Weddingbee bios

HER: She's a Human Resources Rep that loves her life, her fiancé, her family, her Golden Retriever Kali, watching ‘wedding’ shows (Say Yes to the Dress, Rich Bride Poor Bride, etc), food of all kinds, sweet white wine, vacationing where there is a beach and sunshine, being organized, and dark chocolate.

KOZ: He’s a technician for a phone company that loves his fiancé, his family, her Golden Retriever Kali, football, motorcycles (and motorcycle racing), the beach and warm weather, Bacardi and Coke, dark chocolate, being disorganized, and striking up conversations with strangers.

We are a perfect match!

Koz and I met by being set up on a blind date.

A good friend of his, Holly, and I are both in the Human Resources field.  Holly and I attending a 2 day HR and the Law seminar in July 2008.  On the first day of training we sat next to each other and started to get to know each other. 

On the second day of training, first thing in the morning, she asked me if I was dating anyone.  At the time I wasn't seriously dating anyone.  In fact, I was just about to start my Master's Degree Program and I wasn't dating anyone because I knew that I would need a lot of time to get homework done, write papers, etc.

Holly told me that Koz lived in the Northern Chicago suburbs.  From his house to mine it was almost a 2 hour commute.  I thought, that would be perfect.  Because we lived kind of far apart we wouldn't see each other during the week.  I could get all of my homework, papers, etc done during the week and date this guy on the weekend (if we ended up liking each other).

Koz ended up calling me later that week and we set up a first date about a week and a half after that.  We decided to meet at a halfway point between our two houses.  We chose to eat at Cheesecake Factory.  We both had a great time and scheduled another date almost immediately. 

After 1.5+ years of commuting back and forth to date each other, I sold my house and moved in with Koz.  Just over 7 months after that, we got engaged! :)  If Holly hadn't asked me that day if I was dating anyone, we wouldn't be where we am today!     

Koz and I visited his family in Florida over Thanksgiving.  While we were in Fort Myers we wanted to make sure to visit the beachs on Sanibel and Captiva Island.  We were relaxing on the beach on Captiva Island when I got bored and started searching for some seashells.  After a few minutes Koz decided to join me and we walked down the beach.  I was getting a little frustrated because I couldn't find 'the shell'...the one that was unique and different from all the rest.  Koz reassured me that the perfect shell was out there.  As I continued to look Koz got down on one knee and handed me a beautiful shell.  When I took a closer look, I noticed that a diamond ring was tucked inside the opening.  That's when he asked me to marry him! :)

My engagement ring was purchased from DaValle Jewelers in Harwood Heights, IL.

Since Koz and I will be having a destination wedding on the beach, we wanted to have our engagement pictures taken on a beach, too.  Well, living in the Chicago suburbs that means we will go to North Ave Beach along Lake Michigan!

Here are some of my favorites

Our pictures were originally scheduled for Friday, April 22nd -- we both had that day off work since it was Good Friday and that's the only day that we had availability AND our photographer has availablilty.  But, if any of you know Chicago weather you know it can be unpredictable.  The day we planned to take our pictures was gloomy, raining, and cold.  Pictures were rescheduled for 6/12/11 :)  

Engagement Photo attire:  Dress and accessories from The Limited

About 30 mintues after Koz proposed we had our first official 'Wedding Discussion'.  And that discussion was about our bridal party.  Koz is the oldest of 10 kids; I am the younget of 2 kids (plus I have a niece that is like a little sister). 

I mentioned to Koz that I wanted a bridal party of 2 - my sister (MOH) and my niece (bridesmaid).  He immediately said that having a bridal party of 2 wasn't going to work.  Because he had so many siblings, he would either have to include all of them or choose just one brother as his Best Man.

I was not wanting to have a large bridal party for many reason, but the most important being that we were going to have a desination wedding.  And with destination weddings come additional costs - airfare, lodging, eating out, etc.  I didn't want to ask a lot of people to be in the wedding party because they would have to pay for airfare and lodging AND have to buy dresses/suits, contribute to bachelor/ette parties, showers, etc. 

With that decided, I asked my sister to be my Maid of Honor.  She quickly accepted the invitation! :)

Here is a picture of my sister and I (I'm on the right).

