Wedding Band Buying!

Bling Bling, ya'll.

If you've been with us a bit, you may recall my post when I got a quote on some old gold I wanted to sell.  Well I got a recommendation from our friend Annie in Las Vegas to bring the gold when we came for the wedding because local jeweler MJ Christensen will double the value of your gold if you spend it in the store.  So that is just what we did.

After evaluation our gold to sell, the guy we were working with said it was worth $190, or we could get $380 on a gift card.  :\  Now I know gold is sold by market price, and the market had gone down slightly since I got said gold appraised in Houston, but $380 was the cash price I was quoted...  So I felt a little bit like I was being had by this pseudo deal, but the Houston cash was going to buy a ring anyway, so it seemed like $380 was the max anyone will give us for this gold, so we may as well go shopping!
Now I had looked at several online places when making our budget, because I have no idea how much these things cost?  Well at a real jewelry store, they are much much pricier.  I looked at what they had to offer, and unfortunatly Aaron and I were not prepaired to drop $2K+ on a wedding band for me.  They had a beautiful selection, and I did find the ring that looks the best with my engagement ring - so at that point the trip was worth it.

The mens wedding bands were about what I priced them for so Aaron tried them on.  He went with a basic 6mm polished white gold band with a comfort fit feature.  I learned that comfort fit just means it is rounded on the inside (sort of like one of those tubes that you float in, or a donut versus a nut (that you build/screw things together with)?) and more comfortable for people not used to wearing jewelry (single men.)  So we got his band, and it will be mailed to us shortly.  And bonus - since we are residents of Texas, and buying in Nevada, no sales tax! 

I must point out as well, that Aaron's hand looks very nice in a wedding band ;)

Angela and Erik's Wedding!

What a great day Saturday was!  We (the girls) began the day at Platinum Entourage Blow Dry Bar, which was this super posh hair-do and make-up place.  It was a bummer that Jessie and I did not make appointments because they were totally booked up!  So we sat around and took pictures of Annie and Angela getting their hairs did, and Angela got her make-up done as well.  Let me tell you, these ladies and dudes at Platinum Entourage do some really awesome style and makeup jobs: check 'em -

Helloooo gorgeous!

The salon took up a bit of time, so we had to rush back to the hotel, throw our wedding clothes on and head out.  The ceremony and reception were held at the Historic 5th Street School, and it was such a neat place!  We were out in the courtyard area, and it was just the right amount of space for the crowd.  Angela and Erik exchanged vows in front of a beautiful fountain, and their officiant was really good, and just the right amount of laid-back and funny.  Angela looked stunning in a tea length strapless dress, and my favorite was the rosette skirt and her hip purple shoes!  Erik looked great too, and his boutonniere had a banjo in it (he plays) which was super cute.

  Just Married!

The color scheme was orange, purple and green - fall colors, but brightish tones.  I got more photos of the people rather than the decor, but it was very cute and DIY style, which is very Angela and Erik's style.  There were round tables set up in the courtyard, and the centerpieces were like a 6 pack of beer or soda - the cardboard holder but painted, and in the spots for the drinks there were pixie sticks and heart lollipops and such.  So cute!  The reception was all desserts and snacks, so we totally got all sugared up with all the sweets - which is awesome.  I love dessert more than anything, lol.  Here are some photos I took:

Aaron signing the guest book poster!

The cake!  That totally adorable pennant banner is from etsy, if you want one!

Ok guys.  This was soooooooo awesome - a mini donut station.  I know, right! : D  You get a little bowl of fresh out of the fryer warm donuts and strawberries, and then you dress them up with glaze of chocolate, or powdered sugar (or all of them...) to your heart's content.  It was fantastic, I went through the line twice!

And here is Aaron and I enjoying some fun and color coordinated sodas :)  We also ate some gourmet flavored popcorn, and cake and candy and it was wonderful!

And it was magical and fun and we are so happy for Angela and Erik and wish them happiness and sugar highs until the end of time! :)

Las Vegas Trip!

Hi Everyone!  Sorry for the lack of posts, but I have been in Las Vegas for the last 4 days, and then had a test the day after I came back...

So our trip was way fun!  We arrived Thursday evening and went to our Texas themed hotel (lol).  We has to rush there to watch the new Thursday night TV (Community, Parks and Rec, and The Office.)  Well the plane was delayed and the rental car place took forever, so we missed most of the good tv.  We were tired though, so we just chilled out at the hotel.

Yes, that is an oil derrick!

