Hat Tip to Linds.

Ooo-er, my girl and Co-MOH Lindsey sent me a link to an absolute must have for my wedding dessert bar... a GIANT cupcake pan. I love, love, love her idea of making one huge cupcake and surrounding it with smaller ones -- people can eat the smaller ones right away, and it we have a sentimental moment and decide to do the whole cake cutting thing, we'll have a sort of showpiece (although history dictates that Deane and I will most likely be cackling hysterically while trying to throw the gigantic cupcake at each other). It would be a fabulous centerpiece for other smaller desserts.

This poor lady's picture ended up on my blog because it's the only photo that showed the actual size of the cupcake.

Thanks for the faboosh idea, Linds! And for all you readers out there, dessert suggestions are more than welcome (I prefer that they are easy, pretty, and freezeable!).

Bathtub Bride.

'The Notebook' is on tv right now, and I have it on in the background while I am punching holes and threading ribbons. Do you remember when Allie (Rachel McAdams) is trying on her wedding dress, and she sees the picture of Noah in the paper, and then she faints? Right after that, she is in the bathtub with her veil on and a glass of liquor (brandy? sherry?). It made me laugh maniacally for a solid ten minutes (I hope that you can recall this scene, as google images has disappointed me in my hour of need).
At some point, I am certain I will be that same hot mess (complete with smeared mascara) in a claw foot tub.
Perhaps my only chance at sanity is for Ryan Gosling to swoop in and save me?

Meet the Malones, Part 3 (AKA: The Final Installment)!

Emily and Casey have been happily married for 4 weeks and one day, and I'm just now getting to recapping their actual ceremony and reception. Since it's been a while, it'll be lacking some of the details I was trying so desperately to remember, but it's finally here, and that's a pretty big accomplishment (along with the fact that I am still rocking a polish perfect pre-wedding pedi).

We last left off at the pre-ceremony preparations. After Em and the entire bridal party managed to get the tears out of our systems without destroying our makeup, we gathered our bouquets and waited to walk down the aisle.

I wasn't that nervous, but I was so overwhelmed with love and happiness for Em and Casey, along with love and happiness for several of their friends and family members that I was delighted to see, I was basically a big jittery mess. My ankles felt too weak to hold up my wobbly legs, and I was wishing I had ordered my Madden gems 3 sizes smaller, if only to guarantee that my legs would stay in place. I managed to "lock it up" (thanks Linds) and make it to the front of the church in what I can only hope was somewhat slower than a sprint.

When it was Emily's turn to meet us all up at the altar, I must have looked like I was watching a tennis match. She was stunningly gorgeous (obv), and I wanted to watch her every step, but I was so touched with emotion by Casey's expression as he waited for her. They were so perfect, and so in love, and so happy, and I couldn't decide who or what I loved the most, and I was just grinning like a moron and looking all over the place. The ceremony was beautiful and personal, and I lost it during Casey's aunt's reading ("Love is Like Owning a Dog"), and then when we prayed, I had stupid sniffle nose (which Em and Case totally called me out on at the reception). But, I made it through without falling over, dropping my flowers, or laughing at any inappropriate moments (kind of a big deal for me).

We exited the church, and I was super thankful to have my groomsman to support me (read: death grip on his arm which I later apologized for), as my tootsies were feeling... well, they weren't feeling anything, as I had lost all nervous system functions from the calves down. We all lined the steps out front, where we scooped up rose petals and waited for MR. AND MRS. MALONE to come out.

(Blogger sidenote: I'm really sad that I don't have any pictures from the most important part of the weekend, but Emily's photographer was so incredibly awesome, I am sure she captured all the prettiest and best moments. Just trust me when I say that the rose petal showers and the laughter and happiness (how many times have I said happiness in this one blog post?) on the steps of the church was one of the most joyful experiences I have ever witnessed.)

Next, it was a mad dash to the Taft Museum, where I was so excited to see the outcome of the carloads of supplies and decorations we had dropped off the day before. I was not disappointed -- the venue looked absolutely amazing:

Casey rigged up a system to hang the tissue poofs without breaking the "No Ladders" policy.

The tables were beautiful, not least in part to Lindsey's beaded table numbers.

We squeezed in a quick photo session and managed to get Em's dress bustled before the guests arrived (or rather, as they were staring at us from where they were waiting inside). The reception was so clearly a result of Em and Casey and months of their detailed planning. Everything about it had their stamp -- the table setup, the cake table, the food selection. They even had their guests sign fabric squares (to later be fashioned into a quilt) and hang them on a clothesline so everyone could admire them. I had a mini-fit (I wanted to get my square weeks earlier, so I could fabric pen a Huey/Indy portrait), but got over it quickly and wrote a fun square ("Run Fast, Live Slow", my favorite 4 words ever written on Em's blog).

