Invitation: Final?

With some discussion and compromise, I believe we have found a winner. Although I have said that about a hundred times before, this time it just has to be done. I'm having trouble ignoring the signs (hello, the invitation is currently 40% off and the perfect combination of classy and modern whimsical...), and indeed, it does fit most specifications that I have carried from website to website. I'll post it here and of course, update when it is actually ordered (dum dum da dum).

UPDATE: We ordered these invitations from EInvite.com last week (40% off, $57.95 incl. shipping for 80 invitations and envelopes). They should arrive later this week, at which time I'll post a full review.

The Invitation Search

It continues! As I mentioned in previous posts, I am oh-so-tormented by the choice between thick, elegant, letterpress(read: expensive) invitations, and the do-it-myself design that is fully customizable(read: inexpensive). I love beautiful artful things, and thick heavy paper, a gorgeous font, and perhaps a small image evoke actual warm fuzzy feelings - weird, right? Obviously not, since brides and grooms are actually willing to pay an average of $700 for the full stationery set that accompanies the typical wedding (invitations, envelopes, response and reception cards, inner envelopes...the list goes on).

I have reined myself in to not spending more than $200 total on all of the elements that go into the invitation (sans postage of course). I am fairly certain that response cards are unnecessary; we will ask guests to visit the website or call to RSVP. And reception cards are similarly not helpful, when obviously the reception will be at the resort, as will the ceremony (so if anyone gets lost between the beach and the pool, they have larger problems that a reception card could not possibly fix...). Here are a few of my all-time favorite options, although I am truly no closer to a decision than I was 6 months ago. *sigh* Which is your favorite?

Latest Color Scheme...

The indecisive bride with far too many options strikes again. After choosing the gorgeous bridesmaids dresses (and we'll only keep them if they are comfy and not too-too revealing...) the aqua and persimmon color scheme seemed perhaps a bit stark...too close to red. So I think it's safe to say I'm moving toward oranges, blues, white/ivory/natural, and things in that neighborhood. Which means, continuing to search for the ever-elusive invitation, the table decor that won't blow away in the Mexican wind, the welcome bags and menus and ties and...oh so many other things. I am loving the Bird of Paradise flower for inspiration lately, and I also am still in love with the use of coral somewhere in the mix...both items are pokey, pointed, whatever you want to call it, and I seem to like that. So the search continues for a cohesive design that I can take to the bank...until then, I do enjoy just looking. And looking. And looking some more.

Bridesmaid Dresses? Oh yeah, we picked 'em!

And we could not be more excited! After a few weeks of toiling and going back and forth between solid colors and patterns, short, tea-length, and full-length dresses, v-necks, strapless-necks, and just about every other differentiating factor you can think of, a decision was miraculously made and the ladies have ordered their gowns. This gown's colors were just too wonderful to pass up, and the sharp contrast of the burnt orange, tangerine, aqua blue, and deep purple harkens thoughts of tropical flowers and fiery sunsets over the blue ocean waters. Where did we find this wonderous halter-neck, full-length, jersey-knit concoction? Well, Victoria's Secret of course. Hah! No one would ever guess you could find bridesmaid dresses there, but like other destination brides, I chose to look outside the typical bridesmaid dress box, and I am so glad it happened the way it did. As long as the dresses fit and are comfortable, this will be 'the dress' and we'll just have some minor accessorizing to do. I plan to make bracelets for the 'best women', and potentially also ankle bracelets. I hope to find some trendy flat sandals as well, and will post about those in the near future (the hunt for reasonably-priced shoes has so many stops!).

New Year's Resolution: Blog More!

Obviously my great momentum with blogging over the past fall has slowed. However, I have made quite a few resolutions for behavior change this year, and one of those relates to my blog. I hope to have many insightful topics to contribute to the blogosphere in the near future. I would also love to hear any suggestions on topics for the blog from anyone who happens by! More soon...

Here is a pic from our recent fabulous vacation to the Virgin Islands (for Dana & Kai's gorgeous wedding). We're excited to see the tropics again in just 7 short months!!

Wow!

Seriously, I cannot believe that I have not blogged in a month. Things have been a little crazy, between the holidays and weddings and international trips. But, I do promise to get back on board with blogging after the final grades have been entered for the class I'm teaching (this Friday! woo!). Thanks to anyone still checking in!

Song of the Week

Sarah McLachlan has one of those voices that can make you feel enclosed by the feeling in the song she sings. I love the live version of her song "Ice Cream" mainly because FI introduced it to me - and because it is a fun song that makes me think of all the light-hearted moments that are part of being in love with someone. Enjoy! And then go get some ice cream. You know you want it.

