teaser trailer

blogger wouldn't let me post pictures yesterday, but I wanted to give a little sneak peek of the invitations that are currently occupying our wedding plan time. Oh yes, you are excited.

for lack of a better post, hair

I was planning on doing a bridesmaid related post but I think that will take a long time, so I'm going to just do a post about hair for a second and then maybe get to the other later...the anticipation is killing you, I'm sure.
The hair style issue seemed a lot more pressing when I thought my first dress fitting was looming, but since recent estimates place the arrival of my dress at the END OF AUGUST (yes, this is upsetting to me. Yes, it is giving me an ulcer) I have a little more time to consider and get feedback and change my mind a million times.

I am not good at doing my own hair. I almost always have it tucked into a pulled up ponytail or twisted back into a forest of clips. If it's down it's usually in my way and I probably need a haircut. But I am pretty good at doing other people's hair out of necessity for my frequent wardrobe/costuming duties. On any other head I can find the proper placement of hot curlers and bobby pins to recreate period hairstyles and gravity defying spikes. So I'm pretty confident in my decision to not hire a hairstylist for my wedding. I am planning on doing my own hair, or at least directing my very talented sister and cousin on how I would like my hair to work.

So I've been considering my options. When we found my dress I had my hair in a big clip (Shannon Hair Staple #3) and we played with it up and down and half up and down. My mom is encouraging me to wear it down since my hair can be one of my best features, but I can't help but think of all the times I've tried to do my hair all pretty and then I ended up sticking my carefully dried and curled experiment into a clip and saying "fuck it." But for the wedding, I'm open to possibilities.

All I know is that I want curls...not for the romance, but for the volume. Here's a little costumer wisdom: if you want a hair style to stay, put the hair in hot curlers first. Or curl it with an iron and a lot of product. Bobby pins love to grab curls, and they make buns and chignons full and resilient. Also, if any little tendrils fall out they look romantic and intentional and not like big ol' mess.

Since I'll be having two dress fittings IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, GRRRRRR I'm planning on doing my hair for both so I'll know exactly what it'll look like with The Dress. Then we'll probably do my hair every night of wedding week as practice.

Here are some examples from my inspiration bookmarks.

Wearing it down:
I'm not a big fan of the "curly hair and straight bangs" look because I worry that it'll date pictures, but this is a nice compromise. It looks very natural.
I really like the top two, especially the red, but I'm too lazy to separate the original image. Meh.
The ginger bridesmaid has gorgeous hair from the back, which I would like since, you know, that's what people will be looking at for a good half an hour of ceremony.
I looooove this one, and there really isn't any "style" to it. Just good curls pulled up with a pretty sweep and volume on top. I could do this. This would be very pretty on me, I think.

The Updo:

Anyone who reads this and actually sees me on a daily basis will probably laugh because these are for the most part just curly versions of how I wear my hair everyday. But I kind of like that idea. I know these styles look good on me, I'm capable of doing them, and well, I may be dressed up all fancy but I'm still me.
Oh, I love this one from Brides magazine. Pretty much this whole picture, the makeup, the earrings, the tendrils...I'm on board.

Sigh. This Jessica Alba hairstyle is so cute and pretty and very very "me," but it is very messy and...um...it looks exactly like my hair does as I post this, and my mother would probably kill me if I looked like I just woke up at my wedding.
But if this is how my hair looks after a lot of pictures and dancing I will be very, very happy.

Another option I only recently started to favor was the asymmetrical "side do." It would get the hair out of my face while still showing off the reds in pictures. My only issue would be that the hair piece is also asymmetrical. Would I have the branch swoop over the side with the bun, or the side without? Will this make me look off centered or dated? I dunno, but it's pretty.

The Side Do:

So what do you think? Which do you like best? Any suggestions?

missing the point

So, a side story about our registry and towels:

First, I have to say that the wedding registry, or the promise of soon having a registry, has affected my life. When a household item stops functioning, especially a kitchen tool, I will usually refuse to buy a new one. That is what the registry is for, and the money I would spend on these things should really go towards wedding stuff like CANDY. My towels are suffering at the moment. They're not shredded yet but they are thoroughly, deeply used.

