The best laid plans...

Man! I was so excited that I could ship my dress #3 home and try it on with my family. The shipping time seemed to work perfectly and it will fold up small enough to pop in my bag for the flight home.

However... I woke up to an email telling me that my purchase is delayed. :( After a few more thrilling minutes on live chat with Dawn (another random Nordstrom rep) she tells me it won't get to me until January 25th!! A full MONTH later!!

**Little bad feeling in pit of stomach...***

To be continued....

Dress, take 3.

I just bought my third wedding dress. Seriously, I can't believe it.

So the jcrew one is packed up to send back. Alas. In the end, I didn't hate the look or fit, but it was just TOO ivory.

This new one might be described as an impulse buy. But they have a good return policy too! And I shipped it to my parents house, where I'll be for Christmas, so they can see me play dress up. :)

So this pretty little number is by Calvin Klein and came from Nordstrom's. And was less expensive than the J.Crew one. Go Figure.

I'm sure you're thinking, "But Ms. SB, how can you tell what color it is? What if it's ivory again?" Well, I too am nervous about that, so I spent a pretty annoying 5 mins on "live chat" with Kayla (random Nordstrom worker) asking her to describe what color Eggshell is, exactly.

"So, is it more white or more ivory?"
"It's off white. Not bright white."
"Is it more yellow? Or grey? Or brown?"
"It's like ivory, off white. Not white. But not ivory. Does that help?"
"Welllll.... sure. I can return it, right?"
**Ok, fine, I was asking a hard question. Still, it was annoying!

So we'll see. Hopefully it's a white eggshell, not a yellow or brown one. *Rolls eyes.*

What do you think of this one?? I might even like it better than the other.. we'll see.

Platinum is expensive.

I had no idea how much just the metal costs! Mr. SB & I headed back to our favorite jeweler (who sold us the diamond and engagement setting) to order our bands. (Ok, I was pretty excited for this task!)

This was a very speedy errand, since we both knew what we wanted pretty clearly.

I never took glamour shots of my ring, but there she is on my scaly lizard hand (In my defense, I wash my hands ~1000x per day at work!).

Six prong setting, millgrain edges, ~2 1/2 mm thickness with pave diamonds in platinum. And I ordered the band to match.


Source.
Mr. SB initially wanted a ring similar to this, but with millgrain detailing either in the little lines or on the outer edges so that it kind of matched my ring. The jeweler explained how that gets really really dirty, especially at a job like Mr. SB's. So we were a little disappointed, but ok with it. The ring he ordered was very similar to this one, except the outer bands are thinner, so the inner band is thicker.

To be perfectly honest, I don't know anything about (or even care) the metal that the ring is made of. Mr. SB was pretty adamant that platinum is the way to go. So that's the way we went. Our jeweler offered to make his ring at the cost of materials. Which is still a whole lot of money for a plain silver band. However, this is not a point I would consider debating w/ Mr. SB. I expect (!) him to wear it every day for the rest of his life, so I hope he likes it. :)

Any thoughts on jewelry metal? Is the platinum worth it??

The dreaded A word

I was really really truly dreading going for my first fitting. (The "A" word being "Alterations.")


You see... I spent a little more on my dress than I had planned to. So I was really really really really hoping not to spend even MORE on my alterations. Not to mention, I didn't want to have to travel far for multiple fittings, etc.

So this past Friday, I headed to the bridal salon to try on the dress for the first time in six months.... and....

That's me jumping for joy!
(Ok, not really. It's a picture from Source, but it's the same idea!)

It really really fit beautifully. The length, the fitted areas, the bustle... everything was great. Unfortunately, because I went by myself, I don't have any pictures, but I was a happy girl. The only thing we're going to do is add some padding to the top. A whole $27 worth of alterations. Woohoo!! And all the nervousness I had in the months since I ordered it feel a lot better having seen the dress again... it's beautiful. And I can't wait to wear it. :)

What money saving areas made you do a little happy dance??

TGFDCs

Thank Goodness for Digital Cameras.

We broke down and had a photo shoot w/ the furry babies this fine rainy day. The plan was to use the photos as table numbers. It was not smooth sailing, they're cats after all, but I think the results are pretty darn good.

Here's a sampling....


How cute are they??? :)

Rethinking favors

Ok, ok. As much as I L-O-V-E the first favors I wanted to give, I will not have time to be decorating little tiny brownie balls the day before my wedding. (The first four items on this page available at Source.)

Good bye, pretty little balls-on-a-stick.

So what else is a girl to give? Wine stoppers came to mind...

Pretty, and match the wine charms we were thinking of giving, but it's ~2x the cost of the brownie pops. So I'd rather get those!

Better pricing, couples won't want two of these though...

