Odds and Ends

When it comes to decorations at the reception, I am thinking less is more. I do not plan on having tablecloths on the indoor tables (why cover those beautiful wood tables?), but I do want some fabric overlays/decor on the cake table, buffet table, etc. And the outdoor tables will need a little pizazz.

Mom and I spent some time out in Hamburg this afternoon looking at random things for the wedding. They had many fabric patterns out in two-yard quantities for sale...I scooped up two burnt orange fabrics and one grass green fabric. I think I can use these for some of my "extra" tables mentioned above. 

Not sure exactly what I will do, but here are some potential ideas (or at least images to provide inspiration): 

I like the runner idea on this table...

I love this fabric look! So bunchy and fun!

This overlay is pretty. My thought exactly for the outside tables. Except some of those will end up being high top tables.

Also, when it comes to fabric, DaRae did not have cloth napkins at Keene Run for use. That may change before our September wedding, but I may end up needing to rent some. I really like this Martha Stewart idea for napkins:

These napkins echo the mood of the day: "we tied the knot!"

Other notes from this weekend: finally completed a few DIY projects, purchased my first round of shower thank-you cards, bought two large white metal buckets for sparkler collection (post grand exit), completed mine and Jacob's seat markers, purchased all paper and envelopes for our invitations/RSVP cards/programs/signage/etc, determined our basic menu for the reception, discussed our alcohol plan for the reception and spent time hunting for photos for a special montage. What a weekend! Happy Memorial Day everyone.

Building our Ceremony

For the last several weeks, it has been on my mind that we need to crack down and organize the content and flow of our ceremony. Other than the location of our ceremony at Southland Christian Church and choosing the minister to marry us (Todd Tyler), not much else has been planned.

That said, we have an open slate to build upon. A nice (but somewhat sobering) thought. Basic elements we need to determine in the next couple of weeks: choose ceremony musicians (anyone know a good mandolin player??); determine our readings (one is final...need to decide on one more); decide on wedding party formation on stage (16 attendants on the small chapel stage is no minor task); and meet up with Todd for lunch to tie it all together.

Other than those elements, we know that we want to incorporate a ceremonial element to the big day. While others choose unity candle lightings or sand ceremonies, I want something a little more original for the big day. Those are both nice touches to a wedding ceremony, but not what we are looking for. For a time, I was thinking about a rose (or in our case, lily) ceremony, but even that did not suit well.

Lately, my mind has been going back and forth on the element of a ring warming ceremony. Have you ever seen one of these? Neither have I, but the idea of it is quite intriguing. It is basically a time when the guests pass your wedding bands along, saying prayers and sending well wishes toward the couple. It might be done during a song or something. The officiant generally says a little something about it to kick the ceremony off and the rings are then passed along. If your crowd is small enough, you could have everyone pass the rings along. Or you could have the bride's ring passed among the bride's side and the groom's band passed along the groom's side. OR you could even have the bands passed among a select few guests (aka family members in the first two rows or something). The possibilities are endless!

Not gonna lie, this idea has been the most exciting to me. Now, if only I could convince Jacob!!

A touch of cotton

Unless it is the dead of winter, you will not find me in socks. I have long been known for my deep appreciation of flip flops. Despite this, I can still appreciate a good pair of socks.

One of my favorite wedding bloggers, the Budget Savvy Bride, and her now-husband bought each of their groomsmen a pair of fun socks to wear in their May 2009 wedding. The photographer captured a few great photos of the guys in these socks--they look like so much fun!

Sneak peek:

Drawing on their wedding for inspiration, and trying to find a similar way to give the groomsmen something fun to wear, I came across these socks at J. Crew:

 

I bought a pair to examine them in person. Jacob seems to be ok with them though I cannot get a definitive answer from him on whether he likes them or not. I know part of his indecision is because he is not sure on whether the guys would like these (or my idea) or not. I say, what the heck?

Did you do anything special for the typically un-fussed over groomsmen in your wedding? What was it?

Now Showing! Engagement Photos!

In case anyone is interested...our engagement photo session gallery has been completed and is ready for viewing!

Here is a taste...

Take a look at the complete gallery here: http://www.pictage.com/838628.

Musings.

