www.fwmegamix.com
Jason and I knew that we wanted a DJ, as opposed to a wedding singer or a band. We knew that we'd want a wide range of music and the best way to get that was to hire someone who had access to all sorts of music.
Juan and Gil are brothers-in-law who both have other jobs. They DJ in their spare time for fun more than for profit. They had also previously worked at the Abbey, which was a big selling point for us because they knew the environment, as well as how to find the place!
This was the only DJ company we met with. The price was right, we got along great with them, and that was really all that mattered to us. I went a little control crazy and wound up pretty much dictating to them all the songs I wanted played and not played. If they had followed the list I gave them, they wouldn't have had to do anything except show up and load a playlist. After I realized that I wanted something more than an iPod could give me, I emailed them saying that they were free to disregard my list (except for the special dance songs) and make decisions based on how the crowd was responding.
These guys did a terrific job! They encouraged everyone to dance without harassing them. They did an amazing job reading the crowd - if people sat down when one song ended and another one came on, they had no problem changing it 10 seconds in if it meant the new song got people up again. We actually ended the reception early, but I didn't mind in the least because it was due to everyone having so much fun dancing that they wore themselves out really fast.
For the ceremony, I made a CD of all the songs I wanted to have played, including the classical music that played the 30 minutes before the processional started. Then I wrote a list of each song and it special instructions (fade when bridal party is at altar, only play from :54 to 1:28, etc.) and passed that on as well. That was all they needed to run the music for the ceremony, and because our DJ was able to take care of it, we didn't have to hire someone for a 30 minute time frame (of 10 minutes of actual work.) There was a small incident when a song played at the wrong moment, but our pastor fixed it by saying loudly "Let us pray," and the music was quickly turned off. Honestly, I didn't even mind, and I still don't. A story for the kids, I suppose.
Juan and Gil were so amazing, they even kept an eye on time the whole evening, updating me and Jason on how things were going (according to the master schedule I had sent everyone.) Because of this I didn't have to hire a coordinator, which saved me even more money. Don't be afraid to ask your vendors to take on additional tasks - providing they are capable of doing so, and you feel comfortable passing it off on them (if you are going to be more worried about it being done right than you are going to be relieved someone else is taking care of it, spend the money. No amount of budget friendliness will make up for stressing about jobs you've passed off to others.)
A++ for Juan and Gil and Mega-Mix Sound Systems!!!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Vendor review: Hot Chocolates Bakery
www.hotchocolates.net
Typically, brides agonize over every decision, second guessing themselves and exploring a million different avenues. If there's an option, they'll consider it.
While that was the case when picking a design, when it came to Jason and I choosing a baker it really was a piece of cake! (har har) We only met with two bakeries, and we had two very different experiences. First, we went to Hot Chocolates in Hurst. For this, we set up a private appointment where we got to sample different cakes, fillings and icings. We got the undivided attention of Becky, one of the co-owners, and she really talked to us about the wedding and what we wanted. She showed us books of different cakes that they had done before and we talked about what it was that we wanted, what they were capable of doing, etc. I even kicked Jason out of the room so I could talk to her about an idea I had for the groom's cake. Since I don't like strawberries, but love the little bride/groom chocolate dipped idea, I asked her if it would be possible to use Oreos instead. I thought it more fitting since that's Jason's favorite cookie :) Becky said it would be no problem. We left the meeting with assurance that we were all on the same page and were all happy.
The other bakery we went to was Creative Memories, also in Hurst. This company runs things differently in that they don't do private appointments. Once a month, they host an open house where they bake up a storm of different cakes and whoever wants to talk to them is welcome to swing by some time during the day to sample cake and discuss their vision. While the cake was good, the service was not so hot. Jason and I went in and got some cake (assembly line style) and then asked if we could speak to someone about our wedding. It took them awhile, but finally someone made themselves not busy and we discussed our ideas. I kicked Jason out again to ask about the Oreo idea, and after the lady I talked to had to talk to someone else, I was told that they wouldn't be able to do it. Honestly, I was shocked. I wasn't asking them to do anything absurd - it's not like dipping Oreos is that different from dipping strawberries! The fact that I was flat out told no didn't sit well with me. To top it off, when I got home I did a price comparison between the two companies, taking into account the design, how many people it would serve, and what my money would get me. Hot Chocolates turned out to be the better deal, even with the added cost of the Oreos!
So back to Hot Chocolates we went. I knew I wanted a vanilla bride's cake and a chocolate groom's cake, so it really was a matter of picking which combinations went best together. We wound up with yellow cake/vanilla cream filling/buttercream icing for the bride's cake, and devil's food cake/fudge icing for the groom's cake. I sent them pictures of what I wanted for each design, dropped off our cake topper, and let them do their thing. And I could not have been happier with how everything turned out.
On top of providing two amazing cakes, they also gave us boxes, one for each cake tier, just in case there was some left over (there was, but not anymore!) They also left an instruction sheet on how to cut and serve the cake (our caterers were the ones who did that) and how to save our top tier so it keeps and doesn't get freezer burned so we can enjoy it on our first anniversary.
I give Hot Chocolates an A+ rating. The only thing I would have changed is the vanilla cream filling - it tasted fabulous, but I would have liked it to be a thicker layer in between cake tiers. I was thinking it would be kind of its own mini layer, but it was more like just enough to hold the layers together. Something that could easily be taken care of by being more specific, and it's really not that big of a deal - in fact, I keep looking for a reason to order another cake from them because what they made for us was so amazing!
Typically, brides agonize over every decision, second guessing themselves and exploring a million different avenues. If there's an option, they'll consider it.
While that was the case when picking a design, when it came to Jason and I choosing a baker it really was a piece of cake! (har har) We only met with two bakeries, and we had two very different experiences. First, we went to Hot Chocolates in Hurst. For this, we set up a private appointment where we got to sample different cakes, fillings and icings. We got the undivided attention of Becky, one of the co-owners, and she really talked to us about the wedding and what we wanted. She showed us books of different cakes that they had done before and we talked about what it was that we wanted, what they were capable of doing, etc. I even kicked Jason out of the room so I could talk to her about an idea I had for the groom's cake. Since I don't like strawberries, but love the little bride/groom chocolate dipped idea, I asked her if it would be possible to use Oreos instead. I thought it more fitting since that's Jason's favorite cookie :) Becky said it would be no problem. We left the meeting with assurance that we were all on the same page and were all happy.
The other bakery we went to was Creative Memories, also in Hurst. This company runs things differently in that they don't do private appointments. Once a month, they host an open house where they bake up a storm of different cakes and whoever wants to talk to them is welcome to swing by some time during the day to sample cake and discuss their vision. While the cake was good, the service was not so hot. Jason and I went in and got some cake (assembly line style) and then asked if we could speak to someone about our wedding. It took them awhile, but finally someone made themselves not busy and we discussed our ideas. I kicked Jason out again to ask about the Oreo idea, and after the lady I talked to had to talk to someone else, I was told that they wouldn't be able to do it. Honestly, I was shocked. I wasn't asking them to do anything absurd - it's not like dipping Oreos is that different from dipping strawberries! The fact that I was flat out told no didn't sit well with me. To top it off, when I got home I did a price comparison between the two companies, taking into account the design, how many people it would serve, and what my money would get me. Hot Chocolates turned out to be the better deal, even with the added cost of the Oreos!
So back to Hot Chocolates we went. I knew I wanted a vanilla bride's cake and a chocolate groom's cake, so it really was a matter of picking which combinations went best together. We wound up with yellow cake/vanilla cream filling/buttercream icing for the bride's cake, and devil's food cake/fudge icing for the groom's cake. I sent them pictures of what I wanted for each design, dropped off our cake topper, and let them do their thing. And I could not have been happier with how everything turned out.
On top of providing two amazing cakes, they also gave us boxes, one for each cake tier, just in case there was some left over (there was, but not anymore!) They also left an instruction sheet on how to cut and serve the cake (our caterers were the ones who did that) and how to save our top tier so it keeps and doesn't get freezer burned so we can enjoy it on our first anniversary.
I give Hot Chocolates an A+ rating. The only thing I would have changed is the vanilla cream filling - it tasted fabulous, but I would have liked it to be a thicker layer in between cake tiers. I was thinking it would be kind of its own mini layer, but it was more like just enough to hold the layers together. Something that could easily be taken care of by being more specific, and it's really not that big of a deal - in fact, I keep looking for a reason to order another cake from them because what they made for us was so amazing!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Vendor review: The Country Abbey
www.thecountryabbey.com
I knew that I wanted an all-in-one wedding venue where we could have both the ceremony and reception. Jason's sister got married at a place like this last summer, and I saw how much easier it was compared to other weddings I'd been to where you go one place for the ceremony and then have to travel elsewhere for the reception. I think by keeping it in one location it really unifies the ceremony and the reception into one grand event instead of two separate ones.
The first thing we did after getting engaged was make a rough guest list. This way we could know when talking to venues what size room we would need. We only visited a handful of places, because there really aren't that many all-in-ones around here (more on that later) and we narrowed it down to a few. In the end, The Country Abbey won out because of a combination of staff, services and pricing.
I can not say enough about how wonderful the Abbey staff is. I worked mostly with Elaine and Naomi, who is the owner. The phone number for the Abbey is Naomi's cell phone, so even if she wasn't at the Abbey when I called, she would still answer the phone. The best part about the Abbey is that we got to hire all of our own vendors. Some people might find this to be too much work to take on having to meet, hire and keep track of so many vendors. To this I say it really wasn't that bad. We were able to find the vendors that worked best for the vision we had for the wedding, at the prices we were comfortable paying. It turned out to be only five vendors - the catering, the cakes, the DJ, the flowers, and the officiant. We got to choose exactly what foods we wanted, exactly how we wanted our cake to look, what kind of musical vibe we were going for, the flowers that we liked, and the person who got to marry us.
Oftentimes, venues partner with certain vendors and require their brides to use them. For example, Danielle's venue, The Mediterranean Villa, required the use of their in-house catering. That meant all the food, bar and cake decisions were made based on what the Villa already offered. Be careful about venues that require you to use a vendor, because it can really limit your wedding to the talents already on staff. I've heard stories of other brides loving a venue, but being eh about the food or the bakers to choose from. Some venues offer you only one choice, usually an in-house company that works exclusively for that venue. Others give you a list of vendors to choose from, which could wind up only being a handful of each type (usually the venue is getting a kick back for referring you so that's why they force you to use their lists.) If you do come across a venue that has a vendor list, you should be free to see the list and talk to the vendors before making any type of a decision. Jason and I went to one place who wouldn't let you contact the vendors until you'd put down a deposit for their venue. Needless to say, that was the last time we've spoked to that venue!
The Country Abbey wound up being exactly what we wanted. At first, I was a little nervous about the size of the guest list, but in the end it was perfect. We were free to decorate how we wanted. We were able to use some of their decorations free of charge. For brides who need a little more help, they also offer coordinator services as well as different decorating packages. Naomi is always available by phone or by email. She's very helpful, and very knowledgeable about the wedding industry and how to really help brides out. She's creative, but she'll let you do your own thing if you have something in mind.
I give The Country Abbey a solid A. [The only reason I took off the + is because there was a scheduling issue that came to light two weeks before the wedding. Luckily, we were able to resolve it, and Naomi threw in extra time free of charge to make up for it. Everything worked out, but it was unnecessary added stress. I'm just glad we were flexible enough to work around the issue or it might have been a lot worse.]
I knew that I wanted an all-in-one wedding venue where we could have both the ceremony and reception. Jason's sister got married at a place like this last summer, and I saw how much easier it was compared to other weddings I'd been to where you go one place for the ceremony and then have to travel elsewhere for the reception. I think by keeping it in one location it really unifies the ceremony and the reception into one grand event instead of two separate ones.
The first thing we did after getting engaged was make a rough guest list. This way we could know when talking to venues what size room we would need. We only visited a handful of places, because there really aren't that many all-in-ones around here (more on that later) and we narrowed it down to a few. In the end, The Country Abbey won out because of a combination of staff, services and pricing.
I can not say enough about how wonderful the Abbey staff is. I worked mostly with Elaine and Naomi, who is the owner. The phone number for the Abbey is Naomi's cell phone, so even if she wasn't at the Abbey when I called, she would still answer the phone. The best part about the Abbey is that we got to hire all of our own vendors. Some people might find this to be too much work to take on having to meet, hire and keep track of so many vendors. To this I say it really wasn't that bad. We were able to find the vendors that worked best for the vision we had for the wedding, at the prices we were comfortable paying. It turned out to be only five vendors - the catering, the cakes, the DJ, the flowers, and the officiant. We got to choose exactly what foods we wanted, exactly how we wanted our cake to look, what kind of musical vibe we were going for, the flowers that we liked, and the person who got to marry us.
Oftentimes, venues partner with certain vendors and require their brides to use them. For example, Danielle's venue, The Mediterranean Villa, required the use of their in-house catering. That meant all the food, bar and cake decisions were made based on what the Villa already offered. Be careful about venues that require you to use a vendor, because it can really limit your wedding to the talents already on staff. I've heard stories of other brides loving a venue, but being eh about the food or the bakers to choose from. Some venues offer you only one choice, usually an in-house company that works exclusively for that venue. Others give you a list of vendors to choose from, which could wind up only being a handful of each type (usually the venue is getting a kick back for referring you so that's why they force you to use their lists.) If you do come across a venue that has a vendor list, you should be free to see the list and talk to the vendors before making any type of a decision. Jason and I went to one place who wouldn't let you contact the vendors until you'd put down a deposit for their venue. Needless to say, that was the last time we've spoked to that venue!
The Country Abbey wound up being exactly what we wanted. At first, I was a little nervous about the size of the guest list, but in the end it was perfect. We were free to decorate how we wanted. We were able to use some of their decorations free of charge. For brides who need a little more help, they also offer coordinator services as well as different decorating packages. Naomi is always available by phone or by email. She's very helpful, and very knowledgeable about the wedding industry and how to really help brides out. She's creative, but she'll let you do your own thing if you have something in mind.
I give The Country Abbey a solid A. [The only reason I took off the + is because there was a scheduling issue that came to light two weeks before the wedding. Luckily, we were able to resolve it, and Naomi threw in extra time free of charge to make up for it. Everything worked out, but it was unnecessary added stress. I'm just glad we were flexible enough to work around the issue or it might have been a lot worse.]
