Shoes

Another element of the wedding that most people do not think too much about...but a Bride often thinks A LOT about...is the shoes. As weddings become less cookie-cutter and more personalized, the shoes are just another thing that brides can customize to their every whim. It is no longer expected that a bride will wear white or ivory shoes; in fact, many wedding-style gurus insist that a pop of color underneath a white/ivory dress is just the ticket to liven up a wedding (and looks fabulous in pictures). So, instead of saving the purple and navy colors for only your table settings, why not wear shoes of either color? Or both? Or a pattern that incorporates white, navy, and purple? And then...you can purchase shoe ornamentation. Shoe clips/pins are coming back into style (they were last 'in' in the 40's or so) and you can find hundreds of autions on EBay selling pretty clips and pins that are meant to sit right on the toe of your shoe. You can also pick up sparkly crystals with sticky backing, and place them on the underside of each shoe - in a heart shape, your initials, your significant others' initials, or the date of your wedding. Oh what a wonderful age we live in - it seems that the multi-billion dollar wedding industy certainly knows how to make brides spend $100 on shoes they might have normally only spent $60 (before accessories or dyeing, of course). AND - another trend of late is to purchase 2 pair of shoes - one for the ceremony (gorgeous high-heels that you can only stand to wear for 30 minutes), and another for the reception (comfortable shoes to dance the night away). Make that $150-200 spent. On shoes. Learning from the example set by one of my bride-friends (37 days!), I too now believe that perhaps spending a good bit of money on wedding shoes is not a bad idea altogether - but you might only do it if you are able/willing to wear said shoes again. Sure, buy two pair - but think twice about wearing them just once. Especially in the case of a beach-wedding, you may actually 'need' a pair of flats or flip-flops to take photos in the sand or on the rocks near the ocean. Just be smart about it, and the money you spend on that one day will go a bit further.

I created a very fun inspiration board of all of my favorite shoes - so far. I love the idea of wearing aqua-colored or persimmon-colored shoes - or, perhaps just silver so I can be sure I will wear them again after the wedding. Click to make it larger. {I'm not sentimental enough to let them sit in a box for the rest of my life, only taking them out on my anniversary to pine. Ew.}

Song of the Week

I struggled a little bit coming up with a song this week - I think I was putting too much pressure on finding something 'different.' So I settled for a random video called "I love Spanish Music" - hee hee! Enjoy!

Song of the Week

I chose this week's song because I think there is something very sweet about a harmonica and an acoustic guitar. I'm not overly poetic, but here are a few verses so you can get a good picture in your head as to how this song is structured.

If you were a wink, I'd be a nod, If you were a seed, well I'd be a pod.
If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug, And if you were a kiss, I know I'd be a hug.

All I want is you, will you be my bride, Take me by the hand and stand by my side

All I want is you, will you stay with me? Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

All I want is You by Barry Louis Polisar

"Our" Photographers won the Best of Denver!

I am so excited to announce that the photographers we have commissioned for our wedding, A&A Photography (Angie and Andy), have won the Best of Denver wedding photographers

this year! I have pasted a screen shot of the winning news here, but you can also visit their blog at http://www.a-a-photography.com/blog/ if you want to see their latest and greatest work! Congratulations to Andy and Angie - we are so pleased to have you involved as such an integral part of our wedding team. (Apparently we have good taste - even Denver says so!)

Flights: Check!

The latest news from our end of the world is that we have booked our flights to Cancun for the wedding. (I guess now that means we HAVE to go...hmm...) But we're very excited because although we are not going first-class, we are going non-stop from Denver to Cancun! Frontier Airlines offers about 3 flights per day non-stop from DEN to CUN, and we were the first people to book these flights for August 6-13, 2009 (Thursday-Thursday; we were going to do Wednesday-Wednesday but it didn't work out that way). So anyone coming down from Denver - get on the party plane with us at 10:35am on August 6th, 2009! Mexico, here we come!

