Borrowed or Blue

Food Galore!

2009-03-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

I wasn't quite sure what the food tasting would be like. Turns out: AWESOME!

We were seated in the Country Club dining room, and since it hadn't yet opened for members, we had the room to ourselves. We had a lovely view of golf course and it was our only opportunity to sit in there. We'll never be members. Ha.

Food tasting has got to be one of the best parts of wedding planning. Although, in my book, cake tasting is number ONE. Here's just a little taste of what we stuffed our face with.

Yummy Spinach Salad:

Hors D'Oeuvres: Samosas, Beef Tenderloin on toast, Seared Ahi Tuna, Crab Stuff Mushrooms, and Bruschetta.

Oregon Salmon

Free Range Chicken with Rosemary Sauce

Afterwards we were stuffed. I highly recommend going to taste food, it's so fun!

Thinking about Favors, Paper, and Wedding Galore!

2009-03-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well the reality of the California state budget as well as the nation's economy has really hit home, in terms of wedding stuff. As of April 1, 2009, our sales tax will be going up by 1% to 9.75%! I guess we have to fund the state somehow, but who likes to pay for it?

I finally got my invitation designs in the can! I just have to post them. I will be ordering my paper from the fabulous online retailer: PaperandMore.com. They offer cutting services for just $5 for the first package, plus $2 for each additional cutting service. Awesome! They also have precut 5x7 sheets for half price of the regular 8 1/2 x 11 sheets.

For our favors, I was considering making the favors do double duty - act as escort cards and favors. Murphy's Orchards (I believe in NY) offers personalized favor jars of Jam and Fruit Butters, so cool! I had considered making the jam myself, but I'm not Martha Stewart, nor do have that much free time on my hands!

I also really like this idea that WeddingBee Member Pelikila made for her wedding:

So cute! My fiance liked this idea better than the jams. We'll see, maybe we'll do half and half!

Food Tasting this weekend!

2009-03-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about this weekend. We get to sample FOOD!

We'll see how it rates against the cake tasting, because let's face it, I love cake.

Planning a wedding with a long distance fiance has been a little trickier, but completely doable. We just have to schedule and plan a lot more than couples who reside in the same general vicinity. This may just be his last trip out before the wedding, as a ticket from Texas isn't cheap.

I will post pics of our food sampling after this weekend!

I love Etsy!

2009-03-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

While I was perusing Etsy, I found a flower for my hair and my ring bearer pillow!

I've been a lurker of Etsy for the last few months. What I mean is that I never registered to be an Etsy member, until today. I decided that it was going to be a fantastic one-stop shop for handmade and UNIQUE items! I'm so excited!

Here's what I found:

Ring Bearer pillow:

by Etsy member YandeBridal

I love the big flower on top of the pillow. It gives it a unique look, without being overly froufrou. I really like the look of big open flowers, and this one fits the bill! Yandebridal has loads more designs in her Etsy shop. Be sure to check it out!

Next, the flower for my hair:

by Etsy member QGDesigns

I decided against using Gardenias for my wedding because I have some family members who are highly allergic to fragrant flowers. Instead, I went on a quest to incorporate a Gardenia someway, somehow. We are using Gardenia illustrations for our invitations that I designed. And I always wanted to wear a flower in my hair. Perfect! There are other designs as well, so pretty! Check out the Etsy shop here.

Yay! Things I can check off my list!

Etsy rocks!

Super Cute Welcome Bags!

2009-03-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

How cute are these bags? I think they are a wonderful idea for anyone who a) loves their city, b) has a lot of out of town guests, c) loves bags!

I found these cute bags on Bliss Weddings Market. While as $14.99 each they teeter between the "affordable" and "expensive" depending on what your budget looks like, I think they'd make a fantastic gift for your guests that are coming the farthest or making a vacation out of your wedding weekend. I have family coming from the East Coast and my fiance's family is from the South, and I know that it's their first time to the San Francisco Bay Area. I just might have to get a couple!

all photos from Bliss Weddings Market

Garter? What Garter?

2009-03-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

I definitely think I'm on more of the traditional side of the fence when it comes to the bouquet and garter toss. I TOTALLY want to do it. I am the first to get married amongst my friends, so to me it makes complete sense to include this tradition. Plus, it'll be fun!

I've got my toss bouquet squared away with my florist, however, I still need a garter. I hadn't even thought about it until yesterday, when I saw Miss Ballet Flat's post about finding her garters! I absolutely love Etsy and it's a wonderful resources for all things handmade. I'm so glad that this post was shared yesterday, because I may just be able to cross another thin off my list!

Here's one that matches my colors:

One for the damask-lovin' bride:

One for the fun, flirty, and wild bride (I LOVE IT):

Be sure to check out Garter Lady's Etsy Shop here. She has so many designs and also offers custom designs and plus-size garters! Each garter comes with a toss garter, so no need to buy two! Awesome!

All photos from the Garter Lady!

A Square Cake!

2009-03-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

That's right, we're having a square cake. I'm really excited about it. While round cakes are technically "easier" to make, I wanted our cake to be a little different from what our guests might be expecting.

Here was my inspiration:

photo from Gracefull333

I'm loving the look of a square cake. I also like how the middle tier is slightly twisted to add a little more style.

Photo by kelannfuller

I love this cake. It's in our colors and so bright and different. We're going to have a blue cake.

Photo from brookecorpus

I also like the idea of fresh flowers for the cake. Flowers are a great addition and add color!

I'm working with the wonderful Jen Kwapinski of Jen's Cakes in San Jose. They are a wife and husband team who have been rocking out wedding cakes for the last few years. My coworker referred me to Jen after booking her for her own wedding. She said that her cake was the hit of their reception. Sounds good to me!

If you are in the Bay Area, definitely consider checking out Jen's Cakes. She's super nice and her cakes are SUPER good! My mom and I went to the tasting, and it was the best vendor meeting ever!

One year ago...he popped the big question!

2009-03-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that we have been engaged for a year now. It was one year ago that my fiance got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. And I said, "YES!" It's amazing that we've been through all this planning, preparations, and the big day will be here very very soon. I can't believe that 12 months past so fast. I thought that with 16 months to plan it would be plenty of time. I'm glad that I had all that time, but now time is ticking down!

Some big DIY project are coming up on the blog. I just completed some bulletin boards for our guestbook. Something great is cooking up for that!

Big fan of Project Wedding!

2009-02-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

Let me take a moment to say what a fan I've become of Project Wedding. If you haven't been checking out this resource, you need to. DO IT.

I've found this to be a wonderful referral service for the last of my vendors. Currently, I'm searching for a Day of Coordinator, which I don't know if we will hire for sure yet, but I just want to explore my options. I'm also looking for a Hair and Make Up Artist that is reasonably priced. If I had an unlimited budget, I would hire Maria Chang of PMA - Professional Makeup Artistry in a heartbeat. However, she's out of my budget and she books up like six months in advance.

I like that there are ratings and reviews from brides and that it links up their website and/or blog. In today's technologically driven society, it's so important to have some kind of web presence, at least to me. If a vendor doesn't have some kind of online access, I skip over them. I prefer email correspondence first, then phone calls if I decide to proceed. Something to definitely think about. And I'm not even talking fancy, a blog is totally cool. I actually prefer going to see a blog first before hitting up a website! Blogs have all the most current work (if the vendor is a good blogger) and links to the website.

Anyway, check out Project Wedding for your wedding vendor referrals!

Wedding Countdown: Planning out the remaining 4 months!

2009-02-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

Somehow, between today and the last 12 months, time has slipped away. When we got engaged last year in March and then decided on a July wedding the following year, I thought I had loads of time! Well, I'm down to the last four months. And time is ticking away...

Things accomplished:

booked venue (includes catering & bar service)
booked photographer, he rocks!
booked church & officiant
bought my wedding gown
booked DJ
booked florist
booked cake

Things left to accomplish in next four months (more like 2 months!)

book makeup artist and hair stylist
finalize invitations and make 200 of them
create table numbers and escort cards
decide on what to do for guest book
choose favor idea and make or order
book transportation
book rehearsal dinner restaurant
select food for reception
pay vendors when due

What do you have left to do?

I feel like I have so much and not enough time. Of course, it doesn't really help that I also have a full time job and a photography business I'm working on getting off the ground! Well, I'll never be bored.

Do you DIY? Here's contest for you!

2009-02-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

photo from Vintage Glam Blog

Amanda over at Vintage Glam Weddings is have a DIY contest! Check out the details here.

Martha Stewart-Inspired Details

2009-02-24T09:59:00.000-08:00

So I've been loving Martha Stewart's Weddings, especially her "Good Things" feature for Summer Weddings. I really like the tissue paper pomanders, that are available ready to make at Michaels. I'm definitely thinking about using these for my wedding.

This is a super cute idea for Thank you notes!

I love these candle holders, simple, but dressed up!

These are really adorable ideas for favors and totally complement the pomanders above.

These little buckets are so cute with rock candies.

Nice use of bowls and awesome and vibrant flowers.

Nice boxes! Different use of a table number that works great!

Thanks Martha! :) www.marthastewartweddings.com

Traditions: Jumping the Broom

2009-02-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

One tradition that we want to include in our wedding to celebrate the Mr.'s heritage is jumping the broom. When he first brought it up in a wedding related conversation, I didn't know what he was talking about. It was a tradition that I had never heard of and was really happy to have him suggest.

Here the is the description from theknot.com:
"This tradition most likely originated with an African ritual in which a broom is used to demonstrate that all past problems have been swept away. During slave days, African-Americans were forbidden to marry and live together, so jumping over a broom was a formal and public declaration of the couple's commitment. Today, it has become very popular for African-American couples to follow suit at the conclusion of their wedding ceremony. The broom, often handmade and beautifully decorated, can be displayed in the couple's home after the wedding."

Now that I know the significance of this tradition, I'm excited to incorporate it into our ceremony.

There's a great description here from Dana on Jumping the Broom blog.

Affordable Centerpiece Finds

2009-02-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

I heart Ikea. I have since I was a kid living in France. My family used to go there every so often on the weekend to leisurely stroll through all the sections. That was in 1986. When Ikea finally made it up to the Bay Area (it had been in SoCal for a number of years) I was really excited. It reignited my love of the store. Even in college, if I had nothing better to do, I'd make the trek out to Ikea just because. The Swedes rock.

In terms of wedding planning, I've found some great deals if you're looking for affordable candle holders or vases.

Galej $1.99/3 pack

Glimma $1.99/6 pack

Ikea PS $8.99

Superfin $0.49

Makta $2.99

Blomster $3.99

Farm $1.99

Snartig $0.79

Superfin $2.99

Oh Ikea! So great. I can see lovely intimate table lit with tealights and simple budvases with single stem florals. Elegance does not have to mean it's expensive!

Where to Begin: Bridesmaids Dresses

2009-02-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

I was talking to a friend over the weekend and she mentioned that she is going to be in a wedding in August. And she's a bridesmaid. She also talked/complained about the trials and tribulations of being a bridesmaid and how it has turned into a nightmare. She was just talking about the dress. She is going to be a bridesmaid for a friend she has known since second grade. Her friend, thinking that she'd make it easy by choosing a black dress, decided on a certain two-piece style from David's Bridal. My friend said that she's never going to wear the dress again because it's so "not her style" and the dress is a waste of money to her. She even said that she's going to suck in her gut in the smaller size dress so she doesn't have to pay for alterations. Oh dear.

