Get 'er done!

Every time I get something wedding-related accomplished, I feel so fantastic! And then realize I have barely scratched the surface. But that's okay, I'll celebrate each little thing anyway!

We had a pretty successful weekend! We found an amazing suit for Ben and vests for the guys (dark brown for Ben and tan for the guys) at Macy's (AND they were on sale!!!). And we even found a tie (well, two, now we have to choose between them!) for him. So that was huge! The suit looks amazing on him and will be so good with all our colors. So yay! Kayla and I still need to go shopping for a dress for her, and then we need to find ties for the boys. And we need to find a fourth groomsman for Ben since Jace can't make it :( BUT! So many good things!

Then today I got an email from Debbie letting me know that one of her coworkers has an Etsy shop where she makes little flower accessories. So I'm talking to her about making me a sash to go with my dress! I was going to make it myself, but there are some things I need to just have someone else take care of for me! Also today I ordered lace for the invitations! It was a good price from Amazon, the cheapest I could find, and seems like it will be perfect. Of course, that's the scary thing about ordering online...I don't really know what it will look like. But I think it should do the job!

 Source: amazon.com via Amy on Pinterest

So next up on the list is getting the rest of the invitation materials and putting those together and sending them out. I am going to send them out a little earlier than traditional since it is a holiday weekend. Maybe like 9 or 10 weeks before the Big Day. Anyway, we're working on all that next!

I also need to figure out the food situation. I would love if I could find someone to cater for us, but I don't think anyone will cater for 200 people for $5 per person.....cuz that's about all we can afford. But if you know anyone willing to do that, please let me know! Otherwise we just need to finalize the menu and figure out who is going to do what!

I also need to figure out hair and makeup. I was planning on also just doing that myself, but might find someone to help out with that since I am pretty hopeless in both of those areas.

Anyway, things are getting done! AND SO IS SCHOOL! I only have FOUR weeks left! I may get my first C in my last term of school because of my stupid Science professor's lack of instructions on ANYTHING, but I don't even care because I will be DONE. And then have to find a job. And a new place to live.

Oh dear...

RSVPs and other things

So many decisions to make! I keep checking things of the "To-do" list but then it seems like it doesn't even make a dent on the things left to actually do. Anyway, right now I'm working with my amazing roommate on invitations. She has some really great ideas and has done some cute mock-ups. But of course there are some decisions to be made. We know we will be including the general invitation and a map of the venue so people know where to go. Although as I just typed that, I'm wondering how necessary that is even...it will be online. Anyway, I still think we should include that. Now for the other things. Do we include registry information? "Amy and Ben are registered at ______________." Or do we just tell them to visit our website to get registry information? And then there are the RSVPs. Oh dear.

I've been thinking online RSVPs are what we want. Just include a little card telling them how many spaces we have reserved for them, when to respond by, and to go to our website to respond. But now I am wondering if maybe we should include an actual RSVP card with the option to respond online. I hate the thought of spending X amount of dollars on RSVP cards and postage and then having no one use the cards. But I also hate the thought of not getting RSVPs because people think it is too much work to go online to respond. And then there are the folks who don't really use the internet. Bah. We could always send RSVP cards to those who we don't think use the internet and then ask everyone else to respond online. Ah too many options!!! Advice? Ideas?

Anyway! These are some of the invitation ideas I like:

Source: etsy.com via Amy on Pinterest

Love the white lacey details on this one! Still looks good with black font though.

Source: weddingchicks.com via Amy on Pinterest

Very simple but elegant at the same time. I like the monogram that is repeated throughout 

and the lace and twine tied around it.

Source: fellowfellow.com via Amy on Pinterest

I like the size and shape of these ones, not the traditional size but more legal-sized envelope shape. 

Source: ilovefarmweddings.com via Amy on Pinterest

Love the lace :)

Source: google.com via Amy on Pinterest

I like the burlap texture and the white printing details. I really love white printing, but that is something you have to have done professionally. So it seems like it would be easy enough to just get like a stamp to stamp on an "&" or something on each one!

Source: flickriver.com via Amy on Pinterest

I really love the flowery lacey design and again the white!

