{ hello, stress }

With all the last minute wedding plans and all the excitement of the fourth, I have barely had a second to breathe. Needless to say, wedding stress is kicking in { for the first time during the entire planning process, thankfully } and I'm trying to take it all step by step. I'm finishing up the last DIY projects this week so that next week I can just relax. I'll be taking a few hours off Wednesday and then I'll be off of work for the rest of the week. to greet family as they come in and tie up the last loose ends.

Although it is overwhelming, I'm finding that the best way to tackle the last bit of details and avoid stress as much as possible is to write to-do lists for every day up until next Saturday. Being able to check off even the littlest things each day will help I hope!
But I calm down every time I think that, next Sunday after all the fun, excitement and craziness of the wedding is over, T and I will be here:

taking all of this in...

relaxing here...

enjoying a few meals out here...

and i'll enjoy this...
while he enjoys this...
goodbye stress. hello, paradise.


{photos from here }

{ rehearsal dinner }

Yesterday in the mail I got the invitation for our rehearsal dinner from my FMIL. When we started planning everything I talked to her and my mom and told them that whatever party we had, I would love to have a copy of every invitation and it's been really nice because instead of just handing them to me, they have sent me everyone and made sure that I was sent one for all the showers as well. It's actually a bittersweet moment because that's the last invitation I'll get related to the wedding...but exciting because it means the big day is getting even closer!

But anyway, back to the topic at hand. I cannot wait for our rehearsal dinner! Because T is a very causal guy, his mom planned this to be a very causal party. Give him a closet full of khakis, polos and rainbows { boat shoes, if he's feeling really crazy } and he's one happy guy. I, on the other hand, love any excuse to get dressed up. So the compromise was formal wedding, informal rehearsal dinner.

I've mentioned some of this before, but they have rented this little island right off on of the beaches here that is surrounderd by beautiful lowcountry marsh on each side. We are going to have lowcountry boil and barbecue { yum YUM! } and this will be where T will proudly get to display his { very orange } clemson paw groom's cake.

I did have a little bit of a hard time sticking to the casual dress code that was suggested. After I found Vera and we decided that my sister wouldn't be making my wedding dress, she and I sat down to decide what party she could make me a dress for. So when we decided on the rehearsal dinner, we obsessed over ideas for a few weeks and finally found something not exactly causal, but not exactly not.

The idea started with these dresses and I became obsessed with the idea of a bow:



It's evolved into a version of all three of these, made in white seersucker with a bow that is even better than these three. I am literally obsessed with the bow and I am going to find every chance I can to wear it until Labor Day. I can't wait to post the finished version after the party! Seriously, my sister is ridiculously talented.

And the shoes? { a complete change from what I originally thought I wanted } Biggest shock of all....Payless! I know! I was amazed! I went in there because I knew they had Lela Rose dyeable shoes but ended up walking out with these:

{ amazing. a big thank you to payless for saving me an exorbitant amount of money on footwear.}

happy thursday!

{ hush, hush }

now don't let the future mr. know, but i may or may not have just taken full advantage of the victoria's secret semi-annual sale { and the amazing promos they have online right now... like free shipping if you spend $100 and 2-day shipping upgrade if you spend $ 30 on swimwear... }. usually i'm not a fan of vs. i DID abuse the store credit card in college for sure but eventually became a little upset with their quality and moved on. well they sent me an email the other day and since it said "sale", i was tempted and actually found some stuff i really liked.

so i scored this...

{ because I'll be in Mexico in 25 days. of COURSE i need another bathing suit }

{ in black; because i *adore* eyelet, especially in the summer }


{ and these, in navy, only because i used to love lounging around in their shorts and i needed to push my order over the $100 mark for free shipping }

and suddenly i feel better after justifying my purchases. and i mean justifying in the loosest interpretation of the word possible.

happy hump day!

