see ya, 2013

If there's one word for 2013, it is challenging.

There were some really, really tough times, the largest by far being the impact on my family from the attacks on one of my favorite cities at a 117-year old Patriots Day tradition.
There were some great times, including my sister's wedding to her boyfriend of 10 years...

(see? I'm the runt of the litter- Britt's wearing flats and I'm in heels. Sad face.)

and, oh yeah, one of my besties was the photographer that day! (photos via Mary Costa Photography)

...and my best friend married a great guy from college in a gorgeous August Cape Cod wedding.

T and I got engaged (!), started planning our wedding, and took a vacation across the country.

But in all of the crap of this year, and there was a lot of it, I was reminded by the goodness of people, especially in the hundreds who supported my family in April and since then. From cards from schoolchildren on the west coast to baked goods left on the porch from close friends, people cared, and it meant a lot.

So, 2013, we've had good times and bad, and I can't say I'm sad to see you go.

Happy New Year, and Cheers to 2014!

how to dry a bouquet

The bouquets for my sister's wedding were gorgeous. The flowers were exactly what she wanted, and after the weekend, I took her bouquet home to preserve it for her while she got ready to jet off to the honeymoon.

I used a crochet needle and yarn to string up the bouquet and hang it upside down on a hanger. It's important to hang it upside down so that the flowers keep their shape. Then into a dark, dry closet it went for two weeks to dry.

Mold or mildew may start to grow on some of the flowers, and you can easily kill this with white vinegar. It's amazing stuff. I put some white vinegar into a spray bottle to easily get to the spots I needed to.

Two weeks later...

With the flowers dried, I took them outside and used a Krylon clear spray to seal them. It's tough to get into the stems, but do it as best you can. Coat all of the leaves and flowers (and berries), and then let dry for about an hour.

I tested everything first on my bridesmaid bouquet before doing her bridal bouquet. My bridesmaid bouquet is definitely not as pretty dried as it was on the wedding day, but it is now dried and preserved. Once you've dried your bouquet, the best place for it to go is into a tissue-lined box so that nothing snaps off.

wedding Wednesday: silver and white tablescape

(excuse the iPhone photos!)

T and I attended our fourth wedding of the year this past weekend. It was our first small wedding (only about 70 people total) and had quite a few DIY touches that the bride did herself (and they looked gorgeous!). My favorite touch was probably this centerpiece wreath on our table.

I love love love the dress I wore on Saturday but was too busy on the dance floor to get a good photo, so here's a classy bathroom selfie to show you what I wore. I've loved Sue Wong dresses for a while. (I won't lie to you, I shed everywhere on Saturday night, leaving ostrich feathers behind as a reminder of my presence.)

Sue Wong dress (also love this one) // Michael Michael Kors pumps

wedding Wednesday: my sister got married!

This past weekend was my older sister's wedding, and it was an incredible, perfect event. I don't have a lot of pictures, since I was kind of busy being in the wedding, but the incredible Mary was the photographer. I'm sure she will have some really great photos of the whole weekend!

Here I am with my co-maid of honor before the ceremony... I'm really not short, I swear.

The setting was gorgeous. This property in on the North Shore of Boston.

The garden where the ceremony was held was incredible.

The wedding had the perfect amount of handmade elements, like these chalkboard signs my younger sister (pictured above) crafted.

It was such a great weekend, and I was so sad on Monday that it was over! But I'm taking that as a good thing - fabulous people, gorgeous day, and one really great party.

wedding Wednesday: this week's wedding frenzy

If you know me personally, you know that this weekend my big sister is getting married! And that means my free time this week has been filled in with various (co)maid of honor duties. This weekend I tied more bows than I have ever tied in such a short period of time - because, you know, a welcome bag isn't a welcome bag unless there's a bow tied to it.

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. I got a preview of my sister in her wedding attire at her last fitting last week, and I'm so, so excited for her fiance to see her, for the food, for the dancing, and for all of the love that will be surrounding everyone there.

I'll be posting on Instagram throughout the weekend, so follow me there!

wedding Wednesday: Brittany Fuson stationery

If you aren't familiar with Brittany Fuson, you should check out her work. The two cards here are ones I purchased for two of my besties getting married. I loved that they resemble the ladies in my life.

Brittany also does custom illustrations, which would be a really cute way to ask your girls to be in your wedding or would make a unique wedding gift. nudge nudge.

wedding Wednesday: Cape Cod wedding recap

If you follow on Instagram, you're very well aware that I was at the Cape all weekend for the wedding of one of my dearest friends. T and I then extended our trip a couple of days to spend some time with my family, so we are just getting back to work for a couple of days - before I have to head back to Cape Cod for my sister's bachelorette party! It's busy, but I don't hate it.

