So where were we?

Oh yes. Extensions. Again, it can have a bad connotation, but why should it? It's all in HOW you use it. I heard something along the lines of : On your wedding you should look like a BETTER version of your everyday self, but not UNLIKE yourself. The idea is that you don't suddenly transform yourself that it's almost unrecognizable, but that you also don't treat it like any other day of the week.

My bestfriend, ironically, ALSO went for a Spanish look on her wedding (4 years ago!), and she wore a simple, low bun. Actually, my Godmother styled her hair :) Well, she DOES have thick hair, but it wasn't long enough to make the bun look FULL. You know, those luscious hair buns? So my Godmother added some extensions to increase the volume of the bun and viola! The perfect touch.

So! Back to me screwing up. I managed to make a hair appointment in Houston, and I wanted to have the extensions for the hair trial. She told me to wash my hair the day before our trial so it wouldn't be so silky clean the day of. I stayed up that night till almost 1 a.m. sewing those extensions! I had to wake up early and I just LOOKED so tired. I threw on a dress, and looking still half-asleep I left for the appointment that was 45 minutes away. By the way, I was staying at my cousin's house in Houston once I left Atlanta for Texas the month of my wedding.

My hair decides to feel extra greasy today, even though I had washed it the day before. I think because I kept running my hands through it when I was stressing over the extensions that the oils in my hand made it more.. matte-y. Meaning, it didn't feel flowy and just.. drabby. Am I making up words?! Blogger keeps underlining them in red! Anyway, I was NOT feeling my hair and KNEW this was going to affect the styling.

I show the stylist the photos, describe the looks, but also emphasize that I am VERY open to ideas. I want her to be inspired and use her skills to do what she does best. The first thing she does is start curling my hair. I notice that she doesn't even change my hair part. I start to shift in my chair when I see the curls slide out of the curler and they look so tight. Ugh. When she gets to the last layer, I speak up. She informs me that the curls will start to become loose as time passes because they lose shape, so it's better that they're slightly tighter. Slightly? Um.. okay. Also, the curls aren't that bouncy because my hair is heavier from the natural hair oils + product. So much for the romantic curls :(

Once the curling is done, she begins the styling. I interrupt and ask about the extensions. And guess what? Guess w-h-a-t. Dummy here picked extensions that were the actual LENGTH of my hair! Meaning, I wouldn't have layers .. I would just have a LOT of hair at the same length. I needed to get them a few inches longer so that some curls could be longer than others. Y'all, I REALLY thought I had picked some long extensions (12 inches!!). But I didn't realize how long my hair had gotten and how SHORT it becomes when you curl it. Clearly 12 inches isn't long enough. Who would have known. So make note of that ladies. Hold the hair to your ear and see how long it drops.

Blah. She tells me that on the wedding I can just buy longer ones from them ($20 per/track) or bring them myself and that it "should work out." I don't know about y'all, but I DON'T want to see my wedding hair on my wedding day. I want to see it BEFORE because that might not be my wedding hair if it doesn't turn out well!

Finally, she starts pinning things so my hair can cascade down my shoulder, except -- the curls are so tight, it's not really "cascading." It's just sitting there. POP. That's the sound I heard in my head when my bubble busted. Plus, my part is STILL on the same spot when I came in, and she didn't do anything special when she pulled it back.

Biggest mistake brides make: Do NOT go home and complain about your hair style if you have not said a WORD to your stylist. Your stylist needs to know if she can make any changes because she can't read your mind. She could probably read my body language...

And my body language was saying "Weeelll.. I was picturing something a little different." I explain to her what I was hoping for, and she re-does the side section. It came out pretty. Very pretty. I would be alright wearing this to a bridal shower. But NOT my wedding. I asked her to take a photo and I'm sorry it came out blurry!

Guess what I got in the mail on Friday?! My wedding photos! I want to take y'all back to some of the stories I wasn't able to share at the time due to the chaos that is... wedding planning.

We begin with: The Hair Story

How on earth did I manage to do my own hair with the help of Jose's relatives for the wedding? I have to tell you what pushed me there in the first place. And I'm completely putting it out there.

Before even getting engaged, we all knew who was going to do my hair: My Godmother. Since the age that I had hair, which was probably around 2 years old since I didn't seem to GROW any as a baby(!), my Godmother was my hairdresser. She is also my mom's bestfriend and hairdresser. I suffered through horrible "let-me-try-this-cut" experiments, stylish cuts, and I was able to perfectly rotate a round brush on one hand and hold a blow-dryer in the other by 6th grade. Yeah, it was serious business.

