A Few Quick Updates

Last Friday Night we went to the design lady that does flower-less centerpieces. She had some good ideas at a very reasonable price. So we have to think about it.

Saturday Morning we went to our florist appointment to discover that she forgot all about our appointment. So it was a sloppy appointment on her end since she was not ready. All in all, she was nice and had great ideas, but I think she is going to be way too expensive.

So we totally need to keep looking for another florist ASAP!

Saturday Afternoon we went to our cake tasting. And it went awesome! We booked him.

I showed him the design of my butter cream version of my fondant cake that I designed…We were pretty much able to stick with the butter cream version of my dream wedding cake. I am actually really excited about it. I think it is going to look really awesome! :)

At first Jon and I decided we were going to get every tier in chocolate. But then the baker asked us, “what about people who don’t like chocolate?” (Which actually includes my dad and my sister.) So then we decided that the top tier that we take home with us is chocolate. And the biggest bottom tier is going to be chocolate with peanut butter mousse! I am very excited for that! And then one of the other bottom tiers will be a marble cake…And then the other tier is going to be a yellow cake. We tasted all of the cake flavors on Saturday, and they all rock!

We also tasted three different butter creams. One was vanilla, one was more yellowy, and the last was chocolate.

The chocolate butter cream was soooo damn good! I was very tempted to order a full chocolate cake with chocolate ganache in between the layers and chocolate butter cream on the outside. But we did not do that.

All of the butter creams were yummy and not too sweet. He said they can adjust the sweetness level or add flavorings to the creams. But we decided to leave them as is. And we chose the white butter cream for the outside of the cake for the simple reason that my final design called for the cake to be mostly white. So that’s that.

I can’t wait until my wedding day to see my design brought to life in my actual wedding cake!! :)

Tomorrow afternoon is our Invitations appointment. So hopefully that goes well.

Oh and last Sunday I finally ordered our Save-The-Dates that a friend of mine designed for us. So hopefully those magnets will be coming in soon!

And those are all of the updates for now! :)

All that I have left to book is a cake baker and a florist. I have had the worst luck trying to book either one!

On January 23'rd we had an appointment with our first cake baker...But I got the stomach bug and we had to cancel. We told them we would reschedule...But we just haven't yet.

Then on January 25th we had an appointment with a second cake baker...We showed up there and they told us that the lady had to go to the hospital...They thought she might be in labor but they weren't sure...They said she'd call me back. Well I haven't heard back from her, nor have I tried calling.

On January 30th we had an appointment with our first florist. When she told me her address, she left out the town...So I assumed it was in one town and she assumed I knew it was in a different town much further away. So I spent a good long time driving up and down the street in the town I thought it was in...Until I finally called her and we realized the mix-up. So we canceled that appointment. And I haven't decided if we are going to reschedule it or not.

Tonight we have a centerpiece appointment for flower-less centerpieces. So we will see how that goes. I saw their booth a bridal show I was at on Sunday. They made really awesome centerpieces without flowers. And used like colored waters and lights and dried ice and stuff. I was hoping it would be original...But if I still use the centerpieces I bought a while ago, then hopefully they can still look classy and elegant. Unless these people have totally different bases they recommend for centerpieces...And then I just have to return all the ones I already bought. So we'll see.

Maybe we'll get there and see their samples and realize that none of them really work for a classy wedding. I don't know.

I am also hoping that they end up being cheaper than having flowers in the vases. And again, unique can be good.

So I figured it can't hurt to look.

Then tomorrow morning we have an appointment with a second florist...But technically our first appointment since it didn't work out with the other one.

And tomorrow afternoon we have an appointment with a third cake baker...But technically our first appointment since it didn't work out with the first two.

If we end up liking the flowerless centerpieces....Then we only need a florist for bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres...As opposed to centerpieces too. Oh wait, do we need flowers for the church ceremony? I don't know...We'll see.

So that's all that has been going on lately.

So we'll see how all of these appointments go.

Oh! And some exciting news...Jon and I totally decided on our honeymoon location!!

