Cocktail Hour

Because MS and I did not want to see each other before the wedding, we had to do our pictures after the ceremony. We didn't want our guests to have to stand around and watch us (that's a little uncomfortable), so we decided to host a cocktail hour. We served margarita's (my fave) out of a margarita machine (regular and huckleberry!), and decided to add another little touch of us by serving popcorn! MS and I LOVE popcorn! So we had our venue rent a popcorn machine, and I went hunting for containers. That was not an easy task.

Our budget did not allow for all the cute and fancy popcorn containers, and I had almost given up on the idea of an actual popcorn container and was just going to use bags or something random, when I took a little trip to Wal-Mart.

I found the PERFECT container, and they were super cheap!  (Sorry I didn't take a picture of them plain!) I bought everyone that the store had and headed home to make them personalized. My MOH A came over to help me.

MOH A working hard!

We got purple and silver permanent markers and wrote on the containers ourselves. We thought about buying personalized stickers to put on them, but that was getting really spendy! So, it might not have been the most professional, but it was personalized, inexpensive, and I think pretty cute!

On one side we put an "S" in one color, and on the other side, in the other color, we put the date. This is how they turned out.

We had tried many different ways to put the "S", including doing our monogram, but because of the coating on the box, the markers started smearing. So doing just a plain "S" was the easiest.

Our popcorn machine was a hit!

Isn't it cute?!

My grandparents enjoying some popcorn!

What "you" touches did you add to your cocktail hour?

Pretty Little Flowers

Since I had the hot glue gun out making my bathroom baskets (I glued the little flowers on the bows), I thought I would do some more gluing. I took the flowers that I used on the bows, and glued them onto the end of bobby pins for my hair and all of my girls' hair. Since I wasn't going to wear a veil, I figured a couple pins with flowers on them would look pretty. Same with my girls. I wanted their hair off to the side and a couple flowers tucked in. Anyways, enough rambling! Here are the pictures!:)

These are the flowers (in ivory, purple, and grey!)

And the bobby pins I used

The flower glued on! (The camera turned it pink for some reason)

The finished product in my hair (Don't mind my crazy face!)

I made a whole pack of little bobby pins, and about a half pack of the big bobby pins. We didn't end up using them all, but they were so easy to make, and looked so pretty. You couldn't see the bobby pin at either, so it just looked like little flowers in our hair.

Are you making your own hair pieces?

In Case You Forgot...

ME! Well, I know it has been an extremely long time since I have blogged, but I haven't forgotten about you! So much has happened, including our big day, and I will fill you in on all of it, I promise.

I have so many projects that I did to show you, and lots of stories to tell, so I will start at the beginning :)

I made bathroom baskets for our venue, just in case our guests forgot something. I found some really cute and inexpensive baskets at our local fabric store, and wrapped a ribbon in our wedding color around them.

I filled the baskets with things I thought people might need and probably wouldn't have. For the men's basket, I put in:

• Bandaids
• Hair Gel
• Combs
• Mints & Mouthwash
• Static Guard
• Dental Floss
• Deodorant (Spray)
• Axe Body Spray
• Tissues (You never know!)
• Advil
• Lotion
• Q-Tips

For the ladies, I supplied:

• Bandaids
• Hair Brush & Comb
• Rubber Bands & Bobby Pins
• Hair Spray
• Mouthwash & Gum
• Static Guard
• Dental Floss
• Deodorant (Spray)
• Body Spray
• Tissues
• Advil
• Lotion
• Clear Polish
• Contact Solution
• Nail Files
• Q-Tips
• Tampons

All the stuff for the baskets

Then I put them in their baskets! I tried to arrange the items so that everyone could see what was all in there. This is what they looked like all finished.

Men's Basket

Ladies' Basket (Little more full)

Most of the stuff came home with us, but there were things that got used! I am glad I did it too, it was a nice, easy, fun project, and I even ended up using some of the items!

Have you ever been to wedding with bathroom baskets? Are you going to make baskets for your guests? What do you think would be a good item for one?

