Partyin' it up on June 26th...

*The Bridal Shower -- No Water Required!*

My bridal shower was a few weeks ago, but I only just uploaded my pictures onto my laptop, 

so here it is, the long awaited entry regarding my Bride-To-Be Par'tay!

It was a warm Saturday afternoon and Mother Nature was kind enough to refrain from starting a thunderstorm. The day of my bridal shower had finally arrived and I had never been so excited and nervous to go to the Fraser home before! All the build-up leading to this day had my stomach doing cartwheels, and while I still wasn't sure how I felt about opening a ton of presents in front of a large group of women, I knew it wasn't worth stressing over. Brenda, my mother-in-law-to be, went to extremes in throwing a fantastic soirée in my honor, and I kid you not when I say she had been planning this bridal shower since, like, December. The decor, the tasty home-cookin', the gifts.... EVERYthing was color-coordinated and tied in with our wedding theme of yellow, orange, green, and gerbera daisies. I couldn't believe how much work had been put into the set-up and preparation; I was truly flabbergasted and tried hard not to let the on that I was overwhelmed with emotion.

Cake reads: "57 Days... ...and counting!"  Kudos and thanks to Aunty Cheryl for making such a grand dessert!

It's a pretty outstanding thing, realizing that you are the recipient of an outstanding fiesta, all the while being surrounded by family and friends from both coasts and "showered" with nothin' but words of support, encouragement, and love. It was a happy celebration indeed and I think all the ladies there enjoyed themselves. How couldn't they?? The food was phenomenal and the ambiance was perfect: low-key, but cheerful.

My step-mom, Sondra, was kind enough to foot the bill for a rent-a-tent, just in case of rain. We got barely a mist toward the end of the party, but I loved having the tent anyway because it was so fun and festive...and matched the color scheme!

The gift-opening was a lengthy process, but I was ever-grateful for all the fabulous things I received! In a nut shell: 

* lots of orange (towels, kitchen gadgets, home decor!)

* many items from our Target registry (no shortage of Pyrex, hehe!)

* various items that weren't on the registry but are very "us" (fun!)

* Lowe's gift cards (hallelujah!)

One great gift idea came from my mom, where she gave each guest a stamped envelope addressed to me containing a few recipe cards. Each guest is expected to write out some of their favorite recipes and mail them to me so I can add them to my groovy new recipe box! Clever, eh? Looks like I'll be learning to like cooking in the very near future! ;o)

Above: Jackie, Alyssa and Julia engorge on tasty treats created by Brenda and Gram---mmm!

Right: Brenda saw this centerpiece idea in a wedding magazine a while back and thought, "Ooh! This is perfect for Miss Ashalilly!"  
("Ashalilly" is the nickname she gave me when I moved here three years ago)

The time seemed to fly by, and after the gifts had been opened and the food had been consumed, people started to trickle out. It amazes me how fast a few hours can zoom by, making it seem as though no time has passed at all. I felt bad because I didn't get to talk to all the ladies who were kind enough to come and celebrate my bride-to-be'ness. I can only imagine how quickly the time will pass on our wedding day.... Eeek!

Jackie, my Maid of Honor, had the great idea of providing magnets, stickers, and markers so that shower guests could write out messages of "love, life, and marriage." Adam and I stuck them up on our fridge that night, and I find myself stopping to re-read them often. SUCH a fun idea, Roomie---thank you! :o)

Though a good amount of guests had left by 5 o'clock (the shower started at 1:00), the party was still hoppin' and the young ladies who remained participated in the Toilet Paper Bridal Gown game!! Our dress models were Savannah (my cousin-in-law-to-be), Haley (my half-sister), and Isabel (one of my two flower girls). The designers had 5 minutes to create a wedding dress of toilet paper, and I must say that we all did a fantastic job under such time constraints and with such a fragile material! ;o)

My littlest flower girl, Annie, practiced walking down the aisle with my "practice bouquet." Again, my Maid of Honor did a pretty outstanding job in putting said arrangement together---it's fun, it's festive, it's sturdy. I can't wait to put it to use at the rehearsal on August 20th! 

All in all, my bridal shower was just right; I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate with all the females in my life. There were a few lady-friends and family members who were unable to make it due to work or distance, but they were definitely there in my heart and I'm excited to see them next month for our wedding!

To those of you who WERE able to attend,  I am forever grateful and fear I will never be able to thank you enough for all you did to make my bridal shower such a special celebration. I truly am the luckiest and have never felt so special This bridal shower really made me stop and think about how fortunate I am. Solely focusing on this bridal celebration, I am extremely blessed because....
*... my mom, sister, "aunty," and bridesmaid Crystal flew out from San Diego to be a part of this day
*...I am welcomed and loved by all of my fiancé's family and family-friends  

*...I have a good amount of female friends in my life that are all fun, intelligent, interesting, and lovey

*...I have four hilarious, amazing, beautiful and supportive bridesmaids who are willing to help with anything

*...everyone who came to my bridal shower truly wanted to be there

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! 

"I see your true colors shining through....

ASHLEY:

Just the other day my dad sent me an e-mail. As I read the e-mail I couldn't help but smile and feel a wave of joy rush over me. I have always believed that colors speak volumes, and when a color is "attached" to a particular person you tend to think to yourself, "Yeah, that totally makes sense." I was pretty happy to read my dad's e-mail and see that this "a-ha" moment happened for him whilst reading information typed up by a paint company. The e-mail excerpt is pasted below:

"These descriptions are paraphrased from the Olympic Paint

advertisement:

Colors are inspired by your world. Color has no boundaries. No set rules. It's all about your own personal taste and inspirations.