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Vendor review: Jerod Foster Photography
www.jerodfosterphotography.com
After getting engaged in December, we decided that we would have the wedding in DFW. As much as I wanted to get married in Houston, we knew it would just be too hard to plan long-distance, especially if I was also in the process of looking for a job. I knew that toward the end of the planning I'd be commuting to Houston every weekend, and we quickly realized how expensive that could get. So we setlled on DFW and began looking into doing engagement pictures. We thought about where we would like to have them taken since we knew location was a big part of any photo shoot. We had moved to DFW in the beginning of the year and I really didn't feel like it meant anything to me, or to our relationship. Of course the logical choice was the Tech campus, because that's really where our relationship was formed and nurtured. So we began talking to wedding photographers to see what we could come up with. Initially, we were thinking that we would do engagement pictures in Lubbock, my bridal portraits in Houston (since we were living so close to Jason's family, I wanted to involve my family in as much of the planning as possible) and then the wedding in DFW. We talked to a few DFW photographers who had packages that included all three shoots, but everyone we talked to threw out pretty hefty traveling charges (one guy flat out refused to travel, which is totally understandable since it would essentially mean 18 hours of round-trip travel for maybe 4 hours of shooting time.)
So we contacted some photographers in Lubbock about doing just our engagement shoot. While the pricing was mostly decent, it still seemed pretty high for an hour or two on campus plus a disc of images. Honestly, photographers make the most money on their packaged deals, so to do just a single shoot for us, it really wasn't economic unless they upped their prices.
Then I got the idea to talk to Tech professors. I contacted a few photo profs, as well as some people in the Mass Comm college who taught photocommunications, to see if any of them did photo on the side as a hobby/small business. I also emailed a few students studying PhotoComm, thinking maybe they'd want to offer a good deal in exchange for using our pictures in their portfolios. I talked to the guy who does most of the photo work for Tech - I'd actually met him while working at the campus computer store because he was friends with my boss. He suggested one of his students, a guy who is somewhat an assistant to him in teaching some of the classes. I got in contact with Jerod, and we had plans to meet on the Tech campus one Saturday in March to play around and take some photos.
I was so impressed with the results! For $200 we got Jerod for about three hours, and he wound up taking over 400 shots. We showed up in formal wear (the red and black) took some photos, changed into nice casual (the purple) took some shots, then changed into our Tech shirts and took some in and around the stadium. Jerod was great with posing us, but also he let us try some things that we had in mind too. It was kind of anything goes. A few weeks later, we received a CD in the mail of the 64 best shots that he had taken, and they were all in high-resolution. They turned out really well thanks to his fabulous camera. We took the disc to Walmart to get prints done, and they were so cheap! We definitely saved money this way, as opposed to having to buy copies from a third party.
I highly recommend that anyone in Lubbock who needs photos done (of any kind) talk to Jerod. If we hadn't already booked a wedding photographer when we hired him, we would have asked him to do it because he was that good. If you're not in Lubbock or if you can't get in touch with Jerod for some reason, I encourage you to check out your own local resources. College kids, especially those in their junior and senior years, really do have a lot of skill in the area they're studying, and will definitely be cheaper than professionals with lots of experience, often with just as much talent. You may even be able to work out a deal of some sort where you exchange something other than money for services (trading trades, if you will.)
All in all, I give Jerod an A+ because the whole experience was so wonderful. It took him a little time to get back to us, even after leaving him several messages, but it all got figured out (just remember he's a teacher/student, so if he's off in the middle of nowhere on an assignment, he may not have cell phone signal to get back to you right away!)
After getting engaged in December, we decided that we would have the wedding in DFW. As much as I wanted to get married in Houston, we knew it would just be too hard to plan long-distance, especially if I was also in the process of looking for a job. I knew that toward the end of the planning I'd be commuting to Houston every weekend, and we quickly realized how expensive that could get. So we setlled on DFW and began looking into doing engagement pictures. We thought about where we would like to have them taken since we knew location was a big part of any photo shoot. We had moved to DFW in the beginning of the year and I really didn't feel like it meant anything to me, or to our relationship. Of course the logical choice was the Tech campus, because that's really where our relationship was formed and nurtured. So we began talking to wedding photographers to see what we could come up with. Initially, we were thinking that we would do engagement pictures in Lubbock, my bridal portraits in Houston (since we were living so close to Jason's family, I wanted to involve my family in as much of the planning as possible) and then the wedding in DFW. We talked to a few DFW photographers who had packages that included all three shoots, but everyone we talked to threw out pretty hefty traveling charges (one guy flat out refused to travel, which is totally understandable since it would essentially mean 18 hours of round-trip travel for maybe 4 hours of shooting time.)
So we contacted some photographers in Lubbock about doing just our engagement shoot. While the pricing was mostly decent, it still seemed pretty high for an hour or two on campus plus a disc of images. Honestly, photographers make the most money on their packaged deals, so to do just a single shoot for us, it really wasn't economic unless they upped their prices.
Then I got the idea to talk to Tech professors. I contacted a few photo profs, as well as some people in the Mass Comm college who taught photocommunications, to see if any of them did photo on the side as a hobby/small business. I also emailed a few students studying PhotoComm, thinking maybe they'd want to offer a good deal in exchange for using our pictures in their portfolios. I talked to the guy who does most of the photo work for Tech - I'd actually met him while working at the campus computer store because he was friends with my boss. He suggested one of his students, a guy who is somewhat an assistant to him in teaching some of the classes. I got in contact with Jerod, and we had plans to meet on the Tech campus one Saturday in March to play around and take some photos.
I was so impressed with the results! For $200 we got Jerod for about three hours, and he wound up taking over 400 shots. We showed up in formal wear (the red and black) took some photos, changed into nice casual (the purple) took some shots, then changed into our Tech shirts and took some in and around the stadium. Jerod was great with posing us, but also he let us try some things that we had in mind too. It was kind of anything goes. A few weeks later, we received a CD in the mail of the 64 best shots that he had taken, and they were all in high-resolution. They turned out really well thanks to his fabulous camera. We took the disc to Walmart to get prints done, and they were so cheap! We definitely saved money this way, as opposed to having to buy copies from a third party.
I highly recommend that anyone in Lubbock who needs photos done (of any kind) talk to Jerod. If we hadn't already booked a wedding photographer when we hired him, we would have asked him to do it because he was that good. If you're not in Lubbock or if you can't get in touch with Jerod for some reason, I encourage you to check out your own local resources. College kids, especially those in their junior and senior years, really do have a lot of skill in the area they're studying, and will definitely be cheaper than professionals with lots of experience, often with just as much talent. You may even be able to work out a deal of some sort where you exchange something other than money for services (trading trades, if you will.)
All in all, I give Jerod an A+ because the whole experience was so wonderful. It took him a little time to get back to us, even after leaving him several messages, but it all got figured out (just remember he's a teacher/student, so if he's off in the middle of nowhere on an assignment, he may not have cell phone signal to get back to you right away!)
Monday, October 29, 2007
The first of many
I will be dedicating this milestone, my 100th post on the subject of our wedding, to the things that I did right throughout the planning and the big day. I guess the following is a list of advice that I would give to any couple planning a wedding.
1. Stay organized. As soon as we got engaged I started accumulating all sorts of wedding things, like pictures of dresses and swatches of fabric. I wanted to stay on top of all the crap I knew I'd be collecting, so I used a big binder to keep it all in one place. That binder became my wedding brain - I took it to all of the meetings I went to so any contracts or info sheets could go into the binder right then and there. I attended a bridal show that gave out a wedding planner packet, but it would be just as easy to buy folders/dividers for each section of the wedding (attire, vendors, registries, honeymoon, etc.) so that when you need something, you know exactly where it is. I also kept extra notebook paper in the back so if I was meeting with a vendor or needed to make a list, I had a way to do it quickly. The binder was an easy way to stay organized, and I could grab it on my way out the door knowing that everything I needed was already in it, which helped avoid a lot of mad scrambles to collect things from multiple locations.
Being organized also includes things like detailed schedules and timelines. Everyone laughed and made jokes about my four-page itinerary, but I guarantee the wedding went as smoothly as it did because everyone knew exactly where they had to be and when. Vendors didn't clash because they anticipated what the other vendors were doing. Everything was on a list; everything was labeled. Here's a secret: I didn't have a wedding planner, or even a day-of coordinator. Everything at our wedding was done by friends and family, and it only came together because everyone had a specific role and list of duties.
2. Early is on time; on time is late. No matter who you are and how many promises you make to stay on top of things, you will inevitably wind up taking on more than you can chew. This could easily backfire into half a dozen projects being partially done the night before the wedding, thus inducing those bridezilla-at-2-in-the-morning fits we all see on TV. The best way to handle this is to do things early. Take those checklists you can find in any magazine and do as much as you can. Anything you can do now, do it. Anything you can't complete right away, make a rough draft. If you can't write up an order-of-ceremony until you talk to the officiant, go ahead and design the rest of the program pieces, such as acknowledgments, quotes and other blurbs. That way, when you get a chance to meet the minister, you can decide on something, plug it into you draft and send it off for final approval all in the same day. Start a running checklist that you can keep adding to when you remember new things. Create a rough timeline of the weekend so you know how much time you have to play around with when you start making final plans with vendors.
I remember looking at my to-do lists about 4 months out, wishing there were something I could be doing on that list to get it checked off. I really was at a standstill for awhile because I'd taken care of everything. I did wind up taking the week before the wedding off so I could run those last-minute errands (things that could not have been done earlier) but even then the week wasn't that hectic because my to-do list was reasonable to accomplish in the time frame given. Not everyone is so lucky to take two weeks off work like I did. If this is the case for you, imagine doing a million wedding things on top of a full week of work. Now imagine scolding yourself because so much of your stress could have been avoided by getting those things out of the way sooner. Now go do those things!!
3. Don't expect a miracle. Always anticipate that something will go wrong, and be ready to roll with it. Buffer in extra time between every activity, so if there's unusual traffic or someone forgets something at home, there's still plenty of time to get back on track. Also, be realistic in your expectations. No one can be in two places at once. No one can make cheese and crackers into a four course meal. Know your vendors, their capabilities, and their limitations. Same for your wedding party. Have a backup plan for the what-ifs. Know when to fight for things and when to let them go. Remember that the big picture isn't the wedding, but the marriage.
A week before the wedding I got an email saying our venue had double-booked us for our rehearsal and dinner. We changed the time and pushed everything back an hour. There was an air show that we didn't find out about until it was pretty much happening, which significantly increased traffic and decreased the availability of hotel rooms. Thanks to quick thinking, neither of those turned into a crisis. And because of the hotels being completely booked, our plan to use the room the girls had stayed in the night before, to do hair and makeup, was dissolved. So we moved over to my mom's hotel, which had been booked for that night as well, and wound up having more space. There was a moment in the ceremony where the music played was wrong. We forgot to bustle my dress (which I tripped on going up the altar stairs) before our first dance. The bartender didn't pour drinks into cups so there were cans everywhere. We paid for extra reception time and then cut the night short. But we got married, which was the ultimate goal, and it was still the most fabulous day of my life. Period.
1. Stay organized. As soon as we got engaged I started accumulating all sorts of wedding things, like pictures of dresses and swatches of fabric. I wanted to stay on top of all the crap I knew I'd be collecting, so I used a big binder to keep it all in one place. That binder became my wedding brain - I took it to all of the meetings I went to so any contracts or info sheets could go into the binder right then and there. I attended a bridal show that gave out a wedding planner packet, but it would be just as easy to buy folders/dividers for each section of the wedding (attire, vendors, registries, honeymoon, etc.) so that when you need something, you know exactly where it is. I also kept extra notebook paper in the back so if I was meeting with a vendor or needed to make a list, I had a way to do it quickly. The binder was an easy way to stay organized, and I could grab it on my way out the door knowing that everything I needed was already in it, which helped avoid a lot of mad scrambles to collect things from multiple locations.
Being organized also includes things like detailed schedules and timelines. Everyone laughed and made jokes about my four-page itinerary, but I guarantee the wedding went as smoothly as it did because everyone knew exactly where they had to be and when. Vendors didn't clash because they anticipated what the other vendors were doing. Everything was on a list; everything was labeled. Here's a secret: I didn't have a wedding planner, or even a day-of coordinator. Everything at our wedding was done by friends and family, and it only came together because everyone had a specific role and list of duties.
2. Early is on time; on time is late. No matter who you are and how many promises you make to stay on top of things, you will inevitably wind up taking on more than you can chew. This could easily backfire into half a dozen projects being partially done the night before the wedding, thus inducing those bridezilla-at-2-in-the-morning fits we all see on TV. The best way to handle this is to do things early. Take those checklists you can find in any magazine and do as much as you can. Anything you can do now, do it. Anything you can't complete right away, make a rough draft. If you can't write up an order-of-ceremony until you talk to the officiant, go ahead and design the rest of the program pieces, such as acknowledgments, quotes and other blurbs. That way, when you get a chance to meet the minister, you can decide on something, plug it into you draft and send it off for final approval all in the same day. Start a running checklist that you can keep adding to when you remember new things. Create a rough timeline of the weekend so you know how much time you have to play around with when you start making final plans with vendors.
I remember looking at my to-do lists about 4 months out, wishing there were something I could be doing on that list to get it checked off. I really was at a standstill for awhile because I'd taken care of everything. I did wind up taking the week before the wedding off so I could run those last-minute errands (things that could not have been done earlier) but even then the week wasn't that hectic because my to-do list was reasonable to accomplish in the time frame given. Not everyone is so lucky to take two weeks off work like I did. If this is the case for you, imagine doing a million wedding things on top of a full week of work. Now imagine scolding yourself because so much of your stress could have been avoided by getting those things out of the way sooner. Now go do those things!!
3. Don't expect a miracle. Always anticipate that something will go wrong, and be ready to roll with it. Buffer in extra time between every activity, so if there's unusual traffic or someone forgets something at home, there's still plenty of time to get back on track. Also, be realistic in your expectations. No one can be in two places at once. No one can make cheese and crackers into a four course meal. Know your vendors, their capabilities, and their limitations. Same for your wedding party. Have a backup plan for the what-ifs. Know when to fight for things and when to let them go. Remember that the big picture isn't the wedding, but the marriage.
