Un-Bachelorette Party

The bachelorette party is considered one of the “Big Four” wedding events prior to the actual wedding, with the engagement party, social, and bridal shower rounding out the superfecta.  We already had our engagement party which you can read about here, and now that I have selected my first two bridesmaids, which you can read about here, we got to talking about my bachelorette party.

 

The idea of a traditional bachelorette party makes me recoil in disgust.  And let’s just get this out of the way, I’m not trashing anyone who has had this type of bachelorette party.  I'm sure they are all very nice girls, and yes, I should probably lighten the hell up.  But it’s just really not for me.  I am turning 30 this year, and in no way would I ever be caught dead taking the Bada Bing Party Bus to Whiskey Dix, wearing a fake veil, a plastic tiara and penis jewellery.  Nobody would ever get me into a white tank top emblazoned with “SUCK 4 A BUCK” written in sharpie, covered in lifesavers, and then force me to perform demeaning tasks in front of strangers whilst sloppy ass drunk.  This would not take place in a million years.

 

Djyooouwanna kiss me ’cause isss totally my las nightoffreeeedom?!

 
 

 

Never.

I also don't really understand the whole "final fling before the ring" concept.  So what, when you get married your social life goes out the door?  Better party one last time, because after this it's in the kitchen barefoot with you!  What?  That makes no sense.

So when the time comes that your bridesmaids ask you, “What do you want to do for your bachelorette party?”  there are thankfully a few other options to consider than the aforementioned night of pure embarrassment. 

 

The Spa Party:  Oh, we are so classy.  Mani-pedis, massages, facials, pleasant conversation, finger sandwiches, champagne and giggling.

 

 

Such wonderful PG fun!

 

The House Party:   Oh, we are so naughty.  Games which require you to tell deeply personal stories about your sex life, a penis cake with shaved coconut pubes, opening lingerie in front of your mom, and eating pizza.  At least you think you’re going to eat pizza until you realize the pizza delivery guy is carrying an empty pizza box, and comes into your house and takes off his clothes to a Justin Timberlake song while everyone shrieks.

 

 

“OMG, fuzzy handcuffs everyoneeee!  Hahahahahaaaaaa!”

 

The Theme Party:  Oh, we love attention.  Everyone goes out for dinner and dancing dressed in specific attire, in order to attract the most amount of staring.  Popular choices:  leis, little black dresses, matching pink t-shirts or feather boas.

 

 

Don't even THINK about coming without bunny ears.

 

None of this really appeals to me at all, so I'm reinventing the wheel.  I decided instead of having one big bachelorette party, I am going to have several smaller UN-bachelorette parties!  Which basically equate to many fun times with my girlfriends loosely based around the idea that I am getting married soon so we should drink to that!
 

 

A very merry unbachelorette....

 

First up:  Tara and Melissa and I have been talking about taking a Vegas trip for what seems like forever, but with our schedules and everyone being so busy and buying houses and life getting in the way, we could never make it work.  So now with all of us turning 30, we vowed that we would go this year, so this is our big co-birthday un-bachelorette celebration!

 

 

Oh, how I love thee.

 

We are headed there at the end of July, and yes I know that it will be hotter than balls.  I have been to Vegas in July before and felt like a fried egg on the sidewalk.  But it was the only weekend that we could make it work between the three of us.  It just means lots of extra pool time, so I’m fine with it!  We are staying at the Cosmopolitan Hotel which is brand new on the strip, where I plan to drink many a cosmopolitan.

 

 

 

 

Whee!

 

Drinking, gambling, eating, shopping, swimming, sun-soaking, and more drinking.  Now that’s my idea of a good time.  :)

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

A Mixed Bag

I know, I KNOW.  I missed my blog again last week.  Thankfully I didn't get too much heat for it, I think everyone in my life knows that tax season is a gonger and some Wednesdays the blog takes a backseat to the sea of files in my office.  So if you see some sporadic posting between now and June, you'll know why!

 

"Yeah.....you're going to have to work this weekend."  I feel you Milton.

So I was very much looking forward to this week's blog, because over the weekend, I finished the ruby slippers I was strassing!  If you remember this post, I did them as a practice run for what will ultimately be my awesomely awesome bridal shoes.  And I am glad I did, because I learned a LOT that I will apply when I tackle this super DIY project.

