The Great Name Change Debate

For some reason, changing my name has been weighing on me more and more lately. I am a pretty traditional gal and never, ever considered doing anything else but take my husband's name. It was a no-brainer for me. But for some reason, as of late the idea of losing my last name has started a bit of a mini-panic in me. Maybe its the thought changing my name will no longer make me a member of my family, or maybe I worry that I won't be "me." I really can't pinpoint it, and I've found these feelings to come completely out of left-field. I never in my life knew it would bother me, and it took me by surprise. So what to do?

Well Mr. Hawk is also very traditional and is not a big fan of us having different last names. (And actually I'm definitely not fond of the idea either. Once we have children, I don't want to be the only one with a different name. I want to be part of that family too!) The clear alternative would be to hyphenate. I guess I would be okay with this decision, but it doesn't exactly excite me either. Then a friend recently pointed out that if I did hyphenate, one slight mispronunciation of my last name combined with Mr. Hawk's could end up sounding like something very dirty. (And with Mr. Hawk's last name already being something that kids could be teased for, adding another layer just doesn't seem right.) Another option would be to drop my middle name and take my current last name as my middle name, but for me it really isn't an option. I love my middle name.

The only solution that has appeased me up to this point is to just tack on another name and add Mr. Hawk's last name to my current names. Yep, I'd have four. Lauren M. Mylastname Hislastname. I guess I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too, but this idea is the only idea that has been able to quell my panic. I still have several months to sort through my feelings and come up with a final decision. (So don't be surprised to see this idea revisited!)

Did anyone else suffer name change anxiety? How did you make your final decision?

Christmas Crafting Turned Winter Wedding Favor Inspiration

I, very similarly to Miss Honey, decided to take a break from all things wedding, and I turned my attention to creating gifts for my coworkers. I wanted to gift them something homemade. I considered cookies among other baked goods, but quickly decided on hot cocoa mix since I already had the perfect containers: those extra mason jars from my failed DIY.

I started by researching recipes and read great reviews on one from Alton Brown on the Food Network. I noted the reviewers' suggestions and ended up with my revised recipe:

2 cups Dutch Cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
8 cups powdered sugar
5 cups whole powdered milk (I used Nido. [Found at Walmart in the Hispanic Foods section])
2 TBS salt
4 TBS cornstarch
1 bag mini marshmallows

I combined all of the ingredients (minus the marshmallows) in a large bowl and slowly stirred with a wooden spatula. (Be prepared to make a big mess!) I then spooned the mix into my jars. I filled them to about the curve of the jar and filled the rest of the jar with marshmallows. I attempted to create a parfait effect with the first jar and layer marshmallows, but it was unsuccessful. No matter how many marshmallows I put in the layer, the next layer of cocoa would nearly completely cover them. I found they looked best on top of the mix.
(FYI - my mix yielded over 4 full quarts.)

Evidence of my mess

I wanted some sort of label on the jars, but did not have any labels around the house. I ended up printing round paper labels and it worked just fine.

To create them, I used Microsoft Publisher. First I created a 2 by 2 inch circle:

Then I searched for the perfect label background and cropped it to match the 2 by 2 in. circle. I inserted a rectangle in the center to create a background for my text and inserted a text box.

I grouped all of the elements together (photo circle, red band and text), copied and pasted until I had my desired amount of labels. Once printed, I cut out the circles and lightly glued them using Elmer's craft glue. (If I had planned better, I would have invested in Sticker Paper like this to eliminate the glue.) Lastly I decorated with some ribbon and holiday tags from Walmart.

The final product

I was so pleased with the end result, and I couldn't help but think that with a few tweaks, these would make the most adorable wedding favor! Obviously with a May wedding myself, hot cocoa wouldn't make much sense for us, but it would be so fitting for a winter affair. Switching to a half-pint or pint glass would certainly make the mix go farther and creating a wedding monogram lid label would be incredibly simple!

Are you creating homemade goodies as your wedding favor? Where did you find your inspiration?

All photos personal

A Floral Education

I recently shared how lack of enthusiasm from one vendor made choosing my florist an easy decision. Then I realized I failed to share my actual floral selections! (I'm sure y'all were on pins and needles! ;) )

When it came time to pick out flowers for my bouquets, I was lost. Besides my unhealthy obsession with yellow roses, I didn't know the difference between ranunculus and lisianthus. (Flower names seemed like a foreign language!) I tried looking up a floral dictionary website, but without any background information, I was completely overwhelmed. I turned to sites like Pinterest and the Knot, searching for inspiration. I saved anything that peaked my interest (and made sure to list the flower names when saving the pictures). I quickly discovered that big bloom flowers were my favorite:

Garden Roses

Image via Flowers by Shirley

Peonies

Image via Flowers by Shirley

Hydrangea (mixed with white roses)

Image by The French Bouquet

I wondered if they would gel together since they are all large blooms, but I found several pictures that eased my fears. Plus I knew I wanted a full, rounded bouquet.

