The wedding of Amanda and Thomas, as seen by Ken Blaze.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Ken Blaze
I just had to share photographs of another wedding our photographer shot during the summer.
The wedding of Amanda and Thomas, as seen by Ken Blaze.
The wedding of Amanda and Thomas, as seen by Ken Blaze.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Welcome to...Cleveland?
How do you welcome out of town guests to cities or towns that are not, shall we say, tourist magnets? If we were getting married in New York, DC or Orlando, it would would pretty easy to recommend interesting things for people to do, and interesting places for them to go. But Cleveland? Not so much- or at least not as many obvious places.
Calvin and I spent a long time generating a Google map for our website highlighting some of our favorite places. Favorite places including restaurants like Fahrenheit, Paladar and Lolita (owned by Cleveland's very own Iron Chef, Michael Symon).
Michael Symon picture found here.
Museums like the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rock Hall image from here.
And and other area attractions like the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest.
Cleveland Rainforest pictures found here and here.
But how else could we showcase our town? We've thought of doing some sort of out of town welcome bag or packet, but don't really want to invest too much time or money in doing that. What are you doing to excite out of town guests about the location of your wedding- especially if it is in a "less desirable" place? And anyone have other thoughts about tourist attractions in Cleveland?
Calvin and I spent a long time generating a Google map for our website highlighting some of our favorite places. Favorite places including restaurants like Fahrenheit, Paladar and Lolita (owned by Cleveland's very own Iron Chef, Michael Symon).
Michael Symon picture found here.
Museums like the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rock Hall image from here.
And and other area attractions like the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest.
Cleveland Rainforest pictures found here and here.
But how else could we showcase our town? We've thought of doing some sort of out of town welcome bag or packet, but don't really want to invest too much time or money in doing that. What are you doing to excite out of town guests about the location of your wedding- especially if it is in a "less desirable" place? And anyone have other thoughts about tourist attractions in Cleveland?
Friday, November 9, 2007
Family momentos.
When I first got engaged, my mom and I spent an hour or two looking over various items that she had saved from their engagement and wedding. I saw the headpiece that my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother wore in their respective weddings, and tried on my mother's wedding dress. I also looked at my parents' wedding programs, saw their customized cocktail napkins, and a few of the cards they received.
Something else that my mom showed me was a Brides magazine that my dad bought her when they got engaged- she said it was so weird for her to be engaged, she couldn't actually buy a magazine herself. (Which I understand. I've bought a grand total of three wedding magazines in the the 8+ months we have been engaged.) And then my mom gave me this:
Your Wedding, by Blanche Wheeler.
Published in 1941, Your Wedding is basically an indispensable guide to wedding planning- or at least one of my mom's closest friends at the time thought so.* You see, my mom's friend felt that not only was it helpful, she actually took the time to highlight the really important details that my mom might overlook. Details such as: (the highlighted sections are written in italics.)
"A 'thank you note' should be sincere and informal and written on the best of note paper. It need not be long:
Dear Jane--
The beautiful breakfast set you so thoughtfully selected for John and me is one of our most cherished gifts. One of the nicest things about it is every single morning, rain or shine, we shall enjoy using it. And every time we feast our eyes on its lovely color and design, you shall be in our thoughts. We both do thank you so much and won't you drop in some Sunday morning and have breakfast with us?
Sincerely,
Margaret."
or
"Gift Suggestions for the ushers:
Knife and chain
Smart cuff links
Silver or Gold Pencil
Silver bill clip"
or
"Duties of the best man:
Presenting the ring at the proper time
After the recessional, presenting the fee to the clergyman
Helping the groom change from his wedding clothes to his traveling clothes"
:-P I thought all of this was really funny.
But it also got me thinking about what sorts of memoirs I might have to pass along to a daughter or son who is getting married. Calvin's mom showed me the hat that she wore when she got married. (Sidenote: Calvin's parents got married by Dennis Kucinich, who was at that point in time the mayor of Cleveland.) This blog is more of a record than anything else I can think of that I might have to pass along, since it is chronicling my thoughts and reflections about getting married. Yes, the shoes and dress and all of those components of the wedding, but also contained in these pages are some of my thoughts about getting married. When the wedding has passed, I'd like to somehow print out these pages so that one day, I can share them with a son or daughter.
