Rehearsal Invites? CHECK!!

Now that everyone has received their rehearsal dinner invites, I can finally share with the hive the project that occupied more time and patience than I had anticipated.

Do you remember the design I can up with which was inspired by a Banana Republic ad? I really liked the simple design. I was all set to go with design until I tried to print it. The printer hates me. It wouldn’t print on the cards I bought (too small). I tried creating a folding greeting card layout but the printer wasn’t having that either. The text inside would come out slightly off center.

After a few hours wasted trying to negotiate with the printer, I finally gave up on my beloved design and went back to the Illustrator drawing board. After a few failed attempts, I came up with a design I didn’t hate and I knew I could print.

Behold…

I incorporated our logo into the design but changed up the look with the dots. This isn’t the design FMIL Joey signed off on, but I hope she likes it.

While I was at it, I made a few extra copies of the design to use as an inner envelope. I didn’t have a pre-made inner envelope template so I just took apart one of envelopes I bought, trimmed it and used it to trace around. It was a little extra work but it was worth it in the end.

I made a really simple map with directions in Illustrator and used the rehearsal dinner invite design as a border.

I also used the design on the labels as border. I thought it tied everything together.

All together, I spent $7.55 on the invites. I only bought envelopes. I had a package of 80lb paper from the favors that I cut down to size. I only needed 5 sheets. The rest of the paper (inner envelopes and map) I had laying around. The printing was free. The envelopes came in a pack of 50 and I only used about 22. The rest I can use for Thank You cards or other projects. In all, the rehearsal dinner invites cost about $0.37 each. Not bad!

When I was making these invites, I was scolding myself for not buying them pre-made. My battles with the printer were long and hard fought. Now that I calculate the cost and see the end result, I see it was worth the war with the printer.

Did you have a DIY project that didn’t seem worth the work at first but totally redeemed itself when it was complete?

dolla dolla bill y'all

We got our first official wedding present a few weeks ago. I say first official because my parents made us an offer we could refuse earlier. My Mom said she wants to gift it in a card, so it's not quite ours yet. So back to the first official gift. My friend Katie of the panel let us know a month ago that she couldn’t make it to the wedding.

It was hard news to get not only because I really wanted her there, but because I also wanted her to see the wedding she helped plan. Katie has been in on a lot of decisions, from the dress to the invites. All is not lost though. We might get to have a little pre-wedding celebration in D.C. in June. I'm looking forward to seeing her again -- it's been 3 years!

Anyway, Katie sent us our first official gift. It wasn't on the registry. It was cash but with a twist. She sent us Australian dollars to use on our honeymoon! I love the thought and effort that went into such a simple gift. Anyone can give you cash but not everyone would be thoughtful enough to go to the bank and have it changed into another currency. It's so thoughtful.

Last week we got our second gift (don't worry, I'm not going to detail every gift we get). Our second gift was also from friends who couldn't make it to the wedding. Instead of cash, they gave us a gift card to Lowe's. It's intention isn't to buy the power tools we registered for but to help us complete (once we start) our new house.

We were at Lowe's over the weekend and the gift card will cover some decorative tiles we'd love in our bathroom. Again, a great gift. The gift will last longer than most and every time I look at the tiles I'll think of my friends.

What simple wedding gifts did you receive or give that really stood out?

P.S. Yes, the title is from the Wu-Tang Clan. :)

Favors of the Week

Thanks for all the comments on the last post about our favors. We decided to go with the circle pattern for the simple reason we wanted to add a few more luggage tags that weren't on a grey background.

I also mentioned in the last post that we came up with 2 new designs.

The first one was inspired by Mr. Joey's decision to train for the STP (Seattle to Portland) bike ride this summer. He's always wanted to do it but he didn't have a road bike. Last year for his 30th birthday, I surprised him by having a road bike built for him. A friend gave him a frame a few years ago, so I bought all the parts and had our neighbor and a friend build it up for him. I don't think I had ever seen him so happy. I swear he was smiling in his sleep for weeks.

I love the simple lines.

The second design was sort of inspired by the first. I liked the idea of incorporating modes of transport in the design so I went with the most obvious choice, an airplane.

Both the airplane and bike image are just wingding characters in InDesign. I just enlarged them.

I'm going to use the bike luggage tag as Mr. Joey's place card. I can't decide what I'm going to use as my own. I'm torn between the Matroshka and the airplane. I love the Matroshka because it represents my life in Russia. I loved being there. But then there's the airplane. I spend a lot of time in the air with work. Plus, the airplane sort of matches Mr. Joey's bike.

Which would you go with?

Reading Out Loud!

After my mini-ceremony tantrum, Mr. Joey and I sat down and selected readings for our ceremony. We each picked one and agreed on the the third. So here are our picks.

My pick: Reading 1

“Wherever you go, I shall go,
wherever you live, I shall live.
Your people will be my people,
and your God will be my God.
Where you die, I shall die and there I shall be buried.
Let Yahweh bring ills on me,
if anything but death should part me from you!” -- Ruth 1:16-17

Mr. Joey's pick: Reading 2

Strive for the greater gifts.
And I will show you a more excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels,
but do not have love,
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith,
so as to remove mountains,
but do not have love,
I am nothing.

