My girls and I went to several dress shops before we found the dresses, turns out it was a little shop down the road where we did find them.  I have a bridal party of 8 ladies, so of course not each style falls perfectly on each figure.  They ranged from 5’2 to almost 6′ tall and of course varying sizes.  The dresses we chose were almost exactly the same, minus little details here and there.  I chose a cocoa color for the dresses and matched them with a nice, rustic ivory lacing, which were laid differently on each dress, perfect.  To compliment the dresses. I bought the girls pearl necklaces and matching bracelets.

After seeing the beautiful dresses, I decided to sunflowers to complete our look.  What would a fall wedding look like without a pretty pop of color?

 Photo: Sargeant Creative

I just downloaded the artwork file from the website (link above), and printed about 50 sheets out on white cardstock (2 cards on each page).  Then I used my paper cutter to cut the cards out and that was it.  They were placed right next to our engagement album, which acted as a guest sign in book (more on that later!).

My husband and I couldn’t stop laughing when we read the cards after we were home from our honeymoon.  I put them all in a photo album so we can look back on them anytime.  Pretty cute, huh?  I promise guests will love them.

Photo: LittleRetreats

Photo: Rock N’ Rock Bride

A good friend of mine made our sign with her cricut paper cutter, and we took some fun shots with it after the ceremony and right before the reception began.

Photos: Sargeant Creative

Just one more fun and simple detail to add to your wedding day, don’t you think?

The book is probably one of my favorite things from the wedding.  I can’t wait to show every page to our children someday

Did anyone in the Garden include a wedding album in their photography package?  Great decision, right?

You can’t control that your bridesmaid accidentally rips the seam of her dress on the way to your wedding. (Yep.  Happened on my day.)  You can’t control that the tux shop ordered the wrong shoes and the ones your groom and his guys are wearing literally look like they walked out of that episode of the Brady Bunch where Marcia and Jan hold a double wedding, but you can’t do anything about it because nothing was ready for pickup until the day before the wedding. (Uh huh. That happened, too.) You can’t control when the preacher asks, “Who gives this woman to be with this man?” Anyway, even though you distinctly asked him not to. (Let’s just assume for the sake of speeding this up that everything I suggest here really happened on my day.)

But let’s talk about the mother of them all.  The one thing a bride can’t control on her special day, and it terrifies each and every one of us–the weather.  I knew I loved the weather in Oklahoma in October.  It was cooler than it had been for the past four or five months, depending on when Spring decides it wants to get warm.  But there is a great problem with the weather here.  For those who are unfamiliar with Oklahoma, let me explain.  It’s completely unpredictable.  So unpredictable, in fact, that a famous Oklahoman summed it up in a way we Okies love, “You don’t like the weather?  Wait five minutes.  It’ll change.” I have literally gone from wearing short-shorts to the thickest coat I own.  In an hour.  I wish I was exaggerating.  This unpredictable weather, of course, came into effect on my big day.  I remember the Saturday before my wedding was cold and rainy all day long.  I just kept looking to the skies and saying, “Alright, Oklahoma.  I’ll give you this Saturday.  But next Saturday, you better be flawless!”  But sure enough, talk from the Oklahoma meteorologists were whispering the idea of rain on that special day.  I prayed and prayed and prayed and willed the skies not to let a single drop fall.  

It rained.  The skies were dark and overcast all day, and it rained on us at the start of the ceremony as well as on the way to the reception.  Looking back on it, I laugh.  My whole life I’ve heard Alanis Morrissette’s “Ironic” having no idea their really would be rain on my wedding day. That really is ironic, Garden.

I also laugh because, do you want to know how much I cared?  Not at all.  Zero.  Zilch.  Goose egg.  Nada.  In fact, I didn’t care about any of the things that happened on my big day that I couldn’t control.  I married the man of my dreams, my best friend, the guy I’ve been praying for since I was a little girl.  It was the happiest day of my life, no matter what the weather was.  To tell you the truth, I really didn’t even notice the weather until we got to the airport to leave for our honeymoon, and I worried our flight would be delayed. Besides, I got off easy.  A couple I knew in college also got married the same day, and they had planned an outdoor ceremony.  TWO DAYS  before the wedding, they booked  a last minute church to avoid the rain that neither of them attended, they didn’t know, and hadn’t even seen before that day.  I felt horrible for them.

