Bridesmaids Thanksgiving!

I LOVE MY BRIDAL PARTY! It was so fantastic to spend time with the girls talking wedding(s) - one of my cousins got engaged over Thanksgiving - and just catching up. Although we were down one bridesmaid, the weekend definitely got me excited for the wedding. It's been hard to be excited with the huge amount of planning yet to be done, but a weekend with the funniest and sweetest girls I know really got me in the spirit! I was a little nervous for this weekend because each of my bridesmaids has a BIG personality, but I everyone got a long and there was a lot of laughter!

Friday night we hung around the apartment talking weddings.

(I promise this picture WASN'T staged)

And after a morning of bridesmaids dress shopping (more about that in an upcoming post) we spent Saturday afternoon eating and shopping in Geneva.

Mother of the Groom, soon to be sis and Bridesmaid B, me, Bridesmaid J, Bridesmaid K, and Mother of the Bride

A great shot of MOG and Bridesmaid B

Bridesmaid J!

Red coat cousins!

and even the groom-to-be got in on the fun!

Thanksgiving Mash-Up

The past 2 years my parents have joined KJ's family for Thanksgiving in Kage's hometown of Paris, Illinois.

My dad having a new work schedule doesn't know if he will be able to make it, he is finding out tomorrow if he can come. My mom has already committed to coming, in addition, to bringing along a favorite family dish. It's kind of cute because both of our families are very proud of their food traditions. KJ's mom makes oyster stuffing (which I'm scared to try) and brandy infused sweet potatoes, both recipes coming from his great grandmother. My family makes pirogies and other carb loaded polish dishes. When my mom asked the FMIL what she could bring to dinner she got the typical "just yourself" type of answer - and my mom being the stubborn one she is, insisted she not come empty handed. So between e-mails the moms decided my mom should bring an "Arnett" family dish to be among the traditional Jenison Thanksgiving table. Joining families and meshing traditions... I think it is a very sincere middle ground.

Funny enough, my mom decided on Broccoli Rice casserole, a dish I hate (not a big fan of Cheese Wiz), but a dish I think will go great with the Turkey Day menu. Sometimes mixing families and traditions can be awkward and difficult, especially around the Holidays. This year I'm thankful for both families flexibility, despite the pride and traditions. I think in the end a little flexibility will go a long way in making everyone happy.

Balls

I saw this and HAD to repost it: Trash the Dress to the extreme!

now THAT takes balls. they definitely got the trash part right.

Bridesmaid Thanksgiving T-11 days

3 of 4 bridesmaids are coming to what Kage and I have dubbed "Bridesmaids Thanksgiving" during which we plan on picking out the hopefully not-so-dreadful bridesmaid dress! I plan on presenting the girls with these dainty hankies from ArtfulBeginnings on etsy.

I had been wanting to get the girls something small for bridesmaids thanksgiving, and when Miss Pretzel posted about this find on weddingbee - I knew it was meant to be! I've had them customized to match my wedding colors with a dark blue flower, silver trim, and pretty pink on the envelope. I already received the one for my Maid of Honor last week, and am waiting on the Bridesmaids ones to arrive. I <3 packages from etsy!!!

I've officially started a wedding blog!

Last night I had a mild panic attack over my dress.

So today - I caved. I'm starting a wedding blog. This way, I have someplace I can write down all my worries and frustrations along with the successes and silly moments of bliss that come with being a bride.

Today was a big step in wedding planning. My Maid of Honor (MOH), Shannon, visited and we did some initial bridesmaids dress shopping. 4 hours, 3 stores, and 2 tired blonds later - we narrowed the playing field down to a handful of dresses. Our two front runners:

A very simple but cute Bill Levkoff Dress - It would be Navy with a soft pink middle band:

And a fun little party dress by Saison Blanche - show in Raspberry, we would order it in Navy:

The other 3 bridesmaids are coming in a few weeks - we will decide on a dress then.

And major props for The Crystal Bride in Geneva. We didn't have any appointments set up since we were just doing initial shopping, but the staff there answered all of our questions and helped us out despite the busy store.