On Friday we started the day at the $3.99 breakfast mega buffet (yeah!) and lost some monies in the casino.  Then we met up with Dylan for lunch which was fun.  We met at the town square outdoor mall place so we walked around and shopped for a little while as well.  After that, we went over to Aaron's Mom's house and hung out for a while.  The rest of the fam was working or off at sorority pledging activities, so we didn't get to see them until later, but we had a nice visit with Aaron's Mom.  Then we headed back to the hotel for a disco nap before the girls went out for evening with the bride-to-be.

No boys allowed!

We started the night at Downtown Cocktail Room, right off of Fremont Street, and then went to this little piano bar called Don't Tell Mama.  It was just like a female version of The Hangover, except no one got lost, or drugged, and Mike Tyson wasn't there.  But still, a super fun night! ;)

Then Saturday morning I got up early to meet the girls for hairdo's, and then the wedding (I am doing a separate wedding post) which was so beautiful and fun!  Then we went back to the hotel for another disco nap, because that night the afterparty was at Insert Coins.

Insert Coins was a really cool bar downtown that is a videogamer's dream come true!  There are vintage video games to play all over, or you can rent a table for the night (which is what we did) and play all the videogames your heart desires off of a number of different game systems.  We opted for XBox 360 (? I think) and an old school Nintendo.  So we drank and gamed, and danced some, and celebrated and had a grand old time!

Mario!

Aaron, dominating Tetris

The Gang

The next morning we drug our hungover tails to brunch at Main Street Station with Angela & Erik and Co.  Brunch buffets are apparently serious business in Las Vegas because we got there and tried to sit in one big group, but since part of the group had already been sat before us, it was basically going to take an act of congress to get us all sitting together.  Oh well, it was still very good!

After that a bunch of us went and walked around the outdoor outlet mall.  It was mostly uneventful, minus a few shenanigans :)

The best 75 cents Jeremy ever spent - this is a direct quote, lol

Another separate post will be Aaron and I's trip to the jewelry store, but we did that after the outlet mall.  Then we went and saw his family one last time, so that was good.  We grabbed a quick dinner with Angela and Erik, then headed back to the hotel for our 9pm bedtime, because our plane was taking off at 6am - so we had to get to the airport at 4.  Eek.  So come 3:30 we were checking out, and headed to the airport, and a short 5 hours and two planes later, we were back home.  And oh so tired!  As always, we had such a good time seeing everyone, and can't wait to go back!

Tasting at the venue!

Chicken Oscar!!!  Source

We had our tasting at the Petroleum Club this afternoon!  Usually these tastings happen a month or two before your even, but we were told we needed to schedule it earlier because they get super busy around the holiday season.  Aaron, my Mom and brother and I met up at the Club today around lunchtime and met with Cherie, our venue coordinator. 

We decided to go with the buffet so everyone can eat as much or as little that they want in both quantity and variety!  The buffet at the club includes a beef carving station which we didn't get to try, salad and soup, a chicken and fish entree, 2 vegetables and a starch.  This spread comes with rolls and a fruit display as well!

Here is what we tried, and my commentary:

House Salad: it was good, and the house dressing was tasty.  Not too much to say, it was just a salad.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup:  I thought it was pretty tasty and it will be nice in the hopefully cold winter.  I have to say hopefully because it very well could be 70 degrees outside that day.  Gotta love Houston!

Vegetables: Carrots Broccoli Squash and Zucchini - They are were good, we are going with broccoli because we are broccoli people, and a squash and zucchini medley.  Two for the price of one!

Starches: White Rice, Parmesan Mashed Potatoes - White rice was good, but *yawn*, mashed potatoes were not only pretty, but suuuper yum (though a bit cold).  So we went with the potatoes, but Aaron thought they were a bit on the salty side, so they are going to make them less salty.  Yes, they can actually do that.  lol

Rolls and Butter: Were very good, on par with other fancy restaurant rolls I've had.

Chicken Oscar:  WOW.  This is a chicken with crab on top with a buttery sauce and asparagus.  I thought this was really really good!

Blackened Snapper: This was also very good, but the blackened-ness tasted kind of spicy to me, but then everyone told me I was crazy so I dropped it, lol. 

At the buffet all the options will be present, so everyone will be able to have it all if they want!

Also at the tasting we discussed how the room will be set up, timeline for the day, the outside vendors that will be coming in, and several other details.  It was good to get all of that hashed out, and get all our questions and concerns addressed.  I am getting excited, it will be here before we know it!!!

Updates and such!

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If my schedule were a picture...

