The Great Save-the-Date Debate...Solved!

After wrestling with the idea for some time, I have decided that "Save the Dates" are well worth the expense and effort involved. My mom is rather opposed to the idea, but I think it's just because it's generally not done in our Italian tradition. So many of our friends and family are coming from away, and this weekend I heard so many "When is your wedding again?"'s that I think it's far better to err on the side of caution...not to mention the fact that they are so darn cute, and will be totally fun to make! I think it's a great way to make use of one of the pictures from our engagement photo shoot this weekend, and it will be one of the first ways we can direct people to the new website that Kevin is working so hard to build.

I think this is the one we will most likely emulate in black and white...


I love the idea of the calendar on this one, but it seems like it might be a pain in the butt to create...


I can't lie, I picked this one because the couple was so CUTE and the "man" reminds me of my baby brother...The calendar would totally confuse my non-English speaking relatives I think...


This is my FAVOURITE one, done by my one of my favourite blogger inspirations Amber in Norfolk...if Steve can photoshop these up for me, I'd LOVE to use them...


The bottom line is, my mind is made up, we will be having Save-the-Dates, they are just too cute and too much fun not to...plus, I already bought the photo magnet paper!

The Pathway to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions...

I often liken myself to Alice in Wonderland, in that "I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it." Anyone who knows me knows that organizational skills have never been my forte, but not for lack of trying. I consistently design new tools and devise new plans in the hopes of becoming a veritable Helen Buttigieg.

I have decided that, in an effort to become more consistent with my meal planning (a huuuuge budget helper) I will be posting my dinner menus for the week here along with links to the recipes. If you like them, feel free to use them...I'll do the legwork for you...and since I'm also insane about calorie consumption these days, you can rest assured they'll be clean and healthy. To further assist you, I have included a downloadable grocery list of my own creation. I have see many online (some completely unusable) but none as simple and straightforward as mine. I sometimes think I should try to make it more attractive one of these days, but why waste coloured ink on something you normally scribble down on the back of a used envelope, right?

Grocery List

Engagement Photos Soon to Come!

SB and I are currently counting down the days until our engagement pictures next Sunday, and in true "Alanna" form I have been researching like a madwoman. We all know that engagement photos are meant to capture the spirit of the couple in a casual, fun, and often times unique fashion, but our photographer also pointed out to us that they are important for a couple and their photographer to get to know one another. Although I am nervous, I am definitely glad that, come my wedding day, I will have already done the whole "professional photo shoot" thing, and will have significantly fewer jitters...There are just waaaay to many other things to think about.

I had so many questions about the engagement pictures:

- Should we dress so that we match?
- Should the venue be somewhere that is significant to our relationship?
- What time of day should the pictures be taken?
- Will we need any props?

Basically what I have learned is this: Do whatever feels natural to you and S and everything else will work itself out in the end...

I have culled several examples of the engagement photo eye-candy I've been scouring for the past few days...enjoy!

All photos courtesy of The Knot