assigned seats: like 'em or leave 'em?

Obviously you have to do seating charts if you're doing a plated meal. We are doing a buffet so I've been thinking this whole time that we don't have to worry about assigning seats. But do you think it's necessary anyway? When I think back on it, the plated meal weddings had assigned seating, and the buffet meal weddings did not. But my caterer suggested we assign seats anyway just because.

From one angle it seems like it would be nice to just let people sit with whomever they want. But then I do remember the weddings I've been to where I have my very own place card and I get to meet some of the guests I might not have otherwise had a chance to talk to.. And there's so much inspiration on the blogs for creative ways to do place cards and seating charts and all that.

I know I could get away with not seating people. But what do you think? Are you doing buffet or plated meal (or dessert buffet or anything else)? For those of you doing buffet, are you assigning seats? It just seems like one more thing I'm not sure I want to worry about..

longest day ever?

is it just me or is this day/week crawling by?? wow.

I am so giddy about booking the officiant. She's on vacation right now but she'll be back next week and will email us our "homework" - a packet for us to go through to help us narrow down our ideas for the ceremony. I'll share it with you when I see it!

I've always been for traditional vows but this post gives a compelling argument for writing your own. And some other great advice! I still think I'll never be able to express myself well enough but that seems like a common concern and in the end, for some, the words just come out right.

Thanks Miss National Harbor for bringing up the matching-ring issue. I have a white gold engagement ring but I've fallen for a palladium wedding band.. I'm not sure yet if I care if they're slightly mismatched.. No idea yet what Mr. Fairfax will choose, could be something like this, or maybe like this, or who knows.

Wedding Bands

Wow-- I have not blogged in a while. Work and wedding planning can wipe a woman out- let me tell ya!

So. I was talking to my friend/bridesmaid/soon to be fellow bride, Amazonia last week via email (no- that is not her real name- but I covered this in my other blog posts, she wants to remain anonymous and so she shall...). So anyway- Amazonia emailed me and asked me where I was getting my wedding bands and what they were going to look like. I told her that we had already bought our wedding bands back in February at iGorman when they had a nice Valentine's day sale. My ring is a modified cushion cut diamond in white gold. Amazonia was proposed to with her fiance's mother's wedding ring. That is the ring she currently wears and it is yellow gold. She then asked how much I had paid for my ring because she had found a stunning ring but it was $5,000. I paid $2,500 for mine and I agonized over the purchase. One the one hand, I wanted a fabulous band to go with my ring (which I love). On the other hand- we are paying for 1/3 of the wedding ourselves and are on a very strict monthly budget so we can make our savings numbers. When the day came to make the decision in the store I thought- should I take the money away from some other area to get a fabulous wedding band? The band I will have forever- the flowers will be dead in a week. What to do? What to do? Then Mr. NationalHarbor, who is very Aries and metrosexual, decided that he also wanted a diamond in his band since he was going to have it forever as well and he did not want a speck of dust, either. No, he needed half a carat.

Now, I am not a big fan of diamonds in a man's wedding band- but who am I to argue with him? He wants a fabulous ring as well. He deserves one. We are in this together etc etc.. and so... the price for both bands jumped significantly. sigh.

To add to all of this- when Amazonia and I both looked for bands, the ones we fell in love with were made of Platinum. She asked me- does one dare to buy a wedding band that is of a different metal than what their engagement ring is made out of? Does one dare to have a mis-matched wedding ring set?

I told her I didn't think she should do it. I didn't. I got a channel set band in white gold. I just thought that in the end it is better to have a clean look. Yes white gold and platinum are similar- but with platinum the silver is just..."deeper" - if that makes any sense. It's like if you are feeling very sleek and want to wear a black top and black pants on the town for dinner on Saturday night and then you look in the mirror and the outfit just doesn't work for some reason. All blacks are not the same and you can see the slight variances in color sometimes. I did not want that unpolished look with my engagement ring and wedding band. Amazonia is still trying to decide what to get.....

The question I pose to you all is: what do you think? Do the metals have to match? How much have you spent on your bands or how much are you planning on spending?

Connect the dots, la la la la

I love polka dots and Mr. National Mall makes fun of me for it. Every time we see a polka dot shirt/dress/etc. he always points to it and exclaims "so cute!" in a high, girly voice because he knows I'll love it. So I started thinking. Would it be totally wierd to wear a polka dot wedding dress? I don't plan on incorporating any polka dots into the wedding (maaaaaaaaybe the cake), but how adorable would it be to wear any of these amazing dresses?

Oh J Crew how do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

This Michelle Roth dress just screams 1950's inspired garden party to me!

And last, but certainly not least, Melissa Sweet's "Dora". :Swoon:. This dress is definitely more understated, but insanely gorgeous, no? If I had $4,000 to spend on a dress, I would have a Dora in my closet tomorrow morning.

Maybe I will have a polka dot wedding. An aqua, red, and white polka dot wedding. Hmmmmm

Hotels

I was on my way here to post about hotel blocks when I noticed that Miss Fairfax just did the same thing. It seems like we all get the same ideas at once!

When I started this wedding planning process, I was determined to not let certain things stress me out or become difficult. Hotel rooms was one of them. I've traveled enough personally and for business that I thought I knew what I was doing. And I live here, so I'm familiar with the streets and metro stops. How hard could it be?

Well. It's pretty hard. To begin with, I've had trouble getting people on the phone from these hotels! Wedding blocks sometimes go through a hotel's event planner, sales office, or regular reservation desk. But none of them pick up the phone. And not many of them return calls. Ugh.

Right now I think it's down to three properties, and I need the advice of other DC brides. The wedding ceremony is at the Universalist National Memorial Church, at 16th and R NW. It's not confirmed yet and I don't want to blow the surprise until it's sure, but the reception will probably be a few blocks away. Both venues have parking. I think many of our guests will want to do some sightseeing while they're here, and the wedding is actually the first day of the 2010 Cherry Blossom Festival. So here we go.

Courtyard Washington Embassy Row

Image from www.marriott.com

The reservations person was very friendly on the phone. The hotel is less than a half mile walk to the Dupont metro. I tend to think of Marriott's as a bit outdated and Courtyard's in particular as lacking amenities. Online reviews are really all over the place, with the main complaints being small rooms and a noisy building/location. She quoted me $149 per night plus $28 for parking but suggested I call back in a few weeks to see if rates have gone down at all.

Hilton Washington Embassy Row

Image from www.hilton.com

I was first planning to check prices at the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Avenue. My mom has stayed there a few times and always found good prices online, I think through Expedia. It looks like the regular rates are just too high for what I want though, and there are a few conventions there that weekend. So I submitted a request online (which the lady who answered the sales line told me to do) to the Embassy Row Hilton. I've had good experiences with Hiltons but don't know anything about this one. It's very close to Dupont Circle. I haven't received a response to my online request yet, but regular rates for that weekend seem to be $170 plus $35 for parking.

Hotel Palomar

Image from www.travelhero.com

I just heard back from this property. I've heard very good things about them, and even about wedding receptions there. The location is very comparable to the Hilton. The prices are $119 for a queen bed, $139 for two queens or a king. Parking is $35. If we book 95% of the block and stay there ourselves, our room will be upgraded to a suite. The block expires 4 weeks before arrival though, while the Courtyard holds it until three weeks before.

Phew - that was exhausting. Our save the date's are going out in the next few weeks and I'd like to make a decision by the time people are receiving them. I guess we have some thinking to do! Thoughts?

where does the time go??

One of my co-workers had a baby last week, and I just remember the day she came and told me she was pregnant, it doesn't seem that long ago! And the time between then and now was eight months, about the same amount of time between now and the wedding, and I just can't imagine March 20th will ever get here! But at the same time I can't believe it's almost August, we've been engaged for almost six months.. eep!

I am excited to report that we have reserved our room block at the Hampton Inn - we're getting the $79/night rate, and I didn't even have to negotiate to make sure we won't be held responsible if the block isn't filled. So I'm pleased. ..now we just have to figure out who we're going to invite to FILL these rooms... guest list. sigh.

Also we seem like we're pretty settled on our officiant! We haven't officially told her we're in, but I think we will soon. Her name is Georgiana Atkins-Havill - she had a bunch of 5-star reviews on WeddingWire, and she's been featured in the Washington Post and other places. I spoke to her on the phone and she sounds lovely. She operates a little differently from other officiants/celebrants I've looked into - there's no contract, no set fee. We'll be discussing different ceremony options via email, and then 2 weeks in advance of the wedding (so her impressions of us will be fresh for the ceremony) we'll meet with her and finalize all the details, she'll do a run-through with us, of the vows and the ring exchange (but not everything - she likes to shoot from the hip a little so it doesn't sound rehearsed and stale, I liked that), and then after the ceremony we just pay her the amount we feel is appropriate and comfortable for us. She says she's never been underpaid, more often she's overpaid, because that's how happy people are with her work. So we feel pretty good about working with her. She seems to have a real passion for this. And that's a good thing! *martha stewart smile*

I was able to stop in at the REFRESH at FRESH event yesterday, got to hang out with our lovely Miss Not Yet Wed and her assistant Angela - didn't get to buy anything but it was a lot of fun! Anything with free champagne and cupcakes..! I'm there. Unfortunately it was so Hot, I didn't feel comfortable trying anything on since I was a sweaty hot mess. I will definitely have to go back though, they had some cute stuff.

The Hair Trial!

I had my hair trial on Friday and it was a great time. I have baby fine, super straight, and ridiculously silky (doesn't hold much well) hair so I was a little worried about what we'd end up with.

Although I'd love to have long, flowing curls on my wedding day, it's just not going to happen for me. However, I'm pretty thrilled with what we came up with. :)



This is what we came up with.. It's not the most flattering side shot, but you get the idea.


One of my bridesmaids was able to join me so she snapped all of the pictures and ensured that my hair looked great from every angle.


The hairpins are something that I purchased on Etsy to spice up my look just a bit. I'm also going to be wearing a veil for at least half the day.


What do you think? Should I use this style on the big day?

$21,814

That is the average cost of a wedding in 2008! It has gone down from around $28,000, which means brides are being more budget conscious.

Find out more about the average cost of weddings in your area by checking out Cost of Wedding. For example, in Arlington where I live this is what came up:

"On average, couples that live in Arlington, VA spend between $38,246 and $63,744 for their wedding. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring.

Wedding cost or average spent based on spending of other brides and grooms not wedding vendor prices. Spending and prices can vary widely. You should investigate all options and choose products and services that best meet your needs."

They have a neat breakdown based on the different services one needs or wants like a wedding coordinator, photographer, and DJ.

I wanted a really unique and fantastic venue. All the ones in the DC area that I wanted were way over my budget. Mr. Charleston grew up in WV so we started looking there for more cost effective venues so that we could have the size wedding we wanted for 1/2 the cost. Here is what the website quoted:

"On average, couples that live in Charleston, WV spend between $15,451 and $25,752 for their wedding. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring."

Now, I know people have to travel to get there, but even if we had the wedding in the DC area, we had friends and family coming from the Philippines, England, Seattle, California, Las Vegas and all over the East Coast. Only about 1/4 of our guests are coming from the Dc area. In the end this worked out for our budget and for the size and type of wedding we're having. After the cost of the honeymoon, rings, and the entire wedding including the price of all the vendors, supplies, and miscellaneous items we have managed to stay under budget!

This obviously doesn't mean that every bride in the great DC metro area should start running for the hills to get away from high prices. We sacrificed the convenience of getting married in DC in exchange for a bigger wedding with a lot of the small details that we really wanted. Some of my dearest friends got married in DC and sacrificed the size of the wedding in order to have it in a popular venue in the area.

In the end, its about having a fun celebration with your new hubby and your best friends and family. We found a venue and have been able to plan a wedding for half the cost and we are able to have even more friends and family there. To us, having the most important people in our lives at our wedding is worth the drive:-)

Have you had to make compromises in terms of where you had your wedding and what you had at your wedding? How strict was your budget?

REFRESH at FRESH is FINALLY Here!

YAY! REFRESH at FRESH is Finally HERE!

I am so Excited! If you are still on the fence about why you should attend REFRESH at FRESH here is why.

I saw this ver y same dress in another Georgetown Boutique at an Outrageous price in the three digit price range.

This very dress along with a plethora of other fashions is at FRESH for almost 65% less!

In addition, FRESH always has the Hottest VIP Specials!

Come in today July 26th and Spend $25 or more and receive a FREE GIFT!

Courtesy of our sponsors and TOP PICK VENDORS, Davinci Florist, DC Rental, Absolute Entertainment, Fluffy Thoughts, Windows Catering, Regal Limousine, and Many More.

Also Buy 2 Dresses, Get One Free!

Buy 2 Bracelets Get 2 Free!

I hope you and your friends can stop by to take advantage of these great deals!

See You Soon at REFRESH at FRESH!

This Sunday, July 26, 2009 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Fresh Boutique of Georgetown located at 1205 Potomac Street Washington, D.C.

the search for a dress

I started my search for the dress way earlier that I needed to.

We scheduled our first mission around Filene’s Running of the Brides (I hear there is one coming up at Mazza Gallery on the 31^st). My MOH lives in Minneapolis and wanted to fly in. So I piled the appointments in to one day - Hitched in Georgetown, Priscilla of Boston in Tysons, and Filene’s in Rockville. We totally wussed out and decided to skip the morning chaos at Filene's and head over in the afternoon after the rush died down a little bit. I’m still not sure if I missed out…

A couple nights before the appointments, I found a Nicole Miller wedding dress sale at Rue La La for $350. I figured it was worth trying for that amount of money, so I bought it and started my dress search with a dress already in hand.

Our first appointment was at Hitched in Georgetown, which I had heard awesome things about. Crystal and I were totally prepared for champagne, pampering, and that “ooh, I’m a bride’ feeling”. I sat down with the consultant and we went over what I was looking for. I showed her the pictures I had pulled from various magazines and online sources – thinking I had a clear vision of what I was looking for. She told me that I had no clue what I wanted and would just start pulling dresses - I was game. She never asked my budget so I threw it in the conversation to make sure I didn’t fall in love with a dress I totally could not afford. We started pulling dresses but I didn’t really fall in love with anything off the rack. The first dress I tried on – I mean…the first wedding dress ever – I was looking for that excited feeling…but I didn’t even have time to breathe before the consultant launched in to some extreme sales pitch all while looking at herself in the mirror. Her self-admiration did not stop in the dressing room, she literally stared at herself for the rest of the appointment…while I was up on the pedestal, while I was taking off dresses…it was constant and totally distracting. It ended up just being a totally weird experience that Crystal and I laughed about the whole ride over to Rockville.

Filene’s was next…We got to Filene’s before noon and there were still tons and tons of dresses. It was actually kind of nice since there weren’t too many people there, we could really study the dresses on the racks and take our time. We found one dress that fit almost perfectly and was very pretty but there were a couple stains on the dress and some simple mending issues…I just couldn’t get over the mental hump of paying that much for a dress that wasn’t perfect. Call me crazy, but I couldn’t do it.

Priscilla of Boston – ahhhhhhhhh – I love their dresses. I mean, I loved every one I tried on. I had pulled a Priscilla of Boston dress (4306) from a magazine that I had been (and still am) dreaming about – but I had to give some other options a chance. The consultant was phenomenal. She was fun, she was honest, and she really listened (I don’t think she looked at herself in the mirror once). If she pulled a dress that she thought I would like – she explained why she thought I would like it even if I had said I wouldn’t. It was also her last day at the shop so she was throwing in an awesome discount. I ended up torn between the Dora dress (so fabulous) and my dream dress (4306).

The Dora dress was super flattering and figure friendly

and the 4306 dress made me feel like a garden fairy (weird I know, but I liked it).

