Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Planning From the Groom's Perspective

Ever since I started wedding planning, I've always wondering what Zach though of the whole process. I ask his opinion on pretty much every part of the planning process, and his responses are always "You pick" or "I don't care, you decide". I know some things he doesn't care about, like what color flowers are on the tables or what flavor cake we pick, but there are some part of the wedding he must have an opinion on!

So I asked him: What do you REALLY think about wedding planning?

And so he wrote a guest post for y'all on his true feelings about wedding planning:

And there it is, the epic day that sits in infamy in the back of every guy’s mind.

Wedding day.

But, one thing that I never really thought about, was the wedding planning. And that ladies and gentlemen, if you have read my fiance’s blogs, is the kicker.

So, I was asked a question: What does a guy think about all the wedding planning and everything that goes into the big day? I know it is a question that I think I have heard about a billion and a half times from my goofi [Ashley's note: Nickname...boo like ghetto name for boyfriend became boofi (adding the fi from fiance) after we got engaged...female version of boofi is goofi...don't judge, it was a joke that just kind of stuck ;)], so I guess I’ll get into it a little here...

So obviously, there is a lot of indifference. I mean there are plenty of things that I care about, but none of them about a wedding day. I don’t have to be pretty, she does, I don’t dream about the day, she does, I don’t get walked down the aisle, she does. Get my point? The only thing on my mind is her and how absolutely stunning she will be at the beginning, middle, and end. Maybe I’m different from other guys, I don’t know, but let’s take a look at a color palette.

Do you see those colors? I mean jeeze, how many colors do you know as a person? I know like maybe 10, but after listening to Ashley discuss the colors of clothes and the wedding, I might be able to say 20 or 25. Why in the world do you need to know that many colors? Then there are the places, which I might have an opinion about, but she keeps asking me – “What is your dream place?”. Then she gets frustrated with me when I don’t know what to tell her. I don’t have a dream place, hell I have been more places with her in the past 5 months than I have probably in my life. It’s one of those things that I really don’t care about. I tell you what I do care about when places come into the conversation and that is the honeymoon.

You know exactly what I am talking about. I want to get away from everything, from everyone, and go to a place with the love of my life that is exotic/foreign. Of course, the simplest of these ideas is the beach with gorgeous water tickling your toes and the breeze flinging tiny bits of sand into your eyes. Doesn’t have to be exactly, could be Rome or Paris, could be London or somewhere deep in the rolling hills of Ireland. Maybe even the mountain tops of the most neutral country in the world, Switzerland…

Another thing that I care about is the drinks served at the wedding. I don’t know about anyone else but my family likes to relax with a tall glass of bourbon highball, a toddy, or a tallboy or two. My fiance’s family does the same with the Boston Lagers and cheap pinot grigio or whatever is a cheap wine (not a wine connoisseur or anything). So without something to break the ice, as you will, we might have another Civil War on our hands, so drinks have to be an option, but not an open bar, because once again it could be war. Fortunately, that was something easily resolved for the most part.

But honestly, there is little left right? Wrong there is a ton left, but nothing that I have gotten into save for one more thing.

Wedding party.

Okay, so there is very little I want as far as this is concerned, just pick a few people and be done, right? Jesus, how wrong that is. What about the people that didn’t get picked or the people that try to pick for you? I mean my sister’s boyfriend is a friend, but when my wedding party is concerned I didn’t think about him necessarily. Now my sister is going to be hounding my ear like those coastal gnats, which wouldn’t matter normally, but bothers me now because there are plenty of people that I would love to include and very little room. It’s like a clown car in how you want everyone in it, but in the end you feel uncomfortable watching all of them getting out of it for the show.

So, sadly and unfortunately, I have to play this silly game of politics. Then my grandmother throws me a loop and tells me she would really like to see my father as my best man. WTF? Where did this come from, my parents should be sitting together right?

I tell you what, let’s just do this type of wedding –

Easy as can be and her dad said he would come if I got kegs of good beer (so she can still have her father walk her down the aisle, got to cover my bases). I mean works for me, but you already know how she feels…

Anyways, in the end, there is little that can be done with the large gap in the day dreamy female version of wedding planning and the bored, please get this over with guy version of wedding planning. There will always be the excited girls gossiping around a table or over the phone about all of the planning and guys teasing one another about what they are going to miss in the single life.

