Party'n Party'n Ya

It's Saturday, the a.m. of my very own bridal shower. While is't of course exciting it's a little hard to wrap my head around a bunch of ladies planning and gathering all for me. It's like an elaborately planned girl only semi surprise birthday party. Except it's all going down because The Hubs -To-Be and I finally decided to tie the knot after a short little 8 year test drive period. Go figure, I say yes and my peeps want to throw me a party! It is hard for me to take that back seat role though. I'm used to being the planner and the doer and doing it all for someone else, or several someone else's. But now, it's all fer little ol me! Crazy! So I lay here, meditating on the day ahead and realizing how proud I am of myself for getting all my shiznat ready to go last night so I actually have time to share my meditations with you this morning. I'm really excited for the party this afternoon as a crew of ladies surely have lovely plans ahead. The only part that always makes me anxious is the silly tradition of opening gifts while everyone stares at you waiting for your reaction to each gift. Ick. Not a big fan of being stared at unless it's while I'm stuting down the street and that stare is meant to boost my ego....oh, and isn't there some bow rule that somehow relates to babies or something? {nose crinkle} not really so sure about that. But over all I really look forward to what the ladies have planned.

In addition to a fun filled day primping and partying, there's more partying planned for tonight. As my BFF is a crazy busy gal working and nursing schooling it up and attending a record number of weddings this summer, is difficult for her to make it up from Boston again much before the wedding, SOOOO tonight is ALSO the bachelorette part-A!! It's going to be a long day. But we're heading out to B-town and plan to rock on.

My intentions are to bar hop with a little gaggle of gals attracting only moderate attention to the fact that there's a bride on board. I plan for no novelty gifts resembling male (or female for that matter) body parts. The last statement goes for real body parts attached to their owners as well... I wish not to be asked to kiss others or take shots from any others personage. I look forward to wearing stylish heels and NOT breaking an ankle or anything else. I hope there are lots of cute guys out to get jealous that this hot little thang is off the market and as a last effort to sway me they'll buy us drinks. I hope everyone has a time to remember and that it's not so good of a time it turns unmemorable. I hope I can stick with my good record and pace myself against all peer pressure to do otherwise. I hope there are a plethora of flattering photos to laugh about and reminisce over in years to come. And lastly, I hope and pray that I am only slightly injured Sunday morning.

I'm excited to share this whole day with my close friends and family and can't wait to look back on it with fondness and no regrets. I look forward to sharing the events of the day (and maybe some of the night) on here when the dust settles.

Ear goes nothing!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dress Stress

I bought a Maggie Sorretto dress in late January.  It wasn't what I'd always seen myself in or anything remotely close to it.  But it was beautiful, the price was right and I was completely OVER trying on dresses.  I started having doubts almost immediately.  There were a few days in there where the excitement of finding a dress and relief of not having to try on anymore was hugely masking the truth.  Slowly those feelings of excitement and relief lifted and I was left with puzzlement as to why I had ended up with something so far from my original plans.  I pushed those feelings aside and ignored them for a good four months.  I finally scheduled my first fitting and while standing in it, feeling the weight of it (literally) those doubtful feelings began to weigh me down making the dress feel as though it was lined with lead.  I had always envisioned a dress on the side of non-traditional.  Something simple and light with personality on it's own, but with a little room to add a hint more of my own style to it like a colorful sash, or floral embellishment.  This dress I was drowning in had so much personality on it's own, there was no room for me.  It spoke volumes leaving me unable to get a word in edgewise.  I continued to slap these thoughts away.  I repeatedly told myself that "It's too late", "It's really pretty and you'll look and feel fine", "You're really terrible at making decisions so it's hard to accept you finally made one and have to stick with it...." etc etc....
I had only mentioned that I was unsure about it to my mom once, off-handed and it didn't even spark a conversation more than a couple sentences long and we were onto the next thing.  But then, a few weeks ago, I had a dream.  I dreamt that the HTB (Hubs-to-be) and I were standing in a grassy field, under an arbor, the officiant taking us through the motions of our ceremony.  We were in our everyday clothes of jeans and t-shirts and I was bawling.  I had nothing to wear and I couldn't wear that dress so I was crying at the alter in jeans....how terrible of a dream is that?!

