Snail Mail! (Our Save The Dates)

Although it took a while for our actual vision of magnetic photo strip Save The Dates to come to life, they finally have -- and we snail mailed them out! YAY!!!

(Hard at work assembling the Save The Date's)

After both photo shoot sessions, we combined three new images from Tom's cousin and one image from our wedding photographer. Then I got busy in Corel Paint Shop Pro X and made them into a photo strip inspired by the ones you get at the mall -- complete with a top graphic. It was obvious ours had to say LOVE! That's the the whole reason behind all of this!

Here are how our Save The Dates looked in graphic-only form:

(Designed by yours truly in Corel Paint Shop Pro X)

And here they are completed in ready-to-mail form:

Now, I knew that we wanted to make these into magnets. Silly me, I just thought that we would cut off a few small chunks of adhesive magnet to put on the top and bottom. That obviously wouldn't have looked too hot and might have made for uneven paper on people's fridges... thank God for my sexy and smart sweetheart reminding me that we needed to put magnet backing on the whole backs of each photo strip - so that's what we did.

(Showing off his proud magnetic backing skills!)

Magnetic backing wasn't enough for these to be considered completed though. I have a strong appreciation (as I'm sure you all do too, of course) for crafty, cute packaging so once we had all of our magnets done we embellished these beauties. That's where the extra paper, tags saying "Made With Love" and raffia bows came in. I am really proud of our Save The Dates and couldn't have done it without Tom (so thanks baby- if you're reading this!)

(Just a few of the many Save The Dates all ready to be stuffed in envelopes and mailed out!)

My next post will be on a step-by-step tutorial on how to re-create these beauties. :) Get readdyyy for some crafting!

Did you make your Save The Dates from scratch? Why or why not?

What To Do About Shoes!

I bet you were expecting our completed (and awesome, might I add) Save The Date's to be the next post. Well, you probably would have had good odds of that happening if I wasn't such a ditz! I left my camera at Tom's house so the Save The Dates will get their big reveal tomorrow.

Until then, there's been all sorts of other exciting things going on in our wedding world. I picked out -- and purchased "the dress." Of course, I'm not going to give you any details about that right now. You'll have to go through the tedious proccess along with me as I re-cap (and mentally re-visit) the many bridal shops I visited and gowns I tried on...which should at least be partly entertaining.

The point is: I picked out my dress and now I get to accessorize. Although I've never been a huge shoe girl, I do love me some cute heels. Right now I'm dreaming off pink glittery heels. So I google image searched for some.


These for the wedding? Probably not. for anything. ever.

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These? Definitely possibilities!

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Ahh, beautiful. Rhonestones all over for lots of sparkle and just the right shade of pink for girliness! By far my favorite thus far...especially for only $140.

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Satin = Sexy. The bow embellishment is so sweet. Too bad they don't have a back. I'd be afraid to dance all night in these. No glitter, though.

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I never said they had to be all glitter. :) The brooch on these make them flashy yet classy.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure where else to turn to find pink glittery heels. And who knows, maybe I'll go with something different anyways. So I turn to you guys...

What are the good shoe stores out there to find beautiful heels for such a special occassion?

The Second Time Around...

As in my previous post, I mentioned that we had a second round of engagement photos because the first time my curls ended up falling out and we mistakenly left the most important photos (for our Save The Dates) as last on our agenda. So, Tom asked his cousin to help us re-create the Save The Date photos in front of a tree. This time, we did it in Tom's hometown at the park where our actual wedding reception will be. :)

I also learned a lesson from the first photo shoot - don't bother curling my hair the second time around, just in case it was really hot out again. Sometimes it's nice to have a redo... although it's a scary reminder there is no redo when it comes to the actual wedding! Anyways, Tom's cousin went above and beyond-- He actually stayed with us for quite a while taking extra pictures as well.

First, here's a teaser of how the second round of Save The Date's turned out!

Haha! Tom did not like this one when we attempted cheezin' but I think it's cute. I edited the text on there since we did a few with a blank piece of paper.

Here's the rest!




We were really happy with all of them...BUT the actual date 10/2/10 ones! It was a bit windy and unfortunately we didn't get a good shot of the paper flat with the date. So now what were we going to do when we compiled our Save The Date photo strips? My hair is curled in the first set of photos by Brian, and now in the second set it's not... so our thoughts were something like this: We can't merge them, can we? Oh yes, we can, and so we did. (The idea of a third photo shoot could have been a"charm" but Tom isn't nearly into posing for a camera like I am, so we made the best of it for our actual Save The Date photo strip.)

