DIY Updates and Raves

Wow. I have not posted in a long long time.

First let me thank Miss Glen Echo for suggesting a make-up person after my last post. I did not read your comment until later and actually found someone in the meantime, but I wanted to thank you for the suggestion! I think the makeup artists I chose is going to be good. No makeup artist has gotten my makeup right and she nailed it on the first try.

Anyway the real point of this post is to heave a gigantic sigh of relief and exhale because I have 37 days until my wedding and I have almost everything DIY-related locked down!! I am so happy I can barely stand it. We had a power Sunday last weekend and worked on stuff from 11 a.m. until 8:30 pm. But it is all done. When we decided to "save money" by making everything paper related we had no idea what we were getting into. We ended up making: the invitations, rsvp cards, cd covers for the cd favors, burning 120 cds filled with music we love, programs, menu cards, table numbers stuffed into frames and the escort cards will be done when we get the final headcount. We are also making our centerpiece which is a crystal wedding tree. This sucker is wayyy harder than I thought it would be. I am having a devil of a time finding the "right" crystals. Perhaps I will post a picture in here after I attempt to put it all together this weekend.

I still have to emboss the luminaries I bought, and finish up the Out of Town bags but that is a walk in the park compared to the months of months spent on making all this stuff for the wedding. Mr. NationalHarbor is burnt out but he is hanging with me. He has been be my side cutting ribbon and spraying adhesive every inch of the way.

So that's it. For those still in DIY Hades-- there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Oh- before I forgot. I posted a while back about the exercise program I had just bought and was going to start doing called Insanity. I HIGHLY recommend it. I am not a beachbody coach or anything. I just want folks who are looking for a quick way to lose weight to know this is out there. It's a 60 day program and I just finished Month 1. I am eating normally- no starvation diets for me-- but the inches have come pouring off. 40 minutes a day and in one month this program has helped me wear jeans I have not worn in over 2 years. I squeezed into a pair of jeans I bought too small over 4 years ago and have never worn and I know by the end of Month 2 I will be able to wear those suckers. One of my bridesmaids is getting married next weekend and I am wearing my fave little black dress that has been collecting dust since 2007. This program is not for everyone because it is a killer- but if you need help shedding inches to get into your wedding dress-- try this!

Hamhocks

Ugh!!!

We just got our engagement photo pics back today. The photographer was great! She is sweet and understanding since I had to reschedule on her twice. She takes great pictures and has original ideas too.

My fiance looks great in them too. He is smiling nicely even though he was super nervous. He was sweet and agreed to my request NOT to cut his hair until after the photo shoot... just in case a disaster struck at the hair salon. I liked our outfits, the sun was out-- all was well.

EXCEPT my giant hamhock arms!! It is incredible- I see my arms in the mirror every single morning and every single night. I actually thought to myself two days ago- hmmm my arms are slimming up quite nicely. WRONG. Seeing those pics sent me off the deep end.

I am already doing a workout called Chalean Extreme to get some nice muscle tone in time for the wedding in October and I am eating properly now and keeping a food diary but after these pics-- oh it is on! I immediately went out and bought a new series of exercise dvds I had been eyeing but talked myself out of because I thought they would kill me... and they probably will but I just bought them anyway. The dvd set is called: Insanity. Yes- that is the real name.

This is the description off the website: The secret to these mind-blowing results: MAX Interval Training. Shaun T took traditional interval training and flipped it on its head—you perform long bursts of maximum-intensity exercises with short periods of rest. Each workout keeps you constantly challenged as you alternate between aerobic and anaerobic intervals performed at your MAX. The result: burn up to 1,000 calories in an hour and get the most insane body in 60 days.

I have about 75 days until my wedding. I can do this. However, if you never hear from me on this blog again it is probably because my quest for toned arms and glutes did me in.....

My question to you guys: anyone else going crazy in their quest to look fab in their dress and awesome in pictures? I thought I was doing good. I had remained calm until I saw those pictures this morning and then BAM- craziness hit. Anyone else?

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?

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?

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!