I would love to carry this bouquet with softer, more muted colors. Image via Kelly's Wedding Flowers

After talking to my florist, I decided that in my bouquet, the peonies, hydrangea and garden roses will be in shades of white and cream.

Image via The Flower Lab

The bridesmaids bouquets will be similar but feature a mix of soft pinks and will be tied with a yellow ribbon to match the dresses.

For someone who knew nothing about flowers, I actually found making these decisions to be quite fun!

Will you be carrying a floral bouquet down the aisle or something different? If you are going with a bouquet, what flowers are you using?

Officially honeymooning!

As I may have admitted a time or two before, I'm a pretty type-A girl. I crave organization and often require a wealth of information before making a big decision. Our honeymoon planning was no different. I originally asked Mr. Hawk to take charge and be the head planner for our honeymoon plans; however, when he didn't seem to be doing a lot of research, I quickly stepped in (and pretty much took over).

I scoured Trip Advisor for reviews and rankings (all while taking copious notes, of course). After a few months of off and on research, Mr. Hawk and I finally sat down over the weekend to make some concrete decisions. We've decided to go to Punta Cana, DR. Woo hoo! We will be staying at an all-inclusive resort, in the adult-only club area. I have never stayed at an all-inclusive resort before, but I am really looking forward to it. I like the idea of knowing what we're paying up-front, and I think knowing all our meals and drinks are taken care of will make for a less-stressful vacation.

Those canopy beds look like a great place for an afternoon nap! Images via Expedia

After officially booking our trip, Mr. Hawk proclaimed, "I'm sure glad my big portion of the planning process is over." Eeeer, what? I'm sorry, what part of the honeymoon did he plan? He did make a good point though. He could have done all the research in the world, and I still would have wanted to do my own. It's not that I don't trust him, it's just my nature. It was most likely a time-saver that I did the majority of the research. I'm just pleased as punch that we have another major decision taken care of. (And I'll give Mr. Hawk a little credit and say it was a joint effort!)

How did you decide where to honeymoon? Did one of you end up doing the majority of the research?

Screeching Hault

This is what has happened to my planning...

Image Via Impressions Through Media

I had heard that this was a common thing that many brides faced during the planning process, but I didn't think it could happen to me. I would be immune due to my type-A tendencies. I'm a list-making, post-it-crazed, self-proclaimed master of organization. Road blocks don't happen to brides like me, right? Well hello reality check. Here I am, struggling to even write this post... I think I'd rather take a little nap... Yawn. (Hey, Miss Porcupine and Miss Fox, let's go do something completely wedding-unrelated together!)

Unfortunately, Mr. Hawk gave me a very unwelcome reminder this morning that we are almost exactly five months out from the wedding. (In case you're counting, about 150 days.) Half of me is excited that we're nearing our wedding day, and the other half of me is happily ignorant with my head in the sand (Wedding? What wedding?). In fact, I told Mr. H not to bring it up again because there is too much to be done (and I'd like to enjoy my ignorant bliss for a few days longer.)

I'm a little frustrated with myself for letting this happen. My to-do checklist has gone untouched for nearly a month. Crafting and researching haven't happened. Instead I've spent my time reading about everyone else's planning on the 'bee and have been content to see y'alls progress. I'd like to blame it on the fun of the holidays, my approaching birthday, and upcoming trip to spend time with my family, but I know that excuse can only last so much longer before I'm going to have to take some ownership of my slacking.

Help a Hawk out. How did y'all regain your motivation after hitting a road block? Have any advice to get me off my bum?

Tradition Shmadition?

Ask any one of my family and close friends and they will most likely tell you that I'm a fairly traditional girl with classic taste. And while our wedding ceremony will be quite traditional, there are some traditions that we've decided to do without.

The Bouquet Toss

Photo by Aislinn Kate Photography

For some reason, I've been against this idea from the start, and I'm not exactly sure why. I can't pinpoint it, but I know that I don't want to have one. (You may think this comes from some horrific experience of being clobbered mid bouquet grab, but I've never even seen one done! [Maybe that's why it's easy for me to write it off.])

