It's Official- I'm Getting Old

They say the hands and neck are the first places that show age. Well count me in. My once youthful hands (that I loved looking at when they were tan) are now showing signs of wrinkles (gasp!) and extreme dryness. It's not even cold out yet! Looks like my moisturizing soap isn't doing enough. It's time to call in the heavy artillery...Can someone please recommend a hand cream that's not too greasy, but gets the job done. Oh, and please remember that I'm poor.


Also in hand news- I've been admiring my first Lincoln Park After Dark manicure of fall. It's my favorite- delicious deep plum. The mani looked great last week, but has taken a hit since I received a "new" computer. By new I mean, they gave my computer to someone higher than me a gave me a new computer with an outdated square screen, Office 2003, and a keyboard that has a half working space bar. Super.

Stop It Right Now!

Someone needs to stop watching the Rachel Zoe Project (it's me)...

Mr. SE and I received the sweetest engagement card in the mail earlier this week. Our first card other than family, to be exact. It was from Tami over at Little Miss Southern! Not only did she go out of her way to send us a real snail mail card (people don't value real mail anymore and it makes me sad, but that's another story)- but she did it on her own birthday! What a sweetheart! And guess what? She has the cutest stinkin address labels. So I'm not going to take credit for this one, it was all her.

The shop is Letter C Design, and her products are so super cute I'm seriously having trouble not buying them all. The best part? Not only are the handmade (Etsy, hello?) but the price is fantastic! Just try not to buy these for yourself!

Dress Shopping: Success!

I’ve been fantasizing about my wedding dress as far as I can remember, so finally being able to try some on was a dream come true! As my readers know, Mama SE and I went to David’s Bridal back in August. It was great to narrow down the styles (not too big, not too tight) that looked best on me. After searching endlessly for dresses via The Knot, Brides.com, and Weddingbee, I came across what seemed to be the perfect dress. At the perfect price! I called around and found that The White Room II carried it, and I quickly made an appointment to try it on with FMIL SE.

Mr. SE surprised me last Friday with my parents coming to visit- no small feat, they drove 10 hours! I was thrilled at the idea of my mom and dad being there; what if I found the dress and they weren’t? That idea wasn’t okay for this only child.

We arrived at the White Room II and were warmly greeted by their sales associates, and taken to the bridal area (they also sell prom dresses). I have absolutely nothing but fantastic things to say about this store! Erika was my consultant, and she’s also the manager. Upon entering the room, I saw her- the gown I came for. Oh Lordy, she was perfect! Erika encouraged me to grab some others to try as well. “The” dress was the first one I tried on. Total awesomeness. She fit perfectly (the sample was a 4!), and it was the color I wanted. I came out of the dressing room and received great approval from Mama SE, Dad SE, and FMIL. The one by one they started crying. I was super excited, and I’m pretty sure I jumped up and down a little bit!

I tried on all the other dresses we selected, but none compared to the first. I tried on the “first” dress once I was done with the others, and we all decided that she was the one! How exciting! She’s everything I pictured when I dreamed about how I’d look on my wedding day. Better yet? So completely under budget. Success!!! Daddy SE paid for the dress and we were on our way!

If you are not done dress shopping, please visit The White Room II. I can’t speak for The White Room I because I’ve never been there, but the shop we visited was amazing! Erika was more than helpful. She was constructive and didn’t ooh and aah at every gown I tried on. All of the consultants were incredibly nice and the store itself was gorgeous. Just yesterday I received the sweetest card from Erika. A+ for this vendor! I would recommend this store to everyone!

ps- I'm sorry I can't show pictures of the dress. Mr. SE is a super snoop!

Drumroll Please.....

We booked our venue! Those of you who read regularly know that this has been an ongoing process, and we're glad to finally have a location set and paid for. We're having the ceremony at the Cathedral of the Incarnation. While the rules of the church are a little difficult to deal with, being married in a place this beautiful is definitely worth it.

And now I'm ready to finally reveal our new reception location: War Memorial Plaza for cocktails...

...and Auditorium (dinner and dancing)! We're super excited about this venue, it's everything we wanted, and we can't wait to begin planning the details!

all War Memorial photos are by David Wright

Wedding Whirlwind Weekend

We had a super fantastic weekend. I knew FMIL SE was coming to visit, but what I didn't know was Mr. SE had planned for my parents to come as well. They drove 11 hours! I'm lucky to have such great parents who will do amazing things!