And this is the only other reasonable design in that price range.
I'm very *eh* on the star...

We went to a holiday wine and food tasting tour last weekend and tried some yum-tastic mini cupcakes from Kara's Cupcakes. I'm not a huge cupcake fan, but these were yummy. And in a little clear box and matching colors... promising!

Ok, the packaging probably won't be *that* cute.
They told us that the mini cupcakes fit into truffle boxes. And while I was looking up pricing on truffle boxes... I came across, you guessed it, truffles.

Source

Just a few of the flavors they have that caught my eye...
Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Port, Champagne, Raspberry (to go with our cake), Amaretto, Kahlua, Cappucino, French Mocha, Mint Chocolate, Hazelnut.. .. ..

They only come in packs of four though, so we'd still have to buy and repackage them.

And speaking of chocolate, I have a sister whose boyfriend works at a pretty yum-tastic chocolate shop back in Wisconsin.

Source

Aren't these gorgeous? And they taste that good too.

Price wise: Wine stoppers < Truffles/chocolates < Cupcakes < Brownie Pops
Gah! I'm so undecided. Might have to make Mr. SB make this decision...

What do you think?? Which favor would you be most excited to receive?

Programs, aka I need more paper

I'm not sure if I really NEED programs, but I (admittedly) get bored at other people's ceremonies and like something to follow along with. And if I'm taking the time to choose the stuff, might as well write it down!

I had decided on a gatefold style program, printed on cream cardstock, with the green damask printed bellyband that we used on the invitations, and the closure with our monogram. Similar to our invites, but not quite. And of course I'll be needing two different ones.

Info included: Wedding party, music, & readings.
I wasn't sure what to put on the right hand side, that might change.

Info included: Wedding party, music, & (eventually) progression of ceremony.

The right hand column on this one I was excited about. I wanted to showcase our site and wine country in general. It still needs some editing, but overall I like it. I *might* decide to print the reading, if we have one, on the inner flap and post the winery info on the back of the program.

Note: I know a lot of people put remembrances into the programs and I'm not really excited about that idea. I think a mention of them at the ceremony will be appropriate. Especially because "those who couldn't be with us" includes people who couldn't make the trip, not necessarily passed away.

Tip for future program makers: Use MSPowerpoint, not MSWord, especially if you want to include any graphics. At least right now, I'm having a lot of trouble adding graphics to the document, behind the text in particular, and I lose all formatting if I try to cut and paste to a new Powerpoint slide.

Are programs a necessary and helpful part of the day? Or just a waste of paper?

Cere-Ceremony... The working draft

By no means finalized, but here's where I'm at.

Still no candles or handfasting or water ceremony. (Mr. SB asked "Can we step on a plate? It looks fun." Well, it's a glass and we're definitely not Jewish... so... ix-nay on that one.)

Probably one reading, but I'm not sure where. I didn't have NEARly as much fun picking readings as I thought I would. What I didn't want:

• Bible readings - Plenty at the church
• Hard to understand poetry - No one listens
• Readings on how hard marriage is - Yeah, we know
• Readings on how someone else loves their husband/wife - Isn't that what we're doing with the vows?
• Children's books - Neither of us have a FAVorite one, and Pooh and Dr. Seuss just don't feel appropriate

I did find one I kind of liked, but don't have a place for it. We'll see what Mr. SB thinks and if it can fit in somewhere.

Apache Wedding Prayer

Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two bodies,
But there is one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

Draft, in it's current form:
Gathering words
Acknowledgment of parents/guests, welcome to the area & why it was chosen
Remembrances
Reading here?
Marriage Address - I'm discovering that I kind of hate what alot of people say here. So I might go kind of bridezilla and give our guy a pretty strict guideline.
Marriage Statement of Intent Consent - Bride & Groom, do you come here freely? We do. Do you, etc.... We do. The turn to each other and share your vows.
Vows
Rings
Group Blessing - "Each of you are here today bc you bring something special to their lives. You are who they will turn to in the future. As they pledge to be with one another, you pledge to support them. Do you offer your blessing?" (Guests say) We do. -- Except longer and more elegant than that.
Pronouncement - By the power, husband & wife, kiss the bride
Recessional

I think this has bulked it up a little bit. Maybe closer to 20-25 mins? That's what I'm hoping. Anyway, a place to work from.

Are there any special readings or rituals that you especially like to see incorporated into weddings?

Cere-Ceremony....

That title is set to Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" if you couldn't tell. :)

Wedding A, the church: Easy. A cut & paste ceremony (literally, from a book you choose options). Mr. SB picked from the reading options I selected, I've got some folks in mind for those readings. Easy Breezy.