How are you keeping a record of things for posterity or future children?
*My mom's friend got her this as a joke.
Something else that my mom showed me was a Brides magazine that my dad bought her when they got engaged- she said it was so weird for her to be engaged, she couldn't actually buy a magazine herself. (Which I understand. I've bought a grand total of three wedding magazines in the the 8+ months we have been engaged.) And then my mom gave me this:
Your Wedding, by Blanche Wheeler.
Published in 1941, Your Wedding is basically an indispensable guide to wedding planning- or at least one of my mom's closest friends at the time thought so.* You see, my mom's friend felt that not only was it helpful, she actually took the time to highlight the really important details that my mom might overlook. Details such as: (the highlighted sections are written in italics.)
"A 'thank you note' should be sincere and informal and written on the best of note paper. It need not be long:
Dear Jane--
The beautiful breakfast set you so thoughtfully selected for John and me is one of our most cherished gifts. One of the nicest things about it is every single morning, rain or shine, we shall enjoy using it. And every time we feast our eyes on its lovely color and design, you shall be in our thoughts. We both do thank you so much and won't you drop in some Sunday morning and have breakfast with us?
Sincerely,
Margaret."
or
"Gift Suggestions for the ushers:
Knife and chain
Smart cuff links
Silver or Gold Pencil
Silver bill clip"
or
"Duties of the best man:
Presenting the ring at the proper time
After the recessional, presenting the fee to the clergyman
Helping the groom change from his wedding clothes to his traveling clothes"
:-P I thought all of this was really funny.
But it also got me thinking about what sorts of memoirs I might have to pass along to a daughter or son who is getting married. Calvin's mom showed me the hat that she wore when she got married. (Sidenote: Calvin's parents got married by Dennis Kucinich, who was at that point in time the mayor of Cleveland.) This blog is more of a record than anything else I can think of that I might have to pass along, since it is chronicling my thoughts and reflections about getting married. Yes, the shoes and dress and all of those components of the wedding, but also contained in these pages are some of my thoughts about getting married. When the wedding has passed, I'd like to somehow print out these pages so that one day, I can share them with a son or daughter.
How are you keeping a record of things for posterity or future children?
*My mom's friend got her this as a joke.
The shoe search...
Is done!
Yes, after all of my trials and tribulations about shoes, it seems that my search is just about over. After my wonderful success at returning a whole bunch of shoes to Endless, I made a trip to Target to see about the Hollywould shoes. Actually, it was a trip to two different Target stores. One didn't have any of the Hollywould shoes, and the second store only carried the red color up to a size 9. I did manage to try on a size 9.5 and 10 in black, and determined that the 9.5 pinched a bit, and the 10 was a bit too big. And the bow on the back of the shoe did look a little cheap. And the red was a bit too bright. Basically, they were not the right shoes for me.
So, I went back to Endless and ordered the Nine West Jojus shoes. I thought about ordering both a 9.5 and a 10, but figured that it would be actually cheaper to order them separately, if the 10 didn't fit, since Endless is offering shipping for -$5. So I ordered the size 10, and they arrived. And are (almost) perfect, I think.
(No stockings this time, because I'm think I'm keeping these!)
The color is exactly what I have been envisioning, and while I was a bit wary of the heel height, I can actually walk around them just fine. The fabric in the front is extremely soft and doesn't pinch or rub at all. There is one problem which you can see from the pictures- the shoe doesn't fit very well in the heel. Now, it may not look like it, but my heel is actually all the way at the back of the shoe. (I really do have narrow feet. And just like my mom, ridiculously small ankles. Seriously. I have no need to worry about eventually getting the puffy, swollen ankles so many older women have to deal with. It's just not a possibility for me.) Since the shoe fits fine, length-wise- I'm not slipping out of the shoe, there's just some space there- I was thinking about getting something to better secure my heels/ankles.
