WE ARE FAMILY...

I think it is important to explain a little bit about each of our families so that you can have a clear picture of where we are coming from on this whole marriage thing.

Mr. Aardvark comes from a fairly standard nuclear family, the typical Mother, Father, 2.5 children (ok, really only 2, Salty and his brother). They are some of the sweetest people you will ever meet and I cannot wait to be part of their family! They are a shining model of marriage in a world of chaos.

(Photo via Boy Louie Wordpress.com)

My family is a little more complicated. My parents divorced when I was five years old. There are a number of reasons it was not traumatizing for me, one being my age, but another, more important one, is my my parents. At the time I did not think much about them being civil with each other, getting along and sharing custody of me. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world.  As an adult, about to embark on a marriage of my own, I am in awe of how hard they must have worked to make my childhood so smooth.

There were never any nasty comments about "the other parent". They stood together as parenting unit when I made (weak) attempts at teenage rebellion. They were very involved with my athletic endeavors and other extra circulars. Perhaps the most Amazing thing about my parents is, when I say "They" I am not only talking about my Mother and Father. "They" includes my step-parents too! Both of my step-parents have been in my life for a very long time. They are fully part of the parental unit. My Step-Mom and Dad also have two kids. Bridesmaid Sis, and my brother (13 years my junior) we'll call Groom's Man Little Bro. 

I am amazed every day at how well all of my parents have strived to make our family work. It is a testament to the power of love and their own maturity. They has taught me to value relationships over titles, and it has taught me a lot about the kind of parent I hope to someday be.

So while my family tree may look a bit more like a shrubbery than most, I like to think of it as a beautiful topiary with all of the parts working together. 

(Photo via photo dictionary.com - Topiary)

What kind of family do you come from? What did you learn about marriage or love from them?

Color Story

Alternate title: How we picked our Date

When I was younger, all the way up until just before Mr. Aardvark and I got engaged, I had always imagined a fall wedding. The rich jewel tones are romantic and bold and whimsical without being too feminine and frilly. Don't get me wrong, I love pastels, and pink in all (ok most) of its shades, but that was just not what I wanted for my wedding.


Photo from via Buckley Photography on the knot.com



Photo from Rodney Baily on the knot.com

 
Images like these filled my imagination. Not to mention the potential for swirling leaves! Michigan puts on quite a color show in the autumn months.



(photo by Jason Martinez)

How dreamy is that!?  However it was not to be. You see, Mr. Aardvark popped the question on May 28th. and the Catholic church requires a minimum of six months in order to prepare for marriage. So, lets count: June, July, August, September, October, November.While technically November is still fall, it is not pretty fall like the pictures above, it is cold grey fall. Plus the Holiday season would add a whole other planning dimension that I was not ready for. And no, waiting a for the next Fall to roll around was just not an option. We were (are) ready to make this thing official now!

So it was back to the calendar for me. Summer was not an option due to the fact that I work in the Bicycle industry (as does my father). It is the most hectic time of the year and taking a few weeks off to do something like "get married" just wasn't in the cards. Plus its hot. Neither Mr. A nor I do very well in the heat.

Fall is out. Summer is out. That leaves Winter or Spring. About half of winter is out because of the afore mentioned holiday season. Also, you know, the weather. I love snow. Mr. A loves snow. But we were not willing to risk losing large chunks of our guest list due to impassable snow covered roads.

So Spring it was. The earlier the better due to the whole "bike industry busy season deal". Being Catholic, we can't marry during Lent so, we booked the first available post-Easter date. Easy peasy! (plus free flowers in the church! SCORE!) This also happens to be Mr. Aardvark's brother and sister-in-law's anniversary. They were more than happy to share!

 Now that we had a season it was back to colors. Since I wanted to avoid pastels, I had to think outside the box a bit. I was this close to choosing light blue and red:



Photo from Marisa Holms on the knot.com

But then I found something I loved even more!


Photo from Weddingbee Classifieds

NAVY & LEAF GREEN! I adore this combination! The navy is serious and sophisticated. The green is bright and playful! and together they are Magic! AND, they lend themselves nicely to small pops of other colors!

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This is my color board. Yes, I may have gotten a bit color-crazy... But I wanted to account for most of the colors that would actually show up. The yellow, poppy, light blue and pink are pretty much exclusively for flowers. The Grey and brown for the guys suits and shoes. The main players as still the navy and the green.

What do you think? Too many colors? Did you use the seasons to dictate your palate?

Pretty Maids All in a Row: WHO?

