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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!
This weekend I made an actual personalized to-do list for me and Mr. T. I know, it's long overdue, but we were getting by using the lists in our various wedding books. However, it became obvious that not only are we unusual in terms of the normal wedding in terms of what we're NOT doing, we're also unusual in that some of the things we ARE doing were nowhere on these lists. And I started to get worried that if I didn't get all that stuff out of my head and into a list, I'd forget something at some point.
So, I sat down and spent a good hour or two creating a list that had well over 100 things on it--more like 140! Mr. T and I promptly started bickering as he tried to eliminate things ("Do we need favors?") and I tried to keep them on there. Sigh. There's definitely a not-so-pretty side to wedding planning, and its name is stress. I admitted to Mr. T that my stomach has been hurting every night for the last week, and I think it's wedding-related. He told me he'd been feeling the same way. As it is, since we only have 4 months (OMG FOUR MONTHS) until the wedding, so our list would seem to have us doing more than two things per day, which realistically is never going to happen. But we're keeping everything on it for now.
The list did motivate us to check off a few tasks; I booked our photographer's flight, and Mr. T started legwork on the alcohol quantities and the mini-moon. I told him I don't want to know anything about the mini-moon; I just want it to be luxurious and I want at least one massage. Despite my protests, he's told me that he's considering Big Sur, but I stopped him before he could get any further with the information disclosure. Really, after planning this wedding, I have zero desire to plan anything after the wedding! I just want to show up and be pampered!
The other super-fun task we did was sit down with the budget to find out what the heck was going on--my reconciliations showed a difference between our spreadsheet and what the bank statement was actually telling us. Sadly, the bank was right (as I figured they would be!); I'd misplaced a decimal point in one entry and entered two entries twice! This is why I work in publishing, not accounting...anyway, we're not done saving money, as we'd hoped, but we're pretty close.
We are still looking for rehearsal dinner venues, and are leaning toward Chinese or Vietnamese, because they're local and have banquet rooms. And, we eat a lot of both, so they reflect our style and aren't random choices.
Next weekend I made it our goal to register and also to go suit shopping, part two. It's a three-day weekend, so hopefully we can get both done! The clock is ticking...
I think I found this blog through WeddingBee...it's a photographer who shot a Halloween wedding last year. I think you can guess that my favorite part is that one of the (male!) guests came as a bride! Hilarious!
The Saturday after Christmas Mr. T and I woke up at some ungodly early hour to get ready for our engagement photoshoot and drive to LA (about an hour from my parents' house) to get our pictures taken.
What did I wear? Well, after raiding the MOH's closest and ransacking my own, I went pretty simple. I knew what Mr. T was going to wear, and I thought we should match. He wore a blazer, button up shirt, dark jeans, and boots. I wore my leopard-print heels, dark jeans, a black tank top with gold and bead detailing at the top, and a brown tailored jacket. Unfortunately we'll probably see mostly jacket and not much tank top, since it wasn't warm enough to go without. I also wore a little feather fascinator in my hair, since well, it is me.
We met with our photog at Disney Hall, which was Mr. T's suggestion. It's a cool wavy metal building by Frank Gehry. We were able to get in for free and walk around...the inside was just okay, not great for photos, but a couple of stories up there are cool areas outside. I think the photos will look very modern, down to the light, which was a cooler tone.
After Disney Hall we trekked over a few blocks to LA's Union Station, which is an old art deco train station that is still being used. These photos will look very different--the light was very warm in there, and there were a lot of shadows.
Mr. T surprised me by being very at ease getting his photo taken. He said he was mentally prepping beforehand, and you could tell! We both really liked the photographer and felt that we 100% picked the right person. Hooray! Funnily enough, she also got married on Halloween in a red dress. They are divorced now, but she was quick to tell us that everything was fine, they are best friends, has nothing to do with our happy nuptuals, etc. ;-) I think our friends will really like her; she will fit right in. She was planning out a costume to wear, which I just love.
This makes TWO deposits we've put down in the last month! Exciting! Now I need to get on the whole dress thing.
I will leave you with a couple of wedding photos she took that I like a lot. Please don't reproduce these!
I think I mentioned that Mr. T and I are meeting with a photographer after Christmas. She lives in Southern CA, so we'll go visit while we're staying with my folks for the holiday. I had the fantastic idea of setting up an engagement photo shoot for that day with her--that way, we can get comfortable beforehand, see what angles we like/don't like, what poses we like, etc. Plus the photos would make good parental gifts.
Luckily, the photographer has the time and has asked for ideas for where to shoot. I have no idea! I'm thinking urban surroundings...neither of us are big nature freaks. I mean, not that I want to burn the rainforests or anything, but neither one of us suggests camping as a recreational activity. Ever. We do go on the occasional hike, but I can probably count the number of hikes we've taken on two hands, and we've been together 11 years. Just sayin'.
I'm also wondering, what the heck should I wear? I was thinking dark jeans and heels. One of my friends expressed disappointment that we wouldn't be more dressed up, but do I want to tromp around urban LA in a dress in the middle of December? I'm just not sure. I only have 11 days to figure this out, so any thoughts are appreciated!!
I had a great time celebrating my birthday with everyone over the weekend. I had a moment or two of feeling a little discomfort at all the attention--which is odd, because even though I grew up very shy, I've knocked a lot of that out by performing for strangers with a bare midriff! Regardless, it struck me that I will have to get used to that sort of attention at our wedding, but it will be better because I'm sharing the spotlight with Mr. T. I hate the adage that it's the bride's day. It's the couple's day. There are two people up there getting married and changing their lives forever!!