A week before the wedding I got an email saying our venue had double-booked us for our rehearsal and dinner. We changed the time and pushed everything back an hour. There was an air show that we didn't find out about until it was pretty much happening, which significantly increased traffic and decreased the availability of hotel rooms. Thanks to quick thinking, neither of those turned into a crisis. And because of the hotels being completely booked, our plan to use the room the girls had stayed in the night before, to do hair and makeup, was dissolved. So we moved over to my mom's hotel, which had been booked for that night as well, and wound up having more space. There was a moment in the ceremony where the music played was wrong. We forgot to bustle my dress (which I tripped on going up the altar stairs) before our first dance. The bartender didn't pour drinks into cups so there were cans everywhere. We paid for extra reception time and then cut the night short. But we got married, which was the ultimate goal, and it was still the most fabulous day of my life. Period.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
A masterpiece
I'm so proud to be Mrs. Kandace Williams! The entire wedding weekend was so wonderful; we honestly could not have been more blessed. Jason and I spent the last 8 days aboard the Carnival Conquest enjoying each other's company and we had a blast soaking in all the perks of being newlyweds!
There are so many things in my head that I want to make sure I mention, but for now I think I'll keep it short and sweet:
Thanks to everyone who played a role in our wedding, whether as a member of the wedding party, as a family member, or simply as a guest. I could say a million words and still be at a loss for how to convey the gratitude and love we feel for all of you. We were absolutely humbled by the generosity and support that poured out for us. The deck is definitely stacked in our favor with all of you behind us and our marriage.
It's now been 8 days and we have only seen a small handful of pictures from the whole thing. I set up an account at www.photobucket.com where you can add your pictures to the collection. The login ID is bunnwilliams and the password is wedding. Please please help us out by sharing any images you might have in your possession.
Thanks again to our friends and family. We are blessed beyond words and we love each and every one of you so very much.
There are so many things in my head that I want to make sure I mention, but for now I think I'll keep it short and sweet:
Thanks to everyone who played a role in our wedding, whether as a member of the wedding party, as a family member, or simply as a guest. I could say a million words and still be at a loss for how to convey the gratitude and love we feel for all of you. We were absolutely humbled by the generosity and support that poured out for us. The deck is definitely stacked in our favor with all of you behind us and our marriage.
It's now been 8 days and we have only seen a small handful of pictures from the whole thing. I set up an account at www.photobucket.com where you can add your pictures to the collection. The login ID is bunnwilliams and the password is wedding. Please please help us out by sharing any images you might have in your possession.
Thanks again to our friends and family. We are blessed beyond words and we love each and every one of you so very much.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
A million little pieces
So it's less than 48 hours until my wedding. Am I a sobbing wreck? No. Am I stressed? No. Am I nervous? No, though everyone keeps guessing that I am and telling me not to be (seriously, my florist kept telling me I was nervous. I think I would know!)
What am I then? I'm excited! Excited that we are finally packed for the honeymoon (save for things like cell phone chargers and toothbrushes.) Excited that 3 of 4 wedding party members are on their way from Lubbock right now. Excited that my family will be here tomorrow.
What am I doing? Going over the packing lists I've been putting together for months to make sure I have everything (even though I checked it off as it went in our bags!) I'm also about to get in the shower. And I'm helping a friend find a hotel. Yes, that's right. My friends are very last-minute people. Romie didn't pack until tonight and Kevin, Zach, Shawna and John don't have a hotel yet. I could let it bother me, but they're never gonna change so why hold my breath? Don't get me wrong, I love my friends to death, but whatever happens is a result of their unpreparedness and the only have themselves to blame.
OK enough rambling. Time to move on to something else.
What am I then? I'm excited! Excited that we are finally packed for the honeymoon (save for things like cell phone chargers and toothbrushes.) Excited that 3 of 4 wedding party members are on their way from Lubbock right now. Excited that my family will be here tomorrow.
What am I doing? Going over the packing lists I've been putting together for months to make sure I have everything (even though I checked it off as it went in our bags!) I'm also about to get in the shower. And I'm helping a friend find a hotel. Yes, that's right. My friends are very last-minute people. Romie didn't pack until tonight and Kevin, Zach, Shawna and John don't have a hotel yet. I could let it bother me, but they're never gonna change so why hold my breath? Don't get me wrong, I love my friends to death, but whatever happens is a result of their unpreparedness and the only have themselves to blame.
OK enough rambling. Time to move on to something else.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
It's been one week since you looked at me...
Holy crap a week from right this minute I will be in full bridal get up awaiting the signal that it's time to meet my handsome groom at the altar!!! I can't believe how fast it all seems to be going now, even though a few months ago I wished it would hurry up!
I'm done with work until we get back. This week I will tie up all loose ends (there aren't that many) and then focus on getting good sleep and eating well since I know that'll all go out the window on our honeymoon cruise :)
Eeeeeee I can't wait to see everyone in a week!
I'm done with work until we get back. This week I will tie up all loose ends (there aren't that many) and then focus on getting good sleep and eating well since I know that'll all go out the window on our honeymoon cruise :)
Eeeeeee I can't wait to see everyone in a week!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
No amount of words
First and foremost I want to wish a very happy birthday to Jason. I'm so glad that he came into my life, and it's so weird to think that for his next birthday I will be signing my card to him "From Mrs. Williams!" I thank God every day for being blessed with such a great guy and I look forward to sharing another million birthdays with him in the future :)
In other news, it's ten days until the wedding! With less than two weeks to go I'm still not stressing out. Tomorrow is my last day of work and then I have over a week off to get everything done, so that may be a huge reason why I haven't yet turned into Bridezilla. Of course, something like STILL not having all the RSVPs in is irking me, but I refuse to let it turn into a problem. I still have time to figure everything out that I'm working on, so it's whatever.
We got a very unexpected gift yesterday and it makes us appreciate what we have and will continue to have when we get married. Our families are our backbone and we couldn't have done any of this without them. I am just so lucky to be gaining more family members that I care about, and who care about me, just as much as my own family.
And the most exciting news from today: we got our marriage license! It's so authentic looking, with black scrolly writing on a yellowed paper. We just have to wait three days for it to process/clear, so we are golden. I will try to get a picture of it up soon.
Happy birthday to Jason again. God I'm a lucky girl.
In other news, it's ten days until the wedding! With less than two weeks to go I'm still not stressing out. Tomorrow is my last day of work and then I have over a week off to get everything done, so that may be a huge reason why I haven't yet turned into Bridezilla. Of course, something like STILL not having all the RSVPs in is irking me, but I refuse to let it turn into a problem. I still have time to figure everything out that I'm working on, so it's whatever.
We got a very unexpected gift yesterday and it makes us appreciate what we have and will continue to have when we get married. Our families are our backbone and we couldn't have done any of this without them. I am just so lucky to be gaining more family members that I care about, and who care about me, just as much as my own family.
And the most exciting news from today: we got our marriage license! It's so authentic looking, with black scrolly writing on a yellowed paper. We just have to wait three days for it to process/clear, so we are golden. I will try to get a picture of it up soon.
Happy birthday to Jason again. God I'm a lucky girl.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
A single score (as in four score and seven years ago)
Well friends and family, this is it. We are down to the final 20 days. I am starting to get excited! People keep asking me if I'm nervous, but why would I be? It's not like after dating Jason for 3.5 years I'm all of a sudden going to realize I hate him. Does that really happen to people? Well, I mean people in real life (*ahem* Burke and Christina!)
Though I'm starting to get a little busier putting together last minute things, I think going through everything, packing it up, labeling it and writing specific detailed instructions helps me double check that everything is in order. It also helps me de-stress, believe it or not. Our dining room is beginning to get piled up with boxes, which is a good feeling to see all the crap that won't be returning with us (well most of it won't at least.) I have a few little projects left to tackle, but if I don't get to them it's not a big deal.
This week we move into Danielle's house to house sit for her while her and Thomas are vacationing in Florida. While it will be nice to play house for 10 days, it kind of puts a damper on organizing wedding stuff in my spare time. So that's why I'm trying to take care of so much of it today and will continue chugging away tomorrow after work. I'm taking everything out, setting it up on our dining table, taking a digital photo of how it should look, and including that photo in the box to make sure when Jason and the boys set up, they can zoom through things instead of worrying what to do. As it is, Jason has banned me from seeing the reception room on the day of the wedding, so when we get announced and enter the reception, don't be surprised if I'm paying more attention to decorations than to you all. That will quickly pass!
On another note, RSVPs are due this Friday. I was hoping to get them all in by now, but it's my fault for making the date so late in the timeline. There's a very slight chance that we might be able to get away without a seating chart, but only if everyone we haven't heard from is a no. My biggest fear is that we would have enough seats for everyone, but somehow there would wind up being a single empty seat at each of the tables, and a dozen people without seats. We will see what happens Friday (ok really, we will see what happens Sunday when I call everyone I didn't hear from - I know it's going to happen because people these days don't bother to RSVP!)
I need to get my dress cleaned. I need to choose which bridal portrait to blow up to display at the reception (my sister and I have narrowed it down to two, now to make a final decision.) I need to drop the cake topper off with our baker. And I need to rob a bank to scrounge up the rest of the money to pay off the caterer and DJ and pastor, who all take cash or check only. Oh, and I need to pack for the honeymoon! In the meantime I'm house sitting, spending next weekend in Lubbock (be there bitches!) and attending the renewal of vows of Jason's aunt and uncle. Oh, and I have to clean the apartment so when we get back from the honeymoon it will be nice and tidy (with gifts piled everywhere, which will make it seem like a wreck.)
Thank God I took off the week before the wedding!
Though I'm starting to get a little busier putting together last minute things, I think going through everything, packing it up, labeling it and writing specific detailed instructions helps me double check that everything is in order. It also helps me de-stress, believe it or not. Our dining room is beginning to get piled up with boxes, which is a good feeling to see all the crap that won't be returning with us (well most of it won't at least.) I have a few little projects left to tackle, but if I don't get to them it's not a big deal.
This week we move into Danielle's house to house sit for her while her and Thomas are vacationing in Florida. While it will be nice to play house for 10 days, it kind of puts a damper on organizing wedding stuff in my spare time. So that's why I'm trying to take care of so much of it today and will continue chugging away tomorrow after work. I'm taking everything out, setting it up on our dining table, taking a digital photo of how it should look, and including that photo in the box to make sure when Jason and the boys set up, they can zoom through things instead of worrying what to do. As it is, Jason has banned me from seeing the reception room on the day of the wedding, so when we get announced and enter the reception, don't be surprised if I'm paying more attention to decorations than to you all. That will quickly pass!
On another note, RSVPs are due this Friday. I was hoping to get them all in by now, but it's my fault for making the date so late in the timeline. There's a very slight chance that we might be able to get away without a seating chart, but only if everyone we haven't heard from is a no. My biggest fear is that we would have enough seats for everyone, but somehow there would wind up being a single empty seat at each of the tables, and a dozen people without seats. We will see what happens Friday (ok really, we will see what happens Sunday when I call everyone I didn't hear from - I know it's going to happen because people these days don't bother to RSVP!)
I need to get my dress cleaned. I need to choose which bridal portrait to blow up to display at the reception (my sister and I have narrowed it down to two, now to make a final decision.) I need to drop the cake topper off with our baker. And I need to rob a bank to scrounge up the rest of the money to pay off the caterer and DJ and pastor, who all take cash or check only. Oh, and I need to pack for the honeymoon! In the meantime I'm house sitting, spending next weekend in Lubbock (be there bitches!) and attending the renewal of vows of Jason's aunt and uncle. Oh, and I have to clean the apartment so when we get back from the honeymoon it will be nice and tidy (with gifts piled everywhere, which will make it seem like a wreck.)
Thank God I took off the week before the wedding!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Smile for the camera
Yesterday I had my bridal portraits done. I want to say a huge thank you to my mommy who made the trip up from Houston to be there with me. Larry did take a few of us together at the end, and I can't wait to see how they all turn out!
One really nice thing about yesterday was that it was a sort of dress rehearsal for the big day. I have to say that I felt very pretty in my complete bridal outfit, but there will be some changes made with regards to scheduling, that's for sure. We started out a little late which shouldn't have been a problem, but everything took longer that it should have, and we got stuck in major traffic, so we wound up being almost 30 minutes late to the Japanese Gardens. In the end, we only lost about 15 minutes because we took some pictures after the gardens had closed, right outside the gift shop, where we were technically not in the gardens but in an area that still had a little bench and a waterfall and such. Thanks to Larry and Jill for staying a little late and waiting on our late butts.
The biggest issue of the day were the flowers. I went to pick them up from the florist, and they pulled this dusty pink and light purple bouquet out of the cooler. I was like um that's not mine but it had my name on it. Lucky for me they really wanted me to be happy, so they literally took apart the entire thing and I dug through their flower supplies in the back to show them exactly what I was going for. I'm still not sure where they got that pink was one of my wedding colors, or how they went so wrong considering I had multiple meetings with them, we specified exact flowers and colors, and I even brought lots of pictures to illustrate what I couldn't describe in words. Not to mention we have a contract that explicitly states all of that. They did manage to fix it though, and it looked fabulous. I took lots of pictures of the new bouquet and plan on sending them in to make sure that we don't have an issue like this on the wedding day (they'll be delivering the flowers to the Abbey, so we won't have the luxury of a fully stocked shop to fall back on. They kind of get one shot at it next time.)
All in all, the experience was positive. Now I can't wait to see how they all turn out! Sorry guys, you won't get to see them until after the wedding. A girl's gotta have some secrets! How else do I make you all breathless at the sight of my beauty on the big day?!
One really nice thing about yesterday was that it was a sort of dress rehearsal for the big day. I have to say that I felt very pretty in my complete bridal outfit, but there will be some changes made with regards to scheduling, that's for sure. We started out a little late which shouldn't have been a problem, but everything took longer that it should have, and we got stuck in major traffic, so we wound up being almost 30 minutes late to the Japanese Gardens. In the end, we only lost about 15 minutes because we took some pictures after the gardens had closed, right outside the gift shop, where we were technically not in the gardens but in an area that still had a little bench and a waterfall and such. Thanks to Larry and Jill for staying a little late and waiting on our late butts.
The biggest issue of the day were the flowers. I went to pick them up from the florist, and they pulled this dusty pink and light purple bouquet out of the cooler. I was like um that's not mine but it had my name on it. Lucky for me they really wanted me to be happy, so they literally took apart the entire thing and I dug through their flower supplies in the back to show them exactly what I was going for. I'm still not sure where they got that pink was one of my wedding colors, or how they went so wrong considering I had multiple meetings with them, we specified exact flowers and colors, and I even brought lots of pictures to illustrate what I couldn't describe in words. Not to mention we have a contract that explicitly states all of that. They did manage to fix it though, and it looked fabulous. I took lots of pictures of the new bouquet and plan on sending them in to make sure that we don't have an issue like this on the wedding day (they'll be delivering the flowers to the Abbey, so we won't have the luxury of a fully stocked shop to fall back on. They kind of get one shot at it next time.)
