Defeated.

Despite my original desires, I decided to give in and not wear the red Converse shoes under the gown.

So I bought these:

Image from Aldo Shoes

I may still wear the sneakers at the reception.

Found on the Web: 100 Roses for $157

This post is very possibly only applicable to those of you getting married within the next few weeks, but if you are, and you are still looking to DIY your flowers, Sam's Club is having a sale on 100 roses.

$157 for 100 stems, shipping included.

Wedding Bouquet Alternative, Part 6

Good news: I finally decided on what to carry as I walk down the aisle!

Bad news: I don't want to share until the wedding. It's somewhat soon, I don't want to specify how soon, but soon.

If I had not yet decided, I would seriously consider these paper flower kits:



or



Images from Paper Source

Note: I have not personally tried these kits, so I don't know what they look like.

Found on the Web: Canon Photo Paper on Sale

For a while, we thought about having a DIY photobooth. It would be relatively easy, have a background and one or several stools, with a digital camera on a tripod connected to a small photo printer. We decided against it because it was one more thing to worry about, and frankly we have enough to worry about.

However, if you so choose to have a DIY photobooth, you should know that right now there is a crazy sale on photo paper on the Canon website.

50 sheets of 4x6 glossy paper for $6.25. Buy one pack and get 2 packs of 70 sheets free. Uh... that's 190 sheets for $6.25 plus shipping.

DIY Invitations: Online Vendors and Supplies

I really love the idea of ordering everything online. I don't have to go anywhere to get it, it gets delivered to my home or office, and the packaging is already there so if I have to transport anything I don't need another box. The drawback is that of course, you can't see the final product until you get it. And if you don't like it, returning is a hassle. I'd highly suggest contacting whatever vendor you choose and asking for a sample. They almost always cost nothing or close to nothing, and it will save you a headache.

We have been lucky so far and that all the vendors have been great to work with.

For the invites, save the dates, and programs, here are our vendors (and other materials)...

Overnightprints.com for the RSVP Postcards, travel/website/hotel enclosure, thank you cards, and save the dates. Before ordering I highly suggest you either sign up for deals on their website (it's free) or Google "overnightprints coupons". I managed to snag a 20% off coupon, and they also email offers once a month. I chose Overnightprints.com over Vistaprint because I thought the quality of the postcards was nicer. We knew we were doing RSVP postcards so they had to get through the mail, and the Vistaprint postcards seemed a bit flimsy.

Paperandmore.com for the actual invitations and the programs. You can get samples for a small fee. Our samples ended up getting lost in the mail, and when I emailed their customer service they apologized profusely and I had another set within 2 days! Awesome. We got chocolate brown cardstock and linen paper in ivory for the invitations and the programs.

Envelopemall.com for the save the date envelopes and the mini envelopes we will be using to hold the birdseed. The prices are very reasonable and shipping is speedy.

Whiteaisle.com for the invitation envelopes. They were on sale because White Aisle was moving and was trying to get rid of inventory. If they were full price I'm not sure I would have bought them. However, they were excellent quality. While we were sealing the envelopes, Dude sometimes put too much moisture on the flap and I was afraid it would bleed through and wrinkle the envelope. It didn't, and they looked good.

I went to my local Kinkos for the copies.

My paper cutter is the Cutterpede Paper Trimmer. I do not like this product. It could just be my imagination but it doesn't really cut in a straight line (the ends tend to curve out a little bit), and for some reason the ruler doesn't exactly match. For instance, I would want to cut an 8x11 piece of paper into 2 pieces of size 8x5.5, and I'd get two pieces of paper that were close, but not exactly the same size, off maybe about an eighth of an inch. This could also just be me. Not a big deal, these were all trivial issues and I decided I did not want to buy another paper cutter and so I just made do. I spent a lot of time re-trimming paper with my scissors.

As mentioned before, I used tape glue from Staples. I started out using glue sticks, and that was a disaster for the paper. If I were gluing cardstock onto cardstock it would have been okay, but using the glue sticks on paper caused a lot of air bubbles. For the programs I am gluing cardstock to cardstock (I'm not going to put 4 glue sticks to waste!) so it's working well, just a little messy.

Decisions!

We've made decisions!

Centerpieces... done!
Bouquet alternative... done!
Programs... prototyped and ready to be made!

In progress...

Day of Timeline
After-ceremony-birdseed-toss-thingies
Song list for DJ

More posts to come...

A Few Thoughts Before I Return to the Looming Wedding Planning

The thoughts that have been swirling in my head over the last few days.

... The coverage over the weekend was an absolute circus. Yes, I totally understand this is a great and historic event, but all that media and all the coverage, after a while, starts to cheapen the experience. More is not always better, sometimes it's just more. What can I say, I am an equal opportunity critic.

... Joe Biden looks like the guy who plays Christian Sheppard on Lost.

... Was it just me, or did Rev. Warren seem completely weirded out saying Obama's daughters' names?

... Aretha's hat. Wow. Just wow.

... She still sounds fantastic.

... But that hat. It gets you from every angle.

... "know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy" !!!!!

... "we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals" !!!!!!

... "the price and promise of citizenship" !!!

... "To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." !!!!!!

... If I were not in the office and surrounded by my coworkers, I'd be bawling. AMAZING.

and, finally...