Luggage for International Destinations

...not that you need special luggage to travel outside of the United States (or whereever your home country might be), but there are some fabulous options out there at all different price points, so that you might be stylish no matter your budget (if, of course, you want to be stylish). I will be writing on this for the next few days, since there are so many categories to cover! We'll start with some options for the Guys (although obviously luggage is not necessarily gender-specific).

The first bag is a retro-style Lacoste toiletries organizer from Zappos.com ($55). I love it mainly because of the style and design, but also because it is different than the typical black carry-all for guys.

This second brown leather duffel is from Diesel, called "The Night Warrior" Jinn. I found it at Zappos.com for $240 - you might be able to find it elsewhere for less, but I love the look of it so I had to put it up!




This chic 3-piece set from Traveler's Choice ("Rome") is on sale right now at Overstock.com for $149.99 - and it's incredibly lightweight, so you don't have to worry about paying extra fees to your airline when you are coming home with a ton of souvenirs in tow.

I love this next piece (and kind of want one, because I think it looks very functional, yet very 007. The Heys 4WD CompuEZ Hard Business Case fits in the overhead compartment on most airplanes, and is outiftted with durable wheels so you don't strain your back walking across the massive parking lot and through the massive airport (I'm thinking of DIA here people). You can find it at Zappos.com for $154.

Finally, this is such a simple looking bag with so many possibilities. The Victorinox Zip Around Lifestyle Travel Kit ($59 at Zappos.com) holds an incredible amount of toiletries (and cigars, a flask, anything else you might need) and still is compact and relatively deceiving in its appearance (no one will know you have your hair gel hanging out inside).

Some SMB Specifics

I checked out the TripAdvisor website again, and more people are writing about their experiences at SMB so I wanted to share a few things that might be different or helpful. You can always check out the full reviews at TripAdvisor.

The Journey...

• The road to the resort is, yes, bumpy, to say the least. We didn't mind at all. We knew about this ahead of time from Trip Advisor. It was an adventure.
• The road in to the resort is like a little jungle safari. It's a one lane, dirt road with many potholes. If there's more than one car the other driver has to pull over to let you pass. We didn't mind this, it was like a mini-adventure for us.

The Small Things...

• I enjoyed having a large shelf-sitting area in the shower so I could shave my legs easily without falling over :)
• They provide you with Gilchrist and Soames toiletries which were quite nice. We had a sewing kit, shaving cream, toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and a bottle of SPF15. All of it smelled really nice.
• Can't say enough about how gorgeous our room was. All marble floors (slippery when running in from the swim out to the bar fridge for another Corona so be careful!) Bathroom was all marble with separate little room with toilet--nice for the openness of the room. Loved how the tub was open to the room. Someone didn't think there was enough privacy but it is an adults only, very romantic resort so privacy wasn't an issue for my fiance and I.
• The bed was heavenly. My fiance didn't want to leave it. On the firm side which we loved. Bedding very cozy--all white.

The Rooms...

• Loved the Secret Box for room service. If you put your red light on they see it outside and know not to disturb so place your order in secret box and give a knock and leave. Very private. Never have a mess in your room cause all dirty dishes and bottles go back in the secret box and they are picked up regularly.

• 
  • Swim out suite was very worth it. Main pools close at 6pm so when u feel like lounging in pool after dinner or through dinner and order room service to your room to enjoy dinner while in pool, the option is yours. Very much enjoyed the late night dip.
  
  

  The Food...

  • I agree about asking for your steak to be cooked a little more than u would ask for at home. I always get medium but medium steak there was too rare. No problem though-they took it back and brought me a new cut done perfectly then I knew how to ask for it.
  • (We) had our private little candle light dinner for 2 on the beach--highly recommend booking this. We asked our concierge on the 2nd day about it and he got us booked in for the Tuesday evening at 7pm. It was unbelievable. We walked onto the beach to find a little candlelit path guiding us right down to our table. Only 3 tables set up and 1st couple was finishing as we arrived and 3rd couple arrived as we were finishing. Very romantic dinner under the stars with a lovely breeze and the sound of the ocean and our feet in the sand. Two waiters took care of our every need. It was the most romantic dinner we have ever had. Food was surprisingly very hot too. I recommend everyone booking this. It comes included with a swim out room. It costs $200 if u do not have a swim out. Ours was included but we tipped nicely.

