My Girl

Last weekend Mr. H and I attended his cousin's wedding at The Oasis in Austin. Talk about an amazing view!

Picture from here. We weren't at this particular part of the Oasis (it's huge), but the views were like this everywhere.

The wedding was intimate and beautiful and you could feel the love everywhere ... it made us so excited for our wedding that we almost we can't stand it anymore! There was one part of the wedding that I wanted to share with everyone, because it was so unique - the father daughter dance.

Picture from here. Not the actual bride w/ her dad, but I love this pic.

When it came to the father/daughter dance, they went out on the dance floor and began dancing to "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw. This song tugs at my heart strings nearly every time that I hear it, even though I don't really consider myself to be a "daddy's girl."

Half way through the dance, her father cut off the dj and said, "This was how she wanted to dance, now we'll do it my way." The dj immediately broke off in "My Girl" by the Temptations and the two did a choreographed dance that was absolutely adorable. I complimented her father on it later that night and he said that they had watched the Temptations movie to get some moves for their dance, it was adorable.

It was refreshing to see something to unique and different ... and most of all fun with the dances. I have always heard of the couple doing this, but haven't seen the father/daughter dance done like this before. It was great!

Are any of you doing unique dances at your wedding?

Rehearsal Getup

I've been looking for a rehearsal dinner dress for a long time now. Originally I wanted a white dress, then I wanted a black and white dress, and, finally, I decided on just plain black. A while ago I became a member of the Gilt Groupe website, and every day I get to access some amazing sales. A lot of the items are a little pricey for me, but I've managed to find a couple of great dresses.

Today, I found the rehearsal dinner dress. Ladies, I present to you my new Vivian Tam Flower Petal Bubble Hem Dress:

The dress was originally sold for $495, but I got it for $185 (including shipping). Still more then I was intending to spend, but definitely a steep discount.

What did you all decide to wear for the rehearsal? Did you dress up/down?

So Happy to Meet You!

Last night I was fortunate enough to attend a wedding event at the Crescent Hotel in Dallas featuring Preston Bailey. I have so much to share about the night, and pictures yet to download, but I just wanted to share a little story about the night.

My mom and one of my bridesmaids were sitting in the room waiting for Preston Bailey to give his speech, when my bridesmaid, Jen, mentioned that she had read Weddingbee for the first time and read through not only my posts, but many of my fellow Bee's posts as well. As we were sitting there chatting, a girl in front of us, Kathryn, turned and asked if I was Miss Hydrangea. I felt so special that someone had come out to the event from my post, but even more special when she shared with me her story.

Kathryn is not yet engaged to her boyfriend, but they are very serious and have been together for about eight years. She reads Weddingbee often and thinks that her boyfriend will be proposing any day now. More importantly, Kathryn is dating a Hispanic man and felt that she could really relate to me, as Mr. H is also Hispanic.

It just goes to show that this site has an impact on every woman who reads it, and, more importantly, it has an impact on each and every one of us bees. We all love the readers, the ideas they share with us, and also their opinions as well.

I am heading out to Mr. H's cousin's wedding in Austin this weekend and I hope to be able to upload my pics on Sunday, and tell you the great stories from last night's events, but, more importantly, I want all of the readers to know how much we really appreciate and value you all. Your dedication to the site, and to our posts, are what make us keep going (and blogging) each and every day.

To Kathryn - I'm sorry that we didn't get to chat a little more, and I hope to in the near future that you make yourself more visible on the site because I know that I personally can't wait to hear about your relationship and how everything unfolds in the future (as well as plan a little DFW get together).

To everyone else - keep sharing, venting and giving your opinions about everything wedding because we all appreciate, look forward to and love everything you all have to say!

Aggravating Wedding Issue

There is one issue that I've noticed while wedding planning that has become one of my greatest aggravations: parking.

Image found here

When we would go to visit venues, they paid for our parking. When Mom H and I went to wedding events, we usually received a sticker to cover our parking. So why, I ask, do venues charge you for parking? I wouldn't ever ask my guests to pay for their own parking at the event to which I invited them, and, while my venue gives us a discounted rate on parking, I wonder why should we have to pay at all?

