Progress on the DIY train

I am enjoying planning this wedding. Ok - sure sometimes I don't. But for the most part, I do. One of the most enjoyable aspects of throwing this big party has been unleashing my creative side. I don't think I am a terribly creative or crafty person, but I have my moments. I plan on making, or D.oing I.t mY.self, a few things to make this partee more personal and cost effective (hello budget anyone).

Luckily, I am one of the last of my buddies to get married, and have thus learned tons about the wedding biz. I decided that we would make our own invitations. Sounds a bit crazy, I know. But, the reality of it all is that we want to cut back on the amount of paper we use (for obvious reasons) and use recycled paper. I can't even begin to tell you how much "green" wedding invites cost. It seems as though that really bump that price up just for being able to say "environmentally friendly". Anyway, I don't really care for many cookie cutter invites, so why not make our own using recycled cardstock that we buy in bulk?

To do this, I bought a nifty little thing called a gocco. It is sort of like a table top screenprinter.


They no longer manufacture it in Japan and it is pretty hard to come by in the US. I found a used discontinued model from Japan on Ebay, and I just had to get it. Well, a few days ago, I whipped it out and got to work. It was fun, but also a learning experience. The machine and the process has some limitations (namely size-wise). Regardless, I am still very happy with the results. Here is a bit of the partial finished product:

You can see where I got stingy with ink.

I know with a little more practice I will be ready to tackle our invitations and be able to print them in lovely colors. I can't wait to get started on my next Gocco project!

I <3 etsy.com!

It is really easy to go overboard on purchasing the details for the wedding, especially when it comes to MY details. That is why I have come to love etsy.com, an ebay, if you will, of the craft world. About my details... I am pretty sure that I will wear a veil with my dress. Ralph isn't entirely happy about this probably because he thinks it will look something like this:
I personally like the veil that I tried on with my dress. I just hate the $150 price tag. But actually this post isn't supposed to be about the veil. It is supposed to be about what I will wear after the veil comes off. I want to have a some adornment in my hair to go along with the bodice of my dress. Luckily, I stumbled upon the store of the wonderful etsy seller smittenxoxo, and fell in love with her piece Orange and Berries: a silk ranunculus flower with feather accents

I love how much it really looks like a ranunculus flower - I actually have a few in a vase right now for comparison. However, as much as I love this, I know I will never wear it. I am not so bold in my everyday life. This is the beauty of etsy - I emailed Ms. Smitten and asked if she could make one in white/ivory/cream and leave the center as is (for my something blue/turquoise). A few days later, she sent me an email with this to confirm it was good:

It is exactly what I hoped for. So I got a custom made silk hairpiece for less than $30! How can you beat that? Beyond price, I love that I am going to wear something made by someone I could connect to, that wasn't made by a machine, or in a sweatshop. This was my first shopping experience with etsy, and I do not think it is my last, since I still have a veil and maybe a purse to buy. Oh and Ms. Smitten also sells garters and pillows, and veils oh my. Love this place!

Checks!!!!

My last post was on my slight compulsiveness to stay on track of those checklists. But we have done so much already, 3 months into planning, that I thought I would share:

1) We have got a venue and wedding date that we like (we did get scooped for ideal date), but that is ok.

2) We have a caterer and cake baker (ok they were included in the venue, but it still counts as 2 checks).

3) I have a dress that I am so in love with (ok not as much as my fiance or cat).

4) We have colors! Yep, we are going for pool blue, lime green, and ivory. No, we aren't having a pool blue-lime green-ivory wedding , but those colors will be in our centerpieces and invites. And with no bridal party, I don't have to make my girlfriends and family wear those colors, although it might be fun to do that to them too (go go bridezilla).

5) We have a guest list that makes us both happy.

6) We have witnesses/"the signers"

According to theknot, I have completed 42 checks, and have 184 to go. That means I have done 18.5% of the work in 19.8% of our engagement (yes I am a nerd). Damn, I totally thought I was well ahead of the game! It is amazing what a little bit of math can do for your self-confidence. Well, I am still trying to stay on the ball at the very least, as I am off to drag the fiance to get the rest of our very simple vases at 50% off.

