Welcome ChattyBride "LFair" planning her October 2010 RI wedding!!

I completed another quick & easy DIY project last night - Valet Tags for our guests who will be parking at Fairmont Copley. I've seen these done at a wedding before, and it's such a cute little surprise to have a "Thank You" from the Bride & Groom when you get back in your car at the end of the night.

I used my circle punches to cut printed ivory cardstock & gold cardstock that I taped together with my ATG tape gun. I thought they were missing something, so I experimented with items I had around the house due to all of my wedding projects and ended up adding a feather to each tag for flair. Our guests will have already seen feathers in a lot of our floral arrangements at the reception, so they will tie in with the decor of the evening.

So Reality finally set in this afternoon when I realized that 1year from today I am getting married. CRAZY! It seems like we just got engaged, and it was almost a yr ago already. Needless to say I guess I better get my butt in gear, because July 2010 is going to be here before I know it. Some people think that I am crazy for starting the planning so early, but for those who know me know that I am the worlds biggest procrastinator there is. So getting a jump on this wedding planning is something I should start in the near future.

I do have to pat my self on the back though because I have booked the Reception Venue. There were several discussions on where it should be heald. I wanted it at the Atlantic Beach Club in Newport, but ideally for 200+ guests it wasn't a reality for what they are asking. I just figure that we should out our parents in debt for a wedding. All you need is the love of your family and friends to share the day with you. So we have settled for the Venus. A traditional Italian Restaurant as most people don't know it as because it leans more towards Portuguese food. The price is good and the food there in my opinion is GREAT! We originally planned on an outdoor wedding but with Hubby being 6'5 and being a football player it was not going to be ideal for a July wedding apparently because it is to hot, so I compromised, and this is what we got. So I have a lot of planning ahead of me and I am ready to take it on with full force. Hopefully I will have a lot of help because I know I can't do it alone.

I had the most unbelievably fun BACHELORETTE party two week ago! I cant believe how much my girls collaborated to come up with the best ideas!!!

My girlfriend Emily picked me up in the morning and we drove down to Brenton Point Park in Newport, RI (known for the kite flying). There waiting for me were two of my bridesmaids, Erika and (former chattybride) Rebecca. They were preparing an elegant picnic by the ocean! When I mean elegant I mean -Rose wine, proscuitto wrapped melon with a white balsamic glaze, turkey, smoked mozzarella, a gourmet salad topped with grilled yellow beets, radish, and every other thing you can imagine, homemade sangria and more. It was delish! Here is a picture of the picnic. Then all the girls started to arive!

I am sooo happy to say that our invites went out today!!! It's a bit early, but after working so hard on them and being anxious to know who is coming, there was no way they were sitting around the house for long after being ready to go!

This entire invitation suite was quite a process. A lot of time, frustration, fun, and love went into each set and it was all worth it in the end because of the final product. I hope our guests love them as much as we do!