Testing, Testing 1 2 3

I'd like to interrupt the scheduled blog break for two important announcements...

Numero Uno: I cleared out the Bath & Body Works sale last weekend. I literally robbed the Mt. Juliet store. If you wanted any black amethyst or black raspberry vanilla, sorry it's gone. And currently living in my bathroom. I cannot put into words how much I love their buy 3 get 3 free sales. My bathroom is like a WWII bunker, only the Bath & Body Works version. Their new triple moisture body cream is currently my favorite thing. It will change your life. And if not your life, it'll definitely liven up that nasty fall/winter skin.

{hello lover}

Numero Dos: I got to wear jeans to work today, since we'll be moving around a lot in preparation for reunion. And guess what? Someone fit into their old jeans today!!! And that someone was me. Success!

Worky Work, Busy Bee

Sorry for the lack of posts. This week is the busiest week of the year for my department. I have some posts planned for the weekend. Come back for some juicy stuff!

Omigoodness

This clutch literally took my breath away. Holy wedding palette transformed into the most beautiful silk bag ever. Get one for yourself (or me) at Etsy.

*Afterthought: I wish the clasp was gold. Other than that, perfection.

Columbus Day Sale @ Bath & Body Works

Oh boy! You know where I'll be this weekend. Now if I could just get this storm front to quit messing w/my head and causing me migraines. Happy wedding weekend to the Thirty-Something Bride! I'll be at the reception, and I promise to take pictures.

One more thing. I'm having an aggressive love affair with this bouquet. I die.

Dear Sephora, I love You

Yesterday after work I stopped in at Greens Hills mall to exchange my coat (more on that below) and pick up some new makeup. It's been FOREVER since I tried something new, and I was ready for a change. Here's what I grabbed: Peach eyeshadow for every day, navy blue eyeliner (must have for baby blues), and some new rose blush. I've been having tons of problems with what I assume is rosacea creeping up on me. I've got an appointment with the dermatologist in a couple weeks, but until then I thought I'd give this Clinique solution a try. It got great reviews- we'll see if it can keep my freakout-inducing hive-looking hot flashes under control.

Now onto the trench. Said trench purchased online (XS) fit perfectly, but the sleeves/shoulders were a little snug. I tried it on just wearing a fitted tee, so I'm concerned about the fit with a sweater or layering. Tried on the small (regular) at Green Hills BR, and it was enormous. Why such a huge difference between one size? Lame. So the incredibly nice manager at BR (shout out to her- she was seriously great!) called Cool Springs BR to see if they carried my lovely coat in a Small Petite. They had it! I'll be stopping by the Cool Springs store this weekend, before I babysit for the lovely Thirty-Something Bride's wedding reception! Hopefully the small petite will be the answer to my prayers. I want this coat to fit SO badly....

On another note, I am LOVING my brown heeled boots that Mr. SE bought me from Off Broadway. The brand is Michael Shannon and they are TO. DIE. FOR. Unfortunately, MS doesn't have a website so I can't upload a picture. If you're lucky enough to see them in person (I'm sure they'll be making lots of appearances), you can admire them for yourself!

THE Trench

You know I love mail. Like LOVE receiving real letters, cards, and especially packages. So imagine my delight when this little beauty showed up yesterday. Honestly, most gorgeous trench I have ever seen! Nina Garcia said all women must have a trench, so obviously I had to find the perfect one. I searched around and decided that BR had the best option (as usual). What's better? A 40% coupon landed in my inbox last week. I was able to get the jacket for 40% off and free shipping since I'm a BR cardmember. Cannot wait to wear this little beauty around town! I was thinking she'd make her debut tomorrow for work, but with a 80 degree forecast she might have to wait a couple days...

