My Wedding Report

Wedding planning and the preparation for a transition into a new chapter of life is stressful. We learn to balance along with our regular life of work, school, family and everything else going on. We have our to-do lists, countdowns, excel spreadsheets and the plan in place to make sure that everything happens without a blip on the radar. This described me; I had lots going on, but I had a schedule, a routine and plan to get it all done. And then came in this thing called “life” that messed with my carefully organized plan. Now I’m having surgery today, but let me back up and start at the beginning.

In December I went in for my routine physical and my blood tests came back abnormal. I had an extremely high level of blood platelets, specifically I had 1.6 million when normal is between 100,000-400,000. Your platelets are what make your blood clot, so I was at risk for clotting, heart attack, stroke and also bleeding when so many platelets will become ineffective. Basically to make a long story short I was immediately placed on a mild form of chemotherapy in pill form to lower my platelet levels. It’s not the traditional form you think of that causes you to lose hair, but it lowered my red blood and white blood count that is your energy and immunity. I had to be careful about coming in contact with any germs and be constantly aware of my energy level.

To determine what was happening with my blood I underwent blood tests, ultrasounds, a bone marrow biopsy and a CAT scan. From the bone marrow biopsy they were able to determine that I did not have a life threatening cancer or other disease, but that something was wrong with the production of my blood from the bone marrow. They have been looking at a possible diagnosis of something that is life-long with no cure, but is manageable with doctors and continued medication. I won’t get into all the medical language, but if you are going to have a bone marrow disorder it is the best one to have.

In the process of figuring out what is going on with my blood and bone marrow, they discovered a dermoid cyst in my ovary. It is unclear whether or not it is related to the blood issues, but either way it is needs to be removed because of other risks. I’m hopeful that this will solve the problem and avoid the diagnosis of this other disorder, but the doctors have mixed opinions. They’ve never seen a cyst cause this sort of reaction, but they won’t fully know until they run more tests after surgery. Until then, we will be hoping that this surgery is the answer.

So, basically in short I am having surgery today to remove the cyst. Crazy, right? Well it is a laparoscopic surgery, unless the cyst is too difficult to remove and they have to make a larger incision. The actual surgery will be early in the morning and hopefully I’ll be able to go home by evening as long as there are no complications.

Despite all the craziness of the situation I’ve been very blessed in so many ways. My bosses at my different jobs have been so understanding and flexible with me when I’ve needed to miss work to go to all the medical appointments. My professors have also been great and allowed me to reschedule as necessary and been supportive. I have an awesome medical team and my hematogist/oncogist is truly one of the best and also really goes out of his way to make sure that I understand what is happening and that I’m comfortable. Mr. Ducky, family and friends have been such a source of strength and support. I’ve really tried to stay positive and take it one step at a time, trusting God.

Now how does this relate to wedding planning? I’ve had to let go of the control and detailed plan I started with. The last two months have been filled with medical appointments, tests and various other things. We were supposed to take our engagement pictures and have our Save the Dates out by the beginning of February. We even rescheduled an engagement session for today that obviously had to be canceled. I have no idea when we will be able to do them since our photographer is from Northern California and isn’t down here too often. I could name several other things that just have not gotten done. Is it stressful if I think about it too much? Yes. Does it truly matter? No. Things will get done, people will remember the date of our wedding and most important we will get married no matter what.

At the end of the day what matters is that I will be marrying a man that is absolutely amazing and I am head over heels in love with him. He has been my rock and support during this whole process. While I wouldn’t have chosen to experience these problems, Mr. Ducky and I are walking away stronger. I know that he loves me no matter what and will do whatever it take just to make me smile and find hope when all I feel is fear. We are taking care of that whole “in sickness and in health” issue now, and I never will doubt his love when I hit rock bottom.

So will wedding planning still go on? Yes, of course and it’s already been a great source of relief and distraction when I get to plan and look for new sources of inspiration. However, I’ve had to let go of some of those plans, lists, schedules and dates. It will eventually get done. I have had to allow for “life” to happen and move on. Because at the end of the day I am truly blessed and it doesn’t matter if I get married in a pizza parlor. I will be marrying Mr. Ducky and that is what matters.