All in all, the experience was positive. Now I can't wait to see how they all turn out! Sorry guys, you won't get to see them until after the wedding. A girl's gotta have some secrets! How else do I make you all breathless at the sight of my beauty on the big day?!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The race is on
Well, friends, guess what. It's exactly one month until the wedding. People keep asking me if I'm nervous, and honestly I'm not. What's there to be nervous about? Emotions that I am feeling are excitement, anxiousness and impatience. I am so excited that Jason and I are taking the next step in our relationship and starting our own family. I'm anxious to see how many guests we will have on our special day, and I'm impatient because I want it to be here already!
Last night I sat in the living room watching Bridezillas and putting together stuff for the reception. Maybe it's just that I don't have ridiculous expectations, but people like that always make me wonder "why is he marrying her if she calls herself a princess and only cares for herself?" Seriously, the wedding I watched last night involved a glass slipper carried in on a pillow, a dramatic reenactment of the groom trying the slipper on all the wrong feet (a la the bridesmaids) and a trumpet bray as he finally made a connection with his Cinderella!
My mommy will be here tomorrow because I am meeting with the wonderful couple Jill and Larry of Larry Reynolds Photography for my bridal portraits! Yesterday I took my dress out of its garment bag, hung it up, gave it a good once-over with the iron, and blocked the room off from all directions so Jason can't enter. I even hung signs that say the penalty for peeking is death! In all serious though, I'm proud to say Jason has never even hinted at peeking. He knows how much it means to me and so he's doing his part to avert his eyes until the wedding day.
Now I'm down to working on the last-minute details - tying ribbon on the ceremony programs, creating a checklist, drawing up a master timeline of the day, and fudging a seating chart (hard to do when you have less than half the RSVPs - please send them back to me NOW! No really, I'll wait while you go to your mailbox...)
Yesterday I confirmed and paid for the rehearsal dinner. I met with a piercer who helped me take the bar out of my industrial in favor of clear retainers so the piercings won't show in pictures. Having previously booked our dolphin swim in Cozumel, I am now awaiting some transactions to go through at the bank so my poor self can book and pay for our zipline tour in Jamaica and our private charter in Grand Cayman. Then the cruise will be taken care of, except for packing!
I'm still trying to stay on top of everything so my last week as a single gal can be spent having fun with friends and family instead of working out things that could have already been done. At this point it's all in the details. Anything that doesn't get resolved or pan out won't really matter to me because it won't affect the wedding as a whole. Now we are working on sprucing things up to make what we have nicer. Sometimes I fantasize about what I would do differently if I could get all my money back and start from scratch. I know it's not productive, but it's all the more incentive to stay together for the purpose of implementing my other ideas into our 50th wedding anniversary extravaganza!!! Not that we need something like that to keep our marriage together though...
Tomorrow I will get to see what my bouquet will look like for the first time. I'm going in early, so anything I don't like can be fixed and I can have it just like the vision in my head (however faint it may be.) Then it's off to get my hair done like I did during the trial, but this time she will do my makeup as well, which we didn't have time to do last time. It will be the first time I see the entire look put together from the veil to the shoes. I'm excited my mom will be here, I'm excited to see how I mesh with our photographers, I'm excited to head out to the beautiful Japanese Gardens again, and I'm excited to soak up a few bridal moments before it all goes back where it came from for a few weeks. I guess you could say this will by my dress rehearsal. A time to figure out any problems that might arise and how to combat them. Bring it on!
Sorry this is so long. I'm obviously excited about everything that's coming together! Pretty soon we will be seeing all of you all dressed up and looking lovely :)
Kisses to all!
Last night I sat in the living room watching Bridezillas and putting together stuff for the reception. Maybe it's just that I don't have ridiculous expectations, but people like that always make me wonder "why is he marrying her if she calls herself a princess and only cares for herself?" Seriously, the wedding I watched last night involved a glass slipper carried in on a pillow, a dramatic reenactment of the groom trying the slipper on all the wrong feet (a la the bridesmaids) and a trumpet bray as he finally made a connection with his Cinderella!
My mommy will be here tomorrow because I am meeting with the wonderful couple Jill and Larry of Larry Reynolds Photography for my bridal portraits! Yesterday I took my dress out of its garment bag, hung it up, gave it a good once-over with the iron, and blocked the room off from all directions so Jason can't enter. I even hung signs that say the penalty for peeking is death! In all serious though, I'm proud to say Jason has never even hinted at peeking. He knows how much it means to me and so he's doing his part to avert his eyes until the wedding day.
Now I'm down to working on the last-minute details - tying ribbon on the ceremony programs, creating a checklist, drawing up a master timeline of the day, and fudging a seating chart (hard to do when you have less than half the RSVPs - please send them back to me NOW! No really, I'll wait while you go to your mailbox...)
Yesterday I confirmed and paid for the rehearsal dinner. I met with a piercer who helped me take the bar out of my industrial in favor of clear retainers so the piercings won't show in pictures. Having previously booked our dolphin swim in Cozumel, I am now awaiting some transactions to go through at the bank so my poor self can book and pay for our zipline tour in Jamaica and our private charter in Grand Cayman. Then the cruise will be taken care of, except for packing!
I'm still trying to stay on top of everything so my last week as a single gal can be spent having fun with friends and family instead of working out things that could have already been done. At this point it's all in the details. Anything that doesn't get resolved or pan out won't really matter to me because it won't affect the wedding as a whole. Now we are working on sprucing things up to make what we have nicer. Sometimes I fantasize about what I would do differently if I could get all my money back and start from scratch. I know it's not productive, but it's all the more incentive to stay together for the purpose of implementing my other ideas into our 50th wedding anniversary extravaganza!!! Not that we need something like that to keep our marriage together though...
Tomorrow I will get to see what my bouquet will look like for the first time. I'm going in early, so anything I don't like can be fixed and I can have it just like the vision in my head (however faint it may be.) Then it's off to get my hair done like I did during the trial, but this time she will do my makeup as well, which we didn't have time to do last time. It will be the first time I see the entire look put together from the veil to the shoes. I'm excited my mom will be here, I'm excited to see how I mesh with our photographers, I'm excited to head out to the beautiful Japanese Gardens again, and I'm excited to soak up a few bridal moments before it all goes back where it came from for a few weeks. I guess you could say this will by my dress rehearsal. A time to figure out any problems that might arise and how to combat them. Bring it on!
Sorry this is so long. I'm obviously excited about everything that's coming together! Pretty soon we will be seeing all of you all dressed up and looking lovely :)
Kisses to all!
Friday, September 7, 2007
C. Final answer.
I never really envisioned my wedding as a little girl - now, actually planning it, I don't have any nostalgic memories of elements I want or how anything should be. In the unique "made to order" society that we live in, just about everything can be customized to make it unique. From a myriad of invitations options (paper, vellum, cardstock, embossing, thermography, inks, letterpress, pocketfolds, A7s, etc. etc. etc.) to sensory stimuli (custom lighting, fabric draping, even signature scents) it seems like a no-brainer that no two weddings could possibly be identical.
While all the choices can be really fabulous for those with a vision, for someone like me they can make everything more difficult! It's easy for me to make a decision given two or three options (sit down dinner or buffet, dj or live band) but starting from scratch is so intimidating. I'm stuck at a crossroad between making our wedding unique and keeping it from becoming ridiculous.
Anyway, the point of this rambling post is to preface the fact that I have again changed my mind about wedding cake designs. Yes, we have chosen the shape, size and flavors (again a limited number of options) and will not waver on those, but for some reason what it looks like has been tormenting me. I see a design that I like, pick apart the elements I would change about it, then worry my vision won't all come together right. But fear not! Last night I made an executive decision. Ta dum:
The only change we will be making is the icing color. Imagine it in a deep royal purple. And we are looking for an alternative cake topper since we aren't sure what to think about the flowers.
What do you think?
While all the choices can be really fabulous for those with a vision, for someone like me they can make everything more difficult! It's easy for me to make a decision given two or three options (sit down dinner or buffet, dj or live band) but starting from scratch is so intimidating. I'm stuck at a crossroad between making our wedding unique and keeping it from becoming ridiculous.
Anyway, the point of this rambling post is to preface the fact that I have again changed my mind about wedding cake designs. Yes, we have chosen the shape, size and flavors (again a limited number of options) and will not waver on those, but for some reason what it looks like has been tormenting me. I see a design that I like, pick apart the elements I would change about it, then worry my vision won't all come together right. But fear not! Last night I made an executive decision. Ta dum:
The only change we will be making is the icing color. Imagine it in a deep royal purple. And we are looking for an alternative cake topper since we aren't sure what to think about the flowers.
What do you think?
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Dazzling!
Tonight I started using Crest Whitestrips. They feel really weird, like I have wrapped my teeth in saran wrap. I can't talk or spit while they're on because they shift really easily. So far, 5 minutes down, another 25 to go. I really hope I can continue to use them for the whole time I'm supposed to, because Romie's teeth were so white and pretty when I saw her and she said she's been using them and she likes them. I know my sister had issues with them when she first tried them, like they made her teeth really sensitive so she stopped using them halfway through the kit. Hopefully I'll adjust easier than that. With only 16 days until my bridal portraits, I hope I can at least make my pearlies a few shades whiter. If I like them I think I'll try them again right before the wedding but if not it's no loss since I got this kit free for being a first-time patient at my new dentist's office.
6 minutes down. Has anyone else had good or bad experiences with these?
6 minutes down. Has anyone else had good or bad experiences with these?
Monday, September 3, 2007
I hung out with the pool boy
Holy crap I'm tired. What a fabulous weekend. It started Friday night when Arthur, Romie, Thomas and Allison came to stay with us. It continued Saturday at our wedding shower where we were joined by Chelsea, our parents, Jason's aunts and uncle and grandparents. It continued Sunday though we lost Allison and Chelsea. And it came to a conclusion this afternoon as Arthur, Romie and Thomas headed back.
I can't even begin to describe how overwhelmed we were by the generosity of our friends and family. Not only did Jason's mom and aunt throw us a lovely shower, but we got so many nice and useful shower gifts including lots of stuff to use on the honeymoon!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend (more on Facebook). Thanks again to everyone who made it special for me and Jason. We love you all so much and are so glad you are sharing this time with us. We can now say that we are getting married NEXT MONTH!!!
I can't even begin to describe how overwhelmed we were by the generosity of our friends and family. Not only did Jason's mom and aunt throw us a lovely shower, but we got so many nice and useful shower gifts including lots of stuff to use on the honeymoon!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend (more on Facebook). Thanks again to everyone who made it special for me and Jason. We love you all so much and are so glad you are sharing this time with us. We can now say that we are getting married NEXT MONTH!!!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Wednesday we got our first RSVPs in the mail :) They were all good news. Sadly, yesterday we got a "decline with regret" which is too bad, but I kind of knew the couple wouldn't be making it - still would have been nice to see them since they're family and we don't see them nearly enough.
Along with the loss of my computer, I'm mourning another loss involving my bank account and my car. Really glad I didn't buy a new laptop because I just spent that much to get the Focus fixed, with a list of things that still need my attention (and money...)
Hopefully this weekend will be good. We're not supposed to get any rain, and Sunday we are going to a water park with Jason's sister and her husband in celebration of their one-year anniversary :)
Along with the loss of my computer, I'm mourning another loss involving my bank account and my car. Really glad I didn't buy a new laptop because I just spent that much to get the Focus fixed, with a list of things that still need my attention (and money...)
Hopefully this weekend will be good. We're not supposed to get any rain, and Sunday we are going to a water park with Jason's sister and her husband in celebration of their one-year anniversary :)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
So far behind
Hello again, everyone! Wow can you believe how long it's been since I posted? I attended the funeral of my laptop and have yet to replace it, so for now I am sneaking onto Jason's desktop to bring you bridal updates :)
All invitation pieces have been printed. All invitations have been assembled. Some invitations have been mailed (but not all.)
We had our final meeting with Rev. Jason. We figured out ceremony order, what we will have and won't have, and other day-of things. I just got his approval of my programs, so I will be printing them shortly (shortly = whenever I get to a computer that I can hook my printer to.)
I picked up my altered dress and I scheduled bridal portraits. I just need to find a reputable dry cleaner to take care of my dress between bridal portraits and the wedding. I also need to get my sister's dress to her so that she can get alterations started.
We've continued making purchases here and there to get everything taken care of. Still a few loose ends, but mostly coming together nicely.
We planned the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner.
I paid off some vendors, and will be making next payments to some of them soon. We are trying to pay off as many as possible with checks/cash, but a few vendors like our baker and our photographer take credit card, which is a huge help since we can keep paying those off after the wedding (I'm so glad I have good credit and just got a new card with no interest for another 14 months!)
Things are quickly coming together. The big things are taken care of, and anything that falls through at this point won't really affect anything that much.
Now off to rob a bank (attention Suzi!) to get enough money to pay the rest of it off :) And by rob a bank, I mean look for a job ;)
All invitation pieces have been printed. All invitations have been assembled. Some invitations have been mailed (but not all.)
We had our final meeting with Rev. Jason. We figured out ceremony order, what we will have and won't have, and other day-of things. I just got his approval of my programs, so I will be printing them shortly (shortly = whenever I get to a computer that I can hook my printer to.)
I picked up my altered dress and I scheduled bridal portraits. I just need to find a reputable dry cleaner to take care of my dress between bridal portraits and the wedding. I also need to get my sister's dress to her so that she can get alterations started.
We've continued making purchases here and there to get everything taken care of. Still a few loose ends, but mostly coming together nicely.
We planned the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner.
I paid off some vendors, and will be making next payments to some of them soon. We are trying to pay off as many as possible with checks/cash, but a few vendors like our baker and our photographer take credit card, which is a huge help since we can keep paying those off after the wedding (I'm so glad I have good credit and just got a new card with no interest for another 14 months!)
Things are quickly coming together. The big things are taken care of, and anything that falls through at this point won't really affect anything that much.
Now off to rob a bank (attention Suzi!) to get enough money to pay the rest of it off :) And by rob a bank, I mean look for a job ;)
Friday, August 10, 2007
Reality check
Right now I'm working on printing the response cards that will accompany the invitations I'm going to print tomorrow. Next week we will send out batch one (family from far far away to give them extra time to make travel plans) and wait anxiously for people to reveal their agendas for October 20 (and let us know if we are important enough to get penciled in!)
