A Very Long Engagement

Calligraphy

2008-05-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-13T15:42:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-09T01:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-09T01:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-03T00:29:00.001-07:00

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

2008-03-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-14T01:12:00.000-07:00

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

Invitations: Part 1

2008-03-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-03-14T00:19:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-02T16:19:00.000-08:00

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

2008-03-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-03-02T02:06:00.000-08:00

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

2008-03-02T01:52:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-26T16:21:00.000-08:00

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?

Details

2008-02-22T02:08:00.000-08:00

Here is a wedding detail I came across in the planning process. Often times details can ignored though, which is something to consider when planning the details actually will make it into your day. Jones Soda offers customized labels with picture and quotes. These are unique and personal touches. The one catch is the price is 12 bottles for 29.99 +shipping. Ouch! They would probably make very cute favors or an addition to an OOT bag. Check them out at: http://www.myjones.com/

Here is another cute detail for drinks. Sorry I can't remember the bio I got this from.

These were on the bottled water! How adorable is that? I think this could be something that is really easy to miss though! These were DIY but I dont know the availability of labels. I would image one would have to consider the condensation on drinks. However, consider using a label like this on handmade cookies or other edible favors. These wouldn't be hard to make on Powerpoint, and I know printable stickers are easy to find!
What details have you noticed at weddings? Does it matter if guest didn't see all your details?

Sugar tooth

2008-02-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

One idea that we liked was the soda bar. I am not sure why we liked this idea. Maybe people wouldn't care to mix their own drinks. No one else dreams of the combination flavor of strawberry cotton candy and cherry coke? Well the reality is that this is how it shall work. I came across this on Mrs.Donkey's knottie bio.I am not sure about the peanuts in the coke but I do plan to do the cherries and lime. I bought jars at Ikea that cost something like 3.99 which is absurdly cheap. Also, they will make great containers after the wedding for our new home. She used Mexican coke and Dublin Dr. Pepper. I found an article online saying that costco now has mexican coke (pure cane sugar). Also, while looking I saw that Jones soda sells a pure cane sugar version. I also think I will try to find mason jars or buy some glasses at Ikea. One could probably rent these but again there is resale value. I think I will buy the large feed buckets to use for cold drinks. Drinks: sweet tea, coke/diet coke/sprite, bottled water and lemonade. My wedding is coming off as a self serve line :). One perk of this is that no one's glass will be empty, plus people will be more apt to mingle with others who aren't at their tables.

Top These Lovelies!

2008-02-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

So, I am not a completely obsessive person. I think with all the cake topper posts I looked bad--bridezilla in the making? This is however, the one big splurge for the wedding decor. Here is the collection, minus one or two. By accident there was a color scheme that emerged that I think will matches the whole day (Gold/Brown/White with fall accents). As the height of this vary so greatly, I am thinking of using birch logs and cutting them into disks and then using them to display some of the cake toppers at different levels. This will also incorporate some of the "woodsy" feel I am trying to get. I am not going to elaborate on the individual cake toppers. If you have individual questions about any of the cake toppers feel free to e-mail**.

The Vintage Charm

Handmade Lovelies (Vintage cake toppers were used for some of these.)
The Silly Love Rabbit Couple.

Reproductions

Vintage by Crystal

**Sources for these cake toppers and supplies: bayberrycove.com, vintagebycrystal.com ( etsy.com), local antique stores, ebay.com, Micheal's and Joanne Fabric. Many ideas can be easily adapted for a bride and groom. Also, vintage cake toppers can be purchased for cheap off ebay or local thrift and antique stores. Consider though that vintage cake toppers are collector items for many and you may have to let the loveliest of the loveliest go to a higher bidder.

What is topping your cake?

