The BM Dresses: Revealed

Ah, hive! The day has finally arrived where I can reveal (most) of the mismatched BM dresses! You see, I have had most of the photos for a while, but then I forgot to save BM Blondesquared's photos, so I had to get them again. Oops. :) 

Remember, this is the idea of what we were going for:

Image via Style Me Pretty / Photography by Jessica Lorren Organic Photography

While I never wrote a full post about it, I talked a little on the boards about how I really wanted dresses the girls would want to wear again. I know it's cliche to say, but I really didn't want them to hate their dresses, I didn't want them to spend a ton on them, and I wanted it to be something they could wear to work or another event. My only request was that they stay in the champagne/tan family, and to keep them short and affordable!

Thankfully, affordability wasn't a problem at all - all of the girls got their dresses for $40 or less! In fact, MOH Cubbie got her dress at Forever 21, so she even got a second option! I'm a little in love with all of them, especially the first two, so let's just say if they don't end up wanting to wear them again, I won't mind taking them off their hands. ;)

And here they are!

Now, for those of you that noticed BM Jen is missing - she hasn't quite selected a dress yet. Or a side. She may be team Bride, or team Groom. Who knows! We don't care either way, so I'm letting that detail slide until the rehearsal.

As for shoes - MOH Cubbie and BM Tara have the same shoe, BM Blondesquared has an almost exact copy (which she is wearing in one photo), and BM Jen doesn't have shoes yet either. ;) But since she is so much taller than us already, she may end up choosing to go with a shorter heel.

So that's the reveal - what do you think!? I love the variety of styles and colors - I think they're all going to look great together!

I'm in a long distance relationship...

...with my MOH Cubbie!

You see, Cubbie and I went to the same college. Then school ended, and unfortunately Cubbie's job took her back home to Florida. Obviously, this is not ideal. And no, not because of wedding planning; simply because I want my best friend back so we can bum around and watch HGTV!

But on the wedding front: I just have to say that even in our LDR, Cubbie has been everything I could have ever dreamed of in a MOH! Not only does she help with anything I ask of her, but she has even been gracious enough plan my bachelorette party long distance AND book a ticket to be in attendance! (Something I was definitely NOT expecting of her!)

Personal photo / MOH Cubbie is also known as my twin. We are exactly the same, hence why poor Mr. Otter sometimes feels overwhelmed when we are together. ;)

Now you may be wondering, while Cubbie is obviously great, why am I talking about her today? Well,  I talked about my failed DIY, and then about my plans to (potentially) DIY my table numbers, but I never really specified how I was going to go from slow mo to fashion glow* or from fail to something wedding-worthy. Well today I'm sharing my secret DIY/decision-making weapon - Cubbie!

MOH Cubbie is by far the craftiest person that I have ever met. She also is... how do I phrase this... an ambitious crafter, if you will. One craft day in particular comes to mind in which she used a very, very dull saw in order to make a jewelry hanger. That same day, when I was trying to craft a glitter chevron pattern onto a letter, she told me I was doing it all wrong and completely took over. (And trust me: I did NOT mind this takeover - my "pattern" was not going to be right, at all.) 

Personal photo / The very questionable rusty saw... Also, take note of the two round wooden squares just sitting there waiting on paint

Personal photo courtesy of Cubbie / The finished product! I was very perplexed as to how she planned to hang necklaces on it, right up until she started screwing the hooks in.

So clearly, Cubbie is my secret weapon for a reason. She is crafty, and I am not. She will work on her projects until they are close to perfect, while I'm more likely to abandon them. And since she has enthusiastically expressed (that's code for demanded!) that I am not to do anything with glitter without her help, I plan to stockpile my crafting supplies until February, when she is back in town. 

Hive, if you're... less than crafty, like myself, do you have a more crafty friend to help out with DIY projects?

* Anybody recognize this quote!? It's another favorite of Mr. Otter's and mine.

Getting Dressed: The Men

Today I'm talking about THE MEN (I want to make them feel important, hence the all caps. ;) Ha!) and their attire today.

So we definitely have a plan: dark grey and light grey. Grey is Mr. Otter's favorite color, so we already decided that he would be wearing grey at the wedding. I want to differentiate the fathers from the groom + his guys, so we decided the light and dark would be the best way to go. 

