Calligraphy

There are so many little extras in a wedding that one can quickly get lost-both in time and money. Calligraphy is one of those fancy bows to top an already extraordinary gift. You know a la Martha Stewart. Jingles bells and felt snowflakes. Every once in awhile I look deep in my pockets and spend a few more penny's than I should but Calligraphy would have cleaned out the entire piggy bank. My solution was to create my own lightbox with a piece of plexi-glass and a flex lamp. Here are the results from my trial and I have to say I'm pleased with the results. Nothing about me is perfect and neither is my expectation of my calligraphy skills advancing.

Where are you splurging and where are you DIYing?

This is going to be sweet and romantic

This early out I don't know what our wedding will look like or the words we will promise to each other, but I wanted to get as much done as possible before weddings completely suck the life out of me; and with all honesty I love the craft projects and screen printing. So here is the cover of our programs. Yeah they make me want to take a seat and watch this wedding too :)!

They are actually more ivory and less starch white.

How early did you start your projects?

We would like to invite you

The invites are done! Well, I still need to compile them and address them but I still have 16 months to do that :-D *groan*. As I booked the venue I decided I could finish printing the invites. Here they are. I wish I didn't have to cross out so much information! Oh well, I don't need to invite the whole world wide web to my wedding! I heart them, with all their flaws and personality!

Printing these invites really made it official! I'm getting married!

At what point did it hit you that you are getting married?

Cute as a Button

I found this idea on flickr searching for wedding programs. I am not by any means a graphic designer or too familiar with adobe photoshop. Like most things though I am willing to try anything, and I think I am a quick learner. Maybe? So I found a photoshop tutorial on pop-art and I started messing around with some pictures. Some of my product wasn't the greatest, but by doing the tutorials I learned a lot about some new capabilities of photoshop. Oh how I love the internet! So I took some pictures of us and started making them into cartoons by recoloring them in photoshop. The next thing I did was start looking for some prices on 1-inch buttons. In the most unlikely of places I found a button maker--MySpace.com! There were actually several guys on there that make these buttons for bands. I was almost embarrassed to send them pictures for wedding favors to these bad-asses making buttons for bands. Think Father of the bride meets Heavy Metal. I Sucking up my pride and I contacted one of the guys and he told me how I needed to resize them and it was a pretty cut and dry process from there. I was totally THRILLED when I received these little buttons!

How did I package them you ask?
I bought 100 4x6 polybags off ebay
Next 1) I recolored the background of the picture of use together 2) created a new file the size of a postcard 3) Resized my picture to be on one half and then added a thank you note to the other half 4) Created a postcard at Vistaprint.com, and 5) simply folded the card in half and stapled the set together.

I now have a super awesome OOT favor.

Cost of Project: $00.46 per set

Did you find any ideas that you thought were just too cool not to incorporate into your wedding?

My little pumpkins

My proposal was something special to me, and even that night I thought about how I would add something about it to the wedding day. Mr. Engagement wanted to actually use the pumpkins that he had created but I didn't think it was practical. My idea was to sculpt miniature versions of them and sit them on the guestbook table. I was also thinking about afterwards. I could have them on display on the bookshelf to remind me of that night! So that is exactly what I did. I waited till the material went on sale and then grab a cart full of the clay. They are not by means perfect but I love them for that fact. I modeled them out of FIMO (a modeling Clay) and then baked them in the oven to make them hard (Instructions on the package). When they cooled I painted them with watered down paint which gave them that rustic look. I think they will be a small and lovely addition to the guestbook table and then to our home!

Have you incorporated your proposal into your wedding?

