The Better to Wed You With

What brings out my inner bridezilla?

2010-03-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Coworkers who show up to work with the very contagious flu that several other people that I work with have gotten in the past few weeks. Sitting one very flimsy wall away from me, coughing and sniffling and spreading their germs everywhere. Getting the flu on my wedding day would be bad enough. But if you ruin my honeymoon because you just couldn't bring yourself to work from home another day, I'm going to kill you and your manager and anyone who told you this was a good idea.

Don't come to work sick. Ever. But especially not if a girl who sits three feet away from you is getting married in 7 days.

Pretty table set-ups...

2010-03-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

Credit:
scissors.paper.cake, Alannah Rose

More attempts at wedding hair...

2010-03-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

Look 1

Look 2

Look 3

What do you think? :)

So this is pretty...

2010-03-03T13:14:00.001-08:00

Credit:
Amelia Strauss Photography (via)

Our cake topper is finished!

2010-02-21T16:54:00.001-08:00

How cute is this?!

I think it looks like us! What do you think?

A big thank you to Lollipop Workshop for their great work!

Of wedding dresses and weight loss...

2010-02-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

I bought my wedding dress last summer. This was both before Kellen proposed (although I knew it was coming soon enough that when I saw a gorgeous dress being sold for much less than the original price tag, I couldn't pass it up) and before my metabolism finally gave out on me.

I've always had the sort of metabolism that made grown women, and actually most of my friends my age, roll their eyes in disgust. I could eat all I wanted, and I never had to worry about gaining a pound. If anything, I'd probably have to worry about what I could do to keep the pounds on. This was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, I fit the contemporary beauty ideal pretty easily and flattering clothing was easy to come by. On the other, I developed a lot of bad eating and exercising habits. I might have been thin, but I wasn't healthy by any stretch of the imagination.

At some point in the spring or summer of last year, my metabolism slowed considerably. Whereas before I could eat a pound of cake and probably end up losing a pound, that pound now became 2 pounds. The numbers on the scales were a little higher every time I weighed myself. None of my pants zipped, and all of my dress shirts felt too tight around my arms. And, most worrying, my wedding dress got harder and harder to zip and snap closed.

I've spent the past few months stressing over the fact that I've been putting on weight, the fact that my wedding dress is just a hair too small. I started focusing on making healthier foods and eating at home, where I tend to have better portion control. I started trying to fit working out into my daily schedule. The weight gain has slowed, but I still haven't seen a big reversal.

The thing is...I'm still thin. And if it weren't for the fact that every time I think about my wedding dress, I also think OMG THE ZIPPER WON'T ZIP!!!, I probably wouldn't worry about it at all. The extra pounds, in my opinion, look nice. Sure I'd like to have a more toned back side and upper arms, but with the weight I'm at now, those things could easily happen without shedding any pounds. The constant focus on the scales just got to the point where it felt unhealthy.

So I bought a new wedding dress. One that fits the size that I am now and would be more flattering for my new body shape. I've always hated how brides-to-be struggle and fight to cram themselves into too-small wedding gowns, trying so desperately to meet a beauty standard that is, for most women, unrealistic and unhealthy. I have no desire to do that myself. So instead of torturing myself over trying to fit into a dress that's too small, even if it did fit a year ago, I'm just going to get one that fits me now.

I feel so much better. And after trying on the new dress, I feel really happy with my choice. I'm going to look great, and it's nice to feel great about my body just the way it is.

I'm going to keep cooking healthy foods, having a more well-rounded diet, and exercising. Those things also make me feel good. I'm just going to stop worrying about whether the healthier food and working out are having an effect on my waist line. It's not healthy, and it's just one more thing in my life that it is pretty pointless to stress out about...so why do it?

The wedding website is up!

2010-02-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

I've been slowly but surely building this over the past couple of months. It's still not finished--still compiling info for the reception in Washington, and it's 5 months away so no rush--but enough of it is done that I feel comfortable sharing it with people.

www.kellenandkatie.com

What do you think?

Wedding hair and make-up

2010-01-30T21:55:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with my hair and make-up for the wedding. Since it's pretty much a given that it's going to be a DIY affair, I figure I'll need a lot of practice.

Here's what I've come up with so far.

What do you think? The color's a little washed out from taking very unprofessional photos in our bathroom, but... I have to say, I'm kind of impressed with myself. After two years of barely being able to be convinced to swipe on some mascara for special occasions, I think I did a pretty bang up job. :)

Looks good enough to eat!

2010-01-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

How amazing is this dessert buffet?!

I love the look. It's pretty much perfect.

Credit:
Jasmine Star (via)

Decorating with hydrangeas...

2010-01-14T15:44:00.001-08:00

I love this hydrangea wreath, posted today on Snippet & Ink.

Not a huge fan of the greenery, but I love the bow and the colors...

Credit:
Ariella Chezar and Meg Smith

More jewelery purchases for the big day...

2010-01-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

With less than 60 days to go before the wedding, I'm starting to really crack down on getting together things for Mexico.

Today's big purchases? Jewelery.

The bracelet is from KD Studios, and the earrings are from Nest Pretty Things. I think this is pretty much it for the shiny. I'm worried that, since I am so short and the dress is kind of plain, that too much more will overdo it substantially. I have a serious thing for sparkly stuff, though...

Next on the list...a new swimsuit?

