Party Planner

One of my precious angel's  friends is getting married in March and she is in the wedding.  We decided that we would host a little brunch and miscellaneous shower for her in January.

When my daughter was a senior in high school I took an idea of a friend and ran with it.  Her senior year became the "Year of the Flamingo".  Everything had a flamingo flair-cheerleading, tennis, Christmas, graduation...where ever I could add a flamingo to the event, I did.  It was my way of having something to think about other than the fact that she would be leaving.

When we decided to shower her friend, the honoree asked that we give a nod to the "Year of the Flamingo"!  So the invitations have flamingos and I will have a few little flamingo touches.  I have given away most of my flamingo things so I really don't have many---which is probably a good thing from their friends' perspectives!

I have to have party favors, but since I am giving the party with only my daughter, we need to look for something that isn't too expensive for 20 guests.  Crate and Barrel has lots of affordable things, so we chose to use a little candle holder for not only a favor, but as part of the table decor.  Yes, it is a luncheon and you don't need candles. But they are festive and cute and candle light is always fun.  We'll use a pink votive and then find a pink filler of some kind to put in the bottom.



 I'll have white handled paper bags with pink tissue paper.  I am probably going to make a hang tag with just the face of this free clip art I found.  If I do, I will have my daughter go to Party City and get some child sized sunglasses for everyone for a photo op. (The invitation has the flamingoes in sunglasses.) However, if my daughter would rather it be a little less cutesy, I can use another flamingo for the hang tags.  I have little soaps wrapped in pink and Hello Kitty Pez dispensers that are pink with a heart.  Not everything will be flamingo, but I am using pink as the color of the day, for sure.  The Bride-to-Be would like Mimosas, so I will add a little cherry juice to pink it up. If Party City has straws with a flamingo embellishment at this time of year, I will have them with the Mimosas.

Hopefully we can get something like pink roses at the grocery store--a great place to get wonderful flowers at a good price---and we will use them in several low containers.

So, those are my little amateur party planning ideas for a special Bride-to-Be.

The Last Year for a Real Tree?

Look carefully at the tree.  Where is the stand and where is the rest of the tree?
On the lot the tree looked great!  We saw it, we liked it, we bought it.  When we
started to put it in the stand we realized that the trunk was VERY crooked.
 We always tie up the tree, but last year it fell even being tied!  Because it looks so precarious, I have decided to decorate it minimally, just in case.  Plus, we will be taking it down early this year since we will be going to Miami for Christmas.

So, I may be on the hunt for a really nice artificial tree with the lights already on it.  I'll just have to figure out where to store it......

My Wild Tear

Happy Thanksgiving!
I am truly thankful for my wonderful family and friends.  We have a precious addition to our family, not only in the form of a daughter-in-law, but also her family!  We need nothing......food, home, job, health....we talk almost daily these days about how thankful we are for them all.

But I can multi task----and still manage to get upset about the little things.  I have been on a tear for the last couple of days regarding the wedding announcement (I bought) in our local paper.  The article wasn't long.   No attendants, no flowers, no music, no long description about the bride's dress.  So I put in a couple of interesting things about the necklace the bride wore (her mother wore it in her wedding), the garter (made from my mother's wedding dress) and one of the cake stands used for the individual key lime pies that were the dessert, in lieu of a cake--- my great grandmother, grandmother, mother, sister, my nephew and now my son used it in their weddings. All of that was left out.  After several emails to the editor, I finally gave up.  It was like talking to a wall.  No apology or recognition that things were omitted.  I am finding out that I am not the only one who has had problems with our paper when "buying" an announcement regarding weddings.  Why is that?  Some days the whole paper is only 2 pages long, so you would think that they would be thrilled to have something to print, and print all of it!  I will say, that when I made a mistake by leaving out a party in the article we had printed for the wedding weekend,  they reprinted it.  I was very appreciative of that!  So I am pretty surprised that when it was their error, at least to me it was an error,  I did not get the same cooperation.