{both photos from priscilla of boston}

We were all torn – even the seamstress who came in to measure me. They were both slightly over my budget even with the great discount – and the 4306 dress wasn’t as figure conscious but it was still perfect…

I walked away.

The Nicole Miller dress came in the mail a week later. It was beautiful…but it wasn’t my wedding dress. It would have been nice if it had worked out considering the price tag. I ended up selling it on Once Wed.

I tried on my Mom’s wedding dress for kicks. It fit, it was fun, it was wonderful, and it was my Mom’s - perfect. As I was walking around in it, we noticed that the fabric has begun to come apart and split. I figured no one would notice but my Mom didn’t want the dress to split more while I was dancing so it was a no go.

I decided to put the dress search on hold for a little bit.

In June, Charlie and I went down to Corolla for a little beach getaway. There is an awesome store called Barr-ee Station that sells the cutest clothes including JCrew clothes at awesome prices. Word is, the owner of the store used to work at JCrew for a number of years and has worked out a deal with the company that allows her to carry JCrew current stock at lower prices.

I had been looking at one of the JCrew wedding dresses in the catalog and since Barr-ee Station carried some wedding dresses, I wanted to try one on to see if I should order a size 2 or 4. I just grabbed the first dress off the rack and ended up loving it. It was fun, sweet, light, and it fit our venue and the feel of our wedding. So for under $400...I found my dress!

I still get a little sad about not having the Priscilla of Boston 4306 dress, but then I think about the money we have left in our budget for other fun things and I get excited again!

Tape the Date!

I wish I could get married every single day of the year just so I could do all sorts of adorable and fabulous wedding things.

This was posted on The Offbeat Bride, one of my favorite wedding blogs. It's defnitely a great idea for those of you who are still thinking about ideas for Save the Dates and super budget friendly!

Speaking of J Crew....

Great. So, now that there is going to be a J Crew in D.C I'm going to have to go. And I don't want to go. But I'm going to have to. I'm not a big fan of their "normal" clothing, but oh.....my....gosh. How insanely gorgeous are their bridesmaids dresses?





















I looooooooooooooooooove this dress. Love. It doesn't come in my wedding colors. And it's $275. But I love it. Especially the little bow or whatever it is coming off the shoulder. *swoon*























This pretty aqua-y one is much better at $195 and it seems to come in my colors. They call this color "fresh mint". Does it look like aqua to you? I think it could work. And I could totally see my bridesmaids wearing this again to a party or on a date. Of course, just my luck, all of the "sale" dresses are in the color yellow. And I am no longer using yellow (one of my color scheme ideas was yellow, white, and black). *le sigh* But I still adore this dress. I think we might just have to plan a DC NearlyWeds day trip to J Crew :-P

The Ring

I happen to think that my fiance did a fabulous job with my ring.

He designed it himself and the boy did good. Last weekend we went to pick out our wedding bands. I was super excited to get in there and explore my options.

We decided on a band with five diamonds that are the same size as the side stones in my engagement ring.

We got my engagement ring and both of our wedding bands at John Greenan and Sons in Burtonsville, Maryland. We've been in several times for resizing, jewlery cleaning and more recently, to pick out our wedding bands and they have been fabulous. I cannot say enough positive things about this business. I think we'll be buying all of our jewlery there for life.

JCrew Weddings in Georgetown?

Got this in my email yesterday and couldn't help but squee a little bit. I know, I know, I already have my wedding dress but it'll be pretty awesome to be able to try on my bridesmaids dress for a friend's wedding next spring.


Apparently, the JCrew store on M Street in Georgetown is carrying select styles from the weddings and parties collection - awesome.

Are you going to check out the wedding planner at JCrew???

Pretty things

Just a quick note to show you something pretty! I was standing in line for coffee at Au Bon Pain this morning and noticed these pretty little bottles of iced tea!

I love the shape of the labels and the flourish in their logo! These would be so cute for a shower or set out at a picnic reception. I jumped on the Harney and Sons website for a picture and noticed that their tea tins are also adorable! Perfect for an out of town guest basket.

I love the idea of pretty, vintage iced tea bottles and tins as part of a summer wedding.

All photos from www.harney.com.

programs

I know it's a bit early to worry too much about them, but I keep going back to my program design ideas. I've considered just not doing programs, some people don't, I think we could not do them and people would survive. Also I'm pretty sure most of the time they get left behind or thrown away, I'd keep one for posterity but keep it in a box somewhere and not look at it much. STILL I feel drawn to the project, I'm at least going to keep fiddling with them, and when it comes down to it - we'll just see. Here are some things that are inspiring me.

Photo via MintDesignBlog

Photo by Union Photo via Once Wed

I've played around in InDesign a little here and there, can't quite settle on a concept just yet. I love the typewriter look, but also the more traditional. I love the idea of having programs that are not all the same, but go together. and then I also love the look of that yellow program, with the big blocky date on the front and the handwritten first page.. I ended up getting into linoleum block printing because I wanted to try to do something similar - man it's time consuming! A lot of fun though. I'll post some of my practice ones when I've put together a few samples.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

The word is out! We sent our save the dates!

Much, much earlier than they are supposed to be...

The plan was intricate to say the least. It was a staggered process. We have approximately 80% of our guests coming from out of town. 80% of that 80% are coming from Virginia (all over Virginia) and are my family. The plan was to send out their save the dates in October, since they have less out of town plans to make than Mr. Glen Echo's family, who are all basically coming from Atlanta. The first round was supposed to go out August 1.

But, we have been engaged for 10 months now...

We will be engaged for a total of 18 months...

I wanted to send our save the dates...

So, they went out and I am happy. We have 8 months left and I could not wait any longer (have I ever mentioned I am totally impatient). I now have no idea why we were waiting to send them out (I think it was one of Mr. Glen Echo's ideas).

So, here they are, my cute little save the dates. I made four different versions, using different pictures of us as kids that sort of matched in age.

(Disclaimer...I am NOT a photographer and I have not mastered the craft of taking "blog" friendly pictures of my crafts...I promise the next time I post an image of something that I have made, I will set it up and make it look nice...no coupons in the background next time...)

My mother hates this version...she says my legs look too long. I love this picture of me and Santa...she is crazy!

I totally over thought the idea for the magnets. I felt that the actual card with the wedding info was too big to "force" people to put on their refrigerators, so I did not make them magnets. I really wanted to send magnetic save the dates though... So, I got adhesive magnets and made an insert. I figured people could put them up or not...but at least they had the option.

I used different sheets of scrapbook paper (mainly because I could not pick just one) and cut them in half. I then folded the sheet long ways to create sort of an inner envelope for the save the date card. I stuck the save the date card inside and then closed it with a round adhesive sticker. I then put them in velum envelopes with a colorful address label. We ordered a custom stamp with our names and addresses from Sweet Paperie via etsy.

Mr. Glen Echo was much better at stamping the envelopes than I was. This is his handy work. My man is so crafty!


Mr. Glen Echo showing those magnets who's the boss!


We love Save the Dates!

This is a church, this is a steeple...

Leading up to the 1-year announcement, Mr. GWU and I met with special events coordinators and visited 6 possible options: Fairmont, Westin Grand, Hotel Monaco, Park Hyatt, Top of the Town, and The Madison. After weeks of visiting venues, we were elated to decide on The Hotel Monaco. While all of the sites were great in their own way, Mr. GWU and I couldn't deny the unique qualities and utter GORGEOUSNESS of the DC Hotel Monaco. Man oh man. Once the National Post Office and Tariffs Administration, the now Hotel Monaco boasts the architectural design of Robert Mills, a contemporary of Thomas Jefferson. Marble staircases, marble walls, Corinthian columns, skylights - its pretty breathtaking. Kimpton Hotels leases the building from Congress to make it a higher end hotel. Since Kimpton's corporate culture is socially responsible, eclectic and fun - the modernity juxtaposes nicely with the old. Man, they are not afraid to play with color. I think the venue will make for some really great photos and captured moments. Does anyone have suggestions for photographers that could really make the space and us pop? Anyway, we're also pleased with the F&B package. It just happened to turn out this way but Hotel Monaco offers a 15% discount off the F&B minimum for certain dates in the non-high season. And one of those dates is July 17, 2010. That works wonderfully for us and will save us a couple $K.

Last post, I shared with you the informal this-is-not-the-save-the-date but please DO save the date! :) In the message to our friends and family, we confirmed the venue reception but had not yet decided on the church for our ceremony. Well, this week we met with All Souls Church located on 15th and Harvard St, NW...and we LOVED it. LOVED it. The sanctuary seats 1,000 easily and boasts arched ceilings and columns but still feels intimate at the same time. The aisle is nice and wide and the pews are beautiful. Not your standard pews. Just that nice touch to make it stand out. They recently went through a large renovation and are installing a modern sound system this season. The organ view from the altar is beautiful as well. I'll try and post a picture when I upload my pics. We had also visited Universalist National Memorial Church (where Miss 16th St is tying the knot) and really liked that too. I think at the end of the day, we loved the light that poured through the windows and the image of us, our family, and the sanctuary coming together for our ceremony. So...All Souls Church it is! Here is a picture of the sanctuary:

Well, unfortunately this will be last post for the next 3 weeks. I am leaving on a missions trip to Uganda to work with Watoto. The first week, I'll be there with a team from my church, National Community Church, and we'll be building a school building for the Children's Village. When they leave, I'll stay for the next two weeks where I'll be a baby care giver for Baby Watoto, who provide holistic care for 0-2 year old babies. I'm so excited. And it eases my mind knowing that Mr. GWU and I got 3 big items checked off the list: date, ceremony venue, reception venue. So I think we're good. I'll have limited access to email but look forward to reading more posts and wedding plans!

I've been a bad blogger

Cricket.....cricket.....cricket......

I'm so sorry I've been MIA for the past week or so! My little man broke my computer (lovely) so I haven't been able to blog. Not that I have much to blog about, really. Still on the hunt for a job, so I still don't have a reception site booked yet. It's making me extremely anxious, and I'm afraid that by the time my future is secured, all of the sites we love will be booked up. *sigh* While I don't have the moolah to put down on a deposit for the reception, what I do have, however, is centerpieces!!

:cheers: :screams: :yay:

Thrift store hunting is one of my favorite pastimes, and that's where I've been finding all of my milk glass vases for my DIY centerpieces. Oh how I love me some milk glass...

from theblogandchain.com

I would love to find some large, beautiful milk glass vases like in the pictures, but thus far all I have are bud vases. Very cute bud vases, but bud vases. If I can't find any larger vases for a good price I may just end up clustering 3-4 bud vases at one table. The good thing about these tiny vases is that I've been able to find them all for less than $2 a pop, most of them being 75cents are so! Score! Perfect for a budget wedding :) Clustered inside these beautiful vases will be some sort of red flower (but not roses). Now all I need is a reception site and some tables to place these beautiful centerpieces on..... :)

Mid-Summer Sample Sale at Carine's Bridal Atelier

It's that time of year...

Mid-Summer Sample Sale at Carine's Bridal Atelier

Thursday, July 23rd at 6pm-9pm

Now offering a FREE VEIL with purchase this day only!

Save on over 100 sample bridal gowns by top designers including....

Junko Yoshioka


Angel Sanchez

Rosa Clara

Reem Acra

Melissa Sweet

Platinum Collection

Buy your gown NOW for your 2010 wedding and save up to 70% off retail prices. Sample sale gowns include Spring and Fall 2009 collections!! Help us make room for new designer gowns!

Please RSVP to [email protected]

Carine's Bridal Atelier

1726 Wisconsin Ave NW 2nd Flr(Between R and S Streets in Georgetown)

Washington, DC 20007

(202) 965-4696

http://www.carinesbridal.com/

Bridal Funk...

I’ve been so upset regarding the invitation situation that it’s turned me off all aspects of wedding planning lately. We started with the process MONTHS ago – by going to local stores. I went in swearing that invitations were NOT going to be something I was overly focused on, I knew the insane amount of money that could go into them. I then proceeded to promptly fall in love with two of the most expensive elements of wedding invitations – pockets and letterpress. In the end, I’ve chosen to sacrifice letterpress (doesn’t really fit my event formality wise) for pockets! I love pockets of all types – my bridesmaid dresses have pockets, I was in love with those Kangaroo shoes as a kid, and I just think they are neat, and, maybe, just maybe, the pocket will be useful to our guests for storing info related to the wedding and they can use it to easily organize their directions, travel confirmations, etc.

I didn’t fall in love with any pocket invitations at the stores. So I turned to Etsy. Really I was looking for someone with creativity and time to work with me on designing and doing some of the prep work for putting these bad boys together (read: cutting paper) after my DIY save the dates that ate up a significant portion of my life for a month. I'm picky, I had a lot of ideas, and I didn't want to spend the money on having EVERYTHING done soup to nuts for me. I found a seller who was looking to built her “invitation consulting” business and we agreed on a GREAT PRICE ($150.00 plus paper) for the work of designing, printing, and doing all the cutting and paper ordering/coordinating. During the design process we spent a LOT of time on the phone, and maybe I began to realize that my designer wasn’t totally up to speed or as experienced as I wanted. Really, this was fine as well – I took on the bulk of the designing, font selection, layout, etc. (though her husband did design an awesome logo and monogram that I love). We went back and forth with PDF proofs and I thought we were finished. She was going on vacation for 2 weeks, and sent them to me the day before her vacation. I received them and was very disappointed. The color for one of the enclosure headings didn’t match the others, the alignment of the text was off, and the margins were IMPOSSIBLY small, to the edge of the paper – the product just looked sloppy. I hemmed and hawed about what to do – and decided that this was one of those things that would haunt me forever, so I contacted her and explained my issues, and we are going to work to get them fixed and my invitations will go out a bit late (maybe 6 – 7 weeks prior to the wedding).

Lesson Learned: ALWAYS see a physical proof of YOUR final product. If something is wrong, fix it, and get ANOTHER physical proof if you have any reservations.

The whole thing puts a huge knot in my stomach and makes me really upset to think about, because at this point I COULD have just done them myself, I feel like they are never going to look how I want them to, and I’m sort of in the “Eeyore” state of mind lately. Meanwhile – awesome things are happening: my bridesmaids threw me an amazing surprise shower at Gray Ghost winery this weekend, lost 5 pounds through lots of cardio, picked out wedding bands that we both love, engagement pictures turned out phenomenally, and our pre-marital counseling is really teaching us a lot about communication/conflict resolution, yet this invitation thing is the cloud that always hangs over my head…

Has anything put you in a bridal funk? How did you move past it?

Angie and Estee

I picked up my dress from Angie today and it is amazing and I love it! I know some people have asked for their contact information. I have worked with Angie since January and she is fantastic. I have heard the same goes for Estee.

Here is the article that was posted a few months back here on DCNearlyweds and on the Washington Express paper. It has their contact information for you ladies who are looking for two great seamstresses for your alterations. They do wonders with bridesmaids dresses as well and may be a good alternative to having them done at the bridal salon (and cheaper too!)

Update: Filene's is having their annual "Running of the Brides" this FRIDAY, JULY 31st! This is where I bought my dress, which only needed to be hemmed because it a) was the perfect size b) was the perfect dress, but since I got it for a fraction of what I would have paid for at a salon, I wanted to get creative, hence the new neckline and pockets:-) I went with friends and my sister at 3 a.m., complete with matching team tshirts I made the day before and we had a blast. I also know people who went after the rush around lunchtime and still found a ton of dresses at the most insanely discounted prices. Hope you make it and let us know if you find the dress!!!

The B-Maids

Picking out the bridesmaids dresses was a difficult task. I changed my color scheme at least fifty million times and of course I changed the dress at least once an hour over that first month.