Wedding Weather: Awe of the Average

2008-02-16T11:54:00.001-08:00

So there is no way to predict the weather a year and a half in advance. At least not to my laymen knowledge. However, for the outdoor wedding this is a maker or a breaker. So I decided to play around on some of the sites (mainly to write about something beside the cake toppers :) ):
From USWX:
Great news : 0% chance of snow !
Average temp: 73.0
Max: 91.0
Min: 56.0
Expected temp: 67.0-81.0
Chance of rain: 24% (Not good !)
87% sunshine
45% chance sunny (what?)
3% chance cloudy

Sun rises at 6:40am
Sunset:6:21
Civil Twilight: 6:48

History of the day :Farmer's almanac
Year: Low/Ave./High/Rain
2007:63/72.1/81/No
2006: 60.1/70.3/82.9/no
2005:63.0/75.1/86.0/NO
2004:41.0/54.8/72.8/No (That seems cold)
2003:35.1/47.8/63.0/No (another cold year)
2002:66.0/76.3/84.6/.22in of rain
2001:55.1/66.0/79/no

SO some cold days and a little rain
also check the weather channel wedding

My pretty new cake topper

2008-02-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

Would it be okay to not have a cake and just buy a bunch of cake toppers? Probably not, but I have my new cake toppers. I am IN LOVE with this new topper. How gorgeous is this? I thought I would think it was lovely but as I unwrapped it I was in AWE. This is a vintagebycrystal design. I would give her all my wedding budget if I could :), but than I would be left with hungry guests staring at my deliciously yummy cake toppers. Without further ado:

I just loved her designs that I bought a second topper from her. Here are some very cute love birds.

He brings color to my life

2008-02-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

This is the ring Mr. Engagement gave me when he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I did have some say in the ring I wanted, which leads me to wonder if left to his own intuition what ring would I be wearing. This was also the same thought that lead me to put in my opinion on my ring. I considered something untraditional, something possibly more similar to a right hand ring, and I thought about antique rings. There were so many options for that one little finger, I can't image the stress it is for a man to find the perfect one.

I love my ring. In certain lighting the colors sparkle perfectly. However, Even though I wear this ring on my right finger I still have to classify it's meaning. For example:

My Mom:
I wasn't one to run and text message, mass e-mail, or stand up in time square to announce that I was engaged. I am shy and this is not an indication of how I felt about this event. So when I came home for Christmas I showed my mom my ring and asked, "what do you think?"
Mom: It should have been blue or emerald.
Me: Okay
Mom: What is it? Did Mr. Engagement give that to you?
Me: Yes
Mom: * now the excitement set in*Let me see it! OH now you're going to going to go tell him I said that.

One of my Aunt's Responses:
Aunt: Let me see your hand!
Me: * show her my hand*
Aunt: Oh, I thought that was something else.
Me: It is.
Aunt: I thought it was an engagement ring
Me: It is
Other Aunts: Ohh, let me see!

It is hard to believe that a touch of color confuses people so. Should I have picked something more traditional? Or more... absent of color? No. I just say I was engaged in the wrong country. Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth, and Princess Diana received a Blue sapphire, Princess Ferguson a Red Ruby. I also do not think of this as an Alternative to the Diamond ring, or a rebellion against the Diamond. This is simply the choice of the royal families and I :) .

So, Ladies whose husbands also brought color to your life, Have you met some resistance?

P.S. The slogan "diamonds are forever" was/is a popular advertisement that began in the 1940's. Divorce rates between 1940-1948: 3,620,000. This was the same amount that had been granted in the previous 18 years. But hey, I guess neither Princess Diana nor Princess Ferguson had fairytale wedded lives!

The Proposal: I'll ask and you say "Yes"

2008-02-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

My proposal was everything I had hoped it would be.

At about 11 at night I was passively watching TV and looking around the internet (AWW, the modern day proposal! so romantic). When I heard a loud banging on my door. I got up from the couch to answer the door when I heard steps pounding down the stairs. My first thought was a rude neighbor had gotten some of my mail and was terrified of me answering the door! However, when I answered the door laying there was an envelop from Mr. Engagement. Written insider were sweet words about his hopes for our future and memories of our past. At the bottom was a note to come to the park and to dress warm, "cause baby it's cold outside". I was tearing up a little by now. Knowing what this was. I drove to the dark empty park and thought for a moment that maybe I was at the wrong park or maybe I was mistaken about something. However, when I got to the back of the park there I saw an illuminated path. I stepped out of my car and began following the path stopping along the trail to read these messages that had been carved into pumpkins:

You are my friend (I think this one was the one that really made me tear up the most)

You are my life

You are my love

I love you Miss Engagement

Finally behind a tree were stacked three pumpkins that read:

Will you spend the rest of your life with me?

and Mr. Engagement with tulips (our first date was to a tulip festival) and the ring box:

Needless to say I was in tears and all I remember in the rush of emotions was him asking why I was crying and me describing how happy I was.

