Zrust Wedding

I know... i know... im a slacker...

2009-10-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Its been quite awhile since i posted... :(

Im UBER sorry...

I love to keep you all updated...

But, until we get our photo disk from AE there isn't much to say.

But dont you worry...

once it comes in ill be bogging down the internet with posts, lol

photos.... details....... precious moments... oh yeah... you wait. ;)

But until then I just HAVE to share this amazing news...

I only THOUGHT i was excited to see us on the Knot and the others...

what i didn't know is that we had any shot @ being on The Offbeat Bride!!

I was TOTALLY blown away when I was first contacted by Megan.

The asked if they could use the super cheezy photo of zaq and I...

for a post about my dress...

(apparently Jessica McClintock is a punk rock trend, lol)

anyways, of all the photos! haha... but yes, of course I said yes...

its THE OFFBEAT BRIDE!

Two days later I got an email from Ariel telling me they posted on the wedding!

I was totally blown away. I filled out the info FOREVER ago...

and assumed there was NO way I would ever get picked...

but we did, and here we are!

Check it out!! Leave us some comment love ;)

We <3 AE Photography...

2009-09-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

So, its no secret that we love our wedding Photogs...

Maybe even obsessively...

A little stalkerish?

I dunno.

But thats besides the point...

They did an amazing job at capturing every memory...

and I await every day that they post new photos for us to oogle.

Now, the reason Im posting this...

The had an awesome gallery feature at Borders Cafe back in Illinois...

A beautiful display of some of there amazingly awesome photos...

Of a crazy 60,000+ photos

we got to be one of the lucky few featured!!

This was the chosen photo...

and this was the super rad display we made it on :)

Thanks guys, for letting be apart of something so amazing :)

Now, clearly you should all go get married so they can photograph you too...

Blog them here

And, see ALLLL of our wedding photos here...

put in your email, with the password ZAZ2009

Awe... we made it onto another blog

2009-09-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

We are very very proud of how our wedding turned out... and as it seems, so are many others! Scouring the web I have found us on The Knot with a great rating... As well as on the Photography AE blog... but my favorite has to be this post by Brides Bliss... You can see the post in full here... But you should go check it out... there are pictures, etc. But its a great blog... I totally recommend following her. TUESDAY Real Wedding: Zaq & Amber I'm posting Zaq and Amber's wedding even though I am beyond lame compared to these two. Their killer style and personalities shine throughout these photos. The details are so original and, best of all, DIY! Thanks to Ashley from AE Photography for sharing this set with me. To see more (and I guarantee you'll want to) photos from Zaq and Amber's wedding visit AE Photography's blog or check out Amber's wedding blog here, which is loaded with her diy projects and ideas. Girl, you are rad. Seriously. Keep your eyes peeled for more AE Photography weddings and engagements on brides {bliss}. We even got a couple sweet comments saying things like... "Glad to see a couple staying true to themselves" Seeing/reading/hearing things like this is what makes it all worth while... all the stress and drama pays off when you can sit back and love every moment of your special day... and see that others enjoyed it just as much. Thanks s everyone who helped make our day so special :)

A little vintage touch.

2009-08-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

So, everyone know we had a very "rock n roll" wedding...

and every now and then we threw in a few vintage touches...

well, a vintage style... to keep it classic....

For starters I was married in an off-white all lace dress.

As you all have seen - very classic.

And, I could have been any happier with it...

I made the bouquets both my girls and myself...

using a very classic look.

Just simple red roses in a domed shape...

tied with fabric pieces from the leftover damask fabric...

Punked up with my sparkly Converse :)

Now my absolute favorite classic touch we had...

would have to be my veil and hair piece...

A long flowing veil would have just looked silly on me...

(the bride with the mohawk wore a white veil covering her face... right)

So it was never a question that I wanted to make my own birdcage veil.

I bought 1 yard of the offwhite netting on ebay...

I bought the black rose on etsy...

and the vintage ivory rose button inside the flower came from etsy as well.

I also added some black feathers to coordinate it with my flowers.

I loved it! My total cost was about $10...

by doing it myself I saved anywhere from $50-$200...

depending on how fancy one would want...

Check them out on etsy to see more examples...

Just search "wedding fascinators"

Some of my favorite examples...

Donatella - $89.00 on etsy by Portobello

This one my YJDesign is a little more budget friendly...

but equally beautiful. Its sold at $46.50

And this one, even more so!

How cool is that...

had I seen this one before I made mine...

i probably would have bought it...

we were on a very strict budget and this would have fit in just right.

I love the way the little "tails" come up...

Its made by Brendas Bridal Veils on Etsy for $25.99.

LAstly, I WISH i would have had these for the other side to hold my veil down.

Black Peacock $18 by JannyFay

My bridesmaid Mandy helped me our by twisting it into a cool little knot...

but I had bought some buttons to glue onto bobby pins that were misplaced.

They would have added a really nice touch. But, oh well!

So thats all for today!

What do you think about these classic designers on etsy?

Which one seems to be your favorite?

