Being enviromental

I miss blogging, I really do, but I couldn't in good onscious just sit on my backside writing my musings while there was literally no room to walk in our apartment. It took over 4 days and I'm still not completely done, but I finally have our place into some semblance of order. Here's how it went down, all of our shower gifts and gifts from the wedding, we haven't been using until thank you notes were at least written, kind of a reward system. Therefore all of those gifts have been sitting in a pile taking up space in my dining room. Combine those gifts with all the wedding crafty stuff, along with pillows, blankets and a myriad of stuff from the sleepover the night before the wedding and you have zero visible floor space in our tiny apartment. So I spent the last four days writing thank you notes and cleaning and organizing this place which I finally got to be a livable space again.

I have to say that I fancy myself a bit of an environmentalist, I turn off all lights when they aren't in use, we use the compact fluorescent light bulbs, I try to recycle and I try to find a use for something before I throw it away. It's not big level of environmentalism but I like to think it helps. This is where all of our old crap comes into play, see we had pots and pans, a blender, glasses etc. We had all that stuff but it's cheap-ola items from when I first moved out and from (gulp) Mr. Tal's college days, so most of our gifts were to replace those items. While cleaning I had a rather large pile of stuff that I couldn't really see throwing out because even if it is cheap-o a lot of it is still usable. It happens to be quite a lucky coinkidink that little sisters A and E are getting an apartment this summer! So all our old items can be re-used in their apartment, which makes me quite happy, A and E can save a bit of moolah and I don't have to throw away anything (tho, admittedly I probably would have donated most of it to Good Will).

I promise that I will start my recaps of the wedding shenanigans soon, we got our sneak peak picture from our photographer today so I anticipate having the rest of our wedding photos soon.

Tune in next time for more tales from a DIY bride.

I'm back...

...and a Mrs. I can't even begin to describe what an awesome feeling is to be married, mostly because I don't think all the feelings have hit yet. Today is our first day back to reality, Mr. Tal goes to work and Mrs. Tal (that's ME!!!) starts looking for a job and organizing the apartment. I'm a little sad that our honeymoon is over, it was amazing and so was the wedding, the recaps of both will be written when I have more time and more pictures from the wedding. Right now I really need to get the apartment organized, we have wedding gifts and stuff all over, it's a mess. So blogging will probably be light for the rest of the week while I attempt to get the apartment livable again.

Stay tuned for more tales from a DIY bride.

It's here.

Well folks, it's finally here, my wedding  day. Oddly it seems like any other day, except my sisters are sleeping in my living room and in just a few hours I will be sitting in a salon getting my hair done. It's taken a lot to get to this day, blood, sweat and tears literally. I had hoped and prayed for it's quick delievery but now that it is here I'm a little sad, because I know this day is going to speed past me like a bullet train. I just know I will have to try to savor every moment.

Mr. Tal-
You are the love of my life and today we get to declare that love in front of family and friends. We have come a long way in the last two and a half years but through it all we have combated life, both the good and the bad, as a partnership. You have been my best friend, my rock, my everything. I can't express how much I love you, but I can tell you how very grateful I am everyday for your presence in my life. I am so honored and humbled God saw it fit for us to meet one another, that He allowed us the beautiful journey of falling in love and brought us to this day. You are truly everything I could have hoped for in a partner and I am so happy our lives are are going to be joined starting today.
I love you, forever and always.
Dibsy

It's almost here...

I'm up early to go decorate the hall and ceremony site, I did not sleep well last night, I was up almost every hour, so I know now that I am a little nervous. My apartment looks weird, oddly empty, we loaded up the truck last night full of the projects that have filled the past few months. I feel a little sad, all this work, all these projects, all the stress, it's going to be over on Saturday. I have fallen in love with the crafting, the work, so for me the wedding has really been a changing point. I have plans for after the wedding, I think it will be a good thing, but I'm not going to make an announcement until it is official. I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm thrilled, and I'm sad. It's a big bundle of wacky emotions running through me. I don't think I have fully realized that come tomorrow night I will be married. I think it will hit tonight when we are at rehearsal. I can't wait. I'm sure I will try to post tomorrow morning before all the hubbub.

Tune in next time for more tales from a DIY bride.

