Trunk show at Diny's Jewelers

Good afternoon, readers! A and I already ordered our wedding bands (from Kessler's). However, who am I to deny and other couples the knowledge I'm about to drop. I just got an e-mail from local jeweler, Diny's Jewelers (1903 Cayuga st. Middleton, WI 53562 608-831-3469 ). The store is offering $20 off on any purchase of $50 or more. Their wedding bands start at $50. Just an FYI. Hope you're having a great Monday and enjoying the warmer temperatures in Wisconsin. The shift in climate should make for more a comfortable protesting environment!

Green with bridal envy

I would never claim to be a model, nor would I say I'm clever enough to have a one-of-a-kind wedding (since many of my ideas I've found perusing the Internet). But how AWESOME would it be to have your wedding featured in a magazine?!

Someone I used to work with got married at this rustic and ethereal barn outside of Oregon, WI, The O'Brien Barn, which A and I actually looked at for our wedding. It didn't really have enough updated luxuries for our caterers and wasn't grandparent friendly (rickety steps), so we passed it up. Anyway, I read about her wedding there when I was first looking at venues and thought she had some original ideas. So, I happened to come across her profile on LinkedIn. I ventured over to her blog and became instantly envious!

Not only is her wedding featured in the March issue of Brava magazine, she's on the cover! Seriously beautiful. She mentions the cover on the blog for her design firm, Dilemma Studio. Despite my jealousy, I'm totally going to buy this magazine and read all about her amazing wedding. They had personalized beer glasses for favors, for crying out loud.

The wedding day look isn't complete without the jewels...

I have been scouring search engines for the last several hours (and hours on days and days before that) for the perfect wedding day accessories. And I haven't just been looking for earrings and necklaces and hair pieces to complete my look, but also belts and necklaces etc. for my bridesmaids, mothers and flower girl.

On a day-to-day basis, I don't always give much thought to accessories, but don't be fooled. I love them! They totally complete the outfit. And when you're working with two dress colors — white and black — you need to dress things up a bit! I originally thought of going very classic bling, but lately I'm feeling an urge to stick to my roots and go turquoise. Then I set my eyes on these lovelies.

I know I can't spend $600 on earrings for my wedding... but man, I wish I could!!!

The nice thing about shopping online is you don't have to physically travel from store to store to discover the next big thing. Use your online resources to uncover wonderful treasures.

Search Engines

I love searching for specific ideas in google because it provides dozens of pages of shopping results. Just as quickly as I can find thousands of images for bloodhound puppies, I locate plenty of amazing jewelry pieces to blow the entire wedding budget on.

The downside is there are a lot of duplicates since some sites distribute for multiple vendors. Also, some small mom and pop shops haven't expanded to the world wide webs (yep, did that on purpose).

Big Box Sites

Sites like Overstock and Amazon have a pretty large selection and allow you to narrow your search quickly based on the specifications of what you would like. One-carat peridot studs?

Go for it. A pair of turquoise dangle earrings for under $25? Can do! Or get the best of both worlds with these charming earrings.

Homemade Sites

If you're longing for something local or incredibly unique, you don't have to look very far. Etsy is pretty much the holy grail of all things home/handmade, but Artfire isn't far behind. Tonight, I found this adorably chic leather bow belt that I could see cinching around a bridesmaid dress.

Your Favorite Online Store

You know your style and what you like. Don't feel like you have to search and search any of the aforementioned sites or cop out by ordering through some bridal store. If you love shopping at the Limited or Betty Page, look to them for inspiration and ideas. Even if you can't order the jewelry you want from them, their website should offer a variety of looks to point you in the right direction.

It also helps having multiple sets of eyes so you don't look like a zombie the next day. That's what really great matrons-of-honor are for! I'm pretty sure mine helped me find the perfect pair of earrings for me to wear on my wedding day to help me tie multiple elements of my ensemble together. I can't wait until they arrive! Until next time, happy accessory hunting!

Falling off the cart... feeling like a horse

OK, maybe I'm over exaggerating, but since I've changed jobs and allowed winter weather to throw a wrench into my workout routine, a few additional pounds have found their way to the scale.

