Bridal Baking Extravaganza!

This weekend, I dedicated most of my time to baking. I absolutely LOVE to bake. It is definitely my stress reliever. With the Syracuse bridal shower planning underway by the Ice Cream Sundae maids (and mom), I thought I might chip in where I can, by taking something small off their plates. So, I enthusiastically volunteered to bake the dessert for the shower. I immediately went into planning and prepping mode. I bought all of the ingredients and got down to business (and baking). I searched for recipe archives on my computer that I knew were absolute keepers, and scoured the web for new.

Although I was feeling funky and wanting to really give the guests something spectacular, I chose to play it safe and stick with vanilla almond and classic chocolate cupcakes.

The vanilla almond batch turned out wonderfully! The chocolate ones, not so much. They were extremely dry and a bit on the crumbly side. Not allowing myself to become disheartened that easily, I decided to search for another recipe and try again (cue the theme song from Little Engine That Could<-is there even one?). The second time around, the chocolate cupcakes were much better! Out with the old, in with the new!

After the baking, came the decorating. I should have taken a picture of the Ice Cream Sundae household, because it looked as if something had exploded by the time I finished. I thought Mr. Ice Cream Sundae was going to have a fit (he is a very neat and tidy person)! But, alas, he sat at his desk very calmly and did not once look over to the kitchen until I gave him the "go-ahead". Clearly, we've done this a time or two.

Personal Photo

Here is what the vanilla almond batch looked like. Mmm, makes me want to take a bite right out of the screen! I definitely prefer vanilla over chocolate (gasp, I know!) I will confess, the frosting was absolutely not the color that I was going for. I believe we settled on some sort of blush for the bridal shower, and clearly, these cupcakes were not blush. I completely misread the food coloring bottle--oops! Mr. ICS willingly took part in trying these bad boys. He was a happy camper :)

Personal Photo

Here are the chocolate (2nd batch) cupcakes. For these ones, I tweaked the food coloring (now blush), and tried my hand at another rose design. I'm not quite sure which design I'll go with yet, but I loved the way that both turned out.

So, hive, here's where you come in! Which do you think I should go with? I should preface this with the fact that I wanted the cupcakes to resemble roses not only because they are so feminine looking, but because the Kentucky Derby is also known as the Run for the Roses. Also, what do you think about the flavors I chose? Should I stick with traditional, or think outside of the box?

I can't wait to read your comments and will surely post a picture of the final products all set up come the time of the shower!

DIY Decor!

Hey Hive!

Here's the continuation from the Shop Til We Drop on Sundae post. I dedicated the weekend to doing it myself..and had such a blast. It was my first time working with spray paint, so I Googled, watched some videos, and then decided to try my hand at it.

Here's what I started with:

Via Google search: Festivelights.com

I forgot to take a picture of my lights before I spray painted them, but here's what they basically looked like!

Personal Photo: The beloved frames (in silver)

The process for prepping the work area definitely took more time than the actual painting process. It was sort of windy outside, so I had to staple all of the newspaper pieces together, which was a bit of a disaster. It ended up working out just fine in the end, though.

Personal photo

The marquee lights definitely took the longest, because I had to individually tape each light, to protect them from being painted. Unfortunately I didn't do as good of a job at taping as I should have, and the area around the light did not get painted. So, I had to take off the tape and re-do it. Fortunately, I did a better job the second time around.

I was so excited for these things to dry, because I really wanted to see what they would look like all set up. It was like waiting for coffee to brew when you just wake up in the morning. Tick...tock...tick..tock. I didn't get a finished photo of the frames, because I have't yet printed the cards for display, but I do have a picture of the finished lights!

Personal Photo

Now to decide where I'm actually going to display these beautiful letters. I'm thinking on/at/around the cake table. Or, maybe on the table where I display the escort cards [keys].

What do you think, hive? Any suggestions of where I should have these letters displayed? Thankfully, they are battery operated, so they don't need to be plugged in.

..and what about you? Have you DIY'ed at all for your wedding, or are you planning on doing so?

Excited to hear all about it!

XoXo,
Miss Ice Cream Sundae

Get The Scoop: Planning The Ice Cream Sundae Bachelorette!

I'm super excited to be writing this post because I believe MOH A and I have officially finalized (well, mostly) the Ice Cream Sundae Bachelorette!

