Certified Coordinated Bride Amanda

Journal Entry #2

Spray, Brush, and Set It

First comes love then comes proposals…then comes a whole lot of brainstorming!

I like to think of myself as a “hands on” person and knew I wanted to make my bridesmaid proposal special by putting my own special touch on the bridesmaid box. After searching Etsy and Pinterest for hours, days and weeks, I started the proposal process with spray painting photo boxes with gold spray paint. I never knew how much fun spray painting was until then.

My fiancé and I chose Navy, Gold, and Cream for our wedding colors so I knew I wanted to somehow incorporate those colors into my bridesmaid proposal items. With lots of help from my sister, we dedicated a day or two (maybe three) with a few breaks (I like to multi- task) to buy items needed and got to spray painting! We spray painted boxes and mason jars, etc… It’s safe to say we got a little spray paint happy. I filled the boxes with a mason jar that contained cosmetics such as lipstick and nail polish. Other items in the box included a navy blue candle with a dash of gold glitter, a tin with chocolate kisses, because everyone needs kisses, a ring pop, and a photo of each bridesmaid and I.

Fun Fact: Remember those breaks I mentioned earlier… well I got a little hungry in between making the boxes and ate some of the sweets that were suppose to go in it so I had to go back to the store a few times.

I guess due to my friendly nature, I have a lot of great friends and this made my bridesmaid selection a little tricky.  I wanted to keep my bridal party somewhat small however I choose to propose to 6 ladies. My fiancé aka the groomzilla told me he was running out of men to pair my girls off with so I stopped at 6. Unfortunately, one of those 6 ladies was unable to commit to being a bridesmaid due to unforeseen reasons and decided to attend as a guest. I was very disappointed but was glad she communicated her situation early in the wedding planning process.  This is key ladies!

In a perfect world, all of the ladies would of been available at the same time, but life happens so I proposed to three of the bridesmaids at brunch and the other three in person in separate locations. The proposals were intimate and I was overjoyed when everyone said YES! I couldn’t imagine my day without them!! It just wouldn’t be the same.

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Now enough talk about the proposal items! Time to introduce my ladies:

Maid of Honor- Rica

Rica is one of my closest cousins. We have always been two peas in a pod ever since anyone can remember. She’s the yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, the macaroni to my cheese, the Peas to my Dhal Puri and the Pao to my Queijo. (Clearly, I’m a foodie, an international foodie at that)

Matron of Honor- Angelica

Angelica is like the big sister that I’ve never had. We were initially introduced by Mohamed (my fiancé) and his brother in 2004 and have been inseparable since then. Angelica is one of the most genuine, caring and responsible friends I’ve ever had. She was the first person I’ve ever made a bucket list with!  I could go on and on about all our crazy adventures but you would probably be reading forever if I did. Honestly, the world needs more people like her! I don’t think I would be the person that I am without her friendship and positive influence!

Bridesmaid – Mindy

Mindy and I met in high school and used to eat at the same lunch table together. After high school we reconnected and created countless memories together. We’ve done everything from traveling thousands of miles away, to early morning soul cycle and hot yoga classes, participating in Q& A’s at movie premieres, dancing samba and “screwing in light blubs” together. Mindy has always been my go to person if I want to try something new or if I seriously needed to get something done. She’s one of the most open minded, determined, cultured, inspirational, caring accepting, grounded yet SUPER FUN friends that I have.

Bridesmaid- Rose

Rose and I met on the first day of kindergarten while waiting for the school bus. We were only five years old! We used to swap our lunches and snacks during lunch time in elementary school. We were even in the same 5th grade class! We’ve won science pins and best student of the month awards together.  I could go on and on… We’re pretty awesome together! Rose is super sweet, coordinated, smart, poised and just very easy to love.

Bridesmaid- Moumita

My college buddy! Moumita and I met at Queens College while pursuing our undergraduate degrees. I’m so glad we both needed clarity on a statistics problem and stayed after class to speak to the professor! On our first stats exam, Moumita got a grade of 105 and I got 101. Ever since then, we’ve done everything together. We push each other to be better by always setting goals and achieving them, always setting a “to do” list and travel lists. We’re always moving, progressing and succeeding. Moumita is charming, warm-hearted, honest, dedicated, creative, strong, funny and most of all supportive! I couldn’t ask for a better friend.

I can’t wait to share many more memories and celebrate my big day with these lovely ladies!

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Beijos! (Kisses)

– Amanda D