Chess + Coffee

My favorite wedding post

2010-11-07T05:02:00.000-05:00

More than two years after the wedding, the thing that stands out to me most among all of the small details (and posts about those things) was my bouquet. Learning that making bouquets is really easy was a big stress-reliever, and I was really proud of how everything turned out.

Not only was I pleased with how it turned out on that day, but I've since gone on to make bouquets for the weddings of both of my brothers. The time spent with each of my sister-in-laws the day before their weddings was truly special. And my bouquet making skills, as you can see, improved with each.

K wanted her bridesmaids to have very colorful bouquets, so we took all the flowers that looked good from the North Market and Whole Foods to come up with these:

I absolutely adored the bride's bouquet: hydrangea and calla lilies. Gorgeous!

R wanted garden roses and hypericum berries, and arranged via a mail order supplier to get all of the flowers she needed. These turned out the best yet.

Absolutely stunning.

Bouquets are an easy thing to spend a lot of money on, but you don't need to. And the alternatives can be pretty aesthetically pleasing, if I do say so myself.

2009 Weddings: Columbus

2010-02-20T11:16:00.009-05:00

Last year, Calvin and I attended 4 weddings of friends and family. I've been meaning to share the pictures for awhile, but only recently have had time.

First up: the wedding of my brother and his lovely wife.

My sister-in-law really liked the pictures that we took at Algebra, and also wanted to be able to sit down and get a bit to eat or drink before the reception started. Cue Jeni's.

For those of you not from Columbus, Ohio, Jeni's ice cream is the best. Now, I know a lot of people say that about their favorite ice cream place, but how many of those places have flavors like goat cheese with figs? Or wildberry lavender?

Anyways, the bridal party stopped in for some ice cream.

Clearly Calvin took this picture, as that's me in the lower right.

There was a slight mishap with a missing family heirloom earring...that was quickly found.

Two other bridesmaids waiting patiently

mmm....

ice cream....

My brother and sister-in-law have this one framed in their house

Waiting in the alley to go into the reception hall.

All pictures were taken by Calvin or I with a small, pocket-sized camera.

The wedding gift that changed our life

2009-09-11T09:12:00.005-04:00

We've been married for almost a year and a half. In that time, we've found a lot of uses for some of the items for which we registered. The plates, glasses, cups, flatware- use them every day. The pots and pans, most days in a week. The mixer, about once a week.

But none of those things really changed our life. We did just fine without them- our life isn't any different because we got them; prettier, perhaps, since everything matches, but it didn't change things.

There is one gift that we got, however, that has really changed the way we do things around our house. It wasn't on our registry, and was actually a shower gift.

How to Cook Everything

This is our go to cookbook, for just about everything. My mom's go to cookbook was McCall's, and we have a Joy of Cooking, but this is really the one that teaches you how to cook, in plain english, with items you already have in the cupboard.

Favorite recipes include ice cream (best Christmas present last year was the Kitchenaid mixer attachment), pizza dough (a doubled recipe makes enough for 3 pizza stone sized pizzas, and keeps in the freezer), and crackers. Yes, crackers. For really cheap (like, 20 cents cheap) and 15 minutes time, you can have amazing homemade crackers. They are Calvin's specialty, and he makes them all the time.

We've given the cookbook to every member of our families, and talk about it whenever cooking comes up. It is that fantastic. And who knew that a cookbook could change your life?

What was your most useful wedding gift? And what is your favorite cookbook?

How to pack the dance floor

2009-08-31T06:53:00.002-04:00

A couple of people asked on my last post about how the dance floor got so packed so quickly. I must say, the same thing happened at my younger brother's wedding this summer- and didn't happen at many of the other weddings we have attended. It seems that there are a couple of things that can make a difference.

1. The bride and groom must be happy.

If they are happy, it is much easier for everyone else to be happy.

2. The right music is crucial- and live music helps.

Of the three weddings we've attended with live music, 2 had tons of dancing. Of the DJ or ipod weddings, roughly 25% (2 of 8, I think) had a lot of dancing. Regardless of how the music is played, it should be music that everyone, from grandparents on down, should be able to tap their feet to. Our big band played standards from the 1930s, '40s and '50s; my brother and his wife had a funk band that played classics from the 1970s through today. But in each case, most people knew most of the songs.

3. A dance floor in the middle of the room helps.

All of the weddings that I've attended with a lot of dancing had the dance floor in the middle of the room, surrounded on three sides by tables, with the DJ or band on the 4th side. This makes it easier for people who are not dancing to be part of the dance floor, and if people stop to take a break, it is much easier for friends to get them back on the floor.

4. Booze is important.

'nuff said.

5. The bride and groom must be on the dance floor.

My mom asked me if we would go around from table to table at the reception. To her initial dismay, I said no- we were having a receiving line so we wouldn't need to do that. I said that I planned to be on the dance floor the entire night, and if people wanted to talk to me, they could dance with me. Whether it was the right thing to do or not, it worked.

Anyone have other tips to add about how to get the dance floor moving?

Dance Dance Dance

2009-08-23T16:41:00.010-04:00

There were two things that our photographer, Ken Blaze, said about our wedding that he had never seen before at a wedding.

1. The dance floor was immediately packed following my dance with my dad.

Some dear family friends

The best man and his then girlfriend, now fiancee - we're going to their wedding in Calcutta in October!

College friends

Flower girl and ring bearer

2. The longest conga line- it extended way beyond the dance floor

Led by my piano playing youngest brother. He was so proud that he got is bowtie tied- specifically so he could look awesome at the reception when he undid it.

During the band's first break, we took a couple of group shots of friends. I'd highly recommend doing this.

The "chicas", from high school. Quite a bit different than our prom picture, I believe.

The requisite college alumni picture. Which still needs to be sent to the alumni magazine.

The group shot I wish I'd gotten- of all of the friends/families from my church that I grew up with.
And then we boogied into the night.

One of my good friends from college. At the winter formal in school, we would swing dance to at least 1 song, and did the same at his wedding.

And there you have it- our wedding in a nutshell. My youngest brother danced with 19 women (his girlfriend was in South Africa), my other brother did shots of Zwack with my uncle, and friends kept saying how much fun our wedding was- which was our original goal. To throw one helluva party.

All photos courtesy (and copyright!) of the amazing Ken Blaze.
Recap
The beginning
Getting ready
First Glance
To the Chapel
I Do
Receiving Our Guests
A little time for us
Let the party begin!
Sneak Peak
Dinner and Dessert
After dinner

After dinner

2009-08-23T16:04:00.007-04:00

After dinner, it was....
....time for dancing! (Big surprise, I know. No way you guessed that one.)

My youngest brother, pianist extraordinaire, played the song for our first dance. Ben Fold's "The Luckiest", which may be a bit cliched- but is one of my brother's signature songs that he plays whenever he is around a piano.

Our dancing lessons really paid off.

It was so fantastic to have that time together on the dance floor.

Following our dance, I danced with my dad while the band played "Fly Me To the Moon".

This is my favorite picture ever of my dad and I.
My dad and I used to attend Girl Scout Father-Daughter dances when I was much younger- but both of us were more of the wallflower type than tearing it up on the dance floor. But the lessons that Calvin and I took, and my parents are still taking, really paid off.

The crowd really got into it as well.

Calvin's cousins and mom

Random people I don't know. Seriously- they are friends of Calvin's parents, and I have no idea who they are. And Calvin doesn't want to admit it, but he doesn't know who they are either.
At the end of the dance, I gave my dad a hug.

As did Calvin.

And then the party really got started!

All photos courtesy (and copyright!) of the amazing Ken Blaze.
Recap
The beginning
Getting ready
First Glance
To the Chapel
I Do
Receiving Our Guests
A little time for us
Let the party begin!
Sneak Peak
Dinner and Dessert

A little shower help....

2009-03-21T15:32:00.002-04:00

My mom and I are planning a bridal shower for my brother's fiancee. My own shower had a theme of "Around the Clock", where guests brought gifts that corresponded with something that I would be use at that time of the day.

But we're stuck on what to do as a theme for the shower. Her mother throws fabulous tea parties, so that is out. We're planning on having it on a Saturday afternoon in May.

So- what was the best themed shower that you have been to?

Surveying the Bridesmaids

2009-01-30T17:59:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know, long time no post. One of these days I really will get around to finishing my wedding recap...

Anyways, on to more practical wedding planning things! I'm a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding, and his lovely fiancee sent out an email earlier this week about appropriate attire.

An excerpt is as follows:

"I think I have talked to all of you about possibly getting dresses from jcew and it seemed like everyone liked the idea. So, I have created a survey to find out which styles and colors you all prefer. We do not have official wedding colors so things are pretty flexible...all we know is we want things to be colorful and summery! On the survey I choose the 4 colors that I liked the best initially...but feel free to comment on other colors if you like something else (I don't pretend to have good taste). I like the idea of having different styles in the same fabric so you can choose a dress according to what you will feel comfortable in. So here's the link to the survey...You will want to have the jcrew website opened while you are taking the survey so you can see what I'm talking about!"

Absolutely brilliant. The survey (created at SurveyMonkey) asked questions about fabric and color choices. Since J. Crew's short bridesmaid dresses range from $150 to $285, depending upon fabric style, she also asked about the affordability of the dresses.

Has anyone else created an online survey for any part of wedding planning?

dinner and dessert

2008-11-23T11:42:00.007-05:00

And then it was time for the guests to enter the ballroom!

We had only two toasts, both scheduled before dinner.

My dad went first...

(I was so happy!)

followed by the best man

A bit of man love.

After grace was said, it was time to dig in.

Vegetarian tastiness...

...and food for the carnivores

The entire ballroom

And then dessert was served. You may recall that instead of having wedding cake, we opted for rose creme brulee.

It was absolutely perfect for us to have a bit of time, enjoying ourselves, and not necessarily be the complete center of attention like the traditional cake cutting

Plus, there is no possibility of the dreaded cake smash

All photos courtesy (and copyright!) of the amazing Ken Blaze.
Recap
The beginning
Getting ready
First Glance
To the Chapel
I Do
Receiving Our Guests
A little time for us
Let the party begin!
Sneak Peak

Sneak peak

2008-11-18T18:25:00.001-05:00

Marisa Gindi, the utterly fabulous hotel coordinator, gave us a sneak peak of the ballroom before guests entered.

We were blown away.

At the entrance to the ballroom

Tall centerpiece

Closeup- all of the flowers were carnations

The menu was designed to match our invitations- this was before they were tucked into the napkins

Each table was named for a different Cleveland landmark. Calvin's dad took the photos for each location.

All photos courtesy (and copyright!) of the amazing Ken Blaze.
Recap
The beginning
Getting ready
First Glance
To the Chapel
I Do
Receiving Our Guests
A little time for us
Let the party begin!

Let the party begin!

2008-11-15T08:06:00.012-05:00

Thanks for all who commented on my last post- I will indeed continue with the recap :-)

After taking time for our pictures, we headed for the reception in time to catch cocktail hour. (When we arrived, though, I didn't head directly for the food. I first stopped in the bridal suite to change shoes into something that was more comfortable. For those looking for a comfortable option that isn't flip-flops, I highly recommend ballroom dancing shoes.)

The cocktail hour was held in the lobby area of the Renaissance Hotel's Gold Ballroom.

Scoping out the beverages...

As a fairly last minute decision in the planning process, we decided to hire a Rick Iacoboni for cocktail hour. The Renaissance wanted an obscene amount of money to set up the area for piped music (our original plan), so it was actually cheaper to hire Rick.

The ring bearer got some time in with his dad.

I got some time with my grad school friends

And Calvin caught up with a college friends and his wife. His wife is Dutch- hence the wedding present of wooden shoes.

My "adopted grandparents" - close family friends- looked on

Guests had the opportunity to sign our photo guestbook (Tip: Mpix books with linen paper pages have the perfect texture for guests to write in any type of ink.)

The placecards- I didn't even make it over to the table where they were located!

Around this point, the amazing Marisa Gindi (hotel wedding coordinator extraordinaire, and I do mean extraordinaire) let us take a sneak peak at the ballroom...

All photos courtesy (and copyright) of Ken Blaze.
Recap
The beginning
Getting ready
First Glance
To the Chapel
I Do
Receiving Our Guests
A little time for us

The secret life of...

2008-11-05T11:18:00.002-05:00

Following Penguin's example, I thought I'd share my own secret. (Not that it is much of a secret, if you've noticed my absence of posts.)

I'm completely, totally, 100% over weddings- planning, recapping, blogging. Don't get me wrong- our wedding turned out great, it was one of the most fun days of my life- but being married is so much better.

Writing picture-filled posts recapping the wedding takes time, and since I started working, time has been a precious commodity. And the recap posts that I have done have generated only a small amount of interest, which doesn't help my minimal motivation to post.

So there you have it- my not-so-secret secret. Please let me know if you are interested in seeing more wedding pics; if there is enough interest, I'll continue the recap.

A little time for us

2008-10-27T15:46:00.000-04:00

Early in the wedding planning, we knew that we wanted to take some time in between the ceremony and the reception just for us. I don't generally like being the center of attention, and it was important for both of us to get a bit of a break and have a little time just for us.

First stop was a tea house on Murray Hill that we would visit when we were just friends.

And some chess- since that was how we initially got together. No, that's not a beer- I opted for iced tea.

Shortly after we arrived, my best friend and maid-of-honor appeared. She'd been planning on going to get mocha at our favorite coffee shop, but at the last minute decided that tea was what she really wanted. I hadn't mentioned anything about our plans to hit up Algebra- but there we were, and there she was.

Competition was fierce...

...and ended in a stalemate.

