79 Days - What is the world coming to?!

Bridal diapers.  I cringe at the thought of being a grown woman who has accepted the responsibilities of marriage and yet is unwilling to take the time to go to the bathroom like an adult on the big day. 

Repulsive and ridiculous.

98 Days - Bridal Breakouts - The Sequal

For those of you that have been following my misadventures of wedding planning, you might be asking yourself, "Hey, Rach?  How is that epic breakout going?"* Well, I will tell you, friend, I went back to Proactiv recently.  I used Proactiv for several years when I moved down to DC and had very positive results, but after three years, I discontinued use when my skin started to dry out and I became concerned about premature wrinkles from a thirsty epidermis.  However, with just a few months until the wedding and my skin deciding to add some pressure to the pot, I decided I needed to go back and see if Proactiv could help me out again.  

I've been back on Proactiv for about a week and the results have been somewhat positive.  I'm clearing up, but I have definitely noticed that my skin is super dried out and I need to moisturize often.**  There doesn't appear to be a happy medium in skin care right now.  I've decided to decrease use of Proactiv to once a day and will monitor the situation daily.  I also looked up dermatologists in the area, just in case.  

*For those of you that were not wondering about the epic breakout of May 2010 and were thinking, "TMI, Rach." Sorry you feel that way.  I'm open to a fault and its all a part of wedding planning.

**This might be a good reason to pamper myself with a facial at a spa, but money is always tight and the house down payment that is in our savings account is not going to pay for itself.  Six dollar masks from Lush will have to do the job for now! :) 

99 Days - Signed, Sealed, Delivered. . . All most!

Invitations are ordered!  I budgeted for the wedding stationary the same way I budgeted for all of the wedding expenses.  I saw what The Knot recommended to budget and then I cut that amount by 20 percent, at least.  Ruthless, I know.

For individuals looking to save money on wedding planning, I can't stress to you enough going the DIY route whenever possible.  The easiest way to save money on invites is to design your own.  However, last time I checked, I have negative experience in graphic design and not surprisingly, its not a skill that can be developed overnight.  That didn't stop me from trying, of course.  First, I googled and tried and tried again.  I debated stamps, word docs with clip art, and hybrids of the two.  Realizing my efforts were in vain, I decided I needed a reality check and the help of a professional.  Step one: Find a designer.  Chelsea, of SeaRaine Designs, is a new designer recommended to me by my very own, KB.  Chelsea listened to what Sam and I were looking for in our wedding stationary and designed our invitation suite for a very fair price.  I worked with her for about a month over email to create downloadable invitations and RSVPs.  She was receptive to my changes and offered me great advice when I was scratching my head.  We took Chelsea's designs to Zazzle.com and printed up 120 sets at a savings of over $200 dollars.  They should be here later this week!  Now I just need to remember how to do a mail merge. . . 

101 Days - Anticipation is building!!

Can you believe when we got engaged, the wedding countdown was 504 days!!  Now we are rounding the 100 day corner and the anticipation is building in the Munn-Batkins household!*

We met with Fr. Avella today to drop off paperwork and discuss our ceremony.  Since Sam was raised Episcopalian, we will celebrate the Catholic rite of marriage outside of mass, where our ceremony will conclude with nuptial blessings and a final prayer from Fr. Avella.  It will be short (about 30 minutes), but very sweet.  

Also, it wouldn't be a good talk with Fr. Avella unless our national past time is a topic of discussion.  Sam and Fr. Avella share an affinity for baseball, so we discussed the much anticipated start of Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals tomorrow.  DC is certainly twitterpated in the hopes that Strasburg will put some wins on the Nats' record and butts in the tax payer funded stadium.


* Sorry it has taken a while to update the blog.  I was busy turning 27, preparing for a big meeting at work, and meeting my nephew. . . in my sister's belly!  Also, the pool opened and you better believe I would rather be floating around than wracking my brain trying to think of ways to save money on the wedding.  Everyone needs a break!

123 Days - Update by Photo

When my mom and Aunt T were in town, some of my girlfriends got together to help me with a DIY project for my centerpieces - gold-leafing bud vases.  I read about the project in a December issue of Real Simple.  Let me be straight with you; there was nothing simple about this project.  We got half of the bud vases accented with gold leaf before I decided that it would be nice and add dimension to the reception if only some of the bud vases were accented with gold. . . A very big thank you to my mom, Aunt T, Marisa, Beth, and Adrienne for helping me.  The vases look beautiful!  Thank you for humoring me.  (Also, a big message of love to Adrienne, who brought Georgetown Cupcakes for my Mom and Aunt T to have a tasting!)