Source: weddings.theknot.com via Amy on Pinterest

Suuuper simple but with lace details. Love! White font again though... :/

So basically, I love the brown paper bag paper, lace details and white printing of some sort. I like kind of simple but elegant at the same time. We'll see what Megs comes up with for us!!!

The boys.

Ok, the tablecloths are ordered. The girls are finding their dresses. I have my dress. I guess we should figure out what Ben and the guys are going to wear? We were originally thinking about a tan or brown suit for Ben and tan/brown vests with khaki pants for the guys. The color goes with the more casual feel of the wedding and will look nice with what the girls are wearing and with all the burlap/natural touches in the decorations. We looked around last weekend with Ben's mom and his youngest brother to see what our options were. We went to Men's Wearhouse, Burlington Coat Factory and Nordstrom Rack but we didn't fall in love with anything. We did make Josh be a model though and try on some vest/pant combinations at Burlington. We were thinking that maybe a brown vest and khaki pants would look really nice, then Ben could wear a suit in either brown or tan. But we are having a hard time finding nice brown vests. And Ben can't quite decide what he likes or wants to wear. This was some initial inspiration:

Source: google.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: boards.weddingbee.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: boards.weddingbee.com via Amy on Pinterest

Since we need Ben to figure out what he wants to wear, he looked around online a little and found some nice options. The suits he likes best are a light gray, so that might change things up a little. At first I couldn't imagine gray suits/vests with the girl's casual dresses and with all the burlap and tan touches in the decorations. Like this one, I don't like the tan + gray look (although I do like the mismatched vests):

Source: google.com via Amy on Pinterest

But I think if we find the right shade of gray it will be okay. Ben just loves this one:

Source: google.com via Amy on Pinterest

Another nice option:

Source: stylemepretty.com via Amy on Pinterest

Pinterest has saved my life many times in this wedding-planning quest. One of the images I pinned for bridesmaid dress inspiration did exactly this. They decorated with burlap, had the girls wear causal dresses in shades of coral/pink, the groom wore a gray suit and the groomsmen wore gray pants with a white shirt. So looks like it can be done! Now to find the right stuff!

Source: stylemepretty.com via Amy on Pinterest

Super exciting things...

Okay that was a lie. This is not really exciting at all. But if I titled it "Table linens" it would sound incredibly boring.

I did it. I just made up my mind and went for it. I ordered table linens. I have kind of been agonizing over this issue and spending a lot of time doing online research. Did I want to rent or buy? And if I bought, was it really going to be worth it to have to launder them and then try to re-sell them after? Was I going to save enough for it to make sense? Besides that, what size did I want? I have 60 inch round tables. If I get 90" tablecloths, there will be a 15" overlap all around. 108" will give a two foot drop all around. 120" will go to the floor. I was thinking longer would be better at first, would look more formal. Then I realized our wedding is not going to be formal. And its annoying when your feet hit the tablecloth and you can't get your legs under the table. So I decided on 108". Then I considered square tablecloths. But I wasn't in love with that look. Then I realized 90" round would be way cheaper than 108" and about the same as square and they still look really nice.

I looked at a million websites. Special Occasions in Corvallis is the cheapest to rent from. They rent the 90" rounds for $8 each, which is pretty good. Except that I have 25 tables to decorate. That $8 sure adds up. So I put a bid in on some Ebay linens. And lost. And looked at random websites which I didn't completely trust. And then stumbled upon tablecloths at Linens and Things. Not only were the linens there on sale, but there was also a 20% off coupon code on the website for the month of May. So I ordered 25 white 90" round tablecloths for $151, or $6.04 per tablecloth. $6 each!! That is cheaper than renting! And I'm sure I can sell at least some of them after the wedding. Even if I can't though, this was the best deal out there! (Don't tell me if you found a better deal...I want to keep thinking there was nothing better!). I will have to probably iron them before using them. And launder them after. But that will all be fine!

So! One more thing checked off the list! Phew!

UPDATE: The wedding is over! If anyone wants to buy these linens from me, let me know!

T minus 4 1/2 months!