Oh well. Now I am off to bake the dressing, assemble salad, bake the turkey, make sure the kitchen is clean and tidy for the grandmothers' visits,  and wait for my middle child who is running the half marathon in Atlanta.  I hope he gets home by 1:00.  That's when lunch is served!

Wishing you a fun-filled day of celebration and thanksgiving.

The Last Party

Saturday was a reception on the bride's hometown with the people that her family wasn't able to invite to the wedding.  It was a a lovely historical home that had just been decorated for Christmas.  Cocktails, appetizers and music greeted us and then we were treated to a delicious meal and desserts.  I didn't know that many people, but everyone was so festive and happy to meet my son and his family.

I had a sense of sadness that there will  be nothing more to celebrate!  The newlyweds are still glowing and all smiles.  The families of both are still thrilled that they found someone special.  We so enjoyed the bride's family and I will miss talking to and seeing them as often as we have over the course of the wedding planning. I thought I was over the "down" time after the wedding.  But today I have been teary, yet again.

Now I am working on Thanksgiving, as everyone is.  But my heart isn't into the decorating like I normally am.  This will be the first Thanksgiving without my son.  One of many, I am sure.  But this is the first.  He will be with his wife and her brother's girlfriend's family.  However, they will be here Saturday to celebrate our Thanksmas with my sister and her family.  This will be the last time all of us will be together for at least a couple of years because my nephew will be joining the Peace Corps.

So, I will decorate the Thanksmas table a little more than for Thanksgiving.  And of course will have party favors.  This year I am into Pinecones.  I will use the party favors to decorate for Thanksgiving, and then some will be used for Thanksmas.  Those table decorations will also be their party favors

Each lady will take home the candle holder with the pinecones in the base and matches.

Each guy will take home the pinecone tree decoration.  They will also receive a homemade beer made by the No. 1 son. (Last year he made Pumpkin Ale.)

And then of course the place card in the predictable presentation.  But hey, it's a pinecone!

What Have I Done???

Thanksgiving is in just a couple of weeks---yikes!  I will have 2 of my (now) 4 children here for a week, so I knew I would need to go ahead and get started on making some things to have on hand so that the only thing I will be cooking for is Thanksgiving.  Also, my side of the family gets together only once during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays because it started getting too complicated to get together for both---I won't go into that drama.  So, we get together for "Thanksmas" on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  It has become a normal holiday and word for our family, and has worked out quite well, so far.  Because my mother lives where I do, we have gotten together at my house for the last several years, so between having a normal Thanksgiving at my house for whomever is here on my husband's side of the family, and Thanksmas, I am worn out just thinking about it.  Hence, the cooking now, for then.


I have made a healthy chili, taco soup and gumbo that are all in the freezer, ready to pull out when the time comes.  I have a couple of ideas on some healthy sides to go with the decadent dressing and gravy.  So what did I do today?  I got a bee in my bonnet to make a dish we had in Costa Rica about 10 years ago that has rice and hearts of palm.  It may be more decadent than gravy..... 2 sticks of butter to make the bechamel sauce!  Cream!  Rice, onions, celery, swiss cheese and parmesan cheese!  OH, My, GOODNESS!  It is layered like a lasagna.  I am surprising my loving husband tonight.  Then I may have to give it away to get it out of the house.  If is isn't good, I am saved!

If you have never had hearts of palm you are missing a treat.  They are really good with artichoke hearts and adds a special twist to a regular tossed salad.

A Little Info

I found the cake toppers on Etsy.  I found out, almost at the very beginning, that the Bride was not going to have a traditional cake.  So, to make my own fun, which I did quite a bit, I found cute cake toppers that were made to look like the Bride, Groom and their dogs.

The signature drink was Firefly and lemonade, served in candle jars with a top that had a flower cut out.  The straw fit right in the center of the flower.  (The Groom introduced me to Firefly when it first came out.)

Lanterns took the place of flowers and were also used at the reception.