On Friday we visited our venue (I promise I'll tell tomorrow), and then headed to dinner at the Melting Pot. Saturday morning we went dress shopping (recap later) and I FOUND MY DRESS! Sorry to disappoint, I can't post it on here because Mr. SE is a snooper! I'm going to write a revue of the shop, because I can't say enough things about our experience. It was perfect- everything I dreamed dress shopping would be.

After shopping on Saturday morning, we drove downtown to show my parents where I work, the Cathedral, lodging options, and some potential rehearsal dinner locations. Honest truth: Mr. SE and I have never been in the Cathedral before. But we've seen pictures and heard great reviews, so we booked our wedding there. Seriously- it is the most beautiful house of Worship I've ever been in (& I've traveled in Europe)! What an ethereal experience! We went during mass- there was someone singing and I can't even explain the way I felt. Needless to say, it wasn't long before all five of us were tearing up. I can't wait to get married there, you can truly feel God's presence in that church.

Sunday morning Papa SE and Mr. SE played golf, while Mom SE and FMIL SE hung around the apartment with me. Later in the afternoon we went to Opry Mills to find dyeable shoes (don't even get me started on this one) and grabbed some goodies from Bath & Body Works. I picked up two candles and some fall body wash. The sensual amber and raspberry vanilla were my favorite! And now my house smells like a real apple orchard- delicious!

Holy Moses

Mr. SE just told me to write a post about some exciting news. And lookie there- he gave all of my readers a heads up before I even knew!!! He proposed!!!!

*see post below
**ps sorry I'm not wearing makeup and I look gross

Tonight's the Night...

:)

-Mr. SE

Rain Rain Go Away

This nasty weather has me thinking about fall: sweaters, scarves, boots, and maybe even a pumpkin latte. But wait. Scratch the pumpkin latte- have you read the nutritional facts online? Gross.

Old Navy has a great fall collection this year, with prices perfect for the SE household. I went over to Opry Mills yesterday, fought the Opry concert traffic to get a spot, and realized that I left my wallet at home in my work bag. Perfect. No, Mr. SE would not drive over from work and pay for my clothes. I asked.

So today I'll try once again to pick up some fall goodies. This time I'll be going to Providence because A) the parking is way better than Opry Mills B) I think it's a little closer and C) I love any excuse to visit Home Goods! What's a fall item that you're lusting after?

Best Song Ever

Add this song to your best chips ever, and you've got yourself a party! I don't care what anybody says, Miley has some songs that will get people dancing (Girl's Night Out, Rockstar, See You Again, hello!?!). I'm specifically referring to me dancing around the apartment with my laptop while Mr. SE laughs at me. Honestly, it doesn't take that much for me to dance. Some of my favorites: September (Earth Wind & Fire) and Loveshack. What always gets you up dancing?

Without further ado- here's the video. Psst...It's okay if you dance. I won't judge you!

Save The Date Inspiration

Love these STD's from A Lasso'd Moon via their Etsy site. It has that kinda-Nashville, kinda-glam look that we're going for. I'd love to see this in our colors. What are our official colors? Oh you'll just have to wait and see... The tell-all post of reception venue and color palette is coming soon. Get excited!

Best Chips Ever

{the new package is red}

I don't just hand out snack-food compliments. There are very few "junk" foods that pass my "I have IBS and I might die inside if I eat this" test. TMI. Sorry.

These chips are fantastic! Yesterday I was reading my September issue of SELF while getting a pedicure (Bastille My Heart, thankyouverymuch) and came along their awards for the healthiest grocery store bites. Lucky me- I was headed to Kroger after my pedi.

{the color of champions}

Amongst other things, I picked up a bag of Sun Chips Garden Salsa and Smuckers All Natural peanut butter. Two thumbs way up! Mr. SE is not too thrilled about the strange consistency and lack of sugar in the PB, but he loved the chips! Get out and grab a bag for yourself.

This weekend we have plans to clean up our apartment, which also includes finishing the unpacking from May. Yes, May. FMIL SE is coming to Nashville this weekend, and we'd like our guest room to look presentable. If I'm feeling up to it, we might try and hit a local apple orchard on Saturday. What are your weekend plans?

Dear Pintuck

I'd like to jump on the back of T30SB's train and write my own "I Wish Wednesday". Just this once, just this Wednesday. Why are linens so expensive to rent? I've found several prices, the cheapest of which was $34. There must be somewhere that I can purchase them wholesale and sell afterwards to recoup some of my costs.

