Groom 3000 and I are not really into jewelry. I wear the occasional earrings, necklace, or watch, but more often than not, I forget to accessorize before I walk out the door. In the whole time we've been together, I haven't seen Groom with any bling--not even a watch. So when it came to looking for wedding bands, we were both kind of clueless.

We decided to start looking for Groom's ring first, thinking it would be a longer process since he had no idea what he wanted. I mean, he has to wear this thing for the rest of his life. After attending a Seattle bridal show, we decided to check out a Bellevue jewlery store we saw there. They had a large selection of men's wedding bands in a variety of metals. Our options were white gold, tungstun carbide, and titanium.

Tungstun carbide is a handsome durable option, but the metal is darker. Groom decided he wanted something a little flashier.

Titanium is scratch-proof, and shiny, but it can't be resized. If your ring size changes, you have to purchase a new ring. You also can't cut through it, which means if you are ever in the emergency situation where the ring must be removed, looks like you're losing a finger. That kind of freaked the Groom out.

So white gold won out with both the flexibilty and brightness Groomy was looking for. Now it came down to design. He likes to call his style "weird" while I prefer "unique." A plain gold band was out. After trying on several rings, this is what he picked:

Turns out, shopping for my ring was even easier. I knew I wanted white gold, so my only question was: plain wedding band or diamonds? My engagement ring already has a mostly diamond band, and after losing a diamond only a few months into wearing it, I'm now very cautious with it and find myself checking it everyday to make sure every piece is there.

After trying on a plain band, I realized my engagement ring would be overpowering next to it. It was then I asked about rings between the plain one and one that is completely diamonds. With diamonds on the front side to balance out my engagement ring, and a plain back for practicality, this is the ring I chose:

I'm so excited to see us both wearing our rings--I can't believe we're less than four months away!

Top of the Cake

Have you heard of the wedding tradition where the bride and groom exchange gifts on their wedding day? Really? You're exchanging rings, vows, promises that you'll love each other together forever...why the need for gifts? Weddings are expensive, so Groomy and I felt like exchanging gifts at our wedding would be silly when the wedding itself, not to mention the honeymoon, is one big gift.

Instead, we decided to splurge on a little something for the wedding that we can enjoy for years after. A custom cake topper! Etsy.com has a ridiculous number of insanely cute cake toppers made by hand out of clay, or wood, or pretty much whatever you want. They range in price from about $50 to more than $200 depending on how customized, and how accurate, you want your cake topper figurines to be.

First, I thought, how about little turtles? Little terrapins that could represent our Alma Mater, the Univeristy of Maryland. Then, I saw these by "Mudcards" out of Austin:

It was then that I thought--I must have this. I could picture our little selves, in clay form, standing on top of our chocolate cake, and then on our mantle at home. I contacted Mudcards, and sent her photos of my dress, hair, flowers, Groom's tux, close-up photos of the two of us, etc. Only a few weeks later, I got this photo in my email:

Ack! Love it! Sure, it's a little cartoon-y, but that's what makes it great. She did an awesome job on the details in my gown (there is a silver overlay to give a look of lace). Although Groomy hasn't seen it yet (he doesn't want to see the gown), we both agree this little splurge is well worth giving up the old traditional gifts.

Finally! The Big Dress Reveal (a.k.a. Don't read this if you're the groom...)

I already did the big apology post before in September, so I'll just come out with it this time: I'm bad at this. BUT with a renewed sense of purpose (and more wedding stuff to do now that we're LESS THAN 6 MONTHS AWAY), I'm going to try doing this again on a regular basis.

The first place I should start (so I don't leave any of you hanging)....the dress.

I went on the big hunt back in September when Momma and Daddy 3000 came out to Seattle for a week. Mom and I had three appointments booked in one Saturday, and honestly, I was expecting it to be painful. I'm not a super girly girl, and picking out a big white dress was WAY out of my comfort zone. I went in with some basic requirements: comfortable, lace, straps, classic. I ended up finding three different dresses--one from each store--that were hot contenders.

Meet the finalists:

From I Do Bridal in Seattle: Blu by Mori Lee collection
The lace is gorgeous, and look at those straps! Simple beading around the bust and neckline. This is everything I wanted, right?

From Amanda's Bridal Boutique in Redmond: Maggie Sottero "Dawn"
I felt like Barbie, in a good way! The dress has a retro feel with the faux belt. It's huge and I felt like the dress was propping me up, but it's so gorgeous!

From Bellevue Bridal Boutique in Bellevue: Alfred Angelo
No straps, but the stacked teacup effect was attractive Not really classic here, but lots of lace!

So which one will make it down the aisle this summer? It's time for the big reveal....










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Wait for it....







TA DA! It's the Mori Lee!

 This dress was everything I wanted, not to mention the lace is gorgeous and the simple beading gives just the right amount of sparkle. Beauty came in January and as soon as I put it on again, we were soulmates. The dress is still a little too long and the straps need to be shortened, so I'll need to get her altered. But before I can do that, I have to get my weddin' shoes. For a lady with severely flat feet, that's a whole 'nother issue.