The reception was going to have a low country boil as well as Indian food, so the groom wanted  a good ole Southern menu for the Rehearsal dinner. The Groom's grandmother made the dessert because it is his favorite.

The table toppers were black and white paisley.

Spiritual meaning of the Paisley

The paisley design is rich in spiritual and symbolic meaning. In India, the paisley signified the time of harvest, a time of both socio-economic and spiritual significance.

In Eastern religions, the two paisleys are reminiscent of the yin-yang, the interaction of two polar energies of which encompasses creation (a befitting motif for the union of marriage).

(http://applesofgold.com/jewelryblog/tag/spiritual-meaning-of-the-paisley/)

So, from beginning to end I tried to have the groom, especially, but the couple in my thoughts as I planned the dinner.  

One more thing

Just in case there is someone who hasn't already seen some pictures from the rehearsal dinner I will post a few.  The venue was perfect for the couple--outside and casual.

Now What?

Well, the wedding is over, the couple is on their honeymoon, I have fallen into emailing and texting with the No. 1 Son's wife (I still call him but that may have to change, too, if he starts not returning my calls!!!!!) and I suddenly have more time and brain space.  So now what?  Since I am not longer the MOG, I am thinking I will change my blog to something else until the next time I am in wedding planning mode.  Stay tuned while I figure it out.  I may have to change the name of the blog to suit my latest obsessing....

Guest Bags

I think that one of the first things that sets the tone for the wedding for your out of town guest is the guest bag.  More than likely your guests will check into the hotel before heading out to any of the events.  So, for me, it is an important component in the whole weekend.  If possible, I like to have them in the room waiting.  But in reality, that probably won't happen, especially if your wedding is in a busy place.

I like to have something in the guest bags that they can take home with them.  In these, the guest bag committee  had 2 small stemless wine glasses and a pukka shell bracelet.  The actual palm leaf bag can be used again, as well.  There was a little personalized pack of tissue, which I wish I had taken to the wedding!

As a nod to the city where the wedding took place, we put a gift card to the local brewery that the group placed on a printed card and put inside a printed envelope, making it not only more visible, but more attractive.   Two  personalized water bottles, 2 small wine bottles, nuts, mints and 2 snack bags and an information card with directions to the wedding and suggested activities were also included. Everything was all tied up in a cellophane bag with water colored scrunchy stuffing in the bottom,  and then tied with raffia and a beautiful hang tag to finish it off.  The palm leaf bag had a hand painted embellishment and the shell motif was used throughout, as well.  The group who put it together did a fantastic job and I heard rave reviews about how wonderful they were!  

Party Favors

 Yes, it's party favor time.  So, each person at the rehearsal dinner received a little
bag with a dog paw motif.  The bags for the guys had a bottle of personalized
hot sauce (because the groom collects hot sauce) and short bread cookies
shaped like a dog bone.  The cookies were in a cello bag tied with ribbon, both having dog paws
imprinted on them. Each lady had a bar of soap shaped like a dog paw, a tube
of personalized chap stick(the Groom's paternal grandfather always had chap stick in his pocket.), and a tea towel with the silhouette shapes of the bride's and groom's dogs. Of course we had to have the cups with the dogs on them, too. The place cards were placed in a bandana. But the most exciting surprise was that I had Jones Soda personalized with a picture of the Bride and Groom with their dogs. (The Groom once asked for stock in Jones Soda when he first discovered it.) Yes, I went dog crazy, but it was fun! All the treats revolved around the Groom in some way. I like having a little take-away.....

We're Back!

It's hard to believe that we are already back from the wedding!  I enjoyed every minute...the weekend went too fast!  I know I will be reflecting for quite a while about everything, so bear with me. Once during the reception, a friend took me to the back of the dance floor and told me just to look...there all around were my friends and family, the bride's family and friends, and the friends of the couple who had been able to come.  I am so glad she did that.  I felt joy and love all night.

One of  the Bride's family members told my husband 3 words that he felt described their very special wedding:



Simple.