Hung up!

2010-01-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

How darling are these customizable clothes hangers from LilaFrances?

Love it! What a perfect item to hang your dress on, especially for pictures!

DIY hair piece

2010-01-12T09:57:00.001-08:00

The Bride's Guide has a tutorial up for a gorgeous DIY hair piece...check it out!

Two months to go!

2010-01-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

With a little over two months to go before the wedding, I've started hunkering down on getting the things I need for the wedding. Yesterday, I bought this comb to wear in my hair from OhFaro on Etsy:

I've got the kinks worked out on my hairstyle and have decided that instead of doing wet set curlers (which are time consuming and make my already naturally curly hair kind of difficult to maneuver), I'm just going to use hot rollers. Of course, that means I have to go buy hot rollers.

Another thing on the agenda is underwear. My dress is kind of sheer, so I'm looking for a floor-length white half slip to keep from looking like Trailer Trash Bride on the big day. I've found a couple on the internet--but not from reputable sellers, which makes me uncomfortable--so if any of you know of a good place to get a decent slip, let me know. I know, I know, no one under 40 has ever worn a slip. But trust me, on this occasion, it's necessary.

I'm also going to start hunting for cute lingerie. ;)

Apart from that, the dress is ready to go. I've got my shoes. I'm looking for some earrings and maybe a bracelet, but that should be pretty easy to locate.

Starting to get excited! Can't wait for some sunshine!

Rethinking the bouquet

2010-01-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

Some ideas...

Purple

Pink

Yellow

White

There are also white dendrobium orchids... Hmm... I'm not good at this stuff.

Credit:
The Knot, The Knot, The Knot, The Knot, Fiesta Hotel Group, Nancy Graham, FlowerHawaii.com, Toronto Florist, FlowerHawaii.com, Rocco Troyani

A new up 'do!

2010-01-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

Trying to figure out the mechanics of this look and decide if I can do this on my own... I love this! So elegant and romantic and soft.

*siiiigh*

Credit:
Robert and Kathleen Photographers (via Style Me Pretty)

Quick bit of inspiration before the weekend...

2009-12-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Texas

Washington

Credit:
Ruffled Blog, All the Mountains

Balloons in your wedding decor?

2009-12-03T11:47:00.001-08:00

I won't lie. Something inside me loves the idea of balloons at weddings. I know, I know. This is soooo easy to do badly. At the same time, I've seen it in a few instances done really well, particularly when you stick to using opaque, solid color oversized balloons. It can make the whole thing look so whimsical and airy...

Check these weddings out:

When it comes to things that could be tacky unless done exactly right, I rarely ever do it exactly right. (Which is why I try to stick to simple, classic stuff as much as possible.) But this is sooo cute, and I'd love to try it out.

No idea if we could incorporate this at either reception, since I think I'm already getting close to overdoing it with both receptions. But if I can't do it, and if you are the kind who can pull things like this off, maybe you should do it at your wedding...and send me pictures, so I can live vicariously through people far more talented than I. ;)

Credit:
Green Wedding Shoes, Amy Atlas via Style Notes, Green Wedding Shoes, Boutwell Studio

The history of the wedding cake

2009-12-03T10:08:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered where the tradition of having a wedding cake comes from? You can find the answers in the Spring 2005 issue of Gastronomica, wherein Carol Wilson recounts the long history of wedding cakes.

I think my favorite part is the recounting of royal wedding cakes--500 lbs. and 9 feet around! Can you imagine how nerve-wracking it would be to have to deliver monsters like that?!

Credit:
Martha Stewart

More dessert table inspiration

2009-12-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

This table gave me some great ideas for set-up as well as for some tasty desserts. Going through Diana's websites gave me even more great ideas for things we can put on our table (and made me hungry!) So much deliciousness!

Credit:
Diana Sproveri (via)

This is not the topper you are looking for...

2009-12-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

...or is it?!

Han and Leia on your wedding cake? Yes, please!

Credit:
Kevin Smith photography (via)

Lacy luminarias and votives

2009-12-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I've seen repeatedly that I would love to do for our Washington reception is lacy luminarias and votives.

They're simple to make and oh so lovely. Definitely doable.

Credit:
Papermash (via), Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart

Lighting at the Washington reception

2009-11-29T11:03:00.000-08:00

So we're starting to get serious about the Washington reception. Kellen's mom and I spent a good chunk of Thanksgiving talking about ideas, and Nanny has recruited one of her friends (who has a florist and catering business, and who has done two previous generations of weddings on that side of the family!) to help. I'm really excited about where everything is going, with the hydrangeas and the dessert table.

One of the things I've been trying to figure out though is what to do about lighting, since it will be outdoors.

Last night, we were watching the movie 500 Days of Summer, and I really, really, really loved the lighting in the wedding:

I'm not sure how doable this is, but I really love the overall look. Here is a closer look at the bulbs used:

Looks like a mix of the little twinkle lights inside the fabric, and then the really large bulbs are used going between the poles and on poles where there isn't fabric.

I also like the luminarias:

*siiiigh*

The ever-growing to do list

2009-11-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

At the top of this list are:

Get Kellen's passport
Start working on legal marriage stuff for Oregon
Take my dress to the tailor to be taken up (by approximately 10 feet)
Get the website up and going. (I did the mock-ups last night. Soooo cute.)

