Monday, June 28, 2010

The big reveal

Okay, now that most of the major elements are set up, here is the wedding website I put together:  https://sites.google.com/site/brandonandlien/

And a sneak peak:

Again, with Google sites and a ready-made template, it couldn't have been easier.

On a roll

I am no techie nor a graphic designer, but I did manage to put together an ESTD (okay, if you have to ask - electronic Save the Date) today! It's not fancy, but it'll work.

The problem with using Google's website templates is that you can't always copy the images and reuse them elsewhere.  So it took some finagling and clever copying and pasting and reformatting in MS Publisher before I could get the darned thing to even email.  One version would work on Outlook but not Gmail.  Then one wouldn't work at all.  And then finally, 3rd time's a charm, I got something to work with both!  YAY!

One more pass through the guest list to see who gets one of these bad boys, and I can check another thing off the list!

Friday, June 25, 2010

And the winner is...

The Crow Collection of Asian Art!  YAY!!!!  We are so excited and relieved to have finally chosen a place and set a date.  Now onto the next task, but those are two of the biggest things I can now check off the list!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Venue update - day 3

I took a deep breath on Monday morning and while I was still frustrated, we still had some appointments.  I screwed up the time for our first appointment, so we got downtown a bit late. 

Crow Collection of Asian Art
This is a really cool space and we both really liked it.  It was less than the Arboretum, but still not exactly "budget".  Still, we figured if we had a smaller guest list, we could have made it work.  The plus here is that you could have both the ceremony and reception in one spot and Jennifer is so responsive.  They seemed really flexible too, so you could really make it whatever you wanted to. 

Our next appointment wasn't until 3, so we did what any true Dallasite would do and went to North Park mall for some lunch and shopping. 

Zander's House
At 3 we went back to Zander's House to speak with the man in charge.  He was definitely shady and the "deal" he was giving us wasn't that great.  They are still an option for us, but I felt a lot less sure about this spot after our meeting.  Hmmm, what to do what to do?

We tried to change our plane tickets to leave that evening, but no such luck, so we had dinner with the old folks and hit the sack early.  Early Tuesday morning we were headed back to NYC and I felt even more lost than before the trip!  UGH, I'm not sure how it all got so complicated and difficult, and I always knew I wasn't cut out for wedding planning, but this was beyond ridiculous.

So that's where we are.  A week later and we haven't made any decisions.  The one good thing is that B, in his infinite wisdom, decided to do some leg work on his own to take some of the stress off me.  This past weekend we did some thinking and may have a plan of action...and a date!  Confirmation to come in the next few days when we secure the venues.

Venue update - day 2

The only appointment we had on Sunday was with the cake lady.  She's a friend of the family and we figured we could get a decent  price on the cake.  So at 11, we headed out to Hurst (lots of driving this weekend!!!) and tasted 5 or 6 different flavors of cake.  I think the group was unanimous with the Italian cream (still not even sure what that is) and strawberry flavors.  B is allergic to chocolate, so we'll have to consider whether we'll have a chocolate option.

Okay, cake done, now what?  We stopped by a printer, but they were closed.  At any rate, I think we're going to try and do the invitations ourselves and put my DIY skills to work!  So we drove up to Plano to try a Vietnamese restaurant called Zander's House.  This is Option B for the wedding reception.  I never ever wanted a reception at an Asian restaurant, but I was willing to at least go and see the space and try the food. 

The food, I will admit, was pretty good.  And the space wasn't too awful (not compared to most of the strip mall joints around DFW).  My biggest gripe was the location - it was FAR!  So another consideration. 

Sunday I definitely started to get frustrated with the parents.  They were driving me nuts and honestly, we just don't see eye to eye on how this wedding should be.  So I was frustrated and annoyed and didn't want to do anymore planning with them.  B saved me and we went out for date night that evening to get away from the house and enjoy ourselves a bit.  Phew.

Venue update - day 1

I'm about a week late with this update, but it's taken me at least that long to calm down and regain some perspective.  Last weekend we spent three days in Dallas with the express purpose of finding a venue and setting a wedding date.  I scheduled several appointments and my parents filled in the rest of the time with other appointments and meetings. 

Dress #1
Straight off the plane we headed to the Vietnamese tailor who was making my traditional dress.  My mom was prepared with some fabrics and after being measured in about a thousand different places, we were off to the next spot.  Easy enough. 

Then we grabbed a quick bite to eat.  I was starving and knew it would be a bad day without some sustenance.  Quick pit stop to look at the traditional Vietnamese head piece which looks ridiculous on me.  They're all too big or something.  I don't like them, but my mom thinks I should wear one.  Fine.  I guess I'll look here too.

Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
Next stop, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.  It's a beautiful spot, but it was SO EFFING HOT that day, I thought we were all going to pass out.  It's not the cheapest place to have a wedding either.  And Texas weather could put a wrench in the plans, since most of the venues are outdoors.  It is definitely in the running though.

Hickory Street Annex
I was so ready to get in the car and crank the air conditioning.  Last stop was Hickory Street Annex in an old warehouse/industrial area near downtown Dallas.  The space was nice and you could set it up a lot of different ways, but the parents immediately nixed it due to the neighborhood, so it is now scratched off the list.

We were all exhausted after this so we headed home and had a quiet evening.  Had a chance to run out and meet an old college friend, Jeanie and her new husband for dessert.  I was glad to have that opportunity since I would be missing her baby shower.  We were in bed at a decent time in anticipation for Day 2...

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

A sweet story...

I love those idea and it makes for a sweet story:  http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/06/04/the-metal-box/ but I think I'd prefer a box that earns interest!  :)

Scratch this

Sadly, Marie Gabrielle is out of the running.  The minimums were way beyond our budget and no matter how beautiful the space, I just can't justify it. 

The good news is that we're headed to Dallas this coming weekend to see the other spots.  Fingers crossed!