CANDY!!

2009-08-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

There were alot of awesome aspects to our wedding...

But one of my favorites was the Candy Table.

My MIL totally went over the top picking a bunch of awesomely matching candies...

and of course, I snatched a few from etsy!

Check it out!

This photo is from my photographers blog about out wedding.

Please check it out and drool over the photos, but PLEASE dont steal them :)

Send them an email and ask their permission...

Maybe they will let you use it in your listing in exchange for the link back, i dunno.

Now - in the top left corner we have the damask mintbooks.

I had them custom made by ExQuisiteInVitation...

She made half red & black... half white & black...

and they were SO awesomely displayed....

I just loved it and could have been ANY happier...

Everything else you see there was DIY'd by my MIL...

except for the super rad skull suckers in the bottom right corner.

I got those custom made by my friend over at Vintage Confections.

These were a HUGE hit. Not only were they awesome...

but they kept my youngest son quiet the whole wedding... haha

He was covered in a red sticky sugary goo all night, but he was happy...

She hand made the little tags on the suckers with a 2 layer tag.

And used a day of the dead style skull...

as well as listed our name and wedding date.

SO COOL!

So what do you guys think?

Once again, etsy pulls through :)

Lastly - my bridesmaid Mandy gave me an awesome gift!

Its funny because I saw on etsy that she bought them...

and I went to the sellers store to try to get one for myself!

Turned out... she bought them for me :)

Its a crocheted skeleton bride and groom couple...

Titled Till Death Do we Part

Made my the awesome seller @ Twisted Pink.

Thanks as always for reading :)

Leave me some comment lovin!

The custom gift bags I put together for my ladies :)

2009-07-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

I have been SO SO excited to post this blog...
but obviously, I had to wait until AFTER i gave it to the girls..
otherwise that's not much of a surprise is it....
But now its all over and i can share it with you all...
I tried SO hard to make sure it was all handmade.
and i did a darn good job...
and it all looks so great together!!

The only thing I bought were the makeup brushes...
everything else was handmade by my Etsy buddies.
Lets start at the top left and work clockwise...
First... we have the cute little damask Thank You cards and little notepads.
(close up photo towards bottom of post)
They were so super cute...
I attached one to each bag and it really started off the damask theme.
They were made by a friend over at T and Little S Designs.
The prices were absolutely unbeatable...
I got 5 of the little matchbook notepads for just $3!!
My favorite thing I bought i dont have a photo of :(
But they were black and white damask clothespins... totally awesome.
I bought them for the wedding, but loved them too much so I kept them for my office, haha.

Up next in order we have the super rad pouches by Mean Look.
If you check out her shop, you will see she pretty much specializes in pouches.
She has the perfect pouch for everyone...
Now, seeing as shes a buddy of mine from DIYScene, she hooked me up.
I sent her the EXACT fabric that matched the wedding decor...
and she made me 5 of the cute little pouches where the makeup kits now live :)
(Yes, five... i wanted one too :)

Now, were roundin the corner to the KeyFobs...

Awesome right?
The same matching fabric as the pouches... with a little red to POP!
They were made by... hmmm I think her name might be Melanie...
@ BagsByMelanie on etsy of course...
They were perfect!!
I added them to the zipper of the bags and we all used them to carry as clutches!
Then after the wedding, I put mine on my keychain...
and it holds keys, like a good little keyfob should :)

If you peek in the bottom left corner of that photo...
you see a bit of the Pièce de résistance where this entire giddie bag was inspired...
The Makeup by Glittersniffer....

I am a HUGE Glittersniffer fan... HUGE...
so when I started figuring out what kind of makeup i would wear, it was a no brainer...
and of course, what better gift to share with my girls?
It turned out awesome...
We did a Rice Primer... And my version of the Ultimate Smokey Eye kit...
We also added the color redruM, a beautiful sparkley red for highlight.
Oh, and not to forget... a special color she made just for me :)
Its black shadow with red sparkles... beautiful... and she named it Amber...
I urge everyone to check it out!

And, last but not least...
I ordered a whole bunch of her Rub On Perfumes...
in Birthday Cake, Cupcake... and #1 of all, Stripclub.
Stripclub was the best, I gotta say.... and TOTALLY wedding appropriate... haha

Last but not least, (after the brushes) was a cute little pocket mirror by FlirtButtons.

Black and white damask, big shock right? haha
With a perfectly clear and shiny mirror on back, for powdering our noses, tee hee hee.
All wrapped up in a cute little organza bag to keep it clean and free of scratches.

Now really, how lucky are my girls?
I was so proud of my little gift bags...
no Monogramed flasks or jewelry boxes here...
totally handmade... lots of thought... and can be used over and over and over again.
Oh, and we bought their dresses as part of their gift too...
I wanted everything to be as easy on them as possible.

Even the guys got cool gifts!
Not only did we NOT make them wear tux's
But they got their new pair of Chucks they wore in the wedding...
as well as their custom ties from RokGear, remember?

So what do you think?
Id love to hear everyones input!!

A real love song...

