bananapants's Green Wedding Blog - Wedding By Color

Bananapants Recap - Girls Getting Ready

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:58:00 PST

I think I'll just let the photos tell the story. But, word of advice? If your bra is sewn in to you dress, wear a cute bra so you don't have to flash everyone. :) Figured that out at the last fitting. My girlfriend Kelly got quite the show the first time around! This is kind of long, but worth it! (Hint: If you click "View all Images" you'll get through them much faster and can click through them at your own pace.) All photos are raw unedited images except the last two, which our photographer retouched.

Bananapants Recap - Vows, Pictures, Honeymoon - And, GO!

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:04:00 PST

Yes. I know. My name is Janna, and I am a HUGE dork. Oh well. I'm sitting here trying to decide about what I should blog about... 1) Our Private Vows. 2) Girls Getting Ready Pictures 3) Our Honeymoon. (We leave in a week and I've already got us mostly packed. Excited much?! Plus, lingerie galore! OMG! Nate got himself a hot wifey, if I do say so myself! ...Not that I'm perfect - there's cellulite back there, but I don't care. I know I'll hear at least one "Daaaayyyyyy-uuummmmm!" from him on the honeymoon!) Would love to share our pics of all our wedding day details with you, but I'm still waiting for a lot of them. Soooooo.... patience! If you missed it, I did post a general day recap, some non-professional pics and our first look, so if you're interested, go check them out! Ok.... Hmm. Let's start with the vows we exchanged privately. Originally, we were going to do this right before the ceremony. Then, time got tight and we figured we'd do it after the ceremony. Again, time got tight. (This tends to happen on your wedding day!) So, we said "Let's do it tomorrow, when we get home from the gift opening. Something to look forward to!" But then we were so exhausted when we got home, we put it back one more night and did it right with a good dinner, wine, and candlelight. SUCH a wonderful evening! We were tearing up like crazy reading our vows to each other, hugging and kissing in between. I cried WAAAAAAAAAAAY more during these 10 minutes than our wedding day. Let's just say Nate did good. Nate did REAL good. He compared his life to an art canvas (fitting, as he's an artist), and all the "colors" i added to it when I came into the picture, like love, joy, and trust. I *HIGHLY* recommend sharing vows in private with each other. My favorite part of being married so far! Even if it's just telling one another what you love and appreciate in one another. And now they're typed out for eternity in our ceremony book, and trust me, i plan on going back to those often! :) I have to say... it feels SO GOOD to be married, and not to have to focus on wedding stuff anymore. We can move on with day-to-day life. Ahhhhhhhh. I thought it would feel more different to be married, like the difference we felt when he proposed, but honestly, it feels about the same. We emotionally committed ourselves a long time ago, and proclaiming it publicly and making it legal doesn't make it seem any more official in our eyes. I think once I legally change my name, it may feel different? (Have to wait til we get back from the honeymoon, because my passport has my maiden name on it.) Newer brides, what are your thoughts/ experiences with this?? I'm sure it's different for everyone. Will post getting ready pics next, unless the rest of our pics come in before that!

Bananapants Recap - Our First Look!

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:40:00 PST

Our semi-pro photographer (I call her "semi-pro" because she's just getting started. She has the eye, she has the talent, she just doesn't have a lot experience yet...aka we got her DIRT CHEAP. Like $300 dirt cheap.) Ok, so yes, anyway, our "semi-pro" pics are slowly and surely coming in. So far I've seen all of the pics of the girls getting ready, me getting into my dress (about 100 pics of that alone!), the first look, and the first three of five "shoots" the wedding party took together. (The last two were the best ones, and I can't WAIT to see those!) Never one to do things in order (remember, I was the bride that wanted to start with the reception, and then the ceremony?!), I figured I'd start rehashing our professional pics out of order too. Why not? All of these pictures are unedited, with the exception of my fave posted below. Can't wait to start playing with them, and see what our photog does in HER editing! Wanna see what pure joy looks like? (Moments before the first look between Nate and me, literally just got my dress on, seeing the ceremony site all decorated for the first time): Scoping it out some more: Here's Nate's and my first look! I love the pics where I'm so overcome with joy I can't even contain it. It's bigger than my body! No longer have any control over the expressions on my face! And that last pic? Well, Nate always makes that face at me. It's his ridiculously happy face! I adore that shot! And, because I love you guys, here's my favorite "semi-pro" pic so far: Is it not one of the cutest pictures of all time?! Ella FTW! She managed to outshine the bride! (This is even cuter full-size.) :) Now, where should we go from here? Girls getting ready? Me getting my dress on? Detail shots? You tell me, ladies! Otherwise, I'll just do eenie meeenie miney mo!

