Well y'all, wedding planning is officially more stressful than it is fun. I have so many upcoming events and meeting and so many small things to decide on that it's driving me insane. On top of that stress, I'm having lots and lots of work stress.

As I'm becoming more stressed, I'm trying to remember that I only get to do this once and to enjoy every bit...even when I'm pulling my hair out. When I recognize that I'm stressed, I try to force myself to step away from planning (even browsing Pinterest). Going on walks and runs or picking up a book also seem to help with the stress management. Although it's sometimes very easy to be consumed with the constant to do list that comes with wedding planning, I'm trying not to get too overwhelmed (even thought I find this easier said than done).

I just need to take more deep breaths and remember that in the end what matters is that Abe and I are getting married and starting a new and exciting part of our lives...and if all else fails, I can always go get a margarita.

TWO MORE MONTHS (cue the panic and anxiety...yay)

I have no idea how time has passed this quickly, but here I sit typing a two month to the big day to-do list. It's so crazy. So much has been happening in our lives here in Kentucky and the busyness has led to additional stress as I try to fit in time for wedding planning (thank goodness for my sweet wedding planning duo).  We have been working on the farm when we have any extra time (weekends for my parents/Abe and random weekdays for me). Painting, landscaping, mulching....we've been doing it all. Luckily we had a meeting with our wedding planners a few nights ago and they helped us get organized and calm down a bit (If you don't have month of wedding planners, FIND THEM. They will legit save your sanity..especially if they are like mine and are willing to help more than just one month).

The house is finally coming together!! 

THIS MONTHS TO DOS:

Plan day after brunch*
Shop for gifts for wedding party*
Research marriage license requirements*
Book hotel room for wedding night*
Get transportation for bridal party to wedding*
Order shuttles for guests staying at hotel*
Schedule beauty treatments*
Meet with officiant to plan ceremony* (have a meeting scheduled) 
See sample centerpiece from florist/have a meeting with florist to discuss everything* (have a meeting scheduled) 
Buy wedding rings (halfway done)*
Buy accessories for Abe*
Find dress for rehearsal*
Contact newspapers for guidelines about wedding announcements*
Choose gifts for shower hostesses*
Schedule food tasting for final menu (six to eight weeks pre wedding)*
Day after brunch invitations*
Decide on all special songs*
Think about vows*
Meeting with all vendors for a two month till checkup
Have final address list for invitations
Mail wedding invitations/rehearsal dinner invitations
Choose seating cards
Order table numbers
Break in wedding shoes
Plan welcome gifts
Finalize honeymoon
Draft schedule of events for wedding weekend
Draft a shot list for photographer
Choose ceremony readings

(*these are from last month, oops)

At this point I'm so used to being behind on my never ending list that it hardly phases me! I know I need to sit down and get lots of minor things done, and I know I can do this easily if I just make the time to do it.

   

INVITATIONS SENT!

Tomorrow I have my first shower and I'm SOOOO excited! I'll be sure to update you all with pictures next week!

Y'all! Where has the past month gone?! I meant to finish this forever ago but life has been crazy lately. So without further ado...part two of our bourbon trail adventure!!

After day one of our weekend (and a fab dinner at Louvino) we were ready to continue our adventure! We woke up early and headed to Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. Our group arrived as soon as the distillery opened and went on the first tour of the day. I was having such a blast that I totally forgot to take any photos. This was my FAVORITE distillery by far! Not only is it a beautiful place, it's also so informative and very fun! Our tour guide was totally wonderful and we got to enjoy two different types of bourbon at the end of the tour (I actually got to try a vodka as well). If you are close to Frankfort go visit Buffalo Trace. The tour is free and totally fun!

Next we headed to Woodford Reserve in Versailles. This was another beautiful distillery located in the rolling countryside of Versailles. The tour was very nice (this distillery, like Makers Mark, was clearly a big operation). They had a bus that took us to visit the amazing stone buildings that the bourbon ages in. This is definitely another must visit!

  

I apologize for not posting much lately, but I have a plan to get back on track in the coming week (since we are almost at the two month mark)!! 

Another month...another list.