His plan was that we would sit together on the bench for awhile but I was too excited to run home and get my camera. Also, it was FREEZING! roses were gathered at the beginning of the trail and had frozen, and so as we rushed to gather pictures it became too cold to stay. Simple and Sweet.

(That white is the Roses Defrosting )

I love engagement stories, What's your engagement story?

Wedding World of the Past: PART 3: Wedding Night and hygiene

2008-02-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

1950: half of all brides were virgins OR half of all brides were not virgins!

Esquire Etiquette: The groom should get the hotel room in advance "so that you can spare [your bride] the possible embarrassment of standing around in the lobby thinking she looks like a newlywed"

Evelyn Millis Duvall: Being Married: "Few Women enter marriage sexually awakened and ready for complete response in the sex act. Many American girls are brought up to be 'nice,' to repulse the advances of men, and to refrain from any genital stimulation. Marriage demands a completely different pattern of behavior, and it is extremely difficult to remake oneself overnight."

(1950) Drs. Willy Vander and Fisher: Illustrated Encyclopedia of Sex: for women who don't become uninhibited lovers, " not only imperfect wives" but "bad mothers unsuited for the task of bringing up children." Husband suffering, " a discordant married life as a result" might be, "impeded and injured in [his] professional progress."

1946 Lysol ad

There is a lot more information in the book so check it out. Interesting to think how these ads influenced our mothers and how this has thus had an impact on our perception of ourselves and our weddings. What do you think?

Wedding World of the Past: PART 2: Wedding Shower and Registries

2008-02-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

" To me, if you are a young girl and you find a boy 'groovy' and you go off and move into his 'pad' with him, you are definitely making a terribly bad mistake" (Zsa Zsa Gabor)

Hence, the importance of the wedding shower!
(1956) To the Bride:
"undoubtedly the greatest invention since the discovery of electricity is the marvelous new Sunbeam Automatic Electric Controlled Heat Frypan"

That is lovely!

International Sterling 1947 ad
" Aunt Beth, do you remember the day I told Tom I'd marry him? Oh, I was in the stars about it. I guess I didn't come down to earth till we had the family talk, and mother and dad told me they could swing the wedding, but not much in the way of 'worldly goods'" " Have your International Sterling, honey... even if it's just two place settings!"

The Wedding World of the Past: Part 1: How to Catch a Man

2008-02-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

One of the things I was thinking about the other day was what the wedding of the past looked like. I of course have pictures of my mom's wedding and my aunt's weddings but these were all very tradition. Where did the untraditional wedding come into play? Today's wedding girl has options that she fully embraces to have the wedding that is "Her", oh and "him" :). I would however, argue that most weddings are still very traditional. And why would they not be? ingrained in our little girl brains are Barbie's wedding, her friends Midge (Thats whose wedding I had), princess Diana, our mothers....numerous images of what a Wedding should and should not be. So I thought it would be fun to look up some stuff on where our ideas of wedding come from and maybe how ideas have transfered from generation to generation:

35 and older:
19th century guidebook: "the Unmarried Gentlewoman of England"
* True Womanhood: "purity, piety, submissiveness, and domesticity"
* Poem: "Thirty-five": "Have we no charm when youth is flown/Midway to death left sad and lone?"
*80 years later: Dr. Clifford R. Adams: 35: an age "when an unmarried woman can no longer consider herself a 'young maid'"
* Living alone: "an abnormal state for a woman", "except in unusual cases women who live alone will become neurotic and frustrated."
1949: essay "Why Are you Singe?": singleness, " a form of social delinquency-a private betrayal of the greater needs of society as a whole"

Causes of Singleness:
Coitophobia: a morbid dread of martial relations
Gymnophobia: fear of the naked body
Apheophobia: Fear of being touched
or, "a morbid obsession against household duties, a dread or intense dislike for housekeeping." (nope, I have this and I am engaged!)