2009-07-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Zaq & Adam wrote me a song for the wedding...

enjoy :)

Where do I start?

2009-07-27T11:48:00.001-07:00

We had the most amazing wedding ever...
It was beautiful...
classy... punky... rock n roll...
damask as far as the eye could see...
fresh potted peace lillies....
I made the girls and myself bouquets...
I used red roses and black feathers...
and then shreads of damask fabric to tie them together...
White linens on the chairs with black satin sashes...
a HUGE candy table...
and the list goes on and on...
For now I want to share with you some sneak peek photos that we got yesterday...
Our photographers, Ashley & Eric of AE Photography were absolutely amazing...
They are a husband and wife team from Chicago area...
young a hip, fun, silly and worth every penny.
If you need a photographer for ANYTHING you gotta check them out...
just in the 6 photos we have seen, we know that they rest will be amazing.

Cute little whispered secret...
and a cute little giggle...
he probably said something naughty... haha
And lets not forget the super rad and amazing Tie :)
Mady by the one and only RokGear
Take a peek below to see all the guys wearing theirs as well...
Hopefully we will get a clearer photo of them all in their ties.

I love my necklace in this photo...
it matched SO perfectly...
I mentioned this before but I got it on etsy.
from Pinking Edge Designs...
It was exactly what I was looking for and looks PERFECT with my dress...

The "converse" shot...
had to showcase those...
i loved mine SO SO much :)

a sneaky little kiss before the ceremony...

I THINK i have to say this last one is my favorite...
Were so silly... arm wrestling in our wedding gear...
Totally "us" though...

So thats it for now...
as we start getting the rest of the wedding photos Ill be posting more details...
Lots of detail shots requiring lots of etsy shout outs!
Stay tuned!!

INSANITTTTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

2009-07-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yes - its true...
absolute insanity over here...
The boys are napping...
mommy is running around like a crazy person trying to get things in order...
thought id stop for a quick blog...

So - honeymoon is booked...
YAY!
4 nights at the fabulous all inclusive El Dorado Royale...
Thanks Nana Terri and Papa Chad for watching the babies...
Can't wait... its time for a vacation for sure!
Heres the catch...
we are waiting on our passports which will be showing up the day before we leave...
we hope...
everyone PLEASE cross your fingers for that one...
cuz if not... were in big... BIG trouble...

All the guys have their Converse finally...
including all the little boys... :) Aymee and I got those last night...
and me of course, as you all saw before...
OH, and I had a $10 coupon for DSW shoes...
and gave it to Aymee since I couldnt use it in time...
she got a pair of black slip on flats for the wedding...
with the coupon it only cost her $1.98!!

Mandy is making the girls some AWESOME necklaces...

At an absolute steal of a price...
She has been so helpful through this whole thing...
always offering to lend a hand to anything...
Thanks so much Mandy :)
Also, Check out more of her necklaces here...
www.beedot.etsy.com
She is a fellow etsy-ian too!

And, totally inspired by the necklace Mandy designed for the girls...
I went on an etsy hunt and found the PERFECT necklace for myself!
It is made my the designer @ Pinking-Edge Designs on Etsy
You can find her stuff here: www.PinkingEdgeDesigns.etsy.com
She has alot of really cool, funky vintage pieces...
perfect for the bride that wants to mix tradition with uniqueness.
Ill be sure to post some more when Im wearing it...
but here is a sneak peek of my necklace.

Beautiful right? Right... :)
Stop by her shop and show her some etsy love by marking some of her goodies as favorites...
i know i did!

In other good news...
I returned a bunch of feathers I paid WAY too much money for...
and with Aymee's help came up with a new idea... a better one i think...
and a $60 cheaper idea as well... yay for DIY!

So thats all for now!
Ill be posting more soon!
Thanks for reading guys!

ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS!!

2009-06-29T12:47:00.003-07:00

YAY! We got a sneak peek!!!
Im SOOO excited.
Can't wait to see the rest!!
Done by: Gary of Image Group
More to come later!
Or... maybe you will just have to wait until the wedding... :)

It coming along!

2009-06-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

RSVP's are starting to come in!

If you havn't gotten a chance to fill out your form...

we would really appreciate you do that somewhat soon.

Heres a shortcut to the link where you can do so :)

We at at a whopping 69 guests so far.

All the girls' bridesmaids dresses came in!!

They're really awesome... theyre black wrap dresses.

you can wear them 15 different ways...

(if we can figure them all out, hahaha)

like this but in black...

we had a small gathering of friends, margaritas and daiquiri's...

and tried to wrap them all the different ways...

we got a few... but might they might be the perfect excuse to do it again :)

They are SO cool that I even bought one for myself,

and wore it when we got our engagement photos taken...

Speaking of which...

Yesterday we got out engagement photos taken...

by the fabulous Gary of Image Group...

Wait till you see them, I know there will be some winners...

We had a really cool idea with a trashy elevator and dress clothes :)

AHHH!! so excited... will post a sneak peek soon.