{ countdown to bachelorette weekend }

My sister { and my wonderful MOH } is hosting my bachelorette party this weekend and to say i am excited would be a mild understatement. All 6 of my bridesmaids and few more of my great friends are coming to Charleston for the weekend { poor T is being kicked out and heading up to Clemson }. Most of the details are being kept from me but I do know that Friday night will be a girls night, Saturday will involve finaly fittingf for the bm's dresses, beach time and then a night out downtown with all the girls! The fact that all of my best friends will be in one place for a whole weekend is what excites me the most....and the fact that we will be fitting 11 girls into our 2 bedroom apartment and having one big sleepover for two nights :) I've never been to a bachelorette weekend { crazy, i know! } so I have NO idea what to expect but I'm sure it will be a weekend filled with fun and great memories.

and check out this cute little number that i will be wearing on saturday night. and i found these amazing turquoise wedges to match.
oh friday, please come quickly!

{ return }

So I started this blog a few months ago with big hopes of of recording all the steps that were going to lead me to wedding day.
Well...
Truth be told, I don't deal with stress well. Between had addressing all of my invitations { I unfortunately obsessed over my handwriting since about 3rd grade and my mom insisted it was the best }, and writing about a hundred thank you notes for the two showers thrown and attended by my VERY generous family members and friends, and tying up all the lose ends, I've been stretched a little thin. But now, wedding day is less than a month away.
!!!
Crazy.
So I revamped the blog so that after the wedding it can be a place that I still ramble about random things in my life but I can still use as an excuse to obsess about wedding details. Because i have a feeling that this is one obsession that will not go away anytime soon.
But I'm looking forward to this & I'm looking forward to getting to know the girls whose blogs I have followed through my planning process.

{ amazed }

Anyone that has known me even for five minutes, knows that I'm dramatic. In the worst way. I honestly think, I get a subconscious thrill about making the biggest deal about the most trivial issues. Endearing? Doubtful. But nonetheless, it's who I am.

When wedding planning began last August, I was convinced that the 11 months to follow would be filled with my dramatic moments endured by my poor parents, my sweet fiance and my six amazing bridesmaids. Surprisingly, there have been none yet { right??} and we are only weeks from the 3 month mark! My mom and I have been on the same page every step of the way and decisions have been made effortlessly. Even when she called me yesterday to tell me that our planner at the Wickliffe House was leaving at the end of this month, I remained calm { or as calm as I know how to be}. Don't get me wrong, I was devastated. I had only met her twice, but Kathryn had been amazing with helping us to make menu decisions , create floor plan layouts and helping us with vendors. But my mom told me not to worry, everything would be fine...and I listened.

Oh my god. Does this mean I'm becoming an adult?

Hah. Fat chance.

And now that we're coming down to the months before the wedding where decisions are being made every day and there's a million details to attend to, I'm not worrying about things not being perfect on July 18th {because I know they will be}. I'm worried about what I am going to do with my free time after we get married! Wedding details run through my head all day long, I think about the little moments that will make that day special, I even run to Frank Sinatra music now because it makes me think about what our reception is going to be like { okay, a little obsessive}. But most of all, I think about the little moments that Trey and I will have together; like these:

{and my all time favorite}

{obsession}

A few months ago, I started brainstorming ideas for my rehearsal dinner dress. It's going to be a very casual occasion: it's on this little island with great views of the marsh on either side and we're having lowcountry boil and barbeque. It's perfect because we have planned this formal wedding and reception so it will be nice to have a casual dinner the night before { while enjoying amazing lowcountry scenery}.

However, since it is 1/2 my party, I don't want to dress casual. So I've come up with the idea of reusing this amazing simple white dress my mom got for me a few years ago. I never really had a chance to wear it in college so I figured this would be the perfect occasion: one more chance for me to be the girl in the white dress. Here's my dilemma: { which has recently lead into an obsession } I wanted to "spice" it up with a sash and some great shoes. Since I always use pink as my accent, I thought green would be great because it is my newest color obssession { and one of the colors for the wedding }. The sash won't be a problem because I have an amazing seamstress. The problem is the shoes: I want green satin heels and I can't find them ANYWHERE.

An abundance of pictures, but I have yet to find a pair I can actually purchase.

and the search continues....

{ puppy love }

I think it's no secret that I am obsessed with my dogs { and just dogs in general...and the the Sheltie named Tillman that will soon be the 4th addition to our family.}.