Humble.

                                           
                                                 

                                    Majestic.

We Leave Today!

Ok. Here's an update on the article for the paper. It seems that I misunderstood what the paper guy meant and the paper guy misunderstood what I meant. Evidently you can still put a picture of the couple with the article of parties in the paper on the Friday of the wedding weekend. I guess he thought I wanted it printed at no cost. I always assumed I would pay for it. However, I do think the instructions written in the paper on how to go about having it printed could be a little clearer. So, I will have my secret little article in the paper on Friday!

We leave today for Savannah. I am getting my hair cut and colored, running to Walmart, getting a manicure and finishing packing the car. I took the "baby" to the vet before my hair appointment at 9:00, so I am running, running, running. My housekeeper who comes every other week comes today, so I will leave a clean house, and therefore will come back to a clean house. I am feeling a zen moment just thinking about that.....

I am going to try to enjoy evey moment this weekend. My dress, which is a beautiful color and a style that looks good on me, does not look right. Unfortunately it wasn't made correctly--- that's the only thing I can think of to explain it. The fabric is so blousy below the cowl neckline that it looks like my boobs are at my waist! Oh, well. So, even though I never thought I was the center of anyone's attention other than my loving husband's, I am humbled again to know that it really doesn't matter what I am wearing. All eyes will be, and should be, on the bride and groom. I just want to look good in the pictures!!!!!!!!!

Wedding Week

I can't believe this week is finally here.  All the planning, the counting, the worrying, the mistakes---it's almost to an end (except for my daily worrying and mistakes).  What's done is done.   I am hoping to just enjoy.

My dress arrived today so I rushed off to the seamstress' house to get that taken care of.

The weather looks like it will be wonderful, so hopefully we will have the rehearsal dinner outside as originally planned.

The seating is arranged, I just have to write it down on the board.

Our clothes are on the Groom's bed, ready to be packed.

The decorations have been sent to Savannah in 2 batches, so they are there, ready to go.

I am filling the MOG bag that a friend gave me.

I wrote an article for the paper, including a picture of the loving couple, (without their knowledge), to be printed this Friday.  But, FYI, our little paper, that sometimes barely has enough news to have 3 pages, doesn't print a picture with the article that talks about the parties. The cost for the article is $20.  That's fine! They print pictures only for engagements and weddings. I don't know how much that costs.  Now, you can buy an ad and they will print the article and the picture, which we may do.  I don' t know the cost for the different sizes of ads at this point.  We didn't have an engagement announcement and I regret that we didn't.  But I didn't have much cooperation with the Groom on that issue.  My feeling is that if you want to print an article with a picture for a wedding, why can't you go through the same channels as other wedding articles.  If they want to charge more for that, then fine.  But make things easy for "the people".   There isn't a limit of pictures of The LaGrange Daily news in Panama City........

Mehndi/Mehendi Party

In Indian traditions, the bride gets together with all her female friends and family right before she gets married and they have a Mehndi Party. She gets adorned with henna tattoos all over her hands and feet, so she looks beautiful on her wedding day. 


Henna tattoos are all natural but not at all permanent. The henna only stains the outer layer of the skin, so it lasts about 2-4 weeks. The dried leaves of the henna plant are ground into a greenish powder, and then mixed with lemon juice and warm water (and anything else in their family's recipe). The chocolate-colored paste is applied with a cone (kind of like baker's use for decorating cakes) or with a thin stick.

The designs are extremely intricate and take hours to apply. The bride has to sit and wait for the paste to dry and set, so if she needs anything, all her gal pals take care of her. After a few hours, the dried paste is then peeled or brushed off the skin, revealing an orange print. Some people even wait until the next morning before peeling off the design to ensure a darker stain - I even slept with plastic bags on my hands, I like being decorated. Never wash the dried henna off with water since that will make the design fade faster. The color darkens over the next few days, but as the dead skin cells begin to slough off, the henna tattoo, too, begins to fade away.

