Real Life Bride : Week 6

Due to the holiday, it’s been a  super duper slow week in wedding planning. So, I whipped out my inner fashion editor and put together a mini-inspiration board.  I’ve been printing out pictures and ripping out magazine pages since the day Grant proposed.  As a firm believer in inspiration boards, I highly encourage all the brides out there to do the same.  I thought I’d share a few things I have on my board:

1.    The Kitchen from “It’s Complicated” – I think the first day I saw Beth & Susie I said I wanted to plan my wedding around this kitchen.
2.    Pink Antique Roses – I get excited and feel like a little girl when I see these flowers.  Maybe they’ll be my bouquet?
3.    Dirt in a Jar – What?  Yes, Dirt in a jar.  We want our ceremony to be super personal so as an alternate option to the unity candle, we’re each brining soil from our “home.”  My soil will be dirt from our farm in Texas and Grant’s will be from LA, maybe sand? Or dirt from his Mom’s ranch.  We’ll combine the soil into one vase and use it to plant a tree in our backyard.
4.    J. Crew Bridesmaids Dress – I highly encourage the brides to go and try on dresses before you send your girls. 
5.    Ban.Do Hair Fun – I’m thinking of clipping in some fun into my hair for our reception.
6.    Invitations – I’m such a strong advocate for adding creativity and uniqueness into wedding invitations.  I hope we can work with our calligrapher to come up with something extra special!
7.    Cotton – Farming has been in my family for over 100 years and I’m proud to be a farmer’s daughter. We’re hoping to incorporate a bit of cotton throughout the wedding festivities.

I hope that my mini-inspiration board gives you some inspiration of your own.  Take advantage of downtime this holiday season, whether you’re driving across country or flying high in the sky – grab those bridal magazines and get to work!!

Fa la la la laaaa…….
xoxo

Real Life Bride: Week 5

Hello lovelies! My apologies for the delay of this post! Jacey had everything in right on time but due to technical difficulties we weren't able to get her happenings up until today! Please enjoy and she will be back next week on her regularly scheduled day!

‘Tis the season to be planning . . . wedding’s that is! This week we mailed our deposits for the band, caterer, photographer and videographer and are having a bit of buyer’s remorse. It’s tough actually writing out checks to vendors I’m not going to lie. The words “Hermés” and “Birkin” keep running through my head. Just thinking about how much money this is all costing kind of hurts, but I’m trying to stay positive and not obsess over every penny that goes out. This week we also mailed out our holiday cards – yet another fun reason to be getting married! Have I mentioned how obsessed we are with our bulldogs? See below for our holiday card. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

I have a confession to make. I really wanted Grant to propose before he actually pulled the trigger. I remember looking at rings online and trying to guess when and where he would pop the question. I was so crazy about it that I pulled out all of the stops . . . I even pulled out the infamous “Engagement Chicken.”


What came first, the chicken or the ring? For me, it was the chicken. Back in January 2004, Glamour Magazine published a recipe for “Engagement Chicken” (link to: http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2006/07/engagement-chicken) so called because soon after staffers whipped it up, their boyfriends popped the question. Let’s just say that I made Grant “Engagement Chicken” on March 1st and he proposed on April 24th – coincidence? Call me crazy but I believe in a bit of superstition.

Things are in a planning lull now that we’re entering the holiday season. This will be the very first Christmas I have spent away from my family in Texas. When you get engaged it is the beginning of starting your own family and with that comes a bit of sadness because you have to let go of old traditions. But as Irene Peter said “Just because everything is different doesn’t mean anything has changed.” Family will always be my family and this Christmas season, I hope you find yourself just as blessed to be sharing it with yours.

Planning Status:

Catering Company – deposit sent

Band – deposit sent

Videographer – deposit sent

Photographer - deposit sent

Save-The-Dates – procrastinating until January

xoxo & happy holidays

The Knot Best of Weddings 2011

We just had some great news at the studio in finding out we won The Knot Award for Best of Weddings 2011. What a huge honor and a very big thank you to the brides and editors that nominated and voted for us! Yippee!

Real Life Bride : Week 4

Grant & I are pro pre-marital counseling and our therapist, Dr. T (for privacy) has told me that the #1 reasons why you fell in love with your spouse will most likely end up being the reasons that drive you mad.  A top reason I fell in love with Grant? He follows the rules.

We drove to Texas for Thanksgiving so Grant could meet the rest of my family.  We also had the chance to sit down with my parents (and my grandmother, “Meme”) to go over the guest list.  Grant had to do a bit of mediating in between it all. We were having a very hard time narrowing down whom to include from my deep Texas roots and came to the conclusion that we are going to have a “Post Wedding Celebration” in Texas so we can just invite everyone!  Is that weird?  I don’t know.

We stayed in Texas for a week and on the way home we hit some very heavy traffic just as we were both at our boiling points.  I suggested a short cut, which would cut us over the median (illegally).  What did Grant do?  He followed the rules.

Of course, Dr. T also says that we choose to marry someone who balances us out; someone who you can count on to pick up the slack for you in areas that are your weaknesses.  I tried remembering this as we sat in traffic for nearly 2 hours, but it all ended up being okay.   It gave us some time to talk about potential rehearsal dinner locations and other details.  I would have probably cut across the median, gotten a ticket resulting in a big fight and rehearsal venue conversations pushed. Good thing Grant “follows the rules” after all.

