Let the Planning begin...

We are just about 5½ months away from wedding day, which seems like really soon.

Last night we met with a friend who's boyfriend is a photographer, looked at a slideshow of wedding photos, talked deets and booked him. Well, I need to run him a deposit, but we're on!

Its exciting to feel like things are in motion, and relieving to check things off our list. And it puts us out $600. Knowing that bridal packages start around $1500, I am feeling lucky or what-have-you that we know someone who literally lives up the street, is professional, and is able to do the work for us at this price.

Really ~ we have a crew of friends that are coming together to make this wedding happen in our budget. And it feels like such a gift, cause, well, it pretty much is!


The photos below are of a wedding Ron shot this summer ~ I hope he doesn't mind my posting them!

The couple wed at the Historic Deepwood Estate in Salem Oregon ~

Photos by Ron Hope via my friend's facebook page.

I Won Filippa Scott Shoes!

The lovely ladies over at Pip Pip and All That hosted a fantastic 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway this month, to which I entered all 12 contests. And the last day, a pair of fabulous shoes from Filippa Scott's Luxe line......I won! A bit about her shoes....


"Filippa Luxe is the hot new range of limited edition bridal shoes. These beautiful styles are only available to a very select number of stockists in both the UK and the US. Only 50 pairs of each shoe are made every season and the styles change every year so you will have to be quick to own these amazing shoes.All are made from our signature duchesse satin fabric and beautifully crafted Swarovski crystal trims from Italy. They are also fully dyeable to fit in with any theme of wedding or party."

The above shoe is called Flora and retails in the US for $260 ~ it is made of duchess satin and Swarovski crystal.

Thanks Filippa and thanks Pip Pip!

Dreaming is Planning

I read this in my massage magazine...they were talking about your business plan, but I needed to read it because I go in waves of being completely obsessed with visioning our day followed by feelings of never wanting to look at another wedding photo set again! (This quickly turns back into the prior state-of-mind)

I know it will be over far too quickly, so dreaming and planning are like 85-95% of the fun of having a wedding!

What do I dream about? Oh.....where we will set up for the ceremony, whether we'll have chairs or bayles of hay or standing only, we are up top center, or if people will be circled around us (but then where does the wedding party stand?) whether the chairs will be plain ol' folding, or if we can spring for the NICE chairs to class things up a bit. Trust me, my back yard needs all the classing up it can get!

I wonder where the dance floor will be positioned and exactly how I can incorporate a fire-pit for an after party for lingering and out of town guests...after the kids are in bed we will join them while they wait out their buzz making smores and eating popcorn and red vines.

Should we have a tent? what would be under the tent? How do we have a family style reception dinner without an actual caterer. How badly I want to use real place settings but don't want to pay for them.

I could go on and on and on.....

We are officially a few days short of 6 months away! I read a great post on A Practical Wedding on how to have a lazy and cheap blog-worthy wedding. She had some great advice that I know will come in handy when I'm feeling completely overwhelmed and crying over something stupid.

key points were:

A great photographer will make your wedding look amazing
Marry someone you really love and want to be married too
Find a fabulous dress
Don't sweat the details or try to be super crafty especially if it isn't fun or isn't your thing

These are good. I still fret over not having a wedding planner and wonder if I should hire a day-of coordinator (how much are those?) Or if I have a friend/family member who not only can execute and maintain order, but also shares my vision for the day.

I know I will need to give over control on the actual day or I won't enjoy it.

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I had another bridal nightmare the other night. We were at our reception in a very dark/cementy/80's looking venue. My groom was not my groom (different skin/hair color, body, hair, age, everything - whoa) but the biggest problem was that none of his guests were at the wedding and all I could think was I was going to have to throw another wedding so that his friends could celebrate with us!

Geez, these stop don't they? Probably not.

~ cosabella lingerie giveaway ~

I almost titled this lingerie contest, but I think that would give off the wrong impression!

Go here to A Mountain Bride to enter to win! Such lovelies, girly, feminine, sexy in all sorts of loungy wear!

Second Wedding Nightmare

Last night's dream......

Dusk was approaching, guests were mingling, the air was warm, we were outdoors - where - I don't know, I was gorgeous in my cream dress and white floral headpiece......everyone was waiting for us but the groom was missing.
I wandered away towards the reception tables which were bare, and round, and the chairs were strewn about as if a windstorm had just come through. No lights were on in the house we were supposed to be getting ready in. I stepped in a door way, the rooms had a dim blue light cast on the walls from almost-dark sky, the groom was nowhere. hmmmmm

On a good note!

3 of the bridesmaid dresses have arrived! I haven't seen them yet, but hear they are perfect! Short, chocolate brown, with ruffles. And three flower girl dresses, which are better than we had expected, tan with pleats and a bow and a surprise layer of light pink tulle underneath! squeal!

My latest ideas:

From other blogs I found understated invitations tucked inside stiched up quilting fabric. In my colors. How much easier could it be? If only all my questions were answered so perfectly......