Before I show you how our actual Save The Dates and the photo strip turned out, here's some other photos by Tom's cousin that we really liked.






Did you have any bumps in the road when it came to your engagement photos and the bigger picture of using them for Save The Dates?

Our E-Pic(nic)s

Last month, Tom and I had our engagement photos done by our wedding photographer, Brian of Ideal Impressions. We (well, I) choose to do a picnic-type theme shoot to match accordingly with our wedding. This was done not only for cohesiveness but also because we are planning to have booklet-type invitations where some of the pages will be photos of us! Our photographer had suggested the beach as we are by Lake Michigan and could get some really gorgeous shots but I just didn't feel that was us or matched our theme... plus it was a little cliche for my liking (as if picnic-theme shoots arent, ha I know right?!) So, we still went near Lake Michigan but to a park.

Meeting with our photographer was a wonderful experience. Right off the bat he explained to us how he works. The first picture he took was near perfect with the way he had the light cast off my hair. I packed three outfits for Tom and I; however we only got to two of them. No biggie. The pictures still turned out great with some planning on my part and our photographer's skills.

Packing props is a great way to maximize your photo shoot. I packed the following:

• a collection of inspirational photos so I didn't forget any ideas
  
• bright green apple -- to go with our bright outfits
• picnic blanket to lay on
• picnic basket
• mason jar & flowers
  
• bubbles (didn't get to use these, but what a fun idea!)
• and of course, the most important... our Save The Date papers! We wanted our Save The Dates to be a fun photo strip of us so I printed off on paper the words "SAVE" "THE" "DATE" "10/2/10" for us to hold up.

Are you ready to see how some of our photos turned out? I can't wait to show you..




This is my absolute favorite! I cannot wait to have this in our booklet invitations!


Do you spot our apple, flowers, and picnic blanket? :)



This one isn't picnic themed at all, but Tom loved these rocks and we couldn't pass up a photo opportunity...




Cute story about this picture above: When I was at home, I trimmed the flowers I bought and had exactly all of these stems left. They were the perfect size/amount to spell LOVE!

And here are our filmstrip Save The Date's from the shoot! Since our theme is shabby chic outdoors, we thought it would be really cute to do these in front of a tree so it was in the background.




The weather was extremely hot that day and the curls in my hair ended up falling out really quickly so we weren't exactly happy when we saw these. Of course, it's nothing that our amazing photographer did, it was just my hair and the weather obviously didn't cooperate.

Because of this, we opted to have a SECOND photo shoot-- but this time to save us the money we used Tom's cousin who does photography has a side hobby. We figured his skills were good enough to just re-shoot the Save The Date's for us so we didn't look so sloppy in something that would be going on 50 people's fridge for who knows how long!

Want to know how the second photo shoot turned out? Keep watching for the next post on it.

Did you have a distinct vision for your engagement shoot (inspiration photos, props, and a theme) or did you go with the flow?

Lack of update

Sorry dolls, but there has been a lack of updating this blog for various reasons.

• I had applied for my blog to be featured on WeddingBee.com and still have yet to recieve a letter either way so I've been a bit discouraged. All of my really "great" posts I've been trying to save for that day...but now I'm not sure it's coming. *Fingers AND toes still crossed*
  
• My cousin who was in his 30's recently died and left behind a wife and their young daughter. This makes me very sad and has had me thinking about how it will affect her in the long run. My father passed away when I was in the 3rd grade so I can totally relate. My heart goes out to my family.
• We closed on our house and have been super busy with that. It's also restricted us cash-wise.

The good news is I'm back and have tons of posts for everyone! After raiding tons of dress shops, I'm still not sure what dress I'll end up with but I have lots of photos for you to laugh at (don't worry, I'll be laughing too!) Also, we got our engagement photos (finally) so we can share those as well as our Save-the-Dates. I'm also working with an invitation designer right now on using some of our engagement photos in a little booklet-type invite. Lots of picture-filled posts to come! Stay tuned and thanks for hanging in there with me.

The Value of Shopping Around

Shopping excites me. Finding the best deals and saving money is something everyone can relate to desiring even if they don't do it. For me, it's priority. Coupons, clearance, BOGO deals, Oh my! So it's no surprise that even though I (thought I) found my dream dress, I was still ready to compare/contrast prices elsewhere.

To date, I've only visited two bridal shops. I had a random, hilarious dream (later post on that) about ending up in a certain dress - the only dress that stood out from both trips and over 20 dresses I had tried on. Since Tom's opinion is most meaningful to me, yesterday we took a trip back to the shop to re-try on the dress I liked along with a few others.

