The Wedding: My Regrets June 9, 2009

I am very happy about a lot of things pertaining to our wedding. I am a little disappointed and sad about some others. Here are my regrets:

1. The small ceremony — We had family-only at our ceremony. I wish we’d invited some friends. R was very against inviting a portion of friends, fearing that it’d hurt the feelings of those who were not invited to the ceremony, but I wish, wish, wish that I could have invited a handful of friends to the ceremony. It makes me sad that they couldn’t be there.

2. The caterer — though the food was delicious, Miel y Leche grossly underestimated the amount of food necessary (they didn’t even provide enough for 100 guests, and we had asked them to feed 150). I wish I’d gone with someone more established and better at meal catering.

This Guestlist is Out of Control! November 22, 2008

We just sent our guest list to our calligrapher (thanks Mom!) to have our invitation envelopes hand addressed in beautiful script.

Of course we had a *slight* disagreement over the etiquette of “and guest” before sending the list. I stick closely to etiquette rules that recommend — “If you allow one invited single guest to bring a guest, you must do the same for all other non-married guests.” R is operating under a different rule — in that it’s a “case-by-case basis.” For example, people with serious relationships can bring a guest, those who are not in serious relationships cannot.

Hmm, I think pretty highly of myself, but I would never consider being able to look at a relationship and deem one “serious” while another is “not serious.”

So, in the end, we ended up allowing the “and guests” because he felt that some people would be upset if they weren’t able to bring a guest, even though our guest list jumped by 40 by allowing them. Sigh.

The budget trimmer (me) has to find a way to fit another 40 people because the budget controler (R) wanted to include them. I’m not angry, just… excited at the prospect of fitting 178 guest onto a guest list and budget that was altered to fit 120. Of course it’ll work. But I’m not promising that our reception won’t run out of food

I Must Be Crazy November 3, 2008

Wedding planning can be tough stuff. I’m in the thick of it, 6 months and 13 days out, and I couldn’t be more excited. I still have to decide pretty much EVERYTHING, except the location. The GTB and I decided to scrap our venue and move our reception to the backyard. Of our new house. That we moved into 3 days ago.

This “new house” was actually built in 1958 and needs word. A LOT of work. We’ve found a contractor and an architect, and we’re planning a MAY-JAH remodel (we’re talking walls torn down, exterior of house pushed out a few feet, new hardwood flooring to replace carpeting, custom cabinets, new lighting, electrical, plumbing, doors, security system, the works.

So, I’m wondering, WHAT THE !&#% AM I DOING?!

Am I seriously planning a wedding reception in this backyard, of this house that we moved into 3 days ago? With a remodel project that won’t start until mid December, at the soonest?!

Oh, and on top of that, we have a bunch of light fixtures to replace, a bathroom, mudroom and entryway to TILE OURSELVES, and a bunch of rooms that need to be scraped of their awful wallpaper and painted.

I think I’m starting the beginning of a 200 day anxiety attack

Does anybody have recommendations or words of encouragement?!

Something Old and Blue November 3, 2008

I’ve been… lightly thinking about the whole “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” thing and toying with ideas of how to make it work.

I still have NO idea what my ’something borrowed’ will be. Maybe my grandma has a brooch I can wear… but I’m not banking on that. I’ll have to start bugging friends and family soon. A pair of diamond earrings or even a hanky would help!

I have, however, figured out a brilliant “something old, something blue,” (though I am certainly not the first bride to think of this combo!).

take your darling wedding shoes, add a pair of VINTAGE BLUE clip on earrings. Voila. Here’s a cute combo I saw online.

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(no, I don’t plan to wear my shoes in 2 different colors, that’s just the image I found

Images sources: My Glass Slipper and Jackson Jewels

Truly Unique Guestbook Idea October 30, 2008

I found this idea via A Practical Wedding, and as a writer/editor, I just may HAVE to use it (with a ribbon board, of course!).

Emmy & Kirk had a DIY-heavy wedding with a few of their closest and most dear friends and relatives (something we’re also hoping to achieve).