Centerpiece

There are so many time I think about the cost of wedding and I just cringe! So I spend a lot of time seeing how I could do a project cheaper. So when I began thinking about my centerpieces, my idea was just to buy some white roses (a flower that isn't overly expensive) with some tapers. It would be fairly inexpensive but also was going to require some work to prepare the days before my wedding. Then my mom called and told me that there were some gold branch centerpieces on sale from after Christmas at pier 1. I hadn't been to pier 1 because I was just recovering from Christmas shock and I had already tackled so many store for their after Christmas sales. Anyways, the FI and I stopped by Pier 1 to check out the centerpieces and we both agreed that they would be a great option--inexpensive and wouldn't require too much effort--My kind of centerpiece! Together my mother and I collected 25(?) of these centerpieces. I am not sure how I will arrange them though: A) long tables with two centerpieces or b) round/square tables with one centerpiece. I also need to consider whether to add candles or flowers or table runners, OH MY!

Please ignore the fake tea lights in the juice glasses. We were just trying a few looks out.

Have you found any good deals? How would you arrange the table?

Year and a half

We are basically at the year and a half mark ! It is somewhat exciting and somewhat like this is an irrelevant marker in a very long engagement. I think of everything that has already been done and all the time that has already been invested. Please, I don't want to spend the next year and a half with the same about of time dedicated to this wedding. How do you stop obsessing? Any advice? Please? Anyways what have we completed:

* Venue has been booked!! (this is exciting)
* therefore, the date has been set!
* Invites are 80% complete
*STDs 90% complete
*centerpieces done

I'm pretty excited about completing the rest of the items. Hopefully the more I complete the less I will think about these items. Or will I continue to worry until these items are mailed and the wedding is complete?

Mr. Engagement's wedding purchase

A few weekends ago we went to an estate sale for an antique store that was liquidating their stock in one of their storage spaces. We got up at some crazy hour in the morning (which for me means before 12:00 on weekends. before 11:00 on weekdays) and we stood out in the cold for our turn to enter the store. I walked out an hour later with a lamp, an easter trinkets and some old magazines to turn into some craft project. The check out lady mentioned that everything left would be half off tomorrow. So as I was leaving I was telling Mr. Engagement this and how we probably wouldn't be getting up that early again tomorrow. Well, another salesmen overheard me and said that we could place a bid for $1.00 more than half off and if the item did not sell tonight we would win it tomorrow! Well Mr. engagement had found some large metal bucket (excuse the description. I have no idea what this thing is or was) that he thought would be great as an ice chest. He had showed this to me but I didn't really remember it. I trusted his opinion if this is what he wanted. So we WON!! Ahh don't you love when you win ebay auctions! I guess that means no one else wanted it :). Oh well. Here it is. We might repaint the stand but we are either using this so people can get their own ice or to store some drinks.

This now sits inconveniently in the middle of our kitchen!

I'll probably paint the legs gold with some spray paint.

Does it surprise you what your FI picks out for your wedding? Where are you storing your wedding purchases?

Maps

http://www.funmapsusa.com/

I have long been in love with cartoon maps. I use to collect them as a kid when I found them. They were so whimsical. I loved viewing where I was going and where I had been as a cartoon. So when I saw the couture wedding maps I <3ed style="text-align: center;">

As they lay to dry. I had multiple gocco projects going on that night.

Because I wanted a little color I bought some water color pencils and colored them individually!! Yes, 100 little pieces of art!

Here is Mr. Engagement working diligently! (Don't be fooled, Mr. Engagement would rather be playing his playstation than coloring these maps)

The finished project!

These are actually going out with the STD cards. We plan to print information on local events and attractions on the back. Something like: "Make it a weekend trip!"

Any of your childhood interests make it into your wedding plans?

Would you please reply

The RSVP cards are done and they are beautiful. I hate to give them out but hey I'm suppose to get them all back! We went to paper source over the weekend and picked these lovelies out ! They are chocolate with gold envelopes. They went perfect with the whole invite set. However, when I got home logic hit me in the butt! How can someone write their name and reply on dark paper that doesn't show black ink! I wondered if I needed to return my purchase and start anew. :(. Then I got to thinking. What if I could write over the gocco ink ! I got out the ink and put a little on paper and waited for it to dry. Awesome! I just needed to redo the design with fill in boxes. I am in college I have been trained to fill in the bubble! This would work! Fresh off the gocco press!

Did you sacrifice your design for beautiful paper?