Bananapants Recap - More Pics from our FunFunFun Wedding!

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:15:00 PST

I think I'll just let the pics do the talking this time... (all non-professional pics from friends on Facebook.) Let's start with the ceremony... The reception... And the dance...

Bananapants Recap - Our Day of FunFunFun... We're Married!

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:51:00 PST

Ok girls, so this recap has just a few pics I've seen on Facebook so far.... but, I couldn't wait to share at least a little something with you, so here goes... We're MARRIED! I love calling Nate my husband, and seeing that ring on his finger. :) There were so many wonderful moments throughout the day. And... there were some stressful moments too (comes with the territory of having a home wedding and having to wait to set everything up day of.) 20+ family and friends came early to help set up which was AWESOME awesome AWESOME, but trying to delegate who should do what and explaining my vision to each individual got a little taxing, and I missed some quality time with my girls while they were getting ready as a result. In hindsight, hiring a Day of Coordinator would have been the way to go. But the girl time I had? Loved every single second of it. I looooooooooooove my girls. Big time. Since our 4 year old ring bearer bailed on us with a week to go, we asked our 35ish year old friend Uhley to fill-in. And it was SO cute, as you can see from the picture! He was supposed to be our Kool-Aid Man, so it was great that we could include him somehow! (The "real" Kool-Aid costume from Kraft broke, so that was a no-go.) Um... backtracking - (sorry, this post is gonna be ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE. Just bear with me, k?) My favorite moment of the day? An impromptu karaoke 1st dance. BEFORE we were married. At a bar that we stopped at to escape the heat while taking pictures. Totally unplanned! I mean, COMPLETELY unplanned. A wrong turn led us there, and then just as we were walking by, one of our friends popped out of the bar and we decided to stop in and join them! Nate bought a round for everyone, and the bartender asked if he could sing us a song. Never having met, we said, "Sure, why not?" and we danced to his version of Anne Murray's "Can I Have This Dance?" It totally set the lighthearted, go with the flow tone of the day, and it's a moment Nate, me, or the wedding party will never forget! I was really surprised that nerves never hit me. I just enjoyed the moments, and the expected jitters never came. I knew we were doing the right thing, and wanted to move forward and get the show on the road! It was just like "YES! LET'S DO THIS THING!" All. Day. Long. No tears either. Well, except when I put on my dress for the first time, and one of my BMs started tearing up and that got me going for a second. :) I also want to try and paint an accurate picture for you guys and keep it real... trying to visit, dance, split my time with different circles of friends, family, and Nate was a challenge. I kind of feel like I didn't get reaaaaaaaaaaaal quality time with anyone, and that's a bummer because that's what I thrive on. There's just too many people, and not enough time. Nate and I were talking about it on the drive back home today, and neither of us would consider our wedding day the greatest day of our lives. A wonderful day, FOR SURE, with tons of amazing goosebump-inducing moments, but so far, we each consider the night of our first date the best day of our lives, finding that "WOW!" person, and realizing that our lives were forever going to be impacted one way or another because of it. It was just one-on-one, more intimate, and that better suits the two of us. Plus there were a few other things that went wrong on our wedding day, like the AC went down at the reception hall, and with no fans, it was super crazy hot in there. (Seriously. I had sweat in places I didn't know sweat could go!) I really felt bad about making our guests endure that, and of course, the heat meant people didn't dance as much, and I was really hoping for an all-and-out dance party. Oh well! People stuck through it, sweat and all, and celebrated and laughed and cheered and sweat some more, and when that last song came on, everyone in the room shouted "SO GOOD! SO GOOD! SO GOOD! to "Sweet Caroline" and we ended the night on an incredibly high note! More to come later... with more (better) pictures!

Bananapants Out... - For Now!