I'm having a full blown love affair with pintuck linens. Why is this happening to me? I was able to "just say no" when the concept of chivari chairs came to mind. Yes, they're beautiful and perfect in every. single. way. But I'd rather keep that extra $6.50 per chair (that's $650 for 100 chairs, fyi) and put it towards something else. So why am I flipping out over Pintucks? Oh, because they're so shiny and luminous, and everyone notices what's on the table!

I don't want Royal Lame, or Royal Polyester. I want Royal Pintuck! Okay, I will stop holding my breath and jumping up and down on the kitchen floor. The bargain itch is starting to creep up on me. I will find a better deal for these linens.

Fall Fashion: Part II

After returning from a fantastic weekend in Blairsville, GA, I decided to pop into Opry Mills to catch the tail end of Labor Day sales. Ann Taylor factory store had some great sweaters on sale- picked up a brown tunic and black v-neck cardi (you can never have too many cardis!). The BR outlet had some pretty good deals, but nothing was too fantastic. I bought a grey tunic cardi and navy dress pants (love the Ryan short fit- no hemming!). I needed some belts for my new sweaters, so being the frugalista (thanks, Target) that I am, I headed down to Forever 21. There were so many cute goodies in there- and one big fat problem. I realized that while I do love Forever 21, there's not much room for it in the workplace. For about 15 minutes I longed to be back in college wearing maxi dresses 24/7. Then I realized that I now get a paycheck- panic attack over. Two skinny belts later (black & gunmetal) and I was headed back home.

Here's some of my favorite tops from BR's fall line.Now if they would just go on sale... What's one (or two or three) things that you're dying to pick up for fall?

Labor Day Vacay

Mr. SE and I will be spending Labor Day weekend in the north Georgia mountains. It'll be my second time at our friend's lake house, and I'm looking forward to the return trip. We're also going to look at Young Harris, where he attended junior college before transferring to Elon. It's a gorgeous area, and I'll be sure to take pictures. I plan on doing a lot of this...

and this..

and this...

How are you spending your holiday weekend? I know someone will be enjoying their last weeked as a Miss!

Phoebe Strapless

Somebody please wear this dress for your shower, rehearsal dinner, or brunch. I wish my wedding was sooner- it's on clearance! I'm in love!

*I forgot to mention it's only available in a size 14. I'm scared some brides-to-be might hurt me for not having their size*

Just Because

This super cute invite is from Wedding Paper Divas, and it's only $1.84 a piece. Loves it! Yes, my dad is Albert Einstein.

Color Palette Conundrum

I'm at a total loss for our color palette. After changing venues, we're back to the drawing board. Our new venue has a gold ceiling, just like the Cathedral- so I'd like to keep gold as an accent color. I'm drawn to the warmth of a gold/champagne/peach palette, but I've always loved blues and I'd like to incorporate that on our wedding day. Here's some palettes I'm into right now.

I'd love to hear your opinions. Can I do teal/gold/royal without looking like Mardi Gras or too gaudy? Would peach/apricot/gold be too muted for the end of summer? Please help me out. Any suggestions for palettes using gold would be greatly appreciated!

{Gold, Peach, Apricot}

{Gold, Royal Blue, Teal}

and perhaps accents of purple

{Gold & Navy}

Meet My Princess: Part II

{our contest entry}

This is my Westie, Duffie, and she's my princess. I've been her proud Mama since April 2007. When's her birthday, you ask? Valentine's Day of course! She's such a looker, and I'm pretty sure she knows it.

I swear there's a point to this...I entered her in a Twitter contest! There's an amazing dog artist, aptly named Dog Arteest that's hosting a monthly contest to win a free portrait of your pup. Aimee is so talented- her paintings are out of control. I WANT ONE SO BAD. What's better? She does them in 140. The winner is picked by Aimee, so please wish us luck!

Along with monthly contests, Aimee does commission work too. These paintings are more labor intensive, taking up to 30 hours! Here's some images from her recent commissions. Check out Aimee's site for more of her work.

Are you kidding me? How awesome is that Schnauzer?!?

Look at that face!

portraits are from www.aimeehoover.com

Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin

Okay boys and girls, it's that time of year again. Although I'm a spring girl true and true, I always get excited about the beginning of fall. My Coconut Lime Verbana is replaced by a spanking new bottle of Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. Just this morning I was sharing with Mr. SE how excited I am to switch to my "fall" scent. It's the little things.

What's your favorite part about fall?

ps- along with Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, I also love kicking off fall with the purchase of a new cardigan. A girl can never have too many!