At the end of our drive we found ourselves singing along deliriously to Beatles tunes and I hope that if you ever take a road trip with your spouse-to-be that it ends just as well.

In Awesome News: We booked our honeymoon flights this week! We’re taking a less traditional trip and hitting up a part of the world neither of us have been to, and may not have the opportunity to return: We’re going to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand and Bali. 

I’m sure you won’t find us nit picking over whether to illegally cross a median on this trip!

Photos: (left) Grant & I opening our first joint bank account. (right) Me having too much fun at William-Sonoma.

Tip for Couples:  Open an airline credit card to rack up points for your honeymoon flights!

Planning Status:
Honeymoon – BOOKED!
Joint Wedding Account: Opened
Registry: Check
Guest List: Finalized

xoxo

Real Life Bride : Week 3

This week was pretty slow in wedding planning news. So, I’m taking this opportunity to really journal about a few wedding feelings I’ve been having lately.

My name is Jacey Lenae Duprie.  I love my name. Maybe it’s a bit narcissistic, but I think it’s more about family pride and loyalty.  Grant and I have discussed this numerous times, although the discussion is usually very short and sweet.  He truly doesn’t care if I change my last name to “Leavitt.”  In fact, he says he loves my name the way it is. I completely understand the desire to take your husbands last name, and I cannot wait to become a part of the Leavitt family.  Grant’s family has welcomed me with open arms.  However, for some reason the idea of changing my name makes me feel sad and like I am losing my identity in a way.  Shannon (my MOH) thinks I’m just being a “hippie” (don’t kill me Shan.) And I’m sure 50% of the readers will agree. It’s a touchy subject I suppose.  But what is this weekly column for other than to help guide me through the process of becoming a “Mrs. “ A Mrs. Jacey Lenae Duprie? Now that isn’t right.  I’ve told Grant that I’m 100% giving our future hopeful children his name.  And he assures me that he is 100% happy with me keeping my name as is.

Everyone has his/her own opinion.  Maybe it’s all just a process and I’ll mature into the idea. We’ll see.  All that matters to me is that Grant is happy and I am happy, and we are.  At the end of the day I guess a name is just a name, or is it something more? Something symbolic? You can look at it either way.

Speaking of “Family” and names – have I mentioned how AWESOME the Leavitt family is?  Grant and his Mom surprised me with an engagement announcement in the newspaper. So sweet!! And don’t even get me started on Mr. Leavitt (err…Chase) and Grant’s siblings.  I would be so lucky as to take on their last name….

Here’s me and the Leavitt clan minus Grant’s Mom – We’re at the USC Football Game – they are HUGE USC fans.

To change or not to change?  That’s still up in the air, but one thing that’s no in question is how lucky I feel to be a part of this family.

Planning Status:


We are mailing our deposits and contracts for several vendors next week!

Starting to address the Save –The-Dates

Real Life Bride : Week 2

 I love this picture, it's the cover of a card.  My best friend and Maid of Honor, Shannon, gave it to me because we both got engaged this year and are simultaneously planning our weddings. I suppose most people would think it’s dangerous planning a wedding in the same year as your best friend (insert “Bride Wars” joke here), but it’s honestly been so nice.  Shannon’s wedding is in June 2011 and ours is in September 2011, so when she checks something off her timeline list, I know that leaves me about a month to do so myself. The most recent box to check off the timeline to do list? Buy your wedding dress.

The hunt started online.  I was certain I had picked out my dress without stepping foot in a store (I was wrong).  Sadly, I’m the girl who has to have a new dress for every special occasion, party, event, holiday… My profession is in the fashion industry and I love to shop, so I figured that dress shopping would be a cakewalk (I was wrong again).

I was really nervous try on my first wedding dress, I’m not going to lie.  The thought of Carrie Bradshaw fainting in that one episode of Sex & The City kept running through my mind over and over.  I took a few deep breaths, walked in to Monique Lhuillier and tried one on… and that is how my newest shopping addiction was born.  I fell in love with trying on wedding dresses. Week after week I would visit and re-visit bridal salons all over Los Angeles; I’m sure the sales associates were thrilled.

After all of that, I ended up finding “the one” in New York. My Mom and I planned a mini-vacation to the big apple for dress shopping, which ended up being a great success.  On our last day, we visited Vera Wang, where we both just knew we’d found it.  I thought I had a “gut feeling” with other dresses but this one just overwhelmed the rest. I. Love. Her.  While I’m sad to put an end to my latest shopping addiction, I’m thrilled that I have my dress!! Below is a picture of my Mom and I just after leaving the store.

I wish I could share pictures of my dress with you, but Grant is keeping in tune with tradition and doesn’t want to see the dress until the big day (which I’m very happy with).

All I can say is she is perfect!  I am happy to report that I have checked off yet another box from the timeline to-do list.  I wonder what Shannon will have in store for me next week.

Planning status:
Wedding Dress: Ordered
Bridesmaids Dresses: Narrowed Down
Bachelorette Party Location: Check
Save-The-Date List? Took it home to Texas Thanksgiving to review with the parents.

xoxo

Real Life Bride : The Save The Date Video

Just to let everyone know, I don't edit my real life brides in ANY way. I want them to share exactly what they believe best represents their wedding planning journey, BUT, to say I was disappointed that Jacey only included a small little link to her save-the-date video would be an understatement. This video lets everyone get to know the couple that much more and I had to share it immediately. I think watching it will make you fall instantly in love with this couple just like Susie and I have!