...but you will have to wait to find out what that was.  I was so excited about the shoes that I took them to the dance studio on Tuesday to show them to my little Dorothy and let her try them on.  Of course she looked fabulous in them, I mean come on.  But then I let her dance in them - and unfortunately one side of one shoe lost a lot of rhinestones.  I started strassing using one specific type of glue, but it was thin and didn't stick well and halfway through I thought better of it and switched to E6000.  So the side that had the crap glue on it now looks pretty bare.  So I have to go back and fix that and unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of the shoes before they got all patchy.  So that post will have to wait!  The good news is, the other shoe didn't lose a single stone, so I know I've got the right glue product now! 

 

It's my turn next!  Yayyyyy!

So until I can fill you in on all the details of that particular DIY success, I thought I'd share a few updates with you and then gush about a couple of featured weddings that I am obsessed with these days.

I'm happy to announce that Eric and I have booked our photographer and videographer.  Two more things off the list of 135 things to do, done! 

Carrie takes such pretty and dreamy photos...

We have also decided that we are going to have our social centered around St. Patrick's Day next year!  So if you are reading this, consider yourself booked for March 15, 2014 for an evening of fun and frolicking amidst prizes wrapped in cellophane, plain chips on paper plates, plentiful booze, and cheese cubes.  And Eric and I will have tons of inspiration for our social, because........wait for it.......

 

SQUEE.

We are heading to the beautiful Emerald Isle this year!  Hooray!

I am so unbelievably excited for this trip to Ireland, because I have always wanted to go there.  It made the short list for our honeymoon, but after we picked South Africa it was put back on the "someday" shelf.  Well someday is now September 5, 2013!  Hopefully while we're there we'll get to see the ruins of McAuliffe Castle and have a pint of Guinness with some locals.  I'm especially pumped to visit the Cliffs of Moher and find me a horcrux.

Reeeeeeeteeteeteetee!

Anyway, back to the wedding blog. 

I just love glamorous, sparkly, elegant weddings.  I know I harp on it a lot, but I am so not the vintage lace/mason jar type of bride.  So when I see a wedding that gets away from that trend and goes big and beautiful, I gobble it up.  I wanted to share with you a couple of weddings that I found on Weddings In Winnipeg that I absolutely adore. (Click on the photos for a closer look!)

The first is one that I bookmarked a long time ago.  My absolute favorite part is the way that the stationery and design is incorporated into every aspect - their seating chart, menu cards, table cameras, favor cards, table numbers, everything!  And what a beautiful bride!  I envision myself with a goofy smile on my face all day so I really loved the photos of her looking so happy.

 

 

 

 

 

So pretty!  See the full post here.

 

 

The second is a wedding that was just posted today, and the photos caught my eye instantly.  Gorgeous dress, gorgeous bouquet, and gorgeous décor!  Love.

 

 

Beautiful right?  See the rest of the photos here.

And so ends today's hodgepodge of wedding blogmania!  See you next week, fingers crossed!


Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!


~M

To Video or Not To Video...That Is the Question

When Eric and I first downloaded the wedding planning app and took a look at all its neat features, one of the coolest aspects of it was the budget calculator.  It allows us to enter the whole budget for the wedding and then it automatically allocates a sub-budget for each category based on average percentages spent on different aspects of the wedding, which we can then edit based on the plans for our wedding.

 

Budgets?  Spreadsheets?  Calculations?  LOVE.

 

So when we saw there was a line for “Videographer” we right away thought that it was a place we could save some money.  $1,500?  Pfff.  Try zero.  Thinking we were being super realistic, we thought when are we ever going to sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watch our wedding video?  Probably never.  So, BAM.  $1,500 extra into the shoe budget.  (I’m kidding, but I was so happy that shoes had their own line item in the budget on this app!)

 

 

WANT.  Wait, what was I talking about again?  Oh yes, videos.

 

So then, like the breezy, budget-savvy bride I like to pretend to be but everyone knows I’m not, I start bragging to my girlfriends about all this money we’re saving now that we’re cutting out super lame non-essentials like a videographer.  But then they start pointing out some interesting thoughts to me.  Tara, my MOH, told me she watched her wedding video a bunch of times after the wedding, and had people come over to hang and take a look at it, and it was a great way to remember the whole day because it flew by in such a breeze.  Then another one of my bridesmaids, Melissa, told me her friend that just got married was really happy that she got a videographer, because she was so nervous up at the altar that after the fact, she forgot what she said to her husband and what he said to her!  Ack!  So now I was conflicted, because the memories of the day are what are really important to us.

