Here's the original image, sorry I lost the link to the source :( I absolutely loved the last line!
Our invitation:
And our RSVP card!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wedding Invites
Hello! I must say, the most research in terms of hours I've done for this wedding so far goes to wedding invitation-related things. Once I decided to print my own invitations with Vistaprint, I basically only needed to provide the background image. The formatting and wording was all there...just fill in the personal info. I had it all ready to go...mouse hovering over the "submit order" button when I got distracted and started doing google searches for wedding inviation wording. By some kind of magic, I FINALLY stumbled on a site with an invitation that actually made me laugh. I sent it to my mom and her response ("That's perfect!!") was what helped me decide to use something very similar!
Here's the original image, sorry I lost the link to the source :( I absolutely loved the last line!
So, like I mentioned before...I designed our Save the Date magnets with a pretty image and wanted the invitations to match. The wording is basically the same, except for the RSVP part because I want cute RSVP cards that people fill out and send back to me! (Our theme is "Starry Night")
While I have all of these pictures at my fingertips...Here is the design for the save the date magnets:
I'm hoping to get some really funny responses with that and make a little book or something out of them! I just haven't decided yet whether to get them printed on post cards or print them myself on regular paper and include extra envelopes for them.
Here's the original image, sorry I lost the link to the source :( I absolutely loved the last line!
Wedding Planning Blur
It's been a while since I last posted and a comment on the blog (thank you!!) brought it back to my attention. I must have been insane to think I could do all of those goals WHILE planning a wedding! I totally skipped the goal for January and we're already this far into February and I haven't been working on this one either. I am, however, making huge strides in the wedding plans!
I decided that I was going to make my own stationary to try to save money. I made save the date magnets which turned out to be crazy easy (buy magnetic sheets, print your image, stick to the magnet, throw on a few layers of mod podge and you're done!) and I was planning on making my own invitations too but since I didn't want to deal with all that cutting and printing on thick paper I came up with my own design and ordered 60 of them from vistaprint. It's still considerably cheaper than traditional wedding invites. Those things are expensive! I've created another design for the RSVP cards and I may print them the same way.
Apparently David's Bridal does photography as well and when I heard that I could get an 8 hour package at a price comparable to other professional photographers and I could put it on my newly acquired David's Bridal credit card I nearly jumped at the opportunity. I did put a deposit down to hold the date and I've been on a small rollercoaster of feelings about it. The 4 albums I was shown as examples were basically terrible. They were plain and boring and looked like anybody could have picked up a digital camera and took photos to add to the albums. It really freaked me out so I looked through all of the albums that were not password protected and found a photographer I liked. ONE. Scary. I'm really hoping that when the time comes for them to assign a photographer to me they take into consideration the fact that I've basically screamed for a creative photographer :)
There was a bridal expo at the fairgrounds recently and I was introduced to an awesome caterer and baker. I went for a tasting with the baker and ended up loving the sample she brought and we put a deposit on a cake right then! We're going to have a 3 tier cake, the bottom and top will be lemon cake with a strawberry lemonade filling and the middle layer will be french vanilla cake with a banana cream filling. I know, I know, they don't go together but I love them both equally haha.
I still haven't nailed down a budget. My goal was $5000 but I think we might be spending closer to $7500 after all the stuff I've put on credit! All I'm hoping for is to get the things we care about...it doesn't all have to be perfect.
I've been thinking about honeymoons lately and I'm not even sure we can afford to take one immediately after the wedding. I've been bombarded with photos of tropical islands and romantic cities and the travel bug bit me HARD. So hard, that I'm not sure I'd be satisfied taking a short two night honeymoon somewhere close. I think I'll need to talk to our AAA travel agent! I'm itching to go to Belize and see some ancient ruins and be creeped out!
Anyway, I don't want to let the blog die! I'll work on posting at least once a week at the risk of the posts not being as useful as I hope. I'll also take a bunch of pictures of the stuff I've done so far!