Image via Trend Setting Wedding / Photo by Red Ribbon Studio

We're thinking something like this for the groom + guys. 

Image via OneWed / Photo by Brett and Jessica

Something more like this for the dads.

Image via OneWed / Photo by Rebekah Westover Photography

Ending up with something like this for the guys as a group! (Except they'll all be wearing jackets, as of now...) This would be a great contrast, and it will make the dads stand out from anyone else who chooses to wear a suit for the wedding!

The guys are going to be easy - the only thing to figure out are the shoes. What do you think? Should we go casual or dressy for the shoes?

My first meltdown

So... a while back, I told everyone there was a post "coming soon" about my first bridal meltdown. I made it until June (remember, we got engaged in November) before I truly freaked out about anything but when I did, I definitely freaked out.

See, here's what went down. I found these FABULOUS shoes. Really, they were stunning. I wouldn't take my word for it either so here you go, these are the shoes that I just had to have:

Image via Polyvore / Aldo Lafera in suede / no longer on their website :(

So anyway - I thought, okay, the girls are going to be wearing all different dresses, but wouldn't matching shoes look great? My concern was that if I left the shoe situation wide open, I would end up with TOO much variety. I mean, I want the girls to feel like themselves and feel like they look stunning (which they all already are, of course) but I didn't want someone to decide glitter pumps would be a good idea. Instead, I took it upon myself to ask that everybody head to Aldo and purchase the shoe. (And yes, if you're wondering, I did purchase those lovely shoes myself as well.)

Shoe decision made! Easy! We decided to go as a group (sans MOH Cubbie, since she lives in Florida) to purchase the shoes - this way, there could be no error in shoe choice, no salesperson encouraging them to go for the patent instead - basically, I just wanted to supervise the purchase of the shoes. Creepy? Maybe. But it was a good thing I went.

As the ladies tried on the shoe in different colors (because there weren't any of the tan left) we discovered that they were out of size 5 shoes. *crickets* BM Lails needed a size 5. This is when I started to get a little distraught. Then the salesgirl tried to take FSIL/BM T to the register to purchase her shoes....

At that point, I'm pretty sure I very nearly pulled an Exorcist move with my entire body. WHY, oh why, would FSIL/BM T order shoes if you don't have the same shoes for the other person in the wedding party!? (I had ordered mine online before sending them to my girls, so I was all set.) We had already explained that it was a wedding party, and that I wanted everyone to match... so I didn't understand why she was pushing BM T to go order the shoes.

Cat image created on I Can Haz Cheezeburger / I added the commentary. ;)

There. I said it. Or that crazy kitty did. Same thing. I had a mini-breakdown. The salesgirl offered to call around to see if they could locate the shoes somewhere (they were sold out online, of course) and BM Lails gave the woman her contact information in case they tracked the shoes down in her size. Then the girl again asked if FSIL/BM T wanted to order shoes again. I'm pretty sure that was the point I said something about matching and then we just left the store.

After several days with no call, I finally gave up and chose a different (but almost exact copy) of that shoe. Everyone got their shoes and all was well. But boy, I was upset at first. I think it was less about the actual shoes and more about the fact that, though we had made what we wanted pretty clear, she kept trying to sell us on something different.

Did anybody else have a moment over something ridiculous? I know I'm not the only one so come on, fess up!

A running (not-so-funny) joke...

Once upon a time, in a land not-so-far away*, there was a running joke that the men of the wedding party would be heading to Vegas, the day before the wedding, and they would return the day of. In the process, they would lose one member of their crew (amongst other hijinks), but ultimately make it back looking like hot messes for the wedding. 

That's right - they basically planned to live out the plot of the Hangover. Now... I wasn't against the whole Vegas trip in theory. The problem was two fold: one, how can Mr. Otter get that much vacation (he can't!) and two: we are helping pay for this wedding, so spending that much money on a trip was  probably not the best idea. But okay, whatever, I went along with it (mostly). 

Then one day, the groom made a grave error.

At a family cookout, he and Best Man Batman announced their plan to the entirety of my family along with his dad. And they all freaked out. Suddenly the long running Hangover plan was no longer a joke, but rather a "when are we going to plan this?" Against my objections, they started to make theoretical plans, even with Mr. Otter saying he didn't have the vacation time.