If I give away all my possessions,
and if I hand over my body to be burned,
but do not have love,
I gain nothing.

Love is patient;
love is kind;
love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice in wrongdoing,
but rejoices in the truth.

It bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never ends. --1 Corinthians 12: 31-13: 8

Our Pick: Gospel

Jesus said to those around him:

“From the beginning of creation,
’God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother,
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.’

So they are no longer two,
but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together,
let no one separate.” -- Mark 10: 6-9

So we finally picked out readings. My reading is actually a conversation between two cousin, but I liked it apart from the last line. Mr. Joey went for a very popular reading. We're not sure we're going use the entire text above. We're still checking on that.

Did you pick your ceremony readings together or did each of you select one?

The Favored Result

Remember these?

Way back when, Mr. Joey and I asked the hive to vote on their favorite luggage tag which we're giving out as favors and doubling as place cards. We decided to do 10 designs. It seems like a lot, but we wanted to avoid repeats at tables. We also decided to use the top 5 hive vote getters for sure.
So the design winners are:

ABC text

Flowers

9 dots

Umbrella

Puppy/raccoon eyes

Mr. Joey and I also selected 2 : the Matroshka and mixed tape. I fixed the tape design a little

We also added two new designs, but that’s for another post. :)

We also came up with a round pattern option that we think we like better than the 9 dots the hive selected. Which do you like better? 9 dots or round pattern?

The Vest is Yet to Come

A few weeks ago, Mr. Joey told me he really wanted to wear a vest with his suit.  At first I wasn't sure.  I like the idea of a vest but I was a little worried that the suit/vest combo would be too formal for my dress.  After consulting with some wise friends, I gave in and told Mr. Joey I was on board the vest train.

We went to Macy's in search of vest and it was like Goldilock's and the three vests.  First one too small, second too big, third just right -- but out of stock.  We found two styles we liked but they didn't have his size.  The wonderful sales lady called around to 2 stores and finally found the vests we were after in the size we needed.

We thought about black, but then decided grey was better.  I was lobbying for a light grey vest -- a color similar to the color of my dress.  He was after something a little darker.  We eventually went with the darker grey because it was something he said he would wear again. He wasn't sure the light grey vest was his style.  On top of that, the darker vest was $23 after all the discounts!  The lighter grey was $80.

Mr. Joey is a little tired of shopping.  This is the vest in a size too big.

Did your groom wear a vest?  

Do Your Honeymoon Homework!

Ms. Peeptoe's post about vaccines reminded me that I have wanted to do a post about travel planning.

Disclaimer: I am not a travel agent or doctor, but I do know a little something because of the nature of my work.

If you are going to somewhere outside the country you are not familiar with (even places in the Caribbean or Mexico), please, PLEASE check the CDC's Traveler's Health website. I cannot stress this enough! I don't know how many people I meet on trips who never thought to check about vaccines or other preventative medicines and wonder why they got sick. Even seasoned travelers can forget.

If there are any warnings about your vacation locale, I'd see your doctor, or better yet, go to a travel medicine clinic. Almost every university has one, as do most county public health centers. I say this because diseases can be specific to a region in a country. For example, malaria is prevalent in Ethiopia, but if you will only be in the capital city of Addis Ababa, then you don't have to take malaria prevention medication. The mosquitoes that carry malaria can't live in an altitude as high as Addis Ababa. But don't take my word for it, double check with your doctor. :) Travel clinics will go through your whole itinerary and help you determine which vaccines are necessary, precautionary or just a good idea in general.

See your physician or visit the travel clinic early. Not only do you want to be bruise free on your honeymoon, but you want to insure that you can get your prescriptions. Last April there was a shortage of the Yellow Fever vaccine in Seattle. I called around for weeks to get a shot. Also, drugs like Malarone (malaria drug) aren't always stocked at your local pharmacy. It can take a few days to get them. Some preventative drugs need to be taken a few days before you arrive at you honeymoon destination to be effective.

If your on a budget, I would check on the vaccines needed to travel to your selected honeymoon destination before I book the trip. Not all insurance companies will cover vaccines and preventative medicine for an overseas trip. The bill for my last vaccine/prescription was over $900. My employer paid those costs since I was traveling for work, so didn't have to worry about it. $900 each is a lot of money especially if you didn't know a bill like that was coming.

If you are on a medication, besides bringing an ample supply on trip, don't forget to bring a copy of your prescription or just have the names of your drugs written down. What if you lost your medication? You need to know what you are on and the doses so you can have it refilled at a local pharmacy.

As for general safety, I always check the State Department's website before I travel. I like to be aware of what's going on. You maybe headed to a very peaceful country but unknowingly during elections. An event like an election can disrupt travel through out the country, be called as a holiday (then everything is closed) and even in the most peaceful counties spark a little violence in some areas.

Also, if you are going to be away for more than a week or two, why not register with the local US Embassy or Consulate? You can do it online on the State Department's website and it's really easy. If something happens, then at least the have a record of you. Also, if you lose your passport, it makes it a little easier to get replaced. It takes 10 minutes to register but it will save so much time and sanity in the event something goes wrong while your away.