So many weddings have personal touches with vintage decor.....a milk-glass vase collector finally has a reason to show off her collection, or antique books stacked as centerpieces, cute succulents in ceramic pots crouching beneath stemware and next to gold-rimmed plates.
All of these things are fabulous, but none are within my reach.

And then a thought! My mom has collected a very colorful assortment of tins throughout her life, tea-tins, cookie-tins, baking soda and spice tins! She stopped a few years ago but all her tins are displayed above her kitched cabinets, bringing whimsy and interest to her house and collecting dust I'm sure.

but hey, wouldn't those be cute scattered down the center of the table? Maybe some could have flowers or candy or hold the haiku cards and pencils?

Our Courthouse Wedding

I wanted to blog our wedding more officially......

We're almost 2 months shy of our one year
anniversary. I must say, when we got married I wasn't thinking about anything other than getting to the court house on time and just keeping it together. I'm thankful that my mom took some photos. They capture the wintery Portland day that surrounded us. A light drift of snow covered the streets and grass.


But we were warm and cozy inside....

The judge spoke very quickly, perhaps because we were at least 30 minutes late, or perhaps that's just his style. Still, the words held meaning and it wasn't without emotion.






Afterward, in perfect pregnant craving style, we went for Reuben's and dessert at Roses Delicatessen on NW 23rd Ave.

Dreams, Dresses and Pumpkin Bread Pudding

This morning after running out of pancake batter I remembered my Pumpkin Bread Pudding in the fridge from a couple of days ago. I heated up the piece in the oven, then topped it with chocolate chips, powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup! It was quite delicious. I do plan on working out today, at least for 30 minutes.

But I needed that comforting hug-of-a-breakfast after having my first bridal nightmare. The day of the wedding had arrived much to my surprise, and everyone was gathered waiting for me to walk down the aisle. I was getting dressed and had no bra to wear, my slip was red and had straps (my dress is strapless) and I never bought shoes to wear! On top of that my maid of honor/best friend/caker maker/catering organizer had completely forgotten about my wedding and gone shopping! gasp! What a nightmare. I was crying, feeling like a failure, asking my mom how could we possibly push the wedding back a week with out-of-town guests?

Oh my. I never thought I would have anxiety creep in my sleep over my wedding. Really.

What its telling me, though, is that I better go bra and shoe shopping right away!!! Ha ha.

Save - The - Dates!

Some of you (probably all of my readers at this point) will be receiving a save-the-date card like this one, or a variation thereof. I'm all about free, cute, and clever ways to execute all the paper goods I'll be needing for the wedding and these were created at blyberg.net. If you go there you will become addicted quickly. Which I why I made a few of them and sent them out randomly.

Printable postcards: $25
Postage: .28 cents times (x)

Haiku

I recently spotted this lovely poetry form on a wedding blog featuring a sweet Portland couple.

The bride graciously emailed me the file that she and her husband created themselves! Thank you dearly Haylie, and picture props go to Rachel Thurston, based in Utah I believe. Who just posted some great pics of Portland from her trip up here.

So, family and friends, expect to see these forms on your table, and write me some damn good haiku!!

Dresses!

These are just a handful of dress options that I love.

As you can see I'm really into ruffles at the moment, which is nice because there happen to be ruffles everywhere! My dress even has lace ruffles on it.

The top row of dresses are Anthropologie and the bottom row are Jcrew.

Decor Part 1

I recently started saving our tin cans and glass jars instead of recyling them. I have months to store up potential wedding decor, but it makes me feel like I'm being productive every day, and saving money on table decorations. I love the rustic simple feel of the every day brought to a new use:

I love the the table layout here, the centerpieces are clean, quaint and functional ~ a bottle of wine at each table? Yes, I am going to do that! What a great idea. I think I'll have two. The chairs are made of fabric-covered logs. Aren't they adorable? We will be renting chairs.

I love this photo of multicolored flowers (aren't some of those ranunculus? I love ranunculus!) in different glass vases on a small wooded desk. Inspiration.

My dear friend Emily has given me all her red-ribbon wrapped vases and red painted votives to use at our wedding as well. Thank you emily!

We will definitely not be at a loss for pretty things!

Whew.....

I bought a dress. Yes, I did.
It very much gives me that feeling of "this is my dress."

Sure, there are gorgeous dresses out there, many I would never even consider trying on, and plenty I would love to wear but are two to twenty times my budget. After watching every episode of TLC's Say Yes to the Dress and browsing online thumbnails of wedding dresses I had narrowed down a few things I appreciated in a gown.

I recently found out about Brides Against Breast Cancer, a Making Memories organization that takes donated gowns from designers, bridal stores and brides and re-sells them. The profits go back to support the Breast Cancer Foundation, and dresses sold are at a very nice discount.