Hey guys!  Just wanted to do a general update and take a break from the 'look what I bought!' posts. :)

Last week was sooooo busy.  I was out and about every night of the week at either class, or a baseball game or church.  By the time Friday rolled around I was super exhausted.  So that resulted in a major lazy weekend, which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Saturday my Mom and I went shopping and I got a few new tops, so that was fun.  We also attempted to find some more vases and light up tree things that we are going to make into centerpieces - so we were a tad productive!

I got a call last week from Alfred Angelo that my dress was here already!  We didn't get a chance to go pick it up, but my Mom made a good point: rather than lug the dress all the way home only to bring it back for alterations a few weeks later, I should just wait so I can knock it all out of the way at one time.  So my Mom gets the efficiency award for the week, lol.

This Wednesday is our tasting at the Petroleum Club!  I am super excited about this :)  It is going to be at lunchtime and we could have 4 people come, so my Mom and little brother are coming with Aaron and I.  When I spoke with our venue coordinator, she reminded me of the Club's dress code, so we are are going to get all dolled up and eat a fancy downtown lunch. 

Wednesday evening I am going to try and meet up with my friends for some much needed girl time, which I am also looking forward to!

Then Thursday evening Aaron and I are off to Vegas for Angela and Erik's wedding!  Super yay!  I love that Aaron is from Las Vegas, we get to go there all the time which is awesome!  Sorry I am going nuts with the exclamation marks!  lol.  I'm not sure what the exact schedule is but there is talk of a Greek Festival going on, a girls night on Friday, getting hairdo's at the blowdry bar on Saturday, an all dessert reception (omg,yay.), brunch with the newlyweds on Sunday.  So lots of fun things going on, so looking forward to the trip!  And Aaron, while looking forward to the trip as well, is mega excited that fate has smiled upon us and we should be checked into the hotel in time to not miss any of the new Thursday night TV shows (Parks & Rec, The Office, etc.).  We are TV addicts, and it is very sad.  But we get back Monday afternoon, so we should have a good long weekend trip!

School is going well, and I am staying on top of all my class work for the most part.  The bummer about this trip for the weekend is that I am coming back to a test on Tuesday, and I am missing tests on Thursday and Friday - so I am making up one of them Thursday, and the other one I can't retake, so whatever I get on my final will count twice.  Eek!  I am really thankful that I got good advice from fellow classmates about the courses I am in, so everything is manageable and not super challenging or time intensive. 

I am getting super excited for my upcoming bridal shower in San Antonio.  A little over a month away!  I already got a super cute dress to wear too :)

The diet, eh, things could be going better.  I sort of majorly fell off the wagon for the entire week.  I know being busy isn't a good excuse, but it is my excuse nonetheless.  When I get back from Las Vegas I am really going to hit it hard, and also add some exercise to the mix.  It has finally cooled off in this city, and the small bit of trees and nature for now has stopped catching fire so it is safer to breathe the air - no excuse to not exercise!  And I need to just give my photo with a sign to not serve me to all the fast food places around my workplace.  Maybe I should take a couple hours and re-watch Super Size Me...

And we are nearing the 4 month mark on the countdown to the wedding!  I have the bridesmaid dresses picked out (they are the ones from this post), so the action items for the rest of the month:  follow up that everyone has gotten their dresses, find some invites that I like so I can order them next month, book the cake maker.  Not too bad!

I think I have covered most everything that I can think of.  I'll have lots of fun posts to do for the next couple of weeks!  How are things with you?

Cute!

I am coming to realize that I am a sucker for being nickeled and dimed to death by cute and relatively cheap wedding things.  It is just money, right? ;)

Long ago I read an article on theknot.com about little details that every bride forgets, and wouldn't you know, the very first one was to bring a cute hanger for your dress.  Because everyone gets that shot of your dress hanging in a window, ready for it's debut stroll down the aisle:

Source

But if you are forgetful or this miniscule detail never crossed your mind, you may wind up with a picture like:

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Isn't that just so sad?

Well the lovelies on http://www.etsy.com/ have capitalized on this phenomenon and have created very cute customizeable hangers for your dress.  So of course I bought one.  And I got a phonecall that my dress is in, and I need to pick it up this weekend!  So I will get to try out my new hanger right away, which is fun :)

Conversion completed

I'm Orthodox, ya'll!

It is with great joy that I can say I am officially an Orthodox Christian!  I got Chrismated last night along with two of my fellow converts.  Chrismation is sort of the Orthodox version of confirmation.  They do a short ceremony and we hold candles and read the service and get anointed with holy oil.  It was very nice, and I am so happy to be a part of the church that I have grown to truly love after catechism and attending with Aaron for such a long time.  