My bridesmaids and I may have sifted through every bridesmaids dress known to man, but we found the perfect one (of course a picture of the perfect one cannot be copied from the manufacturers website-- as soon as I get a real picture, I'll be sure to post it).

The best part of bridesmaid dress shopping, was buying the dresses from House of Brides. At our local bridal boutique, the girls dresses were going to be 240 bucks. House of Brides sold us all seven dresses for only $129.00 each. I know that all of my girls were super happy that I was able to score them a pretty sweet deal.

The upside: affordable dresses, a HUGE selection, and free shipping.

The downside, you can't try the dresses on and they are non-refundable.

Has anyone else used House of Brides or another online bridesmaid dress retailer?

Why Should You Hire A Wedding Planner?!

This excellent article by Evan at MyDeeJay.com about, "Why Should You Hire A Wedding Planner." This is the perfect piece for any skeptical bride that is on the fence of hiring a planner and thinking she CAN and WILL do EVERYTHING herself. This piece highlights many valid points about hiring a wedding planner.

The best part about this article is that our Beloved Planner of Holy Matrimony, Candice Owens, is featured in this article along with other top wedding planners.

Yayay Candice!!!!!

Check out this article and forward it to any bride who considering proceeding on with her wedding without a planner.

I hope that the article is a help.

Why Should You Hire A Wedding Planner!

Showers of Happiness....

I forgot to share some pictures from my bridal shower a week and a half ago in Connecticut... here are some with a bit of family (and life drama) to boot following the photo goodness...

My cake. From a fabulous bakery in NY brought up to CT by Fiance's godmother. FYI, it was as tasty as it looks.

Unopened gifts. I definitely got showered with love!! Our car was JAM PACKED on the drive back to DC.

Two my college besties/bridesmaids and I enjoying the margs. My shower had a theme of Puerto Rico...also known as our honeymoon locale. A pretty awesome theme if I do say so myself!

Me opening one of many gifts - this gift was all for fiance. I don't even like waffles but he INSISTED on registering for a waffle maker. That's okay. One of my bridesmaids got me a shoe wheel off our registry.

It is most certainly a shoe wheel. It fits perfectly in my closet.

My bridal party (including the ring bearer!) minus my bridesmaid E who couldn't make it to CT for the event. S'k, she's apparently got her own tricks up her sleeve for the DC guests. Don't mind my droopy straps on my tank top...I was a little tipsy. Those silly margaritas!

Now here's my question...so my FMIL hosted my shower - well, the bridesmaids hosted it but she helped. No one from my side of the family was invited. Someone told me "all the women invited to the wedding should be invited to the shower..." Is this true?

If so, then I can understand why my step mother (who my mother doesn't really...like) was upset to not be invited but quite frankly, most of my family aren't trekking down here for the wedding so I felt it was unnecessary to extend invitations. Not to mention, my step mom hasn't really been upset about not really being included in the planning till now. Then on Wednesday last week, when I called my father to tell him about the unfortunate event - fiance losing his job - after saying he was sorry he told me that I should send my step mother a note. Apologize for not including her...even though I didn't put together the invitation list. Or any other part of the shower.

Seriously? Aside from my mother, and bridesmaids it was ALL fiance's side of the guest list. No one from my side, sans a couple gal pals in Boston, were invited. Why was he making a stink NOW???

I won't get into my personal feelings about her here but I do run hot/cold toward my step mother, and right now? I can tell you I am icy. As in, unimpressed by these shenanigans.

Who was invited to your bridal shower? Did you invite all the guests invited to the wedding? Did you have a theme? Favorite gift???

fun new resource

I just wanted to share this new site I came across recently, Utterly Engaged.. It's no Once Wed but they have what looks like a fun e-zine, some DIY tips, some Real Wedding porn.. I just found it so I have looked around too much but it's kinda fun. I think it has potential.

After reading East Side Bride's latest post "your wedding is not a photo shoot," I feel a little better about our as-yet-undecided photography plans. whatever those end up being. Whatever we decide to do, the wedding is a Wedding and as long as we have a good time and we have some photos that capture our joy at the end of it.. We're going to be happy. having said that--! I'm going to continue to swoon over all the Real Weddings out there that are so dazzling and magical..

Also if I could have a photo like this from our wedding.. that would make it all worth it. LOL

The Calligraphy Update

Well, I went ahead and ordered the Calligraphy for Dummies book from my local library.

Thankfully we ordered 50 extra envelopes because I just didn't love the look of my take on calligraphy.

Instead, I'm enjoying my own personal handwriting with a few extra swirls and loops. I know it makes me sound like the anti-bride (which I'm so not), but I can't help but smile about the fact that we're saving some money by doing it ourselves.

I'm kind of shocked about how much we're expected to spend on one single day. Things may not be as fancy as they could be, but I'm trying to focus on what's really important, everyday after our wedding when it's just us, together forever.

Vintage Bohemian Chic...Part II

I know it has been a while since you guys really heard from me. I just finished my take home exam for my summer family law class and I am ready to enjoy the rest of my summer (YAY!).

So...where did I leave off...? I showed you all my color scheme and dress. I felt initially that my dress had no real vintage appeal, but you lovely ladies pointed out to me that I might be a bit incorrect in my initial thinking.

I guess, what I had originally planned for my wedding, in my mind, was much more time period specific. You see, Glen Echo is fabulously designed in a very classic art deco style. What I originally envisioned was a wedding that looked a little like this or this, with an inspiration board such as this, this or this but incorporating my color scheme.

The dress, however, was not in the style that I was going for. I actually flipped out after I purchased the gown and bought a second one that does go with the art deco, 1920's type feel I originally thought about...but more on that saga later...When I found the dress, however, I felt I needed to focus or channel my style efforts towards something a bit more consistent with the vibe I was getting from her (I like to use pronouns when referring to items with a distinct character).

On a related side note...there is only one store that I am totally obsessed with (and wish I could afford more often) and that is Anthropologie. I absolutely love the clothes, the housewares, decor, jewelry, everything...but more importantly...I love the feel and the vibe of the retail chain itself. There is this smart, down home, earthy, feminine...but with a touch of ruggedness...vintage, bohemian, chic vibe to Anthropologie that I adore. I realized that is exactly what I should be going for!

I have to admit that this is not anything new...it is not like I stumbled across some totally unique and crazy idea. Plenty of women have used Anthropologie as inspiration...especially more recently (I mean, back yard, home spun weddings are all the rage now). So, I will definitely be following a trend...but I don't mind. I would rather my wedding reflect all the things that I love than worry about who else is doing the same thing.

Here are a few inspiration boards that I found, all via Snippet & Ink, that I absolutely love and give the vibe that I am hoping to achieve (the first one is my FAV!)Here are some links to some of my favorite and most inspired weddings...If my day looks anything like this, I am golden!

Where have you guys found your inspiration? Anyone else using their favorite "something" as a spring board for creativity?

Sale Alert!

When I first started looking at wedding dresses online, I fell completely head-over-heels for Rosa Clara, a Spanish designer with lots of beautiful, romantic styles. In particular, I was drooling over this dress, called Languido:























{original photo source: www.rosaclara.es, 09 Collection, jpg via: http://www.duosheng.cn/shangweb/xihun/Languido.html}

So of course I was thrilled to discover that one local bridal salon carries Rosa Clara! A few friends and I headed out to Carine's Bridal in Georgetown. It turns out the Rosa Clara dresses are not for me. What looks lovely on the tall, slender model doesn't quite work on short, curvy me. Ah, well, that's why we go try on dresses!

What I did learn from the experience is that I really like Carine's! It's a very nice store with a good selection and the staff were absolutely sweet. I've been to a few bridal shops around the area and really found this one to be the most comfortable and fun. I ended up going with a preowned dress, which I'll write more about soon, but I would definitely recommend Carine's to anyone who has the budget for it.

Today, I opened up my email to see an advertisement for the Carine's Sample Sale! This Thursday, July 23 from 6 to 9. If you're still in the dress market, I highly suggest you check it out. You should call the store to RSVP - I'm sure it will be busy!

Happy bargain shopping!

REFRESH at FRESH!

Ladies!

Have you been searching for that Perfect Dress to wear to your Bridal Shower?

Have your Bridesmaids constantly been on the search for the Ideal Outfit to wear to ALL your Festive Bridal Soirees?

Are you afraid of looking like the average Betty Bride in your Engagement Photos?

Well, Have NO Fear DC NEARLY WEDS Are Here!

Join DC NEARLY WEDS this Sunday, July 26, 2009 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Fresh Boutique of Georgetown located at 1205 Potomac Street Washington, D.C. to:

REFRESH at FRESH!

A day of SHOPPING! Mixing and Mingling at FRESH, Georgetown’s Ultra-Chic Boutique, that has a plethora of the Latest Fashions for ALL Occasions!

FRESH is the Perfect Boutique to find the Trendiest Attire for ALL the Festivities surrounding your Nuptials.

In addition to being Trendy and Chic, Fresh ALWAYS has the Best Sales!

This Sunday:

Buy Two Dresses, Get One FREE!!!

~AND~

With ANY purchase say, “I love to REFRESH at FRESH” while Checking Out to receive a FREE GIFT. (While supplies last.)

Courtesy of Mrs. Nearly Wed, Miss Not Yet Wed and DC NEARLY WEDS.

See You Sunday!

in search of a DJ

Well Mr. Fairfax and I didn't quite get to the narrowing down the DJ conversation.. Anyone have any recommendations for an affordable DJ? We are hoping to find someone who will provide the option to include a little karaoke at some point during the evening. eee! I love karaoke so hard. I'm already trying to think of the best song for me to sing haha.

So far I'm liking the sound of Big T's Entertainment. They quoted me 4 hours for $650, and then $50 extra if we wanted karaoke. Sounds reasonable to me, especially considering MyDeeJay.com would be minimum $900, no karaoke. I also liked DJ Max Powers, his website is pretty lo-tech but I liked his answers on his FAQ page, and he quoted me $500 for the reception, or $575 if I wanted him to do the ceremony too. That sounds promising (but sigh, no karaoke).

Are you all doing a DJ, or a live band? Anyone skipping the dancing thing altogether?

We have started the ball rolling on the hotel room blocks - we're going with the Hampton Inn, on route 50 in Fairfax. Only a mile from our venue and we really liked the look of it when we visited. It's totally non-smoking, free wifi, and we should be able to get a $79/night rate for the Thurs - Sun time frame. I will keep you posted on that!

Devil in the Details

I have 70-something days until my wedding and last week was about as close to a meltdown as I could possibly get. Having set up the venue for the ceremony and reception almost a year ago, bought a dress, picked a menu, and picked out bridal party attire I figured all I had left were the little things.

Turns out its the little things that nearly drove me off a cliff last week....

1. The first fiasco was that my future mother-in-law called and let me know that the never ending search for the cake continues. This wouldn't have been a problem until she told me that the "back up" baker we had the next town over called and canceled on us since we didn't commit yet. Couldn't blame her though--we were shopping for someone better. But that wasn't a big deal---worse case scenario we get cupcakes.

2. The millionth florist that I have called is still quoting me in the $2000's. I don't know if I want to spend that money on flowers that will be tossed out . I need to either get over the fact that flowers, if I want them, cost a lot of money, or I can just minimize the flowers. I don't know where my heart falls yet.

3. I had a terrible experience with a printer for my invitations. I had been communicating with a printer for almost a month now. The student designing my invites was away studying at Oxford so I had to hold off on getting them done sooner. She came back, the invitation designs looked fantastic, and I was happy. So I contact the printer, he tells me to come by and bring him the files and we would get started, not problem. Plus, he was only charging me less than $150 to print out a total of 400 pcs of paper.

So I show up on the day of my appointment, thumbdrive in hard, files perfectly set with a 1/8 " bleed. I get there and this place is---well, less than professional looking. Then I wait for 45 minutes because he was meeting with a customer who walked in (he even saw me, waved, and resumed meeting with someone as my appointment time ticked by). Once he was done and could finally meet with me, I give him the thumbdrive and he says, "I can't pull your files, my computer doesn't have a USB drive." Not only that, but his computer couldn't support the .pdf files of the invitations. I was ok with that because I could easily convert the files and email them to him in a more compatible format--but what really got to me was that after waiting almost an hour past my appointment time, he looked at me and said, "I can't meet with you today. I just realized I am running late. Can you come back next week?"

No. I couldn't. Invites have to go out soon. I was devastated. I had driven out (way out) to see this vendor just to be told that they were too busy to meet with me on the day that I was scheduled to meet with them. I spent the rest of the day frantically looking for a new printer who would print my invitations and inserts for less than the $350+ I was getting quoted around the area.

Good news is that I did find someone and my invitations are ready to be picked up tomorrow. I will certainly post pics once they are all assembled. They look wonderful and they make the whole wedding really feel like it's coming together.

So lessons learned:

- Don't be so last minute: I should have known that the wedding was going to creep up. I should have anticipated more snags in the planning process. I know that I am a huge procrastinator and planning my wedding was not going to change that.

- Be positive: As awful as my experience was with the printer, I should not have had as big a meltdown as I did. Overreacting definitely did nothing for me and in the end it worked out...it always does, doesn't it?

Now that all of that is solved and taken care of, I do have great news, which is my dress is done and ready. I went to Angie who did a phenomenal job with making me pockets, fixing the neckline, and doing the bustle and hem. She was worth the drive! After a year I still love my dress!

So this week I am checking off invitations and dress of my to do list. Now I just have to wait for those RSVPs to start rolling in so I can start working on escort cards, programs, and the menu. It's all the tiny details now that are starting to pile up. I am pretty sure I have to rework my "to do" list.

Have you hit any snags in planning? What are the little wedding details that you're working on now or what have you decided to just toss out completely?

We Have a Date! We Have a Venue! We Have Liftoff!

Today marks the one year point before the big day. And boy it feels good to have the venue and date set. This message was actually Mr. GWU's idea. He drafted the historically cheeky message and I crafted the jpeg. Here is the message we communicated to some of our closest Family & Friends:

"Dearest family and friends,

July 17th is notable for a few reasons. In 1945, President Truman met with Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill at Potsdam for the final Allied summit of World War II. In 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California.

Since 1955, nothing significant has happened on July 17th....until now!

One year from now, on July 17th, 2010, Sarah Magallanes and James Bayot are getting married in Washington, DC!

Attached is an informal save-the-date card. The location for our church ceremony is still to be determined, but we are holding our wedding reception at the historic Hotel Monaco in Washington DC. Click here to look at the Hotel Monaco: http://www.monaco-dc.com/

We are so excited to share this news with you and we hope that you will be able to celebrate with us on this very special day.

Love,

Sarah & James"

A variety of things on my mind...

Just thought I'd share (and hopefully seek opinions on) some of the following things that are swirling around in my head at the 70 day to wedding mark!!

1. Does anyone out there have any experience with palladium vs. platinum for a wedding band for Mr. OBX. The price difference is HUGE (palladium is less than half of platinum for the band he wants).

2. Will an eternity wedding band for me look funny with an engagement ring that only has stones 1/2 way around the band (non eternity)?

3. How bad will it be if I send my wedding invitations out 7 weeks (instead of 8 weeks) before the wedding? In the midst of a semi-crisis with invitations...

4. I'd like to do beer koozies as one favor (to encourage people drinking out of bottles b/c I have to rent every glass, fork, plate, etc. separately and I am terrified of running out) and then cute Adirondack chairs as another favor. My parents think the koozies are tacky (may I remind you that we are getting married in the Outer Banks, very casual), so I counter with the fact that the family can now have these cute favors: (image from http://www.favor-favor.com, I'd make my own place/table cards with a little more flair than these)

5. Also to go with the Adirondack idea (our cake toppers will also be two white Adirondack chairs), I'd like to set up two Adirondack chairs by the Sound (where our ceremony will take place), and somehow set up a camera with a timer gadget so that people can take pictures of themselves - my thought is that I can then mail them the pics with my thank you cards. Thoughts on how to accomplish this?