Secondly, When you register pretty much anywhere, you get what is essentially a souped up inventory gun. It might not even be souped up. It is probably just the same gun they use for inventory. You scan and item and tell the little gun how many you want of something and it goes on the registry. It also tells you how much the item costs, and whether or not it will be in regular stock or if it's just a seasonal item (we tried to avoid most of the college stuff but I think some of it snuck on there...)

Anyway, so we were registering for towels. I had my eyes on the very fancy damask ones because they're just incredibly gorgeous towels.
But they're kind of expensive and I knew we would just end up destroying them and using them to dry off the dog or something, so we looked around more and found a very affordable but still very pretty line of plainer towels. I of course liked the green, Greg liked a stripe, and we also found a coordinating teal blue that we thought would round it out nicely. So we scan the towels, and when we get to the teal ones the little gun goes "BOOP!" and says "This item has limited availability and might not be available in all stores. Continue?" And we said sure, figuring it was a discontinued color or whatever. And then when it came up on the screen, it said
"Towel: $1.84"
And Greg said, "What? Is that towel two dollars?"
So we took it over to the little scanner doohickey that they hang at the end of aisles in Target and checked and yep, the full size, super soft bath towel was $1.84. There were no sale signs, no clearance tag. They just lowered the price and never told anybody.
So we registered for the other towels and then bought the cheap ones. They gave us a weird look when we turned in our gun with a big pile of towels. They were like, you want to buy these? But you could just click them and have someone else do it...

So I now have a few nice towels and they're WONDERFUL. And this is maybe the dumbest post on here ever but I thought it was neat.

REGISTRY!

(before I begin, let me explain yesterday's hiatus in: How the Internet Conspires Against Me
My yesterday: "Oh yeah! I'll post every day! What a great idea! In fact, let's go out an do wedding stuff this morning so we can talk about it with the internets later!...Wait, what's this? The internet isn't working? All day long? No internet at all? Well...damn.")

So I wasn't able to post yesterday which is really too bad because we did a HUGE to-do: the registry.

I have a crush on the club wedd bird logo. It's adorable.

At the moment we are only planning to register at Target. I was a little worried for our relatives, few of whom live near a target or are online-shopping savvy, but I figure they can just be told some of the things on the registry and find them for us in other stores--the bake wear, for example. I don't care what BRAND of cookie sheet I get, but damn do I need new cookie sheets. Also, they'll be able to go off the registry fairly easily since they are mostly old married folks and this isn't their first time at the rodeo, you know?

We're also considering doing a small online registry with CB2 for people who want to get us something "different" while still getting something straight from a registry. They have a great selection of modern stuff that is DIRT CHEAP. Which appeals to that part of my heart that is still an undergrad--i.e. all of it.
The CB2 "Yum Plate" (also available in Mmmm and Ooooo!) only $2.95

But currently, we just have the Target registry, and it is not lacking in amazingness. A brief preview:


Some stuff is stuff we need, but since Greg and I have been living in sin for almost four years, we have a lot of home essentials. We really had to consider what we already have. Some of it desperately needs upgrading, like our cookies sheets and our foreman grill and those TONGS THAT DRIVE ME F'ING NUTS. Sigh. But some stuff just needs to be expanded, like our collection of guest-worthy silverwear and plates. We're not into fine china, but we do occasionally entertain and those plastic dorm dishes won't cut it. We have nice settings for four. The dishes we currently have are these:
from my dad for my last birthday. We thought about adding another set of the same, but then we decided instead to just get more plates and bowls in a very similar pattern, only round. Our nice flatware is from my mom for Xmas:
We just needed more regular silverware (where are all my forks? Seriously. If we go one day without doing dishes there are no forks and hardly any spoons.) So we're signed up for this simple but very effective looking set...and now that I'm thinking about our spoon situation, maybe we'll add another one...
Of course every good registry has some things on it that the groom will enjoy as well:And either Rock Band I or II and a drum kit will join the ranks as soon as the reviews of the newer version are out.

