The Rehearsal

Okay, so here we go...months and months late and I am finally writing a post about the wedding.

I should note that I have another blog now Baileys Brides, that keeps me busy.I have started my own wedding planning business, and things are doing well.

Anyways...back to the basics.

My mom flew up the week before the wedding. I loved the idea of having my mom around to help with all the last minute things, I honestly thought I was so organized though that there would be no last minute things! I laugh  out loud at this *snort snort*. My mom and I spent the entire week cleaning the apartment, gluing ribbon to the cake stand, tying cute little bows to bubble wands, printing programs and little minor projects that did not seem imperative at the time...but boy were they time consuming in the end. All moms are a blessing.

After working our butts off on my home front we headed to the church on July 21, 2010 for the rehearsal. A mere three days before the wedding.

 Us practicing to hold hands and to love each other until death

 The girls listening and paying close attention

 The boys....not so much

The rehearsal went great, off without a hitch. (literally...that's not for another 3 days!)

Some suggestions to the future brides. Bring your Marriage Certificate to the rehearsal and give it to the pastor then. I have heard way to many horror stories of no marriage licenses arriving to the church on the day of the wedding! Also, we had a photographer and videographer, we invited them to come to the rehearsal. This gave them time to go around the church and the grounds to check out lighting and to do some practice shots for the big day. Try to set the time for the rehearsal for when you will be having the ceremony, this works well for lighting etc.

All photos are courtesy of my dear mother :)

I have failed

Blogging can sometimes be a difficult thing...i wanted to maintain it...you know, have some followers and be awsome. But I have a life and now dear readers...im a wife!!!

I want to fill you in on all the juicy details...the dress, the flowers, the girls and boys, cake and diamonds....but I will slowly do this...or atleast try. Keep you in some sort of anticipation and wait.

For now, I will tell you this. The day was perfect. My life is perfect and my husband (wow) is perfect.

and arent these purple shoes and socks perfect?

Out of town bags

I have a few do it yourself wedding projects on the go, they are great for saving money....but not so great for saving time.

You have already seen my centerpieces which I am incredibly happy with and for 5.00 a centerpiece I can not go wrong.

One of my other projects are my out of town bags.

I purchased only 13 white bags for my out of town guests, one per couple. In each bag I placed a handful of fliers for things to do in the area and on campus where we are getting married. I printed off the above labels and coloured them in with the wedding colours, brown, green and purple.

One of the labels had the wedding date on them and the others had our names (in case people forgot). I also put two water bottles in each bag and a card saying "thank-you."

I have seen other peoples bags and mine seems by far the most simple but it was most cost effective and it got the idea out that Mr. Panda and I were thank-ful for them coming all this way.

In total each bag cost me about $1.50 each. Cant go wrong right?

Did you do out of town bags?

Engaged! (awhile ago....)

I may have jumped a little ahead of myself blogging. I started blogging about the wedding and planning and all that jazz almost 4 months into planning and have obviously forgotten some details that are very very important. You know how Mr. Panda and I met....but how did I become his fiance?

Mr. Panda and I had flown to my little hometown to spend Thanksgiving with my family. One of my sisters' was still in Australia but my youngest sister and her boyfriend (now fiance) were there.

On October 10, 2009 my family, Mr. Panda and sisters boyfriend all took a drive into a neighboring town, upon our return my dear dear mother was insisting on taking family photos and that I should go get dressed up. Needless to say I was very aminent that this was ridiculous but upon some persusaion from my sister I went and got ready.

While I was in the shower all chaos broke loose. Mr. Panda, sisters' boyfriend and my dad fired up the four wheelers. Mr. Panda and sisters' boyfriend took off flying up the trails on the four wheeler to the waterfall behind my house and returned as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile my sisters was doing my hair and makeup (me not clueing in AT ALL that it seems a little odd that ONLY I was getting all dolled up for family pics). Mr. Panda was in the kitchen by that time, slidding and pacing around in the kitchen, my family sat him down and gave him a few shots of Rum from Cuba to help him out :)

After getting dolled up they went to the creek/fireplace in my yard to take some family photos. My mom and dad insited that the Mr. Panda and I should go for a short walk before the photos, so we meandered up to ....the waterfall... Mr. Panda had placed the ring and a bottle of champagne with glasses on top of a rock in front of the waterfall. We climbed on top and Mr.Panda got on one knee and gave an amazing little talk about how much he loved me and then asked if I would marry him...

Can you guess????

I said yes!!

Hey liar!