Get this...We are going to HAWAII! :)

I am sooooo excited! Because Hawaii has been my dream honeymoon location since I was a little girl! Eeeekkkk! :)

What sucks is how very expensive Hawaii is though. :(

I am having a hard time booking it because I keep trying to find the best deals on airfare and hotels. And I don't know if we should spend the entire trip in one hotel on one island, and constantly fly around for day trips to the other islands...Or if in addition to island-hopping, we need to do hotel-hopping too...

I might need to involve a travel agent for assistance.

On an other note...

My Mother said that "32 years ago when she got married" that the brides never knew anything about their Bridal Shower. They didn't even know when it would be...That their bridesmaids just picked them up one day as a surprise and drove them to the surprise location.

That is not how I am going to do things.

I love how my friend Nina had a Las Vegas themed Bridal Shower...Since her and her husband went to Vegas for their honeymoon.

Soooooo, I want a Hawaii themed Bridal Shower!

I am actually quite excited about the idea.

I will go buy some cute flowery dress to wear to the shower...And I will get my hair done in the low side bun style I wanted if I was having a beach wedding. And I will put a cute pink flower in my hair...Again, how I wanted my hair for my beach wedding...But since I am not having a beach wedding, and I am probably not wearing my hair remotely close to this style or even putting a flower in it...Now I get the best of both worlds!

And maybe everyone can get pretty leis to wear during the shower!

Original, I know. LOL

OK back to reality. Work for 5 more hours and then our centerpiece appointment! :)

Last Night's Bridal Show...

I went to a Bridal Show with my Mother and Grandmother last night...I didn't win anything, but I didn't expect to because the pattern has been that I win at every other Bridal Show and this was my off one...So to continue said pattern, I am due to win something at the next show. Hahaha

Anyway, I thought that going to a Bridal Show again after not having any to go to since November, would get me excited to be back in my element (wedding-related things!) But instead it got me really stressed.

First of all, apparently August 21, 2010 is like an uber popular date to get married...Lots of brides-to-be that were there last night had that date. :(

Second of all, most of the vendors were already booked for that date too...And they continuously told me how very behind I am. Maybe they were just saying that so I would book them, but it stressed me out!

How did that happen?! I mean, I have been planning my wedding for 24 years...How did I get so far behind?! :(


So I went up to the bar and bought myself a glass of White Zin, sat down for a few minutes, and calmed down.

I then marched on up to the table with one of my favorite photographers (I saw him at a lot of past bridal shows and always liked him) and fired off a million questions.
Finally I handed him over a check for $400 and boom! We now have our Photographer & Videographer booked.
*Phew*

He was a bit pricey...But I feel like photographs and videos are sooooo important. I mean, when the day is over, all you have left are memories and photos, right? So I think that I would much rather pay more to ensure that all of that is perfect, and then just skimp elsewhere if need be.

And what's good about me hiring the photographer and videographer from the same company is that they work together...And they will know how not to be in each other's way. As opposed to hiring two separate companies that will be competing for photos.

Like he showed us sample videos and photographs where they can tell the bride and groom to turn and look at the camera...And get a video and snapshot done at once.

So I am pretty excited about that.

We didn't decide on an exact package yet...But they said we have plenty of time to choose that.

Mostly the difference between the packages have to do with what kind of album you want. ie Matted, flush mounted, 12 pages, 40 pages, etc.

Also, we get the exclusive rights to our photographs, so we can take them anywhere to get re-prints and more albums done later.


Their website has sample photos and videos if anyone is interested in checking it out.



Now the next really important thing that I need to book is the DJ!

I feel that the DJ really makes or breaks the reception. If the DJ sucks and no one is dancing, that also screws up the DVD that the Videographer is taking...Because without dancing, that will make for a boring video! Not to mention a very boring party for the guests!

I tried booking some DJs a while ago, and the ones that I liked the best are all booked! :(

The ones that were at the show last night were not booked, but I also really did not like.
So, this is a biggie I am getting nervous about.

