Our Wedding Video

March 5th, 2011 was a day filled with love, joy, laughter, excitement and FUN! March 5th was the day I married my best friend and lover! March 5th- OUR wedding day, is perfectly captured in this video. ENJOY!

Ryan & Melissa from David Karger on Vimeo.

Dave Karger and crew of Atlanta Cinematic filmed our wedding weekend and created a flawless film that will forever be cherished!

p.s.
New blog posts coming soon! Starting with all wedding details! :) About time right?

Wedding Update

Just pretend I have blogged everyday for the past 4 months okay? haaaa I know I have been awful but I'm busy and the time that I have to blog (at night after work) I just want to CHILL and read your blogs! ;)

Here is a complete update dedicated to our big day!

-Our reception site has been moved! We were having it at the Winder Community Center but we are now having it at the Payne Corley House in Duluth! My cousin Tiffany is the head chef there and came to me with the brilliant idea! Tiff was going to cater our wedding at the Winder Comm Center but came to me with the idea of moving the reception site just 5 months for the wedding. As stressful as this decision was (money wise) it has honestly been the BEST decision EVER!!!!! Tiffany and the Payne Corley House are bending over backwards to make sure we have a fairytale wedding!
Let me tell you why we made this decision- at the WCC we were going to have to rent EVERYTHING! Everything from linens, extra stove, serving ware, centerpieces etc. When it came to Tiffany cooking there, she was going to do whatever she need to do but the WCC does not have a full kitchen so feeding 250 people was going to be a challenge (but Tiff was ready to tackle it regardless!). Another downside to the WCC was that we were going to have to set up everything and take down everything on our own! There is no staff on board that handles that- just another thing to worry about!

At the Payne Corley House, everything is handled! Set up, clean up, vendors,food, EVERYTHING! I now have a wedding planner! With a wedding planner, I have gained SO MANY vendor hookups! A lot of our money that we had budgeted for cake, flowers, dj was literally cut in HALF bc Payne Corley has such awesome connections with their vendors! I would say 100% that a wedding planner is definitely worth the money just for that!!! Payne Corley is absolutely beautiful and totally the look I am going for! They have also been nominated "Best Of Gwinnett" several years in a row and they were The Knot's best of wedding pick for 2008/2009!


- My brooch bouquet is still in the works! I have received SO MANY beautiful brooches! Most of the brooches are from sweet family and friends, but some are also from friends of mine and Ry's family...how sweet is that!? I have made the stems for about 55 brooches and have about 30 more to do and then I will assemble it! (post on all of that to come!)

-We finally picked out out tux options!We went with Saavi Formal Wear and they were so helpful. Ryan looked so handsome. I cried when he tried on a tux jacket that was too big on him! Just the thought of seeing him at the end of the isle makes my heart flutter! He is going to look SO HOT!


- I also picked out the most adorable flower girl dresses EVER! Seriously-EVER! From the beginning I wanted the girls in white leotards and tutus. While looking for the perfect tutu on Etsy, I found a vendor who makes adorable tutu dresses! They were shipped last week and I am obsessed! I had the girls try them on and they look adorable!


-Honeymoon is booked but it's a surprise to me! I know we are headed to the Caribbean but that's it! Wherever we go, I know it will be special! Can't wait to soak up the quality time!


-This Sunday we have a food tasting at the Payne Corley House! I already know the food is going to be phenomenal because my cousin Tiff is amazing, but I am excited! While we are there we will also get to sample 2 different bakeries and pick which one will do our cake! whoop whoop!

-The next 3 weekends are jam packed with wedding festivities! This weekend I have a lingerie shower and the food tasting. The next weekend is my bachelorette weekend in Savannah and the first weekend in February is the bridesmaid luncheon and Ryan's bachelor trip to Vegas!

- Our rings are in the works of being designed! I have been without my engagement ring since Monday and I am still having mini freak outs when I don't see it! Our "ring guy" as Ryan and I call him, has my ring and is designing a band. He is also getting Ryan's ring too- I can't wait to see it! :)

-Our invitations have been sent out!!! Big thanks to Mama McIver for her help and to Katie for letting us use her new laser printer! I was thrilled with the outcome of our invites! I bought them at Michaels and we printed them at home! It was very tedious but a big money saver!

-I am still on the hunt for wedding shoes, my veil and earrings! I have my hair trial on February 5th, so finding a veil is my top priority until then! I have a couple that I love...hoping they work out!


-We had our first session of our premarital counseling not too long ago with our sweet Pastor. We are honored for him to do our wedding! Our session with him was intimate and thought provoking...it went great! We are meeting with him again soon and then one last time to finalize the ceremony.