Since this post has no pics, I thought I would share my bridal "inspiration"

Timeline schimeline

Any place you go to learn about weddings and wedding planning, you will find that there are helpful timelines to help the clueless (I mean most people, I assume, have never done this before). Each month or so, they give you a whole bunch of checklists of what to do. See what the website theknot tells me to do:

4/18/2008 - 5/18/2008
THIS MONTHS TO DOS

		Choose a color scheme, if you so desire, taking into account the decor of the rooms/areas you have reserved for your ceremony and reception.
		Start investigating any ethnic customs or cultural traditions you might want to incorporate into your ceremony or reception.
		Start auditioning reception bands or DJs.

Here is another one from the magazine Real Simple Weddings:
It is nice to have. The only problem we are having is that our schedules don't exactly mesh with these timelines. We travel apart and often, so scheduling is critical to our sanity. Put wedding planning on top of all that and you have a mess. Here how one of our conversations go:

Me: So how long do we have together before one of us leaves?
Him: Ummm 1.5 weeks, then I go to Costa Rica for 4 weeks and then I am back for 3 weeks and then go to Brazil for 3 weeks.
Me: And when you are in Costa Rica, I am in Belize for 4 weeks and then I am back for a week and then I go to Brazil for 2 weeks.
Him: So how long do we have together this summer - only 1 week?
Me: Yep - I guess we gotta go register then.

So for pretty much everything on those checklists we have to do quite far in advance. Otherwise, one of us (most likely me), has to make an executive decision. I am not too pleased about getting behind on these checklists, but it looks like it is going to happen, since there is no way I am auditioning DJs from CA. I only hope we start investigating traditions by May 15th:-)

Venue bashing

While researching venue locations I was shocked, SHOCKED, at what some of these places charge and what they give in return. One of the places I fell in love with was Fairchild Botanic Garden in South Miami. I became smitten with this place while taking one of my botanical courses, where I often had to tour the very large and grand garden. I often saw weddings being set up there. Even though I was single at the time, I envisioned my wedding there amongst the gorgeous meticulously cared for plants.


For about $7500 it can also be yours. Yes, that is right, it costs almost as much as my car did when I bought it 5 years ago. What, you may ask, does $7500 get you... 6 hours in the garden with 100 of your closest family and friends (beyond that is $20/person extra). That is it, no catering, linens, tables, chairs - nothing. Well, since I am on a budget, this place was simply out of the question.

Other exorbitant places include the lovely Vizcaya in Coconut Grove (over $12k), the Deering Estate (only about $5k) in South Miami. What is even more shocking is that these are all county Parks. Again, for these prices you get the pleasure of some of your friends to be there for a few hours. You still have to hire their security guards, use their over priced tent company, pay for janitorial services and additional permit fees, and follow their very strict rules. This is, of course in addition to all the food, rentals, and entertainment. Well, many people have that much dough to throw away. While touring the Deering Estate, I found out that they are booked solid every weekend (even in the nasty hurricane season).

For awhile I thought we weren't going to be able to afford an outside garden wedding in Miami. Thankfully, we did find a place that is much more affordable, without sacrificing too much. But more about that in a later post.

THE dress and how it came to be

So today I bought my dress! After visiting 8 stores (in 4 cites) and trying on countless dresses, I found it. I found it in the flagship store of Amy Kuschel in San Francisco. I had never heard of this designer before, but on my hunt for pre-owned wedding dresses, I found a pretty dress by her. Intrigued, I checked out her website only to find that dresses bought in her SF store are custom made for each bride, but don't carry a couture price tag. While browsing her site, I found a style that I loved almost as much as The Jillian from my last post. I had to wait 8 long days to get my appointment to try it on, but boy was it worth it.

Once there, I was treated very well, better than any store down Miracle Mile. And the actual store is situated below their pattern/dress making floor, which is very cool. I was put in about 8 dresses total. First, I put on the dress I picked out online and really loved it. I then proceeded to try on the other dresses. At this point, I know very quickly if a dress works or not on me. None of them were for me. I put on the first dress again and then I knew. How did I know? Well, it was just me. Not overly ornate (in terms of wedding dresses), with a touch of whimsy and old school glamour, all while being pretty darn modern. Plus it had the requisite bit of drama in the back. But the real "tell" was my physical reaction to it all. I felt nauseous and even faint while they took my measurements. I couldn't stop my hands from shaking! The funny thing is that last time I had that nervous nauseous feeling was when I first started dating Ralph. I felt so ill, I couldn't eat and lost about 10 pounds. So I feel that it is fitting that the gown I am going to marry him in gave me the same feeling that he gave me 10 years ago.