My head is full of a million details that seem to have to get done NOW!! Good thing Mom OBX is in town for dress fitting number 1 this afternoon.

happy friday

I just found this photo booth via Snippet & Ink. oh my word I need to steal that idea! I've been trying to think of ways to display old family wedding photos, And I was thinking of having photo frames as props for the DIY photo booth I'm hoping to do, so this just combines everything. I just need to figure out how to rig up a camera with a remote clicker.. anybody know how to do that? Is it something I can rig any old digital camera up to do? I need to replace my old camera anyway so I might upgrade and make sure it's compatible with that kind of thing..

We're still in the grips of our photography dilemma. We thought we had a friend who could do it and budgeted accordingly - and then that friend moved away, and other things happened, and well we're back to square one, without room in the budget to splurge on a pro. Half the time I feel like throwing up my hands and saying I Don't Need Fancy Pants Photographers, just make sure as many of my shutterfly friends have their cameras ready and assign shots to different people so we make sure not to miss great moments, let's not worry about perfect lighting and focus.. And then I spend all day on Once Wed and Style Me Pretty and all the rest and I just can't imagine not having amazing photos like that of our day.. I do have a photographer friend of my mother's who may be interested in doing our wedding, we'll find out next month. If he doesn't want to/isn't available.. well we'll just see.

This weekend Mr. Fairfax and I will be sitting down to do some serious wedding brainstorming. :) Hopefully will narrow down the DJ options, start the ball rolling on the hotel room blocks, and talk about ideas for the ceremony. Have a great weekend everyone :)

back from the beach

aahhhh just got back from a few days in Rehoboth with Mr. Fairfax's parents, feeling refreshed and excited to start thinking about the wedding again! I really tried to not think about work or wedding planning (except when it came up a couple times with the future-in-laws). Now that the break's over I'm somehow ten times more excited about getting married than I was just last week. I sort of flit between wanting to focus on the little details vs. the big picture vs. the Ever After vs. etcetera. I'm just feeling happy in love today.

I don't even have much to report right now, but I was thrilled to come back to see 17 NearlyWed posts waiting in my Google reader - everyone's been chatty this week! I'm excited to see that I'm not the only one contemplating just taking up caligraphy. I'm still not 100% on that idea but I've definitely toyed with it. Our envelopes are going to be brown (like a paper bag - see photo, courtesy of Artful Beginnings, the brilliant etsy seller who's doing my invites) so I'm still figuring out the best way to work with those. Will black ink stand out well enough against it? Or should I get labels? I've seen the wrap-around kind where the addressee is on the front and the label wraps around to the back and that's where the return address is.. Here's an example of what I mean (and a free template if you're interested!) but I would do something non-damask..

Speaking of addressing envelopes - just in case people aren't reading all the comments, I wanted to echo tealengthtulle (who commented on Miss Chevy Chase's question about etiquette) with the suggestion that you check out A Practical Wedding for a great post about this. Even if you don't identify yourself as a feminist, I think you will like it. Personally I would rather take advice about this kind of thing from a fellow bride than a person who makes a living off of very formal invitations.. Yes she is experienced and knows what she's talking about (and she has a point; I'm sure people appreciate formality and feeling special) - but at the same time, it is in her best interest to convince you that your invitations are so incredibly sacred that you need to pay her to letter them. Sooo I tend to be wary of that kind of thing. But I'm probably too cynical.

In other news.. I booked my day-of coordinator! woop woop. Well nothing's been signed yet but after a little negotiation, I said "we're in!" Anyone else getting some day-of help? I was a bit worried about having to deal with this stuff myself on my wedding day, or asking a guest to help coordinate and clean up. Now I can rest easy knowing that someone else will be there to think of everything.

Self-taught calligraphy?

I have decided to try to teach myself calligraphy, or at the very least, to write neatly enough to address my own invitations. Overly ambitious? Maybe. A useless skill that I’ll never use again after my wedding? Hopefully not. A fun challenge? Definitely!

I had thought about taking a calligraphy course at the local tech college, but then I saw Miss Star’s post on weddingbee, and she inspired me to order this book from Amazon:

source

It came in the mail on Tuesday, and I was so excited to start learning that all I could think about yesterday was getting out of work so I could rush to Michael’s to buy nibs and paper. I purchased this cheap starter kit and some parchment with a 20% off coupon that I tore out of one of my bride magazines:

source

I also plan to watch some of the lessons on the IAMPETH website (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting; they have guide sheets you can print out too) and to recruit help from a friend who has taken a calligraphy class.

I have 310 days until my wedding, so I plan to have invitations ready for mailing in 220 days. I figure I have about 100 invitations to address, so if I can perfect my skills and design my invites in the next 120 days, then I only have to do one envelope/day – now that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

I’ll keep you all updated on my progress over the coming weeks and will entertain you with before and after pictures – let’s hope you can tell the difference!

Who else has tried to learn calligraphy or another skill for her wedding?

Our Venue

Mr. UVA and I started our search in the DC area. The initial idea was actually Union Station. Last summer, Mr. UVA and I were enjoying National Train Day and a free Sara Bareilles show and realized how beautiful the station is. Both of our families live in Northern Virginia and we were stoked about the possibility of having the reception downtown with a rehearsal dinner at my parent’s house. Union Station quickly fell from the realm of possibilities when we looked at pricing. So we expanded our search. We looked at the DAR building, Woodend Sanctuary, Woodlawn, Meadowlark, the Carnegie Institute, and a couple other places.
Being from Vienna, Meadowlark Gardens is a hugely popular venue – but it just didn’t fit the feel we were looking for. Carnegie Institute didn’t work for us logistically with having the ceremony and reception near each other. My father can’t get over his distaste for Maryland (who knows?)– so Woodend was out. And a reception at Woodlawn would be hindered by construction on the main road in front of the venue. DAR was perfect and I was set on it – but quickly realized we were not going to be able to get our guest list down to 140 (their limit). We found Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg – which is beautiful. Before even looking at it seriously as an option, we realized it would be a little bit of a hike for our families and maybe wasn’t the most convenient location in terms of hotels and transportation. The logic was if we were getting as far away from Vienna as Leesburg – why not make the full transition to Charlottesville? We would just steer clear of vineyards so not to step on my older sister’s toes (she got married at King Family Vineyards in June 2008 - It was beautiful). So we found Clifton Inn. I had heard awesome things about it and it seemed to allow for the full family reunion feel my mom was hoping for.

Clifton is perfect! We have free rein of the property from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon so our family and friends can come and hang out throughout the weekend. They have a pool, a lake, tennis courts, hiking trails, games, fishing poles, and it’s beautiful. We fell in love with it – but not so much the price. I knew it was what we were looking for, so I started negotiating. We ended up getting an awesome deal on the rental fee and the food (which they prepare onsite to rave reviews). Everything started to fall into place. Clifton provides the food and cake, which helps our planning immensely. We’re having our ceremony outside on their croquet lawn and then the reception in the main house.

{from cliftoninn.net}

Even though we signed the contract in February, we just took Mr. UVA’s mom to see it and she loved it. My parents just saw it for the first time this past weekend and I think everyone is really going to enjoy relaxing at the beautiful estate and being able to invite their families for some casual fun before the formal wedding festivities.

Our venue is not new to DCNearlyWeds. Check out:
Miss Capital Hill 2007



Speaking of beautiful venues - is anyone getting married in Louisiana? I saw this place on "Ace of Cakes" on TLC. The trees hurt my heart they are so awesome! Seriously stunning.


<3 miss uva

All About Venues

We're still undecided about a reception venue, with a few choices that seem to be front-runners. One, which we dearly love the thought of, is a tent in Mr. 16th's parents' backyard. It sounds lovely and casual and very much our style. Photos like this one, found here by the very talented, and local, flutterphoto completely capture my imagination:

There are definitely "cons" to the backyard tent wedding, though. The house is pretty far from the church (NW DC to Oakton, VA). We'll have to rent everything and get staff to set it all up. Although the backyard is really big, they do have neighbors, who may not be thrilled about the huge party and DJ. And, of course, there's the fact that we'll be taking over his parents house entirely for at least the wedding day.

So we're looking into other ideas. The church has a hall, which I'm going to check out on Friday. There is a rental fee, although it would cost less than a tent, and while it comes with some dining tables and chairs we'd still have to rent lots of stuff.

There are a few hotels nearby that I've contacted about guest room blocks and a reception. It seems like that would be convenient for our out of town guests. One is even walking distance from the church!

There are a few restaurants and wine bars I've contacted too. Maybe I'm wrong on this, but it seems that having the reception in a place that already has the tables, linens, dishes, etc. can be less expensive than renting it all separately and getting a caterer. I guess we'll know when the quotes start rolling in! Even if the price isn't much different, it does give us fewer things to worry about and vendors to work with.

And maybe that last point is really the heart of the matter. We want to have a nice wedding and a reception where we can spend time with our friends and family, but without going nuts! My new wedding motto just may be "simplify, simplify."

REFRESH AT FRESH

Weddings require a lot of TIME, WORK & MONEY. Day to day planning, family members nagging you about your upcoming nuptials, a dysfunctional bridal party, or the never-ending search for the PERFECT vendor, leaving you with little to no time to pamper and shop for yourself.

Believe me we understand & for that reason, Mrs. Nearly Wed along with Miss Not Yet Wed cordially invite you to attend

REFRESH AT FRESH

Sunday, July 26, 2009

2:00 PM until 4:00 PM

Fresh Boutique of Georgetown
1205 Potomac Street NW, Washington, DC

Come out for a few hours of relaxing & ‘REFRESHING’ at the Fresh Boutique, an ultra chic boutique located in the heart of Georgetown.

Get a chance to find the latest fashions for your Bridal Shower, Engagement Party, and Rehearsal Dinner or find cute Accessories for your Bridal Party.

Buy 2 Dresses, Get One Dress Free for All Attendees.

Mix and mingle with Mrs. Nearly Wed, Miss Not Yet Wed and the blogging brides of DC Nearly Weds.

This will be an event you won’t want to miss.

For special VIP treatment please RSVP to blogwithus dcnearlyweds com.

This event is open to all, so bring your Girlfriends, Bridal Party, Mom, or even your Soon-to-Be Mom-In-law to

REFRESH AT FRESH.

My cake saga...

I don't have a wedding cake.

I am getting married in 2 1/2 months and I have yet to find a cake in Charleston that makes me happy. I have bakeries in the DC area that I love like:

Pastries by Randolph

Heidelberg Bakery

Firehook Bakery

Bittersweet

So if you're getting married in the area, definitely check those places out.

My dilemma is that I think I might be too particular about what I want. I want a three layer cake, iced in butter cream, ivory colored. First and biggest layer is white cake, second is carrot cake, and last and best layer is pumpkin chocolate chip. The white cake from Heidelberg and Randolph are my favorite. Bittersweet and Firehook make my fave carrot cake. My boss's wife makes the best pumpkin chocolate chip cake. I cannot find a baker in the Charleston area that has combined two of the three desired cakes flavors or who makes cakes like the bakeries listed up top. I am a little bummed.

So today while browsing the wedding section of The Daily Candy I came across ideas for "Cake Alternatives." I thought about their suggestions...

One idea was to serve mini-cakes. There is a baker in Charleston who makes really cute petit fours that I think would be a near alternative to a large cake or even cupcakes. So that might be an alternative worth looking at.

The other option suggested was mini-donuts.

(image found on: http://melissabagley.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/new-wedding-trend-donuts/)

While I am never one to shy away from donuts and I think there is a definite cuteness, even chic-ness to this (as seen in the delicious pic above), I just don't know if I want donuts in lieu of a wedding cake. I love donuts....I am in love with cake. There goes suggestion # 2.

The third suggestion was wedding pie. Next to cake I think I love pie second. We are having a fall wedding so maybe some Thanksgiving themed pies would be great. I thought mini pies would be cool:

But those really look like they work better as wedding favors. No pie for me.

The last suggestion was having an ice-cream sundae bar. Again, this is more an alternative to a coffee or candy bar, or in addition to those things. So as much as I love the idea of all these alternatives, I think in the end I want a good old traditional wedding cake. Wish me luck as the search continues!

What do you think of the alternatives? Have you found your cake yet?

Invitation Etiquette???

In preparation for sending out my STDs, I’ve been collecting addresses, filling out spreadsheets, trying to decide how to address my guests, and reading Miss Woodley Park’s post on calligraphy. And I’m wondering just how much traditional etiquette really matters.

For example – since I don’t intend to pay for calligraphy (there goes etiquette right there!), do I need to hand-write the addresses, or can I print them? Do I need inner envelopes? If I do use inner envelopes, do I have to refer to my married doctor friends as “The Doctors Doe,” or can I use “John and Jane”? The latter feels more personal to me, while the former feels pretentious. I don’t think I want people at my wedding who are offended that I addressed them by first name on a formal envelope. But then, maybe my friends will be touched by a bit of formality in an otherwise casual, abbreviated written world. (Idk what 2 do!)

For the last few weeks, I’ve had this plan in my head (I haven’t shared it with anyone, even Mr. CC – it’s been fairly abstract): use formal etiquette on the outer envelope. Instead of an inner envelope, use a label on a belly band or pocket fold (invitations are not yet designed) and address my guests casually, by first name or nickname. That way, I can make clear who is invited (+/- guest) without wasting paper/$/postage on an inner envelope. But then yesterday, a recently-married friend directed me to this guide (a very helpful resource!), published by a calligrapher, which suggests that guests always appreciate the formal touch:

“A RECENT TREND: Using just first names on inner envelopes: “Sally and Tom.” What’s up with this? This is the equivalent of wearing your running shoes with your elegant wedding gown. An inner envelope, in and of itself, indicates a formal event and calls for traditional wording. I’ve worked with brides who claim that addressing the inner envelopes with “Ms. Johnson” instead of “Sarah” sounds stuffy. Let me reassure you: when your recipients open a traditionally addressed invitation, they will not think of you as stuffy at all! They will feel special and value your good taste. VERY IMPORTANT: Traditional addressing reflects the formality of the EVENT – not the level of formality of a friendship.”

Hmm … that comment was basically directed right at me … I know that I can forgo the etiquette and ignore this woman’s experience and advice, but do I want to?

A Day at holy matrimony

Greetings All!

I just thought about it, I have never properly introduced myself to DC NearlyWeds. I recently started working at holy matrimony as a way to learn more about the wedding planning industry. And what better way to learn the Ins and Outs of the industry than along side Mrs. NearlyWed!

There is ALWAYS some excitement going on in the office, from a determined to be stressed NearlyWed, to a vendor calling to confirm an appointment, to different companies looking to fill our social calendar, there is never a dull moment. NEVER! (I’m always amazed by the 9,000 different things that go into a wedding and the planning. Clearly this is why I am Miss NotYetWed).

Today we had the most traffic in the office that I had ever seen. The day started off a little slow with Mrs. NearlyWed and I in the office working busily on our laptops.

Up until two o’clock the only person to walk through the doors of the office was the pizza guy. Once the clock hit 2:15 the office turned into a traffic jam. One couple came in for a planning session, and advice on working with the more than 1,000 people they expect to attend their wedding ceremony. By 2:45 another couple came darting in the office with clothes, a make-up artist and ALL her gear, with a pair of photographers (great ones I might add from Borrowed Blue) hot on her heels.