My point is, Garden, that the things you can’t control on your wedding day really won’t matter.  So all of the time you may be spending sweating every detail that may go wrong is completely wasted.  First of all, most of the things you’re worrying about won’t even happen to begin with (that one I can promise), and second of all, they won’t even be the things you remember from that day.  I literally had to sit here at my keyboard for a good 20 minutes before I could even think of anything for my introduction that happened on my big day that I couldn’t control.  The most important part to your day is that you and your best friend are starting your new life together as one.  And no matter what happens when it’s all over, that is all that matters.

Are you worried about the weather or anything else on your big day? How are you dealing with those worries?

I want to say that I didn’t download every app in existence for weight loss, calorie counting and yoga routines, but I totally did.  And it was definitely worth it.  Not only did I fit into my dress with no alterations, I am STILL working out weekly and on a good eating routine.

The best advice I was given, and try to give, is do not call it a diet. It is a lifestyle change for the better.  Give up soda and make eating fast food a rare dinner.  Plus, don’t give up after the honeymoon.

What are you best weight loss tips?  Favorite exercise routines?

Sunflower Dude and I decided to incorporate Disney into the wedding, we got engaged in Disney World and went there for our honeymoon, to put it simply, we are a Disney family.  On the other hand, we were having a rustic, fall wedding with burlap for miles.  We decided to separate the venue into four sections: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios (MGM) and Animal Kingdom, of course!  Then in each “land” we created some of our favorite places, rides and restaurants into tables!

How did you all incorporate something you love into your wedding?  How did you decide on centerpieces?  I’d love to know!

Rose Dude and I are having an outdoor wedding, and I am excited to say that I have my dress picked out and purchased (Shhhhh…that’s my next posting). When going to try on my dress, it was amazing to think that I have worked so hard this past year getting ready for my big day and have slimmed down so much. I’m down 24 pounds!

Since the beginning of this year, I have been working hard to keep up the good work, but like so many people, who have been working out for a long time, I have hit a plateau. How upsetting! Last month, however, I started going to what we all call “Booty Bootcamp.” What a difference changing things up has made in not only my body but my healthy habits. In the first two months of taking the hour-long class twice a week, I can already see a difference and am excited to say that I bought a bikini for my honeymoon and for the first time in a long time, I feel really comfortable in it and can’t wait to wear a bathing suit on our trip!

To all of the brides out there, who are working hard towards a goal, stick with it, if things don’t progress how you want, sometimes all it takes is a tweak in the routine and you’re off again!

The box it came in has a viewing window so you’re able to see the gown.

Sure it’s just sitting in a box and there’s nothing you can really do with it but put it in your closet, but it’s still there to remind you of the best day of your life!  I would rather have it nicely secured in a pretty box then hanging on a hanger in my closet.

I’d highly recommend Wedding Gown Preservation Co. to brides looking to preserve or even just clean their gowns after the wedding day.  They’re prices are very reasonable and they have been around since 1913 so you know they are experts in the field!

Anyone else in The Garden have their dress preserved or thinking about it?

Photos (Clockwise from top left): My Sweet and Saucy | Snippet & Ink | Cilucia | BHLDN | Society Bride | Erica Obrien Cake Design | Heather Roth Photography | Ruche

Pretty sure I’m going to need to order that mint cake stand asap!  Anyone in the Garden using mint as a color scheme in their wedding?

One idea that I’ve found in my scouring of Pinterest and other wedding blogs that I absolutely fell in love with was the idea of a time capsule guest book.

I know that for the most part people buy those expensive guest books, their guests sign in, and then they never look at them more than once or twice in their marriage. I didn’t want this to happen. So, when I saw the idea of a wedding time capsule used as a guest book, I fell in love!

On the day of our wedding, instead of a book sitting on the table where the guest book normally is, there will be a box and some envelopes and cards. Next to it there will be a sign that says “Please leave us a word of advice, a drawing, a song, or just your name, so that we can remember you were here with us on our wedding day. We’ll open this on our 1st anniversary while eating wedding cake and drinking a bottle of champagne.”

