So when I first became engaged this past July, I hit the ground running...and by running I mean in a Usane-Bolt-kind-of-way. Everyone thought I was crazy to lock in our venue, church, photographer, band, color-scheme, etc, so quickly. I had a method to my madness - I did NOT want to be tackling wedding to-do's over the holidays (specifically the time between Thanksgiving and New Year's). Truth be told, I am glad I did it my way - it has left me with a fair amount of sanity (thought some might argue differently), and time with my fiance!
Also - any future bride to be can go loony over the bountiful choices that bombard engaged couples. So, I offer my helpful tidbits.
*Disclaimer: I am not a wedding planner with years of experience, but I am a bride that very much believes in a gut instinct and not getting roped into too many choices or busting the bridal budget!*
1. Limit the number of people that accompany you to various key appointments. These are meetings such as bridal gown browsing, venue searching, and florist visits. More people=more opinions=harder to decipher what YOUR (and your fiance's) true feelings are! Originally I felt bad that I did not include more people in my decisions, but now I am happy I decided while I knew what I wanted, and not what everyone else thought I wanted...
2. If it looks good, feels good, and seems good, it probably is...and you should book it! I could have looked at a dozen venue sites - but the golf course where he proposed had a site that overlooked our proposal site - hello??? Of COURSE I made it easy and toured the reception site, asked the questions, looked at the budget, etc....when it all matched - I said "yes!"
3. Don't feel the need to compare/contrast your friend's weddings to yours, and don't "outdo" anyone else! I have a close friend who was desperate to make sure her wedding was perfect and stood up against her friend's nuptials. The truth is, after the happy couple says their vows, seals it with a kiss, dines and toasts with guests, and tears it up on the dance floor - the other "extras and decor" are just icing on the proverbial cake. If it doesn't have a special meaning to you, don't spend the money to impress your friends. They are already impressed you have found a love so great you want to spend forever with that person - so just be happy!
These are my loose wedding planning commandments, and I vow (as a present bride-to-be) to do my best to hold true to them!
What about you guys? Any tidbits your friends and family shared to keep you sane through the planning process? Anything you wish they would have said?
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
What? There are non-wedding related things in the world?
Before I became a full-time bride, I once enjoyed witty blogs to break up my day. That being said, I still have a few that I follow through my igoogle (have you tried it? sooo addictive!) They are as follows:
3FatChicks - This is a great weight loss website full of other blogs from men and women fighting the bulge. There once was a blog entitled "Those pants don't make you look fat, your fat makes you look fat" - which is albeit, a long title for a blog, but still hilarious (and oh so true).
Anyways, take a look and perhaps start your own witty entries on how you fight the bulge.
Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist - one word, fabulous. She writes on how to balance work and personal lives, how to be a kick-ass woman and still be fabulous in your own right, etc. I find it to be a lovely break from my wedding planning, because it reminds me that I do have a career to chase concurrently with planning my nuptials.
Personal Branding Blog - With all the constant chatter of wedding monograms, etc (I love a good monogram - don't get me wrong) - how about some own PERSONAL branding? Like - you - the career minded individual who has dreams and hopes for their future? Here they discuss great topics and source interviews with wonderfully innovative people - check it out if you need a good read.
Wiki How - How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee for updating me on how to ride a bull without making an ass of myself, or how to knit a crochet square, how to make oatmeal in the hotel coffee maker in my room, or how to get rid of stretch marks (not that I have any presently). : ) Always good for an enlightening tidbit.
Women's Health Magazine - As a subscriber to a number of female health and fitness-minded magazines, I somehow always come back to Women's Health. Perhaps it is their no-holds-barred approach to fitness and advice, or how they always manage to be truthful (let's face it - losing weight and looking good is not as easy as 30 minuts of Pilates and a Mediterranean diet). Whatever their source of infinite wisdom and inspiration, it often inspires me the way Jillian from Biggest Loser does when she is in a moment of fitness-rage. : ) I say this all, of course, as I eat a chocolate Santa and stare at my uber-fitted mermaid wedding gown. *grin*
3FatChicks - This is a great weight loss website full of other blogs from men and women fighting the bulge. There once was a blog entitled "Those pants don't make you look fat, your fat makes you look fat" - which is albeit, a long title for a blog, but still hilarious (and oh so true).
Anyways, take a look and perhaps start your own witty entries on how you fight the bulge.
Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist - one word, fabulous. She writes on how to balance work and personal lives, how to be a kick-ass woman and still be fabulous in your own right, etc. I find it to be a lovely break from my wedding planning, because it reminds me that I do have a career to chase concurrently with planning my nuptials.
Personal Branding Blog - With all the constant chatter of wedding monograms, etc (I love a good monogram - don't get me wrong) - how about some own PERSONAL branding? Like - you - the career minded individual who has dreams and hopes for their future? Here they discuss great topics and source interviews with wonderfully innovative people - check it out if you need a good read.