After the game, we ended up with about 45 minutes before the reception, so we headed to a Cleveland landmark- the West Side Market.

Before going into the market, Calvin bustled my dress

Produce

Meat- not just any meat, mind you, but Hungarian meat.

People clapped and cheered when we walked by

View from the balcony...

that was inhabited by a homeless looking President of the Association for Magyar Awareness. He was emphatically NOT Hungarian.

All photos courtesy (and copyright) of Ken Blaze.
Recap
The beginning
Getting ready
First Glance
To the Chapel
I Do
Receiving Our Guests

Receiving our guests

2008-10-25T10:19:00.000-04:00

We're finally settled into our New York digs, which means that it is time for the wedding recap to begin again. Who knew working a real job (that involves a lot of travel!) would be so crazy?

We made it to the end of the church, and proceeded to kiss some more.

Calvin was greeted as another brother by my youngest brother. (In a bit of homage to family, my brother is wearing my late grandfather's cufflinks.)

My parents were so happy

Calvin's 93 year old grandfather was able to attend

I don't think that anyone was happier than him.

Surprise!

Instead of using bubbles or birdseed, we bought about 200 pinwheels for our send-off.

The soloist in our ceremony helped pass out the pinwheels

The weather held up, so we were able to have our receiving line outside.
Hugs all around

Close up of the pinwheel

The wind was crazy that day

Pinwheel send-off

Our super-sweet ride

All photos courtesy (and copyright) of the amazing Ken Blaze
Previously on the Dahlia wedding recap:
The beginning
Getting ready
First Glance
To the Chapel
I Do

The recap will recommence

2008-07-15T14:23:00.003-04:00

As soon as we're done moving!

Image found here.

That's right, next week Calvin and I are moving to NYC! It's been quite a whirlwind since he received the job offer on Friday, but I promise once we have relocated to the east coast, I will post about our reception as well as the surprises we had in store for our guests.

In the meantime, anyone have any tips for surviving an inter-state move?

I Do

2008-07-04T07:15:00.014-04:00

And then it was time for the ceremony.

First the moms:

Calvin's parents

My mom, escorted by my brothers

The bridal party:

Youngest brother Dahlia and Sister-in-law

Younger brother Dahlia and future sister-in-law

Maid of honor and best man- our two best friends in the world

Calvin is calm, cool and collected

The flower girl and ring bearer are getting ready to go

Walking down the aisle

Walking with my dad. Note that I'm looking around, instead of straight ahead. I was so taken by all of the friends and family that had joined us that I forgot to look at Calvin until I was pretty much all the way down the aisle.

Almost there...

The scene from the balcony

Lovely bridesmaids

The best man kept a hand on the ring bearer, who really was carrying our wedding bands.

Listening to the brief message from the minister

Vow action shot

Another vow action shot

After the exchange of rings

The congregation

We knew from the beginning that we wanted the service to be a worship service, which for us included offering communion to the church. At the minister's suggestion, we assisted in the serving, and asked my mother (who just graduated from seminary!) to also serve communion.

And then....

The kiss.

Shall we go?

We're married!

In the "privacy" of the back of the church...

We had to kiss a little more

Previously on the Dahlia wedding recap:
The beginning
Getting ready
First Glance
To the Chapel

*All pictures courtesy of the fabulous Ken Blaze.

To the chapel

2008-07-01T08:09:00.010-04:00

Calvin and I arrived at the church a bit behind schedule.

(The original plan was to be at the church by 1:30, but we didn't get there until just before 2. The ceremony was to begin at 3.)

And then it was time for the family photos. Neither of us are big on the posed pictures, so this only took about 15 minutes for the 5 different shots that that we wanted.

Calvin's immediately family.

Calvin's extended family.

My immediate family- note that I'm 6' in heels, and I'm still among the shortest in my family.

My extended family. (Minus my two uncles and an aunt, who missed the message. I didn't really care.)

All of our extended family.

Amazingly, by the end of the posed pictures, we were actually right on schedule- it was only 2:15. (You can take care of all the posed family pictures in 15 minutes!)

Tip: Know exactly what posed pictures you want, and make sure everyone knows what time they will be taken.

At this point, the ladies all headed down to the "bride's dressing room", also known as a ridiculously huge women's restroom.

It was a bit nostalgic for me, since it was in this room that I would get ready for various plays/pageants/Christmas tableaus I was in when I was a kid and teen.

A little touch-up

A little pizza. The flower girl very politely asked me if she could have some pizza, and I said it was no problem, so long as she was willing to wear some sort of bib over her white dress.

(Note that in the background, I am sitting down and my red shoes are off.)

Pizza.

The ring-bearer wanted in on the pizza as well.

Meanwhile, the guys were in the minister's office.

Until they heard from someone* that there was pizza downstairs

They wanted in on the action

Brother and sister

A little pep talk

Getting ready to go

Final prep, and then it's showtime!

Previously on the Dahlia wedding recap:
The beginning
Getting ready
First Glance

*pizza tip and all pictures courtesy of Ken Blaze.

The first glance

2008-06-30T15:04:00.008-04:00

The beginning
Getting ready

The plan was that Calvin would come up to the bridal suite at 12:45, where we would have 15 minutes or so to be alone together (and check each other out in our wedding finest.)

Truth be told, I was running a little bit late. About 2 minutes late, which isn't too bad for a bride on her wedding day.

Calvin, on the other hand, was running much further behind.

On the phone, trying to figure out what was going on.

Tip: If you're planning on having the guys wear self-tie bow-ties, it's a really good idea to have some pre-tied ones for backup, even if the groom can perfectly tie a bow-tie on a normal day at home.

Once Calvin assured me that he would be there in 5-10 minutes, I double-checked that everything was in order.

Turns out my youngest brother was in one of the bathrooms finishing getting dressed.

I told him that he looked absolutely fabulous

and then sent him on his way.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Calvin was extraordinarily relieved to see me. (I'd never seen him so stressed out in my life. I thought I was supposed to be the one who was crazed, but that day, I was as cool as a cucumber.) Our time together went something like this:

Kiss.

Shut the door.

Kiss.

Begin exchanging gifts.

Calvin loved the scrapbook I made.

Kiss.

The only time I cried the whole day was reading the letter Calvin wrote me.

Time to go!

Kiss.

Wait for the valet.

One last kiss.

To the church! (in our '02 VW Passat Wagon.)

All pictures copyright of the amazing Ken Blaze.

Getting ready

2008-06-26T09:55:00.009-04:00

After the hair and makeup, we were slightly behind schedule upon return to the hotel. My fabulous youngest brother had gotten myself and the other ladies sandwiches, and my mom and a dear friend (from Germany!) were waiting for us in the bridal suite. My original thought had been to eat lunch together, but people grabbed their lunch to go, and my mom went to make sure that my she and my dad would also have something to eat.

So I got a chance to eat, and Ken took some pictures.

Yes, that is me, eating a sandwich.

Tip: Hanging your dress in the window is often the only place in the room that will enable you to keep the train from dragging. It's why everyone has the dress in the window shot.

The goods: my purse, the shoes, jewelry and the perfume Calvin gave me at Christmas.

And then it was time to get dressed:

The hardest part was trying to figure out how to get the dress off the hanger.

Tip: Spanx rock. Hard. And if you are planning on having this part of the day documented on film, I recommend being totally comfortable walking around in your undergarments.

Ken had told me that sometimes it takes brides all of 2 minutes to get dress, and other times it takes an hour.

Me? I was of the 2 minute variety.

Step...

Pull up...

Zip...

Tape... (yes, I did use fashion tape to make sure my dress wouldn't fall down)

And I'm dressed

My mom helped with my great-great-aunt's necklace. (Note the hair beginning to fall out. This is MY fault, in that I couldn't wait until after the wedding to chop my hair, and was insistent that I get a french twist.)

Putting in the matching earrings that we got converted to work for pierced ears.

Putting on the shoes. My mom helped me get in and out of my shoes for every dress fitting.

All set and ready to go, with a little bit of time to chat.

Saying good-bye to my mom

Checking myself out one last time before meeting Calvin...

All pictures are copyright of Ken Blaze.

The beginning...

2008-06-24T09:26:00.009-04:00

The night before the wedding, I stayed in the bridal suite (which the fabulous hotel coordinator, Marisa Gindi, upgraded me to.) Not wanting to spend the night totally by myself, I asked my youngest brother if he wanted to crash on the pullout sofa.

Tip: if you are looking for a place to get ready in downtown Cleveland, I highly recommend the bridal suites at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. The suite was easily bigger than our 750 sq. ft. apartment, and the bathroom? Let's just say that you could very easily have a dance party for 20 in it. It was amazing.

The day began at the very pleasant hour of around 7:30am. Hair and makeup wasn't scheduled until 10:45, so I took my time getting ready and enjoyed a bit of room service breakfast.

Tip: If you are staying at a hotel the night before the wedding, order room service for breakfast.

My brother headed out around 9 or so to meet the guys for breakfast and I just relished in the fact that I was getting married. Being someone who needs her space, it was really good to have the morning to myself.

At 10:15, I called my bridesmaids, and asked if they could join my in the bridal suite, so that we would be ready to go at 10:30 for our appointments.
Tip: It's a good idea to double check verbally that everyone knows when things are happening.

The appointments were at Studio Palmieri, conveniently located just a few blocks from the hotel. When we arrived at 10:40, our amazing photographer, Ken Blaze, was waiting for us.

Entering the salon. I chose to wear one of my favorite shirts, which I've borrowed from my mom (and which she wore to her rehearsal dinner nearly 27 years ago.) Along with my favorite jeans. And these:

My favorite Birkentocks were a necessity.

Waiting for our appointments

The ladies were called for their appointments first

Best friend (and maid of honor!)

Brother's fiancee

Calvin's sister

And then it was my turn. The look I was going for was a french twist...

Which meant that my fine hair was teased. Really teased.

So I was reading Marie Claire magazine, and happened upon these pictures of Tina Fey- which turned out to be pretty much exactly what I wanted to do with my hair. I pointed out the picture to Dena, and she was able to do exactly what I wanted.

Perfect.

And then it was time for makeup- not only does Dena do amazing hair, but she does absolutely fabulous makeup.

Tip: If you have a favorite lip gloss or lipstick, use it on your wedding day

One last coat of hairspray...

A final check of the hair...

Taking care of the bill...

And we were good to go.

All photographs are copyrighted by Ken Blaze

Wedding recap...

2008-06-23T09:30:00.007-04:00

is about to commence. Yes, dear readers, the technological issues have been resolved, and it is now time for full recap of the day.*

But you need to answer a question. What do you want to hear about first?

Getting ready:

Checking each other out for the first time:

The ceremony:

The details:

Reception silliness:

-or-

All the secret surprises I'd been unable to blog about before the wedding:

(I'll be sure to cover everything, but I want to know what you are most eager to hear about.)

*Please note- all pictures are copyrighted by the amazing Ken Blaze.

Bridesmaid Gifts

2008-06-18T12:32:00.000-04:00

I couldn't blog about it before the wedding (since I know that some of the ladies in the bridal party read this), but I wanted to share what I did to thank the lovely ladies who stood up with me.

Borrowing heavily from Mrs. Onion, I got a couple of small items for each woman, put together nicely and these awesome storage containers from Ikea.

Each box contained one of the following:

1 pair of earrings from Dasha Boutique, with each pair selected specifically for the lady.

1 Threadless t-shirt, again a different one for each lady, based on their own interests.
1 cosmetic bag from J. Crew
and

1 soap in a jar from Etsy seller dennisanderson, each a different scent. (I'd highly recommend ordering from Dennis- the soaps smelled absolutely amazing, and turnaround time on the order was really fast.)

Each of the lovely women seemed to really like their gift, and appreciate the thought that went into selecting personalized gifts.

What are you giving to your attendants?

Sundae time!

2008-06-17T12:06:00.006-04:00

A friend of mine who was unable to make it to the wedding came by this past weekend to check out the wedding pictures* and see how her wedding gift works in action. (For those of you thinking about a shower or wedding present for friends- this ice cream scoop is awesome, and is definitely in our top 5 list of most used wedding presents.)

In preparation for the visit, Calvin and I headed out to get some ice cream, and I whipped up a little hot fudge sauce. Because nothing is better than ice cream and hot fudge.

Image available here.

It also got me thinking about how easy it would be to have sundaes for an engagement or bridal shower. This would work especially tasty, kid-friendly and alcohol free party alternative. Different types of ice cream, different toppings, whipped cream- how could anyone not have a good time?

To get the party started, I present to you the best hot fudge recipe:

Dahlia's Hot Fudge
3/4 c. cocoa powder (high quality cocoa makes a difference)
1 c. sugar in the raw (or white sugar, if you prefer)
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Combine cocoa, sugar and salt in a small saucepan until well mixed. Add milk and butter and stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Continue stirring (constantly) until the sugar dissolves- do not let the mixture boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Store in a jar in the fridge.

As a note- the fudge sauce will be very thick when cold. (Some might say it's the perfect consistency for dipping a spoon into...) To make it easy to pour, just heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. The fudge should keep for 2-3 months in the fridge (but it always manages to disappear within a week or so around here.)

*A note about the wedding pictures- I have the proofs from the wedding. I'm having some technical difficulties getting the pictures uploaded on to my computer, but as soon as I do that, the wedding recap will be on its way.

Gender roles in marriage

2008-06-13T13:35:00.001-04:00

I read this article in the New York Times with great interest, as family and gender is an issue about which I am rather passionate.

Much of what the article touches on is the inequity in the amount of house work two fully employed partners do at home. The results discussed in the article suggest that when both a husband and a wife are employed full time, women still end up spending twice as much time as men on housework. (For same sex couples, this disparity does not exist). It then goes into some of the implications about why that is the case, and it really got me thinking.