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:51:00 PST

This is where the planning/plotting/dreaming all either pays off, or we fail miserably. :) We're getting married in 3 days. 3 DAYS! Oh My God! Soooooooooo excited! Tomorrow is our last day up here, and Thursday we're heading home to start setting stuff up! Woo Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Not too worried about it failing miserably. Though things HAVE gone wrong. It's funny as we're getting closer, I really don't care. What, 10 more people aren't coming that RSVPd? Our ring bearer bailed on us with a week to go? The Kool-Aid costume is broken, so no surprise grand entrance at the reception? We didn't make a slide show/video a priority, so we're not doing one now? Not sure if the flowers will look the way I envision them? (Small town florist - need I say more?) Oh well. That's just details. Still going to have a wonderful day with my honey, and I get to start calling him my HUSBAND! Husband. Wow. That's gonna take some getting used to! Things I *KNOW* will go right: Good times with my college girls. Good times with my honey. Good times with my family. Good times on the dance floor! And I'm going to feel amazing countless moments throughout the day. What more could a girl ask for?! Hmmm... not sure that list is quite in the right order, but at this very moment that's the order that came to mind. Just go with it! My college girls and I only see each other maybe once a year or so, and we're long overdue! So excited to see them! We always pick things up right where we left off. Muah! I <3 my girls. Still reading? Sorry, I'm babbling. Thank you girls for all your support, ideas, friendship, comaraderie, etc. etc. blah blah blah. You know what I mean! WBC definitely made it's mark on my planning experience, AND our wedding! Who knew starting a little blog would be so much fun?! Love you all! Next time I "talk" to you, I'll be a Mrs! Weird!

My Marriage Vows - Final Draft!

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 12:32:00 PST

Just finalized these. They've been pretty much done for months, but I knew I'd tweak them a little right before the wedding. These are now printed and put into the ceremony book, so no more changes! Nate and I have decided to exchange our own vows privately to each other before the ceremony, (just in front of the wedding party and our immediate family), and during the ceremony, we'll recite the last paragraph with prompts from our officiant. (The mister HATES public speaking, and this seemed like a good compromise.) Anyway... here they are! Really looking forward to hearing HIS vows in a little less than a week! Nate... Wow, I love you. You are my best friend, and I feel so blessed, and so lucky, that I (*I!) get to be with you. I look at us in awe and wonder how I ever got so lucky; I feel like I must have won the love lottery or something because you're everything I wanted in a partner (and God knows I had a list!)... but you're all those things I wanted AND so much more! I love how genuine you are, and the consideration you show to me and that you show for others, like automatically asking me if I want something to drink while getting something for yourself. You're honest to a fault, and I know I can trust you to tell me anything you're going through, good AND bad. Your silly ways make me laugh, whether it's singing into a fake mic at the top of your lungs during a road trip, greeting me with a dumb dance in the living room, or even just making one of your wacky faces! You make my heart smile over and over again; yet you can be serious, and have opened my eyes to new ideas, new experiences, and new things. As if that's not enough, your creativity and talent blow me away and you're always very humble about it, which makes it all the more charming. And you absentmindedly whistling while you're working on the computer? Well, it's one of my favorite things about you, Nater. It just speaks volumes about your character, and how you choose to live your life. I could go on and on about all the things I love about you, but basically, what I'm trying to say is that I love you, I love you, I LOVE YOU. You are goofy and beautiful and crazy, and make every day a story worth telling. You make me a better person. Pretty soon it will be official, but for a long time it's been you and me. We go together. We just make sense. My vows to you are fairly simple, and are inspired by the song Amy and Grant will be singing during the ceremony. Nate, because I love you, I will stay with you, through life's ups, and through life's downs. During the good and great times, I promise that I will appreciate the moments. During the average times, or the mundane times when it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activity of everyday life, I promise to pause for a minute, and appreciate all the qualities and things you bring to our marriage. And when things get tough when we lose a loved one, or dark clouds come our way I will be with you, and you and I will get through it together with love, companionship, and communication. Through it all, I promise to treat you the way you want to be treated, and with the respect you so richly deserve. Each day, I promise to continually build your trust with my actions and words. Nate, you can rely on me, my love, a lot of laughter, and my companionship... and I promise to live a life that will honor these vows, and make you glad to have married me this day. More than anything, I want to make a home with you that is the place we both want to be. I look forward to being side by side, hand in hand, as long as we're lucky enough to live, and I vow today that I will love you, care for you, and honor you all the days of my life. Hope this helps anyone looking for ideas/inspiration! *THIS* is really what the big day is all about. :)

Tiiiiiiiiiiiiime is on my Side... - Yes it is!