Lastly, make copies of your passport and itinerary and leave them with friends and relatives. It's just a good precaution. A co-worker had her purse and passport stolen on a trip and luckily we had a copy of all her travel documents in Seattle. We faxed over copies of her passport and visa, and she was able to get a new passport and exit visa in a few days.

I hoped this helped a little. Again, I am not a medical professional. I work in the Malaria prevention field, so I've picked up a thing or 5. :)

A Bittersweet Victory and A Bittersweet Dilemma

Way back when, I posted our wedding budget. It was final and it wasn't. We knew we only had about $15,000 to spend on the wedding AND the honeymoon but where we spent it was up for grabs. By my calculations, it was doable if we only got 125-130 RSVPS. Well, here we are, less than 70 days until the wedding and it looks like we'll get no more than 123 people of the 157 invited. We still have 9 responses we're waiting for but if they all say yes, we'll still be at 123.

On the one hand, I'm so relieved. My parents offered to pitch in extra because most of the extra guests were theirs. I didn't want to take any more of their money and I was really hoping to keep to our budget. On the other hand, I am still a little sad that we got to our desired guest count because a lot of my friends couldn't come out. I guess that's how it goes.

So here's our bittersweet dilemma, should we add to the guest list?

At the very least, we can add 2 people. At the very most, I bet we can add about 7 people. We do have an extra guest list but it's complicated. Basically, we can't invite one couple and not invite the others. Our guest list is made up of two groups: the teachers in Mr. Joey's Department and our mutual former co-workers from EMP. There are just enough people in each group that even with 7 possible invites, they all would not be able to come.

The other option is to invite people we haven't seen or talk to in years who are not part of either of those groups. On top of that, I only have one poster invitation left. How would I invite them? Email? Phone call? I can't have them reprinted. Our screen printer reused the screen he made for our poster.

Actually, there is one more option. We could leave the guest list as is and use the extra money for the honeymoon. I can't decide. I really want people to be part of our big day, but I also don't want things to get complicated. What would you do?

Presents Please

I was thinking about our wedding schedule for the summer and our new house timeline and got a little worried. Our house is going to be a little behind schedule. The City of Seattle is over 3 weeks behind on approving building permits. They laid-off part of their work force late last year and are now short handed. Apparently we aren't the only people trying to take advantage of lower building costs.

My worry isn't about our living situation. We haven't given our landlord notice, so we still have a place to live in the event the house isn't done by mid-August. I'm not worried about the money. I think we have that part sorted out. What I'm worried about are our wedding presents and the thank you notes.

About 80% of our guests live in Seattle. It's very likely that the Seattle dwellers will be bringing their wedding gifts to the wedding. This isn't a problem except for the fact that I'm worried we won't get around to opening gifts and sending out thank yous until after we get back from the Honeymoon. No, that's not a problem either until I realized we'd be living in boxes, literally. Either we'll be in our new house living in boxes or in our current apartment living in boxes. Either way, sorting through gifts and writing Thank Yous isn't going to be on the top of our To Do list. It should, I know, but cleaning the apartment and packing up breakables or unpacking clothes and calling utility companies will take precedence.

I'd like to say we'll be incredibly organized and be unpacked in a few days but I know that's not realistic. Mr. Joey goes back to teaching a few days after we get back and I've never been away from work for 3 weeks before. I have been out of the office for work trips and even though I keep up with email, it still takes between 2 or 3 weeks to catch up. In this case, I'll guess at least a month. I also know it took us 2 months to really get moved in to our current place.

I can see the whole thing now. We don't get unpacked completely until mid-October/early November. Then Thanksgiving comes around and takes up time and before we know it, we're sending Thank You/Christmas/New Year cards.

This sounds greedy but what I'm hoping for are presents now. We won't use them (at least I'll try not to). I just want to get them, make note of who gave what and spend our 18+ hours (one-way) to and from Australia writing Thank Yous. This way, we can just drop them into the mailbox when we get home and not feel the pressure to open presents, look for presents (they are bound to get lost in the boxes) and get our Thank Yous out.

What do you think? Am I being crazy or realistic? If you think realistic, how would you hint to people you'd like presents before the wedding? Keep in mind we don't have a wedding website.

Coz Every Girl Crazy Bout A Sharp Dressed Man

Yes, those are ZZ Top lyrics. Sorry ;)

This is the story of my sharp dressed man starting with the suit.

I had dreams of Mr.Joey waiting for me at the alter and a snazzy grey suit. Lighter grey, not charcoal. Something like this but without the shiny lapel.

image

Or like this

image

But Mr. Joey already has a charcoal grey suit with faint blue stripes in his wardrobe. He had to buy it for a wedding and it's not his favorite suit -- it has pleats. He said he'd rather buy a black suit since he didn't own one already and he would get more use out it. How am I, Ms.Wear-it-Again Wedding Dress, suppose to argue with that. So we went about finding the right black suit for the big day.