Like I mentioned in my Bridemaids post Koz and I decided, almost immediately, that we would each have just one person stand up for us.  Koz chose one of his brothers to be his Best Man. 

This brother is one of his best friends. This brother (along with his brother's wife, niece, and nephew) live less than a mile from Koz and I.  Koz's brother comes over to our house a couple nights a week for 'guy time'.  They spend a few hours watching TV, playing video games, and talking about 'guy stuff'.     

We are both thrilled to have him stand up for us as our Best Man.  

Below is a picture of Koz (on the right) and his brother.

My niece was born when I was 15 years old.  She lived with me, my sister, and my parents until she was 6 -- then my sister and niece moved into their own house.  Because we lived together for so many years, and are a very close family, she felt more like a little sister to me than my niece.

Koz and I decided that we had to limit the number of people in our wedding party to 2 people (MOH and BM).  That being decided my niece was not going to be able to stand up for us in our wedding as a bridesmaid.  

I felt horrible telling her that she wasn't going to be able to be one of my bridesmaids.  I explained to her that due to various reasons we had decided to only have a Maid of Honor and a Best Man.  She was upset at first but understood.

While she won't be a bridesmaid, she will most definitely still be part of our wedding.  She is either going to walk my mom (her grandma) down the aisle, be an usher, or both.  

I'm excited to have her participate in such a special day - I wouldn't want it any other way!   

And, might I add, it's almost impossible to find a picture of my niece where she isn't making a funny face.  This is the only recent picture she had where she wasn't making a crazy face -- gotta love teenagers!!! 

 

I found a picture of my dress online and fell in love.  I am getting married on a beach and thought it was the perfect dress for an outdoor wedding.  It is Jim Hjelm #8962.

Sadly, I found out it was almost $1000 over my budget.  I tired the dress on anyway and knew it was 'the one' almost instantly.  I ended up buying it at a truck show (at Eva's Bridal International of Tinley Park) and saved some money off the original price (the final price wasn't within my original budget, but close enough).  I ordered the dress in ivory with a champagne colored sash.  I would have loved to order the platinum sash, but it won't go with my wedding colors.

I cannot wait for it to get in so I can try it on again.  It truely is my dream dress and I can't wait for Koz to see me in it! :)

 

Fitting #1 - August 19th, 2011

At this fitting they will take in the bust and the waist, take up the hem, and add cups.  Fitting #2 has been scheduled.

Fitting #2 - September 7th, 2011

At this fitting they will were supposed to take in the bust and the waist, take up the hem, and add cups.  They didn't take up the hem or add the cups.  So that will be done this time around along with adding the bustle and taking in the bust just a little more.

Fitting #3 has been scheduled

Fitting #3 - Oct 6th

Fitting #3 (final fitting) was a success.  The dress is all ready to go!!  I will pick her up in 2 weeks and take her to my Aunt and Uncle's house.  They are driving to our destination wedding and will be transporting the dress for me.  Here are some pics from the fitting (with my $30 veil from Etsy):

I cannot wait to wear this dress on 11-5-11 :)

 

My sister (MOH) and I, along with my mother, niece and aunt, went shopping for bridesmaid dresses today.  Koz and I only have one person standing up for us on each side - my sister (MOH) and one of Koz's brothers (BM).  

We stopped at David's Bridal to look at dresses since they have a great variety.  MOH and I went in with a specific dress in mind but ended up finding a different one that we both really like.

We decided on dress #83707 in Truffle (dark brown).  Below is a stock picture of the dress in Truffle (it is not a picture of my sister in the dress).

My niece also picked out a dress to wear to the wedding (#84163).  She is super excited about the dress!  I bought her a blue flower to pin on the dress, as well.  Again, this is just a stock photo, not her pictured in the dress.

Now that we have those two out of the way, we can start looking for a Mother of the Bride dress for my mom.  She also found one that she liked at David's Bridal but wasn't ready to commit.  We will continue our search another weekend.

Another UPDATE: Koz has decided to wear the second tie pictured above.  Him and the best man will wear that tie and my dad will wear the other.  We also picked the shirts the guys will wear, too.  They are fromAt first, Koz and I talked about him wearing a linen shirt and pants for the wedding.  After some thought (and purchasing my dress), I decided that linen probably wouldn't be dressy enough - for the groom, anyway.