I have put this off long enough! It is time for me to introduce you to the fantastic ladies in my bridal party! They are all really amazing and part of me wanted to do a whole post of each one...but part of me thought that could get redundant if not properly spaced and who wants to worry about that!? Anywho... without  further ado:

Maid of Honor MD: (On the left, isn't that a stylin' swim suit?)

I have know MDmy whole life. Aside from the fact that we have different DNA and "technically" our parents are different people we are sisters. She is one of the smartest most genuine people I know. We do not hang out as much as I'd like because she is currently living in Cincinnati becoming a doctor. Despite this, we seem to be able to pick up without missing a beat anytime, anywhere. I am honored and excited that she will be standing next to me as I enter the next chapter of life. Also, I am looking forward to getting more up-to-date photos of the two of us

Bridesmaid Red:

Red and I met freshman year in collage. We lived together for over a year and still manage to be best friends. We have traveled all over the U.S. and World together. Red and I are pretty much opposites and that's what makes our friendship work. She (usually) always humors my crazy plans and has been there for me through lot of bad hair cuts and colors (see above).

Bridesmaid OT:

OT was the first friend I made when I transitioned from a small Catholic middle school to the big public high school. We are both out going and adventure-ready and that lead to lots of fun in high school and beyond. OT is one of those people who is just plain fun to be around. I can always count on a fantastic time whenever I am hanging out with her. (Proof in the photo above, she can even make baseball fun!)

Bridesmaid Flossy (Because She will soon be a dentist!

Flossy is the kind of no nonsense(ok... maybe a little nonsense) lady that every bride needs on her dream team. We met our freshman year of collage. Flossy is a spectacular travel buddy, study buddy and and style consultant. If you have any question about weather something is classy enough for any given occasion Flossy will be the one to help!

Last but certainly not least,

Bridesmaid Sis

Sis is my actual sister. She is eleven years my junior and one of the coolest most worldly people I know. She has a great sense of style, and even better sense of humor and is turning out to be "quite the nice young lady". She is wise beyond her years and smarter than lots of "adults". However the fact remains, no matter how sophisticated she is I can still pull the "I changed your diapers card" if I need to.

So there you have it! they are pretty amazing! They are from all different parts of my life and have all played a major roll in who I am today. I can't wait to have them all in the same place at the same time! (Maybe even more than once!)

I will have to tell you how I asked them soon, because that is a fun little story as well!

Do all of your bridesmaids know each other all ready?

*All photos are personal

Veil Fail

Ok so maybe fail is an overstatement, but I am a sucker for a good rhyme. I just feel like I should have some idea about what I want on my head as I vow my love to the man of my dreams! On top of that some people, like Miss Magic, have picked out their veils before they even buy a dress!!

You may be thinking, "Ms. Aardvark, there are so many looks and styles out there, I'm sure you will be able to find something you like!"

Well, internet, that is the problem. I like all of them (ok most of them). Yep. Every time I see a veil I imagine myself wearing it down the aisle, and I like it. Every. Time. Shall we take a look at some styles that have fueled my indecision?

(Photo via Fascinating Creations on Etsy)

This elbow length bubble veil...Stunning. Love the simplicity and the volume and the classic "Bridey-ness" (it's a word!)

(Photo via Brendas Bridal Veils on Etsy)

THIS! What is it?! Not even sure but I like it. Little sparkles, little poof, little modern, little vintage.

(Photo Via Everlasting Love on Etsy)

Ah the mantilla. So classic. As a child I was convinced the mantilla was the veil for me. However that eliminates the option of a blusher. Is that even an issue? I have no idea!

(Photo Via Amie Noel Designs on Etsy)

Bird Cage...So retro so chic... So simple. Sigh. SO MANY OPTIONS!

(Photo via Violet Bells on Etsy)

LOOK AT THIS ONE! How flirty and cute is that? Doesn't it just make you want to skip down the aisle? Maybe that's just me.

(Photo via Run a Veil on Etsy)

Ohhh and the drama of the cathedral length veil. When else in your life would it be ok to drag something so beautiful on the ground? And think of the amazing photos!

(Photo via Myrakim on Etsy)

This took my breath away. It's spunky and cute. It's vintage and fresh all at once. I am so enamored of these little caps.

The options are truly endless.  I am so torn between all of these, and they are only from one website! Etsy, you will be the death of me (or my checking account)!