So has some part of “life” gotten in the way of your plan? How did you deal with it?

Thanks for reading through this long post. You all are an amazing source of encouragement and support and I’m so grateful for the community of Weddingbee. We really are more than just simply planning weddings together. I’ll try to check-in this weekend and let you all know how surgery went.

xoxo
Miss Duckling

I’m using Cheese’s Bee-rodcast System to give an important alert!

I know after my recent posts about the Cricut and Cuddlebug many of you have been on hunt for a good deal. Erika, is a reader and just told me about Joann Fabrics who is currently selling Cricuts and Cuttlebugs at a major discount. There is also a sale on cartridges, embossing folders and other supplies. You can either look here at their sale online or look at the sales flyer. The Cricut I have is on sale for $99! Also the Storybook cartridge I used to make my bridesmaid cards is on sale.

If you are not sure which machine is best for you, MarryingtheNavy posted this great link in the comments of a post that has a critique of The Wizard, by Spellbinders, Cuttlebug, by ProvoCraft, BigShot, by Sizzix and the Cricut Expression, by ProvoCraft. Obviously this is one person’s opinion but you might find it helpful.

For me personally I have the original Cricut (the smallest of the 3 Cricuts) and a Cuttlebug. I think they compliment each other very well. I like that the Cricut has cartridges with tons of options and you just have to key in your selection and it automatically cuts out the selection. The Cuttlebug is perfect for embossing and if you just have one particular image you need to to cut out you can buy a single die cut. I’ve heard wonderful things about Big Shot, and Mrs. Eggplant has one that she uses with all her wonderful cards.

What are your reviews on the Craft machines you have? I’m always looking for new recommendations!

Lately I’ve been thinking and dreaming about our honeymoon. As much as I love wedding planning and all the fun details, I have really begun to look forward to the day after the wedding when we leave for the honeymoon. I can’t wait to get away with Mr. Ducky and just have time to ourselves. I look forward to a break when I don’t have a pile of to-do lists, no text books, no deadlines, no meetings and can just focus on having a good time.

On the nights that I get home early, Mr. Ducky and I have been huddling over my computer and letting our minds daydream about where we will be jetting off to after the wedding. I love traveling and just about everything has looked amazing in one way or another. Since we are having a September wedding it will be hurricane season in a few of the honeymoon hotspots and some of our other ideas have been out of budget for what we are planning to spend, just looking at airfare alone. I absolutely love Europe (especially in fall), but the more we thought it, we are hoping for something a little more relaxing instead of trying to hit every museum, cathedral and destination spot in a short timespan.

What we keep coming back to is Hawaii, more specifically Kauai. We went to Kauai a couple of years ago with my family and had an amazing time. We loved the lush and tropical environment. Kauai seems to be a little more low-key than the other islands because there isn’t a major city. We stayed on the North Shore in Hanalei Bay last time and felt like we fell into pace with the low-key local life. The island is just beautiful and each area of the island seems to reveal a new breathtaking view or inspiring sanctuary. There are lots of beaches to relax and rest, but also some great excursions like the Na Pali Coast, horseback riding to waterfalls and snorkeling. We are thinking of maybe trying to go to 2 islands, but I’m not sure which one we’d choose in addition to Kauai. Do you have a favorite island?

Life has been a whirlwind recently and I can’t wait to have things slow down a little bit. Quality time is an important part of our relationship and it will be so nice just to be able to get away and enjoy being newlyweds. We are still have many months before we actually get to experience our honeymoon, but I’m already anticipating the trip. Can anyone relate?

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What are you looking for in your honeymoon destination? What are your honeymoon planning tips?

Lately I have been doing a lot of research on florists and flowers. I’d say in all of wedding planning, floral is definitely one of my weaknesses. I have a hard time keeping plant alive (I’ve had a bamboo plant since August and I am thrilled…). I don’t really know names, seasons, color varieties etc. Since I basically have no baseline knowledge I’ve been looking for pictures online.

