Marrying Chipps

Shower and Dress Fitting

2011-07-24T12:29:00.000-04:00

Our shower was last weekend. It was a perfect day to spend with friends and family. I am so grateful for everyone who made the trip! Even Diana from Ecuador was there!! :) Alec, my mom and all the family that helped did a great job. I don't have any of the pics, but if I get some I will post them. We had a couples shower so Dave got to be involved too. I loved it. It was a wine theme which I loved. Dave picked the beer for the guys so we had some Sam Adams too. Everything was really great!
I had my first dress fitting yesterday! Getting it hemmed slightly, bustle added, and some taken in around the waist. It was fun to put it on and see it being tailored to me. Now it really is MY dress! :) I am also working on shower thank you cards when I am not at work. Well, I have to go back to work. More updates to come. Next event: Bachlorette party! :)

Less than 100 days!

2011-07-08T13:19:00.000-04:00

Here we are almost to the 3 month mark. Wedding to dos will start picking up soon. MOB and I finished the invitations this week. They were a lot of work! I have to bring them to the post office next week and get them out, so if you got a save the date, check your mail in the next couple weeks for our lovely handcrafted invites! :) Dave's birthday is today so we are having a party tomorrow. Next weekend is the shower! I am excited for both events. I have to call my hairdresser and make my practice hair appointment! I keep forgetting to do that. Wedding night hotel room has been booked, and I checked on the reservations. There should be plenty for anyone who wants to stay Fri or Sat night. I think that is it for now, more updates in the weeks to come! Everyone enjoy the nice weather this weekend! :)

Back from Vaca

2011-06-23T11:19:00.000-04:00

Dave and I had a good time playing in the mountains last week and came back with a million bug bites. This week my MOH picked up the bridesmaids dresses. There was a minor glitch with one of them having a a different color sash but we ironed it out with her wearing the different one :) I feel like I should be doing more to prepare for the wedding, but there isn't a whole lot to do at this time. I need to start working out and firming up for those honeymoon pics! haha. I started a new job at work so the next 4 months will be stressful... good... but def stressful! Shower is in just over 3 weeks. Super excited about that! :)

Invitations

2011-06-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

We finally figured out how we want the invitations this weekend! That was a lot of work, but now we just have to make them, address them, and send them out! We also have to start thinking about all the music during the wedding. So many different songs to pick and to choose from! I didn't think the music would be this hard. The bridesmaids dresses are in! I hope they fit everyone. I can't wait to see them all together :) That is all for now, Dave and I are going to vacation with my family next week so there probably won't be any wedding posts for a few weeks. LOVE that it's finally summer! :)

I can feel it getting closer!

2011-05-20T14:04:00.000-04:00

Shower invites were sent yesterday by MOB. Let the festivities begin! :) I am so excited to start celebrating our marriage. Tomorrow I am going to Strongsville to see my dress. It finally came in and I can't wait to try it on again! I have some accessories I want to bring to make sure it all goes together like it does in my head. I still have to get a gift for the ring bearer, what do you get a little boy? Does it need to be something he has forever? What would he even be interested in that would be a keepsake? Two weekends ago Dave and I went to the Posendek wedding in Columbus. It was a lot of fun. We loved dressing up in the photo booth, and the food was great. I hope our food is that good! It was served family style which was a lot of fun too. I'm sure I will be busy with wedding stuff and have more interesting posts as it gets closer, but it has been slow for now!

5 more months

2011-05-09T08:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished my MBA last week finally! Now I have more time to work on wedding stuff :) I got my ring and love it :) Can't wait to wear it! :) My roommate from college got married last weekend. That was a lot of fun! I finished my vintage book wreath, and am making bracelets for the bridesmaids. Hopefully I will have more updates soon! MOB and I have to get working on the invites!

Bracelet

2011-04-13T11:31:00.000-04:00

I had a coupon for Michaels over the weekend, so I bought stuff to make myself a bracelet for the wedding. I made it yesterday and I love it. It was fun to make my own jewlery! I think I am going to make some for my bridesmaids too! Dave picked up his ring yesterday, it looks good on him :) He said they are going to start making mine today. I can't wait to see it! I have also been working on the design for the invitations. My mom and I are meeting this weekend to finalize. I love how so many things are coming together!

Rings!

2011-04-06T12:49:00.000-04:00

We both decided what wedding bands we want :) I am glad to have another decision made. We went to our jeweler last night to see about ordering them. The flowergirl dress came in today too! How cute! I think we are almost done buying things. What am I gonna do for the next 6 months? I will have to find something else to DIY! :) MOB is making my garter (again with some of her lace). The invites are coming along, we just have to make all of them and address all of them!

New Things :)

2011-04-01T20:35:00.000-04:00

I picked up the gifts for the bridesmaids and mothers today :) I love them, hope they do too! I ordered the flower girls dress :) I have also been shopping for shower, honeymoon, and rehearsal dinner clothes. So many things to think about! It's all fun though. I cannot decide what kind of wedding band I want! Any suggestions?? I have changed my mind a million times lol.