Awhile back, a several readers suggested that I check out Foot Petals Heavenly Heelz. Now, I hate spending money on something that won't solve my problem, but do you think that this would work? Is there another product that works better?
And finally, how do you like my shoes? Fug or Fab?
Yes, after all of my trials and tribulations about shoes, it seems that my search is just about over. After my wonderful success at returning a whole bunch of shoes to Endless, I made a trip to Target to see about the Hollywould shoes. Actually, it was a trip to two different Target stores. One didn't have any of the Hollywould shoes, and the second store only carried the red color up to a size 9. I did manage to try on a size 9.5 and 10 in black, and determined that the 9.5 pinched a bit, and the 10 was a bit too big. And the bow on the back of the shoe did look a little cheap. And the red was a bit too bright. Basically, they were not the right shoes for me.
So, I went back to Endless and ordered the Nine West Jojus shoes. I thought about ordering both a 9.5 and a 10, but figured that it would be actually cheaper to order them separately, if the 10 didn't fit, since Endless is offering shipping for -$5. So I ordered the size 10, and they arrived. And are (almost) perfect, I think.
(No stockings this time, because I'm think I'm keeping these!)
The color is exactly what I have been envisioning, and while I was a bit wary of the heel height, I can actually walk around them just fine. The fabric in the front is extremely soft and doesn't pinch or rub at all. There is one problem which you can see from the pictures- the shoe doesn't fit very well in the heel. Now, it may not look like it, but my heel is actually all the way at the back of the shoe. (I really do have narrow feet. And just like my mom, ridiculously small ankles. Seriously. I have no need to worry about eventually getting the puffy, swollen ankles so many older women have to deal with. It's just not a possibility for me.) Since the shoe fits fine, length-wise- I'm not slipping out of the shoe, there's just some space there- I was thinking about getting something to better secure my heels/ankles.
Awhile back, a several readers suggested that I check out Foot Petals Heavenly Heelz. Now, I hate spending money on something that won't solve my problem, but do you think that this would work? Is there another product that works better?
And finally, how do you like my shoes? Fug or Fab?
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The website is done!
Calvin and I have been working on our wedding website off and on since, well, June. Last night Calvin put on the finishing touches, and now we are up and running! We sent the link to our families late last night, and barring any unforeseen problems, should be sending out our virtual save-the-dates to friends and family either this weekend or next.
I now present to you our website:
The intro page. For some reason, the screencap didn't come out as clearly as it actually is.
The homepage.
The "Welcome to Cleveland" page
"Welcome to Cleveland" continued.
And the photo gallery.
Now, both of us admit that our site is pretty simple. Originally we had designed it using iWeb '06. Now, there were a couple of things about iWeb '06 that I didn't especially like- mostly that it is almost impossible to change the font of the links at the top of the page without putting them in manually. So we upgraded to iWeb '08 the week it came out, since it had that and some other nifty features, and updated our site, not backing up the original files since Apple software products are normally a lot more stable than most others. Unfortunately, the updating changed around all of the formatting of the site, since we changed our version of iWeb before the patch to fix that problem came out.
I searched around for an open source solution, and finding none that were especially palatable, downloaded the trial of Dreamweaver, and assembled the basics of the site. When it was "all done", we realized that one of the fonts we were using is non-standard, and therefore wouldn't render properly on most computers. We played around with embedding fonts, but ultimately decided to just make all of the headers images. Playing around with the images took awhile- there was a bit of MS Paint vs. Gimp vs. OpenOffice Draw debate, but Calvin took care of making the images. (Figuring out the images also forced us to try and figure out how to overcome the differences between how browsers render images.) To jazz up our site, I made a custom google map and Calvin added a simpleviewer gallery. We probably made it a whole lot more complicated than it needed to be- I think a total of 6 different programs were used, since after the license for Dreamweaver expired, I did the last bit of content tweaking in Notepad.