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 06:02:00 PST

Anyone else remember the Denzel Washington movie where this song plays over and over again? Can't remember what it was called, but it was good, even though he died at the end... 6 days til the big day! Wowza. I feel REALLY good. REALLY calm. Just have a few little things to do before we leave on Thursday, like finish burning the CDs for our friends (we'll set them out at the dance, when we serve pizza at 10PM), the guestbook "photo holders", buy some gifts, make some reserved signs for the tables, and pick up some balloons. Most of that should get done today, in my post-wedding hungover state. (Too much wine last night at a friends' wedding!) And then there's some fun beauty stuff like getting my nails did and brows waxed and eyelashes tinted. I did learn something from the ceremony last night. About 15 guests (Nate and me included) showed up right at the start time. The wedding party was already lined up, the music was playing, so we missed seeing everyone walk down the aisle and couldn't go in until the first prayer. So, lesson learned, we're going to intentionally start 10 minutes late, so those that come right on time or a couple minutes late can grab a seat. Just means more time for pictures! :) Can't wait to marry my honey!

My Non-Matching BMs - Here's what they picked!

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:56:00 PST

I told my girls way back that they were in charge of their look, and just gave them some parameters for their dresses (like colors, knee length to tea length, and they had to LOVE it.) Love what they all picked! Can you believe Chrissy (second to the right) had a baby 2 months ago?! She picked her dress out 8 months preggo. Nicely done! And I love how Rachel, the one on the right is soooooo serious. She's never like that! I can't wait to see my girls!

NWR: Woke Up With This Song In My Head...

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:29:00 PST

I absolutely LOVE Mumford and Sons and woke up to the guitar riffs in this song in my head this morning. The lyrics? Totally not wedding-related... more of a breakup/brink of a breakup song. But, it's awesome. Listen to it anyway. :) But I should warn you, the F-Bomb is on here...so if you're somewhere where that's not appropriate, hold off. Plus, the bistro lights in the video? Muah. Look we're going for at our reception. So there, it's kinda wedding related. :) Plus, their album covers would make awesome engagement/ wedding pictures... Did you listen to it? Told you it was awesome! Their music is sooooooo good!

The Hardest Part of Wedding Planning... - The Shoes!

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:52:00 PST

Dang, ladies. Shopping for shoes has been by far the most tedious part of wedding planning for me. By a long shot. Wide feet + High Arches = Super Duper Pain in the Butt! I *hate* shopping for shoes! (Does this still make me a woman?!) But I finally figured it out. (Had to wait for the dress come in, and that threw a whole 'nother wrench into things, since it didn't come in until a month before the wedding, and then that came in a little over an inch longer than I ordered it, meaning I had to get shoes a whole inch higher than I planned because my dress is lace and altering it would be a nightmare. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.) I purchased 4 different pairs of shoes for our wedding. 4! Unbelievable. At least I was able to return 2 of them... Anyway, here they are, in all their glory: And here I am breaking them in with a lovely pair of socks. :) So far I've added customized arch supports from Good Feet, Foot Petals galore (for the ankle strap, to add cushion to the insole, and to put on the back of the heel so I won't get a blister...). They're still not 100% comfortable, but they're getting there. I've got a little over 2 weeks to keep breaking them in. My hope is that I never think about my feet on our wedding day!

Our "FunFunFun" Card Box

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:32:00 PST

Thought I would share this with y'all. We're borrowing a card box from a friend of ours (picture a large black shadowbox basically) and I made a sign for it today. Ha ha - I knew I'd sneak that engagement picture in somewhere! Also, changed our last name on here for privacy-sake. (Sorry, not that I don't trust you guys, just don't know who ELSE will see it.) We're not really Seinfeld! :) Now to doctor up the card box....

Music Playlist for Girl Time

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 06:12:00 PST

My girls and I are all getting ready at my parents' house the morning of the wedding. 6 girls, 2 stylists, tons of hairspray and bobby pins, mimosas, bagels, fresh fruit... only thing missing is a great playlist! Ta Da! Here's what I put together for my girl-time. A lot of happy songs, mixed with some songs that make me think of my girls! Thought I would share in case anyone else needs some ideas. (This is 3 hours worth of music.) Holy Crap. 20 days to go. How did THAT happen? So excited... it's all coming together!

E-Pic Trivia Posters - For Inside the Bathroom Stalls

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:53:00 PST

Saw this at another wedding and thought it was genius! What else are you going to look at while you're peeing? Might as well keep people entertained, instead of reading what the special is on Wednesday nights. :) There are 6 stalls, so I made 6 trivia posters. Men and Women's bathroom get the same ones, because really, our guests shouldn't be going in both bathrooms! This was a really quick DIY - got it all done in less than an hour. Wish all projects were that lickety split quick!

NWR: Favorite Kids Names?

