Girl makes brooch bouquet

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.
Girl makes brooch bouquet.

When I decided to make a brooch bouquet... I had no idea what an undertaking it would be!
I had seen pictures and figured I was pretty good at crafts...

Little did I know...

After looking around on the internet and trying to figure out exactly how I wanted to do it, I came up with a plan... sort of.

Before I begin explaining this process, I want to give kind of a disclaimer:
1. This is a HUGE project. It takes lots of time and lots of patience. It also takes a lot of trail and error.
2. This takes a TON of brooches. I used about 80 brooches to get the full look of mine.
3. Some people seem to choose brooches of the same color scheme. I did not. I wanted my bouquet to have meaning, so my family and friends sent them to me. None of them matched. At all. But I loved it that way. If you are choosing your own, you could choose a color scheme, or even a metal color. Or simply all "flower" shapes. I chose not to do that... I had all colors, shapes, sizes and metals... I even had some that were not flower shapes.
4. This is not something I would recommend doing yourself. I did 95% of it myself, but my wonderful florist friend, Angela, helped me put it all together. Had it not been for her, It may have looked like a sparkly mess.
5. I am explaining these steps according to how I did it. I couldn't find step by step instructions anywhere, so I just kind of had to figure it out. You may want to change the way you do it to fit your style and what you want the outcome to look like..
6. The end result is VERY heavy. It is not easy to carry all day long, and can also make picture taking somewhat difficult. So be prepared for the extra weight as well.

With that said....

First, I headed to Michael's (craft store) and loaded up on all the stuff I thought I'd need. Needless to say, I made a couple of trips back. But this is what you will need:
1. 22 gauge green florist wire (lots of it!)
2. Pipe cleaners (at least 2 for each stem)
3. green florist tape (lots of this too!)
4. 50-80 brooches (vintage or otherwise. Other misc jewelry can sometimes be used also)
5. 2-3 stems of silk hydrangeas (I used white, but you could use any color)
6. Wire cutters
7. Needle nose pliers
7. 2 inch wide ribbon (I used off white, but any color would work)
8. Hot glue

Once I had gathered all the stuff I thought I'd need, here are the steps I took:

1. Prepare the brooches.
I made sure they were all securely pinned shut. For a few of them, I had to hot glue the clasp to make them stay. A few didn't have pins on the back, so I had to be sure there was some way to wrap my wire through them.

2. Attach wire to each brooch, creating a "stem"
Each brooch is different. So this was kind of a trial and error for each individual brooch. I wrapped wire around the pin part of the brooch and connected it in the middle of the brooch, twisting it tight so that when I held the wire, the brooch wouldn't flop. I twisted the two ends of the wire all the way down the stem to reinforce it. The needle nose pliers are a lot of help here. You want the stems to be close to a foot and a half (18 inches). I know it seems long, but they need to be long enough to go through the hydrangea and make a long stem for you to hold.

3. Reinforce the wire "stem" with pipe cleaner
I took a green pipe cleaner and wrapped it around the wire to give the stem reinforcement and thickness. The stems were long enough that it usually took two pipe cleaners for each stem. Sometimes three. It isn't crucial for the pipe cleaner to go all the way down... its most important on the top half.

4. Wrap the stem with florist tape
Starting from the top of the stem, wrap floral tape around and around in a diagonal motion to cover the stem. This reinforces it again, makes the stems look green like stems should be, and also gives the stems a little stick which will help when you put the whole thing together.

5. Continue this process with each brooch (or piece of jewelry)
It's good to have lots of different shapes and sizes because it will help your bouquet to have a full look. It will help with piecing it together and making the finished product.

6. Cut stems of hydrangeas
Not too short! You want them to be plenty long enough to hold with two hands... and still have a little room left. But most of the silk hydrangea flowers have SUPER long stems and that makes them hard to handle.