We are having a heck of a time tracking down little boys dress pants...

any ideas anyone?

They are wearing black pants...

white short sleeve button front shirts...

and Dawn is making them little damask vests.

Itll be super duper cute...

I have almost everything now for the girls' gifts...

But, I can't tell you what everything is,

cuz I know theyre reading this right now...

Mandy... JodY (<-- see that? Its a Y)

quit peeking :)

And Jody, get back to work... haha

Austin made us a cool arch to get married under...

he is such a sweet boy...

We started planning out the ceremony...

as well as music to walk down the isle to...

I wanna give you a sneak peek...

but maybe we should keep it s surprise :)

Thanks everyone for all your help making everything come together.

Between wedding planning and the 10 crib sets I have to make...

its a little stressful over here...

but everyone chipping in is a huge help...

Some good news... some bad news...

2009-06-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

Good news -
*Wedding plans are full force... most the MAJOR details are done...
*Invites are on their way...
Some people have even gotten them already...
*I GOT MY DRESS AND MY SPARKLEY CONVERSE!
*All worked out and Cole can marry us!!

Bad news -
*I did not get to invite NEAR as many people as I wanted to...
Both zaq and I have big families...
and we are trying to keep this a very small & cheap wedding/reception...
hence the reason we are doing it at home now... to save on a TON of costs...
There are alot of family and friends that did not get an invite.
We kept the list to strictly immediate family...
from mom and dad through to first cousins.
And a VERY SMALL hand full of friends most of which are IN the wedding party.
Even with that I sent out 70 invitations.
We are maxed out at 150 people.

I know this is totally trashy, but once we start getting RSVP's back...
Ill be getting in touch with some of you to join us.
I had no idea how hard it would be to keep such a small list...
and its totally driving me nuts knowing that some important people in my growing up wont be there...
Doing the wedding in MPLS was easy, because most friends back home wouldnt come anyways...
but doing it at home there are so many people that want to be a part of our special day...
I should have just planned it on the football field and said - bring a dish to pass... haha
Like I said - if you get a mail from me saying hey! We have room PLEASE COME!
hopefully, you will just say... yay! of course Ill come...
and not think of me as completely tacky.
Please? :)
Maybe after the wedding we can all go meet at Petticoat and have our own party!! haha

Well, I think thats all the news I have for now.
Thanks everyone for being understanding.

RSVP INFO UP AND RUNNING!!

2009-06-17T15:28:00.001-07:00

If you have received an invitation to the wedding...
it told you to come here to RSVP.
You can also RSVP via the sidebar to the right. --->
Both will get you the same information.

Follow this link to fill out the form for you and your party.
ZRUST WEDDING RSVP

Thanks so much!
Amber & ZaQ

LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD!! CONVERSE!!

2009-06-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah - of course Im lucky...
I have zaq - hes great.
Great daddy... great fiance... great guy...
And the boys...
theyre amazing...

but lets be serious here...
when you see what Im talking about...
you TOO will agree...
just why it is I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Those of you that know me, know I am obsessed with Converse...
so it was no question that all my boys are wearing chucks...
big boys & little boys...
and of course... I need a new pair too!
Well, I found them...
They're perfect...
Classic Chucks with a little wedding "flair"
Yup - i tracked down a pair of black sequin mono chucks.
Impossible to find online, but they are @ DSW!!!
And just $45 compared to the $70-$90 they go for online...
I ran in yesterday totally randomly, and there they were...
I had to have them, and zaq being the amazing man he is...
bought them for me.

Check em out...

I can't wait to rock them on my wedding day.
Theyre just perfect....
and THIS is why Im the luckiest girl in the world :)

Its true! Its finally happening!

2009-06-11T05:17:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! After all the time and money issues... its happening...
were getting married! YAYAYYYYY!!!
Im so beyond excited I can't even explain...
Things are going great...
We have so much in the works, I can't wait to see it all come together....

Were getting hitched in my grandma Browns backyard...
It will be special... alot of good memories have been had back there...
Im sure it will be emotional, as Grandpa Bob wont be there to share it with us...
But, being there will only guarantee that he will be there in spirit.

My #1 Uncle, Uncle Gooser is handling the meat...
haha... that sounds funny...
anyways, he will be COOKING the meat...
is making us all a fantastic feast of BBQ chicken and pulled pork...
just wait till you taste it... Its amazing...
and there will be a random array of other BBQ favorites there as well.

A huge tent to hold some of the guests...
Pretty white linens on the tables and chairs...
with big black bows on the back of each one...

And for then centerpieces... I had the awesome idea of using little trees...
Wrapping the pots in my damask fabric...
with a big huge red satin bow...
and tealight candles scattered all around.
Then, when the wedding is over...
all the closest friends and family can plant the trees in their yard...
Not only will this look adorable...
But, its totally eco-friendly...
No waste... No cut flowers or plastic ones to pitch....
Just another tree growing in the world...

And for me? Well, Im still on the hunt for a dress after the previous diaster...
I have my eye on this one, by Jessica McClintock...