It's finally starting to feel real. The dress that I put on again for the first time in months, the bridesmaid dress that is hanging in my closet for me to look at whenever, the first gift purchased because someone loves us, and now the big indicator that it's real and that it's happening, our invitations and assorted inserts that will accompany them in their transcontinental journeys.
I'm so excited. And each day closer just adds to the excitement. I'm getting married to an amazing guy who loves me as much as I love him. God, what did I do to deserve something so fabulous?!
It's finally starting to feel real. The dress that I put on again for the first time in months, the bridesmaid dress that is hanging in my closet for me to look at whenever, the first gift purchased because someone loves us, and now the big indicator that it's real and that it's happening, our invitations and assorted inserts that will accompany them in their transcontinental journeys.
I'm so excited. And each day closer just adds to the excitement. I'm getting married to an amazing guy who loves me as much as I love him. God, what did I do to deserve something so fabulous?!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
19 years ago
Happy birthday to the best maid of honor and sister I could ever ask for. I know it's an hour too early here in America, but I'm 7 hours late where you are so I'm sure I'm not the first to say it to you. Enjoy the last year of your teens kid! I love you!
With 73 days to go...
Today I got two emails that items from our honeymoon registry had been purchased! I know the givers saw the info on the invitations to our (family-only) honeymoon shower - but the invites only went out yesterday! Obviously the first ones to see the registry info had an easy enough time using it. Let's hope that others do as well. I'm a little afraid for the older generation (older being grandparents) but that's why we also have two physical in-store registries too.
Of course we want to make it clear that we are NOT expecting gifts. Some of our guests we haven't seen in years, mostly because they are living out of state, so them being able to make it is gift enough. :)
Of course we want to make it clear that we are NOT expecting gifts. Some of our guests we haven't seen in years, mostly because they are living out of state, so them being able to make it is gift enough. :)
Thursday, August 2, 2007
It's mine, my own... my Preciousssss!!!!
If you have talked to me lately or even read any of my most recent entries, you can guess what finally arrived on my doorstep today after four months of waiting and getting anxious....
It finally arrived in all of its bridal glory, and of course the first thing I did was to whip off my clothes and zip that sucker on. I took caution to make sure my hands and such were clean, and I picked it up as I walked into my bathroom to look in the full length mirror so that it wouldn't pick up uninvited dust bunnies.
While I must say that it is fabulous, the bust is way too big for me! I must have lost weight or something, because when I tried on the sample at Alfred Angelo, I don't recall being able to fit a whole second set of my boobs in the bodice with me. So along with a hem and a bustle, it now seems that I will need to get the bust taken in. I suppose I should be excited that I've shrunk, especially considering some familial "mentionings" the last time I was in town.
Since you all are just going to have wait until after the wedding to see shots of the BIG DEAL DRESS, I leave you with these:
The good news:
You have no idea how hard it was not to rip into the box before getting a picture:
Inserts from Netbride that came in the box: a message saying they want to see pictures of me in the dress (so they can put them on their site), a thank you card with general pricing info they gathered about alterations costs in their area (Minnesota), and business cards so I can hand them out to others I guess.
[While I won't be handing them out per se, I would like to take the time to mention how amazing Netbride.com was to work with. All of my questions were answered quickly, even when I was being overly bothersome. The service was fast and I got my gown three weeks before the promised date. The best part is that I saved over 50% as opposed to buying direct from the company and still got the EXACT same dress brand new, untouched, with all the tags on it. I highly recommend Netbride.com if you need to order any type of formalwear.]
It finally arrived in all of its bridal glory, and of course the first thing I did was to whip off my clothes and zip that sucker on. I took caution to make sure my hands and such were clean, and I picked it up as I walked into my bathroom to look in the full length mirror so that it wouldn't pick up uninvited dust bunnies.
While I must say that it is fabulous, the bust is way too big for me! I must have lost weight or something, because when I tried on the sample at Alfred Angelo, I don't recall being able to fit a whole second set of my boobs in the bodice with me. So along with a hem and a bustle, it now seems that I will need to get the bust taken in. I suppose I should be excited that I've shrunk, especially considering some familial "mentionings" the last time I was in town.
Since you all are just going to have wait until after the wedding to see shots of the BIG DEAL DRESS, I leave you with these:
The good news:
You have no idea how hard it was not to rip into the box before getting a picture:
Inserts from Netbride that came in the box: a message saying they want to see pictures of me in the dress (so they can put them on their site), a thank you card with general pricing info they gathered about alterations costs in their area (Minnesota), and business cards so I can hand them out to others I guess.
[While I won't be handing them out per se, I would like to take the time to mention how amazing Netbride.com was to work with. All of my questions were answered quickly, even when I was being overly bothersome. The service was fast and I got my gown three weeks before the promised date. The best part is that I saved over 50% as opposed to buying direct from the company and still got the EXACT same dress brand new, untouched, with all the tags on it. I highly recommend Netbride.com if you need to order any type of formalwear.]
Tauting, teasing, driving me crazy!
Last night at 11:10 PM it was "In Transit" to Denton.
This morning at 7:20AM it was "Out for Delivery" in Denton.
WHERE ARE YOU MY BEAUTY???
This morning at 7:20AM it was "Out for Delivery" in Denton.
WHERE ARE YOU MY BEAUTY???
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
All's fair in love and... guest lists?
I come from a blended family. Both of my parents have moved on since their divorce, finding wonderful people to (re)dedicate themselves to. Both of these wonderful people have children from a previous marriage - four boys and a girl total. They are my siblings as much as my biological sister, except we don't have the foundation of years worth of memories.
My oldest brother got married a few years ago and now has a lovely wife and a beautiful daughter. The next two oldest brothers are both seeing someone, and both relationships are rather serious from what I can gather.
I love all of my extended family very much - they have all had a hand in making me who I am, even if it's only on a small scale. When it comes to my life I am happy to share it with them; rather than having to divide it out into smaller portions, I feel my heart getting bigger with each new addition. [I have heard mothers say this about second children you don't give each child half a heart, your heart just grows twice as much to handle all the love.]
One of the great things about my family is that, to my knowledge at least, they all accept and love Jason as much as they accept and love me. It's rare to find two families that come together with no sticky issues to work through. But somehow, we have managed to make it work so far.
Except for this one little snafu. Remember the Seely House I posted about last go round? The one that barely has enough table space for all those directly involved in the wedding? I kind of forgot to factor my other siblings and their families into the guest list. I know, it's a pretty major afterthought. And it's not that I don't want them there. It was just a horrible mindslip.
So now the question becomes what to do. Technically, none of them are involved in the wedding, so they don't HAVE to be invited to the rehearsal and its successive dinner. On the other hand, they are family, and therefore should be invited. Weddings are a time for families and love and sharing together, and it doesn't work with a big chunk of mine missing.
The easy solution is to cut out anyone that isn't directly part of the wedding (and their spouses, naturally.) That way there are no hurt feelings, there's a protocol to stick to, and a clear understanding of who would and would not be included.
But what about my stepdad's kids? And his father that's flying in from New York? And my mother's parents that are flying in from Florida? They will all be arriving Friday morning/afternoon and will be the responsibility of my mom and stepdad. Do we just give them the number to the nearest Domino's and tell them we will see them in a few hours?
And if we invite my stepdad's kids, shouldn't we invite my stepfamily from my dad's side too? And since we're doing all the extended siblings, wouldn't that lend itself to definitely adding invites for Jason's sister and her husband?
It's a snowball effect. Pringles if you will. Can't invite just one (without having to add four more, at least.) Either we offend someone by being extremely exclusive, or we risk offending Jason's parents by asking them to finance a small-dinner-get-together-turned-pre-wedding-gala.
The only solution I seem to like so far is to play it by ear. Only send invites to those that need to be there for the sake of the wedding itself. Then, the week of the wedding, check out Friday's weather and make phone calls to invite more people, in the event that the weather will be agreeable and we can bring extra lawn chairs and make more room outside.
Of course, the other option is to find a new place to hold the dinner...
My oldest brother got married a few years ago and now has a lovely wife and a beautiful daughter. The next two oldest brothers are both seeing someone, and both relationships are rather serious from what I can gather.
I love all of my extended family very much - they have all had a hand in making me who I am, even if it's only on a small scale. When it comes to my life I am happy to share it with them; rather than having to divide it out into smaller portions, I feel my heart getting bigger with each new addition. [I have heard mothers say this about second children you don't give each child half a heart, your heart just grows twice as much to handle all the love.]
One of the great things about my family is that, to my knowledge at least, they all accept and love Jason as much as they accept and love me. It's rare to find two families that come together with no sticky issues to work through. But somehow, we have managed to make it work so far.
Except for this one little snafu. Remember the Seely House I posted about last go round? The one that barely has enough table space for all those directly involved in the wedding? I kind of forgot to factor my other siblings and their families into the guest list. I know, it's a pretty major afterthought. And it's not that I don't want them there. It was just a horrible mindslip.
So now the question becomes what to do. Technically, none of them are involved in the wedding, so they don't HAVE to be invited to the rehearsal and its successive dinner. On the other hand, they are family, and therefore should be invited. Weddings are a time for families and love and sharing together, and it doesn't work with a big chunk of mine missing.
The easy solution is to cut out anyone that isn't directly part of the wedding (and their spouses, naturally.) That way there are no hurt feelings, there's a protocol to stick to, and a clear understanding of who would and would not be included.
But what about my stepdad's kids? And his father that's flying in from New York? And my mother's parents that are flying in from Florida? They will all be arriving Friday morning/afternoon and will be the responsibility of my mom and stepdad. Do we just give them the number to the nearest Domino's and tell them we will see them in a few hours?
And if we invite my stepdad's kids, shouldn't we invite my stepfamily from my dad's side too? And since we're doing all the extended siblings, wouldn't that lend itself to definitely adding invites for Jason's sister and her husband?
It's a snowball effect. Pringles if you will. Can't invite just one (without having to add four more, at least.) Either we offend someone by being extremely exclusive, or we risk offending Jason's parents by asking them to finance a small-dinner-get-together-turned-pre-wedding-gala.
The only solution I seem to like so far is to play it by ear. Only send invites to those that need to be there for the sake of the wedding itself. Then, the week of the wedding, check out Friday's weather and make phone calls to invite more people, in the event that the weather will be agreeable and we can bring extra lawn chairs and make more room outside.
Of course, the other option is to find a new place to hold the dinner...
Monday, July 30, 2007
EEEEEEEE! (bridal squeal)
Message from NETBRIDE.com:
Hello, Below you will find the tracking number for your package. From all of us @ NETBRIDE.COM, have a wonderful wedding!!!
Scheduled Delivery: 02-August-2007
Shipment Detail
Ship To:
Me
Myapartment
Mycity, Mystate, Myzip
US
| Number of Packages | 1 |
| UPS Service: | GROUND |
| Weight: | 8.8 LBS |
| Tracking Number: | ******************** |
| Purchase Order Number: | ***** Alfred Angelo NB |
~~~~~~~~~
It's FINALLY coming! It will be here this week!! Can you tell I'm excited!!! Eeeeeeee!!!!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Breaking up is hard to do
Last night Jason and I made it over to the Seely House, the little building next door to the Abbey, to check out its potential for our rehearsal dinner. It's really cute inside with bright colors and nice furniture. There's a kitchen area, a bathroom, and three rooms, all which have dining tables and chairs. There are also extra chairs, benches and couches throughout the house that don't go with any certain table but are still functioning (I don't really know of too many chairs that don't function...)
There are enough chairs for everyone who needs to be invited to the dinner, and we can invite a few extra (grandparents coming from way out of state) if people don't mind squeezing together a little tighter and making room, which I'm sure no one will.
My only concern is that everything is spread out between three rooms. We estimated there was enough room in the largest of the three to just move furniture around and have everyone, and everything, fit. But Naomi, the owner of the Abbey, said the dining table in the middle room can't be moved into the larger room because it had already ruined the floor from someone doing it in the past. The only way she will let us move it is if we call a moving company to come do it, and the last time they did that it was an $80 charge. On top of the $135 fee to rent the building and the cost of catering, plus a rehearsal dinner cake (paging Chef Meagan!) it just seems like a silly fee to pay.
Is this going to be a problem? Should I be worried about it? I just feel like if we are in three different rooms, it will force us to split into three groups, and no one will really stray outside of their family zone (ie the Williams family all sitting in one room) meaning that no one will really mingle, which is what we wanted. Especially since it'll only be the second or third time our parents have gotten together, I would hate for our seating arrangement to hinder them getting to know each other. Plus, it becomes a hassle for things like when Jason and I cut the cake or want to pass out gifts.
What do you guys think? It's been such a hassle to figure any of this out, I just want to make a decision, tell Jason's parents where to fork over their money (in more pleasant terms of course) and be done with it. Is a place that works in every other aspect (especially one so close to the Abbey) worth getting over the awkwardness of dividing into different rooms? Or should I keep looking until I find something that exceeds ALL my expectations?
Kitchen area, where the caterer will set up the food, buffet style:
One dining room (the largest room of the 3):
Second dining room (note Extremely Heavy Kitchen Table center stage):
Dining three (the smallest of the three):
There are enough chairs for everyone who needs to be invited to the dinner, and we can invite a few extra (grandparents coming from way out of state) if people don't mind squeezing together a little tighter and making room, which I'm sure no one will.
My only concern is that everything is spread out between three rooms. We estimated there was enough room in the largest of the three to just move furniture around and have everyone, and everything, fit. But Naomi, the owner of the Abbey, said the dining table in the middle room can't be moved into the larger room because it had already ruined the floor from someone doing it in the past. The only way she will let us move it is if we call a moving company to come do it, and the last time they did that it was an $80 charge. On top of the $135 fee to rent the building and the cost of catering, plus a rehearsal dinner cake (paging Chef Meagan!) it just seems like a silly fee to pay.
Is this going to be a problem? Should I be worried about it? I just feel like if we are in three different rooms, it will force us to split into three groups, and no one will really stray outside of their family zone (ie the Williams family all sitting in one room) meaning that no one will really mingle, which is what we wanted. Especially since it'll only be the second or third time our parents have gotten together, I would hate for our seating arrangement to hinder them getting to know each other. Plus, it becomes a hassle for things like when Jason and I cut the cake or want to pass out gifts.
What do you guys think? It's been such a hassle to figure any of this out, I just want to make a decision, tell Jason's parents where to fork over their money (in more pleasant terms of course) and be done with it. Is a place that works in every other aspect (especially one so close to the Abbey) worth getting over the awkwardness of dividing into different rooms? Or should I keep looking until I find something that exceeds ALL my expectations?