7. Hold hydrangea stems together
This will create kind of a mini bouquet, and the base for your bouquet.

8. Begin placing brooches
This is where it gets tricky and where I had help from my florist friend. She took each brooch stem and pulled it through the hydrangeas, letting the brooch sit on top of the flowers, and gathering the stem with your other hand. This is basically creating the bouquet. You do this much the same way you would with live flowers or silk flowers. It will get harder the more you do. It's best to start with the larger brooches.

9. Fill in the open areas with the small brooches
Continue the same process, but fill in the open areas with the smaller pieces. It will help your bouquet look full and complete. You can also use the wire stems to your advantage by bending them to fit where you need them.

10. Wrap the stems
After you have built the bouquet where you like it, and you are ready to finish it up, keep the stems gathered in one hand, and use florist tape to wrap the stems together. It may help to have another person helping you here. The bouquet will be full and heavy by this point and hard to handle with only one hand. Wrap in a diagonal motion all the way to the ends of the stems.

11. Finish off the stems with ribbon
Take the two inch ribbon, and starting at the top, wrap in the same diagonal motion all the way down the stems, being careful to completely cover the green from the stems. Use the hot glue gun to secure the ribbon at the bottom of the bouquet.

This whole process takes a long time... I did it over the course of several days. It is also a lot of trail and error and being patient. But if you can manage to do that, it is really a beautiful result.


Thanks to our fabulous photographers Chris and Erinn of White Haute Photography for the images :) And to my friend Angela of Perfectly Pink Florals for helping me with this huge project!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I have been absolutely blown away by the response I have gotten when it comes to my brooch bouquet. I sort of expected my family to send me brooches, and maybe some friends... but blog readers? And people I've never met? BLOWN. AWAY.

A few days ago I received a package that totally shocked me. And made me cry. Good tears, and sad tears. I blogged a year and a half ago about the passing of my childhood friend, Ethan. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can go back and read that blog here. When I opened the package, I pulled out a letter from a girl that I have never met. But Ethan was our mutual friend. This is what the letter said,

Dear Diandra,
As I mentioned in my email to you, I was introduced to your blog through Ethan Townsend. While he is no longer with us, I know if he was around, he would want to contribute in some way to your wedding. Therefore, I wanted to take it upon myself to partake in this project on his behalf.
I met Ethan through one of my best friends. Ethan and my friend Andy met at Stanford University their freshman year and quickly became best friends. They went on to room together for multiple years and travel around the US and internationally. I told Andy about your blog and I wanted to share a quick snippet of our conversation. Andy thought it was amazing that Ethan was able to bring people together in life and in death. But most of all, I want to stress to you how lucky you are that you are able to marry your best friend. When I told Andy about the bouquet, he said that one of the hardest things he has had to come to terms with, beyond not being able to pick up his phone and just chat with Ethan about whatever random thing had happened that day, was the fact that his best friend, the person whom he imagined would stand by him on his wedding day, as his man of honor, would no longer be able to be there to stand by him on one of the most important days of his life.
I hope that you like both of these flowers and that they can each be a good addition to your bouquet. I cant wait to see how the whole DIY project comes together. I only wish you the best in life for you and your future husband.
Sincerely,
Sara

I have enjoyed getting brooches from everyone. But this particular package was so near and dear to my heart. This is exactly the reason I wanted to put together this bouquet. To have a little piece of the people I love with me on my wedding day. Including the ones that cannot be there in person.

I am so grateful to Sara and Andy for sharing such a special gift with me on behalf of Ethan.

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

When it comes to this brooch bouquet, some things have gone exactly according to plan, and some things have been a complete surprise.
One of the best surprises is the fact that I have received pins from people that I have never met!!! Two of those people are Susie and Francine. Both are J's relatives, but I've never met either of them! Susie and I are friends on facebook and her husband is deployed with the Army as well, so we have lots in common. When I got her package in the mail, I was overjoyed! Then I saw that her dad's wife, Francine had also sent a couple of pins! They are so great and will make fantastic additions to the bouquet!

