The Diamond Dash - we're selected!

A jeweler local to Cam's home is having a Diamond Dash.

The Diamond Dash is a city-wide,  high-tech scavenger hunt for a $15,000 engagement ring. All of the clues will be delivered via text message. It takes place on April 24th (if anyone is reading this from the Lancaster, PA area - it's not too late to enter)!

 The ring has a Princess of Hearts Diamond in it.

{thanks}


Do you see those diamonds? They have 80 facets. 80!! And an "ideal cut." Okay, I admit. These things really kind of mean nothing to me! But these things do make the ring pretty sparkly.

I'm so excited. Friends of ours told us they were participating and it seemed really cool but we figured it was too late to register. However, it is not!! Cam heard on his favorite radio station that they were still accepting applicants and my amazing boyfriend applied for it. I'm really proud of him for that. He submitted a picture of us and a reason why we should be selected.

When I asked him what he said for the reason why ... these were his exact words "Well I told them that I didn't think my girlfriend takes me seriously sometimes when I say I want to marry here. But the truth is we are not in a place financially for me to get her the ring she deserves. And some other ... stuff."

I'm not sure what the other stuff was but I guess it worked!

There are TONS of couples competing so wish us luck!!!

Engagement rings

Sorry for the extra-long hiatus.

The holidays always always always get ahead of me and this year was no exception.

So, no Christmas proposal with a ring.
No New Years one either.
Though four (yes FOUR) of Cam's friends got engaged over the season.
So the pressure is on!!

I know he'll do it when the time is right, he has money, I have money, WE have money, etc. But man, I just want this whole thing to be official without people looking at me all crazy when I say I frequent Weddingbee or have a Wedding Blog.

All of the engagements both in real life and the virtual world have got me thinking more and more about the type of ring I want.

Cam even has asked for some input. So, I thought I'd go right ahead and give him some input. But that's harder than it seems.

I'm torn between something "classic" and something "different." I put these in quotes because I really think the definition of these words depends on the individual.

The first ring I ever thought I would love as an engagement ring was the Tiffany Setting:

It's streamlined, simple, gorgeous. We could maybe afford the .25 carat eventually.

And of course I then fell in love with the Tiffany Novo:

Gorgeous, right? Even the .25 carat I can only have in my dreams.

They're so pretty but so pricey. And other companies sell rings similar - but I really love Tiffany's. They're not just a name - they're well-made jewelry with superior diamonds. And no, I'm not quoting the website here (I'll kick myself if it says that).

I thought Tiffany's rings were something for me to forget ... then I saw Lauren's ring (you can also find her on Weddingbee as Miss Scissors):

{thanks}
It's the Paloma Sugar Stacks from Tiffany's. I love this ring. And this ring is so darn pretty. But well, it's already been done, ya know? I feel like with such a prominent wedding blogger having it I couldn't possibly say I love it and ask for it and not feel like a fake of some sort. I didn't even know the ring existed until I saw it on Lauren's site.

It's one of the few afordable rings Tiffany's has. At least as far as our budget goes.

And I just saw this one in an etsy email:

It's cheap, pretty, and simple. But a part of me wonders what some people (including my family) might say/think if he gets that for me. I'm not usually one to worry about that so much but with something as serious as bringing Cam into my family - I don't want them thinking he skimped out or something.

Basically I still will have no advice for Cam.

He's seen the Tiffany Setting and the Novo so I'm sure he has an idea (he caught me looking one day at work when he stopped by).

He also knows I have a ring from Kay's that I love and would simply want a larger version as an engagement ring:



Poor guy. No advice. None. He'll be going in blind...this could be interesting/painful for Cam.

Maybe he SHOULD just get me a bubble gum machine ring.

a spin on the traditional wedding band

I saw this ring in an Etsy email and immediately thought weddingband!!

For me.

For Cam.

I don't care, I just want to see it as a weddingband. I'm not convinced the band has to be ultra-perfect and pretty and thin and blah blah blah...

this particular one is by Etsy seller metalsmitten and is unfortunately sold out right now. but I have a feeling it will come back in time. Or you can find one elsewhere. Or maybe this would just be the coolest engraving ever.

Thoughts? Did you go for a traditional or different weddingband? What about engraving? Did you do it? What did it say if you did?

I think I just met my new best friend

Seriously. She's on Weddingbee. And her name is ProudPeacockBride. Well, on there.

And she posted a response to someone else's wedding question with this link!!

