Rehearsal Dinner Etiquette

It's a little over a month to my wedding.. HOLY COW!! It feels like we just got engaged, and then picked a venue.. now only a month away!! Time sure does fly when you are having fun!

Well anyway, I'm tying up all loose strings and one of them is the rehearsal dinner guest list. Some of the items I am touching today is the rehearsal for the ceremony and the dinner afterwards.

Check out the invite here

Who's Invited?
If you are planning on having a mass, the entire bridal party, readers, gift offers, or anyone else taking part in your ceremony. For the dinner afterwards, the same people that are taking part in the ceremony plus their dates, spouses, and family. You should also invite the officiant, even if you know they won't come; it's always a nice gesture. If you know someone is coming from out of town, you can offer the invite to the dinner. For example, we have some family friends coming from out of state (beyond just Jersey) that will be checking into the hotel Friday before the wedding. We invited them if they would like to join us for dinner. We also invited any friends or additional family for drinks after the dinner. The restaurant we chose for our dinner actually closed for the night for the private event, so we were allowed to invite additional people to the bar!


Who Pay's for the Dinner?
Typically if the bride's parents are paying for the wedding, then the grooms parents pay for the rehearsal dinner. The bride and groom also can front the bill if the parents are jointly paying for the wedding.

What Should You Wear? 
This depends on how formal the venue is. For the guys, typically at a nicer restaurant, you should wear khaki's or dress pants and a button down or collared shirt. For the ladies, a nice dress or skirt would be appropriate. Just be aware if you are going to church for the rehearsal to be appropriately covered! Treat it as though you were going to mass on a Saturday night or Sunday morning!  If the venue is the parents backyard, use your discretion and possibly dressy shorts and sandals may be appropriate.

Who Should Give a Speech?
This depends on who is hosting the dinner. If the groom's parents are hosting, perhaps the father of the groom will give a little speech about the couple. Typically though, the bride and groom should ultimately use this speech to thank all those that are in attendance and partaking in their big day. You can also use this time to presents gifts to those who are receiving them.

Who Should Receive Gifts?
All members of the bridal party (bridesmaids, maid of honor, groomsmen, flower girls etc.) should receive a little memento as a thank you. Most couples present gifts to their parents for helping them get to this day. Your readers, singers and gift offers should also receive a little token of your appreciation.

It's My Birthday and a GIVEAWAY!

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!

I must admit, a couple times this week I almost forget it was really this week since I've been so busy! But I wanted to spread the love with you all and offer a fun giveaway today! There are three prizes i'm giving away.. ALL MY FAV THINGS!

First Prize: $100 Target Gift Card

Second Prize: $50 Starbucks Gift Card

Third Prize: Lilly Pulitzer Crab Earrings 

To enter, just complete the items below and that's it!! Giveaway ends May 7 at Midnight!

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Favorite Candle

Do you even get tired of the same scents in your home? I mean don't get me wrong I love my wall plug ins and large three wick candles, but sometimes you need to switch it up!

A friend recently introduced me to a semi-local candle company near me in Hazleton, PA. I knew when I saw this scent , I had to purchase it. What is better then your home smelling like fresh waffles? How about I also purchased the coffee scent, so it's hard leaving the house in the morning with these two combined! 

Candelles has the cutest names for their 'punny candles'. I just makes you want to purchase them all! I actually had to go back and purchase more.. ya know with Mother's Day coming up these make the perfect gifts!

Best part is you can get in on these yummy goodness candles and receive $20 off your first purchase!

Click here to get your offer now!

Friday Favorites!

The weather is finally changing in PA and I couldn't be happier. Joe and I cooked on the grill 3 nights this week because of it! Sunday was spent weeding, racking, and landscaping! I think both the front and backyard look so much better with some color added in! We are now all ready for our Cinco de Mayo/ Birthday Parties outside next weekend.

Here are some other things I'm loving on this week.,,

One. My Bachelorette Party

Last weekend my best gals threw me a quiet, laid back and relaxing weekend. I didn't want to get "wild & crazy", so instead I opted for a reclaimed barn with limited cell reception and a winery tour! It was perfect. Friday night was spent making pizzas and playing Cards Against Humanity, even though we ended up not getting to bed til 3am! Saturday began with mimosa's and limoncello's followed by three different local wineries. Sadly, I have never been to any of them, even though they were right in my backyard, so it was such a treat. We had an awesome driver (who even made a pit stop at the liquor store for us) and best part was it was spent with my best friends.

My outfit: Shirt, Jeggings, Wedges (similar), Watch

Two. Black Skinny Jeans

I've been on the search for skinny black jeans with possibly a little distress in them. My problem is that I don't have much time to get to the mall and try them on!

In the running... 