A friend of mine asked what I wanted for the coming year and I came up with the following on the fly:
Health and financial stability for my friends and family (oh yeah, and happiness too)
To be in better physical shape
To have drama-free wedding planning, at least as much as possible (a friend of mine is having a dress disaster and her wedding is in 4 months)
Here's to all of the above! (Picture me raising my Camelbak at work.) I'm glad to get back to "normal" life after all the birthday stuff...only now, Christmas is coming up! EEEK!
Mr. T remarked that next year my birthday will follow pretty closely after our wedding and wondered what I wanted to do for it. I told him to ask me then. Really, I'm imagining I wouldn't mind skipping a year of birthday fuss, particularly if we're still on a honeymoon. But we'll see.
In other news, I set up a meeting with a wedding photographer today, for over Christmas break. She's in LA but I think she may just work out! More on that later. Also, we finally heard back from our venue, they will send us our contract as soon as we answer a couple questions, so that's almost set! They also said they'd be glad to do a second tasting for free. Love them.
PS--Happy birthday, Neil Gaiman! Scorpios rule!
I blogged awhile back that we were going to meet with a photographer. That hasn't happened yet (stuff came up), but since I was thinking about it, I started to collect images that I liked while going through WeddingBee or Offbeat Bride. I'm afraid to say I haven't been collecting the sources along with the photos. My apologies to any photographers out there, but let this be a lesson: label your stuff!
I realized today that I had thirty-something images collected (from wedding and engagement shoots), so I could probably draw some conclusions about what I liked. Here's what I discovered:
- I like props. Parasols, umbrellas, and red balloons, etc. Especially red balloons, since I have two separate images featuring them!
- I like vintage-looking romantic photos with black and white and sepia tones.
- I like modern-looking photos with bright colors and unusual backgrounds.
- I like photos where people are jumping.
- I like photos of details like tables and hands. And shoes. Especially shoes.
- I like photos in unusual locations, like the bride in the circular window below. I love that one.
- I like photos that display the personality of the people in them.
- I like playful photos.
- I like photos that don't look too posed, but where the subjects display real emotion rather than stiff smiles.
Enjoy!
It's early for this, but Mr. T and I are setting up a meeting with a potential photographer next week. I don't want to give any details too early, but I like what I've seen of this person's work, so it would be great if it worked out. More on that later!
Re: photography, I like the pseudo "photo journalistic" style that is so popular at weddings these days. Yes, I want the family shots to frame and put up around the house, but I also love detail shots of the rings, flowers, getting ready, and the unposed shots that just seem to capture the feeling of the day much better than the "standing in a group looking at the camera" posed shots ever will.
Offbeat Bride had a little ad for J. Scott Photography, a photographer in Indiana, today. The ad featured a red-dress bride; I've decided I definitely don't want my skirt to look like a crumpled piece of paper. Hooray! I made a decision.
I also don't like how uncomfortable the bride looks here.What I do love is this shot. LOVE it.
It speaks to the classicist in my soul.
I found this via WeddingBee and thought it was too good not to share. Jessamyn Harris is giving away free wedding photography to one lucky same-sex couple getting married this summer at San Francisco City Hall (or Santa Rosa)! Visit her blog for details.
Hooray, free stuff!
Here's an entirely random assortment of inspiration pix I've been saving.
First, more pumpkins!
This is a sweet pumpkin pattern I found called "Wedding".
This is from a bride and groom who got married close to Halloween, so they added some Halloween touches...she had a toned-down Bride of Frankenstein costume on. Can't remember how I found them, maybe the Offbeat Bride photo group?
I actually found a tool online that will do this to pumpkins (or fruit, or what have you) so you can put tea lights in them. I love these little votive holders! I totally want to use this idea.
I can't remember where I found these, but here are some cute pumpkin patterns that are more abstract:
One couple used a pumpkin as their guest book. I'm torn on this one--it's super cute, and am I really going to look at the guest book in the future? But then again, if I wanted to, I couldn't with this guest book, since it will rot eventually!
This is a really cute idea for table numbers, if we decide to go that route:
More table inspiration:
I love all these candles. It looks so pretty:
More candle ideas:
From the wedding with the pumpkin guestbook, courtesy of Offbeat Bride, here are some cute favor bags:
And prizes for best costume! I've thought about a costume contest for our wedding, but as Mr. T pointed out, who would be the judge?
That same couple had an awesome cupcake stand, and creepy Halloween cupcakes! They are a couple after my own heart (check out the toasting flutes too, I totally want to steal that idea):
Not Halloween-related, but fun, and also by way of Offbeat Bride, a whole wedding party in Chuck Taylors (even the bride!):
More unusual bridal footwear (and appropriate for Halloween!):
Another Halloween wedding. I think this photographer is local to me. I like her work, so I'm going to chat her up when the time comes...This minister looks like Otho (from Beetlejuice) to me, and I love the coffin backdrop (again, note the groom's footwear):
Mr. T didn't like the idea of black suits with black shirts and orange ties for his guys (he said they'd look like waiters), but I just think this looks very cute and seasonal. Sorry about the thing in the middle, I did this as a screen capture and apparently my mouse was in the wrong place, bringing up bizarre messages about settings and such:
I found a leopard print wedding dress! So cute! I don't love this particular print, but I am a huge fan of the faux leopard. Hm....
I found this dress as a possible alternative silhouette. It's like the best of both worlds: I could dance in it, but could have a bit of a train (I think...it's hard to tell). Imagine this as a red corset dress and sans the odd diagonal line down the front and tell me what you think:
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