In a couple months Koz and I plan on going to pick out his suit.  We do know that he will wear the full suit (pants and jacket) and the Best Man and Father of the Bride will wear pants that match Koz's suit.  And we know that the suit will be tan -- a darker tan if we can find it because that's what I invisioned in my head.

So far, the only item we've purchased for Koz's 'wedding day look' are his flip flops from Zappos -- Cole Haan Tobago in dark brown.  Finally, one piece of Koz's outfit checked off the 'To Do' List!

UPDATE: We've finally picked out more of Koz's wedding day attire! :)  We went to Jos. A Banks and found a summer weight suit in a dark tan color.  We didn't take it home with us that day but ordered a different one that had no pleats on the pants (totally not a fan of pleats!).  He will pick it up this week.  Here is what it looks like:

And I ordered two different brown/tan ties (from Bows N Ties) for him to try on with the suit.  We will order another of whichever tie Koz chooses for the Best Man to wear.  The other tie will be given to my dad to wear.  Here are the two choices (very similar):

Another UPDATE: Koz has decided to wear the second tie pictured above.  Him and the best man will wear that tie and my dad will wear the other.  We also picked the shirts the guys will wear, too.  They are from Jos A. Bank in an Ecru color.

I'm not brave enough to do a Trash the Dress photo session in my regular wedding dress (I would be devistated if I ruined it).  But, I am doing a TTD photo session - with another dress.  I decided that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a TTD dress so I set a budget of $100.

I found the dress below online at Nordstrom's but it was over my original budget.  So, I turned to eBay.  Not only did I find the dress for half the price ($90.90, shipping included) but I also found it in petite - which is important because I'm only 5'1".  Hopefully I won't have to have any alternations done to the dress.

I don't have any pictures of myself in the dress, but I will definitely post some after the wedding/TTD photo session.

UPDATE: We were supposed to do that TTD photo shoot the day after the wedding.  That morning I decided that I wanted to just relax the entire day, instead.  We will do the TTD photo shoot sometime during the summer of 2012 at North Ave Beach along Lake Michigan.

One of my best friends has been doing my hair for as long as I can remember.  She has graciously agreed to do my hair for my wedding - YAY!  I couldn't be more excited; she is fantastic at what she does!  We don't have any definite ideas, yet, nor have we done any hair trials.

Here are my thoughts, so far.  I will be adding some clip in extensions to add fullness and length to my hair (courtesy of my fantastic stylist who used them in her hair when she got married).  I think I would like to wear my hair half up and wavy.  I will also put a comb in my hair - pictured below.  The comb is from Cassandra Lynne.  Koz and I are getting married on the beach and have a slight starfish theme so the comb will go well with the ceremony and reception.

I do have some hair inspiration photos (below), however it's always a question of if my hair will do the same things that I like in the inspiration photos.

My stylist and I will do a couple hair trials and experiment with different options.  I plan on wearing a very simple veil, as well - something that won't take away from the dress...I want the dress to be the star of the show!

Here are some photos from my hair trial (not my veil in the photos):

Deciding what to do about my make up was a not easy.  Because Koz and I are having a destination wedding I'm not able to do a make up trial with one person and have that same person do my day of make up (unless I fly that person from Chicago to Florida - and that's not going to happen). 

Anyway, I decided that I would need to do my day of make up.  So I went to MAC and had my make up trail done and had the MUA teach me how to apply the make up so that I can practice over the next few months.

I wanted something simple and not too heavy since we're getting married on the beach (and I don't wear that much make up on a daily basis)

My 'before' photo:

 

 

After going back and forth, I've decided to wear just earrings and a bracelet on the big day - no necklace.  

I found my bracelet online months ago.  When I went to purchase it a few weeks after finding it, they were already sold out.  So, I started searching on eBay and was able to find it at half the original cost!  

The bracelet is from J Crew and has ivory pearls and crystals.  I am still undecided, at this point, if I will keep this bracelet or get something different.  I need to wait until I can try it on with the dress to make a final decision.

I ordered these earrings to wear on our wedding day.  I bought them on Etsy, from seller (TZTUDIO).

My Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue garter from Etsy seller rosebudlips.