I have another Bridal Show to go to tomorrow afternoon...So hopefully there will be other DJs there that I will like, and who are not booked yet! :)

Also at the show last night were 2 bakers who were not at any prior shows I have been to. I tasted their cakes, and they were both very good. And one cake had fondant with a similar black pattern to what I want. My Mom, Gramma, and I all said that the fondant really didn't taste that bad. So I got hopeful. But then I got uber upset, because I looked down at all of our plates when we were done, and we had all ate the cake and left the fondant...
Which has been a big fear of mine.
Of course, we all really were quite full when we were tasting the cake...So I don't know how much more of it we would have eaten if we weren't so full.

*Sighs* Just more for me to worry about.

I am going to go try to find the number of the baker I have been talking about for a few months now, and try to set up a cake and fondant tasting appointment with him ASAP!

Otherwise I need to go with plan B of my wedding cake...And really have no damask in the reception at all. And I don't know how I feel about no damask. :(

And the Damask Continues...

I went to a Bridal Show with my Grandmother yesterday.

She must have been good luck, because I won one of the drawings!

It was a cake from one of the vendors there.

So nothing helpful for the wedding...But I still won something. :)

My family ate about 1/2 of it last night already. Hehe

I talked to a couple of the cake vendors there and showed them the cake design I drew...And they were all so impressed that I came up with the idea by myself. Go me.

Anyway, I found a guy (not the place I won the cake from) who said he can make the exact cake as I described...And it will supposedly be less than $1,000...Which is fantastic! Because I really thought for all of the intricate details I want, that they would charge me an arm and a leg. So I am really excited about that.

When I told several of the vendors my wedding colors/pattern...They all said how popular that was lately. I don't even know what gave me the idea for that style choice...So I had no idea it was popular.

But I guess it's good that so many other people like the idea too...It shows that I'm not totally crazy with my color and style choices then.

Also, I got to thinking...Instead of just having my MOH wear black with pink trim and the maids wear pink with black trim...Maybe they should all wear black with pink.

Because I got to thinking about flowers.

I want pink bouquets. And against a black dress it will look really sharp and it will really pop nicely I think. But with a pink dress, what kind of flowers could they hold? I guess they could hold pink flowers against their pink dresses, but I feel like it just doesn't 'pop'...You know?

And there is NO way they are holding black flowers!

There is always white flowers with the pink dresses...But I think that I am loving the idea of black dresses with hot pink accents and pink bouquets...And maybe even hot pink shoes!

I still need to find a way to make my MOH stand out.

Unless she is the only one who gets a pink ribbon with the black dress, and the maids just get the black dress without pink...

Or maybe they get pink ribbons and she gets a white ribbon...

Or back to my original idea that they all have the same dress...In this case I guess black with pink trims...And they all have halter tops and she has strapless...Or whatever style they agree on.

Just something subtle to make everyone know she is the MOH, without ruining the uniformity I want.

And now for some fun inspiration:

Guest Book and Pen Set...I can probably make that.

Or Black with white designs.

I am planning on going to a fabric store to look for the exact black & white pattern I want, and then try to make a lot of these things instead of buying them...Hopefully it will save money, but also this way everything will match 110%!! :)

I will probably pick white with black designs, as opposed to black with white...But I can decide better when I see them in person.

And if I was ordering all of these items, the patterns wouldn't be the same and all. So I think for the uniformity that I want to be pretty strict about, I will be forced to have a lot of DIY projects.

Which will be fine, if I can get things figured out and then start the projects soon. So I can do them all nice and calmly over the next 10 or so months. And not be stressed and rushing to do everything like a week before the wedding.

I was thinking of making my own table runners...Jon said I should make my own tablecloths and chair covers too...But come on now, who has THAT kind of time? Even if we have like 10 months until the wedding. LOL

Plus, I don't have a sewing machine. Sooooo, I think that will pose a problem for the big crafty items.

This is a Unity Candle...But I had been thinking about something similar for a centerpiece. Like probably just the middle candle. But it was just an idea I had as an alternative to flowers.

