...because the small details make a big difference

i know i have been doing a lot of complaining regarding the lack of time that i have to dedicate to the wedding. but, when i do get the privilege of spending time wedding planning, i actually have a lot of fun.

i have been working a lot on our small details...the part that i think can make or break a wedding. while i won't be having my perfect wedding, i hope that i do a good job reflecting the relationship and love between mark and i.

i wanted everyone to get a sense of what mark and i love about each other. i asked mark if he could sit down and make a list of reasons he loves me. i did the same. i used photoshop and turned them into little 8x10 posters that we plan to display at the wedding:

(you have to click on the images to view the entire picture. i'm still a little blogger challenged)

 i bought old frames and painted them the color of my choosing. i printed the posters off onto thick card stock and cut them to the appropriate size. easy peasy & all that jazz. the "she" looks hard to read on the computer, but in person it's not.

silverware solution

So, like I said earlier, we decided on BBQ for our dinner reception for one main reason...cost. It was a very cost effective option for our low budget wedding.

When meeting with the caterer, however, they charge people a rather costly sum if you want to add plates. Plates for the wedding reception were going to be just as much as the food, and so we declined the option and began searching for an alternative.

My dream would have been to visit different antique stores to buy mismatched china, however, with Ainsley, that just wasn't a realistic goal for me. Ainsley is at the toddler stage where sitting in a stroller and shopping is extremely painful for mommy...she wants down, wants snacks, wants milk, wants water...basically, she wants everything that you aren't giving here, or don't have, which results in leaving the store 10 minutes after we got there because a large temper tantrum has begun.

Eventually we decided and agreed upon biodegradable, recyclable, disposable plates made from bamboo leaves. They are really cute and actually match my decor, so it worked out!

They even had silverware to match. I knew that we needed to come up with something cute to display the silverware...and I didn't just want to wrap them in a napkin...so, I decided to tie in the paper doily from the program pockets and wrap all of the silverware in a paper doily as well (thanks mom for wrapping everything!) A cheap solution, a lot of time, and I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out.

 How many more days left until the wedding? Eek!

wedding programs

One area that I really wanted to save money on were the wedding programs. I don't really see the point in having wedding programs, however, my mom thought otherwise. In my eyes, the programs are just something that people use as a fan and then throw away when they leave. That equals throwing away money to me! So, when I was "told" that I needed to have wedding programs, I knew that I was going to be doing them myself :) After much thinking and many ideas being thrown out the window, I came up with a simple and cheap program idea. First, the program. I made the program on my own using Photoshop. I found a cute idea that I liked while browsing online for program wording, so I ran with the idea and tweaked it a little:

I knew that I wanted a holder for the program because I wanted to add little games to the programs for people to work on while they wait for the ceremony to start. I picked up a pack of paper doilies ($4), kraft paper ($8), and used a custom stamp that I already previously owned. And here was the final result:

                          
I'm happy with the results. Now, who wants to have a crafting party? :)

Who said planning a wedding was fun?

It's been quite awhile since my last wedding post. I wish that I could say that I have accomplished a bunch of things since I last wrote, but that would probably not be true :) We, however, are making slight progress so I'll take it!

Today actually, I finally finished collecting all of the mason jars that are going to be used for drinking glasses! I bought the chalkboard contact paper, the funky shape punch and foresee a wedding craft party in my near future :)

I also got the materials to make our program pockets. Paper lace doilies and Kraft paper, along with a custom stamp that I wanted to use for our wedding invitation burlap pockets, but didn't quite get to. The Kraft paper is a little darker than I wanted, but it will hopefully turn out well. I am attempting to use Photoshop to make my own wedding programs, but since I'm still learning, I'm not really pleased with how they are turning out...

Mark's parents have been SO AWESOME helping me recently. I think Mark's mom is a little concerned with our lack of progress...that, or she just feels sorry for me :) Along with paying for the rehearsal dinner, she has decided to take the burden off of me and handle everything for me! Ahh, I can just feel the relief pouring off.

