Guess what friends?! MY BROOCH BOUQUET IS HERE!! AGH! It is so amazing and perfect. I can’t wait to share photos of it with you…after the big day, of course.

Until then, I’m on the final stretch of my jewelry documentation. Here are a few more beautiful family pieces. The far left silver pin with pearls was my grandmother Mary’s. The next two earrings in the top row were Jonelle’s, my grandmother’s niece. For the bottom row, the lovely gold pin with white accents is from The Kiblers – a couple I know through my Dad and his affiliation with the Grand Masonic Lodge of Illinois. And finally, the beautiful vintage watch face was also my grandmother’s. (It was Amanda’s suggestion to find an old watch and mail it in with everything.) I’ve set it to 4pm, the time of the wedding.

Just a small handful of pieces left to share. Coming tomorrow! (The week is only going to get better. My parents get here tomorrow…then Thursday the bridesmaids arrive…SO excited!)

Still a few more details we’re wrapping up. I’ll have more information tomorrow!

Four days until I’m a Mrs!

Well folks. We’re nearing the end of my brooch documentation here. After this post of beautiful jewelry for my vintage brooch bouquet, there’s only one more to go! AND we’re nearing the end of our engagement. Our wedding is only 17 days away now! So hard to believe. I thought it would never get here, now look how quickly time has flown!

Today’s brooches are from my lovely bridesmaid Rebecca N. She traveled from here to Chicago looking for the perfect brooches.

I’ve known Rebecca since we were hard-working public relations students at Belmont. We had several classes together and spent quite a bit of time studying and trying to figure out what we wanted to be when we grew up.

I’ve always admired Rebecca’s pursuit of life and living it to the fullest. She’s not one to “settle” for anything. I think that’s something we can all learn from.

For those of you who don’t know Rebecca, she has one of the kindest, biggest, giving hearts. She travels all around the world exploring, sharing with and caring for anyone she meets  along her path. Her heart aches for those in need and she continually finds ways to serve people.

Here’s a photo of Miss Rebecca and I after enjoying lunch at Jimmy John’s…one of my favorite sandwich joints:

Rebecca, I’m so thankful you’re in my life. Thank you for your spontaneity, your incredible fashion sense, your beautiful smile and your big heart. Philip and I absolutely adore you and we’re so privileged to have you as a part of our big day.

My long-time pal Arla W. gave me this jewelry for my brooch bouquet. Aren’t they great?! That bracelet is killer!

I’ve known Arla since I was a wee little one. Our mothers grew up together and we also grew up together.  We went to the same small town church in Southern Illinois and would confide in each other all kinds of things – particularly involving boys.

As we’ve gotten older over the years, we’ve created new lives in different places and don’t get to catch up nearly as often as we’d like, but we’ve always remained friends.

Arla, I’m grateful to call you a friend and I hope we get some catch up time soon! Our friendship has been long-lasting and I look forward to many more opportunities to share in each other’s life experiences.

Thank you for sharing these beautiful pieces of jewelry with me. They’re absolutely perfect.

More brooches coming soon! AND I’ve been to two weddings in the past two weeks. I’ll be sharing some photos from those too! Happy Friday everyone!

It’s official, friends. 30 DAYS UNTIL I BECOME A MRS. WHOA! Where did all this time go?! Thankfully ALLL of my pieces for the brooch bouquet are in the mail and have been shipped to Mrs. Amanda Heer of Fantasy Floral Designs. I’ll admit, I’m kind of nervous…shipping all of these special pieces across the country! I sure hope they all make it to Amanda safe and sound.

Now I’m playing catch up on documenting all of the pieces I’ve received. Thanks to all my wonderful friends and family, I sent more than 80 pieces to Amanda! Holy smokes! (I was in such a rush to pack them and get them in the mail I never got a final count.) So here are a few more! More to come!

I am an only child. Philip is 1 of 4 children. Thankfully his family is AMAZING. I may not have any direct siblings, but I tell you…the Dials have already made me feel like I’m kin. He has twin sisters and they’ve both supplied a bagful of beautiful pieces for my bouquet. The lovelies in the above photo are from his sister Peggy. I just love all the pearl accents. And the little rosettes are so dainty and adorable. Thank you SO much Peggy!

The silver, sparkly rose in the above photo was given to me by my co-worker’s wife. Her name is Shannon. If you’ve ever met her, you know Shannon is a jewel and she just exudes class. Although we’ve known each other for a short time, I feel like we’ve been friends for much longer. Shannon, thank you for this beautiful pin. It’s so elegant and graceful. Just like you. I look forward to more times together in the future.

I’m calling the next piece the “heart of the ocean”. Doesn’t it look JUST like the necklace Rose wore in Titanic?! ALSO stunning and classy. This piece was given to me by my friend Natosha aka Little Spoon. She’s also a Nashville blogging bride. (Her blog is Big Spoon, Little Spoon. Check it out!) I had the pleasure of meeting Natosha during the Unabridged Bride workshop. I had been following along with her blog way before the workshop, so when I found out SHE was Little Spoon, I felt like I was meeting a celebrity! Seriously. I deeply admire her blogging talents, creativity and especially the fact that her fiance, aka Big Spoon, pops in and writes for the blog occasionally. Natosha, thank you for being a part of this experience and for being a friend. I’m so glad our paths have crossed and I’m VERY excited about the journey ahead for both of us.

Happy Wednesday everyone. And keep your fingers crossed that my sanity is maintained for the next 30 days. Thank you all for your inspiring ideas and support.