I don't care how happy these peeps look...
jeans are not my deal at a wedding

I woke the next morning determined my sub-conscience was telling me to stop ignoring my doubts and start trying to find a new dress.  I had up, until this point, cut myself off from looking at any photos of dresses in an effort to keep myself from longing for the greener grass on the other side of the fence.  You can't long for it if you can't see it right??  So I started looking for a dress I had seen while searching for bridesmaid dresses for my lovely ladies and after a lunch hour of scouring the internet while shoveling chili tofu leftovers into my face, I found it.  I figured I could buy the new one without bothering anyone about it, though my budget was tight, and see if I felt any different about it then I did the one hanging in my extra bathroom slash walk-in closet.  I got home that night and put it all together with rush fees that I inevitably would have to pay now since I ignored these issues long enough that we were within the two-three month range of the wedding, with still the possibility that it would need to be altered.  So with rush fees, shipping and the dress itself, it all came out to be more than my tiny budget could afford.  

Sunken hearted, I began to tell myself that it's really not that big of a deal.  I went back to convincing myself that it's not all about the dress (which I believe, but it doesn't mean the dress doesn't matter).  I started looking for shoes and made a final decision about bridesmaid dresses to make things more final.  I couldn't stand on the fence forever, I had to jump down on one side or the other eventually.  So I was on the side with the dress I had, the dress I was going to wear and be happy about it.  {Le sigh}.  That's the way life goes sometimes.  I had made a choice and I wasn't going to go whining to others about it.  I went to one of my best friends about it right after I had the dream, and, like a good friend, she reassured me that she had doubts about her dress too and her wedding day came and she loved it, felt great in it and was really happy she stuck with it, but if I decided to get a new one, she'd support me in that decision too.  By that time though, I had realized that I was pretty much stuck with what I gut....

 Over this past weekend, I went shopping with my mom to help her find a dress for the wedding and as I was telling her about my awesome shoe find on ebay, she spiked my blood pressure with the phrase I NEVER like to hear.  "I need to say something and I'm not sure you're going to like it...." (or something resembling such a phrase).  I gave her the sideways, "seriously, now what" gaze when she started to tell me she didn't think my dress was right and that she didn't think I should wear a dress that I wasn't comfortable with.  I proceeded to make excuse after excuse as to why I couldn't get a new dress this late in the game and finally let slip that I'd found another one, I just couldn't pay for it and the rush fees and I didn't know if it would be able to get here in time, etc, etc.  All that and what I really should have done was cry tears of joy that I was getting a get out of jail free card (the dress being jail....) and that my mom cared and knew me enough to know I was unhappy with my decision.  She assured me we could sell jail dress and that wasn't even something to worry about until after the wedding.  She told me to go home and order the dress and even told me how "me" it was when I showed her a photo on my fancy iPhone. 

This being my feeling when thinking of Jail dress...

I feel really relieved that I have this second chance to get the dress right, but have a whole new level of stress attached to the fact that it might not come in time.  I had to order 4 sizes larger than my usual size because after taking my measurements, found that my ribs are 4 sizes bigger than the rest of me (I considered removing a few, but decided I could have a custom dress rush ordered for the price of that procedure...).  Not only will it be super close to arriving in time, and then a speedy gonzolas alteration session, but what if it doesn't come in time at all!?!?  Then I have NOTHING!  Jail dress hasn't been altered so still doesn't fit.  Worst case scenario is I'm out the week before the wedding, picking up a prom dress at Macy's for $80, which I'll be mumbling to myself that "I should have just done this in the first place and saved myself and others lots of time and moola".  

BUT positive thinking is key, so I plan on seeing a UPS driver fling it onto my porch no later than Friday August 5th and zooming that box straight over to my seamstress.  I'm sorry I can't share this dress with you kids, but I can tell you it's going to be not only lovely and a true expression of yours truly, but, with any luck, a converstation piece for all of our lovely guests to talk about for years to come.  

So wish me luck in Round 2 and I can't wait to share photos!!! (after the nuptials of course....       

The Countdown is ON!