  The Activities...

  • There is an Avis car rental desk in main lobby. Was overcast first couple of days so we thought we would rent a car. We used our internet in our room and went online to Avis at night and made a reservation for the next morning. They didn't have any compact cars available, which is what we reserved so they upgraded us to a jeep at no extra cost. Our rental cost $36 per day. We rented for 3 days and drove ourselves to Tulum and Xel-Ha.
  • (We) don't recommend a bus tour to Tulum. Very hot and just stone structures to look at. Only cost $7 entrance fee and saw it in 20 minutes, much faster with our car.
  • Then we went snorkeling in Xel-Ha. Loved it there. You have to make the time and go early. Everything is included in the entrance price of $75. Towels, unlimited buffet and drinks, snorkel gear--brand new mouth pieces in plastic for each person. You can tube down the river and jump off the cliff. It's on the must see and do list for sure.
  • I heard mixed things about renting a car in Mexico and going off on your own but we felt very safe the whole time--mind you we never ventured into any bad areas. I recommend renting a vehicle and doing your own thing for a day or two!
  • I thought building 26 was a little noisy as it faces the back of the pool bar and the pool, it was OK though as we only used the balcony in late afternoon and evening and everyone clears out by then.
  • • Scuba diving - we booked with Aquaworld down at the pool for both Cozumel and cavern diving - the package was a good value, they had good equipment and good dive masters. We liked the cavern dive better than the Cozumel dive. It was a smaller group and such a unique experience!
    • Activities pavilion - there is a fun pavilion with ping pong, foosball, and a pool table (the pool table is NOT level!) along with a TV and a bar that is open only part of the time. We ended up spending time here watching football and baseball and playing a lot of ping pong.
    • The drinks - they really do have a lot of top shelf liquor. We aren't big drinkers but it was a lot of fun to have a pina colada or mojito. Most of the drinks were too sweet in my opinion but the bartenders were very nice about following my instructions to make the drinks to my taste, which I really appreciated.

Song of the Week

When I met Christopher, it became clear pretty quickly that college A Cappella (literally translated: "in the style of chapel") music would be a part of our repertoire whether I liked it or not. Lucky for him - I liked it. I was once part of an A cappella group (freshman year of college --> called "Cool Beans and Gravy" --> oh so embarrassing, but we were awesome and three of our members actually went on to pursue careers as performance professionals) and I sang in the Concert Choir in college as well. So - the background was there, I just needed to be introduced to the specific genre of College A Cappella.

I stumbled across one of my favorite groups on YouTube the other day and wanted to share that experience with my readers. A Cappella music is a phenomenon unto itself (as are it's followers, usually...) and a live experience is the best way to go. But, absent that, video is the next best thing. Hope you enjoy this, even though the holiday season is not quite upon us...

12 Days of Christmas medley - by Straight No Chaser

Live, from SMB

There are some fun reviews rolling out of TripAdvisor - one that I particularly liked focused on the details (I have excerpted it below):

Just got back from Secrets Maroma and I loved every moment of it. Rather that the typical all encompassing review, I thought I'd share some of my favorite memories from the week:

• Sipping my first Mayan Coffee, a delectable mix of tequila and coffee in a caramelized sugar rimmed glass


• Floating up and down with the tide in crystal clear teal water watching a stunning sunset light up the sky


• Enjoying a perfect cut of veal at Bordeaux served by Edgar who is truly a master of the art of restaurant service.


• Ordering a drink from a bar, walking out without paying, going to the next bar and doing the same. (we did this a lot)


• At the Tequila Tasting: finding out what really good way-above-my-price-point tequila tastes like and then buying two bottles because now I'm "in the know". Thanks Gabriel!


• Water aerobics with Fabian, where fifteen of us became the morning entertainment and had a blast doing it.


• Making up new fabulous breakfast combination at the World Cafe.


• Helping win a few points in Pool Volleyball. "very very very very in!"


• Overcoming my two left feet and dancing at the disco. The entertainment staff really knows how to get the crowd going.