From Susie:






From Francine:




Another pin I received from someone I've never met is a facebook friend and blog reader/photographer. Faith Cherrise. She sent the pin with some amazing pictures her kids drew for J! I am completely blown away by her kindness! And I love the pin (I know J will love the pictures too!):



Another photog friend contributed to my bouquet as well! I showed up to shoot a wedding on New Years day, and my second shooter for the day, Lisa, came bearing a beautiful pin. She was a teacher and said she used to wear it to school. She wore it so much that the pin eventually broke off of the back! But I love it and it made a perfect flower for my bouquet!



Yesterday I was thrilled to open up a letter in the mail and find this beautiful, unique pin:



It was sent from J's cousin, Mallory. She and I have also become friends over the last few months (thanks again Facebook!) and she has been planning a wedding as well. We've bonded over chatting about weddings, marriage, family, and silly stories. It's been great getting to know another family member! :)

I know I typically only blog about one or two pins in a blog, but I have soooo many coming in and so many more things to blog! I want to make sure I get to everything! I only have 56 more days until the wedding! I can't believe how quickly it's come (although sometimes it still feels decades away!)

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

My dad has one sister. And my mom has one brother. We don't have a huge family, but I am fortunate to have a pretty close relationship with the family members we do have! At Christmas, my aunt Brenda pulled me aside and gave me this gorgeous pin:


She told me that as a kid, she remembered her mom (my grandma) wearing this pin on a long purple coat she had. She said my grandma didn't wear many, but she did wear this one. Aunt Brenda thought it would be a great addition, and I agree! It is so different than anything I've seen before!

In planning out this bouquet, I kind of left it's fate in the hands of my family and friends. By asking them to choose pins and not giving any guidelines (color, metals, flower or not flowe), I kind of let everyone else decide how my bouquet would look. It's turned out to be great fun! But I did order two special pins myself. I knew I wanted something specific and this is what I found:



I have a very special plan for our initials... I hope it works out how I envision it :)

When we got back from visiting family at Christmas, I had a really neat pin waiting for me in the mail. This pin was from our friend Heather. I met Heather a couple of years ago at a birthday party for one of J's nephews. She has been friends with J and his brothers since they were young. And she and her husband and son live right down the street from his family. I have gotten to know her and grown to love her and her family, and I was so excited to see this gorgeous pin in the mail from her:



I especially love that even though she lives right down the street, she sent it in the mail :) So cute! I can't wait to see how the butterfly looks mixed in with the flowers! It is perfect!

The bouquet is growing, and I've made a lot of progress. I've managed to make each of the pins into a flower with a stem... so this week I should be finishing up the bouquet. I still have tons of pins to blog... I'll keep going with that :)

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

When I began asking for brooches, I wasn't sure what would happen. I didn't know if I would get any at all. I was a little worried that my plan wouldn't work and that I would walk down the aisle empty handed.

But what I have found is that this has ended up being one of the COOLEST things I've ever experienced. I know people have made these before. I know there are people out there who you can pay to make them for you. They will even go out and find all of the brooches to go in the bouquet. But the neatest part of this for me has been getting little pieces of my family and friends. Some of the pins are old and have a story behind them... a history. Others are brand new and were bought just for this purpose because someone wanted to contribute. I love that I am reconnecting with people from my past, and that I have so many people in my life that love and support me.

It has been fun to see the personalities of different people show up in their choice of brooch. I've been given flowers, and hearts, and random designs. I've even got a butterfly or two. Everything I read about how to make one of these said you should choose a color scheme and a metal and stick with it. But I decided to throw the rules out the window and do what I wanted to do instead. And I decided I wanted pins from family and friends instead of random pieces.

At Christmas we visited my family in Oregon. It is the only time of the year that I get to see my dad's parents. My grandma has facebook and email and she knew about my bouquet. Originally she wasn't sure she'd be able to come up with a pin for it, but I was pleasantly surprised when she pulled me aside and handed me this:



It's a beautiful pin and I love having a butterfly to add to my bouquet! How perfect!