The above was copied from:  http://www.fitsugar.com/Mehndi-Party-Bride-256046

Down to the Wire

Well, my dress will be here Monday.  I leave on Wednesday.  Can't cut it much closer!  And I will probably have to have it altered!  (I had a mini meltdown-oh, well!)
I have started moving things from upstairs to downstairs, preparing to pack the car, and the Groom's room has become the "staging" room for figuring out what to wear during those off moments, the mehndi party and the morning of decorating.  And who knows the weather?  It has changed to where Friday will be sunny and warm, but with rain all week prior.  So, tables still inside?  My obsessive/compulsive nature is having a hard time waiting to make that decision.


I can't wait to send pictures of the guest bags.  My friends who are in charge have been so wonderful about wanting to make them special for me, both in contents and in how they look.  It will be the first thing my guests will see when they arrive in their room for the weekend, setting the tone for the festivities!  Guest bags are in the party favor family--and I love party favors!  So, they are important to me.  Luckily the planning team understands that!

With the help of friends, again, the rehearsal dinner will be so cute! (At least the way I have it pictured in my mind it will be so cute!!!)  Stay tuned for those pictures, too!

In reflecting on all that has led up to "our" wedding I get teary with joy and thanks, because I feel so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends.

Knots In My Stomach!

I awoke with a start this morning----something that seems to be the norm these days----to realize that my dress isn't here!!! YIKES!  I leave a week from today!  It has to be altered!  Luckily the person who does alterations for me is on call and will have it fit me beautifully----she just needs to have it in order to do that!  My lesson is learned.  Get the dress early. Six weeks ahead is NOT early.

And to make things even better, I can't get the Katy Perry tune out of my head when I say:
                                  I broke a nail and I hate it!
 I have been working for months to get my nails to where they would look really nice for the wedding, going once a week for a manicure.  I take my gummy vitamins every day!  I even had made plans that after my last one before the wedding, I would not lift or open anything, protecting my nails.  Yesterday I opened a box to, what else, count how many items were there, and I broke a nail.  Not just a little chip.  A full on break, down almost to the quick.  So, I guess I'll keep up my manicures, so that  maybe, by the time my Precious Angel gets married, that nail will have grown out.

OMG! I Leave in a Week!

In just a little more than a week we leave for the wedding destination!  I am excited, scared, emotional, giddy and full of joy.  I love looking forward to things:  planning, thinking, looking over notes, making lists.  I hope that the rehearsal dinner will be as nice in person as it is in my mind! With the help of friends, I am sure it will be.

Fall has definitely arrived, as well a the cool weather.  The extended forecast doesn't have rain, but it does predict cool weather for the day, and cold (by my standards) temps for the evening.  I have gotten in touch with the rehearsal dinner location to ask about heaters.  I know the Bride has asked for firepits at the reception.  Remember that both events are casual.  I already know I will be cold and hovering over a firepit or staying inside, unless there is a turn around in the weather.....which I am totally hoping for!  The stockings may have to come out!  

I have totally overbought for the guest bags and rehearsal dinner party favors.  But if I had waited I would have been nervous.  So, I guess it was money well spent.  My friends who are unable to go to the wedding will benefit from the extras!

It's Getting Closer!

With only 2 1/2 weeks to go, I am counting in my sleep!  Counting how many place cards to make, how many tables to decorate,  how many guest bags to have, and counting over and over.  And with all the counting, odds are I still will make a mistake---I usually do!!!!

My guest bag team is on the ball!  Personalized water bottles, hang tags, cocktails, soft drinks----each guest will have a treat when they get to their rooms.  I'll send pictures after the wedding.

I have a friend who is making the place cards for me.  Thank goodness!  I am in the process of alphabetizing them for the cards and chart.  I am borrowing a "blackboard" from a friend who used it at the rehearsal dinner she planned.  It is perfect for our casual setting. It will be on an easel and I will use red and white chalk pens.