Since about April 2011 I have been getting no chip manicures (in preparation for the wedding) and have decided on Samuri as my wedding day nail color.  I love how the color is a little bit bold, but still really soft and not over the top.  And I love the sparkles, too!

Koz had my ring made for me at a local jeweler right outside Chicago - DaValle Jewelers.  We had briefly discussed what I'd like in a ring.  

Here's what I told him: white gold, princess cut, side detail

Here's what he created:

It's kind of difficult to see in this photo, but there are also 6 bezel set diamonds on each side of the ring.  Koz did a fanstatic job making my ring.  It's perfect!  

We picked up Koz's wedding band this afternoon (ordered and paid for back in December, but wasn't in a hurry to get it home).  Anyway, here it is; also purchased at DaValle Jewelers.  It is white gold with some detail along the sides and 3 diamonds spaced evenly around the band.

While we were at the jeweler I left my ring there (yes, my finger feels totally naked) so that they could make the wax mold of my wedding band.  I can't wait to see how it turns out!!! 

Ok, so here it is...my wedding band (well, the band and e-ring)! :)

And the side detail of the wedding band (also on the e-ring)

And finally, all three rings together - my e-ring, Koz's wedding band, and my wedding band

Sorry the pics are blurry and not focused -- I really need to learn how to take better pics (or get a new camera).

Here are a couple professional pics of our rings:

 

I bought a pair of shoes from DSW that I love.  After walking around in them for a bit I decided they wouldn't work-- my heel kept slipping out of them.  So, I ended up buying a pair off endless.com - Avance Possin Slingbacks.  They are a champagne color and should match the sash on my dress beautifully!  They are super comfortable!!!

  

My 'I Do' stickers for the bottom of my heels

Since I'm getting married on the beach, the heels will only be worn for some pictures and part of the receeption.  The rest of the day/night I will be wearing flip flops!  They are Hilaria from Nina.

 

I think picking a veil is one of the hardest things for me to do.  The store where I bought my dress, Eva's Bridal International in Tinley Park, is in a temporary location after a fire destroyed their store.  So, the temporary store does not have any accessories (veils, jewelry, shoes, etc) to try on with the dresses to see how it looks all put together.

I've been searing Etsy because I don't want to pay more than $50 for a veil (and every veil I've seen in a bridal shop is $100+).  I've found a couple veils on Etsy that I think will work with my dress.  I am looking for something super simple and sheer (because I don't want to hide any of the great details on my gown).

I'm hoping to purchase the veil in the next month or two so that I can have it in hand when my dress arrives in the bridal shop.  That way I will be able to try on the veil with the dress and see how it looks together.  

Here are the two that I'm thinking about...

UPDATE: I've decided NO VEIL.

ANOTHER UPDATE: I did get a veil :)  When I went for my first fitting the salon had me try on a veil - I wanted something really simple so that the dress was the star of the show.  They put a veil on me that was $300.  No thanks!!  I found something extremely similar on Etsy for less than $40 (including shipping) from BellaBridalVeils.  At my final fitting I was finally able to try on the Etsy veil with my dress...I am 100% happy with it. 

I've never really been big into flowers.  Don't get me wrong, I think flowers are beautiful, but I'm not one of those girls who wants flowers from my FI all the time or needs to have fresh flowers in my house.  So, I had a tough time imaging what I wanted my bouquet to look like.  But, here is what it will look like, starfish and all (and I love it)...

We are using Libby's Flower Shop in Fort Myers, FL as our florist.

Here is a guest photos of my actual bouquet:

I had a hard time coming up with something I wanted as my centerpieces because of my wedding colors - brown, teal, and white starfish (and some light green, too).  But, I found a picture online of a centerpiece that I love.  It will be my centerpiece at my beach wedding and will be on top of linens just like the ones in the picture.

We are using Libby's Flower Shop in Fort Myers, FL as our florist.

Here are a couple guest photos of our actual centerpieces.  I was told, 2.5 weeks after the wedding, that the centerpiece flowers were still in full bloom (we let guests take home the centerpieces if they wanted them).

 

Koz and I had VERY different views, at first, when it came to a favor for our guests.  I wanted to donate money to a charity and give our guests a note letting them know that in lieu of a favor we made a donation to 'X' charity.  Koz wanted NOTHING to do with that.  He thought it was tacky and looked cheap that we didn't want to give our guests something tangible to take with them (I disagree, but to each his own, right).