Then just a few months after my engagement, we found out my Godmother got cancer. Unfortunately it just became worse and worse as time passed. She is still alive (thank God), but around Christmas time she let me know that I needed a back-up plan.

I didn't know how to feel. Upset? Frustrated? Guilty?! Stressed -- that was a clear one. At that point I let go of my Godmother as a hairstylist and just focused on desiring her attendance at my wedding. Then of course that led to: Who is going to do my hair?!

Ironically, she actually suggested that she teach me the style and that I could do it myself on the day-of. I thought she was crazy! Would I seriously want to stress myself out by becoming responsible of my wedding day hair?!

Fast forward to March. Time was ticking and I was only 3 months from the wedding AND on top of that, I didn't live in Houston so I had no knowledge of good stylists. I knew I was going to have to spend money on a hair trial (possibly more than one if need be!), and make sure they were available on my wedding.

Wedding Hair + New Dresser = Hard to Trust. I was not excited. I searched Project Wedding and found 3 salons that got EXCELLENT reviews. The trials were pricey, so I set up an appointment with one. I took these set of photos as inspiration:

I wanted volume for sure...
My hair pulled to the side, softly, cascading down my shoulders..

And the curls to be romantic and loose. I wanted to look Spanish and sexy, but not like a pageant girl either.

I brought this picture to say "I don't want these curls!"

I selected an up-do as a back-up and wanted to share it with y'all because it's so pretty:

Another quick update to let you know that I have not yet melted in Phoenix, Arizona. NO, Texas (or Atlanta for that matter) did NOT prepare me for this heat. Yeah, yeah, it's "dry heat" but guess what? It's STILL 114 degrees!! And the refrigerator moving man told me this is "only the beginning."

The beginning? What does the end look like? Apparently like our condo when we first moved in -- HOT.

We were not told by the leasing manager that we had to call the electricity before we moved in, in order to have A/C in the unit. Oh yes... that means what you think it means. Our first night was spent without A/C. In Arizona. In the summer. At this point, not having our mattress yet didn't matter. Sleeping on the floor would have been divine compared to not having A/C. But thankfully it only took one day to be installed and the A/C was up and running the next morning!

Since arriving in Phoenix 3 days ago, we have only been shopping. Woooooo. That has been OVERWHELMING! We have been to IKEA 3 times (still not done), Walmart, World Market, Pier 1 imports, grocery store, Home Depot, 3 thrift/antique stores, and Bed Bath & Beyond (3 times and more tomorrow). I've also managed to get into someone ELSE'S car at the Walmart parking lot, until Jose yelled from the trunk he was going to load "this isn't our car!!" To which I yelled back "of course this is our car! How else would I have unlocked it?!" Then I saw this club bar locked on the steering wheel and my eyes got huge after realizing that he's right: "This ISN'T our car!" I jumped out, locked the door, and darted to the other side of the parking lot quickly, and very confused. I just hope that person didn't leave their door unlocked and I just locked them out of their car! Hahaha. How does that happen?!


Anyway, I'm exhausted and it's 2 a.m. I have some videos to show you of the week before the wedding when I was staying with Jose's family at a hotel. It looked like Hobby Lobby and Michaels threw up in the living room. I'll keep y'all posted!! I just need some time for this stuff to settle here too :)

p.s. Jose came up with a great idea for a fruit holder from Pier 1. Yes, Jose! I'll take some pictures and post it to share!

Question for y'all...

I have no idea what to do for our exit. Meaning, I don't have 'thingies' for people to chunk at us. It's not a big deal, just haven't really thought about it.

There's the idea of throwing butterflies cut out of music sheets:

Or strips of paper
Not allowed to do this one at our venue, so nix that:

Stick to the original:

I've also heard of making mini-lavender packets. That's kind of cute.

There's also marbles you can throw:

So today I celebrate Femme Fatale (as noted by the images :) for winning their mission. If you're lucky, you'll get to read their stories!! I'm considering posting them individually. Believe me, they are ridiculous, hilarious, and sweet.

After having so much trouble with our wedding cake trial, our only back up plan is to use our caterer. I mean, what else can I do? That bakery I went to is not an option. I can't taste these Houston cakes from Atlanta...