The reception was so much fun. The food was delicious (although I was so busy being ridiculously happy and chatty with everyone, I barely ate, and I forgot to get cake altogether!) and the traditions Em and Casey decided to keep were fitting and fun. There was no huge tiered single cake (which was awesome because there were a bunch of cakes in a ton of flavors), so they sampled cameo cookies instead...

The bride and groom bite each other's heads off!

We did everything that I knew we would do at a DLO wedding. We danced (normally I would say we danced inappropriately, but I may have been the only one doing that), we screamed the lyrics to "Murder on the Dance Floor", we gushed with obsession about each other, and we laughed all night.

Ladies love Bo Malone.

It's important to candidly point out details about guests to the bride.

All our last names start with "M"!

I never, ever, ever wanted it to end, but I knew the newlyweds needed to get home and grab some sleep before their early Sunday departure on their dream honeymoon. Never one to call it a night, I insisted we take the after party to the Cadillac Ranch, where... I'll spare you the details. Here I can definitely say there was inappropriate dancing, followed closely by NC-17 bull riding attempts by both myself and Haley (independently and as a couple). The night culminated in binge eating (Blake and Luke, how much pizza had you actually ordered earlier in the day?) and a hotel hallway photo shoot -- the ultimate seal of approval on an excellent night.

Phewwwww! The Malone wedding recaps are complete -- appropriately enough, on the night of the season premiere of "Bridezillas" (love you, Em! Mean it!). Now, there is no excuse to get to work on my own wedding. I've definitely made some checkmarks on the list, but I'm having trouble keeping momentum. Thus far, I have officially secured a groom, a dress, and a Maid and Matron of Honor. With that, I'd say the most important decisions have been made -- the rest is just icing on the wedding cake :)

Oh, really?

Anyone else notice how effing ridiculously outdated my sidebars are?

Let's talk about the last time I picked up the needles -- well before Em's wedding. Truth is, since I've been engaged (and subsequently planning the most inexpensive DIY wedding in the history of the world), all creative energy and manpower has been poured into wedding prep, research, and planning. Linds' birthday was APRIL 24TH and her gift isn't even DONE!

And how about that OTG? It's been the same for MONTHS. It disgusts me. Disgusts me no less than the fact that I haven't even created another OnTheGo since. Yeck.

So here's the story: I am 100% NOT stressed out about my wedding. And I won't be. But balance needs to happen, and it needs to happen quickly. I'm off tomorrow, and looking at a hefty to-do list, but #1 on that list is "Get your shit together". I will plan a wedding, complete knitting projects, perform well at work, train for a half marathon, and remain somewhat in tune with the music scene. There is no reason these goals cannot exist in perfect harmony.

I'm feeling ambitious. I've even added "Final Blog about Em's wedding" to Friday's to-do (although it did get a B1 ranking -- only FranklinCovey diehards might get that reference). If it's up tomorrow, you'll know I'm succeeding. If not... I'm half dead on the couch with a marathon of the last 4 eps of "Grey's".

Either way, I'll be happy. :)

Freebie Alert!

Summer doesn't officially begin until you've savored your first root beer float of the season. And tonight, you can pick one up for FREE at your local Sonic Drive-In from 8pm to midnight! If you're not familiar with Sonic, you should be. They are my hands down favorite ever for best ice (the circular crumbles, not too big, not too small!) and they have thousands of drink options (diet coke with diet cherry for this one).

Summer deals continue all season long with any size soda or tea at McD's for ONE DOLLAR. And their famous "Welfare Wednesday" deal (49 cent hamburgers and 69 cent cheeseburgers) is being extended to Wednesdays AND Sundays (blogger's note: McD's does not refer to this deal as Welfare Wednesday - that's just what I, and several others, call it).

Happy Summer!

DIY Mantra.

My guests will not notice if there is smeared green ink on the folded crease of their Save The Date.

They will not care if some letters are bigger than others.

They will think that my handwritten words are darling and personal, not ugly, crooked, and off center.

My guest list will remain small, as we wanted it from the beginning, because you are not invited to my wedding if I don't want to invest hours of handmade craft into you.

If a bow comes untied in the mail, who cares? It is no big deal.

I will finish these myself.

I will not cave.

I LOVE DIY.

I LOVE DIY.

I LOVE DIY.

Meet the Malones, Part 2!

We'll pick up where we left off, at the rehearsal of Em and Casey's beautiful wedding ceremony. The church was gorgeous, the people there were super friendly and helpful, and we all felt (fairly) confident that we knew when to walk, what pace to stick to, and where we were supposed to be standing.

After rehearsing the ceremony, it was time to head back downtown for the rehearsal DINNER - a burrito bar, YUM! We were so thrilled to see that the rain had stopped, and Em's sister Rebecca rounded up every available towel in the suite to dry off table and chairs on the balcony overlooking downtown Cincinnati (unfortunately, this meant that we were 100% towel-less the next morning, but it was a small price to pay for dining al fresco with the pretty scenery). It was so fun to have the party in the suites, and even more fun to see some great friends and meet more of Emily and Casey's families. It was also Rebecca's birthday, so we celebrated with some ColdStone cupcakes (near and dear to my heart) and everyone had a super fun time.

