Mandii's Muse

Phillip G Cochran Church I'm not entirely sure when I've had a summer this busy. Honestly, I swear there has been something going every weekend. I'm not complaining. Okay, maybe a little bit. How in the world is it almost AUGUST? SLOW DOWN Summer! For reals! One of the highlights this summer has been all of the weddings I've been to. I'm a sucker for a wedding. I went to a beautiful one, and want to share it with you! First of all, the wedding was in the Phillip G. Cochran Memorial Methodist Church. This is located in the little town of Dawson, PA. Can I just tell you it was absolutely stunning! This church is listed on the National Register of Historic places. The bride's father officiated, and they had a traditional ceremony which I love. So heartfelt and meaningful! The reception was at Linden Hall. My parents had visited there on their honeymoon. Remember when they went here too? Again, this place is just beautiful. The food was outstanding, and the...

So if you saw yesterday's post, I recapped a little bit of February and March. Now I can get you caught up from then until now! I was able to go to a Pittsburgh Penguins game! I always love going to the last game of the season. Even thought I didn't get a shirt off the players back! However, it was neat to see the Stanley Cup winning team before they hoisted the trophy. Plus, when you have seats 6 rows behind the glass, you don't say no! The school I work at (still subbing!) had a local meteorologist come and give a presentation. It was a great assembly, and the kids really enjoyed it! I know I did! In the mail one day, I got something from one of my I mean, could JJ and I be any cuter?! many celebrity boyfriends. (LOL!) I got this magazine full of pictures of JJ Watt. Listen, any time he comes in my mailbox, I'm not going to complain. ;) Unfortunately, June was a crazy, and sad month. To start it off, my dad had a kidney stone, and he also got bit by a sp...

I'm a big fan of frugality. If I have a wedding or special event to go to, I don't want to spend a boatload of money on a dress I could possibly only wear once. Most of my dresses for these occasions are found at Ross Dress 4 Less. I'm a huge fan of their store. I can almost always find an item of clothing, accessory, or household item I want to buy every time I go in there. (And I have bought several things on a whim!) I wanted to share with you what I wore to my cousin's wedding. Her wedding took place at 5:30 at a country club. It was going to be very hot that day, so I knew that I wanted a lighter fabric to keep me cool since the ceremony and cocktail hour were outside. I tried on several dresses, but as it usually is, the first one is the one you end up with. I tried this dress on first, and immediately loved it. My dress was by Enfocus Women. I loved the color combination of pink and gray. I loved the little ruffles on the skirt portion. I also loved that it was...

Can anyone tell me why the weekends fly by? You come home on Friday, blink, and it is Monday morning. How does that happen? This weekend went really fast because I had a lot of events on Saturday. It was such a fun day, and I am sharing some of it with you! Friday night after work I treated myself to a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. They are only $1 at my store and I must admit, I have taken advantage several times. I came home and graded a ton of papers after dinner. The original teacher is coming back Monday, and I wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible for her.  Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early to get a quick workout in. Then I was off to my cousin's bridal shower in Pittsburgh! She is getting married in September, and she lives in California, so I don't get to see her as often as I'd like. It was SO, SO, SO nice to see her! She looked gorgeous, and her bridesmaids and mom did a great job at setting up the venue. The food was delicious as well...

I still don't think I have fully recovered from these weddings last weekend. Each of them were beautiful and perfectly represented the couples. A lot of hard work was put into these weddings, and it most definitely showed. Every little detail was planned right down to the petals on the flowers. Wedding A was Friday night. It was in a Catholic church and started at 3:30. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and a perfect day for a wedding! The church was absolutely beautiful, very ornate, and had the prettiest stained glass windows. The bride walked down the aisle to an organ and trumpet duet. Her gown was a strapless jewel encrusted top with a tulle bottom. She wore a very "blingy" necklace, and completed her look with wrist gloves. The bridal party wore strapless black gowns with a lace overlay. The groom and groomsmen all wore black tuxes. The reception was in a hotel banquet room. Cocktail hour included cheese trays, bread and bean dip, chicken quesadillas, bacon ...

This is the last part in the Wedding Wednesday series! I hope you enjoyed it! If you want to catch up on parts 1 and 2 click on the highlighted links! These are just a few other odds and ends that I love!  I think wearing your new monogram the day after the wedding is so chic. What a great outfit to travel to your honeymoon in!  I absolutely LOVE this! Put this on your program and tell the photographer, I'm sure you will spy some people trying it!  This is so smart. Postcards are cheap, and you have a great memory of your honeymoon that looks cute and you can put on display!  What girl doesn't want an autographed photo from Mickey and Minnie, and Cinderella and Prince Charming? This is too darn cute for words and such a great keepsake! I hope you enjoyed this series, and I hope it has helped you or someone you know that is getting married! To many happy years!

Welcome to the second Wedding Wednesday post! You can find part 1 here! Today we are going to look at dresses! *Each bride has her own unique individual style. Choose what is best for you! My Style: I am a traditionalist, and I am not a fan of strapless dresses. I loved Kate Middleton's dress. It was classy, yet elegant.  To me, this is classic perfection. It's sexy without being sseeexxyyy. Does that make sense?  This dress , is lovely. I love the one shoulder look. Myself, I could do without the bow.  This dress would be a great reception dress.  With a little tweaking, this dress would be absolutely beautiful! Can you imagine dancing around the dance floor with this flowing around you?  I think this dress is great for showing off your figure, while keeping it modest. The ruched detail creates a hourglass figure. I hope you have found some inspiration in these dresses. Don't forget to enlist the help of a trusted family member or friend to ...

I'm not sure how long this mini series will last, but enjoy Wedding Wednesday! I have a few friends who are getting married in the near future, so I figured why not share some of my inspiration boards from Pinterest to maybe help you out!  When am I getting married you ask? Haha. Whenever Prince Charming comes!  Anyway, I hope this helps you with your wedding planning! My Wedding Style: I'm a traditionalist. Think traditional processional, recessional, and vows. Here are a few things I love, and hopefully you can gain some inspiration from what I like! Here are a few of my favorite pins!  This picture shows 1, 2, and 3 ring carat sizes. Show these to your Prince Charming, and don't forget the 4 C's: cut, color, clarity, and carat!!  This ring is my favorite. It symbolizes the "cord of 3 strands in not equally broken" Bible verse. (Ecc.4:12)  This site has 10 great tips to do when you first get engaged!  If you are a sports fan ,...