Amongst other declarations:

* It was determined that GM Goat would be the one to get lost. So instead of the groom being lost, GM Goat will be the lost person.

* We (and by we, I think I mean I) declared that GM Lil Dude would be the one to get married to a hooker. I mean... it just seems like something Lil Dude (a sophomore in college) would do.

* There would be a day-of rush back. Including the scene where they receive tuxes via the freeway. (SIGH)

Basically:

Hangover cast image via Hiblarious / edit by me

Best Man Batman would totally be Alan. Why? Well, to put it simply - I can just totally picture BMB walking around with a baby on his chest! :) Then we have the groom who makes jackass jokes. Yep, that's my fiancé (along with all of his friends... but we love them for it!). And then finally GM Lil Dude who, like I already said, would totally marry a hooker. Goat and the rest of the gang aren't pictured since (a) Goat would be lost and (b) there aren't enough characters in the movie to compare the entire gang to.

My warning to you? If you see the following idiots in Vegas, watch out.

Personal image / Not pictured: FFIL, GM Goat, BM Batman, and a few of Mr. Otter's newer friends. Pictured but not attending: short guy C and baby E, of course.

Dance offs

If that title didn't capture your attention - let me say it again:

Today we're talking about DANCE OFFS.

Yep, at the wedding. Here's what happened: Mr. Otter and Best Man Batman* declared that they wanted their own dance. They reasoned, if Mr. Otter gets a dance with me, why does he not get a dance with his best man!? At first, I laughed this off. There was no way I planned to let this happen. But then... genius struck. The boys want their own dance? Fine. Then the girls will have our dance too.

Image via I Can Haz Cheezeburger

Then I realized that (with or without alcohol, since that decision is still up in the air) I'm not down for a literal dance off because, as hard as I try, I can't dance. So instead, I'll let the boys sing the TWO WORDS they know to their song and the girls will gang up and have a whole list of songs that we obnoxiously sing and dance to in their faces.

Their playlist:
Paparazzi by Lady Gaga

Our playlist:
Aaron's Party by Aaron Carter
Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls
Callin' Baton Rouge by (the king) Garth Brooks
Friends in Low Places by (again, duh) Garth Brooks
Bye Bye Bye by 'N Sync

Also, it may be good to note, there's only 2 of them; Best Man Batman + the groom. There are at least 4 of us; myself, MOH Lails, MOH Cubbie, and love of my life (sorry Mr. Otter!) Jenna. Does that mean automatic victory? ;)

What fun surprises do you have for guests at the wedding? And sure, you can substitute terrifying for fun if you want. 

- more wedding party!

I'M FINALLY DONE TALKING ABOUT THE GIRLS! Let's all just heave a giant sigh of relief because today, it's time for fun talk and meeting the boys. :)

By happy coincidence, all three of the groomsmen managed to come over on the same day, so obviously I made them pose for photos. I mean, if I don't force them, it isn't going to happen sooo... Without further ado - I'll let Philip introduce the gents.

Best Man Bernard:

Bernard and I became comrades in arms while working at Sears Essentials. In all fairness though, calling it work is a stretch of the imagination, seeing as I don’t believe making the glass in the building shake by playing Independence Day on 20 TVs at maximum volume at once counts as work. Looking back, it may be largely our fault that Sears Essentials is no longer in business. Cheers my friend.

GM Billy (real name: Camron):

I’m not entirely sure who Camron is, but he looks a lot like my good friend Billy who I invited to be in my wedding entourage. We’ve had lots of good times in the past, and I couldn’t ask for a better friend. I know that there’s no one I’d rather have by me as we’re trying to get back home from Las Vegas two hours before the wedding.

GM Tyler (brother of the bride):

Tyler deserves a special shout out because I’m pretty sure he’s one of the few people that truly understands just how mind blowing it is trying to put up with both Melissa and Melman Chester.

I can't believe I'm actually going to say this - but, other than a long running joke about reenacting the Hangover, the boys have been incredibly well behaved. They aren't difficult. They aren't dramatic (except when they think they're being funny, of course). They loooove to drive me crazy, but well, to put it bluntly - they're guys. They aren't ever being dramatic and it's been so refreshing and easy to deal with the guys. 

