DIY: Veil

"$250 for a piece of decorated tulle?! You have got to be kidding me!"

(My reaction to trying on veils at the bridal shop.)

I decided to DIY my veil, which really was quite easy. I went to my local library and found a couple of books on the subject, read their directions, and made my own.
The books I consulted were Veiled in Beauty and "I Do" Veils-So Can You.

These books had awesome diagrams and descriptions of the different styles of veils. I chose to do a simple, single-layer, elbow length veil.

Supplies:

tulle (keep in mind color and amount--buy extra)

trim

decorations (pearls, crystals)

clear thread

sewing needle

hair comb/clip

scissors

Measure from the crown of your head to the length of your desired veil. Lay tulle flat (single or double layer)and cut tulle to this length, rounding the 2 bottom corners. Thread the needle with a LONG piece of clear thread. Begin a running loop stitch across the top of the tulle (the non-rounded end). Stitch across the top of the entire piece of tulle. Pull taught, the tulle will bunch up. Sew this to the comb/clip of your choice. Your basic veil is complete. Now sew on any trim or decorative accents of your choice.

30 Days!

Oh my goodness! Only 1 month left until I'm a married lady!

Left to do:

1st night hotel room

BAND! OMG. Seriously, I thought this would be easy! Not if you're on a
budget...

Dress fittings (once it arrives at the beginning of February)

Undergarment/corset/bustier thingy: rent or buy?

Formal portrait We decided not to do one after all.

Finish designing invites. Print. Assemble. Mail.

Programs

Ask family and friends to do readings, solo, gift table, candle lighting, guest book, table/seating help

Finish table runner project

Put sails on 100 miniature sailboats

Assist future in-laws with rehearsal dinner specifics, invites, etc

Procure rope and ribbon for cake and cake table

Ceremony music

Pre-marital counseling

Setting check on my e-ring. Have band sized to match.

Get J's ring engraved

Guest list/addresses for shower

Make veil Details to come!

Meet with florist again

Meet with venue catering manager to finalize menu

Get marriage license (less than 60 days prior to)

Figure out wish/advice bowl

Order the men's Sperry Topsiders (my FIL found them for $30 each!)

Make 7 boutonniere's

Phew! I can't believe that all I really have left to do is make programs, put sails on boats, and get our marriage license. WOW! Yay, this means that I have more time than I thought to get our new home painted, unpacked, and all settled in prior to the wedding! Amazing!

All you other May Brides, where are you at with your lists?

Our First Place!

Fiance and I will be renting for awhile. But we were determined to live in a place with lots of character; not a sterile, cookie cutter apartment.

We certainly found it. The building was built in 1922, and has a brick exterior.
We have a 1 bed/1 bath with a fully updated kitchen and bath.



Our great room with built-ins, hardwoood floors, and exposed brick wall.



Kitchen with granite countertops, new cabinetry, stainless steel appliances.


Bathroom




Hallway built-ins and bedroom with built-in wardrobe (no closet, darn!)

We also have a 40ft hallway that leads nowhere below our apartment as private storage. Yay. We really lucked out in finding this place.

Bridal Shower

My 2 favorite cousins came into town a little while back and threw me a bridal shower. I had such a wonderful time with lots of family and people that I've grown up with.

My cousin is a graphic design artist and worked very hard to make this a memorable experience, as you can see. Isn't my Fiance a lovely bride?!:


I'm going to apologize upfront that I was not running the cameras, so many of the pictures are blurry or have poor lighting. boo.

The invitations and the custom-made Thank you's that I was given:





The food and drinks were so yummy. They just did mid-afternoon snacks. Veggies, spinach dip, cheese sampler, fruit, mimosas, and lemon cake!







One cousin had coordinated with Fiance to ask me a bunch of questions to see how well I know him. For each wrong answer I had to add a piece of "hubba bubba" bubble gum to my mouth. I missed 7 out of 35 questions. My jaw still hurts!







Then came the "grandchildren"



My Mom (in blue) and J's Mom had to choose the 'ugliest' of our offspring:


I had a really great time and am very glad that they kept the embarrassment to a minimum!

Fabulous

$800 for floral for the entire wedding?

Yep.