So, because I am quite a control freak, I told her that I wanted to do a picnic theme...complete with red gingham tablecloths and a packed Gable box lunch with a cute little label on the front. Knowing these details, she has my complete trust.

I did tell her that I would handle the invite for the rehearsal, as well as the label for the Gable boxes. And this is what I came up with:

 On a crappier note, my florist has been quite MIA recently. I decided to go with the Florist I chose because during our meeting, we really connected. She was the type of person that after a few minutes, I felt like I had known her forever. Since that meeting, however, she has been impossible to get a hold of. Not returning phone calls, or emails, and only responding when we stop in the store. And a month before the wedding, I STILL haven't gotten my contract in the mail even though she "said" she has mailed it multiple times over.  I recognize that I'm a control freak and at first I was worrying that she wasn't on the same page with my vision and was going to bring something that I didn't like. But now I'm worrying that she won't even remember to SHOW UP! We are supposed to have a meeting tomorrow, and I really hope that resolves my insecurity regarding the wedding flowers.

We went to the most awesome antique mall this past weekend and knocked off a ton of items on our list. My most proud purchase was the cutest wire heart chair and an awesome vintage door for only $20! I really hope everything falls together!

Mark and I met with our officiant and finalized our wedding ceremony. We both realized that we are more traditional than we thought. i am most excited about our vows! They are perfect. My newest to-do is to figure out HOW to ask the two ladies that we would be honored to have read at the ceremony. Any suggestions?

I can't believe it's almost August. We are one month away and there's still so much to do!

dream vehicle

So, if I could own any vintage vehicle, it would be a 1954 Chevy Truck. Granted, I can't drive a manual, but for that vehicle, I would certainly attempt to learn :)

When Mark proposed to me, one of the first things I knew that I wanted for our wedding pictures was a classic truck as a prop. Originally, we were planning our wedding for Ohio and I went to many antique car shows in hopes of finding the perfect truck. Although I met many nice people who were willing to let me use their vehicle for the day, I never really found the "perfect" one.

It was the last day of school for teachers and Mark was coming to my classroom to help me bring some things home.  When he gets to my work, he hands me his phone.  Displayed on the screen were the following pictures (not the greatest quality, but you get the idea):

And there she was!!! Mark randomly saw this truck driving along 522 North in Culpeper, VA and followed, yes followed, the truck to it's destination (which happened to be a gas station so that made it a little less creepy). Mark explains to the man his reason for approaching and to our great luck, the man was so pleased and excited and agreed to allow us the use of his vehicle on our wedding day!

My fella is the best and I am so lucky that he would do all of that just for me :) So, yet another big detail crossed off of my wedding to-do list.

wedding progress, or lack thereof

Ah! Sweet summer! The past 5 months have been a complete whirlwind! Working an hour away from home, with Mark being completely out of commission due to tennis season, Mark trying to start a new business, and IEP season at work was INSANE! Alas, I have made it out alive and I actually feel like I can breathe again.

 So, in the past 5 months, not a lot of wedding planning has gone on. Imagine that. I am a slacker. If there was a job being a major procrastinator, I would rock at it. I have really enjoyed planning the wedding, but unfortunately, there hasn't been much time for it. I sure hope I can pull it together for the next 4 months. Lots to do. Little time.

I have, however, done the invitations and they will soon be ready to send out:

I am extremely happy with how they turned out. Ainsley's babysitter has been an absolute miracle helping me to create little burlap pouches to put the invitations in. The pouches will hopefully look like this when we are finished putting the custom stamping on:

 Thank you to Lemon Tree Paper Co. for the awesome idea :)

Most of our big details are complete. It's really focusing on the smaller details that are driving me crazy. I hope, hope, hope that I can dedicate the time that I need to making this wedding what I have envisioned...

09.02.12

Real wedding planning is officially moving along.

We have secured a venue and a photographer. Florist consults are in the making and we met with a potential caterer on saturday.  I have also purchased my wedding dress!

