightful Karma Vista winery. Then we found out that Karma Vista does not do special events, that the closest hotel was 20 miles away and the thought of calling a cab was laughable, so we dropped the whole idea. Little did we know the kind of shenanigans possible when Chicagoans attend a Michigan wedding...

The wedding was on a Michigan beach, the reception was in an art gallery --
but a former Chicago couple's wedding night was spent in separate jail cells
after both bride and groom got shocked by a police Taser and arrested at their
raucous reception.
Andy Somora and Anna Pastuszwska's July 19 wedding reception
in tiny Lakeside, Mich., is still the talk of the town after officers from 14
police departments swarmed the art gallery to quell a melee. The groom's father,
uncle, aunt and cousin -- several of whom hail from Villa Park and La Grange
Park -- also got arrested.

"The short version of the story is they didn't want to quit their
partying," said Mike Sepic, Berrien County, Mich., chief assistant prosecutor.
"If you put this in the class of wedding receptions gone bad, I guess this would
take the cake."

And the story didn't end after the reception. Two nights later, the bride
and groom were again arrested in Michigan -- and again shocked by a stun gun --
after struggling with police investigating a noise complaint, Sepic said.

Yup, that's the bride! The Groom is next to her getting cuffed.

Story and photo from the Chicago Sun Times.

So beware, party animals. You don't want the word "taser" to be thrown around as people tell the story of your wedding.

I'm Ready To Get Mawwied!

2008-08-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

Mr. Peacock and I stopped by Chicago's City Hall yesterday to pick up our marriage license. Like quite a few bees have mentioned, it was quick and painless. All we needed to bring with us was our drivers licenses. It was nice to scratch one of the "absolutely must happen" things off our to-do list. I have a strange crush on City Hall, so it was kind of an exciting trip anyway.

We were feeling a little snap happy, so here I am with the license and a old school sign that I liked.

And Mr. Peacock in the pretty hallway.

Unfortunately, we had a meeting with our priest immediately following and we had to hand it over. You may have otherwise seen several other nerdy photos of us with our beloved new license. I am totally ready to get this show on the road.

Little Pockets

2008-08-18T22:09:00.001-07:00

In order to add a bit of a homemade feel to my invites, I came up with the idea of creating cloth envelopes as an inner envelope. It was something I had never seen before, but it sounded simple enough. My original idea was to make them from inexpensive muslin. I would use my Gocco to stamp a monogram on the top, so that the guest would see it first when he or she opened the outer envelope. I would them use a label to address the inner envelope. This would clear up any confusion over who was actually invited to the wedding, while simultaneously closing the "pocket."

When shopping for muslin, however, my mom and I came up with a better plan. We found some gold and ivory fabric that perfectly matched the ink and paper of my invites. Due to a lovely sale, it was actually cheaper than the muslin. I discarded the stamp idea for the sake of simplicity. I did keep the label for practical purposes. My mom and sister were roped in as part of my DISE (Do It, Someone Else) plan and, lucky for me, they pulled it off beautifully.

Thank you, mom and Elise!

They did not weigh any more than a traditional envelope might. They were crazy simple to make. We cut strips that were an inch wider, on each side, than the invitation. My little elves sewed them closed on each side, using the fold as the bottom and leaving the top open. We then cleaned up the top with scalloped scissors and voila! I stuffed them with the invite, the RSVP, the RSVP envelope and the directions card and then sealed them closed with soft white oval labels from the Paper Source. I hope this will help my guests keep the invite and map together, but either way, I love them!

Did anyone else incorporate an nontraditional material into their invitations?

DISE: Do It, Someone Else

2008-08-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

I believe that I have reached a stage in my planning where I am throwing in the towel on chunks of my to-do list. Its time to cash in my chips and admit my losses. Fortunately, I have a wonderful family and a few patient friends to help.

I could not find a cake topper. After months of searching, I gave up this weekend. I asked my extremely talented aunt to make one for me and she gladly obliged. With only weeks to go, she will be making me two little lovebirds out of felt. That she makes herself. Out of wool. From her own sheep. Her craftiness is literally blowing my mind. I can't believe that I didn't ask her sooner!!! I sent her several little birds to serve as models and she is going to town. I didn't want to give too much direction because I trust her crafty skills.
I never learned how to sew. This inhibited my ability to make little fabric pockets for my invites and covers for my programs. My mom and sister stepped up on the pockets and I dropped the programs. I haven't looked back. My mom and Mr. Peacock's mom are also making the flowergirl/junior bridesmaid dresses, although I never once thought that I could pull that off. Those poor girls would be walking down the aisle in silk potato sacks.
I still don't understand Photoshop. Mr. Peacock had to make the little maps for our invites and he did a WAY better job than I ever could. He rules. This is one of the many things that he is doing for the wedding, and one of the many reasons that he rules.
I cannot run the wedding myself and still have a good time. I hired a friend who is just starting a wedding coordination business to be my DOC. I'm not sure what your definition of "day of" is, but it probably doesn't include running venue walkthroughs and handling crabby vendors well before that big day. Mr. Peacock called her my insurance policy this morning and I could not agree more.

Before I became a student, I planned events for a living. I loved my job. I have never been worried about losing my cool throughout this process. I had a very "been there, done that" attitude. A wedding is a unique event, at least for the people getting married. There are some crazy emotions involved and, frankly, I am getting a little tired. Thank goodness I have all these wonderful people to support me :)

Is anyone else learning to love delegating?

Box Full of Letters

2008-08-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

The invites went out a little over a month ago and the deadline recently passed, so the wonderful experience of running to the mailbox is almost at its end. Sad. I thought I would relive it by sharing them with you.

My first plan was to make the invitations myself. After several cracks at Photoshop and a slew of other handmade invites and cards, I threw that idea out the window. I had also spent countless hours drooling over letterpress invitations on the millions of wedding blogs that I read and had developed an obsession. Then I found Margot of Atelier Isabey. Her work was just what I had in mind, I could customize it to be exactly what I wanted and she was as sweet as could be. I was still able to sneak in a little DIY, but they are mostly a whole lotta genius from Margot. I asked for vintage garden- that is definitely what I got. I love, love, love, love them.

Ugh, it pains me to have to block parts of that out. But, I'm a safety girl!

That little chandelier was a special request. It perfectly matches the pair hanging from the ceiling of Cafe Brauer. I still can't believe that Margot was able to create that. She is very talented.

Most of the set. More on that little pocket and a missing map later.

Yes, that is my little Maisy saying hello. I told you I would get her in the wedding somehow!

I would definitely recommend Atelier Isabey if you are looking for some beautiful letterpress. I knew I would be happy the moment that I saw my first draft. She was very willing to incorporate my suggestions and appreciated the feedback. I had a bit of a color issue and she was always coming up with great ideas. Her prices are also reasonable, compared to other letterpress designers, particularly when you consider that these were made just for me.

Mr. Peacock has taken on an impressive list of wedding jobs, but this was solidly on my list. I loved every minute of it. Was the invitation creation process anyone else's favorite part of planning?

My Lill Bag Is HERE!

2008-08-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hurray! My Lill bag is here! It was even a few days early. I picked them all up yesterday afternoon. I walked out of there with one little black and white bag for each bridesmaid and my mom, the bursting with bright red tissue. I looked like one of those rich lady shoppers in the movies. It was really quite fun.

Not as much fun as investigating my bag when I got home! I love it! I apologize in advance for these photos, they are kind of stinky. There is much more warmth to the fabric than it appears.

A little something blue

Here was my inspiration, the ribbon that I bought for my bouquet. They look gorgeous together.

Anyone else a little too excited about their wedding day purse?

More Goodies for the Bachelorette

2008-08-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

My sister wanted to make something unique as a favor at the bachelorette party. She's not terribly crafty, unless you are talking fashion, so it had to be something easily made but also inexpensive and fun. She came up with undies. She bought a variety of cute ones from Victoria's Secret and had a custom stamp made online. She then bought some fabric friendly stamp pads and went to town. Here is my pair.

And here are the rest, being enjoyed with their goody bags. Silly girls. I love them!

The bridesmaid on the right is in the Weddingbee protection program.

What is the best bachelorette party favor that you have seen?

Bachelorette Party Run Down

2008-08-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

I wasn't quite sure how to share the details from my bachelorette weekend. There are a lot of pictures of my friends in bikinis, drinking strawberry lemonade vodkas and reading Us Weekly. Other than a boat ride around the lake, we didn't really go anywhere or do anything- and I LOVED it! It doesn't make for a very exciting recap. There is one slightly NSFW image, however, just to keep you on your toes.

The party started when my sister (MOH) and I arrived late on Thursday night. Half of the other guests arrived on Friday and the rest on Saturday. My sister and my mom have been working on this weekend for the past few months. They had lots of surprises in store! First off, my unconventional bride shirt. Here is something that I will be happy to wear again and again.

Mrs. Peacock!

I had to share our collection of mags with you. This pile grew and grew over the weekend as everyone came prepared. Mischa Barton and Lindsay Lohan were a frequent topic of discussion.

This was only my second time driving the boat. Mr. Peacock's sisters and I realized a little too late that we let the guys do everything when we are on the lake. That means that there were a few scary moments as we pulled the boat out of the slip, drove it carefully around the lake and then brought it back in. Here I am thinking "oh, crap!" while everyone else enjoys the ride. Good thing I got to dip into that lovely pitcher of margaritas after someone else took the wheel.

After the sunset cruise, we were back home for showers, tacos and a little dessert. Please meet the manliest cake you have ever seen.

Yes, he was anatomically correct.

Here was me seeing him for the first time.

After a few sweet personal gifts, we played a little "How well does Ms. Peacock know Mr. Peacock?" and then "How well do Ms. Peacock's bridesmaids know her?" The maids did better than I did. I missed several questions, such as "What kind of animal would Mr. Peacock be?" and "How many girlfriends has Mr. Peacock had?" After a late night discussion of the pros and cons of online dating, the night was over. We had a quick breakfast in the morning and everyone was on their way home.

Did anyone else have a low key bachelorette party and love it?

Bachelorettes Invading Southwest Michigan

2008-07-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

My bachelorette party is this weekend! I have been talking about and planning this weekend for so long, I can't believe that it is finally here. My girlfriends, my sisters (new and old) and I are headed up to the lovely Coloma, Michigan for a weekend of trashy magazines, margaritas way before 5:00 and girl talk. If everything goes according to plan, I won't have to talk about the wedding at all... ahhh...

How cute were the invitations that my sister designed?

Aside from some quick storms tomorrow, the weather forecast is 80 and sunny! The plans for the weekend are a complete surprise. I keep hearing little things about goody bags and activities, but I have tried my best to stay out of it. All I know is that Coloma is mostly without nightlife or strip clubs (thank goodness). I will fill you in on all the details on Monday!

Is anyone else celebrating their bachelorette this weekend?

Putting My Bridesmaids To Work

2008-07-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

... on their own gifts!

I surprised my bridesmaids a few weeks ago with a trip to the 1154 Lill Studio in Lincoln Park to make custom handbags as their bridesmaid gift. I was able to keep it on the DL until they arrived, which was no small feat, and treated them to a little champagne, cheese and these amazing key lime tarts. I gave each 'maid a gift certificate to cover the cost of a Grace plus tax and let them go to town!

The LP store is their flagship store, so there were two floors of custom bag goodness.

All the fabrics!

Mmmm... key lime tarts...

My sister/MOH Elise, Erin and the very popular Yellow Stone fabric.

I brought along a sample of the bridesmaid dress fabric (the aubergine swatch on top) so that they could match the dress. I let them select whatever fabric they wanted, but most of them opted to create something for the wedding day.

Trying to act "candid."

The bridesmaids and my mom. She made a very pretty little Grace.

We had a lot of fun messing the store up. There were fabric swatches everywhere! In the end, we had each created (at least) one bag that will be ready a few weeks before the wedding. I made one to match my shoes and the ribbon that I bought for my bouquet. I am sure that my sister will end up keeping track of my lip gloss, but I couldn't stay out of the fun!

For anyone interested in doing the same, we had private space in the store where we could set up our snacks and construct our bags- although we did not have the store to ourselves. They do home parties (like the one Mrs. Penguin attended) for those who do not have a store close by, or who would simply rather do it at home.

Does anyone else have a fun, social idea for a bridesmaids gift?

Shoe #1 Is The Winner!

2008-07-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your feedback on my shoe dilemma. Although I did not go with the winner of the vote, it was your insistence on picking for comfort that really swayed my decision. I brought both pairs to my first dress fitting and took turns wearing them as the tailor hemmed and hawed over my gown. There was a noticeable difference in comfort with shoe #1. I was happy to stand there without needing to constantly adjust my posture. They were also very light and easy to walk in. I also love the idea of adding some cute shoe clips and I would not be able to do that with the second pair.

They also seem to have a bit of a crush on my dress. I couldn't tear them apart.

I Heart Saipua

2008-07-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

In my search for soft, loose arrangements, I found saipua flowers. There is so much wonderful inspiration in blog and a few laughs thrown in. I love, love, love her style. The flowers are so loose and garden-like; natural.

My placecard table was gathering dust on the backburner until I saw this image-

I will be using both moss and ferns in my arrangements, so this was like a lightbulb for me. Its like, "oops, I just stumbled into a wedding as I was walking through the forest." Anyway, if you are looking for a little break from the typical wedding stuff, I would definitely recommend spending some time on her blog.

Like Looking For A Peony In September

2008-07-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

I looooove peonies. Love, love, love. They grow like crazy around my parent's home in June and then quickly disappear in July.

Peonies courtesy of Mama Peacock

The multitude of soft, romantic petals in just the perfect shade of pale pink and the dark, shiny leaves make them perfect for my wedding decor. My September wedding decor. D'oh! I found this bouquet on Livia Cetti's site and it pretty much summed up what I wanted all the flowers to look like: soft, loose, pale pink, shades of white, lots of greens and a hint of aubergine.

I have been searching for something big and soft to replace those peonies. My florist is on board and seems to be enjoying the challenge. I have received a few great suggestions, including dahlias and ranunculus. In order to test drive this idea, I purchased a "dinner plate" dahlia for my mom as a birthday gift. Holy Moley, is this thing awesome!

Just for comparison's sake, and I have ginormous hands, but this thing is HUGE! And its not done opening yet!

We also bought her a normal sized white dahlia, and it is quite beautiful, too.

Has anyone else been on the hunt for an out-of-season flower or its replacement?