So how do you prevent this type of dilemma?

I found my friend's anecdote highly entertaining, although she did have a point. Personally, I'd like to choose a dress that can be reworn by my bridesmaids. Something that they won't want to throw away and think that they wasted a ton of money on. I want them to have a dress that they'll like (at least a little). I've become a big fan of choosing a dress line and color and letting the bridesmaids have at it.

At first, I thought that I would be one of those brides who wanted the matchy-matchy bridesmaids dresses. Then I came to my senses and realized that not everyone looked spectacular in the same cut of dress. I'm thinking that I'll choose a color and let my bridesmaids pick something that they will feel good in. (As much as possible in a bridesmaid dress)

Why not try something like these?

photo from ariadress.com

photo from Aria Dress

Photo from TheKnot

Bridesmaids dresses don't have to be "bridesmaid-y". Check out the collection at J.Crew too.

Wedding Planning: Picking Color Palettes

2009-02-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

Oh man, I've been such a slacker! Having a real world job gets in the way sometimes.

-----

Anyway, I was cruising one of my favorite wedding blogs, Janie Medley's awesome The Bride's Cafe, and she has a whole section showcasing color palettes.

Some of my favorites:

I love color! But I'm stuck on what to do in terms of flowers with a color palette of chocolate brown and pool blue...

Take the Cake Thursday: Margaret's French Bakery

2009-02-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

Here we are, it's Thursday again, and that means cake time!

Margaret's French Bakery has been delighting customers since 1983 out of the South Bay. It's owned and operated by Margaret and Joe Novak and their current operation is out of Campbell and you can also find them at local farmer's markets and festivals around the Bay Area. Although they specialize in wedding cakes and custom designed desserts, Margaret's French Bakery does just about anything for your occasion of choice!

They also have an awesome Cake Blog to showcase their work!

I love these cakes:

I've never seen a cake with this kind of texture. It's cool in a very funky way!

I really like the hexagonal shape on this cake, and yet it's so simple. Lovely!

This simple cake looks gorgeous and delicious!

I'm totally into the simple cake + florals.

I think the little symbols on this one represent windmills. The color totally works.

This one has so much color, even if the base is white. Nice!

Simple and understated, but with oompf.

Visit Margaret's French Bakery!

Photos courtesy of Margaret's French Bakery.

Mission: Organization

2009-02-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

I like to be organized. I have good intentions when I start getting organized. Then entropy sets in, and all efforts go down the drain. However, with planning a wedding, I knew that organization just to stay sane was key.

There were so many blogs to sift through, pictures to save, articles to clip, and so forth. I knew that if I were to actually cut things out of magazines, I would end up with a stack up to the ceiling, easy. I love magazines. How do I take care of this madness?! Without going mad?!

I'm online all the time at work, so the most logical and useful things to me have been web-based. My new best friend has been Google Reader. I've subscribed to a ton of feeds from wedding blogs to photography blogs and even my friends' blogs. Every morning, I log in and catch up on all the blogging that has gone one. Everything neat and tidy thanks to Google Reader.

Next, I've started using Google Notebook for pages that I like or have been inspired by, but don't have a blog or feed. I've kept potential vendors including florists, bakeries, and DJs. It makes it easier to organize since I can create multiple notebooks and sections and not crowd my regular bookmarks.

I'm also a heavy Firefox user. I think the option of having multiple tabs is awesome. I always have at least 10 tabs open and I hate to close them because I don't want to lose the page that I was on. Thank goodness for a history window!

Finally, to synchronize appointments and visits with the fiance, we've employed Google Calendar. Google Calendar allows us to share our appointments with each other easily and instantly. When I was making appointments to visit reception venues, I would key it into my calendar and then he knew what was coming up. I also shared these with my mom since she came along for the visit as well. So great!

Simply said, Google has been a lifesaver in keeping me sane. (No, I'm not a paid Google endorser, and I do think they are taking over the world.) You do what you gotta do.

Sweet Treats!

2009-02-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

I found these sweet cupcake pops on the Bakerella blog. If you're a lover of all things cupcake, this is definitely worth a click. It makes you want to run out and make some for yourself. In addition, I thought that these would make for some wonderful favors or after reception treats. Either way, they'd make a delicious and super cute snack!

Thanks Bakerella for your awesomely cute and delicious creations!

Where to Begin: Choosing a Date

2009-01-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

After the realization sets in that "OMG, I'm getting married!", it can be an overwhelming undertaking to actually start planning. Like most brides-to-be out there, I had never planned a wedding. I've seen family members plan weddings when I was in high school, but I had never done it. Only one of my friends from college is married, and I'm the first of my immediate friends to get engaged. Since then two more of my friends have gotten engaged and one more is in the works! (There must be something in the water).

I have to admit that I was overcome by the deluge of options for wedding "stuff". Indoor or outdoor? Church or garden? Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? Big or small? Before the engagement I found myself perusing bridal "things". I'd secretly check out The Knot for pretty ideas or WeddingBee especially since one of my former coworkers is Mrs. Tomato. It was fun to check things out without the strings attached. With the ring slipped on my finger, I now get to think in concrete terms. I am planning a wedding!

The day after the question was popped, we started talking about when. During our first conversation we discussed sometime in 2009. We thought about March or April before the real wedding season rush. As soon as we broke the news to our parents, my mom asked that we wait until she finished grad school in May '09. So then I thought about May 30, 2009. She vetoed it, and asked that my sister be on summer vacation from college. We narrowed dates down to end of June and July, since we didn't really want to wait until August or September if we didn't have to. We chose July 11 or July 18 as possible dates and moved on from there. We thought that this would be a good compromise especially since we still have friends who are in college or grad school and wouldn't be able to attend during the "school year".

Then began the hunt for the venue. With a date in mind, this made the search easier. Certain places could be thrown out while others would remain under consideration.

image from: Embroidery Library

Southern Weddings hitting stands in 3 days!

2009-01-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And what a better way to start of a new year with a radtastic announcement?

If you haven't been reading Southern Weddings in online form, you've been missing out. And in 3 days, you'll be able to get your hands on a PRINT EDITION! How exciting is that?!

Southern Weddings showcases some of the hottest and most beautiful weddings ever...on a daily basis! Check them out, NOW!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all have a fantastic holiday!

I've found this wonderful site about happiness. I think in the frenzy that is wedding planning, it's great to take a step back and consider what makes you happy. A wedding is a day (or a few), but a marriage is a lifetime. The Happiness Project has great tips, articles, and suggestions for happiness.

A recent article talks about gratitude, and how it is a key to happiness. So think about what you are thankful and grateful for, and experience some happiness!

Favorite Blog: Wedding Bee

2008-12-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

My first real venture into reading a blog consistently was WeddingBee. I started reading before the idea of marriage even was a topic of conversation. I found WeddingBee through my co-worker who was chosen as a bee last spring. She is now Mrs. Tomato. Since then I started casually reading the blog and then it became a routine in the morning. With so many different voices of all the bees, there were so many ideas and points of view. It was great!

However, the entire time that I was "secretly" reading WeddingBee, part of me felt like I shouldn't be. I wasn't a bride to be. I wasn't helping plan a wedding. I didn't have anything to do with the wedding world. But I enjoyed reading the blog, especially since I would in the future...someday.

After the engagement, I felt like I had a legitimate reason to be reading WeddingBee. I didn't feel embarrassed to be reading bridal things because now I had a reason. Now I use WeddingBee for all sorts of inspiration. The other bees have had so many great ideas and a lot of it was DIY. I'm looking to do as much (within reason) DIY. I'm going for a personalized look that is entirely us. Thanks WeddingBee for being such an inspiration!

Wedding Music Video = Radtastic!

2008-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

AWESOME Wedding music video!! Check it here:

Brian & Eileen's Wedding Music Video. from LOCKDOWN projects on Vimeo.

December, oh my!

2008-12-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

Wow, I don't know how the time past so quickly, and it's now December. The holiday season is upon us!

Check out the fab table decor from Hostess with the Mostess blog:

I especially love this last table setting. The colors are totally fab!

All photos from the Hostess Blog.

Invitations!

2008-11-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

Invitations and ideas for invitations have been running around in my head for the last week. Tomorrow officially marks eight months to go. Everyone keeps telling me "YOU have soooo much time" but considering that we are already half way through November, those eight months are going to fly.

Anyway, I really love the look of letterpressed invitations, but it's totally out of range for our budget. But like Miss Fondue on WeddingBee, I'm loving the look of heat embossed invitations. They look have the textured look to them that I think is so pretty, not to mention a lot more affordable! I'm definitely considering this option because I do want to DIY my invitations because all the premades aren't quite speaking to me. I think they are totally beautiful, but I'm a custom on a budget type of gal.

I'm also thinking about poketfolds and the possibility of making them myself. I know that they are available on www.cardandpockets.com and at around $1 each, that would mean about $200 just on the pocketfolds! There are a ton of great tutorials online, including Road to the Aisle and Miss Ballet Flat and Miss Fondue and Mrs. Daffodil on WeddingBee.

Some things to think about!

Estilo Weddings is having a sale!

2008-11-14T21:30:00.000-08:00

I found out about Estilo Weddings this week from Style Me Pretty, a must-read wedding blog. Well, they are having a sale through November 23rd. You can get a ton of stuff! I'm definitely considering getting my bridesmaids pashminas!

Check it out!

VOTE! Just do it!

2008-11-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

Get out there and exercise your right to vote. If you don't vote, you can't complain. So, just do it! :)

photo from Bakerella

30-Day Shred!

2008-11-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've heard a lot of buzz about Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Like many brides out there, I want to get into better shape before the wedding. I ordered my dress already and I have a little leeway to lose some chub. After reading through at least three different blog posts point to Jillian's workout, I ordered the DVD.

Well, I tried it out today. I didn't think that you could get a "good" workout in just 20 minutes. I was wrong. Jillian Michaels is the drill sergeant trainer of one of my favorite weight-loss reality show, The Biggest Loser. She kicks the contestants butts into shape. And she kicks yours through the DVD. I suppose the one caveat, is that you actually have to complete the workout without hitting pause. But, if you push yourself through it all, you can do it! 20 minutes is over in no time. Plus, if you don't have it in your budget to go out to Boot Camp classes (which I thought about too), this DVD is only $10.99. Budget-friendly!

So it's only Day 1, but I already feel it. It's all about diligence. 20 minutes a day, just do it!

New twist on candle votives

2008-10-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting project that I would never have though of. I want to have votives lighting up each table and depending on the type of votive it can get pretty pricey. These are made with water balloons and paraffin. The directions are here. Pretty cool, huh?

Thanks Elizabeth Anne Designs for finding this and sharing it!

Need help picking colors

2008-10-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how in the world you are going figure out what colors go together? Or maybe you need to find another color to complement what you've already picked out.

Well, wait no longer. Enter: kuler.adobe.com!

This is a really cool site where you can search for color combinations. You can even search fun names like "mango" or "ice cream" or "island" or "wave". Almost anything will generate some sort of a result.

Have fun!

Fab Decoration!

2008-10-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

My venue needs a little gold pop. The walls are a peachy and yellow color and my color scheme is chocolate brown and ocean blue. So my venue coordinator suggested that I tie in come gold accents so that I don't have to order chair covers. The chairs aren't that ugly, so I think we can work with the gold.