Honestly, if I can get it through my goofi’s head, that as long as she is happy in her I Do, then my wedding day will be perfect, because I have found the one for me.

P.S. – Pray for me throughout the rest of the planning…haha

So there y'all have it! Wedding planning from a guy's perspective. He picked out all the pictures himself too...they crack me up!

What about your husband/fiance? Were they really involved in the planning or did they lay low?

11 Facts!

I think these fun facts posts are so fun to read, so when I was tagged by Amanda and Rena, I just had to participate!

The rules are:

1. Post the rules

2. Give 11 random facts about yourself

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag

Here are my 11 random facts:

1. As most of you know, I'm a chemical engineering grad student. My research is on inhalation pharmaceuticals and making polymer films change color.

2. I absolutely hate centipedes. The amount of legs they have is totally unnecessary.

3. I love running, but I don't wear running clothes out anywhere aside from a workout. I do wear yoga pants/crops everywhere though.

4. I love baking!

5. I eat peanut butter on or in something daily.

6. I'm a crazy dog lady. I take a ridiculous amount of pictures of Zoe.

7. I think overnight oats are just gross. I know so many running/healthy living/food bloggers love them, but I am just weirded out. I'll eat hot oatmeal though. With peanut butter on it.

8. I know I've told y'all this before, but I love m&ms. I love them so much. I eat them daily. Some days it's 2 m&ms while I'm cooking dinner, other times its 20 m&ms. Either way, I can't part with them. Zach and I will definitely be having m&ms at our wedding.

9. My favorite zoo animals are the zebras and giraffes.

10. I just started collecting Christmas ornaments every place we travel. I want to be able to remember all our fun trips and Christmas ornaments are a great way to do that!

11. I love broccoli. I could eat it every day. Zach hates broccoli. I usually cook him peas when I want broccoli.

I was tagged by Amanda and Rena, so I'll do a couple questions from each of them so I don't overload y'all!

From Amanda:

1. If you could travel to any country, where would it be?

I would say Greece. It looks so pretty and I would love to see it!

2. Cats or dogs?

DOGS!

3. What is your favorite restaurant to go to?

Hmm...probably Mojo's in Jax Beach, FL.

4. Are you crafty?

Yes! Wait till y'all see my DIYs for my wedding!

5. Tea or coffee? Flavors?

Tea for sure. I like hot green or black tea, and I love sweet tea!

From Rena:

6. What did you do for fun in your childhood?

Go to the beach!

7. What's your favorite movie of last year?

The Help

8. What's your fashion must have?

I would probably say riding boots.

9. What's one of your life goals?

Be a mom.

10. What's the one material thing you can't live without?

My "A" necklace! I got it from my parents.

My 11 Questions are:

1. What's your favorite type of cookie?

2. If you could live in any US city, where would it be?

3. If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?

4. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

5. What's your favorite healthy meal?

6. What's your favorite un-healthy meal?

7. What is your favorite band?

8. What's your favorite color?

9. Do you have any pets?

10. What's the best vacation you've ever been on?

11. What is your biggest accomplishment to date?

I'm tagging:

Jena at Recently Roached

Missy at Southern Girl Running

Dee at Dee's Adventures

Jen at Right Where I Should Be

Jess at It's Just Jess

Back on Track! Monday Motivation

Happy Monday everyone!

I have had a chest cold/no voice almost all weekend! My voice is not pretty!

After work I really wanted to go home, order in, and sleep on the couch. But I didn't!

I motivated myself to stick to my workout goals and I'm doing the same for you now!

I ran from work to the gym (only about 0.7 miles), pumped some iron, and ran back to my office to get my things!

Running was tough with my chest cold, but I am really glad that I stuck to my goals and didn't give up and start the week off on the wrong foot. I ran 1.4 miles and did leg and arm weights as well as some ab exercises. Operation Fit Bride is here to stay!

Sticking with my workout today was not only a workout with my wedding dress in mind, but continuing with my determination for a healthier life. I struggled a bit with motivation after my second half marathon because I felt with no race in sight, I had no incentive to get moving. I do think those two weeks was a much needed mental and physical break. I recharged my batteries and while I still don't have any half marathons on the calendar for this spring, what better motivation is there to work out than my health?