Calvin and I try and split things 50/50 as much as possible. But my job (full time grad student, part time instructor) is a lot more flexible than his job is (8-5 in IT). This is especially true in the summer, when I work as a research assistant and am working on my own research- I can pretty much work whenever I want to, so long as it all gets done.

As a result of this flexibility, I end up being the one who takes care of a lot of stuff around the house. Granted, when it is the last 6 weeks of a term, Calvin pretty much takes over all of the household chores (cooking, cleaning and laundry), but that's only 3 months out of the year. The rest of the time, I tend to do more of the cooking and the cleaning- because I'd rather do dishes when he's at work and spend time with him when he's at home than have him wash the dishes when he's home.

Down the line, though, this set pattern could be problematic. We've talked about raising a family, and have decided that if we could afford to have one parent stay home, it would be Calvin. But I'm not sure how well that would work out, since we sometimes have different views of what it means for a chore to be completed. (Case in point: laundry. Calvin "does laundry" and leaves it in the dryer downstairs. I "do laundry" and makes sure to bring it upstairs, and do my best to fold it and put it away in a timely manner.) The whole Calvin staying at home idea was also based on the assumption that I would, after grad school, have greater earning power than him (and we'll see if that actually happens.)

Both of us really want the division of labor to be equitable (and we are continually saying "thank you" when the other person takes care of one of the chores), but sometimes it doesn't really feel that way. But I feel like I don't have much of a right to complain about it, as I don't really have any suggestions for how to make it "equal."

How do you divide the labor in your household? If you could change it, how would you?

Another honeymoon highlight

2008-06-12T13:07:00.005-04:00

A Balinese cooking class! Calvin and I, being the foodies that we are, were really excited to take a cooking class while on our honeymoon.

We had heard about a couple of places to go, and ended up at Bumi Bali for a 5 hour cooking class, which included a tour of the Ubud Market.

The market:

Entering the market

Heading to the lower level where most of the food is sold

Everything is carried or stored in these baskets

Lots of different types of peppers!

Surprisingly, a lot of the produce is imported from other parts of Indonesia (or the world.)

After a tour of the market, we headed back to the restaurant for our cooking class, where we learned to make seven different dishes.

Calvin mixing together vegetables

Tuna sambal matah

mixing up the meat for sate lillit

A recipe for shrimp from the instructor's mother.

The food was really good- and we received a cookbook of all of the different recipes we cooked (as well as many others to try.)

Is anyone else taking a cooking class on their honeymoon?

Visiting the Monkey Forest, or Watch a Monkey Climb on Calvin's Head

2008-06-06T14:44:00.010-04:00

One of the highlights of our honeymoon was a trip (two, actually, because it was that much fun) to the Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali. For 1,500 rupiahs (about $1.60 or s0), you can enter the park. Another 2,000-3,000 rupiahs will get you a bunch of 15-20 bananas to feed the monkeys.

And that's where the fun begins.

We got caught in a rainstorm, and took shelter right outside of this temple.

Waiting for the rain to let up.

Snack time!

Meg feeds the monkeys

Monkeys climb on Calvin

Monkeys climb on Meg

As we were leaving, we noticed a mother feeding her baby, so we had to stop and take some pictures.

If you ever find yourself in Bali, I highly recommend a trip to the Sacred Monkey Forest.

Making Bouquets Is Really Easy, or It's Damn Near Impossible to Make Flowers Look Bad

2008-06-05T07:51:00.009-04:00

By popular demand (and at the special request of soontobemrsc, ambrosia and wondermart, who is making her bouquet this weekend), I present to you the making of the bouquets. (For you monkey lovers, tomorrow's post will be filled with pictures and video of the Monkey Forest.)

Around 8:45am on Friday, the day before the wedding, I headed out with a carload of helpers in search of flowers. I could have contacted a distributor (or at least the manager of Trader Joe's and Costco) about ordering specific flowers, but that required a little more coordination than I was able to handle in the month before the wedding. Besides, it seemed like it would be a lot more fun to not know exactly what flowers I would get. My only requirements were red flowers for the bridesmaids, and white/cream flowers for me. In my ideal world, I would be able to include stock and hydrangeas, which are my two favorite flowers.

The first stop was Cleveland's West Side Market. Disappointingly, there was only one flower vendor at the market that morning. Fortunately, the vendor had an abundance of red and white flowers in large quantities. There we gathered together about $70 worth of mums, tulips, stock(!) and assorted other appropriately colored flowers. Having cleaned out the stand, I was still looking for a little bit more variety for my bouquet.

From there we headed back across town to Trader Joe's. (Both the market and TJ's are within 20 minutes of my parents' house. In opposite directions. Which meant we spent well over an hour just driving to get the flowers.) Another $50 or so (which includes money spent picking up a small number of groceries and flowers for my mom, as well as hydrangeas(!)), we proceeded to check out. When I very gleefully told the cashier that these were the flowers for my bridal bouquet, he talked with one of the other associates who then came bounding over with a dozen hot pick roses for me, as a congratulations from the store. (It was a thoughtful gesture, although hot pink is not a color I especially like, nor am I a big fan of roses.)

Once back home, the group (which at this point consisted of my maid of honor, her boyfriend, and me) set about to unwrapping the bouquets and pulling the leaves off of the flowers.

Note the lone dozen hot pink roses in the background.
The rest of the flowers

Following what seemed to work well when I gave it a try back in April, I started to arrange the bouquets. (Much thanks to Autumn who gave me instructions on how to use floral tape. Tape turned out to be much easier than wire.) When they flowers were arranged, I wrapped and secured ribbon around each of the bouquets (for mine, I used fabric that matched my dress.) I then trimmed the stems so that they were even, and set each bouquet in a mason jar with about an inch of water. (The mason jars were my mom's storage suggestion. They worked absolutely perfectly.)

As we got done a little bit later than I had anticipated (mostly because we got off to a later start than planned), I didn't take any pictures of the completed bouquets that day.

But I do have some non-pro pics of the bouquets in action at the wedding:

The bouquets, with me and the flower girl.

Note the stock pot used to transport the bouquets in their mason jars.

Some last minute arranging. Turns out the tulips in the bouquets each grew about an inch overnight, making the bouquets look a bit like aliens.

Bridesmaid and flower girl bouquets in action

Up close and personal with my bouquet (that's my youngest brother's hands in the background)

Would I do it again? Absolutely. I really enjoyed arranging the flowers, and didn't really find it very stressful at all. And it's really hard to make flowers look bad, since they are pretty to begin with. Bouquets were not a high priority for me at all, and since I wasn't seeking perfection (if you are, I highly recommend going with a florist), it didn't really bother me that a very small number of flowers in the bouquet looked slightly wilted the day of the wedding.

Total costs (in time and dollars):
Time: 4.75 hours (2.25 for purchasing; 2.5 for prepping/arranging)
Total money spent on flowers and supplies for 5 bouquets: about $110

Lessons Learned:
-It was really helpful to have other people stripping off the leaves.
-If we had used roses, it would have taken substantially longer to prepare and arrange the flowers as they would have needed to be dethorned.
-Tulips, while beautiful, will grow quite a bit overnight. This can leave your bouquet looking like it has alien antennas.
-Assuming you are after "good enough" and not "perfection", plan to allot about a half hour per bouquet. Perfection will take substantially longer.
-Spider mums photograph somewhat strangely.
-The best workspace is a large table or counter
-Have a compost or garbage bag ready for all of the leaves and stems
-Mason jars make great storage vases for the bouquets.
-Some flowers will break when you are prepping/arranging them, so it is best to generously estimate how many flowers you need.

We're back!

2008-06-04T08:23:00.006-04:00

The obligatory wedding self-portrait.

And very happily married!

The pro pictures are supposed to arrive next week, but until then, I'd like to find out what you, dear readers, are most eager to hear about. Your options:

A. Honeymoon details, with post titles in including "Visiting the Monkey Forest, or Watch a Monkey Climb on Calvin's Head" and "Learning to Catch a Wave, or Calvin Totally Schools Meg When It Comes To Surfing"
B. Remaining DIY details, with post titles including "The Programs are Done, or How Not to Get a Paper Cut When You Fold 600 pieces of Paper" and "Making Bouquets Is Really Easy, or It's Damn Near Impossible to Make Flowers Look Bad"
C. All of the above
D. None of the above

I'm so happy to be back, and can hardly wait to share everything with you!

Miss Dahlia, signing off

2008-05-16T07:52:00.002-04:00

Things get a little bit crazy just before a wedding. (I was actually surprised by this- I guess I thought all of the "things will be so busy" wouldn't happen to me. Well, it did. Things get busy.)

So with the wedding tomorrow, this is Miss Dahlia signing off. Thank you so much for all of your support throughout this wedding process, and when I return from Bali, I'll give the full wedding recap. Now, though, it's time to by the flowers for my bouquet.

matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match

2008-05-13T08:14:00.003-04:00

Last night we were double checking the seating chart, making sure that everyone is seated appropriately (i.e. non-drinkers are not located next to the bar, crazy relatives are separated, that sort of thing.) Reflecting on it as we were lying in bed, we started thinking about which "singles" we could possibly pair up. (It actually reminded me of high school sleepovers.)

No, we're not doing a singles table, as most people naturally fall into a particular group (high school friends, college friends, grad school friends) of people. But Calvin's got this friend from high school, and I've got this friend from college, and well, it seems like they would just be perfect for each other.

I know that this sort of meddling typically doesn't work out very well, but it is so tempting.

Anyone else playing matchmaker at their wedding? (And if you met your special someone at a wedding, please share!)

ride wit me*

2008-05-12T07:42:00.005-04:00

No limo for us on our wedding day.** Nope, we're saving a couple of bucks, and using my dad's sweet ride.

My Dad's PT Cruiser Convertible, as seen by Google Street View.

If the weather cooperates (although today's forecast say showers), we'll head out with the roof down.

Image found here.

What is your getaway car? (And if you want to use a PT Cruiser, and happen to live in Australia, you can actually rent a PT Cruiser for your wedding here.)

*My apologies to Nelly
**My limo experience was permanently scarred by a rather unfortunate prom experience, where we had a padiddle limo, where the stereo didn't work, the air conditioning didn't work, it smelled a bit like cigarette smoke, and the windows would roll down but not up. In it were myself and 4 friends, along with our dates. 2 of the dates ended up putting their heads out the window and barking like a dog at passing cars.

Down came the rain...

2008-05-09T08:22:00.008-04:00

Good News: There is just over a week until our wedding, which means we are clear into 10-day forecast range.

Bad News:

Thankfully, our ceremony and reception are indoors, but I was still hoping to take some pictures around Cleveland's Little Italy. Can't you just imagine the great shots we could get?

From here.

From here.

If it's pouring down rain, I think that walking around town will be a no-go, since I really don't want to trash my dress before the reception. But if it's just drizzling, or a little damp, I think we we could do it, so long as we have a giant umbrella.

What are you doing in case it rains on your wedding day? (And anyone have a suggestion for a giant umbrella?)

Crazy dreams

2008-05-08T07:09:00.003-04:00

Taking the advice of many in yesterday's post, I decided to head to bed early last night. I'm not sure whether it was the exhaustion, the cold or the cold medicine, but I had a crazy dream last night.

It was a Sunday morning, which in my dream was the morning of our wedding. Only I didn't realize this immediately. I went to church, was chatting with people and what not, and started driving to my parents' house around 11:30am. Driving over there, I realized that I had totally and completely missed my hair and makeup appointments, and started freaking out because I was supposed to be at the hotel getting ready so that we could leave at 1pm for the church. I called the hair salon, but the person I spoke to said that they had wondered what happened to me, and that since they closed at 12pm, there was nothing they could do to help. I started panicking, but no one seemed to quite understand why I was so stressed out.

Then the dream ended. And I realized that there was no way that I was going to forget my hair appointment the morning of the wedding.

What crazy wedding dreams have you had?

getting cold feet....

2008-05-07T12:38:00.003-04:00

And arms. And throat. And nose.

Yes, it's attack of the killer cold from Michigan. Sore throat, coughing, congestion, runny nose, the works.

Image found here.

Getting sick was not part of The Plan. And while I'm grateful that I'm getting sick this week, and not next week, it took Calvin over a week to get over his cold, and I'm getting married in, oh, 11 days. And there is still quite a bit to do.

So. What is your best, fast working cold remedy?

Honeymoon Destinations

2008-05-06T11:47:00.004-04:00

Just a note to regular readers: this is a guest post I'm doing for Bridal Guide, so some of this you may have seen before. But I don't think anyone will mind looking at pictures of gorgeous exotic locales.

Planning a honeymoon has been one of the most fun parts of wedding planning. It's not every day (or at least, it's not my every day) that you get to plan a two week trip to an amazing destination. Given that importance of this vacation (it is our honeymoon, after all), we spent quite a bit of time scouring the globe for the actual perfect location.

Our criteria:
-ability to stay in smaller, boutique type places
-good food/wine
-city and beach/pool/lazing around time
-if possible, private outdoor swim area

Turns out, there are a large number of places, all over the globe, that meet these requirements.

First place we checked out: Mexico. Specifically Amuleto.

High up on the cliffs overlooking Zihuatanejo Bay, Amuleto seemed like the perfect place to get a away from it all and relish in being married. With solid tripadvisor ratings, it seemed perfect. Pricey, at about $400 USD/night, not counting tax and gratuity, but it looks perfect. Consider one of the main suites:

Complete with hammock

And private plunge pool!

And for a bit more, you could stay in the Palapa suite, which has a unique indoor/outdoor feel to it. Like living in the rainforest with luxury accommodations.

