Why is it so difficult to keep up?

I am, admittedly, one of the worst bloggers out there. I start out the year strong: each year I do my "31 Days..." series and I am motivated for the year. 

Then February comes.

That's pretty much the end.

It's not that I don't have a lot of fun and interesting things going on: quite the opposite, in fact. 

I suppose that's the problem. I have so much to do that I don't really have the time to stop and share!

So, here is a little recap of 2015 so far for belmonili:

• January: did MOST of my 31 days posts
• February: broke my wrist, had a beautiful bridal shower
• March: got ready for my wedding!!!
• April: got married to the love of my life, went on an amazing honeymoon to Punta Cana, DR
• May: got pregnant!
• June: worked. slept. worked. slept.
• July: went to Florida to visit my brother. slept.
• August: entered into 2nd trimester, enjoyed a glorious resurgence of energy.
• September: had an amazing time at the Country Living Fair!
• October: my little dog Diva had enculeation surgery (removal of her eyes) and recovered like a pro

I am going to ***try*** to get some more updates out there, including long-overdue photos of my wedding and honeymoon. Wish me luck!

31 Days, 31 Ways to Bring Joy: Day 1: Smile

Smiling. 

It's easy, it's free, and everyone knows how to do it.

Charles Darwin even hypothesized that smiling has a real and measurable effect on our mood and behavior.

Photo credit: Monika Manowska.

A smile can change your whole day, or at the very least give you a moment of joy. 

If someone else is  lucky enough to catch you in that moment, then BAM, the joy has been spread.

It's that simple. 

Smile.

Even if you aren't happy, even if you don't want to, just give it a try. 

You never know what might happen.

Oh yeah, that's right...I'm getting MARRIED!

So, here we are, it's officially the middle of November (ok, closer to the end now) and I am less than 5 months away from The Big Day. If you recall, back in January I posted my annual "31 Days" series and asked you a variety of questions about weddings. 

Thank you, by the way, for all of your advice: it was GREAT!

Now, eleven months later, I'm ashamed to say that I'm not all that much further ahead than I was in January! Here is what I have done:

1) I have the dress

2) We have the venue (reception and ceremony) booked

3) We have an officiant

4) We have wedding party members

5) We have a photographer

6) We have a DJ

Now that may SEEM like an impressive list, but here is what we still need:

1) A guest list

2) A menu

3) Save the Date cards

4) Invitations

5) Flowers

6) Bridesmaid dresses

7) Book a honeymoon

8) Register for gifts

9) Select a song

10) Select a THEME

11) Select wedding favors

12) Ceremony details (i.e., who walks mom down the aisle, etc.)

13) all of the other wedding details that I know I am forgetting but that are vital to the day of festivities

On top of all of that, I am a very busy speech-language pathologist and an even busier artist/business owner! I'm working hard to keep bel monili running full steam ahead whilst trying to masquerade as a good, organized bride.

This is where you come in. My plan is to start using this blog as a kind of journal, and I'm going to need your help to keep me on track. Hold me accountable for getting things done by asking questions, posting pictures, and/or giving suggestions...I need the support of the masses here!

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 29: Your Favorite

Day 29 Question:

I'd say a lot of us have been to a wedding at some point in the last 5 years or so. Think back to that last wedding you attended: what was your favorite part?

 Did they do something that you've never seen? 

Did they find a special way to honor their loved ones that touched your heart? 

Did they have the BEST COOKIE TABLE EVER? 

I would love to hear what your favorite part about that day was!

photo via bridalmusings.com

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 28: The Music (part 2)

Day 28 Question:

We were kicking around the idea of playing the wedding songs of our friends and family at our wedding, however, there are at least 50 couples and there's no way we have that much time (not to mention the fact that we want the music WE actually like!). 

Is there any other way we can go about including this?

Photography by Brett Heidebrecht

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 27: The Bar

Day 27 Question:

Oh, the bar. The ever-important bar. This is one of the main reasons we are seriously considering a "hotel wedding": we want everyone to drink and be merry, but we are very serious about making sure our guests get home safely. Our idea is to have the bar close an hour before the wedding is over and/or make the last hour cash bar. If we are at a hotel, guests who imbibe can simply walk upstairs. If we are not, we plan to hire a shuttle. Does anyone have any creative ideas or any suggestions for how we can make sure everyone has fun and is safe?