I'm also considering getting a florist license in Texas for the Texas reception and possibly one up here so we can do wholesale flowers. I need to discuss this with my mom, and keep forgetting.

Other items include: collecting fabric for the Texas wedding, start hording twinkle lights (before the holidays end and they disappear from the shelves), getting pinking shears, and once we've got the spare bedroom cleared out (Max is moving out over the holidays) to get a work station in place, including sewing machine, so I can get to work hard core on all the bunting I want to do in Texas.

*sigh*

There's so much to do. I took the last couple of weeks off kind of, because I was tired of thinking so much about wedding stuff. It seems like a long time away. 6 months. I know it won't seem like much time at all, though, in a couple of months.

Less than four months til the wedding itself. Holy jeebus.

Paisley wedding?

2009-11-24T13:53:00.003-08:00

I love this paisley theme wedding from Kelly Oshiro events. Not that I have anywhere to use any of these ideas, but I do love me some paisley.

Engagement Photos by Kristina Dodd

2009-11-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

We met with Kristina (and her husband, Josh) last night to pick up our finished photos, and they are FANFRIGGINTASTIC. Here are some of my favorites:

McMenamin's Edgefield was a great backdrop for the photos, and Kristina did such a great job. Super duper happy!

Ello There stationery

2009-11-19T11:45:00.001-08:00

I love pretty much everything on Ello There's etsy. She's got a wide variety of wedding stationery suites, all with fun, absolutely adorable art work.

The sets are also relatively inexpensive. A $4 invitation set includes the invitation, a response card or reception card, and envelopes. If you send out 100 invitations, you've only spent $400, which--let me tell you--in the world of wedding invitations is practically bargain basement pricing.

I give these a BIG thumbs up. I'm even considering convincing my mom to go this route instead of what we're already doing...

Talk about setting the mood...

2009-11-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

Credit:
Soiree Events

Floating candles...

2009-11-18T14:28:00.001-08:00

I love this. It looks like something out of a fairy tale...

Credit:
La Dolce Vita Photography

Not that I have anywhere to use this idea, but...

2009-11-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

My inner magpie loved all the shiny.

Credit:
JK Photography

Another great dress!

2009-11-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

Credit:
Jonas Peterson

Guiness cupcakes FTW!

2009-11-16T17:56:00.000-08:00

I love tumblr, because I'm always finding recipes like this one on it. These are called "Guinness Gasm" and in case you can't read what the sign says, the description reads:

A Guinness and chocolate cupcake with bittersweet chocolate filling, Bailey's butter cream frosting and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Kellen, my favorite beer aficionado, gave this a big thumbs up and his vote for being one of the items on our dessert table in Seattle.

Super cute scratch-off save the date cards!

2009-11-12T16:53:00.001-08:00

I love these super duper cute save the date cards from Leslie Harmer! It's such a fun idea, and I love Leslie's designs! :)

Assorted Reception Decor Ideas

2009-11-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Texas

DIY pennant banner from OnceWed

Lighted paper pennant garland from OnceWed

DIY pinwheels from OnceWed

Windsocks from Clover & Bee

Poms/paper dahlias for hanging from Martha Stewart

Obviously, going to have to have an editorial spirit going into this. I don't want the reception to look like a craft show exploded all over the place. I also want to make sure that 1) I have enough time to do all the I want to do, and 2) that anything I need time to do in advance will ship well from Oregon to Texas. That and budget are my biggest considerations...

Seattle

DIY paper lace garland from Project Wedding

Dessert table (in lieu of a cake) from Amy Atlas Events

Paper lanterns, probably without the butterflies

A giant giraffe ice sculpture (J/K!)

I'm still not entirely positive what I want for the Seattle reception/party/whatever you want to call it. I think my problem is that I like everything too much. You know, except a giraffe ice sculpture. I think it's safe to say that's not going to make the cut. ;)

One thing that I definitely need to remember to do is stock up on clear fairy lights at Christmas. One of Kellen's friends who got married back in September had an impossible time trying to find fairy lights at the end of the summer, and her dad (who is either a saint or insane) scraped all of the paint off of the colored fairy lights they had so she could have clear fairy lights at her wedding. Um, no. There will be no scraping. We'll just make a stop at Wal-Mart in the middle of all the Christmas madness.

Favors

2009-11-11T11:02:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking about ideas for favors. For the Texas reception, I was thinking maybe rock candy? You can buy it in bulk for slightly under $1/stick, and then I was thinking of rewrapping them in colored cellophane with white or yellow ribbon.

For the Seattle reception, I spotted these on OnceWed, and I think they are adorable. They are DIY paper fortune cookies. It looks pretty straight forward, and we can write our own fortunes to put inside, which sounds like a lot of fun. Again, they are inexpensive, but I think they are so cute. My cubemate has given an enthusiastic double thumbs up and is in fact planning on making them for her family's Thanksgiving dinner this year.

So what do you think? Too cheap? Too cheesy?

Credit:
Camille Styles, OnceWed

More destination wedding etiquette

2009-11-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

The Bride's Guide has more advice on good destination wedding etiquette, this time regarding at-home receptions after the fact.

When do you have a destination wedding reception, if you plan on doing another one once you get back? Talley Sue Hohlfeld recommends within 3 months of the wedding. To be specific: "Honestly a quarter of a year is enough time for other people to be excited about your wedding."