Maybe I should find some way to work them all together into one fantastic SUPER VEIL! It will be perfect and glorious! ...Or... it will be something like this:

Image from Go Dogs Go via Good Books for Young Souls

I have some time. While I have a pretty good idea of what my dress will look like, perhaps, once I try that baby on, I will have a clearer sense of direction. 

Where you totally overwhelmed by any of your wedding options? How did you overcome it?

Some Very Engaging Pictures

I absolutely adore our engagement pictures. One of my favorite things about them was the price. The very best Price. FREE! as in $0.00. Perfect. If you recall, my mother was visiting us when Mr. Aardvark proposed. She is a very talented armature photographer and was able to work wonders with my dinky little point and shoot! The day after we got engaged the three of us trekked out to a park near our house and got some really great shots. We were both still giddy and glowing over the new engagement and I really think it comes through in the pictures.

So without anymore unnecessary yapping, here are a couple of my favorites:

I like to call this one the "Album Cover" I am pretty sure neither of us were ready for the picture but it looks kinda cool. Right?

There is a really nice band shell in the park, so we decided to put on a little show.

I think we were instructed to "Look wistfully into your future" or something like that.

This is one of my very favorite pictures. Thank goodness I was wearing a slip!



We were very precariously perched for this one. I think I may have actually been falling.

That last one is so dreamy...

These are just a few of the many good shots we got that day. I am so grateful Mama Aardvark was able to take them. Now that the wedding is drawing nearer and we have our photographer booked, we've learned that their package include a complimentary engagement session! With our daily lives in Wisconsin and the wedding (and wedding photographers) in Michigan, we are unsure of how we will pull that off. Maybe we will get some day after shots... any suggestions?

*All photos are personal, and cute! (not to brag (well maybe to brag a little))

Did you score something for free from a "friendor" or family member?



Our Household

As I mentioned in earlier posts, Mr. Aardvark and I live together. However, we do not live alone. We have a constant chaperon/dependent/fur baby. Ladies and gentlemen of the internet, meet Kitty or Fuzzy Aardvark:

Personal Photo

I apologize for the poor quality photo, but that look of contempt on her face is due to the camera's presents. She is not very photogenic, but that is beside the point. The point is that she lives in our house. How that came to be is a story unto itself. A story I will now tell.

In my sophomore year of school, I was living with Bridesmaid Red. (You will meet all of the bridesmaids shortly I promise.) She had a friend who was unable to keep her childhood pet and was desperately looking for a loving home. Red's parents live in the country and have a whole collection of barn cats and offered to take this one in too.

The plan was, she would stay with us for a week and then go to Red's parents'.  Well... when she came to us, she had been staying at a "foster" home and the stress of all the moving had made her thin, and weak. Not to mention she was already about eleven years old at the time.

Now, to be totally honest I am more of a dog person, but had a few cats growing up and am a sucker for pretty much any kind of animal. This poor Fuzzy Aardvark was too little and too weak to be living in a barn!

Long story short she never made it to the barn. And when Red transferred schools, Kitty stayed with me. Having always had pets growing up, it was nice to have a little furry friend around especially when I moved to a new state all by my self.

Mr. Aardvark had never had any pets. Well, that may be a bit of an over statement, he did have some fish when we started dating... Growing up his brother had lots of allergies so no cats or dogs for them.  When he moved in with Kitty and I, it was a large adjustment for him. Besides the obvious, couple-moving-in type changes, he had for the first time a fuzzy pet.

Both Mr. Aardvark and Kitty have had to learn to adapt to each other in this new household. She has had to get used to not being the center of my attention. He had to get used to the shedding, the hair balls, the late night attempts at "hunting", and numerous other pet owner joys . It has not always been easy (on either of them) but there has been progress and they are generally moving forward in their relationship. Every once in a while there is a regression, but over all they have come to peace with each other.

I am very pleased with this and think it is really laying the ground work for someday adopting a puppy!

(Photo from Greg Ellison.com)

Well... Maybe not quite yet....

Did you have any furry family members that were part of your household before your significant other? Was there an adjustment period for either or both of them?

Ring-Book: How To

There are countless details when planning a wedding. One of them that I recently decided to fixate on was how our wedding bands would make it down the aisle for the ceremony.  You see, we have a ring bearer, Salty's nephew will be two. In my opinion that is the perfect age for such tasks. He'll be old enough to walk in a straight line (more or less) and young enough to be a bit of a wild card and promise some entertainment for the guests watching.