Little Ballet Flats

2008-07-24T05:03:00.000-07:00

Like so many of the elements of our wedding, we wanted to make sure that the flower girl dresses and shoes could easily be worn again. My mom and Mr. Peacock's mom are making the dresses in a pale pink silk shantung rather than white so that they might reappear at a birthday party or on class picture day. Trying to find a pattern was much more difficult than expected, but we came up with this Simplicity pattern. A few modifications, and it should be just right.

We are going with version F, the raspberry colored one, without the little flowers. How adorable is that outfit on the model. She looks like a little cupcake! Our flower girls and our junior bridesmaid will not be sporting the detached sleeves and hip wing things.

I wasn't all that concerned about the shoes until the moms asked for a little direction. I thought these Nine West ballet flats would be perfect. Comfortable, stylish and perfect for school. The bridesmaids and the bride are also wearing gold shoes, so they will fit in with the big girls.
And they come in a cute little bag! After they take their shoes out, they can pack in Barbie clothes and My Little Ponies to their hearts content.

Is anyone else making their flower girls dresses?

Little Bow Ties

2008-07-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

After we had the big boys outfits squared away, it was time to move on to the little guys. Mr. Peacock is the lucky uncle to three adorable nephews and we didn't think twice before asking them to serve as our ring bearers.

I don't think there is anything cuter than a little guy in a tuxedo. It totally kills me. When we called around for rental prices on those sweet little suits, we learned that the price wasn't so cute. I think that renting a five year old's tuxedo for the same price as an adult's is crazy business. I had to do better. I did a little digging online and found a few sources where I could purchase a boy's tux for under $75. Although they may not have another black tie event to attend any time soon, they could all go as James Bond for Halloween. Or a waiter at a fancy restuarant. Or a penguin.

Kids Formal has a nice online shop and stores in the Chicagoland area. I liked this option because we could go check them out first for quality, and returns to the store would be relatively easy.

Mrs. Petunia bought her ring bearer's adorable top hat from Tiny Tux. They have a great selection of accessories, such as pocket squares and bow tie sets.

I have heard good things about Fairytailes on the Knot and their prices are some of the best. It takes a little digging to find what you are looking for, but it may be worth it!

Does anyone have any other recommendations or feedback on these sites? I am wondering about the quality. It doesn't have to be anything fabulous, but I want to make sure that they fit well and keep their shape throughout the night.

Three for One Tuxedos (dot com)

2008-07-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Mr. Peacock decided early into our engagement that he wanted to buy himself a tuxedo. It was a bit surprising to me as he and I rarely go to black tie events, but he said that even if he only wore it to the wedding, he wanted it to be his own. I think he had romantic ideas of pulling the tux out of his closet decades from now and wearing it to our children's weddings. Cute, right?

We decided to go very traditional with the guys look- bow ties, no vests. I think this is so sexy and romantic- but it might just be that I am also a sucker for Cary Grant.

I think that I found this picture on the Knot, but it has been in my files for so long that I can't remember! Please let me know if you know :)

Based on our research, tuxes were a lot like wedding gowns. You could really go to town with the high end designers and fabrics, you could find a middle ground at a department store or you could find yourself a great deal at a warehouse store. We started with the warehouse stores. We were happily surprised at what we found at Mr. Peacock's favorite place for inexpensive suits- Cosmo's Designer Direct. Their tagline is "3 for 1 suits" (dot com). They also offer three for one shirts, socks and shoes. Included in their suit selection were a variety of tuxedos at different price points. We found a very nice, traditional tux for $299 (the lowest price point)- which broke down to 3 tuxes at $100 a piece.

Mr. Peacock had been part of several tuxedo rentals gone wrong and though it might not be so crazy to offer this as an option to his bridal party. He did a little research and found a place that would sell him a tux shirt, bow tie, cumberbund, studs and cufflinks for $100. The guys could either rent their tux for $150 or buy it for $200. It worked out perfectly. A few already owned tuxedos, and no one was asking them to rent just to match the other dudes. Out of the 7 remaining, 5 decided to buy, which led to a fun trip to Cosmo's on a Sunday morning for fittings. My Grampy wanted a new black suit, which kept us at a multiple of three. The two that wanted to rent just coordinated it on their own, therefore lessening the chance of a huge mess-up due to the confusions of a group order. The purchased tuxes came in a week later with no problems whatsoever. I cannot wait to see those guys in their nicely tailored suits that morning- hubba hubba!

Has anyone else gone this route? Did any grooms choose to buy rather than rent?

I Give My Calligraphy a B+

2008-07-22T07:53:00.001-07:00

I decided long ago that I was going to teach myself calligraphy and that I was going to use said skills on my wedding invitations. I have always wanted to learn and now was the time. So I bought a book, studied it, practiced it and became slightly confident in my skills. Then my invitations came- my beautiful, meticulously designed and carefully crafted letterpress invitations. They are my pride and joy. How was I going to mess them up with that slop that I was calling calligraphy? I panicked and started considering labels, printing or just buying a nice gold pen and trusting in my normal handwriting.

Fortunately, my mother knocked some sense into me. I had already spent a decent chunk of change on the book, pens and inks, not to mention hours of practice. Even if it wasn't perfect, it would still make me happier than throwing in the towel and using labels. So I bought some gold ink that would perfectly match the gold ink already printed on my envelopes and I went to town.

Here is one I made just for you! Yes, I chose a smeared and discarded envelope to display my skills, but you can still get the picture.

Please disregard the smear next to the zip code :(

I could not break myself of the habit of writing into the top right corner. Some are better than this one, but most look best if you tilt them slightly to the left. I am pretty happy with how they turned out! In the very least, I haven't had any phone calls advising that I fire my calligrapher. The invites went out last Wednesday and we are already receiving RSVPs! I am so, so excited. I will show off the rest of the invite once I am confident that all my guests have seen them.

If anyone is interested, I used Gold-Metallic Bronze ink from Windsor and Newton and a C-4 nib. It was like banging my head against a wall as the gold flecks constantly separated from the liquid, but the color was just right. I also do recommend an Idiots Guide to Calligraphy. They gave some great tips on positioning the paper and creating a good working surface. I did end up buying a new book from Dick Blick's so that I could try out a few more styles, but the Idiot's guide was a great place to start.

More Google Wedding Fun!

2008-07-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks have been CRAZY! Before I go on a posting spree and fill you all in, I thought I would share something fun that showed up in my inbox this morning. Google, as part of their docs application, has added a few wedding specific templates. Although I have pretty much created my own budgeting spreadsheet, payment schedules and to-do lists, I thought these might be really helpful for the recently engaged. Although there are these kinds of checklists on every wedding website out there, I like being able to modify the style and method as well as keep everything in one place, i.e. my Google docs. I also like that you can easily share these with others without having to create Versions 1 through 2433.

I thought this budgeting template would be particularly helpful:

And the checklist:

And a photo album as part of their Presentation (kinda like PowerPoint) application:

Even though I only have 6 weeks to go (AHHHH!), it was nice to run through the budgeting worksheet and the to-do list, as it never hurts to double check! It actually made me feel as if I was on top of my game. We will see how I am feeling a few weeks from now...

Distractions For Little Hands

2008-07-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

We didn't invite every kid in our life as a guest to the wedding, although it is starting to feel like we are planning a circus. But who doesn't love a circus (without the clowns)?

These cases of fun are for the three eight/nine year old girls. I included some little goodies from Bath and Body Works (Bubble Gum lip gloss, Sweet Pea lotion, a plastic pocket mirror), a bouncy ball and a card game in a Paper Source suitcase. Our four year old attendant will receive a coloring book game, markers and other fun drawing supplies. Their ballet flats and a sweet little headband from twigs and honey will also be included before we hand them over.

Our two five year old boys will receive an Old Navy backpack with some fun games and coloring activities inside. The two year old is receiving the same thing, only more age appropriate.

I love that fishing game!

We will ask their parents to bring them along to the wedding so that they will have some distractions when things get slow- when they aren't smiling for pictures, during cocktails, when their feet hurt from dancing. Cafe Brauer is part of the Lincoln Park Zoo, so if that doesn't serve as a distraction between the ceremony and cocktails, I don't know what will!

What are you doing to keep the little guys in your wedding busy?

Fresh As a Peony

2008-07-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

It seemed like kind of a random thing, but people get really excited their deodorant. There have been quite a few posts on Weddingbee as we worry about how to stay dry on our wedding day. Us brides will be running around, smiling for the camera, hugging aunts and uncles, trying to sneak in private moments with our new hubby, all while trying to look and smell fresh. My favorite Kiehl's Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant.

I love it because it smoothes on like lotion- not a stick, gel or other goo- and absorbs into your skin. It doesn't smell like anything. I don't know about you, but when I warm up I would rather not be smelling my deodorant, even if it smells "tropical fresh." It just fights sweat and I love it. The fact that it is Kiehl's and I love all of their products doesn't hurt. It is a little pricier than most drug store brands, but the big tube lasts for such a long time that I feel justified.

My deodorant passed its first test last summer in Key Largo, Florida. It was 92 degrees and humid as can be without actual rain forming. I spent all morning laying out by the ocean and was literally dripping in sweat. Pretty picture, I know. You know how when you are on vacation, sometimes showers fall by the wayside? I put my deodorant on the day before and around 3:00 the next day it was still working. If I was going to trust anything on my wedding day, it would be my deodorant. My dress might rip while I am putting it on, right before I spill red wine all over it. My florist might show up with a truck-full of spray painted purple carnations. Mr. Peacock might decide to go for the Fighting Illini tux after all. But I will smell fresh as a peony.

Anyone else really tested their deodorant? Don't make me stand alone with my gross story :)

Make My Decisions For Me

2008-07-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

I like shoes. I wouldn't say that I love shoes, unless I am talking about my. But looking for shoes for the wedding has been driving. me. crazy. I decided awhile ago that my shoes would be my something blue. That plan has taken a nose dive as I have not been able to find one pair over the past year (aside from these blue Loubs, but those weren't a realistic option) that is the right shade, shape, height, etc. I have settled on gold shoes, possibly with a blue shoe clip to finish it off.

I bought one fancy pair that were about as close to perfect as they could get. They were a little more than I was planning to spend. As much as I loved how they looked and felt, the price didn't sit very well with me. When I stumbled upon a pair of shoes that looked very similar to the first pair, I snapped them up. I am still undecided on which pair to keep.

I thought I would throw this out to the hive for a vote. I have attempted to black out the brands so as not to dissuade the brand conscious. Shoe sleuths- don't give it away! Here they are...

Number 1 and Number 2

Number 1 (bottom) and Number 2 (top)

Number 2 and Number 1

Number 1

Number 2

Here is shoe #1 with a "clip" (a clip-on earring). Shoe #2 doesn't work as well with the clip.

I took some pictures of them on my feet, but I think feet are icky and I couldn't bring myself to post them here. What if you were eating and reading this at the same time?!

So, ladies- time to vote! Number 1 or Number 2?

Our Bridal Shower Brunch

2008-07-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Mr. Peacock's sister Sharon was kind enough to host a brunch in our honor. Everything was absolutely gorgeous.

They were greeted at the door with this lovely chalkboard sign. This has become a trend at our showers and it will be carried through to the wedding day!

Mmm... mimosas with raspberries.

All the ladies brunchy foods were present, and delicious.

The chocolate fountain was a highlight of the party.

Presents!

There were hydrangeas and tulle everywhere! Mr. P's mom put together the cases, adding black and white pictures of us along with the overflowing flowers.

If you look closely, you can see Mr. Peacock's shortly lived beard. It looked pretty good on him, actually!

Me, Erin and my sister. They were very helpful during present time.

Sharon purchased these mugs to pass around while we were opening gifts. Everyone was able to write a little note and sign their name. I need to bake these for an hour or so to ensure that the signatures set. It was a wonderful idea!

My exquisite ribbon bouquet. Everyone was nice to me and I didn't need to break any ribbons. There were some fun flowers and other little curiosities to top it off.

My Goddaughter/cousin Martha and Mr. Peacock's cousin Jenna. These two were BFF 30 seconds after they met. They even exchanged email addresses!

The lovely couple and their mothers.

Everything was absolutely perfect. When most of the guests had left, we sat on Sharon's couch and tried to take it all in. Showers are kind of crazy things. The love is a little overwhelming. Sharon and Mr. P's mom were up until 4:00 am getting her home ready and making food. There were so many friends and family members that, until Sunday, I had only heard about. Everyone was so generous, both with their lovely gifts and the amount of time they spent traveling. We both felt so blessed!

In Recovery

2008-07-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

I had the craziest weekend, rendering me unable to do anything than surf the web and watch Will and Grace reruns. Its a real condition, I swear.

Mr. Peacock and started the long weekend by moving out of our condo. After days of packing dishes, lamps, books and shoes, I cannot believe that it still took us an entire day just to move out. We have accumulated so much crap in our short lives. I don't understand how it was possible. Unfortunately, our new home won't be ready for a few months so we will be moving in with my parents. This made packing much more complicated as we had to divide our belongings into either "need right now" and "pack away for later" piles. After a quick escape to Jake's families lake house in Michigan for the Fourth of July, we were back home to try and get comfortable in my parent's home before The Saturday of Two Weddings and our bridal shower brunch on Sunday.

Maisy, loving the boat and the sunshine, during our quick getaway.

I have been anxious about The Saturday of Two Weddings for months. My cousin and one of my best friends both picked July 5th as wedding dates. How do I pick between these two? I chose to do both, even though it meant missing the ceremony for one and the reception for the other. Fortunately, they were only 45 minutes apart and I was able to pull it off without a hitch.

My cousin Mikey is only nine months older than me. I think that my mom became pregnant the moment the moment she saw how cute he was. I mean, isn't he?

Mike and Jessica were married at Union Station in Joliet. It was a very neat place with lots of old fashioned train travel ambiance. After enjoying the outdoor ceremony and a quick cocktail, Mr. Peacock and I were out the door and on our way to wedding #2.

I know that I have mentioned the pool group before. I now have a more complete photo of them, although one (I'm looking at you, Stevie) left a little early.

Ging, BO (the groom), me, Kev (Brian's little bro/Best Man), Holden, Saxty, Erin and Crazy Ben.

In true pool group fashion, we closed the place down and then went back to their old neighborhood for more inside jokes and cocktails. Man, I love you guys!

We were up early on Sunday for our bridal shower, hosted by Jake's sister. I will dedicate a post to the shower because everything was really beautiful, but here is a sneak peak.