We thought it would be easy but it wasn't. Why are non-pleated pants (at a reasonable price) hard to come by? We went to a few Banana Republic stores and none of them had his size. We tried Macy's and Nordstrom, but nothing in his size without pleats under $700 that looked good.

We decided that while we check in Orlando while we were there vacationing with Mr. Joey's parents. Early, very early, one morning, FFIL Joey drove us out to one of the many Orlando area outlets. He said we should look there first. We went to what felt like every store and was just about to give up when FMIL Joey suggested the Brooks Brothers outlet. I was hesitant to go in. I was sure we couldn't even afford to shop at the Brooks Brothers outlet.

All I have to say is Cha Ching! Mr. Joey found a suit he liked, in his size, without pleats and way under $700.

image

At the Brooks Brothers store, the suit retails for $998. At the outlet, the regular price was about $600 but because it was a few days after Christmas, it was 50% off. Holla. On top of that we got 25% off for shopping before noon (thanks FFIL Joey) and an additional 15% off from a coupon FMIL Joey picked up at the mall's visitor center. The suit came out to less that $200! It's not the grey suit I envisioned but Mr.Joey loves it and is happy. So I'm really happy.

Did your groom end up in the suit you envisioned for him?

Next up? Underneath the suit. And no, I'm not talk about underwear! :)

This is Really It - Part 1

I know over the next 6 months we're going to have a few, " This is Really it - we're adults and in it together," moments. I'm not sure how to explain the feeling. Like we're REALLY getting married.

Our first "This is Really It" moment came a few weeks ago at an unlikely place, our financial planners office. We were there filling out the forms to buy life insurance and it hit me, I'm actually worried how Mr. Joey will continue financially if should pass away early. It's totally morbid (as is life insurance) but it was an important thought. We are really in this together for life. I want to make sure he can still pay our mortgage and live in our house without me and he feels the same way. Pretty soon we'll be putting together wills and changing beneficiary information on all our employer benefit forms. This is adult stuff! :)

Have you made any "benefit" or insurance steps together? Did it make you feel like you we're making big steps toward a future together?

Ceremony Optional

Over the weekend I had a mini blow up at Mr. Joey over the ceremony. I was looking at readings for the wedding when he whined about how long the ceremony was going to be. This isn't the first time he's made these comments and he isn't the only one to make them. As usual, I was prepared to just bit my tongue and pretend I didn't hear the comments. Of course he notice my silence and asked me what was wrong and of course I told him.

At first I too was a little annoyed with the number of elements in our Catholic blessing. It seemed longer than we wanted it to be and there was little flexibility within each component but I've accepted that. We decided together that we were going to get married in the church for our parents and this is part of it. I've done my best to try and find readings that reflect our love for each other and tried to add cultural elements to the ceremony. In the end, I'm OK that the ceremony is going to be 45 minutes to an hour. This is the most important part of getting married -- the part where you promise to be together forever. I don't feel like 45 minutes is too long to devote to that.

I told Mr. Joey if he really was unhappy with the length or the blessing in general, that he could arrange for an alternate location for the ceremony and let everyone (particularly our parents) know there is change and I'd be fine with it. I would not continue to plan the ceremony if he was going to pout about it's length or content. I cannot change the Catholic Church but we can change whether that's where we cerebrated our marriage. It sounds a little Bridezillia-ish but I can't continue to plan what I see is the most important aspect of our wedding day if he wasn't fully on board. Pouting and complaining isn't fully on board.

Mr. Joey came around fast. He apologized and said he didn't realize he was upsetting me when he complained. He also agreed that 45 minutes isn't too long for the ceremony. He came around quickly but others might not. I have had more than one person complain to me about the length of our ceremony. I know Catholicism isn't for everyone, and I'm not asking people to convert or anything, but I am asking that if they attend, they don't complain about how board they are or how long it was. My sister had a courthouse wedding and it took ten minutes. And that was just a courthouse wedding. I really want to tell my ceremony complainers to bite me. Just kidding. :) I was just making sure you were still with me. Seriously, I want to tell them to not come to the ceremony. I mean that in the nicest possible way. I won't be offended if they only show up at the reception. The drive to the chapel is long and if they think a Catholic ceremony is too much for them, then I am happy to celebrate with them later at the reception. No hurt feelings here.

Actually, that was going to be our original plan. We were going to have a tiny ceremony (immediate family only) on a Friday afternoon and then have a huge party the next day -- something a little more casual. We thought about a huge BBQ (or taco truck) with friendor bands and partying all day long. Our main reason for doing an immediate family only ceremony was because of a wedding we attended a few years back.

We went to a ceremony that was pretty long. It wasn't religious per se, but it had a lot of elements and symbolism from different religions. It was a lovely ceremony and one of the more unique I've seen but all anyone at our reception table could do was whine about it's length. When it came time to discuss our ceremony, Mr. Joey and I both remembered that wedding and opted leave everyone else out of the ceremony. But then of course the same people who whined about sitting through the long ceremony whined (in a friendly way) that would really like to be present at ours. And my extended family were a little offended that we'd even think of not including them. So we opened the ceremony up to everyone.

