Rachelle E.

awww! I'm sorry you're missing out on all the fun parties. That really sucks! I would feel bummed out too. But you're right...at least there's that light at the end of the tunnel. Next year you'll be able to party yourself into exhaustion and wonder why you can't find 5 minutes to hang around the house in pj's! :-) And don't stress too much about the finals...I'm sure with all this studying you've done...you're going to do GREAT!

Those are great!! That color is gorgeous and I bet they'll be perfect out on the beach! :-)

YAY!!! Congrats!! I can't wait to hear all about it...and see what are sure to be beautiful pics!!!

Love Actually is probably my VERY favorite. David and I both love that one. Elf - just cracks me up! It gets SO cheesey at the end but I love it. The Grinch - old and new for me too! Muppet Christmas, for sure I love the Rudolph claymation too...really I think I just like claymation! And Charlie Brown Christmas. So very much a part of my childhood. :-)

I think it would be fine. Assuming the bouquets are essentially the same "style" (romantic, contemporary etc) I think it would look great. If you feel you need to "connect" them somehow, maybe choose some greenery or trim that could match? My BM's all carried a bouquet of just one type of flower in a shade of pink (ie: pink stargazer lily, super pale pink peony, nearly fuschia gerbera daisy etc) and I carried a bouquet that was a combination of all those, but white only, no colors. I think it looked great and was fun to have a variety of flowers. :-)

Your dress is GORGEOUS!!!! and I can't believe how amazing it fits!!! Lucky girl! Congrats on finally getting it!!!!

freaking adorable!!! Is it a surprise for your FI? Or has he already seen it? Might make a pretty fun/hiliarious surprise if he hasn't yet. But seriously, SO cute and unique!!! Your guests are going to get a KICK out of it!!!

This is the one we're talking about...when you go, you can have them do your makeup with it and see if you like it....it's pretty cool stuff. :-) Bare Escentuals at Sephora

Absolutely fantastic review Susan!! I'm so hooked on this! I can't wait to hear all about the reception - so sorry you lost it to cyberspace! That's such a bummer!!!! Honestly though, GREAT review, I feel like I was there and it sounds like it was a blast!!!

Those are great pics!!! You got some gorgeous shots and I LOVE how the whole town was so excited about the bride and groom. how fun! Thanks for sharing!

1. How old are you? 26 2. At what age did you/will you get married? 24 3. Do you have children? nope 4. Did you think you would marry the person you are with now? It didn't take long to figure that out! but initially, no, I wouldn't have guessed that. 5. Were you ever engaged or married to someone other than the person you are with now? no 6. Do you want a garden wedding, beach wedding, or the traditional church wedding? we did garden/church 7. Where did you/will you get married? My Parents church in Wylie, TX. 8. First dance - classic waltz, slow and sexy, or fast and spicy? slow and cozy... :-) 9. How many guests did you/will you have? 150 10. Do you want/did you have an extravagant wedding or a simple wedding? big, but simple and fun. 11. Vows - traditional or something you make up on your own? Pretty much traditional, no major changes. 12. How many layers of cake did you/will you have? 3 13. Is/was your wedding/reception at a hotel? nope 14. When did you/will you get married - sunrise, mid-day, sunset? just before sunset 15. Did you/will you have your reception outdoors or indoors? both, at a house with a huge patio and yard...things were done both inside and outside 16. Plan every detail down to the napkins or let someone else decide? plan it!! I LOVE planning! 17. How did/will the bride enter? with dad from the back of the church 18. Song to walk down the aisle to: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring 19. Song to make your exit: Spring by Vivaldi 20. Will you/did you have a solemn ceremony or a light one? pretty light, we were really smiley and I was giggly 21. At what age did you think you would get married? 24...I always knew that for some reason. 22. Who to invite - practically everyone or a select few? A LOT of people, but it was still murder trying to keep it at 150 (what our budget allowed) 23. Wedding menu - fine dining or simply delicious? simply delicious 24. Champagne or red wine? wine and beer...I got tired of the wine and ended up filling my champagne glass w/ beer! I was determined to drink out of that glass 'cause David bought them for me/our engagement. We toasted out of them and then I just couldn't bear to let mine go. :-) 25. Honeymoon right after the wedding, awhile after the wedding, or no honeymoon? wedding was Friday night, left for honeymoon on Sunday morning. 26. Was your/will your honeymoon be at a place special to you both or somewhere brand new to you both? brand new, (Moon Palace, Cancun) and we LOVED it! 27. Who will pay for the bills? we both contribute to household bills (including cars) but pay our credit card separately. 28. Living together: Not before marriage or absolutely before marriage? Before! 29. Anything else about marriage you'd like to say? I love it! I hate when people refer to it as a burden (like the "your life is over now that you're married" comments) I think if your marriage is a burden, you're married to the wrong person.