I've come so far with my weight loss journey. You all have been there from the first day I reclaimed my life and started running again. Many of you have commented, emailed me, and tweeted at me with questions, advice, or a much needed good job! You have shared your healthy living journeys and goals, and I am here to remind you that you can succeed and reach that goal!

Not giving up on my workout today is just a small hurdle to overcome on a very mountainous journey. We will all face some obstacle that we have to overcome. But that is what makes the goal so much more worth it.

You can do this! Whether you want to run a half marathon or a 5k, swim a mile or bike with your children, learn some nutritious recipes or pledge to eat out only once a week, you can attain your goal!

Don't start on Monday to get your healthy lifestyle back on track, start at the next meal.

Don't wait for the free moment to work out, make the free time happen.

Realizing how you can achieve your goals is the first step in making them happen.

Make a healthy lifestyle exactly that - a lifestyle! You can reach the goals you have set for yourself! Every small step adds up to big leaps forward towards the ultimate prize. Even if it's as small as not skipping your Monday workout.

Workin' on my Fitness

My goal this week was to complete two strength training workouts and two runs.

On Monday, I did The Biggest Loser Power Sculpt workout.

This workout was no joke! I did the warmup, Levels 1, 2, and 3, and the cooldown. My favorite Level would have to be Level 3 because Bob is my favorite trainer. And let me tell y'all my butt muscles were sore for two days. The curtsey-squats were killer!

Jillian taught Level 1, Kim taught Level 2, and Bob taught Level 3. All three levels plus the warmup and cooldown only took me 50 minutes!

Zoe was very entertained by my workout. She kept trying to lay down next to me when I was doing push ups and planks!

Tuesday morning I ran 3.25 miles before work!

I make weird faces. No judgement.

Wednesday we went on a mini-family walk. Zach and I took Zoe (and a little white dog that followed us) on a 2-mile walk before dinner.

Zoe loves going for walks!

Thursday I walked the track with my friend Emily before taking Butts and Guts. I love going to that class! It's so hard but I love the challenge! I look forward to it every week.

Zach ran around the track and did weights while we were in the class.

I get a huge kick out of this shirt.

I had a 5-miler on the plan for this morning but I've had the worst sore throat for the past 4 days and woke up with no voice this morning so I needed some extra sleep. I'll make up for it this weekend though!

How were your workouts this week?

Anything fun planned for the weekend?

Wedding Wednesday: Mason Jar Accents

Wedding Wednesdays are so much fun! I'm still having a great time getting to participate in them and share all of my ideas with y'all! I love hearing everyone's suggestions and helpful tips so keep 'em coming!

Last week I shared my wedding colors: Fuchsia and Champagne-Gold.

Lots of weddings I've seen in magazines and blogs seem to have a theme. There are so many wonderful ideas. I think the overall vibe we're going for is Charleston/Carolina charm. Our save-the-dates and wedding invites will have the palmetto moon on them, as well as some napkins and maybe something included in the centerpieces.

The other element we want to include a lot of is mason jars! They are so versatile and will be a lot of fun to use for the reception!

I absolutely love the idea of dipping the bottoms of the mason jars in glitter. I want to incorporate this idea into our centerpieces. I'm thinking of using either gold or fuchsia glitter (depending on the tablecloth color) and using 3-5 per table and filling them with candles and magnolia flowers. I think that would be just so beautiful! And if you know me in person, you know I looovveeee glitter!

I definitely want to serve drinks in mason jars! I love the idea of having signature drinks. We are thinking of having Palmetto Brewing Company beer, muscadine wine, Arnold Palmers, sweet tea, lemonade, soft drinks, and having two signature drinks, one for each of us.

(I'd love to know y'all's opinions on this subject...open bar/no open bar...having unlimited beer and wine with two signature drinks, etc. Help!)

We could have a huge ice bucket with a palmetto moon on it and fill it with lemonade and sweet tea!

Zach and I can even have Bride and Groom mason jars for our drinks!

I'm definitely using this idea-using mason jars to display pictures of our families' weddings. I would love to have my parents and grandparents as well as Zach's family's weddings! These would be great on the guest book table.

Filling mason jars with favors is such a great idea! For a Charleston wedding, I'd love to fill mason jars with pralines and include some Charleston Tea Company tea strung on a ribbon around the top. I also love the idea of giving Mississippi State muscadine wine as a favor to our guests. I have to look into that!