Agreed. We're doing the Seattle reception a little later than that (4 months almost to the day after the wedding itself), but Kellen has family from Scotland who are already planning on being in Washington for that weekend, so...

I'm really glad there are some posts out there about the etiquette of destination weddings. Even my mom, who is Southern to the core and the queen of good manners, didn't know the etiquette surrounding a destination wedding. It's so nice to find a little bit of guidance from the good ol' internet. :)

A whole garden of flowers

2009-11-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

My mom and I have been talking quite a bit about what kind of flowers to have at the Texas reception. Because we don't want to go through a florist (it's pricey, and I think I'm a little too picky to go with the one and only local florist in my hometown), we've attempted to look at wholesale (you need a license) or calling in favors from somewhere. My mom has now decided, though, that she's just going to grow the flowers herself.

My parents are pretty serious gardeners. All summer long, they keep a garden growing, and they have tomatoes and peppers and cucumber and zucchini and squash. Plus, they do a lot of landscaping around the house. Their backyard is a veritable jungle. They have so many different kinds of flowers and bushes that I can't keep up with it all.

My mom put in an order for several flowers, and these are what she has so far:

We've got summer daffodils, charlotte gladiolus, chincherinchee, yellow dahlias, white gladiolus, and white peonies.

We're going to have to figure out a way to get yellow and white roses, since those will take more than a few months to grow, but I'm pretty excited about the selection so far, and I really like that my parents will be growing the flowers for the reception back home. It feels right, and I know they will be fresh and beautiful.

Credit:
Breck's catalogue

Another gorgeous dress!

2009-11-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

With This Ring posted about J. Crew's bridal selection. Generally speaking, I love J. Crew's wedding dresses. They're all so simple and elegant and comfy looking. (Comfortable is important.) But this one I love in particular.

I love the neckline and the fact that it has straps. I love that it is form fitting through the waist--the narrowest part of your body--and flows out elsewhere, which is an incredibly flattering silhouette. I also like that it looks almost casual, perfect for a garden or beach wedding in the heat of the summer. The price isn't that bad either, as far as wedding dresses go.

Again, I've already got my dress all picked out, but...if I didn't, I'd be looking at this one pretty seriously.

If you're looking for a good photographer in Portland...

2009-11-09T12:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some more shots from our engagement session photographer, Kristina Dodd.

She does engagement and wedding shoots, kids, senior portraits, and so on. And she does a great job! She doesn't have a website yet, but if you're interested, let me know and I'll give you her contact information. :)

About that etiquette...

2009-11-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

I found a really great post over on the Bride's Guide blog entitled What not to say about your destination wedding. I think a lot of this is just common sense, but I guess some people need to be reminded about that every once in a while.

Personally, we're just telling people, No matter where we have the wedding, someone would be inconvenienced. His family is all in the Northwest. My family is all in Texas. Not all of our family members and friends are in a place to make the trip to the other side of the country--financially, due to health reasons, etc. So we're eloping so that no one feels slighted (or everyone feels slighted equally?), and we'll party with everyone (on either side of the country) when we get back. While I know that still doesn't satisfy everyone, I feel like we've done our best to include as many people as possible in celebrating the beginning of our marriage. And it's important to me that as few people as possible be put out or inconvenienced in doing that, because celebrating our marriage is our choice, not theirs.

I don't really know how people would justify it if they were expecting friends and family to join them in their Big Day Away. I certainly hope expense, size and "everyone can come!" aren't the reasons though, because they just aren't very honest reasons. If you are doing it because that's the way you've always imagined getting married and it means a lot to you to do it in that way, just tell people that. I'm assuming if you've made the decision to have a destination wedding, you've already acknowledged the fact that some people will be necessarily excluded, and you shouldn't try to make it seem like you're doing it so everyone can join in when you know that's not the case.

The Seattle reception...

2009-11-09T09:47:00.001-08:00

I haven't talked much about the Seattle reception up until now because I've been so focused on getting a venue reserved for the ceremony. However, after hearing back from our planner at Adventure Weddings and getting the date set (YAY!), I finally talked a little with Kellen about ideas for the reception at his grandmother's.

I was kind of hoping to go for a completely different feel at Nanny's. She and Grandpa Gordon have a beautiful home, and I don't feel like extending the shabby chic decor from the Texas reception will do her home justice. So I was thinking something a little more classy, but still simple...

What do you think?

Credit:
The Cheshire Smile

And the top topper is...

2009-11-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

DING DING DING! This adorable item from Lollipop Workshop.

It's a super cute customizable cake topper. Click through to see more examples!

Engagement picture sneak peek!

2009-11-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

The rain cleared up long enough for us to get in some photos this afternoon at McMenamin's Edgefield right outside of Portland. Edgefield was amazing, and we had so much fun with our photographer, Kristina Dodd. Kellen went to high school with Kristina, and we had a blast catching up with (or in my case, getting to know) her and her husband, Josh. Plus, she posted a sneak peek on facebook this afternoon! YAY!

OMGSOEXCITED! I can't wait to see the rest!!!

Engagement photos this weekend!

2009-11-06T15:49:00.001-08:00

At least, I hope so. The weather is supposed to be a little on the gnarly side. In fact, we moved doing the pictures back from Saturday to Sunday because it's supposed to be so wet and gross on Saturday. Cross your fingers.