I’m really starting to lean toward the idea of clustering multiple vases and vessels that hold the flowers. I love the variety of textures and sort of eclectic/rustic look you can achieve.

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Obviously the color and types of flowers in these pictures are all over the place. I’ve been leaning towards raspberry flowers for the bridal bouquets that can pop against blue dresses. However, there are some cornflower blue colors that could go nicely? I’ll save types of flowers for another post, until then send me your suggestions

I could see collecting all sorts of blue mason jars and/or china to put flowers in and having them clustered at the different tables with lots of candlelight.

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Do you have any advice for my lack of flower expertise?

Sometimes I go on overload with all the amazing wedding inspiration and ideas that are out there. For our wedding I definitely had some ideas of what I wanted, but had been struggling with how to put it together. Our venue has this beautiful rustic Tuscan feel with gorgeous outdoor greenery. For the wedding we want it to be rustic and simple with lots of whimsical and romantic details. Now I see lots of things that fit into those criteria, but still end up all over the place when it comes to colors and feel.

When I first started blogging, I “met” Anne from The City Sage blog. Anne is so helpful and supportive and it has been such a pleasure getting to know her. Anne has this amazing eye for design and always finds the most inspiring images. When she offered awhile back to create an inspiration board for our wedding, I jumped at the opportunity. I told Anne about what I had envisioned and different things that I liked, but I was having a hard time putting it on one board. Anne just sent me the inspiration board over the weekend and I LOVED what she put together. I wanted to share it with you all because I am just drooling over all the images.

Row 1: Karen Collins via This Is Glamorous, Cox and Cox via Simply Natural, French Style via This Is Glamorous, Ami McKay via Desire to Inspire
Row 2: Emilie Inc., Jose Villa, Ditte Isager, Rebecca Thuss
Row 3: Tim Evan Cook, Lucas Allen, Braedon Flynn via Once Wed, Paul Lowe
Row 4: Marie Claire Maison via Coco and Kelly, Martha Stewart Weddings, Hello Handmade Paperie via Snippet and Ink, The Knot

Part of what I love about Anne’s blog is the beautiful imagery and emotion she evokes with her words. When I asked if she would be willing to let me post the board, I also asked for a quote to describe her work. Here is what she had to say…

“Miss Duckling* came to me with a color palette of white, grey, navy, french blue and raspberry, and she wanted a stronger idea of how the palette should guide her as the wedding comes together. Miss Duckling has a very refined aesthetic sensibility but she’s also one of the friendliest brides you’ll meet in blogland–so I really wanted her inspiration board to reflect this balance of sophistication and approachability.

As I compiled the images, navy blue fell by the wayside and it became clear that French blue would provide the bridge between the two qualities I sought. French blue can be utterly luxe–as on a piece of Royal Copenhagen porcelain–or humbly radiant, as in the petals of a cornflower. Cool white and soft grey set a serene foundation, and bright raspberry provides a playful pop. I also considered the outdoor setting of Miss Ducklings’s ceremony and allowed snippets of green foliage to sneak in. The result is an inspiration board in which continental elegance meets garden romance. I can’t wait to see where Miss Duckling goes from here!”

Aren’t those images just beautiful? I especially love the bouquet and cake! This board definitely puts together so many of the elements that I want to infuse throughout the wedding. Thanks so much to Anne for putting this stunning inspiration board together and for your sweet words above!

Have you also had a hard time allowing your vision to come together? What do you do to find unity in all the ideas and inspiration out there?

“WHAT!?! I’m a bee!! Wait, stay calm you are in public,” were my initial thoughts when I first received my Weddingbee acceptance as I was checking my email at work. Why Miss Duckling? I just thought the little ducky was so adorable from the first time Mrs. Bee debuted the new baby characters. Mr. Ducky even gave me a rubber duck awhile ago to put in my bathtub since I use bubble baths to de-stress.

My Weddingbee addiction began the first time I visited the site to check out Mrs. Lemon’s wedding after my cousin’s recommendation. I’ve loved keeping up with all the bees’ planning and becoming a part of the fabulous hive community. I couldn’t be more honored to be the newest bee to the hive and I hope that I can live up to the talents and planning genius of previous bees.