So for those interested in the process of becoming Orthodox, here is the process:

*Attend some services, meet the people, maybe read some books on Orthodoxy

*Convey your interest to the priest at your church, they will meet with you and let you know some basics and what being Orthodox is like, and other theological things

*Attend catechism.  Once your priests rounds up some interested parties, you'll meet (ours was weekly for about 3 months) and learn all about the Church and Orthodoxy and what we believe.

*After catechism was done, we were encouraged to get involved - attend bible studies, meet fellow parishioners, join the choir, volunteer in the different ministries they offer.

*Attend church services regularly, for between 6 months to a year

*Get a Sponsor/God parent, pick a patron saint

*Go to confession

*Get Chrismated

Your soul is now saved!  ;)

My patron saint I chose is Maria Skobtsova of Paris, for several reasons, some are dumb/silly...

*In Orthodoxy, you celebrate your saint's day, and hers is July 20th.  My birthday and Christmas, and future anniversary etc.  is all in December/January and I wanted a good reason to celebrate something in the off season

*My middle name is Marie, Maria=Marie, pretty similar

*She lived in Paris, and I totally love French things

*She is a new saint - circa 2004, and I am a new Orthodox Christian 

*She seems like she was a really hip lady - she was a poet, into politics and literary circles with intellectuals.  She is like my 1920's hero, lol

Source

Ok, now that I am done trying to recruit you all...lol  But seriously, if you have any questions or want some suggestions of things to read on the subject, I'd be glad to help (and so would Aaron because he knows a billion times more things about it than me!)

Photography

www.ericamoncada.com

Today after church Aaron and I met with the lovely Erica Moncada, photographer.  She was referred to us by one of my co-workers who was a former classmate of hers, and we were excited to finally get to meet!  We got to look at lots of pictures of her work and went over different photo finishes and styles.  It was neat to learn about photography things, an area I know nothing about!  

With photography, I really think the pictures speak for themselves, and I really dig her style which is a mix of traditional shots along with the neat artsy ones, such as the one above.  Plus her prices are totally reasonable and we are getting a million things in our package, along with 2 photographers and an assistant for the big day, in what some photographers want for just 5 hours of shooting only.  

Our runner up was also recommended by very good friend Jenn and Morgane, Photographer Jojo Marion.  If only we could hire both!  He is a fashion photographer out of Austin who has taken the most incredible photos (on his website), especially of baby Lucy, who is my bbf (baby best friend).  I was told he'd give us a deal too because he is looking to break into the wedding scene.  I just was feeling bad that he' have to come all the way from Austin, and I gotta be honest, I am slightly intimidated by a fashion photographer.  It seems way fancy for our speed, and our ugly mugs.  Jk, we aren't that ugly...lol, but still.

I am pretty happy with our choice and I am confident that Erica will get some great shots for us that we will cherish for a lifetime :)

Neat Find!

This weekend my Mom and I and our neighbor hit up this big craft show in the area.  We had fun looking at all the booths and got some cute stuff!  There was one really neat booth where you could design your own custom sign out of neat pictures, which I did. :)  They had a little file thing separated by letters, so you grab the stack oh H's and find the H you want for the collage.  Best of all, they make it while you wait!  It spells Hinkley (if you can't tell) which is going to be our last name since Aaron vetoed Hinktinez, lol.  But my Mom had the best idea of hanging this by our photobooth at the wedding.  Cute city!

I couldn't find the card we got from these people otherwise I would totally give them a shout out.  If you want to know badly enough, leave me a comment and I'll look harder for it :)

The Wedding Band (Music)

Get excited everyone!  We will be dancing to the tunes of The Drywater Band at our reception!

www.drywaterband.com

The Drywater Band has been providing clients with the highest quality live music throughout Texas and beyond since 2003. The group has performed at hundreds of private parties, concerts, corporate events, and weddings. Professionalism, experience, reputation, talent, showmanship, and production quality make The Drywater Band the best value for your special function.

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Instrumentation: The Houston, Texas based Drywater Band performs as a 3 to 9-piece group consisting of male vocals, female vocals, keyboards, pedal steel guitar, lead guitar, horns, bass, drums, fiddle, and percussion. Various Drywater musicians and crew account for a combined total of 11 lifetime Grammy awards, and have performance, recording, and/or touring credits with Taj Mahal, Hank Williams Jr., Bonnie Raitt, Santana, La Mafia, Doug Supernaw, Jay Leno, Jason Mraz, Don Henley, Kelly Osbourne, The Wailers, Smokey Robinson, Pat Green, Cory Morrow, Willie Nelson, and many more.  