For the longest time, it was Vita and Margot, and when Vita passed away, my parents added satan reincarnated to the Hoffman family. But of course, even Zoe I have grown to love. They are my little furry best friends and yes I do talk to them, and yes, they do listen. And when I met Trey, I was thrilled to learn that he had a dog, Koozie, who is now like our little son. Needless to say, back in the very first days of planning, I wanted an outdoor weedding and of course, Margot and Zoe would be the flower girls and Kooz would be the ring bearer. But after giving it some thought, we realized that a July wedding in Charleston would not be so ideal outdoors. So with that idea went the idea of our furry attendants because its' doubtful that they will be welcomed in our beautiful Episcopal church. Eventually I got over it, but I still can't fight the pangs of jealousy when I see pictures like these.

I mean look at those puppies: they all look all look so happy! I think that our dogs totally deserve to share in the happy day as well! But, there may be hope: yesterday my wonderful husband-to-be informed me that he has found a way for Koozie to be in our wedding pictures. I have no idea how, but I hope it happens because I would love more than anything to have a picture of the three of us hanging in our living room.

And now I'm looking forward to tonight: Sara and I are meeting for drinks & she is the ONLY girl I know that is engaged { we are actually getting married at the same church, one month apart} so it will be fun to talk weddings because I'm sure with my wedding obsession, I start to annoy those who aren't engaged or are already married.

{115 days! }

{ inspiration }

Throughout this whole process, I have been trying to find as many inspirational images { guess that's just the designer in me } as I could get my hands on for every aspect of the day. I started with wedding magazines because before we got engaged, I had never bought one. Needless to say, I made up for lost time quite quickly. Then i moved on to websites like { the knot } and wedding blogs. Well over the past few months I have torn out as many pictures as I could and stuffed them into the already overstuffed "Wedding Bible" { the aptley named bright bink binder filled with every detail imaginable for the big day } or saved them on my computer from the many websites.

So I figured today, I would share a few.

And in more planning news, T called two dance studios in Charleston this afternoon so that we can get the ball rolling on learning how to dance to our first dance. *so exciting*

{ decisions & appointments }

So things have been a little quiet on the planning front but we'll hit the 4 month mark on Wednesday & I'm starting to feel a little bit of the pressure to start getting the final details planned and finished!

However, in the last few days, we have accomplished alot!

* Booked my portrait session
* Booked my hair appointment for the portrait
* Decided on ceremony music {at least the major ones: processional, recessional, mother's, bridesmaids/groomsmen}
* Decided on final menu choices for the reception { or at least narrowed it down. everything sounds SO good that we've just had to pick alot of options so we can decide at the tasting! }
* Met with Fr. Jeff for our second meeting/wedding counseling session

Up next:

* Meeting with the organist next Sunday to go over ceremony music selections
* Mom's dress fitting {04.18}
* My second dress fitting {04.18}
* Menu tasting with Mom and T {04.18}

AND, now that all the save the dates have been sent and received, the next big task my mom and I will be taking on....addressing all the envelopes...and seeing as the guest list has snuck up past 200, this will be quite the daunting task. Especially since I have been deemed the one with the best handwriting { so I will be addressing, mom will be stuffing the envelopes }. The invitations got here around Christmas time so I am so ready to open the box & see them again :)

Wedding planning will have to go on pause for the weekend though: T and I are heading down to Florida! It'll be a nice break from SC which hasn't quite reached perfect beach weather & a chance for us to spend time with Luke & Courtney { who we just found out will be parents in September!!! }.

{ hotels }

Here is the information regarding all of the hotels we have reserved as well as suggested restaurants!

Wedding Hotels/B&Bs
{all rooms are reserved under Hoffman/Linton Wedding}
Comfort Inn: 10 rooms reserved @ $101. Call 843.577.2224. Reservation Cutoff: June 17
The Mills House: 15 rooms reserved @ $155. Call 800.874.9600. Ask for the Mills House Reservation Department. Reservation Cutoff: June 3
Francis Marion Hotel: 10 rooms reserved @ $159. Call 877.756.2121. Reservation Cutoff: May 17
Renaissance Hotel: Historic District: 15 rooms reserved @ $169. Call 800.228.9290 or 843.534.0300. Reservation Cutoff: June 19

