138 dtg!!!

Finished some more guest greeting cards for the hotel rooms. Those are fun to do, coz they're turning out really crafty.

All these little projects are great "time fillers" to go along with all the other things that I need to get done this summer. Because once August rolls around, I have to go back to school and won't have extra allotted time to spend on wedding stuff.

Planning ahead to eliminate stress.......that's me!

139 dtg!!!

Well today was another great day of checking things off the to do list! My parents came down to visit and shop for shoes and check out tuxedos!

Mens Wearhouse didn't turn out to be a total bust (they don't have everything in certain sizes, so we ended up dressing a manequin....which was fun!) So we were able to pick out the ensembles for the groomsmen and the fathers. They will look quite striking if I don't say so myself!

Then we were able to find the shoes that I am PRETTY SURE I am getting........

Aren't they beautiful..... turns out I can get them much cheaper from the bridal salon in Placerville where I found my dress. Schwing!!!

140 dtg!!!

We are still looking for a cool guest book idea..... and haven't quite come up with something unique that both Casey and I agree on.

There are lots of ideas that play off of a wishing tree, where you hang wishes on pieces of paper from a tree. But since we already have LOTS of trees in the reception ballroom...something else needs to be done.

Although this was an interesting Plexiglass tree that someone made up.

So colorful!

I guess if you had a backyard or a lawn, it would be pretty cool to have hanging outside somewhere.....but we are not in that sitch.

141 dtg!!!!

Found these cute ideas for centerpieces at www.mytenthousandwedding.blogspot.com

Even though I do already have my centerpiece ideas, these were just so unique and cute, I had to share!

Birdcages....so vintge, cute and whimsical

And presents! I never thought of that before, although we do something similar at work around the holidays.

142 dtg!!!

Made some greeting cards with stamps and pens and ribbon... Haven't done that kinda crafty stuff in a while!

Printed out the pictures to go on all the tables along with the numbers.

Printed out some more menus to test out the new embossing powder I got..... Amethyst!!! Pretty!

143 dtg!!!

Was able to purchase the entire amount of ribbon needed at Michaels that goes around the box centerpieces.....they had exactly the amount I needed left on the roll. I was so relieved.

Tomorrow will be a craft day.....to try out stamping and embossing designs for the menus, programs and cards that we'll be making for the guests.

I'm so tired. It seemed like a loooooong day.

144 dtg!!!

It was a wonderful holiday and we both had the day off.... Perfect day to do lots of wedding related biz!!

Went to Mens Wearhouse to find out that they do not have tuxes on hand for you to try on.....so basically you just have to guess that what you see on the models and the mannequins is what you want!? So the tux debacle is yet to be determined.... To be continued.....

Then... We went to crate & barrel to update the registry. Can't believe it's getting this close, and sometimes I can't even remember what is on our registry!

Then we headed to see FFIL and FMIL where we finished the black boxes or the centerpieces and began to design the cupcake tower......with a night ending in great food and great wine, and me about to pass out....

145 dtg!!!

Messed up my first envelope tonight....after the 19th one. That's pretty good I guess. It's all Casey's fault. He was talking to me. Shows you that I can't concentrate on two things at once.

I did also realize that there may be a downside to addressing envelopes so far in advance. I know at least 6 of our guests are moving or could be moving within the next couple of months. So, there's no real point in wasting an envelope, so I put them aside. But I guess I get more practice if one of them does move and I have to buy another envelope!?

146 dtg!!!!

I really like summer. I like the fresh air, the sunshine and just the all-around great feel of the outdoors. However..........

This summer I have to take extra special care of my skin! Since my dress is strapless, I don't want any burns or funky looking tan lines. Since I have so many different shaped tank tops, and all 3 of my bathing suits are different styles, I really have to have a strategy! (I'm not one for fake tanning, so usually I just use the good ole sun........who knows, maybe this year I'll need to change.)

Anyway, so yeah, no funky tan lines. That's the goal. So today I was a little worried, but came extra prepared when we attended Allie's graduation at Sonoma State---wahoo!!!! She did awesome and had THE coolest cap there!

The ceremony took place on a large field, with only certain areas of shade, and the sun was full out. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful day, but there was no hiding the big hot shiny thing in the sky. So, with my SPF 50 on, and my sweater, I wore it. Luckily, the shade ended up gracing its presence upon my shoulders AND it eventually got cold and breezy. So no tan lines for me, nothing to worry about.

Now Casey on the other hand......