Love Is In The Air... I Hope

This past winter, while out shopping, I fell in love. Everything was perfect. The sweet smell, the good feeling. I hoped it would last forever. Sadly though, not everyone felt the same as me. Meet my love, Viva La Juicy:

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It is a perfect mixure of spice (but not too manly) and fruit (but not like candy), and I think it smells soft and just right. Momma HS and MS didn't think so, and both thought that it smelled like cigarette smoke. Not exactly what I was going for. But, I loved it, so I finished the bottle, and decided to find something new for the summer and our upcoming nuptuals.

I headed over to our "mall" (it has like 5 stores in it, maybe) during lunch, and after an hour of smelling every single perfume and every type of coffee bean, I still hadn't found one I loved. There is so much pressure behind finding the perfect perfume. It has to appeal to me, and MS, not smell like cigarette smoke, not cost my whole life's savings, and be the perfect combination of sweet and spice. And it has to live up to the expectations of our wedding day.

I was just about to leave and pop some asprin, when I saw the last remaining bottle that I hadn't yet smelled. After a small hesitation, I asked the *every growing annoyed* sales lady if I could smell it. Thank goodness I did! I LOVED it! So, meet my new (hopefully long lasting) love, Ed Hardy's Love & Luck (kind of an ironic name considering my search!):

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And, I got a free tote!

(sorry, took the pic on my phone in the car!)

I'm pretty sure MS is going to love this too. It isn't as spicey, which I think may have been giving off the smokey smell. And I am praying that this will be my new smell. The smell that carries me through the summer, down the aisle, and joins me in my new life.

Have you ever had a perfume that you thought was wonderful but others didn't agree? What smell are going to wear on your wedding day?

I Have Officially Gone Crazy

Yes, I know, I have been missing for a while now, but I do have a good excuse. I have gone crazy. Lost my mind. Gone 100% mad. And none of it has to do with wedding planning (which, is still going great and stress-free!). Nope, instead it has to do with a simple Father's Day present for the most amazing man, MS.

I decided that for Father's Day, I would get MS a puppy. I called on a few different ones in the local paper, and found one that sounded promising. She had some black Lab puppies that would be ready right about Father's Day time. So I made one of my girlfriends drive to her house with me to see these puppies. And boy were they cute! Of course, what puppy isn't? But I decided to wait and look around because she was asking a lot for them. That is when she uttered the words that made my heart race. Silver Lab. I HAD to see this puppy. I had been looking for a silver Lab, and found one, but in Georgia. I was this -] [- close to paying to have him shipped up here too.

So she brought me out the silver Lab. He was about 5 months old, so not a little puppy, but still a baby. And I had never, in my life, seen a dog so scared and under fed. Every bone in his body was sticking out. His legs could barely hold up his weight, and he coward at everything. I offered her $300 less than what she was asking for him, and took the little boy home to give to MS. Meet Mater:

Personal Pic (sorry its not very good!)

Mater came from a house with 41 adult dogs inside, puppies still left from his litter, the new litter of puppies that aren't ready to leave yet, and another litter on the way. He was covered in pee and poo, and you couldn't touch him without him shaking. He is terrified of being outside, doesn't know how to go up or down the stairs, walks funny, eats like he has never seen food before, and will sleep in his own potty. 

So, I have this great idea. Mater needs a friend. And guess what? My DREAM dog, a Catahoula (which I have never seen up our way), is in the paper! I have drooled over this type of dog for years, and someone up here has a litter! It couldn't be more perfect! So, off I run and pick up Miss Sally for me (and Mater of course):

 

Personal Pic

Sally is 8 weeks old, chubby, fearless, and loves to play. She couldn't be more opposite of Mater. But, for some crazy reason, they love each other.

Personal Pic Again

We have had Mater and Sally for a little over a week now. Mater has gained quite a bit of weight, hardly ever cowards, can now use the stairs, and loves playing and running with Sally, who is still quite the same as when I picked her up! But they are puppies, and do what puppies do, including the "do" on our floor.