We had a complete transformation: make up, hair and outfits right before our eyes. I neglected to add that Mrs. Nearlywed had saved the day by salvaging this photoshoot which had been set up months before for that morning and the original photographer didn't show up!!! Leave it to Mrs. Nearlywed to whip out her handy dandy little blue book and reschedule the shoot with a terrific team of shooters all in under three hours. How exciting.

So for your viewing pleasure I have included some photos of the events of my day.

Enjoy!

Dressing the men

Ok, I know it's way to early to even be thinking about dressing the guys when I don't even have a reception venue yet! But, I was browsing everyone's favorite site ETSY when I came across these babies:






The lovely etsy seller toybreaker makes amazing, funky ties for the men in your life. Since Mr. National Mall and his groomsmen are obsessed with cars, these ties would be perfect for them. The first tie has exhaust pipes, the second has motors, and the third has suspension springs. To fit our wedding colors, I would order the tie in aqua and have the design be in white. It often seems that the wedding is all about the bride, so I love the idea of incorporating some of FI's personality and likes in our wedding (considering he's leaving all of the other decisions up to me!) Definitely go check out toybreakers etsy page if you're considering a funky tie for your men - they have some amazing designs!!

How are you incorporating your FI's personality/interests in your wedding?

Bridezillas!

Mr. Woodley Park isn't going to be happy that I admitted this, but we used to be avid watchers of WE's hit show, Bridezillas.

Lately, we're more and more turned off. It appears to be more of the same each week and I swear they've started scripting the show (no one can be that crazy and keep a fiance).

Neither of us enjoy it anymore and we've almost stopped tuning in entirely. Is it just us or has Bridezilla's taken it a little too far lately?

my "style"

...So at the florist, I had to laugh at Karen1 talking about my style. She looked at all my pictures – the dress, the venue, the floral ideas – and was so excited that I had balanced my yin and my yang (I had no idea) - she especially loved my modern wedding dress mixed with an old-fashioned venue. So now we have to translate that into flowers.

Embarrassingly enough, I took a facebook quiz asking which era I belong in. apparently I am straight out of the 1950s. While talking with Karen1 about the flowers on Tuesday, she came up with “you're from the 50's. Let’s think 1950s for you”. crazy?

The fun part is that I get to start my search for fun flower vases and bowls. I am going to start hitting up flea markets and vintage shops for 1950s glassware (maybe ebay?). anyone have any good places I should check out?

<3 miss uva

Wedding Yard Sale?

Well, Hello there Ladies!

I totally promise to get back to my post about my vintage bohemian chic wedding, but this past week has been out of control. I sent out my save the dates (YAY! Post about those soon to come) and I am in the midst of working on my Family Law exam. I did, however, have a question to put out there to you wonderfully smart and thrifty Metro DC soon-to-be brides...

I have been conversing with a local bride to be that I met through The Knot about sharing the cost of paper lanterns. I also posted some Polaroid film I have been hoarding on Ebay in an effort to make some extra cash. As I mentioned in a previous post, I AM CHEAP. So, I have been working on trying to find ways to save money on EVERY aspect of this wedding, even if its just a few dollars here and there.

I was browsing The Knot this morning and saw several posts from local women selling their wedding goods and then a light bulb went off in my head *DING* Wouldn't it be neat to have a wedding yard sale? Local brides and recently married ladies could come to the same place, at the same time, on the same date and trade, buy or sell goods to one another. Win. Win. Right?

What do you all think? I was thinking about a place in DC that is free to use and already has tables/benches, like Rock Creek Park, on a Sunday afternoon (because we all have weddings to attend on Saturdays). I was thinking...hmmm...late August? Does anyone know if a permit is needed for something like this? Feedback is totally appreciated, Ladies (even if you think the idea is crazy)!

Calligraphy Woes

How are you handling the whole-- addressing the invitations project?

I'm completely torn about it. I have several friends who have spent upwards of $2.50 per envelope on professional calligraphy.

I can't even imagine shelling out 250 dollars on handwriting!?!?!

Personally, when I get the mail I quickly glance and the envelope and then throw it straight into the trashcan. However, I don't want to appear cheap for going the DIY route!

I've got a Calligraphy for Dummies book out from the library as we speak-- is it worth trying myself (it won't be perfect- but as a school employee I do have nice handwriting) or should I shell out the dough?

STD's

How funny is that abbreviation? Anyway, you all know I'm talking about Save the Dates, right? Well I need some. I was thinking I didn't. I was all about word of mouth. Then, this weekend, we went to my cousin's wedding. It was my first chance to tell some extended family about the wedding, while others knew the news already. And everyone asked about three times, "March 27, right?"

So now I want STD's but I don't want to spend a lot of money. So, if I do this, I need to make some decisions. 1) Picture of us or just design? 2) Postcards or something in an envelope? 3) Print myself or have them printed somewhere?

I guess a lot of this will depend on budget and difficulty of design once I get started. And with just over 8 months to go, I think I better get started!

I just set up an alchemy on etsy because I'd love to find something that coordinates with these vintage postcards, which I am planning to use as our invitations (it's one of those DIY's that will probably end up way harder than I'm anticipating!).

Suggestions? Referrals? Did you print your own and regret it?

The Tasting!

Our tasting went SUPER well (and it fell on our 100 day mark).

The day started with a bit of a hiccup, a.k.a. I was lost in Dupont circle, crying my eyes out while driving-- and my half hour drive turned into a 1.5 hour drive. I was so late and so embarrassed, but they were beyond accommodating and assured me that I wasn't a complete jerk for showing up a little late.

As soon as we sat down in the room they poured me a glass of wine and we got down to business. We picked out linens and we ate a ridiculous amount of food (scallops, salads, sirloin, crab cakes, veggies to name a few). The food was incredible and I had a fabulous time tasting my options.

Seriously, I'm dreaming about their sirloins as we speak.

After the tasting, we toured the grounds one more time and may or may not have changed ballrooms (hey, now that we've got our color schemes down it's easier to make a decision).

( Personal Photograph)

Mr. Woodley Park's catholic, so we can't get married outside, but we're going to take some of our pictures right there. It's a beautiful setting and it's only going to look better in October when the leaves are changing.

I love it, I love it, I love it!

the florist

I met with our potential florists today. I had pulled a bunch of pictures of centerpieces and bouquets that I like and we talked about what will/wont work within our limited budget.

{source}
{i forgot to tag the second pic when i found it - if you know the source, let me know so i can update!}

The original thought was that my mom and I could do the centerpieces to save some money but I'm so worried about the stress level that would come with that. My mom is a fabulous gardener and has won some Garden Club awards for her arrangements - but the point is we have to get the flowers down to Charlottesville in tact and then find the time to arrange the 15 centerpieces without losing our minds (or killing each other).

Karen and Karen, the two florists of Hedge are awesome. Karen 1 is a riot. She is super passionate and creative and talks a mile a minute. Karen 2 is the perfect balance. She is quiet, calm, and more business like. I can't wait to see what they have in store. We talked about collecting vintage glasses, vases, and bowls so we could add some fun to our long tables we are using and Karen 1 was all about adding kale, asparagus, and maybe even peaches just for some fun. I'm all over it!

I'm now waiting for the estimate!

<3>

365 days...and counting

Today is officially the one-year mark until the big day! I feel like I have been engaged forever (and I pretty much have!) so the fact that I only have a year to go is absolutely thrilling. Based on theknot.com's checklist, this is what we should be doing right now:

- Begin envisioning your wedding --- formal hotel or friend's loft? Backyard barbecue or exotic beach?

I guess I can check this one off the list! We already know that we are having a casual, outdoor wedding that is far from formal. Where it may be, however, is still up for discussion.

- Decide on a budget and hash out who's contributing.

We already know this one too. Our initial budget is $15,000, not including the honeymoon. Now, that is $15,000 out of my pocket (more on that later). I'm pretty sure our families aren't contributing, and if they are, they haven't told us. How would you even bring that up? Oh by the way mom and dad, are you gonna give me some money to help me pay for this wedding? I don't even know!

Make sure to insure your engagement ring.

....I think it's insured. I think. Oops. Maybe I should go ask FI about that one...do I really need to??

Pick your preferences for a wedding date and time, and finalize after okaying with important guests, location, or officiant.

As of now, our wedding still stands at July 10, 2010. Mr. National Mall's half-brother is in the Marines and is currently stationed in Paris. We have yet to get in contact with him to ask him if he is available to come back on our current date. It is very important to FI that his brother attend, so we may have to change our date if he can't come back then. We also know that we want a Saturday night wedding at this point. I know Saturday nights are the most expensive days to get married, but unless we find a location that is very close to our house, I'd rather not make our guests take off of work to come to our wedding.

Begin interviewing wedding consultants (if you'll have one) AND / OR start asking family AND friends FOR local wedding vendor recommendations.

This doesn't really apply to me. None of my friends have gotten married yet, and none of my family members have recently been married so I don't know what they can reccomend to me! I have found some great ideas for reception sites and caterers looking on theknot forums as well as researching online at sites such as projectwedding.com and weddingwire.com. As for a wedding consultant, it really doesn't fit in my tiny DC budget. I am going to try and swing for a DOC, but we'll see how that goes.

Brides: It's never too early to begin thinking about your gown. Start by figuring out what style will look best on you.

I must say, this has been my favorite part so far! I don't have a dress yet, but I have been to a few stores to try on some dresses. Thus far I really like trumpet/mermaid styles, but I've been thinking more about a full tea-length dress. I thought I would like styles such as a baby-doll or empire waist in order to hide my post-baby stomach, but I actually like the styles that are more form-fitting and cinch my waist. It goes to show that you should really try on EVERY style because you may surprise yourself! (PS - I heard that there's a sample sale going on at Blush Bridal in Gainsville tomorrow)

Start interviewing caterers.

Yeah.....no. Not even close. I have researched endlessly and have come to the conclusion that paying $80/pp for fajitas and mashed potatoes is just not going to fit in my budget. Not to say that it won't work for someone else, but just not for me. I'm going to have to look around for some less expensive options. Our only requirements are an open bar (which probably is going to take up alot of the $$) and casual, delicious food such as, well, fajitas and mashed potatoes haha. Shouldn't be too hard...right?

Scout out reception sites.

Now this I have done. I haven't chosen one yet, but boy have I been looking. We've visited 5 sites so far. Two of them ended up being way out of our budget, two of them are on the higher-end of our budget, and one of them currently fits perfectly (but is our least favorite). I'm still looking for reccomendations for a site fee of less than $3,000 if anyone has suggestions!! Oh, and there must be a place for an outdoor ceremony. This is not negotiable.

Start looking for an officiant who suits your style and spirit.

Seriously? Seriously? I'm supposed to do this now? A year away? I don't think so.

If you're having an engagement party, set a date, draft a guest list, and purchase your invitations.

Oh wouldn't have this been lovely if we hadn't have gotten engaged three years ago. Oh well! And are you supposed to throw your own engagement party? Or does that rule only apply for bridal showers?

Book your reception site as soon as you see something you love that’s available on your date.

See above.

Get organized! Start a notebook/file folder to house all your wedding-planning paperwork in one place.

I cannot stress this enough!! I have stuff all over the place so I went out and bought an accordian-style file folder to keep all of my inspiration photos and wedding-related items. I have different slots for decor inspiration, dress inspiration, food inspiration, well you get the idea. Once we start signing contracts and what not I plan on starting a notebook to keep track of our budget and important dates.

Begin working on a preliminary wedding guest list and decide on your wedding's approximate size. Request lists from both sets of parents and create your own wish list.

This has been an issue for us. We have already created our guest list, and that's all that it's going to be. Since we are paying for the wedding and trying to keep costs down, we are not requesting a list from our parents or even taking suggestions. One of our rules is that if we have a) not met the person or b) have not spoken to this person in over a year then they will not be invited. We are also not including a +1 on any invites unless the person is a) married b) engaged c) in a long-term relationship (over two years) or d) they don't know anyone else. In addition to keeping costs down, I want our wedding to be intimate and personal to us. I don't want to have strangers at my wedding, even if they are Mr. National Mall's second cousin once removed. I know that this will offend some people, but in my opinion if they are unwilling to contribute, our parents shouldn't be able to invite their best-friend from work who I've never met. Sorry.

Choose your bridesmaids/groomsmen and ask them to be in the wedding party.

Done and done!

Find a ceremony site if one hasn't been determined by your choice of officiant or reception site.

Neither Mr. National Mall or I grew up with religion, so we aren't getting married in a church. Because of this, we will be having our ceremony and reception at the same place. I have always wanted to get married outdoors, and I think it will make it much easier on our guests as well.

And there you have it! I really thought I'd be much further behind than I thought. I am still currently searching for a job, and I don't want to make any major decisions yet until I can secure the fact that I will have an income to help pay for this wedding! But, even though we don't have a reception site yet, we (or I) have made a decision about one thing.....our centerpieces! But more about that in the next post :)

Dress Distress

Ok. I should start off by saying that I am not a very frou frou girl. I am not really into dresses or lace or bows or pearls or any of that stuff. I just prefer the comfort and freedom of pants. So finding a dress that I actually like is very difficult for me. Thanks to my maid of honor I did find a dress that I love at a shop in Old Town. We started at 11 a.m. that morning looking for dresses and I had one picked out by 4 o'clock. I couldn't believe it. We only went to three stores. We found it as we were strolling through the store in Old Town and as were about to leave when she just casually tossed out: Hey, how about that one? Well, it was indeed THE ONE. I got my dress in one day thank goodness. I somehow ridiculously thought that the bridesmaids dresses would be just as easy. It actually WAS and then then suddenly it just .... wasn't. Here is the story.

I have 4 bridesmaids. 3 pale blonds and one African-American. I needed to find a color that worked on all of them so since I am having a Halloween wedding I went with black. Everyone looks good in black. Done. 3 of them are of average height but one has legs that go on for days. She is like an inch shy of six feet. So I had to find a dress that would look good on her and the average height bridesmaids. They are all busy and all of them stay attached to their boyfriends like glue on the weekends so prying them loose takes a lot of work. I also did not want to make them spend a lot of money since the tall one-- I will call her Amazonia--is getting married herself 3 weeks before me. So I decided I would pick a dress online at J.Crew since another friend of mine is getting married in August and she bought her wedding dress on there. It is perfect for her so I thought I would give the site a shot. I clicked on the Weddings section and actually found a dress that I love!! It's black, it's a good price, they can order it without having to leave their boyfriend's sides and if there is an issue they could send it back easily. Done. Bridesmaids dresses can be crossed off the list. Yay!

Wrong.

Amazonia tried to warn me. She reminded me that the maid of honor was.. how shall we say- significantly endowed in the upper torso region and no way could she wear a dress like this and if she could- would I really want her chest half exposed in all my pictures for all time? I thought about it and then in my zeal for just having the dresses done ruled out Amazonia's rational response. I said I was sure she could squeeze them in there and it would be fine. Amazonia, I know you will read this blog entry so I will say it again-- you were right darn you!! Then a second bridesmaid came forward and she too is endowed and told me things were not necessarily working in that area and that maybe this dress is not the best choice for she and the maid of honor. She brought her newly purchased dress over to my house one Saturday to show me why.

And she was right. This is supposed to be a wedding- not Saturday night at the club. It was bad- they are definitely out there. If she could not do it no way could the maid of honor do it. But I am in love with the dress now. Love love love it. I have tried to find other dresses I like. I really have. I just can't seem to find anything else that I think will work so well.