Just check out the shower!

Absolutely gorgeous. Seriously. And while this remains on our (well, my) list of places to go, we ended up vetoing it, since my fiance was not really digging Mexico, and we're headed there next year for the wedding of a friend.

So, no Mexico. We moved our search across the Atlantic, and though of Spain. So many people (my brother included) have said that Barcelona is amazing.

And you can rent out really nice apartments for way cheaper than you would get in a comparable hotel. Check it out here.

Just a sample of what is available:
Studio apartment in Las Ramblas for 120 euros, or roughly $160.

Nice kitchen

very chic bath

and your own private terrace!

And if we wanted beach time, there is always the Canary Islands.

The above pictures are from the Hotel Palm Beach, which has the modern, design styled rooms shown below. This place has decent tripadvisor ratings.

Or if you want something more traditional, consider the Hotel San Roque, also with good tripadvisor reviews.

The regular room.

Or splurge on the tower room.

Complete with its own terrace

that has views of the ocean.

But after some discussion, we decided that Spain was not the place for us- partly because we wanted some of the amenities offered at a hotel, like fresh linens and room service- and partly because my fiance had his heart set on another location.

Picture is from National Geographic.

Greece.

And we both fell in love with one place in particular- Ikies. Nestled on the outskirts of Oia, Ikies offered private outdoor jacuzzis, breakfast on your own private terrace, and the nearly impossible perfect 5 rating on tripadvisor.

Check it out.

A view of the property.

Isn't that terrace amazing?

The rooms aren't to shabby either.

Look at how beautiful it is at dusk!

Only trick was, while Greece is new to my fiance, I have been to the Greek islands before. Although it was while I was backpacking through college, and was only on Santorini briefly because we missed our ferry stop in Ios (think MTV spring break, only with Aussies instead of Americans), I still wasn't settled on going someplace I had been before. Besides, we wanted city! And I am not a big fan of Athens. And somehow, to me, Greece just doesn't sound too exotic.

So what if we went to Istanbul as well? Turkey sounds exotic. And we could stay at MiSafir Suites, a place that has (say it with me now) amazing tripadvisor ratings. Just look at it:

That way I could get my passport stamped in a new country as well.

Like all the places thus discussed, there was just one trick. This time, it was that there is no good way to get from Santorini to Istanbul. Flights must go through Athens, and there are two airlines available: Olympic and Turkish. Flights are expensive, and it seemed difficult justifying spending $800 to go to someplace mostly because I wanted to go to someplace new. But what if we just went to Turkey?

Then we could split our time between Istanbul and Cappadoccia.

Last two images found here.

Cappadoccia has a significant history; it was both the home to ancient Hittite civilization, and the underground tunnels were used by early Christians to avoid persecution. The Goreme Open-Air Museum contains many ancient churches, and the underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu are also places to visit. Perhaps the most popular thing for tourists is to take a hot air balloon ride at sunrise.

Image found here.

Now, there are also many fabulous places to stay in the area:

Sacred House has good tripadvisor ratings; prices range from $130-170/night.

Gamarisu also has excellent tripadvisor ratings; rooms range from $95-$700, with most $200 or less.

So we could spend time in Istanbul, and some in Cappadoccia. We could also travel to Bodrum or another locations along the coast for the requisite beach time.

However, as we were planning our trip, the cost of airline tickets to Turkey kept increasing. And the value of the dollar kept declining. For not much more than the cost of our plane tickets to Turkey, we could fly to Asia.

We had already nixed India (my fiance has been there) and Thailand (May is the rainy season). We had talked about Japan, but it would eliminate the whole being cheaper once you get there, and it would definitely be more of a see-as-much-as-you-can sort of vacation than a relaxing one with some sightseeing. So we settled on the following location:
And then we finally settled on our place:

Bali. (And Singapore- since we get a free stopover with Singapore Airways, and want some big city fun.)

Image from Wikimedia

Image from Saptatours

Image from Younan's blog

I've never been to Asia. My fiance spent three weeks in India with his best friend (his best man) and his family. On the way there and back, they spent some time in Bangkok. But he has never been to other parts of Asia, and really wants to go. (As do I!) And Bali seems to provide the best of all of the places we considered: good food, beach, culture, someplace new, and the possibility of a big city adventure.

We're spending 4 nights at the Elysian Bali Villas. Located in Seminyak, it is near (but not on) the beach, and close to lots of restaurants and more upscale tourist attractions. (In other words, it's not near the college backpacking crowd. Which is good. I did the whole drunken college student thing for a couple of days in Ios, Greece, and that was plenty for me. For life.)

Bedroom looks good...

Complete with our own private pool!

I think I could handle this living room....

We will then be spending 4 nights in Ubud (cultural mecca) in the center of the island, at the Komaneka Resort.

Check out that view!

Overlooking the rice paddies!

In case we tire of the staring at the rice paddies and decide to venture out in the world, there is a lot to do.

Like go to the Sacred Monkey Forest.

Who doesn't want to see monkeys?

And after we leave Ubud, we are headed to Singapore for 4 nights, staying at the Fairmount Singapore (formerly Raffles the Plaza).

The room- pic from tripadvisor.com

The view (every room comes with a balcony!) - pic from tripadvisor.com

Needless to say, both of us are psyched for this trip. Seriously. You might even say that I'm more excited about the honeymoon than I am about the wedding.

Where are you going on your honeymoon?

About that travel...

2008-05-05T08:38:00.002-04:00

One of the items on my checklist that I took care of this weekend was registering our honeymoon travels with the US State Department. Although I've never registered my travels before, since we are headed to Indonesia, I thought it might be a good idea to do it this time.

Basically, you just provide the State Department with your contact information when you are traveling, so that if there were some emergency, they would be able to contact you. And it's really easy, since you can do it online. Took about 5 minutes or so, and now I know that if something awful should happen, it'll be a little bit easier for the government to find me.

Has anyone else registered their travel with the State Department?

Tracking down the RSVPs

2008-05-02T13:45:00.003-04:00

The due date guest responses to our wedding was May 1 (which, as you all probably know, was yesterday). We received 2 more responses in the mail today, which I'll consider on time, since they were postmarked April 30.

Anyways, we have 7 outstanding invitations remaining that are for a total of 17 people. (Yes, this includes a family of 5, where the mother is a reader, the father is our videographer and one of the daughters is our soloist. We know they're coming, but don't know whether they want vegetarian or chicken.) Still, that isn't too shabby, given that we sent out 121 invitations to invite 227 people. That's a response rate of 94%, which is pretty darn good.

Now begins the task of calling those who did not RSVP, and finding out what their intentions are- hopefully, it'll be taken care of by the end of the weekend.

How many of your guests have you had to track down after the RSVP deadline?

No conflict

2008-05-01T11:34:00.005-04:00

Awhile back, Mrs. Tomato mentioned Brilliant Earth in her post about conflict-free diamonds. I wanted to share my brother's experience working with them on his fiancee's engagement ring.

As both of them are laid-back individuals heavily interested (and involved) in sustainable development and social justice, my brother didn't want to involve himself with DeBeers. However, he also knew that DeBeers or not, her wanted to get his lovely fiancee a diamond engagement ring.

After a bit of internet searching, he came across Brilliant Earth, and quickly settled on this ring:

White Gold Halo from Brilliant Earth

Less than 2 weeks later, it arrived at his friend's apartment (my brother knew there was no way it could be delivered to their apartment, as his fiancee gets home from work before him), and a couple of weeks after that, they were engaged.

He's thrilled with the ring, she's thrilled with the ring, and their both happy that it was purchased from a company that provides diamonds ethically.

What are your thoughts about conflict-free jewelry?

Honeymoon help

2008-04-30T10:33:00.000-04:00

I've talked quite a bit about our honeymoon, and now that it's coming close, I realized there are some things that I need to figure out.

Like what to pack. As we are traveling with carry-ons only (since spending a month backpacking in Europe, I have a hard time packing more than just a carry-on), space is pretty limited. I thought I'd share my packing list for other people traveling to warm climates who hope to pack light, as well as open it up to any suggestions for items that I have forgotten.

Clothes (including what I will wear on the plane):
2 knit dresses
1 pair shorts
1 pair pants
2 short sleeved shirts
1 cardigan or long sleeved shirt
birkenstocks
sneakers
socks
underwear
3 swimsuits
1 pashmina
rain jacket
(I plan on buying some nicer sandals once we're in Bali.)

Toiletries/makeup:
sunscreen*
bug repellent*
after sun lotion*
toothpaste*
facewash*
toothbrush
razor
deodorant
mascara*
lip gloss*
contacts
contact solution*
glasses

First aid kit:
neosporen*
band-aids
rifaxamin (for traveler's diarrhea)
malarone (for malaria prevention)
personal medications
pepto-bismal chewable tablets
immodium AD
advil
purel*

Important documents:
passport
plane ticket confirmations
doctor's note about prescription meds
1 bank card
2 credit cards
$100 bills (number TBD; supposedly you get the best exchange rate in Bali if you have 100s)

Misc.
money belt
2-3 paperback books
2 travel guides
Ipod
sunglasses

*means that it is a liquid, and therefore must go in a 1 qt bag. I've figured out how much contact solution I'll need (2 small bottles), and Calvin and I will split the load as far as the remaining liquids go.

Anyone have any recommendations for things to add to the list?

shhhhh...it's a secret

2008-04-29T07:26:00.002-04:00

In the process of blogging about the wedding, it turns out that quite a number of guests have started reading the blog. (Hi everyone- I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!) As a result, there are a handful of things that I'm super excited about but can't yet post about, as it will ruin some of the surprise. (Fear not- I will blog about everything in full detail after the wedding.)

I know I'm not the only one who has some things being kept on the down low, but assuming Weddingbee is primarily trafficked by brides to be (and not interested guests), I think it's safe to ask the following question.

What secret surprises do you have planned for your wedding?

Veils by Occansey Designs

2008-04-28T09:14:00.000-04:00

With the recommendations from a post a bit back for ways to get both my schoolwork and wedding stuff done, I took up the main suggestion to delegate.

First thing to delegate- my veil. I'd originally not wanted a veil, and then thought about a long veil, and then a shorter veil, then a longer veil, then a really short veil. Obviously, this indecisiveness needed to stop. I'd planned to make my own veil (why pay $200 for a veil when Joann Fabrics sells tulle for $1.99/yard?), but decided to scrap that.

After a quick google search, I came across Occansey Designs. Basically, they make veils completely custom- length, width, embellishments- everything. And after a quick price comparison of other online veil shops, I noticed that their prices are extremely competitive.

So what did I do? I thought about the types of veils I'd tried on that I liked.

"angel" cut veils

"cascading" cut veils

And of course, I thought about the length of the veil. At my last dress fitting, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked short veils. So I went ahead and ordered my short, angel cut veil.

It has arrived, and is absolutely perfect. (No pictures, since Calvin reads the blog.)

Where did you get your veil?

The next big thing

2008-04-25T10:18:00.002-04:00

Although our wedding is looming ever closer, Calvin and I have found that instead of being preoccupied with the remaining details (like finalizing the song for the soloist, or putting together the program, or anyone of a number of things left to be taken care of), we are focusing on life after the wedding. And not just the honeymoon- although I do find myself daydreaming about it quite a bit.

No, it's the rest of life after the wedding, when we don't have to spend our evenings calling vendors and running wedding errands. Life that might include a house with a yard, and a dog (which Calvin really wants. Me, I'm ambivalent about it- except I don't want a dog that sheds much. Nor one that is too big. Anyone want to suggest a favorite breed?) And walks after dinner, perhaps to get ice cream.

Basically, as cliched as it is, both of us are looking forward to settling down a bit.

What are you looking forward to after the wedding?

DIY gone wrong

2008-04-24T08:28:00.003-04:00

It turns out that no matter how careful you are, there are some things that just don't turn out as you imagined. Like my headpiece.

I had been planning to cover it with silk to match my dress, and had thought that I would pleat it, so it would look like the waistband.

Now, I'm not the world's best seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm pretty good at figuring out how to do what I want. I got to work, measuring, cutting, pleating, and then came time to pin the fabric to the cap to make sure I was positioning it properly. I then tried it on, and it ended up looking like the illegitimate child of the two caps below:

banded nurse cap

round eastern covering

Whoops. Not exactly the look I was going for. After talking with my mom, I decided to scrap the headpiece altogether, and figure out something else for my head.

What DIY projects have gone wrong for you?

The worst part of the honeymoon...

2008-04-23T15:47:00.004-04:00

is the shots I have to get before hand.

Image found here.

Yes, travel to Bali requires several vaccinations- and not just the run of the mill Hepatitis B and Tetanus. No, I was loaded up with a grand total of four (4!) vaccinations just to be able to safely travel. Plus a prescription for two different medicines (one for malaria, the other for traveler's diarrhea.) How did I find out about what vaccinations I needed? The handy Center for Disease Control's website, which has all of the handy information that I need.

Luckily for me, I don't actually mind getting shots (not that it's my favorite thing in the world, but there are a lot of other things that are a whole lot worse), so it wasn't too bad.

Anyone else need to get vaccinations for the honeymoon?

Big news!

2008-04-21T11:05:00.005-04:00

This weekend, Calvin and I took a surprise trip to St. Louis. Well, the trip wasn't a surprise to us, or my parents, or my brothers. Nope, it was a surprise for someone very special:

My now future sister in law, seated next to my brother/her future husband!

Yes, on Friday, my brother proposed to his long-time girlfriend, and had all of the family come to St. Louis to surprise her after the proposal. We went to this wonderful restaurant, where my brother had told her he had made reservations to celebrate their engagement. When they arrived, we were all seated with champagne waiting.

