Quiet Weekend

Mr. T and I are enjoying the calm before the storm. It's amazing how many items on our to-do list need to be done the month before the wedding, if not the week before.

This weekend I addressed about half our envelopes in my own dubious handwriting, although Mr. T was very complimentary about how they looked. I told him he was biased, but it was still nice to have a cheerleader there.

Mr. T worked on some of our other paper products: icons for the escort cards, and the drink menu for the bar. Those are looking very stylish, and without the pressure of the invitations hanging over our heads, they seemed to flow very quickly!

We should get our invites back from the printer soon, if they really are working as quickly as they thought they would. I haven't heard anything yet, and today's the exact 2-week mark.

I also created a more detailed alcohol budget. We had a general budget, but after we went to BevMo this weekend and priced what the bottles of vodka and tequila are likely to cost, we had a guideline for how much we have left to spend on the wine. That was very helpful, actually. It's unlikely we'll have enough in the budget for Tru Blood soda or Crystal Head vodka, sadly. I'm still holding onto the idea of one bottle of the vodka for display at the bar. A girl can dream, right?





We also went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and picked out flatware. Of course the style we liked has no corresponding hostess set. I put a hostess set by the same manufacturer on the registry for now, but I'm not entirely satisfied with that decision. We might have to revisit our choice.

Invitations to Printer: Check! Plus, other random tasks

I'm so happy to report that we sent the invite files to the printer yesterday and dropped off the black paper this morning before work. Hooray! That is such a weight lifted. We were ecstatic after uploading the files yesterday.

Also, the printer has already sent us a PDF proof of our invite. That was fast! The owner told Mr. T that they were in a lull at the moment, so the printing might only take about 2 weeks. Hooray! That means, if we have some time to spare, that we can consider doing custom postage through Zazzle or a site like that, to coordinate with our invitations. If we use the post office's postage, we're stuck with some not-so-thrilling options, but we'll suck it up if we have to. I just wish they'd updated the Edgar Allen Poe stamps with the new rate...sigh.

This weekend we also accomplished a few other wedding tasks:

• We made our registries live on our wedsite. We haven't added flatware yet, but we can do that later.
• We tried two more rehearsal dinner options. This is turning out to be much more challenging than finding the wedding venue! To summarize, the Vietnamese place closest to our venue sucks, so we're looking at opening our search to restaurants without private rooms.
• We purchased a custom return address stamp from Etsy.
• We booked our hotel room for our wedding night, plus our photographer's hotel room for two nights.
• We ordered our cupcake stand (cardboard, to be painted and adorned by us).
• We purchased gifts for my bridesmaid and MOH as well as our officiant.
• I purchased a wedding band for Mr. T from an online jeweler...luckily we can return it to the company if he hates it.
• We purchased envelopes for our invitations, with extras for thank you notes. We also decided that lining the envelopes wasn't worth the hassle, so that's another thing off my list.
• We put some thought into our first dance and decided what we're going to do (but I'm not telling!)
• I scheduled my first dress fitting for this Friday! This is when I try on the muslin version. After that they order the fabric and get to work!
  

Phew! Only another 120 things to go!

Gimme Some Money...*

*This title's a joke, by the way...my geekier readers will recognize it as the title of a Spinal Tap song!

So, anyway, we registered for gifts this weekend. It was exhausting. I had no idea it would be that way. And we're not done.

I mean, I do read bridal blogs, and I knew that going through the store with the scanner often starts out fun and ends up with both people tired and hangry (hungry + angry), but Mr. T and I weren't registering for a ton, and we registered from the comfort of our own desktop computer, so I wasn't expecting to end up tired and hangry. And yet we did!

We started with a Bed Bath & Beyond registry. We don't need much, but we do want to upgrade our flatware, dishes, pots and pans, knives...well, maybe we do need a lot. Anyway, BB&B is nice in that they offer a completion discount in case you don't receive everything from your registry...you can buy the rest yourselves at a discount. And you can use your discount flyer coupons, too (I think). Score! Mr. T really wanted to register for All-Clad cookware, but I thought that 1. the prices were crazy, 2. registering for pans that cost $200 each made us look greedy, and 3. we cook maybe once a week, so we don't need stuff that's quite that high-end. Mr. T argued that if we were upgrading, he only wanted to upgrade once. However, we finally settled on a Cuisinart cookware set that got great reviews and didn't cost $800.

We also added some dishes (they're from the Gordon Ramsay casual line, which cracked us up since we love watching Hell's Kitchen). Mr. T wanted just plain white plates so I let him take the lead there. I like black plates, myself, but I don't care that much.