Suggested Bed and Breakfasts:
{All found on www.bedandbreakfast.com , a great resource for inns in town}
Ashley Inn: {on Ashley Avenue between the church and the reception} 800.581.6656
Cannonborough Inn: {on Ashley Avenue between the church and the reception} 800.235.8039
Lavender & Lace: {on Tradd Street} 843.723.8968
1837 B&B: {on Wentworth Street} 877.723.1837 or www.1837bb.com

Suggested Restaurants:
Fig: Local and seasonal food; dinner {@ the corner of Meeting & Hasell Streets}
Pane e Vino: Italian; dinner and may do lunch as well {on Warren Street near King Street}
Sermet’s: Mediterranean/American; lunch and dinner {@the corner of King and Wentworth Streets}
Jim and Nick’s BBQ: lunch & dinner {King Street}
Sticky Fingers BBQ: lunch and dinner {Meeting Street}
Virginia’s on King: Southern; breakfast, lunch and dinner {King Street}
Fleet Landing: Seafood and views of the water; lunch and dinner {on Washington Street, behind the Custom’s House}
Joseph’s: Soup, salads and sandwiches; breakfast and lunch {on Meeting Street, near the Gibbes Museum of Art}
Moe’s: Casual Mexican; lunch and dinner {@ the corner of King and Calhoun Streets}
Kickin’ Chicken: Casual, wings and sandwiches [and Eliza’s obsession]; lunch and dinner {on King Street}
Mellow Mushroom: Casual, pizza; lunch and dinner {on King Street}

and for more information:

http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/ElizaHoffman&TreyLinton

* first attempt at "blogging" *

So I still can't believe that I'm even doing one of these things and I'm not too sure how long it will hold my attention span...but here goes!

I thought this might be a good way to update any of you that care ( esp. Ellie since she's in Prague!) about the wedding planning process ( even though most of the major details are decided! I got inspiration to do this from Ellie and her blog { however, I think my pictures and posts will pale in comparison to hers about her studies abroad} as well as the other wedding blogs & websites I have begun frequenting at least once a day.
{ style me pretty } { snippet and ink } { Southern Weddings }

oh, and maybe a few more :o)

And also, since getting engaged, I have become *obsessed* with planning this wedding. I didn't plan this day out/give much thought to until Trey proposed and I guess you could say I am adequately making up for lost time & may have potentially found my true calling.

And just to play catch up, pretty much all of the major decisions have been made!

Ceremony: The Church of the Holy Communion; Charleston,SC

* Such a BEAUTIFUL church...my priest will be coming down from our church in St. Stephen to officiate the ceremony

Reception: The Wickliffe House; Charleston, South Carolina

*After my dress, this was the the second thing we picked because it popped into my head the second planning started because my parents hed their reception here 27 years ago. It is a beautiful historic building and I am in love with every square inch of it. One of the best parts is their caterer, Mediterra, which is fantastic {menu tasting on April 18th!} !

The Dress:
{ for obvious reasons, no pictures :o) }
Originally, I had dreams of Ellie making my dress and we went to Copper Penny; now { belle couture bridal } , in Charleston to get ideas for my dream dress. After a few dresses, I tried on a Vera Wang gown and knew right away it was "THE dress". I cried, my mom cried and after a long talk with my sister, the dress was mine the next day.

The Photogographer:
I am obsessed with her and every picture I have seen of hers I *love*. After pouring over what felt like a million wedding photographer's websites in the area, I finally found { karyn iserman }
And as of today I have the hair appointment and session booked for my briday portrait on June 4th!

The Cake:
Another amazing vendor, { ashley bakery }, is making our wedding cake. My mom and I had a blast at the cake tasting but eventually decided on a 3-tier lemon cake with rasberrry filling. It is covered with vanilla almond buttercream frosting with a swiss dot pattern. It will also have pink flowers added to it :)

The Florist:
Our florist, { tiger lily }, is also amazing. My mom and I met with Clara, the owner, told her what I wanted and she's turned my ideas into arrangements and bouquets that are going to be *beautiful*

And that's about all I can do right now haha. We've picked all of our other vendors but those will get posted as we make decisions because this is starting to get obnoxiously long.

*134 days*