Updates - Odds and Ends

2011-03-30T10:02:00.000-04:00

We have actually been getting things done the last couple weeks! We got the groomsmen gifts in! We love them and can't wait to give them out :) We started purchasing things to make the invitations, hopefully we will finalize that this weekend. We have been making many trips to craft stores to purchase odds and ends for the big day. I never thought I would be in a craft store so many times in a week! I am working on another DIY project to be part of the decorations. I will post some pictures of that when it is further along. We decided to go to Puerto Vallarta for our honeymoon! Dreams has a beautiful all inclusive resort there :) I can't wait to just relax in the sun! I also set up a registry for the resort. That was fun and people can get us gifts to use on our honeymoon! How awesome! I started checking into what I have to do to change my name. Signed up for a new email address, downloaded forms from the Social Security office, just some things to help when it comes time to change.
We still have a lot to do, and our basement is filling up, but hopefully we will have it all done well in advance of the big day! 6.5 months left!

Small Things

2011-03-14T12:36:00.000-04:00

This weekend I did manage to get some wedding stuff done. Nothing big, but everything counts right? I bought my honeymoon bathing suit from VS :) It has hearts on it. I also went with my mom, Mari, and aunt to pick out attendants gifts. I sure hope they like them! We had fun picking them out. The bridesmaids dresses were ordered last week. I hope they come in by the shower so my out of town maids can try them on! Hopefully next weekend we can find some time to work on invitations! I know we have a lot done, but I feel like the time is going to start to fly by!

Registry party!

2011-03-07T21:15:00.000-05:00

This weekend Dave and I registered at Crate & Barrel. It was soo much fun. When we got there they took our coats and gave us a gun. After they taught us how to use the gun they had food and beverages for us. We had the whole store to ourselves (and other registering couples). They were very helpful when we had questions and I didn't feel like I was in anyones way like I might if the store was open. The only problem was we had to wake up before 8 to get up there! That's early on a Sunday morning! When we were leaving they gave us cards to put in shower invites and a free vase. It's small, but very cute. There were a few things we didn't find so on the drive home we decided to go to Kohls to register for more. This was not a good experience. The girls at customer service didn't know what they were doing, then the gun we had died and we had to start over. We eventually left there just feeling like we wasted time. Luckily Bed Bath & Beyond is in the same strip mall. We went there and had a much better time! Everyone was very helpful, even adding things for us they only had online. We didn't get home till 5 at night! It was a little stressful, and my feet hurt by the end, but it was a fun time and I can't wait to get all the awesome stuff we asked for!

Update

2011-02-09T08:33:00.001-05:00

Things are getting busy in the non-wedding planning world. My last semester of school has turned out to be a lot of work. We had an ice storm which means I got to work 16 hour night shifts for a week. Needless to say I haven't gotten much done for the wedding. I did manage to go vintage shopping with my mom last weekend and I think I got a dress for the rehearsal dinner :) I need to accessorize now! She also showed me the ring bearer pillow she made, it's awesome! The top is the lace from her wedding dress!! How cool is that?! I will try to keep updating on MOB accomplishments, but I will not have time to do anything for at least another month. Enjoy the rest of winter everyone!

Save the Dates are out!

2011-01-26T10:24:00.000-05:00

We mailed the Save the Dates this weekend and people are already getting them in the mail! :) I guess that means it's official! All of our hard work has paid off, now on to the invites! We also did some shopping this weekend and bought more frames for me to paint, and the jars for the sand ceremony. Seems like we still have so much to do, but things are definately getting done!

Cupcakes!

2011-01-19T18:50:00.000-05:00

I hate wedding cake. It's always dry, plain, and expensive. When we got engaged the last thing I wanted to do was shop for the wedding cake. Then I started seeing that people were having cupcakes, I thought that was fun. You can have more flavors and everyone gets their own! Still, I figured I would not enjoy the selection process. I never was a big fan of cake, birthdays I always had pie. Then we went to Main Street Cupcakes... They totally changed my outlook on cake. I was in love. They have amazing flavor combinations, we have many favorites! Thanks to getting a KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas I have been making my own too. I am now obsessed with cupcakes (not good for the wedding diet)! They are so cute and flavorful :) I suggest if you live anywhere near Rocky River or Hudson OH, you check out Main Street Cupcakes!

Save the Dates!

2011-01-11T11:24:00.000-05:00

MOB and I have been working on the Save the Dates. It was a lot of work, but good practice for the invites! There are soo many good ideas out there, but I think we picked a pretty good one. I will post pics once they are sent out. We are waiting on the magnets to come in from the photographer and then we will send! I have been working on other small projects, such as painting a big C, framing pictures, buying decorations. We also decided on the tables numbers and finalized the center pieces. I am trying to get all the DIYs done in the winter while I am stuck in the house! I signed Dave and I up for a registry party at Crate and Barrel in March. That should be fun! :) School started yesterday, so I will be a little busier for the next few months. Last Semester!! I can't wait to be done in May!

