Showered with Love

Well last weekend was one huge blur... but man did I get some things done!  It all started on Friday when my Mom flew into town for my Bridal Shower on Sunday!  I picked her up from the airport and we were running.  We first stopped by Mimi's Jewelry to pick up my wedding band!  I just love love love David.  He is so sweet and really knows his stuff.  I had given him my engagement ring the day before to just do a slight re-size and it was ready to go less than 24 hours later.  Plus it was all clean and sparkly - it seriously looks brand new again!  Although his store in Fountain Valley is not humongous, he can do and get just about anything!  The wedding band that he had matches perfectly too!  It really looks like it was made as a set or something... but trust me it was not!
After Mimi's we stopped by to get my invitations so that Mom and I could work on everything and put it all together.  The invitations that I got are absolutely beautiful but there are a couple of things that were different then what I had picked out.  This has really been my first real frustrating experience.  I am so open and being in the industry, I get that things change, but I am not sure why some of the things I specified didn't get done.  Anyway, I don't want to get into it... but I was definitely frustrated.  Regardless, they are beautiful and no one will ever know what I had picked versus what I got.

Ready to go!

On Saturday we had an incredibly busy day between my first dress fitting - which went great - then we went around town picking up thank you cards, my hair accessories and stamps at the post office.  Luckily we got to fit in some body pump - which my wonderful wedding coordinator Kathy Nosek teaches!  We were so exhausted after all of that but we still managed to get to work on stamping and adding my little embellishment to the invitations! 
 

Then Sunday came - the big day.  Let me tell you that this was the most surreal experience.  I don't have parties in my honor anymore.... I mean really since I was a young kid having a birthday party I haven't been the center of attention that way.  It was very overwhelming and very humbling all at the same time.  It was so wonderful to see all my friends from different times in my life.  My dear friend Andrea (whom I've known since we were in second grade) came out with her mom Carol (who was like a second mom to me growing up).  Casey and I have been friends since middle school and used to be cheerleaders together!  Nicole, my sorority sister and college room mate came and she is 7 months pregnant with their first child... it's a girl!  Kelly came who is another sorority sister... and I did both her and Nicole's weddings at the Waterfront!  Bridget came out - I still can't believe she is getting married this year too - my little Bridgie!  Allison came out as well - it's always such a treat to see her smiling face!  My dear Christy came all the way up too!  Christy is notorious for getting lost and didn't disappoint but still managed to show at a reasonable time!  I remember when I first started working at the Hilton, and Christy asked where I lived.  I told her Chino Hills off the 57 freeway and I remember her not knowing where the 57 freeway was - now you know girl!  I'm so glad that Delaney came out too - my co-maid of honor for Sheila's wedding!  Delaney just got engaged as well - ahhhh!  It is wedding time for sure!  I'm so glad that Tiffany came up to the old stomping grounds too!  Tiffany is dating one of John's close friends Curt and we are always getting together!  Of course my Mom was there - which she told me that she wouldn't have missed it for the world :) My step-mom Norma came out to celebrate in the festivities too!  It's always a good time when Norma is there!  I had Margaret there who is great friends with my Dad and Norma... but I really connected with her when I did her daughter's wedding at the Hilton.  Margaret's daughter is also named Danielle!  My future mother in law, Laure came out with her wonderful friend Pat!  When John and I go to visit his parents we always hang out with Mark and Pat - it was so great they came all the way from Paso Robles for this!  It was super fun running into them at South Coast Plaza after the shower too!  I got to help Laure pick her dress for the wedding!!!  My amazing and talented wedding coordinator Kathy came - I just love her for so many reasons.  She is an inspiration, she's down to earth, and she just gets me!  Last but not least were my beautiful girls - Karil-Lyn who stayed up for something like 72 hours straight pulling all the last minute details together and my Sheila who was the perfect hostess!  You two are amazing!  There were so many adorable details and everything was handmade with love.  You made me feel so incredibly special.  I just can't thank you enough! 

xoxo,
Dani

It's all in the Details...