Black, White, & Pink Wedding Ideas

Of course I would have pink instead of red


I love each of the tiers...But probably not together.


Black Tie Affair


Maybe we could make the thick black line hot pink! :)

STD ;-)


Lots of stuff


Centerpiece


Table/Chairs



It looks like someone else had my idea! :)


About a week or two before we got engaged, I drew my dream wedding cake.
Tonight I re-drew it to match my new theme.
I need to scan them in to the computer one of these days.

Of course, I don't know if I can find a bakery around here that will be able to pull off all of the elements of my dream cake...

More Color Inspiration

More about the black and white Damask/Paisley/Brocade patterns and splashes of hot pink wedding theme idea...

So I was thinking that instead of my girls wearing the pattern as a dress...They can wear solid hot pink and my MOH can wear solid black.

Or the girls wear solid hot pink with a black bow/ribbon/sash and my MOH wears solid black with a hot pink sash/ribbon/bow.

Since I do definitely want uniformity with my girls, I still always figured (and probably have mentioned a few times) that my MOH's dress will be slightly different. And this might be a good compromise since my sister really doesn't want to wear pink.

I originally figured they would all have the same dress style and color, and the top of the dress would just differ slightly (ie, strapless, halter, tank, etc.) so that the MOH could be easily distinguished from the other girls.

But the exact same gown on all of them, with the opposite color is another idea that I think I will run with.

I never really cared for the idea of say all the girls in dark purple and the MOH in light purple, for example.

But black with pink and pink with black, I'm liking that idea...

I mean obviously if my girls look horrible in pink, I will choose something else.

And then of course the hassle will begin to try to find a dress that will flatter all of them.

But right now, back to my wedding color ideas.

FLOWER GIRL DRESS!!! :)

I know I used to always say I didn't want anyone wearing black or white to my wedding...Black is for a funeral and white is just for the bride...But look how classy this looks:

So elegant!

Such classic beauty!

So now of course I have to rethink my wedding cake idea.

To something more like...

That. Only I would want all of the tiers to have that same pattern that is shown on the 2'nd and 4th tier...The white background with the black pattern. And then I guess the bottom of each tier could have an (edible) hot pink ribbon going around it.

Misc. Wedding Ideas

Despite the fact that we definitely do not have a flower girl for our wedding yet...That totally doesn't keep me from looking up cute flower girl dresses!

I think I want my flower girl to wear a dress in the color scheme. Or even very similar to my maids' dresses.

I have seen absolutely precious miniature brides' dresses...Usually you will have a miniature bride in place of a flower girl, but I suppose you can have one in addition to.
Either way, I have no need for a miniature bride at my wedding.
Don't get me wrong, the last wedding I was at had the brides' daughter be a miniature bride and she was simply breathtaking! She matched her mommy's tiara and hair and gown!
But Jon nor myself have any children of our own that we will need to incorporate into our wedding.


Anyway, here is a beauty by my Love (Alfred Angelo):



Fuchsia





Gorgeous Hairstyle!


Shot Glass Favors


Wedding Chocolate Oreos!!



Tie the KNOT!



More 'criss-cross' wedding cakes for me to swoon over!

Misc. Wedding Love

I'm ADDICTED to criss-cross designed wedding cakes!!



ADORABLE!!



So Unique!





Cute!



Pretty Aisle!


Cute Hair Accessory



BEAUTIFUL Hair Jewel



I Love These Shoes!



This photograph is just too perfect!
I am insanely jealous of it!

Wedding Cakes

Love the pink!


Different in a good way!


Pretty


YAY!

Wedding Cakes

BLING! :)



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I LOVE THOSE MIDDLE TWO TIERS!
Especially with the little "blings".
I wouldn't use that red...But I have been looking everywhere like crazy for wedding cakes with the pattern used on that second tier. And I like the viney pattern on the third tier, too.
But I can do without the first and fourth tiers.
However, I would make all of the tiers one pattern.
And as much as I love crystals and bling...That topper might be a bit much too.


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PINK! ;-)



Tux Strawberry Chocolate Cake




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