So two days ago while sipping wine on a rooftop deck, Amazonia suggested again that we find a tailor and sew in fabric so that we can keep the dress but have fabric cover the more exposed areas of the dress. Maid of honor suggested black lace. I am willing to try it. It COULD work. if you get the right fabric and the right tailor and position it all just right. To keep that dress I am willing to do almost anything. I am a Cancer (zodiac sign) in fact today is my birthday so I am a quintessential mid-month Cancer. Sorta old-school, sorta bold. And the old school in me wants matching dresses for bridesmaids. Matching shoes, dresses and jewelry. So I just cannot come to grips with everyone wearing different dresses and shoes etc...

So....should I keep searching for a different dress or should I try the lace idea? Any thoughts? If you think the lace would just kill the lines of the dress please leave a comment. I am really torn....

Purple Kisses

A few weeks ago, we at Holy Matrimony, had the pleasure working with Newlyweds Josh and Jazmin.

The celebration kicked off at the National Harbor where the couple and bridal party temporarily resided at the Aloft.

There was nothing but Sunshine and Smiles in the forecast for this day.

They hosted their wedding at Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church, and their wedding reception at the National Museum of Women In the Arts .

The celebration filled the entire museum. The Exhibit area with paintings and photos of women of all nationalities served as the 'Social Scene' of the cocktail hour.

Josh really showed that he was in TRUE wedding style with his white suit and "traditional" Blue socks!

Later in the evening guests were surrounded in a purple and fuchsia haze of lighting as they enjoyed a fabulous dinner.

The party really POPPED as the DJ cranked up the tunes and guests of all ages JAMMED to popular R&B hits from yesterday and today.

This day was beautiful and a wonderful celebration of the Union of Josh Jazmin.

Check out the pictures!

mmmm.. beeeer..

just channeling Homer for a sec..

Miss National Harbor reminded me of our own booze dilemma. We decided early on that we had no interest in paying a per-person "open bar" fee (usually upwards of $25/person), which is one of the many reasons we chose Old Town Hall - they don't care how we handle the alcohol situation as long as we are having a private party and not selling anything. So we are having our caterer provide the bartender and "set-ups" (soft drinks, mixers, etc.) at $3/person, and then we are going to Total Wine or Costco or possibly a local mom & pop store (we'll see what we can afford), to buy all the alcohol we'll need - so our guests will do the drink-till-it's-gone thang. But we're not going to do liquor, just beer and wine (so the mixers provided by the caterer are basically useless but we will have a number of non-drinkers who will welcome juices and soft drinks so hopefully it's worth it).

I had wanted to do a signature cocktail but so far Mr. Fairfax has convinced me beer and wine is good enough (we'll see how we're doing on budget, I may bring him around in the end). So all we have to do is deliver the booze to the caterer a day or two in advance, and they'll take care of getting it to the venue. At the end of the night, if there's anything left, we'll take it to the "HQ" hotel and let the guests have a nice after party.

So the question is, how do you figure out how much you'll need? I've found a few sites that provide calculators - 3000 Drinks, Evite, and then a WeddingWire.com forum where there seems to be a pretty helpful conversation going on about calculating consumption.

By the way if you're not familiar with WeddingWire.com - it's awesome! I've used it a lot in my vendor searches, and they have a great budget planning tool, calendar, etc - and they host wedding websites. We ended up making our own site using Google Sites but the WeddingWire one is pretty great - it even has a function where you can collect electronic RSVPs, and it pulls from the guest list you uploaded (so if someone tries to RSVP and they're not already on the guest list, it won't work for them).

Sidebar: just found this etsy shop and I am in love. Custom bridal flats! uh! eco-friendly and totally affordable.

happy weekend everyone! I'm off to the beach with the future in-laws. :) :)

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

So I made my invitations. Start to finish. Every inch of them? My work. I used other invites as inspiration but...the work? Mine.

I designed them in word and printed them first. There were 3 layers all pasted together - the navy A9 back, the slightly smaller middle layer and the A2 scalloped edge white paper with the actual wording on them. Let me tell you - all that gluing? Not fun.




Next, we lined the envelopes with green polka dot paper. I addressed the invites - I'm still not AS pleased with the "calligraphy" but I didn't have the time to get it professionally done nor did I have the money so it is what it is.


I had the hardest time figuring out the wording for the RSVP cards - given that we need to know how many people are ordering what, there was a bunch of debate on whether just saying "chicken" and "fish" was appropriate. We opted, finally, for "chicken" or "striped bass" guiding them to our website for details on the menu (which I suppose I should put up since the invitations are in the mail!)

The final product?


So today, I trekked over to Arlington to mail them out - you see, we have a beef with the DC Postal Service. The Friday before Father's Day, Fiance sent out his father's day card to his dad from the Post Office at 4:55pm. He gave it to them because we were out stamps. Paid the 44 cents and was on his way.

His father still has not received the card.

A week or two later, we sent his mother her mothers day card (yes, a month and a half belated), I dropped it in a mailbox near our apartment on my way to the gym one day, and last weekend when we were in Connecticut, she informed us that she had indeed received the card.

!!!!

Additionally - FMIL has told us that an anonymous person has sent us a wedding card. However, the wedding card in question was sent a week and a half ago and still has not yet been received. Sooo...DC Mail? You're on notice.



I digress, we have a groomsman in Japan so yesterday after getting my hair did, I popped into Longworth HOB to the post office there. Had them weigh it, bought the stamps (all 85 of them) and then sent his with the appropriate postage - all $1.82 of it.

Last night as we were stamping the envelopes, I found that 5 of my stamps were MIA (they have since been found) and so I was going to buy 5 more. But they didn't have my stamps (which are super cute by the way!). The man, bless his heart, suggested lovely wedding rings stamps with....goats. Goats?!?! Seriously?!?!

Ladies, I was about to have a bridal freakout all over the Eads Street Station Post Office. No lie.

Alas, I decided to hang onto the envelopes and decided that I'd find the stamps. They had to be at home. But then, the guy tries to tell me that my envelopes - which are all stamped with 61 cent lovely wedding cake stamps - cost 81 cents. I told him, no, no. Clearly he was mistaken. They weighed them yesterday and I was told by the USPS in Longworth that they were 61 cents.

Bless his heart (again) because he believed me and let it go. Let's just hope and pray they don't all get sent back to me because lawd there will be hell. to. pay.

After all that, my invitations are sent out. Before our July 12 deadline. Tomorrow? We head up to Connecticut for my bridal shower...expect a full report on Monday!

Did you have any snafu's with your invitations? Did you DIY or buy them?

Wedding Colors & Fashionistas

Hello all!

As summer approaches, so do the weddings of many close friends, as well as engagement parties! Perhaps the most fun I had when I started planning my wedding was pulling inspiration from a myriad of sources. I went through magazines, cd covers, fabric samples, and a few Anthropologie catalogs to get some idea of the "look" that I wanted.

I unfortunately smashed so many elements into my wedding that I don't have a "theme," but I am slowly putting together a "look." Once I decided on a season (fall), I knew that I wanted to incorporate the color orange.

I was also in my navy blue phase and that color stuck around as well in the wedding "look."

My color inspiration looks a bit like this:

Photo from: http://www.bridalbuds.com/2009/02/inspiration-board-navy-and-orange/

While furiously browsing the internet the past few weeks, I realized that some of the best inspiration can come not just from pictures online or stacks of wedding magazines, but from fashion shows.

Many designers put together a theme for their collection each year and some of them have color schemes and themes that truly stand out. This year, my favorite, especially if you're having a garden wedding or are in love with flowers and bright colors, take notice of Christian Dior's fall 2009 Couture line:

Click here for the full collection!

The Dior stage was set with a million flowers and the colors are bright, bold, and stunning. Another collection that you bright colored brides can grab some inspiration from is Erdem.

How did you come up with your colors/theme?

Save the Dates

The “Save the Dates” were my first DIY project for the wedding and also my first inkling that I was going to be admittedly difficult, picky, and perfectionist-y about wedding details. I knew I wanted a post card; I knew I wanted our pictures on it, and I loved this mini – envelope idea from Martha Stewart :

A friend had done wedding thank you cards with the bride holding a large white foam board that said “Thank” and the groom’s said “You!”, which I thought was adorable – so another idea was born. I made the signs using letters printed in a super large font and cut and glued onto the foam board. And finally, we wanted to introduce the Outer Banks into it - so we had my mom take pictures of us holding the signs at various spots on the grounds of our venue. Transferred the picture into Zazzle (super easy and great to design postcards in), and viola, the front of the Save the Date postcard complete. We were standing in the exact spot where we will get married!


Next up - designing the back of the card. I used this site to make sure that all the postal requirements on size, border, depth, postage area, and postal markings were met. I did all of this design with Zazzle as well, picking a font, making a cute little calendar icon in PowerPoint, putting return address (those nice people in the postal service returned un-deliverable cards to me, which is not typically done for post cards). And after a round of proofs, where I tweaked placement, my post cards arrived and were BEAUTIFUL!!

Now for the little Martha inspired envelope. This is where I have the most regrets, though I LOVED how it turned out, it took SO MUCH TIME and many mistakes. I couldn't find a premade envelope that fit my size (2 x 2.7) specifications. So okay – I’ll make an envelope, no problem. I created a template, and then cut each envelope from sheets of scrapbook paper, assembled and glued each, then glued to the postcard. I was very worried about the envelope getting ripped off the postcard in the mailing process, so I used a super strong adhesive roller thing. Making the inserts for the envelope also (are you surprised) was a process – I had to cut each insert out, glue it to the colored paper backer and tie together. I had good help for that part from my future Maid of Honor (I was auditioning her for the part – she passed with flying colors). Put the inserts into the envelope, glue envelope flap with a special temporary glue (again Martha product), stamp (with a full, not postcard, stamp), and done. Final product looked like this:

Top picture is the back (with the nice post office persons writing "please forward") - you can see the bar code on the bottom, the red hand cancel on the top, and faint grey on the top as well.

Bottom picture is the inserts in the envelope with our venue, date, and website info.

Insanely, I did not create any extras to keep, I was just focused on getting the required number FINISHED and then never looking at them again. The picture above is one that was mailed and got returned as a bad address, so you can see how they look after surviving the postal process. Everyone LOVED them, and they all arrived intact. (Though you can see in the picture that my finger doesn’t have a ring on it!! :))

The Chevy Chases Save the Date

So, now that we are approaching the 10-month mark, it's time that I finally make a decision on our STDs and get them in the mail. I've been looking online and messing around with ideas since February, but now I think I've designed one I really like. I was messing around in Illustrator one day trying to design a monogram, and I happened to glance up at the bulletin board behind my computer where I spotted this (personal photo):

Since we have decided to send STDs only to the out-of-town friends of me and Mr. CC, I thought a fare card might be a fun idea to incorporate DC. Here is what I came up with for the front:

We plan to order 4x6 postcards from overnightprints.com (I've heard great things about them, their prices are good, the samples they sent me were good, and they constantly have sales). I'm still tweaking it a little and have yet to design the back, but I plan to get them out later this month. For the back, should I stick to the farecard theme and modify this (personal photo):

I'm not sure how I'd modify it exactly, but I'm sure I could come up with something ... or I could just have a standard postcard back, where I list the important info and our website list on the left and put the recipient's address on the right. Thoughts?

This and That

I would like to compete with Miss Gallery Place for the Laziest Marathon Runner evAR. I'm training for my second Marine Corps Marathon (first one was in 2006, I was wicked slow, so I'm trying to just beat that time), which is coming up this October and I am So Behind on my training goals. wooops. I've started biking to work to try to beef up my overall fitness, but I only do it once or twice a week, and I still struggle just to get up early and run 3 miles before work.. it's gonna be a long summer! Worse, the marathon happens in October and then I don't get married till March - and I am notoriously lazy during the winter. So I'm just hoping I don't blow up and not fit into my dress.. Maybe blogging here will help me stay motivated!

also I want gunz. not like super-buff because haha that's just not me. But I wouldn't

mind regal-buff, like, say, Michelle Obama (photo: AP via WAtoday).

So right now I'm more focused on sticking to my training regime than worrying too much about the wedding. We're kind of in a limbo state where things seem far enough away that I'm not stressed out about booking my next vendors. My goal is to have all the vendors booked by the end of August. I'll keep you posted on how that goes..

For now I just wanted to share something from Meg over on A Practical Wedding (if you're not reading that blog, start now!!) - if you're doing your own flowers, you might want to take her advice and check out Blooms by the Box, and read their blog if you want to learn some great tips about arranging flowers/building bouquets. I will definitely be watching some of their videos once I get to the point where I want to practice centerpieces and bouquets.

And the Winner Is.....

Today is LAST day to nominate DC NEARLYWEDS for Weddingchannel.com's Bridal Blog Awards.

Please vote for DC NearlyWeds at:

http://forums.weddingchannel.com/main.aspx/bridal-blog-awards_blog-nominations_dc-nearlyweds

As a result Yours Truly (DC NearlyWeds) has been nominated for the award. Although the different categories have not been chosen, we are determined to win the “Best Overall Wedding Blog”.

Give DC NearlyWeds your nod toward winning this title by nominating us!Click here: Reply to the post to second (or third or fourth, etc) the nomination! Also include a link to your favorite blog post and why you think DC NearlyWeds should win!You can post as many times as you desire, but remember TODAY is the last day to nominate us!

Including Your Loved Ones

So one of the very very first things I said to Mr. 16th about the wedding was "Cocoa can walk down the aisle!" Our flower girl is his adorable little cousin (who is also his god-daughter) and her ridiculously cute little brother is the ring bearer. How cool would it be to have them walk with our little furball!?!

Well. He was not having any of it. And now that I think about it, our high-strung, super high-energy little dog is probably not going to work out at the ceremony. I had resigned myself to this and was trying to figure out how I could at least get a few photos with her while I was in my dress. (Stop by the house before the reception? Have someone bring her to the photos?) Fortunately, that isn't a problem anymore. Since we're having the reception in his parents' backyard, Cocoa can just step outside to visit with everyone and then head back in for a nap in her crate.

This probably makes me a lot happier than it really should. I mean, she's a dog, right? But I love her. And now she can be a part of our wedding. And that makes me smile.

How about you? Including any pets? What would your guy say if you suggested it?

We're Getting There

I cannot believe that I'll be wed in approximately 102 days! The countdown is seriously on!

On Thursday the fiance and I will be attending our tasting (YUM) and we will finally get to chose our menu and our linens. I'm beyond thrilled about being able to do this! I think that this will really make it all seem more real.

I just realize that I never actually told you where we will be wed. The fiance and I chose the Omni Shoreham for our reception, hence the Miss Woodley Park moniker. We fell in love with the grand ballrooms and the old world style. It's the type of venue that needs no decoration (although we'll have them)- the presence that it gives off is one of grandeur.

I can't wait to see it again. I'll be sure to keep you updated about what we chose.

Vintage Bohemian Chic...Part I

I kind of been holding back on you guys regarding a few specifics. I do have a clear "vision" for what I want my wedding to look like, but I hate the word "theme." Let's use "style" or "feel"..."ambiance"...whatever, no matter what you call it, I got one and I will share it with you all today! (YAY!)

I have coined our style as "vintage bohemian chic," mainly because it sounds really cool, but also because I could not make up my mind if I wanted a vintage or bohemian style wedding with just a general overall "chic-ness"...so I decided to combine them! "Impossible," you say! Nope...very doable.

When I first began looking for style inspirations, I came across this Seville poster and totally fell in love. It depicts a fabulously festive, Art Deco, classy, colorful and fun event. This is totally my idea of vintage. (source)

So, from this image, I pulled my color scheme. Here are our colors, they are awesome! (source)









I am mainly focusing on the purple, green and peach colors with the mustard color as an accent.

After discovering these treasures, I began to travel on a decor whirlwind. I was envisioning a mix between "Stomping at the Savoy" and a "Great Gatsby" garden party fiesta!

