This is candicedanderson's Yellow Wedding!

I found another wonderful Etsy vendor who designs custom garters! Debbie at MakeThisDaySpecial -- http://www.etsy.com/shop/makethisdayspecial -- is just wonderful! She's creating a matching bridal and toss garter set for me that is beach-themed! The best part is that there is a commemorative engraved heart with all of our wedding info on it as a keepsake!

Also, I am not the smallest girl. I carry most of my weight in my hips and thighs, so the great thing about MakeThisDaySpecial, is that she makes plus sized garters!

It's so hard to find unique wedding favors. Isn't it??

I've had the hardest time coming up with something unique that people will use and enjoy! Here's what I've come up with:

Beach Wand -- I'm making my own little beach bell wands. Being that we have no glassware on the tables, there's no way for our guests to "clink" their glasses. So wands are being made with a real starfish and white/yellow streamers with little bells on it to take the place of the "clinking" glass. (An example is to the left.)

Stadium cups -- My fiance really wanted some kind of favor that the men would enjoy... Koozies? "It's been done" So we went with personalized stadium cups! They're a very pale translucent yellow with white imprint of our monogram and our names and wedding date.

Favor Tins w/ Marble Magnets -- Lastly, I scored some SUPER cheap round favor tins at a local bargain store. The lid has a see-through plastic cut-out. At first, we were going to do Personalized M&Ms, but the cost of them just didn't seem feasible. So I found a wonderful idea online -- marble magnets! I'm trying to find some cute beach pics (shells, starfish, heart drawn in the sand, etc) to put on them. Then when we get back, I'll make one larger magnet with our picture on it.

I've found the most lovely beach-inspired jewelry on Etsy.com!

I've had a very difficult time finding theme-appropriate jewelry that is still formal enough to wear with a wedding dress. It's hard to merge beach and elegance....

But I've found an Etsy seller who's nailed in on the head!

Melanie of SaharaAmaya - http://saharaamaya.etsy.com - designed an adorable freshwater pearl and Swaroski crystal jewelry set PERFECT for a beach wedding. And she has TONS of other gorgeous finds!

Here is the Oceanside Set I've ordered.

I also plan on ordering my bridesmaids a revised version of this same set where the Swaroski starfish have been removed and instead the necklace ends in a cluster of pearls. She is also customizing her cluster right hand ring to be freshwater pearls to match the rest of the set, so that both myself and my bridesmaids will have a matching cluster ring!

It's PERFECT!

Now that we've shfted to an inside reception, there have been some basic changes in decor, but overall, we're still aiming for a clean, elegant beach theme.

Here are the basics:

Draping -- I like the draping that pulls to the center of the room, where I plan on having a large paper lantern display. We have boxes and boxes of tulle from friends and family and I'm borrowing dozens of paper lanterns. Within the draping we will have white lights -- millions of them!! Enough to light the entire room.

Tulle Chandeliers -- In the second picture, it's rather hard to see, but there are tulle chandeliers that I just ADORE! I'm hoping to make them myself and hang them over every other table for lighting and a unique eye catcher.

Napkins -- We're having fabric linens on all of the tables, including a light yellow linen napkin. We plan on gathering the napkins with raffia and attaching a thank you note for each person.

Head Table -- Hanging from the head table are some large paper mache letters that will make up our monogram.

Centerpieces -- Our AMAZING caterer (Special Occasions - Upper Sandusky, OH) offers an unlimited amount of centerpieces for their brides to borrow on their big day. Any bride hosting more than 100 guests can utilize all of their centerpieces for FREE! I'm using eiffel tower vases with ferns and hurricane vases with sand and a candle, on every other table. Each centerpiece will be placed upon a square mirror, with sand, shells, and votive candles surrounding.

Organza Runners -- I also rented Organza Table Runners from an online company called AA Linen. The 120" x 20" runners were $1 a piece!!! A total STEAL!

Guest Book -- I bought a simple, sleek guest book from Exclusively Weddings. It's all shells and pearls.

Found this adorable little dress at David's Bridal and just couldn't resist!

After our beach wedding, there will be a sit down dinner at the resort, but no formal reception. I didn't want to wear my full dress to dinner, so I bought this as an "after the wedding" dress.

I love the "shell" feel of the bodice of the dress. And the material is Shantung -- a hot new fabric that is light and comfortable, and overall, very forgiving!

Here is the resort we will be celebrating our wedding at!

The Melia Caribe Tropical

"Nestled in an oasis of lush tropical palms and a championship golf course nearby, this family-friendly resort provides the perfect setting for fun in the sun. An eco-zone runs through the middle of the hotel, pristinely separating the main hotel from the lovely beach and pool areas where guests can enjoy a variety of sparkling pools, a Flintstones’ Land™ fun park for kids, specialty restaurants, unique bars and a wide selection of water sports and activities."

We chose a family-friendly resort, as many of our family has younger children.

We're so excited that there are more than 30 people thus far who have made reservations to travel with us!! Ahhhhh...... paradise! We can't wait!!!!!

Our photographer also happens to be a graphic designer. She offered to design my invites for me!!

The beach invites are complete and they're ADORABLE! (We sent them out a couple months ago, so our guests could have some time to save up and plan a vacation, if they wanted to go.) I used the invites below as my muse, but she made them look more elegant, more whimsical. She also came up with an adorable saying for the bottom of the invite -- "I love the sun for days, the moon for nights, the ocean for waves, and you... forever."

Our second invite (for the reception) has been designed but not printed. I will update once they're complete!