A few months ago, my plan was to be too thin for my dress and have it taken in. The rose-colored glasses are off. I'm suddenly filled with not only too many takeout meals, but the overflowing fear that my dress will need to be let out.

I hit the treadmill hard on Thursday night, but I know it's not going to be enough to fight this battle. I can't let "It's Valentine's Day weekend," be my excuse all of the time.

It's a tough fight, taking off what you put on. Plenty of online sources offer to whittle your middle for a pretty penny, but who can dig into their bridal budget for empty promises? Thankfully, free (or inexpensive) online tools exist to help brides shed the winter weight:

News websites - You can always peruse the health and fitness sections of online news sources. Here's a story on weight loss for brides from MSNBC.

Health publication sites - Magazines like Self and Fitness Magazine have inspiring websites with access to wonderful diet and nutrition information without the subscription. Wedding websites, like the Knot, often have a section devoted to bridal transformation information.

Weight loss sites - You know the old standbys. Weight Watchers is everywhere these days, especially since they have vocal vixen Jennifer Hudson as their new spokesperson. These sites/ programs can be costly, but will provide results if you provide the will power.

TV shows - Look to shows like Dance Your Ass Off or even Dancing With the Stars for inspiration. Some reality TV Shows focus on weight loss and have options that include a membership with access to recipes and workouts, though there is some controversy in the methods used and practicality of the extremes taken. But if you're looking for fast results, it's an option.

All of that said, there are risks with extreme dieting for any occasion, so don't put your health in harm's way in a desperate effort to lose that extra bit of weight. Chances are your partner's jaw will drop as you gracefully float down the aisle. And it's always a good idea to check any change in diet etc with your health care provider - Just in case.

I'm going to start this week by eating clean and setting a workout goal of 45 minutes, 5 days. Next week I hope to check in with some good news and some tips of my own that have helped me in the past.

Stand by your man

Today was a productive day, though we're not able to check anything completely off our wedding to-do list. A and I began our Sunday morning with a scrumptious brunch at Granite City on Madison's west side. Once the mall opened, we walked into Willams-Sonoma and created a registry, including a few special kitchen gadgets we wouldn't ordinarily purchase for ourselves. I think A is most excited about the popsicle maker. Selfishly, I'm hoping for Bordeaux glasses.

We continued on to Men's Warehouse, where A tried his suit on for the tailor. Two simple words: Bad ass. He won't let me see the final look–it's only fair–but I have no worries. He's going to look so handsome. He's feeling somewhat confident about having this nearly checked off, but will happy once the suit is in his hands a couple of weeks from now.

Next, we checked out wedding bands at Kessler's Diamonds, the local jeweler where A purchased my engagement ring. It's funny how sometimes you think you know exactly what you want. Then you put it on your finger and it's totally wrong. I was right about what I wanted in an engagement ring. I catch myself glancing at my left hand frequently. However, I was wrong in regards to what I wanted in a band. Good thing I tried a few on. A felt pretty solid on what he wants–something simple. We each found great bands that we look forward to slipping on one another's finger in a few months.

It felt really good today to focus on things A needs for the wedding rather than stressing about programs and playlists and slideshows. I look forward to working on those things, too, but I enjoyed A feeling like a groom. I realized I want him to have more moments like that, where he just gets to enjoy his role, rather than just answer my incessant questions about swirls on the programs.

Ultimate wedding song?

I feel like I've been distant, but a lot of things are happening. I'm changing jobs (and still working a 2nd job part time) and planning DIY projects for the wedding like a crazy fool!

Things are getting accomplished over here. I'm working on the slideshow in a timely fashion. I went to a bridal show today to try to tie up a few loose ends (and found a lovely piece of jewelry in the process).

One of our DIY undertakings is the playlist for each component of the day: Ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and four hours of reception music. We decided to forgo a traditional DJ or rent a band in exchange for an iPod/Computer setup and a fantastic uncle who will do some editing and provide a little MC flavor.