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:33:00 PST

So this is totally non-wedding stuff, but I was thinking about this driving home from work last night, and thought I would ask you ladies. What are your favorite baby names? Have any tucked away? Here's mine, at this very minute. (It's ever changing!) :) Girls: Lucy Eloise Elisabeth Jayne (would call her Ellie) Greta Adele Boys: Brayden James Lyden James Landon James [And er... we're not planning on making babies right away, even though this post would make you think otherwise! :) My boss and his wife are having a baby next week, so it's top of mind for me right now wondering what name they're going to choose for their son.] What's yours? And are you planning on trying right away, or wait? Or not have children at all?

Trivia Card Shoot - A Few of My Faves...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:34:00 PST

Just wanted to quickly share some of my faves from our Summer Fun shoot last Sunday! (Our friend is NOT a professional, so keep that in mind...) :) Excuse the crazy hair in some of these - we had a little too much fun in the lake and I was completely SOAKED about halfway through the shoot. Oops. :) Oh well. I made them small on here because they're going to be about this size on the trivia cards, in sets of 2 or 3 for each card. Here we go... And, as I was just about to "save" this? My bridal shop called. MY DRESS IS IN! WHOOT WHOOT!

Etsy Purchases - Little Decorative Touches

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:03:00 PST

Vintagey Young-At-Heart has kind of become the underlying theme of our wedding (funny how that evolved over time), and I wanted to add a few decorative touches at the ceremony to bring it all together. So? Here's what I bought! All of this stuff will go in a wagon, which we'll put at the front entrance of the driveway as everyone comes in. Nate painted a "Welcome" sign, (which I need to take a pic of) and we'll put that in there, as well as my parents' old croquet set, some old board games and card games like The Game of Life, Monopoly, UNO, Boggle, etc. and add a few rustic flower arrangements. Can't wait to see it all together! And the best part? Hopefully our kids can play with this stuff someday. So they weren't just wedding purchases. :) (And because this pic is so small, here's all the vintage stuff I got.) Bowling pins (2 sets) A kick-ass little tool box (figure I'll put flowers in it or something) A super cute duck toy that a little tot would pull along on a string. Looks like a train set of ducks, kind of. ADORABLE sock monkey.

DIY Extravaganza! - Our "FUN FUN FUN" Reception Decor

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:02:00 PST

I've been a busy bee. The pics to the left are evidence! :) Off to make more signs now with the honey.

Wedding Music And Songs - Our Music Playlist...

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:48:00 PST

Thought I'd post this in case any of you find this helpful. Sorry, just have time to do a print screen of our playlist, so you won't be able to listen to the songs, but still, it's better than nothing, right? Before the ceremony as guests arrive and get seated: Recessional/After the Ceremony: (Yes, we are walking back down the aisle to Holiday Rooooohhhhh-oooohhhhh-ohhhhhhhhh-ohhhhhhaaaaadddddd!) Wedding Dance Must Play List (Dance Songs): Wedding Dance Slow Songs (1st 3 are Must Play): It was so much fun putting these together and I am soooooo looking forward to dancing up a storm with our friends and family! Nate will be working on making a mix for our grand entrance at the reception, and I think(?) it will include MJ's "Can You Feel It", Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling", the "Oh Yeah" song from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and the "Newlywed Game" theme song. We'll see how it all comes together. If I can find a way to share it with you when it's done, I will. :) Ah. One more thing checked off the list! On to the next project!

Share a Deal - Macy's - Yellow Dress Socks STEAL

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:43:00 PST

Quick! If you're looking for yellow dress socks for your guy(s) RUN to Macy's and see if they have this deal too! Alfani yellow dress socks, originally $8.00 a pair, now on clearance for $1.60. I purchased 6 yellow/gray stripe pairs, and 1 yellow/gray argyle (for the Most Important Mister) for less than $12.00. Ohhhhhhhhh Yeah. Do the happy dance with me... No pic available online dang it, and frankly I'm too lazy to snap a pic and upload it to my computer. Sorry. I gots stuffs to do! But if that sounds like what you're looking for, check it out! (In the socks/underwear section.) And my best advice? Be sure to admire the male models when walking past the underwear section. DAY-UM! Even if you don't end up getting anything, their pics make it worth the trip! :D