He let me pick out margarita glasses and some other random items, and he picked out wine glasses, and things were going along until we hit knives. We were reading review after review online (this is what took so long, I think), and BB&B just didn't have the knives that we wanted, so we ended up starting a second registry at Amazon, which we weren't expecting! This does open up electronics as an option, though...and we do need a camera...

Anyway, we registered for 4 hours and we still didn't finish! We have yet to pick towels, sheets, flatware...I didn't realize it would all take so long.

What we really want, and hence the title of the post, is cash for the honeymoon, so I've also started a Honeyfund account. That site is great in that it doesn't charge anyone any fees to use it, but it's weird in that folks sign up to get you whatever it is (part of your dinner, part of your airfare, part of your hotel, etc.), and then they print out a gift certificate and hand you a check at the wedding. That seems a little odd, but we're so opposed to the fees that we think it's still the best option.

Anyway, to fill out the Honeyfund registry, I need to do more research on places to stay and eat in Vancouver. We're not going until next year, but I want to put in some more personal details about what we might really do rather than generic "dinner for two" or "hotel", to make it more interesting.

Registering in general makes one feel greedy, I discovered. All the sites tell you to over- rather than under-register, but it's making me uncomfortable, and as I said, we're not even done.

I really wanted to check this one off my list, but alas, it looks like it needs a bit more time! Ah, well. We got a good start.

145 Days to Go and OMG, We Have So Much To Do

I finally joined The Knot because they had some articles on Halloween weddings I wanted to read. The articles weren't really worth it, it turns out.

I had to put in our wedding date as part of my registration and I got an automatically generated checklist. These are the things we haven't done, and many of them are overdue according to The Knot:

• Make sure to insure your engagement ring. [We do need to do this. We also need renter's insurance. Sigh.]
• Decide on and meet with your officiant to discuss ceremony structure. [We've emailed some stuff, but no real discussions yet.]
• Brides: Start shopping for bridesmaid dresses. [Actually, the MOH and I are going to visit the other bridesmaid in LA this weekend for girl fun and dress shopping! I can't wait, it's going to be such a fun little trip.]
• Register for your wedding gifts, and don't forget to include some choices appropriate for your upcoming bridal shower as well. [GAH. No progress. We decided to register at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, but aside from agreeing that we need new knives, we don't know what to register for.]
• Brides: Decide on the bridesmaid dresses. [See above...maybe we'll get that done this weekend, or maybe the girls will just be left to their own devices. My only stipulation is that the dresses be black, and not too short!]
• Book a baker [done], choose your wedding [cup]cake[s] design[s] [to be done], and send a deposit [done].
• Start planning the rehearsal dinner. [No luck on this front. I've researched a few places, but we've only tried one, with disappointing results. We need to get back on this. I would love a more informal dinner, like Mexican food with margaritas, but there's not much near our wedding venue/hotel. Sigh.]
• Start working on your invitation wording and design. [I am happy to report we started doing this last weekend, even though Mr. T had a cold. That's info for a separate post, though.]
• Finalize your invitation wording. [TBD]
• Finalize menu and service details with caterer. [We still need to pick a vegetarian main dish and a passed appetizer. We're not doing that until October, though, so The Knot will need to scream at us until then.]
• Order your invitations and announcements (don't forget plenty of extra envelopes). [Again, TBD. Invites will take 2-4 weeks to print after a proof is approved, so we're thinking we'll send them to the printer mid-July or so. I'm torn on the envelopes...it's tempting to just have the printer do the return addresses for us, but another part of me would love to do either black envelopes with orange lining or vice-versa. And that means ordering envelopes and doing custom liners. Hm.]
• Start thinking about flower arrangement styles you like, and figure out what flowers will be in season on your wedding day. [Well, I guess I have thought about it. But I'm not entirely sure about the seasonal thing.]
• Decide on a floral scheme, choose flowers. [Not really done. Except I'd like Fall colors, and primarily reds, burgundies, and a bit of orange.]
• Reserve tables, chairs, and/or other rental equipment you'll need (unless caterer or site is taking care of it). [Mostly this is done, but we have some stereo equipment stuff to sort out.]
• Grooms: Start looking to buy or rent tux, suit, or other formal attire. [We did start...we just didn't see much! And other plans have prevented us from going shopping again. Can you hear me hyperventilating yet? This list is a mile long!]
• Book rehearsal-dinner site. [Um, no. See above.]
• Book hotel room for your wedding night. [We haven't done this yet. I think Mr. T would like us to stay at a high-end hotel near our wedding venue, whereas I would just like it to be easy, so I want us to stay at the venue (although The Claremont is sounding mighty tempting). So we're still discussing.]
• Compile packages for out-of-town guests with hotel reservation (done) and city information, and mail them out. [Our "wedsite" gives hotel info, but no city info. I'm undecided about mailing out packets, but I suppose I could put something together...in all my free time.]
• Grooms: Decide on your groomsmen's attire. [I doubt if Mr. T has put much thought into this. He only has one groomsman, so it's a little easier. I think he'd like his brother to wear a suit, but who knows what color suit, or what color shirt, or tie!]
• Book your honeymoon flights (if not using frequent flyer miles) and make all your other travel reservations. [I'm putting this one in Mr. T's lap...the mini-moon, that is. When we take a real honeymoon trip I'll be recovered enough to help plan it. For the mini-moon I'd like relaxation, good food, and a massage or two. And some nice scenery.]
• Brides: Choose your bridesmaids' accessories (shoes, gloves, etc.) and either purchase or pass along purchasing information. [Well, my girls can pick their own shoes, and they don't need gloves!]
• Grooms: Give all of the groomsmen the information they need to buy and/or reserve their attire. [Nothing done here; see above.]
• Pick out or design a ketubah or other marriage contract required by your religion. [We don't have to worry about this one. Check!]