After the shower, we were back at our old condo to pack up a few more things and to clean. Thank goodness they only requested a broom clean in our contract because I was totally wiped out. I did a quickie job on the floors, countertops and bathrooms and we said goodbye to our old home. We were barely able to make it back to my mom's home before crashing for the night.

I am tired just talking about it. Anyone else have a crazy holiday weekend?

Pole Dancing the Night Away

2008-07-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Pole dancing is hard work. Your arms and legs ache for days. You find bruises in weird parts of your body. And trying to keep your hair out of your lip gloss while spinning around and around is darn near impossible. I can't even imagine doing this on a daily basis, much less in front of a crowd. I developed this new found admiration for exotic dancers a few weeks ago at a friend's bachelorette party.

To celebrate my friend Melissa's last night out as a single gal, her two sisters/co-MOH's booked a private class at Flirty Girl Fitness in Chicago. FGF offers a variety of stripper-in-training classes, as well as party space and a nail salon. We started out the evening with manis and pedis before heading into the pole dancing studio. I would like to give a little review of the place in case anyone else is interested in checking it out, but first, the photos.

The studio. The bride tried to wear her veil throughout the performance, but it inhibited her swing.

I don't normally say things like this, but I was having a good hair day! I really didn't want to get sweaty before heading out to Manor. Hence, I was not able to show off my true skills with a pole. However, I did spin around a few times.

Please excuse the weird look on my face. Apparently looking good while spinning around a pole is also hard work.

Back to the start, ready to try it again!

Gina proves that being a mommy doesn't affect your stripper skills.

Erin prefers to watch with her Chardonnay.

Flirty Girl was a blast. It was pretty hilarious seeing which of my friends could have gone an entirely different way with their careers. The music- and all the fruity drinks from the in-house bar- kept us moving. There were locker rooms so that we could freshen up before heading out for the night. The decor was also very cool and creative. Before I fully recommend them to the Chicago and Toronto bees, however, I thought I would mention a couple of things to consider.

1) It is pricey. Melissa was able to negotiate a bit of a discount, but $50 per person just for the class seemed a little excessive to me- particularly since our group was quite large and there weren't enough poles for everyone. We were asked to share poles, but to be honest that was really difficult. Erin just gave up and stuck to her wine- which made her happy, but she basically wasted the $50.

2) Our instructor was definitely... a professional, however she was not the best teacher. She moved very quickly, frequently using dance terminology. A few of my friends danced in high school and college, so they were able to follow along, but most of us just gave up and stuck to the easy moves. She pretty much ignored anyone who wasn't keeping up.

3) The bar was also expensive and, although we were able to bring in our own food, we could not do so with drinks.

4) You do get sweaty! If you are planning to go out afterward, this is something to consider. The locker room has showers so, if you give yourself enough time, you can clean up before heading out.

My girlfriends always have fun together and this was no exception. The cons weren't enough to spoil our fun. If you are looking for a unique bachelorette experience, I would definitely recommend it!

You're My Best Friend... Maybe

2008-06-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

After tossing around a million ideas for our programs, I have finally decided on a design. They will look like a combo of these:

from the knot

from Martha

from Brides Cafe

My mom and I are using fabric to finish off our invitations (more on those later- they are due to arrive by the end of the week!) and I thought it would be fun to incorporate that theme into our ceremony.

I thought it might be fun to put a love quote on the back of the programs. Mr. Peacock and I don't exactly share a love of books. He is more of an online/magazine article guy with some business text books thrown in for good measure. We do, however love music. We started listing some of our favorite love songs and looking online for their lyrics. Trying to find a romantic set of lyrics was much more difficult than we imagined.

As a place holder, I put this quote from You're My Best Friend by Queen.

You're my sunshine
And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
You're my best friend

It has the perfect combination of being sweet, to the point, could be said by either of us and recognizable. We aren't exactly huge Queen fans, however, so we decided to keep looking. We tried the Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Band and Wilco. Digging through Wilco lyrics was particularly painful because we both love them so much and yet the "love" songs are about break-ups, distance or are just filled with craziness, rendering them inappropriate for our programs. Take, for instance, "I'm the Man who Loves You." This is the song that the lead singer dedicates to his wife at every concert.

All I can see is black and white
And white and pink with blades of blue
That lay between the words I think on a page
I was meaning to send to
You I couldn't tell if it'd bring my heart
The way I wanted when I started
Writing this letter to you
But if I could you know I would
Just hold your hand and you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you

It doesn't leave you with a warm fuzzy, does it? I know it seems like the Beatles should have a good one, but none of them worked as well as that Queen song. In the end, we gave in to Freddie Mercury and he is still sitting on the back page. I would love some recommendations!

The Hostess With The Mostess

2008-06-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Last night, Mrs. Emerald and I went to an event thrown by the fabulous writer of the equally fabulous blog, Hostess with the Mostess. We had a little champagne, tasted a few hors d'ouevers, and gossiped about the other guests and the location. All in all, it was quite a fun evening!

The event was sponsored by Chambord liquor which meant lots of yummy raspberry flavored cocktails. Blue Plate catered and impressed me a bit with their hors d'ouevers and desserts- not the quantity, because we headed straight for dinner afterwards, but the tastes were great. The only thing that was a bit of the bummer was the location. The Ivy Room at Tree Studios has been talked up as this magical new Chicago venue. I was under the impression that it was mostly an outdoor space, but the focus of the venue is the large ballroom overlooking a beautifully landscaped patio. I don't want to say too much, but... meh. Our word for the evening was "vanilla."

Jenn Sbranti, the founder of HWTM, was our hostess and walked us through an easy "Tropical Zen Soiree." Although none of the ideas were earth shattering, she made the the execution seem simple, yet stylish. Everything was quite affordable and do-able, and I was inspired to be a little more theme oriented with my dinner parties. Jenn was great, too! We were able to talk with her for a bit about how she started her business and where she plans to take her site.

Something about the lighting in the room made the pictures awful- anything that was remotely far away come out purely black, even with the flash, and the flash washed out our faces to the point that I didn't want to post these pictures. I am, however, willing to take one for the team in the hopes that the WB readers can imagine me with makeup and blue eyes rather than red.

Me, Jenn Sbranti (THE hostess with the mostess) and Mrs. Emerald pose for a photo.

Unique ways to present your menu

Raspberry sorbet, Chambord and Korbel. Yummers.

Jenn's suggestion of a way to present the appetizers.

The place setting. Check out the little coconut cups- they were our favor for the evening!

A very simple and straight forward centerpiece, although it really glams up the table.

Another easy centerpiece. Jenn made one of these as a demonstration.

Jenn mentioned that her next stop is in NYC shortly after Fashion Week. The focus of the event will be more high fashion cocktails rather than luau. I definitely recommend signing up. It was free, the drinks were yummy and we learned a few easy ways to perk up a dinner party.

Rush Orders

2008-06-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, I woke up yesterday in a cold sweat. My many, many to-do lists were all running through my head. Room layouts, contracts, programs, junior bridesmaid dresses, the list goes on. I grabbed my little black moleskin, the receptacle of all wedding thoughts, and started yet another list. I literally sent 30 emails and made many phone calls to vendors, bridesmaids, Mr. Peacock, my mother, my new DOC (amen!) and my priest. The good news is that I was able to check a few items off of my list. Unfortunately, I am still waiting on responses on most of these emails, including one particular vendor that has been driving me nuts lately.

You know what leads to instant gratification? Shopping. I don't have to wait on anyone to buy something. I was literally in a state of mania, and I should have known better than to pull out my wallet. At least these little babies were on sale!

Pottery Barn White Oversized Shades

There is a beautiful little tree that our guests will pass as they walk from the valet area to cocktails. I am working on a chalkboard sign to place under the tree and I thought it might be fun to hang these in the branches. My mom already bought the little globe lights from PB for another party, so I was able to just buy a few shades. I am not sure how I am going to power the lights quite yet, but even without light these should be pretty adorable! I don't regret the purchase yet, but Pottery Barn, even on sale, is not the most cost effective place to buy something like this. No one tell me where you bought these cheaper, because my crazy wedding brain can't handle it!

I have officially crossed the threshold from calm, cool party planner into wedding maniac. Is anyone else with me?

The Disastrous Downside to Planning Ahead

2008-06-20T07:49:00.001-07:00

I have now had three, potentially four, vendors leave me. Each had their own particular reason- moving back to their hometown for family reasons, changing jobs, the birth of a child- and there are no hard feelings. Life happens and my wedding is certainly not at the top of their list of priorities. But geez... you would think that a 21 month engagement would get me somewhere!

My make-up artist just emailed me to let me know that she is leaving the state. She will not be able to do the make-up for myself and my bridesmaids that morning. This is a little frustrating for me because she is independent and so she can't just assign me a back-up. She did provide a few names for replacements, but there is no guarantee that I will like them as much as I liked her or that they will be as affordable. Its not the end of the world, but it took me awhile to find her (more than a year ago) and now I need to start over, with less than three months to go.

My photographer's wife is due in September. Unless she is delivering on or very close to my wedding day, this shouldn't affect him. I did, however, hire her to take a few photos of the guys getting ready. My photographer has found a back-up for for his wife as she will either be about to burst or still recovering. I just have this weird feeling that I am going to get a phone call that morning, informing me that his little boy had just been born and he will not be able to make it. He was one of the very first vendors that I selected because I loved his work so much and I had to make it happen. It would break my heart if someone else took his place, even if they were an equally talented photographer.

I already whined about my caterer. The meeting went fine, although my contact owes me a few things and a week has gone by without a word. The final vendor to bail was my contact at my venue. Although she left before I had a chance to get too attached, her leaving marked a big change in the management of my venue. Rules changed, prices went up and the customer service fell off. The little extras that my contact had promised were no longer going to happen. It was my fault as I did not get it in writing.

I know everything will be fine. Aside from my make-up artist, I selected these companies based on their excellent reputation. It just seems kinda silly to me that I spent all this time booking vendors more than a year ago, and now I am doing it again.

I just need some good vibes- and recommendations for make-up artists in Chicago, if anyone has one!

My Pet Rooster

2008-06-19T21:31:00.001-07:00

In honor of my little monkey's third birthday, I thought I would formally introduce you all to Margaret Thatcher Peacock, aka Maisy.

She doesn't normally look so introspective.

She has 28 different nicknames- because that's what happens when you have no kids and a dog is the cutest thing in the house- but our favorite is "The Rooster." We call her that because of the hilarious noise that she makes when she wants your attention. It has become a theme in toys and Halloween costumes.

How P.O.'d does she look?! Mwahaha!! I am so evil. Don't worry, it wasn't on for very long.

Neither our church nor our reception site are too keen on dogs as ringbearers, so she will only be at the wedding in spirit. Both Mr. Peacock and I are madly in love with her and we had to find a way to include her in the festivities. I am not ready to reveal our invites quite yet, but lets just say that Maisy made the RSVP card.

Our hotel is pet friendly and we are considering keeping her with us that night. They provide walking services so it would be comparable to boarding, but without my stress over her welfare. She only takes other dogs in small doses. She has been to doggy day care, but when I pick her up she always seems scared and exhausted. I can't imagine having so much fun at the reception while she is hiding in a corner at the pet hotel.

For the dog mommies and daddies out there, what are you planning on doing with your pooch on the wedding night?

The Cupcake Tree

2008-06-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

I was practically begging Erin to give me something to do before her wedding. She finally relented and passed off the stand for her cupcakes. She had ordered a Cupcake Tree and wasn't sure what to do with it. It arrived at her home as a box of white cardboard pieces. If you aren't interested in decorating it, the tree is quite easy to put together. But this tree was going to Erin's wedding, and that white cardboard wasn't cutting it for either of us. She gave me very few instructions. The cupcakes were going to be decorated with primary color flowers made of icing.

I enlisted my mom's help because she is super crafty. We were struggling with the primary colors. We wanted it to be fun and whimsical to match the cupcakes, but we didn't want it to be childish. It was a very fine line! We decided to make it look like grass so that the cupcakes seemed to be growing out of the stand. We came up with a million different ways to do it, but our favorite method became covering the levels with green plastic tablecloths and then hot gluing pieces of paper grass to the edges.

We bought the grass at Michael's in their scrapbooking section. As much as I love paper, I really dislike scrapbooking and I get really uncomfortable in that section. After several trips to specialty scrapbooking shops and every Michael's within a 30 mile radius of my mom's house, I got over it. We weren't sure what to do to make the grass 3D, and this was the perfect solution.

As you may have noticed, we added a few little critters to the grass.

Erin's reception was at a gorgeous Arboretum in the Chicago burbs. They were doing a huge exhibit on bugs (including some ENORMOUS metal and wood scupltures of ants and a praying mantis!) so we thought this would be the perfect detail. Although we had many different little bugs, I overdid the ladybugs for good luck!

Here is our pride and joy in action. I love how she looked with all the cupcakes!

Those little cakes were AMAZING! After several painful (ha!) trips to bakers, Erin and Jeff found their favorites at Sensational Bites. My family brought home as many leftovers as we could because they were so yummy.

Has anyone else bought a Cupcake Tree? I would love to see yours decorated!

Margaritas and Mexican, My Favorites!, Part II

2008-06-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Mr. Peacock and I are still buzzing from our Mexican themed shower last weekend. The sun was out, we were surrounded by friends and family and all the party details were absolutely perfect. Even the guys had a good time- at a bridal shower!

How cute is that little tent? I love the party lights. Although the weather was perfect, the tent really helped set the mood.

Mr. P's brother-in-law Marc stocks the bar. The beer selection was killer. Marc drove into one of Chicago's many wonderful Hispanic neighborhoods to get some specialty beers (other than Corona!). My favorite was Tona from Nicaragua. I also made up a few pitchers of margaritas- which were pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.

Mr. P and the youngest of his older sisters, Vicki. She was the brains behind the shindig.

We catch up with Mr. Peacock's side of the bridal party. How cute are those centerpieces? Each table had a different flower and a different citrus fruit.

There were also framed photos of Mr. Peacock and me throughout the years. Vicki also made bright table runners to add more bright color to the tent. This photo is of one of Jake's groomsmen/lifelong friend with his beautiful wife. She is due in SIX WEEKS! Can you believe it?

The favors! Everyone was invited to take home a little potted herb that works well with Mexican dishes. We lucked out with some cilantro, jalapeno pepper and thyme. It was such a cute idea and the guests loved it. Vicki also had a little guest book for us. She is handing it off to another of Jake's sisters for our next shower. We decided that we wanted to wait and read all the notes before the rehearsal dinner.

