Thanks to some of my wonderful girlfriends, plus a fantastic trip to the Nashville flea market this morning, I’ve acquired some absolutely lovely pins/brooches/earrings for my vintage brooch bouquet! Aren’t they beautiful?! As I continue to collect pieces, I’ll keep a log of them on here so you can see them all too.

The cowboy boot and the silver flower next to it were given to me by my friend Sarah O. The gold frog and gold butterfly were contributed by a co-worker friend, Melissa B. The sparkly piece in the center was pulled from my own jewelry box…and I need to ask my mom about the origin of this brooch. I think it was a family member’s. I purchased the red rose ring and the top left blue flower pin & earring at the flea market this morning. My friend Ellen S. and I split the cost of the rest of the items from a fantastic flea market vendor who was SO kind! I told her why we were looking for all these pins and she actually threw one in for free! She said it was an early wedding gift. (The white daisy with the lady bug in the middle row to the right.)

I have word from several folks that I should be expecting some in the mail soon too. I feel like a little kid at Christmas! People have been so kind and giving. I can’t WAIT to see what all these look like together.

Have something you want to contribute too? I’d love it! Give me a holler at becomingmrsdial (at) gmail (dot) com. Have a great weekend!

WHO KNEW?! Natosha, aka Little Spoon over at Little Spoon, Big Spoon, has given me a Glamorous Blog Award!

Thanks so much Natosha! This is my first EVER blog award! What in the world do I do now?! Looks like I find a few other glamorous bloggers to share the love, huh? I’m passing this along to…

Cat over at Nashville Newlyweds
Emily over at Simply Yours Weddings & Etc.
Vickie at Bella Weddings
Tami over at Little Miss Southern

Ya’ll have amazing blogs that are so inspiring and enjoyable! Thanks again to Little Spoon. From one glam blogger to another, you’re a rock star. I’m excited about our coffee date tonight to discuss “The Conscious Bride”!

One of very few arguments that Philip and I’ve had? Whether or not I’ve seen this YouTube clip. He swears I’ve seen it before. I beg to differ. Okay, so it was hardly an “argument”…but it was a disagreement.

I could hardly contain my laughter at this syrupy sweet video of this precious little kitten I saw this morning. 16 million views already. Wow…where have I been? Hope this puts a smile on your face. Sure did mine.

How in the world do 10 days fly by so quickly?! Sheesh.

Here’s a quick recap of what we’ve been up to:

September 23 – Night 3 of the Unabridged Bride Workshop at the Cool Springs Aloft Hotel

For the final night of this workshop, Liza (of Maiden to Married) and Marie (of Nashville Marriage Studio) asked that all of us brides be accompanied by our fiances. What an informative night! We discussed communication issues, life insurance and even had a reflexology lesson where we practiced on our partner’s hands and feet.

Each night, Marie and Liza gave away a prize and night 3 was my lucky night! Philip and I won a free night’s stay at the Aloft Hotel! How perfect! It’s only a few short miles down the road from where our wedding ceremony and reception are being held. We plan to use our free night’s stay the evening of our big day – the night before we leave for our honeymoon. Perfect.

Left to right, standing – Little Spoon/Big Spoon, Philip and I, Laura and Martin, Sassy Bride on a Mission/Mr. Grapejuice
Kneeling – Mark Oates and Marie McKinney-Oates, Tom and Liza Hippler

September 24 – Franklin Bridal Ball @ The Factory in Franklin

Thanks to Ashley over at AshleysBrideGuide.com, I found out about this great local bridal event in Franklin at The Factory – the same area where Philip and I are getting married. Upon registering at the front door, I ran into the always lovely MissSE06, aka Planning Sarah Elizabeth, another Nashville bride. Sarah and I met at the first Unabridged Bride Workshop back in July. We had a blast walking all around The Factory. What a night! We…

- sampled some tasty chocolate covered strawberries by Pam with Ribbons of Chocolate.
- enjoyed wine compliments of the fine folks up at Wedding 101 – Middle Tennessee’s most comprehensive wedding resource boutique.
- munched on some delicious, savory tostadas thanks to the Nashville City Club.
- smiled for the camera at Nashville PartyBooth. (Photo coming soon!)
- discussed photography with Jonathon & Sharon Campbell of Campbell Photography and Evin of Evin Photography.

Becoming Mrs. Dial & Planning Sarah Elizabeth

September 25 – “It Might Get Loud” and “The Big Lebowski” at The Belcourt

“It Might Get Loud” is a documentary (or rockumentary, as I like to call it) that follows Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2) and Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather) and discusses the influence of the electric guitar and music, in general, in each of their lives. A few of the film segments including Jack White were shot in Franklin, TN. He lives here. We HAD to see this show. Little did we know that shortly after “It Might Get Loud”, The Belcourt was having a midnight showing of the Cohen Bros. film”The Big Lebowski” – one of Philip’s favorite movies. We grabbed a quick cup of coffee over at Fido and ran back over to catch this flick too. Long night…but fun!

September 26 – Megan, one of my bridesmaids, comes down to visit for the weekend! Ladies night!

Megan, whom I will more formally introduce soon, arrived Saturday morning and we scoped out bridesmaids dresses at a few local bridal shops. We didn’t have much luck…but we enjoyed ourselves! After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we got ready for ladies night at my apartment. I invited some local gal pals to come by, munch, mingle and check out some of my samples from Rodan + Fields. (My skin is looking and feeling better every day! I’ll post 30-day progress photos soon!) We had a fantastic night. I have the most amazing friends ever. Did you have to miss ladies night? Are you a local lady friend who didn’t hear about my girls night, but would like to come to the next one? Let me know! I’m scheduling another one soon!

I’m not yet done with my 10 day wedding planning recap…but I have to postpone. Stay tuned…more to come!