Our venue is The Inn at Westwood Farm in Orange, Virginia. The owners, Jay and Elizabeth, are SUPER wonderful and awesome and the minute I pulled in, I knew it was perfect.  It's a beautiful re-modeled farmhouse turned bed & breakfast and I couldn't be happier.

Our photographer is the wonderful Ali Caudill. She took Ainsley's 1st Birthday pictures and we all loved her! Super sweet and oh so talented. Her eye and appreciation for details and her ability to make you feel comfortable are two of the main reasons we knew we wanted her capturing our special day. Seriously, if you live in this area, you should check her out. Here is a picture that she took of my daughter, Ainsley.

 My wedding dress is from the La Sposa collection.  It's called, "Salsa."  Orginally, I had programmed my brain that i was getting married in a lace dress...more specifically, this lace dress:

So, I began searching for a bridal store in my area that carried this specific dress. I had a lot of reservations about whether or not my body would be complimented by the shape of this slip dress, however. I did things in the "not so normal" order...Mark and I had a baby first. Therefore, my body went from being in the best shape of my life to the worst shape of my life. I solved that problem by making a list of dresses for both my "pre-baby" body and my "after-baby" body. This dress was on my "pre-baby" body list and I figured I'd get it on only to rip it back off again and then spend the rest of the day being depressed.

I, however, was pleasantly surprised when I put the dress on. I fell in love...immediately! It actually looked really good on me! It was the 3rd dress I tried on and quickly became the forefront winner. I couldn't believe my eyes...

And then I tried on this dress:

And I knew immediately that this was it...as much as I didn't want to LOVE it, because I had it engrained that my dress would be lace, I couldn't avoid it. I am the farthest from a girly girl that you can get and this was a very relaxed, comfortable, casual dress with pockets nonetheless! The real dress isn't quite as poofy and I love it!

Mark and I know that we want to have BBQ picnic food at the wedding so we met with Hank's Smokehouse near Harrisonburg, Virginia to discuss the details.It's a little overwhelming to hear about all of the "additional" charges, like using "real" plates and glasses instead of disposable...but their food was awesome and compared to a normal black-tie wedding meal, it's extremely inexpensive. My main concern is the "presentation." I have always been obsessed with the details. The way the food is presented does matter to me, even if it is just a small detail. I just hope that if we choose this caterer they will allow me to present the food the way I would like without a gazillion additional charges.

For flowers I am interested in small and simple. Wildflowers like yellow asters, babies breath and billy balls are all the flowers that I need! I met with a few florists and will hopefully have a better idea of final cost within the week.

Another big thing to check off the list is our Save The Dates. I ended up doing them myself, thinking I was going to save a ton of money, but turns out that it's so friggin expensive regardless!! I didn't want to do them, but my mom thought it would be a good idea to let everyone know as far in advance as possible since they are traveling so far. Done.and.done!

 

My major gripe (which is a huge one) about wedding planning is that I am doing all of it by myself...literally. I wish that I had more support from everyone close to me, especially my mom. My mom isn't into this wedding stuff at all and the only thing she focuses on is the money, which frustrates and overwhelms me on a daily basis. She hasn't given me a set "budget" yet on what she is willing to contribute...and I really wish she would for obvious reasons. I'm extremely aware of the importance of keeping costs low, which I have been doing, but it would be nice to know the maximum amount that I have to work with...then I wouldn't have to call her on a daily basis to discuss pricing (which gets us nowhere anyway). It's been disappointing so far, to be honest. Instead of being excited about how awesome of an experience this is, I am instead constantly worrying about money and my lack of time due to being a mommy, working full time, and mark being gone a lot due to coaching and starting a new business. hmph. I envisioned having my closest loved ones to share the experience with, but so far, I feel alone in most of the planning process thus far. But, even with feeling this way, I am still managing to have a blast! And I pray daily that everything comes together...even if I do have to do it all by myself :)