One of the most memorable aspects of the shower was taking a walk down her street... to our new house! I will write another post about this, but Mr. Peacock and I are officially in escrow. We bought an adorable bungalow down the street from Vicki and Marc It is going to need some lovin' before we move in, but we couldn't be happier. It was so fun to show it off in its "before" stage to all of our favorite people.

Thank you to Vicki and Marc, as well as Mr. Peacock's mom who played a major behind the scenes role, for throwing us such a wonderful party!

Erin and Jeff, The Finale

2008-06-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

I know that I have been talking a lot about Erin's wedding, almost as if it were my own. I can't help it! I am so excited for them. We spent almost two years planning together. It was so exciting to see all the details that we had spent hours discussing come together. And now, the grand finale... the pro pics.

Erin and I share many things. Chatty mothers named Diane (although mine is a Dianne). A love for a day in the sun with a margarita. Catholicism. Our hair dresser. The occasional "going out" top. The list goes on, but lately we have shared one very important thing- our photographer. Dean Thorsen has impressed us more and more with every wedding, and he totally blew me away with these beauties.

The Belden Stratford in Lincoln Park. It was pretty and comfortable, but the customer service was severely lacking.

Kelly, Erin's sister and MOH, helps with her earrings

Yup, I'm a bride!
Aren't her eyes amazing?!

They had just seen each other for the first time. Jeff can't keep his hands off her!

Erin LOVED her Kate Spade shoes
The wind calms down for a quick shot with the bridesmaids

OMG! We're freaking married!

Erin's dad welcomes the crowd. Per usual, he was goofy, loving and thoughtful all at the same time.

Kelly toasts the happy couple. Erin is trying to keep herself from making the ugly cry face.

Me and Mr. Peacock. I am singing "At Last" to him... poorly.

Dean did such a great job capturing their personalities. That picture of them walking down the aisle after saying their vows is absolutely perfect. I hope you enjoyed their love story as much as I did!

I Have Issues with Food

2008-06-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

We picked our caterer very carefully. It is, by far, our biggest expense. There are quite a few good caterers in Chicago, each with a unique perspective on cooking and serving. After emailing the ten caterer's on my venue's preferred caterer list, we requested sample proposals from the six that responded. We read through all of their materials and menus and considered the customer service that we had received thus far. We narrowed the list down to two.

Both were large catering companies, well known in Chicago, with very experienced head chefs. One of my bridesmaids worked for Company A at the time, although she was in their marketing department and we were assigned a different sales person. Company B's sales person blew me away with her customer service and their take on fresh, local products really impressed me and Mr. Peacock. They also have an "assistant" who is, basically, at my beck and call that evening- setting up place cards, making sure that Mr. P and I have drinks and appetizers and packing up our gifts at the end of the night. Sweet, right?

My first tasting was with Company B. Mr. Peacock was not able to come with me, so I dragged my BFF Erin along and we took notes. There were a few misses, but most of the food was really amazing. We were able to pack up and take home the leftovers, which Mr. P devoured right when he walked in the door. The food was cold and anything that was originally crunchy was no longer, but he still loved it. Company A's tasting was nothing compared to Company B. They tried to pass off a mini quiche was a deep dish pizza (Come on! We live in Chicago!) and they didn't take any of our suggestions into consideration when preparing the tasting menu. The customer service was also sub par. In fact, I still haven't heard from them since the tasting a year and a half ago.

I happily called Company B to let them know of my decision. Since then, I have had quite a few wonderful conversations with my sales person. She was always prompt, emailing me back within 10 minutes of sending it, even on Sundays! Her knowledge of the business was incredible. Then, I got the email of doom #1- she was leaving Company B to become a hot shot at another big catering company. I was honestly heartbroken. I set up one last meeting with her and her "replacement" (I will call her Sally) so that I could feel confident in their services again. The meeting went well and I walked away assured. Until email of doom #2 arrived from Sally, introducing me to the true replacement, "Nancy". Apparently Sally was simply filling in in the interim. I could either decide to stay with her or work with Nancy. I left the topic alone for awhile to think about it. I was confused, and very unhappy with how they had handled the situation. I was set to meet with Sally again at the rental company's warehouse to select my chairs, tables, dishes, etc. in a few weeks and I would make a decision after that meeting.

Sally didn't show up at the warehouse. In response to an email that I had sent her the night before, she called me that morning to let me know that she wasn't aware of the meeting (although we had discussed it at our first meeting) and that she didn't need to be with me. She felt that my mom and I could handle it without her. She was wrong. The warehouse visit went poorly because their salespeople weren't sure what Company B would need to prepare the food, serve the coffee and create the bar. I wasn't able to place my order and I walked away crabby.

I have my first meeting with Nancy this afternoon. I am already frustrated with them. I am very concerned because this is my biggest bill and the vendor that I will have the most contact with leading up to the wedding day. I chose Company B because the food was good, but truly it was for the customer service. I hadn't been planning on hiring a Day of Coordinator, but these experiences (along with conversations that I have had with other Company B brides and coordinators) have caused me to rethink that move. The wedding is in less than three months. It has been smooth sailing until this point, and now I am starting to worry.

Has anyone else had a big vendor flake out on them so close to the wedding day?

My Pseudo Hair Trial

2008-06-10T05:42:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved the way that Livia Caporale styled my hair for Erin's wedding.

Sarah, me, Kelly, and my sister/Maid of Honor Elise

I loved the style and the way it framed my face, without being in my face. I loved the products that she used. And I absolutely loved that it still looked pretty darn good 13 hours later, after crazy winds (there were tornado warnings), high humidity, 90 degree heat and lots of hugs. The wind was the most important factor in a potentially ruined style because we walked around Lincoln Park for almost two hours taking pictures. Yet, here are some photos that Mr. Peacock took for me when we got home at 1:00 am.

Check out those lashes! I need to get those permanently implanted.

I can see my make-up giving up here, but not my hair! ;)

It's not as perfect as it was at 10:00 that morning, but I think it still looks good! I am definitely bringing these with me to my hair trial. I am not using Livia for my wedding because I have a major crush on my stylist and I want her to do it, but I wanted to share her contact info with the Chicago brides in case any of you are looking for an excellent stylist for your wedding. She will travel to you, which is a major perk! Livia Caporale- 773-386-2699

My Best Friend's Wedding

2008-06-09T07:41:00.001-07:00

I have a few photos from Erin's wedding! Everything was so beautiful. Of course, there were a few snags, but in the end everything was perfect.

Erin and her bridesmaids spent the night before the wedding at a hotel in Lincoln Park. I loved that! We were up late with girl talk and then up early watching the Weather Channel together. We were also ready to go when the hair and make-up team arrived at 9:00 am.

Doesn't she look so happy and excited? It really was her day.

Bridesmaid Sarah and me. We were happy to break out our tank tops again.

The gorgeous all-peony bridesmaids bouquets. I had my nose in them alll day, they smelled so good!

The bride's bouquet. Such a pretty collection of flowers!

The bride had been anxiously checking the weather all week and we had been expecting thunderstorms throughout the day. After a few coats of waterproof make-up and lotsa hairspray, we were prepared for anything. Fortunately, there was only a quick shower right before we headed out for photos and then the sun was shining. The wind was definitely blowing, too.

The bride and groom :)
I loved our dresses! They were from Simple Silhouettes. The pear color looked beautiful with the pink peonies.

The ceremony was beautiful! The waterworks were definitely on. I can't believe she is leaving me for Cincinnati!

Most of my reception photos are of our friends and family, so I will hold off on the flower and decor photos until the pro pics come out. I do love this picture of the Maid of Honor, Erin's little sister Kelly, giving her speech. She is so cute and funny, and you can really tell how much Erin was enjoying it!

There were a few problems, but Erin's DOC- Amy Vaught from Vaught Events- was all over it. Traffic from the photo location to the church was horrible. When we arrived ten minutes before the ceremony, the contact was all over us for being late. "The Father will not wait for you!!!" The DOC quietly escorted her from the bridal room, allowing us a few moments to freshen up and giving Erin a chance to breathe. The ceremony went off without a hitch, but we were greeted with problems at the reception venue. The security guard was waiting at the door to let Erin know that the electricity had been out for the past few hours due to the high winds and he wasn't sure when it would turn back on. The AC was out and the 90 degree temps were heating up the room. We also weren't sure what we would do once the sun went down. The tables hadn't been set up the way Erin had asked and people were filling the room that had been set for dinner. Erin wanted a big reveal, so she was freaking out. Amy was on the scene again, leading Erin away from the security guard to a small conference room with a glass of wine. She then rounded up all the candles she could get her hands on and started peppering the room with light. Fortunately, the power came back about 10 minutes before dinner and saved us from the sweat bath. Everything was forgotten once the music started. I had Amy's card in my hot little hands before the night was over. Erin said it was some of the best money she had spent, and I agree with her!

It was such a wonderful day. It got Mr. Peacock and me so excited for our wedding, we couldn't stop talking about it all weekend. I can only hope that we look as happy on our day as Erin and Jeff did. Congratulations, you two!

Erin's Big Weekend

2008-06-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

My best friend Erin is getting married this weekend. I cannot believe it! She and her high school sweetheart (sorry Erin!) got engaged a few months before Mr. Peacock and I. We both decided on long engagements, so we have spent the last year or more planning together. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it has been. I feel so lucky that we got to experience this crazy time together, particularly since she and her husband (yay!) are moving to Cincinnati right when they get back from their honeymoon.

Photo from Thorsen Photography

Erin and I met when we were in second grade. She was a transfer student into our small Catholic school and due to the magic of alphabetical order, we sat next to each other. We were thick as thieves that year. We organized an "act" for the talent show, which solely consisted of us skating around in circles in the gym to Hangin' Tough, doing random motions with our arms. We also participated in the school's fashion show. A few weeks before the big show, we decided that since we were going to be models we needed to go on a diet. We would only drink Diet Cokes. Yup, thats what Barbie does to second graders!

From our little school to high school to a few years in college and then roommates in Chicago, Erin and I remained best friends. She was even working with me at my first job when I met Mr. Peacock. There were a few years in junior high when things got a little dicey, but our friendship was saved by a dumpy little pool in her neighborhood. As soon as we were old enough, we started working in the office, then lifegaurding and finally coaching the swim team. We had a small, rediculously close group of friends throughout those summers (the Pool Group- creative, I know) and they are some of the best friends I have ever had. There were four guys, four girls, lots of trouble and more inside jokes than most people could handle. I really give credit to our significant others because I know it can be really annoying to hang out with us.

Most of the Pool Group! Saxty, me, BO (getting married in July), Erin and Stevie.

Me and the Bride!

Erin, I love you too much and I am so excited for this weekend!

To the rest of you, I will be back with pictures on Monday!

Bachelorettes in Lake Geneva: The Details

2008-05-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome time at Erin's bachelorette party last weekend. I thought I would share some of the details in case anyone might be interested in a girls weekend in Lake Geneva.

We stayed at The Cove of Lake Geneva. The rooms are large with full kitchens and a family room, which meant that we only needed 2 rooms for the twelve of us. It was absolutely perfect for our group. We could make sandwiches, margaritas and "specialty" shape cupcakes as well as host a personal shower for 12 women without having to leave the hotel.

The view of the Lake from right outside the Cove. Ahh... we got so lucky with the weather!

Friday: I drove up to Lake Geneva We spent Friday night in the room, eating yummy pizza and drinking wine. There was plenty of gossip and relaxing. Quite a few of us are engaged or recently married, so there was also lots of wedding talk. We went crazy on Saturday, so the rest and relaxation was a smart move.

Saturday: We started the day with a boat ride around the Lake. We used Marina Bay Boat Rentals to reserve a pontoon boat and driver. The boat was the perfect size and our driver kept us entertained. We were able to bring a few coolers on board, so we had lunch and drinks on the boat. Our driver pulled over for a quick drink at Chucks- I recommend the Sweet Tart- and a few potty breaks.

The girls!

The cruise director/maid of honor/bride's sister and the bride

After disco naps and a lovely personal shower, we headed out for the night. We surprised Erin with our matching tanks and the goody bags. I forgot how much fun it can be to go out in public with matching shirts on. We started with dinner at Popeyes. This place is pretty famous around town and it was very accommodating for our large group. The food was decent (stick with the burgers), the strawberry margaritas were excellent and our server was very friendly.

Yes, we are all models. Why do you ask?

Check out those margaritas!

After dinner, we headed to Hogs and Kisses. It was perfect! There were actually a few other bachelorette parties that night and they were all at Hogs and Kisses. They were welcoming to our outfits and "special" straws and they played great dancing music. Reps from Summer Shandy were also handing out visors, t-shirts and little rubber lemons. Chaos ensued.

Yup, I think that's the only picture I can post on here. We also went to a dive bar called Fat Cat's that definitely does not have a website. I have been spoiled in Chicago with the smoke free bars and the air was so thick in that place. It was full of townies and really, really drunk guys due to the really, really strong drinks. After a few rounds of Family Guy pinball, we were out of there and back to Hogs and Kisses to end the night.

Sunday: After a bit of sleeping in, we were off to brunch at Scuttlebutts. I don't want to say too much, but the view was the best part of breakfast and our attempt at an early start was derailed.

We all had a great time and I would recommend it to anyone in the area looking for a quick getaway. Let me know if you have any questions about the town. If I can't answer it, I bet Sundae can :)

Thanks to Shelly (a fellow September bride) for most of the photos!

Our Minimoon in the Dells

2008-05-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

I realized today that I started the honeymoon conversation a long time ago, but I never let you all know where we were going. It turns out that Marriott stopped allowing you to use points to make your trip all-inclusive this year (boo) so we gave up on that idea. We still aren't able to go on a long trip in September. Now, our plans call for a quickie honeymoon right after the wedding and a full honeymoon in late December/early January.

After talking it over with our married friends, we realized that we wanted a little getaway right after the wedding. Everyone mentioned how exhausted they were for the first few days of their marriage. Mr. Peacock had heard great things about a small spa in Wisconsin, right outside of the Dells, and set to work convincing me that it was the place to go. The spa sounded wonderful, but a honeymoon in the Wisconsin Dells did not. I went to the Dells with my family when I was 8 for the Tommy Bartlett Air and Water Show. There was a squirrel on water skis. We road the Ducks. It was a wonderful family vacation, but romantic getaway? No.

Then I saw pictures of Sundara, and I changed my mind.

Doesn't look relaxing? We are going during the off-season and during the week, so we even got a bit of a deal on it!

