{ Attire } Sewing

I started sewing, and look at all the fun I'm having! I made my garters... and now, this:

My clutch for the day :) And it features more lace from my mother's dress!!

{ Details } Have Our Cake and Eat It, Too

It's been quite awhile since the delightful day of cake tasting, but the I've finally found the time to write about our pastry adventure.

We started our morning heading down to Hastings to visit Emily's Bakery and Deli. Cake for breakfast sounded like such a great idea, really. As we made our way inside the bakery, we were told that the owner had forgotten to put our appointment on the books, so there were no samples ready for us. That being said, we were given six whole cupcakes to compensate. That also being said, they were frozen. We had to take them home and wait for them to thaw before we could sample the variety we were given.

We were disappointed, to say the least. We had been to two weddings that had Emily's provide the cupcakes and had loved their fluffy, flavorful cupcakes both times. We'd both been looking forward to our tasting at Emily's so much that we almost didn't schedule any other bakeries to try.

With our breakfast cake thawing in the car, we were both still hungry, so we headed to the Green Mill in Hastings and happened upon a pancake breakfast fundraiser. Pancakes are a kind of cake... right? We supported the local girls Lacrosse team and had our fill of pancakes and sausage and headed back to White Bear Lake to have a rest before our second appointment.

Our second and last appointment was at Grandma's Bakery in White Bear Lake. This is the little local bakery that does all the cakes for local events, like graduations, birthdays, and all those fun things. We were greeted immediately and told to choose a few fillings and frostings we would like to try. We got our tray and wolfed down the presentation is record time. After, we talked through cake details and left with full bellies.

Back home, our cakes from Emily's were ready and defrosted. We were a little hesitant at eating cupcakes that had been frozen, but Carl cut them into thirds and we shared this tasting experience with my mom. taking turns picking which cake to eat so that we all ate the same kind at the same time, we stuffed even more cake in our stomachs. Over all, when all was said and done, we had a very clear winner.

Grandma's Bakery.

The cakes from Emily's were nothing like we remembered them and rather forgetful at that. On top of it, if the owner could misplace our tasting information, what would happen to our order on our wedding day? While I have no doubt that they are great bakers and that they have had much success with their wedding cakes and treats, we were much happier with our cakes and our experience with Grandma's.

Two weeks late, we booked our order for three types of cupcakes and out two tier cake. We have our ribbon for the decor of the cake and the cake topper all ready to go! I can't wait to see them all put together on our wedding day!

{ Attire } My Garter

Yesterday I had my first fitting at Reyna's Alterations. I have worked with her in the past on other alterations and adore her work, so getting my wedding dress done by her was the natural choice. Despite it being 90 degrees with no AC, Reyna was patient and kind to us the entire appointment. We tried several different bustles before picking just the right one: a double french bustle.

After coming home from the appointment, I started to brainstorm yet again for my garter. I have been working on several different attempts to make a garter I was happy with, and I finally figured it out today.

To start the story, this is my mother's dress:

My mom's dress was very pretty and unique, but obviously didn't quite fit me... and long sleeves in August made me want to cry a little, haha. I have wanted to do something with her dress to at least have it in the wedding. It just seemed like something I would really want to be a part of my day - a piece of my mom. We've always been so close, and this was just one of those things I knew I'd find a way to do.

Since my mom didn't get her dress preserved, there are many places on the dress that are totally wrecked. She told me to do what I wanted with her dress, because it was destined for the trash bin otherwise. I started to think... and then I realized my dress has a lace overlay. Her dress has all this beautiful lace on it... Maybe I could incorporate that into my own wedding!

I started to take apart my mom's dress, using a seam ripper to remove all the lace from her panels. The ideas started coming much quicker, now. So far, I have one project complete that is all mom's lace, and that is my garter.

After trying and failing many times, I finally figured out my plan. I took a sheer ribbon lined with cream fabric to make a casing, attached my mom's lace around the casing, and then worked in the elastic. Finishing with one of the larger flowers and a glitzy blue gem, I had this:

So... what do you think?

EDIT:

Just finished the toss garter! Check it out!

{ Tasks } Getting Things Done

It's been a busy weekend! So far, we've assembled the invitations:

I've tested out our chocolate making molds for some yummy wedding favors:

 

And mocked up the final table center piece after cutting up my burlap and buying some flowers:

 

It feels good to be getting it all done! Or, at least, knowing what will be done when the times comes!

Now, I'm off for a run in the beautiful weather!