But we will see... Ive had a REALLY hard time finding one I love...
and I think this one might be it... Classic... vintage... sexy... with a bit of black...
Perfect for an outdoor BBQ wedding, right?
Just say yes, cuz I want this to be the one...
Oh, and its on sale :) It was $470... and now its on sale for $180 in the store...
Now, thats a steal for the perfect wedding dress :)

Invitations are going out any day now...
I so BADLY want to show you our image...
but Im afraid someone is going to steal it...
I wish I knew how to do that cool watermark thing!

Well, I guess thats all for now!
Can't wait to see some of you there!

So far... when it rains it pours...

2009-05-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

So - due to the reality of the cost of a wedding yes, everything had been postponed...
Slowly but surely were trying to make things happen...

We still have no clue about a venue...
I guess even to get married in a park around here you have to pay $500 for a wedding permit...
LAME!!!! Anyone want to share their backyard?
Or just give us about $5000 so we can go back to the plan of getting married at the W?
Thatd be nice, and much appreciated...

Oh, and my dress... yah - total fail...
we thought we were making a smart move... getting a good deal...
WRONG!!
It came with rips, tears, and holes in the black layers...
lace on the layers instead of satin...
pink/red stains on the white faux satin...
the fabric was insanely cheap...
crooked stitches everywhere... chunks of hanging fabric untrimmed...
it was terrible. I wanted to die... If I wasn't so furious I would have been crying.
Dream dress... yeah... gone.
So now on an already insanely tight budget, I have to fight to get my money back...
AND find a new dress...
I assume something generic and off the rack to get it in time.
Sad, very sad....

On the plus side.... we got our bands!
I was going to get something custom from Etsy...
but the cost was just as much for 3 tiny diamonds as what we paid for this bling...

I absolutely love it... and its really cool how the two metals contrast off eachother...
(titanium engagement ring & white gold band)
and zaqs is so super amazing...
totally him... black... pinstripes...
and one of his favorite features was the silver inlay...
Its so perfectly traditional yet modern & indie rocker dude.

So yeah... another thing off the checklist, so thats good...
but all the biggest stuff...
venue, dress, etc. etc. etc....
still yet to be determined.
Would love some advice!

Perfectly Punk Rock..

2009-05-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

Got my dress in the mail today...

it is THE biggest piece of junk Ive ever seen...

okay, maybe not the biggest... but its horrible...

After tons of offers from friends and family to make my dream dress...

I had found a shop on ebay that made custom dresses...

they had 99.7 % positive feedback..

not bad right?

Wrong.

I was so dumb...

of course, were trying to save every penny we can to make a nice wedding happen...

this was SO not the place to try to be cheap...

Not even cheap, it was still about $300...

I could have went to David's Bridal... hit up their sale and gotten an amazing...

tradition... white wedding dress....

but no - thats not me...

I could try to blow it off... say hey, what the hell... its punk rock right?

jacked up stitches... crappy tulle... crooked, janky and costume like... haha

perfectly puck rock...

But no chance in hell... its that bad guys...

so now I have to beg and plead with the store...

with paypal... and ebay...

try to get my money back...

while I should be getting to be the beautiful bride...

drooling over my awesome wedding dress...

GOOOO!!!!

Can anything just go right?

Anyways... rant over...

on a plus note...

were still working on plans...

I noticed Halloween is on a Saturday this year...

though it would be cool to get married that night...

Itd kinda tie in our skeletons theme...

Till death do us part, etc. etc. etc...

Still do the black red and damask... just on a cooler date! haha

Zaq brought up vegas alot... save money and what not...

but I wanted to have a nice wedding... not a quickie... haha

so i started thinking of a compromise...

Vegas - Hard Rock Hotel...

They have 4 different wedding packages...

and one... the Rockstar, is black red and white with damask!!

How perfect would that be... yeah, i know... perfect.

The perfect meet in the middle...

mommy gets her cool fancy wedding...

daddy gets to be rock n roll and save some dough, haha

So, keep checking back for plans...

ill let everyone know whats going on soon!

STOP!!!

2009-04-21T09:02:00.001-07:00

Due to the high demand for my awesomeness... also known as RockerByeBaby... our lack of funding... things falling through... and about a million other issues. We have decided to postpone the wedding. We will continue posting once we know more. Thanks for everyones help thus far... Amber & Zaq

Registration Info

2009-04-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

First, I wanna start by saying thanks so much to all the friends and family for your help and support. We appreciate everything... your all amazing and we are very lucky to have every one of you...

Many people have already been asking where were are registered... the answer is, nowhere... Zaq and I have been living together for now over 3 years now... We are very fortunate and there wasn't a single thing that would could think of that we "needed". Now wanting... thats a different story! Or course we WANT to go on an awesome honeymoon! Not that any gift is necessary at all, but if you feel like you want to/need to... any help to go towards our honeymoon would be amazing. We have set up a special savings account JUST for the honeymoon and are trying to put money in it as we can. It is linked to our own PayPal account to make for easy transfers. PayPal is a completely secure site. You can either set up an account or use a card without an account. Any monetary gift sent will go STRAIGHT into the honeymoon fund, and will only be spent towards that special week. What better way could there be to spend that week, than to think of all of you who helped make it possible.