Been Shopping Up a Storm! - It's All Coming Together

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:20:00 PST

Just thought I'd share some of my favorite recent purchases for the wedding, in case it catches any one of your eyes too. :) Let's start with the thing I'm MOST excited about? Our favors. Here, take a look! Each napkin will get a different magnet and a different trivia card (still to be designed). Here's how all 450 of them arrived: Where'd I get these? Etsy, of course! Flower Bucket Boutique to be specific. Jamie was SO GREAT to work with and she immediately understood my vision. I picked a few of my favorite fabric options, and just told her if she needed to get other types of fabrics, pick with whatever she felt worked. And man, did she deliver! And QUICK! (It took her about a month, and I kept telling her "No rush!") I can't imagine how long it would take to make 450 of these bad boys. Also picked up some really cute hair flowers from her and she has TONS of cute stuff at her shop. Love her little store header: "Boutique quality at budget prices" pretty much says it all! Next, these bows from GiftWrapEtc. will go on the back row of chairs at the ceremony. 6 for $9.95: (I'm putting one bow on every 4th chair, and the back row will be about 40 chairs, so my order was $20. Yes! And I ordered 10 swatches for $2, so I knew for sure which colors I wanted. I know most of my colors are corals and yellows but I wanted to switch it up a bit. These ship flat, and you pull a few strings and voila, you've got yourself a pretty bow.) Here's my inspiration for the bows: And, from JoAnne Fabrics: Total impulse buy. Picked these up last night, at 30% off. $4.89 a piece. Will use them along a ledge at our reception hall, and are lighting each one up with these miniature lights from Overstock.com. Also plan on mixing some interesting looking clear glass jars to the mix for a little more variety, which I already had, and some summery silk flowers for texture and dimension. Have you had any successful shops lately? Anything that surprised you?

Bottle-Cap Bouts for the Guys - LOOOOOOVE.

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 05:24:00 PST

I about died when I came across these on Etsy. These are PERFECT as bouts for our guys! Best part? The price. $9.50 INCLUDING shipping. Score! There are 6 "star" bottle caps, and each of the 6 groomsmen will get one of those. The Mister will get the all-star one and one of his other faves (he's special - he should get 2!), my Dad will get the "You Are My Sunshine" one because he called me sunshine when I was a teeny-tiny tot, and the rest of the guys? Well, they can pick whatever one they want... Just need to glue a little magnet to the back, give them another one to attach to the back of their shirt, and voila! Bout will be in place. No worries about getting stuck with a pin. These bottle-caps are their ticket to free drinks at the reception. We're putting our wedding party on the tab, and this seemed like a fitting way to signify them! Originally we were going to skip bouts entirely, but I'm loving this. :)

DIY Wedding - Working on Making Our Ceremony Purty

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:51:00 PST

I probably SHOULD be working on our ceremony fans tonight, but frankly, I don't wanna. So I'll blog about them instead. :D What?! Each guest will have a paper fan with a paint stir-stick handle waiting for them at their seat to help them keep cool during the ceremony. I like variety and knew I didn't want all the fans to be uniform, so I picked up ALL SORTS of paper colors/patterns/etc. and have started going to to town pairing up colors/patterns for each individual fan. I purposefully am NOT making them programs (we're skipping them) because I want people to keep their attention focused on our ceremony, and not "What's next?" or "Let's see... looks like they're about half-way through..." I am so guilty of that at weddings! My mom is helping me BIG TIME with this project. She's planning on getting a few girlfriends together and they'll hot-glue each fan together. The things they'll do for a cold beer! So glad to have that off my list of things to do! :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Here's the boring logistics, if you're interested. Most of the paper I used are 12x12" sheets. One side has a pattern, the other side a coordinating solid color. I didn't want to waste any paper, and each sheet was cut into 2 8x6 sheets and 2 4X6 sheets. Each fan will get 1 8x6 sheet, and 1 or 2 4x6 sheets, depending on what I felt looked good with color/pattern combos. Some fans, the pattern will go on the back, some will be in front. It's been kind of fun playing with color and pattern, and some scrapbooking supplies I had around! About half the fans will have our "monogram" with our initials and wedding date on the front, but again, I didn't keep it consistent. Purchased most of the paper at Michaels, PaperSource, and a local paper store. 8" paint stir sticks purchased from EZ Mix (found them online) for cheap. $40 for 1000 or something like that? I have about 550 left, so if you're interested in splitting the cost, let me know and I'll ship them to you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Remember our ribbon chains I talked about? Here's a pic of all the colors we're using: Only doing 2 chains, one will be all ivory, the other all coral. All other ribbons will hang vertically from a few trees in the front yard. (And all will be the same width - the blue and green were just samples for me to make sure I wanted to go with those colors.) I feel like I've got a really good handle on the ceremony aesthetic. Can really see it all come together! Fingers crossed for a beautiful day weather-wise so people can see/use these things as they're intended! Anyone else going hog-wild on paper projects? Is your house in disarray because of it?