Thanks to my daily read, Elizabeth Anne Designs, I found this fabulous DIY project for decorations. The full instructions can be found here.

If I can create these in this color or more yellow-peachy color, I think it will tie in nicely with my venue, bridging the color gap. I'm totally keeping this one bookmarked!

Instructions found on the VintageGlam Blog.

Dress Shopping, my take, Part 3

2008-10-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

So after a positive experience at the first bridal salon, we were off to lunch and driving down to the next appointment.

The next appointment was booked at Kay's Bridal in Castro Valley. I remembered passing it every now and then driving through. I looked them up online and booked an appointment. Kay's Bridal had very friendly staff and a huge inventory. The difference was that the dresses were in plastic bags on the racks so for me, it was hard to see what the dressed would look like in full form. This, however, did prevent the serious eye wattering that I experienced at the other bridal salon.

My attendant, Nicole, was very helpful. She asked me what my price range was and what style I thought I wanted. Again, I was a little weary about giving "too low" of a price range, thinking that it would seriously limit my possibilities. I told her that I was interested in A-line gowns, nothing too poufy, with some lace, but not overkill. She found some dresses that she thought fit the description and I picked out some dresses, trying to peer into the plastic sheath.

I tried on about ten dreses I think. I tried on the same dress that I did at the first boutique. I loved it all the same. I checked the price to see if there were any advantages on waiting a few more months or buying it then. I saw that the pricetag was higher than the other salon, but Kay's was also running a special on Maggie Sottero gowns, for I believe $200 off the tag price. Then, I took into account that the other store was having a Trunk Show Sale on Maggie Sottero dresses.

So I'm not one to hem and haw over things like this. In my mind, it's another bullet point on my Wedding To-Do List. It seemed straightforward to me. I would go to the other store and take advantage of the Maggie Sottero Trunk Show Sale and be done with it. Which is what I did!

Here's my dress, the Carissa:

We have music!

2008-10-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

Ack! I keep making excuses about how I'm a bad blogger. Well, there it is, I just am. At the beginning I just wrote a bunch of posts and scheduled them to publish. That was fab. Then I started to slack on it and those scheduled posts ran out, the ones queued up were never written and well... yeah.

On a separate note, we booked our DJ! This was one thing that the fiance really wanted to have a hand in it. I was totally cool with that, since there are the grooms out there who are just uninvolved. I knew that the music aspect of our wedding day would be really important to him, so I researched the companies and then scheduled some face time.

Having a fiance who is in a different state makes wedding planning a little tricky, but totally doable. Unlike brides who are planning destination weddings, I'm here in the area of our wedding. It's just when things arise that he needs to be here for that require some extra planning. The last time that he was out here we went to interview the DJ company. I also took him to see the reception venue which he had never seen in person, only through photos and verbal description. Next time, we'll have to meet up with my priest to go over some particulars and other stuff.

Our DJ company is awesome and if you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'll highly recommend them. They are Denon & Doyle based out of Pleasant Hill, servicing the entire Bay Area. I attended a wedding this summer where they were the DJ company. Everything ran smoothly and everyone gravitated to the dance floor. The flow was great and I felt like it was so professional and just awesome! They know tons of venues and vendors and are so easy and great to work with. They've gotten rave reviews from the Knot and local papers. We met with one of the senior DJs, my fiance got a good vibe from him, and he was hired. Done and done. Now if only all the other wedding stuff was that easy!

Terrible Blogger, AWESOME Post!

2008-09-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

I've been really bad at blogging lately. But I'm going to make a better effort to blog as I did when I first started this.

I found a really great article - Top Ten Tips from Nicole Rinaldi on the Wedding Chick Blog! It's great inspiration to get yourself in gear if you're looking for reasons to eat better and get in shape for your wedding or just in general.

Check out the article!

Eco-friendly BM gifts?

2008-09-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

The Wedding Chicks posted about these awesome bags. Thinking green and wanting to reduce your carbon footprint? Check out these super cute AND eco-friendly bags by Envirosax. I think these would make fab green gifts! Check out the selections below:

At only $8.50, these are a steal! Reduce those plastic bags! Shop in style and save the environment. It's a win-win situation.

Simply Cinematic

2008-09-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

I found this over on one of my favorite blogs, Elizabeth Anne Designs. Have you ever wanted your day to be remembered as epic? Well, that's the feeling I get when I watch this trailer. Definitely an event to remember. This was shot by the folks at Simply Cinematic, Atlanta-based videographers. Truly awesome!

Laura & Erick - Sneak Peek from Simply Cinematic on Vimeo.

Don't Miss it!

2008-09-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

The Crate & Barrel Wedding Event is coming to a store near you!

One-Stop Shopping for Inspiration

2008-09-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

If there's one blog that I can rely on for everyday inspiration of amazingly beautiful weddings, it's the Southern Weddings blog. I discovered them just a few months ago, and it's one of my daily reads and has some serious eye candy. Lara Casey and her team do a great job of showcasing so many lovely, yet unique, weddings.

Take a look:

Jane & David by Heather Forsythe

Shalyce &Ian by Michele M. Waite

Katie & Torsten by Kate Benson

Miriam & Jon - This one was shot by our awesome photographer, Travis Hoehne!

Check out Southern Weddings if you haven't already!

All photos from the mentioned photographers, collaged by Southern Weddings.

Dress Shopping, my take, Part 2

2008-09-03T13:41:00.001-07:00

I may be speaking words of blasphemy. Dress shopping was one of the easiest tasks on my wedding to-do list.

When I went wedding dress shopping two weeks ago, I really had no intention of purchasing a dress. I was simply going out to get an idea of what I'd look good in or what styles we available currently. I had a couple of ideas of what I was looking for, and my only request was that it would work with my "something borrowed", my mom's veil from when my parents married, 29 years ago.

We went to the first bridal salon, J'aime Bridal, located in Pleasanton, about a hour east from San Francisco, and about 25 minutes from where I live. I had found the store online as a recommendation from Here Comes the Guide as well as a recommendation from my venue, Castlewood Country Club. It's a small boutique full of lovely wedding gowns from all sorts of designers, as well as chock full of bridesmaid dress options.

Jaime, who I believe is the owner, met with me, my mom, and my sister. We showed her my mom's veil which gave her a couple of ideas of what to pull. I told her that I didn't want too much beading, but some lace, and some details would be okay. I'm not overly fond of the gathered skirts that have been in style the last few years, and I'm definitely more on the simple side of things. I was pretty sure I wanted a strapless dress or one with straps, but with a V-neckline.

After perusing the two main sections of gowns, I pulled some that I thought I would like. Here's a note to wedding dress shoppers out there, if you have allergies, and the dresses are not bagged, then you may experience an allergic reaction to the fumes(?) of the materials of the dresses. I know I sure did. My eyes finally acclimated after a while. I entered the dressing room and accepted what would come next: stripping down to my skivvies and allowing a total stranger to help me get dressed. Not a time for body issues.

I dove into the first dress and Jaime cinched me up as the corseted back sucked everything in. The dress was gorgeous, a Maggie Sottero, which J'aime Bridal, just so happened to be having a Maggie Sottero Trunk Show Sale that day. I didn't really think much of that fact at first. I liked the first dress, it had nice ruching and the corseted back made sure the strapless dress stayed in place. I thought, "Wow, this whole dress trying on thing isn't so bad".

I tried another Maggie Sottero that Jaime had chosen that had less ruching and a fuller skirt. It too had a corseted back and some nice embroidery detailing along the front of the dress. It was beautiful. My mom and sister remarked at how lovely it was and how good I looked in it. I thought, "Definitely Maybe".

I tried on a Casablanca dress that I had picked out. I could definitely tell that it was way heavier than the first two that I tried on. It was made of satin, whereas the other two were made from taffeta. I always liked the look of taffeta, and now I realized that the weight of the fabric made all the difference in the world.

I think I probably tried on seven to ten more gowns after that. I tried on some shoes -- most definitely looking for comfort! -- and even held up a necklace to see the look altogether. Wedding dress shopping is tiring! After trying on all the options, I chose my top two, which Jaime wrote down on a card for future reference. My favorites from this stop were the first two Maggie Sottero gowns.

But I wasn't ready to decide. We still had one more stop before the day was over and couldn't make a decision without seeing what the other salon had to offer. So we thanked Jaime for all her help and headed to the next shop.

To be continued!

Dress Shopping, my take, Part 1

2008-08-24T00:13:00.000-07:00

Unlike other brides-to-be out there, I've been putting off shopping for my dress. Everyone kept asking me if I have found my dress yet, and I had to reply "no".

Well, that is no longer, folks. I have found my dress!

After chatting with a former co-worker who is getting married eight days after me, she gave me some pointers from her shopping experience. She scheduled a couple of appointments at various bridal salons in the San Jose area, and had a pretty good time. However, her one caveat was that she didn't think she'd be able to get out of the salon without spending at least four figures -- something I feared.

By nature, I'm a pretty frugal person. I think I learned that from my dad. I don't like spending my own money, however, I have an easier time spending someone else's money. For the wedding, I'm paying for a lot of things on my own, so I knew that I would have to budget a reasonable amount for my wedding dress. I'm not coming from a place where my parents have set aside $10,000 for my dream dress. I'm okay with that. I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that I was going to wear something with five digits. That's just not how I roll.

So the thought of "having" to spend at least $1,000 on a wedding gown was freaking me out. My co-worker also mentioned that for we who are getting married next July, considering that it takes about four to six months to create, should order our dresses by October. Good to know.

With these two points in mind, I researched a couple of local bridal salons. I didn't really want to drive about forty-five minutes out of my way to the same salons as my co-workers. (Enter frugality). Instead I decided to find something closer. I had heard about one location, J'aime Bridal in Pleasanton. I made an appointment for a bridal consultation. I had also driven past another bridal salon, Kay's Bridal, in Castro Valley, and booked a second appointment that day. I figured that these were in close enough proximity to me, so why not?

I went dress shopping this past Thursday. I went out with no intention of either finding or buying a dress. I thought that it was going to be a long, hard journey to finding "the" dress. I thought that it would be foolish to "settle". I had seen other brides-to-be going from salon to salon, trying on multiple dresses, and still not finding the one. I thought that would be me.

I discovered otherwise on Thursday....

Returning to regular blogging soon!

2008-08-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have been MIA lately! I have been consumed by my "real world" job and will get back to regular blogging next week. Until then, be sure to check out the links to the right!

Tablescapes a la Martha!

2008-08-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

Always something beautiful from Martha Stewart. The first two are from the "Easy Entertaining" section.

Martha Stewart Weddings

Summer Wedding Bright

Bright Summer Weddings

I can't help but focus in on Martha Stewart's lovely creations.

Foto Friday: Liana Lehman Photography

2008-08-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Liana Lehman on her recent engagement! I recently discovered Liana through the lovely Jasmine Star's blog. She is an Atlanta-based wedding and portrait photographer. Liana Lehman is a true entrepreneur and has accomplished so much at age 27! She was recently featured on F-Stop Beyond podcast as July is Creative Entrepreneurs Month. Liana is not only a photographer, but also believes in helping others achieve the impossible as featured on BananasEDU, her website where she offers a Complete Business Makeover, the Photo Biz Boot Camp, and DVDs and other tools, helping others succeed. Read the BananasEDU blog here for more information.

All photos from Liana Lehman.