The Garter Toss

Photo by Angel Navarro Photography

My problem with this tradition is crystal clear. Under no circumstance do I ever want Mr. Hawk to be lifting up my dress in front of 100 of my nearest and dearest. The thought of it actually makes me shudder. I know that we could skip the whole removal portion and still do the toss, but without a bouquet toss it doesn't seem to make much sense to keep it.

The Mother-Son Dance

This one is still up for discussion, but I have a strong feeling it's going to be nixed. Mr. Hawk does not enjoy dancing. In fact, the one thing he enjoys less than dancing is being the center of attention and having everyone watching him. (Unless, as he says, he brings himself to the center of attention.) So combining two of his most hated things? Recipe for disaster.

Are there any traditions that y'all have decided to skip? Which ones are most important to you?

Save The Dates: Final Reveal

Once we had placed our order for our save the date magnets, I began thinking about how to mail them out. I knew that I didn't want to just drop them in an envelope without backing of some sort. Cue my favorite craft store: Hobby Lobby. Somewhere in between choosing the perfect ivory card stock, I came across packs of 50 notecards and envelopes made of Kraft paper. I hadn't even considered Kraft paper, but I instantly knew it was perfect.

Determined to make my project more crafty, I also picked out two stamps and a decorative edge punch.

Over several days I stamped and cut to my heart's content.

At one point after edging near 60 notecards, I got a little delirious and started believing that the paper scraps looked like the perfect mini mustaches for Bella.

Aaaand back to the STD's...

Tip: When stamping, I first inked and imprinted the first stamp and left it in place. I then inked the second and stamped it aligning it flush against the first stamp. This kept them straight and properly spaced.

The completed cards

Once the cards were complete, I cut slits in opposing corners of the back of the card to slide my magnet inside. I'm sure there's a better way to do this, but I used the magnet and marked off one side a time with my pencil, and then used my xacto knife to cut slits to slide the magnet in place.

I found that doing the corners separately was more time consuming, but definitely kept the magnet more secure.

I tried to crop the Tug whiskers, but they made the picture anyhow

The last step in the process was to write a note to our guests. It was one part of the postcard idea I was most looking forward to, and by using a card instead of of card stock I was able to include one! Mr. Hawk and I wrote short personal messages on the top inner portion of the cards before addressing them and sending them on their way.

Did you worry about how to package your Save the Dates?

Floral Selections: A frustrating but simple decision

I may have mentioned a time or two my love of yellow roses and how they influenced my color selections. With a more concrete vision of where I saw my wedding going, I contacted two florists to chat about my ideas and receive quotes. Both florists came highly recommended and had plenty of experience working at Wren.

I met with the first florist after seeing some of her handiwork on display at the Open House Mr. Hawk and I attended. I loved being able to see table arrangements and bouquets in person. She was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and clearly knew the setup of both Wren and Legacy Hall. Less than a week after our meeting, she sent me a detailed outline of all of the main flowers, colors, and arrangements. She even wrote out in paragraph form the setup and details. (She was a Type-A girl's dream.)

The second florist and I just couldn't seem to get our schedules aligned. (Not being in the city of your wedding can be kinda stinky even if when you're only an hour away.) Instead we decided to correspond over email and agreed to have a phone consultation. With the first floral meeting under my belt, I felt like I had a better idea of what I was going for. I wrote a detailed email full of images and descriptions including flowers, colors, chapel arrangements, and reception arrangements. I was a little disappointed when it took almost two weeks before I had my outline. Quotes were included, but she failed to include chapel arrangements at all even though I requested them. (Additionally she included a lot of the same pictures I had sent her to help describe the style I was envisioning. When she offered to include pictures, I assumed it would be of her work that fit our wedding style. I guess I should have clarified.) All in all I felt like I probably spent more time drafting my email than she did filling in average prices for bouquets and arrangements and sending it back.

Perhaps if I had met with the second company in person, she might have won me over with her enthusiasm, but I certainly didn't feel it in our correspondence. I was pretty much felt like I wasn't a priority. In fact the whole experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I opted out of even having the phone consultation. Luckily, I had such a good experience with the first florist, that I knew my decision was made. (It was even more solidified when I emailed her back asking for ways to trim the budget and she gave me FOUR suggestions that wouldn't sacrifice my style or vision.) Needless to say, selecting my florist was one of my easiest decisions to date. (But I must admit that I was still pretty annoyed.)

Have any of y'all experienced something similar when booking vendors? Would you consider lack of enthusiasm a deal-breaker?