Now, the next step is finding the perfect box for our time capsule, as well as designing the cards and envelopes that our guests will write on! We also included a note in our program that informs guests that the time capsule IS our guest book, so they aren’t confused in looking for something a little more traditional!

Did you have a non-traditional guest book?

Photography: Sargeant Photography | Venue: Turnip Rose

There’s a lot more wedding dress pictures where that came from… stay tuned!  I can’t wait to share all the dress shots with you when we get our pictures back this month!

So, I would like to show them off. Here are my girls!

My Princesses! From left, Cinderella, Belle, flower girl Tinkerbell, Junior Bridesmaid Aurora, Matron of Honor Rapunzel, Ariel, and Jasmine!

There they are! My lovely princesses! In their beautiful dresses we picked here.  In writing this post, I’m going to talk about something I’ve wanted to the entire time I’ve blogged about my wedding: talk about how I know these lovely ladies.

Cinderella is my cousin.  Her dad and Mommy Orchid are brother and sister, and we’ve been incredibly lucky because our whole lives we’ve grown up right along side each other, being very dear friends to each other the entire time.  Our family is incredibly close, and we’re so lucky to have it that way.  To show how long we’ve known each other, a picture came up in our slideshow of Cinderella and I as toddlers.  This one:

Personal photo. The adorable laughing tyke on the left is me!

We couldn’t stop laughing about it once we found it, so we decided to recreate it.  And I love how it turned out.

Belle is a friend I made in college, around the same time I met and started dating the Joker.  Our friendship is very freaky.  We call each other our “brain twin” because of all of the weird, specific things we have in common.  We’ve also been known to randomly vocalize the exact same thought at the very same time on numerous occasions.  I’m not kidding when I say they’re random. How many people can say they have a brain twin?

We call this "the face". We've been making this face in pictures for years.

Flower girl Tinkerbell is the youngest of three girls I babysat last summer to occupy my time while school was out.  Junior Bridesmaid Aurora is the daughter of some very, very dear family friends.  A role model of mine, whose been like a big sister to me through a lot of things in my life.  Admittedly, both girls were added to the party pretty late in planning.  It’s a very unnecessary story, I promise.

I wanted something more original than petals for her to throw, but never thought of anything haha.

She lost her two front teeth JUST before the wedding. It was ADORABLE.

Matron of Honor Rapunzel has been my absolute best friend since lower elementary school.  That’s why her code name is Rapunzel: we’ve been closest the longest.  We’re so, so lucky to have found each other.  We’re both married, living in different cities, with jobs, and she’s about to have her second baby with her own Prince Charming.  In short, we don’t get to see each other as much as we’d like anymore.  But the minute we’re together, it’s like we haven’t been apart at all.  I feel this is what defines how true our friendship is.   

Princess Ariel is another friend I met in college, around the same time I met Belle and the Joker.  Fun fact, she started dating her boyfriend one week before the Joker and I started dating.  And who’s her boyfriend?  None other than the Joker’s groomsman, Thor! Thor and Ariel are our favorite “couple-friends.”  The four of us go out all the time together, just hanging out or doing nothing at all.  I cherish our relationship so much and am so glad they were in our wedding.

Last but certainly not least, I met Jasmine at church.  Well, through church.  Her dad is our church’s music minister and knew my mom through a bunch of singing gigs they had both done.  He recruited us to start going to the church we attend now (which happens to be the church Mistah J’s dad is the preacher at!) because he had just got hired there and was trying to build a choir.  Our moms ended up becoming BFFs through this, and we met through them.  From the moment we met, we just clicked.  I can be completely crazy around her and there will be no judgement on her end or mine.  Another sweet Princess I’m blessed to know.

Hides her pretty face, but it's fun.

And that’s how I know my princesses.  I’m so honored to have them all in my wedding.  They definitely deserved this moment in the spotlight! I love you, girls!

*Unless otherwise stated, all photos  used with permission of Treasured Memories Photography*

What are you ladies doing for a guest book?  Is anyone getting a photo booth?