As you have guessed, I have truely gone crazy. We have a toddler boy, a cat, and now 2 puppies. I honestly don't think there has been a quite second in our house since Mater and Sally came home. But we love them, and wouldn't ever get rid of them (even though we have made jokes about it!). They are apart of our family.

I think MS is finally realizing my intense love for animals! And I know he is keeper becuase he still loves me despite my crazy ideas that somehow I convince him to agree with! :)

Have you gone crazy during wedding planning, that wasn't wedding related? Does your FI love you and your ridiculous ideas?!

M & H Sitting In A Tree...

... K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage! Or something like that.

I was sitting at work the other day, and this guy comes in. He is probably in his mid 30's, has a toddler girl, and is an arrogant ass, in my opionion. I am just finishing up business with him, and he asks me a harmless question. What are your plans for this summer? There is nothing wrong this question, and is probably a question a lot of people are asking, and answering, as the weather is getting warmer and summer is nearing. So I answered without a second thought.

Me: Oh, just trying to get a yard put into our new house since it was just built. And planning our wedding.

Him: So, wait. You own a house together and then are getting married?

Me: (A little confused) Yeas...

Him: (Accusingly) Oh, let me guess. You have kids too.

Me: (Very pissed) Yes, actually we do (even though technically he is my kid). A 2 1/2-year-old. (I said this VERY matter-of-factly).

Him: (Makes a weird, snorting noise, rolls his eyes, and walks off)

Me: Go F- yourself! (No, I didn't really say that, but I wanted to!)

Times have changed. We no longer live in a era where everyone marries their high school sweetheart, right out of high school, has a son, then a daughter, and the wife stays home and keeps care of the kids, cooks, cleans, and has dinner on the table for when the husband walks through the front door at 5 o'clock sharp.

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While that might still be the case in some peoples lives today, it most certainly is NOT my situation. And I'm not ashamed of it at all.

I went away for my first year of college. When I came back, I started dating a boy. Things were OK, but then I got pregnant. He proposed (although neither of us wanted to get married) and I said yes. We were trying to make things "right". But, it wasn't what we wanted, and we couldn't pretend, so we broke it off, even before the baby was born. When our son was 6 days old, he told me to move out. Things were on and off and finally I had enough and moved on.

In steps MS. The most wonderful man you will ever meet. He took me for all I was and all I brought with me, which was my past and a 1 1/2-year-old. We fell in love, moved in together in a rental, started looking for a house to buy, then got engaged. We then found the perfect deal, and had our house built.

Personal pic of our house! (Before it was completely done)

And, as you know, we are planning our wedding for September 2010. Things may not have happened in the order that is ideal to most, but things did happen. Neither of us would change anything either. I love my son, I love MS. MS loves me, MS loves my son. Our life is perfect, and we are proud of our family and where we are.

The 2 loves of my life

Have things gone planned for you? Do people make comments about how you are going about your life?

I Like It, So I'm Putting A Ring On It

Of course I'm putting a ring on MS's finger, but I actually went and bought it this weekend! We had to take mine in to get inspected, and some loose side stones fixed, so we decided to look at rings for MS. He had an idea of what he wanted, and I had an idea of what I wanted to get him, so we compromised and I bought him one like this

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Its Tungsten, so no worries of it getting scratched or dented or anything. The only thing that could happen to it is break, but the lady said that would take A LOT of pressure to break it. And, if for some odd reason that does happen, they will replace it for free! Plus, we got it for an amazing deal becuase I bought it at the same place he got mine.

I love the way a ring looks on his finger! He tried it on again when we got home, but then we locked it away until the big day. I really wish he could wear it now though! Once we are married, he will wear it as often as he can, but since he can't wear it at work, it will most likely just be on the weekends. I'm bummed about that, but at least he agreed to wear it whenever he isn't at work.

What kind of ring did you get your Mr? Will he be able to wear it to work, or just on the weekends like my man?

My Nightmares

They have started. Well, to be honest, they started a couple months ago, then went away. But now they are back, in full swing, every night. Wedding nightmares are my worst nightmare.