My mom and I and the girls got to the event held in an antique/christmas bazaar store right as it opened and began looking. After 20 or 30 minutes I had decided I wasn't going to find anything I was in to. But then I started looking at different sizes and came across a dress in ivory, ruffle and lace, with a sweetheart neckline and a slim cut and gasped a little bit. It fit perfectly, just a little too long, but easily hemmable. All it needs is a cute french bustle and a few rips in the lace repaired. It was a sample gown too, and just under my $500 dollar budget. I pondered a while but knew I couldn't let it get away. Besides, where and when am I really going to find a better dress in my budget? I just wasn't.

I tried on a $2200 dollar gown too, for fun. Mom loved it.

There was a sweet feeling of comraderie as the brides were all in a room together in our underwear trying on dresses and giving each other feedback

I can't find the dress online, and I don't really want to post a picture of me trying it on, so you'll have to wait.

Time to shop for a headpiece/veil/somethingorother!

Things I should be doing

I'm getting too excited and spending much time thinking about the decor of the day, whether to have seating cards, what the wedding party should wear, when Devin and I should start taking dance lessons......etc etc.

What I really need to work on is 1) our guest list 2) save-the-date cards and 3) finding an officiant 4) our ipod list. We will have a live band during the reception for a couple hours, but after they play, instead of hiring a dj, we're going to DIY with a mix of some good music to keep people dancing.

Why oh why am I not so excited about doing this? I'm afraid once I start delving into all the to-do work it will never end. I don't like long, tedious projects. I don't want any aspect of my wedding to feel tedious!

On a super positive note, we rented a CAT this weekend and ripped out bushes, shrubs, trees, roots, and odd-and-ends that were hiding amongst the foliage. It appears that we just sorta pushed our mess around the yard, but soon soon soon it will be beautiful!

This photo is about 5 months old, fence in initial stages, yard debris galore, and jill's garden in pots since the ground wasn't ready for them:


I don't have a pic to the left of this, of the yard area behind our house, but it is the absolute WORST!! Dirt about 18" higher than the rest of the yard and filled with tree stumps, weeds, an old metal pump that I think used to be part of a well, and some small tree-like bushes that were already ripped out once.
Getting started:

Making some headway! Laila was a big help....

I have one more "finished" photo on my phone but I couldn't send it to my email :P so whatever. We still have plenty of work to do before we really have a yard. But I now have my garden plot behind the house where we get the most sun, all I have to do now is grow a green thumb.

Cake Inspiration

I spied this cake in an issue of Portland Bride and Groom. Jocelyn from the Bakery Bar creates the cutest floral, lovebird and other unique cake designs.

I am lucky to have a baker as a best friend/bridesmaid and we've discussed doing a small 4 layer cake, alternating square and round, with a side (or two) of cupcakes! The cake will most likely be chocolate espresso stout and vanilla, with carrot cake cupcakes. Fillings, colors and design will be a last-minute detail as I change my mind constantly.

Cost of cake: ingredients, supplies, and kisses!

The Ceremony DURING the reception!?!

I just read a very intruiging idea: Have dinner first, then your ceremony.

This might actually work, especially at our place.

I'll ponder this awhile.....

Objections?

I love LOVE this!

This is so cute:



Depending on what style of dress I get, if this cute little shrug goes, I am getting it for sure. You can find it here made by local Portland designer Holly Stadler. Of course, all her stuff is sure to make a woman feel beautiful!

Things have been changing over the last year since our engagement and original date of Sept.5, 2009. That has come and gone my friends!

I am now in the inspiration and planning phase, which I better hussle on cause time is ticking and I need to be in the execution phase stat.

After looking into many many venues in Portland and the surrounding areas I came up with a handful of dreamy outdoor environments ~ some in vineyards with natural beauty galore and others in downtown buildings with rooftop patios and outdoor fireplaces.

So chic.

Unfortunately, rental prices and stipulations to use certain caterers forced us to cross these off our list. We have, once again, decided to host at our home.

This is not a Platimun Wedding folks! But endearing, personal and playful it will be.

Our Official Nuptuals

January 27, 2009

Yes....we are already married. BUT, we haven't had a formal wedding...yet.

Wedding #1:

I wanted to wear jeans and t-shirts to our 30-second courthouse wedding, but my mom bought me this darling little dress and sweater that fit over my six months pregnant belly.




It was a cold, rainy and snowy morning, we were half-way to the courthouse when we remembered our marriage license and had to drive home to get it! Our road conditions coupled with a hurried speed ended in a slight crash into the retaining wall lining our driveway. Oops.

Wedding #1, attended by our children, my parents and friends Jill and Emily, Devin's sister and friend Kip.Can't wait for wedding #2!!!

Should we be doing this? Of COURSE.

With three children and a house payment, throwing ourselves a wedding seems like the most self-indulgent thing to do right now, and yet so very necessary! I will share with you my giddy excitement as I'm overwhelmed with inspiration, as well as my nail-biting frenzy when things are ridiculously stressful.