It was absolutely amazing.

I had to check out the ring- my brother did a good job.

My now engaged brother asking our other brother to be his best man.

The families

I'm so happy for both of them! Congratulations, you guys!

To have and to hold...

2008-04-18T06:49:00.003-04:00

my lipgloss, cell phone and other important necessities for the wedding day.

I had, for the longest time, been lusting over a red clutch bag to use on our wedding day. Not just any red bag, no, this one only existed in my head. Sleek red gathered silk, it was absolutely gorgeous.

And then I saw it. Not just any bag, but the bag.

Image from Macy's.

No, I did not decide to trade in silk for snakeskin, as the above bag is the closest picture of my bag online that I could find. The design and style is identical, the only difference is the fabric is a deep crimson silk.

Receiving the bag itself was quite an endeavor; I saw it on clearance at my local Macy's, and had them hold it for me overnight. As luck would have it, I didn't have a chance to get back there to pick it up. Unbeknown to me at the time, my mom went back to the store to get it. But they didn't have it. Calvin and my mom spent the next 2 months or so trying to track down this bag, and Calvin managed to do it, just in time to give it to me as a Christmas present.

What are you using to hold your small necessities on your wedding day?

Help!

2008-04-17T07:04:00.003-04:00

With six weeks to go, things were looking pretty good. We'd sent the invitations, were working on the last details with the florist, sent our rings to be engraved- in short, we'd taken care of a lot of things. Same with 5 weeks to go- we ordered our guestbook, finalized some of the gifts for the bridal party, wrote shower thank you notes- and life seemed manageable. There were quite a lot of things left to do, but since classes have ended for the term, once my students' exams are graded next week, I'll be on summer break, giving me plenty of time to take care of the last things.

Cue yesterday.

For reasons completely unrelated to the wedding, the 4 weeks of summer break that I thought I would get has vanished, as things somewhat outside of my control have now inundated me with a ton of work to do. (Basically, my second comprehensive exam for my PhD is a paper defense. I thought I had the paper in good shape, but it turns out it needs a ton of work. Basically, I need to rework my entire paper in a different framework. I need to take the exam before the wedding, which gives me 2.5 weeks to redo the paper.)

Totally manageable, especially since classes have ended for the term, except that I am getting married in a month. Enter panic.

What have you done to keep things under control?

Product Review: Jergens Natural Glow

2008-04-16T09:38:00.005-04:00

After all of the suggestions on my previous post, I decided to bite the bullet and go with the most heavily recommended one- Jergens. When I was shopping at my local Meijer, I stocked up on two products.

Jergens Natural Glow

For good measure (and because I still hadn't found a good moisturizer), I also got this:

Jergens Natural Glow Face

Now, after a week or so of using the products somewhat diligently (I try and remember to do it most days, but I've definitely forgotten a couple of times), my skin is a nice, bronze tone. Not heavily tanned (which would look unnatural), but with a little more color. And the added bonus that my acne scars are not as visible :-)

Thanks to all of those who made suggestions- I'm really glad to have found a product that works for me.

Thank you very much

2008-04-15T09:33:00.005-04:00

After the shower, I knew that I would need to do something about thank you notes. Like most of our other wedding stationary, these thank you notes got dressed in nice red envelopes.

I didn't want to do anything to fancy or complicated, but I still wanted something that reflected me (i.e. was red) and was clearly for a shower. With the help of a little Microsoft Clip Art and my parent's super crazy awesome HP laser do everything machine, I (and my awesome maid of honor) came up with this:

(Yes, that is the same cardstock I used to make the wedding thank you notes.)

Using my handy dandy paper cutter, I simply cut the cardstock and folded the cards.

Voila! Fun red umbrella in a downpour thank you notes.

What are you doing for your shower thank you notes?

unexpected success (or flowers are so #$%* expensive!)

2008-04-14T08:59:00.007-04:00

The one thing that I have cared the least about in the process of planning has turned out to be one of the (relatively) bigger headaches. We shopped around and spoke with no fewer than seven (7!) florists before settling with our current florist, who is familiar with both the church and the reception venue.

Early on, I had decided that I didn't want to have bouquets. When Calvin's mom asked me if I would change my mind, my response was, "Then I'll go to Trader Joe's the day before the wedding and buy myself a bouquet." But upon reflection, I decided that I actually did want a bouquet.

However, the florist quote came back, and including bouquets for myself and the three bridesmaids put us at about $400 over budget. And it included roses, which I specifically requested not to have. In a fit of frustration, I thought that I'd see what happened if I tried to make a bouquet for myself, with the following hypothesis: Flowers are pretty. A group of pretty things together will look pretty. Therefore, a group of flowers bunched together will look pretty.

The test:

$20 worth of flowers from Trader Joe's. From top to bottom:white ranunculus, a bouquet of white and green flowers, and cream/pink calla lilies.

Supplies:
flower tape (~$1.50 at Joann Fabric's)
flower wire ($.25 on clearance at Joann's)
ribbon (~$2.30 at Joann's)
white pearl pins (~$4.50 at Joann's)

Following the guidelines suggested here, I figured out that arranging flowers for a bouquet is really easy. The only trick is to wire the stems of heavy flowers (like ranunculus or gerbera daisies) to help support the head. This really sounds a lot more complicated than it is.

With the flowers above, in the next half hour I pulled the leaves off of the stems, trimmed the stems, wired the heavier flowers, and arranged them. Take a couple of flowers, wrap them in tape or wire. Add a couple more, tape/wire. Repeat until the bouquet is done. (Partway through I found that the floral tape was not holding so well, so I switched to wire.)

Calvin graciously holding the bouquet

Closeup
For a finishing touch, I wrapped the stems in ribbon and secured it with the white pearl pins.

A little lumpy because the wire wasn't pulled too tight.

Closer shot of the handle.

Believe it or not, arranging the flowers was actually relaxing. So I'm planning on arranging the bouquets the morning before the wedding. (A day later, my sample bouquet looked just fine.) And unlike centerpieces, no one needs to be around to set up the bouquets, as they will be totally set to go the day before. My mom said that she's happy to bring them to the church before the ceremony.

Where have you found unexpected success planning your wedding?

Shower fun

2008-04-11T07:46:00.006-04:00

I've already mentioned it a couple of times before, but after recapping the rest of last weekend (what with a shower surprise, dress fitting, dance lesson and makeup trial), I feel like I can finally get to the main event of the weekend: my shower.

Since my bridesmaids live out of town (and don't all know each other), and my extended family is not especially close knit, my mom, Calvin's mom and Calvin's mom's best friend graciously hosted the event at my parents' house. There were about 25 or so people in attendance for the afternoon tea, from some of the "kids" I used to babysit for 10 years ago to the women from church who were like second moms to me growing up to some of the women who played a significant part in Calvin's life. It was, in a word, overwhelmingly amazing.

The crowd:

Part way through, one of the women from my parents' neighborhood realized that I needed a bouquet for the rehearsal dinner- here they are, hard at work:

(Much to their dismay, I did not break a single ribbon when I was unwrapping packages, suggesting that I will not have kids in the future. This was a conscious effort on my part.)

The theme of the shower, and everyone was assigned a specific hour of the day, and told to bring something that Calvin and I would use at that hour. Calvin's aunt, who was assigned 7am, came in carrying this.

I was a little confused, until I saw the card- Breakfast in Bed! (It contained a basket containing teas and coffee and other assorted breakfast goodness.)

And it wouldn't be a party without food:

This was only half of the spread, but it was amazing.

And a gratuitous closeup of what was left of the petit fours that my mom made. And not just any flavor- no, they were rose flavored, which is one of my favorite flavorings for dessert. (Anyone else think my mom could go into business selling these?)

I still can't get over how generous everyone was, and how wonderful it was to have all of these women together in the same room.

Big Day Beauty

2008-04-10T08:45:00.006-04:00

I scheduled my hair and makeup trial for Saturday, just before my shower. (If you are doing hair and makeup trials, I'd highly recommend scheduling them for some sort of occasion, so there is a reason for getting beautified.)

I headed to Studio Palmieri, located in the Warehouse District in Cleveland. The studio was chosen strictly based upon location- it is only 3 blocks from the hotel where I will staying the night before the wedding. When I was speaking with one of the receptionists on the phone, she decided to set me up with the amazing Dena to do both my hair and makeup.

For the hair, I just wanted a simple french twist. Dena graciously offered to take pictures of every angle of my hair, so that if I want something changed for the wedding, I'll be able to tell her exactly what I want done differently.

The back

Right side

Left side

Front, without makeup.

As far as makeup goes, I said that I really wanted my eyes to pop. I brought along my own mascara, as well as my own lip gloss so that she could see the sort of color that I typically wear.

Pretty makeup! That looks nothing like my prom makeup, thank goodness!

With my best friend.

Self portrait 12+ hours later, when I'm thoroughly exhausted. (With not great lighting. In my childhood bedroom. Yes, the walls really are purple.)

Looking at the pictures now, the couple of things that come to me is that I'd like the top of the french twist to be not quite as open, so that the view from the left side looks a little bit neater. I'd also like the hair on the right to be tucked in a little bit better, so it doesn't come out by the end of the evening.

Do you see anything that should be changed with my hair and makeup?

dance with my dad

2008-04-09T13:28:00.004-04:00

Calvin and I have been taking dancing lessons off and on for close to a year now, and have had such a good experience that my parents decided to take lessons as well. So when I was in Cleveland this past weekend, I went along with them to their dance lesson, and got to spend some quality time with my dad.

Getting a little help from Joel, my parents' instructor

We got this

A little spinning motion (from both us and the camera).

My dad and I spent most of the time practicing the foxtrot, which is what he and my mom have been working on the most. Since both of us have been taking lessons, we want to show off our skills on the dance floor at our wedding. But to what song? We need something from the 1940s or 1950s that is either big band music or music from the Rat Pack, which is what our band will be playing at the reception.

Anyone have any suggestions for a good dance song?

(And for those of you in Cleveland interested in taking dance lessons, I'd highly recommend that you check out Arthur Murray. Located in Mayfield off of I-271, the studio space is awesome and the dance instructors are really fun. And then you could dance with my parents :-) )

With a little help from my friend

2008-04-08T09:12:00.003-04:00

I was a little nervous last week as my final dress fitting was quickly approaching, and while I love my dress, at the previous fitting in March, it had been snug. (Snug enough that I decided to have the seams let out just a little bit.)

So Friday morning, I actually went out and bought every pair of Spanx that might work under my dress at my favorite local department store. Power panties, Higher Power, Slim Cognito- I tried them all. And I also tried similar ones made by Wacoal and Bali. I'm talking about 9 or so pairs of these slimming sausage makers, coming in at the astounding price of nearly $500. Fear not, lest you think I'm spending almost as much on foundation garments as my dress- all are returnable with a receipt and the tags still on them.

I did a quick try on of all of the pairs just before leaving for my fitting, which led to the quick rejection of about 4 pairs, and one clear front-runner in the "slim my middle" contest.

At the salon, I tried on my dress, and it fit. Perfectly. Now, I'd like to attribute it to the fact that I've tried to watch what I eat, exercise a bit, and had the seams let out just a smidge, but that would be giving myself too much credit. No, the front-runner pulled through in an big way:

Spanx Hide and Sleek Strapless Full Slip

Slimming, smoothing, and actually pretty comfortable. With the added bonus that the slip design (as opposed to a bike short design) makes it fairly easy to utilize the facilities when nature calls.

What is your secret slimming undergarment?

Shower Surprise!

2008-04-07T10:46:00.003-04:00

No, I didn't have a surprise shower- living in Michigan with a wedding in Cleveland, it would not have been possible for the shower planners to make it a surprise shower.

Instead, my mom (and Calvin) conspired to bring a shower surprise. I drove into town on Friday for a dress fitting, with a hair and makeup trial and shower on Saturday. I was up late chatting with my parents, but decided around midnight that it was time to head to bed since the next day was going to be busy.

I call Calvin (as I typically do) as I crawl into bed, and he is Mr. Chatty that night- I assume that he was highly caffeinated and was up late playing video games, which he does from time to time when I'm out of town and he's home by himself.

And then my mom calls me to come downstairs. It's 1:15am. I'm exhausted, cold and in my pajamas. And who is there waiting for me?

Calvin, who'd driven in from Michigan to pick up my best friend (and maid of honor) in the whole wide world at the airport. She, who lives in Boston and told me that she wouldn't be able to make it into town that weekend. She, with whom I had been playing phone tag for over a month, and from whom on Thursday I received a voicemail saying that she'd try and talk with me on Saturday.

I was shocked. And speechless.

How have you been surprised in regards to your wedding?

The importance of text

2008-04-04T08:58:00.005-04:00

I saw this column/post about the font used by Barack Obama on the campaign trail, and it got me thinking about the reasons why we chose the font that we did. The point in the column is that the Obama campaign's use of the font "Gotham" is strategic, and that it evokes certain feelings that other fonts don't. Like this:

Image found here.

Comic Sans is too silly, Times Roman is too serious, but Gotham is just right. (Goldilocks, anyone?)

This got me thinking about our own fonts that we considered using for our wedding invitations (and other paper goods).

From top to bottom: Bickham Script Pro Semibold, Vladimir script, Penman Script, JaneAusten and Tagettes. All either standard on MS Windows, or available at dafont.com.

Tagettes just seemed perfect to us- not too loopy and formal, yet not too informal either. And a little bit of a vintage flair.

What fonts are you using in your wedding stationary?

Popularity contest

2008-04-03T09:14:00.000-04:00

There's a bit of a popularity contest running right now between the registries. (And no, I haven't peaked.) Dillard's is single handedly destroying the competition, as it seems that most people thus far greatly prefer shopping at Dillard's over Williams-Sonoma or Crate and Barrel.