Since the engagement, I have had many ideas floating around regarding what I wanted to do to celebrate. I'm definitely not huge on the night life scene, so I was able to rule that out early on. I knew that I first had to decide on the location, though, because a party in Syracuse was going to be quite different than one in San Francisco.

Originally, I wanted to do some sort of a boat trip with the ICS maids in San Francisco. Thankfully, they were all on board with flying out, and actually were the ones that had originally suggested it. But after I priced some things out, I just couldn't shake the guilt of having them spend all that money for such a potentially short trip.

I saw this photo (see below) on Amanda Stanton's (yes, from the Bachelor) Instagram, and thought it looked like SO much fun. I loved the idea of doing a boat trip with the girls on a big yacht, where you could just lounge and relax all day.

Image: Via Amanda_Stanton Instagram Photo: Amanda_Stanton

Unfortunately, I had to nix this idea early on, because although we did have the resources to do something similar in San Francisco, the price just wasn't right.

My next option was finding something fun to do in Syracuse. I really liked the idea of doing a wine tour, but most of my friends had already done that, and I hoped to do something slightly different. Enter: the amazing mind of MOH ICS. Knowing that I really had my heart set on some sort of a boating expedition, she slyly did some research, and found the option of a Boat Wine Tour. Boom: Mind blown! The second she mentioned it, I screamed "YES!" I was SUPER excited. I couldn't believe she came up with an option to include both things that I wanted to do! 

So, after some brief planning, we researched and found a wonderful company to go through (with a hilarious captain included: and his name is Skip to top it off!) The price ended up coming out to $115 per person and we can (and will) bring snacks and drinks on the boat. Although this is still slightly more expensive than what I was hoping to ask the girls to pay for the Bachelorette, I think they will have SO much fun and it will be well worth it!

Some other small details I'm hoping to include for the trip: 

Image Via: Bridal Rave Etsy Shop

Image Via: Simple and Trendy Etsy Shop

The tanks above are priced at about $23/person and the cups are $16/person. I definitely don't want to ask the girls to purchase these, so it might be something that I end up doing for them myself. Of course, I'd want one for me too, so that would work out to $138 for the tanks, and $96 for the cups. After seeing this price breakdown, I'm wondering if I could somehow just do it myself.

After some rapid Googling, I found this site to assist me in my potential project. I'm not 100% sold on any one particular idea yet, so I'd love your opinion!

Did you buy your maids anything for the bachelorette? Did you host a DIY day and make things together? I'm excited to hear what each of you did!

Shop Till We Drop on Sundae and DIY Decor!

Hey Hive!

This past weekend included quite the successful trip to HomeGoods and Michaels! I was highly anticipating this trip since last Monday, as I was previously perusing Pinterest, looking for ideas for little decor items to have displayed at the Ice Cream Sundae wedding.

Here was my inspiration:

Via Pinterest by @Melody Carpenter

Mr. Ice Cream Sundae and I decided to do Skeleton Key favors, which would double as escort cards (more on these in a later post). The top photo depicts the inspiration behind displaying these favors.

Fortunately, after scouring the aisles one by one, I stumbled upon something that I thought would be GREAT for this display. The conundrum: not paying an arm and a leg to ship it back to Syracuse from California. Because the display board was quite large, I knew it would cost double--if not triple, what the actual board cost just to ship. I stuck it in my cart anyways and hoped for the best (mostly, I hoped I would arrive at a decision by the time I made it to the checkout).

Image via theeverylastdetail.com // Photography by Meyerott Photography and Cinema

Next came the frames. I had pinned this photo (see above) quite some time ago, and knew that I absolutely wanted to incorporate this idea into the Ice Cream Sundae wedding somehow. My very good friend Jenni, even came up with an ADORABLE hashtag for us to use! So, anytime I would step into a craft store, I would be sure to look for these gold ornate picture frames. Unfortunately, (up until last weekend) I was not able to find any. While walking through the frames section of the store, I saw these perfect frames that fit my vision for the project. Only one thing was wrong: they were silver. I was so bummed. I started to turn away from the frames and continue my search when I realized, duh, only the color was wrong! Enter: spray paint! I grabbed the three frames and threw them in my cart.

