The Wedding Shoes

I came back from Christmas to find my wedding shoes had been delivered!! I am going a little non-traditional, my shoes do not match the color of my dress. They do however match the color of my bridesmaid's dresses. Just something I thought would be a little fun detail.



I ordered them online and had them dyed to match a swatch I mailed in. They do not match the swatch exactly. I think they turned out a tad too green, but overall I like them.

Shoes with swatch

To blog or not to blog....

Yup, I'm a blog slacker. In the past month I've moved, found my wedding dress and started a new job. I guess I have a lot of catching up to do! I'll do my best to blog more, but my dreams of being a blogger on weddingbee.com are dashed. I just don't have the time :(

I wanted to upload some pics, but it looks like my new job prevents me from doing this. You wouldn't believe the sites they block!!

The guest list...Yikes!!!

Probably the most daunting task of wedding planning is the guest list. Making a list, checking it twice, arguing over who gets invited and who doesn't. And then, after you've hashed that out...getting addresses!

Getting addresses is like a job in itself. Emails, phone calls...it's driving me crazy!! And the part I dislike the most...entering all those addresses into a spreadsheet. I am not a data entry person. This is an extremely tedious task to me and definitely not a task to take on after I decided to cut sugar from my diet (can anyone say withdrawal headache)!

And after I have all this done, I get to look forward to addressing STDs!!! And next year, the seating chart..oh yay.

Wisconsin Trip Part 2

After we arrived in Green Bay we enjoyed a couple free drinks at our hotel bar and called my brother and his wife to come over and see the room. We stayed at the Hotel Sierra, formerly the Regency Suites. The whole place was remodeled and there are two tvs in the room, one flat screen in the front part of the suite and a regular tv in the bedroom.

After that we headed to Hinterland so I could get some coffee beer! A band was playing so there were lots of people and it was quite loud. Unfortunately, when we left it was pouring...and we had walked there.

This is us after our walk in the rain...

Wisconsin Trip June 26 Part 1

Matt and I ventured to Wisconsin this past weekend to get our engagement photos taken. The weather was more than dreary, but we made the most of it...

On our drive down I took a different way than I usually do. Kind of a test drive of the directions we are going to give our guests. Along the way I took a wrong turn and we came across this bar...





We had our engagement photos taken in Stevens Point the next day amidst rain showers and afterwards we headed to Green Bay to visit my brother and some old college roommates. I'll post more about that in part 2 of our trip...

Something fun

Just something fun I found online today...

The company is called Mr. & Mrs. Ms. & Mrs. is the leading innovator of Special Occasion Survival Kits. The outside is hip. The inside is practical. The result is a chic collection of survival kits to help you conquer life's little emergencies.

They have kits for weddings, bride, groom, brisemaids, college cheerleaders, etc.



The Wedding Day Survival Kit comes with: Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Dental Floss, Mints, Drinking Straw, Pain Reliever, Antacid, Hand Lotion, Emery Board, Clear Nail Polish, Nail Polish Remover, Facial Tissues, Deodorant, Tampons, Adhesive Bandages, Hair Brush, Hair Spray, Bobby Pins, Interior Mirror, Lint Remover, Mending Kit, Scissors, Safety Pins, Stain Remover, Static Remover, Super Glue, Double-Sided Hem Tape, Earring Backs, Corsage Pins, and Extra Wedding Bands and costs $49.



The Bridessentials Kit contains: Folding Hair Brush with Mirror, Hair Spray, Bobby Pins, Earring Backs, Facial Tissues, Blotting Tissues, Emery Board, Clear Nail Polish, Nail Polish Remover, Mending Kit, Scissors, Safety Pins, Double-Sided Tape, Stain Remover, Static Remover, Antacid, Pain Reliever, Breath Freshener, Dental Floss, Deodorant Towelette, Adhesive Bandages, Tampon, Super Glue, “Something Blue” Heart-Shaped Crystal, Extra Wedding Bands and costs $25.



The Bridesmaid's Survival Kit contains: Folding Hair Brush with Mirror, Hair Spray, Clear Elastics, Bobby Pins, Earring Backs, Emery Board, Clear Nail Polish, Mending Kit, Double-Sided Tape, Stain Remover, Static Remover, Breath Freshener, Deodorant Wipe, Tampon, Adhesive Bandages, Pain Reliever, Handkerchief, Dancing Socks and costs $18.

The Grooms's Survival Kit contains: Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Dental Floss, Mints, Deodorant, Pain Reliever, Antacid, Facial Tissues, Razor, Shaving Cream, Styptic Pencil, Nail Clipper, Adhesive Bandages, Interior Mirror, Lint Remover, Mending Kit, Scissors, Safety Pins, Boutonniere Pins, Stain Remover, Wrinkle Remover, Black Socks, Extra Wedding Bands, Stress Ball Keychain and costs $49.