(1962) Helen Gurley Brown: Sex and the Single Girl: "by herself and her well meaning but addlepated friends...that her whole existence seems to be an apology for not being married."

fitness and diet: "fanny cute enough to be patted" ( Oh Boy! to only have my fanny patted!)

(1978) Audrey Gellis: How to Meet Men...Now that You're Liberated. suggested job options: cocktail waitresses, receptionists, "craft peddlers" ( I'll gladly peddle my crafts. hehe!)

(1966): Marie and Hector Roget: Swingers Guide for the Single Girl: Key to the New Mortality
on the pill:
A touchy bit of indecision that bothers many girls, when first entering into sexual
relationship with a man, is about which one of them should be insuring that conception
does not occur. Don't let the question fill your pretty head. The average man prefers not
to be annoyed with remembering such details, regarding conception in the Age of the Pill
to be the women's responsibility.

(1971) Zsa Zsa Gabor (Didn't her husband admit to being Anna Nicole Smith's baby's daddy?): How to Catch a Man/How to Keep a Man/How to Get Rid of a Man: "the best way to attract a man immediately is to have a magnificent bosom and a half size brain and let both of them show."
(1953) Charles Contretras: How to Fascinate Men:
Wherever there is a chance of meeting men Jane makes a point to be present and is always very careful to appear at her very feminine best... Jane's attire is of most feminine design and unless there is some special occasion, she avoids, "jeans," "slacks, "peddle pushers" and "shorts" like the plague, for she knows that such apparel accentuates the worst features of the female form, in addition to which she is aware, only too well, that there is nothing cuddly about a woman wearing pants. Bare feet, even at the beach, and dandles that show the toes are taboo, for this girl is smart enough to realize that there is decidedly nothing attractive about a bare foot She wears sheer stockings as much as possible. (Then where did the term "barefoot and pregnant come from?)

* several years back I purchased numerous books on the history of women. I have finished several and still have several more to go :(... This information is from one chapter called: Something Old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something.... Pink: Weddings, Marriage, and Heaven Forbid, the Single Girl.
From:
Peril, L. (2002). Pink Think: Becoming a Woman in Many Uneasy Lessons. W.W. Norton & Company: New York, NY.

LES: long engagement syndrome

2008-02-12T01:29:00.000-08:00

Why should one be so obsessed with a wedding? I actually feel somewhat miserable after I have spent 5 hours searching the internet for flowers, cake toppers, invitations....... I am in pain making this list of what I obsess over--embarrassed that a grown woman has placed her life second for wedding planning! I think I feel especially miserable because I have a long engagement. Please, I need another hobby! Why should almost two years of my life be dedicated to 6 hours of my life? I don't want this outcome! I can't bare to think of this future! I argue with Mr. Engagement, somewhat out of jealousy, that he can play his video games while I obsess over the minuscule details of OUR wedding. Yes, I still believe this is OUR wedding. I have time to second guess my ideas . I have time to find the cutest details and the latest trends in the Martha Empire. I have time to stalk photographers' blogs for hourly updates in vain. I have time to worry over the off white, creme, egg shell, and antique whites of the wedding world. Time for projects. Too much time. Over the next week I am trying to come up with ideas to control myself--straight jacket? electric shock? I will let you know how I manage.

How have you managed?