Bananapants' "Say No to the Dress!" - (Inspired by SummerBride2010)

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:41:00 PST

Summerbride2010 posted this, and while I'm not so patiently waiting for my dress to come in, I thought I'd post pics of those that didn't end up making the cut, along with the one that did! I only went to two bridal shops, and the second one only allowed pics of the dress I purchased. So, these pics are it! At the first shop, I learned: I like dresses that are fitted in the waist, and flare at the hip on me. Sparkly lace is my friend! Loved that! (And that surprised me!) Amazing what a sash can add to a dress! I *love* trying on wedding dresses. :) What about you??

DIY Wedding - Our FunFunFun Invitations!

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:49:00 PST

Alright ladies. I teased you with a preview, and told you I'd share our invites on here, and I'm FINALLY getting around to it! Have heard a lot of great feedback on these; our guests love them and the RSVPs have been rolling in! Here's everything together: Nice part about doing these ourselves? The locals who didn't need maps didn't get one. Saved a lot of paper and ink that way, (not to mention printing and cutting.) Woo Hoo! Also made the map myself, following a tutorial on WeddingMapper.com. Return Address labels are from VistaPrint. Uber-cheap. :) Address Labels? They're nametags from Target. $3 for 25 or something like that. Even though blue isn't really one of our wedding colors, loved how it popped against the black envelope. Contrast is always good! (And yes, that is a Simpson's stamp. How we roll, people. No false pretenses here!) A close-up of the invite: The back: Close-ups of the verbiage we used: RSVP postcard: Hmm... Photos distort these a little, and obviously I blurred out some of the details, but this gives you the "jist" of them. Want more info? Fonts we used are Sketch Rockwell, Louisiana, and Segoe Print. We bought all the paper from a local paper store, and the (recycled) white paper has a little bit of a linen texture to it. Adds a really nice touch, though it's hard to see it in the pics. Just trust me on that, k? We used A9 envelopes, and each invite is a half-sheet of 8.5x11 paper. The heaviest invites came right in at 1 oz, so we just missed having to put more postage on the envelope. Thank God! Highly highly recommend using spray mount artist's adhesive (comes in an aerosol can). Had to spray it outside, but it worked so much better than a glue stick. No ugly bumps, and it went really quick! We also sent out dance-only invites. Look exactly the same as our regular ones, but instead of "Big Day" in the brackets, we wrote "dance the night away" between the brackets. Instead of "Dinner and General Merriment to Follow" we wrote "Bring your favorite dancing shoes!" We removed everything from the back page, and at the bottom we wrote "Made Just For You by J___ and N___" along with our website. Sorry, forgot to take a picture of those, but you get the general idea! Sent out 250 invites (including the dance only invites) and we averaged a little less than $1.30 per invite, including postage. Postage was more than half the cost! Not bad! Feels SO GOOD to get them done! And now I've blogged about it. Another thing to check off the list! Boo-yah! :) Anyone else DIYing or planning on DIYing their invites?

Inspiration Board - Giving our Guests a Sneak Peek...

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:53:00 PST

With many of our guests receiving their invites today, I thought I should update our website and give our guests a bigger glimpse of our wedding. So, I put this together tonight. The little flags on the bottom left? Got those in the mail today. COMPLETELY forgot I ordered them. Think that means I may be losing my mind. I mean seriously. They're so cute! How could I forget them?? p.s. Will post about our invites and "program" fans soon! Pics are taken, just need to upload them...

Things for the Boyee... - Because He Can't Show up Naked!