It's getting down to the wire now. I'm hoping to have all of my pins in by the end of the month so that next month I can start to put them together. I can't wait to see how my bouquet comes out! I think it is going to be beautiful!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I don't even know how to begin this story.
Once upon a time, there was a woman.
She was my grandma's grandma.
My great great grandmother.
Her name was Rhoda Isabel.
She had a pin. It was made probably at least 150 years ago.
The stone that is centered in the middle of the pin was hand cut. It's a real gem of some kind... and it wasn't cut by a machine. Someone held that little gem in their hands and cut it and faceted it by hand. 150 years ago.
My grandma has had it for about 50 years.
And now it will be a part of my bouquet.

I think this is such a special piece for my bouquet. I plan to put it right in the middle. It will be my "something old".



Wow. Such special stories that are coming with these pins!
I am hoping to collect quite a few more by the beginning of February! There will be lots more brooch blogs coming!!!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

Christmas morning is always fun and exciting.
Sometimes things under the tree are more of a surprise than other times.
This year I had lots of surprises under the tree, but one of the biggest surprises came from my Uncle Don and Aunt Carol and my cousin Evan.

When I opened the brooch, I was blown away. I wasn't expecting it and it was beautiful!

I don't think there is much of a story behind it, but it was really special to me to have a pin from them. Uncle Don has been around since I was born. He is my mom's brother. As a kid, my mom used to say how much I was like him. I think that always made me like him even more. And Carol came into the picture when I was pretty young. I loved her from the beginning! When I was in Junior High, they got married, and I got to be one of 2 people in their wedding. It was so special for me.

Evan is 7 years old and he is so smart. Since I was 18 years old when he was born, I've been able to watch him grow up and it has been really fun! Even though I don't get to see him often and he grows so quickly, its been a really neat thing. Evan is my only cousin on this side.

Here is a picture of the pin:



Its so fun seeing all of the different pins everyone has been picking out. When I look at this one, that little lady bug reminds me of Evan :) I love that it will be in my bouquet on my wedding day!

I have collected quite a few! Next month I'll be putting them all together. I can't wait to see how it comes out!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I remember as a little girl, my mom and my grandma wearing jean jackets covered in rhinestone brooches. They would collect them and pin them all over the jackets. As a kid, I didn't really understand it. I thought they were pretty and sparkly, but I didn't understand entirely why they would collect them with such diligence. But collect they did.

When we arrived in Oregon for Christmas, my grandma told me that I could pick from her pins for my bouquet. And out came this drawer:



I was overwhelmed... and didn't even know where to start. But immediately, this pin jumped out at me.



But then so did a few others...







After I'd pulled these out of the drawer, she found a couple others she thought I might like:





Needless to say, I was THRILLED to add several new pins to my growing collection! I know I say this at the end of every brooch post, but I am really enjoying getting each piece. It is fun to think about the different people who care about me and my day!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I think it started before I was born.
Christmas Eve.
My mom's family would gather together and open presents that my great grandmother had gotten all of us. We would eat and talk and catch up on the last year. Because most of us hadn't seen each other since last Christmas Eve. This tradition has continued on my entire life. All 25 years. Until this year.
I missed seeing my family this year... but I was beyond excited when I arrived at my grandma's house and she presented me with 2 pins for my bouquet... one from my Great-Aunt Eileen, and one from my second cousin, Nancy. Both are beautiful!!!

This one is from Aunt Eileen... because of my love for Disney as a kid:


And this one is from Nancy. She said she has had it for over 20 years! I love the color of it! And it catches the light!


Just like I say in every brooch blog... it is SO MUCH FUN to get these pins from everyone! It's fun to hear the stories and see why each pin was chosen!

If you want to send me a pin, I am still collecting them. I am about half way there and I'm getting so excited to see it all come together! I am hoping to collect them all in the next month or so... by the beginning of February... so I have enough time to put them all together before the wedding. Let me know if you need my address!

Girl chooses accessories

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy gives Girl beautiful ring.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl buys a dress.
Girl chooses jewelry.