Anyone else planning a mini getaway before or instead of a long honeymoon?

Margaritas and Mexican, My Favorites!

2008-05-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mr. Peacock's sister is throwing us a co-ed shower in June and I am so excited! The invites arrived last week and they could not be cuter :) I love the Mexican theme.

His sister and her husband like to order their Mexican from a little restaurant down the street from them. Its really, really good. Hopefully the margaritas will be, too. I'm making them! I'll tack my recipe onto the end of this post.

I also wanted to share how they worded the "instructions" for the gifts. We wanted to make it guy friendly and allow people to buy off the registry. I thought that she did a great job!

Here is my super simple but crazy yummy margarita recipe. Enjoy :)

1 can limeade
1 can tequila
1/2 can triple sec
1 tbsp. powdered sugar

Mix in the blender. The remaining mix works well on the rocks. For frozen margs, pour half into tupperware and save for later. Mix the remaining half with a full blender of ice. Enjoy!

Goodies for the Bachelorette

2008-05-27T13:00:00.001-07:00

My bestest friend in the whole world (beside Mr. Peacock, of course) is getting married in June. She requested a girls weekend in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin- Miss Sundae's wedding locale- for her bachelorette party and we couldn't have been more happy to comply. Lake Geneva is an extremely cute little lakeside town just a few hours from Chicago. The big party was this past weekend and we had an amazing time. Once everyone shares their pictures with me, I will write a bigger post with all the details. Everything turned out perfectly and no one wanted to leave on Sunday morning!

My friend did not want anything crazy or any of the typical, kinda tacky but fun antics during the weekend. She did not want a veil covered in condoms or plastic models of the male anatomy. She did not want strippers or embarassing party games. She and I are on the same page there, so it was easy to agree. We wanted to make it special and different from just any other girls weekend, so we threw in a few surprises.

First off, the goody bags.

They were filled with candy, girly spa stuff, plastic accessories and lip smakers (the bride and I LOVED these in grade school). We even found little packs of "special candy" at Lover's Lane on the way up to Wisconsin. Hers had a few extra goodies, including a little crown, a flashing shot glass, a big button with "I'm the Bride" on it and a pretty tame deck of truth or dare cards. I made the little stickers with my favorite new find- full sheet labels- and a big circle punch. I heat embossed the little engagement ring stamp with gold embossing powder.

We also made matching tank tops. The bride is notorious for her love of pink, so my trip to Old Navy was pretty. I designed an image for an iron-on transfer and made them at home. It was surprisingly easy and I was really happy with how they turned out.

The Lace on the Cake

2008-05-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

I know I have posted about it before, but this is the cake that I want.

When I met with my baker, they had no concerns about getting this done. She felt confident that she could do the lacework by hand. I left the meeting feeling equally confident, although I couldn't stop thinking about it during the ride home. My baker is an old-school Italian baker. Although they have done some amazing work in the past, I was a little worried about all the detail on that lace. I started researching lace cake molds online and found quite a few sources. I kept matching the little lace images to that Martha Stewart cake until I finally found a match at Decorate the Cake.

Doesn't that look just like the bottom layer? I am so thrilled. I still can't find the other layers, but I might buy one more simple one and just use those two. It will still give the same effect, and at $50 a pop I can't afford to keep shopping. The mold just came in and it is really neat. I am afraid to play with it, but I keep getting an urge to make lace pudding or jello to test it out. I locked it away at my mom's house so that I couldn't act on my crazy ideas.

My only reservation is that I haven't told my baker yet. I am a little worried about offending her or coming off as a crazy bridezilla. I am going to think long and hard on how to introduce the idea, but there may not be a totally tactful way. How do you all think she will take it?

Thumbs Up: Crest Whitestrips Daily Multicare

2008-05-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

I don't normally do product reviews because I feel like mine always sound like cheesy advertising. I have, however, been bragging about Crest Multicare Whitestrips to anyone who would listen so I thought I would share the love with you all.

I have really sensitive teeth. I had my teeth professionally whitened in college and I was so unhappy. My mouth hurt for months and I had to make weekly trips to my dentist so that he could rate the whiteness of my teeth and send me home with a stronger (ouch) bleach. I've tried several at-home whitening strips for upkeep since then and they all left me in pain. A cold wind would blow and my teeth would tingle. Until recently, I had blamed the treatments rather than my teeth and just laid off. Now I am on a solid sensitive toothpaste regime and I am no longer scared of cold water. But, I had still been afraid of the bleach.

With the wedding quickly approaching, I started thinking again about whitening my teeth. I love coffee so I needed a little something to brighten things up. The Crest strips have been just what I needed. I only have to leave them on for five minutes in the morning- showering, blow drying my hair, checking my email- which makes them wonderfully convenient. The Premium version may be a quicker fix, but for a girl with sensitive teeth, faster isn't always better. A few weeks after starting the treatments, my teeth were clearly whiter and pain free.

I just wanted to share in case anyone else had been scared off of the strips. It might be the sensitive toothpaste + weaker strips, but I am very happy with the results!

Bathroom Burglers

2008-05-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

My mom and I had an amazing meeting with my florist, Viv at Petal Play Designs, yesterday. I came equipped with my laptop so that I could show her all the photos that I have been collecting, as well as my room layout from Perfect Table Plan. We walked through our plans for the day and listed all the items that we will need to set every table. Viv is very conscious of my budget and so, to help offset some costs, I walked out of there with a long list of things to buy and to do. I am so excited that I can actually start moving on some of these things!

The three of us talked for a long time about bathroom baskets. My reception venue is owned by the Lincoln Park Zoo and the bathrooms have a bit of a public outdoor restroom feel to them. They have tried really hard to use nice finishes, but you can't avoid the floor to ceiling tile. My mom has taken on the task of warming them up with candles and little floral arrangements as well as amenity baskets. Viv agreed to supply the decor and to help my mom collect any extra amenities at the end of the evening. Thats when she laid the bad news on us.

A friend from high school also got married at Cafe Brauer and used my florist. She borrowed some fancy basket from her mom and purchased soap and lotions from Anthroplogie to dress up the restrooms. When Viv went back to collect her items at the end of the night, everything was gone- as in the ENTIRE basket, all of her toiletries and the little vases that she had purchased for arrangements. I had assumed that the mouthwash and tampons would be gone, but I never thought that someone would take the container! Viv was under the impression that the catering staff had cleaned her out, but she wasn't positive. She stressed that we shouldn't put anything in the bathroom that is valuable. We hadn't had anything in mind, but it really bugged me that I would have to worry about that.

I saw Miss Sundae's cute baskets and I thought I would just throw this out there as a word of caution. For my venue, I have to rent everything and so I open myself up to theft quite a bit more than someone using a hotel or banquet hall. I am a little more worried about my guests not being able to use my mom's carefully planned baskets because they are MISSING! Any words of advice or horror stories to share?

Mission: Calligraphy

2008-05-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have always had a fascination with nice handwriting. I think it began in third grade when I saw my friend Melissa dot the "i" in her name with a little heart. Fortunately for me, there is also an "i" in my name. This led to good grades in handwriting- until I decided to write my name in entirely lowercase letters because I thought it looked better. I often scrap a complete thank you note because I realized that the text had a slight slope. I will spend long periods of time playing with the pens at the Paper Source, trying to find the best tip. This obsession has created a nagging voice in the back of my head, begging me to learn calligraphy before the wedding. So, I bought a book and pens and here I go!

I bought the Complete Idiots Guide to Calligraphy.

I need to do a little more reading and a little less cheating by going to the pictures of the letters and the little arrows rather than learning the technique. I was going to post pictures but I would rather hold off until I am a little more confidant. A class may have been a better route. Has anyone had any luck with this book or one like it?

Fun Things to Do in the Shower

2008-05-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

Mr. Peacock's sister/my bridesmaid kindly offered to throw us a wedding shower. She wanted it to be unique and casual, since we will still be having two typical, ladies only showers. It was decided that both boys and girls would be invited, the gifts would have a theme which lent itself to less expensive or off the registry gifts and Mexican food and margaritas would be served. After throwing around a few great ideas, his sister settled on "entertainment." I love it because people could bring a bottle of wine, a board game or a movie. They could also bring our blender or wine glasses if they wanted to go the more traditional route. The goal was to come up with an idea that would appeal to both guys and girls and to keep the gifts on the less expensive side. I thought that some of the other ideas we came up with might be helpful, so I am going to share.

Stock the Bar: Guests bring things to stock your bar. Bottles of wine or beer, martini shakers or a personalized pub sign would be an appropriate gift. Opening and making use of the gifts at the shower is an option. :)

Garden Party: Gifts could include anything to get your patio or garden going- BBQ tools, coolers, shovels and potted plants. You could throw this shower in the couple's yard and actually get down in the dirt.

Gearing the Garage: Tools, storage containers and other handyman goods. It wasn't the right party for us, but it may be for the more handy bride and groom.

Holidays: Guests are assigned a holiday and asked to bring a corresponding gift. Some holidays are a little easier than others, and the more couples that you invite the further you have to reach for the holiday. Memorial Day may be more obvious than President's Day, for example, and I worry about the guy that gets Valentine's Day. Hilarity would ensue.

The Unwrapped Shower: Guests bring their gifts unwrapped, and hand them to the couple as they walk in. This simply cuts out the long process of opening gifts, worrying about breaking the ribbon and doing a Vanna White around the room. It still allows for surprise and a nice, personal thank you.

Have any of you done a less traditional shower? Want to share your ideas?

Bowling Anyone?

2008-05-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

Speaking of our rehearsal dinner, I am totally excited about our location. Mr. Peacock and I had wanted to do pizza and beer. We were having a hard time finding a place with a room large enough to accommodate our group- and where we loved the pizza. We are pizza snobs. We are from Chicago, its in our genes.

After organizing a fundraiser for work at Southport Lanes in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood, we changed our minds on the pizza idea. It is a little bar and restaurant which also has a private room with four small bowling lanes. It is totally old school with human pin setters. The pin setters love tips and they will either help or hurt your game based on the quality of your tipping (or if they think you are cute). These guys are hilarious. My stomach hurt from laughing and I had mascara running down my face. It is also in a great part of town that tourists don't normally get to see. Southport Avenue, between Belmont and Addison, is home to an awesome little strip of shops, restaurants and my favorite nail salon.

The food and the atmosphere are totally casual. The staff is also willing to accomodate our requests for a slideshow and a microphone for speeches. Its vintage look will also play well into our theme. I can't wait to have all that quality time with my family before the wedding. My only fear is that I will be up all night laughing and won't be able to fall asleep!

The lanes!

Who's the Running Mate?

2008-05-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, Mr. Peacock and I sit on opposite sides of the political spectrum. We are both very interested in politics (we met working for a politician) and with the current never-ending election cycle, we have had a lot to talk about. Since our wedding falls just a few months before the election, we couldn't help but include something political in the wedding festivities. Mr. Peacock has happily taken control of the rehearsal dinner and is looking forward to giving it an election theme. The only input I gave is that I would love for it to be vintage- i.e. Kennedy v. Nixon, not Bush v. Gore- and that we be on the same ticket. Elephants and donkeys, working together. Done and done.

Mr. Peacock is a little protective over his ideas, so I can't give too many details, but I promise to share photos later! Here are a few hints as to what we are planning...

from here

campaign hat
swag

Its totally silly, but I think it will be fun. Our location is definitely casual, so this should complement it well and really get the weekend off to the right start.

Am I the only crazy one overthinking the rehearsal dinner?

The Long and the Short of It, Part II

2008-05-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to know if my room would fit those long tables and if it would look strange. Like a few other bees, I am using the Perfect Table Plan software to assign seats and lay out the room for the reception. I really love playing with it. I already uploaded all of my guests (no, the invitations haven't gone out yet. Why do you ask?) and have assigned their seats. The software enables you to make connections between people which will help you assign their seat- do you want them to sit right next to each other? At the same table? As far apart from each other as humanly possible? Are they a VIP? You can lock people in at particular tables. If you spend enough time on that, you can just hit "Auto Assign" and the program will seat everyone for you. It is way more fun than it sounds.

Although I can't figure out how to create my strange, octagonally shaped room, I can still estimate its size. I cut out space for the dance floor, added the bars, the band and enough rectangular tables to seat roughly 200 people. Here is what it looks like. The left and right sides do not represent walls, so it isn't as cramped as it appears.

What do you think?

The Long and the Short of It

2008-05-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

I really want to do long dining tables at my reception. I love the idea of everyone sitting around like a big family rather than sectioned off in my pre-determined groups. People usually prefer round tables because then you can easily look at everyone at your table and they say that makes conversation easier. It might just be me, but I can never hear the people sitting directly across from me, and I usually end up talking to the people on either side of me. It might be a bit better with a rectangular table.

I also like that I could do a variety of smaller arrangements rather than one large one at each table.

from Oh, How Charming! via Bridal Bar Blog

from Robert Evans Studio, via Bridal Bar Blog

from Lisa Lefkowitz

A few logistical concerns...
1) Is it harder to find your seat when there are only 10 tables? I just keep picturing the little dance that we do when we are trying to decide where to sit.

2) My room has an odd, octagonal shape. I'm not sure how to arrange them in the room so that it doesn't look and feel awkward.

3) Will this make finding linens more difficult?

4) I have never actually been to a wedding where this was done, so I could be full of bologna.

I am scheduled to go order my linens in a few weeks, so I need to figure it out before then. Has anyone considered this option?

Wedding Shopping on the Road

2008-05-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

I just finished finals, and boy is my brain tired. I think I used it all up studying. I had plans to check some wedding items off of my list, but I just couldn't make it happen. I was going to get back on track this week, but then Mr. Peacock decided to go to a conference in LA and drag me along with him. Its hard work being his fiance.

Mr. Peacock travels frequently for work and sometimes I get to tag along. I usually end up with a lot of time on my own while he meets with clients or attends meetings. New York was quite good to me for wedding shopping, as was San Francisco. I tried to do a little while we were in Austin, but South by Southwest was way too much fun for shopping. I am so excited to have a little time to wander around Los Angeles. I have always loved it there.

The chief item on my list is shoes. I totally splurged on these and then regretted it- both for the cost and the color. They were gorgeous and very comfortable, but more brown rather than the bronze color that I was hoping to find.

Back to the store they go! :( But, this means I get to go shoe shopping! :)

I am also looking for some undergarments that will work well with my dress. I want something kind of fun, but comfortable and well-made.