Lighted decor

2008-02-09T20:55:00.001-08:00

I loved this picture when I saw it. But thought nothing much of it until Mr Engagement said he liked it :-o... The second thing Mr. Engagement picked out. Well could I achieve this look? No! not economical or practical. So instead we opted to find these large vases and have them scattered around the patio were the cocktail food will be. Over the past 3 months we have stalked homegoods and found these:

At 39.99 there were too much though. Also, as you know Homegoods isn't going to have a ton of these jars. Then I found one on clearance for $15! Dream possible? I recruited my mom to check the stock at her local homegoods and Mr. E to check another Homegoods on his way home from work. They were not on sale! So I waited and waited. Eventually they went on clearance but not as great of deal. Well a deal is a deal and if you divided the number by the total, the individual jars would come out to be reasonable. So I now had 3. Well luck be a lady! I was at the original homegoods, several months later, and another one was on sale for $15! OH MY!!! So in total I have four of these vases. I don't plan to use the top and I will fill with water, floating candles, and flower petals. Nice decor, no?

[image from rebecca thuss ]

Drink and be Merry

2008-02-09T20:42:00.000-08:00

The plan is to have an outdoor ceremony. We are praying to the weather god and plan to camp outside the bookstore for the 2009 farmers almanac! Awesome to be a farmers almanac groupie!!! So after the ceremony we also plan to have a small cocktail period. In the south there is a tradition of over feeding your guests. Anything and everything we can we plan to DIY and this is no exception. Looking at other weddings I loved the sweet tea and lemonade jars!

How charming! Looking at the options the HUGE question is: To spigot or to ladle? I wanted the spigot! Looking online these options were expensive and looking at stores these options were small. Constant refilling. However, Homegoods you did me well! Plus I had giftcards! So price after giftcards were $31.XX for two.

I love that these are large, probably 3.5 to 4 gallons( totaling 7 to 8 gallons of refreshments). Sometimes I wait for clearance but I didn't want to wait for these to be gone or broken by then. As I mentioned in my first post consider alternatives to the "Wedding Industryl" of products, Don't wait too long for clearance and consider things that can be used long after the "I DO"s.

Have any money saving tips are good deals?

Mr. Engagement's personality. Second DIY

2008-02-09T20:19:00.000-08:00

Okay. So a wedding should emphasis the couple's personality. However, incompatible the two may be. Mr. Engagement and I have different taste. Hence why I pick out my own presents :), and suggestively (I.e. point it out at store) tell him what I want....Southern tradition started the groom's cake. The one little section that guests can point and laugh WITH the groom--lighthearted good fun (but wait, that's what I want the whole day to be!!) . Okay, so in light of a small wedding guest list and the Dessert buffet table we opted somewhat against the groom's cake. No red velvet armadillo here. Additionally, we have had the multiple cake topper thing. So when we began to think of cake toppers Mr. Engagement picked ** cringe** The Simpsons (insert theme song here). They didn't go with the ones I had selected but they were going to work because me and him go. So we ordered the Simspons' prom figures off ebay and bought some enamel paint from Micheal's. He over coated Homer and 5 months later we bought some paint thinner and redid Homer and I began embellishing Marge to match me. Don't you feel a little connection with every bride that stands on top of a cake ! So I added some Bling (look at her left hand :-o!), bought some fake fur and some tulle for a stole and a veil. Viola! prom Homer and Marge become wedding Homer and Marge. Minus the blue hair she has some style, No?

Oh, and the stand is a paper mache box wrapped in ribbon.

What great couple in history are you and your groom? Do you and your groom "clash"?

Cake...YUM

2008-02-08T22:43:00.001-08:00

Lets face it.. I'm just having a wedding to eat cake :). Here are a few that I have really liked. I actually plan (note plan) to make my own cake. The design has to therefore be fairly simple. So this cake is probably out:

These two cakes that incorporate twigs and birds are adorable and simple.

This is the design we both hearted. However, the first wedding planning disappointment, the design won't be available after October 2008 and the sheets only last for 6 months. SOOOO close, the long engagement slaps me right in the face.

I heart this cake. I love lace and this would just be very romantic.

I plan to at least get some quotes before I venture into the kitchen but the plan is to try to make my own cake. I have some time to do some trials before hand and take a few more classes. Mr. engagement and I actually take the classes together--LOVE it! Like most of the wedding planning though, I would love to have the money just to pay to get what I want but that just isn't the reality for this girl.

How ambitious are your DIYs?