Ky vendors

If you're looking for a KY wedding vendor check out Kywedding.blogspot.com

Invitations: Part 1

The very first thing in the planning of my wedding I did was design my invitations. Before I even knew where or when I said, "What will the invitations look like?" I have to say I never really looked at wedding invitations I have received until I started thinking about my own wedding. Then I became obsessed! The evolution of this design has gone from a simple bird, to a simple tree, to now roses. I shall never look at another invitation again till mine are happily sent to their destinations. I fear I may change them again!! Over the period of designing an invitation I discovered the Gocco ! I am mad for GOCCO. I politely hinted to Santa and he delivered! I have been dying to try this little machine out. I read so many articles and contacted a few people about how to make the perfect Master. In the process I became possessive of my gocco bulbs and screen (think Elaine from Seinfeld and her sponges). I ordered my inks and extra bulbs and screens. I just couldn't "waste" them! So I decided that as soon as I set my wedding date I would print the invitations. Then I said well I could print the roses-- The wedding date doesn't affect them. So the last two days I spent printing these roses. It was a two step process. First I printed the the top corner rose and then let them dry over night, and then I printed the bottom corner.I was in love with this little machine!! ( I have since been coming up with every piece of stationary I could print that wouldn't need a date!) The print was beautiful and here I was a gocco virgin! I did screw up on a few prints but I said to the FI, who is more anal about those things than me,"if you expect perfection you shouldn't print them yourself. " Overall there are only about 3 that really I wouldn't send, all products of me forgetting to put a cover over the rose I wasn't printing. The hard part! I bought my cards on clearance at Micheals. They came with gold trim and matching envelopes, which seemed like a good buy. Therefore I couldn't just cut a new card. Also how did I print in the corner on a card that was gold trim? At first I had the FI taping the corners. He hated this! So after the 6th card we decided to make a make shift trim saver. This is hard to describe but basically it was a strip of paper that covered the border around the corner. I think it did a great job for 95% of the cards. It was just difficult to line everything up and tape it all down each time.

My beloved Gocco!

Here is a mock-up of what the invitations will look like. I have changed a few things.

Here are the cards laying out to dry (only the top half was drying). Do you see how meticulous they are lined up? That is Mr. Engagement. I would have had them thrown everywhere. The apartment was needless to say A MESS this weekend. The other half are in the drying racks.

What were you most excited about in the planning stage?

I'll tell you where you can stick it.

I'm not someone who brings cards to weddings. Do people do that? I don't know. I've never paid attention. Well just in case. I really liked the bird cage card holder and I had looked around for one in passing. Then I found this, searching the clearance aisle at Target! The box cost less than $3.00, which I figured was the right price for something I wasn't even sure of the need. The box was a gift box so I simply cut a slit in the top and "Project: Is there a need?" is done!

Do you bring cards to weddings?

Flower girl gift

Here are some bridal bunnies that I made. I made them even before I had a purpose for them :). Afterwards I thought they would be a very cute flower girl gift. You could add them with a small piece of jewelry or something else. I thought they were very cute. The directions came from Martha Stewart.com

What are you giving your flower girls?

Contact Card

These contact cards were inspired by the the tandem bike I saw in a Martha Stewart Wedding magazine. I thought it was so sweet and vintage. The question became how could I use them! Well everyone needs a contact card right? Like the day of the wedding I should be answering calls about how to get to the reception site! Well there are more uses for contact cards. First it will be a good way to get family members this information. We dont expect to change either our email or our cell phone numbers after the wedding. I believe that is too much hassle. Also they may be nice to hand to a vendor ? Plus it may give people another option to RSVP. Shockingly there are people who choose not to send those little cards back. Well maybe they will call and say, "hey, I am coming. I want the salmon." imagine those voice mails! Either way I think Martha inspires a lot of the unnecessary !
HOW TO: I bought the business cards at Office Max.
I wrote our contact information in Word and printed them
I then created the image side in adobe photoshop and printed that side
I printed way more than I will need but these the price to do these was very minimal.

Have you been so in love with an image it inspired a project?