On the upside, we're going to manage to catch the tail end of the fall colors! So let's hope the sun comes out a little bit on Sunday so we can get some of those gorgeous reds and golds in the pictures with us!

Even though I already have a dress...

2009-11-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

It's still fun to look at what else is out there! I found this one on the Brides.com forum.

It's from Priscilla of Boston, and I loooove the dress. (Click through to see the back. It kills me!)

If I were having a more upscale wedding at a downtown location, this would be the dress I would wear. Everything about it is perfect, from the neckline to the adorable belt to the way it falls. It's so confident and elegant and sort of tomboyish all at the same time.

So, yeah. If we decide to add a fourth event, maybe then. ;) In the meantime, maybe one of you girls should consider it?

The bouquet?

2009-11-06T15:24:00.001-08:00

I've been doing research into flowers for the ceremony in Mexico. While I'm not 100% positive about availability and cost, I've seen other venues in Puerto Vallarta that offer these flowers a part of their standard bouquets. The flowers I really like?

White stargazer lilies
Blue dendrobium orchids
Ginger

Example of a stargazer lily and blue dendrobium bouquet:

It looks like this might also have some white dendrobium orchids mixed in or maybe stephanotis. I love the pop of blue amid all the white.

Here is a bouquet of purple dendrobium orchids at the same place where we're getting married:

I can't find any pictures of stargazer lilies mixed with the ginger, but here's a picture of what ginger looks like:

Again, I think it's the pop of color thing.

I've looked and looked at bouquets, and I've decided I don't really want roses or daisies, and I also don't want something loud and a lot of different colors. I like to keep it simple, but at the same time a little interesting.

Also, trying to imagine how this would look with my dress. Maybe just the ginger? Hrmm...

Credit:
Sun Kissed Weddings, Elizabeth Medina Photography, Costco

We're getting married on March 16!!!

2009-11-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

Someone finally returned one of my e-mails! And they confirmed our date!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!!

I'm so excited!

In four months and eight days, I will be marrying my sweet love here:

Oh, man. I wish it were tomorrow. :)

The cake topper dilemma continues...

2009-11-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

So neither my mom nor my fiancee like the super adorable The Small Object cake toppers that I've been in love with for months, so I'm considering (considering only, mind you) getting something else. So here are some cute cake toppers for inspiration:

The following were paper figurines found on E-bay that were hand-fashioned into this adoooorable cake topper:

This cake topper was done by Bunny with a Toolbelt, who has so many adorable cake toppers up on her site, it makes my heart want to explode into sparkly confetti every time I look at it. It's so cute, it's serious.

More, more, more:

I think it's safe to say I really have a thing for animals in top hats. ;)

Definitely have some ideas to go with...

Credit:
abbytrysagain, Leo Patrone, Martha Stewart Weddings, JLPhotografia, Dear, Girlface, Cornflake Girl, Goose Grease, Charm City Cakes, Jennifer Murphy, Ann Wood Handmade

The dress is officially on lockdown!

2009-11-05T15:44:00.001-08:00

The fiancee commented on my post about getting the dress:

I don't read this, you should post in full detail with pictures 0_0

Cute, fiancee. Very cute. ;)

Still no returned e-mails or phone calls...

2009-11-05T15:38:00.000-08:00

Still haven't heard anything from the resort. I contacted one planner in the area on Monday. Never heard back. I tried to get my date reserved with another planning company. Despite being told I should hear back within 48 hours, I still haven't heard from them either. I can't even get someone at the local community college to return my phone calls about transcript issues!

I'm obsessively monitoring my cell phone, my work phone, my inbox, my spam folder...nothing!

I'm beginning to feel like I've fallen into a communication black hole. :(

Speaking of dresses...

2009-11-04T18:04:00.001-08:00

Mine arrived in the mail today (thanks, Erica!!!) and, miracle of miracles, it fits!!! YAY! It's so pretty, too. Light and airy...perfect for the beach. :-D

I purchased the dress earlier this summer from OnceWed. Yes, before Kellen proposed, which is why Erica's had it in safe keeping for me for the past few months. I won't go into too much detail, since the fiancee reads this, but I thin it's the perfect dress for me, for us, and for the occasion.

It needs to be taken up by quite a bit. No surprise there. When you're 5'1" everything needs to be taken up. Other than that, no pounds need to be lost, no work needs to be done! SO EXCITED!

One good thing about my wedding?

2009-11-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

No bridesmaids dresses!

Because the ceremony is in Mexico and it's just going to be us and our parents, I think I've managed to dodge my least favorite thing about weddings: having to select bridesmaids (oh, the drama) and then, far worse, dress them in outfits that best accessorize not them, but the wedding. Yick. Happy to avoid this entire scenario.

None of my girlfriends will ever hear me say, "And you can wear it again!" None of them will have to spend weeks scouring department store racks looking for flattering dresses in a trendy-for-weddings hue that they think might meet my approval. And they will certainly never be forced into matchy-matchy outfits that are all the wrong color, fabric, and fit for them, and which they will most definitely never wear again.

It's not that it can't be done well. Clearly, for some it can. It's just that it seems like an awful lot of effort for something that more often than not turns out badly.

Putting aside my loathing for this movie for just a minute, can we take a moment to celebrate 27 reasons why it is such a good thing that none of my friends will be subjected to being bridesmaids--or wearing the hideous dresses that so often go along with the job?