As I was getting ready to finish up, I stumbled upon an amazing Vera Wang side by side photo display. I had been searching for gifts for our parents for quite a few weekends, and wasn't able to come up with anything that I really loved. Because I don't want to limit our parents from reading this post, I'll go more into depth on those gifts in a later one. Ice Cream Sundae parents, you may continue reading :)

When I got up to the register, I asked the cashier what she thought I should do about the push pin board. She told me I should call the Syracuse store and see if they had one in stock. That's just what I did, but I asked her to hold my item at the counter just in case. I wasn't about to let that item go!

After this trip, I walked out with: 

Window Pane Push Pin Display Board: $19.99 (remotely, via my lovely sister in Syracuse)
Frames: $6.99 each (bought 3)
2 gifts for parents: [see later post]

With these gifts in tow, I ventured on to Michaels for some spray paint. I was able to find a beautiful antique gold color that matched exactly what I was looking for. After grabbing the spray paint, I walked down the aisles to see if there was anything else that I might be able to pick up.

On an end cap, I saw an adorable marquee light display, that was marked 50% off. Woohoo! What a steal! I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with them just yet, but I picked them up anyways!

Marquee lights: $3.99 (originally $6.99) came in white (to be spray painted gold!)
Antique Gold spray paint: $2.99 (originally $5.99) <-had a coupon!

I dedicated the weekend to doing it myself..and had such a blast. It was my first time working with spray paint, so I Googled, watched some videos, and then decided to try my hand at it.

Here's what I started with:

Via Google search: Festivelights.com

I forgot to take a picture of my lights before I spray painted them, but here's what they basically looked like (see above)!

Personal Photo: The beloved frames (in silver)

The process for prepping the work area definitely took more time than the actual painting process. It was sort of windy outside, so I had to staple all of the newspaper pieces together, which was a bit of a disaster. It ended up working out just fine in the end, though.

Personal photo

The marquee lights definitely took the longest, because I had to individually tape each light, to protect them from being painted. Unfortunately I didn't do as good of a job at taping as I should have, and the area around the light did not get painted. So, I had to take off the tape and re-do it. Fortunately, I did a better job the second time around.

I was so excited for these things to dry, because I really wanted to see what they would look like all set up. It was like waiting for coffee to brew when you just wake up in the morning. Tick...tock...tick..tock. I didn't get a finished photo of the frames, because I have't yet printed the cards for display, but I do have a picture of the finished lights!

Personal Photo

Now to decide where I'm actually going to display these beautiful letters. I'm thinking on/at/around the cake table. Or, maybe on the table where I display the escort cards [keys].

What do you think, hive? Any suggestions of where I should have these letters displayed? Thankfully, they are battery operated, so they don't need to be plugged in.

..and what about you? Have you DIY'ed at all for your wedding, or are you planning on doing so?

Excited to hear all about it!

XoXo,
Miss Ice Cream Sundae

The Perfect Cake

This post is dedicated to...cake, because...who doesn't love cake?! Well, a lot of people I'm sure actually, but I'm not one of them, that's for sure!

I feel like searching for the cake was one of the very first things we did in planning the Ice Cream Sundae wedding. It was probably one of the things that I pinned most on my Vision Board. That being said, because I had changed the theme slightly from rustic to romantic, I really had to hone in on those cakes that fit.

Once we had it figured out where we were going to be having the wedding (Syracuse) it was time for me to search for a baker. For me, my criteria was definitely 1. beautiful designs, 2. priced right, 3. tasty (this had to be last because we were searching for our baker from quite the far distance).

I started searching and found a few that I really liked. I wanted to have choices for Mr. Sundae to choose from, so that he didn't become overwhelmed by the possibilities.

Via Pinterest @ Modwedding

Absolutely love the look of this cake. Not only do the flowers feature one of our colors, but the entire look is definitely what I was going for. Breathtaking!

Via Pinterest @ louisvillelicious.com

I feel like this cake is definitely more Miss Ice Cream Sundae circa 2009 (I'm not sure why I chose that year, maybe that's when I felt my love for weddings was starting to blossom?) Anyway, I still absolutely love this cake, It is a bit more showy than the first, but not too much. It is intricate and stunning.

Via Pinterest @ Modwedding

This cake is a bit more similar to the first. More simple, yet still beautiful and elegant. I love this look as well.