We purchased our domain through Go Daddy, and are hosting it on a friend's server. Total cost altogether for the website was in the neighborhood of $7.
So, I have some tips for those of you (like us) who have only basic html skills:
1. Images, especially images that only have a handful of colors (like the damask-style image on our website) are best made into .gif files. It leads to the most consistent rendering across images.
2. MS Paint does not do a good job with .gif files.
3. If you want to use non-standard fonts (and I would encourage you to do so), make them as images.
4. If you are upgrading your html editing software (or any software, really), make a back-up before you totally update. Even if the software is coming from a really reliable company.
5. Simpleviewer is really awesome for displaying pictures.
6. OpenOffice Draw continues to rock my world, and it is rocking Calvin's now, too. Both of us find it quite a bit more intuitive than Gimp.
7. We ended up not using standard websafe colors for our site, mostly because the websafe reds were too bright. There are pros and cons to not using those colors, but we determined that most, if not all, of the people who would visit our site would have updated computers and graphics capabilities, and that it wouldn't pose too much of a problem. This site provides both the hex (for html programming) and rgb (for images) code for all sorts of colors.
8. It is really easy to make custom maps with Google maps, and is a great way to provide a lot of information (about restaurants, museums, etc.) in a very efficient and useful manner.
Anyone else have any tips for those that are building their own website?
I now present to you our website:
The intro page. For some reason, the screencap didn't come out as clearly as it actually is.
The homepage.
The "Welcome to Cleveland" page
"Welcome to Cleveland" continued.
And the photo gallery.
Now, both of us admit that our site is pretty simple. Originally we had designed it using iWeb '06. Now, there were a couple of things about iWeb '06 that I didn't especially like- mostly that it is almost impossible to change the font of the links at the top of the page without putting them in manually. So we upgraded to iWeb '08 the week it came out, since it had that and some other nifty features, and updated our site, not backing up the original files since Apple software products are normally a lot more stable than most others. Unfortunately, the updating changed around all of the formatting of the site, since we changed our version of iWeb before the patch to fix that problem came out.
I searched around for an open source solution, and finding none that were especially palatable, downloaded the trial of Dreamweaver, and assembled the basics of the site. When it was "all done", we realized that one of the fonts we were using is non-standard, and therefore wouldn't render properly on most computers. We played around with embedding fonts, but ultimately decided to just make all of the headers images. Playing around with the images took awhile- there was a bit of MS Paint vs. Gimp vs. OpenOffice Draw debate, but Calvin took care of making the images. (Figuring out the images also forced us to try and figure out how to overcome the differences between how browsers render images.) To jazz up our site, I made a custom google map and Calvin added a simpleviewer gallery. We probably made it a whole lot more complicated than it needed to be- I think a total of 6 different programs were used, since after the license for Dreamweaver expired, I did the last bit of content tweaking in Notepad.
We purchased our domain through Go Daddy, and are hosting it on a friend's server. Total cost altogether for the website was in the neighborhood of $7.
So, I have some tips for those of you (like us) who have only basic html skills:
1. Images, especially images that only have a handful of colors (like the damask-style image on our website) are best made into .gif files. It leads to the most consistent rendering across images.
2. MS Paint does not do a good job with .gif files.
3. If you want to use non-standard fonts (and I would encourage you to do so), make them as images.
4. If you are upgrading your html editing software (or any software, really), make a back-up before you totally update. Even if the software is coming from a really reliable company.
5. Simpleviewer is really awesome for displaying pictures.
6. OpenOffice Draw continues to rock my world, and it is rocking Calvin's now, too. Both of us find it quite a bit more intuitive than Gimp.
7. We ended up not using standard websafe colors for our site, mostly because the websafe reds were too bright. There are pros and cons to not using those colors, but we determined that most, if not all, of the people who would visit our site would have updated computers and graphics capabilities, and that it wouldn't pose too much of a problem. This site provides both the hex (for html programming) and rgb (for images) code for all sorts of colors.