And, in leiu of the traditional guest book or signed photo frame, they hauled a typewriter to the reception site. And left sheets of paper around for the guests to hand-type their own message of well wishes to the bride and groom.

What an absolutely lovely idea!

Getting Back On Track August 26, 2008

How is it SO easy for me to sway from what I really want?

In my wedding planning, I’ve run into people who have made it clear that I’m doing things wrong.
No bridesmaids? bad idea
Wedding outside of a church? why!?
Cutting costs on flowers? you’ll regret it
Spending more on photographer? what a waste

Now, I’ve found myself shaping MY day (and spending our money) on a day that has become some monstrosity that fits someone else’s ideal — not mine.

When I think of a day with 200 people around me, most of whom I won’t even have a chance to talk to, I feel…. sad.

When I think of a day where I’ve invited people to make OTHER people happy — not myself, I feel… disappointed in myself.

Is anyone else feeling this way about their wedding planning?

Must Stop Looking at Photographers August 21, 2008

I need to stop. My wedding is 9 months out, and we’ve booked a great photographer, but I can’t seem to stop looking at photographers, and wishing.

I really dig Shannon’s style, she’s got a great eye for light and detail, which were to the two things I was looking for. Her photos are pretty amazing, and she’s fantastic to work with, she’s very relaxed, but professional.

So, why can’t I stop staring?

Here are the photographers we’d go with, if our photographer decided to cancel on us for whatever reason:

Grady Photography (the two images are from Grady) — what a fantastic photog. I love the capture of emotion on his site, and his prices are not too shabby!

SoulCam – Scott and Robin are soooo sweet, and their photography just keeps getting better. We met this this spring and I loved them, plus, they offer lots of great perks in their packages and you can tell they’re passionate.

Red Apple Images is quirky, cute and fun. I feel like the price, $1,350 for 6 hours, is more than fair and love the photos. If you’re going for a more casual wedding, Red Apple fits nicely.

Want to know who we chose (among the amazing selections in MN)? Just ask

But still, I’m happy. I just need to stop LOOKING!

A Little Planning Goes a LONG Way August 13, 2008

How do you know how much time to dedicate to your wedding photos? Some photographers suggest 45 minutes, others say 2 hours.

And, how do you determine if you’re shooting photos before or after your actual ceremony? If you do it after, you risk missing the cocktail hour (sad) or making your guests wait, and wait, and wait between the ceremony and reception — which many guests find to be rude.

Some brides are against taking photos before the ceremony because of the emotion of seeing eachother for the first time on the wedding day — some want to save that for the moment that they start their trek down the aisle (I couldn’t, I’d be a blubbering mess of tears!).

So… I present to you, Wholly Matrimony’s tips on planning a photogenic wedding.

I will totally be using these tips, as the GTB and I are investing a solid chunk of our wedding budget in the photography, because it is so important to me. Why wouldn’t I put the extra effort into helping our wonderful photographer capture the best moments?

Cooler Than Your Average Cake Topper August 11, 2008

Love love love these cake toppers.

Sure, I’ve seen initials, bells, waterfalls and the like. They’re nice enough, just not me.

I am in absolute love and adoration with these darling bird cake toppers by cornflakegirl.

I’m planning to custom order one without a top hat and with the green silk shantung that we’re using as inspiration for our color palette!

I just love that we can add whimsy to our wedding without looking corny.

Love This Dress July 28, 2008

You’ve got to expect something heavenly from a lingirie designer turned wedding dress designer. Claire Pettibone consistently satisfies my sweet tooth and sets me into dream-mode with her gorgeous, flowy dresses.

Check out this Seraphina design from her spring 2007 collection. I know it’s not the “newest” style of hers, but I just adore the lace, the way it highlights the back (um, this is totally a “must workout” dress) and the flow of the skirt.

How could anyone wear this down the aisle and NOT look like a vision of angelic beauty.

Want to see more Claire Pettibone beauties? Click here.