So, when I showed Mr. Sundae the cake designs, I was SUPER surprised at his final choice. He liked all of them (I was shocked), but ultimately said that would the second one. My jaw dropped. I thought he would choose either the last or the first design. But hey, I certainly wasn't complaining! Like I said, I love all of them, so in my opinion, we couldn't go wrong with whatever choice was made.

...and just for some added entertainment..here's a sneak peak of the inspiration behind Mr. Sundae's Groom' cake :)

Via Pinterest @weddingideasguide

This was the original design that Mr. Sundae and I were looking at. He absolutely LOVES to drum, and did so throughout High School. Needless to say, it is his passion, so it is only fitting that his Groom's cake resembles that.

Via Pinterest @cakesbysusan

This last one is definitely the look we are going for, but I somehow just stumbled upon it as I was searching for images to put into this post. Boy, am I glad that happened! The first was the only picture that we could find that fit what Mr. Sundae was looking for, in terms of the natural looking wood drum set, but the three tiers are definitely not necessary!

So, Hive, that's all that I have for now! Hopefully this post didn't make your mouth water too much! I know I was having a bit of difficulty resisting any of the sweets that we have in the house while I was writing!

How are you all deciding on your cake? Do you have any inspiration photos that you're working with? How about for the Groom's cake?! Excited to hear!

Leading Up....to Up Up and Away...Before the Engagement

Hey Hive!

First, let's start out with the fact that I have been a HUGE lover of weddings for quite some time. Yes, I'm sure like several other girls, I've had a Pinterest board for my future day since..well..since I think the time that Pinterest went live. Anyways, with all that being said, I hoped that Mr. MissBrittz would propose sooner rather than later, because I knew from the very beginning that he was the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

I packed up my things and joined him out in the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2015. One of the first things that we did together was take a wine tour of Napa Valley. On this tour, we visited what has now become one of our favorite wineries, Jacuzzi Vineyards. Fast forward a few months. An engagement was all that I could think of. I was really hoping to settle down with Mr. MB and make it official, especially after having just moved across the country for him. One weekend, he suggested that we go back to Syracuse to visit my family. I was so excited! I thought that might be the time! With high hopes and anticipation, I couldn't wait until we arrived. Not only was I super excited to see my family, I also thought 'this might be it!' Ok, ok, it wasn't "it". But I later found out, "it" was when he asked my Dad for permission. He knew that it was very important to me and took the initiative to plan and book a trip just to ask. I cannot tell you how much this meant to me. I was astounded.

Fast forward another month to our anniversary. We decided to go out to Carmel beach and watch the sunset. I thought for sure, this was really going to be "it". I made an appointment to get my hair done that day because, let me tell you, my hair was not in photograph condition, and I needed those photos to last a lifetime! So, 3.5 hours later (my hairdresser reminds me every time just how long and how much hair I have), we were famished, and stopped for a bite to eat. After lunch, we got on the road and drove an hour to the beach. It was perfect because we were there right as the sun was setting. It was so sweet because the beach wasn't packed at all, only sprinkled with a few people, and one couple was taking their maternity photos. I couldn't help but watch. We found a place to watch the sunset and I was in high hopes that this was going to be "it." The sun set and we stayed for a bit, but finally packed up our things to leave because it was starting to get cold. This was not "it." Well, at least we got to watch the beautiful sunset, got some good snapshots, and I had a great hairstyle!

A kiss while the sun goes down

While the sun was setting

Beautiful beach

Stay tuned for the next post of how the engagement really went down (well, "up" actually!)

XoXo,
MissBrittz

Up Up and Away

Hey Hive!

So, all of that anticipation leading up to when the engagement was actually going to happen, and here it is!

The week leading up to November 14th, about 2 months after we had gone to Syracuse to visit my family, Mr. MissBrittz said, "Hey, let's go on a hot air balloon ride!" I instantly had chills. Not only was this an absolutely wonderful idea, but it was also something that we had on our bucket list. I was so excited!

Fast forward to the night before! I ran around the apartment and packed several different outfits in case the weather did not cooperate, and also because I was having difficulty choosing between anything in my closet. I swear, by the time I was finished, you would've thought we were going on a mini vacation. We had to stay overnight in a hotel that was close to the balloon site, because it was a very early morning flight and the site was about 2 hours away. By the time we made it to the hotel that night, we were so exhausted and passed out immediately upon arrival. The morning of I woke up bright and early and started getting ready. 2 hours later, I was dragging Mr. MissBrittz out of the room towards the car. Thankfully, the pick up for the balloon was at a local coffee shop, so we made that our first stop.