Alright now for some basic details on us and our wedding…

Mr. Duckling (a.k.a. Mr. Ducky) and I met my freshman year of college, but we didn’t become “us” until 2 years later after I returned from a year abroad in London. Long story short, we started dating after reconnecting when I got back and the rest is history. Mr. Ducky and I love to have fun and in one another have found the person we can truly be ourselves with. He is the most loving and giving person and is a constant source of joy and support in my life. He’s in heaven at Home Depot/Apple Store and I find my bliss in Michaels. We decide many major decisions by best of 3 in Rock, Paper, Scissors. This is how we finally came to an agreement on the day of our first date. He won.

I’m in my last semester of grad school for Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. Hopefully with along with all our wedding planning details, I’ll also be able to share some of my relationship knowledge I’ve learned while in school. I think that psychology goes along with the craziness of wedding planning, relationships and change pretty well.

Mr. Ducky and I both live in Orange County, but are planning our wedding in the not too far away in San Diego (where I am from). The goal and hope of the wedding is to have our guests walk away feeling like they know us better and that they were able to celebrate and be a part of our day. Our wedding will be rustic and simple with whimsical and romantic details. We have lots of DIY planned with my crafting skills and Mark’s graphic design and techie expertise.

I can’t wait to get to know you all and support one another through this crazy and exciting time in life!

Have you checked Weddingbee today? I’m the newest bee to the hive! I am Miss Duckling!

Remember when I said that there was a lot going on? Well this is one of those things! I still have a few more things to fill you all in on, but I’ll have to make you wait a little longer.

I had originally been planning on writing a post giving you all the exciting news in advance, but my introduction came a little early. I’m so excited and honored to become a bee since as you know Weddingbee is one of my favorite wedding blogs. I of course will still be posting and writing here so don’t worry that I’m going to disapear. I’ll be refering to Mark as Mr. Ducky from here on out since these posts will be going to Weddingbee.

I’ll be posting my introductory post later tonight so if you are a regular reader you already have the inside scoop. If you get a chance, go stop by Weddingbee today and say hi! I look forward to seeing all my wonderful readers on two blogs now!

Sorry my posts have been slow this week, there is a lot going on! I will fill you all in on the details of everything very soon, so thanks for being patient with me.

One of the things I’ve been working on is researching florists for the wedding. I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to flowers, so I’ve been slowly learning and researching more. Yesterday I was reading WeddingbeePRO and came across this great post by Nancy from Nancy Liu Chin Designs. She broke down all the different components of flowers that you need and how to best research what you looking for. She also talks about how to approach the florists.

Here’s a blurb from the post:
“A floral arrangement is a hand crafted, custom product and it varies in price. The components in pricing wedding flowers are:

- Creativity
- Quantity and Quality
- Seasonality of flowers
- Color of the flowers
- Holidays - supply of certain flowers during peak holidays increase
- Fixed costs of a business
- Labor and design costs
- Delivery and setup
- Materials
- Props, Rentals, Containers, Supplies
- Customer Service
- Exclusivity of a Designer
- Travel Costs
- Location”

This was exactly what I needed since I’ve been researching florists recommended by Courtney and other sources all week.

I wanted to know more so I commented on her post with this:
“Thanks for sharing all this information. I’m currently researching florists and had no idea where to start when I contact them. Would it be a good idea to send an email and answer some of those questions when I initially contact the florist?”

Sure enough I check my email later in the day, and Nancy had emailed me back! How amazing is that? I was so surprised and grateful! Here is what she said:

“IMO, I think that all brides should do some research. Go to the websites that I recommended. Look at the flowers. Flip through magazines. Get some idea of what you are looking at.
Then search the florists in your area. Look for the details. Pinpoint 3 to 5 florists that you want to meet. I personally think that meeting with more than 3 is just too many. When I got married, I saw 4 people and that was confusing enough. I might have contacted 5 but I only made an appointment to see 4 of them. And frankly, I could have only seen 3!