I can't believe it has already been nearly a month since my last post!  The time is truly going by way too fast.  I figured what better day to post about my wedding then the day of L O V E.. Valentine's Day!

The biggest thing going on right now is trying to finalize all the little details... and oh my there are so many of them.  I had GENERALLY picked out my flowers, and GENERALLY finalized the guest list, and GENERALLY picked out bridesmaids dresses... but now it is DECISION time!

A couple weeks ago I finalized the flowers.  This was so funny to me - and GOD BLESS my amazing florist Melissa with Flowers by Cina for putting up with me and really helping me through this.  It was so funny because on my initial consultation I picked my color scheme and then when I started flipping through magazines I realized that I don't like what I told her to make... I REALLY don't like it at all.  So after more hours of magazine flipping and pinterest scouring, I finally settled on the "design" aspect for the flowers.  I think I had the hardest time just getting past using the colors that I had wanted, shades of pink and white, without doing the same design that I see all the time in magazines.  I am so excited and really can't wait to see Melissa's work - I know she will take my ideas to a whole new level!

Now working on the guest list has been so challenging... More than anything, the challenge has been getting all the information spelled correctly, correct titles for everyone, and finding everyone's addresses and what not.  It almost feels like a full time job just tracking it all down.  I have my working spreadsheet, but I sent it out to my family to double check everything, and I realized there was so much that I missed.  I even missed that my own father was Mr. Roger Wagner instead of Dr. Roger Wagner... that is a big deal to miss to those who've worked so hard earning that title.  I really want it all to be perfect and I DEFINITELY don't want to offend anyone!  A little while back I had sent out some save the date cards - and I absolutely recommend doing that as it helped me make sure that I had the correct addresses for my guests.  A couple of them I did not have correct - so this way I'll make sure they are right for the invitations!

We also finalized the flavors for the cake with my fabulous baker - Brooke with Simply Sweet Cakes!  John and I absolutely fell in LOVE with this amazing white cake with peanut butter and peanut butter cup filling!  And we both loved but I knew we had to have the chocolate with heath bar (although we are going to substitute Butterfinger) when Vanessa ate the whole thing - and she doesn't even LIKE desserts or cake!  Plus the design will look so cool!  It is inspired by, but definitely different, than this cake!

I am really excited that today we picked a dress for the bridesmaids!  That was definitely a task just because I do want everyone to be happy with the dress and also don't want it to be a total arm and a leg!  I had always imagined that I wouldn't order the dresses from a bridal shop and I was very against looking there for a long time.  I did end up looking at the Wedding Day in Fullerton this last weekend and I had such a weird experience.  Going there, I see why so many of MY brides buy their dresses and their bridesmaids dresses from there.  It really is a great shop with an awesome selection.  I just REALLY didn't like my sales person at all.  I think her name was Diane.  In the hour that I was there she must have told me 50 times that we needed to order the dresses because they would have to rush them.  Trust me.  I GET it.  It was just annoying because I had told the girl when I called for an appointment what I was looking for and when my wedding was.  If they couldn't offer anything I would hope they would not have scheduled the appointment.  I have no problem with the fact that I am more limited... but really, I kinda felt like she thought I was stupid or something and I wasn't understanding that there was a sense of urgency.  I didn't push her to look at other lines or anything, I only looked at the lines that she told me we could get.  It was just very weird... she was one of the worst sales people I have worked with.  I really hate that about bridal shops.  I am over 2 months out and you can't get a basic black strapless dress in on time... REALLY?  There is something that is just very in-efficient going on - or at least it seems.  The EXCITING news is that we picked the perfect dress for the perfect price and we are NOT getting it at a bridal shop!  We actually found it at the least expected place ever... Victoria's Secret.com!  It is just like the TwoBirds Dresses that I LOVE, but for a much better price.  They will all wear the top in a different way - or at least that is the plan for now!  I am so excited and can't wait to see my beautiful girls in their beautiful dresses!

Till next time!

xoxo,
Dani