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Repertoire: The Drywater Band plays a wide variety of different musical styles while maintaining a high degree of authenticity. The band's 300+ song repertoire consists of Top 40, Rock, Country, Motown, Pop, Funk, Hip-Hop, and R & B. Drywater's repertoire includes music from Stevie Wonder, Pat Green, Rolling Stones, Outkast, The Temptations, John Mayer, Taylor Swift,Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Alecia Keys, Neil Diamond, Waylon Jennings, Frank Sinatra, Beyonce, Lionel Richie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dierks Bentley, and many more.

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Production: The Drywater Band's production includes A-Line and Bose line array sound, wireless microphones, energy efficient LED wash and up lighting, DJ service, and master of ceremonies. From an intimate 50 person dinner in a small banquet room to a 1250+ person corporate event in a 30,000 sq. ft. ballroom, Drywater can handle nearly any production challenge with the band's own equipment. 

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Weddings: In 2010 The Drywater Band performed at 45 wedding receptions. The group works closely with Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio brides, grooms, parents, and wedding planners to ensure that entertainment for your special day is scheduled and performed with special attention to detail. Please check ourwedding page for more information. References from Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Shreveport, and Las Vegas couples available upon request.

I am SO excited about having this group play at our reception.  Out of the 10 or so bands we looked at, they had the best reviews, the biggest set list, best variety, and best sound.  I think they will blow everyone away with their awesomeness!

So Fun :)

Labor Day Love

My Labor Day weekend was pretty fantastic.  My Mom and I headed down to Austin to see my Aunt Gloria and Uncle Howard, and my Granny and cousins came over too.  We ate barbecue and swam and visited and had a lot of fun.  It was really great to catch up with everyone, especially my bridesmaid/cousin Heather.  

Heather and Aunt Gloria

Well speaking of gifts from heaven, Heather's husband Randall's family owns a flower shop (two actually) in the Austin area, so my Mom and I went with intentions to get some advice on how best to DIY our centerpiece idea.  Florists around here are a little out of reach price wise, and I figure we could probably do a good job ourselves.  Time was really the issue - who knows how busy we will be on the days leading up to the big day.  Well Aunt Gloria and Uncle Howard offered/insisted that they and Randall were going to cover the flowers for the wedding - creating and financing!  Which is so awesome because the flowers at Heather and Randall's wedding were absolutely gorgeous!  But yeah, I couldn't believe it... Aaron and I have been saving and such because we didn't want to burden anyone with costs for our day, and we are learning that stuff adds up quick.  So it is such a wonderful blessing to have this area covered, and we are so appreciative of the generosity of everyone, even with their time.  Sometimes I am just overcome with how lucky I am to have my family, they are truly wonderful to Aaron and I.  <3  

Fabulous!

Look what the mailman brought to my house today!

:D

Wedding Shoes?  Check!  

I took another internet risk (when will I learn...) and purchased these beauties from ebay last week.  I was in a bit of a shoe conundrum in regards to my budget.  The line item in the budget for my wedding look was all inclusive.  For $xxxx I need to get a dress, get it altered if needed, get the veil in shape (more on this later),  get whatever slips and girdles and fancy underpants I will need to go under the dress, and shoes.  Well my dress took a big chunk of those things, so my shoe budget was looking pretty slim.  Not so slim as I can only get $20 wedding shoes from the Ross dress for less, but I needed to keep it in the double digits.  

Here is where a big giant thank you is in order to all of you who visit bells and bows often and click an ad if you see something you want to check out...

Because of you wonderful people, Google Adsense is about to send me a check for approximately $107.80!

So those funds were utilized to bump up the shoe budget some.  :)

So anyway, if I were in fantasy land and had much more monies than I have, I would totally go all out and get some seriously fly designer shoes for the big day.  But those are unreasonably pricey seeing as I am not a millionaire yet.  Plus, I know me, and I dress up and wear heels pretty much never.  So unlike a designer bag that I could carry until my hair turns grey, these would most likely get worn once and gather dust in the back of the closet.  But I love to drool over them, they are works of art after all...

www.neimanmarcus.com

But back on planet earth, I figured I would just pick up some nice shoes at DSW or Macys.  Yawn, but who is going to see the shoes anyway?  

I smell a compromise....

So last week when I was cruising ebay I found these super fabulous Jimmy Choo's for an awesome and in budget price!!!

And they fit, and the heel isn't mega high, and they are just a wonderful gift from heaven!

I don't know what it is about fancy things, but they really make you feel like a million bucks!  And with this find, I still get to have some dollars in my wallet.

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Fabulous!!!