See that post below me...the one boasting about how im not stressed and everything is "like soooo totally awsome"...I lied. Well not really...per say. At the time I wrote that post I was feeling pretty confident about myself and the whole wedding stuff, but something happened over night and over the past few days......im not ready...im stressed....and now i am sick!

It all began when someone says "Do you have all your songs picked yet?" In my head I know I don't and in my calmed heart I know it will get done so im not worried in the slightest, but then they say "Oh my gosh, you DONT, you must be soooo stressed" and like a slap to the face my heart skips a beat and someone in my head starts screaming "WHY ARENT YOU STRESSED...GET STRESSED NOW" and is if on que, I became stressed. My to do list, which was ONLY one page is now ONE HUGE page, it looks long and daunting and i sweat bullets looking at it.

When people get stressed they do random things, some people eat alot (me), or eat very little, chew their nails, pull their hair....anything! ME....I ...get...sick! Two days after a frightful phone call from a friend talking about how stressed I SHOULD be...I got sick and when I am sick I lose sleep, and when I lose sleep I become even more ill and then cranky and unproductive. So the cycle begins.

How does one deal with it? I have been joking about taking our mini-moon BEFORE the wedding but I know that would only throw stress fuel on my already high octane stress fire. Imagine "relaxing" with your hubby to be while you have a half put together candy buffet at home and a seating chart with no names....doubt...very highly doubt that it will be relaxing.

I have a great network of friends and family who have offered to help...but when i look at my tasks it seems it would all just be easier if i just did it myself. Do I REALLY want people driving an hour to come help me buy ribbon and tie it around a vase?

Tonight I am attempting to unwind. Get rid of this incredibly sore throat and "move on" from it. Im going to go to the tanning bed to feel some warmth and coziness, have some dinner, dust (its KIND OF relaxing cause i am getting something done), get in my PJ's, make some hot tea and watch some TV...maybe possibly cut the ribbon for my vases.....:)


Wish me luck?!


How do you manage the wedding stress?

Im ready

When I first got engaged, which in one way feels like a million years ago and in another way...yesterday...my countdown marker started at over 200 more days till my wedding.

Today it reached 29 more days...which is one day shy of four weeks, which means, next month, which means.....SOON.

Im not super stressed, I do not have a huge list of to do things, and the list i do have does not stress me out. But the fact,...the sheer fact that I am not stressed out gives me butterflies in my tummy. I actually "act" stressed when people say "ohhh its coming up so fast..how do you feel" I always respond with a sigh and "stressed?!"

My wedding to me is big and I do have things to do, but I honestly feel like things are winding down instead of speeding up with last minute details. My stagette is over, I have all 94 RSVP's in (all yes!), everything is booked, everything is signed, sealed and delivered. Im ready.

Im ready to take fun pictures, to get dressed with my mom, to see my future husband dressed up for the first time, to walk down the aisle, to become Mrs. Panda. Im so ready to dance with my father, to share my slideshow with my guests, to so see my grandma all dressed up, and to dance with my husband. Im more then ready to rip up the dance floor with friends and family, to show off all my hard work and take photos in my fauxto-booth with pom poms as my ears.

Im ready to spread some love as a wife.

How long? - LONG distance -

Mr.Panda and the future Mrs. Panda - The beginning

Mr.Panda and I met at an odd time in our lives. He was still in school obtaining his degree in Physics and Math and I had just moved back from a 1.5 year haitus in Vancouver. Our relationship is funny, I would not change it for the world...but its funny.

I was recovering from an engagement gone wrong and was not really looking for a relationship and as it turns out Mr. Panda was not really ready for one either. But when love hits it hits hard and there is no avoiding it. We dated for a three months before he moved back to Vancouver for the summer, and so began four months of long distance.

Ever done long distance before? Its tough, I give total credit to anyone who can do it. I spent hundreds of dollars that summer flying to see him and he visted me with what time he could get off. Although long distance is hard, I found it very valuable in our relationship. It strengthened what we had and it really made us value the time we did have together. As funny as it sounds I would never change the fact that we had to spend four months, at the beginning or our relationship, apart. It forced us to talk alot via phone or email and it was such a great way to learn who we are and who they are.

But let me state one thing....we never did it again :) The next summer Mr. Panada stayed in Prince George with me and the following September (or more late August) we moved to Vancouver together.

source

So you have done long distance before?! but have you moved to another city, far away from your friends andf family with a boyfriend that will not live with you till your married?! I might have one up on you with this....que.....Mr.Panda and future Mrs. Panada move to Vancouver - Future Mrs. Panada living alone and scared....and/or angry?"