Fun gifts for your attendants!!! Can be found online at http://www.msandmrs.com/

Save the Dates

Well, I am happy to say that the Save the Dates are designed and ready to be printed, cut, mounted and mailed!

I got the magnetic paper last week and have already printed a few sheets. They are turning out great! Matt and I thought it would be weird to just mail people a magnet, so I am going to mount them on some card stock with removable adhesive - kinda like when you get a credit card (the rubbery stuff it's put on the page with). The card stock will be printed with a close up of the design on our invites and STD's and above the magnet it will say "Use this magnet to help you remember our BIG DAY!".

We are not going to send them out until September...hopefully by that time we will have the wedding website exactly the way we want it. Especially our photos on it! When we started putting the website together we realized that we don't have very many good photographs of us...hopefully to be remedied next week when we get our engagement photos taken!

Centerpiece Search

One thing that is definitely going to drive me crazy in the next 11 months are the centerpieces. I cannot decide what I want. Do I want flowers? Just tulips or tulips and hydrangeas? Bubble ball, cylinder, square or flared vases? Or do I want candles? Lots of candles, different sizes. Or do I want half the tables to have flowers and half to have candles?

Seriously, I am going to lose my mind.

The problem is I keep finding really good examples and I like all of them. What to do, what to do?

Hopefully by next year I will have made up my mind!

Bouquet Ideas

So these are some of the images I found of bouquets. I think I definitely want tulips in the bouquet, but i am not sure if I want anything else to accompany them.

Centerpiece ideas

These are some images of centerpieces. I am not sure if I want tulips or tulips and hydrangeas or candles. Maybe even every other table has flowers and every other has candles. I can't make up my mind. Probably the hardest decision. At least I have plenty of time!

Personal Attendants

So, I was thinking of asking someone to be my personal attendant, but I wasn't even sure what a personal attendant was! So, this is what I found:


Personal Attendants

This special position is somewhat of a mystery. Many people use this position as an honorary title, but it also has many duties. The personal attendant should be a person with wonderful organizational abilities, as well as, the ability to keep to a specific schedule.

They will also be in charge of ensuring the activities run smoothly the morning of the wedding.

Pre-Wedding

• Attend all activities invited to
• Help address invitations
• Learn to bustle the brides train
• Help plan and/or decorate pre-wedding activities (if asked to)
• Prepare an emergency bag for the bride (lipstick, perfume, deodorant, pins, scissors, needles, thread (white, the color of bridesmaids dresses, black for the tuxedos), hair spray, bobby pins, brush, snaps, hooks and eyes, pantyhose and nail polish (clear and colored)

Wedding Day

• Keep the bride on schedule (if you will be with her that day)
• Pin flowers on the guests, parents and party attendants
• Transport the flowers from the church to the reception site
• Transport any items for the attendants from the church to the reception site
• Help decorate the reception hall
• Keep track of the pictures taken by the photographer
• Fix any last minute emergencies
• Assist the ushers with greeting guests as they enter the ceremony site
• Help clean up the reception hall (if service is not provided by the hall)
• Help deliver the gifts

Post Wedding

• Attend the post wedding brunch
• Offer to transport guests to the airport

Sounds like the perfect job for my friend!! I really want him to be a part of my wedding, but wasn't allowed to have a male bridesmaid. This seems like a perfect way to include him.

Invitation and Save the Date Designs

So, here are the final designs for the invitation and save the date. The invitation will be a sage pocket fold and printed on cream paper. The save the date will be a magnet.

Making your own magnets

So, I just found some magnetic paper at Paper Source!!! This means I can make my own Save the Date magnets any size I want!!! Magnetic Paper

Hotel

Got 10 rooms blocked at AmericInn of Wautoma. They would only let me block 10 rooms now. If they fill up they will allow me to block more. Now I just have to work on getting the shuttle set-up. AmericInn mentions a shuttle in their ad, but I must have to call the Wautoma AmericInn directly. If not, we have a card from Life of the Party and it is fairly reasonable.

Wedding Website

We have our own wedding website!!! I am working to get complete info on the site.
Right now we need better pictures of us and Travel and Lodging info. My goal is to have the site fully functional before we send out Save the Dates.

Ferrero Favors

Here is an AWESOME idea for a wedding favor/escort card combination that is both classy, unique and affordable! Take a look at the cost breakdown:

The Chocolate: Locally, I can get them in a pack of 3 for $1 any time of year. That’s 33 cents each. If you buy large packages, it’s even cheaper. And - they are beautifully wrapped right out of the box!

The Tooth Picks: Get good ones, it will still only cost you about $2 for 100 or more!

The Circles: Make it easier for yourself and buy or borrow a large circle punch. Check on eBay, where you can get one for $10-$15 or so. Look for something around 1 1/2 - 2″. Design a simple circle and print out 15/sheet on cardstock, then punch out with your circle punch. Make sure to print two for each name. Use double-sided tape to attached the circles to the picks.