My two favorites at the rehearsal dinner!

We turned in around 11:30, and I was excited that the bridal party was all staying together in the same suite (mostly, I was thrilled to be sharing a DLO bed for what I hope will not be the last time in my life). Although I have a pesky habit of falling asleep instantly, Em and Linds stayed up a little bit longer and talked (I assume) about the next day and all of its wonderfulness!

We woke up the next morning -- EMILY'S WEDDING DAY! -- and everything went pretty smoothly. Despite the aforementioned towel shortage, the getting-ready process at the hotel was fairly easy, as Em was treating us all to salon updo's! We didn't worry about hair or makeup, threw on our comfy pants and matching tanks, and headed to Emily's house.

Even in the midst of her 12 million things going on that weekend, Em managed to host a beautiful and perfect brunch on wedding day morning. I was super thankful for this on so many levels -- one, it was so nice to have a normal breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and bagels, and not be worried about having to scarf down some grease fest from a drive thru on a day when you are trying to look your best. Two, it was so personal and relaxing! We were all able to talk, unwind, and eat (of course!) without any stress at all.

The rehearsal dinner flowers were our tablescape for brunch!

Emily had gotten us all darling gifts -- initial necklaces from Etsy (I have been wearing mine every day since the wedding, and it garners at least one compliment per wear) and gorgeous little pave pearl earrings that I helped acquire from Anthro (the love!). I did my best to not sob all over the individual thank you cards she had written for us, and then we all headed to the salon.

I was pretty excited to see Emily's 'do for the big day, as I have always wanted to wear my hair down for special occasions, but can never make it work. Her style was so gorgeous and flattering to her and her dress (I wish I had a picture of the back and the beautiful little silk rosettes!). I was ALSO pretty pumped to be getting my own hair done, although I had no clue what I wanted. I watched Lindsey get a perfect style and waited patiently to intercept her stylist as soon as she was done. Tragically, I got landed with some hungover pill-popping freakazoid, but she did ok in the end (my only direction was "I want a huge poof at the crown, I want it all up, and I want it to stay through a hurricane") and my hair definitely stayed in place -- all the way through Saturday night, until Sunday morning, when Linds had to pull 58 bobby pins and a dozen braces-sized rubber bands out of my hair.

Kenji works his magic as the bride's sisters look on.

Linds and I high-tailed it out of the salon as soon as we were done, since we had dropped my bridesmaid's dress off at the cleaner's the day before (covered in dog hair and wrinkled from me trying it on 35 times pre-wedding), and I was terrified that some horrible freak thing would happen where they would close early or something. Luckily, we retrieved the dress on time, and despite the fact that it was slightly damp (a quick air-out in front of an open window solved that), it looked perfect. We reunited with the bridal party back at Emily's for the final stages of wedding prep (makeup and dresses!), and everyone's hair looked absolutely awesome.

Getting ready at Em's was one of the smartest decisions involved with this wedding. Not only was it totally relaxed, but I felt 100% normal and comfortable -- not like when you're out of town and getting ready in some random hotel or something. Even though it seemed lonely without Huey and Indy at my feet, their doggie spa vacation was also a great idea. Not to mention, between the 7 of us, we had every Bare Escentuals eye color ever made to choose from (largely in part to Emily's personal collection), along with an arsenal of mascaras, eyelash curlers, et cetera. We all felt totally ready, totally gorgeous, and totally prepared to walk the aisle.

We caravaned to the church (despite my protests of Emily DRIVING in her wedding dress, she is hard-core and a total champ) and waited for the ceremony while we all finished cutting programs, admired our flowers numerous times, and made sure we remembered where we were supposed to be standing (Sarah also took this opportunity to practice pacing herself by singing "Happy Birthday" to herself in her head).

Our bridesmaid bouquets, and Emily's bouquet!

Emily's "wedding purse" (handmade in Ireland and purchased on Etsy, natch.)

Co-bridesmaids of the year furiously cut programs.

As we were waiting for the ceremony to begin, Em decided she really wanted to see the church and hear the music, and the church wedding-planner-helper showed us where we could look in without being seen (as long as we promised to be quiet as church mice!). As we looked toward the altar, Emily's and Casey's moms were lighting the candles as Emily's requested West Side story music floated through the church. (I honestly can't remember if it was "One Hand, One Heart" or "Somewhere" -- all I know is that it was gorgeous and beautiful and perfect). We were all overcome with emotion, Em let out a few pre-wedding sobs (got it out of her system, at least!) and we were all ushered to where we waited our turn to walk down the aisle...

Check back soon for the third and final installment of the Holcombe/Malone nuptials!