Let me first say that it was such a good idea to go back to the store. Previously they would not disclose the exact dress style or designer, but the second time around they did without hesitation. Probably a bad idea for them as my shopping instincts kicked in and now I can find the dress elsewhere for cheaper, etc.

Here's the dress I'm talking about... Casablanca Style 1900.


The dilemma came in because it's sleeveless which is highly inappropriate at our Catholic church. Of course, there's many options to make this dress still a possibility. The most recommended is a bolero jacket (AKA cheesy formal-type cardigan) but that's my least favorite. So after talking with the seamstress at the bridal shop, it was obvious an option would be to either have cap sleeves or build in some sort of a top. My idea was for a t-shirt like top. They suggested ordering extra of the glittery overlay lace and getting something sewn on. That, of course, was their best option of what they could do and I was alright with it.

Today I was having second guesses on the gown though. Would it look okay with a complete top and such a flowy bottom? Did I really love it? No, I didn't. But the possibilites for sleeved dresses are so limited and this one was alright I thought...

Enter in a modesty bridal shop, Latter Day Bride online. Start the browsing of dresses with sleeve. "Ohhh, this one looks like what I want. *click* Wait, this is a LOT like what mine with a t-shirt top would look like," I thought to myself. Upon further comparing, I'm convinced it's my exact dress but with the t-shirt top that I thought I wanted.

LOOK.


Casablanca style 1900. Notice the top bead work, colored sash, and the lace bead work beneath it?

Doesn't this dress look really, really similar?(That's all the further I could zoom in)

Yep. It's the dress I wanted with the t-shirt top I wanted. Crazy!!!

So, let's say I still wanted the Casablanca altered into a t-shirt top design. Price at the bridal store (without costs of extra lace and seamstress work) is $898.00. Price at the online retailer (with no extra costs needed) is $1045.00. It seems the best bet would be to order it online... and even if I wanted it sleeveless, Google is to the rescue with cheaper prices on the Casablanca! See? There's a HUGE value to shopping around!




Now, not only could I have the dress for ultimately a cheaper price but it would the top would be prettier. It would actually be cohesive as it'd have the same top material. The only problem is that the dress isn't for me. I'm so lucky to have been able to see a picture of what it would look like -- at it's best -- to realize that it's just not "me" for my one and only wedding day.

Make sure you do the same! Take your time and put effort into making sure you know the dress is for you. It's just one of the huge decisions that goes with planning a wedding.

When you found your (prospective) dress, did you shop around before committing to buy?

Facing The Music

Lately things have been considerably slow in the world of wedding planning. Don't be fooled: I'm still planning 24/7, but for something different right now. Our focus has gravitated for the rest of the month towards making sure we have everything we need to close on our first house (EEEK! :) Super exciting, and more about house+registry=fun soon.)

However, Tom gave me some instructions today: Finish his laundry...check. Look up electrician's phone number...check. Face the music and find a DJ...(screeching halt) This has been one thing up until this point that does not grab my interest. Gasp! Why might you ask? A previous landlord of mine owns a wonderful DJ service but unfortunately he was booked for our date so I kind of stopped looking after that. Trust is vital when it comes to a DJ because you trust them to play good music, keep everybody entertained, and make special announcements in a professional manner. They need to respect your wishes, understand the audience, and make sure everyone is having fun. It sounds easy enough, right? Unfortunately, I haven't been to many weddings but the ones I have been to the DJ's have left me with a meh feeling. When guests leave our wedding, I'd like for them to think of how much fun they had in every aspect-- which includes the dance floor.

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So is it possible to avoid a washed-up, inappropriate music-playing, talentless DJ??

My ideas (kind of no-brainers here!)

• Ask friends & relatives for suggestions based on their experiences
• Read reviews on websites - such as WeddingBee's own section on reviews
  
• Make sure to meet with any DJ before booking to discuss Play/Do Not Play lists
• Keep your fingers crossed
• Or, skip the DJ all together and use an iPod

Any other ideas? How has your DJ experience turned out?

Ridin' In Style

For being such an attention-detail bride, there has been one thing so far that has all been Tom's choice -- what we are riding in from the church to the reception!

I invite you to come in to one BIG (censored) LIMO (and yes, it's really named that...so we'll call it BAL):

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ARE YOU READY FOR THIS MONSTER?!!

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Now that you're in, have a look around...

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Here is a view from the back of the limo (VIP section) If you look closely, you can see the fireplace and huge screen TV above it!

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Here's the view from the front of the limo to what the actual back VIP section looks like. Two TVs, some big speakers, and a bar...not bad.