Planning Sarah Elizabeth Gets A Planner

I get lots of questions regarding the web address of my blog. No, I'm not a wedding planner and I'm 80% sure that's not in my future. However, I love planning ahead and I've been researching/planning this wedding for a solid 2 years BEFORE we got engaged. Hence the name Planning Sarah Elizabeth. I feel as though "Sarah Elizabeth" is pretty self explanatory, but since we're on the topic I'll clear up some confusion on that as well. I grew up in the DC area, not SEC country. That being said, my name is simply Sarah, not Sarah Elizabeth. I responded to the later while being scolded in my youth, and it does in fact sound more professional. However, I am not a user of the ever common southern "double name".

Onto the topic of this post...I referenced earlier the amount of planning that's already been put into this wedding. After I nailed down the big players (dress, photographer, church, venue, etc), I knew I needed to leave the details up to a professional. There's only so much my little type-A brain can handle, before I start going into a state of nighttime tooth grinding wedding planning meltdown. As Mr. SE and I started choosing the big aspects of our wedding, be both decided that having a "day-of plus a little more" would be well worth the financial commitment. It's important for me (and my mom, aunts, & bridesmaids) to enjoy our wedding day and not stress over the little details. We met with our planner last Saturday, and I can honestly say I felt a weight lifted already!

She's pretty much fantastic. Not only does she have some great weddings under her belt, but she just planned her own Nashville wedding (don't worry- she hired a planner for the big day too). Please meet Kristin of Simply Stunning Events. She's all that and a bag of Garden Salsa Sun Chips. Yeah, I said it. Mr. SE was even excited. Hello? Mr. SE doesn't normally get excited about wedding-related issues.

What was one thing that really lifted your wedding stress? Perhaps a cocktail, girls' night, etc? I could use both of those...

{as we begin booking our big players, I'll be sure to give each of them a shout-out. Also- I'll be providing links to their sites on the left sidebar of my blog}

Let's Hear It For the Boys

Who doesn't love Footloose? I mean, really... Thanks to my incredibly lovely (and newly married!) friend Cat, I came across The Tie Bar. This website has jillions upon jillions of fantastic ties. They're all reasonably priced ($15) and there are so many colors and styles to choose from.

Mr. SE is quite a fashionista, and I want to make sure all of our guys are looking super fly on the big day. Here's what we're thinking: black tuxes, white shirts, and a colored tie. Vets? I don't know. We'll have to try them on at the store. As for ties, I'm totally in love with paisley patterns! They successfully incorporate the formal, but fun vision for our wedding. Here's some of my favorites! What are your thoughts? As usual- I love hearing your opinions!

Engagement Pictures: Getting Ideas

{i forgot where i found this. if you know, tell me. i'd like to give credit where it's due}

Mr. SE and I are excited to do our engagement shoot! We have about a jillion pictures of us on my laptop, but their mostly extremely skilled one-armed self portraits. You know the ones- someone's face is half cut off (normally his). When given the opportunity, we jumped at the chance to get engagement pictures. What a great time to do it- we're recently engaged, still basking in the glow of love (barf), and the leaves are about to get really pretty! I'm not sure where I originally found this picture- but I love it! We'll definitely have to try something like this. Did you use any inspiration when preparing for your engagement or bridal shoots? I'd love to hear from past/current brides on this one!

An Update of Sorts...

I've been a bad blogger. Sorry for the lack of posts lately- perhaps it's due to lack of inspiration. After "planning" our wedding for over 2 years now, I am finally able to pull the trigger and make permanent decisions. The problem is that I think I overdid it over the past years- I'm experiencing a bit a wedding overload. I've read every. single. post on Style Me Pretty, Snippet and Ink, and Weddingbee. The Knot is old news too. I'm looking for inspiration in new places and trying to find fun and interesting things to share with my readers.

Up next:

Ceremony Ideas (met with the Cathedral music coordinator yesterday)
DIY Overview of the Bridesmaid cards (all girls accepted!)
Tux Ideas for the Boys
Fun Details for our OOT Guests

In other news- Miss Kriss and I are babysitting for The Thirty-Something Bride's Wedding later this month. We're super happy to help a sister out. Not to mention I can't wait to see T30SB's plans come to life. I'm meeting the lovely ladies for happy hour tomorrow night. Excited? Definitely!