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They weren't so bad when they first started. Just simple things would go wrong, like, the groomsmen didn't wear the right tuxes, the bridesmaids were running around crazy, no one was listening to me, people were walking up and down the aisle, random people were walking around us while we were trying to perform the ceremony (including TV show characters), things like that. But they have gotten worse.

2 nights ago I dreamt that MS decided he didn't want to get married anymore! And last night was just as bad, but not only did he not want to get married anymore, he wanted me to move out of the house! I don't know what I am going to do if these dreams continue. We have 4 1/2 months until the wedding, they can't possible be here to stay every night until then.

These nightmares aren't just affecting me either. Poor MS has to put up with me freaking out when we wake up and making him cuddle me. Please tell me these dreams will go away soon. Or get not so bad. I will take the groomsmen wearing crazy clothes and the bridesmaids running everywhere over these last couple dreams any night.

Did you have wedding nightmares? How long before the wedding did they start? Did they stay the whole time or come and go?

Gettin Active

For my birthday, my BM D, and the man that will be marrying us, Flash, sent me a very thoughtful and much needed present, Wii Active!

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I have complained time and time again about my weight and working out. Since MS and I got a Wii for Christmas last year, BM D and Flash decided to help me out with the Active. And I love it! MS loves watching me too (probably not becuase I look good doing it, but more likely because I'm a little uncoordinated)!

I'm doing the 30 day challenge they have set up. You make "yourself" by entering your height, weight (eek!), age, and body type. You can also journal what you eat and any extra activities you do. It then makes a program for you to follow. I was a little leary of how well it would really work, but after only 2 days, my legs are feeling it! I am so excited to work out now, and actually look forward to it! It is fun and entertaining (for both me and MS), and I can tell it is helping.

So hopefully, in 30 days, I will really see some results. I am also trying to eat more balanced meals to help out. I will keep you posted on how I do. Wish me luck!

Have you found a workout that you absolutely love?

An Extra Touch

My bridesmaid's gifts are all bought and almost done (still adding some finishing touches), but while browsing my new favorite site, Etsy, I found something that I just had to get.

This is were you have to stop reading girls! Espcially you BM D, since I know you read my blog all the time. (Thanks for that too by the way! :) )

STOP!!!!!!

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DON'T READ BEYOND THIS POINT OR YOU WILL RUIN THE SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, you should no longer be reading this.

So, I was looking around on Etsy, and found the perfect thing to add to my girls' gifts. Pendants! I loved Yum Yum Pendants' style, so I went to their website to look at more designs. I found some I really wanted to get, but decided I wanted to make them a little more personal for each girl. I contacted Yum Yum Pendants and Ela quickly (and I mean like within an hour) responded to me. I told her what I was kinda thinking and sent her some pics of ideas I had found. She sent me back ideas of what each pendant would look like. They were amazing! I ordered them and within a week they were here! They all came with a ball chain and in really cute blue velvety bags. So.... here they are!

(Sorry for the horrible lighting and bad pictures. I took them on my phone and it really doens't do them justice!)

Each one has a special meaning, which I am not going to go into, but my girls will know. I am going to have them wrap them around the stem of their flowers to carry down the aisle with them. I am so excited and happy about it! And I couldn't believe how wonderful Yum Yum Pendants was to work with. It was an amazing experience. Thank you Yum Yum Pendants!!!!

Have you found anything along the way that you just had to get for your bridal party?

Dec-No

I was so happy and excited about using Deco Beads in our centerpieces. I even got a mason jar out, put those nifty little dots in there, poured some water and waited. Just like magic they puffed up! So, I thought I would test them out and see just how long a flower would last in there (after all, if I'm spending 100's of dollars on flowers, they better last for a couple days!). I put one flower in the middle of the beads

(Personal pic)

I loved it! I was so excited and happy and couldn't wait to get home and show MS. He thought they were really cool too, and even though he saw potential problems with Dad MS playing with them, we decided we could work past that. So we set the jar on the counter to proudly display.