Don't know if you can tell because of the lighting, but there is a massive pink/red line that goes along his hair line there.....very strange! So you can totally tell where he forgot to put his trusty SPF 50. Got everywhere but there. :( He doesn't care though.....at least yet. It doesn't hurt so far.

My friend Annie from work has some interesting sunburn spots that are all very random (one spot on her ankle and 2 round circles on just her elbows...yeah weird!)

But basically anytime I want to bask in the sun and get some actual rays, I only have 1 bathing suit so far that is strapless and will give me an even tan.

C'est la vie. (Oh wait, that's a different blog, hahah!)

147 dtg!!!

Continuing on with the calligraphy....definitely getting the hang of it and the more I do, the easier it gets and the faster I finish them.

Casey and I have found a gem of a place near our house.....but its very dangerous!

YOGURTLAND!!!!

You serve yourself, the flavors are delicious and they only charge you .30 cents an ounce!!!! Yeah!!!! You can get two huge yogurt sundaes, with toppings galore and caramel/fudge....whatever you want....all for the same price as one lame sundae at baskin robbins. Yeah it's a steal. And it's a hot thing.......everytime I go by there the line is always out the door.

Such a dangerous thing to find while we are knee deep in diet and exercise..........but its sooooooo good!

148 dtg!!!

Did 5 envelopes of calligraphy this evening.........


Eh.


I 75% like them. They are good enough, but I hope I can do better. It's just hard to make sure that they come out in a straight line, even as I hold a ruler underneath. More practice I guess. That's all its gonna take.

I also created some stained glass artwork on acetate that turned out really pretty. I did it in the colors of the wedding; green, orange and purple. So I'm sure I will find a way to incorporate that into the decor/print work as well. Or even if I just painted on glass candle holders, or glass bottles. Since that's really what this paint is used for.

149 dtg!!!

Attempted to go look for some bridal shoes today. Took a visit to my local DSW to see if they had any hidden gems. Mostly had silver and gold shoes, which is not what I am looking for. They did have this white pair that I thought would look cute....

I thought the detail was really pretty...especially on the back, which would look cute in pictures...

They weren't as comfortable or as pretty as I thought when I finally tried them on. Oh well.

I did, however find some shoes that I definitely would not want to purchase.

WHAT ARE THESE? UGLY I TELL YOU!!!!

And these.........looks like Andy Warhol puked on them.

150 dtg!!

Well.....had a day off, but was running errands all day. Meeting with counselors and chiropractors....going through school stuff....you know, fun stuff!? Deep stuff as well, as these are all decisions that will alter and change the path that I take in life. Nothing to take lightly eh?

Actually made dinner for Casey and I this evening......stir-fry vegetables with cous-cous. Casey is such a guy....he asked why there wasn't any meat in it. Oh how horrible! A meal without any meat??!!! He finally understood and agreed that maybe we could do one meal a week without meat.

151 dtg!!!

Yesterday, was 5 months to the exact day.

Oh boy!

It's fun hearing about different weddings and what people value and spend more of their money on.

It's also fun hearing from the guests about what they thought was good or fun.......

lots of good tidbits to take in, but still trying to remember to do what you want, coz it's your wedding.

5 months....yeesh!

152 dtg!!!

This........was our breakfast of champions.

Top row from left to right-- Banana Chocolate Chip, Coco Coconut, Strawberry Swirl

Bottom Row from left to right-- Coconut, Mint Chocolate Chip, Lemon Coconut

Our second tasting of cupcakes was this morning....and they were delicious! We definitely have picked our flavors, but now have to decide on the flower decorations and colors. Which will coincide with the colors of the cupcake tiers that FFIL, Casey and I will be making.

But the flower decorations that Gloria makes are beautiful and can be done in so many different styles and colors!!! More decisions to make!

153 dtg!!!

Wow it was a scorcher today!! I hate working saturdays, but today it
actually worked out since I was in an air conditioned room all day.
Phew!

Gotta wake up early tomorrow morning to head to Livermore and taste
cupcakes at 8:30am..... Yeah, I'm sure that'll be interesting on my
stomach! But you gotta have em fresh!

154 dtg!!!

Had a chat with my stylist today. We'll be doing a run through of hair and makeup within the next few months....as well as a trim and color a week before the wedding. So exciting to look forward to!

The centerpiece boxes by FFIL are coming along, as well as the hanging votives and stripped branches. I just need to recruit Casey to help with more construction and assemblage down the road.

Browsed through some more recent pictures of family......can't believe some of the pictures.....and can't stand at looking at some of the pictures of me! I look awful! My face looks so swollen and red in some of them, that I'm surprised my head didn't hurt!?! But that's part of life and growing up. Just gotta accept it no matter how painful it is to look at.