Photo via pinterest

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 26: The Money Dance

Day 26 Question:

Have you ever heard of a money dance at a wedding, or is that another "Pittsburgh" wedding tradition? Every place we've spoken to has mentioned it (as in, "we don't offer shots at the bar, except for the money dance"), making me think that this is a regular thing. 

I believe some people may call it a "shot dance"or something similar: 

it is where guests give cash for a shot 

and a dance with the bride or groom.

What do you think? Is it ok to have one? Any nifty creative ideas?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 25: The Ceremony

Day 25 Question:

Our ceremony will be non-denominational, however, we would like to have some people who are special to us somehow be involved in the ceremony. Any suggestions?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 24: Invitations

Day 24 Question:

Invitations...they seem more like little books than cards. WHERE do I start? Can I order them online, or do I have to have them done by hand? Does a "style" of invitation imply anything, or is is all personal preference?

image via Etsy

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 23: Guest Book

Day 23 Question:

Are there options out there for guest sign in books other than the traditional book or large photo mat? I'd love something handmade, cool, unique...you know the drill.

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 21: Out of Town Guests

Day 21 Question:

What is something different and fun that I can do for my out of town guests? All of our out of town guests are family and friends who are very familiar with the Pittsburgh area (many of them are from here and have moved away), so doing something very "Pittsburgh-y" won't really do. 

Thoughts?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 20: The Day

Day 20 Question:

Have you ever been to a wedding on a Friday or a Sunday? 

photo via boho-weddings.com

We are thinking of having a Sunday wedding simply because it saves some big bucks, and to be honest the date possibilities are much more open. What are your thoughts? Have you ever been to a non-Saturday wedding? How did the rehearsal work?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings..Help Me Please! Day 19: Bridesmaids (part 2)

Day 19 Question:

Similar to yesterday's question, today I'm asking for some cool, fun, unique, affordable, awesome gifts for my bridesmaids! Any thoughts, ideas, pictures, and/or links to share?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 18: Groomsmen

Day 18 Question:

Do you have cool, creative, affordable ideas for groomsmen gifts? These are guys who aren't really into cufflinks or money clips, and I don't want to run the risk of flasks (shots + wedding = fail).

picture via vponsalewedding.co.uk

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 17: Getting Along

Day 17 Question:

We are OVERWHELMED! Just looking for a venue has proven to be very stress and anxiety inducing for us, which leads to us not getting along. We HATE not getting along! Can you give me some low cost suggestions for what we can do to take a quick breather from all of this?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 16: Ranking

Day 16 Question:

OK, so this one is more of a survey. Of all of the elements of your wedding (actual marriage to the love of your live excluded), what was the most important feature to you, and why? Photography? Venue? Food? Date?

photo via prettyweddingidea.com

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 15: Desperation

Day 15 Question:

This one is for my friends who have been married: 

 If you had to do it all over (the actually day of wedding part)...would you, or would you elope?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 14: Music

Day 14 Question:

What is the most affordable wedding music option, and is there a ballpark idea of what we could expect to pay for a deejay (about 5 hours)? 

Are there any interesting alternative music options out there?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 13: Food

Day 13 Question:

What was your favorite meal type/food for a wedding?

There are SO MANY options here. I've seen people do buffets, traditional sit-downs, heavy hors d'oeuvres, stations...

(photo from Ruffled)

With the budget always on our minds, we are looking for a budget-friendly option that will also be fun and enjoyable for our guests. This certainly won't be a filet and lobster kind of wedding and overly ethnic foods are out of the question, but I'd like to serve something other than the very traditional "chicken and rigi" (that would be our word for rigatoni). 

Thoughts?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 12: Wedding Activities

Day 12 Question:

Think back to some weddings you've attended (or seen online)...

what are some really cool/fun activities you've seen? 

 (photo from So You're The One)

I am pretty sure I want a photo booth, but are there other great fun things I don't know about?