Not only do most venues charge for parking, but they charge outrageously. Originally we were asked to pay $10 for each car, when we negotiated down to $5. In the end, if we estimate 180 to come, and we'll guesstimate 90-100 cars, that's a whopping $450 - $500 just for cars. (Excuse me if my guesstimates are not correct, I am no mathematician.)

Now I do realize that it's valet parking and there is probably some public parking in the near vicinity of the area, but I want my guests to be able to pull up, hop out of their car and come right on up to the reception. If the hotels can pay for their own events to have their guests have free parking, why can't they waive this fee for their client who is about to drop a decent chunk of change for one night?

How did you all handle the parking for your weddings?

I Caved

Last week I posted about my hunt for an inexpensive little clutch to use at the wedding. You all voted and my mind was made up ... I was going to buy this in navy blue:

#24744 - Gathered Satin Clutch, 10″ x 5″ x 2″ for $28 from La Regale

But then, our own Miss Sundae posted about the infamous J Crew clutch that many of us had been eyeing for a long time on sale and, when I visited the site, I saw this:

There it was, with navy blue right in the middle to match my shoes. I think the pop of the purpley (if that's even a word) blue color will be fun and funky. I can't wait for it to come in the mail. To justify my expense, I had the 20% off that they were offering at the time AND a code for free shipping (I'd share, but it's expired now).

Now that I've been searching around for clutches, I'm curious to see what great finds you all have found for your wedding. What fun/funky accessories will you be incorporating into your wedding day getup?

Fancy a Flight?

I grew up with the understanding that, on the night of the rehearsal dinner, the bride and groom present their parents with gifts of appreciation. I loved the idea and Mr. H and I really like the idea of honoring the people who raised us to be who we are today.

We decided early on that we were going to get nice gifts for each of our parents, individually. One of the hardest people of the bunch is Pops H. Pops H has pretty much everything he could want and there are only so many books you can buy and/or affordable items for his latest hobby.

While my dad has never specifically talked about loving planes, whenever we are at any event and military planes fly by, he knows right off the bat what it is. So, I thought, why not get him a flying lesson?

Well, mainly because they are pricey, but mostly because I know he doesn't have any intentions of taking multiples courses after the initial one and I wouldn't want to see it go to waste. However, while I was searching online for flying lessons in the Dallas area, I hopped onto the Addison Airport site and came upon the Cavanaugh Flight Museum.

Apparently, the museum hosts rides on two warbirds (planes), the N2S-4 Stearman and the AT-6 Texan. I researched a little more and realized that this would be 1) in the budget 2) more interesting then a regular flight lesson and 3) something I could really see Pops H enjoying.

I am so excited that we agreed on this for Pops H and I hope he likes it as much as we are excited to give it to him. What unique gifts are you planning to give your parents for the wedding?

For the Girls...

Since I'm pretty sure none of my bridesmaids read WB, I wanted to share with you my first gift to them. I knew from the start that I wanted to give them some sort of a bag. My original thought was to create a tote with my Hydrangea logo and put "Bridesmaid Hydrangea" on each one. I still think this would have been cute, but then I saw these:

When I originally saw them, they only came in white and in the large, laundry bag, size. They were out of stock, but I emailed them to see when they would be available again. India Rose told me that they would let me know when they were back in stock and, sure enough, a month and a half later I received an email.

When I got them in the mail they were super cute, way larger then I had imagined, but nonetheless great for the girls. Today, when I went to their site, I saw that they now have them in smaller sizes AND in colors. If I could go back, I'd probably buy the smaller size and get the Grass tote, but that's in hindsight. Either way I think that my girls will love them and be able to use them to take dry cleaning, go on weekend trips, etc.

Another, less expensive, tote that I recently found at La Garconne was this:

I'm a sucker for anything black and white, and for $20 I thought these were perfectly feminine for bridesmaids and, if you're marrying in 2008, a way to always remember that year. According to their site, "Belle Ingenue, a classic French term refers to the beautiful girl-of-the-moment: possessing an innocent air; the original in literature and film."

There will be some goodies inside the bags, but I'll post on those later. Did and of you give your girls bags?