 

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

So continuing in my research as to whether or not we should include this in our day, I went to the Almighty Wedding Authority, theknot.com.  On the site I searched for articles about videographers, and found one that just featured testimonials from brides regarding whether or not they chose a videographer and how it turned out.  Here were some of the quotes:

 

"The only regret I have about our wedding is not having a videographer. The day goes by so quickly -- you really miss so much of it. I look back now and wish I would have spent the money for it."

"I just got married in June, and we had both a photographer and a videographer. I am so, so, so thankful that we ended up going with the video. It was something we almost cut to save money, but it was so worth it! When we got the pictures back, there were many guests and moments that were missed -- and thankfully were caught by the video. I hate being videotaped, but I never even noticed him throughout the day."

"DO IT!!!!! I promise you will not regret spending the money. You may not think you want to relive every minute, but after the day you have been meticulously planning for months flies by in what feels like seconds, you will be desperate for a way to remember it!"

 

So at this point, I am now really starting to think that a videographer is worth the money and that we should consider hiring one.  And then I saw this quote, that hit me right in the gut:

"I regret not having one. I thought that I'd never watch it and I'd have my pictures, but there's a lot of your wedding that, as the bride, you don't get to see. For example, I wish I could see what was going on inside my ceremony tent before I got there. I wish I could see my flower girl walk in.  I want to be able to see the look on my husband’s face as I was coming down the aisle again.  The whole thing went by so fast -- I'd kill to have more memories of it."

 

Oh, goodness.  Of everything in the world, there isn’t a faster way to my heart than these two:

 

 

This was when we were on our way to getting engaged!  Swoon.

 

 

 

Heart = melted.

 

From then on, I was sold.  This girl is totally right!  I’m going to miss out on seeing a lot of the ceremony.  When Eric walks in, when he seats his parents, when my brothers seat my mom, when my bridesmaids come in and when the ring bearer and flower girl come down the aisle, I’m going to be hidden in the back waiting for my turn, and trying to console my sobbing FOB (love you Daddy!) and I’m going to miss everything.  I want to be able to see that, especially if Aislin comes down the aisle like this.  HILARIOUS.

 

And two of the things that I’m looking forward to most about the day are the first look, when Eric sees me for the first time during pictures, and then seeing him again as I’m coming down the aisle.  And I have to agree with these brides, I don’t think pictures can always capture everything.  So, mind officially changed.  Eric and I found a reasonably priced videographer that has really nice sample videos online and has been endorsed by a friend of his, so we will be meeting with him to check out some more of his work tomorrow night!  Phewf.  I do believe it will be money well spent.  Besides, who doesn’t want a movie with themselves in the starring role?  ;)

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

Color Me Indecisive

I have been thinking about the color palette of the wedding almost since the day we got engaged.  To me, this is a “bride” detail – you know, the details that you think are a huge deal and therefore everyone else will think are a huge deal but really nobody else cares.  Tons of brides everywhere put so much thought into their color palette.  This is why when a bride is asked what the colors are for her wedding, she doesn’t reply with a standard one-syllable color.  In fact, bridal colors MUST be at least a two to four word phrase.  It’s not blue, it’s “robin’s egg blue”.  It’s not green, it’s “slightly greyed jade”.  And if you're going to ask about the palette, you had better know that there is a huge difference between lilac, lavender, light plum, fig, fuchsia, violet, amethyst, indigo, and eggplant.  Especially if you are the groom.

 

Rainbow Brite:  You’re doing it wrong.

 

When I really break it down, nobody at the wedding is going to give a hoot whether the tablecloths are carnation pink or cerulean blue or burnt sienna or granny smith apple (oh Crayola).  But for some reason, I can’t stop obsessing about the colors.  And not just the plain old colors, but shades, schemes, brightness, and accents, and also where to put the colors and to what degree.  Flowers?  Bridesmaid dresses?  Centerpieces?  Napkins?  Invitations?  The possibilities are really endless.  And how do I incorporate the bling factor I love so much?  The last thing I want is for my wedding to look like a tacky, fluorescent, glittery mess.  AKA:  Ke$ha.