Note that this checklist is not everything we have to do...it's just everything we should be doing during this timeframe...next month, there will be even more items looming over us! It's feeling a little insurmountable at the moment. One thing at a time, right?

To-do List

On my to-do list this week:

• Finalize wedding website content, at least as much as we are able.
• Send save the date emails at least to family, so they can book hotels and flights.
• Contact more cupcakeries.
• Sign up for Weight Watchers.
• Talk to Mr. T about registries.
• Continue researching rehearsal dinner options.

And that's just wedding stuff...don't get me started on real life stuff!

I finally talked to the hotel in the marina and we don't get any special price for a room block, so I didn't book one. Our site is almost done; I just need photos of the best man and the ring bearer and we can publish it for the world to see! I also want to add more photos of us, but we have a good number up already, so I figure I can do that later.

The template is great because I can make all the updates and edits without harassing Mr. T, but it's limiting in that I can't move the pages around. Also the content is set to some extent. So, the second page has to be the photo album, which I think is dumb. That's the fun, fluff content that should come last! If I were organizing it, I would have a welcome page, then the info on the ceremony/reception, then accommodations, then registries, then the "about us" page, then info on local attractions, then the gallery. This template has the order as: 1. blog, 2. photo gallery, 3. guest book, 4. about us, 5. ceremony/reception, 6. accommodations (this was supposed to be some other page but I tweaked it to suit my purposes), 7. attendants, 8. registry. And, once we enable that page, the final page will be where folks can RSVP. Who designed this thing?

Well, I can't complain, I suppose. The price is right, and it is fairly easy to use.

Anyway, back to work!

Weekend Wedding Warriors

Aside from our tasting, on Sunday we also went to look at an alternate hotel for our guests who require more than one bed or wheelchair access. We chose a hotel right by the marina, and we really liked it. The setting was super cute, the hotel was well-appointed and modern, and although it's not walking distance to our wedding venue, it's fairly simple to get there via car, and a short drive.

We left my name and number and I'm waiting for them to call me back about a room block. I have to say, I'm surprised they haven't already. You'd think they'd be jumping all over our business in these economic times!

We also made a decision regarding a wedding website, or a wedsite if you'll excuse the term. Mr. T has been feeling pressured about this, since he's a website designer, but the truth is, finding the time for him to design it, and then having him lean on the html guys to build it, has been proving difficult. He was questioning whether we even needed one when I found the Nearlyweds templates provided by Offbeat Bride, which are $45 for two years and offer a unique URL and multiple pages for photos, details about accommodations, registries, and of course the ceremony information! They even have an online RSVP option, which is very attractive not only for the savings on postage and RSVP postcards but also because it's a more environmentally-friendly option. And, if my grandmother can master the internet at 91, everyone can!

The clincher is that some friends of ours who are getting married in September are using one of the templates, so Mr. T got to see how they worked and how they could be customized for each couple. So, we picked out a template and I'm slowly working on uploading content to it. That feels like progress! Now we can send out save-the-date emails and give folks the URL sooner, rather than later.

Operation Cupcake Has Begun

My "Knot Book of Wedding Lists" says it's time for us to be doing cake tastings, since we're now officially at the 8-month mark. It also says we should be registering for gifts, which I'm ignoring for the moment. That one is going to be a very large conversation, I fear. Anyway, back to the easy stuff.