A and I have a great grasp on the type of music we want at the wedding. But I'm still left wondering: What do our guests want to dance to?

Which poses this question: You only get ONE song to dance to, what is your final answer?

I can understand why those who aren't invited may choose to withhold their response, but feel free to provide some input. Ready, go.

'Tis the Season...

Neither A nor I could sleep last night. I wish I could say it was because we were both so excited to open gifts, but mostly it was due to indigestion. I wonder--was it the taco dip? Perhaps the meatballs or cheese and sausage or lasagna. Or maybe it was the ice cream, grasshoppers, wine and brandy slush. Ugh, thank goodness A and I got in a good workout yesterday.

I'm no stranger to overdoing it when it comes celebrating through food and I can always find something to celebrate. Our wedding will be no exception. Friends and family we come across this holiday season have been asking us a lot about plans and the meal inevitably comes up. There's no question, between the cocktail hour, dinner, dessert and late-night snacks, everyone will have an opportunity to stuff their faces at our wedding.

I've been reading a lot about ways to save on the big day and multiple sources have commented that you can cut costs through two main methods: 1) Do a dessert-only reception or 2) Cut the cocktail hour in half or out completely. This is a great idea, don't get me wrong. However, it would not work for A and I. We love food... Love it. When we talk about what we want people to remember on our wedding day (aside from how in love we are) food is number one on the list, followed by the music. We feel really lucky that we have wonderful friends who will be doing the catering for us, so that's cutting tremendously on our costs and allowing us to spend more on quality food for our guests. We hope they can appreciate it as much as we do.

Whatever your reason to celebrate--eat, drink and be merry this holiday season. And stock up on Antacid pills...

New Addiction: Checking Our Wedding Website Guestbook

Today I had an e-mail saying someone signed our guestbook! Woo hoo!

I haven't paid much attention to our wedding website recently because we haven't had new information to post. But knowing someone might be looking at it and actually left us a message! That's motivation. Thank you Alex. Only 162 days! Amazing. I'm so excited to celebrate such a special day with the wonderful people who have been with Aaron and I through everything.

There are so many things left to do, but I still have that day-1 giddy feeling and look forward to every moment of planning. Let's raise our egg nog and cheers to 162 more days of meticulously calculating playlists, laying out photos and taste-testing culinary creations dreamt up by my H2B :)

The way to this bride's heart is through her tummy

I feel that I can hold my own in the kitchen, especially when it comes to baking. My groom-to-be, on the other hand, is pure magic with a sauce pan and spatula. With weekend breakfasts and Thursday Soup Days, it's no wonder I'm having trouble losing any extra weight. But trust me, you won't hear me complain... too much.

There are some aspects of your wedding day that will be more important than others, but time and time again, people always talk about how they remembered (and loved or hated) the food. I have experience as a food editor and A cooks at a local cafe 5 days a week. So you can believe it when I say he and I are on a mission to satiate each guests appetite with an unforgettable meal. Given A's gift to concoct culinary creations worthy of Food Network Stardom, he and I agreed that he (with a little of my input) would plan the meal for our wedding day.

We jotted down some ideas that all looked great on paper, but neither of us wanted the meal to be a surprise to us as well as the guests. A little stuck on the concept for the chicken option, we decided to prepare a few things and see how it went. There's a great deal of skill that goes into achieving the perfect balance between savory yet light, exotic but homey, filling *ahem* yet cost-effective. We wanted something unique, but simple enough not to scare off the "meat & potato" crowd. And I wasn't about to serve two starches. Just ask A how adamant I was about that one.

Last weekend, A completely blew the challenge out of the water, using inspiration from the first meal he ever prepared for me. He whipped up a terrific meal of chicken breast lightly showered in sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese on top of a bed of orzo. Flanking either side of the main attraction was a playful stack of sesame green beans and a fluffy cloud of cauliflower puree with parmesan. Wow. An interesting and well-married gathering of flavors and textures. We both knew within bites that we struck a home run. I can't wait for guests to try it. Too bad dinner is still 7 months away. Next up: steak.