My explanation for that? It's a generational thing. People in my parent's generation much prefer to shop at traditional department stores, whereas our friends would be much more likely to go to Crate and Barrel.

And popularity items? China wins, hands down. Confirming the observation by Calvin's mom and her dear friend, people just love giving a 5 piece place setting. (Maybe it helps that our china pattern is priced at the totally-reasonable-for-china price at $70/place setting. But it's so pretty)
Gratuitous china picture from here.

What registry have you found to be the most popular?

So about my skin tone...

2008-04-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

Right now, my skin is a nice shade of pale. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm looking to add a little bit of color to my skin prior to the wedding. Normally, I'd go about this in a "normal" way, like going out on walks wearing a tube top, but the weather here in Michigan is cold and/or gray.

So self-tanners, Mystic Tan, or tanning beds would be the way to go, right? The only thing is, I'm terrified with looking like this:

Jessica Simpson in 2005; courtesy of Go Fug Yourself and Daily Celeb.

She looks scary. Really scary. And not at all what I want to look like at our wedding.

Are you planning on tanning prior to your wedding? Anyone have a favorite product or technique they'd like to recommend (or advise staying away from)?

To peek or not to peek?

2008-03-31T10:42:00.002-04:00

I think in preparation for the shower, Calvin's mom happened to point out that there were some unintentional repeats on a couple of our registries. (No, we did not intend to register for two hand mixers.)

So in the process of editing the registries, I happened to notice the gift tracker feature that both Dillard's and Williams-Sonoma have. Basically, it tells you who purchased what gift. Checking just to see how it worked (and figuring the only thing on there would be the down comforter), I happened to see that some gifts have been purchased.

Now, I'm really excited to be getting some of our china, but I also feel a little...guilty. Like I've sneaked a peek at Christmas presents in mid-December, and now Christmas morning won't be nearly as much fun.

But right now, I feel like that kid that can't possibly stand to wait one more minute to see what Santa has brought. Yesterday another UPS box was at our door, and my shower is this weekend. But I would also hate for Saturday to roll around and there be very little in the way of surprises.

Did sneaking a peek at your registry take away any of the fun of opening up gifts?

A love letter to luggage

2008-03-26T09:23:00.005-04:00

Dear luggage,
I've traveled quite a bit with several of you, and I want to take the time to let you know how I feel.

Kelty Redwing Backpack,
you are amazing. You were absolutely faithful in the 3 mile walk to the ferry in Stockholm, never letting in any bit of moisture despite the continuous downpour. You remained faithful going from Budapest to Bratislava, and lasted much better than any rolling bag would have in the cobblestone streets of Riga. But it's been several years since I graduated from college, and I've found that I increasingly need to travel with a suit. We've shared some good times, and I will come back to you.

The rolling bag that shall remain nameless,
Your time has come to meet the fate you deserve. I've tried to take care of you, to treat you well, and what do I get in return? A bag that tips over no matter how I pack it. A bag that gets caught in the tiniest crevices. A bag that never rolled very smoothly. I've given you numerous second chances, and you've blown it. Off to Goodwill you go.

You've been replaced:

Ricardo Beverly Hills Del Mar Lite ,
You have become the apple of my eye, after hearing about you at ebags, and finding you for such a great deal at Luggage Factory. You are extremely light weight, easy to pack efficiently, and even provide a way for me to separate dirty laundry from clean. You role smoothly, and have pockets just where I need them. And you come in purple! I know I can depend on you to not get tripped up when I'm racing to the gate to catch my plane, and managed the cobblestones of Playa del Carmen with amazing ease. While I love Kelty, it is you that I will be taking on our honeymoon.

Love,
Meg

What luggage are you taking on your honeymoon?

the labor conditions

2008-03-24T13:00:00.003-04:00

No, I don't mean the manual hours I put in to addressing the invitations or working on the website. I'm referring to the labor conditions for the workers at our reception venue.

You see, I'm a member of a labor union (yes, graduate students really should be unionized), and our current contract expires at midnight tonight. Tomorrow, unless something miraculous happens, I will be working a picket line.

This has gotten me thinking about the labor conditions of the people involved in the wedding. The photographer and musicians are self-employed, and the minister works at the church. But the workers at the reception, from the servers to the people washing dishes to the people checking in my guests at the desk?

They're not unionized, because the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel is NOT a union hotel. Nope, no Unite Here here. One of my younger brothers has been fairly active in labor organizing, and actually worked at the (unionized) Renaissance Hotel in St. Louis for a bit. (Maybe I'll ask him to share his opinions about bridal parties in a guest post.) He's got a lot of stories to tell, and I feel like I've learned quite a bit from his experiences.

With my contract expiring, it has made me realize how lucky I am that I have a union that looks out for my rights, and is the only reason I have decent health care. Those that are working to make our wedding everything we hope it to be have a right to health care and a living wage as well.

If I knew a year ago what I know now, I would have restricted my wedding reception and room block to a unionized hotel. Curious about yours? You can check out Unite Here's Hotel list right here.

Thank you notes

2008-03-20T10:32:00.000-04:00

Way back before our invitations were finished, I found myself getting antsy one night to just take care of a wedding project.

I present to you the recipe for our simple but tasty thank you notes.

The Dahlia's Thank You Notes
1 stack of cardstock (I got ours from Office Max)
1 embosser*
1 paper cutter
envelopes (Ours are from Envelope Mall. They are leftover from our response card envelopes.)

The supplies

Directions:
Cut the paper in half:

Fold. Align your folded cardstock in the embosser. I used it one piece of cardstock as a guide, although there are probably more accurate ways to make sure your embossing is centered.

Press down on the embosser, and presto! One thank you note down.

A close up:

To make things even fancier, we've also taken to embossing the envelopes.

And that's it. Inexpensive, simple but elegant thank you notes.

What are you doing for your thank you notes?

(*author's note: Our embosser came from Wilshire Graphic Press. I got lucky and won it in a contest.)

Oh the places...

2008-03-19T08:27:00.000-04:00

Our invitations are going.

As I was addressing the invitations, I was surprised to see just how far away some of them are headed. Since both Calvin and I grew up in Ohio and currently live in Michigan, I figured that the vast majority of our invitations were headed to those states.

And they are. But they are also going to a lot of other places: 58 cities in 19 states in 3 countries. Closest place is to our home (we addressed one to ourselves!); farthest away is in Ulm, Germany.

Was anyone else surprised to see the places their invitations were going? What's the farthest place your wedding invitations are going?

Exciting package!

2008-03-18T09:39:00.004-04:00

The wedding invitations are out, the shower invitations are out, and we have passed the two month mark. What does that mean?

We received our first wedding present in the mail!

I'm not sure why this is so exciting, but there is something extremely fun about getting packages in the mail. Calvin's aunt sent us our very first thing off of our registry:

A sweet down comforter. Which is especially appropriate because it is still cool here in Michigan.

What was the first gift you received off of your registry?

Invitations - Part 4 - A Happy Ending

2008-03-17T08:55:00.003-04:00

Part 1 - Inspiration
Part 2 - Color Crisis
Part 3 - With a Little Help from my Friends

As I mentioned before, I was able to successfully navigate the wedding invitation printing process. Here's the final result:

Opening the envelope

All of the parts and pieces

The return address and response envelope.

And a close up of my favorite part- the response card.

I've gotten lots of positive response about the invitations, and in general, I'm really happy with how they turned out. Overall, I'm happy with having used Overnight Prints for our invitations. I'm really happy with the source of our envelopes, Envelope Mall. And I would definitely order pens (or other art supplies) again from Mister Art.

Invitations - Part 3 - With a Little Help from my Friends

2008-03-14T07:21:00.000-04:00

Part 1 - Inspiration
Part 2 - Color Crisis

You may recall that I was having some difficulties getting our invitations printed in a nice dark red. In my frustration, I did two things.

First, I decided to visit Papyrus and see what invitations they had that looked nice. We decided if the printing didn't work out, that we might order these:

By Tru Sophistication

But they would be substantially more than our initial invitations. And I'd already purchased our envelopes from Envelope Mall, and it was past the deadline to return them.

So I did what I think any bride who is connected on online forums would do: I contacted a couple of women I'd met. Specifically, Mrs. Emerald, who used a dark red color for her invitations, and Manchmal, a graphic designer and fellow indiebride who has her own invitation design business.

(Note: If you want to print your own invitations using Vistaprint or Overnight prints, but are unsure of actually designing them, you should totally check out Manchmal's etsy shop. She'll pretty much create any invitation for you, and give you the files to print them out yourself. It's awesome.)

With their help, I was able to figure out the problem and resolve it. Basically, Open Office has issues with publishing in CMYK, so that the full spectrum of CMYK colors is not available for use. Including dark red. So as many people had suggested, I downloaded a free trial of Adobe Illustrator.

And victory was mine. Check out how the next test print came out:

Perfectly red. With no indication of hemorrhoids.

I definitely couldn't have done it without the help of Mrs. Emerald and Manchmal. At the risk of sounding really cheesy, I'm really grateful for the ways the internet has connected me with other people.

Where have you found help planning your wedding from online friends?

Invitations - Part 2 - Color Crisis

2008-03-13T08:29:00.008-04:00

Part 1 - The Inspiration

I initially used Open Office Draw to design our relatively simple invitations (the screen shots have been edited in paint):

The invitation. Simple, formal, perfect. Designed to be 8.5" by 5.5"

The response card, inspired by Mrs. Gummi bear's. Calvin really wanted something to demonstrate that would make sure that the invitations didn't feel too "stuffy." Designed to be 5.5" by 4.25"

Business card with the address of our (fairly extensive) website. It was much easier (and cheaper!) to just include that in the invitation than to have several insets with directions and accommodations. Especially since most of the people invited live in Cleveland.

A quick word about the invitation design:
All of the text and images are actually fonts, from dafont.com. We used Tagettes for the text, and Im Fell Flowers letter "P" for the damask-looking watermark. Vegiterra letter "C" provided the carrot image, and LCR on the Farm letter "C" was the chicken image.

Now, I'd heard extensively that offset printing can produce slightly different color results than what appears on the computer monitor, as CMYK (offset printing) colors are different from RGB (computer monitor) colors. We ran a couple of "test prints" with all of the various inkjet and color laser printers we could to test colors, and they came out fine. But just to be on the safe side, I ordered a "test print" of 100 business cards from Overnight Prints. (I know that a lot of people use VistaPrint, but I wanted a matte finish to the cards.) Much cheaper to test print with those than with the whole invitation suite.

This is what we got:

Nice looking, if chocolate brown was our primary color. But it's not. And this is clearly not red.

So I consulted the New Big Book of Color, and changed some things around. And ordered another test print:

This was more reminiscent of hemorrhoids than anything else.

I was frustrated. I was a little bit panicky. And desperate times called for bringing in the reinforcements...

Invitation - Part 1

2008-03-12T10:50:00.005-04:00

When we started looking at invitations, there was one in particular that caught our eye:

Classic and formal, but with a twist: a dark background with with white lettering. From Crane's. Which also means that it was going to be at least $1000 over our invitation budget.

Given that it is extremely difficult to get light text on dark paper, thermography was ruled out. And letterpress was just outside of our budget.

But after seeing Mrs. Emerald's posts about her invitations, I was inspired to do a little designing of my own. And with the Open Office Draw design program available for free, how hard could it be?

A screenshot of the invitation in progress.

Turns out, a whole lot more complicated than I thought. Let's say for now that there is often a reason why things are free...

They're off!

2008-03-11T08:18:00.005-04:00

Yes, these

are off in their hand-canceled glory.

A note about the hand-canceling, as I know that some people have different experiences with it than others.

First, what exactly is hand-canceling, and why do people care about it? Exhibit A below shows a regular postmarked envelope:

Exhibit B is hand cancelled:

Image found here.

In my mind, the hand canceling looks quite a bit nicer.

Now, I'd heard some stories that hand-canceling can be difficult to get. When I was buying my stamps, I spoke with the person behind the counter and he gave me a couple of tips about getting my invitations hand canceled.

The whole conversation went something like this:

Postman: Are you a med school student?

Meg: No, but I'm working on my Ph.D. Why do you ask?

Postman: You are the most confident bride I've ever seen buy stamps, so I figured you must be in medical school. Most brides are very uncertain about their choices and spend awhile trying to sort things out.

(Taking advantage of the good impression I'd made)

Meg: Oh, thanks- I just looked on the USPS website and figured out what stamps I wanted. Do you mind if I ask you a question? Is there any way that it would be possible to get the wedding invitations hand cancelled?

(Postman leans over counter)

Postman (quietly): It's officially against USPS policy to hand cancel regular envelopes. But, I know the person who works the early morning shift on weekdays. If you arrive right after the post office opens, she'll let you did it.

And that is what I did. The post office opened at 7:30 this morning, and I got there at about 7:40. No one was there, and 10 minutes later I'd hand canceled all of the invitations.

Did anyone else try to get their invitations hand canceled? What was your experience?

A little thing that will change

2008-03-10T08:53:00.000-04:00

I was talking with my dad on Saturday, and he called me "Miss Meg." It's something that he has called me as long as I can remember.

And I thought about it, and mentioned to him, that I will no longer be "Miss Meg" come May. (Not that I'll be a Mrs., since I'm not changing my name. But I definitely will not be a Miss.)

It's one of those little things that I never really thought about that will change when I get married.

What little thing have you noticed that will change after you're married?

Stardream vs. the Pen

2008-03-07T07:45:00.005-05:00

I'm using Stardream envelopes for my invitations (purchased at the fabulous envelopemall.com).