Budget Customized Stationery

As most of you know (and some may not), I am a crazy-obsessed-online-bargain-shopper. I blame the fact that I am trained as a researcher, but truly, I have a difficult time spending hard-earned money on a product that I know (or believe) can be bought anywhere for less. While this principle does not always apply, I do try to examine and often exhaust my options before making a final purchasing decision.


One Example: I tried on wedding gowns at 3 different salons over a 2-month period, including one stop at the Brides Against Breast Cancer charity event in Denver. With the wedding so far away, I didn't feel pressured to buy anything during those visits. However, when we decided to have our wedding in Mexico, I looked back through the hordes of photos we took at each salon and found the dress that I loved, but felt was too 'beachy' for our original wedding idea (Hollywood Movie Premiere). In a random chance of luck, I found said dress on Ebay. It isn't overly romantic to buy one's dress from Ebay, seller of all things (including used underwear...ew...) but it was 50% cheaper than I found at the local store. It was my size, my color, and just so happened to be located at a bridal salon in Arizona - where we still have many friends. I emailed the seller, asked if my friend could come and look at the dress - they said yes, and she did - it was in perfect condition, a floor sample they wanted to sell - they pressed the dress, boxed it ever so carefully (including the optional straps and extra buttons), and sent it to me in just 4 days time. A completely insane experience, but am I glad I got this dress for 50% off? Hecks yess.


In a similar fashion, when it was time to send out Save the Dates (STDs), I chose to work with my ever-reliable holiday card printing source - Vistaprint.com. They made our 60 cards and 60 magnets for only $30, and did a great job. Until a few days ago, I was dead set against using them for our formal invitations, mainly because they do not carry thick enough cardstock/paper to suit my requirements for the wedding invitations that I thought I needed. The past few days have brought some reflection to this notion, and I have started to change my mind about using Vistaprint for our invitations. Not only can I make the invitation exactly what I want (with some limitations, paper weight and font choices being two of them), they will cost a fraction of what other 'wedding invitation' printers charge. And after all, a wedding invitation is an announcement of your wedding - something that most people will eventually throw in the trash (save for moms and other sentimental friends). Most couples have wedding websites, and have used Save the Dates to announce their big days, minimizing the traditional purpose of the wedding invitation. Plus, if I can spend $80 as opposed to $280, why wouldn't I put the money toward something that is part of the experience in the day itself, such as a live band, cooler OOT bag gifts for the guests, or even part of another night for the honeymoon? I suppose it's a matter of priorities, and I feel mine changing somewhat constantly since this whole thing started. I'm torn between "I will have no regrets and will have what I want" and "It's just one day!" Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, what did you do to sort it out?


Here is an example of an invitation I made on Vistaprint - see the "Coral" invitations below from whiteaisle.com for a comparison (and about 3 times the cost).

Mexican Wedding Traditions...

Every culture has its own traditions that accompany a wedding celebration. Certainly, the FI and I have both talked about various traditions from our respective cultures (Swedish, Norwegian, and Korean) and how we might incorporate these into the festivities. For example, in Norway, the bride might wear a crown of silver jewels and bangles that make noise to ward off evil spirits. In a traditional Korean ceremony, hand-carved wooden wedding geese are given to the bride and groom as a symbol for a long and happy marriage. I thought also to look at some traditions from Mexico. Some of these traditions include: the guests at a Mexican wedding have a lovely old custom of forming a circle around the couple in the shape of a heart, and the newlyweds will then dance their first dance together within this circle of love; a rope (sometimes a rosary or wreath of orange blossoms, fertility symbols) is wound around the couple's heads in a figure eight as they take their vows; the wedding cake is usually a fruitcake soaked in rum; and, the couple may hit a pinata during the reception, which then showers gifts of candies onto the guests. With all of these options, how does one choose which elements to incorporate?

Song of the Week

Wow, it's that time again! I've been in Washington DC for my birthday weekend (made it through another year, phew) so the blogging has not happened quite as much. But, I intend to make up for it as best I can. This week's song is one I found when Christopher went to Korea two summers ago. He brought back a few Korean pop CDs and I really liked this singer (Baek Ji Young). Two of her most popular songs are in this video - the first is my favorite and the second is Christopher's favorite. There are also some random subtitles in English along the way. Enjoy!

Song of the Week

This week, the featured song is one you have probably heard on our website. "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz came out around the time we finalized our Mexico wedding plans, and it felt so beachy and lovey that of course it became part of our wedding soundtrack. I just found a fabulous live video of Mr. Mraz doing this song on tour in Korea - check it out! I love it!