BUT, I did taste the tres leches from my caterer (Cordua), and they have THE best tres leches cake in Houston! So what am I worried about? It's not cheap. Fortunately, our guest list has dropped by 25 guests since it's an out of town wedding and that means LESS plates to pay for! This would put us just fine with the wedding cake, except now we have to consider having a "mini" cocktail hour because of the photography!!

Call it stubbornness or tradition, but I don't want to see Jose before the ceremony. I know that so many photographers tell their clients that it doesn't take anything away from you walking down the aisle, but in my heart -- I can't come to terms with that. I'm not saying that seeing your groom before you walk down the aisle makes that less special. But for *me* personally, I want to wait. However, this completely screws me over for photography because we have to -rush- through pictures after the ceremony so our guests aren't waiting longer than 45 minutes.

Realistically, as a photographer, I know that is HARDLY any time for pictures with your family AND your groom. My photographer is really non-pressuring about me seeing Jose -- she said she'll work it out either way. She even said she'd be willing to do pictures AFTER the wedding of the two of us since the wedding is over at 3:30 p.m. -- perfect lighting outside. The problem is that I'll be dancing during the wedding and may end up looking sweaty & tired after it's over. But maybe not?

Past brides? Did you find yourself sweaty and tired after your wedding? Maybe if I got my make-up retouched a little ... I could be fine?

Soooo, if I want to buy my photographer some time after the ceremony, then Jose and I need to add some cocktails = more $!! Maybe I can just get some french bread & different jams... haha. I mean, hello, it is brunch after all! And who doesn't love bread? Actually, we are having plantain chips with different chimichurri sauces, so we might bring those out with the fruit display and only have to buy one appetizer. That's enough to munch on, right? Fruit, plantain chips, and a meat appetizer? Thoughts?

Last -- Groom's cake. We still want to have a little something for Jose despite our own troubles with the wedding cake. Originally, when money was a fairytale and we were oblivious to actual costs, we wanted a MILK fountain surrounded by chocolate chip cookies! How cool would that have been?! A photographer had told us she did that for her wedding (Julie Wilhite). Then reality kicked in, and our new options are:

Get this... a rice krispies treat cake!!

Eep! I'm sorry it took me a few days to post. I am literally living in a mess because I am selling all of my stuff and will be leaving Atlanta in 3 weeks! Pack, pack, packing. Lately I've had to do some research on hair salons in Houston (where I'm getting married), so I didn't have time to post. Any recommendations?

Back to my bridal party project. After creating their criminal profiles, I knew I couldn't just send them in white envelopes. I wanted to REALLY freak them out. So I searched ebay for "top secret" envelopes, and lo and behold! I found a pack of 12! So I purchased them and loved them when I got them:


Then I thought, I can't just stick their criminal profile without a letter of explanation. And here folks, with Jose's collaboration, is the letter they received:


It read:

Agent ______,


You have been contacted because you possess a unique set of skills, which cannot be matched by any of your colleagues. We have reason to believe that an organization known as BOOM! Thunder Pants (alias: The Groom’s Men) has embarked on a mission to gather the nation’s most wanted criminals on May 23, 2010 in the city of Houston, TX. Dubbed ‘Project Maravilla,’ it appears that if allowed to succeed, BOOM! Thunder Pants will obtain a device capable of eliminating all adversaries. Thereby, claiming victory.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it –

Utilize your abilities to intercept BOOM! Thunder Pants' movements and prevent them from successfully achieving their mission. You will not be alone. You will be provided a team of experts, who share skills complimentary to yours. Together, you will be known as Femme Fatale (alias: The Bridesmaids). While your skills are unparalleled, your skills alone will not be enough to put a stop to BOOM! Thunder Pants. It is crucial that you understand and utilize the skills of your teammates if you hope to be successful. Details will be forthcoming on the movements of BOOM! Thunder Pants and the rules of engagement concerning each mission. Be cautious not to compromise your identity or the identity of your teammates. If compromised, we will be forced to deny all knowledge of your existence and ‘Project Maravilla.’ It may be useful, however, to acquire the identities and talents of the members of BOOM! Thunder Pants. Such information may assist in the success of your mission.


To accept your mission, use the initials of your full name to create a passphrase. Type this on your Facebook status on the day of December 17th, no later than midnight. Keep in mind, once you embark on this journey, there is no going back and you will only be relieved of duty at the completion of your mission – success or failure. Upon your acknowledgment, you will be provided with more detailed information on your team and your mission. We have chosen you because we have faith in your abilities. We know you won’t let us down. Good luck and God Speed.