I reached a wind tunnel, however, when I fell in love with this dress. It is Pronovias Regaliz and it is friggin gorgeous! But, so NOT vintage, well...not vintage in the Art Deco, Seville poster kind of way... (source)

The reason why I totally love this gown is because my own personal style is somewhat bohemian. I wear my hair naturally curly, am partial to baby doll dresses and funky colors. I knew that I wanted something flowy and ethereal in a gown and swooned over this one from the moment I saw it on the rack.

So, I felt as though I was in a conundrum between my original decor plan and the feel I got from the dress that I loved. How do I fix this? Well, I find inspiration in one of my favorite places...

What do you guys think so far?

the binder

Just out of college, I worked for a couple years as a Meeting Planner. This job allowed me to indulge all of my organizational OCD tendencies, including attempting perfectly organized binders and notebooks. I was so excited to put that knowledge to work again now that I was engaged. What better way to organize the quickly mounting amount of paper and inspirational pages than a binder?

I started pulling checklists from various websites (make sure to check out: Russell+Hazel and Real Simple) and made tabs for each section. Any images or ideas I liked that I found in magazines or one websites went into the binder and it very quickly started to grow. As we've moved on in the planning process, the images and inspirational pics that didn't make the cut have been pulled and we've added the contracts that we have so far. It also came in handy to have important questions to ask all the vendors typed up in the binder. I got some of my questions from "The Bride's Book of Lists", by Amy Nebens.

There is a very detailed budget section that is constantly updated (we're really trying not to go over) and where all the payments are coming from and how they have been paid.

Here is the binder now:

When I talk to and meet with vendors, it is so helpful to have everything in one place (I just used it today during my meeting with the florist).
I have no problem finding anything I need in terms of planning and hopefully it will come in handy closer to and on our wedding day when my brain is flying out the window.

<3 miss uva

Say Cheeeese!

I know, I know. I owe you many details and pictures from our May wedding. Were finally getting back to a normal schedule, but still waiting on the pictures from our photographer. So in the mean time.... I did want to share, probably the biggest hit of all, our PHOTOBOOTH!

Mr. CP and I wanted more than anything for our guests to have fun at our wedding. I reached out to Neil at Poshbooth and he explained the pictures come out in double prints, one copy to the guests, one copy to our guest book, and that would be where the guests sign! I was sold!

Our guest book is so much fun and people keep telling us how much fun they thought the photobooth was! Neil from Poshbooth brought a tub full of funny props for the pictures.

Here is Mr. CP and I, at the beginning of the night

Here are my parents, who despite thinking this was a "dumb" idea, definitely had fun! (they were so wrong!!! and I loved it, hee hee)

Here is my brother and his wife, (and my bridesmaid), who may have had the most fun with it, being the took 3 or 4 sets of pictures and used various props that they found around the wedding (like our marriage license) Next, Here is Mr. CPs brother and his soon to be (tomorrow!!) wife!

Here is me and my Matron of Honor

Here is me and my Maid of Honor
Mr. CP and some of his friends getting silly!

Me and my oldest friend and bridesmaid (so easy even a caveman can do it!)

The end of the night...we were exhausted!

What kinds of unique things did you do or are you doing, to make it a more festive night?

the one year mark

we made it!

we just hit the "one year to the wedding date" mark. for some reason, july 3rd this year made the wedding seem a little more daunting/real. not that it wasn't real before - but now i feel like we really have to get a move on and start booking things.

so far we have the venue, caterer, cake, and photographers.

mr. uva is in charge of the hotel room blocks, the music (anyone know of a good dj or strings around charlottesville?), and the honeymoon - hint, hint - get a move on mr. uva!

and i have to get a move on the officiant, florist, invitations, and the non-stop battle that is the search for bridesmaid's dresses.

i have a meeting with the florist tomorrow - so i'll keep you posted!

<3 miss uva

With this ring...

This weekend marks the 2 months to go date. It's also my first bridal shower - expect pictures - which has caused me to...vehemently stalk my registries. You can scold me now.

This week, we HAVE to get our last vendors. I'm getting my hair highlighted one last time, and then it's on a mad dash to find a stylist for the wedding day (any suggestions??). I have a DJ I need to call back, and we need to find a limo/bus.

Did I mention invitations are being sent out? We're printing out RSVP cards as we speak. They look fab.

But what I really wanted to blog about was showing off pictures of my lovely wedding band that we paid off this weekend.



My wedding band is a platinum band with about 1/4 carat channel set diamonds. I absolutely adore my band, it fits perfectly with my e-ring and was incredibly reasonably priced.

Mr. GP's band is white gold - we're finalizing it this weekend but all in all, we stayed pretty close to our budget. My band was an estate band and fiance's is a new band though. Apparently white gold is incredibly similar to platinum which is what we were originally considering.

What did you end up picking out for your wedding band? Are you happy with it??

Bravo, BravoBride

It's driving me slightly insane that I'm buying lot of stuff for the wedding that I'll only use once. The wedding dress is one thing. But a ring pillow? A veil? Lots and lots of mini candles?

This is where BravoBride comes in; it's a clearinghouse for all sorts of things you could use for your wedding; bride's attire, grooms' attire, stuff for the ceremony, stuff for the reception, the whole shebang. It's good for your wallet and the environment. We like that!

challenges of DIY

I'm starting to think all my DIY aspirations are a bit too optimistic! I have so many ideas rolling around in my head and I really want to make Everything myself, but this past long weekend I sat down and tried my hand at creating some of the pieces I was imagining and.. it's just not that easy! I think I'm going to rely even more on Etsy than I originally planned - as well as my mom. She is actually quite a seamstress, and she really wants to help. For some reason I'm having a really hard time delegating - is this an issue for any of you?

Here's my list of things I'd like to make:

- programs

- birdcage veil and fascinator

- shrug/bolero (I'm thinking satin or silk shantung, since my dress is all lace. I've never sewn anything like this in my life, not sure what's possessing me to think I should make this myself)

- button bouquets (more details later)

- a bunch of other tiny little details??

I still think I can handle the programs and some of the other little detail items, but after playing around with buttons the past few months, I'm losing a little steam. Using flowers would just be easier! But my sister is all excited about the button thing, she's making my cake and plans to incorporate little candy buttons as part of the cake decorations - I think she's a genius and it's going to look awesome. Here's a pic of her first attempt at making the candy buttons (she got a mold for these here). Photo source: personal.

Hmm I want to gush about my cake for a sec. She made a test cake for us and it was amazingly delicious - white cake with poppy seeds, with lemon curd and fresh strawberries for filling. And then european buttercream frosting (it's lighter and less sweet than other common buttercreams). I have pics of it somewhere, I'll have to share! I'm very excited about my cake. Mostly because Mr. Fairfax was blown away by it and he's not really big on sweets, so I was very pleased we came up with a cake he could really get behind.

Oh and the favors. My sister also had the brilliant idea to give away candy buttons as favors, and I found some sweet tins for cheap at Save-On-Crafts.com that I could buy and my mom has volunteered to hand paint each one.

So I'm feeling kind of committed to the button thing - which is awesome because I still love love vintage buttons and the whole idea is great. I'm just having doubts about my motivation to create hundreds of button flowers. They're really not as easy as they might look! Especially since each flower is basically a stack of 5 - 7 buttons and creating just-right color combos is a bit of a challenge. How does this lady make it look so easy?!

Registry Ideas - Summer Quilt

Phew! This weekend we moved into our new house! It was a lot of work but we had the help of friends and family to not only do the heavy lifting, but keep us laughing the whole time as well.

Moving is such a great opportunity to really evaluate all of your "stuff" and think about what you use, what you don't, and what you wish you had. Of course this brought up talk of our registry. We have a few months before we need to start one, but we'd like to give it some thought so that we register for things we will truly value instead of just whatever looks pretty when we have that little scanner in hand!

Whenever I think of summer, I think of warm nights sleeping with a fan in the window and a pretty, light quilt on the bed. This photo at Apartment Therapy today is exactly what I mean:



We haven't decided where to register yet, but Macy's is a good possibility. It's one store that is conveniently located for both of our families. If that's what we pick, this cool green and blue quilt from Martha would be a great option:



If you're not into the colors and patterns of more traditional quilting, these lovely neutrals at Bloomingdale's provide a great modern option too:

What will you definitely register for? How early did you start your registry?

Room Block Drama

When I first got engaged I tried to think of all the potential issues and roadblocks which might pop up in my wedding planning process so I could spend extra time on those issues and head off any problems in advance. I never ever thought,however, that I would have to spend any significant amount of time or mental energy on setting up room blocks. Who knew?!

Mr. NationalHarbor's primary and extended family come from a very small town in Pennsylvania. I have visited the town several times and it is very different from DC. Things are a lot slower and A LOT less expensive there. I tried to take that into account when we first started making the list of possible hotels for guest accommodations. However, our venue is right near the National Harbor and after driving there ourselves and getting confused trying to navigate the roads near the venue I thought it easiest and best to choose hotel accommodations that were directly down the road near the harbor and contracting with a shuttle to bring guests to and from the hotels to the Oxon Hill Manor for the ceremony and reception and back home at the end of the night. That way no one gets lost in the dark at 1 a.m. trying to navigate DC roads and bridges, no one drives drunk and everyone can relax. Mr. NationalHarbor and I got a great deal with the Gaylord National at the harbor for room blocks and we blocked off rooms at the Marriott at the harbor as well.

Unfortunately, very very few of Mr. NationalHarbor's out of town relatives want to stay at the hotels where we have room blocks. They are scouting for their own hotel deals on the Internet and in some cases are finding very cheap hotels in which to stay. Mr. NationalHarbor's mom is now calling asking where certain parts of the city are because his relatives want to stay in the cheaper hotels and drive in. Almost all of their choices however are in sketchy areas that I would not recommend them staying in. I know they want the savings and I realize we are in tough economic times but as I said his relatives are from a very small town and I just don't think it is a good idea for them to be driving in certain areas of the city late at night after the reception. Mr. NationalHarbor and I are the only ones who know the city and after the reception we will be....."occupied" so I am not sure what they will do.

Additionally, of the relatives who are electing to stay near the Harbor-- very few want to stay at the Gaylord for the weekend. Everyone wants to stay at the Marriott even though it is only $20 cheaper than the Gaylord. I think they are looking at the pictures online and are steering clear of the Gaylord and opting for the Marriott thinking the Gaylord will be just too expensive. Now we have exhausted the room blocks we set aside at the Marriott and although the Gaylord has plenty- Mr. NationalHarbor's mom wants us to choose an additional hotel or get the Marriott to set aside more rooms- which they won't. I already called and asked. The other hotels in the Harbor are even more expensive than the ones we chose for the wedding. DC is a very expensive town and I am sure there is sticker shock for his relatives when they see how much the hotels are per night- but we can only get so much of a discount.

I am unsure what to do in this situation. We of course appreciate their coming to our celebration and we are looking forward to sharing our day with them and I am very excited that so many of them are coming. I like all of his cousins and love his childhood friends. This aspect of the planning though is just becoming way more involved than I thought it would be. I know that the economy is putting a strain on everyone but I also want everyone to be safe and sound after the reception.

Anyone else have difficulty in this area? Any suggestions?

Mother of the Groom Dress?

Quick post - I'm busily working on invitation design, guest list, favor choices, and fitting into my dress, but I've got an important request for help and ideas.

Mr. OBX's mom is coming into town this weekend to search for a dress for our wedding and I volunteered to get a list together of places to shop, but I haven't a clue where to start (and google isn't helping).

Anyone have suggestions on good place to look for a "mom of the bride/groom" dress in the area?

Red, white, and blue

In honor of 4th of July, I have decided to talk more about our wedding colors. What does this have to do with Independence Day? Well, our colors happens to be the good 'ol red, white, and blue. In our defense, I don't plan on it being "Americana" themed, but rather I'll be using cherry red, aqua blue, and white. I always knew I wanted some sort of blue in my wedding (my favorite color), but I was unsure as to what to pair it with. Yellow? Sand? Green? White? Pink? I was so indecisive that at one point I threw out blue altogether! That is, until I saw this inspiration board...

Gorgeous, no?

I never in a million years would even think about putting aqua and red together, but I absolutely adore it! The richness of the red complements the playful aqua perfectly. It's young, fun, and summery, perfect for our personalities.

And that is how our wedding colors were finalized! The red will be incorporated into the flowers, centerpeices, invitations, and napkins. The white will just be scattered throughout the entire wedding, and the aqua will be incorporated in the tablecloths, invitations, cake, and bridesmaids dresses. I must say though, finding bridesmaids dresses in the perfect shade of aqua that AREN'T $35o is quite a difficult process. More on that later :) How did you decide your wedding colors??

Jumping the Broom

This is my jumping broom! I made it myself! It was actually one of the DIY projects on my list that I was really looking forward to doing. Although it only took me a few hours to make, it took a lot more time to consider.

When Mr. Glen Echo and I got engaged, we sat down and talked about what we love, like and hate about weddings. Much of this discussion was geared towards time honored wedding traditions that we thought were boring, unnecessary, or we just did not get...for example the unity candle. Every wedding that I have been to had a unity candle ceremony that just never went right...the candle would not light, the lighter would not work or it would just take forever for the couple to finally get it together. We love what the unity candle represents, which is the joining of the two families together, but the ceremony itself was something we decided to nix. Instead, we chose to create our own candle ceremony.

We did however agree that we would "jump the broom." Jumping the broom is an African American wedding tradition done during slavery to symbolize the joining to two people in marriage and express this commitment to the rest of the community. The jumping itself also represented the leap into freedom. There is no concrete evidence pin pointing where African American slaves got this tradition from, but it is speculated to have derived from the Ghanaian tradition of waiving brooms over the heads of newlywed couples. No matter what the direct origin of the tradition is, it is clear that it is a part of African culture that traveled with us here to America.

Many African Americans choose not to jump the broom during their wedding ceremonies. I completely understand the rationale not to do so. It is a slave tradition (or at least associated with slavery) and part of this country's past which should not be celebrated in any way. Mr. Glen Echo and I looked at it a bit differently. As mentioned, we are not doing a unity candle, but we are lighting memory candles at the beginning of the ceremony to symbolize the spiritual presence of our family members who have passed. The broom jumping continues along that path. We see this tradition as a way to give homage to our roots. The jumping over an imaginary "line" takes us from our past, over the present and into the future...together. The broom itself, symbolizes the home we will share and create together. The humble sticks, decorated with fancy lace and ribbon, is a metaphor for our humble beginnings combined with the possibility of prosperity we hope to have in our future.

Jumping the broom is not only an African American tradition, but many other cultures practice this act as well. Jumping the broom is combined with the handfasting ceremony used by the Celtics during their wedding ceremonies. The broom is used as a fertility symbol in the Celtic culture and many others. Some speculate that the Celtic tradition is how it was passed down to Afican American slaves, as indicated in this article.

There are definitely other "traditional" wedding practices Mr. Glen Echo and I have decided to change or re-vamp to reflect more of our personalities...but since this one is so simple and short, we decided to keep it just the way it it. It will look a little something like this



Such as the term, "tying the knot" has become synonomous to getting married, so has the phrase "jumping the broom." I totally cannot wait to the jump the broom with Mr. Glen Echo!

Are you Ladies adding any cultural tradtions to your ceremony? Are you change them in anyway or keeping them just as your ancestors did them? Any really cool and fun traditions you want to share?

The Chevy Chases find a venue: Part II

I apologize for the long delay since Part I. I've been busy the past few weeks and spending every free moment in the evenings catching up on the day’s Wimbledon matches.