We were also told to register for some bigger ticket items for group gifts and the incredibly generous. Of course I knew what I wanted...my finger was itching to shoot it as soon as we got the scanner gun, and it felt so good to put it on the list...maybe we'll get it or maybe not, but if someone DOES get it for us they will get the supreme pleasure of watching me pee my pants:
Yes, the red Kitchen Aid stand mixer is on every registry ever but I don't care. I could beat some serious egg whites with this baby.

Now, let me just say that yes, there are bigger things that need to be done before the registry. Very big things. But setting up a registry is 1) free, 2) fun, and 3) means other people don't have to wait for me to do it anymore (mainly those wily bridal shower planning bridesmaids)
And sometimes, in all this vendor paying paper ordering stresstastic mess of planning, you need to do something where they give you a gun and say "shoot what you want and maybe people will buy it for you." That relieves a LOT of stress.

Oh, and if you look at our registry please forgive me. A lot of the items don't have pictures online, and there will probably be much editing in the following weeks.

one hundred days

The wedding countdown I saved on google, which I often forget/do not care enough to check, and only looked at today because we were talking to very-soon-to-be-married people, says one hundred days exactly. Which means in like forty-five minutes, this wedding will be in the double digits, i.e. 99 days away.

Ninety. Nine. DAYS. Not weeks. DAAAAAAAAAYS.


This is very frightening and very exciting at the same time.

I texted my family and members of my bridal party with this alarming fact and my sister replied "oh, then i guess i stop eating" and I was almost going to agree before I looked in my oven and dammit if I wasn't making a meatloaf. I kind of resent this milestone coming at me when I am suddenly finding it fun to make things for dinner, since I am hoping for Getting Married to equal Looking Skinny In Pictures which is, in my mind, equal with Not Eating Those Oatmeal Cookies You Made With Like Three Cups of Sugar.

But this is good. This will put a fire under my ass that I said was there in May...and January...and October. I can also start the Regimine of Moisturization and Exfoliation and Hair Care that will make me look like a very smooth and shiny version of myself.

Isn't it great that we get to share this crazy time together?

And also...let's try a post a day from now on, yeah? Even if it's stupid. It'll encourage me to at least think about weddings.


Oh, and Katie? I AM TOTALLY MAKING A PAPER CHAIN.

Fashion Show! Fashion Show! Fashion Show at 2 AM!

So we've got shoes. We've so got shoes.


My wedding shoes (and the groomsmen wedding shoes) are slip-on Converse. They were on sale, because Converse had this great idea to take out their laces and put elastic under the tongue in this particular model, which it turns out went over like McCain at the NAACP. We're going to put laces on these, and they're part of my gift package to my groomsies, but I'm really happy with the look. What may not come across in the picture is that the stripe around the sole is brown as well. We'll probably be wearing brown socks with these. Here they are with Shannon's shoes.


I'm really happy with this purchase, and Converse has been beyond fantastic. As if by destiny, I won some kind of sweepstakes and got a $70 Converse.com giftcard as my prize. I used that on their site, there were some issues with the order on their side, and I initially was only sent half of the needed shoes. But they handled the issue within 12-hours of me reporting it, and shipped the missing half of the order 2nd-day air at no extra charge. The "missing" shoes actually got here before the first half. But I really can't recommend Converse enough. They're a big company, but they clearly care about their customers, even the ones who happen to find the perfect shoes in the clearance section.

The suits are coming along really nicely, I just need one final size (which I'll be getting tomorrow, thanks Davey!) and Men's Wearhouse will be able to pull in the very few remaining suits (literally four left in the entire company in some needed sizes) for the wedding. You can check them out here. I included them in previous suit posts, but they're finally at the right price for this wedding. We are asking the groomsmen to buy the suits, but a rental costs about 60% of this price anyhow, and you actually get something to keep for the money. There are rental options available in brown, but they're kinda clunky tuxedoes, which is not my style or what I want for the wedding. We'll be wearing standard white Oxford shirts with neckties, orange for my brothers and I, purple for Ben and Justin. Additionally, and really above all else, they're really nice suits.

