When Your DIY's Go Up in Flames

... literally.

This morning, I woke up with a zeal for DIY projects.  It's time to get things off the list.  For real!

So, I started with what I hoped would be a pretty straight forward project: the boutonniere.

My inspiration came from online:

Boutonniere by Whichgoose via etsy

I had purchased a bunch of sola flowers from save-on-crafts.  I had feathers from amazon.  I found ribbon to match the FI's tie at Jo-Ann Fabrics.  Plus, some floral wire from earlier projects and my hot glue gun...  I was ready.

I attached the wire to the flower.  Applied some glue and put the feather where I thought it looked good.  Then, I wrapped (and wrapped and wrapped) the ribbon around.  Finally, I tied a knot near the top and cut the ribbon to a good length.  Then, I held the ribbon close to a candle flame to keep the edges from fraying.

Can you guess what happened next?

I'll give you a hint: Sola flowers (and, feathers, apparently) are EXTREMELY flammable.

Poof (personal pic)

Seriously?!?

Attempt two involved me trying the ribbon and flame step a little earlier...  

Voila! (personal pic)

This one went a bit faster since I already knew what I was doing.

I'm pretty happy with the results.  But, this made me wonder: how many DIY fails does the average bride have under her belt?  And, how would guests react if they could see some of the major comedies involved with wedding planning?

Up next: sewing the lace onto my veil.  At least there is no fire involved with that one.

Staying Organized

One of our very first purchases after getting engaged (second only to a bunch of bridal magazines I grabbed on my first trip to the grocery after the ring was on my finger) was the iDo Couple Edition by Elm Software.  At $35, this was probably the best investment I could have made.  Seriously.  Let me explain how this program is still making me say "wow".

First, it met my expectations for contact and invitation management:
- Database for contacts has all the fields I would expect and then some: name, address, nickname, email, phone numbers, A or B list, friend of (bride, groom, both), role, gender, child indicator, out of town indicator and a place for notes.  This is quite a list of ways that you can filter and analyze your guest list.
- Contacts are then dropped into groups under invitations.  This function has an auto-wording setting, ability to add guests for single invites, RSVP ID's and an invite sent indicator.
- RSVP's are soooo easy to track.  Find the RSVP # (which I put in the corner of each RSVP I sent) and click on received, then click on boxes by each guest not expected to attend.  Also, it's easy to click on a guests name to correct spelling or update someone's "guest" with the actual name of who's coming.
- It was also easy to import and export contact info and invitation lists using the software.  This was way better than typing in each contact sent by family or having to address each save the date/invitation envelope separately.

Next, it surprised me with additional ways to stay organized:
- Hotel lists for guests.  Where is everyone staying - Create a hotel and drag everyone who is staying there.  Plus, there is the ability to add a map picture of each.  This is going to be great for OOT bags.
- Flight information.  I'm not planning to use this one, but it would be great for weddings with lots of VIP's arriving on planes.
- Gift tracking.  Its easy to add a new gift, select the person/people who gave it (which automatically populates the address for a thank you card), indicate when it was received (and for which event: wedding, bridal shower, etc.) and mark when a thank you was sent.
- Table layout.  Add tables in several shapes and seating counts and then drag attendees to their table.  The tables can be named and arranged to show the floor plan with simple functionality.  And, a report can be created for printing and staying organized on the day of.

There is also a lot of planning help that I am probably not making 100% use of:
- Vendor List.  This contains all of the contact info for each vendor and a place for notes.
- Budget.  This is a place to keep track of money paid and still due with date functionality and groupings to see where your money is going.
- Checklist.  This one was auto-populated upon opening the software.  Its easy to edit, add or delete items as needed.

Finally, there are a bunch of other things I haven't even played around with yet like timelines, events, songlists, etc.

Seriously, the only thing I would change about this software is to make it online so that I could access my information at any computer (this is why most of my personal wedding checklists are in Google Docs).  Otherwise, this software does exactly what I bought it for, plus more.  I definitely recommend it.

Any questions about this?  Let me know.  Or, have you used a different wedding planning software that surprised you (either in a good way or bad)?

Playing Dress Up

Tuesday was the first fitting for my wedding gown.  The whole experience was a little different than I expected, not all in a good way, but I'm glad my dress is finally on its way to being ready for the big day.

The day started with me feeling a little bit like this:

from wiki

And, as a quick tangent, because I was already on the wiki page about elephants...  Did you ever notice the ridiculous eyelashes on an elephant before?  This girl can definitely get by without eyelash extensions...

also from wiki

Anyway, I was feeling huge, sausagey and unpleasant.  I don't know if it was nerves related to the idea of putting on my wedding dress or my knowing that I haven't lost any (not a single pound) of the weight I'd hoped to lose by now...  But, either way, I wasn't actually looking forward to having the dress on or seeing what I looked like in it.

Don't get me wrong, I was super excited to see the dress.  It had been over seven months and I barely remembered what it looked like in person.  I wanted to see how my final shoe decision and recent jewelry purchases looked with it.  I wanted to visualize it standing next to the brown suit the FI purchased over the weekend.  I wanted to imagine it with a veil and see if I could make a decision on that finally.