First finished DIY project

2008-02-08T13:44:00.001-08:00

So I have many DIY projects started but I had none finished. I believe this is the number one benefit of the long engagement though. I do have time for DIY projects that would have never ended up at the wedding at all. So here it is: DIY cake topper. The cake topper is really more adorable in person! a few of the details didn't show up as well.

I will also acknowledge that this isn't the main cake topper. Mr. Engagement has very few ideas that he has gotten excited about. One of them is to have our cake table be decorated with multiple cake toppers. My mom at first snubbed the idea, but I said, "mr. engagement wants it. This is his idea." Now that is cute so she has been more on board about it. Plus, there are soooo many lovely cake toppers I get a little slice of everything! YUMMM. But I do warn, this is costly! I could probably have one really AWESOME topper for the cost of all these individual ones, but now everyone one of my future daughters will have her choice of a topper :). The cake table I plan is a long dessert buffet similar to a charlie and the chocolate factory fantasy, so its a "love is sweet" theme. I hate themes though, but I will place a sign on the table. Kind of an different take on this look from MS 2007:

Plus this look

Hopefully, my mother will have her cake topper and I can find a few other vintage ones.

With this in mind, I have pre-ordered several toppers; I have my mother working on the main topper and I took to making another one. Originally, I thought these toppers were...well, how do I saw it delicately?... UGGG. Modeled from the patch NYC cake toppers for a shocking $500, I thought how hideous. Maybe the pricetage was part of the ugliness. But if Martha likes them maybe they aren't sooo bad. I have since seen numerous knock off and I thought.... Well, Im bored, I need more toppers, I'll give it a go. So for less than $20 here is the finished product. The bride's ensemble cost about $3.00. Both her veil and her dress came from the scrapbooking aisle! Premade, bows, beadwork, layered tulle--A very good deal! No bride was ever so smashing for less :) The grooms shirt and bow tie were also found in the scrapbooking aisle. Next, the groom's suit is just wrapped ribbon $1.99. The base is a wooden base $.59 and painted gold. The flowers and the embellishments were all on clearance at Micheals for $1 for a bunch. The pearls also on clearance for a few dollars and I strung them on white pipe cleaners to shape them. The wooden balls for the head were toy wheels 1" for $2.99 for like 20 heads, and painted with adorable faces. The groom's hat is a monopoly piece painted black. I may go without the hat though.

What do you think? What DIY projects have you been able to get done?

Beginning words

2008-02-08T00:26:00.000-08:00

Hello/Hi/ Welcome.....
I am sharing my ideas here in hope to give inspiration; Showing how things can be done in an alternative way and at an alternative cost. My mom taught me most things can be done myself and this idea runs most of my home decor and now my wedding planning. I believe forever I we treasure the memories of my wedding and the items that I put my heart into. I hope my guests will be impacted by these decisions.

The wedding:
Mr. Engagement and me are planning an outdoor fall wedding. Our ideas are eclectic and without theme (much like myself). Embraced in our ideas are love for vintage and all things beautiful, including each of our personalities! Our inspiration comes primarily from Martha Stewart, Knot bios, and the weddingbee. We also try to avoid the "wedding Industry" like the flu and opt for some untraditional decorating advice from home decor.

TIPS:

* DIY are not always cheaper! But they add sentiment and charm to your day (I believe that is what it should be about).
* That said, DIY can often be WAYYYYY cheaper. Especially for the special extra "Martha" touches that begin costing an arm and a leg.
*Use items that have resale value or that you after the "I Dos" ill be great additions to your new home.
* Use items that are not "wedding" retailed. Adding wedding to anything increases the price, photography, flowers, etc. Not only does price increase but items that are not wedding are sometimes more beautiful. Tulle ain't my thing!
* Shop the clearance aisles after Christmas. Yes centerpieces, favors, candles, vases can all be found after clearance up to 75%. Remember somethings can be mismatched but then other things can't be. Don't give up a chance to get 100 table napkins for 1.00 for the additional 25% off, when stock goes down.

These are a few items that may help the bank and save you from that ugly, "THAT COST HOW MUCH!!!" look and maybe bring a bit of sentimental tear to our eye years later.