So now here we are again dealing with the ceremony whiners. What would you do if you were in my place. Would you tell people honestly that they don't have to attend the ceremony? Does that seem to harsh?

My Name is Ms. Joey and I am a List Nerd

I love lists. I’m the kind of person who makes a handwritten to do list every few days with sub-lists under each to do item on my list. I’m also the kind of list nerd who will add an item to my To Do List I got done just so I can immediately cross it off. I need to see on paper that I got a lot done. :) I even have special notebooks just for my lists. I told you, I’m a list nerd.

Over the last week, I’ve been slowly putting together a To Do List for the wedding. We’ve only got about 75 days left until the big day and I needed a list to help me get things done.

I thought I was on top of things but then I made this list of lists and find I’m on top of very little.

Here's part of my To Do List.

Ceremony:
Order a copy of Mr. Joey's Baptismal Certificate
Finalize ceremony participants
-send verification for to wedding witness
Ceremony Readings
-select readings
-send Ceremony Coordinator selection form
Arrhae box/bag
Finalize music selections
Programs
-make map
-finalize design
Flowers
Seating design
Make flowers for flower girl’s basket

This is just the ceremony part of the list. If you could only see the rest. It goes on for pages! We did make a bit of progress this week. All the items in bold italics are complete (!)

Are you a list nerd who makes to do list within her to do list?

Leave. the. Registry. Alone?

If I could change the caption on this cartoon, it would say, "I'll be back later -- I'm going to Marshall's to practice my registry buying resistance techniques."

I have a problem. No, it doesn't have to do with shoes or clothes (though that can be a problem). Yes, my problem is that I keep buying stuff off our registry. Our registry is small enough as it is and now I'm buying stuff off it.

I'm a Marshall's shopper (I admit it) and sometimes Ross. For some reason those stores can have an amazing house and kitchenware selection. Seriously. Mr. Joey and I went to Marshall's to stock up on socks and what do I see? Le Creuset dutch ovens in red. I would have bought it if I didn't already own it. Actually, I almost bought it to give as a present. Amazon.com price for the 4 and 1/2 quart dutch oven? $204.95. Marshall's? $65.99. Now you understand my problem.

So yes, we're at Marshall's buying socks over the weekend and I walk out of there with an OXO garlic press ($9.99), 2 OXO Good Grips Silicone Oven Mitt with Magnet ($2.50 each!) and a Kuhn Rikon Paring Knife ($4.99). Help!

This isn't the first time I've picked off the registry. We bought all our drinking glasses because I found them at Ross for $6.99 a set instead of the $29.99 Macy's was charging. I did check the quality and there are no dings, scratches or flaws we can't live with.

I also bought two 6 piece sets of Laguiole Steak Knives for $8.00 a set. Seriously?

These retail between $40-100 a set. So I have two problems actually. 1. I'm cheap. I can't stand to ask someone buy me a present that costs $60 when I know I can find the exact same item for $10. 2. I keep dealing with problem 1 by just buying stuff off our registry when it's on sale.

I have to say, our registry problem isn't limited to Marshall's and Ross. If I see one of my registry items on clearance at Macy's or Bed, Bath and Beyond, I usually buy it.

Anyone else have my problem? And when I think about it I wonder if it is a bad problem to have.

Different Dress Dilemma

No. There is no problem with my dress. I still love it. The dilemma is with sister/MOH Joey's dress.

We bought her dress months ago, way back in September I think. This cute little number was the perfect shade of yellow, came in petite and was on sale.

image

9 months later, we both still love her dress, but now were worried it won't fit. Having just experience an unexpected weight loss myself and being shocked by my own dress being too big, I was worried about her.

MOH Joey moved to Vicenza, Italy in October. Her husband is in the Army. I know that while she may not be actively working out, she's bound to have lost a bit a of weight. He dress fit her when she left, but it's possible it will be too big when she gets back.


Alterations, easy fit right? We're not so sure. The dress doesn't seem like the type that's easy to alter. On top of that, she won't get to Seattle until 10 days before the wedding. I'm not sure we'll have time to get it altered or know a place that can do it.


So I'm left with a few options. I could just buy a few dresses from places with good return policies. She could look in Italy. Or we could just risk it and wait until she's here.


Another option I like is finding her a nice standard black or grey dress when she's here and then dressing it up. We could add pleats (similar to the ones on my dress) on the bottom or I we could dress it up like Megan from Princess Lasertron did. I have tons of ton fabric left over from the table runners. Wierd I know, but it could be an interesting detail.

Lucky for us, she's it. I have no other bridesmaids so we don't have to worry about matching.


What do you ladies think? I'm open to ideas.

Not the Welcome We Were Hoping For

On Monday night I met Mr. Joey at the gym.  I had just finished spin class and was going to catch a ride home with him.  We caught up on each others day and as we pulled up to out apartment he said, "Oh, there's a package for you."  What package?  Hmm...the DRESS!  It was the dress.