 

I found my bridesmaids’ outfits!

When thinking about colors it is easy to pick ones that look nice or that go well together or are simply your faves.  But for a wedding, it’s more complicated than that.  Sure, I love baby pink and peach, but is that really “us”?  Probably not.  I also love black and red, but for a wedding?  Bor-ring.  I also like yellow, but imagine that conversation with the bridesmaids.  “And our wedding colors are.....YELLOW!  You’re going to be wearing a yellow dress!!!  Yayyyyy!”  Cue fake smiles and nervous laughter.  So for me, it’s a big decision.  After a lot of thought, I pitched two palettes to Eric.

Pink, peach and purple pastels, with champagne and gold accents:

 

 

Royal purple, black and damask, with diamond accents:

 

 

 

And so, like I teased in my theme post, we are going to go with option 2, because we both like it and feel it is more “urban chic” which represents us well.  It's dramatic and will go well with our venue, and it's not an offensive bridesmaid dress color either.  Plus, I really want a color palette that I can incorporate diamond accents into because, well, I have a sparkle.  And I’m not going to let anyone take away my sparkle.

 

 

Yes.  That just happened.

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

 

PS:  I reserve the right to change my mind 80 more times...

I Am A Creep

Hey everyone!  So the next big decision that Eric and I have to make now that we have our date and venue confirmed is choosing a photographer.  We did speak to a lot of photographers at the wedding show, but amidst all the hustle and bustle and crazy women (which you can read about here) it was hard to spend a decent amount of time at each booth looking at portfolios and getting a feel for the photographers' personalities. 

We feel that the photographer is one of the most important elements of the entire day.  Long after the wedding is over, the food has been eaten, the drinks have been downed, the favors are left on the tables, the flowers have died, the tux is returned and the dress has been drycleaned and packed away, the memories of the wedding day are what remains.  And it is really important to us that all the special moments are captured, because the day is sure to fly by!

All the special moments.

 

 

 

So we've set up appointments with a couple photographers for next week, to look more at their portfolios, get a feel for their style of photography, and just try to find a good fit.  It's important that our photographer likes us, and we like them, and we're all happy to spend many hours together taking photos in what could be searing heat or pouring rain on a very high stress day.  Also, Eric is a very talented photographer himself, so framing and light and some of the higher level photography concepts are important as well in our photos.  We want them to have a bit of an artsy feel in addition to all the candids.  So in anticipation of these meetings, I spent an hour or two doing research and compiled a few wedding photos that I like to give myself an idea of what I want our wedding photos to look like.

 

 

HA.  I can't even type that with a straight face.

 

 

I have a folder on my computer entitled "Wedding Dossier".  In that folder are 17 more folders, entitled things like "Dress", "Shoes", "Venues", and of course "Photos".  Inside the photos folder are 4 more folders, including "Save the Dates", and "Wedding".  And every time I'm cruising the internet for wedding inspiration and I see something I like, I save it in the dossier.  So naturally I have a very good pictorial representation of what I love in weddings!  Oh and also, if you post your wedding photos on Facebook and we are friends, some of your photos may have made it into the dossier.  Yes, I am creepy.  No, I don't care.

 

 

 

Artist's rendition of me at work.  (On my lunch break!  Geez.)

 

 

 

So in honour of our impending photographer choice, I thought I'd dig into the dossier and show you all some of my favorite wedding photos from the web!

 

 

There's the mushy romantic ones...

 



 

 

Cute.  As.  Heck.

A private moment for two.  So important on a wedding day!  And I love that dress...

 

Old hollywood glam.

 

This one reminds me of Grey's Anatomy when Meredith outlines the house in candles...

Then there's the cute family and bridal party ones...

 

Love this bridal party compilation photo...

 

 

 

Great idea, playing with focus!

 

 

 

Could it get any cuter?  Come on.

 

 

 

SQUEEEEEE.  That's the kind of dress I want Aislin to wear!  POOF.

 

 

 

Love this!

And then there are the funny/interesting ones!

 

This is seriously hilarious.

 

 

 

Long exposure sparkler shot!  So neat.

 

 

I would be nervous but would totally do this!

 

 

 

 

Love.  Love love love times a million.

 

 

 

 

Last shot of the night.

So there you have it!  Very much looking forward to getting this all-important decision nailed down in the next week or two!


Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!


~M