Ben and I celebrated our one year anniversary from our first date on Monday! We think that was one year anyway, based on the first messages we sent to each other. We're sticking with it anyway. To celebrate, we went to the Melting Pot! Super expensive, but so much fun! We had some cheese fondue, some chocolate fondue, some beer, YUM. Then we went and saw the new Three Stooges movie, a pretty good re-make! So crazy what can happen in a year! Seriously. Crazy! Who would have known a year ago that I would be planning a wedding right now?! Just goes to show that things really do happen when you least expect them! God sure does have a plan!

Speaking of planning, things are moving along slowly but surely! I'm getting to the point where I kind of feel like most of the things I have left to do are things that kind of have to wait until close to the day of. I can't buy food yet or flowers (some food I can get and freeze, but a lot will need to wait!), I have to wait to order invitation materials until we know what exactly we are doing and how much of everything I need (although I have to order it before June something so I can use my 10% off coupon!), I can buy things to decorate with, but the actual decorating won't get done until the day of...

I guess there is still a lot I can do...! What I am working on currently is linens. Who knew they would be so expensive?! The main problem is that we have about 25 tables to put tablecloths on...that's a lot. You can't rent them for much less than $12 a pop (unless we want super short ones). But you can BUY them for about $10 a piece.....hmmmm! Although it would mean laundering them all after we were done, I might just buy them and then re-sell them after the wedding since I could make at least half of what I paid back I'm sure! So if anyone is going to need 25+ 108-120" round tablecloths after September 1st, let me know!

We are maybe going to go shopping this weekend for Ben and the groomsmen's attire. Another thing we should get taken care of sooner rather than later. We are thinking a suit for Ben and vests/ties for the guys, but we haven't looked around much yet to see what our options are. A couple of the girls have found dresses! I love seeing what they pick and knowing they will like the dress!! Annie will probably be going with this one from H&M, super cute!

Source: hm.com via Amy on Pinterest

And Helen might be going with this one from the Loft:

Source: loft.com via Amy on Pinterest

We also need to go do some cake tasting :) While we aren't getting a normal wedding cake, we are going to get a small one for the two of us to cut while everyone else can choose from a delicious array of desserts! So we need to find what kind we want to get and where to order it from!

Cut flowers will be ordered closer to the date, while my sister and grandma and countless others are already growing some beauties for us! We are going to use mostly Dahlias in the bouquets so are going to order cut ones from a Dahlia farm around here, so we make sure we get the right colors. Then we will use lots of those in the centerpieces on the tables as well. I still need to buy some other decoration-y things. I'm thinking burlap runners on the table and lace somewhere....maybe a lace runner as well, or lace candle holders like these? (Anyone have a million cloth doilies they want to give me?!)

Source: budgetdreamweddings.com via Amy on Pinterest

Soooo! I just need to finalize the plans for invitations and decorating and just GET the stuff I need. We have to work on the invites and find the guy's attire. And find linens. Blah. And figure out music (why are there so many songs in the world?!) and practice some Tango dancing :) And finalize the menu and make plans for that. And, and, and.....phew! Better get to work!!

For my girls

This is a post for the lovely girls who are going to stand beside me on the big day! I am so excited to call you all friends and my wedding wouldn't be the same without you next to me. I just wanted to give you girlies a little idea of the aesthetic I'm thinking of as far as dresses, etc. go. So here is some inspiration!

Source: apartment34.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

LOVE THIS! The different shades of coral and styles are beautiful!

Source: stylemepretty.com via Amy on Pinterest

Same here, the different shades and styles are so lovely!

Source: peacockfeatherevents.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

LOVE this bouquet and the colors.

Source: 100layercake.com via Amy on Pinterest

Pretty much just what I'm going for: the colors, decorations, style, even possibly the favors!

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Amy on Pinterest

This is another great example of colors, style, decorations, etc! A little brighter and bolder than the other picture, my wedding will probably be a good combination of the two!

the Megans

It's spring break! Except spring break is almost over. How did that happen? Why do classes have to start on Monday already?!?! I planned on having a super-productive break. I was going to finish the books I started reading about six months ago. Get a ton of wedding planning done. Sleep in, work out, clean up.