• Coming back to room that had just been treated to turndown service and grabbing a corona from the newly restocked mini-fridge.


• Waking up early to catch a sunrise unlike anything I've ever seen up north.


• Sensing in a million little ways the enormous pride the staff has in what they do.


• Helping cheer Brandon on to win the Secrets Idol! We had some amazing talent, but I got to say that back up band was simply amazing. (We HAVE to enroll Christopher in this!!)


• That Mariachi Band at Mexican Night. There's nothing quite like a huge mariachi band filling the night time with loud festive music.

Doing all of this knowing that I had already paid a fixed price. I could finally put my penny pinching brain to rest, order another margarita or two and wish everyone a buenos dias!
This TripAdvisor Member:
Liked — Amazing service, Better Resturaunts than I can find at home, Perfect beach
Disliked — Minor mosquito problem at night, bring repellent and it's all good.
~from userTrippingGoose

Our family

We found this crazy fun widget that you can customize - like those silly car window stickers - on www.pyzam.com.

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Song of the Week

Song of the Week time- this one is more sappy than usual, but I like the lyrics and the overall chill feeling to it.

Ben Harper - Forever

Weddings: One down, Two to go!

We just returned from my sister's wedding near Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota, and on top of being completely exhausted, we are also so happy for Jami and Mike! It was a very fun event, lots of family and friends and good weather (until the day we left thankfully). Now I just have one more wedding this fall (a coworker's wedding that I am planning in Casper, WY on Thanksgiving weekend) and then our wedding next year - but who knows, hopefully I will get a few more planning gigs between now and then as well.

Here are a few early photos, courtesy of Christopher Chai Photography - Congratulations Jami and Mike!

Weddings: This Weekend

This weekend is my sister Jami's wedding in northern Minnesota. Christopher and I will be heading out tomorrow and returning Monday - a short trip, but just enough time to accomplish everything (I have been planning her wedding for 8 months now) and get back home to work again. If you are interested in checking out that happy couple, see their website at: www.mywedding.com/jamiandmichael. We're excited to attend and be part of the festivities! I will hopefully have some good photos to share when we get back.

Oh Inspiration

I have talked about Inspiration Boards before, so I won't go on and on about them, but suffice it to say, I love them! I still haven't figured out how to make my own beyond squares of all the same size in Picasa...if anyone knows please leave a comment. I probably just need to try harder to find out, but my attempts haven't yet been successful.


So our new color scheme is poppy, aqua, and white. If you have visited the website, you already have figured this one out. However, it is somewhat difficult to find a pre-made board that I really feel exemplifies what I want for the wedding. So - here are two. If I could combine various elements of both, I think that would be close to the look I want to have. I think.

Remember the Sunscreen

Being a fair-skinned Scandinavian lass, sunscreen or sunblock is an essential part of my worldview. I can't be outside without thinking about it. Here in Wyoming, at 7000 feet, the sun is a bit more nasty than in Minnesota (where I grew up). In Mexico, at a resort with pools and a beach with an ocean, I figure that my likelihood of getting mucho burned is...well, really high. And I do not plan to have my wedding photos be ruined by this probable situation (crazy bride statement of the day). I have already started amassing lightweight, lightly-colored coverup gear (like a crazy person stocking water before Y2K), and I had to laugh aloud when I read a new post on TripAdvisor tonight about this exact issue. Even those of you who tan and don't usually turn neon red at the mere thought of the sun (like me) might want to consider this advice (I like his point about the Helioplex sunscreen):

"Okay, all you whities like me need to realize that in the sun is much closer to the earth in Mexico. You MUST wear sunscreen. There were a lot of lobsters walking around sick and in pain ever since the first day. I recommend using sunscreen with helioplex SPF 75 (more photostable and longer lasting than other sunscreens). Even with this I tanned and got a burn on my shoulders. Lots of very tan ladies got really red, too. Leave the tanning oil at home - bring the sunscreen." from user RoamingHome

Walgreens and Target both carry a Neutrogena sunscreen with Helioplex for about 10 bucks