Deconstruction of a Save The Date

Save the dates, a new fad in the industry of all things wedding, allows an informal way for the couple to show off their style while giving their guests a defined date for ease of travel and accommodation planning 6-12 months in advance of the actual event.  My thoughts on why this has become so common is due to the speed in which the average persons life has increased.  We're traveling the world literally and via technology, trying to split our time between work, friends, family, volunteer activities, sports, hobbies, starting and raising families of our own, etc.  While a year used to be 365, 24 hour days, those numbers seem to be ticking at a much faster rate when we attempt to cram more and more things into those hours and days.  All these obligations and activities turn the wall calendar into a clutter of ink.  The more we have planned the further out we have to plan the important dates so the little things don't pile up, which renders the traditional invitation mailings not far enough in advance to be getting the basic information.  With a save the date, not only can it be informal and fun but gives the guests who have made it onto your final list a big heads up on at least the date of your event.  Sending out our save the dates really pushed us to finalize the guest list when it otherwise would not have been.  It was also like an official opener to let the games begin.  It was a way for us to get our website information out as well, where guests can return regularly to get more and more information about our event as the details and plans solidify.  So this is my answer when someone says "There was no such thing as Save the Dates when I got married", and I give you permission to use this reason as well.  It's the change of the times.  Just like my 100% support of having a wedding website.  It gives those detail oriented folks on your list a clear view of what's going on, what to expect and most importantly, it allows them to RSVP online saving us the money in expensive reply cards, reply envelopes and stamps.  The wedding website is also a great way to set the stage in showing your guests your "Couple Style". 

Ok, enough about the evolution of the Save the Date and my rambling about why I think they and a wedding website are a great idea, onward to the unveiling of OUR Save the Date and how to make your own!

So here it is!  It's a little rough around
the edges, but so are we!

While I can't take credit for the novel idea of a magnetized card, I did get the specific idea for our STD's last spring.  I knew I wanted to do the whole magnetic card thing, because I thought it was a good way for our busy family and friends to keep it in a safe place and be reminded of us any time they gazed at the fridge (if that's even where they decide to stick it).  So the basic idea of where we'd be going with our STD's was already taken care of.  It was the aesthetic aspect that we needed to work on.  I'm a subscriber to the emailings of the Daily Candy.  What does that have to do with our story here?  Well, on April 12, their emailing included the introduction to a lovely artist whom I've raved about before.  Nan Lawson.  I instantly fell in love with her style and with the approval of the HTB, I contacted her almost immediately to capture a likeness of us in her whimsical ways.  This was to be our save the date portrait.  Forget $300 photo shoots, the $40 was well spent on a unique depiction of us that would be shared with our loved ones for as long as they wish to keep it around.  As one of our friends has already professed to, they could even frame it and cherish it forever as we have, though ours is a larger version.    

Fall rolled around and our portrait was finished!  We only showed it to our immediate family members in an attempt to keep it on the down low so it would be a fresh, all new package that our guests would receive.  It took a few months to make the time to decide on our printing and envelope options, but had the paper products ordered and in our hands by mid December.  My dad agreed to work on printing them up for us with my help on the overall design.  In the end, we decided to go with solely the portrait on the front and the informational text on the back.  This way, the portrait is unscathed and still "frame-able" if one so chooses to do so.  

A hitch in the plan was that I didn't consult my Dad in the first place when ordering the card stock.  I unfortunately ordered a size that isn't compatible with any of his computer programs so he had to go with a trial and error approach to get the image in the right place when it printed.  And then, because it was a task in moving it around the screen to get it in the right spot, it couldn't be saved so we had to get it right then print them all at once.  Things to remember and pass on to anyone going with the DIY approach.  Make sure the tools you already have, mesh with those you'll have to buy!  So in the end, even though it took a bit of frustration and problem solving, we sat down one afternoon and printed them all up at once.  Though I'm really hoping we printed enough extras....  

So the front is just the portrait and the back includes the text.  We decided to put a note that would indicate that the card was a magnet by saying "Please use this magnetic card as a reminder to think of us when making your summer plans."  Then "Save the Date", "Ali and Nate", "August 21, 2011" then at the bottom, "Keep up to date at" and our website address follows. 

Then there was the task of putting them all together.  it took a couple of trials figuring out what size magnet worked best so that it was as small as it could be while still keeping it on the fridge.  The orientation on it also made a difference.  As we wanted our guests to keep the portrait facing out, turning it over if they needed the information, I tried several ways until I found that the side of the magnet with the sticky stuff, is weaker than the side without.  So once I got the process down, it was an easy routine to get them all put together.  I also chose to use double sided tape to stick the front and the back of the card together because it would be the lightest and most effective way to keep it together without effecting the look of the card.  Glue can make bumps or in the case of a watery glue like Elmer's, it can cause the paper to get wavy and sometimes even make the ink run.  Even though it's a little more expensive, double sided tape was really great choice.  It's not messy and it's strong.  So in putting them together.  We used a really heavy duty double sided tape, that my dad supplied, to stick the magnetic strip on.  But just the usual rolls that I got at the craft store to adhere the sides together worked great, and probably would have for the magnet too as it's got it's on sticky side to it, but use what you got, right?  So that's the nitty gritty of our STD's.  Below is a step by step for assembly.  