So, we had to come up with a compromise.  Koz wanted a favor of some kind and I wanted to make sure the favor was something easy and that everyone would like.  Our compromise resulted in this: A Candy Buffet!  It's still in the works but below are some inspiration photos that I sent to my vendor to help with the creation of our buffet.

We will have white chinese take-out boxes with favor tags (example below) for our guests to put their candy in.  We will also have a server at the buffet assisting our guests and answering questions about the types of candy on the buffet.

We are using Extraordinary Sweets out of Naples, FL for our Candy Buffet.

Belos is a phot of the actual label that went on the take out boxes for the candy buffet:

And here are a few guest photos of our candy buffet the night of the wedding:

 

We will also be having a photo booth for our guests to take pictures.  The pictures will be part of their favor but we are also using it as our guest book.  Guests will take their pictures and place them in our guest book and write their wishes to us next to their picture.

This is the sign I had created for the photo booth (by PW's Sarah):

 

It didn't take me long to find invitations that I fell in love with.  One of Koz's friends had given me a website to check out -- www.magnetstreet.com.  His friend had ordered her Save the Dates from when she got married.  Koz and I ended up using that website for our Save the Dates, as well.

After looking around on the website for a bit I found invitations that I knew would work perfectly with our wedding colors and theme -- dark brown, teal, and white finger starfish!  Here is the stock photo of the invitations and RSVP cards we choose (but haven't yet ordered).

What I love most about Magnet Street is that almost everything is customizable.  We are able to change the colors on the invites to whatever works for our wedding - in our case, we will be changing the light blue color to teal.  You can change the fonts, text, and text size, as well.

Finally, I absolutely LOVE that there are so many cooresponding items that match the invites.  Koz and I will be ordering the pocket invites, inner and outer envelope liners, RSVP cards, enclosure cards, labels, seals, and vellum bands.  Additionally, they just created menu cards that match the invites -- we will be ordering those, as well (something that I thought I might have to DIY, but am happy that I don't have to)!!!

On the menu card, I will be taking out the '&' in between mine and Koz's names and adding a small silver starfish (the same silver starfish will also be going on our table numbers and programs to tie them all together).  I found the silver starfish, courtesy of another bee, at LCI Paper.

Well, even though I approved the proof of our menu without the '&' on it they still printed it.  So I didn't end up putting the silver starfish on the menus.  Here is a pic of the menus at the reception:

UPDATE: Here are a couple pictures of our actual invites!

 

We hope to send them out around the first week in July :)

Our Save The Date magnets from Magnet Street ; we sent them out at the end of January for our November destination wedding.

Koz and I aren't sure, yet, if we are going to include a map with our invitations or not.  But, just in case we decide to, I've started on one.  It's still a rough draft as I have to add bodies of water, etc.  Not too bad for a first try if I say so myself.  I used this amazing tutorial to help me make my map.

I searched online for a card box, but was having a difficult time find one that I really liked.  Then I came across The Wedding Main St's card boxes.  They were exactly what I was looking for - contemporary and sleek with a bit of bling!  I ordered our card box from their store on Etsy.com.

Our box will look like the one below except it will be dark brown and ivory and have mine and Koz's monogram info.

Here are a few new details I've added (although these aren't details our guests will see):

My wedding dress hanger from LilaFrances - LOVE IT!

Here are a couple photos of my hanger 'in action'!!

 I was going to DIY table numbers but, instead, found some on Etsy that I really like and are very reasonably priced.  I purchased numbers 1 thru 9 and asked the seller to also create a starfish design to put on our sweetheart table.

I've started working on our programs.  At first I was convinced I would DIY these to save money.  But I'm not the craftiest of people, nor do I have a lot of patience, so I've decided to recruit some help via Etsy!

From the very beginning of wedding planning I knew that I wanted to use white finger starfish as our place cards.  This was my inspiration photo:

And here is what our place cards looked like:

 

Up until Friday it was decided that Koz would spend Friday night in someone else's room so we wouldn't see each other until the ceremony.  Well...we changed our minds on that one.  Koz stayed in our room Friday night and packed his stuff up first thing Saturday morning and went to his sister's condo at the resort.