I know having bridesmaids is a way of recognizing your friends and close family, but to my girlfriends: I hope you know that I love you so much that I would never expect you to wear unattractive clothing for me. ;)

Can I just say...

2009-11-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

"The caterers from Chef Nick Mueller & Co. served smoked barbecued pulled pork with house made Vidalia onion barbecue sauce and buttermilk coleslaw." - Martha Stewart Weddings, Grace and Aaron: Savannah Georgia

Mmm mmmmm!!!

On with the decorating!

2009-11-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

So I sent off my ideas about the yellow flowers and mason jars to my mom last week, and she promptly got back to me with what she liked of the bunch. She loved the chocolate groom's cake with the yellow flowers (I think it's hard for anyone to disagree with Martha Stewart), the blue mason jars(!!!), and some of the flowers:

I was so glad she instantly got on board with the shabby chic style. And my mom being my mom, she's already starting to amass jars of all sizes and has sent half of Northeast Texas off on a mission to make sure I have more than enough jars at my wedding. ;)

We've also located a decent bakery (no simple task when you live in a rural area where the websites of most "specialty" bakeries looks like a page of posts on Cake Wrecks), planned the meal and the booze for the night (fajitas and margaritas, with a full bar, and at least one keg of Shiner--I think Kellen would rather die than drink bad beer), started scrounging up cute country-fied fabrics for the centerpieces (lots of checked and floral patterns), and found some invitations that fit both the theme and our budget:

The guest list is being rapidly pulled together, too. Phew! Next up, I start talking to Kellen's family about what we want to do in Seattle, although that should be a fairly easy task. We're having that reception at the home of Kellen's Nanny, and Nanny is a fashionable, classy lady. She's much more with it than I ever thought about being, so I feel pretty confident that whatever happens there will be lovely. I can relax a little on that front...

Now if only someone would get back to me about the stinking ceremony!

Credits:
Apartment Therapy; flowerschapple; Real Simple; Cloud 9 Design

If you've been trying to comment...

2009-11-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Problem solved! :)

No one will return my e-mails...

2009-11-02T11:02:00.001-08:00

So we're all good for a reception in Texas and in Washington. We've got dates. We've got venues (thanks, Nanny!). The one thing we don't got?

A place to have a wedding.

We've got rooms to stay in. That's not the problem. The problem is getting someone in the events department to return an e-mail. I've sent to the events department for the entire resort company. I've sent to the wedding department at the specific resort. My mom has sent e-mails to the hotel, to the concierge.

I finally called the resort morning to see if I could get information about a package. I got referred to yet another e-mail address, which nobody has responded to (and which nobody is likely to respond to.)

It's been a week. I get that I shouldn't expect instant gratification, but I think a solid week is more than enough time to answer your e-mail. I'm so frustrated. I just want a person I can call and say, "Hey. Do this. Make it happen." I don't like getting an endless round of e-mails that no one responds to.

Has anyone else gone through this? Any advice?

So what are your opinions on...fake hair?

2009-10-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously, I have short hair. It's short, it's thin, and I really can't do a whole lot with it. I reeaaaally want to wear my hair up, and it looks like the only way that's going to happen is if I do some sort of fake hair.

So what do you think? Good? Bad? Just plain tacky? Should I just resign myself to wearing my hair down?

And if you've ever used extensions of any kind before, do you have any recommendations?

Dolling up a game ranch

2009-10-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, we're having our Texas reception at a game ranch. In my mind, this mostly translates to camo and guns, but as my mom has tried to make amply clear, the place really cleans up quite nicely. Still, I kind of want to keep the theme country and kind of backwoods, so if at all possible, that's what I want to do with the decorations...in a cute way obviously. No camo or guns, thanks.

Some inspiration I've been thinking a lot about:

Yellow, yellow, yellow. Simple flowers and a simple cake. Sweet and cheery.

Using mismatched vases and mason jars for the flowers. If I can't find any colored glasses, I read somewhere that you can get glass paint and tint the glasses yourself. Mismatched fabric with antique-looking floral patterns for the centerpieces.

Then there's the peach and the orange that I also love. I figure we can probably find ways to mix that in with the yellow to make the whole place feel warm and bright. Oh...and of course!

A simple, but elegant (and super tasty, super chocolaty!) groom's cake. This looks pretty much right up Kellen's alley. ;)

Just some thoughts on transforming a place for camo into a place for celebrating!

Credits (left-right or clockwise from top left):
Sarah via The Sweetest Occasion; Brett Buchanan via Style Me Pretty; Justine Ungaro via Style Me Pretty; Unknown and unknown! I can't find the blog I originally found this on, so if you know, please let me know!; Justine Ungaro via Style Me Pretty (again); abbytrysagain; A Bryan Photo via Snippet and Ink; Jose Villa via Style Me Pretty; Anna of RIFLE at OnceWed; Martha Stewart weddings

Wedding hair?

2009-10-27T22:18:00.001-07:00

So I've finally resigned myself to the fact that my hair is short, and therefore I can't do 90% of the gorgeous wedding 'dos I've always drooled over. Not only is my hair short, it's also curly, and the chances it will not frizz while I'm on a hot, humid Mexico beach are up there somewhere with me winning an Olympic gold medal. So what this means is that I don't have many options. And because I don't know for sure that I will have a reliable hairdresser to depend on to fix me up on the day of our ceremony, that means I, with my clumsy stubby hands, am probably going to end up doing my hair myself. *GaspShudderFaint!*

I've been watching a lot of tutorials on YouTube, and while I think they are technically supposed to help you figure out how to fix your hair, this one only suffices to confuse me even more, intimidate me, and convince me that this Lati person has some magical ability that she probably sold her soul to Satan to achieve.