One day, in the future, I'm going to do another post about the girls. Hopefully I can rant and rave about how great they are too, but until then - please share which ridiculous photo is your favorite. You know asking for a "serious" image resulted in this, so just imagine what I would have gotten if I asked them to pose!

My very first wedding DIY... Well...

Hive... I come here with my head hanging in shame, and okay... maybe I'm also blushing a little about the horrible fail that my was my first DIY wedding project. It's so bad that I don't even have any photos to share... And I'm not exaggerating, it was that bad.

So... here it goes. If you're on Pinterest, or browsing any wedding blogs in the whole wide world, then you've seen these "Will you be my maid" boxes that the fabulous Bethany from Rinse. Repeat. made.

Image via Rinse. Repeat. / And the lovely Bethany gives instructions on how to make these gorgeous Be My Maid? boxes!

Anyway, when I saw these boxes, I was head over heels. Not only are the boxes themselves wonderful keepsakes for the girls to enjoy, but they're also a great way to communicate all the important details to the girls and give them a little gift.

Now, when I ventured out to do this project, I had already told two of my girls that they would be in the wedding. In fact, I asked one over the phone and got caged into a box by the other and had to give in and tell her she was in the wedding - let me just admit it now, I'm bad at keeping secrets.

So anyway, setting out to do this project, I went to my local Hobby Lobby and started hunting for boxes. And found out that I wasn't going to get wooden boxes because there were only TWO of the variety I wanted. Now I'm really bad at math, but TWO boxes and FOUR bridesmaids? Nope, not gonna work. Since the whole thing was a DIY project anyway, I decided to go with cardboard boxes. Victorious in my quest for supplies, I marched out of Hobby Lobby and went home to start painting them right away.

And that's when things went horribly awry. See, what I learned the hard way is that cardboard boxes are definitely not the same as wooden boxes and they didn't soak up the paint the way I wanted them to. They also showed each and every brush stroke. Great. As I sat on the floor angry and bitter about my failed DIY (because I was too lazy to go across town to Michael's - I admit it) Mr. Otter came in and asked what the problem with the boxes was. He laughed but ultimately agreed with me that this project was just a horrible fail... and was nice enough to throw away the now horrendously painted boxes.

Thankfully, I was able to return the rest of my supplies but I was at an impasse. What to get these girls, all four of which are very different, both in personalities and ages? Well... I ended up taking the easy way out and getting them necklaces from Etsy.

Image courtesy of Etsy seller, moncadeau

I know a lot of people intend to DIY a lot of things for their wedding, but I'm not sure that after this horrible fail, I can be one of them. What about you? After one DIY fail, would you try again or just move on?

And the winners are...

The winners for what, you ask?

Personal image / Created by Mr. Otter

We picked our wedding colors! Gray, gold glitter, champagne, ivory, and blush.

Here's what happened: we've had wedding colors in mind for quite some time. They weren't actually wedding colors, but more like "our" colors.... that we would totally incorporate into a wedding. Philip's favorite color is gray, always. Mine is actually black, but since most people say that isn't a color, I'll say pink is my favorite. (There was also a certain something I wanted to incorporate into the wedding or my dress that makes pink very important... but more on that later!) That settled it for us: black, gray, and hot pink it is.

Well, it was. Until I started seeing mismatched dresses. In my mind, I see the guys in gray and the girls in black. But then I realized that my dream of mismatched dresses wouldn't pop quite as much if all the dresses were dark.

And then, I started seeing images like this...

Image via OnceWed.com / Photo by Jill Thomas Photography

So because of those lovely ladies (and a few others that caught my eye on Pinterest), we've changed our color palate!

I've fallen in love with these neutral, mismatched dresses. I think the look wonderful - and I love that the girls all look beautiful on their own but still look like one cohesive bridal party.

Now, I personally think that allowing the girls to choose their own dresses (with approval, because I'm too type-A to say I'll see it when I see it) is really nice and allows them to pick out something that they *gasp* might actually WEAR AGAIN. But some people think that it's crazy I'm not making everyone match.

What do you guys think? Crazy or nice? And come on, you can admit it, if you got one of those dresses, you would totally wear it again!