Goodbye, March!

Under 150 days till I Do - Here's a recap from this month!

Sign Contract for DJ
Meet with 4 possible florists and decide on vendor - I met with 2: that counts!
Get timeline for day ironed out & pass information on to bridal party! (I started)
Decide on ceremony music and book musicians if applicable
Start planning rehearsal dinner
Pick top 5 invitations designs
Discuss linen options with hotel (I did discuss it, but didn't get the answers needed)
Confirm room block with hotel
Look into beauty/hair vendor options - I started looking, again, counting it
Look into transportation options
Pick out where to register
Get ideas for Minimoon vs. Honeymoon

and left over from Jan/Feb:
find those PINK SHOES! - i tried, really REALLY hard

and left over from ::gulp:: DECEMBER:
apply for Passports (no really... I want to get this done this month) - hmm, at this point, I don't think we are going to need these just yet. Taking it off the list till later!

And there were some things I didn't plan on doing this month that happened:
The MOM's picked out their dresses!
Dates/Plans for Wedding Showers came into place!
I decided on centerpieces and floral concepts!

Styling my Celebration: color palette

It occurred to me the other day that I have never really explained the basics of my reception. My vision, what mood I'm trying to portray, etc. Basically, what am I trying to accomplish with all this fussing and finding?

The short answer: a "Formal yet Fun" occasion that showcases our conventional, yet lighthearted and silly, selves.

"Formal but fun" is how I would describe my dress, and that's where it all started. I wanted a dress that was traditional and beautiful, yet something that had character. Then came the wedding colors. There are actually two version's of the wedding color story. The first is 100% true and the second, while still true, is a little less embarrassing. You see, I saw a picture of this tie when I was harmlessly browsing the knot.com many years back (come on ladies, we all have visited the knot plenty of times, sans engagement rings) It was love at first sight and started my obsession with Navy and Pink

top row, third image from the left

When I actually was in the position to think about my wedding colors (and have it not be part of a daydream) I knew pink would play some part and it's obvious partner in crime would be black. However, I was leery that pink and black could take on a rocker chic look rather quickly and that's when Navy came into the picture. A darker formal color like black, but something that was just a little bit "more" than your normal black. The pink and navy combo seemed to fit the formal but fun theme, all while embracing a preppy, clean, and lighthearted wit about itself!

Since the original "tie" picture, I've found many more Navy and Pink images that have made their way into my heart - check out some of these inspiration photos

pretty programs

fantasy table scape

hot pink/medium pink with navy combo

and so concludes the story of how my navy and pink "formal yet fun" wedding came to be.

InBites!

Excitedly I ordered a handful of sample invitation from a common online invite vendor last week! Trying to be good and get lots of stuff done this month (hence the lack of blogging, I'm actually getting off my computer and crossing things off the list). I was very happy when the big envelope came to my office today. I tore open the package and...

well...

and disappointment followed.

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but what was stuffed in the envelopes just wasn't it. The invitations themselves look very similar to what was promised on the website, and surprisingly, the invitations are a nice paper weight - not to flimsy and light. Here are my new acquisitions:

#1 - cute & fun
There are about 4 inside layers beyond just the blue frame. When you get down to the actual paper where the invite is printed its pretty small. It seems like a lot of paper is wasted just to get the effect!

#2 - fancy font
I love the fancy aspect of this - it's so formal and it SCREAMS wedding wedding wedding! The initial pretty much sells the whole thing. While the font is pretty, the invitation its self is very lack luster. It's just another piece of paper. I'm sure we could spice it up if we decide to do something like this (mmm, creativity already flowing) but it's rather unimpressive for the most part!

#3 - simple and Shiny

This was one KJ liked online, and out of the three, it made the best sample. The shiny boarder gives the paper more dimension than #2 without being as excessive as #1. Still, I think we can do better.

When I started thinking wedding (almost a year ago now) there were some areas I was willing to compromise in, invites being one of them. I've gotten quite a few beautiful invites that wind up coffee stained from sitting on the counter a week to long, or as Sadie's treat from falling off the fridge. I tried to put them in a scrapbook from weddings KJ and I have been to, but I haven't updated that scrapbook in awhile and it's just become this overflowing pile of paper. Needless to say, invites usually end up in the trash (sorry friends), and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I don't treat well.

I've definitely had expensive invite dreams....

...a la these beauties by Vera Wang

But at somewhere around $6/invite, I can't say anything even resembling a "Yes".

So, these three are just not what I had thought. I don't want anything extravagant, but I do want something that addresses our event in a fun yet formal matter, and puts off a good first impression for our guests. I'm back to the drawing board for invites... anyone have any recommendations?

Thinking ahead...