... The absolute best comment I've heard about the inaguration was my friend's Facebook status, which read, "[Friend] thinks, purely aesthetically, we are losing a man who looks like he would molest your pre-teen niece and gaining a man that no one would kick out of bed."

Wedding posts start again, tomorrow, maybe later today.

Today is Griping Day

I've been a little down in the dumps lately.

• Maybe it's because it's so cold outside.
• Maybe it's because my life is pretty much on hold until after the wedding, which I resent. Forget about the fact that I have a great job or great friends or I still try to go to dance. Everything anyone wants to talk about is wedding wedding wedding. I know that this is supposed to be an exciting time and filled with all kinds of glorious events, but really, I'd love to go back to my life.
• I really dislike unsolicited advice or comments like "You'll see", which everyone seems to want to give in spades once they learn I'm getting married. COMPLETE AND TOTAL STRANGERS are giving me looks like, just wait until the week before the wedding, you'll see, you'll go crazy. Now, I know that I am young and as such probably don't know much about the world, and I try to be respectful of others that have come before me, but I am and always have been the kind of person who needs to figure things out on her own. Also - it's not like these people know me personally or anything. It annoys me that people who have only known me for minutes automatically assume that I'm trying to be a princess for a day, just because I'm a woman and I'm getting married. I try to let unsolicited advice not get to me but I hear it gets much worse once we start trying for kids. Terrific.

I can feel myself starting to turn into a crabby old person and so I'm going to put a stop to it. I am going to take up President-elect Obama's call to community service, mostly because volunteering makes me feel a lot more grateful and appreciative of my life, and also because the only things my current president ever asked of me were to buy duct tape and shop OR ELSE THE TERRORISTS WIN.

Updates may be sporadic, or frequent and have nothing to do with wedding planning.

Overwhelmed

Some brief updates.

• The wedding has officially taken over our entire apartment.
• It always pays to negotiate. After learning that our wedding hotel has dropped its internet rates due to the economy, I asked our sales person if we could renegotiate the old rate. We did and she totally accommodated us, even working over the weekend to get it done. Success!
• More gifts are coming in!
• We have started learning our dance! I hope our downstairs neighbor doesn't get angry with us.

Monogram

Decorations have been hard for me and the Dude. We are both adamantly against any kind of overlying theme, because really, the theme is wedding. (It's just. a. party!) So for decoration-challenged folks like us, there is one thing that we can use that is both personal to us and can silence all the critics who can't find cohesion in our wedding... our monogram.

Here is ours:



Conceived after many hours of trial and error, considering and rejecting fonts, and choosing which ampersand should go in the middle. Yikes.

It was worth it, though. This monogram is going to be EVERYWHERE.

Unique New York City Wedding Venues (That Aren't Ours)

Ah yes, another repeating theme for this blog. Since we are very very close to our wedding and many payments have been made, I felt it only right to share The Others That Were Considered, in case it helps anybody else in their quest for a sane New York City wedding.

First on our nixed list is the Astor Center, located above Astor Wines.


The only space that was workable was the Gallery, but it was a little too small for us. It could accommodate only 100 people seated. If we had done a cocktail reception it would have worked.

Found on the Web: Decors on Sale at Target

If you are getting married at any point in 2009, might I suggest buying your decors now, while Christmas decors are on sale and stores are trying to rid themselves of extra inventory? Especially if your colors are red and green, or olive and scarlet, or avocado and cherry, whatever they are ALL RED AND GREEN. AND THEY ARE ON SALE RIGHT NOW.

Actually this post does not have anything red or green, but I found these items through Target's Home Decor After Christmas sale, hence the little rant in the first paragraph.

Triple Rotating Frame, which I would use for a centerpiece:


Large Rattan Basket, which I would use to hold favors or programs:

(Actually I might still use them for my favors!)

Pretty frame, just because I like pretty frames:


Faux Leather Bookend with Photo, probably for centerpiece:

With fruit or flowers, if I were not allergic to flowers.

Found on the Web: Giant Hershey Kisses

If you are still looking for favor ideas and are not opposed to the edible kind, there is a sale on Giant Hershey Kisses at Graveyard Mall.



No, it does not have your name or monogram or wedding date on it, you narcissist. But at $13.99 for a case of 8, it is coming in at around $1.75 a piece, not counting tax and shipping. Make a few labels or visit Sweet Paperie to buy some nice ones.

Found on the Web: Urban Outfitters Sale

A new year, a new repeating theme on this blog. While it is too late for any changes in decors for my and Dude's wedding, I still come across some ideas which may be beneficial to somebody, and had we made different decisions we might have used some or all of them.

Today's Found on the Web are from the New Year Sale on Urban Outfitters.

First is a retro webcam:

For anyone doing a DIY photobooth, how awesome would this be? The resolution's not great, but it's got the look and feel and it would do the job.

A ceiling parasol shade:


Flower capiz picture frame:

Making Decisions: Centerpiece

Part 1 of our centerpiece:


{Candle Holder and Image from Crate and Barrel}

Photo Table Numbers

I have to admit, I resisted Martha Stewart Weddings for a very long time. I already had the Knot and brides.com, and that was enough. But after a few of my friends had sent over decorating ideas, I had to relent. Also I can thank Martha Stewart Weddings for the idea for photo table numbers.


{Image from Martha Stewart Weddings}

The Holidays Mean More Folks Bite the Dust

My remaining single bridesmaids are now engaged. 2009 is looking like the most exciting year ever.