Other than that we've just got to pay the 50% deposit and signed contract for the ceremony venue by the end of the month and we're going to be in excellent shape. Then it's cake, registration, and invites. There's a draft of the invitation that's coming alone nicely, with contributions from both Shannon and myself, we just have to finalize some graphical elements and fonts and then tackle the text mountain that we're making out of the back. We're operating on a theme of a carnival/sideshow flier, with really whimsical text and typography, while still trying to be stylish and classy. I think you'll all like it quite a lot. I've even got a pipe dream for heat activated secret messages, but I probably shouldn't tempt fate by sending people important pieces of paper with elements they can only read with fire.

Oh, and I do need to update you on the aforementioned Rehearsal Dinner space. Short story is that we couldn't get The Matt. They'd already arranged a booking for that night, so it was heartbreakingly unavailable. But we found a secondary option that is going to cost us no money to rent and a comfortable amount for food and drink. More on that once negotiations complete.

small bits of wedding brain goo

Strangest. Title. Ever.

I have been making wedding headway. I do have things to blog about. I swear. I just...can't yet, for whatever reason. For example, we have met with a caterer and he has sent us an AMAZING menu, but we haven't signed the contract yet so I don't want to jinx it. We're working on invitation proofs, but I kinda want those to be a surprise for the guests (she says now...but will probably post them immediately after they are finished). Also, I WANT A DRESS FITTING. But the people at Jasmine Bridal are being slow as with sending my threads...or something.

So here are a couple of little wedding bits that aren't really post-worthy but can still be mentioned, just so I don't neglect and lose you all

1. Being engaged has made me much better at directions. Even though I'm in my mid-twenties, I still, on occasion, had to do the little "L = left" hand gesture to figure out my directions. I'm not stupid, it's just not something my brain wraps itself around. But now I'm like BAM! That direction is left. And there is no question. Because left now equals engagement ring finger. And right equals lack of diamonds.

2. When you are engaged you care about the STUPIDEST SHIT IN THE UNIVERSE. I'm not just talking about embossed napkins and ice sculptures. Any time any one mentions any thing that is wedding related, my ears perk up. And I will talk with people with whom I have nothing in common for hours about weddings. I want to talk to all the customers at the store about weddings. I want to ask all the married people I know about their wedding. And I want to see the pictures. It's ridiculous because it totally warps your entire mindset. It's like having children, only instead of a total lifestyle change and huge responsibility you're really only obsessing about one day. This is shallow, but I still love it. It worries me. It worries me all the time.

3. When I notice the expiration date on food or makeup or whatever, I always check to see if it expires before or after I am married.

4. Holy shit you guys, I'm getting married.

5. What worries me is paying for all this shit. I know it's going to be cool, I know we can all pull it off together, but sometimes I just get horrible stomach aches when I realize how much weddings cost.

6. I am so so so excited to actually be married. My wedding nightmares recently have revolved around us failing to get a marriage license, or being unable to do so, etc., so the wedding goes off without a hitch but we're not actually married. That is what I want. I want to be married...and I want to throw one kick-ass party to celebrate that fact.

7. This post has the most swearing of any hallowedding post ever. Also, very possibly, the most italics.

heartbreak

As the months tick by and the wedding gets closer, many of the planning elements of this wedding are done. Vendors are secured, decisions are made, stuff is ordered and set into place. Basically, the last few months before the wedding come down to execution and second guessing.

I waver a bit on my ability to execute plans but when it comes to second guessing myself I am becoming a stone cold expert.

Even though I have a very particular wedding aesthetic that I'm happily sticking to, I have second guessed pretty much every element of this wedding. Am I sure I want cupcakes? Are these bridesmaid dresses okay? Am I really getting married on Halloween?

These questions are silly, because I love the wedding I'm planning. It feels right to me. Sometimes I just get sidetracked by pretty pictures.

But there is a recent temptation that I just can not get out of my head, that has me questioning my own feelings alternatingly cursing fate for not finding it in time and kicking myself for even considering re-considering.

That is...my dress.

Don't get me wrong...I love my dress. I love it. It gave me all those mystical ooh-ahhhh feelings that they tell you about in the magazines. It makes me feel beautiful and skinny and sexy and the thought that soon I will be able to put it on in a fitting makes my heart beat a little faster. I tried on A LOT of dresses, and that was the only one to make me feel that way.
I. Love. That. Dress.
But sometimes, deep in my heart, I still have a longing for the short dresses.