So far I've contacted 5 bakeries to inquire about scheduling tastings. A few of them seem to hold one or two "tasting days" per month, so we'll have to work those into our schedules. I'm not sure about the others yet. Many of the bakeries use local, organic, and sustainable products, which I appreciate. One of the ones I emailed is a vegan bakery! I'd love it if that worked out. Anyway, I have a whole backup list of other bakeries that were highly rated by the Yelpers if these don't work out. I worry that cupcake tasting is going to make us very fat!

We still need to send out our save the dates. That one is weighing on me. Mr. T and I have a date to check out an alternate hotel (one that offers rooms with two beds, unlike our venue's boutique hotel rooms) next weekend, so we can let our families know they can buy plane tickets and book hotel rooms.

Monday Random Links

I'm still recuperating from the weekend. I need another day off!!

In the meantime, I'm going to pull a Neil Gaiman and leave you with a list of links that I thought were interesting:

Here's yet another post on the Thriller wedding dance subject. After watching this video and cringing at the lack of synchronicity, I decided there's no way in hell I'm choreographing (or participating in someone else's choreography, a la Thriller) a dance for the wedding party. I would indeed turn into a bridezilla: "No, your arm's too high. You should kick higher right there and then spin. Remember, the zombie move is on the 7,8, and then head slides are on the 1." I would drive everyone crazy. I'm not sure what Mr. T and I are going to do for our first dance, since we never do partner dancing (just your average bootie shaking at the club, which I suspect neither of us wants to do for an audience of 100 of our family and friends). However, whatever we do, it won't be highly choreographed, or Mr. T would kill me. Really.

Planet Gordon was started by a groom-to-be. I've been slowly working my way through the archives from 2003, when he got engaged. He's a really funny writer and actually wrote a book called The Engaged Groom, which is reputed to be funny and accurate--weddings from the male perspective. I've been pondering getting it for Mr. T.

Zazzle does both custom wedding stamps and custom ties. Well, they do custom anything, but those two things caught my eye.

Carbon Footprint offers a wedding registry where guests can register to have trees planted in the UK or Kenya. Those country choices seem a bit random to me, but I like the eco-friendliness of the idea. They also have a carbon footprint calculator on their site, which I need to try out one of these days.


And finally, who doesn't love Peeps? Here are some in wedding garb. Enjoy.

Sanctioned Shopping Spree

This weekend Mr. T and I finally used some gift cards that have been sitting around since Christmas! It was like a sanctioned spree, which felt really good after trying to be so careful with our cash lately.

First up was Sephora (Mr. T didn't make this part of the trip with me...I met up with him later). I bought the Fiberwig mascara I blogged about in my makeup post. While I do like it, I agree that it in no way compares to wearing false lashes, which is what the packaging claims. Or maybe I'm doing it wrong. Still, if it's really waterproof, that makes it a perfect wedding mascara.

I also bought Benetint, as part of my blush experiment. I like it! I wish it weren't rose-scented (it is supposed to be a lip and cheek tint...who wants rose scent in their mouth?). But anyway, it's nice and subtle. I'll try it out a few times and take pictures before I pass my final judgment.

Finally, I bought a tester of that photo finish primer I blogged about. That stuff is not cheap, let me tell you, which is why I bought the tester. I haven't tried it out yet, though. Again, I figure photos will tell the real story. At this point I was over my gift card amount, but oh, well. ;-)

After Sephora we trekked up to Macy's--first to the men's department to buy Mr. T shoes (this was his bday gift from me). He found two pairs he liked, and one was so heavily discounted that we got him both pairs! We felt like super bargain hunters. Next we went to the housewares section and bought a set of sheets and a set of new towels. I wanted the sheets to be a deep red, but when we got them home we discovered they're more brick-red, or rust-red. Oh, well. They were on sale. They also have a "Dobby stripe"--we weren't sure what that meant, but took it as a sign since one of our cats is named Dobby. The towels are green and ultra fluffy. And we only ended up paying $8 to cover the tax!

When we handed our gift cards to the woman behind the counter, one of them wouldn't scan in, and she just handed it back and said, "this one's not going to work." I kept handing it back to her and asking why, exactly, it wasn't going to work. Frankly, if she hadn't finally made it work (she had to swipe it rather than scanning it), I was ready to walk out. What crappy customer service--she really couldn't have cared less about us or our transaction. We will not be registering at Macy's!

Last night, to continue the theme, I made a pasta salad from a recipe out of a cookbook that I got for Christmas that I hadn't even looked through before. It was yummy. We watched Hot Fuzz and The Darjeeling Limited. Both were great. It was a nice little weekend together with my future hubby. Sometimes I get so busy with dance and seeing friends and going to the gym and other obligations that I forget the little domestic things that keep me happy, too. It's always nice to have some downtime with my kitties and Mr. T.