For those of you that have used Stardream paper, you may be familiar with the fact that it is both difficult to print on and nearly impossible to write on. For those of you that haven't, well, it's difficult to print on and nearly impossible to write on permanently, since it is a coated paper.

I'd decided awhile ago that I would actually hand address all the invitations (and the return address, and the response card envelope- yes, my hand is sore), so I spent some time searching for a pen that would write nicely and permanently on Stardream paper. My usual arsenal of ink pens didn't work, nor did a fine point Sharpie marker.

Stardream 2, Pen 0

Cue the Sakura Glaze Pen:

Designed specifically for non porous surfaces, the ink becomes slightly raised when it dries- like very light embossing. The only trick is that you have to write slowly and let the ink dry before you touch it.

Stardream 2, Pen 100000 (because it totally conquered the Stardream).

The best deal for them that I found was at MisterArt.com, where you can get a two pack for $2.53. I started out with a single two pack in black, but that proved that it was not going to be nearly enough. (Each pen, on average for me, worked for about 65 or so addresses.) But the final result is very nice. (Pictures will be coming next week, after the invitations are sent!)

How did you address your invitations? Did you write them by hand, use a calligrapher or print them?

Where to sit?

2008-03-06T11:47:00.003-05:00

One of the things that we hope to get started on soon is a seating chart for our guests. Yes, we know that our invitations haven't gone out yet (but will be in the mail early next week!), but I've heard that it is easier to make a seating chart ahead of time and then modify it as people say they can come in than it is to start from scratch after the RSVP deadline.

Which brings us to one of our wedding "problems" that we have put off addressing more or less since we got engaged. Where do we sit? We've nixed the idea of a traditional, last supper-style head table. We also aren't too fond of having a sweetheart table. And we want our attendants to be seated with their significant others, as they will be coming from out of town and will not know many people (if any) people at the wedding.

Here's the lineup of players:
Us (Calvin and Meg)
Maid of Honor + boyfriend (from out of town)
Bridesmaid 1 (my brother's girlfriend) + Groomsman 1 (my brother)
Bridesmaid 2 (Calvin's sister) + boyfriend
Best man + girlfriend (from out of town)
Groomsman 2 (my brother; girlfriend is out of the country and won't be in attendance)

Which leaves 11 of us. Not a problem, right?

Except that we have round tables that seat 10. Further complications is that there may be a mini-reunion of friends of Maid of Honor whom she hasn't seen in years, and mini-reunion of friends of Best Man whom he hasn't seen in a couple of years.

Where are you sitting at your wedding? And where should we sit at our wedding?

more shoes!

2008-03-04T08:37:00.000-05:00

Because I just can't get enough of them.

You may recall that I am wearing these Nine West Jojus shoes:

From Endless

The only problem with the shoes, really, is that I don't think that I can really spend a whole evening dancing in them. I mean, they are wonderful shoes- especially after putting in Foot Petals Killer Kushionz (found on clearance at Bath and Body Works, of all places) - but still- I've been concerned about my ability to actually dance in them.

So I decided to get a pair of ballroom dance shoes to wear to the reception. (We are, after all, taking ballroom dancing lessons, so I'll have plenty of time to break them in.) Check them out:

Jodi dance shoes in Bronze from USA Ballroom Dance Shoes

Not as utterly fabulous as the red shoes, but they are ridiculously comfortable. Like, almost rivaling my beloved Birkenstocks comfortable. Service from USA Dance Shoes was excellent, and when I asked about sizing, I was given a quick response (containing advice I should have heeded initially. Note to self: You have narrow feet. This means that you should get the narrow width from the beginning. That's a lot of the reason for going with USA Dance Shoes- because they actually carry narrow shoes.) I opted for bronze because I don't really have any shoes that are that color, and it's actually quite pretty. (And the choices for narrow were bronze leather, tan satin, and black leather.)

Are you switching shoes for the reception?

Dresses for the moms

2008-03-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

Over the past couple of months, both my mom and Calvin's mom had looked for dresses, with no luck. During this time, probably every major department store in Cleveland was visited by one or both of them- but the selection of dresses was just awful. They wanted similar things- silk shantung or dupioni cocktail length dresses. My mom was looking for blue, and Calvin's mom was looking for green. Now, this doesn't seem like it should be a difficult thing to find, but it was proving extremely frustrating.

On a whim, I scoped out the bridesmaid and occasion dresses at Watters, with the thought that maybe they would be able to order dresses that would suit them- and both found dresses they liked.

Cue The Perfect Bride, a salon in Rocky River (a suburb of Cleveland). Tipped off on the Watters website that they carried most of the Watters line, I set out with Calvin's mom to scope it out and help her find a dress. And she did:

Watters style 9973; her dress will be a paler green (cilantro) than the midori green shown.

My mom went a couple of days later, and loved this dress:

Watters style 7321 in navy blue (as shown). It will be shortened to cocktail length.

Service at the salon was excellent (if I was still in the market for a dress, I would have tried some on!); the women helping both my mom and Calvin's mom were extremely friendly and helpful.

The one thing that I wish I'd known ahead of time is the amount of time it actually takes to get in theses dresses. (My bridesmaids are wearing dresses from J. Crew, so I had no experience actually ordering non-wedding dresses through a bridal salon.) Our wedding is now less than three months away, which is pushing it for the dresses to arrive on time. So those of you with moms who are still looking for dresses- if you go the "order a dress from a bridal salon" route, I'd order well in advance of 3 months.

What is your mom wearing to your wedding?

Color!

2008-02-29T10:11:00.003-05:00

In the process of designing our invitations (more on that to come, I promise!), I had some difficulties figuring out colors. I mean, I knew what colors I wanted, but was having a hard time getting what I saw on my computer screen to match with what came from the offset printer.

Cue The New Big Book of Color, which provides numerous designs along with the corresponding RGB (for your computer screen) and CMYK (for offest printing) colors used in the designs.

(available at Amazon)

I spent an hour or so at Barnes and Noble leafing through it, and marking down the RGB and CMYK colors that I thought would work for our invitations. It definitely helped get me on the right track.

What design books have you found helpful while planning your wedding?

Keeping things organized

2008-02-27T10:15:00.005-05:00

I need to share with you one of the most amazing organizational tools. Seriously. Shared by some of the awesome women over at Indiebride, it is by far the most comprehensive wedding planning spreadsheet I have seen, complete with formulas to help you calculate total costs and the number of people each person (bride, groom, parents) is inviting.

Here are just some of the features:

Budget- it sure helps to keep track of the costs (and when more payments are due) in one spot.

Floorplan- to help figure out where everyone will sit.

Guest list- everyone's addresses, all in one place.

Other features include a sheet for florist information, a gift tracker, to do list, a savings tracker and a seating chart. I've found it really helpful to have everything located in one file- and it makes backing things up that much easier. This, combined with Miss Daffodil's Wedding Workplan, have been the two tools most frequently used for keeping things organized.

You can download it over at Weddingbee. (And anyone else want to share their organization tips?)

I changed my mind

2008-02-25T12:51:00.006-05:00

You may recall my earlier post about our wedding rings. Well, I need to come clean, because those aren't actually our bands. Yes, we did ordered them. But I kept thinking that the 4mm milgrain was too wide, and that the 2mm was too narrow. 3mm would have been perfect, but they just didn't make it that width.

So we (I) decided (why did I do this?) to check out the rings at the ever popular Tiffany & Co. (You might say that this was actually a result of the browsing I did after reading the comments of the earlier post. With so many people getting their rings there, I just had to check it out online. Readers, I think you may be a bad influence on me.)

And what was there, but this lovely ring?

Milgrain wedding band, 3mm

It was perfect. Narrow, but not too narrow. Delicate, but not too delicate. A little bit cheaper than the other ring (since it does, after all, have less metal in it.) And the milgrain is incredibly detailed.

And of course, Calvin decided that he wanted to switch rings as well, so that ours would still match. (This actually meant that his ring was more expensive, but oh well. You only do this once, right?)

Because of the timing (our other rings had not yet come in), we were able to obtain a full refund for canceling the order of our first set of rings. This is one of only a couple of times during the wedding planning where I've changed my mind about something after I've made a purchase. Luckily, in each case, we've been able to make a return for a full refund.

What have you changed your mind about during the wedding planning process? If it was something you purchased, were you able to get a refund?

DIY - Sea Salt Scrub

2008-02-22T08:11:00.003-05:00

So I've been trying to take better care of myself lately, especially my skin. As I've mentioned before, I'm fairly breakout prone, on my face, back and shoulders.

Last year, Calvin gave me a spa package for my birthday, and one of the most amazing parts of it was a sea salt body scrub. Afterwards, my skin was much clearer, and softer, which suggests that exfoliation is not overrated at all.

Given that, I wanted to try and get my skin feeling the same way, but as the grad student that I am, resources are, shall we say, limited.

So what's the alternative? Making the sea scrub myself. It's really easy, and it actually makes quite a difference. Here's the recipe I've been using, which is a combination of several recipes I found online.

Sea Salt Scrub
1 c. coarse sea salt
1/2 c. olive oil
several drops of tea tree oil

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour mixture into a sealable container. (I used a clean, empty mason jar.)

It's easiest to use in the shower. Basically, rub it all over your body, and then rinse. Because the oil can leave a fairly strong residue, I use a mild soap after I've rinsed. And as a word of caution- make sure to do this before you shave, and not after, as the salt will (obviously) sting any cuts.

Notes: Tea Tree Oil is a natural antiseptic that helps with the acne; you could use other essential oils, like lavender or rose, if you want something that smells better. You could also use any other type of coarse salt.

The thoughts of an illustrious professor

2008-02-20T15:12:00.003-05:00

I had a meeting with a professor this afternoon about my possible dissertation topic, and when I might finish my prospectus (i.e. dissertation proposal.) I casually mentioned that I would either finish it in April, or at the end of the summer, but the month of May was basically out because I'm getting married.

And then he started telling me about his wedding, and balancing families' desires versus the desires of the bride and groom.

(This was a very bizarre situation, because while I like this professor a lot, he's not generally the type to make too much small talk, especially about the more personal sorts of issues.)

He said, "Weddings aren't really about the bride and groom at all. Weddings are about the families."

I'm inclined to agree with him, since it seems like so much of our wedding is to please or satisfy our families. Even though both of us are really happy with how the planning is doing, if it had totally, 100% completely been left up to us, there are some things we would have changed. But I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Do you agree with the statement "Weddings aren't really about the bride and groom at all. Weddings are about the families"? Why or why not?

I've gone and chopped it off

2008-02-15T16:05:00.006-05:00

My hair, that is.

You have to understand that my hair fluctuates with considerable regularity between these two lengths.

Long:

(taken in Playa del Carmen with my mom last month)
And short:

(Brandenburger Tor about 5 years ago, although my hair has been cut this short 2-3 times since then)

I decided that the ends were looking pretty scraggly- a good indication that it's time for a haircut. Yes, I've been "growing my hair out" for the wedding, but a year and a half ago, it was shorter than the short hair pictured above. Now it's a good inch longer than the long hair picture above. (Yes, my hair grows somewhere in the neighborhood of an inch a month.)

I mean, it was longer than that picture. When I went to the salon today, I said that I wanted to get as much taken off that would still let me have some sort of french twist for the wedding. I came back looking like this.

(FYI: I have no makeup on in this pic. It's not a good representation of what my face generally looks like, but it is a pretty decent pic of my hair.)

Anyone else get their hair cut shorter before the wedding? (And who cut their hair after the wedding?)

Product Review: Facewash

2008-02-14T14:42:00.004-05:00

When the new year started, I thought that I would begin to take better care of my skin. I mean, I've been pretty rough on it (salicylic acid and benzoil peroxide, I'm looking at you) and it wasn't helping my acne much at all.

(Yes, I get acne. Yes, I've had acne since I was about 13. Yes, I recognize that this means I've had it about half my life.)

But for the first time, I'm actually winning the war against the acne on my face. Because unlike the Clearasil and Clean and Clear days of my youth when my face extremely oily, I'd noticed that my face, especially my cheeks, are dry.

(Honestly, as a teenage, I never thought that day would come.)

So, I decided to try this:

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser

After using it for about 6 weeks, I want to let you know that it works. Seriously. I haven't had any zits/pimples at all on my face since I've been using it (except when I've been traveling and have forgotten it- and then my face reminds me that I should never forget it.) My skin doesn't feel especially dry OR oily, which is pretty much a modern miracle for me.

So now that I've got a good face wash that has done wonders for my skin, I've figured out that I should probably start using some sort of moisturizer as well. Right?

What's your favorite face moisturizer?

Postage Increase...what should I do?

2008-02-11T23:03:00.000-05:00

I just saw that the price of a first class stamp is supposed to increase by one cent to $.42, beginning May 12.

Now, the RSVP date for our invitations is May 1, although the wedding date is after the increase. The most logical solution, of course, would be to use the forever liberty bell stamp.

You, liberty bell forever stamp, are just not interesting enough for my invites.

But I would really like to use some of the much more fun looking $.41 stamps. Like any of these:

Star Wars

Tiffany glass

Flowers

Do you think I should use the forever stamps on the response card envelopes, even though their design is not so cool? Or is there enough time before the postal rate hike to use the prettier, more interesting stamps?

Weekly update?

2008-02-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that I haven't given a weekly update. Well, it's been cold outside. And I've been out of town a lot. And I've been fighting off a cold.

I haven't really exercised much lately. But that's about to change.

You see, Calvin called me this morning to let me know he'd been able to track down this:

Image found here.

