Out of the Ordinary Out of Town Bags

I've been prepping for this post for the last 4 weekends. Goodness grief, that's a long time! These out of town bags have really thrown me for a loop. I desperately wanted to give my guests bags, but we are really trying to keep our wedding cost low. I priced some things out, and everything seemed a bit too expensive.

So, I decided to go a different route. As you know by now, I LOVE to bake. That being said, I wanted the guests to be greeted with homemade treats that screamed "Syracuse!" Now, how I was going to pull that off, was the problem.

After brainstorming for a while, I came up with a spin on out of town bags, and instead, went with out of town boxes! Boxes of homemade cookies, that is.

So, this post has been a long time coming because I've been baking up a storm to get the cookies just right. I decided on half moon cookies, because they are native to upstate New York, and are absolutely delicious. Not to mention, they have a black and a white side, which to me, sort of signifies the bride and groom.

I went to Michaels and bought a box I thought might work. It came with a package of 5 for $3.99. This was cheaper than the pack of gift bags I found at the dollar store-score! Then, I went to find some ribbon to tie around the outside of the box. This was more expensive and cost about $3.99 for the spool. I tried it out when I got home, and the ribbon didn't go very far. It only covered about 2 boxes (and the boxes are small). Back to the drawing board I went. Actually, to Target, where I found black and white yarn-not what I was going for, but it actually turned out better than the first! And I only needed one spool, and that cost $2.99! Woohoo! Ok, then to assemble.

Ta-da!

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Now for the inside: I made two different sizes to see how well the cookies would fit. I'm having difficult deciding which I like better. I think the larger cookies look better: more professional, but maybe the medium cookies are more practical. I really can't decide.

This is where you come in, hive! Can you help me choose, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top (so fitting for the Sundaes)?

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Here's a picture of the smaller cookies (pictured above).

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Here's a picture of the larger cookies (pictured above).

So, Hive, did you do the traditional Out of Town Bags, or did you opt for something out of the ordinary? Can't wait to hear all about it!

Miss Ice Cream Sundae

Sundae's Syracuse Derby Shower (Picture Heavy-Beware!)

I have been waiting for this weekend for what has felt like months! All of the planning and Pinteresting that has gone into this, I can't believe it has actually arrived! I must admit, it was difficult not being there in person to view and meet with the venue, but the Ice Cream Sundae maids and mom did an absolutely wonderful job! I couldn't have done it better myself, that's for sure!

Originally, while in the planning stages, I hoped to have more of a hand in the planning of the bridal shower. I wanted to decide on the theme, pick out the decor, bake the dessert, make the favors, and plan the menu. The ICS maids really tried to urge me not to have such a say, because they wanted to make the day special by planning several surprises. So, we came to a compromise. I told them that I really wanted to do the derby theme, because Mr. ICS is from Kentucky, and I wanted him to be a part of it in some way. I also really wanted to bake the dessert and make the favors. The compromise was that they could take care of the rest. For me, that was a BIG compromise. Let me tell you, in the long run, I was SO thankful for that. Looking back, there's absolutely NO way that I could've gone shopping for flowers, decor, and odds and ends while being halfway across the country. It was all that I could do to fit some small incidentals in my suitcase for the wedding. I can only imagine what it would've been like or cost to ship everything!

Fast forward now to last weekend. I was absolutely blown away when I stepped into the restaurant. It looked like something out of a magazine. I couldn't believe what a spectacular job they did. I tried my best to take pictures so that I could have them to show you, Hive, but these photos just don't do it justice.

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 The girls put together a candy bar, a beautiful floral arrangement, and some adorable signage! I was blown away by this display. The flowers were absolutely breathtaking, the signage was too cute for words, and the candy bar blew me away!

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This adorable display was for one of the games! The ICS maids put together some spectacular derby hats for those people that thought they could get away with not wearing one (hehehe). This hat tree was so fantastic and easily a highlight of the day!

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This table housed the recipe cards and gifts. I love love love to cook and bake, so the ICS maids asked every guest to include a recipe, put it on a card, and place it in the recipe book provided. I had SO much fun reading though them after the shower, and I can't wait to start cooking and baking from them!

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This table is where the mimosa bar was. Oh my goodness, this was such a pleasant surprise. Not only did the girls include different types of juices, but they also included adorable gold paper straws which added such a cute touch!

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Here's a close up of the vanilla almond dessert cupcakes and milk chocolate horseshoe favors that I made. MOH ICS found an adorable printable tag online that we tied to the favors (wrapped in cellophane bags).

Looking through all of these pictures really makes me appreciate just how much each of the girls really did for this day. I'm currently scheming and brainstorming different ideas for how I can repay them. I continue to be blown away by the outcome, and am so thankful to have such amazing women by my side. 

So, that being said, I'm dedicating this post to you ICS Maids and mom. This couldn't have happened without you! Thanks a million! 

              

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Planning for the Weekend: Bachelorette and Bridal Shower

The Ice Cream Sundaes are in full wedding swing! With only 2 months left to go, we are furiously trying to make sure we have everything in order. This past weekend has brought me a particular amount of stress, because I'm only going to be in town (Syracuse) for 3 days, and I have so much to cram in. Here's the itinerary:

Thursday

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Friday

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Saturday

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Done? That can't be right. Well, I guess we'll find out. I've been planning this weekend for what feels like months. There've been so many things that have fallen into place, and so many things that have fallen through.

Take the Bachelorette for example, I invited 5 people and 5 confirmed. Hooray! We booked the boat, found transportation, decided on outfits, and all was well! But then...2 backed out last minute. I was so sad and disheartened, but I have come to realize something- those that want to share this day with me, are making every effort to do so, and that's all that matters. I know we will have so much fun, but I'm human, and sometimes my feelings get the better of me. So, here's to having an extremely fun weekend with a great group of gals! Stay tuned for the next post, where I share how the weekend actually went! Was I able to stick to my itinerary? Did I self-destruct because I crammed too much in in too short of time?! You'll just have to wait and see!

Until next time!
Miss Ice Cream Sundae