I hear the (faint) ring of wedding bells..

We've been engaged for a year and so many people give me a strange look when I tell them we have no wedding plans yet. Is it that strange? To answer everyone's puzzled looks, the reason we are waiting is simply because we are not in a financial position to throw a huge party anytime soon. We are building our savings and once it's at a point where we feel we can take a chunk of dough out and still have a nice comfortable cushion, then we'll start planning!  However, it may be another year before we can go forward with this.

With that said, we are keeping the wedding a low budget affair with most of the details being DIY. This means getting creative and it requires a ton of help from friends and family. It makes the wedding more personal, and really gets the community (our guests) involved with creating and planning this party.

Being on a low budget is exciting, it's like trying to solve a problem with limited resources, kind of like a tough project you get in school. Welp, I'm ready for the challenge!  I wouldn't have said that a few months ago as I was certain Scott and I would end up eloping...that idea changed when we both realized we really want our friends and family to be there to share our special day with us.

I've been obsessively following budget wedding and DIY blogs to gather ideas.  I'm going for a vintage, rustic-themed wedding...and I want quirky too!  I have been very clear that I do not want the average wedding.  I'm thinking picnic blankets with snacks for our guests during the ceremony...old coke bottles and vintage tea tins will be the vases to hold flowers on tables...perhaps we will set up a bocce ball court for guests? 

Go to my Pinterest and check out my "DIY Budget Wedding" board for my inspiration and let me know what you think!

2012 Wishes

All I ate over the Christmas holiday were these...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Blossoms...mmmm

While they are delicious, they are not so much nutritious and I feel terrible.  This brings me to my New Years Wishes (I hate the word resolutions...it sounds so cliche). 

2012 Wishes:

• Eat healthy:  I've always been pretty good at choosing healthy alternatives, but I feel the wheels have come off especially within the last few months, mainly because I've been so busy and tend to take the easy route.  NO MORE.  I will go back to cooking, and would like to prepare a home cooked meal at least once a week. (doesn't sound like much, but sometimes that's all the time I have!)
• Workout:  I HATE not working out.  I feel awful if I am not participating in some type of exercise, even if it's just walking a mile through the neighborhood with the dog.  A few months back, I purchased Insanity..that lovely high intensity workout you see on those infomercials.  I did really well with it.  For a month straight, I woke up at 4am and did my Insanity.  I started seeing results in just a couple weeks.  I proposed to get back into my Insanity routine in 2012 and taking the dog out on longer walks everyday.
• Relationship:  Scott and I have a fantastic relationship.  We understand each other, listen, and respect each other to the fullest.  We have opposite schedules which makes it difficult to spend quality time together.  In 2012, we have proposed to dedicate one day/night a week for "us" time.  We will use our "us" time to grab happy hour, go see a movie, or cook at home together.  My time with Scott is precious and and I believe spending quaity time together really strengthens a relationship.
• Decorate:  I would like to finish decorating our home in 2012!  I LOVE decorating, but haven't been able to focus my attention towards this due to time, and lack of funds.  I plan on using my sewing background to create beautifully crafted home decor items...I will feature my DIY projects on my blog so stay tuned.
• Plan a Wedding: Scott and I have been engaged for almost a year and we have zero wedding plans.  Again, this has been put on hold due to lack of funds, but in 2012 I will start to plan my DIY budget wedding.  My wedding planning process will be posted on my blog so you can follow my journey and give me any pointers on how I can plan this shindig with a small wallet on mind.

That's it folks.  The above is my plan for 2012.  Buckle up!