Finally, if you really really like a florist, try to build a great relationship from the beginning. Don’t try to “nickle and dime” them. Because just as you have a choice in selecting a floral designer or florist, they have the right to work with whom they want. It’s one of the hardest lessons in life but one I learned early. Be kind. Be nice. Be direct. If you cannot afford the florist that you want, be honest with them and tell them where you need to be. Make them try to find creative solution but don’t do it in a way that they think you are negotiating.
Also, try not to pick the florist that you want b/c of price unless they meet both of your criterias….I have had many friends who select their florist b/c of price, not because of their creativity. It took more energy to explain what they wanted in the end. Ultimately, they might have gotten the flowers at a great price but the look was just not right.”

Thanks Nancy!!

All photos from Ritzy Bee Blog

Looks like I have some work to do right? I’m definitely using Nancy’s tips and I will keep you updated with how it goes. I just thought I’d share the useful information and show you just how awesome the wedding blog community can be when you ask a question.

Have you found your florist? What was helpful in your search?

I feel so honored and special to have received some blog awards in the last week. I apologize for the delay in passing the blog love forward, so I thought I would just catch up in one post.

I received this blog award from Amy Jean at The Relentless Bride, Zoliepup at Pirate and a Pear blog and Ali at His Birdie blog.

Amy Jean’s blog is wonderful and such an awesome source of inspiration. She is getting married in Orange County and since that is where I live, I especially love hearing about all her plans. She is super sweet and patiently deals with my random blog technical questions that I send her way! Thanks Amy Jean!!

Zoliepup couldn’t be more supportive and sweet. I’m always excited to read her comments and get feedback on my latest wedding challenges. She always has some great ideas and currently fabulous engagement pictures featured on her blog.

Ali are wedding twins in a few ways. We both live in OC and are getting married in San Diego, more specifically Rancho Bernardo. How crazy is that!?! So obviously it’s fun to read her blog and relate to all the happenings in So Cal. I also love to read all her comments and insights on Weddingbee.

Okay so here are the rules of this award:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I would like to nominate:

All For A Day
Veiled Vows
Auburn & Ivory
Dot the I Wedding

Yay for blog love! If you haven’t had a chance to look at any of the fabulous blogs linked above, take your next break and do so! They are all wonderful and I have so much fun catching up on each person’s life and wedding. Don’t you just love the Wedding Blog Community?

Alright, let’s be real how many wedding magazines have you bought thus far? I am not even sure I can count. Plus, I “inherited” a pile from one of my best friends who got married shortly after our engagement. I definitely have my favorite magazines. I’ve found that some magazines are so full of advertisements and other random things that they aren’t too useful. The websites and blogs I’ve discovered seem to be more useful and original than what I find in magazines. But I still can’t resist when Martha Stewart Weddings comes out along with some others.

In the pile of magazines there is one that has stood out to be the most useful, readable and practical. Real Simple Weddings has to be one of my favorite finds since I started wedding planning. It’s like an easy, dummy-proof wedding manual. They just came out with their 2nd issue (I think they publish once a year) and it is just as wonderful as the first.

One one of the best things is that Crate and Barrel is the only advertiser in the pages, so the publication is clean and easy to read.

From engagement to reception to flowers, the magazine is divided into every area you possibly plan for your wedding. There are most common questions for each area, like budget, bridal party flowers and then useful charts. For a non-flower knowledge person like me they have a super useful chart that breaks down type of flower with its colors, seasons, durability, cost etc.

For those that like lists and charts, they have charts in the magazine that can also be downloaded online. There is suggested lists for registry, photo must haves and vendor questions.

One of my favorite features in general for magazines and blogs is “Real Wedding,” which are throughout the this issue as well.

All Photos from Crate & Barrel

I’ve given a copy to all of my friends who have recently gotten engaged because I think its such a great start to your planning. I kind of use it as a reference and for some extra tips as I reach different areas of the wedding process. Also, go check out the Real Simple website for more tips, downloadable checklists and ideas.

Have you gotten a copy yet? What has been your favorite planning tool find?