My mother always says that the year I turned 10, I turned into an alien child. I was awful. But when I turned 11 I went back to normal. Not sure how that happened, but it did. That was also the year I refused to wear color. I wore blue jeans and over-sized white t-shirts. And don't even THINK about anything sparkly. Ironically that is also the year I got my ears pierced (for the first time). And I picked pink sparkly studs. But other than that, there was no sparkle for me.

I am not exactly sure when I changed my mind about sparkle, but if you ask my mom (or J, or anyone else who knows me), she will tell you that I love sparkle now. The more sparkle the better.

So even before I had chosen a dress, I began to think about what I wanted for jewelry. Once I did choose a dress, that vision became much clearer. I knew I didn't want a necklace. The neckline of my dress would be great for one, but I wanted bold accessories that would really be fun.

The first thing I found was a bracelet. I knew it was perfect.



I also knew I wanted pieces from Lauren of Lo Boheme. I've worked with her in the past on shoots I've done, and used her pieces on my models. I also have a few pieces she has made me that I am in love with. I even shot her new line recently. I knew I wanted to use her pieces. But I couldn't decide what!!! So after chatting with her, I decided on 3 different pieces that she is custom making for me (pictures will follow). One for the ceremony will be a birdcage veil and ivory flower. Then for the reception an Ivory and Purple flower piece. J and I are also doing a day after session with our photographers (more on this later as well) and Lauren is making me an amazing headband for that.

I knew I wanted to wear earrings, but I didn't want them to fight for attention with my hair. I found a pair when we were in Las Vegas, but I am still not sure they are exactly what I want. So I'm still searching for those.

There is a place on the side of my dress where there is a little tie (not to be confused with a neck tie) and there is a small space that is perfect for a brooch. And since I am working on the brooch bouquet, I decided that that was a must. When my grandma let me choose from her brooches from my bouquet, I immediately fell in love with this one:



I already blogged about my shoes.

There is one more very special touch. A surprise for J (I'm pretty sure he does not read this blog from Kuwait). J is an avid Miami Dolphins fan. I mean really. He is the definition of fanatic. So I found these on etsy:



I'm not even sure we will have a garter toss, but I knew I had to have these!

All of the little details are starting to come together and it is so much fun!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I have been a youth pastor for almost 8 years. That's actually kind of how I met J, since he is a full time youth pastor when he isn't away in the Army. It's a little known fact on my blog... because for the most part I keep my photography blog about photography and my wedding blog about my wedding. But I have been working with these teenagers since a lot of them first entered middle school... and I've already graduated through a few groups. I adore these teenagers, and they become a big part of my life.

There's a very special girl in my youth group and her name is Shirley. She started coming a number of years ago and I have enjoyed every minute with her. She is not only a beautiful girl inside and out, but she is amazingly creative. She is into fashion design and photography. And she is really great at both! It has been fun to watch her grow up and develop into a young woman. I am blessed to know her.

A couple of weeks ago she brought me an adorable box that she had covered with pictures of me and J (who as I mentioned before is also her youth pastor). Inside were two beautiful pins for my bouquet. She said there was no special story behind them but she wanted to contribute to my bouquet. And I am so glad she did :)

I love getting all of these amazing brooches!
I am about half way there with about 30 brooches. I need about 30 more. So if you have one you'd like to send me (it can be old or new, with meaning or no meaning), I would love to get it! I am trying to collect them all by the beginning of February so I have enough time to put together the bouquet!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

So far, most of the brooches I have received have been from my family and friends. Which is perfect, that is exactly what I expected. But I got a really special surprise a couple of days ago when I stopped by Javier's parent's house. His mom handed me a bag of 4 brooches from Javier's aunt.

I have grown to love Javi's family. I am very blessed to be marrying into a family that has accepted me and love me. I am thankful to have a good relationship even with his extended family. I am grateful for the generous gift. One of these brooches has belonged to her since before she was married! What a special addition to my bouquet!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

She was that girl in high school that everyone loved. I don't think I ever heard anyone say a bad word about Monique. We played volleyball together, had classes together and spent lots of fun nights together. I was so fortunate to have a friend like Monique. She met her husband when we were all in high school together and it's been fun to watch their relationship grow into what it is today.