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:01:00 PST

We got a lot of things checked of the to do list yesterday! Particularly with the Mister. We got his suit, shirt, and tie, all for $300 at Macy's, and next Friday and Saturday those items are going on an even bigger sale, and we'll get a refund for $45. Suh-weet. Here's what he picked out: I looooooooooooved this suit in a navy-ish pinstripe, but he "doesn't like blue clothes." Who knew?! The charcoal gray works too, and really, it will probably work better with what the GM are wearing. Nate's the one wearing it, so he got the final say. Then he decided he wanted to wear a black shirt. (In August? Really? Are you kidding me?!) His response? "Yeah, it won't show the sweat like a light shirt would, and it looks badass." Um... ok. You're gonna be hot! (And yes, I mean that both ways!) :) He'll pair it with a white on white silk checkered tie, that we found for $10! Gotta love Father's Day sales. :) We also got this vest for him, to wear under the suit for the ceremony, and by itself at the reception. [For anyone interested, the suit, vest and shirt are Alfani RED. If you need to get your Mister a suit and really like the look of this, go this upcoming Friday or Saturday 8-12 - you'll get an even better deal then because Macy's is having one of their biggest sales of the year. They have a really wide selection of suits and sizes.] I can't wait to see him on our wedding day. :) Then we went to get his finger sized (figuring we'd just order his ring off of Overstock.com because he is CONVINCED he is going to eventually lose his ring, like every other ring he's worn. I keep telling him if you think you're gonna lose it, you're gonna lose it, so stop thinking that way, dammit! That thing's gonna be on your finger for LIFE! But I digress.) While we were at the jeweler, we saw a stainless steel ring that looks a lot like this for $150, and just decided to get it there instead. Other things this weekend. Invitations? Done! (With the exception of invites to the dance only.) It's been a hot rainy mess over here the past week, and I'm waiting to send them out when things dry up a little. I'll do another post on that and the paper fans I've been working on once I get pics taken and uploaded to my computer.

For The Kid At Heart... - Paper Chains!

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 10:31:00 PST

Came across this today on OnceWed... let's just let the pictures do the talking: I checked out the blog of the designer behind this (Kirsten Ellis), and she used grosgrain ribbon for these and said she loved the hint of shimmer it gave in person. Is this not GORGEOUS?! This is SO PERFECT for us! Our "aisle" is basically a little fruit-tree orchard, and we are going to dress up the trees with a swag of these ribbon chains between each one. Thinking I'll make two chains for between each tree (one ivory, one a deep coral color called nutmeg) to give it a little more dimension. Here's a picture of the trees shortly after they were planted a few years ago. They're much bigger now (and the protective fences are gone) but this will give you the general idea. I puchased my ribbons through Really Reasonable Ribbon - they were the best deal I found and had a wide variety of colors to choose from. This was my order, which should be enough for the chain links and to hang vertically from the trees, like I showed in my last post. Can't wait to see it all come together!

Decoration Ideas/Thoughts

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 13:46:00 PST

(This post is more for my Mom, JLo Decorator Extraordinaire, and my favorite Auntie, but I thought I'd share it with you guys too.) Ok ladies, so I was browsing things online today (cuz that's how I get ideas/how I shop) and came across these to share with you. Just comment at the end of the post your feedback, k, or email me? No, you don't need an account to comment... 1) General Reception Decor Jenny - really like this fabric draping for the reception. See that it's NOT tulle, and wider strips of fabric. Could we do this at CH? Along with the globe string lights and Chinese lanterns? Or is that too much/too busy? Digging the overhang along the side of the walls as well (the top portion, that tied at the bottom... not the curtain rod beneath. Theres another pic of this on the side of this post.) Clean and crisp, yet it dresses it up. Ok, and here's what I am thinking for chinese lanterns (from paperlanternstore.com: Was tentatively thinking 60 lanterns total, 20 of each color, but could cut that number back if we do the fabric drape across the ceiling too. And wrap some sort of corally/reddish wide ribbon around the white ones to add texture and visual interest? (I can do that and have that all ready to go beforehand.) Open to your thoughts on qtys?? 2) Head Table Backdrop (Each Poster Size, spaced out behind us) Do this along the front edge of both head tables (in terms of candles): 3) Centerpieces Just a recap, but here's what I'm thinking for centerpieces, but with wildflowers nestled in between the mason jars: 4) Ceremony Tree Streamers Here's a pic of what I was talking about. Now thinking I want to do this in the inner circle (instead of the flag banners) and on the big oak tree behind orchard. Will still do the flag banners along the light pole, and above the bench. K, that's more than enough for now... we can talk qty details too when we meet at CH and go over everything then. Oh, and favorite Auntie... keep forgetting to ask this, but while I'm thinking of it - can we borrow your little blueberry wagon/trailer to use at the ceremony? Jenny suggested it, and we could decorate it, put a few things on it and have it right by the front entrance of the driveway so people see it as they walk in. Let me know?

Engagement Pics - They're In!

Mon, 31 May 2010 20:00:00 PST

Ok, guys, I told you I'd share with you the good, the bad, and the ugly, so here goes! Let's start with some of my faves... And us being dorks, hamming it up for the camera. (Nate kept me laughing the whole time.) Some ugly in there too!: Hope you enjoyed them! :)