Watch:

Mind......blown!

Cheery and elegant

2009-10-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

There are so many things I love about this wedding. I think my favorite things, though, are the centerpieces and the cake.

I really love the yellow flowers and for some reason keep coming back to the color when I think about decorations. May just be because my blond-haired, blue-eyed fiancee looks so good in the color. May just be because the color reminds me of sunshine and big smiles. Either way...this is absolutely beautiful.

Photography: Jonathan Canlas
Via: Snippet & Ink

Hello, paradise!

2009-10-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

Last night, I finally sorted through all of the resorts with the in-laws' timeshare and found a couple of places that I really love. The big winner appears to be the Mayan Palace in Nuevo Vallarta. They are located on the beach, the resort does weddings, and they are within our price range. Plus, airfare to Puerto Vallarta was jaw-droppingly cheap.

I e-mailed Kellen's mom last night to clear everything with her. She's still looking over everything, but I put two rooms on hold(!!!!!) and by tomorrow we should be confirmed. Then it's time to get in touch with the resort and start talking ceremony.

YAY! I can't believe this is where I'm getting married/having my honeymoon. *siiiigh* It's so beautiful...

Once this is all squared away, the next big items on my to do list are:

collecting names and addresses so my mom can begin to process fully just how expensive the stationery is going to be,
getting my dress (hopefully in the mail from my BFF who has been guarding it for me for the past few months), trying it on (praypraypray that it fits), and getting alterations done,
starting to think seriously about decor at the Texas reception, which means YAYMOREPICTURES! for the blog. ;)

Photo credit: GlobalResortsBlogNetwork.com, FredMcKinnon.com

The only thing I know for certain...

2009-10-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

I want a cake topper by The Small Object.

And this is actually a decision I came to several months ago when I first saw these cake toppers because they are sooooo ungodly adorable.

I sent my mom a picture, along with some examples of the cake I want at the Texas reception (hint: small, white, and with as little detailing for the crappy bakeries back home--that story later, maybe--to screw up.) She responded: "It looks those Fisher Price Little People you used to play with when you were little."

Kellen recommended we save $135 and just buy Little People.

Stop it, people! This is the only decision I've made so far, and I'm sticking to it!

Wedding update!

2009-10-26T16:29:00.001-07:00

Our engagement photos are set up! One of Kellen's friends from high school is a photographer here in Portland. She's doing the photos for free(!!!), and I can't wait. We spent a chunk of the past weekend shopping for clothes to wear in them. Kellen and I aren't exactly fashionable, so it took some effort. I think we managed to find something that will work, though.

The only problem now is, as anyone who lives in the Pacific Northwest can tell you...rain. When I was scheduling with Kristina, the photographer, she commented, "My schedule is wide open this time of year." No, joke. Rain is pretty much a given from October through May. Unfortunately for us, Oregon's rainy season won't end until after we are married, so...we're going to gamble on sunshine so we can do some cute late fall engagement photos.

I've also been searching furiously for a venue/resort for a Mexico ceremony/honeymoon. I set up a spreadsheet to help me keep up with prices, location, rooms, and what sort of facilities/planning they have available. Once we get through the 90-some-odd resorts available through Kellen's parents' timeshare, then we'll start crunching numbers. Fingers crossed that we can make it work!

The last thing is a hilarious video about the cost of weddings. Thanks, hellobug!

Yeah...I'm sure we all can relate. ;)

Free Wedding in the Caribbean!

2009-10-23T14:14:00.001-07:00

Well, almost free.

Gadling.com posted about two resorts in St. Maarten that will pay for your wedding (i.e. the ceremony and reception), if you and 20 of your nearest and dearest are willing to book a 7-night all-inclusive stay. At $300+/night for all the all-inclusive rooms, I doubt I could persuade 2 of my friends to come with me, much less 20.

But if you're already planning to do a wedding in the Caribbean and have a budget to accommodate this, this would be a fantastic deal. Weddings at resorts can be pretty darned expensive, and this might be worth your while. (However, I would argue it's also worth your while to see how much the standard wedding costs at the resort MINUS the requirement for a 7-night all-inclusive stay.)

Anywho, to check out the deals for yourself, see:

Beachy Keen

2009-10-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

Photo by Jens

The amazing thing about figuring out exactly what you want and going for it is that all of the work involved stops seeming like work and starts being a whole lot of fun.

Kellen's parents are letting us use their timeshare membership to find a place to stay and get married. Last night, I spent the whole night going through the website, looking at resorts and comparing prices, and trying to find the perfect place to get married. Every time I looked at a new gorgeous, amazing resort, I got a little more excited. Not only are we getting married(!!!!), we're getting married in freaking paradise! WOW!

The challenge now is finding a resort that: 1) is within a reasonable price range, 2) meets all of the rules for the timeshare, 3) has enough rooms in an appropriate time frame, and 4) has beach access. Oh, and hopefully finding a place that won't be crawling with college kids on spring break (no offense, college kids!), since we're trying to schedule this while my mom's school is on spring break. So we'll see how that goes.