– Agents Vidal

Destroy after reading…

--------

Hahah. The best part is that they had no idea WHO was a part of the bridal party and they would have to work together to figure out their opposing team. Our goal (Jose & I) was to have our bridal party work together, get to know each other before the wedding, and have a sense of "comradeship" instead of meeting each other for the first time the day of the wedding and feeling awkward. The girls received note that BOOM! Thunderpants wanted to claim victory and the guys received the same letter, but that Femme Fatale was working against them. What was (and still is) SO funny is that 2 of the agents are MARRIED. And they are by far the most competitive and some of the best players on their respective team. They push their own team to complete the missions because they live with each other and know when one is in the lead.

I typed them up in photoshop to look like a typewriter font and packaged them:


Then I took my save the dates


and claimed them as "evidence" that this "Project Maravilla" was happening on May 23rd.

Sooo, you know, being the detailed planner that I am, I wanted to do something special in asking my bridal party for "their hand" (i.e. to be part of my bridal party).

Before I go any further, for people who think "what the heck? I didn't know that was such a big deal" -- take a deep breath. This was my desire and nothing that is expected from anybody. You can simply ask your friends face-to-face. I just happen to like doing ridiculous stuff like that. That's me :)

Ideas I heard about online:

-Message in fortune cookies
-Make a puzzle that reveals the question (I liked this one)
-Make a mini-scrapbook (noooo thanks!)
-Make a card

I heard this one on wedding bee and thought it was hilarious:

"I bought my bridesmaids a headband, attached a note that said "will you head down the aisle with me?" and included a personal note about how honored I'd be if they accepted and how much they mean to me.

I also asked them to take a picture with the headband on and email it to me to "accept" my invitation. I then put them on my wedding website for the bridal party.

My original thought was to say "will you help me keep my head on straight?" :)"

--------------------------

Anyway, you can see how you can take it simple, or you can really get creative with it. I wanted to get creative with it, BUT involve the guys too. That means nothing girly.

One day on a photographer's website, she posted pictures of this "top secret" package she received from one of her clients. It basically asked her to "document" their wedding "undercover." They were playing off of the idea that photographers want to go "unnoticed" to capture little details. GENIUS!

I took it a step further. But that will be saved for part II (or three? ;). Before I reveal the rest of my idea, I'll tell you where I started. I knew I wanted them to be joined in forces: guys against girls. BOOM! Thunderpants vs. Femme Fatale. This was war. My first step was to send them a secret package in the mail WITH a criminal file OF themselves. I found a template on DeviantArt and, dear readers, these are your suspects:

The brother..

Obviously, I created the content for the girls and Jose for the boys. If you are REALLY interested in getting this template (and have photoshop), just e-mail me. I can't find the Deviant Art link and don't want to spend 30 minutes looking for it if it's unnecessary.

Stay tuned for part II!! :)

Last week I showed y'all what Jose and the groom's men are wearing. Today I will show you how Jasmine and I made the boutonnieres!

Materials
All of our materials were found at Michaels:
1) Accent flower
2) String of decorated blue beads
3) Pack of metallic blue leaves
4)Pack of feathers (with aqua & red -- no luck with teal feathers!)

Not in picture but still need:
-Silver wire
-Teal/blue ribbon (2 styles)
-1 pack of see-through leaves (found in scrapbooking section)

First, you cut about 5 inches of your wire:


And loop it around 3 beads to make them stand upright (remember to loop around each individual bead)


Like so

That will be used as an "accent."

Hot glue one end of your teal ribbon...

then wrap it around your accent flower & beads-stick, about 2 times.


After that, arrange your leaf and feathers, coordinating to your colors. I dabbed some hot glue on the feathers to stick to the leaves. I recommend finding different elements to make your colors pop (leaves, feathers, fabric cut leaves, buttons, etc.).


Then take a LITTLE bit more of your solid, teal ribbon and wrap it around your feather/leaf set and accent set:


Then finish it off with a little bit of a textured or patterned ribbon (in same color):


And these are my boutonnieres!


I chose that accent flower because a lot of my wedding has "ruffles" for that Spanish element. Plus, it will stand nicely against the gray suits and the beads just make it a little quirky. I love the leaves because they look somewhat delicate. What do you think??