Later that day though, my flower was looking limp, and a little wilted. I put some more water in the bottom of the jar so the flower would have something to drink and went to bed. MS woke me up the next morning to help him clean up beads. The bottom bead absorbed the extra water and got bigger and they started to overflow the jar! So adding water doesn't work, FYI. That night, I came home to this:

(Personal pic too)

Yep, that is my poor little flower, dead after a day. Needless to say, I will not be using the Deco Beads in our centerpieces! I can't have all our wedding flowers dying before the reception!!! I think instead, we will just use some of those flat glass beads and fill the bottom with water.

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Have any of your great wedding ideas wilted away?!

Tie It Together

My BM H/future sis-in-law had high school rodeo this weekend. She participates in poles and barrel racing, and is really good and fun to watch! So, we spent the entire weekend sitting at the arena watching her, and all the other high schoolers rodeo it up. For the 20 seconds she was out there, it was fun, but for the other hours of the other kids doing their thing, not so much.

But, it was senior day on Sunday, and, since she is a senior, she got to walk out into the middle of the arena with her parents and get introduced. Well, stupid me forgot our camera, so I didn't get any pictures. I did take some on my future mom-in law's camera though, but they didn't turn out. The lighting isn't good, and there is so much dust in the air that's all the camera picks up (so, not a good place to get married!).

As part of the walking out though, they had bouquets of flowers for the seniors to give their moms. Of course, I didn't take a picture of that either, but I did get a picture (on my phone) of how they were wrapped.

Pic by me!

Because of all the down time during the day, I started brainstorming wedding things, and thought these would be the perfect way to tie our bouquets. I love it! It is simple, seems easy to do, and keeps it country. Since our colors are purple though, I am going to buy a bunch of purple bandanas instead of red.

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I'm thinking for my bouquet and MS's boutonniere, we will use the purple as the base and tie with the gunny sack, just to switch things up a little!

How are you wrapping your flowers? Have you seen any neat and different ways to do it?

Top It Off

Since we have decided what to do about a cake, we need to decide about a topper. While the whole bride/groom people thing is cute, I just don't think its us

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But, in our search of the perfect topper, we came across some pretty funny and cute ones. This one would be perfect for us, if we were going to go the people route (yep, beer cans behind a 4-wheeler!)

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But, like I said, we aren't going to go the people route. So we looked at other options.

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These are ok, but nothing really stood out to us. We did have fun looking though, especially at all the funny people! But, we will continue our look to find the perfect topper for our cake.

What did you choose for your topper?

Typical Kalispell

I made the mistake last weekend that everyone who lives in Kalispell, MT knows not to do. I washed my car.

The weather has been unusually nice and warm, and since it was in the 50's, I guess I got caught up in the spring fever that everyone else seems to be enjoying. Well, just to be typical Kalispell, and shove my mistake in my face, we woke up this morning to this:

(Pic by me on my phone)

Yep, that is snow. About 2-3 inches of it too. It won't last, but I also don't think that is will be the last. We normally get at least one snow in April too.

Because of the typical Kalispell weather, our outside wedding months are limited. I wrote earlier about how we came to the decision to get married on the date we are, and one of those reasons is the weather. Let me give you a break down of typical Kalispell weather:

• January, February, March: Snow, mushy when it rains
• Wedding would have to be inside
• April: Possible snow, lots of rain, pretty mushy out, starting to get a little sunny though
• Wedding may possibly be outside, most likely wouldn't happen, so must have a backup plan
• May, June: Sunny but cool. Teases you with thoughts of summer
• Outside could be possible, would still be crazy to not have a backup plan though, just in case
• July: Always rains on the 4th, after that it starts to get hot
• Good time for outside wedding (as long as its not around the 4th!)
• August: Smokey from all the forest fires, hot
• Outside weddings will be hot, and your guests may not be able to breath from all the smoke
• September: Warm
• Good time for outside wedding. Not too hot, not too cold, smoke normally gone (I may be a little biased here!)
• October: Rainy. Expect rain or snow on Halloween
• May be able to pull of outside wedding earlier in the month, but would have to have backup plan and start in the afternoon (nights get COLD!)
• November, December: Cold, rainy, snowy
• Wedding needs to be inside

What is the typical weather like in your area? What months are best for an outside wedding?