On a side note, some of it was kind of fun. The different prayers and blessings, etc. I'm sure most people aren't listening/don't care, but I'm glad what is being said will be the most appropriate for us.

Wedding B, the winery: How does one plan a wedding ceremony? Especially when you're having a stranger officiate... Hmm.. I didn't have any readings in mind (we're doing all the Bible ones at the church, we're not that into poetry, I don't want anything from like a children's book) and aren't planning on doing anything like a unity candle or handfasting. So, I thought it'd be pretty simple. Let's see

First draft:
Welcome
Acknowledgment of parents/guests
Marriage Address - the part where the officiant talks about the meaning and responsibility of marriage
Vows/Rings
"You're married!"
Recessional
Estimated total time: 10 minutes.

Hm. Yep, we're going to have to add to that. I was working on this at ~9pm on Friday night and all of a sudden, I knew where the rest of my evening was going....


Many, many, many drafts later I came up with something a little better. There are some really generous women who post their whole ceremony, word for word, on the internet. And there are general guides, and there are people that do weird things. And there are brides-to-be who spend their Friday nights reading these posts and crying.

Mr. SB finally got off work and I told him what I'd been working on. His response "Doesn't the officiant guy just have a standard thing he does?" .... Well, yes, kind of. But no. I'm not going through the work of a second ceremony to have it be "the standard thing the guy does".

This post is getting long, so I'll put my final draft in the next one.

How long do you think, time-wise, is ideal for a non-secular wedding ceremony?

More boy stuff

Thinking about tuxes got me thinking about my little ring bearer. I saw a pillow long ago that I drooled over and went to go see if I got the same reaction months later.

Source

And it did. I love it.

A little Martha Stewart DIY number. I don't know how to sew, but I don't think the instructions are *that* difficult. My mom said she could do it, but I know she's crazy busy these days. Maybe I'll ask a crafty sister (I've got a couple to choose from) to make it for me for their wedding present. I'm excited to pick out the green fabric for the pillow and after seeing how the faux flower napkins rings turned out, I have faith this "flower" will be nice as well.

How many SEDI (someone else did it) DIY (do it yourself) projects did you incorporate into the big day??

Dressing the boys

Mr. SB had a few days off work and I gave him a wedding to do list. One of the items was "figure out your tux situation." He's having one groomsman who lives ~4 hours away so he decided Men's Warehouse would be the easiest way to coordinate. He asked if I wanted to tag along and I was excited to do so. No decision making! Get to see him all dressed up!!

Yeah right...

First of all, I hadn't looked into tuxes/menswear at all with regard to wedding tradition or styling. And neither had he. So our crabby consultant probably used the phrase "Well, traditionally, you wear XXX, but it's your wedding, you can do what ever" 75 times.

Mr. SB fell into "I don't know. I don't care." mode, so I ended up making most of the decisions for us. AND we didn't have enough time to get fitted so I didn't get to see him all dressed up. Lame.

Tux & Dress.

Our look. The "rule": Bride and groom coordinate off each other.
So, we have bride in white, groom in white vest & tie. Two button tux.


Attendants in green. The next rule: attendants coordinate with one another.
Men's Warehouse had basically no green options, so the vest (same pattern as the groom's) is a peridot, while my sister will be wearing clover. Oh well.

Next up, other guys. We don't have a lot of guys, my dad and the ringbearer (my brother) are about it. I don't think they were planning on renting outfits for the day, but we picked out a silver matching option if they want to. Personally, I think it'd be cute (and my mom and dad would get a kick out of) my dad and a little mini-me all dressed up, but matching ties can probably do that just the same. They're thinking about it... (**Can you just rent the vest & tie? Because I think they both have dark suits... Hmm.... something to look into.)

So the boys are dressed, pretty painless. It's so much easier for them! After picking out the white vest though, I saw how "dirty" ivory looked next to white and am definitely sending my dress #2 back. Unless he rents a second vest and tie and has his OWN look 1 & 2. :)

My main concern: Do you think the peridot/clover combination is too far "off"? Or it's close enough to not matter?

Dress 2 is in!

I got home from work yesterday to find my second dress had arrived! I made Mr. SB stay in the front 1/2 of the house and went to go try it on. To far less than stellar reviews. (Ok, one review, by me.)

Not great pictures. The dress wouldn't have looked any better, I promise.

Let's be fair: I didn't have on nylons (or anything with a control top) and the dress was super wrinkly from shipping. I was debating between sizes, got the smaller one and am glad I did! And apparently ivory at jcrew is yellow. I wasn't expecting that either.

The ivory is actually my biggest concern. My flowers are white (and I'm not buying two bouquets!) and Mr. SB will have a white vest... so... shoot.

Probably sending this one back. Where can I look next for a simple WHITE gown??