Not into the computer thing? Just punch out plain circles and decorate them with stamps or have the names done in calligraphy (adds to the cost though).

Cost if you buy a punch and print your own: less then 50 cents per favor!

Credit for this find goes to a $10,000 wedding, who stumbled across this awesome idea by a recent Los Angeles bride. Wedding Photographer: Teness Herman.

Candy Buffet

I found a great blog post on setting up a Candy Buffet/Bar:

Candy Buffet Tips

One of the things I am planning to have at our reception is a Candy Buffet - but the cost of all that candy and containers can definitely add up quickly! A candy buffet can be beautiful - but when bride’s try to make a buffet work on a budget, sometimes it just ends up looking a little sad. Here are some ideas to help you create a budget-friendly candy buffet that is as beautiful as these.

1. Find Affordable Containers - Renting containers is one option, though they can be costly as well. For our recpetion, I am collecting glass containers from the thrift shops as I find them. For example, this week I found these two which cost me a total of $2.25 TOGETHER!!! Not bad at all. At an average of $1.50 per container, my total cost for 20 will end up being somewhere around $30.

2. Use other fillers - The biggest mistake I see is wedding buffets that keep the cost low by offering a smaller selection but then the tables look so BLAND:( You can create that same gorgeous, elegant look without having to have a ton of candy if you are creative. Some ideas for things that can add interest to the table:

- Table runners - a white table cloth is great, but adding a table runner or two adds a lot more interest, looks lovely and does not have to cost a fortune. You can rent table runners, or make your own using fabric from the fabric store. (See picture #2)

- Flowers and Flower Petals - Another great way to add interest! You can get great deals on silk rose petals on Ebay and sprinkle them in between the containers. (see picture #1). You can also use silk flowers placed randomly among the jars (see picture #2) or use bouquets of flowers in jars and vases (see picture #1). If your budget does not allow for more flower bouquets - have the jars ready and then place the bridal and bridesmaid bouquets in them just before the reception.

- Pictures - One great idea I came across was to place framed pictures of other weddings (your parents, grandparents, etc) or your engagement pictures among the containers. Not only does this help spread out the buffet for a more full, elegant look - but it also adds a personal touch as well. For frames, head back to the thrift shop for a collection of coordinating frames in silver, brass, white, whatever matches your colors best. Frames could also be added with a menu of the items available, a title (Jake & Jill’s Sweet Shop, etc), a thank you note, a special poem or song, etc.

- Candles - of course, placed in such a way that people can reach the candy without burning themselves or knocking them over.

3. Add extras - Instead of just candy, have other things on the buffet as well. Some common choices include

- The wedding cake

- a chocolate fountain

- a punch bowl or fountain

- cookies, squares, and other dessert items

- fortune cookies

- favor boxes (Generally, the candy buffet replaces the wedding favors, so one idea is to offer small favor boxes to hold the candy rather then bags. These take up a little more space then bags, look really pretty and will encourage guests to be reasonable about the amount of sweets they take. We want them happy - not sick.)

- fruit - if your color scheme allows, add a few bowls of fruit in among the candy for a healthy option as well (green: apples, pears, grapes / red: apples, strawberries, raspberries etc)

- guest book (I have seen this done a few ways. One great idea is to have a pin board behind the table and then offer small notecards and pens on the table so guests can write their wishes to you, and pin them on the board with color coordinating pins.)

- card basket/bowl/box

4. Affordable Candy - the candy is of course, the most expensive aspect of the candy buffet but there are ways to control that cost as well. Here are a few tips:

- Don’t go overboard. If you are using my ideas in section 2 and 3 - your candy buffet does not have to include TONS of candy to look full and elegant. You reasonably need to have enough candy for a small bag full per guest.

- Size Matters - you can put the same amount of candy in a dozen smaller containers rather then into 2 or 3 large containers - but 12 smaller containers LOOKS like more then 2 or 3 large ones do. So, stick to small and medium size containers. Then, place the containers on different levels by places different boxes or books under the table cloth to create risers for some of the containers to sit on. This makes containers easier to reach, and makes the table look fuller.

- Plan ahead - once you have your containers ready, plan which candy will go in each container. Fill larger containers with the less expensive candies, smaller containers for the more expensive containers.

- Buy in bulk - Once you know what types of candy you want, check out different bulk candy suppliers and compare prices.

- COLOR makes a difference - in generally, a candy buffet in coordinated colors looks much more elegant then one that features a hodge podge of random selections. Many bulk suppliers will let you purchase bulk orders of things like jelly beans - all in one color.

PLACES TO FIND BULK CANDY:

www.candywarehouse.com
www.blaircandy.com
www.groovycandies.com
www.sweetnostalgia.com
www.hometownfavorites.com
www.oldtimecandy.com
www.bulkfoods.com