I decided that I was going to make my own stationary to try to save money. I made save the date magnets which turned out to be crazy easy (buy magnetic sheets, print your image, stick to the magnet, throw on a few layers of mod podge and you're done!) and I was planning on making my own invitations too but since I didn't want to deal with all that cutting and printing on thick paper I came up with my own design and ordered 60 of them from vistaprint. It's still considerably cheaper than traditional wedding invites. Those things are expensive! I've created another design for the RSVP cards and I may print them the same way.
Apparently David's Bridal does photography as well and when I heard that I could get an 8 hour package at a price comparable to other professional photographers and I could put it on my newly acquired David's Bridal credit card I nearly jumped at the opportunity. I did put a deposit down to hold the date and I've been on a small rollercoaster of feelings about it. The 4 albums I was shown as examples were basically terrible. They were plain and boring and looked like anybody could have picked up a digital camera and took photos to add to the albums. It really freaked me out so I looked through all of the albums that were not password protected and found a photographer I liked. ONE. Scary. I'm really hoping that when the time comes for them to assign a photographer to me they take into consideration the fact that I've basically screamed for a creative photographer :)
There was a bridal expo at the fairgrounds recently and I was introduced to an awesome caterer and baker. I went for a tasting with the baker and ended up loving the sample she brought and we put a deposit on a cake right then! We're going to have a 3 tier cake, the bottom and top will be lemon cake with a strawberry lemonade filling and the middle layer will be french vanilla cake with a banana cream filling. I know, I know, they don't go together but I love them both equally haha.
I still haven't nailed down a budget. My goal was $5000 but I think we might be spending closer to $7500 after all the stuff I've put on credit! All I'm hoping for is to get the things we care about...it doesn't all have to be perfect.
I've been thinking about honeymoons lately and I'm not even sure we can afford to take one immediately after the wedding. I've been bombarded with photos of tropical islands and romantic cities and the travel bug bit me HARD. So hard, that I'm not sure I'd be satisfied taking a short two night honeymoon somewhere close. I think I'll need to talk to our AAA travel agent! I'm itching to go to Belize and see some ancient ruins and be creeped out!
Anyway, I don't want to let the blog die! I'll work on posting at least once a week at the risk of the posts not being as useful as I hope. I'll also take a bunch of pictures of the stuff I've done so far!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Wedding Planning: Dress Shopping
Well...So much for my calligraphy goal haha. This month has been consumed with wedding planning! I decided to move the wedding up a month based on weather patterns in my parents' town since we will be getting married in their back yard!
The new date is August 18th and this past weekend was a busy one! I'm so thankful for my sister and mom throughout all of this. They have been awesome to bounce ideas off of, kept me company through all of the vendor visits so far, and my sis gave me quite the fashion show of bridesmaid dresses! I think she's tried on over 15 dresses at David's Bridal recently.
I chose David's Bridal as my starting point because they have tons of dresses to choose from and if you find a winner, you can take it home with you that day! I was assigned to a consultant who was working with me and another bride (I happened to choose a busy Saturday to shop). My sister and mom were with me and the consultant gave us a quick tour of the store and left us in the dress aisles so she could go help her other bride for a few minutes.
The dresses are hanging in huge, see-through bags so you can kind of pull them out to see the detail. My sister pointed one out and I immediately loved it. The consultant came back to take it to a room for me and we found one other dress for me to try on that she took as well. When you're in the room, your consultant gives you a bra in your size and a slip. You put the slip on and put the bra against you so she can come in and fasten the back for you because the bra has the cups attached to a part that goes around your rib cage as well. There's probably a name for that but I have no idea haha. She fastened me up and told me to put my arms out like I was going to dive into the dress and slipped it over me and fastened the back.