So, as crazy as everything else has been in my planning process, why would dress shopping be any different???

After taking my future sister and mother-in-law, and my own mom and sister to check out my find, I made an appointment with the local bridal boutique to go ahead and order the Mori Lee! (While the sample fit PERFECTLY, it was a little long.... and I had decided that I wanted to order it new, not one that a few dozen women have tried on.) I also scheduled my bridesmaids to come in and try on dresses so we could get measurements and make a final decision on a bridesmaid style.

I was so excited to get one more thing checked off the list, but my excitement fell short... Once we arrived, the boutique owner advised me that, as a result of some health problems, she has been trying to get out of the business for the past six months. She'd found two possible buyers, one of which had been in the process of securing a loan for the purchase. She reported that the first buyer had backed out, and that until the second buyer stepped up, she wasn't placing any new dress orders. But not to worry, I should hold out to hear from her, as this other buyer seemed very interested.

I discussed the issue with my bridesmaids as they tried on dress after dress. It was getting a little late to be ordering a dress... But they agreed, I should hold out for the boutique owner, as it was such a great deal!

But the trip was not without success! We settled upon a bridesmaid dress from Alfred Angelo in a pale yellow.

Three days later, the boutique owner contacted me to report that the second buyer had backed out. I was crushed! Where was I going to find this dress at such a great price!? ($799) It was then, that the boutique owner offered me her sample dress for HALF OFF!!! She said she needed to liquidate her stock and she knew how perfect it fit, she might as well get rid of it while she could.

HALF OFF!!!?!!! Amazing! It pays to be patient! And I HAVE A DRESS!!!!

We've FINALLY got our reception location picked out!

First, we'd planned to have the reception in my parents backyard, complete with big with tent. But having it in the backyard meant we would need to rent a restroom trailer ($$$$) and the possibility of our guests tearing up my dad's pristine 9 acres of lawn, should it rain....

So we decided to take our outdoor reception to a different location. A local conservation club just built a new clubhouse this past summer and while the new clubhouse building doesn't cater to our ever expanding guest list, they are allowing us to rent out the entire grounds so that we can put up a big white tent outside, and still use their parking, and kitchen and bathroom facilities. Jay and I were sold! ....My parents, were not.

So we decided to scrap the tent idea all together.... With days ticking buy, all the halls I was interested in, were already booked. But we found another conservation hall in the area who claimed they could hold 350 people. When we went to look at it, it was smaller than the first conservation hall we were at!!! There's NO WAY it could hold 350...

So back to the drawing board we went...

My FMIL called one evening to report that someone at work had told her about a beautiful bed and breakfast back in the woods that had recently starting hosting outdoor weddings/receptions. I was stoked! I called the Milan Villa THAT night. A week later, we drug the whole group (my parents, Jay's parent, and us) to check the place out. All were impressed, but sticker shock was getting the best of me.... To rent the location alone was almost as much as renting the tent/tables/chairs, but the B&B coordinator reassured me that we could rent all of that for around $1,000. At that point, I figured she must have some connection, so I didn't worry about it further.

I should have....

Two months later, after contacting her many times to try and pin her down to a final cost so I could pay a deposit, she finally gets back to me with approximate prices. Nowhere near the $1,000 tent/table/chair rental she'd promised!! We just couldn't make it work...

So on we went... A few weeks later, after contacting many locations unsuccessfully, we settled upon the local Fairgrounds. Yes, I know, it doesn't sound very exciting... "You're holding your reception in a BARN!?!" But, I know that I'll be able to make this place look amazing!! It's pretty much a huge blank slate. I've got ideas GALORE to make this place special!

Everything is sloooooowly rolling into place. Still so much to do! Will update you as we go!

I was unable to stop in at our local bridal shop during the week, but I did make it to David's Bridal with my mom, future mother-in-law, sister, and future sister-in-law. Many laughs on the car ride to and from... but the overall dress shopping experience was uneventful. Only one dress caught our eye, and even then, I wasn't completely sold on it. It just wasn't enough "dress" for me -- very simple, almost Greek looking.

(Although I'm having a destination wedding, I really don't want your typical destination dress (i.e. light and airy....) I want the full on wedding dress! Well... within reason - I won't be passing out on my wedding day! haha)

So Saturday I decided to call the local boutique on a whim, and they had an appointment time open!! I called all my usual "dress advisors", but everyone was busy (or avoiding my call, I haven't decided yet... haha) so I went alone. They didn't have the Zinnia, so I tried on some other styles that caught my eye. And low and behold.... I FOUND IT!!!!

While I typically wouldn't have picked the dress for myself, the attendant insisted that I try it on; as it had the full wedding dress feel, without all the heavy layers. (Most of the dress is organza.) I put the dress on and couldn't contain my excitement. IT WAS THE ONE!!!! I had to tell/show someone!!! I called all of my "advisors". Yet again -- no answer... So I stepped out of the dressing room hoping to get the attendant's attention. Instead I got the attention of about a dozen women of all ages also searching for their bride's perfect dress. They were all "oohing" and "ahhing". One particular woman asked about the wedding date and where it was. When I said it was a beach wedding, they continued to agree that it was perfect. "Whimsical" -- that's what one of the women called it. I knew I hadn't made a mistake!! (One of them even called their bride out of the dressing room to look at it!)

It's true. As soon as you put it on, you know!

I'm taking my future mother-in-law, and future sister-in-law there tonight to see what they think, but inevitably, I've already decided that it's the one!

YAY!!!!! One more thing to scratch of the list! :)