Kitchen area, where the caterer will set up the food, buffet style:
One dining room (the largest room of the 3):
Second dining room (note Extremely Heavy Kitchen Table center stage):
Dining three (the smallest of the three):
Friday, July 20, 2007
Three months out!
We are exactly three months away from our wedding. And we actually got something major accomplished today - the rehearsal dinner which I've been so unmotivated about :)
I've been emailing back and forth with a lady who works for a local barbecue restaurant (Sonny Bryan's). Their catering menu is neat because they also offer fajitas, which we figured would be different enough from what we are serving at the wedding to not bore people with the same food two nights in a row.
The lady I've been talking to followed up with me yesterday to ask if I'd gotten the stuff she'd sent me and if I'd like a personal price quote. I told her that Jason and I wanted to go in and eat there before we made any decisions. She told me she would set us up with free lunch whenever we wanted, which I thought was very generous.
As luck would have it, today I wind up getting off work 4 hours early, right around lunch time. I called Jason to see if he wanted to go to a different place (Dickey's barbecue) and he suggested we go to Sonny Bryan's. So I called Adrienne and she called the SB closest to us and told them to take care of us.
Boy did they! When we got there, this really nice guy helped us figure things out. I was all set to order a barbecue baked potato, but he made an even better suggestion. Since whatever we wanted was free, he said we should each get a three meat plate with different things, so we could try a little of everything. So today Jason and I sampled the following menu:
Pulled pork
Chicken on the bone
Pork ribs
Beef brisket
Roasted turkey
Ham
Green bean casserole
Barbecue beans
French fries
Macaroni and cheese
Hot dinner rolls
It was so much food we came home with a to-go plate big enough to make a whole extra meal! To top it off, we also got free drinks, and they even sent us home with apple and cherry cobblers!!
I am so glad we went for the variety. We were able to try everything and make a decision based on all 20 people that will be in attendance that night.
Here is the final menu we are looking at:
Pulled pork
Pulled chicken
Beef brisket
Mac and cheese
Barbecue beans
Potato salad
Dinner rolls
Tea, lemonade, water
Chocolate chip cookies
What's great about this is that they drop everything off and set it up buffet style. The food comes in those big aluminum pans, so whatever is left over can be easily taken home. All the plates, cups, napkins, silverware, and even sweeteners for the tea are included! In addition, they are also going to bring buns in case anyone wants to make a sandwich.
Now we just have to present this to Jason's parents for the final approval. I'm sure they'll say yes because not only do they know how bothersome this has been for me, they agree that there aren't a whole lot of options around here to do something otherwise. Jason and I need to make an appointment to see the house that we are holding the rehearsal dinner at, but barring any complications we should be all ready to go!
Thank God this ordeal is almost over... and yay for only three more months!!!
I've been emailing back and forth with a lady who works for a local barbecue restaurant (Sonny Bryan's). Their catering menu is neat because they also offer fajitas, which we figured would be different enough from what we are serving at the wedding to not bore people with the same food two nights in a row.
The lady I've been talking to followed up with me yesterday to ask if I'd gotten the stuff she'd sent me and if I'd like a personal price quote. I told her that Jason and I wanted to go in and eat there before we made any decisions. She told me she would set us up with free lunch whenever we wanted, which I thought was very generous.
As luck would have it, today I wind up getting off work 4 hours early, right around lunch time. I called Jason to see if he wanted to go to a different place (Dickey's barbecue) and he suggested we go to Sonny Bryan's. So I called Adrienne and she called the SB closest to us and told them to take care of us.
Boy did they! When we got there, this really nice guy helped us figure things out. I was all set to order a barbecue baked potato, but he made an even better suggestion. Since whatever we wanted was free, he said we should each get a three meat plate with different things, so we could try a little of everything. So today Jason and I sampled the following menu:
Pulled pork
Chicken on the bone
Pork ribs
Beef brisket
Roasted turkey
Ham
Green bean casserole
Barbecue beans
French fries
Macaroni and cheese
Hot dinner rolls
It was so much food we came home with a to-go plate big enough to make a whole extra meal! To top it off, we also got free drinks, and they even sent us home with apple and cherry cobblers!!
I am so glad we went for the variety. We were able to try everything and make a decision based on all 20 people that will be in attendance that night.
Here is the final menu we are looking at:
Pulled pork
Pulled chicken
Beef brisket
Mac and cheese
Barbecue beans
Potato salad
Dinner rolls
Tea, lemonade, water
Chocolate chip cookies
What's great about this is that they drop everything off and set it up buffet style. The food comes in those big aluminum pans, so whatever is left over can be easily taken home. All the plates, cups, napkins, silverware, and even sweeteners for the tea are included! In addition, they are also going to bring buns in case anyone wants to make a sandwich.
Now we just have to present this to Jason's parents for the final approval. I'm sure they'll say yes because not only do they know how bothersome this has been for me, they agree that there aren't a whole lot of options around here to do something otherwise. Jason and I need to make an appointment to see the house that we are holding the rehearsal dinner at, but barring any complications we should be all ready to go!
Thank God this ordeal is almost over... and yay for only three more months!!!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The little things
I've been looking for some more ways to customize our reception. Sadly, we don't have the budget to do a fireworks display as we leave or to hire the cast of Cirque du Soleil to perform during dinner (though how AWESOME would that be?!?!)
The things I have in mind are on a much smaller scale, but I know that oftentimes the most personal things have little to no monetary value at all.
Last night I was talking a few friends about what they think of when they think of me (or what makes them think of me when they see it) and I came up with a fairly simple idea.
Using a template I found on About.com, I came up with personalized candy bar wrappers!
Now, I know that there are dozens of sites online that will make, print and ship these to me, but I really think paying over $1.50 apiece for a project this simple is silly. So I copied the template into Powerpoint, played around with fonts and colors, "borrowed" a bar code image from Google images, and voila! (As always, click to enlarge.)
The original template was a little different, so I covered up what I didn't want by making a box, then making both the fill and line colors white. The biggest secret was ordering everything from front to back so nothing peeked out that I didn't want showing. I even made up my own serial number (5 points to anyone who figures it out - besides Jason!)
Now I just have to decide if I want to use my toner or take the file to Kinko's to color copy. Then I will cut them out (they fit perfectly two to a page with a little margin altering) and tape them together. Easy, no?
[I am still looking other easy ways to personalize, so quiz time: what are the things that make you think of me, or, what do I make you think of?]
The things I have in mind are on a much smaller scale, but I know that oftentimes the most personal things have little to no monetary value at all.
Last night I was talking a few friends about what they think of when they think of me (or what makes them think of me when they see it) and I came up with a fairly simple idea.
Using a template I found on About.com, I came up with personalized candy bar wrappers!
Now, I know that there are dozens of sites online that will make, print and ship these to me, but I really think paying over $1.50 apiece for a project this simple is silly. So I copied the template into Powerpoint, played around with fonts and colors, "borrowed" a bar code image from Google images, and voila! (As always, click to enlarge.)
The original template was a little different, so I covered up what I didn't want by making a box, then making both the fill and line colors white. The biggest secret was ordering everything from front to back so nothing peeked out that I didn't want showing. I even made up my own serial number (5 points to anyone who figures it out - besides Jason!)
Now I just have to decide if I want to use my toner or take the file to Kinko's to color copy. Then I will cut them out (they fit perfectly two to a page with a little margin altering) and tape them together. Easy, no?
[I am still looking other easy ways to personalize, so quiz time: what are the things that make you think of me, or, what do I make you think of?]
Sunday, July 15, 2007
My baby is so tough!
Early Friday morning I got up and left for Houston. The plan was for me to get down there around 1pm and shop with my sister. Jason, who had work on Friday, was coming down later in the afternoon so that he wouldn't have to sit around while Chelsea and I did girly things. Then Jason was going to leave earlier than me on Sunday so I could shop with my mom for what she is going to wear to the wedding.
Just about as I get to Houston, I get a call from Jason, about an hour earlier than I was expecting him to call. I thought he was taking off early so I was excited. We chatted for a minute and then he goes "I don't know if I'm coming down now." So I (naturally) asked him why.
While working at a job site Friday midday, Jason was trying to bend a piece of metal. I guess he pushed it too hard because the metal not only bent, it snapped, and the resulting force was more than Jason was braced for. The base of the metal that he was holding suddenly had no resistance, and whizzed through the air. It finally stopped, after slicing Jason's arm wide open.
So, Jason finally decides the injury is bad enough to merit seeking medical attention, and proceeds to drive himself to the emergency clinic. 20 stitches and a tetanus shot later, he's all patched up. But he no longer feels like traveling alone in a car for four hours only to sit around being miserable all weekend.
I offered to turn back and come home, but he told me he didn't want to ruin my weekend and that he was a big boy who could fend for himself. So I spent all weekend wishing he was with me instead of home and all alone.
Boy is he brave. I know I would have been terrified of the whole ordeal, and I certainly would not have wanted to spend an entire weekend by myself afterwards.
And now, pictures! (A parental advisory warning to anyone with a weak stomach...)
Click to enlarge:
Just about as I get to Houston, I get a call from Jason, about an hour earlier than I was expecting him to call. I thought he was taking off early so I was excited. We chatted for a minute and then he goes "I don't know if I'm coming down now." So I (naturally) asked him why.
While working at a job site Friday midday, Jason was trying to bend a piece of metal. I guess he pushed it too hard because the metal not only bent, it snapped, and the resulting force was more than Jason was braced for. The base of the metal that he was holding suddenly had no resistance, and whizzed through the air. It finally stopped, after slicing Jason's arm wide open.
So, Jason finally decides the injury is bad enough to merit seeking medical attention, and proceeds to drive himself to the emergency clinic. 20 stitches and a tetanus shot later, he's all patched up. But he no longer feels like traveling alone in a car for four hours only to sit around being miserable all weekend.
I offered to turn back and come home, but he told me he didn't want to ruin my weekend and that he was a big boy who could fend for himself. So I spent all weekend wishing he was with me instead of home and all alone.
Boy is he brave. I know I would have been terrified of the whole ordeal, and I certainly would not have wanted to spend an entire weekend by myself afterwards.
And now, pictures! (A parental advisory warning to anyone with a weak stomach...)
Click to enlarge:
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Cien, cent, hundert, cento, sto, hundra, hundrede!
100 days until our wedding!!! It's so close and I know time is going to fly. Ok, who am I kidding - I want it to be here now now now *stomps foot a la Veruca Salt*
I really don't have a whole lot to do in the grand scheme of wedding things. The major things can be listed in a rather short compilation:
1. Arrange the rehearsal dinner. For some reason, this is the bane of my wedding planning. Stupid little towns outside the city not having good eateries!
2. Get the dresses altered/fitted. Of course, that means I have to have the dresses in my possession. Hurry up, Alfred (yes, we are now on a first name basis, apparently...)
3. Meet with our incredibly busy pastor to finalize how everything is going to go during the ceremony. Once that's done, we can print programs, then invitations and other paper products (invitation inserts, place cards, misc. reception labels.) Then we can send the invites off so it feels more real and you all can RSVP that you're coming!
4. Bridal portrait, couple's shower, bachelor/bachelorette parties.
5. Pack for the rehearsal, pack for the ceremony, pack for the reception, pack for the honeymoon.
6. Stop worrying about everything else and enjoy our big day :)
Easily attainable in 100 days right? Of course. No worries. I refuse to fall behind. Who needs a wedding coordinator? I AM the wedding coordinator!
[Note: I'd also like to figure out one more something to help personalize our wedding a little bit more. Maybe something for the reception? I have no idea what. I just think it needs a little more *us* thrown in there. Suggestions welcome.]
I really don't have a whole lot to do in the grand scheme of wedding things. The major things can be listed in a rather short compilation:
1. Arrange the rehearsal dinner. For some reason, this is the bane of my wedding planning. Stupid little towns outside the city not having good eateries!
2. Get the dresses altered/fitted. Of course, that means I have to have the dresses in my possession. Hurry up, Alfred (yes, we are now on a first name basis, apparently...)
3. Meet with our incredibly busy pastor to finalize how everything is going to go during the ceremony. Once that's done, we can print programs, then invitations and other paper products (invitation inserts, place cards, misc. reception labels.) Then we can send the invites off so it feels more real and you all can RSVP that you're coming!
4. Bridal portrait, couple's shower, bachelor/bachelorette parties.
5. Pack for the rehearsal, pack for the ceremony, pack for the reception, pack for the honeymoon.
6. Stop worrying about everything else and enjoy our big day :)
Easily attainable in 100 days right? Of course. No worries. I refuse to fall behind. Who needs a wedding coordinator? I AM the wedding coordinator!
[Note: I'd also like to figure out one more something to help personalize our wedding a little bit more. Maybe something for the reception? I have no idea what. I just think it needs a little more *us* thrown in there. Suggestions welcome.]
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Cake update
I've been emailing back and forth with Hot Chocolates about this whole cake thing. First of all, I want to clarify that they have been absolutely wonderful, patiently explaining everything to me, making suggestions, offering advice, etc. I don't want people to think I'm unhappy with them; I just had a few questions that needed answering.
We have decided to stay with the classic wedding design of stacked layers (picture 1 in my previous post) and here's why: if we opted to do the satellite set up, it would make the cake cheaper, but then we would have to pay an additional cost for the filling we wanted, for it to be two layers in each tier, for the design/decorations we want, and to top it off we'd have to buy or rent the stands for each tier. We realized that in the end we aren't really saving enough money to settle for a non wedding looking cake. So that's settled.
~~
In other news, I finally was able to verbalize my current state in all of this wedding planning: I'm at the point where I don't really have much to do (I will get busy again once the dresses come in) and so I'm starting to second guess some of the planning we have done. The biggest issue right now is the song we chose for our first dance. Don't get me wrong, it's a great song, but it's all about "her" and "she" and I kind of feel like our first dance should be about "we" and "us." Isn't that what everyone will be there for? To celebrate "our" marriage? They're not celebrating me alone. Jason will be there with me by my side all day. Shouldn't he get a mention in the song too? Am I just being silly? It's really bothering me because I focus a lot on the lyrics of songs and I just hate for it to be so one sided. Maybe it's bothering me more that every new suggestion I make Jason shoots it down without offering any other options.
Somebody do something quick! I need help!
We have decided to stay with the classic wedding design of stacked layers (picture 1 in my previous post) and here's why: if we opted to do the satellite set up, it would make the cake cheaper, but then we would have to pay an additional cost for the filling we wanted, for it to be two layers in each tier, for the design/decorations we want, and to top it off we'd have to buy or rent the stands for each tier. We realized that in the end we aren't really saving enough money to settle for a non wedding looking cake. So that's settled.