I just didn't want to have to wear it.

So, I may have been less than enthusiastic as I stopped by my mom's house to pick her up.  And, I may have been less than charming through the appointment.  I may have also been close to tears as I drove myself home after.  But, I'm assuming that the alterations and (fingers crossed) being good about food and exercise for the next two months may get me to where I want to be.

But, less about me and more about the fitting appointment...  After being shown to a dressing room and changing into my strapless bra, my seamstress helped me dive into the dress.  Then, she gave my mom a quick lesson on lacing up the back.  

Once the dress was in place, we started to talk about the details.  First, she cut off the attached bow and broach, which I'd known from the very beginning would not be a part of the final look.  She also pinned the chest area a bit, so that I won't be showing off all the goods.  Next, a preview of the bustle and the new belt was pinned into place.  Finally, I did a slow spin as she pinned the bottom for length.

It was quick...  But not so quick that I didn't try on my new jewelry to see if they were compatible with the dress: 

Sweet Zinnia by Kate Spade via Nordstrom

I had actualy bought these over the weekend from amazon.com (thank goodness for Prime shipping) because they were a little less expensive.  They looked gorgeous with the dress.  So sparkly and definitely a statement but still elegant and kind of timeless.

After all the pins were in place and I'd signed the alteration order paperwork, we removed the dress and that was it.  A quick trip to front desk for final payment and I made another appointment for my second fitting.  The seamstress warned that the bottom of the dress will be "opened up" when I return and I shouldn't freak out.  Now I'm uber-curious to see what that means.

Did anyone else have a less than stellar first fitting appointment?  Did trying on the dress again make you feel more worried about how you'd look on the big day?  Or, did you fall in love with your dress and the way you felt in it all over again?

Sending out the Love...

a.k.a. The Invites are in the Mail!

This was a super exciting morning.  To begin with, it's Friday (which is usually enough for me).  And, we decided yesterday that the invitations should be in the mail today!

They have actually been sitting in a box since Sunday, when I spent the majority of my day finishing them:

(personal pic)

And, while I'm not going to reveal the whole invitation (since no one could have possibly received theirs yet), I am going to share a huge DIY fail...

First, I'd like to say that over half of our invitations were done before I thought to check for this...  it was something that came to me as I was laying in bed one night, reviewing my ridiculous mental to-do list (not to be confused with my actual to-do list, safely kept in Google Documents)...

Can you see the issue here:

(personal pic)

Notice that the first line has my name and then his name?  Notice how the second line has the word husband and then the word bride?  Notice how I became the husband in this sentence and he the bride?

It's subtle.  The FI said he wouldn't have given it a second thought had I not mentioned it.  But, as a bride, as soon as I saw it, I knew those inviations could NOT go out.

So, I re-printed 80+ invitation wordings.  I re-cut 80+ pieces with the words into the correct size.  I tore apart the existing invites (taking care not to rip the paper as I went).  Then, I re-started the process of attaching the actual invitation words to the base and mat.

It was heartbreaking.  Seriously, I had been feeling so close to being done and then this happened.

Of course, looking back, it was nothing.  A couple extra hours of work compared to the total time.  Pshhhh, nothing.

But, the experience leads me to offer these words of advice to other invite DIY-ers:

• Make sure to have several sets of eyes check the invitation wording before it's final.  There is little chance that one person (especially the person who made the invitation) will be able to find all the errors.
• If you are attaching several layers of invitation together, consider using double sided adhesive instead of glue.  Why?  Well, if you realize that one piece is crooked, you will probably be able to pull it off and replace it.  And, in a worse case scenario, if you have to re-do a bunch of the invitations, you might not have to start over from scratch.
• Don't be too critical.  After hours and days of staring at the invitations, it's hard to be subjective.  Every little imperfection becomes magnified.  Remember, most people won't notice those tiny issues and no one but you really knows what they were supposed to look like anyway.

The Last Supper (as Singles)

... Also known as the reherasal dinner.

... Also known as another outstanding item on my to-do list.

Lately, we've been trying to narrow down our options for this decision.  And, to be honest, there was only one restaurant that we've ever really considered using over the last few months.  So, on Monday evening, we headed over to Emiliano's Mexican Restaurant & Bar to meet with their event coordinator.

To begin with, this restaurant is a lot of fun.  The decor is bright and cheerful (and maybe just a little over the top).  We love it:

Main Dining Area & View from Upstairs both from the Emiliano's Website

And, we've eaten there enough times to know that we enjoy a variety of the menu items.  Our meeting actually started with a question about our favorite foods there...  I had a hard time picking one but the FI answered by explaining that his family is mostly Mexican and that Emiliano's offers the most authentic food he's been able to find in Pittsburgh.  

From there, we moved onto menu options and explanations of price structures.  Since we'll be having 20-30 guests, a sit down meal with three entree options was suggested.  (They do offer buffet dinners but recommend that for parties of over 30 people.)  And, the price per guest would be based on an average of the entrees we picked.