The dress was already my exact size so that was thumbs up number one. I walked out and stepped up onto the platform and my mom started crying a little (thumbs up number two!) When I saw it I immediately loved it and everyone said my face lit up. (Winner!) It made me feel beautiful and it was flattering and I could have walked out right then only having tried that one on but I thought since it was a huge deal I should try on more.
My consultant helped me out of that one and into another. I really liked that one too but it didn't get nearly the same reaction. My consultant brought over two more that were similar to my taste but those were the same as the second. It's VERY fun trying on such beautiful flattering dresses by the way :).
My consultant then put me back into the first dress so that we could see it once more and she could try some accessories on me. She found a matching set of veil pieces and it looked amazing but for some reason I couldn't stomach paying $150 for a piece of lace that I was only going to wear once. I had no idea there were 3 parts to a veil and for anyone who has not shopped for a veil before...they're dang expensive! Just the one piece I'd probably be interested in was $150! My mom is pretty handy in the sewing dept so she's going to make one instead.
I can't remember what all of the pieces are called but there is a short part that starts at the top of the head or in front of where a pony tail/bun would be and falls behind you around armpit length, there is another one that hooks in underneath where the pony/bun would be and has varying lengths but this one is pretty long (they probably make them to be as long as your train if you wanted that but $$$!), and the last part is the duster? It's the part that covers your face. If I had to buy these I'd only get the short one that goes behind me but since mommy is making them it might be cute/romantic to have the one that covers the face also!
Something else to think about is you should buy the bra and slip with the dress because they help it look the way it was meant to and help your posture. That was an added expense I didn't expect. I did get approved for a $2500 line of credit with David's Bridal though so that REALLY helped. The dress was $450, the bra was $80 (I think) and the slip must have been somewhere around the same price as the bra.
David's Bridal also offers a photography service that you can pay for with your David's line of credit. That frees up a lot of cash to use for other parts of the wedding! I also wanted to pay for the bridesmaid dresses for the girls so those will be going on the card as well.
As a last note about David's Bridal...I read some bad reviews about it and went in a little worried about how my experience would be. SERIOUSLY Great service from these people!
The new date is August 18th and this past weekend was a busy one! I'm so thankful for my sister and mom throughout all of this. They have been awesome to bounce ideas off of, kept me company through all of the vendor visits so far, and my sis gave me quite the fashion show of bridesmaid dresses! I think she's tried on over 15 dresses at David's Bridal recently.
Here's what I learned while dress shopping last weekend!
I chose David's Bridal as my starting point because they have tons of dresses to choose from and if you find a winner, you can take it home with you that day! I was assigned to a consultant who was working with me and another bride (I happened to choose a busy Saturday to shop). My sister and mom were with me and the consultant gave us a quick tour of the store and left us in the dress aisles so she could go help her other bride for a few minutes.
The dresses are hanging in huge, see-through bags so you can kind of pull them out to see the detail. My sister pointed one out and I immediately loved it. The consultant came back to take it to a room for me and we found one other dress for me to try on that she took as well. When you're in the room, your consultant gives you a bra in your size and a slip. You put the slip on and put the bra against you so she can come in and fasten the back for you because the bra has the cups attached to a part that goes around your rib cage as well. There's probably a name for that but I have no idea haha. She fastened me up and told me to put my arms out like I was going to dive into the dress and slipped it over me and fastened the back.
The dress was already my exact size so that was thumbs up number one. I walked out and stepped up onto the platform and my mom started crying a little (thumbs up number two!) When I saw it I immediately loved it and everyone said my face lit up. (Winner!) It made me feel beautiful and it was flattering and I could have walked out right then only having tried that one on but I thought since it was a huge deal I should try on more.
My consultant helped me out of that one and into another. I really liked that one too but it didn't get nearly the same reaction. My consultant brought over two more that were similar to my taste but those were the same as the second. It's VERY fun trying on such beautiful flattering dresses by the way :).