155 dtg!!!

Got this postcard in the mail today. It sounded really interesting! Basically it's a workshop where you can go and make your own wedding bands/rings. Thought that would be really fun and romantic to do together!

Went to the website to check it out.....$1200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jeez!

You would think it'd be cheaper since YOU are the one making it! Guess not!

156 dtg!!!

Went through A LOT of old pictures today to scan and insert into our wedding slideshow. It's amazing to look at the transformations and changes that people go through throughout their lives.

I don't quite have as many pics as I would like, so there will be more research to do.

157 dtg!!!

Finally met our DJ today!!

His name is Alvin and he seemed super cool and super confident. He gave us a great deal, since we don't need anything special or fancy. He supplied us with a list of songs that are really popular, and after weeding through over 200 of them, we came up with about 50 songs that we deem appropriate for an evening of awesome dancing.

Since we already have a theme/style of music set for the cocktail hour and dinner portion, that is easy to organize. It's all the special songs that need to be pin-pointed, like the first dance (which I think we have decided on, but that may change), the father-daughter dance, the song I walk down the aisle to......the song they play after we have said I do.....to the song played when we enter the reception.

They already have a drop down projector and screen set up at Martinelli, we were debating on whether or not to do a photo slideshow/montage of us and our families throughout the dinner. It would just play in the background and people can watch it if they want to.

But after hearing a great idea from Alvin, we are probably going to do it for sure! He has music videos for almost all of these songs......and can play them through the projector while we're dancing! And if there isn't a music video for a certain part of the evening, he can just put up our names/monogram to stay on the screen.....hopefully it is easy to do/set up. I'll have to check with the planners at Martinelli to make sure.

I've seen it done in clubs before and it's a nice added touch. Gives people sitting around something to watch/look at if they don't want to dance, and the people dancing try and imitate the dance moves sometimes. More entertainment! I just want people to have a good time!!!

Another thing down! Whoo hoo!!!

158 dtg!!!

Went to Michaels to browse for various materials for some DIY projects that I have in the works (in my brain).

Noticed many brides/planners. Must be crunch time for summer weddings.

Bought some more tealight candle holders for the tree centerpieces.

Worked on some more calligraphy.

159 dtg!!!

I didn't get to spend mother's day with my mother, or my future mother-in-law, but I did wish them the best and thanked them for all their love and hard work. Without them, Casey and I definitely would not be anywhere without them.

There was an episode of Platinum Weddings on today....I didn't watch it, but the info on the episode was so interesting to me. A wedding of 600 guests.

Yeah, 600. I don't even think Casey and I know 600 people that we would ALL want to be there for our wedding. That's not a wedding.......that's like putting on a show!

160 dtg!!!

Today, got a huge dent in the black inner envelopes addressed. More to go, but at least it's a start.

Also kept making playlists for the cocktail hour and the processional before the ceremony. We hope to meet with our DJ on Tuesday, so that got me thinking about all our music. All of the cocktail hour and during dinner will be old, vintage goodies.....like Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald and many more. Then when it gets to the dancing, I really don't care what he plays as long as people dance......although there are a couple of songs that I definitely DO NOT want played. :)

161 dtg!!

The calligraphy has begun.

I can definitely fly through the inner addressed names....but the outside envelopes are going to be a little trickier.

It turns out that because of the envelope that I have picked out, erasing any lines or text will show. So I cannot pre layout the envelope easily and write in ink over it. I may have to blindly free-style it.

Ugh.

162 dtg!!!

Well!!! It was time to break out publisher again and get started on designing the programs! Since I really haven't been to many weddings, I really only had an inkling as to what went into a program. I put my faith in theknot.com to guide me!

Here are some of the many programs that caught my interest:

I like the natural motif of this one...and the green is the right color.

This one has the green ribbon. I think the long skinny layout is a nice look, but not necessarily a practical one for the printer. I like the modern text/layout of the front cover. It could easily be done with rubber stamps.

Again, love this green and kraft color combo. The text is cool, simple and modern.

I think this fold out square layout is a neat idea.....kinda goes along with the invitations we have created. And I like the J & S text.

I like the layout, the colors, the text, the swirl, the black and white.......don't know if I am crazy about everything being on the same page though.

I love the design at the top.....looks like something I could totally doodle.




This I love. But I would replace the brown with black obviously....and Casey doesn't like ribbon.




This ties in with the damask pattern and the runners. Very simple and elegant.