Express | H&M | Joe's Jeans

Three. Fixer Upper

Lately, I've been obsessed with the show Fixer Upper. I am channeling my inner Joanna Gaines while renovating our kitchen. Yesterday I watched 6 episodes in a row and only turned it off after 6, because I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore! Obsessed people.. OBSESSED!!

Four. St Tropez

I recently purchased two products from Sephora for at home tanning. While in high school and college I was so bad at UV tanning, that I'm ashamed to say I actually used to double dip and sometimes go to two different salons in the same day. Since graduating and coming to my senses, I realize how dangerous this is. With a little over a month to my wedding, I needed to do something.. so I purchased on a whim St. Tropez tanning products and am excited to try them out this weekend. Have you used them? What did you think of them?

Today I'm linking up with September Farm for their weekly Oh Hey, Friday! 

 

Charger's Bark Box Review

Do you have a four legged friend that you love dearly and want to spoil them monthly? Well then keep on reading... I have a special guest on the blog today, Mr. Charger!

WOOFFFF!!!

Today my mom decided I should take over this thing she talks about all the time called a bah-log? I used to think it was some kind of treat, boy was I wrong. 

Once a month this man that I like to bark at comes to our house and drops off a box. My mom usually gets excited when it comes and says it's for me.. but then goes and puts it away until I'm 'good'. I'm always good, so I don't know why she doesn't just hand it over then!!

This box is paw-fect for me. I get treats and chew toys. And my mom said I'm teething since I've already chewed two pairs of her shoes, but if she doesn't want me to chew them, she should not leave them out for me! 

Some of the things like a pigs ear, she doesn't let me have, because she says it's not good for a pup my size. It sure smells good though! She told me about a magical place called New York City (she's always saying quotes from a movie she calls Elf) and that was this boxes theme. 

I got a taxi and a bouncy ball in the shape of lady liberty. I got turkey treats that are very yummy and other treats that mom uses for 'training' I told her I don't need to be trained because I'm just too cute to be yelled at. 

Do you have a family member with four legs, fur and is so lovable and cute like me? Then you should sign them up too and be cool just like me. Check it out here!

Thank you Charger for taking over the blog today! Hope everyone wants to treat your pups to a fun surprise and checks out Bark Box today!

* This post was not sponsored by BarkBox and all opinions were my own!

What I Wore | My Bridal Shower

A couple of weeks ago I was thrown the cutest bridal shower. It was Lilly Pulitzer themed and I loved every minute and detail of it! Some of you asked where I got my outfit from so I thought I would share with you! I did splurge on my shoes, which I plan on wearing again for my rehearsal before the wedding. But isn't it every girls dream to own her own pair of Loubiton's and this was the perfect time to get them! 

Dress

Pumps

Bracelet

Get Paid to Shop | Sign Me Up!

Are you struggling to find the time to shop? I'm a little bit busy as you probably see from my post yesterday!

I was recently introduced to a site called Ebates where you create an account and earn money from shopping online. This is a god sent to those busy girls like me!

It is so simple to use.. Just add it to your browser and anytime you shop it will prompt you how much cash back you will get!

It's simple as that! So free money for shopping?? What are you waiting for!!

Where is the World has Ashley Been?

I have not been on this little site here in what feels like forever!!

Well I've been quite busy, ya know less then two months to my wedding, remodeling parts of the house, work, etsy, cheerleading.. just staying busy!!!

So here is a little recap of what's been going on!

What's Going on at Home:

We are in the process of remodeling the kitchen. This weekend we picked out engineered hardwood for our kitchen flooring and I CAN NOT WAIT to get it installed! We really weren't planning on redoing anything in the house right now, but it's amazing how the changing of the basement door turned into the whole kitchen redo! 

For the basement door I loved the look of a french door. This was after the first coat of paint and the plastic still on the glass. With the window directly across from the door, it lets the light reflect and actually makes the room look bigger.. which with how small our kitchen is, we take what we can get! And the door is Charger approved.. as you can see!

 I also purchase this tall pantry cabinet from Overstock.com for some extra storage we lack from our kitchen cabinets! I didn't decide what I want to put on the top of it yet, and just gathered these extras from throughout the house.

How's Things with the Wedding:

Wedding invitations have gone out last week and we've already started getting responses back! Charger wanted to help with this process, so some our guests will get a imprint from Chargers teeth marks.

What's New in the Etsy Shop:

This vibrant invite is new in the shop! Perfect for a birthday party, Cinco de Mayo or just a plain ole' fiesta fiesta!! 

So like I said before, it's been a busy couple of weeks! I promise to get back on track with my posts. I have so many DIY ideas to share with you all coming up! Thanks for your patience with me and can't wait to show you all my wedding and home projects! xo