So, a quick recap: We had penciled in a date at the National Museum of Women in the Arts – a gorgeous marble hall. But, it was expensive and we didn’t have a good option for the ceremony, other than having it at the museum. So, when we finally got engaged 4 months after wehad stopped our venue search, we opened it up again.

We had initially rejected any sites that required a tent because we didn’t want to worry about it being too hot/cold, since May weather in DC can be unpredictable. But I had always imagined that I would have an outdodor wedding, and all of a sudden, we couldn’t figure out why we’d refused to consider venues with tents.

After extensive online research, we came up with two places: George Washington’s River Farm in Alexandria, and Woodend Nature Sanctuary in Chevy Chase.

The River Farm has an amazing setting on the banks of the Potomac, with a wildflower meadow and large lawns. There’s a tented patio in the back of the house, right off the ballroom. Of course, I saw the place in February just after the snow melted, but it was still pretty and didn’t take much imagination to realize how stunning it would be come spring.

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Woodend has a similar setup, with a tented patio off the ballroom. I liked how at Woodend, the patio and ballroom are connected by french doors that enable the space to feel more continuous. The patio was also a little bit bigger than at the River Farm. For the ceremony, there are a few outdoor options. Most people hold their ceremony in the grove – a flat grassy area surrounded by hemlock trees. If it’s been raining, another option is the south lawn, which is elevated a bit and has better drainage. If it rains and we have to have the ceremony in the tent, we’d hold it facing the south lawn so that our guests are looking out at the woods. So, we were happy with the different options. For the cocktail hour, there’s a covered portico where we can set up a bar so that guests can enjoy the outdoor evening and maybe even spot some deer (I saw one when I was checking out the place!).

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In the end, we went with Woodend, both because it felt “right” to us, and because the River Farm no longer had our date available. There are lots of hotel options in Bethesda (all of which are metro accessible), and we’re close to the city, where many of our guests live. We are really happy that we reconsidered our venue to find a place that was more “us” – not a formal ballroom but a beautiful setting where we can bring in our own style through flowers and décor.

And that, ladies (and the occasional gentleman?) is how we became the Chevy Chases.

How have you all let your venue reflect who you are as a couple?

Miss GWU: Maybe a Muse for Wedding Bands?

I've received many comments on my engagement ring from its antique appeal to the clarity of the rock. One of my favorites coming from my best friend "It is delicate but significant." Sometimes I catch myself staring at it because when I do, I get one of those exciting butterfly moments of reassurance that my man, Mr. GWU, knows me...like really knows me. From the time we discussed taking the next step to become engaged and to the actual engagement, I gave him no guidance as to thee ring; abstract at best. We visited one jeweler where I decided I did not want more than a carat and some sort of unique design. Literally that was all. The rest was left to Mr. GWU's imagination (and wallet :). Mr. GWU did good. real good. Following the engagement and learning more about the months leading up to the finish of the ring, I was happy to find out that Mr. GWU went to a local, family-owned jeweler called IGorman. Located on 20th st, NW, they were founded in 1981 and remain a family business set on high quality design and warm customer service. Mr. GWU loved working with them, particularly with his specific designer, Alishan. And here is thee engagement ring:

I love the ring. Since this was such a good experience for Mr. GWU and they have been with us on this part of the journey so far, I was thinking I would probably go to them for Mr. GWU's wedding band. I want something substantial, probably white gold, with a unique design or etching, and a short quote engraved on the inside. Looking at the work of the designing staff, I'm pretty confident they can capture my thoughts and produce a great wedding band for Mr. GWU. Here are some thumbnails from their site: http://www.igorman.com/

Has anyone worked with IGorman before on wedding bands and have suggestions on designers or anything else related to this process? Is it better to buy a band that is on the snug versus loose side?

umm so.

My dad isn't going to be at my wedding.

It's not that we don't get along, or he doesn't approve of the marriage, or anything that. he just doesn't travel. he was born and raised in Maine and he doesn't own a computer or understand the internetz. He's never been in a commercial airplane. etc.

I know this. I accept this. I still love him. Like a lot.

But sometimes it just hits me that my dad isn't going to walk me down the aisle and there will be no father-daughter dance and blah blah blah boo hooo. I've asked my best friend/MOH's dad if he would do the honors and he gladly accepted. Someone asked why I didn't just have my mom do it - honestly it hadn't occurred to me. I guess I could have done that but the question has already been asked and I couldn't very well take the job away from him if I wanted to - which I don't. He's not going to "give me away," he's just going to be a strong and calming arm to hold on to as I walk down the aisle. He and his wife have been like a second set of parents to me for the past 10+ years so it feels right. But I feel like I'm going to confuse the hell out of my guests...

Sorry I don't mean to bring the tone down right before the holiday weekend! I was just thinking about it and figured I should explain because I'm going to need advice on some things.. What if Mr. Fairfax wants to have a mother-son dance? Is it going to be weird that I'm not dancing with my dad? Also should I try to explain the situation or just let it be and let guests come to their own conclusions?

in other news.. aaahhhh I love this wedding!! happy holiday weekend :)

Tour de Cake Topper

I think the details in one's wedding are such fun. Everything about your personality and your fiance's personality come out in all the little things, from the invitations to the cake toppers.

With that being said...

The Tour de France is starting on Saturday! (Go Garmin and Astana--and Lance!) .

So what does this have to do with my wedding? Nothing, except that Mr. Charleston and I are huge cycling fans (more him than me---he's the one who actually rides with a group every week) and I wanted to incorporate his love for bikes and cycling into our wedding somehow. One of my students did our save the dates:

I loved it so much (as did Mr. Charleston) that I wanted to make the graphic of the girl and boy on the bike our cake topper. Since I have done most of the big things (venues, dj, photog, etc) I am now working on all the details, like cake toppers and centerpieces.

I found this awesome vendor on Etsy, Mountainbrook, who makes these awesome wood silhouette cutouts. I sent him a picture and he made our cake topper for us! Here is what it looks like:

It came a few weeks ago. It looks super great and I cannot wait to see it on top of a cake! Now all I have to do is find a cake!

So what are your details? I have had friends who have done D.C. totes since they were DC natives. Some have organized "DC Food Stops" for a wedding weekend where did they a tour of fun dc eateries like Ben's Chili Bowl, Five Guys, and Art and Soul. One idea that someone had was serving their mom's chocolate chip cookies and milk during the cocktail reception. I think anything that you can do to really make the day special is worth the extra effort. Good luck with all the planning!

Oh, and have a happy 4th of July weekend! Have fun and be safe:-)

Mission: Buff Bride

I've been on "Mission: Buff Bride" for a few months now. For a while, I was doing really well at getting my tush to the gym but lately? I've been slacking. (That Diet Coke addiction of mine isn't helping anything either...)

For those of you who don't know, I'm probably one of the LAZIEST marathon runners ever. I ran marathon #3, a 10k and a 10 mile race in the matter of a month - setting personal records in all three, leaving me beyond pleased. Unfortunately, I didn't train nearly as hard as I should have (I never do...) so I kind of set myself up for minor injuries. After the marathon which was Memorial Day weekend up in Vermont, I got lazy. I hurt my knee a little and well...stopped working out altogether with the exception of yoga.

So I recruited a friend. You see, I work at a gym here on Capitol Hill part time so I know many of the trainers. Yesterday, after my morning shift, I recruited a trainer pal of mine to give me some tips because "I want to look good in my wedding gown" as every girl does.

For the next two and a half months, I will be at the gym 5 days per week, either doing yoga or cardio/strength training. I've been doing yoga pretty regularly since the marathon sadly without much improvement (I fell over during a half moon pose yesterday...it was...dare I say, embarrassing)

What's my plan?
20 minutes of cardio (warmup)
3 sets of 10 pushups on a bosu ball
3 sets of 10 squats on a bosu ball
3 sets of 10 bicep curls using 10lb kettle bell (balancing on one leg)
3 sets of 10 rows (with 10lb kettle bell)
3 sets of 10 swings (with 10lb kettle bell...it's a squat type move where you thrust hips and swing a kettle bell into the air to shoulder height)
3 sets of 10 T's. Though I'm sure that's not what they're called, it's lifting my arms out into a T holding the 10lb kettle bells.

I'll be sticking to this for about 4 weeks and from there we'll modify to make it harder for the last month or so.

Not to mention, the 3 days/week I work at the gym, I teach 15 minute abs classes so that certainly won't hurt anything either!

I can tell you, we had an hour workout yesterday - my trainer pal and I - then I went to an hour long yoga class...and oh.my.god.

I'm fairly certain if I stick to this, my gown will look fab.

What did you do to get in shape for your wedding gown?

I LOVE my venue!

Mr. NationalHarbor and I are getting married at the Oxon Hill Manor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. We are getting married on Halloween and I was trying to find a venue that had the right feel. A giant hotel downtown could have worked I suppose but this one just felt right from the second we drove onto the grounds.

Our wedding planner suggested this location the very first time I met her. We were having cocktails and trading ideas and when I told her I was getting married on Halloween she exclaimed: Oh you should see if you can get the Oxon Hill Manor! I immediately went home to check out the place on the Internet and it looked perfect. I took off of work the next day, grabbed my fiance' and my parents and headed out to view the building and grounds.

I know I am biased but I think it has everything you need if you are having a smaller reception. It can hold up to 170, I believe. The Manor has its own brides' room upstairs where you can get ready, a drawing room, a library, a dining room, a beautiful long driveway, a spacious outdoor area in the back with fantastic views of the city and grounds, a pool with fountains and a mini garden on the side where lots of brides like to have their pictures taken I am told. Sadly, because of the time when I am getting married I won't be able to use the grounds for pictures though. They also have a number of chairs and tables in storage which you can use if you like which is included in the fee.

And speaking of fees-- that is the best part- the Manor is only $3,300 if you are a PG county resident and $4,500 I believe, if you are not. You don't even have to be the resident. My parents live in PG county but I do not. The administrator said as long as they sign the main paperwork that is fine and we could still get the discount! As I was writing the check for the deposit-which is only $750 by the way- a bride called checking on availability for October of 2011! The administrator shook her head and said that the phone rings off the hook all day with brides checking on dates. Apparently word has gotten out about the place. She said they do not start taking reservations for the coming year until they get back on January 3rd from Christmas break. She said that last year 3 couples had actually camped out the night before and were waiting for her when she arrived to open the door at 8 a.m. so they could ensure that they could get their date of choice. She then excused herself from the room. When she returned the phone rang again and incredibly it was a bride asking about an afternoon wedding on the exact same day as me!!! I had gotten my choice by the skin of my teeth!

I made sure I handed my deposit check over quick-- let me tell you!

The place really is great and I can only think of 3 drawbacks. 1) No red wine or red flowers. Oxon Hill Manor is owned by the Maryland Parks Service and since it has been recently refurbished with all new hardwood floors they will not allow anything red. 2) You cannot get on the grounds until 2 hours before your ceremony starts. For some-- this may be a problem and 3) you cannot actually cook on the grounds. They had a bad fire a few years ago and I am not sure if that had anything to do with their decision but they only have a warming kitchen now. My caterer said that was not a problem and that there are a lot of places that have that restriction though.

So if anyone is looking for a place which has some charm and are on a small to medium sized budget I highly recommend Oxon Hill Manor!

how I found my dress

While we're sort of on the topic of dresses, I'll share the story of how I found mine.

I was never against buying a used dress - in fact I was pretty sure that's the route I would go from the beginning. For one thing, in the honest words of Miss Glen Echo, I'm cheap. I could not justify spending thousands of dollars on a dress, no matter how gorgeous it was (not that you shouldn't, if you have the budget for it, I just don't). For another thing, buying a dress already used would help my mission to put on a more eco-friendly wedding. So I started hunting PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, OnceWed.com, etc., well before we were even engaged (blush).

But these other ladies are totally right - you can't (well, shouldn't) buy a used dress online without having tried something similar on so you know it's right for you. Also - why would anyone want to bypass boutique dress shopping?? When else can you have a gaggle of ladies following you around as you basically play dress-up for hours? Actually that sounds ridiculous but man, it was so much fun. Which is why I was almost disappointed that I found my dress on my 2nd shopping excursion!

The first place I went was Ellie's, in Alexandria. I only knew about it because I was a bridesmaid recently for a friend who bought her dress there, so one day when she was going in for a fitting, she made an appointment for me to try on dresses at the same time. They have a really great selection of gorgeous dresses there, and also a ton of bridesmaid dresses (and if you buy your dress from them, your bridal party gets a discount on their dresses). I fell in love with every single dress I tried on, but especially the Jim Hjelm 8763 and the Sarah Danielle 5523 (can't seem to access the Sarah Danielle website right now so that link is to a listing that I MISSED OUT ON, gahhh that was even my size). I am still pining away for that Sarah Danielle dress honestly. But! The Jim Hjelm was $3K and the SD was $2100 ish, so I sighed and passed them up.

I had already marked my calendar for the 2 Running of the Brides events I knew of that were happening this year - one was in April, at the Rockville location, the other was the one coming up this month, at Friendship Heights. I was all excited to camp out and have a group of friends go with me - and then I found out about a sample sale at Priscilla of Boston at Tysons Corner.

dun dun DUNNNN.

I showed up with my mom, and a couple friends came by, and I tried on a few dresses without loving any of them too much. Then just as I was thinking it was about time to get some lunch, my mom suggested I take one more look through the racks, since girls were constantly bringing dresses back they'd tried on and didn't like. I found one that I thought was gorgeous and it fit me nearly perfectly! As soon as I put it on, I really liked it, but when I walked out of the dressing room and my mom burst into tears.. I knew it was the one.

Also, it was marked down from $4,200 to $199. And that day they were doing an additional 20% off. So with tax, it ended up being $167.19. Strapless, full lace overlay with a beautiful chapel length train - and we found maybe 1 small snag in the lace, not even noticeable. I'm still in awe that we found it and got that price. weee!!

So right now I'm in the market for a good wedding dress cleaning service. I'm concerned because it's all lace. Anybody know a good place in the DC area I can trust? I've heard so many horror stories of dresses ruined during the cleaning/preservation.

Setting the Date

I love that Miss OBX knew her wedding date before her engagement date! Reading her post got me to thinking about how we set our wedding date. There are obviously a lot of factors that go into selecting a wedding date. For us, the most important one turned out to be orthodontia. In other words, my braces!

When we first told Mr. 16th's parents that we were getting married, we thought we may wait until late 2010 or even 2011. We wanted time to save money so that we wouldn't deplete our house fund with wedding expenses. Well, we are fortunate to have families who love and support us, and want to see us hitched as soon as possible! Both his mom and dad immediately said "2011? No, no, no!" I called my mom to discuss dates and got the exact same response.

OK, so we'll move the wedding up a bit. When should we do it? "September?" Mr. 16th suggested. "Sure!" I replied. A 9 month engagement sounded doable, and we really didn't see any reason to wait at that point. But then, something hit me. My braces! Ugh!

I had braces put on in December, just a few weeks before we got engaged. After I had my widsom teeth out a few years ago, all kinds of weird things happened in there and I had finally decided it was time to correct things. The bad news was that I didn't qualify for fancy invisible braces. The good news was that they would only have to be on for a year.

But one year meant that they would be on in September. Now, I feel a little bit silly about this, but I just don't want to be a bride in braces if I don't have to be. I decided it was worth waiting a few months until they came off. So we started looking at early 2010. And pretty soon a date became clear. Late enough to hopefully be warm and spring-like, early enough that we wouldn't have to make our families wait too long. It also worked out perfectly for a great honeymoon (which I'll tell you all about soon - but here's a little preview) and falls at the start of spring break for our student and teacher relatives.

So we are set for March 27, 2010! When we first selected the date it seemed so far away but time is really flying by already.

{Love that pretty letterpress calendar? Make it yours!}