US

So I haven't properly introduced ourselves and I thought the best way would be with a short Question and Answer:
Occupation?
He is an educator and I am a graduate student. No relation
Your engagement?
Just us, on a cold dark night surrounded by candle light
Perfect Date?
Chinese food and a movie (we are couch potatoes by heart and practice)
Symbolic flower?
Tulip (our first date ) Flower Meanings:

Tulip: Perfect lover
Tulip, Red: Believe me, declaration of love, fame
Tulip, Variegated: Beautiful Eyes
Tulip, Yellow: Hopeless love, There's sunshine in your smile

Ideal Wedding?
Small, casual, and laid back surrounded by family and close friends. Think: Outdoor fall picnic; hot apple cider; warmth; rustic vintage.
Favorite experiences together?
Taking paths less travel, exploring the beaten trail in the woods, the zoo, exploring the shore lines of Michigan, listening to him play the guitar.
Why we work?
I'm neurotic and he is patient. At the end of the day we make each other laugh.
Our strongest secret?
My tears make him cry and his tears make me cry.

I'm not one for country music but FI's idol is Bob Dylan (yes, he wants his first born to be named after him). I think Garth Brooke's voice is a little bit more... melodious?

Wedding Dream

A few nights ago I had a weird dream. The day of my wedding I decided I should get my hair done and so I started calling salon's to see if anyone had openings. The weather also looked like rain so I decided that I should get a tent. On the day of my wedding I was deciding about getting flowers. Also, I said, "well if we can't get everything worked out, I can just get married in a few weeks." This is not the first time I have had a wedding dream in which I passively didn't care about what happened! Any Freudian answers here? One side of me really doesn't care and then the other said of me is obsessed! I need to merge these two identities.

Anyone else have, weird wedding dreams?

Here are some other songs that I thought would be great Wedding Songs. I'll keep you updated when I find others. I also suggest someone to look into Billie Holiday songs!

Not Fire, Not Ice - Ben Folds Five

The Way I Am- Ingrid Michaelson

Sea of Love- Cat Powers

Music

I love music especially those songs with unique sound. One of the thing my childhood bride always wanted was classical music, but then I heard this!


From the movie juno! What do you think? I think it would be charming to have this playing as a precession song at an outdoor wedding, or as an entrance song to a reception. I do enjoy classical music , but then classical music sets a completely different tone to your wedding--a tone I am worried about having. Now, I may still go with the string instruments, but this is something I am definitely thinking about! Maybe I can find a bluegrass band to play this song :)!

Louisville Outdoor Wedding Venues

This has been my least favorite post! Mainly because all these pictures were taken by me with my film camera (yes I still prefer film) and then scanned in-- an awful lot of time to post this. But, here are several of the bigger outdoor venues in Louisville for your viewing pleasure. There are other outdoor venues in Louisville **, but due to time constraints I only took pictures of these. Each of these have their perks and disadvantages. These pictures are representative of Early fall!!
Farmington:
This is a lovely plantation. Location wise this may be difficult to find for Out of town guests.




Garden Court:
This is a seminary in Louisville, located in the old part of St. Matthews--which I always thought was lovely. However, this may be difficult for out of town guests to find. I am also not sure about local hotels in the area. The indoor area is very charming. Tons of places for elegant wedding pictures!






Locust Grove:
A historical home located off River Road. One concern if the shadiness of the property, as this will have an affect on photographer's lighting. Also, grounds aren't as "colorful" as other outdoor locations at this time of year.




WaterTower:
I have always been a fan of the water tower on River Road. I did not visit the inside of the water tower but the website shows some gorgeous interior.
Whitehall house and gardens:
In my opinion, this is one of the most gorgeous outdoor locations! The gardens are just amazing. FI didn't share my excitement for this venue though. One of the things that concerned me the most though was a $1,000 tent deposit (yes that is a comma there). This is not to rent a tent but just for the permission to have one. I would imagine there is a good reason for this I just don't know what it is. But the variety of pictures that could be taken (gardens, home, woods..) is larger than some of the other venues. Good place for an engagement picture?




What do you think of the Louisville choices?