Maker-of-the-Sash.

I believe that just about every bachelorette party I have ever been to has one thing in common. No, I'm not thinking of drinking, although that is usually a part of them as well. I'm thinking of the "paraphernalia" as I like to call it. Tiaras, veils, giant light-up rings, and the ever so important sashes designating the bride-to-be as the bachelorette.

Sporting my very own bachelorette sash made by my MOH Dona.

Since I am somewhat familiar with a sewing machine, and very well-versed in puffy paint application, I have been previously called upon to be the Maker-of-the-Sash.

Dona modeling the sash I made for her bachelorette party last year.

In attending my bridesmaid Dana's bachelorette party only two weeks after my own (while the "paraphernalia" was fresh in my mind), it was only natural for me to be deemed the Maker-of-the-Sash yet again.

Due to this little thing called wedding planning, I had an ample supply of bridal fabrics laying around my house to choose from. I chose the same ivory silk dupioni I had used to make my garter, which may or may not have been due to the fact that it was still sitting out on the cutting mat when the time came to make the sash. I also had some blue tulle from a project that I had planned months ago and then decided not to make. And we all know I had plenty of teal taffeta laying around from those still-not-finished table runners I keep mentioning.

If I was smart, I would have taken pictures of the process so those of you who are also deemed Maker-of-the-Sash could have a tutorial, but alas, I am not that on top of things. You will just have to trust me that the steps involve cutting the silk duponi, pleating and pinning the blue tulle, cutting out letters to spell out "the bride" and adding some additional blue tulle to tie a knot at the bottom of the sash. Sew it all together (and glue the letters on---I was not about to sew them) and voila! A cute and classy bachelorette sash is born!

Here is the bachelorette herself, wearing her bridal sash all day long! I think she liked it :)

Has anyone else been deemed Maker-of-the-Sash? I'll admit, it's one of my favorite jobs when it comes to planning bachelorette parties!

bridesmaid times two.

This summer I have the pleasure of standing in not one but two of my friends' weddings (both of them are standing in my wedding as well). I must admit, it's kind of fun to be planning our weddings at the same time. We are all in the same boat, and whenever everyone else is tired of hearing about the weddings, we have each other to talk to!

Dana's wedding is in October, so I'll have a month to recover after our wedding. We recently picked out our bridesmaids dresses. We had a great time trying to find the perfect one, stopping at a few Chicago establishments along the way of course. We selected strapless satin dresses from the Vineyard Collection in Pewter. I think they will look beautiful, don't you?
Dona's wedding is in May, and I am the maid of honor. You know what that means... yep, the speech. I feel like the maid of honor speech never quite measures up to the best man's for some reason. I'm struggling with what I'm going to say. I want it to be short, sweet, and to the point, with a little bit of humor thrown in as well. Easier said than done. And it's only two months away! I need to figure out what I'm going to say soon so I can practice, practice, practice because public speaking is not my forte. If anyone has any advice, I'm all ears! What was the most memorable wedding speech you've ever heard? If you've given a speech of your own, where did you turn for inspiration?