8. It is really easy to make custom maps with Google maps, and is a great way to provide a lot of information (about restaurants, museums, etc.) in a very efficient and useful manner.
Anyone else have any tips for those that are building their own website?
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
"So how's the wedding planning?"
One of the things that I like least about wedding planning is when people ask me, "How's the wedding planning going?" I know that people mean well, but there are a couple of things about it that makes me uncomfortable.
First, the question is almost exclusively aimed at me, although Calvin is playing an equal role in the process. That bothers me.
The second is that I'm just not that comfortable with talking about weddings with people in real life. My typical response is to shrug my shoulders and say something like, "It's going...I think." Maybe I feel that people are just trying to be polite and I don't want to talk their ears off about, oh, whether my dress should be ivory or diamond white? As much as I can get into the details of wedding planning, since I'm an organizer by nature, some of the stuff I really don't care about, and it is hard for me to believe that friends and family who are not intimately involved in the wedding process actually care about these things.
I'm so concerned about not being (or at least appearing) as a crazy obsessed bride that I don't have any idea how to actually talk about wedding planning. I'm the first of any of my close friends to get married, and I'm just not sure how to handle the social interactions part. Blogging and participating in online communities is my primary outlet for wedding things- so when with my friends, I would much rather talk about my research or a new movie than about the color of tablecloths.
Does anyone else feel this way? And does anyone have any suggestions about a better response to "So, how's the wedding planning?"
First, the question is almost exclusively aimed at me, although Calvin is playing an equal role in the process. That bothers me.
The second is that I'm just not that comfortable with talking about weddings with people in real life. My typical response is to shrug my shoulders and say something like, "It's going...I think." Maybe I feel that people are just trying to be polite and I don't want to talk their ears off about, oh, whether my dress should be ivory or diamond white? As much as I can get into the details of wedding planning, since I'm an organizer by nature, some of the stuff I really don't care about, and it is hard for me to believe that friends and family who are not intimately involved in the wedding process actually care about these things.
I'm so concerned about not being (or at least appearing) as a crazy obsessed bride that I don't have any idea how to actually talk about wedding planning. I'm the first of any of my close friends to get married, and I'm just not sure how to handle the social interactions part. Blogging and participating in online communities is my primary outlet for wedding things- so when with my friends, I would much rather talk about my research or a new movie than about the color of tablecloths.
Does anyone else feel this way? And does anyone have any suggestions about a better response to "So, how's the wedding planning?"
Monday, November 5, 2007
Another source of inspiration
There are a lot of places to find inspiration for weddings- a whole host of blogs that focus around design and/or weddings as well as the website of bridal magazines. One of my favorite blogs, however, is one that deals strictly in fashion and photography- The Sartorialist. Consider the possibilities that a single picture could have:
A color palate of rich greens, cocktail reception with lots of martinis. Not a whole lot of flowers, maybe some candles.
Vintage/classic sort of feel- I imagine this afternoon affair taking place in a country estate, or perhaps in a library. Favors could be used penguin classic books- you can often get them for .$50 or less at Amazon.
Smaller wedding, with reception held in a modern restaurant. Good food and good drinks, not a whole lot in the way of decor. Fun, laid-back but still stylish.
Wedding held outside at a country club, with a brunch reception to follow.
Outside, tented reception taking place in May, with mint juleps for everyone.
What are your favorite non-wedding related sources of inspiration?
A color palate of rich greens, cocktail reception with lots of martinis. Not a whole lot of flowers, maybe some candles.
Vintage/classic sort of feel- I imagine this afternoon affair taking place in a country estate, or perhaps in a library. Favors could be used penguin classic books- you can often get them for .$50 or less at Amazon.
Smaller wedding, with reception held in a modern restaurant. Good food and good drinks, not a whole lot in the way of decor. Fun, laid-back but still stylish.
Wedding held outside at a country club, with a brunch reception to follow.
Outside, tented reception taking place in May, with mint juleps for everyone.
What are your favorite non-wedding related sources of inspiration?
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