Invitation finds on Flickr

2008-08-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been away on business in Denver for my real job -- attending a statistics conference. I'm no statistician, but I do work on statistics books.

While hanging out in my hotel room and enjoying the free wi-fi, I came upon some great finds on Flickr. It's such an awesome photo community and some etsy artists as well as freelance invitation designers showcase their work on Flickr.

User UglyKitty has some lovely designs which are hand Gocco'ed. Etsy Store here.

Hiu and Kent

Becca and Matt

So does MewPaperArts and Etsy Store here.

Foto Friday: Jessica Claire

2008-08-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

I first learned about Jessica Claire on one of my favorite wedding websites - WeddingBee. I was immediately drawn to her photos. The color, the vibrancy, the life that jumps off the screen. Just wonderful. The ever-so amazing Jessica Claire is not just a photographer. She's also an entrepreneur and creator of a beloved bag for photographers - the Shootsac. She's also revolutionized the use of her blogsite - a blog and a website: www.jessicaclaire.net. She not only has some amazing images, she also lets her personality shine through in her posts and in her photos. You can really see that she genuinely cares for her clients, which I feel is so important for great rapport. I'm a regular reader of her blog and an admirer of her images.

All photos from Jessica Claire:

All these photos are so beautiful! Check out Jessica's latest wedding here.

In case you're wondering here's Jessica's creation - the Shootsac!

Take the Cake Thursday: Romano's Bakery

2008-07-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

Since I'm in Dallas visiting my awesome fiance, I thought I would spotlight a local Dallas bakery.

Romano's Bakery was named Best Wedding Cake in Texas by People Magazine and was also features on Whose Wedding is it Anyway? Romano's Bakery has been making delicious cakes and cheesecakes in the Dallas area since 1990. Their cakes are made the European way; using fresh ingredients and the personal touch that they are known for. All of Romano's cakes are custom designed for you, whether it is for your child's first birthday or your wedding, they want the cake to be a beautiful focal point to your event.

20 Fun Bridal Shower Games

2008-07-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

While I'm not yet at the point of thinking of bridal showers, I found this great link to games for a bridal shower. I found it today on From "I will"...to "I Do" which has moved back to its blogger home. Anne Chertoff, author of From "I will" to "I Do", is now Senior Editor for Brides.com.

Games include "Read His Mind", "Bangle Shakedown", "Take Yarn, Tell a Yarn", and "Memory Lane Mysteries".

The full list of names can be found here.

Love this bio!

2008-07-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

I found this awesome Knottie bio thanks to WeddingBee! WB is my resource for almost everything! Knottie TDiddy2 has a very helpful, thorough, and totally stylish bio. She has reviews of her vendors and commentary throughout, including FAQs which I'm sure she received via the Knot and email. She has so many great ideas and wonderful style. She also set up a married bio to show everyone how it all turned out! You can check it out here.

Here's a sneak peek!

Cocktail table pieces (Photo from TDiddy2)

Jewelry made by MrsTDiddy2 (photo from TDiddy2)

Thank you MrsTDiddy2 for a very helpful and inspirational bio! Thanks to Mrs. Bird of Paradise on WeddingBee for sharing!

A great new way to collect addresses!

2008-07-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to figure out the most efficient and convenient way to collect the addresses and information of our family and friends. Sending around an Excel spreadsheet seems cumbersome and even with Google Documents, not everyone is signed up for Google (as prolific as it is). I thought about just collecting addresses from my mom's address book, but that would take forever to type. Data entry? No thanks! Plus into today's digital world, everyone (almost) is at a computer/blackberry/iPhone/etc at all times.

Then I came upon Mrs. Eggplant's suggestion and the lovely form building website Wufoo.com. Wufoo is the answer to my quandary. It allows to to build a custom form and deliver it to your audience. And even embed it in your website or blog. Talk about a simple solution!

3 basic forms and 3 basic reports are free, and even with what seems "basic" should be more than enough to fit a bride's needs. You can customize the look of the form to a degree and add color. You can definitely add your personality into the form. In addition, you can get reports of information that has been submitted. So great! And of course, if that's not enough, Wufoo has some affordable options if more space is needed.

Try it out if you're looking for a convenient and efficient way of collecting information!

Mission: Finding a Photographer Part II

2008-07-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

To me wedding photography was all about style. I wasn't really feeling the super traditional posed portrait that make you think "look here and smile at the camera". I do appreciate nicely composed portraits, but I didn't want my photos to be "just" that.

Even before the proposal, I've been blog-stalking photographers. I'm just in such awe at the wonderful images they are able to capture. I always think, "how did they see that?!" when they capture the finest detail or slightest nuance. It takes real talent and an eye to do that. It's not all about the point and shoot.

Another quality I wanted in a photographer? Youthful fun. I want my photographer to be able to identify with me and be able to understand my wants. Someone who would listen and understand and work with what I want and the style I want. Someone who is perhaps recently married and understands all that goes into a wedding.

A few photographers who embody this in my mind:

Jasmine Star

Trista Lerit

Sarah K. Chen

I love their youthful and fun style as well as all the little details that they capture! So wonderful! And they are a testament to why blogs are so useful and necessary in the photography world. My advice is to choose a photographer who's style you like as well as who's personality you click with. Now, I didn't end up booking any of these talented ladies, but I certainly would!

Next, how I found my photographer and what led me to book him!

New Fabulous-ness!

2008-07-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about one of my favorite blog's new resource for brides and for anyone interested in wedding stuff! It's an amazing collection of photographers, beauty, planning, floral, venues, and stationery, all in one central place called the Elizabeth Anne Designs Library. I haven't yet scoured all the links, but I will!

Congrats on this fabulous new and incredibly helpful resource! Find it here.

How to keep your budget in check

2008-07-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

I've been using a great online tool to keep track of my expenses wedding and non-wedding related. Back before we were engaged, I was really focused on beefing up my understanding of personal finances. I borrowed books from the library written by Suze Orman, Jean Chatzsky, and I read David Bach's Smart Women Finish Rich book cover-to-cover. I was almost hyper-vigilant about my finances after that. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't spending more than I had and saving all that I could.

Then one day, I was reading an issue of Money Magazine that had featured a new resource for tracking expenses and then analyzing your habits. It's called Mint. It's a free tool and still technically in it's beta phase, but so far, it has proven to be an amazing thing, to me at least. You can track all your accounts, even investment accounts and it will summarize your spending habits and suggest better alternatives for credit cards if applicable.

Later on, after we were engaged, I found this article about using Mint to track wedding expenses. Within Mint, you can tag your expenses (similar to blog tagging) and then sort to see where you are at with spending. It's great! Try it out!

1 year and counting!

2008-07-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

365 days until the big day! When we join our lives together and promise to love and respect each other forever. The celebration will be remembered, but the marriage is the most important part. I've met the love of my life and I can't wait until we're not long-distance relationship-ing anymore!

This is one of our designs of our Save the Date magnets. I also have created an insert card for our out of town family and friends.

Take the Cake Thursday: Sugar Butter Flour

2008-07-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

Sugar Butter Flour is a bakery based out of Sunnyvale, CA. Their mission is to provide the finest desserts, pastries, and chocolates at reasonable prices. Their products are baked fresh daily and only use the finest ingredients without preservatives or artificial flavoring. They are dedicated to delivering the highest level of customer service, and will do their best to make their customers happy.

Turquoise with Ribbon

Fondant with Bees

Henna Cake

Purple Blossom on White

Details!

2008-07-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

I love details at weddings. I love it even more when photographers capture each and every little aspect that goes into the wedding. It's the personal touches that the bride and groom have put into the wedding that not everyone may notice, but the newlyweds will certainly remember, most especially if it's DIY!

Lyndsy & Elon via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Antonio & Heather via Trista Lerit

Jennifer+ Michael via Boutwell Studio

Jill + Harry via Michael Norwood Photography

Click on photos to enlarge.

Check out these photog blogs for more eye candy!

Inspiration Boards

2008-07-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

The lovely and wonderful blog-read Snippet & Ink provides great inspiration for color palettes and detail ideas. Thank goodness for labels on blog posts! I found the inspiring palettes that include blue, one of the basic colors I will be including in my wedding. Thank you Kathryn for pulling these together everyday for your readers' inspiration and enjoyment!

Floral Opulence

Japanese Magnolia

Cinco de Mayo

Early Spring Sweetness

Blue and Orange

Amanda's Blue and Yellow Wedding

A Maine Coast Wedding

A Little Bird Told Me...

Check out Snippet & Ink!

All inspiration boards created by Kathryn of Snippet and Ink.

Foto Friday: Becker Photographer

2008-07-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

This Friday's feature is the uber-talented and incredibly amazing photographer, Becker. I think I discovered Becker's work when someone blogged one of his images on WeddingBee. The details, the lighting, the relaxed portraits, everything caught my eye. Along with [b]ecker's blog, I also uncovered his forthcoming project that he has been promoting for the past several months, the [b] school, found on the [b] school blog. It's a fantastic resource for seasoned and newbie photographers alike. I've checked out some of the Photoshop features for my own use. There's an abundance of information in there and it keeps getting better every day! I've told my friends who are aspiring photographers to check it out. And, because Becker posts videos giving tips and his own insights, you get a snapshot (yes, pun intended again) of his personality. He truly lives up to what he's set out to do, make his brides happy with fantastic images and service as well as spread the love throughout the photography community. Thanks Becker!

Check out his latest engagement session here! I love his work, it was so hard to just choose a few photos!

Creative Must-Have... or at least I think so

2008-07-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

My new love on the creative front has been the Xyron family of products. I own a Xyron 510 that I bought at 50% off at Joann's. It's become my new best friend. I love the adhesive feature and most recently the magnet/laminator feature. All this, without any electricity! It's green goodness.

Now I'm totally coveting the Xyron 900 (which now, come to think of it, I should have jumped on with that 50% off coupon, but oh well), and have been scouring Michaels, Joann's, and eBay for a good deal. I'm pretty thrifty so at 50% off or more deal would be sweet!

For those of you who have not yet been introduced, meet the Xyron 900 or 9" Creative Station (it's official name), featured on Martha Stewart as well:

Click here for instructions on how to make the Copper-Edged Magnet shown on the Martha Stewart show on March 22.

I'm definitely using this baby to create my magnet Save the Dates! (Coming Soon!) I wasn't digging the plain magnet paper and I didn't like the texture once printed on. I did however love the laminated feel of magnets run through the Xyron. It's a little pricey, but when you get 50% or more off on the cartridges, plus all the other uses that will come of this fabulous contraption, who could say no?

Check out these other projects made with the Xyron a la Weddingbee:

Mrs. Lovebug's Bridal Backstage Passes
Miss Pomegranate's Save the Date labels
Miss Hydrangea's Table Cards and Water Labels
Mrs. Jasmine's Address Labels
Mrs. Penguin's Invitations
Miss Coconut's Save the Date project

And this is only to name a few...

Mission: Finding a Photographer Part I

2008-07-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

Photography has always been something I've loved. I think it's in my blood because my parents love photography too. Who else can say that their parents have at least 65 albums documenting their life and us kids growing up. Plus, I was the first born grandchild on both sides, so naturally there were even more photos taken. I was even voted "Most Photogenic" in my 8th grade class. I've never been shy in front of the camera.

I knew that for my wedding, I definitely wanted it documented. I wanted to be able to look back at an album or digital album and show my kids and grandkids our memories. Photography was definitely an area I was willing to spend more of my budget.