The brown grocery bag envelope. LOVE IT!

As far as the envelopes go, I bought a case of 250 of them so we'll be using them for our invitations as well and there will be plenty left over if we decide to use them for thank you cards, etc.  The style we  decided on is a heavy grocery bag style that is also recycled.  (The card stock is also recycled materials as well).  They are pretty unique in my opinion and to use them for both the STD's and the invitations keeps a pattern and it'll be something I hope the guest will recognize.  They also go with our environmentally friendly approach and is a nice extension of our natural, woodsy theme and gives an impression of what guests should expect on our wedding day.  It's not formal but other touches give it a more sophisticated natural feel, like I used a brown calligraphy pen to write out the addresses.  Phew, who knew envelopes could say so much?!  

All in All, I think they came our really great.  There are some other details I'd hoped to add but time restricted those grandiose plans.  I also want to mention that after all was said and done, the cards in the envelopes, ready to mail we're regular first class postage weight.  No .65 cent stamps on these babies!  Yeah!! So we've got these off and the world has now seen our first real, big wedding project!  Onward and Upward!

Magnetized Card Assembly

What you'll need:

The tools

• Double sided tape
• Magnet strips or a sheet that you can cut into strips.  Try to find some that already have the adhesive on one side, though if not, you'll just need more tape.
• Probably a pair of scissors

1. After printing both the front and back to your desired satisfaction, gather all your supplies.  

2.  Open the card so the inside is facing you.  Make sure it's right side up and the front is to your right and the back is to your left.  

3.  Place a strip of tape vertically in the middle of the back side of the card.  Place the magnet, sticky side up, onto the tape.  Press down firmly.  Remove the backing to expose the sticky side of the magnet.  

4.  Place a strip of tape across the length of the back side of the card on all three edges.  All of this is happening on the inside of the back of the card.  Nothing goes on the front side.  

5.  Now carefully fold the card together pressing down closest to the fold then moving outward.  Making sure all edges are even and pressed together firmly.  

6.  And that's it!  Onto the next 50 and your done!   

  Thanks for checking in!  We're really excited about how these turned out and we're equally excited to be able to share them with our guests!  We're hearing from a lot of folks about them and can't wait to get more projects underway!  Stay tuned for more DIY goodness and plenty of planning hurrah's and woes.  Until next time....

Where we got what:
The cards and envelopes came from Action Envelopes.

The adorably terrific portrait came from Nan Lawson.  You can find her on Etsy or at her home site.

    

And The Winner Is

Let's just cut to the chase here shall we?  There is a white dress, in a plastic bag, hanging from the curtain rod in my upstairs bathroom.  This is no sundress I'm speaking of here, we're talking genuine, bona fide  wedding gown, and it's all mine.  

Looks like a blast huh?

     After multiple trips to the local bridal shops, hours upon hours of web surfing and magazine page flipping, it's all come to a close with a gargantuan sigh of relief.  This whole process has been a very difficult one.  Not only does our budget not allow for the trying on of dress after dress that I find especially appealing (as who wants to put on a dress to find it's absolutely perfect only to find it's half the entire budget?) but I've never had a clear vision of what the wedding dress of my dreams would look like.  I haven't been daydreaming about my wedding in general since I was five like so many other Chiquita's out there.  I don't know my dress style to begin with let alone to have a sense of what the most important dress I'll ever, in my life, own should look like.  Daunting, can you tell?  I shall no longer be dispirited by this experience!  

Look at all the lonely people...

     This past Saturday, I started the day with a lovely drive to Burlington.  Though when I left, it was sunny and moderately warm (a whole 20 degrees), half-way there I hit a blizzard.  Though this natural snow squall was unavoidable and a little scary when taking it on at 50 miles an hour upon 5,000 pounds of metal, it was nothing in comparison to the commotion I stepped into at David's Bridal.  Under the glare of the florescent lighting and the commotion throughout the blindingly white store, I was sufficiently overloaded.  Being talked at from five differently directions, being thrown directly into picking out dresses while still bundled in my down parka, boots and hat even though they had a whole list of of them I'd picked out ahead of time.  Then tossed in a dressing room the size of a coat closet with six or more dresses leaving me barely enough room to turn around, let alone get in and out of twenty pound dresses.  Coming out and being glared at by fifteen other women all trying to squeeze in from of the mirrors and most at least three times my size and finding that the sales associates theory of needing three sizes larger than what I normally wear is a ridiculous one.  Talk of alterations being available when I find my dress today and hem lines and shoes and sashes and ivory versus white!  