I went to have breakfast with two of my best friends while Koz went to the pool and fitness room to work out.  I had a timeline set up for the day and Koz didn't have to start getting ready (as in dressed) until 3:00 that afternoon.  I, however, needed to be showered, hair dryed, and start my make-up by 12:30.

Here are some getting ready shot and photos of my dress:

 

While I was doing my make up and getting my hair done both my friend and photog were taking pictures of different details.  I don't have any of the professional photos back yet, but here are some of the photos my friend took before the ceremony.

 

 

This is my original post on the 'Getting Ready' thread:

I am not doing many DIY wedding projects because, well, I'm not crafty or creative.  But, one thing that I did end up DIYing is my wedding hoodie.  I liked the bridal hoodie from Victoria's Secret, but was looking for something short sleeved (since we will be getting married in FL) and VS only had long sleeve hoodies.

So, I saw a post on Project Wedding about a DIY hoodie and decided that I was going to make my own hoodie.

This is the tutorial I used to make the hoodie.  And I bought the Swarovski crystals and mylar paper off eBay.  I got the short sleeve hoodie from Victoria's Secret.

I used just under 750 crystals for the project.

Here's another picture of me wearing the hoodie (although the lighting isn't the best).

Our florist was supposed to deliver our flowers by 3:00 that afternoon so I could have my bouquet to take photos.  Koz and I weren't doing a first look or seeing each other before the ceremony but we were going to take some photos individually since we only had 1 hour for picture between the ceremony and reception.  My sister (also MOH) waited in our condo for the florist to arrive.  They called around 3:30 and said that they had gotten stuck in traffic and would be there soon.  They arrived around 4:00.  Come to find out they had actually gotten into an accident and some of the flowers were damaged.  They had to redue some of the items and that is why they were late.  But, honestly, as long as they were there in time to set up the ceremony and reception decor I was ok with it.  We ended up getting everything we ordered and it all looked beautiful.

Koz and his brother (best man) took some getting ready shots with the photographer starting at 3:30.  From there the wedding party was to meet at the ceremony location at 4:45.  And a car was to pick up my dad and I in my condo at 5:00 to take us to the ceremony.  While waiting in the room, around 4:48, Koz's mom called my dad asking if anyone had seen Koz.  I reminded her that Koz and the best man were with the photograher taking pictures and they would be there soon.  Although, on the inside, I freaked out just a little bit. :)

The car to pick up my dad and I arrived a bit early but we waited until about 4:55 to head over to the beach.  Once at the ceremony site I spoke with the Officiant just for a minute and then everyone got in their places.  My dad and I waited far behind the rest of the wedding party so Koz wouldn't see me before I walked down the aisle to him.  The coordinator kept telling my dad and I to move closer but I was scared that Koz would turn his head on accident and see me.

The wedding party walked down the aisle in this order: Koz's parents, my mom escorted by my niece, the Officiant, Koz, best man, maid of honor, and then my dad and I.  My dad was crying before we even started our walk down the aisle.  I quitely told him to pull it together because he was going to make me start crying!!  As we walked toward the aisle I desperately searched for Koz but couldn't see him because all of the guests were standing.  It took until I was almost 1/4 of the way down the aisle to actually see him.  The smile on his face was priceless. 

Here are some photos from the ceremony:

 

After the ceremony the guests went off to an outdoor cocktail hour.  There was an open bar, a cheese display, and 3 passed appetizers - bacon wrapped scallops, mini beef wellington, and boursin cheese stuffed mushrooms.  Koz and I took the first 5 minutes after the ceremony to talk to our immediate families.  Then we took the next 10 minutes to take professional photos with our parents, sibiling, and nieces/nephews.  After the photos, everyone but us, the best man, and maid of honor went to the cocktail hour.  Koz and I took a few photos with our best man and maid of honor and then they were off the to cocktail hour, as well, while we took photos by ourselves.

I am still waiting on professional photos but here are some taken by our guests- Koz and I were able to join the guests for about 10 minutes at the cocktail hour before heading in to the reception.

 

Our reception was scheduled to start at 7:00 and amazingly...that's when it started. I was worried that time would get away from us and things wouldn't stay on track. But the coordinator and DJ had everything under control and kept things morving like a well oiled machine. I asked some of my friends to go into the reception room before all the guests went in to take some photos of the decor.