~~
In other news, I finally was able to verbalize my current state in all of this wedding planning: I'm at the point where I don't really have much to do (I will get busy again once the dresses come in) and so I'm starting to second guess some of the planning we have done. The biggest issue right now is the song we chose for our first dance. Don't get me wrong, it's a great song, but it's all about "her" and "she" and I kind of feel like our first dance should be about "we" and "us." Isn't that what everyone will be there for? To celebrate "our" marriage? They're not celebrating me alone. Jason will be there with me by my side all day. Shouldn't he get a mention in the song too? Am I just being silly? It's really bothering me because I focus a lot on the lyrics of songs and I just hate for it to be so one sided. Maybe it's bothering me more that every new suggestion I make Jason shoots it down without offering any other options.
Somebody do something quick! I need help!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Hot Chocolates
I spoke with my bakery the other day regarding a discrepancy between the price I was quoted for my wedding cake and the prices listed on their website. The response I got back was very interesting.
While the price-per-slice ($2.50) is very reasonable, especially considering what a big metro area we are in, if I did nothing to change the cake but opted to do it satellite style instead (where the tiers are not directly stacked on top of each other) they said they would give me the prices listed on their website, which is their pricing for birthday cakes.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one. For the same amount of cake, icing and decorations, simply isolating each tier suddenly makes a $164 difference? I kind of find that a little aggravating - just because it's a "wedding" cake means they can charge me more? But if I rearrange it and call it a "birthday" cake it gets cheaper? A rose by any other name is just as sweet, right?
So now I'm at a loss for what to do. Do I suck it up and pay the higher price so I can get the traditional-looking cake, or do I err on the side of saving money, since after all it's just cake and will be gone just as fast as it was made? I asked them to send me some pictures of how they would set the unstacked ones up, so when I get them I'll pass them on here. What do you guys think? What would you do in my situation?
or
or
While the price-per-slice ($2.50) is very reasonable, especially considering what a big metro area we are in, if I did nothing to change the cake but opted to do it satellite style instead (where the tiers are not directly stacked on top of each other) they said they would give me the prices listed on their website, which is their pricing for birthday cakes.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one. For the same amount of cake, icing and decorations, simply isolating each tier suddenly makes a $164 difference? I kind of find that a little aggravating - just because it's a "wedding" cake means they can charge me more? But if I rearrange it and call it a "birthday" cake it gets cheaper? A rose by any other name is just as sweet, right?
So now I'm at a loss for what to do. Do I suck it up and pay the higher price so I can get the traditional-looking cake, or do I err on the side of saving money, since after all it's just cake and will be gone just as fast as it was made? I asked them to send me some pictures of how they would set the unstacked ones up, so when I get them I'll pass them on here. What do you guys think? What would you do in my situation?
or
or
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Wedding season
Love is in the air. By the end of this month, three ladies I've known at least since high school will all be married. I'm surprised I only know one 7-7-07 bride, though I "know" another through an online message board.
It must be terribly exciting to be able to say "I'm getting married in 48 hours!" I know that I will eventually be able to say it too, but not for awhile yet. I'm really trying hard not to wish away the next 3.5 months, because I know that they are just as monumental a time in my life as every other chapter in the book. It's one of those things that you want forever to start NOW! because you've known it was coming for years. Honestly though, with as excited as I already am (last night I looked at Jason and said "We're getting married!") I hope my poor heart and head can take the inevitable increase in these emotions!
This weekend's lake party, coupled with spending time with the family at the lake again for 4th of July last night, just makes me appreciate all that I have in my life because I know just how blessed I am to have friends that would lay their lives down for me. I also could not be getting a better family if I had asked for it. I just need to focus on these feelings of belonging and acceptance and love, and it puts the little wedding "things" back into perspective.
Now where is that amazing fiance of mine...?
It must be terribly exciting to be able to say "I'm getting married in 48 hours!" I know that I will eventually be able to say it too, but not for awhile yet. I'm really trying hard not to wish away the next 3.5 months, because I know that they are just as monumental a time in my life as every other chapter in the book. It's one of those things that you want forever to start NOW! because you've known it was coming for years. Honestly though, with as excited as I already am (last night I looked at Jason and said "We're getting married!") I hope my poor heart and head can take the inevitable increase in these emotions!
This weekend's lake party, coupled with spending time with the family at the lake again for 4th of July last night, just makes me appreciate all that I have in my life because I know just how blessed I am to have friends that would lay their lives down for me. I also could not be getting a better family if I had asked for it. I just need to focus on these feelings of belonging and acceptance and love, and it puts the little wedding "things" back into perspective.
Now where is that amazing fiance of mine...?
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Energizer keeps going
After the party this weekend and realizing how truly amazing all of my friends are, it makes me even more eager for the wedding to get here already! I'm still trying to get everything done now to avoid the stress of running around wishing I'd taken care of things sooner.
Today's big project was to tackle a lot of the DIY printing stuff. I made a mock-up of our ceremony program and I also picked out the music that we will use at all the different times. The one thing I wanted to avoid was long songs where we just stand around while our guests watch us chat with the pastor, so be prepared for some songs not to make it from start to finish. I ran all of the details by Jason when he got home, showed him my mock-up and he likes them, so now I need to purchase nicer paper (or some type of print-it-yourself kit) and finalize the order of events when we have the next meeting with our pastor - whenever that is - and they'll be ready to go to press!
Along with the programs, I created the inserts that will go in the envelope with the invitations - there's a map, suggested hotels to stay at, and driving directions coming from the two major highways near our venue. [FYI - Hwy 45 is NOT a practical way to get here, so get over that now!] I also am including a little blurb directing everyone to our wedding website for more info. I just have to decide if I'm going to do each piece as a separate insert, or save myself the time of cutting each sheet into three separate pieces. My laziness may win out on this one. Have to buy semi-decent paper for this project, too.
I started thinking about how I want to do escort/place cards and I'll admit I haven't got much. Originally, we weren't going to do a designated seating arrangement, but given that our guest list is larger than what we can (comfortably) fit into our reception room while still having enough room for a head table and a dance floor, we realized we can't afford for every table to have an empty seat open. As it is, many of our tables will be seating nine, so unless we work and rework numbers a bunch of times, there will inevitably be people forced to sit alone in those odd onesies. We don't want to cause guests awkward turtle moments because that's when they'll opt to just leave, so we will be putting a lot of thought into who sits where so that everyone at least knows one other person at their table. Of course, I can start working on how to set the display up and how to design it to fit with the rest of our wedding, but I can't very well assign table buddies and numbers until I start to get most of the RSVPs back. So listen up, people - when you get an invitation from us, please please PLEASE send back the response card quickly!
I keep having to remind myself to slow down, enjoy being engaged (it's the shortest "chapter" in my life) and focus on more things besides just this weekend. While the party this weekend really opened my eyes to who my true friends are, it also helped me reconnect with many of them, face to face, being active and generally not talking much about the wedding, except for how excited everyone is. That makes my heart happy that the people I care about most are not only supportive, but excited about our marriage. It reaffirms (not that I need it) that Jason and I really do make a great team!
Today's big project was to tackle a lot of the DIY printing stuff. I made a mock-up of our ceremony program and I also picked out the music that we will use at all the different times. The one thing I wanted to avoid was long songs where we just stand around while our guests watch us chat with the pastor, so be prepared for some songs not to make it from start to finish. I ran all of the details by Jason when he got home, showed him my mock-up and he likes them, so now I need to purchase nicer paper (or some type of print-it-yourself kit) and finalize the order of events when we have the next meeting with our pastor - whenever that is - and they'll be ready to go to press!
Along with the programs, I created the inserts that will go in the envelope with the invitations - there's a map, suggested hotels to stay at, and driving directions coming from the two major highways near our venue. [FYI - Hwy 45 is NOT a practical way to get here, so get over that now!] I also am including a little blurb directing everyone to our wedding website for more info. I just have to decide if I'm going to do each piece as a separate insert, or save myself the time of cutting each sheet into three separate pieces. My laziness may win out on this one. Have to buy semi-decent paper for this project, too.
I started thinking about how I want to do escort/place cards and I'll admit I haven't got much. Originally, we weren't going to do a designated seating arrangement, but given that our guest list is larger than what we can (comfortably) fit into our reception room while still having enough room for a head table and a dance floor, we realized we can't afford for every table to have an empty seat open. As it is, many of our tables will be seating nine, so unless we work and rework numbers a bunch of times, there will inevitably be people forced to sit alone in those odd onesies. We don't want to cause guests awkward turtle moments because that's when they'll opt to just leave, so we will be putting a lot of thought into who sits where so that everyone at least knows one other person at their table. Of course, I can start working on how to set the display up and how to design it to fit with the rest of our wedding, but I can't very well assign table buddies and numbers until I start to get most of the RSVPs back. So listen up, people - when you get an invitation from us, please please PLEASE send back the response card quickly!
I keep having to remind myself to slow down, enjoy being engaged (it's the shortest "chapter" in my life) and focus on more things besides just this weekend. While the party this weekend really opened my eyes to who my true friends are, it also helped me reconnect with many of them, face to face, being active and generally not talking much about the wedding, except for how excited everyone is. That makes my heart happy that the people I care about most are not only supportive, but excited about our marriage. It reaffirms (not that I need it) that Jason and I really do make a great team!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Happy trumps exhaustion
This weekend we had a party with all of our friends down at the Granbury lakehouse. We're sorry to those of you who missed it, we missed you too. We had a lot of fun and it was wonderful to see all of our friends and have them finally meet Jason's parents who, everyone agrees, were wonderful in every way. Our friends all finally got to meet each other and everyone got along great. We are so excited for October to get everyone together again.
We have the best friends in the world!
We have the best friends in the world!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Too revealing?
I don't know if I've ever actually come out and said exactly what is happening when Jason and I take off for our honeymoon. *Drumroll*
We are going on a Western Caribbean cruise! That's right - 8 glorious days to lounge around being married while we let everyone else take care of us. Saturday night after we make our grand exit, we are heading to the hotel and going to bed so that we can get up early the next day and drive to Galveston, where our cruise takes off from mid-afternoon.
From there, we sail to Montego Bay, Jamaica. After spending two and half "Fun Days at Sea" on the ship, we will be ready to get out and stretch our legs! We have been looking at shore excursions offered here and below are our favorites:
1. Royal Beach Experience with Lunch and Falls - in short, we get to climb a huge waterfall (over 600 ft!) hang out with dolphins, hang out on the beach in our private cabana, have a little lunch, and then get free foot massages!*
2. Dunn's River Falls and Dolphin Touch Encounter - with this one we also get to climb the waterfall, and then afterwards we are actually allowed to get in with the dolphins and take pictures and such. Then we get to enjoy a Jamaican-style buffet lunch.*
From Jamaica we head back out on the water until we reach Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands on the fourth day. We are a little disappointed in the lack of anything exciting to do excursion wise, but here are the three we've narrowed it down to:
1. Coral Reef and Stingray Safari - a boat ride to some pretty coral, and then an area heavily populated with stingrays. We can hold, touch and take pictures with them, too.
2. Stingray City Island Tour - a tour of a turtle farm/conservation center, a visit to the town of Hell, then a trip out to the stingray sandbar to feed them and such. On this one we get complimentary drinks (including rum punch) and get to listen to "great Caribbean music" as well.
3. Cayman parasail and beach escape - lasting only an hour and fifteen minutes, this excursion includes riding on a powerboat, parasailing (for 6-8 minutes), seeing some scenic views, and then exploring the beach (but only if we want to pay a taxi to take us back to the ship.)
Not really excited by Grand Cayman offerings. Maybe we'd be better off just exploring what we can of Grand Cayman on foot. When we cruised to Canada a few years ago, my family didn't pay to do any "organized" shore excursions, but there was still plenty to do and see (and buy!)
Our last leg of the trip before heading home is Cozumel, Mexico. Here, the activities promise to be more exciting, but which to choose?
1. Cozumel Bike and Snorkel Adventure - a triathlon of sorts. Biking, snorkeling, and then roaming the beach. While I initially balked at the idea of doing something this physical, the description does say the bike ride is "flat" and "paved." Not to mention that I hate to think of myself being such a lush for 8 days that I can'tbe bothered to do something besides be chauffered.
2. Mayan Jungle Explorer - ferry over to Playa del Carmen, bike through the jungle, do some zip-lining, watch a Mayan purification ceremony (performed by a "real Mayan Shaman") and have lunch before heading back. Again with the bike thing, but this one says the minimum age is 8 - I can keep up with an 8 year old, can't I?
3. Mexican Beach Cooking and Tasting - learn from a "prestigious chef" how to make authentic Mexican fare. Then eat it, paired with Mexican wines and an open bar. Then play around the water for a bit.
A little more excitement going on in Cozumel, eh? Now let's take a vote: which ones sound the most appealing to you from each city? Let's take another vote: who wants to treat K.C. and Jason to a honeymoon shore excursion!
Have any of you been on a cruise before - either this one or another one? Did you do any of the shore excursions? Were they worth it or would you rather have stayed back on the boat or done the free activities within walking/exploring distance? Should we do something in all three ports, or pick two, or even just pick one?
We are going on a Western Caribbean cruise! That's right - 8 glorious days to lounge around being married while we let everyone else take care of us. Saturday night after we make our grand exit, we are heading to the hotel and going to bed so that we can get up early the next day and drive to Galveston, where our cruise takes off from mid-afternoon.
From there, we sail to Montego Bay, Jamaica. After spending two and half "Fun Days at Sea" on the ship, we will be ready to get out and stretch our legs! We have been looking at shore excursions offered here and below are our favorites:
1. Royal Beach Experience with Lunch and Falls - in short, we get to climb a huge waterfall (over 600 ft!) hang out with dolphins, hang out on the beach in our private cabana, have a little lunch, and then get free foot massages!*
2. Dunn's River Falls and Dolphin Touch Encounter - with this one we also get to climb the waterfall, and then afterwards we are actually allowed to get in with the dolphins and take pictures and such. Then we get to enjoy a Jamaican-style buffet lunch.*
From Jamaica we head back out on the water until we reach Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands on the fourth day. We are a little disappointed in the lack of anything exciting to do excursion wise, but here are the three we've narrowed it down to:
1. Coral Reef and Stingray Safari - a boat ride to some pretty coral, and then an area heavily populated with stingrays. We can hold, touch and take pictures with them, too.
