Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, Jitters and Communion, Ceremony Decor; Our DIY Ceremony Programs, Prayers, Readings and Music, Walking Down the Aisle, More Ceremony Shots, The Getaway Car, Reception Table Centerpieces, Wishing Tree & Photo Displays, Photos From Our DIY Photobooth!, Analysis of our iPod Wedding, Our Honeymoon, List of Wedding Vendors and List of Etsy Sellers}

Hi everyone! I can’t believe that I’m finally to the end of my list of wedding recap posts – it was certainly an adventure to plan our wedding, but it was even more of an adventure to try to recap it in a meaningful way for all of you who care to stop by my little section of the Internet. Lots of thanks and love to all of you for your support and encouragement throughout the planning, execution and recap process!

Here’s a final list of the DIY projects that we took on and completed for the wedding, along with links and/or pictures:

- Save the Date cards

- Cootie Catcher favors

- Wedding Invitations

- Cards: Wishing Tree

- Wedding Programs

- Flower Hairpieces – Bridesmaids

- Garter & Throw-Away Garter

- Bunting: Cake Table – Reception

- Burlap Table Runner/Table Squares – Reception

- Placecards – Head Table at Reception

- Rehearsal Dinner Invitations

- Gift-Opening Invitations

- Napkins – Wedding Reception

- Rice Krispie Wedding Cake

- Photobooth Wall

- Thank-you Notes

What’s the magical phrase that keeps marriages going across America and also was the title of a hit-and-miss sitcom on television? Of course I’m speaking of “Yes, Dear,” and while Sara and I are just under four months away from makings things official, I have had my fair shots for practicing this great phrase.

I don’t mean to throw the phrase under the bus, or make Sara to look like a monster; both are far from true. In fact, wedding planning has been a learning experience of another level. Along the way, Sara has brainstormed all of these money-saving, do-it-yourself wedding ideas, and initially, I was all for it. Saving money is saving money.

Sara knows of my (likely) above-average skills in graphic design in particular, so my first assignment was designing our Save the Date cards. A note here: I am entirely self-taught, incapable of reading computer/graphic design books, and have very little understanding of what “vintage” really means. Sara gave me some simple instruction on what she was looking for, and I went to town on designing the cards.

When I was done with work (a card that I actually was pretty proud of), Sara had several critiques (constructive of course) with tiny details, but overall, her main critique was that the card “didn’t look vintage.”

I accept criticism like the best of them, so that was not the issue here. On the contrary, I had realized that I had just entered the “Sara EM” zone. Sara was an English Major (EM!) at Augustana, and she was more than a student, she was the real deal in the class room. “Good enough” doesn’t exist, completion work is a curse phrase, and projects happen in “drafts.” When I think of “drafts,” I think of fantasy sports, not redoing the same work over and over again.

Initially, I was very scared. However, this do-it-yourself wedding has been something that has really brought Sara and I closer in our relationship. With each project we get to throw ideas on the table, and we have learned several things:

1. We are not afraid to say no, or “I don’t like it” to each other. Our opinions are known.

2. We are both great at accepting #1, even if it takes a few tries.

3. At the end of the day, the project gets done, it is (in our opinion) amazing work, and we’re both proud of it.

4. We don’t usually notice this, but we really communicate with each other very well during these times.

One thing: before being engaged, communication was never our strong point. I suppose that’s normal (my psychology background tells me that most young adults have issues communicating and compromising), but these DIY projects are proof of our teamwork and our improved communication. It’s never easy, but since we can both say “Yes, dear” to each other, we’re well on our way to building a foundation for a successful long marriage.

How are you handling the added stress of DIY projects?

Happy Tuesday, readers! I hope today is happy for you – Tuesdays are usually happy for me: any day is better than Monday in my book!

With approximately five months until the wedding, I wanted to give you all a glimpse into what I’ve accomplished these past few weeks. I’ve hit the wedding planning hard, and I’m very proud of what projects I’ve started and finished! Many thanks to my wonderful friends and family for their help, as well as my future husband – I couldn’t do any of this without you!

- I’ve lined envelopes for our Save the Date cards and for the invitations for my bachelorette party (which will most likely be in June).
- I’ve made invitations for my bachelorette party, which I’ll be showcasing for you all tomorrow!
- Our Save the Date cards are nearly complete; I am VERY happy with the finished product, and I can’t wait to show the fruits of our efforts to you all next week!
- We’ve downloaded templates for our rehearsal dinner invitations and for our gift opening invitations; all we need are the details, and they’ll be ready to print!
- I’ve made little “favors” of sorts for our wedding; I’m anxious to show these to you near the end of February!
- We’ve taken profile photos of our entire wedding party, and I’m almost ready to talk with Jordan about what I’m concepting for our wedding ceremony programs.
- I’ve purchased large rectangles of styrofoam, which I will adorn with moss and turn into monograms that will hang by ribbon on the church doors!
- I’ve purchased two large bags of fabric pom poms; I am currently researching making DIY paper cones full of pom poms that our ushers will pass out to guests after our ceremony. I love these little pom poms!
- I purchased my flower fascinator from Etsy, and I can’t wait until it arrives!
- I purchased lace trim to use when making my throw-away garter.
- I’m in the beginning stages of making a few special items for my bridesmaids, including a very exciting purchase of gifts from Etsy! No more for now, can’t take the chance that I’d ruin the surprise!
- I’m in talks with a wonderful Etsy artist about making dresses for our flower girls; I’m a few decisions away from nailing down exactly what we’re looking for!
- My mother and I made a trip to a few area fabric stores last week, and I think we’ve found the fabric that we’ll use to make napkins for our wedding reception. I can’t wait to get this fabric purchased and get started on making these eco-friendly goodies!
- I have added a base coat of cream paint to 15 wooden letter “G’s” (these will be part of our centerpieces); they look great, and I can’t wait to add more treatments to these letters!
- J and I have FINALLY nailed down a design for our wedding invitations; now, all we need to do is add the text to the invitation, and then we can begin working on the supplemental materials for our invitations!

Whew! Looking at this list, I feel SO proud of all of the work we’ve started and finished.

What projects are YOU currently working on for your wedding?