- At this point in planning I am very stress free and just soaking it all up! Ryan and I have a to-do list and we are both knocking stuff out!


p.s.
I had a bunch of pics with this post but for some reason when I embedded them from Picasa, they didn't work! Ill try again later!

Save The Date Video

Now that we have sent out our Save The Date, I can finally post it on this blog! Chris and Katie Green get all the credit for this idea! They emailed Ryan and I a while back with the fabulous idea of shooting a Save The Date video instead of the normal cards, magnets, calendars etc. I immediately loved the idea and was ready to run with it!

After a couple of months, we finally picked a date to shoot and we were all ready to roll! Initially, Chris was going to shoot the video with his super awesome camera but instead, had a friend who is equally awesome do the filming. David Karger was our videographer for the day and he is amazing!

We filmed the video on what could have been one of the hottest days this summer! A lot of sweat, strategic planning, and smiles went into this day! Chris and Dave ventured to downtown Flowery Branch to scope out locations while Ryan and I perfected the signs used in the video. Chris and Dave found an abandoned cabinet warehouse that was perfect! It was rustic, full of character and had just enough light. We shot some of the video outside of the warehouse and some inside. It was hot as hades in that building...nothing but stiff air! Chris and Dave didn't let that bother them though, the sweat was pouring and they kept on filming and thinking creatively! Can't say enough great things about those boys!

We filmed most of the video in downtown Flowery Branch. We filmed at the railroad tracks, under a beautiful tree and on a corn field. The corn field was my favorite spot! This little old man owned the field and he was just precious! He allowed us to use his property and loved it! His only request was that we didn't "shuck any of the corn". ha! Oh and the beautiful frames you see in the corn field scene? Chris and Dave rented from a local antique store! :)

After we filmed at the corn field we went to Ryan and I's new neighborhood and filmed at the lake and pool! We got to the neighborhood right at sunset...it could not have been timed any better! It is special to me that we have our new hometown and neighborhood in this video! It is where our lives will officially start together! :)

The best part of this whole Save The Date weekend (aside from the outcome of the video) was spending time with The Green family! Chris, Katie, Bella and Farrah all spent the night on Friday and Saturday we got up, packed lunches and headed to the pool! It was so much fun!

Lastly- If you have ANY video needs, you need to contact Dave Karger of Atlanta Cinematic! He will fulfill all of your visions and beyond!In addition to his creative work he works fast! Our first look at the video was sent to us within a couple days! Check out his website, there you can find video posts of some of his other work!

Annnnd here is the video!

Ryan & Melissa from David Karger on Vimeo.

Moss Covered Letters

DIY projects for the wedding are my favorite! It is a simple way to show your personal style throughout your day AND do it on the cheap! Since day one of this wedding planning, I knew I wanted letters to hang on the church doors! I looked online and found some pretty moss covered ones and figured I could totally make them!

I looked for several weeks online and in stores (Hobby Lobby and Michaels) for 24 inch letters and had no luck finding them...I was feeling let down! Of course I could find the small letters but no big ones! That soon changed though when my Aunt Liz told me she found the 24 inch letters at JoAnne's when she was doing a craft project for my cousins room!!! woo hoo!

This Monday, my Dad and I met my Memaw for lunch and then went to JoAnne's to pick up the letters and other craft supplies! I bought a M and R, spray adhesive and a bag of sheet moss. The project ended up being a lot simpler then I thought, but it was messy!!!

Here is how I made my moss covered letters:


All the supplies!


Best Stuff EVER!



First thing you need to do is trace the letter on the moss and then cut it out. I messed up on this part the first time...make sure to leave about an inch 1/2 outside of your traced letter so you can fold it over the back/sides.


Once you have traced and cut the moss, you spray the letter and place the moss on top and then start to form the moss to the letter.


After spraying the letter with adhesive and laying the moss down, you have to do a lot of rubbing and pushing to get the moss to lay right. My fingers got super sticky and were moss covered by the end! haha


After I had glued the moss down I realized that it wasn't holding as well with the paper. So..make sure you remove ALL the paper from underneath the moss sheets!

And here is the Finished Product! I am so happy with how the M turned out!I'm sure the R will look even better since I now know what I am doing.




I'm planning on adding ribbon to the back to hang them! :) I can't wait to make the R!!! P.S. this project cost me around $30 (after coupons)...I found some moss covered letters for sell on Etsy for $150!!!!! whoa!

A Special Day

Last Friday, I had a very fun, special day with my (soon-to-be) nieces! The little Green family was finalizing their big move, so I offered to help in any way I could. Katie said the best help would be to hang out with Bella for a little bit! I was so excited and couldn't get to Atlanta fast enough! Bella stole my heart the first time I met her and I will always love spending ANY time with her!

