24 Days and Counting!

Well, I have slacked a bit in my posting, so I will do my best to play catch up!  Wedding plans are moving right along and the BIG day is quickly approaching.  We are getting really excited to spend this special day with our family and friends and share all of our hard work that has taken place over the past year. 

Tomorrow we have our last meeting before the wedding with Evie, our Pastor...and the poor soul who listens to Dom and I ramble about our relationship, future, and everything else under the sun for several hours!  Bless her heart!!! Evie plays a very special role in our wedding day and I can't tell you how thankful we are to have her marry us. 

Next week we are meeting with Joel, DJ and owner of Track Seven DJ.  Joel will be the party marker, the voice, and the one you have to blame if you hear 'The Chicken Dance'!  He takes a lot of time planning the perfect event for each couple and I appreciate that fact.  Heck, I just filled out 8 pages of questions for him regarding our event, songs, names, and so one.  Soooo...please expect one heck of a good time.  He might even have a surprise or two up his sleeve for everyone...not any for us though b/c you all know I HATE surprises!!!

If you haven't booked your hotel room yet, please do so ASAP.  Once there are a certain number of rooms reserved the hotel will provide a free shuttle service between the hotel and the venue.  Dom and I love this feature so we know everyone will make it to bed safe and sound.  If you have any questions or problems regarding the room block/booking please let us know so we can assist you.  We really want everyone to have a great time and to be safe.  I will provide the hotel information at the end of the blog.  When booking we just ask that you please note you are with the Bennett/Waltz wedding so proper prices and accommodations are made for you. 

The ceremony is outside, so please consider this when you plan your attire, and the reception is immediately following on the same property.  We all know how Indiana weather is, so Dom and I are being VERY open minded about possible 'things' that may come up...or down!.  Please pray that God blesses us with a wonderful day for everyone to enjoy.  Our ceremony is very special to us and we have put a lot of thought into make it unique.  Coxhall Gardens just has a vibe that you will all love!

An adult only reception will immediately follow and feature an open bar with beer and wine. We have planned what we hope will be a very enjoyable adults only event and appreciate everyone for understanding this wish.  The only children that will be attending are those that are in the wedding; our nieces and nephews.  Everyone knows that we both ADORE children, so this was a difficult decision we had to make in order to have the reception style we wanted and to stay within the permitted number of guests that the venue will allow us.  We truly hope no one is offended by this decision.  Look at it as a nice night out for mom and dad!

You all mean so much to us and we look forward to sharing our special day with each of you.  I can promise that you will have a wonderful time and take home many fun, new memories...just be ready to say 'CHEESE'.  We can't wait to see you!

Love,
Sara and Dom


_____________________________________________
HOTEL INFORMATION:
Residence Inn
317-846-2000
11895 North Meridian Street
Carmel, Indiana 46032

- Block dates are for the evenings of September 9, 2011 and September 10, 2011

- $119/night
- Free breakfast every morning

Please use this link when booking or call the hotel and ask for the Bennett/Waltz Wedding block. If the block is full when you call, please let me know and I will reserve more rooms.

MUST BOOK BY AUGUST 25 to get this price!

Little Things Make a Big Difference

My mom recently purchased her dress for our wedding day and I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I was that we got this task done in less than 2 hours...YES!!!  After so made the purchase I told her not to buy her jewelry b/c I want to purchase/make them for her. 

Check out her necklace that I received in the mail last week courtesy of my favorite website, Etsy! 

Thank you Brooke from Aglaia (Greek origin meaning splendour) for your fun, trendy, yet dressy necklace for my mother.  She will love it!

Slacking...

Alright, I've been pressured by a much more frequent, more with it, and inspiring blogger to do more updates/posts.  Ashley, a dear friend is sooo much better at keeping her blog up to date and makes me look like a TOTAL slacker!  Check her out...Frenzied Life of a DIY Bride...she pretty much rocks!   Sooo...Ash...here is an update just for you! :)

I admit I MIGHT have been bookmarking 'favorite' websites before I was even engaged!  All girls do this, right?  One of my most favorite things in life are photos; taking photos, hanging photos, sharing photos...you get the picture.  We knew immediately that we wanted our friends at Carignan Gallery to be our photographers from the get go.  Their style has always appealed to us, they take a lot of pride in their work, and are always coming up with new ideas, plus they are super cool so that was an even bigger benefit! 

For our engagement pictures I made parasols that said 'Thank You', which we are using for thank you cards, and a second parasol with our wedding date that was used for 'Save the Dates'.  We have every intention of using the parasols on our wedding day too.  Remember these?

I am constantly watching for little things that will just add to our photos and make us even more 'different' than we already are...HA!  Sooo...cutting to the chase...this link has been bookmarked for over a year...YES I'M GUILTY and not too proud to admit that I might be a bit of a dork!  I am slightly in love with these handmade hangers that contain the brides soon-to-be last name.