The with the "who" settled the next question was "how?". I have never really liked the traditional ring pillows(Some are lovely, just not my style). The ceramic bowls are nice, but I wanted something different. I am pretty sure I came up with this idea myself... Or maybe I got it from Shawshank Redemption.

(Photo from Movie quotes and more from Shawshank Redemption)

Ok, so mine will not be shaped like a pick hammer but I decided a cut out book would be perfect. It would be fun, unique and provide a great chance to to really get my craft on. Without further ado, how to make your very own Ring Book:

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Here are my basic supplies:

~A hard cover book

~Paint and brushes

~Xacto knife

~Rubber cement 

~Ribbon

~Hot Glue

~Stapler

I got the book at Good Will. I felt a little bad at the idea of cutting up a perfectly good book so I spent awhile reading the jackets until I found the most boring one I could in the appropriate size. I took the paper cover off the book and used rubber cement to glue a small chunk of pages together. 

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I used clothes pins to hold the pages together while the glue dried. I also glued this chunk to the front cover of the book. 

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Then, with the "big half" of the book I traced out a heart. You can see I did not like the first go and had to re-do it. After I had a shape I liked, I set to cutting. It took longer than I thought. 

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I cut about 3/4 of the remaining pages to create a heart shaped hole. About halfway through that I stapled a piece of ribbon (folded in half) so that it extended into the heart shape.

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I had to make sure it was deep enough. Chances are the rings will be on their sides. But I did not want to risk it.

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I then used the rubber cement to glue the larger chunk of pages together. Then it was time to paint. Our wedding colors are navy blue and light green. I used a light pearl color on the inside to keep the "book" feel and green accents and navy for the cover.

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A little green. A little more blue. I also painted the ends of the ribbon so they would not fray.

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Not too shabby if I say so myself. It still needs something. Hmmmmm... Lets see, maybe a swirl or two?

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And maybe our soon to be new initial? I should have mentioned it during the save the date post, but I absolutely adore our wedding font, Harrington. It is so whimsical and beautiful. Anyway, I drew it in as close as I could in pencil and then filled it in with paint. 

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When I was done, I wanted to see what it would look like with rings in it. We have not purchased our wedding bands yet so I just used my engagement ring and another one I had floating around.

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SQUEE! It turned out better than I could have hoped(if I do say so myself)! All that's left to do now is glue a bit of ribbon on the outside. I used hot glue for this.

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And to finish it off, a cute little heart on the back. 

Now, The whole thing:

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In cutting out all of those pages I have a large pile of little paper hearts. I can't bring myself to through them out. Perhaps they too will find their way onto my DIY list.

Did you have any projects that turned out better than hoped? Any that created other projects?

Shoe Saga 1

Lets talk about wedding shoes. "But Ms. Aardvark!" you are thinking "Do you have a dress yet? Why are we talking about shoes before you've even picked a dress!?" You are correct. I do not have a dress. I do have an idea about the dress but I have not tried anything on or purchased anything yet... Hear me out. I would like to have my shoes by the time I start my whole dress hunt so that I will be able to know right off the bat how different lengths work, how easy it is to walk, etc.

I have not selected my official wedding shoes yet but, seeing as I am getting married in April, in the mid-west, I purchased a sassy little pair of lacy rain boots just in case! You will have to wait to see them though. I almost hope it rains a bit just so I can get some cute puddle pictures!
 Now, as cute as those are they really wont cut it for the church ceremony, or dancing all night. So that brings us to our current situation. I originally wanted a closed toe shoe. April will most likely be a bit chilly and I am a sucker for back seam stockings. Unfortunately I have fallen in love with a couple of great open toe shoes. Lets take a look:

(Photo from Seychelles.com)

Ah-Mazing Bridal and funky without being weird. I think they would be securely on all night for dancing and they are pretty reasonably price.I have another pair of shoes from this brand that I love. They are so comfortable and cute.

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If I were to wear these they could be my something blue, they would save me the expense of shoes, and I know they are comfortable. However, I would be missing a HUGE opportunity to purchase some FANTASTIC shoes. Hmmm....

Photo from Zappos.com (Kate Spade Shoes)

These take my breath away. They are less sassy but more classy and elegant and stunning. They are also Kate Spade and come with the Kate Spade price tag. sigh... Not impossible in my budget but it would for sure be a stretch... also dancing in these might be a challenge. What to do what to do?

So as it stands there are a couple of questions: Do I buy new shoes or wear some great ones I have? Do I  go for fun and flirty or Classy and elegant? Or do I just order both and see which I like best?

Did you buy shoes before any other items?