They were the support system that a lot of people could not even imagine.  Maybe they aren’t my blood sisters, well one of them was, but they are closer to me than more than half of my blood family.  Whether it was the silly, simple things, like picking out dresses and jewelry or maybe addressing invitations and whether I should use cocoa or mocha or the intense things, my sister and I got into a huge tiff, and she threatened to leave the wedding party, but my bridesmaids were there.  There was always a shoulder to turn to.  Always a listening ear.  These bonds become more true when you start a new phase of your life, and they are at your side, literally, cheering you on.  I could never imagine a world without each one of them.  When you ladies begin to choose your bridesmaids, do not take that decision lightly.  It saddens my heart to see some women have to kick out or have ladies drop out of the wedding party.

I just recently took part of a “Bridal Challenge” on Instagram today. Day 19 was bridesmaids gifts.  I began to picstitch the photos of the gifts I bought these special ladies.  I even had another friend of mine comment on what a giving and generous bride I was.  All I could say was, it was the LEAST I could do.  These women have done so much for me; I could not even begin to repay them with a necklace or a survival kit.  They just mean the world to me, and I had to take the time out and tell you ladies this.  Don’t get caught up in this planning too much where you forget to say thank you.

Ryan and I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Lahaina – it was truly an incredible place.  From the exotic birds, the beautiful landscape and the breathtaking views, we were in awe from the moment we drove up.  The pool was something else, complete with a waterfall and swim up bar with TVs.  The resort also had its own private beach access, which we used to watch the sunset almost every evening.  Horseback riding, snorkeling and zip lining were only but a few activities we participated in during our stay.  I’d have to say a highlight of the whole trip would be our time spent in the resorts beautiful spa, Spa Moana.  We had a couples massage in beachside cabanas and then took in the relaxing views (see photo below) from our spa chairs. Heaven!

I was day dreaming about being back here today. Maybe for an anniversary surprise?!  We’ll see.

The view from our room, not too bad!

There were flamingo’s, ducks, swans, parrots and all kinds of exotic birds throughout the hotel grounds.

Our 1st sunset in Maui, gorgeous!

Such a fun burger joint – Cheeseburger in Paradise on Front Street, Lahaina

Spa Moana was such a relaxing experience, I mean look at that view!

View from our horseback riding trail in the West Maui Mountains.

Twin Falls, 1st stop on the Road to Hana

We stopped by The Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua, only a few minutes away from our resort.  Their pool was amazing!

Baby pineapples growing in our hotel courtyard, so cute!

One of our last dinners in Maui at Merriman’s (excuse the hair, it was a bit windy!)

I felt like we were able to do so many activities and see so many things and still were able to enjoy relaxing and doing absolutely nothing.  The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa is the perfect place to spend your honeymoon, I highly recommend it if you’re still deciding on the perfect spot in Maui.  It’s close to shops, beaches and resorts that are a must see in Ka’anapoli Beach.

Anyone here planning a Hawaiian honeymoon and can I come along?

I don’t wear a lot of jewelry other than a necklace and my rings, so I wanted to keep my accessories simple. I decided to wear my great grandmother’s pearl necklace that was given to me years ago, along with another great grandmother’s ring that my mom had let me borrow to use as my “Something Old.” I based my other jewelry around those items and purchased a pearl bracelet (not real though!) with a fun gold bow on it and my “Something Borrowed” was a set of (not real, again) pearl drop earrings.

I also always wear my grandfather’s wedding band, but I didn’t think to take it off to have pictures taken with my other jewelry since I always have it on. You can see it in a few of the ceremony pictures below. I actually wear it as my wedding band now even though it is gold and my ring is white gold. It means that much to me since he passed away my senior year of high school.

My favorite part of my look was the flower in my hair! Our wedding was outside on the water, so I decided when meeting with the florist that I wanted to have some pop of color against my dark hair. It was a yellow cymbidium orchid with a little bit of red in the middle. I loved it!

Last but not least, the basis of our wedding was my garter. With MG Bear and I being HUGE football fans, I knew this would be one of my favorite personalizations to wedding accessories. I went on Etsy.com and found a Pittsburgh Steelers garter! I was in love.