Upon arriving at the site we saw that there were about 14 other people waiting for the same balloon. This was not exactly the romantic balloon ride that I had pictured, but I was still extremely excited. The balloon basket was fairly large and did end up accommodating all of us quite nicely, but we definitely did not have too much room to move around (let alone bend down on one knee). I couldn't help but wonder if Mr. MissBrittz was going to pop the question high in the sky in front of all of those people. I secretly wished that he wouldn't, because I was worried I'd be self-conscious and nervous! Halfway through the ride, the pilot (yeah, I didn't know they were called that either!) told us a story of a couple that was going to get engaged, but the soon to be groom lost the ring overboard! I was absolutely horrified for that poor couple, which also just solidified that I did not want the proposal to happen on the balloon.

All in all, the ride lasted about an hour, and the views were absolutely breathtaking. I'm so glad that Mr. MB and I got to experience such a beautiful thing together. One more item to mark off our bucket list!

Up in the air!

The balloon interior!

A silly moment with the sun in our eyes :)

Needless to say, the proposal did NOT happen up in the air (phew!) As we landed, Mr. MB and I noticed that it was still fairly early, and we had the whole day ahead of us still! So, he suggested going to our favorite winery, Jacuzzi Vineyards. I was SO excited and couldn't wait! I thought *for sure* this was where it was going to happen!

We arrived at the winery and did a few tastings, chose our favorite bottle, some cheese and crackers, and found a nice cozy spot outside on the grounds. I absolutely love the vineyard. It reminds me so much of Italy, it is incredible. After we enjoyed our snacks and wine, Mr. MB asked if I wanted to take a photo. Knowing that I love photography, he asked where specifically I thought a good spot to take one would be. Of course, I chose in front of the beautiful fountain. Luckily for Mr. MB, there was a group of girls seated nearby. While I stayed behind at our table, he went over to ask the girls for their assistance. I willingly gave him some extra time to chat just in case this was going to be the moment!

I could not believe how nervous I was! I couldn't believe that everything I had hoped and dreamed of, with the man of my dreams was happening at that moment. Or, I hoped it was. And then it did! Mr. MB got down on one knee, made the most beautiful speech ever, and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. My answer, was undoubtably "yes."

The proposal in front of the beautiful fountain

Couldn't be happier!

The "she said yes!" picture

So, hive, my dreams came true with this beautiful proposal! How did yours go? Did you know that your proposal was happening? Were you completely surprised? I can't wait to hear all of your stories!

XoXo,

MissBrittz

Save the Dates...and Save Me from Driving Myself Cucoo!

Hey Hive!

Who knew that choosing save the dates could be so extremely difficult! A good difficult, though. Of course, I love this stuff. I've actually been scouring the internet (mostly Weddingbee) for different designs for save the dates for quite some time. Some of my favorites have included:

Via @emtheartist

Via @mrsgloss

After searching for what felt like a very long time (gosh, after looking at this, I'm realizing I've been looking at save the date designs for over 7 years!) I finally decided on a simple design with our engagement photo. I really wanted to design our own, and was pleased with the final product.

Here's what they looked like:

Photo by Rachel Liz Photography/personal design

Photo by Rachel Liz Photography/personal design

Photo by Rachel Liz Photography/personal design

Photo by Rachel Liz Photography/personal design

I was really going for something sweet and simple. I also really wanted to go with a magnet back so that people could easily stick them up on their refrigerators. Mr. Ice Cream Sundae really liked the designs as well, and we ultimately chose the top 2 as our top 2 :) 

Then came the planning for printing. I called several different stores to see if they would print on magnet paper, or if they had magnet paper to sell. The majority of the stores that I called said that yes, they could print, but that they did not have magnet paper to sell. Then I went on a hunt for magnet paper that was Laser printer friendly. This was not easy to find. I did find some, but it was quite expensive, and only came in bulk quantities. I then thought about purchasing a printer and magnet paper myself, but after conversing with Mr. Ice Cream Sundae about this, we both decided that it would be more cost effective to just find a design that we liked and have them printed by the company.

I was sad at first because I was really looking forward to designing and printing our save the dates myself, but was happy that we had come to a decision. I was constantly going back and forth with "should we" or "shouldn't we" for quite some time.