If you don't want to do that - we have some other ideas! Gift Cards. Gift cards are great... Best Buy, Target, IKEA, Joann fabrics *ahem, :) *, Even the grocery store! All of those things would be used up and much appreciated... We do also want to buy a new bed. Scratch that... we NEED a new bed... So a gift card to somewhere like Slumberland or HOM Furniture would be equally awesome. So, if you feel you need to give... any of these things would be great. I know its not as fun, but we really just dont need anything for our home. We have done a great job at collecting things over the last few years. :)

Lastly, a little something to be less tacky :)

We know it's not traditional
It's not the way it's done
But instead of a wedding list
We'd like a bit of sun.

Please do not think of us as rude
Please do not take offence
We do not want to upset you
That's not the way it's meant.

We've lived together quite a while
And all the bills are paid
We've got our plates, our pots and pans
Our plans have all been made.

So if you'd like to give a gift
To help us celebrate
Some money for a honeymoon
We would appreciate

Thanks so much.
ZaQ & Amber

SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR BUZZZZZZZZZ...

2009-04-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

yum... sugar!

CAKE CAKE I LOVE CAKE!!

Now... the task of finding the perfect cake...

perfect baker... perfect flavor... and all that jazz....

My inspiration:

see anything out there on the WWW I missed?

Yes yes... the dreaded black and red wedding cake...
Bakery's hate and so do faces when it gets all smeared in there... BUT...
you gotta admit... it looks DAMN cool... :)

Our Makeup, Photographer, Hair post :) Know anyone good!?

2009-04-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
Its sneaking up on us and its time to get some details finalized... The budget is tight but PLEASE email all inquires to ZrustWedding@gmail.com All offers will be considered...
What are we looking for in an email: Your portfolio... some photos... some experience, etc. The normal info... also, your rates...

The Wedding is July 18th @ 7pm. We will OBVIOUSLY need you here before then... Photographer... I would say between 4 & 5pm? To get photos of us getting ready... You will be bouncing between two rooms @ the W... during that... then some wedding party photos before the wedding... the ceremony... wedding party complete after the wedding... and reception photos as well... All the normal wedding goodness Think of it... were @ the W!!! The FOSHAY! This is a huge experience for you as well. Not to mention some AWESOME shots at the tip top of the building, the Prohibition bar... etc. Any discount you would give would be MUCH appreciated... lets team up and get some great shots... we are also going to try to get the photos in The Knot Magazine, and then if all goes well... we will use you for our "Trash the Dress" shoot after the honeymoon Which is gunna be WAY fun...

Hair: For me (shoulder length) and my flower girl (shoulder length) Very basic... straight swiped bangs... curly/wavy and classic with a punky twist. Id love to see/hear your ideas

Maybe something a little funkier than this... but not much :)

Makeup: For me and my 4 girls... so 5 of us total.. OUR makeup... they are getting smokey eye gift sets from Glittersniffer. MANDY! I know you read this... DO NOT click this link... haha
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?li … d=21516985
and then will bring their own preference for base and mascara. So, I mainly need you to create the perfect smokey eye Wedding is @ 7pm so I would need you around 5pm in order for us all to get done and have an hour or so for photos before the wedding.

Pay: Please email us with your rates for each thing... We are offering an advertising swap as well. WE would totally exchange a blog review and advertisment on the blog (here) in exchange for a discount. And obviously it would be more than one as more photos would be posted after as well... As I said email here: zrustwedding@gmail.com

2009-04-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

So... as I said in the last post...
we have LOTS of good stuff in the works..
lots of ideas...
and a few things set in stone...

Some awesome gift sets for my girls (which i can't talk about till AFTER the wedding, duh, haha)
Some Super rad mint books for the reception...
That Ill get a photo of soon...

AND the ties are done!! THEYRE AMAZING!!
I love the red... but man, the white is sharp!!!
Zaq hasn't decided if he wants red like to guys or white to stand out...
so Im gunna buy him both :)
Cuz Im a nice fiance :)

The clan over @ RokGear have TOTALLY hooked us up...
WE are SO lucky to have found them for the wedding.
Its the details like this that really make this wedding all about us...
Thanks again guys...
Check them out here.
www.RokGear.etsy.com

We also have photos of Gianna's exact dress... YAY!
Its sooo amazing and adorable...
I can't wait to see her wearing it!

I also ordered some labels for the invitations...
Garrett has ALMOST finished our design so we can get ordering all or that stuff...

And did I mention... WE WENT TO THE W ON THURSDAY!
Its so fantastic... I can't wait to see everything put together.
The have a stage set up in there AND an awesome black and white background on the wall...
Of all these classic 50's icons... and the Foshay tower in the back... super cool... love it.
They have all black linens... and tons of candles for me to use... which saves a bunch of money..
so thats cool. So I think I might just make some table runners for the tables instead... Or maybe some lace... or maybe to some of each? Mix it up on the different tables?