When I got to the house Bella said "we are going to the zoo!". After Katie packed Bella a lunch we were on our way! BUT sweet Farrah joined us too! Katie asked if I would mind bringing Farrah along too...are you kidding? Of course not!!! I soaked up every single minute of the day!

We walked from their house to the Zoo and I asked Bella all about her favorite animals. She is so smart and surprised me with how well she spoke! I know Bella has been to the Zoo a lot with her Mommy but the girl has memorized the entire Zoo! When we would walk up to a certain part she would shout the animals name before we even saw the animal! SO smart!

My favorite part of the day was walking with Farrah in one arm and holding Bella's hand with the other. It was a priceless moment! Another favorite was when I took Farrah out of the stroller when we were by the goats...I have never heard her squeal so loud! She was squealing and whaling her arms with excitement. It was so cute!

The most challenging part of our day? Getting the girls on the carousel. I thought I had convinced Bella we would all ride on the peacock (it was the bench seat on the carousel) because I thought it would be easiest with the girls- I could hold Farrah and sit by Bella. Bella had different plans once we got on...she wanted to sit on the Monkey! The monkey was raised so high, so I juggled holding onto Farrah with one arm while literally pulling/lifting Bella on the monkey! It was challenging but worth it to see her sweet face smile!

My love tank was over-flowing at the end of our zoo trip! We walked around the entire park, rode the train, played on the playground and rode the carousel- all while I stole kisses and hugs!












I love these girls so much!!! Thank you Katie and Chris for trusting me to hang with them for a few hours!

The only thing that is getting me through my job hunt and wedding planning is great music. I've created a GrooveShark account and love it! One of my favorite songs to play is Electric Feel by MGMT. This song makes me want to jump up and down on my bed and brings me back to every fun memory I have with Ryan. Try not to jump on your bed while listening to this song...here are a few pics to enjoy too!


Bonnaroo 2009- such a fun trip!

New Years 2009

Park walking with Lola

Date night in Atlanta

Christmas 2009 at 37 Ranch with the Gouge Clan!

UGA vs Tech game

4th of July fun with The Shirah's

Brave game!

Oh you know, just hanging out with Sugarland!

1 year Anniversary

Gooooo Dawgs!

After catching the garter and bouquet at Ashley & Dustin's wedding!

Another wedding! We are going to have some curly headed babies! ;)

My biggest cheerleader during the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk!

Sledge Wedding! Such a fun night

Engagement night! Best suprise of my life!!!

Cape San Blas- McIver family trip

Easter

Camping trip at Amicalola Falls

Birthday dinner for Ryan!

Nevada

First Christmas together

The Shirah wedding...the night sparks started! :)

Brooch Bouquet

One of my favorite wedding blogs to follow is The Wedding Chicks the entire site is full of breathtaking weddings, DIY tutorials and fabulous vendors! It is MAJOR eye candy! My all time favorite post was one that I saw of a brooch bouquet . After reading the post I went online and did some digging to find out more about these bouquets. At first, I had the crazy idea of purchasing one but soon that idea was crushed when I saw the price tag! Then I decided well, I could possibly have a florist make one once I find all the brooches. But THEN I decided heck, I am crafty...I could SO make this on my own! With a little time on the internet I found a wonderful tutorial of how to make them and decided I can do this!

The hunt for beautiful and fabulous brooches is on! My Mom and I found 4 at the same thrift store I bought the chair.Mrs. McIver found 2 really pretty flower brooches and Eden ( Keegan's girl-friend) had 4 brooches at the vintage store she works at. All of them are so pretty and I am obsessed with this idea!

Not only do I want to buy brooches but I also would love to have some brooches passed down from family members. So far, my Grandmother and Aunt's are all on board! Both of my Grandmothers have some they are going to give to me and my Aunt's both have some that used to belong to my Great Grandmothers! What a perfect way to incorporate my "something old"!! I also asked Ryan to find a special brooch or charm for me to add to the bouquet...immediately he said he already had something in mind! He has a #5 gold charm that he wore on a necklace when he was younger that he wants me to use. It is perfect because 5 is both of our favorite numbers AND we will be getting married on the 5th of March! Perfect!

In the tutorial I read, it says that you will need between 50-70 brooches depending on how large you want to make it. That is a lot and is going to be SO heavy but this is something that I will be able to keep for a lifetime! Each brooch will have a story and I can't wait to see how it turns out! Since I have 12 bridesmaids it will be pretty impossible to make each girl one so, to keep the brooch theme going, I am going to pin one brooch on the stem of each girls bouquet.

Below are the brooches I have so far...

These are the ones that my Mom and I found at a thrift store in Buford.

These are the 2 that my sweet soon to be Mother-In-Law found. LOVE these!

These are the ones Eden had at her work. I bought all 4 from her except the 2 on the outside on the top row (those were sold out before she could get to them :( )