Any LA bees with suggestions for shoe and undie shopping? I would also appreciate any great accessory shops or restaurants. We are staying close to Santa Monica, but I will have a rental car.

What To Do... The Reception Card

2008-04-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

I might be alone here, but creating my invitations has definitely been my favorite part of planning. I love paper and I love beautiful design. Receiving wedding invites in the mail is one of my all time favorite things. I had considered designing them myself, but after a few test runs with engagement party invites and save the dates, I wisely chose the supremely talented Margot of Atelier Isabey to design them for me. Due to our long engagement, I had to put it off for sooooo long. I could not wait to get started.

I am in the middle of round two of revisions. Can I just tell you how exciting it is to see Margot's email and know that there is a magical little PDF just waiting to be opened? I can't really show you what we are working on, but here is my primary inspiration from her samples.

The first invitation that she created for me had all of the details for both the ceremony and the reception on one card. I liked this because it didn't need to buy a "reception card," which seemed a little unnecessary anyway because we aren't inviting anyone to the ceremony but not the reception.

However, the more that I looked at the card, the more I thought, "Gee, thats a lot of text!" The font was also a little on the small side and making it bigger might make the font even more overwhelming. The problem is that we are already over budget and, although the cards are affordable, its just another thing putting us in the red.

I need help! What would you do?

I'm a Sucker

2008-04-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

I bought my rehearsal dinner dress yesterday. Until hitting "add to cart," I hadn't really thought about what I would wear to that particular event. After we booked the location a year ago, I kinda stopped thinking about the rehearsal dinner altogether.

Then I saw a cute white dress on one of the one million wedding blogs that I read and I started thinking that it might be fun to wear white for the RD. I headed over the Anthropologie, which is my go-to place for... almost anything, and the first white dress that I saw was this one.

The fabric looks so nice and light. I love all the little details, it's white and they had it in my size. What really inspired me to hit "add to cart," however, was the name of the dress- La Jolla. La Jolla, California is where Mr. Peacock proposed. I have been known to impulse buy things based on their name and it has usually served me well. I have purchased shoes (awesome vintage black and white polka dot peep toes), lipstick and a pricey handbag all because we shared a first name. I had been pretty good about laying off the impulse buys thus far for wedding purchases, but I'm a sucker for a good name.

Anyone else been guilty of the wedding impulse buy?

Visiting The Mothership

2008-04-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

My mom is a crazy cupcake baker. She makes them whenever she has an excuse and they are always absolutely delicious. When this little gem popped up in my google reader right before Easter, I knew we had to make them.

The only problem was that we needed fondant to make those little ears and neither of us had used it before. I knew that you could buy it buy the box rather than make it yourself, but that was the end of my knowledge. We found that Wilton sold it online, but where to buy it in the store? Oh wait, the Wilton headquarters and company store just are minutes from my parent's house! Neither of us had ever been, so this seemed like a great excuse.

Behold what greeted us when we arrived:

Pans!

Icing! Sprinkles! Dye for fondant!

Cake tiers and stands!

Tschotskies!

We had such a good time. These pictures do not do the store justice. Baking supplies were EVERYWHERE. The trip almost- almost- got me thinking that I could make my own wedding cake. Then I remembered the super deal that I got on my cake and that my sanity was worth the extra money.

Just in case you were wondering, here are our little cupcakes!

Oh Boy, It's Really Happening!

2008-04-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Our Save the Dates are in the mail! Its really official. Mr. Peacock and I are getting married. This proves it:

The flash is broken on our camera so these pictures aren't the best :( The color of the envelopes is closer to the color in the first picture than the latter. We worked so hard on the design of those silly cards, I am so darn proud of them.

The only downside is that we left our last name off of them. Initially, these were only going to some very close friends and family rather than to the entire guest list and we liked the design better without the last names. Then our parents weighed in on this decision and the list grew and grew. Most of our list won't notice, but we are worried about a few great aunts and uncles. They may know me as one of "Dianne's kids" rather than by my actual first name. These people are also unlikely to do further investigating on our website to find out exactly who is sending them mail. However, since they were already printed and about to be stuffed, I pretended like it didn't bother me.

That's me, Miss Peacock, spreading confusion through the Chicago suburbs.

Anyone else have an "oops!" moment with their printed stuff?

150 Days

2008-04-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

There are 150 days left until our wedding. 150 days left to the wedding. 150 days left to the wedding. I will be silently chanting that all day long.

Mr. Peacock and I have been engaged since December of 2006. At the time, we had quite a few question marks looming. Both Mr. Peacock and I were thinking about going back to school. Rumors were flying around his office that his company was going to be acquired. If the acquisition happened, there was a good chance that we would be packing up and moving to either Manhattan or California. Otherwise, we wanted to put our house on the market and move closer to downtown. It was all a little too exciting. I got nervous and put shoved the wedding date into 2008, under the impression that I would appreciate the extra time to plan. My best friend is getting married in June, 2008 and since we would be in each other's bridal parties, it might be best to space them out a bit. The date was set for September 2008.

Mr. Peacock in me in our silly, just engaged bliss

At first it was fun. I had my pick of the vendors which helped since both my church and reception sites are very popular places. I had a few vendors tell me that it was too early and they weren't interested in talking to me yet, which wasn't as much fun, but it made it easier to weed out my growing list of options. My list of DIY plans also kept growing, since I had almost two years to get it done. We were getting toasts and congratulations left and right. I couldn't tell our engagement story enough. Being engaged was so exciting for those first few months. Then it really started to drag.

Friends and friends of friends also started getting engaged and choosing dates well before ours. Then they started getting married before us. One friend just got engaged in March and is planning a May wedding. She didn't need 22 months to plan, only 6 weeks. I wasn't expecting it, but I was insanely jealous. I just wanted to be married. I have never liked the word "fiance" and around the one year engagement mark I really started to hate it. It just seemed silly to use it at that point. Every time the sun came out on a Saturday I would kick myself for not picking that day. Then I just started kicking myself EVERY Saturday. Who cares if there was a snow storm? I would be MARRIED! I didn't, and I really still don't, get what's so great about being engaged. I just want to be Mrs. Peacock, darn it!

But, as I got closer to the 150 day mark, things started to look up. My mom and Mr. Peacock's mom started asking about shower dates. I set the date for my alterations. The bridesmaid's dresses were ordered. My shoes were purchased (yay!). The ball was rolling. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is finally happening! I actually woke up this morning excited. I know these next five months are going to go by so quickly and I really can't wait.

Has anyone else felt this way? Did any married bees look back and appreciate their long engagement?

My Sweet Dad

2008-04-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

After our very successful cake tasting trip, Mr. Peacock and I went to my parents' house for a visit. I started complaining that the photo of our cake on Martha Stewart's website was too small to really see the detail. I wanted to send the image to our baker but I wasn't sure it would help. My dad is a computer genius so he started playing around with the photo in an attempt to stretch it out, but it was so pixilated that it looked like a big mess. I resolved myself to the fact that I would just have to hope for the best.

I went out shopping with my mom for a bit and came home to my dad, smiling. He ran to his office and came back with the MS Weddings Fall 2003 issue that had originally featured my cake. The cake had taken over an entire page, so it was much easier to see the detail. Dad scanned in the image, printed it on photo paper and voila! A perfect example to show my baker. He was so sweet about the whole thing, it almost made me think that he is enjoying this wedding planning thing!

I wanted to mention that that particular issue is full of goodies. There are a few MS images that regularly appear on blogs and knot bios- I was surprised at how many came from that issue! I highly recommend visiting your local library a call and spend some time with the back issues. That Martha is a genius (and Darcy Miller, of course). Here are just a few of the pages that I scanned in. I would have done the entire magazine but my legs started to cramp up from standing over the scanner.

The Perfect Dress, The Purchase (Part Four)

2008-03-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

I need to preface this post by saying that this whole thing has been a total tease. I am not going to reveal my dress. Mr. Peacock has been adamant about not wanting to see it. He subscribes to the Weddingbee feed and he is slightly absentminded in his internet reading habits, I have a feeling that he might accidentally stumble upon it. He would be very sad.

I did go to one more new dress shop- the Vera Wang salon on Oak Street. I brought a whole gang- my mom, my sister and one of my bridesmaids. I had a feeling that I was going to need a team to get talked out of a particular $15,000 VW Luxe dress.

Drool.

Since the VW salon would NOT allow me to take pictures, I asked these very unhappy 14 year old girls to model the dresses for me. They all showed up without washing their hair or putting on make-up, but since I was on a time crunch, I let it slide. They were also so hungry that I was worried they would eat me.

This is Mrs. Strawberry's dress. She looked WAY hotter in it.

The very friendly owner of the salon (who looked just like Charlotte York Goldenblatt, down to the pearl earrings and Chanel suit) joined us for the appointment. She was helpful and studied my face while I wore each dress. Based on my reaction, she nixed each of these dresses, one by one. She then pulled out THE DRESS. I put it on. I loved everything about it- the feel of the fabric on my skin, the way is swished when I walked and the look on everyone's face when I came out of the dressing room. It was unlike any other dress that I had ever seen. I wanted to run out of the store and down Oak Street, jump in my car and peel off to Canada. I was not giving that dress back. I was totally sold... and then the owner started talking.

She started selling me on how wonderful the dress was and how great it looked on me. A series of unnecessary compliments followed. The color was great for my gorgeous skin. The bodice accentuated my tiny waist. My previously non-existent cleavage was rocking. She then told me that "it is perfect for a {insert my program here} PhD student." I'm sorry, what?! What the heck does that mean? It means "I am going to say whatever I need to so that you will buy that dress." I started to doubt myself. Everyone was still smiling at me and I still loved THE DRESS, but was I just being talked into it? Was I just a sale? I reluctantly took it off and told them that I needed to think about it.

The more I thought about THE DRESS, the more I wanted it in my hot little hands and the less I wanted to buy it from that store. I remembered that Macy's also sold Vera Wang gowns and for fun, I gave them a call. I have some strong anti-Macy's sentiments and until that moment I was participating in the boycott. The thought of getting a deal on my dress put me over the edge. I decided that if they could cut 15% or more, I would buy it from Macy's. Otherwise, I felt confident that the difference in customer service would make up for the price difference. Here is how the phone call went between me and Ronia at Macy's- aka, my angel.

Me: Do you have a Vera Wang dress with x, y and z?
Ronia: I think so. Can you email me a picture?

One hour later....

Ronia: We have it and our price is 10% less than the price at the VW salon.
Me: Hmmm... I need to think about it. I was hoping for more of a price break.
Ronia: Well, we do have a sample of that dress. It has barely been worn and it is in your size.
Me: {silence}
Ronia: We can give you 50% of our price for the sample.
Me: {silence}
Ronia: Are you there?
Me: Uhhhh.... yes. I will be there in an hour. {Tires screaching, cash register ringing, blonde girl goes happily bouncing down State Street with a huge white garment bag}

That is how my dream dress became mine- it was perfect for me, in my size and on sale.

The Perfect Dress, Part Three

2008-03-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Part One
Part Two

I think my last post caused a little confusion. I have already bought my dress. In fact, she is in a garment bag hanging in my mom's closet. She is impatiently waiting to come out and get altered. I think you all will like her, even more than Dora :)

In addition to all the fun new dress shops, mom and I also went to several sample shops. These shops carried dresses that had served as samples in new dress shops, discontinued dresses from other shops or dresses from discontinued shops. These dresses are usually somewhere between 30-70% off. You should have a general idea of what you are looking for because there is a huge selection which changes constantly and you most likely won't find one specific dress from one specific designer.

Our first stop was at Wedding Belles is in Barrington. After trying on many "oooh, thats pretty... but, no" dresses, we found this Vera Wang sample.

Oooh! I really look like a bride in this photo. I loved the fabric and the detail. It reminded me of old Hollywood- and it was only $1,000! My mom had a major crush on these little bows down the back:

I thought about her all night and into the next day, but, it wasn't my dress. Next stop, a little sample shop in Naperville called A Joyful Occasion. It was actually less than a mile from my parent's home, so it was easy to stop by on a Sunday morning. The shop doubles as the owner's home. Freyda was so warm and wonderful and she had a surprisingly large collection of dresses. My mom and I had a great time nosing through her closets.

I had been under the impression that I might want a mermaid silhouette... this dress nixed that idea.

Holy hips batman! The fabric (I have a thing for soft, luxurious fabric, if you can't tell) was absolutely dreamy and the back was quite lovely, but I did not feel pretty. I felt wide and squished... like a Peep that someone sat on.

This Rivini was gorgeous, however. And yet, too wintry. I have decided that September is summer and I hate the winter. Moving on.

Mom and I made the trip to Filene's on State Street for the Running of the Brides craziness. Fortunately, we made the wise decision to show up at 10:00am rather than participate in the actual "running". I am claustrophobic in a bad way and messy, crowded stores scare the crap out of me. Even at 10, it was still a bit of a madhouse. I found one dress that I liked a lot, but looking back at the photos, I'm not sure why.

zzzzzz.... oops! Sorry, back the post.

The next dress was way too small and WAY too complicated. There was this sash. No matter how we twisted it, wrapped it, searched for loops, my mom and I could not figure out what to do with it. Obviously, it was meant to be a head wrap.

The final segment of this saga- finding my pretty dress- coming up!

The Perfect Dress, Part Two

2008-03-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

Part One

Dress shopping wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I tried on a million dresses and, until the end, I couldn't find anything overwhelmingly wonderful and yet there were very few that I wanted to rip off my body out of disgust. I never had one of those angels calling down from the heavens, proclaiming one dress to be "the one." I started to get a little overwhelmed after my first trip out. I really thought this would be easier. I did find an amazing dress that I have a major crush on and, even without the angels, I think that it is perfect for me.

Due to my long engagement, I put off looking for dresses until I was just under a year out. I had a feeling that once I laid down my credit card, I would find another dress that I loved and I would kick myself for buying early. I spent some time with wedding magazines and websites in an attempt to narrow the list down a little bit. I wasn't stuck to any particular brand and I was planning to visit sample stores, but I really loved Melissa Sweet, Jenny Lee and Vera Wang. I felt like these designers were low on sparkles and glitz, but still creative and beautiful. I wanted classic, maybe lace, maybe straps, definitely ivory. My team included my mom and my sister, although one of my very honest bridesmaids came with when I found my perfect dress.

My mom, sister and I went to Priscilla of Boston in Oak Brook to check out Melissa Sweet's line. I loved Dora, Sydney and Valentino. Lucky for me, they let me take pictures so that I could go home and stare at them for days.