I worked out once. I am incapable of "sleeping in." I didn't read. At all. I did get caught up on my favorite TV shows on hulu though. That is basically all I did during this break. Watched a lot of hulu. And took a couple bubble baths. There are few things in life that a nice warm bubble bath won't cure.

Anyway, break is almost over and I didn't get much done in the way of wedding planning. Well, maybe it just doesn't seem like a lot because they are all little things. Yeah, we'll go with that. Not necessarily little things I guess. But the Megans in my life made them seem little!

My amazing roommate Megan has her degree in Graphic Design and she is quite talented. When she found out we were talking about getting married (before the actual proposal even!), she told me that she would be available to help out with invitations if I should so desire. I've seen some of the things she's done. So I was totally in! Again, we are working on a tight budget! So I have been having a hard time thinking of how this would work. But Megan immediately came up with all these amazing ideas. She and I spent last Friday afternoon shopping around and getting inspiration.

I had pinned some invitation ideas/styles that I liked before we went shopping. I love Pinterest. Best wedding-planning tool ever. What's that? You say it's not only for weddings? Well, that's what I am primarily using it for. Also what 99% of Pinners are primarily using it for, I think. Anyway, the things I had been looking at were pretty simple yet elegant. Rustic yet classy. Just like the wedding itself will (hopefully...) be. I really liked some invites that I saw that were printed on paper bag-colored paper. With some white printing and lacey details.

We started our search at the art store Blick downtown to look for some screen-printing materials. I'm telling you, this girl can do anything and she's not scared of anything! We looked at paper there but didn't really find anything fantastic. Next up was some tea, then Paper Source. This store is super fun to look in. They have all kinds of stationary, little notebooks, adorable little things all over. Oh yeah, and paper. We hid in the back and looked at their sample invitation books. And took some pictures of ideas we liked. Is that allowed? I'm not sure, but we did it anyway. The lady there was super helpful and told us all about the paper, the bulk discounts, etc. They have the paper bag-colored paper (called, what do you know? Paper Bag.) and you can get a discount if you buy it in bulk. Plus they have matching envelopes, etc.

I went into this search with a similar attitude that I went into dress shopping, not real hopeful. Megan has done this before and could picture things in her head. I know what I want, but don't know how to make it happen so just couldn't figure out if it was possible. But now I know it is! We came up with some great ideas, found a place where we can get the right kind of paper, and I can actually picture things now! Plus I signed up for their email newsletter at their website, and they sent me a 10% off coupon. So now I'm even more excited and hopeful!

After getting excited by my invitation inspiration shopping trip with roommate-Megan, cleaning my apartment because of all the motivation, doing some more gift registry (more to come on that later!) and visiting with Ben's brothers (one of whom (who?) has lived on the east coast for the past few years but is now being stationed in WA), we headed to Philomath for the weekend. Besides wanting to spend time with my family, one of the reasons to go to Philomath was that we needed some pictures of the two of use to use on a Save-the-date card. We have some pictures, but they aren't really what we want for a pre-invitation. So my wonderful sissy, the other Megan in this post, graciously agreed to take some pictures of us. She has a great camera and takes such beautiful pictures of my niece-y poo (and nephew!). So we showed up at their house on Sunday morning (while preventing them from a trip to Costco, so sorry sissy!!) ready to be photographed! Ben and I happened to have some color-coordinating outfits with us (maybe because I brought about ten options with me...), so we made ourselves pretty and sissy started shooting! She came up with some really cute poses for us, as did Ben. They have such a beautiful home and property, and the light was great for pictures (we just avoided the rain!). So a couple hours and 450+ photos later, we were done! We actually had a lot of fun, and ended up with some amazing photos! Now we just have to pick one.....We haven't actually seen them all yet, we are going to do that tonight. But here are some of our faves so far!






So here's to the Megans in my life! Sissy-Megan and Roommate-Megan! Love you girls! I am so grateful for your help, and for the help of everyone else who has volunteered to do things for our wedding. We are so, so blessed! :)