Since I know alot of you aren't going to click the link to see what it is, I'll tell you:


It's a tutorial for how to make a CONVERTIBLE DRESS!!


What's that? I can MAKE the dresses I've been pining over for weeks? And a WHOLE LOT cheaper than I can buy them? Yeah, that's what I thought. Win ALL AROUND!


Check out the pictures:




It's that easy people! Seriously. I'm gonna start trying this NOW!




Take a look at this dress. Then click on over to the Twobirdsbridesmaid website. See any similarities?



Here's one of the styles in action!

So, yeah, I'm really excited!

Who's a doll?

Chaotic Bliss makes me happy.
And here's why:
She gave me the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award!




It's cute, eh?



Now, a few quirky things about myself. This list could go on for days ...

1. I always have a hairtie (or two) on my wrist.

2. I have a rubber ducky collection I plan to use in my future childrens' nurseries someday.

3. I over use exclamation points, elipses, and sometimes adjectives.

4. I learned graphic design through an interneship and F&M and fell in love.

5. I work part-time as a florist during the holidays.

6. I have 5 tattoos and am hoping for more.

7. I am working on writing my first book. It's a memoir of sorts. It terrifies me.

8. One of my favorite things to do is wrap presents.

9. Karaoke will forever remain a pasttime for me and I plan to somehow incorporate it into our wedding.

10. At work a stuffed liger keeps me company at my desk.



And now, some bloggers I think are worthy of this award.
1.Lauren
2.MisMikado
3.D.Marie
4.The Professional Bridesmaid
5.Born to be Mrs. Beever
6.cakewrecks
7.Layla
8.Bride On A Shoestring
9.Dreamer
10.Plus Size Bride

Just note, these are in no particular order - but they're all super awesomely amazing bloggers!!

two birds, one dress?

Has anybody else heard of twobirds bridesmaids? If you haven't, check it out, they're awesome. My bridesmaids come in all shapes and sizes ... short, tall, thin, curvy...you name it, my amazing girls have got it. So finding a dress to flatter them all? Impossible. I don't like matching dresses anyway. I just don't.

As I was browsing the interwebs for fabulous bridesmaid dress ideas I stumbled upon these dresses. Basically, it's the same dress wrapped/tied/what-have-you different ways. So, the bridesmaids can choose the best style for them!!

Check out some of their options:

What a pretty teal! And a cool way to wrap the dress!


I swoon over these rosettes. How cute would these be with the flower girl in the tutu with rosettes? Can we say romantic?


The red here is just striking - and look at all the different ways the girls can style themselves!


This look would be great for one of my more-conservative bridesmaids. The sleeves are simply, pretty, and romantic!


I love this option because I would want to separate my MOH (more on that dilema later) from the other girls - because it's such a big responsibility and (in my opinion) honor!

*all pictures taken from twobirds website*

So - I love these dresses. I've been sitting on the thought of this post for quite some time. They come in any color I could dream of, can accomodate every girl's style, keeps my idea of matching-but-not-matching (are you still with me?) dresses, but have one problem.

They're priced at a minimum of $270. How can I actually expect my girls to shell out that much money for me? I know I sure as heck can't afford that. Even though the dresses are really practical and I'm pretty sure I'd let each girl choose her own color ... I'm not sure they'll go for this. Each of them has their own interesting disposition but only 2 of them could easily drop this money on a dress for my day.

So, I ask you, what's a girl to do? I love the whimsy, romance, and flexibility of these dresses ... but I just.can't.justify.the.price. Any other ideas ladies?

the flower girl

I'm pretty sure I know who our flower girl will be.

Her name is Echo. Echo is the only daughter of one of my best friends, Misty.

And she rocks. Seriously. This kid is too cool.

How cute is she? Seriously - and she is hillarious!

And I recently came across My Couture Bebe, where I'm pretty sure I'll be outfitting her in one of these beauties:

This one's called Blooming Paradise - the name even screams flower girl!

These are exactly some of the colors I envision for our wedding - and it has a flower on the side - a fun accent for a flower girl!

Petals on the bottom? Too cute!

I just really loved this one, too!

I'm thinking simply pairing one of these with a cute tanktop and some fun costume jewelry will really make Echo feel special and more like she's playing dress up then she's doing a favor for her "auntie" Alisha. She may even need a tiara and I may let her have one.

Did you have a flowergirl? If so, how did you decide who it would be and what she would wear? If not, why?