Wedding planning has highlighted some qualities about myself, that I knew existed before, but tried to deny. There not necessarily horrible things, just things I have become more aware of during the planning process.

1. I am indecisive.- I would never characterize myself as this, but I really am. I have a hard time making a decision and just leaving it be. I always continue to look and wonder if there is a better option.

2. I am nosy.- I always tell my fiance I hate suprises, but this really isn’t true. I really don’t like knowing things. For instance, I know nothing about my wedding shower except the date and time. Since I love Mrs. Sewing I have promised her this will remain so and I will not snoop around to find out the details. This has been desperately hard.

3. My family’s input and approval is extremely important.- I have firm ideas about what I want (just not always sure the best way to execute them), but I really do want Mama and Papa Austen and Mr. Darcy to love them, also. For example, I really want a square cake. I think they’re more modern and simple looking, but Papa Austen really doesn’t like them. So when Mama Austen, Grandma Sprinkle, and I head off to our cake appointment tomorrow we will be looking for a round design with ribbon borders and some scroll work.

Did you learn any lessons about yourself during the wedding planning process?

My biggest issue in life and more specifically in wedding planning is I am indecisive. I will make a decision, but I still will keep looking at other options and wonder if it’s a better choice. A perfect example of this is the cake. Even though we have found several designs we (Mama Austen, Mr. Darcy, and I) all love, but I still find myself obsessing over cake designs. Today, I am being indecisive over the cake topper. My first moment of indecision is whether or not we should have a cake topper or not. My second bit of indecision is regarding what design of cake topper. So here are my options.

Option 1: Mudcards on Etsy

I love these cake toppers. They are so cute and totally customized. There are so many options, we could have books (book theme), Vegas, or me with a laptop and Mr. Darcy with a fishing pole. My favorite part about these pieces is that she customizes them to look like you and your fiance from the hair and eye color to the dress. This is such a personalized option.

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I love all the different options and think these cake toppers would be a true reflection of Mr. Darcy and I. My only drawback is that I am not sure this cake topper will fit on our elegant cake. Do I change the design of the cake to get a cake topper I love?

Option 2: Lenox Disney’s Mickey and Friends “Minnie’s Dream Wedding” Figurine

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I love this option, because Disneyland plays a big role in Mr. Darcy and I’s relationship. It is the first place Mr. Darcy and I said I love you. We are both Disney freaks, also. This one also would fit the elegant look of our cake design.

Option 3- A Sparkly Monogram

I totally love this option. It’s sparkly and Mr. Darcy can testify to the fact, that I love sparkle. This cake topper is totally my taste and not Mr. Darcy’s.

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What’s a girl to do?

Were you indecisive about wedding decisions? How did you finally make a choice?

So I have a lot of paper projects, that require me to do some graphic design work. Aaaaggghhhh! That’s how I feel most of the time after about twenty minutes of formatting documents in Word. I was getting that feeling this evening while trying to work on rehearsal dinner invites. Then I looked up from the computer screen and I saw a box! Woohoo a box! Not just any box, though. The box of Anna Griffin DIY Invites, I got a super good deal on at Micheal’s and then quickly nixed them for an awesome book design! If you have forgotten the post is right here. So now I can have super pretty rehearsal dinner invites without pulling my hair out and I am no longer wasting perfectly good invites. Yeah for boxes! Now I just got to figure out how to word these babies, since we will be doing the rehearsal dinner in-suite and won’t know the room number until we check-in. Aaaaggghhh! I think I will send out a mass text.

Did you have an awesome wedding idea that made life so much easier for you? What was it?

One of the things that is very important to Mr. Darcy and I is making sure we have plenty of opportunities to spend time with our guests. One of the ways we want to do this is by setting-up (not hosting) a morning after brunch. My first idea was to just have it in my parent’s suite and just invite guests to drop by on their way out of town. My issue with this was two-fold, first it committed Mr. Darcy and I to a long period of time of hanging out in the suite and it puts extra pressure on my parents to make sure everything is ready for the guests and that they check out on time. The next idea was to hit the buffet at Mandalay Bay. The problem with this is we have to make a reservation through group dining to insure our space and this requires us to foot the bill. So our next option was to find a restaurant that would allow to make a reservation for a large number of guests without having to foot everyone’s bill. My solution Mon Ami Gabi. Their breakfast/brunch menu is super affordable with choices ranging in price from $3.95-$24.95 and it has a gorgeous view of the Bellagio fountains from the patio.

Mon Ami Gabi Patio

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Besides check out some of their most awesome menu items.