This months to dos include: 

Plan rehearsal dinner and decide on menu (I seriously need to get on this...)*
Plan day after brunch*
Shop for gifts for wedding party*
Research marriage license requirements*
Book hotel room for wedding night*
Get transportation for bridal party to wedding*
Order shuttles for guests staying at hotel*
Schedule beauty treatments*
Meet with officiant to plan ceremony
See sample centerpiece from florist/have a meeting with florist to discuss everything
Choose table linens
Make sure rentals are in order
Buy wedding rings (halfway done)
Start choosing songs for DJ and compile a DO NOT play list
Choose favors
Buy accessories for Abe
Find dresses for showers/rehearsal (showers are taken care of)
Check registries
Contact newspapers for guidelines about wedding announcements
Make dress fitting appointments (DONE)
Choose gifts for shower hostesses
Schedule food tasting for final menu (six to eight weeks pre wedding)
Finalize guest list (Pretty much DONE)
Weigh one complete invitation and choose stamps
Stuff wedding invitations
Rehearsal dinner invitations
Day after brunch invitations
Schedule rehearsal time and rehearsal dinner time
Decide on all special songs
Think about vows
Dance lessons (?)
Discuss when to start photography with Bella Grace
Book photo booth

(*these are from last month, oops)

Good grief. Better get on things...

In Kentucky we are know for many things but we tend to pride ourselves on good basketball, horse racing and bourbon. A few weekends ago Abe and I (along with his brother, his brother's sweet girlfriend and his Uncle) decided to finally explore the KY bourbon trail. We visited 5 different distilleries and had a wonderful time learning about how bourbon is made.

The first thing you need to know about Kentucky and bourbon is...

via Kentucky Kicks Ass

The second is that 95% of the world's (yes WORLD'S) bourbon is made in my beautiful home state (basically we have limestone which means good water for makin' bourbon...and also equals strong ponies for racing)

The first distillery we visited was Bulleit Frontier Whiskey here in Louisville. We were taken on a lovely little tour around the property before tasting three of Bulleit's bourbons. Although this distillery is a little bit hard to find, it's worth the trip to see the lovely rickhouses (where they put the bourbon to age and my favorite part of every tour) and meet the wonderful people working there.

Inside a rickhouse

After Bulleit, we headed to Makers Mark Distillery in Loretto. There were significantly more people visiting this distillery and you could tell they had a bigger operation. We were given a very informative tour and even got to stick our fingers down into fermenting barrels of bourbon to see what it tasted like. My favorite part of this tour was getting to hand dip our own bottles of Makers Mark in their signature red wax. 

After dipping our bottles, we headed to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers in Bardstown where Willett bourbon is made. This distillery isn't on the official bourbon trail, but we thought it would be fun to stop here on the way home. This small distillery is beautiful (and there was a kitty!) but the tour wasn't really worth the $7 cost.

I'll be back soon for part two of our bourbon trail adventure! 

This past Saturday I celebrated my twenty seventh birthday. I can not believe that another year has come and gone and that I'm in my late twenties. It's kind of terrifying but I feel like this year will be a good one!

       

       

I had a great time on my birthday! We got several wedding related things accomplished (set the menu and selected cake flavors/design) and managed to have some fun too!

I've seen several other bloggers discuss goals for the year when they have a birthday and I thought it would be fun to jot down some of my own goals that I hope to accomplish in the coming year.

1. Successfully plan our wedding! - This is an easy one! Can't wait!! (#102days) 

2. Continue to further my career - Now that I'm getting married, furthering my career and contributing more to our bills and expenses is one of my most important goals.

3. Create a newlywed budget and stick to it - Time to start saving money for more important things  (a new couch/car/home)! 

4. Read a new book each month - I love reading, time to make it a priority again! 

Thanks to all my wonderful, sweet friends for making my birthday amazing! I appreciate you all so much! 

The only candle we could find in the house (Yay I'm six!!)

When I attended my little cousins wedding a few weekends ago I noticed that she had some adorable chalkboard signs throughout her reception and I totally fell in love.

(Photo stolen from my cousin's Insta)

Since then I've been searching Pinterest for lots of ideas on how I can incorporate cute chalkboard signs into my own wedding.

I LOVE when they are used in lieu of a program (in my opinion just a waste of paper). 

via

I also totally love when they are decorated with beautiful flowers (and used to encourage Instagramming).

via

Pinterest has also been super helpful for finding ideas on how to save money when using chalkboards in a wedding! For instance, purchasing this chalkboard easel from Ikea and painting it white (see below). There are also many tutorials on how to turn a piece of wood into a chalkboard of any size (check here for a good one).

via

What do you think about using chalkboards for wedding decor?