LilaFrancesDesigns have several different types and will definitely be found in my dressing room prior to the wedding!  I encourage all of you to check her out.  They would be great wedding shower gifts for friends.

XO,

Sara

P.S.  Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mother's in my life!  I love all of you.



I don't know who invented the high heel, but all men owe him a lot. ~Marilyn Monroe

I've been searching for shoes and just when I think I have found my favorite pair and announce "these are the perfect shoes" I change my mind.  I think I've changed my mind 100 times now and I know a few people are probably sick of getting links to shoes for my wedding.  Please know I value opinions and I would LOVE to get some input on this issue.  Here is my dilemma and what is causing me to continuously change my mind...I want shoes that are 'me' and we all know that I would wear high heels every single day if the weather and my surrounds allowed for this to happen.  BUT...that isn't the case!  I am also in love with the idea of incorporating my something blue as a part of my shoes, but at the same time I also want my shoes to be a fun color (and NOT all blue).  I'M STUCK!

Here are a few that I really like, but obviously I only need one pair.  :)  Input?  Thoughts? 

Finding shoes with a blue sole is a bit difficult and they aren't always a style that I'm wanting to wear.  During my searching, reading, stressing, and at times cursing (sorry Mom), I found a place that can create the blue soled shoes of your dreams.

With prices ranging from $55 to $75 you can bring or send in your shoes to The Master Cobbler in San Jose, California and they will turn the plain ol', ho-hum soles of the shoes you've already purchased into the pictured pale blue shade of "something blue!"

The ultra talented staff at The Master Cobbler will make your something blue bridal shoe dream come true. This includes both leather and synthetic soles. They even include a pair of adhesive non-skid pads that can be applied to the soles dyed the same shade of blue.
 
How can you find these people?  Well...well...well...

The Master Cobbler

408.984.1591
790 South Winchester Boulevard; Suite 100
San Jose, California 95128


(Turn around time is usually 2-3 weeks)

You can never go wrong with the perfect 'LBD'!

Every woman looks great wearing it, and every woman has her own. It is the default date ensemble when it is one of those "I have nothing to wear" days.  It was during the 20's that the legendary fashion designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel first stitched her name into the history of women's clothing design. In fact, Chanel's designs are often considered to be the epitome of the 20's style because her work was so fresh, modern, and updated.  As Chanel was quoted, "Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury." Whether a woman's little black dress cost $50 or $2,000 her intention is the same: to look effortlessly classic and appropriately sexy in just seconds. While most of us cannot afford to buy Chanel's breathtakingly beautiful pieces, we can certainly wear our trusty black dresses with the modern, sophisticated attitude she possessed.

With that being said, my beautiful bridal entourage will be wearing the 'Little Black Dress'.  My Matron of Honor, Lyla, is wearing the first dress and Holly, Liz, Meme, Laura, Jenny, Haylee, and Ashley will all be wearing the last three dresses.  Here they are for your viewing pleasure!  Thank you Alfred Sung for creating these simple, elegant, and comfortable dresses.

And....a final group shot!

A Lot of Favors!

We had our first 'wedding craft weekend' on Saturday, and it was a LATE night to say the least!  How does going to bed at 4am sound?!  My mom and Lyla (my matron of honor) were here to help me accomplish the mission of creating the boxes for our wedding favors.  They turned out perfectly and I can't wait for everyone to see them and fill them with goodies.  Would you like to know what we are doing with them?  YES????  Well you will have to standby until September.  In the mean time, here are some photos to hold you over!   

Have my cake and eat it too...

I feel like it's the little things that add so much to a wedding, especially when you're on a budget.  There are times that I'm more crafty than others, so I'm doing my very best to stay on the crafty and creative side for the next 6-7 months. 

I few months ago I made a purchase that I'm very excited about and thought I would share with everyone.  As I said before, the little details add a lot and go a long way in my eyes.  The cake table and cake pictures are always something that I've never really paid a lot of attention to.  It isn't that i don't appreciate a beautiful cake, b/c I do, but I'm just not big on eating cake or watching it be smashed in either the bride or grooms face.  Maybe I feel that way since I know I will beat Dom to a pulp if he does that to me! HA!!!  (yes, he is well aware of this)  That being said, I bought something that I cannot wait to pass down through our family after our wedding.  We don't really have any 'herloom' items to add to the wedding so I thought I would start something new.

I found these on Etsy in September, purchased them, and packed them away in one of the many 'white wedding tote boxes' that you can find scattering our basement.  They have been packed away for so long, that I almost forgot about them until lunch today when I was looking for something in particular.  Surprise!  So, look for these on our cake table and check out the seller on Etsy.  Enjoy!