Dora front and back. So flowy...

Sidney

Valentino

Dora has these little tiny polka dots all over it. It flowed and swished around me while I walked. My mom thought it was a little too "booby," although it was hard to tell what it would look like once altered. Those huge Home Depot clamps weren't cutting it. Sidney looks kinda ugly in all my pictures, but it was really quite pretty. There were layers upon layers of tulle. I would have lost that sash, however, because it didn't want to sit right and it seemed a little superfluous with all that gorgeous rouching. Valentino was very fitted with gorgeous lace everywhere. I loved the neckline, although it was also decidedly booby. This dress made me decide that I did want the big poofy bottom that I didn't think was necessary. Hmmm... I still get a warm fuzzy thinking about Valentino.

My next trip to a "new dress" store was A L'Amour Bridal Boutique in Barrington. They carried Jenny Lee as well as a long list of other brands. I am not positive that this is the same dress, because they wouldn't let me take pictures, but this little beauty stuck in my mind.

The fabric was amazing and I loved the way it fit around my waist. The skirt was also kind of unique because the train attached at the waistline. It was quite full, so you couldn't tell that it was separate from the skirt, but it made it much easier to walk in. I couldn't keep my hands off it. It was a bit out of my price range, however, so I decided to go home and sleep on it. I woke up deciding that I wanted to keep looking.

Next up, the sample shops. There are quite a few great ones in the Chicago area and my mom and I spent lots of time in them.

The Perfect Dress, Part One

2008-03-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

I don't watch a lot of television. It isn't on purpose, I just never remember when shows are on and it takes something really killer to get me hooked. These shows include, recently, the Bachelor, House Hunters, Golden Girls reruns on Lifetime and Gilmore Girls on ABC Family/DVD. I know, I know. Blockbuster, award worthy television.

I found the Gilmore Girls as it was wrapping up its final season. I got hooked, without even realizing that the final season was by far the worst of the seven. I bought the first 3 seasons on DVD at Costco and was later gifted seasons 4-6. In season 6, the eternal flirts Luke (Scott Patterson) and Lorelei (Lauren Graham) are finally engaged. Lorelei makes almost all of her wedding plans in one day due to a series of very fortunate occurances. One of these very fortunate occurances is that she found the PERFECT DRESS at the first shop that she walked into. It was her size, just what she was looking for and on sale.

She's so pretty...

I just wanted to let you all know that I found my PERFECT DRESS. It was in my size, just what I had been looking for and on sale. It wasn't found at the first shop that I walked into, however. Parts two and three will outline the very exciting journey from "no dress" to "THE dress."

My Favorites

2008-03-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

I have seen some really fabulous ways to ask your bridesmaids to be your bridesmaids. I had been asked a handful of times to serve as a maid before it was my turn and I had never received any elaborate gifts. The bride called, told me how excited she was and that she hoped I would be able to stand by her on her big day and we cried happy tears for a moment before she scurried back to her new fiance.

When it was my turn, there were a slew of engagements going down. I knew that I wouldn't be the only one asking or that they would be trying to plan their wedding alongside me. I wanted to give them a little warm fuzzy just to ease the request in. I invited them to brunch at the southside Orange location- a very fresh and yummy brunch spot- and handed them this little basked of goodies.

Brunch occurred a few weeks before Valentine's Day last year, so I had my pick of all the heart shaped candies that a girl could want. Also inside the cute little Paper Source bag, I included a love note on a blank Paper Source card and made them a little paper fortune cookie with the big question inside.

I used Martha's directions and bought my supplies at- you guessed it- Paper Source. I used brads instead of double sided tape because I think brads are cute and I am always looking for excuses to use them.

How did you ask your bridesmaids to be part of your wedding?

Safe and Sound

2008-03-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

Mr. Peacock and I are throwing the party of our lives. Every vendor has been considered according to how much they can add to the party- band, caterer, bar options, decor. We want everyone to stay until the last dance and then keep breaking it down all the way to the after party.

When we were considering Medinah for our venue, one of my primary concerns was transportation. I could swing the costs for the bridal party, but renting buses for the entire wedding would be a stretch. Medinah isn't terribly close to any hotels and none of our friends or family live in the immediate area. I knew that many guests would miss our ceremony or be worrying about getting home if we didn't rent transportation on a grand scale.

This narrowed our choices to downtown options. Although a good portion of our guests don't live in Chicago either, there are far more options for public transportation going into or out of the city compared to between the burbs. We also had it on good information that a few of Mr. Peacock's sisters and our married friends in the suburbs were looking forward to a night in the city and were planning on getting a hotel room. Even with these considerations, we still wanted to help all of our guests to get home safe and sound.

I found these cards in ryanserafin's knot bio and they got me thinking:

I might word it a little differently, but I thought providing a few options for a safe route home was a great idea. For the most part, you can walk a block from Cafe Brauer to Clark street and catch a cab home or to your hotel. However, with everyone leaving around the same time it might be a bit of a challenge. It will hopefully put that little thought in the back of their mind that maybe they should think twice about driving home after that third martini (you know what they say about three martinis, don't you? No? Well, that joke is not safe for Weddingbee. Let's just say the third one is probably one too many).

Are you planning to do anything special to make sure that everyone arrived home safely?

The Handmade Wedding

2008-03-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

Just in case you haven't gotten the word yet, Etsy is launching a new focus on weddings with the Handmade Wedding series. The series will highlightall the wedding goodies that appear in their shops. Storque will also feature a series of articles and guest bloggers that will bring more attention to all the ways that you can make your wedding more handmade. You can find more information here.

Etsy is also announcing the re-opening of Alchemy. As Etsy phrases it, Alchemy is "a service which allows buyers to request custom orders. Interested sellers bid on the job, allowing you to match yourself with the perfect artist for your needs. Theoretically, you could get just about anything made."

Here are some of the fun items featured in the shops.

Pistachio Press

joanshum
Do you know that you can get your wedding dress on Etsy?! I think that is such a fabulous idea. You can customize it in almost any way that you like and you can actually talk to the person making your dress!

bellasophia

mykonos

andreafays
Flowergirl pomander that you can use to decorate your home with after the wedding

Hurray! Booking the Cake (aka My Last Vendor)

2008-03-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

This morning, Mr. Peacock and I had a late and yummy breakfast. It consisted of chocolate cake, vanilla cake and chocolate and vanilla cake. On the side, we had lemon custard, strawberry preserves and cannoli.

This is how I felt about it afterward. I made friends with that cute little Italian baker next to me. He was offering cookies.

All the other goodies...

I had been planning on going to one of the many fancy and supremely talented bakeries in Chicago. I was suffering from a bit of sticker shock, however, after my first tasting. Although they had many delicious flavors of cake and fillings and their book of cakes was full of "Oh my gosh, is that really a cake?!" cakes, I was hesitant after they handed me the proposal. I had one of those devil on the left shoulder, angel on the right shoulder fights going on.

Devil: WHO CARES how much the cake costs?! You have been eyeing their cakes for years, dreaming of the moment when you could actually place your order.

Angel: Ummm... are you sure about this?

Devil: Of course she is sure! Quick, sign the contract!

Angel: But remember your friend's cake? It was gorgeous AND delicious. She got it from that Italian bakery that you love.

Devil: But they are known for their supermarket breads, not wedding cakes! They won't compete in a Food Network cake decorating challenge!

Angel: Let's just go for a tasting and see what happens.

Miss Peacock: That's a good plan!

Devil: Fool!

So, the angel won. The Italian bakery was not only delicious, not only did they seem qualm-less about making the pretty cake that I saw in Martha Stewart Weddings, but it was $5.50 less per slice. Yup, per slice. We are planning on having about 200 guests, so you do the math. (Fine, I will do it for you. That's $1,100.)

Here is the pretty cake I showed them. The baker didn't even flinch when she commented on all the detail. A lot of the cakes in their book of photos were much more complicated than this beauty-

The one downside is that their list of flavor options was significantly paired down. They couldn't do white cake, only yellow, and they couldn't do the lemon curd with cream cheese filling that I had fallen in love with at that first tasting. In the same way that the baker didn't flinch at my MS cake photo, she didn't bat an eye when I asked about the cream cheese filling- "We don't do that." Ah well. At $5.50 a slice, I can bring my own cream cheese frosting and ask the cater to slather some on.

Just in case you were wondering about lemon curd and its endless delicious uses, I found a great post on Stephmodo to fill you in. I thought making some might help me say goodbye to that dream cake. Enjoy (preferably with cream cheese frosting- trust me)!

This is the Most Fun!

2008-03-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

The Save the Date email for my bachelorette party went out yesterday! We are going to spend a few days on the lake in lovely Coloma, Michigan. Mr. Peacock's family has a condo right on the lake, with a party boat in the dock and a hilarious townie bar within walking distance. There isn't a place where I feel more relaxed and happy. I can't wait to spend a few days lounging around in swimsuits, drinking margaritas with all my favorite girls. I love it too because it will be pretty inexpensive, its only a few hours drive from Chicago and there is nary a stripper in site.

I am down in Austin, TX right now with Mr. Peacock enjoying the South By Southwest Interactive Conference. The sun is shining (unlike in Chicago) and the southern accents in Texas are so lovely. The combination of receiving that save the date and the accents are making me really wish that I had a copy of one of my all-time favorite movies with me- Shag.
Did anyone else watch this movie repeatedly as a teenager? I had such a mad crush on Buzz. Anyway, Shag is set in the 60's. Carson (Phoebe Cates) is engaged to be married to the heir of a tobacco fortune (Harley Ralston) and her three girlfriends are taking her one last trip before she becomes a married lady. Carson thinks that they are going on a trip to Fort Sumter to tour colonial homes, but instead they are going to dance with boys in Myrtle Beach. Bridget Fonda plays Malaina, the daughter of a minister who is dying to break out as an actress. Annabeth Gish plays Pudge, a formerly overweight and super shy girl who is looking for love. Page Hannah plays Luanne, the extremely proper daughter of a Senator. Its totally one of those movies where you start wondering why these four girls would be friends in the first place.

This movie rules because of all the fun oldies music, fabulous dance moves and classic teenage silliness. There are also some of the best movie lines of all time, including but not limited to "this is the most fun!", "beevo?" and "y'all is the horniest bunch of white folks I ever seen!" Aside from the fact that Carson leaves Harley for the smoking hot Buzz, that would be the best bachelorette trip ever. Maybe I can ask my friends to speak in southern accents and dance to 60's music with me. Maybe not...

Out-of-town bachelorette parties seem to be increasingly popular. Does anyone else have fun plans for a getaway?

Innies and Outies

2008-03-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

Mr. Peacock and I are one of those "opposites attract" couples. Here is a quick list of the ways in which we differ:

He went to all public schools, I went to all private schools
He is the youngest of four, I am the oldest of four.
We vote for different political parties
He is a White Sox fan, I am a Cubs fan (as any of the Chicago readers can attest, this is a big deal)

Sitting in the Bullpen Bar at the Cell/Comisky. Crosstown Classic, June '05.
I saved my "gear" for the game, but took no pictures!

Most of it is pretty silly and doesn't really affect our relationship. We love going to the Cubs v. Sox games together, wearing every piece of fan gear that we can find. My Cubbies have made me proud the past few times. The oldest/youngest thing is actually wonderful because I inherited three older sisters and he found himself with a few younger brothers and the bossy younger sister that he never knew he needed (love you, E!).

The one thing that does cause us to butt heads on occasion is that he is an introvert and I am an extrovert. We solidified this difference by taking the famed Myers-Briggs test and finding that the answers fit us perfectly. The introvert thing is a more recent phenomenon for Mr. Peacock. He was a crazy frat boy in college and he continued his fratty ways until around the time that we started dating. One of his sisters mentioned this past weekend that they were a little worried about him because he was such a wild man, and they noticed a major change in him once I came into the picture. Strangely enough, however, I am an extrovert. I love spending time with my friends and I feel antsy when we spend weekend nights at home. His sister's comment got me thinking because I can't believe that I am the one who settled him down.

For the first few years of our relationship, I lived in the city and he lived in the suburbs. He would come spend the weekends with me so that we could cab around to fun parties and meet-ups with our friends. After my lease ran out on my amazing Bucktown apartment, I moved out to the burbs with him. For me, the Suburbs= a slow social death. I apologize if that offends any readers, but you can't deny that a late night with your girlfriends is much more of a challenge if you have to drive home or wrestle with a Metra schedule. Mr. P and I usually end up crashing with friends when we have an excuse to party downtown. I can usually convince him to grab dinner after work, but anything more than that becomes a major debate. He has taught me how to enjoy a night at home, but I am still working on convincing him that a night on the town is worthwhile. We are planning to move back to the city this summer and I am very curious to see what happens. Will I be going out by myself (which is great, as long as I am not always leaving him home alone) or will we continue down the hermit path?

Does anyone else suffer from the innie/outie debate? Which side are you on? Any tips to finding a compromise?

Aubergine Applied

2008-03-04T16:47:00.000-08:00

After the decision had been made on the bridesmaids dresses, I couldn't wait to get home and play with my colors- aubergine, gold, ivory and green. Here is what I came up with.

Clockwise from the top and then around the inside: Livia Cetti bouquet, K-Amato necklace, tablescape from Oh, How Charming!, MS cake, Jennifer Behr hairpiece, drinks from InStyle Weddings, Oh, How Charming!, candles from MS, invite from Ceci NY, centerpiece via Brown Turtleneck Sweater, Vera Wang gown via Brooklyn Bride, Simple Silhouettes dress, K-Amato earrings

I took a few items from my last board and tried to keep that same feel. The green will really just be leaves and ferns, but I would like a lot of it showing as the arrangements will be lose and flowy. Some of the items are things that I have actually selected/purchased, which makes this even more exciting. I am so glad that things are coming together- and it only took 13 months.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

2008-03-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

I was a very lucky girl on Sunday. All my bridesmaids met me at my mom's home for brunch, champagne cocktails and bridesmaids dresses. The ladies from Vegas to Venice brought over several sample dresses from Simple Silhouettes and a whole bunch of fun fabric swatches. The plan for the morning was to make a decision on the color, get everyone sized and pick out the dresses. Each bridesmaid could pick their own dress style, as long as it was knee length and any trim was the same color as the dress. Expectedly, we had a wonderful time together and spent hours catching up even after the dress ladies left. Also expectedly, they insisted on getting sized before we dug into these.

