the big 2-0-0.

This is my 200th post! Can you believe it? Thank you, my lovely readers, for continuing to follow along with all of my planning and random inspiration. I love reading all of your comments, so keep them coming!

I like that I have a good mix of readers on this blog. Some friends and family, fellow brides-to-be, and a few fabulous vendors! Oh yeah, and the groomsmen. They have been reading lately, so if you find really weird comments that don't make a lot of sense... blame it on the groomsmen. They like to make fun of me for blogging, and call me "small town bride" in person now to mock me, yet they still have this blog as a bookmark on their iPhones. I think it's sweet.

They also wrote me some really nice postcards while in Milwaukee for the bachelor party last weekend. They've started to arrive in the mail. Check this one out.

p.s. The scary part -- this one's written by a future doctor. Be careful where you take your children for medical treatment!

Gotta love the groomsmen. *muah*

"faux"tobooth.

Have I mentioned yet that we are planning to have a photobooth of sorts set up at our reception? We will be setting up a backdrop for pictures in the cocktail area. Our Canon D60 camera will be set up on a tripod (that my boss gave to me for free... thanks boss!) and we bought a wireless remote (with a gift card we got for buying our camera) for people to snap their own pictures with! My cousin will be there to troubleshoot and will probably take the pictures during the rush at the beginning of the reception, but for the most part it will be self-service.

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(source--you can also get the clipart for this lace one here)

Originally I wanted to find a damask fabric that matched our colors for the backdrop, but I didn't find anything I liked enough and/or that was cheap enough for me to buy. Instead, we opted for a plum colored king sized sheet from Ikea that was about $14. I might take some inspiration from Mrs. Taffy and paint on a flourish pattern, but we'll see where it ends up on the priority list. I designed a poster that gives some instructions and was printed compliments of UPrinting, which we will hopefully set up on a easel or table next to the backdrop. All that's left to do is mount it on a posterboard... which I also got for free from my work. Score! So the total photobooth cost for us will be $14, which may be one of the cheapest photobooth investments ever! Plus, we can reuse the sheet in our home after the wedding. How's that for practical?

Have you ever been to a wedding with a photobooth (or "faux"tobooth)? Was it a hit with the guests?

registry wishes.

Hey dudes and dudettes... check out who's joined the ranks of the Wishpot Wedding Experts!

So far I've added a few of the items we're most excited about on our registry, but check back soon for some recommendations on items that would be excellent additions to your own wedding wishlist!

sponsored post: abazias diamonds.

Diamonds. They're every girl's best friend. Abazias has what all the girls want -- lots and lots of diamonds. Over 150,000 of them to be exact! In case you've never heard of Abazias, let me tell you a little bit about the company. Abazias is an online jewelry store with a huge selection of gorgeous engagement rings, wedding bands, and other types of jewelry. They offer high quality diamonds for the lowest prices around. Quality, selection, and value - not much more you could ask for!

Want to learn about the 4 C's? Their website has lessons that include all the meanings behind cut, clarity, color, and carat. Not sure whether a solitare engagement ring is your style? Use the ring builder feature to find your dream ring. Then email it to your boyfriend! I'm sure he'll get the picture!!

If you're looking for a piece of jewelry, but hesitant about buying it online and not being able to see it in person, be sure to take advantage of the 10 day return policy. If you decide its not your style, simply return it within the 10 day period, no questions asked.

Here are a few of my favorite things from Abazias...

I would love to have this bracelet!

I am a sucker for pearls. This would go perfectly with my wedding dress.

Right hand ring, perhaps? It would work as a wedding band too!

I love the look of the asscher cut! Sooooo pretty.

Looking at diamonds is too much fun! Now go to the Abazias website and pick out a few of your own favorite things!

learning to dance, step one.

Newsflash... the Mascaras are not good dancers. I danced for seven years waaaay back when, but I definitely didn't retain much and now I feel ridiculous trying to dance. Mr. M is just... not good either. We have this weird fear of doing the high school sway while everyone is watching us dance for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. I mean it's our first dance as a married couple, it should be done right, don't you think? We've been talking about getting lessons since we first got engaged, and we finally found a ballroom dance studio this past week. We had our introductory lesson and really enjoyed it!

We learned the very very basic steps of the rumba, foxtrot, waltz, and the hustle. We very quickly decided that we are not fans of the hustle. The rest were enjoyable though. I kind of like using the whole floor in the foxtrot! Our instructor was a fun guy and was pretty outgoing, which is just what we needed to break out of our shells a bit (we are engineers after all). He did a lot of the "BAM", "BOOM", "POW" business (apparently channeling his inner Black Eyed Peas?) but we'll forgive him for that.

At the end of the lesson, while we definitely didn't feel as though we were ready for the real deal, we at least had the confidence that we are capable of pulling it off. The instructor told Mr. M that he had a really strong posture (and kept calling him Tom, since apparently he resembles Tom Cruise) and that I dance really "light"... which I guess is a good thing because it means I'm not dragging my man around the dance floor. Go us!

We ended up signing up for an additional four lessons, and I'm pretty excited about it! Our next lesson is tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Did anyone else decide to brush up on their dancing skills before the big day?

a tea party.

When my sister Dani and I were little, we used to spend hours playing tea party with my aunt. She would break out her best English accent and make up ridiculous names for us like "Mrs. Snodgrass" and "Miss Tiddlywink". I'm pretty sure we were close to having water poisoning...we seriously drank SO much water out of our little pink plastic teacups! Sometimes I miss being a kid.

When I saw this Alice in Wonderland themed bridal shower on Project Wedding, I immediately thought of our days playing tea party. Seriously, how fun would it be to be a guest at this party? Everything is so whimisical and bright!

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I'm definitely filing this one away in the inspiration folder, just in case I have to host a shower or girly party sometime soon!

the bachelor party.

This weekend my fiance will be painting the town of Milwaukee red, or whatever color it is that men paint a town...blue perhaps? Either way, he and his boys will be having a blast! He says he'll take pictures, so maybe we'll have a guest blogger with a full report next week! Now that I think about it, maybe not the full report. A partial one could be fun though.

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The party should be pretty crazy. Buses rented starting at 9AM, brewery tours, tailgates, and baseball games are all involved. Also the chocolate chip cookies that I baked. Oh yeah, and I can't forget the beer and Jack Daniels. I'm not sure how most brides feel about their fiance's bachelor parties, but I'm so excited for him! He has been so tolerant of all the wedding hooplah lately, he deserves a night out with friends!

While he's gone, I am (sort of) looking forward to getting some things checked off our list. Namely finishing the rest of our table runners. The bachelor party sounds so much more appealing.

How did you feel about your fiance's bachelor party? Were you excited for him or worried?