TTD (Trash The Dress)

Any recent bride or bride-to-be has likely heard of the latest cultural rage in the wedding world - the Trash the Dress (TTD)photography session. This photo shoot is typically held the morning after the wedding night, and although the name implies that harm will come to that expensive dress you spent months looking for and pining over, the purpose of this new-tradition is not to trash the dress. Instead, it is an opportunity for the bride and groom (and their photographer) to take photos in interesting poses and locations that would not be as easily done on wedding day (when the bride is trying to keep herself clean). The focus of this shoot is typically the glamour and artfulness of the photos, and usually the work is relatively candid in nature, so it gives the bride and groom a chance to naturally move together and see what happens. At first, I was not a huge fan of this idea, but the more I read about it - and quite honestly, the more photos I see from these types of shoots on or near the beach - the more exciting it seems. Is it creating 'just another opportunity' for a bride and groom to have pictures taken of themselves? Probably. But the possibilities the day after the wedding, when the stress has diminished and the properness of the day are gone...that is appealing to me.

So... we will do a TTD session the day after our wedding in Mexico - very exciting! A&A Photography has agreed to partake in this crazy activity with us. I plan on donating my dress to an awesome organization called Brides Against Breast Cancer, so I will very likely buy a less-formal, and less-expensive gown to wear for our TTD session, and I thought it could be cool for Christopher to wear an all-white cotton or linen shirt and pant set - but we shall see about that. There are so many websites that show amazing examples of TTD photos, so here are just a few to whet your appetite (credit is given directly on the photos).

Trash The Dress

Wedding PhotoJournalists Association

SolTaMargo Photographer (Mexico)

A&A Photography (Colorado)

Found: Very Elegant Destination Invitations

Some days I feel like I keep up on certain wedding-related blogs all for naught. Other days, like today, I'm SO PLEASED that I take some time to read about what other brides are doing with their destination weddings. This is true today because I may have found our invitations. (I know! So exciting!) I started out the invitation search by doing the usual Google searches for 'destination wedding invitation', or 'topical wedding invitation,' and although I found a few that I do like, all of the samples I have ordered so far have been...less than impressive upon arrival. To quote the FI (fiancee), "I could make these myself." That is never a good impression when you are looking at spending over $100 for paper products that ultimately will be discarded (except for by the Moms, no doubt). Today then, I finally found invitations that I am *crossing fingers* hoping will be the invitations to end all other invitations. They are by White Aisle and they are, to be frank, FABulous. I love how chic and simple they are, while still conveying the obvious message that one is having a tropical destination wedding. You can change the colors of both the text and the image to your liking, and of course you can mess around with the fonts as well. You can even choose the size of the card! Here are my three favorite designs from this lovely merchant - I will post another entry as soon as I receive a sample in the mail. These three are called (from left to right) "Mexico," "Miami," and "Coral." Give me your thoughts in a Comment (just click below).

Falling Back...and more of SMB

Hooray! We just gained an hour! Why am I still awake?!
Here are a few new photos from SMB - looking better by the minute.

(from left to right - a swimout room, morning yoga by the pool, the wedding gazebo, and the view from the water to the resort)

Boutonnieres - Alternatives to Flowers

I found it! Inspiration!! It caught me off-guard because I was actually looking for invitation ideas, but I LOVE the lastest posting on the Style Me Pretty blog that details how to make your own starfish boutonnieres. Very rarely do I drift toward the phrase DIY (do-it-yourself) in the bridal blogs that I read - in fact, it is usually quite the opposite (run screaming away from it). I have always been somewhat of the mind that if other humans out there have creative skill sets and are willing to sell me their products, I would rather buy from them than try to make them myself and end up with a lesser product. Plus, it keeps the spirit of a free marketplace alive and well (in my head).

Backing up just a moment - I do not have anything against floral boutonnieres, but I do have something against paying $36 per boutonniere when my wedding is set in a tropical location (where native flowers SHOULD be cheaper). My own little crusade to buck the system and not pay anything extra to the resort has led me down the road to floral alternatives, both for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. I came across a photo of shell boutonnieres in a magazine, and then when I saw this one I thought, okay, perhaps these aren't as chintzy as I once thought. Plus, you could add greenery or a ribbon accent pretty easily and make them less stark.

The original inspiration came from Blooms Design Studio. And just to show the wide differential in cost, the starfish run about $.60 each (available at various online stores), and the backing pins are $5.95 for 144 (any craft store carries these). Ribbon is available in so many places, but I found one I like at RibbonsGalore. You could also do something similar with sand dollars.