I received her brooch in the mail not long ago and I was so excited! It was so pretty and so much fun having one from her. But most of all, I loved the note she attached.





Hey Diandra!
No special story behind the brooch. I only hope it brings you the same kind of love Rob and I share. We may not be rich and while we dream of traveling the world together, we've only made it to Montana once! But to be honest, there is no place I would rather be, than in his arms, as corny as it sounds!
Congrats!
<3>




Thanks Monique!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I anxiously check the mail every day.
Every day.
I am not exaggerating.
I think my poor mail man is afraid of me, because he doesn't usually even make it all the way to the mail box before I am riffling through the mail, looking for small packages that MIGHT contain another brooch for my bouquet.

A few days ago, I left for work and noticed a white envelope in the mail box.
After closer examination I realized it was an unexpected brooch! Two actually!!

A friend of mine from high school, Stacey, saw one of my posts on facebook about collecting brooches and mentioned that she had two that would be perfect.

I attended 3 high schools growing up. My family moved several times during that period of my life. The last high school I ended up at was here in Southern California. Valley Christian High School. I loved being at a private school. I loved the classes, and the teachers, and the fact that Jesus was in the curriculum. But not all of the kids were nice. Some were kind of mean. Stacey was always such a sweet girl, and while we weren't super close in high school, we've reconnected through facebook and I am so excited to add her brooches to my bouquet!







Thanks Stacey! These will be perfect :)

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I think that one of my very favorite components of my wedding is my brooch bouquet. It is sooooo fun seeing the pins that everyone has been picking out. And I love that there are people contributing from all times in my life! This has turned out to be such a great project!

I received a small package in the mail the other day and I got SO EXCITED because I instantly knew it was brooches! I opened it up, and sure enough! Sent all the way from Brookings, Oregon. These pins were specially sent from my best friend (and Maid of Honor) and her sister and mom.

Davene and I met when we were in high school. I moved to Brookings in the middle of my freshman year. We didn't like each other initially but it didn't take long and we were fast friends. We became closer and closer, and when she and her mom and sister moved in right down the street, we became inseparable. Every night was spent at my house or her house, but always together. Her mom was like a second mom for me, and mine for her. Her sister became my sister... and also my friend.

We have maintained a close friendship through years, miles and the craziness of life. I am so thankful to have Davene, Tiffani and Kim in my life. And I am thankful they were so thoughtful in sending me these brooches!




Love her sweet note!


These are going to look awesome in my bouquet!!!

Girl goes to Vegas

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl gets overwhelmed.
Girl goes to Vegas.

I reached a breaking point.
I was here at home, attempting to plan a wedding a year down the road after J was home.
There were moments of enjoyment and excitement but mostly it was stressful.
After a conversation with my mom, J and I decided that it would be best to simplify.

And a plan was born.

Instead of the November wedding we were planning to have here at home, we would have a wedding in March when he came home on R&R. And we would go to Vegas!

We still wanted a wedding... and not a satin draped Elvis chapel wedding.
And so the search for a venue continued... but now, in Las Vegas.

With J being gone, and not really having a lot of experience with Vegas, we decided the best thing to do would be to take a trip over there. So for Thanksgiving, my mom and dad and I made the 5 hour drive to Las Vegas.



We had a mission: Plan a wedding in 3 days.
We made a lot of progress and I came home with a plan.

We found a fantastic Venue and we also managed to plan out where to stay, where to take pictures, and all kinds of little details like that.

I am getting excited as this wedding is taking shape. I am finally on a role. I have major direction! Lots of blogs coming with all the details!

And while we were in Vegas, my mom bought me another brooch. So I'd have one from Las Vegas :) It's also one of the colors we are using in the wedding (more on that in a later post!)