My consultant then put me back into the first dress so that we could see it once more and she could try some accessories on me. She found a matching set of veil pieces and it looked amazing but for some reason I couldn't stomach paying $150 for a piece of lace that I was only going to wear once. I had no idea there were 3 parts to a veil and for anyone who has not shopped for a veil before...they're dang expensive! Just the one piece I'd probably be interested in was $150! My mom is pretty handy in the sewing dept so she's going to make one instead.
I can't remember what all of the pieces are called but there is a short part that starts at the top of the head or in front of where a pony tail/bun would be and falls behind you around armpit length, there is another one that hooks in underneath where the pony/bun would be and has varying lengths but this one is pretty long (they probably make them to be as long as your train if you wanted that but $$$!), and the last part is the duster? It's the part that covers your face. If I had to buy these I'd only get the short one that goes behind me but since mommy is making them it might be cute/romantic to have the one that covers the face also!
Something else to think about is you should buy the bra and slip with the dress because they help it look the way it was meant to and help your posture. That was an added expense I didn't expect. I did get approved for a $2500 line of credit with David's Bridal though so that REALLY helped. The dress was $450, the bra was $80 (I think) and the slip must have been somewhere around the same price as the bra.
(This is my dress! Not me in it...I need to work on my posture first haha)
David's Bridal also offers a photography service that you can pay for with your David's line of credit. That frees up a lot of cash to use for other parts of the wedding! I also wanted to pay for the bridesmaid dresses for the girls so those will be going on the card as well.
As a last note about David's Bridal...I read some bad reviews about it and went in a little worried about how my experience would be. SERIOUSLY Great service from these people!
- I made a last minute appointment on their busiest day of the week and was still treated to AMAZING service.
- Like I said, my consultant was helping me and another bride at the same time but did not ever rush me or run off without answering questions.
- She never left me unattended for long periods of time and she was really warm and friendly the whole time.
- The manager got all of my items together at the front desk for my consultant to help free up her time to finish the other bride's appointment and offered the line of credit application to me and I was approved within a matter of mintues.
- I decided against the veil and she didn't pressure me into buying it at all.
- They didn't have the particular slip I need for my skirt so it needed to be ordered and they provided me with a special receipt for that and an expected date for arrival.
- We decided to spend a few minutes looking for bridesmaid dresses while we were there and though our appointment was well over, they still provided us with a new dressing room.
- I've called the store a few times with questions and all of the employees that answer have been polite and helpful, even for a complicated question that took about 15 minutes to research and answer.
- My sister and I went in without an appointment to try on bridesmaid dresses and they immediately provided a dressing room and consultant for us (this was also on another busy saturday).
- I noticed another bride trying on the same dress I had bought and I pointed it out to my sis saying "I think that's the same dress" and as the manager and another consultant walked by and overheard, they both remembered me and confirmed it.
- One last thing...When you find the dress you love they bring out a cute bell with lace on it and you get to ring it. I heard a ring or two while we were there but had no idea what it was for before they brought that out for me. We got pictures of me in the dress with the bell and with my mom and sister. Such a cute little tradition :)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Cooking: Home-Mixed Yogurt
A while back, I got tired of hearing all the hype about greek yogurt and these sugar substitues, Stevia and Truvia so I decided to try some. Let me tell you...they are both nothing short of awesome.