I grabbed the package from Liza off the counter and ran to our room.  I busted though the envelopes to find a lovely dress that I was dying to try on.  Of course I was sweaty and foul smelling and couldn't possibly try the dress on right then and there.  So I showered, then had dinner (couldn't try it on with wet hair) and then tried the dress on.  Oh Sh** was my first reaction.  I looked like a Klingon.  The shoulders looked huge and the dress hung on me everywhere.  I took the dress off.  Hung it up and went to bed at 8pm.  I had a monstrous headache!  

In the morning I woke up and since I was working from home, decided to take a few minutes before getting dress (sweats and t-shirt) to look at dresses online.  I knew I still wanted a short dress but something else.  I found one I liked on Ebay and almost put in a bid ($49.99) but then decided I needed to try on my dress on more time.

What's the verdict?  You'll just have to stay tuned.  

The Verdict

Where did we leave off? Oh right, I was trying the dress on again. So yes, I tried it on again and the verdict?


I LOVE it. I don't know if it was my headache or the lighting or just being tired. It's perfect and it looks great with my shoes. The only thing is that it's too big. Yes! TOO BIG. I was measured for it in February and come May, it seems I've dropped a dress size or two.


So here are the pictures. I must warn you that they aren't great. I tried taking a picture of myself in the mirror but the flash blurred me out. I had to come into the back room and take the shots with iphotobooth. So I'm running back and forth from the computer while trying to hold my dress back. Then I tried to take a picture with my shoes, but that didn't turn out great. You'll see.

I definitely needs to be taken in a size or two. But I love it and am feeling not so Klingon-y anymore. Did you have second and third thoughts about your dress after you bought it?

Here She Comes!!

When I got home Friday night, I opened my email and saw this note:

"Hello Catherine,

I hope you are well! I just wanted to let you know that your custom pearl gray cotton sateen ruffle dress was shipped USPS Priority Mail today, 5/8. To track your package, you can go to www.usps.com and enter your tracking # 0307 xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx.

Your dress turned out so lovely! I really hope you enjoy wearing it on your wedding day!

Thanks again for supporting my designs! It was such a pleasure meeting you."

best,

liza rietz"

OMG!  It's on it's way!!!  The dress is on it's way.  I know it won't get here until Monday or Tuesday but I keep logging in to the USPS site to check.  Is it crazy that I kind of want to work from home next week so I can be here to welcome it when it arrives?

What wedding delivery did you stalk?

Can I handle it?

The passing of my beloved dog Mieko (PENGY - Can you please link to the Good Dog Down post?) got me thinking, can I have kids? Losing Mieko was like losing a sibling. It hurts so hard and so deep. My parents cried for days before and after -- so did I. He was part of our family and losing him is really, really hard.


Losing Mieko made me think about kids. If this what it's like to worry about the health of a dog, crap, what's it like with kids? Mr. Joey and I aren't 100% sure we wanted kids. When we first started dating he didn't want kids and I was sure I wanted them. As time passed, he's come around. His brother wasn't sure he wanted kids either. Both FBIL Joey and his wife were focused on their careers. FBIL Joey is a Professor and his wife is a Neurologist. But FBIL also came around and now Mr. Joey is uncle to two very cute little boys.


I, on the other hand, have gone the other way a little. I was so sure I wanted kids and then I got a job where I travel a lot. Could I really be a Mom and travel? Could I give up traveling? I know it sounds selfish but traveling is a disease for me. No joke. I get fidgety and tense if I haven't traveled in a while. My Dad worked on a Greek merchant ship for 10 years and traveled the world before he married -- it's in the blood. I've been actively traveling internationally since I was 16 years old. Could I really stop? And if I didn't stop, would it be fair to leave Mr. Joey to care for a child alone for weeks at a time?


I tell myself that if we decided to have kids, we'd figure it out. All parents do, right? But then Mieko gets sick and passes away and I wonder if I could handle a little Joey. Could I handle a little one getting sick? I'm not so sure. Could I even handle having another dog?


For all of you with kids, pregnant or sure you are having kids, how did you know? How did you know you could handle all the blessings that children bring and all of the heartache that is possible? For those of you who have lost a pet, how did you know you could love another furry?

A Good Dog Down

Mr. Joey and I don't have any pets. I really want a dog but we can't have them in the apartment. Mr. Joey is lobbying for a Vietnamese Potbelly pig. He says if they are good enough for Clooney (as in George) then they are good enough for us. Even though we don't have a dog together, I do have a dog -- Mieko. He's been part of the family for 13 years. He's half shar pei and half lab. Think of a dog that looks like a lab but is the size of a shar pei -- that's him.

When we picked out venues for the reception and ceremony, we didn't really consider having him be our ring dog. He hates crowds. Turns out that both our venues don't allow animals inside. No big deal since he wasn't taking part in the actual big day. The rehearsal dinner was another story. When we visited the house where the dinner is going to take place, I thought to myself, 'Hey, Mieko can come too.' The group will be small and he'd know most of the people there. I don't have to worry about him jumping into the lake or the pool because he hates water. He'd be happy just smelling all the new smells and rolling around on the pretty grass. Perfect.

