Bridesmaids' Gifts

Good news! Drew and I received a call from our photographer yesterday, and DVD of our wedding pictures is in the mail! We should have our pictures by the end of this week which means the wedding recap(s) will be posted soon! I think I know what I'll be doing this weekend...

In the spirit of our upcoming wedding recap, I decided now would be a good time to post about my bridesmaids' gifts. I wrote this right before the wedding and have been waiting for the right time to finally put it up, and I think the week before the official wedding recap extravaganza begins is just that time.

Bridesmaids' Gifts

I had a hard time deciding on what to get my bridesmaids' as gifts in return for being such a huge part of my wedding, so I thought I might be able to help out any brides-to-be in the same boat by sharing what I gave to my bridesmaids.

I didn't do anything too spectacular or clever for my gifts, just something I thought they would enjoy and appreciate from me.

Before I decided on my final gifts, I spent a lot of time searching the message boards over on The Knot. I'm not sure how much I recommend this, though, since a lot of posters seem to really hate on what I think are pretty traditional wedding party gifts, like jewelry.

I ended up on a pretty simple gift for my girls: monogrammed mugs from Anthropologie, chocolate and a gift card. The mugs were too cute to pass up, and I decided to get them all gift cards instead of a more tangible gift because I figured this way they can get themselves something they want rather than me getting them something they may think is useless. And chocolate because, well, why not?

 These mugs caused me a bit of stress, since only two of the four I needed arrived in my initial package. Afraid that I wasn't going to receive my missing mugs, I called Anthropologie's customer service line and was told that my missing mugs were in stock and would be shipped shortly. Phew!

Except that about a week after that I received an email notifying me of a refund for the two mugs I hadn't received and apparently would not be getting.

So I once again called the customer service line and explained my situation to the woman on the other end of the line. Luckily, she was incredibly patient and awesome and was able to locate the missing mugs and reorder them for me! The shipping was super speedy, and I received my new order only a few days later. Crisis averted!

 I wanted to fill the mugs with something to make them look more exciting, so I bought a few varieties of Ghirardelli chocolates and wrapped them in green party favor bags from Walmart.

Each of my bridesmaids also received a gift card to either Barnes & Noble or Target, so they can get themselves whatever they want. I know it seems a little impersonal, but I also had to consider that all of my bridesmaids were coming from out of state and would have to pack their gift in whatever bag they brought for the weekend.

A handwritten note accompanied each girl's gift too.

I picked up plain brown craft bags and gray tissue paper from Michael's to complete the wrapping. Cute and simple!

My bridesmaids definitely deserved more than what I gave them, but I think I did a pretty good job showing them how much I appreciated them traveling to Michigan to spend my wedding weekend with me and stand by me at the altar. I truly can't thank them enough for all of the love and support they showed me both on my wedding day, and every other day I have known each of them.

Thank you Suzie, Cindy, Emily and Michelle for being wonderful sisters and friends and playing such a large role in my wedding! I love you all!

Ten for Tuesday: Reasons I Like Fall

Anyone who knows me knows that I hate being cold. Fall sucks because the weather takes a turn for the worse (read: below 70 degrees) and only means that awful, awful winter is right on the horizon. It's terrible.

BUT, despite that there are a few reasons I like fall, so instead of being a grump about the season I decided to focus (at least for today) on why I like fall.

Reasons I Like Fall

1. I don't sweat all over the place. Okay, I know I just finished saying that I don't like being cold, so maybe this sounds a bit contradictory. It's true, I'll take a 90-degree day over a 50-degree day anytime, but I also sweat a lot. Being cold may suck, but at least I'm not sweating all over the place.

2. The changing colors. The trees are mostly dead around here now, but a few weeks ago (and especially on our wedding day) the leaves were gorgeous. One thing I love about living in Michigan instead of Illinois is that the roads are usually lined with trees, not cornfields. Since I drive so much for work, I appreciate the lovely colors I get to see along the highway on most days. So pretty.

3. The holidays are almost here! It's almost the most wonderful time of the year! Fall means Thanksgiving and Christmas, which means time with family, delicious food and presents! All good things.

4. Drew and I met and got married in the fall. October 2009 = when we met. October 2011 = when we got married. Yeah, I think I have a new favorite month.

5. The good Daylight Savings Time happens. I don't know who thought "springing forward" was a good idea, but "falling backward" is nothing short of genius.

I got roughly five hours of sleep on Friday night, so getting an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night was fantastic. I think my body is still adjusting to the time change, but that's okay. Anything for an extra hour of sleep!

6. Pumpkin everything. Lattes, muffins, granola, candles... all good. I love pumpkin and how delicious it smells and tastes. Part of me wishes that pumpkin products were available year-round, but I know part of the reason pumpkin is so good is because it's a rare treat. I'll be sad when Thanksgiving is over and it's officially time to say goodbye to pumpkin until next September.

7. Sweaters and boots. One benefit about being cold: layering up. I don't care how ugly my Ugg boots may be, I love wearing them. Especially with skinny jeans and a baggy sweater. Judge all you want, but I dare you to find a more comfortable and warm outfit than that.

8. The end of political ads. Election day, be gone! I hate political ads so much, and I always look forward to the day after election day so I don't have to watch or listen to the ads anymore. Although, with 2012 being an election year I'm not so sure I'll be able to avoid political ads for too long. And so it goes.

9. Apple orchards. Apple orchards are so much fun, and one of the things I love most about fall. When I lived in Florida I missed having apple orchards around to visit, and my fall didn't really feel complete. I mean, where else do you get your apple cider donuts and carmel apples?

I think my love for orchards is due to the class trips we always took to go apple picking in grade school. I always loved those days when we got to skip regular classwork to be outside and come home with a giant bag of apples. I thought field trips to the apple orchard were a normal thing for grade schoolers until I mentioned it to my friends in college and they had no idea what I was talking about. I think they missed out on an important educational opportunity there.

10. Fall Festivities. I feel like big, fun activities always take place in the fall. In high school I had marching band (don't hate!), in college I met most of my friends during the fall, and in Disney we had the Food & Wine festival I met Drew. Plus there's Halloween, football and all the other fun stuff I've already mentioned here.

Maybe it's all of the excitement around a new school year starting or the approaching holidays? Whatever it is that brings so much excitement to fall, I love it. I still miss summertime every day, but at least fall has a lot going on to distract me from the cooler temps and lack of sunlight. Plus, it could be worse. It could be winter.