We are swiftly approaching the last 100 days of our 18-month engagement. I realized this on Tuesday as I was in Chicago attending a conference for work.

Scary for two reasons: one, just the whole "time flys" realization alone is enough to be frightened (because it is realizing that before I know it, we will be middle-aged...and even...old...) and B) there is still so much to do! I have my own little to-do list (by little, I am referring to a lengthy ten page document that highlights everything I need to do from setting a budget to preserving the dress, laid out in a nice month-by-month organization) I have been following and things have not seemed to be getting checked off lately. We are getting into the detail-oriented/time-consuming aspects of wedding planning...and it is definitely time to dive back in!

Despite being a source for panic attacks, the 100-day mark is something that I am really excited about hitting. Happy for two reasons: A) we are that we are that much closer to starting our life together, happily-ever-after style. We have a house to decorate (once his roomie moves out completely) and two lifestyles to merge. It will be a fun (albeit interesting) process, I am sure. And two, we are getting closer to the wedding day itself! Never has there been so much planning for a single day in our life...it will be a fun time!! And quite honestly, it will be nice to start saving money again (and not just spending it as soon as I get it!).

While I attempt to get re-organized and ready to take on the duties of planning/facilitating our wedding, I will leave you with a few photos from my recent trip:

Isn't the city gorgeous?? This view is from the top of the (Sears) Tower.

The tower has something new...you can stand in a retractable glass box off the observation deck with nothing but a sheet of glass between you and the street 103 floors below. Wow!

This one is just silly...taken from the bottom floor of the great (Sears) Tower.

Those Great Lakes are such a wonder...so much like the ocean! This view is from Navy Pier.

Happy Thursday all!

A day in the life...

So here is something that has been on my mind lately...hiring a videographer was never that important to me. Until recently. The more I think about it, the more I want someone there to capture our ceremony and key reception points on video (er...DVD).

But have you seen the cost of these videographers?! A little more than I would want (or even be able) to spend. Granted, I am sure they do excellent work (editing it all down, adding music, that sort of thing), but I really cannot see a way for that to work its way into our budget.

That said, I have been toying with the idea of someone, a friend or relative or friend of my mom's, to tape the event. Scares me a bit (they may have a shaky hand...or worst case scenario: something similar to what happened at my parents' wedding back in '83 may happen...my uncle was taping it and apparently forgot to put a tape in the camcorder...yikes!), but what other options do I have at this point?

What have you all done? Anyone actually hire a professional to tape your big day? Or have a friend tape it? How did it turn out? I really need some advice on this one...

Hair!

I am not much for up-dos...sure, they can be stunning and glamorous, but if not done well, they can easily look like prom night gone bad. As such, if given the option, I will always wear my hair down. I figure, if you have the locks, why not show them off?!

That's exactly what I plan to do on our wedding day. I might pull a little of the hair back just so it will be easier to hold up the veil (and later: flower!). Ideally, it will be full of body, with long waves of curls. I don't have a trial hair appointment scheduled until July, but I have been collecting images that have caught my eye.

Here are a few:

Ideas?

A spring day in Keeneland

Mary posted the first round of photos from our engagement photo shoot at Keeneland last night! I think they turned out super cute! Take a look at them here: http://www.marylashbrook.com/blog/.

How to get pearly whites

I have long struggled with the whiteness of my teeth...primarily stemming from medicines I took as a baby/child. Despite this, I have not used many whitening methods...and now that the wedding day is looming on the horizon (meaning becoming photo-ready is a must!), I want to get pro-active and try something to get the results I am looing for. Note: not looking for insanely bleached (and fake) looking teeth, just hoping to remove surface stains and have an overall whiter smile.

My first step on this journey was to try a new toothpaste I came across at the store...Crest 3D White. I've only used it since Sunday night, so no noticeable change, but I like the consistency of it. And if used in conjunction with strips, it could provide a nice boost.

I plan to try the new Crest 3D White Professional Effects whitening strips this summer...having never used whitening strips before, I am not sure what to expect! Do they work? $55 sounds a lot more reasonable to me than $500 that my dentist wanted to charge me for a professional whitening.

What whitening methods have you tried before? What works and what doesn't?