We decided to go with this design from Minted.com and were extremely happy with the result! We ordered 75 save the dates without the magnet backing, which came to $75.00. It saved me a lot of time, effort, and probably some money in the end as well. 

Photo by Rachel Liz Photography, design by Minted.com

How did you go about choosing your save the dates? Was it something that you were able to easily decide on? Did you create your own?

Can't wait to hear about your save the dates!

-Miss Ice Cream Sundae

Dressing the Dudes: Split Decision

Hey Hive!

This post comes to you with a bit of a rant. But a short one, I promise...

I have threatened Mr. Ice Cream Sundae several times that he will have to walk down the aisle naked. I swear, I cannot motivate this man to come with me to pick out his tux! I have tried several times, to no avail! To his credit though, he does work some pretty awful hours and rarely can spare a minute extra. His free time is pretty limited, and I do feel quite guilty asking him to take those spare minutes to spend on wedding things. So, I don't really blame him all that much.  

Instead of dragging him to the store and asking him to try on multiple option so that I can decide, I've resorted to scouring the internet (and Pinterest, of course). I've come up with a few options, and would love your opinions to help us make the final choice!

For Mr. Ice Cream Sundae himself, I love the look of a 3-piece suit. I love the crisp white shirt with the ivory vest and ivory tie. I'm not positive that I'm completely sold on the pocket square just yet, but I would go with ivory for that as well.  I read somewhere that you should not dress in a white shirt and an ivory vest, but I actually like the look, especially with the black suit. I think it would look a bit ridiculous if he were wearing an ivory shirt. There, that's settled, then!

Via www.rainwater-s.com

Now, for the Groomsmen, I'm having a bit more of a difficult time deciding. 

Image via junebugweddings.com // Photo by D Park Photogprahy

Image via happywed.com

Image via hespokestyle.com

I'm currently deciding between the black suit and black tie, black suit and blush tie, or black suit and maroon tie. What worries me most is that the colors I choose for the ties will not match the dresses. I am also having a VERY difficult time envisioning how the groomsmen will look together with the bridesmaids.

After looking at all of these photos together, I'm gearing more towards the black suits, ties, and vests for the men, and black suit with ivory vest and tie for Mr. Ice Cream Sundae. I would love to tie in the color of the girls' dresses, but think I can do that pretty easily with the boutonniere. I think the black and ivory choices will be classic and timeless (and give me less of a headache!)

What do you think, hive? What did/are you choose/choosing for your wedding? Are you going for color, or skipping the color altogether? 

XoXo,

Miss Ice Cream Sundae

A Surprise and Wedding Paper Divas Audition!

Hey Hive!

A few weekends ago, Mr. MissBrittz did an absolutely amazing thing! Something that I never thought he would do!

While browsing Facebook one lazy Sunday afternoon, he turned to me and said, "Hey, Wedding Paper Divas is having a contest.." I immediately stopped what I was doing, looked up, and squealed. I couldn't help it! I was just so gosh darn excited that he stumbled upon the contest all by himself, and actually thought enough of it to mention it to me. Unbeknownst to me at that moment, he was already in the middle of composing our application email. I went over to give him a hug, and saw him typing away. Gah! Cue happiness! I mean, full on jumping up and down like a loon type happiness.

Fast forward to the audition. It was in the city which is about an hour away from me on public transportation (BART-for those of you familiar with San Francisco), and about 10 minutes for him. Needless to say I was sweating profusely because I was so nervous that we were going to be late. We were late unfortunately, but we emailed the girls and they were super sweet and understanding.

In the audition, they asked us a slew of questions pertaining to our wedding and prior. One question in particular stuck with me though, "What are you going to do for favors?" Um. That is probably one of the only portions of the wedding that I do not yet have planned. So I asked them for help! We had a bit of a chuckle together because one of the girls suggested Maple Syrup bottles, but our wedding is in October in Syracuse, so it didn't really fit. After the Q&A round we went to take photos so that the girls hosting could have them to look back on when deciding the winners. Of course, Mr. MB and I discussed previously what our poses would look like (in case they asked us to do a goofy one) and he immediately went into action. I on the other hand, froze! That was SO not like me! Once we got the first few out of the way, I was much more comfortable and it went on like a breeze. I was slightly sad when the audition was over.