This feels right. I feel like we're making the right choice. We're going to have so much fun, and I can. not. wait. to be on the beach!

Beginner Bride Seeking HHHEEELLLPPP!!!!

2009-10-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

So the first few days of planning have not gone so well. After saying for several months that I knew exactly what I wanted, I got freaked out over budget issues and then completely changed my mind...again, and again, and again. We were doing a ceremony on the beach, then in Scotland, then in Vegas, then somewhere random when we could get cheap flights out of the country. We were doing a ceremony with our parents, without our parents, with our friends, without our friends.

Ugh.

It's only been three days! I feel like my head is spinning.

Anyhow, last night I took some time to breathe a little and think about what I really want. This isn't an easy thing for me, because I'm a people pleaser, and I like to make other people happy before I make myself happy, which often means I give up the things I really like doing so I can do something someone else wants to do. However, the more and more I tried to change my plans to do all the things other people would like, I found myself being less and less excited about the whole darned mess.

While I'm not one of those "My wedding is MY DAY, and it's going to be all about ME" girls, this day really is about my fiancee and me. And, to be completely honest, saying our vows to each other in a ceremony in a setting that will later be accompanied by fond memories (and not a shudder of horror or cringe of disgust--more on the proposed Vegas wedding later, maybe) is important to me. I want to say those vows, I want to say them in a ceremony, I want to say them in a pretty dress, and I want to say them in a place that will have positive associations later. I don't want it to be just the two of us reading off sheets of paper in our jeans and t-shirts on a hillside somewhere. I don't want it to be in a chapel in Vegas with tacky ferns and baby's breath all over the place with 10 couples in line behind me. Yuck.

So. While I don't want to get married in front of 200 people, because I'm not interested in putting on a big old show for everyone, I do want it to be special.

Thus, I've decided to scale back the Seattle reception (waaaay back), take full advantage of the party my parents are throwing us in Texas, and enjoy my ceremony/honeymoon on the beach somewhere in Central America, South America or the Caribbean. (Now taking suggestions, btw.)

And now that we are right back where we started, let the planning begin!

PS: A very special thank you to my fiancee who tolerated my crazy like a champ this week and was very supportive in letting me do pretty much whatever the hell I want. What a catch, huh? ;)

Advertise your blog or business with us!

2009-10-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

If you are a wedding vendor or blogger and would like to advertise your blog for free on this site, please e-mail me. The advertising is completely free and can range from a permanent banner on the page to a guest post referencing your business, your blog, or just your experience with planning weddings!

Monsters of Folk!

2009-10-21T11:36:00.001-07:00

This is a great poster by DKNG for a Monsters of Folk concert in LA. Kellen and I got engaged after a Monsters of Folk show, and as soon as I saw this, I got the warm fuzzies all over again!

We have a date!

2009-10-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

My mom has already called our Texas venue and set a date for the reception! Looks like we're going to be partying it up on May 15th at a hunting lodge out in the sticks.

The website for this place is awesome. On the home page, there is a picture of a deer as the background for the unreadable text, and the most prominent link in the navigation column is a huge, bolded HOGS. There are no pictures of weddings anywhere on the website (although I've seen some pictures from another wedding, and the venue really is pretty.) All of the pictures are of men in camo holding up dead animals for the camera.

I don't think some people actually believe me when I say I'm from the backwoods. Boy, will they ever believe me after this! ;)

What have I gotten myself into?

2009-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

So last Wednesday, my boyfriend of 2 years proposed. The proposal was romantic and surprising, and I couldn't be more excited about the prospect of marrying my long-time beau. We've spent the past several days celebrating, including going back to Austin (where we met) to share our joy with friends and my family. And then, after several sleep-deprived days and many congratulations, it hit me...

Oh, crap. Now I have to plan a wedding.

I've always been a small wedding kind of gal, but as you all are probably aware, you don't always get the wedding you want. I'm a Texas girl who fell in love with an Oregon boy, and while a Texan and an Oregonian may wed, the real question is, "Where will they tie the knot?" There are a number of logistical problems with getting all of our family members in the same place at the same time, so we've devised a compromise: two receptions on opposite sides of the country, and one private ceremony far away from all the family so there are no complaints of favoritism.

It's exciting, but it's going to be a lot of work...and I'm not entirely sure where to get started.

I've got a list of things I need to figure out in the near future (hopefully by the start of November):

Location for ceremony
Location for reception 1 and reception 2
Dates for all of the above
Budget for all of the above

From there, I'll start thinking more in depth about catering and decor and guest lists. I think we've got the locations for the receptions: reception 1 will be at a lodge back home near my parents' house, and reception 2 will probably be at Kellen's grandmother's in Seattle. The ceremony, though, is a bit of a mystery. I'm not even sure what country it's going to be in yet, much less any specifics.

So I decided to start this blog to chart my journey through planning a wedding that is turning out to be far more complicated than I ever expected. I'm excited, though, that I'm going to get to share this with the most amazing person I've ever had the good fortune to meet, and all our friends and family, in all parts of the world.

Items accomplished so far:

Got engaged (w00t!)
Announced the engagement to our families
Picked one reception site
Bought a planning binder!
Might have a dress (Yes, already. And, yes, that's another story for another time.)