1. Made from Scratch Waffles

Made from Scratch Blueberry Waffles

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2. Bloody Mary Bar

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3. Giant Cappucinnos

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4. Huge Champagne Selection

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I can’t wait to enjoy brunch with our guests at this awesome restaurant. This is definitely on our list of must-visits for our next Vegas planning trip.

Did you have a morning after brunch? Did your guests enjoying spending more time with you in a less pressured environment and without having to worry about spilling their wine on your big, white dress?

So remember a while back, I told you about some Groupons I picked up for Gimme Some Sugar. Well I finally figured out what to do with our groupon, I am going to get s’mores. One of my favorite wedding ideas I had to give up for our Vegas wedding, was a s’mores station. I mean look how awesome this is.

S'mores Inspiration Board

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A s’mores station wasn’t going to exactly work in our reception venue, so when I saw Gimme Some Sugar offers s’mores brownies I was so excited. Look at this description:

Sʼmores Brownies
Our take on a campfire classic! Rich cake like dark brownie is placed atop a freshly baked
honey graham cookie, topped with a toasted marshmallow meringue.

Mmmmm….mmmmm…good. Each guest will be getting one of these babies with their cake. Ooohhh…I am so excited we get to have s’mores. And of course we will be serving the confetti cake pops for the kids.

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We will have a dozen of these babies in blue with jimmies (rainbow sprinkles).

Were you able to incorporate an unexpected detail into your reception? Did you serve anything with your cake?

If you can’t tell I have been a bit obsessive about cakes, lately. Our cake design consultation is coming up later this month and me being the control freak I am, needs to have everything in order before the appointment. I found a beautiful cake that everyone LOVES! I mean LOVE even more than the original design choice of Nicole and guess what? It’s nothing I have shown you before. Are you ready for it?

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Everyone L-O-V-E-S this cake, even Mama Austen, who was beginning to complain about my obsession with cakes. Isn’t it gorgeous? Now I love the metallic scroll work, but I still want to incorporate the blue. My idea is to see if the our baker can do the scroll work in our aqua, but with metallic gold added to the color to give a bit of metallic sheen. What do you think?

Did you become obsessive about certain details of the wedding? Perusing galleries of photos to find the perfect fit/design/idea?

I have been really struggling with this cake thing for a while. Although a cake is not the hugest priority for me (other than it tasting yummy) I want the design to aesthetically fit our modern, vintage design. After discussing the coloring issue with Mama Austen, she came up with a brilliant idea. (Cake discussions with Mr. Darcy were frustrating, because his responses consisted of “That’s nice.” “Whatever you want, babe.”) We will be having a cool, blue cake instead of a red, hot cake. The reasoning, red is such a dominant color in our jewel toned reception room, so instead of playing up the red we are going to play up the blue. It will take the aqua/turquoise from a spectator accent color to full ,fledged player by putting it on a centerpiece, like the cake. Now I just have to tackle the design. I have it narrowed down to two designs. Our original pick, except in aqua/turquoise blue.

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Our second choice is Frances, except in our aqua color.

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The common theme here, obviously is the scroll work and the pearls. I love both designs, but feel the second fits our modern, vintage feel design better, but I love the look of the square tiers in the Nicole design. I think a square cake is more modern than round. So now we have the color we just need a design choice.

Which design do you like better? Did you have a hard time deciding on a cake design?

As you know Mr. Darcy and I will be making our grand entrance to our reception to the Notre Dame Fight Song. Mrs. Sewing made the suggestion that she would get pom-poms and get guests cheering for us before our grand entrance. Mrs. Sewing may have been saying this in jest, but I have taken the idea and run with it. I know Mrs. Sewing will do an awesome job of getting the crowd guests all riled up for our big entrance, because Mrs. Sewing has studied such tatics (she bases her basketball picks for March Madness on which team has the best cheerleaders). Obviously we needed some pom-poms for this adventure and I have hunted down the perfect pair of Navy and Gold ones for the occasion.

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I also needed to track down a Notre Dame garter for my something blue. A quick search of EBay revealed several options. I decided on this set.

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Are final Notre Dame detail a Notre Dame groom’s cake.

Notre Dame Football Cake by Cake Lava

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Are you incorporating your interests into the wedding details? How about a favorite sports team?

1. It’s an AWESOME destination within only a few hours drive!

Vegas is a hot travel destination and even hotter wedding destination. It’s only a few hours drives from SoCal, has a huge variety of venues (hotels, chapels, mansions, all-inclusive banquet halls, country/golf clubs, restaurants), has a ton of great spots to take incredible wedding pictures, and is the perfect place to go over the top or sweet and low-key. Best of all, EVERYONE LOVES VEGAS!!!