Tying up loose ends...

...do they make that much string?

This past weekend has been crazy. We have been e-mailing all the vendors, finishing last minute projects, buying last minute purchases. The weird thing is that I am eerily calm, so is Mr. Tal. I'm not freaking out, I'm not stressed, I'm oddly calm and making lists. Like today, I have to work out, tan, run to about 5 different stores, and pack up bridesmaids gifts. I'm not sure when it is going to hit, the reality of it all, I mean my wedding day is four days away and I just can't picture it. Speaking of pictures (haha, like that segway) our engagement session has been blogged, take a look. Meanwhile, I'm going to actually go do everything on my to-do list and hopefully get it all done before Mr. Tal gets home from work

Tune in next time for more tales from a DIY bride.

Murphy's Law

Anyone familiar with this? "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."
Another favorite of mine is, "If you want to hear God laugh just tell him your plans."

I have a feeling that these sayings might ring true the day of the wedding.

Luckily, we have contigency plans. Well, we have Melissa. She is our day of coordinator. She is my wedding day savior. When Mr. Tal and I first started wedding planning, I figured a DOC was not necessary, someone could step up and take charge. Then came wedding blogs and the realization that that is a lot of stress for my mom to handle, so I looked into a DOC and found my shining star. She has been amazing so far, always answering my questions when I e-mail, in our meetings (unlimited before the wedding) she is the one to list off things she needs to know, always including things I would have forgot. I can't wait to see her in action next week and I am so grateful for the peace of mind she will be giving me the day before and the day off the wedding.

What are your feelings on DOC's, are they necessary or a splurge?

Tune in next time for more tales from a DIY bride.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!

Our 10 day forcast is officially allowing us a peek at the weather on our wedding day. It's going to be 70 with at 50% chance for rain. I like the 70 part warm but not too warm and I know that superperstition says that rain on the wedding day is good luck, but I don't want it. Sad face. I know there is time for it to change and that is m one bright shiny hope. We will have to wait and see.

On a sidenote, I am incredibly proud of the work we are getting done every day. It's frustrating that we have all this work to do and we aren't really having time to relax so close to the wedding. However, my goal is to have most of our work done by next Wednesday so that we will have the two days before the wedding to really just savor it. Wow, in 9 days I will be married. Craziness.

Tune in next time for more tales from a DIY bride.

Bad blogger...

No cookie! Last weeks events threw me into a bit of a tailspin, so I took a little break from all things wedding, including blogging (minus the one little entry to explain the goings on). This week is all hands on deck as we are almost into the single digits until the wedding. Zoinks!

This week we have a boat load of projects to finish: centerpieces, table numbers, place cards, music, picture scanning...the list is ever expanding. Mr. Tal and I are working every night,  plus I am shopping every day, trying to scrounge up the last bits and pieces we need. It's an exciting time, I'm actually glad to have so much to do because it is keeping me distracted from the fact that I am getting married in just days.

Did you keep busy with projects in the days leading up to the wedding? Was it a good idea or bad?

Tune in next time for more tales from a DIY bride.

No Foolin'

I had been debating writing this post and had ultimately decided not to, but I think it is important for future and current brides-to-be to know they aren't alone in dealing with this. This week I lost not just a bridesmaid but also a friend. I will not get into the nitty gritty of the situation but I will say that it was almost a snowball effect (one thing led to another and another, so on and so forth). During this sad time I have had an almost over-abundance of emotional support from my family and friends. While it has been a trying time, it is also inspiring to know I have so many wonderful people in my life. I would go into further detail but I don't think that I can put it quite as eloquently as Miss Taco over at Weddingbee in this post.

My absolute favorite line is the following:

"So, do weddings push us to the edge? Funny that: weddings, the target of plenty of mockery, have an amazing ability to bring out both the best and worst in anyone involved in one." - Miss Taco

I took that statement and ran with it. While I am sad and hurt, I do see the silver lining in this whole situation; I know for certain who my friends really are and who truly care about me and at the end of my wedding day (and every day) that is who I want to be surrounded by.

How about you my former and current bride readers, did your wedding bring out the best or worst of your nearest and dearest?

Tune in next time for more tales from a DIY bride.