I think this text is great......so much so, that I have immulated it in the mock up I have done so far. It goes in sync with our invitations.

The green flower design is cool.....and I think the layout is very modern.

All in all, there are a lot of ways to go about designing the program, based on what I like and the feel of the wedding. So we will see how it pans out. I just want to make it easy on myself so that printing is a breeze and there is not a whole lot of labor involved.....but that it also looks good.

All pictures courtesy of theknot.com

163 dtg!!!

Picture courtesy of elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/

Aren't these the cutest folded flowers?! They are a japanese style...wonder how hard they are to do?

Photo courtesy of dynamiteweddings.blogspot.com

I had thought about doing this for the courtyard, but wasn't sure if it would look funky or not. Basically, they have small bulb string lights, but on various lights they hung chinese lanterns to add variety and size! Looks pretty cute!

164 dtg!!

Happy cinco de mayo!!! Casey and I made homemade quesadillas, tostadas, and chips for the occasion....although we were missing the tequila for the margaritas.

Definitely need to keep chugging away at the invitations tomorrow.... We tested our RSVP envelopes to make sure they would go through the mail. They arrived today, so now casey can worry no longer. We can finish stamping, stuffing and addressing..... Well, I can. ;)

165 dtg!!!!

A compilation of stories about the worst toasts made at weddings.....oooh....some of these are really bad!!!!


1. "At a friend's wedding a few years ago, the best man made it apparent that he wasn't such a fan of the bride. The speech went something like this: '(Groom's name), man I love ya, you know I do. I hope you thought about this and that this is what you really, really, really want.' Then he said the bride's name, hit his fist against his chest twice, and pointed at her."

2. "A friend of mine from college got married, and his best man said in his speech: 'Finally John has found someone with low enough self-esteem to marry him.'"

3. "The maid of honor (the bride's sister) not only talked about herself during the whole speech, she also mentioned the possibility of an affair between herself and her sister's new husband."

4. "At my cousin's wedding, the best man ended his toast by saying he wanted the groom to know that he'd be there for him at his next wedding when this one didn't work out."

5. "The best man at a wedding I was in said during his toast, 'Congratulations to the new parents!' No one except a select few knew the bride was pregnant -- not even her parents!"

6. "I was a bridesmaid in a wedding where the best man gave a toast about how cheap the groom was and how they'd been friends all their lives but the wedding was the first free meal he's ever been offered by the 'cheapskate.'"

7. "The father of the bride stood up and said, 'I'm Jill's dad. I just want to say that I met David before Jill did because of my other daughter.' And he sat down."

8. "My cousin gave a horrible toast at her younger sister's wedding a few years ago. She began by saying that she never liked her sister's new husband throughout high school and that 'today he's still at the level of slightly below the scum on the bottom of a dirty waste pond.'"

9. "I attended a wedding where the best man commented on how the bride used to work at Hooters (which her family didn't know about) and how he was jealous of the groom for 'bagging her.'"

10. "During the toast the groom's dad (after many drinks) said that he was so happy for his son and his beautiful wife Sara. But his wife's name wasn't Sara, his ex-girlfriend's was."

Taken from the knot.com

166 dtg!!!!

Casey helped me with the invites tonight! He cute the vellum inserts while I stuffed them....Now I just have MORE calligraphy to do. And stamps of course.

Photo courtesy of intimateweddings.com

Aren't these darling!? All you have to do is take some cardstock and cut out the template....wrap it around and there you go!! They make these similarly, and smaller for cupcakes....but they're expensive....and who wants to spend money on a decorative paper that goes around a cupcake.....that people are going to throw away!?

167 dtg!!!!

Image courtesy of wedding.blogdig.net

Ahh....flowers. Always a staple at weddings. I love the rose petals down the aisle....to get it fully covered like shown above it apparently takes almost 1000 petals to cover a basic 50 ft aisle...yeah! That's a lot! I would either like it like this (maybe not as thick) or just lined on the outside (next to the chairs). In white....

so pretty

168 dtg!!!

Started to design the menus that will be placed at each table setting. Was getting somewhat frustrated with Word; it basically was not allowing my creativity to shine through. I may need to find specific paper, or hand embellish them the way I want. Stupid clip art!!

Image found at jenniferskog.com

This menu matched the runners and damask theme that I have in certain aspects. But I would need to find a pattern on the paper, or somehow get it to print like that through the computer.

Image found at intimateweddings.com

This isn't a menu, it't a save the date. But I just thought it was so cute! I LOVED reading Shel Silverstein books with my mom when I was younger. The artwork and the stories/poems are such a part of my childhood.