So how did I start? With so many awesome photographers out there, it was all about narrowing them down by style. I knew that I definitely wanted a more photojournalistic style. Someone who would be able to capture candids, but wouldn't be opposed to posed shots as well. I wasn't all about the traditional portraits. I wanted someone who could have some fun and would be able to work with what we wanted. In addition, I needed to find someone with a reasonable package.

I immediately asked a friend for her recommendations since she had her wedding in July 2007. I love the photos that her photographer, Junshien, captured. I quickly contacted him to find out what his rates were. For weddings, depending on the package you choose, he will shoot with the awesome Scott Robert. He also has excellent style and picks up on the little nuances that make the difference. As an up and coming photographer in the Bay Area and associate to Scott Robert, he's great and his prices are competitive for the San Francisco Bay Area. He's booking quickly!

E-Session:

Wedding:

Visit his website: www.junshien.com

Part II coming!

Favorite Blog: Southern Weddings

2008-07-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

One of my new favorite blogs is Southern Weddings. With my husband-to-be growing up in the South as well as my maternal grandfather's family hailing from Georgia, I know that I definitely want to honor and celebrate the rich traditions of the South. I first discovered Southern Weddings via another favorite blog, Elizabeth Anne Designs. Then there were another handful of times that other bloggers blogged about them, so I just had to add them to my Google Reader list. I love when they feature Real Weddings and anything infused with Southern spirit. Congrats to them for their new name Southern Weddings!

Check it out!

Fresh Florals!

2008-07-05T01:48:00.001-07:00

My flowers, something that I have been thinking about for a while now. I love how true floral designers have the ability to capture your vision and create something completely beautiful. It definitely makes you forget how much you may be spending for their talents. I have yet to interview florists, but along with the cake, I'm really excited about exploring my floral options. I don't have a $50,000 budget, but I do intend to have beautiful accents within my budget. I've been collecting some beautiful images from Jessica Claire, the Becker, Marisa Holmes, Jasmine Star, DrewB, Trista Lerit, Whitebox Weddings, Brooke Schwab, and Amelia Lyon.

I can't wait to plan my flowers. I'm looking forward to my floral designer's expertise in choosing colors and flowers that will complement my color scheme of chocolate and ocean blue. I'm thinking white flowers since those will go with just about everything. Then again, I love color. This is where a real expert with flowers and design comes in.

Enjoy the yummy photos!

brooke schwab:

trista lerit:

amelia lyon:

Foto Friday: Marisa Holmes Photography

2008-07-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

I discovered Marisa Holmes work when "Miss Jasmine" (now Mrs. Jasmine) started blogging on WeddingBee. I was very excited to discover another awesome SoCal photographer. Even though I am not based in Southern California, I do have a bunch of friends who hail from there. Marisa has the ability to capture the life and vibrancy of a couple as well as all the details of the big day. Her composition and lighting are on point, and you can't help but want to see more images! It's truly as if her images come to life, pulling you into the experience of the photo. Fantastic work!

Check out her work below, first of Mrs. Jasmine:

Check out more of Marisa's work here!

[all photos by Marisa Holmes]

Take the Cake Thursday: Copenhagen Bakery & Cafe

2008-07-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today's cake feature is a bakery based in Burlingame, just 25 minutes south of San Francisco. Since 1977, Copenhagen Bakery & Cafe has been a remarkable success story - a traditional family business that has survived and thrived despite fierce competition and sweeping changes in the Burlingame business community. Over the years they have become well-known for their wonderful, custom-made wedding cakes, birthday cakes, and other special occasion cakes.

Check out their awesome cake creations!

Photos courtesy of copenhagenbakery.com

Traditions: Candle, Coin, Veil, and Cord

2008-07-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

To honor my side of the family, we will be incorporating the traditional Filipino wedding elements of the Coins, Veil, and Cord, as well as godparents known as ninangs and ninongs.

Filipino Kasal kasal (kas´al) n. wedding
The Philippines is a country rich in traditions that were originally introduced by Spanish missionaries. At a traditional, Filipino wedding, many sponsors are present to witness the union of the couple. The sponsors symbolize guidance and support: a group of individuals that the couple can refer to in time of need.

The candle, arrhae (coins), veil, and cord are four traditions routinely witnessed during a Filipino wedding. Filipinos feel strongly about their heritage and actively incorporate their traditions into their weddings.
The whole wedding thus takes just a little bit longer, and a few more participants are required, but it certainly makes for a more memorable wedding day!

Candle
The candle represents two families joining together as the bride and groom start their new life together as one.

Coins or Arrhae (ar-rah-heh) n. earnest money
The ceremony of the Arrhae represents the groom’s dedication to the welfare of the bride. It signifies the bride and groom’s mutual hope for wealth, prosperity, and security as they build their lives and family together. The metal tinkling of thirteen coins being passed from one pair of hands to the other signifies abundance and success in the couple’s joint efforts.

Veil
The veil is a symbol of the faithful and everlasting love the bride and groom have for each other. Through the passing of the years, it will remind them that they belong to each other, and that their love becomes more beautiful in self-surrender that are total and pure.

The Veil Sponsors will pin the veil from the groom’s shoulders extending to cover the bride’s head and shoulders. It also symbolizes unity of the two families into one.

Cord
The cord symbolizes the love and friendship that bind the couple together, and the figure eight shape represents the infinite nature of matrimony.

The Cord Sponsors will drape the yugal (a decorative silk cord) over their shoulders.

Ninang and Ninong * Godmother and Godfather
These are women and men whom the bride and groom respect & admire. They are, as in the early days of the Church, sponsors of the couple attesting to their readiness for marriage and freedom to marry.

These are often aunts and uncles or close friends of the family. In the Philippines, they are the official witnesses of the state and they sign the marriage license. Worldwide, their participation is a tremendous honor and symbolic of the wisdom & support they shall offer the new couple. The number of sponsors can vary from a single couple to many couples.

Read the full article here and here.

Colored Shoes!

2008-07-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the idea of colored shoes on your wedding day! First of all, colored wedding shoes are cute and have so much personality. Second, who says you can't? Sometimes it's easier to just match, but why not mix it up a little and surprise family and friends alike with some unexpected pizazz.

I, myself, am not one for heels. I'd probably fall down before I get down the aisle. For my bridal shoes, I'm thinking either a cute wedge sandal or even flip flops. Since going to college in San Diego, I'm pretty much in my Rainbow flip flops all through the summer. Somehow, I'm one of the few women who never learned to walk in heels. Sure, I can walk about two feet, but then I'll be yelling to get them off. They are torture devices, I'm convinced.

First: by the fabulous Becker:

Amy Squires:

Jasmine Star:

The red shoes give a white dress some great pop!

Amelia Lyon:

I bet this bride has some killer legs!

Trista Lerit:

Who said that the shoes even had to be dressy heels? I'm all for this bride's choice in Nike Dunks! You have to have great style to pull those off, and I think this bride totally does!

Becker:

Enjoy!

Favorite Blog: Style Me Pretty

2008-06-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

I love all the beautiful things that are blogged about on Style Me Pretty. I had discovered Style Me Pretty a while ago through a coworker, but at the time I wasn't engaged and was less interested. Now, Style Me Pretty is a DAILY read. I love the Real Weddings that Abby features as well as her focus on all this beautiful. Whether it's paper, flowers, decor, fashion or food, it's all so lovely and provides daily inspiration.

Check out Style Me Pretty now!

101 things I love about him...

2008-06-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

41. your eclectic taste in music
42. your willingness to try new things
43. you'll watch a chick flick with me (except Sex and the City)
44. you know how to dance
45. you don't mind hanging out at my house
46. you've come to like my dogs
47. you respect me
48. you're incredibly thoughtful
49. you share my love of things Disney
50. you're as excited as me about finally getting to ride Expedition Everest
51. you believe in a certain level of frugality
52. you have nice taste in clothes
53. your random sweet text messages
54. you put up with the fact that I can be a nag
55. the way you hold me on a cold night
56. that we have lots of fun together
57. the happiness in your voice
58. your own set of quirks
59. that you find the way I say "heeeeyyy" funny
60. you're not afraid to be silly in public

Foto Friday: Jasmine Star Photography

2008-06-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

One of my new favorite photographers is Jasmine Star. She is based out of Orange County and with a little over two years of running her own business is a rising STAR in the photography world. (Yes, pun intended.) I was so touched reading her old blog entries about her entry into the business, her struggles, fears, doubts, and ultimate support and success. Look at her now! She has a fantastic new website chock full of awesomeness! Her new blog reads like a fashion magazine, without losing her great personality that she puts into every post. I feel like I know her through her well crafted writing and candid honesty. I even emailed her about her advice to her start in the business, and she was nice enough to answer my email -- she didn't have to! Thanks Jasmine!

Here's some eye candy from her latest wedding.

All photos by the talented Jasmine Star.

Take the Cake Thursday: City of D'Lights

2008-06-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Based in San Ramon, CA City of D'Lights has been cooking up fabulous creations since 2001. They have a gorgeous line of unique wedding cakes, signature cakes, and awesome pastries. No wonder it's called City of D'Lights!

From their website:
"City of D'Lights has been creating its unique line of specialty cakes and pastries since February 2001, when Pastry Chefs Attila Gogos and Lynne Kawakami took ownership of this bakery in San Ramon, California. Inspired by Attila's European heritage and Lynne's Asian culture, they have created a selection of cakes, pastries, and holiday cookies that not only look fabulous, but taste great, too."

Gorgeous chocolate:

Intricate scrolling:

Sheer Elegance:

Lovely:

Combination of shapes:

Be sure to check out City of D'Lights in San Ramon!

Address:	2217-D San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon, CA 94583
Phone:	(925) 837-2886
Email:	info [at] cityofdlights [dot] com

Project: Save the Date Part II

2008-06-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

As I keep finding more and more ideas for what to do with my Save the Dates, I'm almost overwhelmed. I have a general idea of what I want and I want to stay focused on the vision that I have. It's hard to feel unique when you see your idea translated and created by another bride. I'm so thankful, though, for all the of the wonderful resources online that brides have been sharing since the blog boom.

I love the idea of magnets, so your guests will have a constant reminder on their fridge of the upcoming nuptials. I also like the idea of including stickers for guests to mark in their other calendars. This may seem like overkill at times, but I think that if you send a Save the Date to someone and then an invitation, they have absolutely no excuse not to know when your wedding is. I would hope that this would cut out the "Oh I didn't knows" or "You should have told me sooner" or "I wish I knew ahead of time". That's the whole point of a Save the Date, right, to SAVE THE DATE.

Here's some inspiration from Melissa Jill, a Scottsdale-based photographer, who has a new line of Save the Date Cards:

Here is what I have come up with. I'm planning on maybe using these as the magnets and including another insert with information for our out of town guests. It's so hard to decide on just one idea, that I want to include everything! These are preliminary designs, with some others on the way.

Awesome engagement photos by our rad-tastic photographer, Travis Hoehne!

Where to Begin: Timing

2008-06-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

With an engagement that is 16 months long, it can sometimes feel like an eternity, but for whatever reason, 2008 is quickly slipping through my fingers. I can't believe that July is literally around the corner and that we will soon be coming up on the one year marker. So this begs the question, how do I time what needs to get done when?

