Inspiration

As the bridal magazines stack up so do the ideas! I've been cutting out pictures for inspiration since even before the bling graced the finger! After hundreds of clips and cuts, I started seeing everything coming together in one direction. To get organized, I bought a foam board and started spreading out my ideas to get one clear picture. It's a work in progress, and some pictures are blacked out/pixeled to keep a few details under wraps, but here it is so far...

Of course these are only ideas and things will differ; however, I am excited to see how much of it comes to life on our wedding day!

Always a Sorority Girl

Ways to Add a Phi Mu Touch to a Wedding

*Use a quatrefoil theme throughout your wedding for invitations, programs and the shape of the cake.
*Use pink as one of your colors.
*Give each Phi Mu present a pink carnation corsage
*Have a Phi Mu row marked with pink ribbons
*Give each of the Phi Mus present a pink carnation. When the you walk down the aisle, collect one flower from each of sisters stationed at the end of the aisles to make your bouquet.
*Pin your badge on the inside of your gown.
*Wear a pink garter if you do not want pink to be your primary color.
*Take a group photo of all of the Phi Mus present at the reception
*Ask Phi Mus to sing a song to you during the reception, such as "Sisters" or “Picture a Girl.”
*Play the “P-H- I to the M-U” rap song at the reception

Countdown to Paradise!!!

Our honeymoon has been booked and we couldn't be more excited!

We're going to ST. LUCIA!

A Weekend with David Tutera

IT FINALLY CAME! Time to meet David Tutera! Saturday I flew to Atlanta and stayed with one of my friends, Ashley, who was also a David fan and attending the weekend's events. We got all dressed up and headed to Che'ne Rouge in Hiram, Georgia for the cocktail party titled, A Southern Enchanted Evening with David Tutera.

After we hit the open bar and returned to our table, the lights dimmed and David came walking through the door! Oh. My. Goodness. What a hottie!

The best part was when we got to actually meet him, take pictures with him, and have our books signed!

What an amazing night!!! I couldn't wait for tomorrow's wedding planning session with him!


When I woke up Sunday, I jumped out of bed and we headed back to Che'ne Rouge for The Tutera Touch: Creating a Wedding with Personal Style.

After a fashion show from Savvi, it was David time! We made sure to get good seats!

He had GREAT stories and tips that I was able to take away and incorporate into my planning!

And, we just had to talk to him again and get another picture with him!

What an AMAZING weekend!!!!

And The Shopping Continues ...

This time, my mom and I took the bridal gown search across the bay to St. Petersburg to CC's Boutique. As we walked up to the entrance, we noticed the street number was 770. Anyone from Atlanta would know that number! Not one to believe in "signs," I took it as one this time!

We walked in and the inside decor reminded me of an old southern house. I loved it, obviously! We met with my consultant Katie who lead us to the gowns I had in mind.

I tried on the two gowns that were stuck in my head from Olga's Bridal. My mom didn't care for them (nor the price) before and the second time around didn't seem to change her opinion much! I was willing to compromise but I was set on the designer (who shall remain anonymous!).  Katie pulled another dress from the same designer that had everything I was looking for. I put it on and it was gorgeous! Everything was perfect about it - I loved it, my mom loved it, and the price fell within the budget! Even better, a trunk show was scheduled in September which translated into getting a discount off the dress! Success! 

It would be the last dress I tried on because we put down a deposit for it! Thanks Mom! It was a brand new dress in the Fall 2010 collection and I was the first customer to order it from CC's!

Wedding Dress Shopping!

The time had come to go dress shopping! Any excuse to go shopping, right? My mom and I set out to tackle wedding boutiques in Tampa. In one day we hit David's Bridal, Diana's Bridal, Olga's Bridal Boutique, and Alfred Angelo. Whew! There were A LOT of dresses and we had very different experiences at each location.

I think each bride tries David's Bridal because of the convenience for the entire bridal party. Convenience was pretty much all I got out of it. Even with an appointment, my consultant often left me to assist other customers while I was just standing in a dress I didn't care for. Next!

Down the block was Diana's Bridal. Maybe David's wife? With one quick look around, my mom and I knew that we weren't the demographic that Diana had in mind for her target market. Let's just say we saw more quinceañera dresses than bridal gowns. Moving on!

Next we went to Olga's Bridal. I was excited for this one because it carried the designer I was interested in. I found two dresses that I liked A LOT however the customer service there was HORRIBLE! I tried on the dresses with my clothes on underneath due to the lack of service! At least David's Bridal had it right by being prepared with the correct undergarments and bustles. Olga's wins worst customer service award in my opinion!

Our last stop of the day was Alfred Angelo. What a nice change and breath of fresh air! My consultant Christie was phenomenal! She was very knowledgeable and patient! Although the gowns were very pretty, I could not get the other two from Olga's Bridal out of my head. Being that I did not want to go back to Olga's Bridal, I decided to research if other stores in the area carried the designer I wanted. No other stores in Tampa carried it but there was one in St. Petersburg ... needless to say, the appointment is already set for next week!!!

To be continued ...

Save the Date!!

The date has officially been set! Sean and are will be married on ....


OCTOBER 01, 2011 at Victoria Belle Mansion in Hogansville, Georgia 

We can't wait!