I often talked about the short dresses, longed for the adorable designer options, and even tried on a few, but none the options available to me either weren't affordable or didn't feel right. I thought it wouldn't be, it couldn't be, and as much as I wanted to be able to see my shoes and sport a bright orange petticoat, I decided to give up the ghost and look at "regular" dresses. Luckily for me I was able to find a long dress that made me feel like a bride.

But then that goddamn Miss Shortcake, who lives to tease torment me with her fashion sense and good ideas, wrote a post today about Dolly Couture.
For the price of a mid-range David's Bridal gown, I could've had a ready to order adorable shortie dress, begging for a birdcage veil and a cute pair of shoes. This one is called the "Hastings on the Hudson" which is lacy perfection, but "Edmonton"....ohhhhhh edmonton......
HOW HARD COULD I HAVE ROCKED THIS DRESS?
It kinda sorta makes me want to cry.

I need to have a fitting for my actual dress soon. I think in the case of clothes, absense is making the heart grow distant, and all these pretty dresses are just a little too much temptation to stand.

bon voyage, mon joli fleurs

Today I'm preparing to send supplies to my AMAZING cousin who will be doing all our flowers for this wedding. She is incredibly crafty, and did the flowers for her own wedding and the weddings of her two sisters. She's also coming a week before the ceremony to help gut pumpkins and make cookies...but mostly to hang out with my mom, who is like her best friend. They're super cute together, just you wait.
So in a little while she'll be getting a big ol' box full of ribbon we bought with after season clearanceSome inspiration sheets I whipped up in photoshopExtra leaves, baby's breath, and feathers (just in case her area stores are missing some of the ingredients) and the rough draft of the bouquet that my mom, sis and I whipped up when I went home for Super Wedding Weekend, which is starting to look a little haggard after a few months of hanging out and being batted around by the cat:
I'm a little sad to see them go. I'm shocked to realize that I'm going to miss them.

"WAIT, did she just say she was sending flowers through the mail?
And that they had been around for months? But that would mean...they would have to be...she wouldn't use....FAKE FLOWERS?"
Okay, let's just get something out in the open.
Are you sitting down? Probably, since this is the internet and you are probably on a computer.
Okay: I am using fake flowers for my wedding.
(ooooh, gasp, gag, I know right?)
I am a big ol' faker, and I have no problem with this. I did not think it would be an issue but I guess this is a huge wedding faux pas. I have learned that this is "unacceptible" because it seems to be the only part of my wedding people are willing to argue with me about. There are some things, like our wedding date and our choice of menu, which people consider "non-traditional," but they usually just say something like "Ohh...that's interesting." They have never come out and told me I shouldn't do something.

But apparently something about fake flowers make even the most polite people feel the need to tell me that I will ruin my entire life if I don't drop some serious dime on fresh blooms. Well, most people don't go that far, but perhaps many of you may have made an involuntary scrunchy face at the very idea when you read it, and people have told me that they think it's a "huge mistake." Really? Having artificial flowers will somehow make my wedding less magical? How does that work?
The fact of the matter is, I don't care about flowers. Not really. I want pretty flowers to be a part of my wedding, sure, and I want a bouquet that will compliment my bodacious dress, but this is a wedding on a budget. If I spent the amount of money on flowers that is expected, I would have to leave folks off the guest list. Their presence is more important to me than something that will wilt and die by the end of the night. Also, as we have established, Greg and I are both awkward people and I would crush a living flower with my elbow, foot or butt looooong before reaching the ceremony location. I think I would regret that. I don't think I am able to regret renunculas, dahlias, and feathers in perfect wedding colors that will take most of the abuse that I will be giving out, and for less than I spend at target in a given week.And see how pretty? So pretty. And that's just me and my fam playing around in a craft store. Imagine what the magical hand of experience will be able to do.
So what do you think? Are you a little disgusted by plastic flowers? Are real flowers worth the price? Or do you agree that every once and a while it's okay to fake it?