Wiki How - How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee for updating me on how to ride a bull without making an ass of myself, or how to knit a crochet square, how to make oatmeal in the hotel coffee maker in my room, or how to get rid of stretch marks (not that I have any presently). : ) Always good for an enlightening tidbit.
Women's Health Magazine - As a subscriber to a number of female health and fitness-minded magazines, I somehow always come back to Women's Health. Perhaps it is their no-holds-barred approach to fitness and advice, or how they always manage to be truthful (let's face it - losing weight and looking good is not as easy as 30 minuts of Pilates and a Mediterranean diet). Whatever their source of infinite wisdom and inspiration, it often inspires me the way Jillian from Biggest Loser does when she is in a moment of fitness-rage. : ) I say this all, of course, as I eat a chocolate Santa and stare at my uber-fitted mermaid wedding gown. *grin*
Monday, December 8, 2008
Gushing...
Okay, I have to gush over my photographer, Lisa Hessel. She took our engagement photos, and will be doing our wedding next summer! After sifting through many photographers, I finally found her - and she was truly a breath of fresh air! Her husband is also a photographer, and they will shoot our day in tandem - splitting up to shoot the guys/girls/etc, which is just fabulous! Lisa travels for shoots - so if you have a photography need, I HIGHLY suggest taking a look! Please give all photo credit to Lisa Hessel Photography.
Return to sender...
I did the DIY project, I diligently addressed the envelopes and fought tooth and nail with my printer, I lovingly applied postage, and gently placed them into the mailbox to be delivered to our wedding guests and family.
Then it happened....
The RTS stamp from the post office, accompanied by my lovely save the dates and the addresses that no longer were. WHY would someone give me the wrong address? I only ordered a set number, and had planned on cutting costs by mailing them to "The Smith Family" - more formality planned for the invites. Now I have to go back through, make more envelope liners, hope I have enough envelopes, and re-send them? Ugh!
Has anyone else had family send them the incorrect address? How hard is it to make sure the numbers on the outside of the house match those in your composed email?
Okay, that is my bridezilla rant of the day....calmness will resume shortly...
Then it happened....
The RTS stamp from the post office, accompanied by my lovely save the dates and the addresses that no longer were. WHY would someone give me the wrong address? I only ordered a set number, and had planned on cutting costs by mailing them to "The Smith Family" - more formality planned for the invites. Now I have to go back through, make more envelope liners, hope I have enough envelopes, and re-send them? Ugh!
Has anyone else had family send them the incorrect address? How hard is it to make sure the numbers on the outside of the house match those in your composed email?
Okay, that is my bridezilla rant of the day....calmness will resume shortly...
DIY for the first time...
Last I left off I was fighting the epic envelope battle of '08, and I think I finally won! Having given in to my 4-bar size envelopes that were indeed a hair too small (boo Kodak, shame on you for cheaping out) - I tried to make them at least look gaw-gous if they were too small! Kind of like that LBD that is just a hair too tight, so you make up for it with great shoes and fabulous hair. : )
Here is my lesson in making quick and easy envelope liners
1. Make a pattern from your existing envelope. I used heavy cardboard and traced around the outside of the envelope.
2. Trim the point of the envelope pattern down 1/4 to 1/2 inch (depending on how thick the glue line is). Trim the sides down 1/4 to 1/2 inch as well.
3. Once you have the pattern, trace it on the paper of choice. Lucky for me, I found lovely damask wrapping paper, and tessellated the pattern onto the paper. That way - you only have to cut 1 line for 2 sides of liners! I will post photos in case this makes no sense!
4. I used double-stick tape on a roll from the scrapbook store. Glue tends to make the paper buckle and can cause unsightly marks on the front of the envelope where guests will first see your lovely Save the Date!
5. Insert the tape-applied paper to the envelope, firmly press down, and fold on the pre-creased envelope line.
6. Voila! You are now an artist and have saved yourself from buying expensive pre-lined envelopes. Three episodes of Grey's Anatomy got me through the entire process for 100 Save the Dates - start to finish....good luck! : )
Here is my lesson in making quick and easy envelope liners
1. Make a pattern from your existing envelope. I used heavy cardboard and traced around the outside of the envelope.
2. Trim the point of the envelope pattern down 1/4 to 1/2 inch (depending on how thick the glue line is). Trim the sides down 1/4 to 1/2 inch as well.
3. Once you have the pattern, trace it on the paper of choice. Lucky for me, I found lovely damask wrapping paper, and tessellated the pattern onto the paper. That way - you only have to cut 1 line for 2 sides of liners! I will post photos in case this makes no sense!
4. I used double-stick tape on a roll from the scrapbook store. Glue tends to make the paper buckle and can cause unsightly marks on the front of the envelope where guests will first see your lovely Save the Date!
5. Insert the tape-applied paper to the envelope, firmly press down, and fold on the pre-creased envelope line.
6. Voila! You are now an artist and have saved yourself from buying expensive pre-lined envelopes. Three episodes of Grey's Anatomy got me through the entire process for 100 Save the Dates - start to finish....good luck! : )
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