This bad boy packs:

• 3 bars
• 3 TV’s including a 32” plasma DVD
• CD player iPod hook-up
• Disco floor & bars
• VIP back lounge 34 ft long
• 18 passenger or 20 skinny people
• Moon roof
• Higher ceiling height of standard limo
• U lounge style seating for ultimate comfort and style
• Fireplace

And, I couldn't be more excited about it! Old fashioned cars are classic, regular limos are fine, but nothing says we're serious like this H2 Hummer. We actually got a better deal on renting this for 6 hours compared to a typical Cadillac limo or something similar that we were looking into, and the best part? We've rented the limo from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. After we're done using the limo (before our dinner at 5 p.m.) the driver has agreed to let children go for rides in it around the parking lot for the remainder of the time. How fun and what a great way to really stretch our money to make it worthwhile! I suggest it to everyone if they are having a lot of younger guests or have excess limo time.

Also, the sticker with inappropriate wording will be taken off while we are renting it. The company is obviously used to this request by now so it wasn't a problem.

Did you let your fiance figure out transportation for your wedding? Why/why not?

*All images were prtsc from my laptop so that I could crop and edit.

Bridesmaid Dresses

Tea-length. Bubblegum pink. Thicker straps. High waisted. These are the words that come to mind when I think of my dream bridesmaid dresses...

In the coming week or two, I am planning to take my girls shopping for their dresses! So, the dilemma comes in of either letting them all choose the same dress or, once again, straying away from the beaten path and letting them all choose different dresses.

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VS.

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(Aren't those purple dresses with the bows just delectable?! That silky fabric and huge bow make them so adorable!)

There are pro's and con's to both dress styles. Pro's of doing different dresses would be allowing the girls to pick out something that matches their body type and personality. It lets them know that hey, you are special because of who you are and aren't just here to be my back up dancer. Con's are that they wouldn't be the back up dancers if I so desired, photogenically speaking of course. Pro's of doing the same dresses would be that they are all uniform, traditional, and in a dress I'll obviously love! Con's would be that the dress might not be flattering on all of the girls and could end up ruining some photos, making them uncomfortable, etc.

The reason this is such a big deal for my girls and I is because I have one bridesmaid who is not only overweight but also states away -- all the way in NJ! It seems the easiest choice would be allowing the girls to pick out different dresses from the same retailer in the same color for something to tie them all in. However, is that what I want? Yes, I want to be somewhat accommodating and appreciative of my bridesmaids (they ARE my friends after all...) but am I sure that this "something different" in my wedding isn't going to be too much with my eclectic plates, different choice of reception venue, etc?

My bridesmaid in NJ has went to David's Bridal and also to a Dessy retailer. However all of the same sizes at Dessy were too small, and I'm not a fan of David's Bridal. So of course, she found something at David's Bridal that was nice to her. The problem is it wasn't for my wedding vision. My next step is to have her keep dress hunting and photo snapping for me while I take the other girls shopping around here to hopefully find the "bubblegum pink" dresses that I want and see what happens from there!

Did you go through this much bridesmaid dress dilemma? How did you decide to keep all the dresses the same -- or not? How did the bridesmaids, your family, or guests take the decision?

Drowning In Numbers

The other night we went over Tom's side of the family's guest list. We got a grand total, including children, of 228 people. My side should be about another 40 or so, plus our mutual friends. I always knew our wedding would be around 250 people but it's actually just hitting me now. It's easier to say that's how many people we are having than to actually start planning for it. My biggest challenge is dinnerware.

I know that I am making it more complicated and hard on myself by being anti all things catering, including china, but eclectic plates is what I want. To me, that's completely shabby chic and beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though and I just know that people are either going to love or hate my vision.

Yesterday I went plate searching. I visited a Value Village, Goodwill, and Dollar Tree. All three were successful for me. However it is becoming abundantly clear that buying not only plates but also dessert plates, glass chalets, and silverware is more costly than I realized. At first I told everyone that it's about .99 cents to buy a plate verse .40 cents to rent a plate so after the fact we'd either keep these plates, donate and tax write them off, or just have a beautiful theme for our wedding it didn't seem like such a bad idea. Now, the price is really starting to add up. Most plates I'm finding are $1.99 which is doubling the already doubled cost! At this point though I do love my vision but it's becoming such a challenge and I'm literally drowning in the numbers - both financial costs and just how many more plates I still have to buy for 250 guests!

I will add pictures later tonight to show you guys my collection so far. :)

Would you nix the idea before I get half way done and lose out on more money, or push through the challenge to get to my ultimate vision? Should I just do catering all together and nix the homemade food idea, too? Ahh, somebody help!!!