And now, some (a lot of) photos from this weekend's wedding.

the view from the back of the chapel 

such a cute chapel right on the water

morning getting-ready snacks 

a very busy kitchen (with our print outs of updo inspiration)

bouquet arrival! love the bride's bouquet against her floral robe

 bridesmaid bouquets

this is what happens when one of your bridesmaids happens to be a professional photographer

mid-ceremony excitement (p.s. can I have a hair and makeup artist everyday?)

besties since high school and here we are over 10 years later

 reception right on the water

best friends for 19 years! what a gorgeous bride

love, love, love these two 

my handsome date

What a whirlwind of a weekend - and my sister's wedding is now only 1 month away!

back from my bridesmaid duties

One of my dearest friends who I have known for almost 2 decades (that's frightening but amazing at the same time) got married this weekend, and we are finally back from an extra couple of days away. Get ready for a big wedding recap photo post tomorrow!

wedding Wednesday: in with the new, donate the old

So you've received your new towels and sheets off of your wedding registry, and now your linen closet is stuffed. Before you throw out your used items, think about donating them. A lot of people don't know that your local animal shelter will accept these used items so that their animals have something soft to sleep on. Towels, blankets, sheets (even placemats) - they can use them all!

Not sure where to donate? Call your local animal shelter or try the Humane Society.

I met this little guy on a visit last winter to the Northeast Animal Shelter just outside of Boston. See that blanket he had at the shelter (before he went to his forever home)? Donated by someone!

wedding Wednesday: videographers

image via Pinterest

I love wedding videos. Don't get me wrong- I also love wedding photographs, but there is something about a wedding video that shows movement and laughter and emotion (not to mention embarrassing dance moves) that can't be replicated in a single image. This week I watched two separate wedding videos from friends' weddings, and I was amazed at how well the images and the one song they chose went together to tell the story of their wedding days.

In the Boston area, wedding videographers can cost around $2,000 for the most basic package, but it is a line item I will be adding into my budget.

When else would it be entirely appropriate to have a video trailer?

wedding Wednesday: most looking forward to

T and I have only been engaged a little over 2 weeks, but I am so excited to start planning! I'm not letting myself visit venues and really dive in until my finals are done, though, so for now, here's what I'm most looking forward to.

Seeing T for the first time on the day we'll get married!

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Having some really incredible people stand up with me

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Asking said incredible people to stand up with me (still need to figure out how to do this - I want it to be creative!)

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Celebrating us!

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 And all of the pretty that goes along with the day!

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I'm looking forward to what I hope will be an incredible experience of being engaged and planning our dream wedding. Any advice? Please feel free to leave it in a comment!

big news - I'm engaged!

Big news, friends - I'm engaged! I'll spare you the details, but it happened Friday right when I got home from work. It's hard to focus on anything right now - my trip to the grocery store yesterday went something like this: "How many tomatoes should I get... SPARKLY"

After dinner with our parents Friday night celebrating. So, so excited to be marrying my best friend!

Friday flip flop PSA

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For those of you planning a wedding, here's your friendly Friday PSA that Old Navy is having its $1 flip flop sale on Saturday. There's also an additional 10% off coupon, so you can get each pair for only 90 cents! If you decide to have a basket of beachy footwear at your reception, your friends who wear uncomfortable shoes to your nuptials will thank you.

If you aren't planning a wedding, check out this flip flop DIY. What better to practice it on than a cheap pair of flippys?

wedding Wednesday: the dress after the big day

You've taken your vows, your photos are being edited, and you are back from your honeymoon. While you're putting away everything from the wedding, remembering how incredible of a day it was, an important question pops up:  What do you do with your dress? The dress?

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I've heard of ladies cutting theirs up to make Christening gowns for their children. My own mom had hers (complete with hat) boxed up and sealed, and then it sat in the attic in its box for 20+ years; meanwhile, my neighbor got to wear her mom's dress at her 7th birthday party as we danced around to "It's My Party", which I remember thinking was the coolest thing ever.

These ladies opted to keep their dress in view after the big day.

Rhiannon from Hey Gorgeous Events hung her dress in her home office as decor. She is an event planner, so it works perfectly.

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Adrienne Maloof of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (you know who she is) framed her ballgown and hung it outside of her closet.

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This bride had wedding guests write notes on pieces of fabric, which she planned to turn into a quilt, incorporating pieces of her wedding dress.

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What did you do with your dress after your wedding? Or what do you plan to do with it? I can't see myself boxing up such an important piece of clothing and putting it away for years.