Mieko enjoying Thanksgiving a few years back

Well, this happy evening isn't going to happen as planned. Our beloved dog has passed away this week. It was hard. It was sad. It was kind of sudden, but it was time. I really wish he could have been part of all the excitement of the wedding but I'm really glad he's not suffering anymore. When he passed, his liver was only working at 13% of its functionality.

I don't have a question for this post, just a request. For all of you who are lucky enough to have pets in your life, give them an extra rub, scratch or hug tonight.

The Best Wedding Present Ever!

What's the best wedding present ever? No, it isn't a KitchenAid mixer. And no, it isn't a life time supply of chocolate (but that would be). The best wedding present ever is someone moving for us. What? I know. So if you remember, the Joeys are building a house right now. Actually the Joeys are waiting for their building permit (any day now!!). If the weather holds up and everything goes according to schedule, The house will be inhabitable by the time we get back from our honeymoon (if not before).

I was really stressed about moving. Mr. Joey goes back to teaching a day or two after we get back from Australia. We won't have time to move. We thought of using the 4 days between the wedding and the honeymoon to move but we'll just be too tired. Plus, we scheduled our trip that way because we wanted extra time with friends and family before they left Seattle. I know the days leading up to the wedding will be stressful and crazy, and won't leave much time for socializing.

I told my Mom about my anxiety (and excitement) around moving and she gave me the best gift ever. If we pack everything up in the apartment and label boxes, she and my Dad will make sure everything, including the furniture, gets moved to the new house. HOLLA!! We'll have to unpack, but that's easy.

This is the best gift ever and it's not even on the registry! Was there a wedding gift you were given that knocked your socks off?

Pre-marital Counseling -- Looking Back

image

Mr. Joey and I finished our last session of required pre-martial counseling/ pre-cana yesterday. Now that it's over, I can look back and say I'm not sure it was for us. There was very little we discussed in those meetings that we hadn't discussed before as a couple. I'm not sure if we're boring and don't have any conflict or if it's just meant to be :). Actually, I like to think we've worked through all the discussion points (family, church, finances, communication, intimacy) in our own time and way.

Did I think the sessions were useful? Sort of. They made us move on a few issues we had neglected like finally going in and talking to a financial planner. We've been talking about it for months and finally went. It also made us think about if we were to have kids, would we baptize them Catholic. We hadn't thought about that before -- mostly because we aren't 100% sure we'll have kids.

So yes, the sessions were sort of helpful but I also think we would have been just fine without them. I do, however, think the sessions, or even just the FOCCUS questionnaire would have been helpful early on in the relationship when we were moving in together. We probably wouldn't have needed to talk about family planning, but talking about communication styles and finances could have helped. Our relationship is really easy now (I'm knocking on wood) but those first 3 or 4 months living together definitely weren't. Yes, we worked everything out, but I'm sure talking it out with someone else would have been better.

I think the course would be great for a couple who aren't already "co-habitating." It may not be absolutely necessary, but it definitely useful. I also think a session on family planning and raising a family would be more useful during a pregnancy. I can't think about how I'd discipline my kids -- I don't have any and don't plan on having any for a few years.

To end my two cents on all this, I'll say there were some surprising moments particularly when taking the FOCCUS test. Here's one statement it asked me to agree/disagree with that I'll leave you with, "I am concerned that either my future spouse or I may use sex as a way to control each other." Huh? It took me by surprise as I read it at 7am while silently participating in a teleconference. I was hesitant to continue after that question for fear that pictures and diagrams would appear with questions to follow. :)

If you participated in any required pre-marital courses, did you look back and realize it was useful?

A Place for Booty Shaking

So a while back I asked for the hive's advice about having an after party. We knew we wanted to have one, but didn't know the who, where and when. We decided to do a late evening event. The reception ends at 4pm and we're thinking the after party will start at 9pm. We want some time to take in what just happened (the getting married part), enjoy the fancy hotel room, and maybe take a quick power nap.

As for location, we decided on something central in/near downtown Seattle. We want somewhere accessible by bus or cab and somewhere away from stadium area of town called SODO. Turns out there's a sold out Kenny Chesney concert and it's going to be madness.


The guest list? This was a little more controversial with the hive. Should we invite friends who weren't invited to the wedding or not? I asked friends who are and are not invited to the wedding and everyone said invite everyone. There are going to be a few people who might be upset that they weren't invited to the wedding, but I think there will be so many more who will be happy to just be able to celebrate with old friends.

After many emails sent, we finally found a place for the after party. We're doing it at the a bar called the Rendezvous. We know the place well; Mr. Joey's bad plays a lot of shows here. The price is right (free) and we get a private room (the Red Velvet Lounge) with control over the music. While parking isn't the best in the neighborhood, it is accessible by many bus routes and cabs. You can find parking if you look. Also, there are tons of bars and restaurants in the area, so if people want get the party started early or carry on later, they have the option.




I'm so glad we can check our last venue task off the to do list. Are you doing an after party?

Yes I Can.

OK, this is a coupon flyer from Banana Republic. But you know what else this is? The inspiration for our rehearsal dinner invites.