Christmas

2011-01-05T20:38:00.002-05:00

Christmas night was at our house. I had fun cooking and decorating before everyone came. Addam and Tara were up from VA for the weekend. Most of the wedding party was there. We had a lot of fun. The women even got a chance to get away and talk wedding. We decided what to do for my veil. Can't wait to see it! Hope everyone had a good Christmas and Welcome to 2011! We are getting married in 2011!! :)

Tasting at Barrington

2011-01-02T16:45:00.000-05:00

We had our tasting at Barrington on the Sat. before Christmas. It was a lot of fun. My mom, brother, and Abbey came with us. We got to try lots of wonderful food and set the menu. We also got to talk to Jen, the wedding coordinator, about some of the questions we had. We walked through the wedding day and talked about how things will look. I feel like we really got a lot done. After the tasting I talked to my mom about the invitations. It has been a big topic lately. We had a hard time coming up with a decision on what we wanted. I think we finally have it though. It might be a lot of work, but we have time! We stopped at the pro shop on the way out and mom bought us a Barrington Golf Club ornament. It will be a beautiful way to remember our wedding spot every year when we decorate our tree. They had some great stuff at the pro shop. Next up: Save the Dates!!

The season of giving

2010-12-14T11:51:00.001-05:00

I want to take some time to remind everyone that Christmas isn't the same for everyone. There are sick, poor, and hungry. I know a lot of workplaces sponsor families and that is great, please participate. I like to give all year but at Christmas it is especially important because this is the time when people feel the hurt most. Please don't forget about those in need when buying gifts for your friends and family; when cooking big meals; when staying warm in your house; and when spending time with healthy friends and family. The wedding industry is crazy expensive and I try to keep people less fortunate in mind when planning this as well. Some charities I love:

National MS Society

Ronald McDonald House

Cystic Fibrosis

Local Food Banks

Snowed in...

2010-12-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

We have been getting a lot of snow up here in NE Ohio. I hate driving in the snow so I have been spending more time at home. This weekend we made some Root Beer for the holidays :) Today I painted some frames to use at the wedding. I think they came out pretty good. I have a few more to do still but I was waiting for these to dry. it was pretty easy. I did a coat of brown, coat of white, coat of crackle paint then the top color. The orange one I had to sand a bit too.

Bridal Party Spotlight {Mike Marignoni}

2010-12-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

Mike is a friend of Dave's. He currently lives in Hilton Head SC. We miss him very much! I always enjoy talking wine and eating with him. He is a good cook, but we never had much time to cook together before he moved. Dave and Mike have many fun stories that probably aren't appropriate for this blog!

Updates

2010-12-07T08:36:00.000-05:00

Nothing major happening on the wedding front. Been busy with plenty of other things! We have been finalizing the guest list so we can send out save-the-dates. Getting all the bridesmaids measured for their dresses has been a little chore. I scheduled a tasting at the Barrington, can't wait for that! While we were in Myrtle for Thanksgiving I got lots of great vintage family wedding pics. I am excited and am trying to find the perfect frames for those. We also picked up some sand from the beach and will be having a sand ceremony. Now I need to find the perfect jars to hold it in! I printed some of our engagement pics and even blew one up to hang on the wall. I am looking for an old vintage typewriter. I would love to put one near the guest book. Does anyone have one we can use??

Bridal Party Spotlight {Joey Case}

2010-12-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

Acting like we are using the phone booth in England

Going to our cousin's wedding in SC

Joey is my brother! :) We are pretty close for being almost 5 years apart. He is currently going to school at OSU for Civil Engineering and is also in Naval ROTC. He loves it and is very patriotic. Our family travels a lot so we have been to many fun places together such as Italy, Greece, England, the Bahamas, etc. We enjoy celebrating our Italian heritage and eating Italian food! (and wine, and sambucca!!) He can be very protective, I thought he was going to go to jail in Greece for killing a guy that said something to me in Greek. (the guy looked creepy, but we have NO idea what he said!) But, he loves Dave! Sometimes they are like the same person, haha. We all went to the Dominican Republic together in the spring and it was a blast.

Relaxing in the Bahamas

Bridal Party Spotlight {Addam Chipps}

2010-12-02T19:17:00.000-05:00

Addam is Dave's brother (my soon to be brother-in-law!!) and the best man. He is a marine and works at Quantico. We love to go visit him and Tara in VA. They have a beautiful home in an awesome town. We always check out the wineries and breweries nearby. Dave and Addam like to play golf together and beat each other at fantasy football. They also love to drink Jamison and can go through a whole bottle in a matter of hours. We always love visiting with Addam and Tara and can't wait until they have kids we can spoil!! :)

Bridal Party Spotlight {Tara Chipps}

2010-11-30T18:22:00.000-05:00

Tara is my soon to be Sister-in-law. Addam and Tara got married Nov. 7th, 2009 in beautiful Fredericksburg VA where they also live. She is origanally from Jersey and has a Jersey attitude! We both work for electric companies so we are nerds and talk about work. We also like to shop for shoes ;) I am so happy she is going to be my sister-in-law. The four of us have a lot of fun together! The past two years we have spent Thanksgiving visiting the Chipps. It's like a vacation and we all get to hang out :) Can't wait to see them at Christmas!