No we are just in a holding pattern until they announce the winners. The winners could win money towards paper produces on their site, so of course we are holding off on ordering our invitations and such until the winners are announced.

Fingers crossed!!

Have you entered any contests? If so, which ones?

XoXo,
MissBrittz

Syracuse Derby Shower Purchases and Preparations!

Hey Hive!

I am super excited to write this post because I just purchased my derby hat for my upcoming Syracuse bridal shower. I knew that I wanted a derby theme for quite some time because Mr. MissBrittz is from Kentucky. I've never been to the Kentucky Derby, but we've made a tradition out of watching the festivities on TV since we've been together. I sincerely hope to be able to travel to Kentucky in the near future to watch, while hopefully donning by newly purchased hat!

So, I was finally able to decide on which hat to buy because I believe I've finally decided on my dress. After searching for what felt like months for the perfect dress, I am pretty sure I've found it. I've searched high and low at stores like White House Black Market, Loft, Ann Taylor, Limited, Macy's, Nordstrom, BCBG, and Target. Unfortunately, I came up short each time. Here's the dress that I was in search of:

Eliza J Dress-Nordstrom

As you can see, it is super cute. Unfortunately, after many attempts of searching for it, I came up short. So, I ventured to find one similar.

Via Pinterest

I love love love this one that I found on Pinterest, but unfortunately couldn't find it anywhere online. I'm also slightly hesitant to buy anything online because I really like to try it on before I purchase. 

Via Extra Petite Pinterest Board/Blog

I also looooove this dress. But again, I'm worried about purchasing it from online, and also worried because the caption of the original photo says that the dress runs small. Who knows, maybe I'll just muster up the courage to buy it, because it really is just so darn cute and classy.

Anyways, I tried a few on in Nordstrom that I was absolutely not in love with, include this Armani Exchange dress (but in white).

Via ArmaniExchange.com

Finally, while shopping at Target, I spotted an adorable lace dress that I just had to try on.

Via Target.com

Honestly, this picture does not do it justice. It is so much cuter on and in person. So much so, that I was actually compelled to go and buy my derby hat to match! I had been scouring the internet and stores to find the perfect hat as well!

So, without further ado, here's the derby hat that I purchased!

Via Pippa and Pearl Etsy Shop

Next up, the shoes! I'm thinking nude heels, because I want the focus to be on the hat and the dress. As soon as I find the perfect pair (which I think I might have already) I will be sure to post the final look.

What were/are the themes for your bridal showers? Have you spent a lot of time on shopping for your look, or did it come together rather quickly for you?

XoXo,

MissBrittz

Bridesmaid Bundle MissBrittz Maids, NO PEEKING!)

Hey Hive,

First, MOH and Bridesmaids MissBrittz DO NOT CONTINUE READING! Press the back button, or X out if you have to. This post is not for your eyes to see :)

I'm currently working on what gifts to get the bridesmaids. I saw several cute pins on Pinterest showing bridesmaid bathrobes, and I found some super cute ones on Etsy.

Via Justcottons' Etsy shop

Via Justcottons' Etsy shop

The top photo features the robe that I'll probably choose for myself, and the bottom features the color that I'm thinking for the maids.

Via Pinterest/@pleasureweddingz

I would really love to do this color for the maids and possibly this robe for myself, but I really can't seem to find it anywhere!

Via @silkandmore

I also really like these as an option as well. The colors for our wedding are Wine and Blush, so the top few photos sort of fit the wine color, and these few bottom photos fit the blush color. I'm not sure which I'll decide on, but I have a little bit of time before I need to!

In addition to these super cute robes, I also purchased the girls these small square soaps and hand lotions from a store out here in the Bay Area called Cost Plus World Market. I thought it would be a cute touch :)

via @costplusworldmarket

For my Maid and Matron of Honor, I purchased them an extra goodie from the Kate Spade Outlet on Memorial Day Weekend. Everything was 60% off! I couldn't believe it! It was hard to only go in there for one thing and walk out with only that one thing, but I somehow managed!

Via Google Search

I'm super excited to give the girls their gifts, and really hope they like them and get some good use out of them! I know they'll at least make for some cute photos :)

So, Hive, what did you get/are you planning on getting your maids for their gifts? Did you find any good deals or did you do any DIY stuff? I can't wait to hear all about it!

XoXo,

MissBrittz