Omg! If I were a bride, I would SO get this one if I had a rehearsal dinner or civil ceremony or something. . .what an adorable dress!!! Diane von Furstenberg 'Taft' Dress - Women's Apparel - Nordstrom

I'd say to def. wear regular panties - I wore some little boyshort ones since I knew I'd have a salesperson dressing me...not so into showing off the bum to random people! loL! I also wore a strapless bra, but I did use the bustier they provided for a couple of the dresses. Also the slips/petticoats are usually there at the store in case you need to try one. I would def not worry about stockings etc. Also, the stores I've been to even have shoes you can try, but if you have a pair that are about the height you know you want, then go ahead and bring them. that way if you decide you want to order a dress shorter or with extra length, you'll be sure of that decision.

Free shipping for Stila... :-) stila cosmetics - Promo - GIFTED

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Kinda, my middle name (Payton) was my mom's co-workers name and she thought it was cute. 2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Not sure, I got pretty teary yesterday though 3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? it's fine 4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? don't really like it, but maybe turkey? 5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Just furbabies 6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so 7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Yes! 8. Is Jesus your Savior and do you believed God raised him from the dead? I don't know, I'm spiritual for sure, but not so much into organized religion 9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? f*ck no! 10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? All of them!! I love Pops though... 11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? nope 12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? yes, moderately 13. What is you favorite ice cream? Phish Food or Americone Dream by Ben & Jerry's 14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? smile 15. Red or Pink? Red 16. WHAT IS THE MOST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOU? I think I can be pretty entertaining 17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? my brother 18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Of course 19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? black and black. so boring...and SO jealous of you "casual Friday" people! my company sucks. 20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? leftover pizza 21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? co-workers chit chat 22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Green 23. FAVORITE SMELLS? the fireplace/fire smell, my husband when he's grilling 24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? a client 25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? yup! 26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? college football, basketball & occasionally golf (yeah, I'm a freak.) 27. HAIR COLOR? BROWN 28. EYE COLOR? VERY BROWN 29. DO YOU Wear CONTACTS? No 30. FAVORITE FOOD? Thai, sushi or Mexican 31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? both? 32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? not sure...someting on HBO probably 33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? green 34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall 35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs 36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Creme Brulee or something hot w/ ice cream (like pie or something) 37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? BDW girls :-) 38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? not sure 39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Nothing....trying to decide/pick one 40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? company logo 41. DID YOU WATCH T.V. LAST NIGHT? football 42. FAVORITE SOUND? the ocean 43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? beatles 44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Fiji, I think 45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I don't know, planning stuff? 46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Redwood City, CA 47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Everyones

Happy Birthday!!! Hope you kids have a blast celebrating! :-)

I use a lot of Stila too! Brands that I like a lot are: Nars (esp for blush, they have the BEST blush!!) Stila Benefit (if you have dark circles under your eyes, get their Eye Bright pencil - amazing!) Philosophy (I use their skincare stuff...LOVE the cleanser Purity made Simple. takes off ALL my makeup no problem) Smashbox Cargo and of course, Bare Escentuals

Those are gorgeous!!!! Great job! That Jackie is quite the hottie! You look amazing girl!!!