AHHH!! 

And we step out into the fresh, brisk air.  A feeling of defeat washes over me as we head to our next appointment.  My mom decides we can be a little late to the next shop so we can get a bite to eat.  I bumble out my order, sit down and a sudden surge of exhausting plows me over.  I just want to put my head down on the table and sleep for hours.  I eat my vegetable sandwich, drink my raspberry lemonade, take a couple Advil and get back in the car.  

My dress

     As we pull up around to the bridal shop and see the new dresses they have displayed in the two story high windows of the old brick building, I start to feel a little less like I've been clunking about in a washing machine.  We're greeted just as we've walked in the door and we're removing our shoes.  We talk briefly with the sock footed sales woman as she shows me to "my" dressing room.  There's NO ONE else there.  NO ONE!  The hardwood floors, warm natural lighting and distant sounds of Frank Sinatra soothed my tense nerves.  The dressing room is at least three times the size of the one I was stuffed into earlier that morning and my new friend (we'll call her J) was at my side the whole time helping to put the dresses on and together to give the best impression of what they'd look like once altered correctly.  With knowledgeable compliments and observations on different aspects of the dresses I tried, she helped me notice the smaller details about what I liked or didn't like about each dress.  She did a great job at keeping me in my listed price range (opposed to the SALES women at David's constantly trying to up-sell).  Though I ran out of time in my own velvet draped room, I was able to move to a smaller space to retry on a few of the dresses, talk it out with my mom and mull things over.  And even though she had another customer to tend to J continued to check on us regularly.  She was friendly, attentive, down to earth and most importantly, laid back! 
     After the day and night experiences I'd had, we were both exhausted and it still shocks me that I made a decision.  Now I must tell you, I say that I decided on this dress because I'm just not one of those who just know it when they know it.  I have to think about it, talk it out, weigh the options and come to a logical, realistic decision.  And this, I did.  And now my decision is hanging on a curtain rod in the bathroom. 

My dress

aww, look at the couch and all the windows!

My dress

And my gigantic dressing room!

     Strewn throughout this narrative of my hectic hunt, are photos of my adventure and lastly, some detail photos of "the one".  I feel I'd like to keep the piece as a whole off the world wide web until it's officially been seen by all in it's finished form on the vessel it's meant to be viewed upon.  So, all you get are bits and pieces until then.  Can you tell which photos are from Dresses-R-Us from those of the locally owned place?    

2011, a milestone year.  A boy turns 30, a girl marries this 30 year old boy for whom she's loved for all of time though they've only just met a short eight years, five months and 10 days ago.

     It's a year of milestone celebrations and of new beginnings; of resolutions and of personal and professional growth.  

     Not an item on this list comes without work and planning.  So in a sense 2011 looks to be the year of planning.  

     The most prevalent (and the reason your probably reading this) is the wedding plan.  From my few past posts, you get the gist of this whole plan and as not much has been altered, we are closing in on crunch time.  {As I've so lovingly been reminded by the teenage girls whom I currently dorm parent and don't you worry, I'm fully aware of the child labor opportunities that lie in their many idol hands}.

     First things first.  Rather than starting off the year with the laundry list of things TO DO, let's observe all the accomplishments that have been achieved.  

     Well, first off, we set a date within the first hours of our engagement.  That big, right?!  It takes some couples months to crest that hurdle.  

     Secondly, (and from this point on, were not following a linear time line) we chose our wedding party size and those special someones to share the once in a lifetime events of this year.  We chose our flower girl, whom we have yet to find out whether this shindig is being planned for her or us (she's quite the diva).  We decided (and convinced) my elder brother to officiate and be that significant person to make our devotion to each other legally binding.  The whole reason we're planning this affair in the first place...  We've chosen a theme and have worked on finding items and decor ideas surrounding this theme, (trees, to refresh your memory).

     We ordered paper and envelopes and are currently working on the layout of our save the dates, which we've also set a send out date (February 7th if your wondering).  I will be finishing design this weekend with my dad and will have them in hand upon departure of our visit.  We actually bought the remaining necessary pieces to finish them next week.  

     Despite all these checks on the to-do list, we've still got a long way to go and it's time to get down to business.  So here we go.  The year is new the I've got the whip in hand.