The little details are personally what I remember most. I am hoping to pass down mine to my children one day!

Here’s what our invites look like and the response postcard front:

I have always had problems with my skin. I have really fair skin (hello, sunburn!) and it’s also very oily. I also have this awful patch of red bumps on the backs of my arms that I have had as long as I can remember. In doing some research, I found that one of the best and most natural things you can use on your skin is coconut oil!

Well, Garden let me tell you about my new love affair with this fantastic grocery item! It has not only started clearing up those red bumps (that I have literally tried to cure with every skin care product under the sun!) but it’s also made my face less oily and my legs 10x more moisturized!

I was so worried about walking down the aisle and people noticing the red bumps on the back of my arms. It’s something I’ve always been self-conscious of and no matter how much I exfoliated, lotioned and repeated, they never went away. I’m so excited to say that by just using a little bit of coconut oil after every shower the bumps are going away!

So, this is just a little plug for all you brides, future brides, wives and just plain readers look into the fabulous effects that coconut oil can have on your skin and your health. I plan on using it every day from now until the wedding and from there on out! I just bought a giant tub of it for $16 at Costco, so it’s really affordable. It’s great for your hair too! It’s got a lot of awesome uses, and you can use it to cook with too. In my mind, it’s an all around awesome product!

Have you used coconut oil as a beauty product in preparation for your wedding? What other non-conventional beauty products do you use?

As I’ve explained before, Daddy Orchid is not my biological father.  My biological father does exist and did come to my wedding.  It ended up being way less dramatic than I expected him being there would be.  Though, honestly, it didn’t look that way the days leading up to the wedding.

Since my biological father and my dad were both at my wedding, it put me in a complicated situation.  Traditionally, the father of the bride walks her down the aisle in the beginning of her ceremony.  But who walks me? The man, who deserved the honor, was the man, who was there for me every day, held me when I was sick, laughed with me, cheered for me at my every soccer game, choir recital, major production, graduation and every other event in my life.  In all honesty, he was who I wanted walking me down the aisle.

My biological father wasn’t there. Period.  I grew up without him there.  He wasn’t there every day, like Daddy Orchid.  I don’t want to get too off topic, so let me just sum it up: he didn’t deserve it.  But, and this says so much about who he is, he made it perfectly clear to me early on that if he wasn’t the one to walk me down the aisle, it would break his heart.  His reasoning was that he “had missed out on everything else,” he “was really counting on getting that one last honor.”  I didn’t want to hurt him, it would just mean unnecessary drama for me.  But at the same time, there was no way he was going to walk me down that aisle.

I also didn’t like the idea of both of them walking me down that aisle.  No offense to any of you in the Garden that were able to make that work, but it wasn’t the choice for me.

So, I made a compromise.

Well, I can’t take all the credit.  Mommy Orchid was the one, who came up with it. She suggested that instead of one or the other or both, maybe my brother, Captain America, could do it.  This idea was really appealing to me.  It meant I could do something different in my ceremony, which you all know I love, and it meant no one’s feelings were hurt because it meant I didn’t choose one dad over the other.

So, Captain America walked me down the aisle.

Captain America bringing me down the aisle. So cute, you can see he's been crying!

And it was a beautiful, beautiful moment.  One that I will remember for the rest of my life, as will Captain America. He was so proud to be the representative of our family, and there isn’t anyone else I wanted to have there.

What about you, Garden?  Is your walk down the aisle a different one, too?

via WeddingWire

What’s also cool is that these websites have matching wedding invitations as well. WeddingWire has thought of everything!  If you haven’t decided which wedding website host to go with, I’d definitely check them out!

A ton of my friends are now planning weddings, and I am seeing all kinds of statuses on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter about getting “wedding dress ready,” and I know every bride has been there!

The first thing you think about is “I have GOT to get my arms to look good” or “Gotta get that back toned!” Well, I wanted to give a little advice. I managed to lose 30 pounds before the big day (but I actually started before MG Bear and I got engaged, not because I was getting married) and it wasn’t easy! First, I want to say that you shouldn’t want to lose weight or tone up just because you want to look good in your wedding dress. A lot of brides fall into that trap and end up gaining “marriage weight” right after the wedding, and nothing is more depressing than looking back at your wedding pictures and thinking “Gosh, I would kill someone to be that skinny again!”