How beautiful are lanterns hanging in the trees? At night this would add to an amazing atmosphere for an outdoor, Southern spring wedding reception. Mason jar lanterns would be even better!

These napkins are too cute! I would love to include these in our wedding, maybe at the cocktail hour!

All images are from my Pinterest board. Come see my board and click on the pictures there for the websites they came from!

Did you use mason jars in your wedding or go to a wedding that had mason jars? Please tell me any great ideas you have!

Do you have any advice for me for my wedding? I love any and everything y'all tell me!

Peanut Butter Lovin'

It's National Peanut Butter Day! What a fantastic holiday!

I made peanut butter cookies in honor of the day! I'm going to share with you a few of my favorite peanut butter treats!

These are the best peanut butter cookies I've ever had. I've blogged about them once before, but they are so good I have to write about them again.

They are super easy to make:

1 egg, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of peanut butter, and one teaspoon of vanilla

Mix it all up, drop about tablespoon-sized drops onto a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle some sugar on the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven and ENJOY!!

Zoe also enjoyed some peanut butter. She LOVES peanut butter!

She loves peanut butter so much I even made her a peanut butter doggie pupcake on her first birthday!

I legit eat peanut butter at some point every day. I love making peanut butter Rice Krispy Treats (to die for!), topping oatmeal with peanut butter, adding peanut butter to my morning breakfast shake, or using peanut butter as a healthy snack.

Mix 1 tablespoon of peanut butter with 1 tablespoon of light cool whip and dip apple pieces into the peanut butter whip dip. It is sweet and filling at the same time! And low calorie!

I also like having chocolate Vitamuffins and topping them with a tablespoon of peanut butter.

Peanut butter is just so awesome! It can be healthy and indulgent all at once!

I found these peanut butter recipes on Pinterest and I can't wait to try them! My future Mother-in-Law's birthday is today so I just might have to make her a peanut butter themed birthday treat next time I see her!

Peanut Butter Ball! Dip Nutter Butters into that! Looks amazing! Recipe here.

Elvis milkshakes! Peanut butter and banana! Recipe here.

The recipe calls for vanilla ice cream, but I would substitute vanilla Greek yogurt for a healthier version!

Do you love peanut butter too?

What's your favorite peanut butter treat?

No Race to Train For? Now What?

This is going to be a majorly honest post.

I haven't ran in 16 days.

I finished the MS Blues Half Marathon January 7, and aside from a 2-mile walk/run/interval session at the one day I went to the gym last week, I haven't taken a step since. I've gone to the gym twice, once each week. I've eaten whatever I wanted.

What the heck am I doing? I've come way too far to be sliding back into my old habits!

I think I was just plain old burnt out. I love running like crazy and I'm actually starting to miss it. But with nothing to train for, I just stopped doing anything. I have zero motivation to break a sweat. You would think summer, a wedding, engagement photos, etc. would be motivating. But I just couldn't force myself to go bang out even a mile.

I feel lost. I have no race to train for, no date on my calendar.

But that doesn't mean I shouldn't have goals! I have big goals, actually. I want to run the Philadelphia Half Marathon in 2:20, I want to become stronger and more toned, which I think will help me become a stronger runner (Do stronger legs = easier miles? I believe they do). I have a pair of jeans I want to fit into, wedding gowns to try on, and my overall health to take care for. GET IT TOGETHER ASHLEY!!

Part of the problem may be adjusting to a new schedule this semester. Last semester I was working a lot from home since I was writing my thesis. This semester I'm back in the lab full time until May when I graduate. But still. NO. MORE. EXCUSES.

I'm NOT giving up. I guess I just needed a mental and physical break.

Since I don't have a race in the very near future (except for a fun St. Patrick's Day 5k), I'll be switching it up a bit and taking advantage of my spring "off-season".

I want to strength train two days a week. Monday and Thursday are looking to be best schedule-wise for meeting this goal.

Tuesday and Friday are running days. I don't want to lose my endurance, so I will be completing some longer runs, like 7-9 miles, as well as some speedwork sessions. I really want to get faster. I would like to run 3 days a week, with Wednesday or Saturday as my additional running day. I'd also like to incorporate yoga on one of these days that I don't wind up running, since I really enjoy it.

I CAN do this! I MUST motivate myself to stick to my goals that I know I can reach!

What do you do to keep yourself motivated? Tell me your tips and advice!