Awesome Wedding Photo in the Las Vegas Sign Graveyard by Mike L. Photo

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2. Vegas has the most awesome vendors ever!

Right now I am watching a TLC episode of “Fabulous Cakes” specifically on Las Vegas cakes. In Vegas vendors go big or go home.

The mid-stage of a 3 ft x 4ft Las Vegas Strip Cake built by Freed's Bakery (Do you recognize the Wynn and the Rio?)

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3. I get to spend the whole weekend with my guests.

From our rehearsal dinner to our meet and greet to the ceremony to the reception to the morning after brunch. Mr. Darcy and I have several events/days to spend time with our guests. I can’t wait! I am so excited!

4. In Vegas the party never ends.

I have made a list of five different bars where we can continue the party after the reception.

Parasol Up Parasol Down Wynn Las Vegas

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5. Shopping!!!! OMG! Shopping!

I mean really Caesars’ Palace, Bellagio, Planet Hollywood, Fashion Show Mall, the outlets, Mandalay Bay, Paris, Encore/Wynn, Venetian, Cosmopolitan, and the Palazzo are just a few places that have incredible shopping. I can shop for all my honeymoon attire and some cute stuff for our honeymoon suite.

La Perla Siena Baby Doll

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6. Awesome Photo Locations!

From Paris to Italy to Egypt to New York to Red Rock Canyon to the Neon Boneyard in Downtown the possibilities are endless. And thanks to a great deal being ran by Moxie Studios Mr. Darcy and I will be exploring Red Rock Canyon or the Neon Boneyard for our e-pics.

Red Rock Canyon

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Neon Boneyard

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7. The Food!

Celebrity chef’s restaurants abound and there is nothing more than good food and good wine that Mr. Darcy and I enjoy. From Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill to Charlie Palmer’s Aureole to Emeril’s Delmonico Steakhouse the choices are endless.

Aureole at Mandalay Bay Resort

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8. The Spas!

I love an awesome spa. The experience is just so aaaahhhh! I always feel renewed after a day at the spa. I love having a massage, a facial, and enjoy the facilities. Las Vegas has some of the most awesome spa facilites there are from Caesar’s Palace Qua Baths to the Venetian’s Canyon Ranch Spa.

Qua Bath's Massage Room

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9. Many famous weddings have taken place here.

The most famous wedding is probably Elvis and Priscilla. Other stars who have married here are Judy Garland and Mark Herron, Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley, Axl Rose and Erin Evelyn, Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra, Billy Bob Thorton and Angelina Jolie, Mickey Rooney and Eva Gardner, Jane Fonda and Ted Turner, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, and Micheal Jordan and Juanita Vannoy.

10. Anything goes in Vegas.

I don’t have to follow the traditional wedding schedule (bridal party photos, ceremony, photos/cocktail hour, 4 hour reception).  We could have a theme wedding if we wanted to. We could get married in our car. I could wear a red dress and have my reception at In-and-Out.

Photo from my Favorite Vegas Wedding

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Why do you love your wedding locale? Is it as awesome as Vegas?

All my lovely ladies now have their dresses (woohoo!). Mrs. Sewing my Hot Mama of Honor will be wearing this strapless dress.

David's Bridal Style 83707

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Bridesmaid A and L have chosen this halter stunner for their duds.

David's Bridal Style 84177

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Now it’s time to build a cohesive and creative look for these ladies that will reflect their own style. Also known as I will give them so guidelines and let them pick their own accessories. I think some gorgeous gold shoes will do the trick, in whatever heel height style makes them comfortable.  Here are some totally cute ones for under $50 (if your searching for some Mrs. Sewing, L, and A).

Katie and Kelly Grace Metallic Sandal

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Capparos Band Sandal

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Katie and Kelly Michelle T-Strap

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I decided I would get the girls jewelry for the day of, so they would have one less expense. Originally I picked these earrings from Kate Spade.

Kate Spade Gum Drop Earrings in Blue

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Mama Austen thinks they’re cute, but thinks the girl needs something more substantial, like a small chandelier earring. I didn’t really like the idea of a chandelier, but I found a gorgeous, dangley earring on Etsy from seller Belle Fleur Jewelry.

Gold Orchid and Freshwater Pearl Earrings

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(I am totally ordering myself my own pair).

What do you think? Did you let your bridesmaids choose their own looks, give them guidelines, or did you totally dictate the look?