... on the Chopping Block

Chopped, one of my favorite Food Network shows, is definitely little more than food porn.  In case you've never seen an episode, it's basically three rounds of chefs trying to create a dish with ingredients that should NOT go together.  After presenting their creations and letting the judges, well, judge, they get to see "who is on the chopping block".

As we get closer to the 100 day mark, I'm playing my own version of this game...  with wedding DIY projects.

First up, the invitations.  My original creation...

Personal Pic

... Chopped!

Not that I've completely thrown out the idea.  But, after running into issue after issue with my Pazzles die cutting machine, I realized that there was no way I could get through 90 of these bad boys without going crazy.

So, the cut out portion has been significantly simplified: no more scalloped edges and no more flowers on the bottom (one of my favorite parts originally).  Also, the cutout is now the cream paper, which will have a smaller blue mat and another cream piece (with the actual words) on top of it.  When they're final and mailed, I'll post more about the final product and what it took to get there.

Next, my clay bouquet and all the corsages & bouts...

Personal Pic

...  At the very least, on a hiatus.  

The more I've thought about it, the less important a bouquet seems.  For one thing, I'm planning on having both of my parents walk me down the aisle, leaving no hand open to hold anything else.  Also, without a bridal party, I don't have anyone to hold my bouquet during the ceremony and then hand it back to me afterwards.  Finally, the only good reason I can think of to have a bouquet is for the photo value, which makes me step back and think about priorities.

For now, I'm not 100% decided.  I think that once the overwhelming task of getting the invitations out is past, I can re-consider how much time it would take to tackle a few (dozen?) flowers made from clay.

And, lastly, the veil...

From Style Me Pretty

...  Still a huge internal debate occurring over this one.

I love these mantilla veils.  They are timeless and simple and FMIL wore one for her wedding day.  Since my dress is covered with ivory lace, I think a mantilla would look great.  And, I love the way brides look with a veil...  for lack of a better description, I think they look "bridal".

But, as with everything else we're planning, I've been trying to decide how important this really is and weighing that against the time investment.  (Being a financial analyst may influence me towards running investment/risk/reward scenarios a lot.)

I already purchased a pattern...

Vogue Pattern V8569

... but every time I've looked at lace and trim in the stores, I'm not quite satisfied.

I think this decision will most likely be put off at least until I see my dress again, which I'm hoping is soon as we're nearing the six months from ordering point.

There are tons more of projects and tasks outstanding and it's easy to start feeling overwhelmed.  So, I'm trying to take it one day at a time...  Baby steps...  Are there any other cliches I can use to make myself a little less stressed?

Did you have to start chopping projects at some point?  Or, did you give yourself plenty of time to finish everything from your original wedding vision (i.e. not procrastinating on DIY's till the last couple months like me)?  Did you regret anything you cut after the big day?