The Knot has a handy dandy checklist of when you "should" be completing items. One of my coworkers said that she used this as her wedding bible. She said she felt a great feeling of a accomplishment checking each task off. Of course there are other wedding planners and other resources online as well. It would seem that wedding "stuff" is abundant and easy to find. But unless you stick to one schedule or checklist, wedding planning can be a bear of a project.

So far, I've booked the church and the reception site. I'm in the midst of designing our Save the Dates and our invitations are on the horizon. I've done little else. I have started researching DJs and florists. I know that for myself, I'll really have to set deadlines for talking to some of these folks so that they don't get booked up. Also, with a year to go, I feel comfortable not rushing around trying to plan everything. In reality, I can't plan everything yet. But I must remind myself not to become complacent and lazy. I've got to keep the ball rolling.

How are you timing your planning?

Foto Friday: Daisy Productions

2008-06-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

One of the first photography blogs that I ever stumbled upon was Daisy Productions, headed by Amy Herfurth in Texas. This was my first introduction to reading a blog and I was just awestruck by her images and raw emotion she is able to capture. That was about 18 months ago, long before I even became a bride to be. She was also the first photographer I ventured to email about her business and how she started. It's always been a dream of mine to start my own business (that's in the works). At first I didn't expect a reply, but I was touched that she took the time to reply to my little email. Thanks Amy!

I love her face!

In true Southern Tradition, bridal portraits. Check the boots!

Love this :)

Thank you Amy for your wonderful photography!

(All images from www.daisyproductions.net)

Take the Cake Thursday: Cakes by Ana

2008-06-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

I heard about Cakes by Ana through one of the venues I visited. I was disappointed I couldn't book the venue as it was too small. However, the catering manager did show me the photos of Cakes by Ana and they all looked simply wonderful and delicious. Cakes by Ana is a mother-daughter business that started in 1996 in San Jose. They joined forces to provide impeccable service and amazing confections for any occasion.

Check out Cakes by Ana!

Phone: 408-978-4700, 408-365-6209

E-mail: cakesbyana [at] yahoo [dot] com

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the father's and other important father figures out there!

Dad, thanks for being you. Your unique style of encouragement has gotten me to where I am now. Thanks and keep on truckin'!

101 things I love about...

2008-06-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

my personal heater, my Stitch, my silly

21. the way you stay with me on the phone, even in complete silence
22. you taught me about your love of basketball
23. you teach me to play video games (at least the wii ones)
24. you accept my obsession with my DSLR
25. you have a new love of point-and-shoot photography
26. you'd take me to Cheesecake Factory just because I love cheesecake
27. you'll walk around aimlessly around the mall with me
28. you think my quirks are charming
29. the way you kiss me on the forehead, every time I stick my forehead in your face
30. you worry about me
31. you stay on the phone with me to make sure I get home safely
32. you make me feel loved
33. you make me feel beautiful
34. you believe in me
35. you encourage me to be better and do better
36. you let me complain
37. your patience
38. your kindness
39. you travel a distance to see me
40. you chose me

Foto Friday: Sarah K Chen Photography

2008-06-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

I love the images that Sarah K. Chen has captured. So many lovely details, such wonderful light, and sweet moments during a wedding day. So inspiring! She's based out of Orange County and a baby is on the way. She's also known as Mrs.Pootiekins on the Knot photographed by the awesome Jose Villa.

Loveliness:

Sweet moment.

Cool silhouette.

Miss-soon-to-be-Mrs. Penguin! (Weddingbee)

Like the ring shot.

Great contrast.

Thanks Sarah for the inspiration! Be sure to check out her blog!

All photos by the ever-so-talented Sarah K. Chen!

Take the Cake Thursday: Forget-Me-Not Cakes

2008-06-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

This bakery lives up to its name: Forget-Me-Not Cakes. If you're living in San Francisco or the North Bay - Sonoma, Marin, or Napa, you should check this site out. Forget-Me-Not wedding cakes are custom designed for each bride. Sally Ann will consult with you on every detail, to create a delicious and exquisite piece of edible art that reflects you and your dreams, and delights your guests. Awesome!

Showcase of some of Sally's work:

Love the Swiss dots detail

Lovely intricate scrolling

Looks simply delicious!

Lovely, looking like it's wrapped in fabric

Check out Forget Me Not Cakes!

Contact: sally.forgetmenot [at] gmail [dot] com

Finding THE Venue Part III

2008-06-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

After visiting a handful of venues, I decided I was over it. Everything started to look the same to me. Windows, check. Dancefloor, check. Generally overpriced catering, check. Oh, I felt the woes of living in Northern California, in the Bay Area no less.

I had figured out that any venue in the Silicon Valley (even after the bust) was way out of my price range, simply because there are still folks who can afford an arm and a leg. San Francisco proper was out of the question because we don't live on that side, and again I'm not willing to give up my first born for my wedding. The Peninsula (Palo Alto or San Mateo) would be a last resort, but still not ideal since guests would have to cross a bridge. Oakland was a possibility, but still a distance from the church. The pricing was in a good range, but I think the distance outweighed that factor. Finally, the East Bay and Tri-Valley area seemed like the most logical choice. And since these locations aren't in the the super high traffic areas like the city or uber expensive like one of the clubs in the South Bay, the pricing is a little more budget friendly.

Having decided that although Livermore (way out there) had lovely vineyards, unless we were having both the ceremony and reception in the same location, this wouldn't make sense. It would be a 40-50 minute drive just to get out there post-ceremony. And with the price of gas, this wasn't a good option. I liked Dublin Ranch Golf Club, but it too, was a little too far for my taste. Sunol Valley was our first initial choice, but after consideration of double bookings without question, it no longer sat well with me. Also, by the time we were ready to make a decision, both of our possible dates were booked. Finally, the last contender is nicely situated just on the other side of the hills from the church, with all the style that I had wanted.

Castlewood Country Club ascended to our top choice. You don't have to be a member to use the facility, although the rental price is higher without membership or sponsoring member. That price point was acceptable to us since their catering prices were comparable and the space was just so beautiful. There is no dollar minimum, but a guest minimum, which I thought would work out to our advantage since we would have at least the minimum number of guests. I fell in love with the space.

At first, I thought that it was too fancy for us. I thought the words "country club" would make people think that we were rich. But as a good friend of mine said, "Welcome to team 'I am getting married in a country club even though I would never have thought so in a million years.'" It just happens that it all worked out nicely. Some photos for better description...

Front entrance

Club lobby

Bar

Terrace - great for cocktail hour on a warm summer evening

Main ballroom

It has a very "hacienda" feel to it and was once owned by the Hearst Family. Yes, the HEARST's. The chairs aren't ugly, so I don't feel that money would have to be spent on chair covers. The space is big enough to accommodate our party, up to 375, were we to know that many people. I'm so excited that we have a venue! That means that I can really start working on the paper products and stationery! Yay!

Project: Save the Dates Part I

2008-06-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

With the wedding still a whole year and eight days away (three months flew by quick!), I definitely think we need to send out save the date cards, at least to our friends and relatives who will have to plan flights and hotel stays in order to attend. And with the way gas and jet fuel prices keep climbing, it's the courteous and right thing to do.

So I've been thinking a lot about what my Save the Dates should look like. I feel like STD's set the tone for the wedding and will carry the motif and theme along (if you choose that). Since I'm all about designing my own stationery, even though I'm no graphic designer, I want there to be a cohesive feeling between the Save the Dates and the Invitations. I could go the "easy" route and get matching sets from vendors like Wedding Paper Divas or Minted.com, but to me, even though they have gorgeous stuff, feels impersonal when I think of other brides that might have my same design. It just doesn't sit well with me.

I've seen some great design ideas from other bloggers out there:

Kate's Wedding (aka Miss Pomegranate)

Miss Cupcake

an Excited Bride (aka Miss Coconut)

Stinkerpants (aka Miss Cream Puff)

So cute! The Bees are really so creative! Just turned out that a lot of my favorite Knotties/blogger-brides our there turned out to be Bees on WeddingBee! I want to be budget friendly, while cute, creative, and cohesive. I have a couple ideas that I will share next time...

Where to Begin: Choosing your Colors

2008-06-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

This, for us, was a surprisingly easy decision. I've always loved the color blue -- especially cobalt blue, pool blue, and the aqua blue you see in photos of Tahiti and Bora Bora. Quite lovely. The other color that I was drawn to is chocolate brown. I've seen a lot of pairings of these two colors and they work out very nicely.

When I was chatting with my fiance about colors, I figured he wouldn't be very interested. But actually, he had immediate input. We were driving back from a venue tour and saw a man on the sidewalk wearing a bright blue scarf. He had mentioned that he wanted "Carolina Blue", as in the North Carolina Tarheels color blue. I said I wanted the color of the guy on the sidewalk's scarf. And he agreed to the color! Easy peasy! I don't know if it would have been as easy if I had decided I wanted pink or purple. But I do love the blue.

My only issue is finding flowers that will work. I know that hydrangeas are blue, but there isn't quite the plethora of choices compared to say pink or purple or orange flowers. I was thinking about cream/white flowers since those go with everything, but I'm one for color. I guess that's what I'll have to discuss with my florist (when I find one...)

So in choosing your colors, consider your venue - are the colors vibrant or muted? would any colors clash with the current decor? what flowers (if using for decor) will be in season? Also, consider what you like - don't choose pink and brown because it's trendy if you hate brown and your fiance hates pink. If you really love green, go for it. There is a huge range of "green". Unless your fiance really has no opinion about the matter, make sure the color is not going to make him/her shudder. In the words of Tim Gunn, "Make it work."

Favorite Blog: Elizabeth Anne Designs

2008-06-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

I think I found out about Elizabeth Anne Designs as a recommended RSS feed from Google Reader and as a link from another wedding blog. I'm sure glad I found their site! One of my most favorite parts of wedding planning so far has been the discovery of all these amazing, creative, helpful, and super awesome wedding blog.

The main "voices" of the site are Elizabeth and Anne, with guest bloggers from other blogs such as Liene from Blue Orchid Designs (her blog is fantastic as well!). They feature lovely real weddings, post ideas for inspiration boards, and all kinds of other fabulous wedding stuff. They are a multiple-times daily read for me. And they added me to their link love! How awesome is that? You should definitely check out Elizabeth Anne Designs!

101 things I love about....

2008-06-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

my fiance, my best friend, my biggest fan.

My list of 1-20 in no particular order...

the way you smile
your laugh and how it brightens my day
that you know how to dress
that you care about my interests/hobbies
you make me happy just being in the same room
you have always believed in us
you trust me and I trust you completely
you love me for me
your openness
that you'll listen to me rant unconditionally
you think I'm funny, not nuts
you know how to make me laugh
when you try to scare me with your "mean look", it makes me laugh instead
your big, juicy lips!
you have a cute butt
when you whisper in my ear ::chills::
you put up with me
you think I'm cute
you think I'm cute without makeup
you're nicer than me

I love you!

Foto Friday: Travis Hoehne Photography

2008-06-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

Even before I was engaged, I've been blogstalking photographers. I love photography, especially portrait and wedding photography. It's all about catching the moment, a visual expression of love, and emotion. I'm in awe of photographers who are able to capture this. It's not easy and not anyone can do it. Since I have so much love for the photographers out there (check my photog blogroll), I'm beginning a new feature: Foto Fridays.

So now that you know who we've snapped up as our photographer, I figured that I would feature some of the work that moved me to hire him!