Attention D/FW Brides

Just wanted to give a little heads up to the local brides around here. There are a couple of good bridal events coming up in the next few weeks that you might be interested in!

1) D Magazine's 4th Annual Bridal Show
When? Sunday, June 22, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where? Bass Hall in Ft. Worth
Cost? $15
Details? Join D Weddings and Bass Performance Hall for the fourth annual Bridal Show 2008, an extraordinary display of Dallas-Fort Worth’s bridal industry offerings. Plan your special day at this uniquely upscale event featuring an array of vendors, including wedding planners, caterers, florists, photographers, video services, music, and more. The show is spread throughout the beautiful Bass Performance Hall and its adjacent facility, Maddox-Muse Center, which houses both the Van Cliburn Recital Hall and McDavid Studio. Admission is $15. For more information, visit www.basshall.com or call 817-212-4280.

2) Rosewood Crescent Hotel & Dallas Brides Magazine - An Evening of Luxury with Preston Bailey

When? Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Where? Rosewood Crescent Hotel
Cost? $50
Details? Experience an evening of bridal luxury when Rosewood Crescent Hotel hosts Preston Bailey and celebrates the release of Dallas Brides Fall/Winter issue. Discover the unique bridal experience Rosewood Crescent Hotel has to offer from a one of a kind engagement party to an elegant rehearsal dinner and stunning wedding reception. How to create dramatic events with host Preston Bailey as he discusses how to plan and execute an affair that is sure to leave a lasting impression!

Unfortunately I can't make it to the D Magazine event :( but I'm seriously considering paying the$50 to go to the Preston Bailey event ... the Crescent is a beautiful hotel and they say that there is a gift bag at the end, which will probably be worth as much as the admittance cost anyways.

Anyone interested in going?!?

A Bag for My Things

Since we are planning to go out with a small group of friends after the reception, I would like to have a little clutch with me, for quick makeup fixes and to keep my id and a little cash in. I don't use clutches very often, so I just want something small, satin and navy blue to match my shoes ... oh yeah, and inexpensive.

When I googled "navy blue satin clutch" I came up with various links, but one that really caught my attention was La Regale. Immediately I found two simple, satin clutches that came in navy blue, but what blew me away more then anything were their prices.

So now, I need you all to help me decide between two, very similar clutches.

1) #24106 - Gathered Satin Clutch, 8" x 4" x 1.5" in Navy for $22


2) #24744 - Gathered Satin Clutch, 10" x 5" x 2" in Navy for $28

So what'll it be?

Option 1 or Option 2

Boxes...and More Boxes

My final items to share with you all from my Memorial Day wedding planning extravaganza are all of the wedding boxes. Boxes, you might ask?

In order, from top to bottom, are two bathroom boxes (or baskets), a box for programs and, finally, the box for our guests to put cards into. All of which were purchased at my favorite Hobby Lobby for, you guessed it, 50% off!

I chose these boxes because they are simple, modern and, most importantly, look just like the chairs that we will have at the reception. Now, I just need to figure out a cute way to attach signs to them so that our guests will know what they are for.

How did you all label your wedding boxes (baskets), or plan to do so for your wedding? Do you have any inspiration links, because I'd love to see some examples!

It's Taking Over the House

A little over a year ago, Mr. H and I were fortunate enough to be able to build our first home. We had been apartment dwellers for quite a while and, once we knew that we were going to get engaged, and our leases were up, we decided to take the next step towards getting our own home.

Fastforward to a year after we move in. We have a home, a pup and a wedding to plan. All of our ideas for decorating the house, aside from a few essential purchases, flew out the window. The wedding is even starting to take over our house. Case in point: our dining room. No longer a dining room, it is now a workroom and a storage room. Boxes upon boxes of wedding items, table numbers strewn about, our work table filled with projects that are yet to be completed. Instead of a nice room to eat in, this is what people see when walking into our humble abode:

I can only imagine what it will be like once all of our wedding purchases are delivered and we start to receive gifts. My guess? It'll start to overflow into our office as well. I will admit that the one thing I'm looking forward to after the wedding is being able to finally "settle" into our house and make it more of a home, and not just a place to store our stuff.

How has the wedding taken over your life and/or living quarters?