In the end, I am going to have The Hayworth custom made to my unique body. They took about 15 measurements so far. And after 5 or so fittings, I will have a dress resembling something like what is pictured below, but better (click on the images to make them bigger).....

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It looks like I am popping out of this. But for some reason, my consultant kept pulling the dress down - don't know why

So after all was said and done, I met up with Ralph, still all shaky, nauseous and faint. He thinks I am ridiculous, by the way, for having that sort of reaction. All the same, he took great care of me as we toured the city...

Not a bad day!

Playing Hooky!

Ok well, I had to get in to Bella Donna Bridal in Sacramento this week. I have so many other commitments this week and this weekend, that I had to go today. Bella Donna Bridal is the the only store near me that sells the beautiful Melissa Sweet gowns that I have been loving every time I look in a bridal magazine. I love her styles and the fabrics that she uses, but I so wish they weren't so expensive. Well, enough rambling and on to the pics....

The Liliana...

This pic doesn't do the train justice. It is gorgeous and very full. It is perhaps a bit too full for me and our wedding venue.


And the Jillian....

This one was surprisingly light! I was concerned about the popularity of this dress (a la the last dress in my previous post) and I was assured that haven't sold a single one.
Oh and of course it is the most expensive dress I have ever tried on in my life!

More dress fun-ness!

While I was in Miami, I contemplated another Nicole Miller dress. Unfortunately, the sample was a size 12. Now a size 12 in bridal gear, is usually equivalent to a size 8 in lets say Gap clothes (future brides: just don't pay attention to the size), however, at Nicole Miller a 12 is a 12. Needless to say, the dress literally fell off me.


Now I am not complaining, it is just that it is hard buying a $2k+ dress with only your imagination to help. That is the beauty of Nicole Miller. They are a boutique, so they can do what other bridal shops can't. My lovely saleswoman, called up the other 8 or so stores in the US and found a sample dress closer to my size. She had them overnight it to my house in CA. So, I had a little viewing soiree once it came.
The verdict - where is my waist and hips? And, I would have to cut off a quarter of the skirt (yes I am wearing 4 inch heels). I am so glad I didn't let my imagination run wild and order this dress. So, I shelled out $90 and sent it back. But before I did that, I kept that sucker on as long as I could and played good hostess to my friends and cat.


So in the end, I can say that I am immensely grateful for the customer service at Nicole Miller, but unfortunately this dress is made for a 5'8"+ woman. It is not for me.

Eye Candy!!!

So I found a venue (yes I should say "we", but I really did find it and research it) - more about that in another post. For now, I will chronicle my hunt for a dress.

While I was in Miami, I had to do a bit of shopping with my mom. It was fun, but I definitely had my game face on. Luckily we had no high pressure salespeople. Shocking!

(1) First stop - Nicole Miller

I love this dress, but have decided that I want a little more drama from behind.

(2) Next stop was Coral Gables Bridal where I found this very bridal Pronovias
As pretty as it is, it just isn't what I am looking for.

(3) So, once I was back in CA, I decided to do some shopping on my own at House of Fashion:

OK - I am totally not going to wear this. This is a great example of NOT listening to what others recommend and to not necessarily buy what you can pull off.

Here are two others that I like from this store:

This one fits me on my bottom half, but NOT on the top. So it looks pretty awkward. Although the pics don't demonstrate it well, I do have curves in this dress. I love the drama from behind!

I would replace this with one of my Grams' brooches.

Yes there are cups in there

This one I really liked. Unfortunately, my overworked saleslady didn't take good pictures. As it turns out, it is a really popular dress. So it is no longer an option. For the amount of money, I don't want to wear what so many other brides are wearing. Call me crazy, but I want to have a little bit of originality in my garb.

More soon, as I have appointments set for this weekend!