Even though "My" wedding is in a couple of weeks, I can't help but still start to plan 2 bridesmaid luncheons that will be in the Spring.  I love the planning. I think it is a way for me to be creative in a way that I feel comfortable.  I have always liked to do crafty things, but have never been satisfied when I was finished.  This way, I am being creative, and like the end result! After the wedding my blog may be sharing ideas for parties!

Christmas in Miami!

Well, we will be spending our first Christmas post wedding all together!  How exciting!  And we will be warm on the beach! I have already started thinking about how Santa can arrive in either a hotel room or a 500 square foot condo----I have a feeling I will be cleaning the condo before everyone gets there!!! I have heard that there is a let down after the wedding is over. Having Thanksgiving and Christmas to plan for will help me with that, I think.

Things are going well for the wedding.  Because of regrets from family and the wedding couple's friends, I have been able to invite all of my friends who will be going to the wedding to the rehearsal dinner!  I wanted to do that all along, but there was a limit on number at the venue in case of rain.  I have a dress for the wedding, an outfit for the rehearsal dinner, and my precious angel is set, as well. She might get cold, but she'll be cute!

 I'll be working on table assignments today for who I know for sure is attending---I am sure I will be moving some around, but I want to go ahead and get started so that it won't be stressful when I am trying to get other things done.  There are still about 36 people I haven't heard from.  I will start pushing for that information next week, I think.

Getting Through the Pity Party

I love the BTB and I can see all over my son's face how much HE loves her.  I am so happy for him, for her, for them and for our families.  What a joy it is when your children are happy.  So why do I still have little bouts of the blues? (I'm a little fragile, getting teary-eyed at almost anything.)  I have a feeling that some of what I am feeling is not totally because of all the changes that will come with a new addition to the family. (I ordered a Christmas stocking with her name on it, so I am ready for the first Christmas!).   I think some of it has to do with the fact that my middle child is in Miami and has to work on Christmas day.  My husband and I have 2 aging parents, but we have chosen to go to Miami to be with our son so that he won't be alone.  The BTB and GTB have not decided what they should do---there are 2 families for them to juggle now.  So between not wanting 1 child to be alone, leaving 2 aging parents,  not knowing if 1 of my 3 children will not be with us for the first time, and working through a couple of other issues, I am an emotional mess.  Others have gone through these changes and more, and others will go through them and more.  I know I am not alone.  But this is the first time I have had to face it and deal with it.  And I will admit, I worry that I will be the one who is alone when I am 89 and 90 because my children will be other places.
I'll work through it.  And as my mother used to say to me, infuriatingly:  You'll be fine..... and I will.

Shopping for Dresses

Well!  I have been baptized into the shopping for the MOG dress.  Luckily a friend took me and knew the ropes and listened to me as I tried to explain to the ladies in the shops what I thought I was looking for.   I had already spent hours looking on line (for my daughter and me), sending back everything I had ordered, for one reason or another.   We checked  a couple of places that had great things but not what I thought I needed.  With the wedding at a casual venue, and the groom not wearing a suit or even a jacket, I feel I need to dress accordingly, while still wanting to be a little dressier than a guest might be.  Even though the MOB will be wearing a sari, I don't think I should wear something equally as dressy.  The couple will be married on a dock at sunset.  Sunset (6:00 p.m.), dressy.  Dock, not. I have 2 more opportunities to buy dressy, I think, I hope.  The MOB wearing a sari is what makes her feel special at her daughter's wedding.   So the search was stressful because I didn't really know what I was looking for, and because it was such an important purchase.

But I think I found it.  It actually is a bridesmaid dress but it has never been sold as such....at that store, at lease.    It is simple, but has personality.  The fabric is chiffon-ish, which surprised me that I liked it. I can have a little shawl made for it from the same fabric, and I am going to have a little embellishment made for it, as well.  I have sent pictures to the Bride-to-Be and she really likes it and feels it fits into what she was envisioning for the wedding.

That's what I was looking for!