This flyer has been sitting on our kitchen counter for weeks (past its use by date). I saved it for some reason but wasn't sure what it was. As we got nearer to finalizing the details on our rehearsal dinner, I realized we were going to need invitations. I chatted with FMIL Joey and sort of volunteered to design them (I'm silly girl). How hard could it be? Well, not very hard when you accidentally put the mail on the kitchen counter in your work bag.

I was fishing through my bag on the bus and found the Banana Republic flyer. I was about to throw it in the recycling bin at the bus stop when I realized here was my rehearsal dinner invite.

Front

Back

I changed it, of course, to match our colors. I also added our sort-of-logo to tie it in with the wedding invite. I really like the simple lines and right now I'm really into typewriter fonts.

There is one thing I need hive help on, wording the dinner options. We have smoked beef tri tips as a main with stuffed grilled portobello mushrooms as the veggie option. How do I ask people to specify their preference? Should I include a menu or just add a little note that says, "please specify your dinner option when you RSVP. Option 1 Smoked Beef. Option 2 Grilled Stuffed Mushrooms. We don't really want to include anything guest would have to mail back. What do you think?

I'm Ready to Rehearse

Is it normal to be more excited for the rehearsal dinner than the reception? No. I didn't think so. Well, at this point in the planning process, call me abnormal because I can't wait for the rehearsal dinner.

Here's what's on the menu:

Appetizers
Dates stuffed with goat cheese and almonds and wrapped in Bacon
Puff pastry cup filled with dilled goat cheese and topped with smoked salmon (they do their own Coho smoked with cherry wood)

Salads and Sides
Pear and Gorgonzola over spring greens with walnuts and honey balsamic
Potato gratin
Panzanella Salad

Main
Grilled portobello with goat cheese and topped with a Puttanesca salsa
Smoked tri tips, thinly sliced on site served with Alabama White BBQ sauce

Dessert
Ricotta cheesecake

Salmon mousse in cucumber cups. We changed this since it was a little too heavy for the start of this very big meal! They were really good though!

Stuffed dates!

Pear and Gorgonzola salad - we barely made a dent on it!

Panzanella -- YUM!!

smoked tri tip

I'm a little worried I won't fit into my dress the next day! The food is so good. We had a tasting last Friday night and we were very, very impressed. The absolute winners were the Panzanella, the grilled portobello and the tri tip. The white BBQ sauce? A little scary at first sight but so good!!

I can't tell you what an amazing deal we're getting! For less than $25 a head (not including tax and tip), we get all that food, the venue, service, set-up and clean-up, tables, chairs, utensils, dishware and canopies (if needed). We can also bring our own beverages. Lynn even suggested a great wine pairing at an amazing price - $6 a bottle after the discount. We liked the red so much that we're going to serve it at the wedding reception.

check out the details Lynn added to dinner -- the bells are from our poster invites

leftovers

Seriously, if you are in the Seattle-area or even farther out, you should think about Lynn and Lake Street Catering. She is amazing and very accommodating. She's doing a wedding at Lake Chelan in Eastern Washington that sounds delicious. I can't believe I found her on Craigslist!!

If the weather holds out, it's going to be perfect night. Food and drinks on the water with a beautiful sunset!

the view of the dinner location from the Yacht - yes, seriously!

What are you serving up at your rehearsal dinner?

Breakfast Anyone?

Over the weekend, Mary, our amazing baker friendor, sent me a yummy list of suggestions for the breakfast bar. I'm hungry just looking at it. Here's what she's contemplating:

orange poppy seed muffins
applesauce cake/bread
banana nut bread
blueberry muffins
fresh fruit tartlet with vanilla pastry cream
sausage-cheese biscuit roll-ups

scones (many options there)
maple bacon cheddar
blueberry
ginger pecan
orange cranberry
chocolate chip
(really the base dough could have anything added to it)

I really wanted orange poppy seed muffins. I saw a recipe for it in a Donna Hay cookbook and was sold.

What do you think? Which breakfast treat would convince you to get up early on a Saturday morning?

Getting Back on Track

For the first part of last week, I wasn't in a wedding mood. Most of my friends let me know they wouldn't be able to make it to the wedding. I totally understood their reasons but I didn't make their absence hurt less.

I took a few days off and didn't really do many wedding related things besides answering emails. I just needed a few moments to get over the initial disappointment and move on.

Lucky for me, a few friends and one great vendor helped me out. I found out on Thursday that 2 friends I didn't expect to come to Seattle will in fact be making the journey out west. I am so EXCITED!! I can't wait to see them -- it's been so long.

The other great piece of news is that we've decided on our rehearsal dinner vendor. We're definitely going with Lynn at Lake Street Catering. Amazing!! She brought over a tasting on Friday and we went to look at the dinner site on Saturday morning. It's going to be perfect.
The food was delicious!! And there was so much of it. Wait until you see the menu. I think we're are set. We've got a deposit for the dinner going out this week.

On top of that, I got an email from Mary, maker of breakfast goodness, with suggestions for the breakfast spread. It sounds soooo yummy. You'll have to wait for that menu too.

I can't wait for the wedding week now. Great people coming out to eat amazing food and celebrate a wonderful occasion.

What wedding accomplishment really got you into high gear?