The reception went extremely well and extremely fast. Our DJ threw in a few surprises for us. One of which was he secretly asked each table to pick a love song and sing a couple lines to us. Then follow the song up with words of wisdom. It was hilarious and hearlfelt!! He also decided to play our last slow song before the end of the night and put in a different slow song instead. Just like everyone says, the night flew by and before we knew it the evening had come to an end. Here are some photos from the reception:

 

Finally, I want to share some photos from our photo booth -- so much fun!!

 

Koz and I had our cake tasting recently and decided on the style of cake we wanted (and flavors, too).  It will be a 3 tier square cake with some ribbon and white finger starfish detail. 

Below is our inspiration cake:

Our cake will be decorated with dark brown fondant and teal colored ribbon (the part on the inspiration cake that is currently dark brown/black).  We are replacing the flowers on the inspiration cake with edible white finger starfish.

We will top the cake with a monogram cake topper that has clear colored Swarovski crystals (from Toppers with Glitz).

Our final product!!

Koz has always said that when he gets married he wants it to be on the beach.  Him and his family used to travel to Sanibel Island for vacation and he fell in love with the beach...more specifically - this beach!  

Koz is the oldest of 10 children.  Out of his immediate family, 4 siblings and his parents moved to Fort Myers, FL (just East of Sanibel Island) and the other 6 siblings (including himself) still live in Chicago or the Chicago suburbs.  When we got engaged we decided that we'd get married on Sanibel Island instead of holding the ceremony and reception in Chicago.

While we were visiting family in Fort Myers over Thanksgiving 2010, we got engaged.  Since we were so close to Sanibel Island, we spent a couple days looking at a few different venues: Tween Waters and South Seas on Captiva and Casa Ybel and Sundial on Sanibel.

Ultimately we decided to choose The Sundial Beach and Golf Resort.  Even though Koz and his family stayed at a different resort when they vacationed on Sanibel, he would spend all of his time at The Sundial's outdoor pool.  The Sundial holds a very special place in Koz's heart and it will be the place where we become husband and wife.

OUR VENDOR LIST

Ceremony and Reception: The Sundial Beach and Golf Resort on Sanibel Island - Sanibel Island, FL

Officiant: Rev. Dr. Dan Lamay - Naples, FL

DJ: A DJ With Class - Bonita Springs, FL

Photographer: Ruben Ramos - Elgin, IL

Florist: Libby's Flower Shop - Fort Myers, FL 

Cake: Kakes by Karen - Naples, FL

Candy Buffet: Extraordinary Sweets - Naples, FL

Linen Rental: TBD

Ring Jeweler: DaValle Jewelers - Harwood Heights, IL

Dress: Eva's Bridal International of Tinley Park - (708) 444-4370 - Tinley Park, IL

TTD Dress: Nordstrom's (but purchsed off eBay)

MOH and Niece's Dress: David's Bridal (MOH #83707) and Niece (#84163)

Wedding Day Jewelry: eBay (bracelet) and Etsy.com seller TZTUDIO (earrings)

Wedding Day Shoes: Endless.com (heels - Avance Possin) and Zappos.com (flip flips - Nina Hilaria)

Groom and BM Attire: TBD

Save the Dates: Magnet Street

Invitations and Reply Cards: Magnet Street

Menu Cards: Magnet Street

Table Numbers: DIY

Wedding Programs: Decadent Designs  

Card Box: The Wedding Main St

 

GUEST GIFTS

Koz and I wanted to make sure to give our guests a Welcome Bag upon their arrival at our destination wedding.  Here is what I've come up with, so far, for the bags (wedding colors are brown, teal, and white finger starfish):

The bag from Papermart:

Tag for the outside of the bad (tied on with brown ribbon) and a Thank You card with a hand written message from Etsy seller simplymistaken:

We wanted to put one Sanibel Island related item in the bag.  While we were in Florida in early May we stopped on Sanibel Island to visit some of the shops.  Koz found a sand and shell magnet that he liked so we ordered 50 of them and will be putting them in the bags:

We will also include:

* Info on Sanibel Island (what to do, where to go, where to dine, where to shop, etc) in a pocket folder

* 2 bottles of water

* Bag of M&M's

* 2 granola bars

* 2 bags of chips (snack size)

* Blow Pops (2)

* Starbursts

* Salted Cashews

* Salted Peanuts

* Gum or mints

* Hand sanitizer

* 2 small tubes of Sunscreen

The finished product --

 

BRIDAL PARTY GIFTS

Maid of Honor: Sandals for the weddings, no chip manicure, wristlet from Coach, and a gift card

Usher: Sandals for the wedding, flower to go with her dress, no chip manicure, and a gift card

Best Man: Flip flops for the wedding, tie for the wedding, and a gift card

PARENTS GIFTS: Parents album 

We're going to....St. Lucia!! 