Cake For Cutting

MS and I don't like fondant. AT ALL. It has a weird texture and gross flavor. So why would we want to have a wedding cake covered in that crap and serve it to our innocent guests? We don't. So we aren't. In fact, our wedding cake isn't even going to be eaten! Nope, we are buying cakes from Costco (because they have the most amazing cakes) and serving those to our guests. But we will be having a wedding cake to cut and feed a bite to each other (no smashing in faces!).

My sister/BM C was going to make our cake for us (she is an amazing chef!), but becuase of the time frame of when she is flying in, all that has to be done, and when the wedding starts, she doesn't think she will have time. So momma HS (who is behind BM C's baking ability), has volunteered to make our cake! We have an idea of what we want our cake to look like and how large we would like it to be. Something like this:

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I love this cake. Its not too big, but still big enough. Its simple and elegant and perfect for cutting! I would like the black flowers to be purple instead though, and the white bands around the bases to be black. That would tie in our colors, and add a little more to the cake. Since momma HS doesn't decorate cakes, only makes them, I had to find someone to take on that task. And who better to ask than Flash (he trully is a man of many talents)?! He does sculptures and figurines out of fimo, so why couldn't he do it out of fondant?! He has agreed to try, and even found a cake decorating class to take. BM D also talks about all this here.

We are very excited about momma HS baking and Flash decorating. I know that with these 2 people, our cake will be amazing! (We are thinking possibly a Funfetti flavored cake to make it a little more fun!)

Who is making your cake? Is the cake you are cutting the same cake you are serving?

Oh Kate Moss, You Hit It On The Nose

Everyone, at some point, has heard Kate Moss's inspirational quote: "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels". While this statement caused quite an uproar and many people were upset about it, I think she hit it on the nose.

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I have been struggling with my weight. I posted about this earlier too, and things haven't changed much! I recently changed some meds around too, and the scale keeps going up and up. No matter what I do, how much I cut back, I have still been gaining.

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So, I have been trying to live by the moto that so many frown upon. I try to tell myself that those cookies, or chips, or cake, or doughnuts, or latte, really isn't worth it, and the 5 minutes of heaven will stick to me for a lot longer than that. I would rather be skinny (or try to get that way), than to enjoy some sweet indulgence.

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I am having a hard time, and I want to look and feel good. So I will keep struggling and trying, and hopefully soon (PLEASE, soon), I will look the way I want.

Are you stuggling with your weight? How do you feel about Kate Moss's quote?

Will You Marry Us?

MS and I have thought of every possible option of people to perform our ceremony and marry us. Of course, the more obvious ones came to mind first, such as a pastor or justice of the peace.

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Another option that came to mind though, was a family member to do it. We really liked this idea the best, and thought of the perfect person to ask. Flash, my sister's/BM D's boyfriend!

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He is not a minister, but is going to get ordained on the internet to be able to marry us. I'm not quite sure all that he has to do, but there is still plenty of time to get it all figured out and done.

We are so excited that he is going to be such a huge part of our wedding. Thank you Flash, you are the best!!! :)

Is there anyone in your family playing a really important role in your wedding?

Pretty & Functional

I finally decided on what to do for centerpieces. And after talking to a lady I work with, I have come up with a neat way to fancy them up, and a great way to keep our flowers moist. Let me introduce, Deco Beads!

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They are these weird little gel dot things that you put in the bottom of your vase (mason jar), add water, wait, and they swell up absorbing all the water! They come in beads and cubes, and a bunch of colors

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You can put candles or flowers or whatever you want in them, and they keep them moist, and in the possition you want.

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So, I think I am going to get some purple cubes and clear beads for our centerpieces. I want to put about 3 or 4 white carnations around the edges, and have the purple orchids in the middle. These are such a neat way to add a little something to our centerpieces that not many people have seen before. Not only are they pretty, they are functional too! Thanks for the help coworker! :)

Have you found anything really neat along the way of your wedding planning?