I'm a HUGE Sephora fan! It it honestly one of my favorite stores. However, most things in there arent' going to be much cheaper - if at all cheaper - than MAC. The Sephora brand stuff if definitely more affordable and there is also some crazy expensive stuff in there too. You'll probably have to look around and try stuff to see what you really like. Also,I'd plan to splurge on a few key things and bargain hunt for others. IMO, your base/foundation makeup is SUPER important - for me that's a splurge worthy item. Blush, good eye-shadow and a lip color that will last a long time would be good to get there too. Also, there's an awesome little kit by the brand Benefit called the Realness of Concealness...has travel sized items in it for perfecting your skin under your foundation, getting rid of dark circles, lines, helping your make up apply better etc. It something I would highly reccomend. JulieG wrote about it in her MAC thread too I believe. I agree that you should be able to find a good mascara somewhere else. I've used all kinds and almost always decide that the maybelline or loreal was just as good as the one that cost $25. I feel the same way about eye liner and lip liner too. To me those are items you can save yourself some money on. Also, one last Sephora tip. They have some really great sets or giftsets in a lot of their brands. Usually if you find a giftset of some makeup you like, the set is WAY less expensive then buying the items indiviually. I'd look around online and see if there are some sets that you find interesting, then check them out in the stores. Or if they dont have that particular set in store, then at least look at the individual items and if you like them, purchase the set online. Also, have the staff there help you. Tell them what you're looking for and they'll help you. They've got great people at those stores and they're more than happy to help you find and try all kinds of products. They're really knowledgeable and I"ve never felt that I was steered wrong when I've asked for advice there. Have fun and good luck!!! Ohh! And remember that even buying expensive makeup is less than paying to have someone do a practice run and wedding day makeup on you..and you get to use the stuff you buy for months after that too! :-)

Honestly, I looked at lot online too, but ended up finding the one I liked best -and thought was cute!- at Target. They had them in different colors in a little set with a luggage tag. However I also found some nice ones at Wilson's Leather too...there is an outlet near my house and they were on sale pretty cheap! :-)

We do "peer interviews" at my company for all of the deparments that rely heavily on a team dynamic. Honestly, they're pretty casual. I would say a little chit chat is ok, but I def. wouldn't get too personal. But otherwise just ask a few questions maybe to see what her experience is that pertains to your work/company. And I like seeing if they have any questions about the job etc. IMO you can tell a lot by what kind of info people are looking for. But I think the general idea is just to try and get an initial feel for their personality and how you think it will "gel" with the work enviroment.

I had ideas of what I liked, brought print outs to the salon. But ended up getting something I just happend across. It was similar to the ones I had printed out in general style (a-line) and fabric. Oddly enough it happend to be the first one I tried on at the first store I went to! But I knew I loved it and I felt like ME in it. I tried on all the others but didn't care to even look more after that. I ordered the dress that same day. No regrets....LOVE my dress. I'd say just to be open-minded. Try on things you like, but be open to other ideas. Most people I know did not end up with whatever dress they had picked out in their minds ahead of time.

I went almost immediately....I think about 2-3 weeks after our engagement. Partly out of excitement, partly because I had to - our engagement was only 7 months total. I didn't know how long I would have to shop before I found "the one" and I didn't want to wait too long and have to pay rush charges etc.

I don't know whether "LOL!" or "EWWWW!" should come first! omg... lol!

my e-ring is platinum and my band is white gold w/ like 7 little, bitty diamonds across the top. I like having them separate...and if you go w/ the different metals I would reccomend it, mostly due to the upkeep issues Morgan mentioned. But honestly, if you're worried about looks, don't be. Not once has anyone looked at my rings and wondered/guessed that they might be different. Now if you take them off and handle them, the weight is different...but how often will people really be doing that?! ;-)