This is a BIG deal. We've spent the last 6 weeks trying to track one down, getting up early on Sunday mornings only to be told that we missed our opportunity by 18 minutes. And now, I'll be able to exercise from the comfort of my own home.

Only trick is, I've never actually owned a video game system before (my old school Gameboy is not quite the same), and I'm really bad at video games. I know that Miss Bubblegum, Miss Hummingbird and Mrs. Snow Pea have already blogged about the Wii.

For those of you out there with Wii experience, do you have any tips for me? Anyone want to share their favorite Wii workouts?

Veiled?

2008-02-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

Dear readers,

I need your help.

I'm getting married in t-4 months, and I figured out this week that I haven't given any thought to my veil.

That's not entirely true. I've given a little thought, but not much.

Here's what I know:
I will be wearing a veil for the ceremony, but will not wear it for the reception.
It will be attached to something like this:

I hope my makeup doesn't look like this. Or my hair, for that matter.

Vintage wedding cap available for auction here.

Yes, I know that wedding caps are not at the height of fashion- and I must confess, originally I had not planned to wear a veil. But as my mom is showing me her wedding mementos, she pulls out her (ivory) veil, which is attached to a headpiece very similar to the one above.

It was my mother's. And my grandmother's. And my great-grandmother's.

I have to wear it.

My mom had replaced the lace to match her wedding dress, and I am free to do the same- I'm looking at covering with silk shantung, to match my dress.

My dress.

The question is, though, what to do with the veil part? It looks like I should replace it, since it is quite a bit more ivory than my dress is. I just have no idea how long it should be, or what type. I spent some time looking at Veilshop.com, and was thoroughly mystified by the sheer types of veils. Extra fullness? Cascade? Oval cut? Angel cut? I thought the only variables were length and fabric.

To make things even more challenging, the only picture of my dress on an actual bride that I've been able to dig up is found through Etsy seller beadifulthings (who has some really beautiful things in her shop!).

I'm not sure what length the veil is, but it is definitely on the longer side. The ceremony will be in a cathedral, so I could go for the cathedral length veil. I just don't have any real sense of what I want, or what would work with my dress.

What sort of veil are you wearing? What would you recommend for me?

"Calvin and Meg's Fun Day!"

2008-02-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

We were out to dinner this past weekend with some friends of ours, and the topic of our upcoming wedding came up.

They decided that we are not having a wedding, but rather are having "Calvin and Meg's Fun Day!"

Necessities for "Calvin and Meg's Fun Day!" include the following:

Cotton Candy

Moonwalk

Balloon Animals

Funnel Cakes and Elephant Ears

Dunk Tank- imagine the "trash the dress" possibilities!

Other necessities would be pony rides and a petting zoo.

The honest truth is, for some time we did speculate how all of this would work for our hotel ballroom reception- and we decided that the ponies might have some difficulty with the stairs. Nevertheless, it was fun to think about "Calvin and Meg's Fun Day!" in place of the formal reception that we've got planned.

What does your "alternative universe" reception look like?

The choice is yours....

2008-02-04T13:55:00.000-05:00

I must confess- I'm a political junkie.

Not only do I watch the returns for the US presidential primaries come in (on CNN online, since Calvin and I have the most basic cable package ever), but I have watched ::ahem:: caucusing on ::cough cough:: C-SPAN. (That's what happens when you get 10 or so like minded grad students in the room. We're surprisingly apolitical, and spend more time analyzing the analysis- "That's what the polls say, but are they looking at likely voters? In what states? What's the margin of error?"- than we do about rooting for the victory of one candidate over another.)

Needless to say, I am very interested in the results of "Super Tuesday", or if you will, "Super Duper Tuesday." And I'm all for getting people out to vote.

But Brides Decide? Um, no. It just doesn't make sense to me to view "brides" as a specific demographic within the electorate. Gender, race and income- those demographics make sense. But getting married? I see no common thread at all between women getting married, except that they are women.

While the site has some information about the candidates (as well as some wedding pictures; noticeably absent are Barack Obama and John McCain), it just strikes me as, well, a little bit silly. Why would I turn to Brides Decide when I could check out CNN or the New York Times?

And I really disagree with their advice to pay attention to the articles and polls dealing with issues "concerning women voters." First of all, while some issues are often considered women's issues (such as abortion), the ones that the article cites are the war in Iraq, healthcare, and taxes. Last time I checked, those issues were gender neutral.

I don't buy the whole "Bride Decide" thing. But I am incredibly fascinated by politics. So:

Is there anyone else out there more interested in the latest political analysis than invitation colors? (And anyone have any predictions for Super Tuesday?)

I've got to be honest with you...

2008-02-01T13:35:00.001-05:00

I've had a lot going on recently.

My heart and head haven't been really into wedding planning mode lately. (Nor, sadly, have they been dedicated to preparing my dissertation prospectus and studying for my last comprehensive exam.)

I've had a lot of family stuff going on, and I don't mean "My FMIL is driving me nuts because I told her to wear a GOLD dress for the wedding and she just purchased a non-returnable $1500 dress in LIGHT TAUPE which everyone knows ISN'T gold and how can I tell her that she is totally ruining my color scheme, my day and my life because her dress will clash with the carpeting of the church."

(Since I know that Calvin's mom follows along in the blog- as I've told you before, feel free to wear whatever color you want.)

No, I mean the more serious sort of things that are completely unrelated to wedding- the really challenging things that no family should face, but sadly, many do.

I guess I'm just asking for moral support (and thoughts/prayers/good vibes for my family), and an understanding if my posting isn't quite as frequent over the next couple of weeks.

Honeymoon (and trip) planning tips

2008-01-31T14:15:00.000-05:00

Calvin and I planned our honeymoon without the help of a travel agent. I'm definitely DIY when it comes to travel, and this was no different. (I've used a travel agent once. It was fine. But I could have just as easily done it myself.)

Planning this trip was different from the other trips that I've planned for a number of reasons. First, while we were concerned about price, we were also concerned about service (especially for the 18+ hour flight to Bali!) We booked our flights through Singapore Airways, because we have both heard really good things about their service (and food!) Since the flights are so long, we looked at seat guru to help us pick our seats. Not that we were willing to spend any amount of money (I did keep an eye on prices for several months), but if you are traveling that long, it can be nice to have the better service. Tip: The airline may not tell you what model the plane is when you book, but by comparing the airline's seat diagram with seat guru's, you can get a pretty good idea.

Another airline tip: Many airlines (especially foreign airlines) will let you do a stopover for free at their largest hub. We're stopping in Singapore without any additional cost.

All of our hotels were found using tripadvisor. Whenever we travel, we check out TA for reviews of potential hotels, and have yet to be misdirected. Naturally, that was our key resource for hotels for the honeymoon. Tip: The fairly recently redesigned site is much better at making it available, but definitely be sure to check out the specialty lodging/B&Bs tabs on the site, if you are looking to stay at smaller, locally owned places.

Finally, I've found tripadvisor's travel forums to be especially helpful when looking for a more general view of things to do in a particular location. Tip: Like most any online message board, take what is written with a grain of salt. Try to find a couple of people who seem to have similar interests and views on traveling; their suggestions will be the most useful. When my mom and I traveled to Playa del Carmen, I avoided the advice of people staying at large, all-inclusive resorts, since we prefer to stay at smaller, boutique hotels and explore the local restaurant scene. At the advice of a couple of other people with similar travel preferences, we were directed to an absolutely amazing restaurant off the strip that was completely authentic Mexican.

If you have other travel planning trips, please share them!

Ring-A-Ding-Ding*

2008-01-30T09:23:00.000-05:00

That's right, folks. We have purchased our wedding rings.

We had a really good experience with Calvin's Artcarved engagement ring, and decided that we wanted to stick with Artcarved for our wedding rings- because of the guarantees and their lifetime resizing promise. So we went to look at rings last week, and placed our order this week. In the process of doing this, we learned that January is one of the slowest months of the year for jewelers, so it is a lot easier to negotiate prices.

So. On to the goods.

It's important to note that I specifically did not want a wedding ring with stones (diamond or otherwise.) We do quite a bit of traveling, and I would rather have a non-flashy wedding ring that I can wear all the time than to have a separate ring for travel.

Given the no bling requirement that I had, we also decided to get matching bands. Now, I know that matching bands is something that very few people seem to do these days, but...we just liked the idea.

My ring (4mm milgrain):

Calvin's ring (5mm milgrain):

(both images from here.)

Did you and your fiance/husband opt to get matching rings? Why or why not?

*apologies to Frank

Registry take 4: Household items continued

2008-01-29T09:47:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were less than thrilled with our Macy's experience, and were still on the search for a china pattern.

On a whim, we decided to check out Dillard's at Beachwood Place- to both check out jewelry for the day (I'm on the hunt for earrings) and to see what their china looked like.

There were several patterns that we liked, and while the registry person was helping another bride and her mom (who had made an appointment), she was as attentive as she could be towards us. As a bonus, Dillard's had a table set up with a tablecloth, and we were encouraged to "try out" as many place settings as we wanted, to get a sense of how things would look on a table. (This try out was also encouraged for crystal and flatware. I thought the whole thing was pretty nifty, as you could really see how everything would look together.)

We set down a whole number of place settings, and one clear winner emerged:

Stratford Platinum by Noritake.

Platinum banded for Calvin, interesting shape/design for me. After we found it, we kept talking about it, and unlike every other china pattern, we were increasingly excited about it. (I'm serious. Calvin is about as excited about the china as I am. No joke.)

While silver is not available in stores, it is available to be ordered from a store- and the website. And they carried our pattern (at a cheaper price than Macy's!). We were sold on Dillard's. Having also gone through the registry process at three other stores, we decided to do this one completely online.

The online registry is the most awesome registry we have come across. Seriously. It is smart about adding/removing items, and is updated instantly. And we have yet to get the dreaded "this registry is temporarily unavailable" message.

The return policy is more strict (returns must be within 30 days of the wedding, and you get gift cards), and while the registry completion incentive is large (20% discount), it is more challenging to use (must be used in the store, 2-4 months after the wedding). These are drawbacks (especially since there isn't a Dillard's in Michigan, where we live), but thus far, we are happy with the registry experience.

Anyone else register at Dillard's? What was your experience?

Nifty planning tool

2008-01-28T08:44:00.000-05:00

Wanderluster has tipped me off to one of the most awesome planning things ever.

Google Notebook.

Seriously. I don't know about you, but I have, oh, 6.02 x 10^23 pages bookmarked in various folders in my internet browser. (Alright, so maybe Avogadro's number is an exaggeration. But I have a lot.) And it can be really hard to find the exact "super awesome red invitation" picture that I'm looking for.

Downloading them to my desktop helps with the organization some, but I'm not always good at remembering where my sources come from.

Cue Google Desktop. It enables you to save pictures and text from websites in your own "notebook" which can be divided into various sections. It automatically provides the source for it, and you can also take notes. All it takes is a simple right click of the mouse to post it into your noteback.

Check it out.

All the information you need, in one simple click.

Look at hte organization possibilities.

And, if you want, you could share it with others. This, I think, would be a perfect way to share thoughts about bridesmaid attire with your attendants- or rehearsal dinner options with the parents.

This is revolutionizing the way that I store my information. Like bookmarks, but better, because I can access it from any computer, it has the citations, and uses Google's search engine.

(All pictures courtesy of the Google Notebook tour.)

Honeymoon Part 6: We've booked our flights!

2008-01-25T08:16:00.000-05:00

You may recall that it has taken us awhile to figure out exactly where to go on our honeymoon. "Why so long to blog about it, Meg?" you may be asking yourself. Well, I wanted to make sure that we had our flights booked and all of our hotels figured out before I sharing.

(Honeymoon parts 1-what we want, 2-Mexico, 3-Spain, 4-Greece and 5-Turkey.)

In addition to those above, we also considered Argentina, Thailand and Japan.

And then we finally settled on our place: Bali. (And Singapore- since we get a free stopover with Singapore Airways, and want some big city fun.)

Image from Wikimedia

Image from Saptatours

Image from Younan's blog

You see, after all the research that we were doing (and the declining value of the dollar against several currencies), we realized that we would be spending so much on airfare that for not a whole lot more, we could fly to Asia.

I've never been to Asia. Calvin spent three weeks in India with his best friend (his best man) and his family. On the way there and back, they spent some time in Bangkok. But he has never been to other parts of Asia, and really wants to go. (As do I!) And Bali seems to provide the best of all of the places we considered: good food, beach, culture, someplace new, and the possibility of a big city adventure.

We're spending 4 nights at the Elysian Bali Villas. Located in Seminyak, it is near (but not on) the beach, and close to lots of restaurants and more upscale tourist attractions. (In other words, it's not near the college backpacking crowd. Which is good. I did the whole drunken college student thing for a couple of days in Ios, Greece, and that was plenty for me. For life.)

Bedroom looks good...

Complete with our own private pool!

I think I could handle this living room....

We will then be spending 4 nights in Ubud (cultural mecca) in the center of the island, at the Komaneka Resort.

Check out that view!

Overlooking the rice paddies!

In case we tire of the staring at the rice paddies and decide to venture out in the world, there is a lot to do.

Like go to the Sacred Monkey Forest.

Who doesn't want to see monkeys?

And after we leave Ubud, we are headed to Singapore for 4 nights, staying at the Fairmount Singapore (formerly Raffles the Plaza).

The room- pic from tripadvisor.com

The view (every room comes with a balcony!) - pic from tripadvisor.com

Needless to say, both of us are psyched for this trip. Seriously. I'm not sure if I'm more excited about the wedding or about the honeymoon. Anyone else feel really excited about the honeymoon? (And anyone else want details about planning such a trip? We did it without a travel agent, and I'd be happy to share my tips.)