However, three unexpected things happened:

1) Between the 6 bridesmaids, three dresses were selected, 2 in each dress. 2, 2 and 2. Perfect!
2) My preppy friend and my "latest trends" friend chose the same dress
3) We chose the color and it is... purple.

I don't like purple. I don't own one purple item of clothing- I looked. But, this wasn't really purple. It was aubergine. Hello, aubergine!

After doing a little research, I found that aubergine is French for eggplant. The flickr devotees claim that it is not really purple but rather its own unique color. I am actually pretty excited about it. It plays really nicely into the color scheme that I had going- deep green, gold, ivory and very pale pink. My lovely sister/maid of honor came up with it and, since she is a fashion maven, I trust her completely. I had actually planned to go with chocolate brown dresses, but the maids thought that aubergine was a warmer, prettier color.

Everyone seemed to enjoy picking out their own dress and they look forward to wearing them. These wedding decisions can be difficult since everyone is inclined to say "whatever you want," even if you are begging for assistance. I am going to pretend like they were being completely honest with me :)

Here are the three dresses they selected. How do you think they will look in aubergine?

Pingg! Your Invite is Here!

2008-02-25T11:11:00.000-08:00

I know we are all planning or helping to plan quite a few parties in addition to the reception- bridesmaids get togethers, bachelor/ette parties, showers, rehearsal dinners, etc. Getting married is like taking a crash course in event planning. Parties = invitations, and I am a fan of using the internets to spread the word. I was kind of getting frustrated with Evite and since Mr. Peacock is an internet insider I asked him to find me something better. To make your life easier, too, may I present Pingg.

My girlfriends from high school and I get together once a month for brunch and we usually use Evite to collect RSVPs. I thought the March brunch sounded like a great excuse to test Pingg out. I will share my long list of why Pingg rocks Evite, but I think the best part is the look of the invitation. There are some really beautiful but simple designs, or you can create your own with a photo or other favorite image.

Here is how the invite looked when it arrived in my inbox:
Below the image- built right into the email (no need to click through to another site)- was the RSVP options as well as a link to the invite site. I did not take full advantage of the invite options, but you can include more details in this image so that your guests can get all the deets right within the email. If you do click through, you can invite guests (and easily forward the invite on to them), review news on the event (which the hostess creates), leave comments, get directions, add to your Google/Yahoo/iCal/Outlook calendar and subscribe to the RSS feed for the event.

As a host, here is my list of pros-

Collect funds (I host a lot of fundraisers)
Add event to Facebook
Import contacts from your email system and search within that list
Decide whether or not guests can bring other guests
Make it private or only view "yes" responses
Decide on the frequency of updates
Include a gift registry (yay for showers!)
Print/export guest list
Review who has opened your invite
Ads are either non-existent or very well hidden

My only real con, which may just be user ignorance, was that I wasn't sure how to select specific guests to send a message. I added a new guest and only wanted to send the invite to her, but I ended up sending it to all. I could also foresee wanting to respond directly to a guest's comment, but I would have to skip Pingg and go right to email.

Here are two more of my favorite designs:

Has anyone else tried out Pingg or would like to recommend another online invitation site?

Cards on Boards

2008-02-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

I am strangely excited about escort cards. It seems like it could be an inexpensive way to add a little fun and personalized style to your wedding. I have already decided that I am doing something with ferns, and I would show you a great example but InStyle Weddings has a stinky website and none of the photos from the current issue are in there.

In the meantime, if my wedding had gone shabby chic as I had originally planned, I would be all over these cards on boards:

Mrs. Strawberry

The Knot

The Knot

Martha (DIY instructions included)

There is actually one more pretty red and white one in in a gorgeous frame in that same issue of InStyle Weddings (pg 240), so if you own a copy, please take a look :)

And Design Sponge wants to help you make these fun boards. Here is a link on how to make these cutie buttons!

The nice thing about these boards is that if you don't have a ton of help with decor on the day of your wedding, you can make these in advance and send it and an easel along with a loving friend to set it up.

Is anyone doing anything particularly fun and creative with their escort cards? Is anyone forgoing them altogether?

My Sweet Valentine

2008-02-16T20:30:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day is extra special for Mr. Peacock and me because it is also the anniversary of our first date. In prior years, we have gone all out on gifts and swanky dinners. As nice as that was, I think this year was even sweeter. We decided to make our gifts for each other and we would celebrate V Day at his family's lake house in Michigan. For the gifts, we could use things that we already had on hand, but the additional materials couldn't cost more than $15.

If someone tells me to make something, I think paper.

I wrote out one reason I love him for each day until the wedding. He is getting as antsy as I am, so I hope this helps the time pass a little. It doubles as an hourglass because he can put the a love note in the empty container each day until the wedding.

If someone tells Mr. Peacock to make something, he thinks pizza.

A heart shaped pie of barbecue chicken deliciousness. This pizza is so amazing... I am so mad at myself for already eating all the leftovers.

This wasn't the only thing I received this weekend.

A little downtime with these two makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Plus, when he is napping I can turn off college basketball and turn on "The Wedding Planner."

My Right Hand

2008-02-15T19:07:00.000-08:00

I love, love, love my engagement ring. Mr. Peacock spent months with a jeweler trying to create the perfect ring for me. Although he did this all on his own and the ring itself was a surprise, I did share some photos with him. Most looked very much like the Tiffany Legacy ring.

He did it very well, with a little more vintage flair in the setting.

The one "problem" that I have found in my ring is the back of the setting.

Because of that beautiful basket shape along the side, I can't buy a flat band to wear as my wedding band. The two won't lie flush together, which means that the engagement ring gets lazy and ends up picking a side and resting on it. I love how he designed the entire ring and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world, which means that I need to come up with another option for my band. I would rather not have something custom made to fit around the ring because I could see myself wearing the band on its own- when we are traveling through Europe, when I get super crafty or when we have kids and I am cleaning poopy diapers. A friend of mine wears her engagement ring on her right had and her wedding band on her left and I have always admired it. She has some pretty sparkles on both hands!

While I was in Kansas City visiting my college roommate last weekend, we stopped by Tivol in the Plaza. (By the way, KCMO readers or visitors, I LOVE the Plaza. Anthropologie, Paper Source and Lill all in one pretty place? Fantastic! The home department of Halls is also very impressive.) Her husband purchased her gorgeous engagement ring and matching band at the store and so they were kind enough to give our rings a scrub while we wandered around. I fell in love- hard- for Penny Preville. If you haven't been to her site or seen her jewelry before, I highly recommend going. Everything, including the delicate little features, are fabulously vintage. This little band in particular caught my eye.

They had three of them displayed together, stacked one on top of the other. It looked like antique jewelry, which is exactly what I had been hoping for. Granted, Penny's jewelry is quite expensive and I am sure that three of those little beauties would break our budget. I am hoping to either find or ask a jeweler to make something similar. As weird as it looks right now, I think the engagement ring on the right hand is my solution and I am actually pretty excited about it.

Has anyone else had a similar problem with their engagement ring and wedding band not fitting together? What was your solution?

They're Not Just for Christmas

2008-02-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

When I saw this wreath in an old issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, I knew I had to have it or something like it.

I have always been a big fan of a pretty wreath, but you do need to be careful not to stray too far into "something my grandma made" category. I think you do this by sticking to one flower/leaf/branch and only varying from that in the color of that flower.

I really wanted white floral wreaths hanging from the huge, gorgeous front doors of our church. Unfortunately because it is an older church (built in 1918) and is beloved by its parish, they have very strict rules about how you can decorate within the church. Since it is generally pretty ornate, I am not too worried about having large floral displays near the front doors or the altar. I can, carefully, hang something from the end of the pews. A wreath may be that very something!

This is pretty cost prohibitive, however, since a wreath of stephanotis or roses from my florist can cost around $80 each. I would need quite a few on the pew ends. I need to give it more thought, but I don't think that I have the willpower to make them myself the week of the wedding. IThis got me thinking of a Plan B. What flower is pretty inexpensive and comes in a large bloom idea for a wreath?

Thank you, Mrs. Strawberry!

Wreath Place

Bloom Room

Yes, that is baby's breath. Yes, I normally rip baby's breath out of bouquets as soon as they are handed to me. It ranks right up there with the dreaded carnation (no offense to carnation lovers!). But... doesn't it being on its own make a big difference? I think it has a vintage feel in its little blooms with lots of texture and movement. It's white, which is key when the church has 1.2 million colors painted in the frescoes. Oh yeah, and its dirt cheap compared to roses or stephanotis.

Has anyone used a wreath in their wedding? Any other creative ways to make it happen? Also, if I made these myself with some of that green foam stuff, how long would it last?

I Dream of Valentino

2008-02-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

I would like to tell you a story of a bride who became tired of planning her wedding and began to get frustrated with her long engagement. At least mentally, all her vendors were booked and her DIY projects planned. September sounded SO FAR AWAY. In her wedding frustration, she contemplated changing her date and hoping that her vendors were free, or meeting up with a Justice of the Peace or, finally, hopping a flight to Vegas. The endless Chicago snow had also begun to drive her crazy, so a quickie beach wedding sounded fabulous, too. Wow... really, really fabulous.

After her fiance advised her to knock it off, this frustrated bride decided that she needed to console herself with pretty gold designer wedding shoes to match all the pretty gold jewelry she had been falling in love with lately.

Manolo Blahnik

Prada

Prada (super sexy back)

Valentino.

Schucks! There is a Valentino bag to match.
Shoes and bag from Bergdorf Goodman.

What's worse than being down with the way too long engagement blues? Drooling over shoes that you can't afford. Poor girl.

Mmmmm... Bubbles!

2008-02-13T07:36:00.000-08:00

One of the unfortunate details in our liquor contract is that we have to pay for a champagne toast by the glass. I LOVE champagne/sparkling wine and I would prefer to have it flowing all night. I also don't think that everyone (Mr. Peacock, namely) likes the bubbly as much as I do and so many glasses will go to waste.

If I could have my way, I would bring in a few cases and just let everyone pass the bottles around. I would also get something a little better than the Freixenet that is currently part of my package. We tried Coppola's Sofia at our engagement party. It was yummy and came in a beautiful shabby chic bottle. That bottle was wrapped in pink plastic wrap, which adds a little excitement.

It was a little sweeter than I usually prefer, but not sugary enough to turn me away from it. I also love that it is named after Sofia Coppola and I usually enjoy her movies. Her father, aside from being a famous movie maker, also has a beautiful vineyard in Napa where he makes some very tasty Cabernet.

There is also a mini, canned version of this champagne which might be adorable at a wedding reception. The cans are cute, anyway. The popping noise might be kind of funny right before the toast. I guess it depends on what kind of bride/hostess you are. Crass and quirky is apparently right in my wheelhouse.

If I really wanted to implode my budget, I would buy a few cases of Vueve Clicquot Rose. The VC Yellow Label was my gateway drug into the world of fizzy cocktails. I have been totally on board with the recent re-emergence of pink champagne and the VC Rose is a great example.

I know a lot of places have rules about the champagne toast. Has anyone found a less expensive way around it? If you are married and ordered it by the glass, did a lot go wasted?

My First Official Crafty Experience

2008-02-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last summer, my parents were kind enough to throw Mr. Peacock and me an engagement party. We made several different types of of hors d'oeuvers, fun party drinks and had a cocktail party in my parent's backyard. My mom loves to garden and in the late summer the flowers are coming up everywhere. It was nice to be able to break up our crazy long engagement with a little celebration.

I had been playing around with the idea of making my invitations and I took advantage of the party as an excuse to play with my tools. I was inspired by a stamp ("Cottage Bloom") that I bought at last year's Paper Source Paper Wedding event. I used a watermark stamp pad and light gold powder to create the pretty, shiny flower. I had to test out several different combinations of stamp pad + embossing powder to get to just the right shade of warm gold. I paired it with some pretty blue ("Lake") cards and ivory cardstock. Here are the results:

Stamping

Powdering

Drying

Invite Done!

The ivory cards were 4.5x4.5 and the blue cards are 5x5. Cutting squares was pretty easy, compared to my previous forays into cutting rectangles. I loved using the embossing powders and I even had fun picking out the fonts. It was also nice to give my newly acquired embossing dryer a test run. This experience taught me two things- 1) I can totally make my wedding invitations and my mom and I might even enjoy it and 2) I really don't want to make my wedding invitations. I will commit to the save the dates, the direction cards, the menus and place cards. A girl can only do so much without a printing press.

I know a lot of you are making your invitations. Anyone want to convince me that I should go for it? :) Any other words of wisdom for those venturing into that arena?

Fascinating Fascinators

2008-02-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

I found this beautiful post on wedlog on fascinators, and I am fascinated. I love their vintage look and the fact that they aren't a tiara. I'm not a tiara kind of girl, but that doesn't mean I don't want something pretty and sparkly in my hair. I am also thinking about making a cathedral length veil for the ceremony and I am not interested in wearing that crazy thing all night. It would be fun to take that off but put something equally bridal in its place.

I started looking around this morning for something that I might be able to knock off and I have found a lot online. My favorite since before I was engaged is Jennifer Behr. I bought one of her headbands from Anthropologie and I love it. I don't know if those huge, beautiful silk peonies are "fascinators" per se, because they don't have feathers, but she does have other feathery items and some gorgeous beaded headbands.

Absolutely Gorgeous also features this little number-

Myrakim on Etsy shows off some color

I don't think the flower is as pretty as the Jennifer Behr peony, but I love the feathers. Maybe my mom and I will have to do a little DIY. Silk flowers are a pretty foreign concept to me. I walk into Michaels and make a beeline past the fake flowers. I have found some really beautiful silk roses which sit on my kitchen counter to Mr. Peacock's dismay (story for another day), but I bought those at a little boutique in California. I wasn't sure if I could find something so beautiful that I would want it to be stuck to my head all day and look at the photos for the rest of my life.

I Salute the French General

2008-02-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

I spent some time on the French General site last night and I found a lot of fun ideas! The first thing that caught my eye was this-

You can buy a kit full of those cute little lady bug and green beads and make boutonniere pins with them. I think this is such a novel idea- to replace the pins with the pearl heads with something that you actually want people to notice. I wonder if the guys will mind...

And then I noticed this-

I thought these would make beautiful hairpins or would dress up a headband. There were so many inspirational things on that site. Some of it was pretty pricey, but doable in small amounts. I also love all the Martha references, as in "Martha planned an evening cocktail party in the garden of French General and invited her advertisers" or "Martha came up with this wonderful idea using our materials." I feel closer to her just reading that site... ;)