Travis Hoehne is based out of Riverside, and has been awesome to work with. You can check out his blog here, and his website is almost complete.

Love the light!

Definitely want something like this for ours :)

And this too. I KNOW the groomsmen (and groom!) would be down!

Love the silhouette.

I like the use of the arches.

The light is shining down on them!

Colors of this shindig are so vibrant!

This series is great!

Action!

I really like this one too. So cool!

Travis, if I haven't said it enough, you're awesome!! Next July here we come!

Finding THE Venue Part II

2008-06-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

After narrowing down our choices to five contenders, it was site tour time! I took a day off of work to hit up three locations. Since most offices close by 4 or 4:30pm and I don't get off work til 5pm, trying to go after work wasn't going to cut it.

I went with my mom and my sister for their thoughts and input. Since we're really wedding planning newbies, we went in with an open mind and some questions. Having reviewed some of the policies and menus, I knew that I had some questions to ask. Cake cutting fee? Corkage fee? Security fee? And probably most important, spending minimums. Since I felt the blow of sticker shock via the venue that wanted $12K for a rental fee, I braced myself to ask about the minimums. Luckily, among our five contenders, the minimum range was between $10k and $15k, inclusive. Woo hoo!

A mini tour:

Dublin Ranch Golf Club

Tracy, the Event Manager, was super nice and helpful and seemed like a wonderful resource for the wedding day. She told us the minimums, which were on par for the location, and showed us the space. Basically their banquet facility is the club's restaurant. It would be cleared out of golfers and set up for a wedding reception. She showed us some nice photos and we gathered ideas. Nice space and on a Saturday evening in July, the weather should be pleasant.

Sunol Valley Golf Club

The only wedding I've attended as an attendant was at Sunol Valley Golf Club. I had some vague memories of the place, and their pricing was very reasonable for our budget. The space was big enough, but I had a few qualms about the space. There are two rooms that the club rents out for events. A larger room that fits 220 and a smaller room that fits 150. The smaller room comes with an anteroom, great for hors d'oeuvres and hanging out pre-dinner. The larger room has a built in dance floor and bar. This venue freely books up to 4 events in a day. That means there could be a wedding next door and the smaller room would/could hear the event going on next door. This did not sit well with me. The larger room doesn't have an anteroom - not that much of a necessity, but I definitely liked the idea. The rental included free golf which was a definite plus since my dad and my future father-in-law love golf.

Fremont Marriott

I liked this venue initially because of the location. It is only 15 minutes from the ceremony site and it's a hotel, so our out of town guests wouldn't have to drive home at the end of the night. However, I wasn't impressed by the Event Manager. When we came in for a site tour, she didn't know that we were planning a wedding, what month, or what year. She rushed us along and told us that the Marriott was raising their pricing structure so we should book right away if we wanted the old pricing. I wasn't impressed by the pricing either. And the fact that it was going up by $30 a head in a few weeks wasn't great.

Wedgewood Banquets at Metropolitan Golf Links

Wedgewood Banquets is a new event tent in Oakland, very close to the Oakland Airport. They are an all inclusive venue, which includes food, beverage, cake, DJ, and reception floral arrangements. The thought of it being all inclusive was tempting. However, being a control freak didn't help their cause. On the one hand I liked that I'd only have to work through one vendor and everything else would be taken care of. On the other hand, I wanted to hand-pick my vendors, be able to talk to them, and know that they have my best interests in mind. Also, I didn't like the fact that there was no tasting. They say that the food is good, but not to be all Bridezilla, but I would like to know what my guests will be eating, not just "Chicken Marsala". The entire staff at Wedgewood was incredibly nice and helpful, and if you're not a control freak, I would definitely recommend them. Their pricing is also on par considering it's all inclusive.

Next, the location we decided to book...

THE Dress

2008-06-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

There was a marathon of "Say YES to the Dress" on TLC this past Sunday. That got me thinking about my dress. Well, my someday dress. The thing is, I don't have a dress yet. With a year+ until the wedding, I'm not in a huge rush to get one.

I watched as the brides to be tried on a variety of gowns at the ultra sweet Kleinfeld's in New York. I listened as different brides mentioned their budgets, ranging from $3000 to "no budget". I'm sorry, but I don't really fall into that category. I'd love to have the dress of my dreams, but I'm also a realist, and have a really hard time swallowing the idea of spending $2000+ on a dress I'll wear once, maybe twice (for photos). Then again, that may change in a year, but I doubt it.

Then again, I do have some ideas:

(all photos from theKnot.com)

Where to Begin: Creating the Guest List

2008-06-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

A big source of discussions and arguments. A budget maker or breaker. What am I talking about? The guest list.

When it comes down to starting the planning for your wedding, one of the first things that needs to be done (or at least started) after a budget has been negotiated is the guest list. Big? Small? Intimate? Huge? Your number of guests should also fit the vision of your budget. It should also be a decision that everyone who's paying is comfortable with. 200 guests may sound great on paper, but if your parents or future in-laws are paying, they may only be up for 100. Or on the flip side, you and your fiance may be gung-ho for a 30 person wedding, but Mom and Dad want to invite Cousin Betsy and your long lost twice-removed Uncle Howard, whom you've never met.

My advice is to start with yourself. Make a list of all important "must-invites" in your life. Only count family that your parents may not include. Have your fiance do the same. Then, ask your parents and future in-laws for their "must-invite" list. Merge all the lists. Then look a the total. Is the total going to fit in your budget? If yes, then great! If no, start thinking about who you can cut and the implications of the cuts. Who will be offended and who will understand? Think about if you can up your budget if you/your parents/in-laws MUST invite third-cousin Sue and her five kids. Ask those adding people to the list if they can cough up the dough to cover the extra invites. In the end, I believe whoever is paying, should have the final say.

When I started my list, my parents started rattling off folks that I had met, but wasn't particularly enthusiastic about inviting. I made it clear to them (since my fiance and I are paying a good chunk) that if they wanted to invite their college friends that they would have to pay for them if it went over our budgeted 150 guests. They accepted and have been really good with planning the guest list. My parents understand that they don't have to invite the whole world, and if anything, I told them they can blame me if some of their friends don't get invited and are offended.

So far, we're at about 205...

I knew he liked me...

2008-05-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

especially after this day, when we went to Epcot with Michelle (one of my roomies).

I guess he thought it would be cute to let me know that he liked me by running into me and poking me like a first grader. Oh well, clearly, I bought into it. At this point I did wonder if he liked me, but we hadn't really said anything about it. Though, if I remember correctly, it was 3-4 days after this that we went on our first date. Awww memories.

Mission: Finding a Photographer Part III

2008-05-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I wanted to book right off the bat was my photographer. I wanted to book someone solid who we both got along with well, especially since he/she would be a huge part of the wedding. I was kind of at a loss for how to start, but I quickly e-mailed my coworker who had Junshien as her photographer. She sent me three names, including Junshien and Sarah K. Chen. The third name was Travis Hoehne.

I jumped on his blog and loved the images. I shot him an inquiry and heard back right away. His easy-going manner (via email) and responsiveness put him high on my list. After checking out his pricing and packages, he was right on par with my budget, even if he is based in Southern California. I researched a couple of other photographers, but something told me that Travis was it.

I had been communicating with him about our unset wedding date and he was very flexible in terms of turning in a deposit in pieces until our dates were firm. I also had asked what would be the best way to take our engagement photos, considering that the groom was in Dallas.
He said that he would be in the Dallas area for a workshop in April and could shoot there if we were available. I jumped at the chance. So we made the arrangements and booked him for the E-shoot.

On a very sweaty and steamy day in Dallas, I was trying to get ready for our session. My fiance was still at the office and we were planning on meeting in downtown. His apartment is closer to the airport, about 30 mins North. To be of help, Travis offered to pick me up, so there wouldn't be so much backtracking. It was so nice of him, and worked out well! We were able to get started right away.

After our engagement session, we knew he was "the one". His easy-going nature from his emails, translated into real life. He was so much fun to work with that we felt it. My fiance even whispered in my ear, "You made a good choice", since I had been maintaining all the contact. We worked out the contract. Travis has mentioned that he was raising his prices, but lucky for us, he held us to his earlier pricing structure.

So without further ado:

Check out our AWESOME photographer's blog!

Take the Cake Thursday: Eva's Exquisite Cakes

2008-05-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I love cake? It's probably my weakness in terms of baked desserts. I'm not even all about the fanciness either. Get me a chocolate sheet cake with nice fluffy icing and I'm good.

The next bakery I'm featuring is Eva's Exquisite Cakes in Santa Clara. She has lovely cake designs, all that look incredibly delicious! She blends the finest European tradition of baking with today's tastes and designs. She's a trained European pastry specialist, and brings the richest traditions from the old world of pastry making and blends them with the current trends. None of her creations are ever the same as she believe that the wedding cake is an aspect of the wedding that guests focus their attention to and serves as a lasting impression of the event. Therefore she will design a cake just for you!

Sounds great to me! Here are some of her designs:

The square shape and dots add great personality.

Simple yet elegant.

I like the incorporation of blue.

Scroll work is stunning.

Great combination of flowers and scroll work.

Be sure to visit Eva's Exquisite Cakes!

Mission: Finding THE Venue Part I

2008-05-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

For me, finding different reception venues was painless. It was finding THE reception venue that felt like a long and drawn out process. It actually wasn't that bad. We were engage March 1. We booked a venue May 10.

It took me a couple of weeks to weed out which places were potentials. I had emailed and submitted RFPs up the wazoo that I was knee deep in choices. This is probably the quickest road to frustration. I had some choices between hotels and golf courses. Then I had to take into consideration our guest list. What started at about 100 guests, quickly ballooned into 170+ after our parents chimed in with their guest lists. Actually, creating a guest list helped eliminate some of the reception sites right off the bat.

It was like magic. As soon as I had provided my phone number over the Internet to perfect strangers at different locations as well as my email, I had people contacting me. In general, I'm a shy person and prefer email to phone interaction. I started avoiding phone calls if I didn't recognize the number altogether. Basically I told the event managers my general specs: an estimated guest count and it was to be a Saturday evening reception. Luckily, at the time that I was speaking to potential vendors, I did not have date nailed down. At the time I didn't think it was so lucky, but I think now it worked out to my advantage. Event managers couldn't rope me in because I didn't have a set date in mind. It frustrated me because I didn't want to just say, "well maybe this date" but it also gave me an out.

At the same time, receptions sites hit me with their minimums. Followed by a big gulp on my part, I was able to pare down more reception sites based on their fees. One location asked for a $12,000 site fee! No joke. And for me, where $12,000 is about half my budget, that location was definitely no dice. That didn't include catering or alcohol. Simply the space and tables and chairs. By my standards, I'd rather invest in something else.

Finally, I had to decide which places I wanted to visit and tour. I wasn't even sure of all the questions I should be asking, but luckily there are a ton of resources on the Web from the Knot to WeddingBee to bride blogs that it wasn't too hard to come up with some basic questions. After discussions with my fiance and parents, we narrowed it down to about five locations...

To be continued...

Tealight ≠ Votive

2008-05-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

I just learned/figured out today that a votive ≠ tealight. I guess I never realized that there was a difference. I thought the words could be used interchangeable. I suppose they still could, but this is my one learning tidbit of the day.