We'll be flying out of Chicago, on a Sunday evening, into Miami.  We will stay the night in Miami and fly to St. Lucia on Monday morning.  We'd like to stay in St. Lucia for 10 days, but the budget just doesn't allow for it. :(  We'll be staying in St. Lucia, at the Sandals La Toc, for 8 nights.  We fly out of St. Lucia to Miami on a Tuesday.  Once in Miami we will rent a car and drive to Fort Myers for Koz's brother's wedding on that Friday.  We will fly back home to Chicago on that Sunday.

I cannot wait!!

Here is the Thank You Card we orderd from Shutterfly (40% off - woo hoo!!)

FRONT

INSIDE (top) - bottom will be blank for our personalized message

BACK

SHOWER#1

I received the invite for shower #1 in the mail today!  Here it is (keeping with our starfish and teal theme):

My first shower is being given by Koz's family - his three sisters and 3 sister-in-laws.  I cannot wait!!! :)  I am truly blessed to be marrying into such a great family.

Here are my thank you cards that I ordered for shower #1 (from Wedding Paper Divas):

I customized the thank you to show our first names in brown (since our wedding colors are teal and brown).

Hostess Thank You Gift for Shower #1 is mason jar brownies with our starfish theme (hand made by me), a bottle of Philosophy shower gel, and a $10 gift card to Starbucks:

Here is the recipe for the Brownies in a Jar.

Here are some pictures from Shower #1:

Hostess Thank You Gift for Shower #2 is mason jar brownies with our starfish theme (hand made by me), a large bottle of Philosophy shower gel (Gratitude), and a $10 gift card to a store that they each like - in my niece's case that store is iTunes - all nicely assembled in a reusable, and insulated, bag from ThirtyOne:

Here are some pictures from Shower #2:

SHOWER #3

 

 

I'm not one for parties so I almost didn't want a bachelorette party at all.  I decided instead of doing the normal go out to a bar/act silly/get super wasted kind of thing I just wanted to do a nice dinner and try some new wines.  So my bachelorette party will be just that -- appetizers, dinner, and wine flights at a local wine bar.

 

Invitations are out and hopefully the RSVP's will start rolling in.  I'll update with photos after the party. :)

 

The party was last night and I had a great time.  Here are some photos ;)

Koz's parents are planning a pre wedding Meet & Greet the night before the wedding.  Because we are doing a destination wedding they wanted to make sure (1) all the guests who were staying on the Island had dinner on Friday night and (2) everyone had a chance to meet each other before the festivities on Saturday.

The Meet & Greet is still in the planning stages.  Invitations will be ordered this week and sent out in about 3 weeks after all the RSVP's have been returned.  The invitation is beach themed and will be personalized with our info:

Koz's parents are talking with a couple caterers on options for food.  I cannot wait to see this Meet & Greet start to come togehter.  More details to come!

Here's a photo of the actual invite :)

Menu for the Meet & Greet:

- Beef Tenderloin on Hawaiian Dinner Rolls w/Horseradish Cream Sauce

- Fresh RoastedTurkeyon Mini Croissants w/Boursin Cheese & Cranberry

- Fresh Ham w/Brie on Baguettes w/Dijon Mayo

- Mediterranean Orzo Salad w/Roasted Red Pepper, Kalamata Olives, Red Onion & Feta Cheese

- Baby Green Salad w/Gorgonzola & Toasted Pecans

- Fresh Seasonal Fruit Display

- Shrimp Cocktail

- Key Lime Bars

- Keg of Blue Moon with OrangeSlices

- White and Red wines

- Regular and Diet Soda, water

Here are some photos from the Meet & Greet: