#TSAApproved: The Palm Tree Bachelorette Party (photo explosion)

Let's get real, Hive: if there is one thing my friends and I know how to do, it's party. For real.

My bachelorette weekend was absolutely amazing. Yes, I had a full weekend, and yes, it's really because I'm that damn special. ;) Really, though, it's because a chunk of my core group of girlfriends live across and/or out of the state, so we had to make it worthwhile! Plus we wanted a night of under-21 fun built-in, for BM Badonk. 

About a month prior, MOH Mem designed and sent out these bad boys:

I don't really have words for my excitement. Although my shower was wonderful and really, everything wedding-related has been wonderful, I knew the bachelorette party would be where it was AT, you guys. There was a really cute silver bow in the upper right hand corner (our cats got to it). Behind the little info card read our whereabouts/plans for the weekend - Dave & Buster's on Friday and McFadden's (one of my favorite bars in Pittsburgh) on Saturday.

Dressing Our Flower Girls

Despite their brief appearance as photo bombers in my shower recap, Flower Girls Pad and Pie have not been properly introduced or discussed. These girls became a part of my life during my junior year of college, when I started to babysit them. The babysitting grew into nannying during my senior year and they've been a steady part of my life since then. I cannot imagine my life without them, their wonderful, strong, amazing mother or their collective words of wisdom (both wine-fueled and not ;) ). It was no question that they would be our Flower Girls. In fact, those were Mr. Palm Tree's words when I brought it up to him way back when. "Is it even a question?" 

Pad and Pie's mom and I searched for.ev.er for the right dresses for them. I, personally, am not a fan of white dresses for Flower Girls. I know that's the standard and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it, because there isn't, I've just always envisioned my Flower Girls as my splash(es) of color, to match their vibrant personalities and overall cute and 'awwwwwww'-inducing-ness. 

We searched high and freaking low, almost the entire time I was engaged, for inspiration. We were thinking everything from pettiskirts to formal dresses in colors (we went from navy blue and pool to the yellow and grays that we have as part of our overall color scheme).

Seahorse Dress by Watters, image via Weddington Way

via Bella Bean Couture seller on Etsy

via Giselle Boutique seller on Etsy

image via The Little Pea Boutique seller on Etsy

image via Posh Baby Boutique Store

image via Posh Baby Boutique Store | I won't lie, Hive, for a while this was my #1 favorite - rainbow and all. 

image via Posh Baby Boutique Store

image via Vintage Gypsy Mama seller on Etsy

We would send each other images or links, squeal over them, and then - nada. No decisions. The only thing that I/we knew is that the girls would be in the Tiny TOMS glitters, to match mine. Eventually, though, Mama Pad&Pie had the idea that she would make the girls' dresses. She was going to try it out on Pie's Halloween costume (Pie insisted on being an "angelfish princess" which is "totally a real thing, I swear!") and if it was a bust, we'd go back to the drawing board. It wasn't a bust, though, and she made two skirts for Pad and Pie soon after Pie's costume trial.

When she originally made the skirts, I had another mini-panic because I had no clue what could possibly go with them that would look right. Leotards didn't look right and they made the entire thing seem dance costume-y instead of flower girl-y. I was hunting, though, and I found these sequined tank tops in Navy blue at Old Navy. I hurriedly sent the link to Mama P&P and she went to Old Navy that day, tried them on, and that was a wrap. 

I recently made a trip to Chez Pad and Pie to give the final okay on the girls' get-ups, as well as discuss hair options and logistics, and oh, man. My heart exploded into multiple pieces all.over.the.place. I mean, really, how could it not? Just LOOK at how ADORABLE they are!!

Pad on the left and Pie on the right. This is about as normal as it gets with my girls. ;)

My heart cannot even take this.

Pad's new favorite thing is bunny ears and Pie's new favorite thing is to stand like this. . .I'm surprised her tongue wasn't out as well. 

Pie's instructions to Pad: "Act like you're going to torture me!"

To add insult to the cuteness injury, Pad also had to sign a contract. Since she's been growing out her hair, she REFUSES to let anyone touch it - seriously, if you look at it too long, she'll tell you to stop. Which is fine for everyday, kid wear, but for a wedding, Mama P&P and I were both in the 'we have to do SOMETHING' camp. After we sat her down and talked all grown-up to her (she's caught between being eight and being a teenager. It's a thing), she agreed to let her mom curl her hair and pin some of it back; we shook on it AND pinkie promised. Oh, and she signed this:

personal photo | Sorry for the blurring - please take my word for it that Pad signed her name in cursive! Serious business, folks.

So, the Palm Tree Flower Girls are ready for their big day as well. We've practiced tons of times (with and without Mr. Palm Tree, actually - their favorite part is when we switch roles and Mr. Palm Tree is a flower girl) and they've watched the wedding episode of My Little Pony: Frienship is Magic multiple times in preparation. 

Any other brides-to-be having colorful flower girls and/or DIY'd dresses? 

Practice Makes Perfect: Bridal Alterations

One of the things I never realized about being a Bride was all the stuff that would actually have to be done leading up to the wedding. That might seem ignorant, but honestly, I've always been such a planner that sometimes the DOING eludes me (it's why MOH Mem and I make a good pair - I'm the planner, she's the do'er). One of these things was having my dress bustled. 

I freaked out about two and a half months out when I realized that I didn't have my dress bustled nor did I have plans/an alteration appointment. I had been pushing it to the bottom of my list. . .truthfully, I thought it was just, like, included with the dress. I know, I know, that's such an airheaded thought, but seriously, I thought that there was some sort of thing just sewed in and we'd just have to attach it post-ceremony. Womp womp wommmmmp. Once I realized that wasn't the case, I still put it in my 'things that can be done later' column. Before I knew it, it was 'later' and it wasn't done. EEEEEEEEEPIES. 

Originally, I had asked BM Tiny Dancer if she'd ask her mom if she'd be willing to do it. She's sewn quite a bit in her life and had made a lot of BM Tiny Dancer's costumes. After seeing the pick-ups and the appliques, though, she wasn't confident and didn't feel comfortable undertaking the project - with which I was totally fine. I'm glad she was honest. I was having mini-panic attacks, though, because I was reaching out to alteration specialists all over the city and they were quoting me an ABSURD amount and the ones that were reasonable had no openings until August. All my fault, I know, but that knowledge meant nothing. I was lamenting this to BM Y, who said she'd see if her mother were willing to take it on; after all, Mama Y had offered to sew BM Y her wedding gown from a pattern. When she said yes, I was SO excited and SO relieved. 

Musings & Observations: A New Vision For Our Wedding

Small Disclaimer: I am so, so sorry for my absence, hive. As a reader, I would always be all 'pfffft where did she go?!' when Bees would be MIA for a bit and then when they'd post this exact disclaimer I'd think to myself that I'd never do that - well, I'm eating my crow, folks. Life definitely got in the way of EVERYTHING over the past few weeks, perhaps the biggest change being my career. I left my full-time job as a Lease Analyst and accepted a full-time position at the catering company I mentioned in this post as the Assistant Catering Director and Catering Supervisor. It's kind of a dream job, it's a lot of planning and coordinating and I LOVE it, but it came out of nowhere and was definitely not planned. I would never have actively chosen to leave my job twoish months away from my wedding, but when there's an opportunity for a dream to come true, you have to take it. As corny as it may sound, I almost think that become a Bee (another dream come true) inspired me to open myself up to other things. . .just a slightly revamped, more positive mindset. Anyway, this new position is vastly different from my old one, especially because I went from working 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday, with occasional extra hours as a part-time caterer, but now my hours vary, there are no set days or times and it's very go-with-the-flowy. For instance, I worked 47 of the past 72 hours - but I loved every second. I promise I'm finding my groove, though, and I have TONS to share with you all, so consider Miss Palm Tree back in action. :)

Moving right along: I worked my first wedding in my new position this past weekend and I caught myself getting choked up at really random times. One was when the bride and groom were cutting their cake. Honestly, Hive, as I sort of insinuated previously I've never given much thought to cutting the cake. It's so low on my list of things I care about - a few pictures, a smear of icing, and then we're done. But as I watched them (admittedly, somewhat hawkily, because we had to swoop in to retrieve the cake for cutting and serving), I got teary! I told my co-worker, "I'm having a moment and I can't believe it." It was just such a symbolic moment between the two of them. All night, they had been dealing with others and posing for pictures and being pulled in different directions, but this moment was just about the two of them. It was beautiful and so sweet. . .see what I did there? ;)

Later in the evening, I was walking through the hall to check on everything and I caught a glimpse of the bride and groom dancing. They weren't the only ones on the dance floor and (cliche warning) the song wasn't even a slow one, but they were swaying in each other's arms and just looking at each other. True Confessions: tears actually leaked out of my eyes at this one. It was another intimate moment shared by the two of them. I obviously don't know what was going on in their heads, but to me - an outsider - it truly seemed as they were the only two people in the world.

I'm always a super sap and probably would have gotten emotional over these moments at another point in my life (and probably will in the future), but I really feel as though the meaning of these moments was heightened for me. I know that might seem like a Captain Obvious statement, but I feel as though I was meant to see them. I've been so caught up in tracking down RSVP's (infuriating) and thinking about meetings with our vendors and getting my dress altered and making sure I'm on top of my to-do list that I've been busy thinking about everyone and everything else. I would honestly think about the wedding and think of all of the fun with our friends and family, the drinks and the laughter and the awesome pictures from our photo booth, but admittedly, I didn't often think of Us or Our Moments. 

Mrs. Unicycle's post about her strategy to never separate from her new husband inspired me and put the same thought in the back of my head, but I dismissed it thinking "of course there will be some times when we'll HAVE to separate." When I went for my hair and makeup trial (post coming, I promise!), my hair and makeup artist told me a story: on her wedding day, in the middle of the reception, her husband came and grabbed her hand and said "come on, we're going to eat our cake." She protested, insisting she didn't want any cake and wanted to dance but he insisted. "Everyone else got a piece, so we're going to take a minute and eat a damn piece of cake!" She said she was so grateful to him for that moment because otherwise, she doesn't know if she'd have spent time with him that evening.

All of these combined have resulted in a new vision for the Palm Tree wedding: although I still think that we'll end up separated at some points, I am going to make it an active goal to spend time with him and to take a moment with Mr. Palm Tree and just breathe it all in and realize that THIS is OUR wedding. Everyone says that the day goes by so quickly and I don't doubt it, so I intend to make sure I grab my new husband and step back to observe. Thankfully, our room's balcony will make for a perfect reflection spot. ;)

Practice Makes Perfect: The Hair & Makeup Trial

I had my hair and makeup trial recently and I have to tell you all, I cannot believe I've hit THAT time. Time for a trial and vendor meetings and everything else. The Palm Trees are a little more than one month away and it's INSANE. After a year and a half of planning, it's so exciting to be so close.

I digress - this post is about my hair and makeup trial and at the risk of spoiling everything, it was so incredibly successful. First and foremost, I love Nicci, of Bella Brides by Nicci is phenomenal. She is so talented and just knows what she's doing and how to do it. I'm sure this is par for the course for beauticians but truthfully, this is the first time that I'm getting my hair and makeup done professionally for an event. In the past, I've relied on my friends (who are also talented, don't get me wrong) and I was just thoroughly in awe of her abilities. 

As I've mentioned a few times, I love big hair. I've always known that I'd want my hair half-up, half-down, big and curly. Of course, as I learned when we searched for both my dress and the bridesmaids' dresses, sometimes what you think will work just doesn't. I am so excited to say that this DID work and I'm in love with the result.

Paper Goodies: The Palm Tree Invitation Reveal!

I discussed how we set up our invitations in this post and now, without further adieu, I'm happy to share them with the Hive. Like I mentioned previously, these were a labor of love and I'm excited to be able to share the finished product (if anything, I see it as one more use and I am trying to get as much mileage out of these babies as I can. At least there is no garbage can on the Internets, right? ;) 

all photos personal unless otherwise noted * 

Where we left off - the mock-up invite, addressed to none another than Ms. Summers and  her soulmate ;)

Why We're Having a Day of Coordinator

When I first started planning our wedding, the idea of a DOC was so foreign to me. Is this not a wedding planner? Wait, this person swoops in and just does everything on the wedding day? How does this person know everything? I was so confused - I mean, really, all I thought of was J.Lo in The Wedding Planner.

via The Wedding Planner Wikipedia page | "Those who can't wed, plan." Amirite? 

I was very much convinced that it was unnecessary for us. I am way, way, way, WAY too OCD and Type A to hand the reins to someone else. I didn't care if we worked with this person all throughout our planning, it just wasn't happening - I could never trust this person to remember how to do A, make sure B got done and not to forget where C was supposed to go, you know? Not for me, not for us, not for our wedding. Pass.

I'm sure you've all figured out where this is going - just like with my dress and the Bridesmaids dresses, I was wrong (I've probably said that more times blogging than in real life. Feel special, Hive ;) ). 

Paper Goodies: Setting up the Invitations

Hive, I have to be honest with you. I still have a little bit of bitterness and/or resentment toward our invitations. They are GORGEOUS, don't get me wrong, but MOH Mem and I put so.much.time. into them. I swear on all that is sacred: I still have nerve damage in my thumb from holding the scissors for hours. 

We DIY'd these suckers, bottom to top. I know - Miss Palm Tree, the self-proclaimed DIY Sadim (Midas backwards), DIY'ing INVITES. All I can say is that I'm stubborn, determined, in a probably unhealthy relationship with all things paper and so grateful for MOH Mem (and also BM Tiny Dancer, who helped in intervals and on a smaller scale).

personal photo | Yeah. This happened. 

Advice from Miss Palm Tree: I love our invitations, but honestly, if you have room in your budget, buy them. Or at least source parts of them out - the printing, the assembly, whatever. Not only did I create/tweak a design and the wording, but I printed it onto cardstock. We cut the cardstock and used adhesives to stick it onto fancy backing paper (that we also cut to size). We cut the RSVP cards and put them in their envelope. We hole-punched hearts, we cut ribbon, we hole-punched info cards, we assembled the cards on the ribbon, MOH Mem tied the ribbon (the one time I tried I ripped the sides of the invite. . .sigh), I addressed the invites, we stamped and sealed them. It's a lot, Hive, and it took us two sittings - one of which consisted of well over seven hours - to complete them. All I could think in the back of my head was, "these are going to end up in the garbage." I'm not even hating on that, I get it: paper, clutter, whatever. Of course you're going to recycle/throw away the invitation because why keep it? Granted, I keep the really nice ones, because I'm sentimental and goofy, but there are plenty that still make it into File 13, you know? That's fine. But to know that's the inevitable end of the result of our bruised thumbs and damaged nerves and chunks of time. . . siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Pour one out for the homies, Hive. Invitations can be a bitch.

Enough misery. Let's get to the details. 

February Showers Bring May Flowers. . .?

As I mentioned in the posts about our dress experiences, my bridal party is fairly far-flung. BM Blackout currently resides on the West Coast and Rev. Fun is representing the ATL, while the rest of us are in/near Pittsburgh. When we were together for the dress extravaganza, we hammered out dates for the shower and bachelorette party. It was best to just pick ‘em and commit, making sure they were on everyone’s radars well ahead of time. 

personal photo from BM Y| Me with my adorable 'Miss Palm Tree on WeddingBee!' announcement and decorations. How freaking cute is this?!

I know I’m a tad crazy about this ‘getting things done early’ kick, but I just wanted to say that I would recommend having a shower a little bit earlier to ANY and EVERY bride. First of all, my girls did a seriously kickass job and although they would’ve made it baller no matter what, it helped that they had so much time to dedicate to it and to be able to do things in bits and pieces. Second of all, as a Bride, I cannot imagine having a shower super close to the wedding. Although I didn’t do much in terms of action, knowing I’d have to dedicate what would likely be an entire weekend to something when there were 93598345987 time-sensitive things going on at the same time would stress me out to the max. Third, it was nice to include a passive aggressive 'Hope to see you at the wedding!' line in the thank-you notes as a gentle nudge to return the RSVP's. ;) Fourth, it is so nice to have a little buffer in between everything and really feel like you’re in the midst of your Wedding Season the entire time. Late February shower, early April bachelorette party, late May wedding – it’s honestly like the whole first half of the year. I’ll only be doing this once, I want to relish every single moment of being a bride because it won’t come again for me, you know?