Voila Votives:

Tealights

Where to Begin: Choosing your Bridal Party

2008-05-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Picking my bridal party proved harder than I expected. I didn't want to play favorites (although let's face it, that's what it is) or hurt anyone's feelings. Let's just say that it was definitely an involved process and a lot of thinking involved. I don't know what etiquette says about asking your bridesmaids to take the job, but with the engagement, I was so excited, I asked when I announced that he had popped the question.

I had some of my friends in mind and my sister was already my MOH, so it was just a few other spots I had to fill.

My two BFFs, who interestingly enough have never met, were natural choices. My first BFF, has been my best friend since probably the 6th grade. We've known each other since second, but it wasn't until we were in high school that we got really tight. The day after I had announced the news via email, she called me all the way from Italy where she is stationed for the Air Force (nice post!). I asked her on the spot and I think she was more excited than me. Of course, her enthusiasm has always shown through more than mine.

My other BFF, friends since college, and having dubbed with fun nicknames is my other bridesmaid. When I called her back about the engagement, I wanted to lock her in as well. She said that she hadn't been in a wedding since she was a flower girl once, and that she'd "love to!"

When I had initially discussed the wedding party with my fiance, we had decided on the honor attendants plus four bridesmaids/groomsmen. I thought, easy enough to figure out two more of my friends to stand by my side. I had another friend in mind as well as my cousin.

My friend was honored saying that she had never been in a wedding before, even her sister's. She agreed and was really excited about the prospect. When I asked my cousin, she accepted as well, excited and saying, "of course I'd want to be in your wedding."

Well fast-forward a few months later. I come home from the airport after taking our engagement photos in Dallas. My sister tries to tell me about my cousin. At first, I was thinking, should I be worried? Then she finally told me that my cousin would be going to Australia after graduation and didn't want to commit to being a bridesmaid if that meant she would be a flaky one. Basically, she wanted to prevent herself from being flaky. I get that. It wasn't like she was saying that she didn't like me or something.

At the same time my fiance remembered that he wanted to add another groomsman. He had hesitated at first because this guy is in Korea on Military duty, and he wasn't sure if he would be back in time for the wedding. I guess this friend is returning in May 2009, and should be around for the wedding, which is great for him, but that also meant that I had to fill two spots!

Luckily, I had another friend in mind who I wanted to be in my wedding, but since we were originally only having 4 BMs/GMs, I hadn't asked her right away. Thankfully, she was touched that I asked her, even after the fact of knowing that I had "my girls" picked out.

However, now I'm still trying to figure out who will be my fifth. And I didn't think that it would be this difficult. Four bridesmaids worked out well because I was able to equally pick from each of my friend groups. Had my cousin not dropped out, I would have been okay with five. Now, I'm at a loss. I guess I could just have 4 BMs and my fiance could have 5 GMs. But I'm a girl who likes symmetry. Hmmm. Oh the decision...

Favorite Blogs: Snippet & Ink

2008-05-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

What can I say about Snippet & Ink? It's another one of my daily inspirations. I don't know how Kathryn does it, but I'm so glad she does. She is so talented in assembling gorgeous combinations of flowers, dresses, venues, and details. Her daily inspiration boards generate ideas in my head for my own wedding. One day, while in between meetings, I clicked through every single board created. There's such a huge range and so many beautiful colors, it would be hard NOT to find your colors!

If you haven't been to Snippet & Ink, you are missing out! I found Kathryn's blog while reading another blog. Since that day, I added it to my Google Reader, and drool daily over all the beautiful and lovely ideas. It's inspired me to come up with my own board, which is still in progress.

On a whim, several weeks ago, I e-mailed Kathryn about inspiration boards in my colors. While she no longer comes up with boards for free, she generously sent me the links to two boards that she had created that would fit in my color scheme. Thanks so much! I really appreciate it!

Board #88: Jess's Garden Wedding

Board #79: Landra's Jamaican Wedding

Be sure to check out Snippet & Ink!!

Our First Date....

2008-05-24T00:08:00.000-07:00

Leading up to the first date, we did the typical college student form of communication: AIM. For those not in the "know", that's AOL Instant Messenger. Yes, we lived about 20 feet away from each other, and yet, for the first couple of weeks before the first "official" date, we chatted and flirted online. I suppose it's because it felt easier and safer because it wasn't in person. Less intimidating perhaps?

Eventually several online conversations later, I received a text message asking if I wanted to go to dinner after work. At that point, I wasn't sure if it was a "date" or a "friend thing". I was hoping it was a date. I'd never been on a real date and the prospect gave me butterflies in my stomach. There was just something about him; I knew he was special.

After work on September 23, 2005, I got ready to go to dinner. He didn't tell me where, but I was prepared for anything. Considering we earned the pitiful minimum wage in the state of Florida, I wasn't expecting a three-course candlelit dinner. From what I remember now, when he came to pick me up across the hall, I couldn't help but smile. He didn't show up with any friends, and it was just us in the car... I thought, well, I guess it's a date. I figured that if he offered to pay, that would seal the deal.

We drove for a little bit and pulled into the parking lot of our destination: TGI Friday's. The one thing I remember vividly while we were ordering off the menu, was that he ordered a "cheeseburger without cheese". I thought that was a weird way of putting it, but I thought it was cute. Personally I would have asked for a hamburger, but whatever. When I asked him why he ordered it that way, he pointed to the menu where it said Cheeseburger, then under it in fine print it said Without Cheese.

I was a little nervous that our conversation would have the dreaded awkward pauses. But my mind was put at ease when it just flowed. We talked about our families and where we lived and where we went to college. It was an ideal first date conversation. And the rest, is history. I met my best friend and now I get to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him. I feel so lucky and blessed!

Take the Cake Thursday: Jen's Cakes

2008-05-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a feature about something I love dearly: Cake! I'm always amazed at the creations that talented bakers and pastry chefs can come up with. I love watching the Food Network Challenges, especially when they pertain to cake. The Ace of Cakes is one of my favorite reality TV series.

One of my coworkers who was married last October told me about her fabulous cake creator Jen, of Jen's Cakes. They are a wife and husband team who run their business out of Los Gatos, CA. All cakes are made to order. Since their space lacks a storefront, all of their business has been generated through bridal shows, local events, and word of mouth. I'm glad I heard about them! Jen designs and executes the cakes and Anthony runs the business side. My coworker raved about them after they completed her cake and said they were a pleasure to work with!

For my own wedding cake, I envision something simple with flowers. I'm not much of a fondant girl, but I do love the buttercream frosting.

Here are some of their designs:

This is the cake my coworker modeled her wedding cake after, except it was all chocolate!

I really like the simple design of this cake.

Jen's Cakes also specializes in "not-so-traditional" cakes.

This bamboo cake looks delicious!

Look at this 6-tiered cake!

I have yet to start contacting bakeries, but I think that Jen's Cakes will definitely be on my list!

All images from Jen's Cakes.

Where to Begin: Choosing a Venue

2008-05-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

This is the BIGGEST decision to be made, since the bulk of the budget gets sucked out here. And when you think about it, the choices are endless. Choosing a venue comes down to what you want based on your priorities.

After the engagement buzzed calmed, I started checking out possible reception venues in the area. My initial thought was "this is the Bay Area, this should be easy." It was actually much tougher than I expected. There were a few things that I knew I wanted: able to accommodate our large party, an elegant space, and "affordable" for the Bay Area.

When we decided that we would be getting married in July, I also considered that I did not want an outdoor reception. The Bay Area can be hot in July, especially inland. I didn't want the older folks in the family to suffer heatstroke or something like that. This helped to narrow down the choices.

My co-worker immediately turned me to Here Comes the Guide, a great resource for initial venue hunting, tailored to all of California. It's broken down by geographical area and has links out to all the venues. It's great for browsing before you inquire via email or phone.

I may live in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I don't live in San Francisco. I live in the East Bay and wanted to keep the ceremony and reception in the East Bay or South Bay at the farthest. Again, this allowed more narrowing of choices.

We're getting married at my church, so a ceremony on-site was not necessary. We just needed a location to get the party started. With the location of the ceremony, we didn't want travel time to be more than half an hour to the reception site, for ease of guest travel.

With these options in mind, I started emailing. I emailed golf courses and hotels, mainly. I liked the idea that guests could attend the reception, then go upstairs to catch some ZZzz's. Then again, I also loved the idea of being at a golf course. My dad and my future father-in-law love golf. I thought it would be a great activity for the men to hang out pre-wedding day. A golf course also provided a lush background for photos and pretty scenery.

Since I have never planned a wedding or watched anyone plan one recently, I had no idea what the pricing would be like. I assumed that there would be a price to rent the space and a price per head if the catering was in house. There would possibly be a cake cutting fee depending on the venue as well as a minimum for the bar sales.

And so the search began...

My Latest Obsession...

2008-05-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

...has been figuring out what to do with my invitations.

When I emailed a mock up of a possible invitation to my mom, she said, "Wow, so you really don't want anything traditional!" I'm not sure what that was supposed to mean, but it's true. I wouldn't call myself ultra modern or country chic by any means, but I also don't want cookie cutter invitations from a catalog. I like a lot of invitations on Wedding Paper Divas -- the colors and styles are great! However, I still wanted another personal touch.

I've been skimming through different posts on Wedding Bee, checking out the pocketfold route, looking at some of the bees' letterpress designs, and other custom/DIY/fabulous ideas.

Here's some of my inspiration:

Wedding Paper Divas - Canna

Wedding Paper Divas - Floral Flurry

Wedding Paper Divas - Branch of Flowers

Minted.com

Miss Pineapple - Invitation Concepts

Since I'm pretty sure that our colors will be chocolate brown and pool blue, I'm really digging the Canna invite from Wedding Paper Divas. There's just something missing from it though, for me. I'm no graphic designer, but I've become pretty adept at Illustrator and Photoshop, which I coincidentally have been taking at a Community College before I knew we'd be getting hitched. Everything's still on the drawing board...

Inspiring Colors: Blue

2008-05-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

I love the color blue. A couple summers ago, on a whim, I went to Lowe's and purchased a gallon of Caribbean Blue paint. I painted two and a half of my walls. I knew that blue was definitely a color I wanted incorporated into my wedding scheme. Luckily for me, my fiance was on-board with the blue color. One time I saw girl wearing a scarf in the perfect shade of pool blue. I pointed it out to him and he said that was the color he was thinking of! It's like we have a psychic connection.

I've been scouring the internet for weddings with blue as their theme. I found a wonderful blue inspiration board on Lucky Me! blog for Lucky Designs. Thanks for featuring this one! It's just the right shade of blue that I'm looking for.

(all images courtesy of eluckydesigns.blogspot.com)

Favorite Blogs: The Bride's Cafe

2008-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Since becoming a "Bride-to-Be" a couple of months ago, I've been scouring the Net for ideas. My good friend Google Reader suggested The Brides Cafe, a blog by Janie Medley of JM Flora Design. She features wonderful floral and reception decoration ideas, as well as beautiful Real Weddings. I find Real Weddings especially inspiring because, as the name indicates, it's real. Someone made those dreams and ideas come true.

I've been really excited about creating the "look" of my wedding. I've been considering chocolate and a blue/turquoise/aqua color. I like the look of low centerpieces. I like the look of candles. I'm really looking for a lovely, cohesive look.

Janie has featured so many lovely ideas. I put together some of the reception ideas that I found while browsing The Bride's Cafe. Thanks Janie for posting such great inspiration!

Don't forget to check out the latest Real Wedding!