Your choice of color sets the tone and begins the journey of creating a home (or event - {wedding}) that speaks to you and about you.

Color speaks to us in so many ways. It has the power to calm, energize, or even warm your soul. Color can transform a space and make a statement. . . your statement.

Color can influence our emotions and inspire our living space. Inspiration is all around you. Inspiration can come from so many different places. The world we live in. The objects that surround us. Everywhere we look, our world is filled with a palette of colors; from the warm, inviting shade of a room in candlelight, to the vivid tones of ripening fruit, to the cool colors of the seashore. Colors catch our eye. They spark ideas. They reflect moods. As you look at the colors of your world, choose those that help to create your own personal statement.

YELLOW: Sunshine and light. Yellow projects a radiant look, creating instant warmth.

ORANGE: Cheerful and lively. Midway between red and yellow, orang is dynamic and energetic.

GREEN: Calming and harmonious. Green says balance and beauty; drawing from the shades of nature.

I realize that this does sound like an ad, but I think that the colors you have chosen describe both of you, and your lifestyle perfectly! Just sayin'."

In a nut shell, the colors that Adam and I have chosen for the wedding are more than just happy hues of summer. They represent the kind of people we are; they inspire us day after day; they catch our attention and make us remember how lovely the world is; they scream "happy!!!!" and "fun!!!!" and "nature shades of nature!!!!" All the colors of the rainbow are beautiful, but I am especially thrilled to have orange, yellow and green---my three favorite colors---play such an integral part in our wedding day. They are just very "us." <3

Beautiful Bridesmaids and Save-the-Dates---oh my!

Wedding planning has been going well. :o) Just a few weekends ago Adam and I were sitting on the couch, perusing wedding blogs and websites, taking notes, searching for photographers, etc. Though both of us were on our laptops, I felt like we were making a lot of headway and so I turned to him and exclaimed, "Wedding planning is so much fun!!"

And I truly meant it. I feel like a very lucky bride-to-be, for a variety of reasons. We have a vision for our special wedding weekend, and though I'm not a religious in any way, shape or form, I do feel rather "blessed" to be able to plan our wedding the way we want. We have chill friends and family supporting us and our vision---no religious zealots who are disappointed with our lack of a church and ordained minister; no divorced-parents drama; no one telling me that orange is too loud of a hue for bridesmaids to wear; no one arguing our wanting to be barefoot for the ceremony. I hate to jinx it, but everything is smooth sailing right now and it's just SO nice to be able to really enjoy this engagement to the fullest and prepare for our marriage in our own way, with the support of those we care about.

There is still {SO} much to be done and decided on, but we're making progress so I'm not too worried. After all, we have a lot of the big stuff done: my dress was found and purchased just 8 days after getting engaged (I didn't waste any time, boy-howdy! dress shopping was the LAST thing I wanted to stress over), and we got a SWEET date and venue reserved.

About 3 weeks ago Adam designed our Save-the Date postcards and ordered them through www.postcards.com. I'm ***SO*** pleased with them!! Adam did a stellar job, and I think they represent our creativity well; they ooze with the essence of Team Fiends one might say. ;o)

We opted for postcards for our save-the-dates for a few reasons:

1) magnets were a cool option, but very pricey

2) saves paper since it's a card and envelope rolled up into one

3) postage stamps are only .28 cents!

I addressed 140+ postcards with an orange Sharpie, plus added a yellow daisy and short message to each one as well. Took a while, but I wanted to add that personal touch...and in all honestly, I didn't mind laboring over them because I was essentially giddy with the idea of sending them out the next day. We couldn't wait to hear feedback from our friends and family. :o)

Today I went with my Maid of Honor (Jackie) and bridesmaid (Alyssa) to David's Bridal to try on bridesmaid dresses.....and we had great success! The color of dresses is the *perfect* shade of orange---I couldn't have hoped for a better hue! And the style is cute and very flattering---my 4 bridesmaids are going to look lovely!!! The fabric is cotton sateen, and bonus feature: pockets! I kinda want to get one for myself..... Seriously.

Things on my mind as of late (now that bridesmaid dresses have been found, thank gawd):

* Music. I am *constantly* thinking of songs to add to the "indie playlist" we'd like to be played during the cocktail hour and dinner. We are not into the cliche wedding music and want the whole day to really represent who we truly are. As nice a musician as Michael Buble may be, neither Adam or I listen to Mr. Buble, so why would we play him at our wedding reception??

* Centerpieces. I have been raiding the local thrift store every other week or so and buying out their collection of old glass bottles. I have a good amount, but if I want *at least* 5 bottles of varying sizes on each table, I'm clearly going to have to continue my glass bottle hunt... And is it wrong of me to want to put stickers on the bottom of each bottle saying "DO NOT TAKE"??? Some of the glass bottles have been a part of my collection for years and I don't wish to part with them....and I don't think a "win the center piece" game is really something I care to have at our wedding anyway..... :o/

* Flowers. Why are they so damn expensive? And what should I do----have them taken care of by a small family-owned flower shop near Chocorua or buy them wholesale and do the bouquets myself?? I want small, simple bouquets of orange and yellow (and maybe some white) gerbera daisies. That's it. It couldn't be THAT hard to do 'em myself, could it??? I dunno....I'm a little scared and don't want to be walking down the aisle with half-dead daisies...! ;o)