2. Stingray City Island Tour - a tour of a turtle farm/conservation center, a visit to the town of Hell, then a trip out to the stingray sandbar to feed them and such. On this one we get complimentary drinks (including rum punch) and get to listen to "great Caribbean music" as well.
3. Cayman parasail and beach escape - lasting only an hour and fifteen minutes, this excursion includes riding on a powerboat, parasailing (for 6-8 minutes), seeing some scenic views, and then exploring the beach (but only if we want to pay a taxi to take us back to the ship.)
Not really excited by Grand Cayman offerings. Maybe we'd be better off just exploring what we can of Grand Cayman on foot. When we cruised to Canada a few years ago, my family didn't pay to do any "organized" shore excursions, but there was still plenty to do and see (and buy!)
Our last leg of the trip before heading home is Cozumel, Mexico. Here, the activities promise to be more exciting, but which to choose?
1. Cozumel Bike and Snorkel Adventure - a triathlon of sorts. Biking, snorkeling, and then roaming the beach. While I initially balked at the idea of doing something this physical, the description does say the bike ride is "flat" and "paved." Not to mention that I hate to think of myself being such a lush for 8 days that I can'tbe bothered to do something besides be chauffered.
2. Mayan Jungle Explorer - ferry over to Playa del Carmen, bike through the jungle, do some zip-lining, watch a Mayan purification ceremony (performed by a "real Mayan Shaman") and have lunch before heading back. Again with the bike thing, but this one says the minimum age is 8 - I can keep up with an 8 year old, can't I?
3. Mexican Beach Cooking and Tasting - learn from a "prestigious chef" how to make authentic Mexican fare. Then eat it, paired with Mexican wines and an open bar. Then play around the water for a bit.
A little more excitement going on in Cozumel, eh? Now let's take a vote: which ones sound the most appealing to you from each city? Let's take another vote: who wants to treat K.C. and Jason to a honeymoon shore excursion!
Have any of you been on a cruise before - either this one or another one? Did you do any of the shore excursions? Were they worth it or would you rather have stayed back on the boat or done the free activities within walking/exploring distance? Should we do something in all three ports, or pick two, or even just pick one?
Sunday, June 24, 2007
A spin on tradition
Racking your brain trying to come up with the perfect gift for parents, wedding party, or even just birthdays? Why not make a donation in the recipient's name. So many of us get caught up in the materialistic side of things, like having tangible favors (that will be tossed out if they ever even make it home with your guests.)
There are couples who decide to make donations instead. If they both believe in a common cause, they write a check to that organization, then announce to their friends and family what they've done, in the name of everyone else.
But isn't that a bit altruistic? Doesn't that really say that the couple didn't want to spend money on their favorite cause AND their guests, so decided to lump it all together? Wouldn't it be more charitable for a couple to tell guests to make donations in their name, instead of bringing a traditional gift? This would work especially well for those couples who are older, have furnished homes and don't need the starter-home type of gift.
For those who are still interested in making a difference in the world, there is still a way to do so without seeming quite so selfish. Instead of sending one lump sum to your chosen philanthropy, why not do a little more research and make the donations more personal?
For your animal-loving mother, you could make a donation to the SPCA. For the music loving cousin, a donation to ASCAP. While each organization wouldn't stand to inherit $1000, it would be more meaningful to each guest that you took the time to think about what truly mattered to them, and acted on it. Then it would totally unselfish, and thoughtful to boot!
If that seems like a nice idea, but realistically would be too much work for your fete of 500 closest friends, why not pick 3 or 4 charities, then go through your guest list and decide which of them each person would most likely identify with.
Having a hard time deciding how to name all the tables at the reception? Why not make a different donation for each table? Then your table card could have a picture of someone (or something) who has been impacted by the donation, as well as a brief history of the group you donated to.
This would work especially well for smaller parties, as thank you gifts. Even if Uncle Ned was the only one who would appreciate a donation to the preservation of blue-footed boobies, and even if that donation would up only being $10, every little bit helps, right?
There are couples who decide to make donations instead. If they both believe in a common cause, they write a check to that organization, then announce to their friends and family what they've done, in the name of everyone else.
But isn't that a bit altruistic? Doesn't that really say that the couple didn't want to spend money on their favorite cause AND their guests, so decided to lump it all together? Wouldn't it be more charitable for a couple to tell guests to make donations in their name, instead of bringing a traditional gift? This would work especially well for those couples who are older, have furnished homes and don't need the starter-home type of gift.
For those who are still interested in making a difference in the world, there is still a way to do so without seeming quite so selfish. Instead of sending one lump sum to your chosen philanthropy, why not do a little more research and make the donations more personal?
For your animal-loving mother, you could make a donation to the SPCA. For the music loving cousin, a donation to ASCAP. While each organization wouldn't stand to inherit $1000, it would be more meaningful to each guest that you took the time to think about what truly mattered to them, and acted on it. Then it would totally unselfish, and thoughtful to boot!
If that seems like a nice idea, but realistically would be too much work for your fete of 500 closest friends, why not pick 3 or 4 charities, then go through your guest list and decide which of them each person would most likely identify with.
Having a hard time deciding how to name all the tables at the reception? Why not make a different donation for each table? Then your table card could have a picture of someone (or something) who has been impacted by the donation, as well as a brief history of the group you donated to.
This would work especially well for smaller parties, as thank you gifts. Even if Uncle Ned was the only one who would appreciate a donation to the preservation of blue-footed boobies, and even if that donation would up only being $10, every little bit helps, right?
Friday, June 22, 2007
Guilty parties
My wonderful ladies have been coming to me with some neat ideas lately for my shower and my bachelorette party. Someone suggested a lingerie party, which is great because I could definitely use some, but on the other hand, I think my personal supply is limited because I'm so picky, and so oddly shaped. It's true that you become way less active after college. While I am in the process of trying to remedy that before October, I'm still in that awkward limbo zone.
One of the things I've read about lately and thought would be a neat idea is a honeymoon shower. Especially since I think we're doing a couples shower instead of ladies-only, it's not fair that most of the things we would get would be cutesy, girly things.
A honeymoon shower is also the perfect place to mention a honeymoon registry, too. I've seen testimonials of many a couple who could not have gone where they did and done what they did without the help of cash, cleverly disguised in a honeymoon registry.
While I know it's taboo to solicit gifts, because it's really all about the family and friends celebrating together, those who do want to mention something about gifts are faced with the difficulty of being tasteful about it. I came across this poem the other day, written by the bride's sister, explaining the honeymoon registry concept, and smoothly linking to the couple's own. The way it was worded, I don't think anyone would be offended.
From http://www.thebigday.com/help/KarenGenePoem.asp
It reads:
"Karen and Gene are planning to tie the knot,
off to Maui they'll go, but invited we're not.
The couple's sunset nuptials will come true
On Saturday, the 26th of October, 2002.
Per their request, no parties or showers and that's no lie,
but Karen's big sister, Debbie, would not comply.
Let's join together and send them on a honeymoon to remember,
a Bon-Voyage party by Email with gifts for both genders.
TheBigDay.com is where the registry can be found,
log on to the website and take a look around.
Our collective contributions will add to their fun,
or simply give them an extra day in the sun.
Our assistance will help with their flight or rental car,
kayaking, windsurfing, or drinks at the bar.
Champagne breakfast, a luau, or beach bar-b-que,
or an evening dinner cruise with a sunset view.
Since we won't be in attendance we can all be a part
Karen and Gene
will appreciate our thoughtful gifts from the heart."
Very cute, and it gets the point across. I think once people realize everything costs money on a trip, they'll be more willing to help out. I love how the sister threw in actual things they can do with the money, instead of just saying it'll help them a lot.
I really think it's a cute idea. It would be a neat way to get some of the things that we need anyway (like sturdy luggage, good beach towels, stuff to do the days we are at sea, maybe a pineapple slicer?) but it will help us out beforehand (getting luggage as a wedding gift we will open after we return doesn't really help us!)
As for the lingerie theme, I think we will save that one for the bachelorette party. The difficulty in planning that one is that my sister isn't old enough to drink, so we can't really barhop, which is fine by me, since I'm more of a dedicated bar girl than a hopper. What we can do is go to a nice dinner and have drinks there, then go home and do the lingerie/pajama/girly stuff in the privacy of our own home. Of course, we can all drink there, too, without worrying about being carded. I'm trying to think of what else people do at bachelorette parties that don't involve strip clubs or entire nights at bars. I'm open to suggestions, people!
One of the things I've read about lately and thought would be a neat idea is a honeymoon shower. Especially since I think we're doing a couples shower instead of ladies-only, it's not fair that most of the things we would get would be cutesy, girly things.
A honeymoon shower is also the perfect place to mention a honeymoon registry, too. I've seen testimonials of many a couple who could not have gone where they did and done what they did without the help of cash, cleverly disguised in a honeymoon registry.
While I know it's taboo to solicit gifts, because it's really all about the family and friends celebrating together, those who do want to mention something about gifts are faced with the difficulty of being tasteful about it. I came across this poem the other day, written by the bride's sister, explaining the honeymoon registry concept, and smoothly linking to the couple's own. The way it was worded, I don't think anyone would be offended.
From http://www.thebigday.com/help/KarenGenePoem.asp
It reads:
"Karen and Gene are planning to tie the knot,
off to Maui they'll go, but invited we're not.
The couple's sunset nuptials will come true
On Saturday, the 26th of October, 2002.
Per their request, no parties or showers and that's no lie,
but Karen's big sister, Debbie, would not comply.
Let's join together and send them on a honeymoon to remember,
a Bon-Voyage party by Email with gifts for both genders.
TheBigDay.com is where the registry can be found,
log on to the website and take a look around.
Our collective contributions will add to their fun,
or simply give them an extra day in the sun.
Our assistance will help with their flight or rental car,
kayaking, windsurfing, or drinks at the bar.
Champagne breakfast, a luau, or beach bar-b-que,
or an evening dinner cruise with a sunset view.
Since we won't be in attendance we can all be a part
Karen and Gene
will appreciate our thoughtful gifts from the heart."
Very cute, and it gets the point across. I think once people realize everything costs money on a trip, they'll be more willing to help out. I love how the sister threw in actual things they can do with the money, instead of just saying it'll help them a lot.
I really think it's a cute idea. It would be a neat way to get some of the things that we need anyway (like sturdy luggage, good beach towels, stuff to do the days we are at sea, maybe a pineapple slicer?) but it will help us out beforehand (getting luggage as a wedding gift we will open after we return doesn't really help us!)
As for the lingerie theme, I think we will save that one for the bachelorette party. The difficulty in planning that one is that my sister isn't old enough to drink, so we can't really barhop, which is fine by me, since I'm more of a dedicated bar girl than a hopper. What we can do is go to a nice dinner and have drinks there, then go home and do the lingerie/pajama/girly stuff in the privacy of our own home. Of course, we can all drink there, too, without worrying about being carded. I'm trying to think of what else people do at bachelorette parties that don't involve strip clubs or entire nights at bars. I'm open to suggestions, people!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Four on the floor
Four months from right this moment, Jason and I will be on our way to the hotel to celebrate our wedding night!
Getting carded
I'm determined to do some more craft projects for my wedding. There are so many things out there that are way overpriced, just because they have the word "wedding" in their name. So many things are so simple, yet brides stress themselves trying to be too perfect. Plus, the more projects i do myself, the more our wedding has a personal feel to it.
I present to you my latest project, that took little time and few supplies. I'm going to use it at the wedding so guests who bring cards can have a safe place to put them without worrying about someone stuffing all that cash and gift-cardness into a jacket and walking out the door.
Step one: Find a box. Any old box will do, so long as it's big enough to hold all your cards.
Step two: Using a pair of scissors, or an exacto knife, carefully cut the two smaller flaps off of the box. I left just a bit of flap to keep it sturdier, and if you really want to be frugal and use the box again, you can just tape down the flaps inside the box (make sure to tape really well because if the flaps pop up the cards may not fit.
Step three: Tape the box closed. Make sure you really tape everything well, especially around the perimeter. Don't worry so much about the middle seam where the big flaps join, because it won't matter in a minute.
Step four: Using an exacto knife (or in my case, a large kitchen knife) cut a strip out of the middle of the top where the big flaps meet. Make the strip long enough that big wedding cards will fit, and thick enough that cards stuffed with something in them won't get stuck.
Step five: Wrap the entire box in wrapping paper. I used old paper I had lying around from a wedding a long time ago. That way, it blends in with the other gifts in their pretty wrapping. You could also get creative and use gift wrap in your wedding colors, or some other type of paper (recycled paper for a green wedding, newspaper for an editor-in-chief bride, etc.)
Step six: Using the knife again, cut the wrapping paper so the strip in the box is visible. A hint here is not to remove the paper that you cut, but instead wrap in along the flap and tape it into the underside of the box, so that you can't see the brown color of the cardboard underneath.
Step seven (optional): Add a matching bow for a little something extra.
P.S. - sorry about the unmade bed!
I present to you my latest project, that took little time and few supplies. I'm going to use it at the wedding so guests who bring cards can have a safe place to put them without worrying about someone stuffing all that cash and gift-cardness into a jacket and walking out the door.
Step one: Find a box. Any old box will do, so long as it's big enough to hold all your cards.
Step two: Using a pair of scissors, or an exacto knife, carefully cut the two smaller flaps off of the box. I left just a bit of flap to keep it sturdier, and if you really want to be frugal and use the box again, you can just tape down the flaps inside the box (make sure to tape really well because if the flaps pop up the cards may not fit.
Step three: Tape the box closed. Make sure you really tape everything well, especially around the perimeter. Don't worry so much about the middle seam where the big flaps join, because it won't matter in a minute.
Step four: Using an exacto knife (or in my case, a large kitchen knife) cut a strip out of the middle of the top where the big flaps meet. Make the strip long enough that big wedding cards will fit, and thick enough that cards stuffed with something in them won't get stuck.
Step five: Wrap the entire box in wrapping paper. I used old paper I had lying around from a wedding a long time ago. That way, it blends in with the other gifts in their pretty wrapping. You could also get creative and use gift wrap in your wedding colors, or some other type of paper (recycled paper for a green wedding, newspaper for an editor-in-chief bride, etc.)
Step six: Using the knife again, cut the wrapping paper so the strip in the box is visible. A hint here is not to remove the paper that you cut, but instead wrap in along the flap and tape it into the underside of the box, so that you can't see the brown color of the cardboard underneath.
Step seven (optional): Add a matching bow for a little something extra.
P.S. - sorry about the unmade bed!
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