Hmm what else... Jody's dress came in... so thats super cool...
So did Aymees... and she looks SMOKIN! haha
Dawn wants to peek around though, and see if we find anything else we like better....
where they all match... so we will see... maybe those will be rehearsal dresses, haha...
But yeah, i think we have seen 4 on Deb's site that are cute and mix n match... so we will see :)
Wish us luck on our hunt!

So has anyone else seen anything that we MUST HAVE for the wedding!?

Dried flowers...

2009-04-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

So, in my attempt to be both punk rock & a hippie...
wait... haha thats just crazy talk...
How about... in my attempt to be punk rock and environmentally friendly...
I have come up with a few more ideas...
One of my number 1 buyers in the baby shop, Tory...
introduced me to a shop on etsy, Layla.
www.Layla.etsy.com
she has tons & tons of dried herbs, flowers, and more...
Also, eco-friendly confetti... its safe, and clean-up free!
Just melts away after the rain...

Now, this got me thinking...
I have about 3 dozen roses that zaq has given me, and I have dried...
How cool would it be to crunch them all up and use them as potpourri in bathrooms...
maybe even as decor on the tables like confetti?
Buy some of her mint and lavendar to mix in with it... yum.
AND its extra special because theyre flowers from my future hubby :)

Another thought... before I crush them up of course...
is to use them in the actual arrangements...
However the thought of dried flowers and lots of candles could be scary, haha
I started searching etsy to see if this was even a realistic idea... and it turns out, it is!
This shop, Twigs & Honey (www.myrakim.etsy.com) has some amazing stufffs!
Flowers, head Pieces.. veils.. And she does just a BEAUTIFUL job.
Anyways... I really like the look of these...

And with all my years of floral design it would be super
easy for me to throw in my own style and make it my own...

Theyre made of dried flowers, feathers, lace etc...
All similar ideas I had, just different color scheme really.

I instantly have this vision... little boutonniere for the guys and babies...
Bowls of dried red poutporri on the tables... lace tied around the vases...
clusters of dried roses stuck into the vases... ahhhh!!!
The possibilities are endless!
And just imagine all the wonderful smells!

Eco-friendly... cheap... what more oculd I ask for!?
I already have the perfect feathers to add the punky spunk i need...
Yeah... not gunna lie im pretty psyched about this idea!!!

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!

2009-03-30T14:36:00.001-07:00

=/\WE GOT THE W!!!

JULY 18th!!!
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Happiest girl in the world!!
(Photos from the W Website...)
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/meetings/index.html?propertyID=3019

Oh the suspense!!

2009-03-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

You guys hanging on there?
Cuz let me tell ya...
we got ALLLL sorts of Jaw dropping stuff in the works...

and of course... all handmade.

With your help, were gunna make it happen...

were gunna support handmade, support, diy...

and in turn... support our plummeting economy by supporting jobs in the US!!!!!!

My Bridesmaid Mandy has been an AWSOME help already and offered to screen ALL of our invites... *handmade* We are ALSO working to make them ECO-FRIENDLY! The Paper Source here in MPLS offers a new line of Recycled red paper... PERFECT!

We got ORGANIC candles in the works... swirled with black and red from my girl Nina over at DreamyPleasures. (www.dreamypleasures.etsy.com)

I got my buddy Glamasaurus on etsy (www.glamasaurus.etsy.com)
coming up with ideas for a super rad necklace for me, and possibly the girls...
*handmade*

I found an awesome seller on etsy ExQuisiteInVitation...
shes making us 100+ Damask mint books... for our candy stash... *handmade*

We have an idea for super huge wineglasses to hold the candy stash for the loose candy :)
Which I will of course decorte... *diy*

Chocolate Skeleton lollipops from JustBakin on etsy *handmade*

PLUS, My engagement ring came from Shade Jewelry on etsy... and so will our bands!

did I mention our graphic is being designed by our tattoo artist, Garrett!?
Two kissing skele.... nah, nevermind youll just have to wait and see!

Ya know, on that note... im just gunna stop there...
all this stuff is in the works and no photos yet... but i promise... soon enough!
Just hang in there!!

I guess a little something for the guys too :)

2009-03-25T08:14:00.001-07:00

So we have decided were getting ties screened on etsy...
from this super Ran and amazing seller... RokGear
www.Rockgear.etsy.com
So, ZaQ, Tom, and the 3 wise men will all be wearing them.
Probably not the little men though... too expensive.

Black pants, jacket, shirt & a red tie...
and either Converse shoes, or Vans...
havn't decided that part yet...
He is giving us a great deal for ordering bulk.
And he also gives the option of the gift box... or no gift box.

No gift box = more eco-friendly...

less trash!

Whatcha think?

It ties it all together...
haha get it... ties... yeah, lame, i know...
really though...
most of the damask in the wedding will be black and white...
while we are bring in lots of other things in black and red...
so black and red damask is perfect...
Check out his shop...
tell him RockerByeBaby sent you...
and maybe he will give you a good deal too!?!?