Here are some of my personal tips on getting in shape to look good on your wedding day!

1. Nutrition is key! Make sure you are eating the right kind of foods. Think fruits and vegetables, avoid refined sugars and eat the good carbohydrates! Carbs are good for you if you avoid the bad ones, such as potato chips and white bread. Always remember, portion control! I count calories using MyFitnessPal, which is an effective way to see how much you are actually eating!

2. Mix your workouts with cardio and strength training. This burns the max amount of calories AND fat. Think Zumba for cardio, and a sculpt class for strength. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy like attempting to be a competitive weight lifter!

3. You can start anywhere! You don’t need to belong to a gym or even run outside. I highly recommend any Jillian Michael’s workout. I started with the 30 Day Shred (which you can get at Target, Wal-mart, Amazon, etc. for around $10), and it is effective! She uses the 3-2-1 method of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. Another great part is that her workouts are anywhere from 20-60 minutes, which is great if you are super busy with school, work, kids, etc. and don’t always have time for a full hour long workout!

4. Most importantly, as I mentioned above, don’t stop after the wedding! Quoting Legally Blonde here when I say “Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make people happy, and happy people just don’t shoot their husbands!” This is where I encourage you to laugh.

Make sure to start off slow, especially if you haven’t worked out in a long time! You don’t want to hurt yourself. When I was having a hard time motivating myself, I would be on the treadmill imagining how awesome I was going to look in that dress, and it made me push myself harder.

What keeps you motivated to get “wedding dress ready”?

For most of my life when I thought forward to my wedding day, I imagined a day bathed in rich blue tones. Blue being my favorite color in the world. However, recently due to a minor snafu picking out bridesmaids’ dresses, I hatched a new color scheme for the “Cotton Big Day”–rainbow. Now, I know it might be sound silly, perhaps a little juvenile, but I’m more excited about this development in the planning than I was with my original plans.

Despite my excitement, I was a tad scared to see what Mr. Cotton would say about this change; I didn’t know if it would impose a threat to his masculinity. I was pleasantly surprised. He told me that it seemed more fitting for us as a couple, and that rather than restricting our color pallette, we should ”embrace the whole spectrum of possibilites”. (Did I mention he was a keeper?)

Since we are getting married in a garden, I feel that having each of my bridesmaids in a different color will pay homage to all the different flowers in the garden. Also, in addressing my fear of seeming juvenile, I reminded myself that Mr. Cotton and I are on the younger side of engaged couples, and there is nothing wrong about celebrating the youth in which we found our love. With any luck, our love will keep us young forever.

Here are a few pictures to illustrate my inspiration for our new theme:

What do you think? Would you ever consider using more than a couple of colors for your wedding?

There’s nothing cuter than when a couple uses props for their engagement shoot.  My hubby and I found a super cute sign on Etsy from Baybee Dahl Boutique, and it fit perfectly with our Valentine’s Day theme.  Even though it was a bit windy/rainy that day, our photographers found some great shots!

All Photos by Sargeant Photography

Ryan and I played around with the sign and our photographers had some great ideas how to capture some fun shots.  We both loved how everything turned out!  I was also able use this sign as Valentine’s Day decor in our place–double score!

It doesn’t hurt to put a little extra thought into props for your engagement session. You’ll look back on the photos and be happy you did!

Another factor in my save-the-date cards was the fact that, like everything wedding related, they are yet another expense. In talking with a coworker of mine, I found out there her husband owned a sign and graphics company in my community and would able to design a postcard-like save the date card that I really wanted to do. Working with a company besides a traditional wedding-inspired company gave me many options at a fraction of the cost. I wanted to ease of having my cards printed as postcards for all of our outside invites but also to cut back on the cost of postage. I submitted my ideas to her husband and he worked with me on the design to create a save-the-date card that was specifically what I wanted, sending me proof after proof until it was perfect.