This yogurt (Athenos brand) has 140 calories and a whopping 23 grams of protein per 1 cup. Not to mention, the only ingredient is milk! No MSG, high fructose corn syrup or any other weird chemicals. Here's the nutrition label:
On to the sugar. A lot of the fitness experts list recipes on their blogs and they usually include Stevia or Truvia instead of regular sugar. My grocery store only carried Stevia in little tea bag things so I picked the Truvia container that had what looked like normal sugar. This sweetener has 0 calories, smells almost as great as brown sugar or syrup in the container and is made by steeping dried stevia leaves in water, then purifying. It says right on the box that it's suitable for diabetics too! I've been using this to sweeten foods and there is NO bad after taste (like diet sodas, saccharin-yuck!) Nutrition label below:
I read somewhere to use a koolaid powder packet to flavor plain yogurt since it lets you control the sugar content so I bought some packets. I wanted to use frozen strawberries so I pulled out the strawberry koolaid packet and sprinkled a little into my yogurt. It made such a pretty pink color :) You'll have to flavor it to taste and since the packets have no sugar, stir in some Truvia with it. This is my result:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt - 70 calories (11.5 grams protein)
1/4 packet strawberry koolaid (unsweetened powder) - 0 calories
1 tsp Truvia sweetener - 0 calories (It's more potent than regular sugar so you use less!)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries - 25 calories (according to the bag)
Conclusion:
95 calories (awesome)
11.5 grams protein (more awesome)
3 times LESS sugar than a Yoplait yogurt and NO bad chemicals or processed ingredients :)
I read somewhere to use a koolaid powder packet to flavor plain yogurt since it lets you control the sugar content so I bought some packets. I wanted to use frozen strawberries so I pulled out the strawberry koolaid packet and sprinkled a little into my yogurt. It made such a pretty pink color :) You'll have to flavor it to taste and since the packets have no sugar, stir in some Truvia with it. This is my result:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt - 70 calories (11.5 grams protein)
1/4 packet strawberry koolaid (unsweetened powder) - 0 calories
1 tsp Truvia sweetener - 0 calories (It's more potent than regular sugar so you use less!)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries - 25 calories (according to the bag)
Conclusion:
95 calories (awesome)
11.5 grams protein (more awesome)
3 times LESS sugar than a Yoplait yogurt and NO bad chemicals or processed ingredients :)
Calligraphy: Time Flies!
I can't believe that we are already 9 days into this month! I've been doing post-holiday deep cleaning, new workouts, cooking low calorie meals, crafting a headboard, writing a short story, and planning for the wedding. Not to mention spending more hours than I should browsing Pinterest...I love that site. I've been seriously slacking on the Calligraphy practice since the month has been so busy but I'm planning on making and addressing my own Save the Date cards next month so I'm going to kick myself in the butt to get started.
SO...as I said earlier, I'm most interested in the "calligraffiti" style because I love the way the letters blend together like this:
I also wanted to get some practice in with some real calligraphy fonts and found a good page that has a few samples.
And finally, the following are a few font samples I found that would be pretty in every-day writing. I love all of the little "flourishes" in calligraphy.
So I have all of these fonts printed and I'm blocking out some time this afternoon to get that practice in. After the workout and healthy dinner of course :)
SO...as I said earlier, I'm most interested in the "calligraffiti" style because I love the way the letters blend together like this:
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Crafting: Headboard Design
I was recently invited to join the wonderful addictive world of Pinterest. It pretty much stole a good 4 hour block of my day yesterday! So many craft ideas, all loaded on to one easy to read page :)
Anyway, I thought I'd share a little more about my newest project (even though I should be working on calligraphy!! I will today...I think.) I found the top of an old table out in the desert at an abandoned house. I also found an awesome end table with all of the legs nearby but that project will have to wait. My goal for our trip into the middle of nowhere was to find something to make a headboard out of. Doors or shutters would have been awesome but I think the table I found will work nicely too. Here's a picture:
This is basically how I found it, I did remove a few scraps of old carpet that were attached for some reason. It still has some of the shiny finish on it and after trying to sand it by hand for a while I've realized I might need an electric sander for this. I also hope I can get that oily spot out!
I've been searching for cute quotes or sayings to paint on it. Pinterest is really helping me out there! I'm going for something about love and so far I like "Who would we be without each other's love", "Our love is a journey starting at forever, ending at never", and "Faith makes all things possible, Hope makes all things work, and Love makes all things beautiful". Soon as I get this thing sanded I can get the words on there. I'll post an update when it's finished :)
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