GREAT NEWS!

2009-03-21T06:42:00.001-07:00

So, I found someone to make my dress...
YAYYY!!!
Happiest future bride in the world... i cant wait to see it!!
ITs gunna be SO amazing...

Speaking of dresses...
theres TONS of good dress new flowing around here....

I fell in love with a dress from "Sweet Plume" on etsy.
www.SweetPlume.etsy.com
Sticking with my handmade, DIY trend... :)
Spreading the etsy love...
The dress was ALMOST perfect... except...
it had leopard spots... oh, and was $90.
Boy did I luck out...
I sent her an email saying, hey if you ever have a sale let me know...
I need a custom dress with black and white damask.
The next morning I had a message back...
she was working on a sample EXACTLY like that...
and said that if my flower girl was the model's size..
I could buy the sample for $54...
it was perfection... they both wear a 4/5..
I was meant to get this dress :)

Now remember... It will have Black and white damask to tie in with the rest of the wedding.
Im SOOOOO happy... my little Doodle Bug is gunna look SO cute in this dress :)

AND - Ive been on the hunt for bridesmaids dresses...
I found a super sexy pencil dress for Aymee.
IT really fitted, strapless, has pintucking and a sexy lace panel down the center.
Oh, and did I mention it wass brand new, with the tags... for $8??? YEah... crazy.
I think I want all of the girl to be in all black, with SOME sort of lace...
and then they can doll the dress up however they want, with whatever jewelry they want.
Throw in their own personality... ya know?

SO yeah... all about DIY... loving etsy wedding ideas right now...
and all about EBay... because I just cant make a sexy dress like aymee's for $8...
And this wedding is all about Champagne taste on a beer budget...
Ill make it happen :)

I think Im in love... My dream dress...

2009-03-19T17:33:00.001-07:00

I saw it last night...
I fell in love...
Saw it was only made in France...
I was heartbroken...

Its a love/hate relationship...

But, I think I have a few tricks up my sleeve...
Seeing as were doing everything to make this out DIY punk wedding...
Im sure I can make it happen... or at least something damn close.

Whatcha think?

A little intro:

2009-03-17T09:30:00.001-07:00

Its been an amazing new year...
Things in our life have changed dramatically...
Were better than ever...
happier than ever...
more in love than ever...
and its amazing.
I couldnt ask for anything more...
And Wednesday 2-11-09 @ 11:11pm
Zaq proposed...
it was perfect.
He had a car pick me up @ 3pm...
*By the way, thanks to everyone who lied to me for 3 days straight... haha*
So yeah, the car...
Got tricked into getting into the car by his mom...
I thought we were going to get our hair done...
well, I got in the car, she shut her door...
waved good bye... and I went... alone.
We ended up at Jon Olman salon...
I got my hair cut and done all pretty like...
my eyebrows waxed... thank god...
After Laurie spent a good 1.5 hours trying to convince me even more that she didnt know.
It was back into the car for the next stop...
the DRIVER didnt even know where I was going... just an address...
we stopped @ the W.
For those of you that dont know... its like, the coolest hotel in Minneapolis.
After standing in the lobby for a bit Zaq came up behind me...
scared me...
and asked if I was lost... haha ass...
So we went up to the room (awesome)
on the 21st floor...(more awesome)
and opened a bottle of champagne (awesomest)
While I tried to settle my nerves, as by that time...
not only had my day been totally random, but I knew what was coming... haha
Now let me tell you the best part...
hundreds of dollars later, looking back this was truly my most favorite...
Zaq said to take a shower... I did...
and he had back 3 dresses.... 3 bras... and 4 pair of underwear...
and EVEN tights!!
all by his self....
and my makeup and hair stuff....
was TOTALLY on the ball...
i mean how many guys think that different dresses require different bras!?!?
My guy did... hes the best.
Anyways... we got dressed up..
went down and had a cocktail... a $14 pomegranate martini.
OUCH!
but it was yummy...
then preceded to eat till near explosion at mannys...
and it was worth every miserable second, haha... fantastic.
AND zaq ate a piece of asparagus.... I was so proud *tear*
After dinner we went up and snuggled in the bed...
talked, cuddled, and listened to some tunes...
I noticed something was up because he kept checking the clock...
But I had no idea why...
well, now I do...
and the rest is history.
And Im rockin a big shiny diamond on my left hand...
set in a titanium ring that HE designed himself...
and I absolutely love it...
The only thing i KNEW i wanted, was a dark titanium and he did amazing...
its perfect.
So long story short...
WERE ENGAGED!
*yay*
hoping to get married this summer
(we will see if $$ allows that)
feel free to donate to my paypal account, haha
Wedding either here or some exotic location...
Reception here AND back home...
so no one gets left out of the fun.
Hmmm... and maybe an engagement party in the near future?
We'll see, we'll see...
Thanks to everyone whos always been there for us...
loving us... supporting us... and our family...
you guys are all the best.

Cheers-
tg