Since Sam and I decided to brew beer for our big day, we knew that we couldn't have normal champagne flutes for toasting our marriage and so began the Epic Beer Glass Search of 2010.  I looked EVERYWHERE for beer goblets and chalices to personalize.  In a day of frustration, my bridesmaid and college roommate, KB, graciously offered to help me with my search.  Ask and you shall receive, friends!  She is a GENIUS and officially the Queen of Google.  Within a matter of hours, KB produced the perfect personalized chalices.  The Rachel and Sam chalices arrived a few weeks later as early wedding presents from KB.  I am blessed to have such a wonderful friend!

We are very proud to announce that our littlest friend, baby love, and flower girl, Mia (She is all of that and more!) is officially walking!  Woot, Meemers!!  Now, here's hoping she is ready and willing to show her moves down the aisle in September.  No pressure.  

Four months to go!!

127 Days - Wedding Dresses: Part 1

I've been thinking a lot about wedding dresses lately.  So my next few posts are going to cover my thought process on wedding dresses, how they make me feel, and why they shouldn't be such a big deal.  

I won't lie.  I am like a lot of women (and some men too!) who have imagined their wedding days since they were small children.  Your wedding day is meant to be the happiest day of your life.  You wear a beautiful white dress, you promise to love your honey forever and seal that promise with a kiss, and then after smushing cake in each other's faces, you dance your socks off!  But through the course of being an expert bridesmaid and helping my girlfriends plan their special days, as well as spending a crazy amount of time planning Sam's and my special day, I have come to realize that there is no correct way to have a wedding and that every couple has the right to plan a wedding day that is personal.

This thought process was solidified last week, while I was watching a wedding show with Sam on television that pits four brides against each other in an effort to win a honeymoon at a resort in the Caribbean.  These wedding shows are the crack cocaine of wedding planning - addictive, but deadly, and often in the end make you feel bad about yourself.  I had to resist the urge to be sick all over my living room when one bride said her budget was $55,000 (It still gives me chills), but I resisted the urge to change the channel because I am glutton for punishment.  One of the brides, heretofore referred to as "Turquoise" was planning a wedding for under $10,000, which having been in the planning process for a year, I consider to be small miracle and a girl after my own heart.  Turquoise and her groom planned a morning ceremony and reception at a venue that looked over a pretty beach in order to save money (Great tip!)  When the moment arrived for her to walk down the aisle to greet her groom, she surprised everyone when she appeared wearing a turquoise wedding dress.  Turquoise wore the dress in memory of her mother, who passed away a few weeks after the girl became engaged. The color turquoise was her mother's favorite and was a way for the girl to incorporate her mother's memory into her special day.  Turquoise solidified my full support when a self-proclaimed traditional bride in the congregation made a face that looked like she had been sprayed by a skunk as Turquoise walked down the aisle.  She understood Turquoise's rational for the dress, but it wasn't the right choice for a wedding.  The self-proclaimed traditional bride felt that a bride must wear white on her wedding day.

Yes, its tradition in modern, Western cultures to wear white on one's wedding day.  Its obvious when you look at any wedding magazine, blogs, and bridal shops.  But Google would have you know that white wedding dresses didn't become popular until after the Victorian era, when women married in any color and the dresses were meant to be worn again.  White dresses, in our society, are typically believed to be symbolic of purity, but in fact, blue, not white, was the symbol of purity in the Middle Ages and is where the phrase "something blue" originated.  With that in mind, I have one thing to say - Suck it, evil, self-proclaimed traditional bride!

Images are from Etsy Sellers: AwesomeToppers, Goose Grease, and SugarRushCakes

128 Days - Break outs and the transitive property

Wedding planning on our budget causes me stress.

Stress causes me to break out.

∴ My skin hates me.*


For my married friends, you know that wedding planning isn't always pretty. Four months away from the big day and I am in the midst of the not-so pretty stage.  I am getting to the root of the problem by starting a more structured skin care regimen that will hopefully help me get rid of my current break out/the never-ending break out.  Each day I make sure I am drinking 64 oz of water to keep myself hydrated. Also, in the morning, I use a gentle face wash, followed by a balancing toner, and a facial moisturizer with SPF 20.  In the evening, I am taking the same steps, but also using a spot treatment.  I am using a calming and clarifying mask from Lush twice a week and using a exfoliating treatment once a week.  Our bathroom has turned into a one-stop med spa, except I don't get a hot stone massage at the end. (sadface.)


I am also doing my best to manage my stress from work and wedding planning.  I am taking evenings off to do other activities I enjoy, like cooking and knitting.  I have also started my walking regimen again.  I walked three miles after work last Friday and three miles on Saturday morning.  I also walked the six miles home from work yesterday. (It's not six miles normally.  I took a wrong turn. . . )


Since starting this more structured regimen a few weeks ago, my skin is beginning to look clearer.  I am hoping that by managing my stress levels and focusing on other activities, I will be able to prevent future break outs.  


So, you can probably tell that I have done my research on skin care, but I'd love to know if anyone has any miracle treatments.


*Mrs. LaBarge, my high school math teacher, would be so proud of my real life application of logic proofs!