Photo Collage

I found the photo collage feature on Picasa today and was playing around with a couple of different formats. I'm thinking about using these at each of the tables. The escort cards would be the aforementioned Mini-MOO cards (LOVE THESE!) with a photo on one side and the table number on the other side. So for each table there would be about 5 different photos corresponding to a particular country. Vote please:

Option 1: photo pile















Option 2: separated photos

Moooo

Okay I am kind of in love with MOO cards.  You can customize them anyway you like, up to 100 individual photos!  So I want to make escort cards from these and either do something like this:

That would be side 1.  The other side I would put the guest's name and table number.

You could also customize it with a photo.  So instead of the above, you could just have a picture.  Fun fun fun fun!!!  And they're so cheap too!

Drumroll please...the dress is in!

Whoa, I was not ready for that email.  On my original receipt the expected delivery date was at the end of October and here we are at the end of July.  But who cares?  My dress is here!!!

I went to pick it up and schedule an alterations appointment.  Got the dress home (luckily B is in Hawaii for the week, so no spoilers for him) and had to try it on.  With the aforementioned sky-high heels, the dress is the perfect length.  In fact, if the dress was a micron shorter, or the shoes a bit taller (impossible, by the way), then I would be in big trouble.  YAY!

So all I'll have to do in September is have it taken in a bit at the top (or get a boob job - haha) and sort out a bustle.  Easy peasy!

Dress your feet

Before I even started wedding planning, I knew I wanted to have fabulous shoes.  My prediction was that I would end up spending the same amount on the shoes as I would the dress and as it turns out, I'm not too far off! 

I have been coveting these shoes since I saw them in my very first bridal magazine when all this hullaballoo planning started.  A couple of weeks ago I finally pulled the trigger and bought these beauties:

Yes, they are SKY HIGH but surprisingly comfortable.  I love them!  Let's see if I'm still saying that after the wedding.  :)

Kudos to http://www.piperlime.com/ for having great descriptions, reviews, no shipping fees, and an easy return policy.  It made my purchase worry-free!

DIY invite mock-ups

I put these together as a trial and we're still trying to finalize all the little details before we go ahead and start making these little suckers.  Horizontal vs. vertical?  Green vs. white?  Bi-lingual or not?  Decisions, decisions...

Say Yes to the Dress

Friend (and now bridesmaid) S came out for the weekend to help me find a wedding dress.  Anyone who knows me will know that I'm not a "traditional" or "typical" bride.  I haven't been thinking about this day since I was 11.  I never played dress-up wedding.  So I certainly had no idea what kind of dress I was looking for. 

Strapless?  Straps?  A-line?  Trumpet?  Sheath?  Princess ball gown?  Definitely not princess.  Ivory?  White?  Train?  Veil?  Sweetheart?  V-neck?  Empire?  Silk?  Satin?  Charmeuse?  Chiffon?  Lace?  UGH, it'll make your head spin! 

Over the course of the weekend we hit 4 bridal shops ranging from not-for-profit Bridal Garden to the high end Kleinfeld, made famous by the TLC show, Say Yes to the Dress.  Needless to say, they were all very different experiences and S helped me every step of the way.  I honestly could not have done it without her.

I tried on so many different styles at a wide range of price points.  And in the end, I had some really good options to choose from all within budget (score!).  After a week of deliberation, I made my decision and submitted my dress order!  I should be getting it at the end of October.  Fingers crossed!

When to DIY

Planning a wedding on a budget is a pain!  Dealing with people who charge you double just-because-it's-a-wedding are annoying!  But thus far, we have gotten what I would consider reasonable pricing for most things.  Most things, except invitations.  UGH.  Why are invitations so expensive?  Even crappy looking invitations are expensive.  Nevermind letterpress!  I totally understand that a "small run" doesn't make alot of economic sense for most printers, but c'mon. 

And thus, I am considering doing the invitations myself. 

Yes, I know I'm crazy.  But I have seen some really great invites done by everyday brides at a fraction of the cost.  And they seem so personal too.  I'm sure much more so once I have constructed 250 of those bad boys by my own two little hands.  I'm no designer, but how hard can it be?  (I will probably be eating those words soon!)

So I will be looking into this option and deciding if I am really willing to go down this path, because once I buy all of the supplies, there's no turning back.  I'll share design ideas soon!