We ended up choosing four dinner options for our guests: enchiladas suizas, fajitas (chicken or steak), molcajete cabo (a huge seafood dish) and flautas.  We felt like all our bases were covered with these options: steak, chicken, seafood, fried, not fried, etc.

Plus, we added a few orders of two appetizers, queso fundido and guacamole, that will join the chips and salsa already included with the meal.  Finally, we rounded out the meal with the adult beverage options of margaritas and Coronas.

Perfect.

And, it is all well within our "budget" amount for a "rehearsal" dinner (turns out we probably won't even have a traditional rehearsal, but more on that later).

After we wrapped up our meeting, we got a table and had dinner.  We each ordered an item from our selected rehearsal dinner options that we hadn't tried before, just to make sure.  I had the enchiladas and he ordered the molcajete cabo; both were delicious.  Plus, the margaritas were amazing.

Overall, this whole process was painless.  I'm so happy with our decision and think this restaurant will provide the casual, fun environment we're hoping for to enjoy this special time with our families.

Did you have a favorite restaurant in mind for your rehearsal dinner early on?  Or, did you have to do a lot of homework to find the right place?

How Do I Love Thee?

... and other difficult to answer questions.

A week ago, I received an email from our officiant with three attached documents.

1. Marriage License Instructions - This one is pretty self-explanatory but super useful.  For example, I didn't realize that the county only takes cash as payment for the application.  Also, we have about two weeks left before we can go through the process, since the license is only good for 60 days.

2. Wedding Information Form - This is the form that contains all the details about the wedding, stuff we definitely didn't know when we first signed our contract.  Time of the ceremony, contact numbers for important people and other details.

There are also some more complex topics like "any thoughts or ideas you have for inclusions in the ceremony" and "anything you feel may be important in the preparation of the personalized ceremony".

These are areas that we are a bit unsure about...  We have some ideas of a reading or two but haven't quite gotten around to asking the person we're thinking might do it.  We know some of the things that we don't want (religious related passages, etc.) but haven't figured out what should fill the time.

We're hoping that we'll be able to work together to figure this all out over the next two months.

3. Couples Ceremony Questionaire - This is where it gets extra tough.  This document is 18 questions of deep, personal and generally head scratching stuff.  Don't get me wrong, there are some straight forward ones included like "How did the poposal happen?" and "What tone would you like for the ceremony?".

But, the rest, my goodness...  Plus, we are supposed to fill these out individually.  No cheating allowed!

Some of the questions are things that I have a hard time putting into words: "What do you love about your spouse-to-be?".  Well, I love all sorts of things, like the fact that we have created a pretend pet together (a French Bulldog named Rupert, in case you were curious) and that we laugh all the time.  But, is that the stuff of great ceremonies?  I have no clue.

Or "Was there a pivotal moment in your relationship where you knew you were in love or that this relationship was something special?"  Well, maybe when I realized I was willing to be with someone who played video games on a regular basis (a long standing deal breaker for me... although it's hard to remember why now).  Or, was there actually a moment at some point when I looked at him and thought "I'm going to marry him!"?  If so, how can I not remember when or how it happened?  If not, should there have been?

Just trying to come up with something for these have left me thinking that people who write their own vows are crazy...  I can't even imagine the stress related to doing that!

Luckily, we'll have several opportunities to revise the ceremony once we see a first draft.  So, if our answers create something less than spectactular, we might still be able to get it together before the big day.

Did you offiant involve you and your partner in the ceremony creation process?  Or, did you write your own vows?  Did you find it difficult to explain your emotions about your partner to anyone (or to them if you wrote a note for the wedding day)?

The Shoes...

...with a capital T and a capital S!

Or, I think I've finally found my shoes for the big day!

There are few things that have seriously stressed me out through this wedding planning process.  Invitations were one.  Shoes were definitely another.

I have struggled with this decision for months.

I had a pair of shoes made:

Personal Pic

I found a pair of shoes at Ross:

Personal Pic

I bought an online deal for a 'design your own shoes' website:

My Wedding Shoe Design via Milk & Honey

And, then, I finally ordered this beautiful pair online:

Laina by Miz Mooz via endless.com

They are everything I've been looking for in a shoe - bright color, comfortable, a thick enough heel that I won't sink into the grass and an open toe.  And, as a bonus, they sort of have a Mexican feel to them.  They almost look like the papel picado that's running throughout our wedding.

Now, I can't promise that I won't be buying any more "wedding day" shoes, but I think the pressure I've been putting on myself over this decision is finally diminishing.  Plus, my wedding dress should be arriving any day (the manufacturer shipping it about two weeks ago) and I needed to make this decision final so the alterations can be started.  Eek!

Plus, the bonus?  I still have that credit for Milk & Honey.  Now I can make myself a fun pair of shoes with no wedding related restrictions...  The possibilities are almost overwhelming (and absolutely wonderful).

How many pairs of shoes did you add to your closet before finding 'the ones'?