So I've become a fan of social stalking my wedding vendors - facebook, youtube, twitter, linked in - I'll find my vendors all over the Internet once I sign the contract. It's like "hey vendor, we've been on a few dates now, and I'm ready to take this relationship to the next level... can you confirm my friendship?" My stalking tendencies mostly come from the fact that photographers and dj's and wedding coordinators and graphic designers are so creative, there is always something new to look at and toss around the idea if you'd like to incorporate it into your own wedding. Maybe it's me wanting it to be spring, but I've really been into trees, leaves and nature lately. Invitations with leaves embossed into them have caught my attention this past week, and just yesterday I was flipping through a Bed, Bath & Beyond catalogue and saw this fantastic bedroom set in a green, brown and cream color combo with pretty leaves all over it. So, when I saw this image posted on photographer Steve Koo's fb page today my heart skipped a beat:


Giant tree - check, engaged couple - check, pretty background (bonus for getting the buildings in the background) - check, black and white - check! It's fantastic, check, check, check!!

I haven't actually got around to picking a day for our engagement pictures, but this has got me really excited for them. KJ and I have talked through a few ideas of where we would like to have our e-pics done (naperville riverwalkthird street geneva are two top contenders). One thing that I thought might be missing from either of these two places are those token "Chicago shots" where the couple is in front of buckingham fountain or walking with the city architecture in the back.

Then again, I see pictures like the one above, and I don't care where they are taken because wherever it is... they will be fabulous. What are your favorite e-pic photos: Are they the ones with a great background, or are they the ones of you and yours wrapped up in each other? If you could do it all over, what e-pic shots would you not want to miss out on?

miniMOON

So, it's pretty much decided that we will be postponing an official Honeymoon till a few months after the wedding so that we can save up a little money and make the trip one of the ages. While I am not a huge fan of this idea, I understand saving and being able to pay for the honeymoon so we don't go into debt. In exchange, I've set out a few guidelines to our postponed honeymoon including the stipulation that it must be taken no later than April 2011, must involve a spot with palm trees and a balmy sun, and preferably a location out of this country. Now, that being said, I'm not going to go through this whole planning ordeal without looking forward to some type of R&R after August 14th. The idea of taking a few day "minimoon" came across and it seemed like a good idea.

A few of the initial thoughts on locations include places accessible in a day's drive: Mackinaw Island, Door County, Nashville, and a staycation in Chicago. So I started looking into Mackinaw Island and Door County today, and I am sick to my stomach. All I've seen are family-friendly, floral wall paper, baby bunny decorated, old-fashion bed and breakfast type of places that are making me queasy!!! NOTHING about this says "romantic minimoon". No chic hotels, yummy trendy restaurants to experiment at, spa's to enjoy a couples massage, or sandy beach (sans mosquito's) beckoning me to lie upon my newly gifted Martha Stewart beach towels.

Now I know I'm not going to get tropical rum drinks on this minimoon, but "OH!" the disappointment and FEAR I'm feeling regarding this option when the list of room amenities includes items like "white picket fence room trim" and "ceiling fan"...

...rather than valet parking, plush bathrobes, flat screen tv, and luxourious linens.
I'm not a country girl, I don't like camping, bugs and lakes creep me out, majorly. While I enjoy escaping to places like this occasionally, this is totally NOT what I've envisioned for our minimoon. Needless to say, I'm not giving up my tropical paradise daydreams just yet. Mackinaw Island and Door County... I'm moving on. I'm going to look into Nashville next. While there isn't the beautiful coast that Lake Michigan provides, at least there are some "Luxury" hotel options (and after looking at what most of the options "up north" are, Hampton Inn looks luxury). Oh my goodness, wish me luck...

March Madness

The thought of making a wedding to-do bracket in honor of March Madness crossed my mind, but instead of taking the time to do that, I've put together a pretty extensive March list. I was looking at the next 2 months this morning and kind of freaked out about how much is going on through May. KJ is going to be going to Champaign a bunch, we will be down in Paris a few weekends, and work is getting really busy for me. Basically no free weekends for us till June. In addition, with the Spring Equinox just 2 short weeks away, I loose a valuable hour of wedding planning when we spring forward!

Oh boy... crack that wedding whip - this month needs to be a BIG one.

Sign Contract for DJ
Meet with 4 possible florists and decide on vendor
Get timeline for day ironed out & pass information on to bridal party!
Decide on ceremony music and book musicians if applicable
Start planning rehearsal dinner
Pick top 5 invitations designs
Discuss linen options with hotel
Confirm room block with hotel
Look into beauty/hair vendor options
Look into transportation options
Pick out where to register
Get ideas for Minimoon vs. Honeymoon

and left over from Jan/Feb:
find those PINK SHOES!

and left over from ::gulp:: DECEMBER:
apply for Passports (no really... I want to get this done this month)