Five Months To Go: Parties and Fun

Last night I had a terrifying dream ... about our wedding plans. Ugh. I had heard through the bride grapevine that, no matter how stressed or relaxed I might be about our wedding, the wedding nightmares would arrive. Sure enough, just as I am feeling in-control and really excited about what's coming up in April, a very detailed nightmare shows up. In it, our invites never went out in time, we never got wedding bands and I somehow forget the entire night and didn't get a videographer so the memories were lost forever. What?!

Of course, beyond the sheer ridiculousness of it all (um, hello, shopping for more jewelry? That is a MUST on any girl's list!), the nightmare did prompt me to check into our to-do lists and see where we stand. Just as I had thought, we are totally on par with where we need to be. Honeymoon plans are coming together, the invite proofs just came in and the first chatter of showers and bachelor/bachelorette parties have begun. We are entering the super fun time of wedding planning, and couldn't be more excited!

Here's a run-down of a few of the things on the list to knock out in upcoming weeks (according to my go-to Erin Condren planner!):

* Book the Rehearsal Dinner
* Book transportation
* Purchase shoes ... as if they had to tell me to do this one ;)
* Work on favors

Speaking of our wedding plans, Brad's best friend and his wife threw us an amazing engagement party a few weeks ago. It was Mad Men-themed, perfect for die-hard fans like Brad and me :)

Look at some of the adorable decor they set up in their home!

I loved how she included vintage-hued photos of us throughout the home.

And the drink stations were clutch. Bourbon for him, vodka for me! Each station had a few drink cards with recipes so that guests could help themselves. As you might guess, the men hovered very near to the bourbon bar for most of the night!

A Mad Men theme would be a fun way to class things up for a holiday party. You can find similar ideas and resources for yours over here on Pizzazzerie, and Etsy is full of retailers ready to create the paper for the party. AMC also has a full Man Men party guide that you could customize for the holidays with cranberry hued cocktails and a holiday-ish menu.

Me and my 'maid Annemarie, enjoying the party!

Happy Partying! And YAY wedding fun! Thanks to Kyle and Victoria for the sweet soiree last month :)

The groom and me in our Mad Men best :) I channeled my namesake "Joan" for the night!