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two weeks

two weeks from tomorrow, i will get married. two weeks from tomorrow, ten months of dreaming and planning and crafting and sewing and gluing and cutting and shopping and crying and celebrating and learning and stressing will come to fruition as My Wedding Day. i think my feelings can best be summed up in the eloquent words of macauly culkin:


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

captain fantastic is on his way to a weekend of sun and bachelor party fun at the lake with a dozen of his buddies. i am sitting in my office, alone because everyone else is out, plotting my weekend of wedding diy slavery. but, you know, that's cool.

actually, things are falling into place really well. i can't wait to see my vision come to life. i can't wait to marry the most awesome guy in the world. i can't wait to celebrate with my family and friends. good thing i barely have to wait at all...

a plea + a tutorial

this is a semblance of my vision for the area behind the band at the reception, if you will recall. and this is what i want to get to bring that vision to life:


the problem is, i can only find this type of star lantern at one store on the whole, wide interweb, and they have been back ordered since march and will be through july!!!! nooooooooooo!!! anybody out there know of another place where i could find these or something similar? i want plain, natural-colored paper with zero cut-outs or ad-ons or anything else ridiculous. just tasteful, plain star lanterns as featured above. and don't gimme no paperlanternstore.com, because they're the ones who are back ordered. we're in a fight.

plan b:


these irregular-ribbed natural round lanterns in various sizes. i will be happy with these. but i'd be happier with some stars! the round lanterns would also be a sad reminder to one of my bridesmaids of how her carefully-orchestrated lantern and twinkle light display dissolved in a freak thunderstorm two hours before her outdoor reception. and nobody wants that. so anybody got any juicy star lantern leads?

...which brings us to part deux of this post: a tutorial. on reply cards. specifically the ones in my wedding invitations. they read "the favor of a reply is requested by june 1st" and are otherwise blank. the idea being that my clever and creative friends and family would write or draw something clever and creative letting us know if they're coming or not. ... apparently i overestimated the cleverness and creativeness of part of the guest list, because i've been getting a lot of questions. we even got back one card completely blank. in a moment of forethought, we numbered the cards to correspond with the rsvp spreadsheet, so we know who sent it. we just don't know if they're coming or not. oops. don't let this happen to you. be like the dozens of people who wrote something sweet or funny or downright hilarious, or even the people who wrote a note to bob & lauren, not realizing that robert clifton goes by his middle name (obviously someone on the bride's side...). don't be like blankcardguy. c'mon, i know you're clever....

never fear

...we decided to go with patriotism in the stamp department. my dad was all, "but this is a WEDDING and those are WEDDING rings..." and i was all, "remember how you suggested we jazz up the topiary pots with wrapping paper like the do with christmas poinsettias?" pops is the brains of the operation; let's leave the creative aspect to the ladies.


i haven't had much wedding project posting going on up in hura, mainly because the wedding project that's currently consuming me is supertopsecret. but i will share when the time is right (as in, after the wedding). and yall are going to just roll your little eyes at how ridiculous i am for coming up with and trying to complete projects like this.

apologies for being a blog slacker.

on the to-do list for the coming week:

*attend baby brother's college graduation tomorrow (awww)
*meet with organist to determine ceremony music
*meet with florist to finalize floristy things
*get together supplies for photobooth guestbook extravaganza
*design and cut out foam letters to cover with moss
*order moss for topiaries/letters
*have a supa-fab bridal shower hosted by 3 bridesmaids + moms next saturday
*bbq fest-it-up with the captain's team as time allows

finally, i have reevaluated my feelings for baby's breath. i have seen a lot of arrangements of it by itself recently, and me gusta. and i have decided that i want to do this

via here

but nix the birds and do clusters of these awesome little paper mache stars from hob-lob in the corners and the center. and hang it atop and around the big doorway leading into the reception room, which i tried to find a picture of but apparently if you don't sign in with your member information on the club's website you're not even allowed to see what the club looks like. how exclusive. anyway, garland: yes?

wait a minute, mr. postman....

my family is cursed. i'm 99% positive. here is why: nothing ever works out easily. ever. no matter what my mom/dad/brother/yours truly is trying to do, there will be some enormous pain in the a$$ setback. and with the whole crew trying to plan an enormous pain in the a$$ event (our wedding), the setbacks are even more frustrating. the current setback in andersonland is postage. (disclaimer: i realize this is not a big deal. it's just so irritating that it's even an issue. and so typically my family.)

#1 the stationers failed to mention, when we asked how much our invitations would cost to send, that the size and shape of them means they cost A DOLLAR to mail. i believe the lady who helped us said something to the effect of, "well they'll cost more than your standard letter, but they're not really expensive or anything." we were thinking 60-something cents. ooooooooh no. a dollar. wanna know what a dollar in postage looks like?

friggin zeus. cool picture, zeus, but your maroon and navy clouds don't really scream "pink & green preppy country club wedding." thankfully, my mom had a moment of financial genius today and discovered that this...
plus this...
...equals a dollar and one cent. and it takes 100 cents to make a dolla-dolla-bill yall, so the goddess of love can reign over our invitations instead of the god of fall colors and lightning bolts, for just a few extra bucks. suh-weet.

#2 our invitations are printed, the envelopes are calligraphied, everything's ready to be stuffed and stamped and put in the mail this week. hmm, you're thinking, i feel like there's something important and postal happening this week. yes friends. the postage is going up 2 cents. neat. we'll get the invitations off before the price changes next weekend...but the reply cards will be coming back for the next month, so they have to be of the four-score and four variety. so, you're thinking, no biggie, just put 44 cent stamps on them. oooooooooooooh but they don't SELL 44 cent stamps until friday. at which point the invitations would also need more postage. therefore, i am stuck with this decision: ugly patriotism:
or tacky symbolism:
which is the lesser of the evils, i ask?

grrrr.

marley (& sterling) and me (& the captain)

we'd been trying to watch that movie for months. we actually went to the theater twice and ended up leaving because it was a madhouse. we were looking forward to it because we each have a dog (one of whom shares a name with the main character), and because on a flight to seattle last spring, we bought the book at the airport and read it together. like at the same time. i learned that captain fantastic is not so fantastically fast at reading. but somehow it worked out.

here they are helping me blog (l: sterl girl, r: marley bear)

last week, it finally arrived via netflix. we proceeded to lock the dogs in the den and force them to snuggle on the couch with us, so we could clutch them and sob into the little shed-machines at the end. and boy did we. such a good movie! if you're a dog-lover, i highly recommend it. but be sure to have some tissues handy.

here they are snuggling the captain on the futon a few months ago

on a wedding-related note, guess what i'm doing today? weddin' thangs! perhaps i'll have another exciting progress report for you tomorrow. until then, here's what we accomplished this week:

*bought a tux for captain fantastic, signed up the groomsmen for rentals
*booked honeymoon room and flight (more on that later)
*sorted out the ring conundrum

thank yall for your input on the rings! you verified the little voice in my head that kept nagging me about wearing the band alone. we went back to the jeweler yesterday and decided to simply re-size the engagement ring and order a new wedding band, kinda like this one:
i admit a smidge of impatience with google recently...none of these rings actually look like my rings, just kinda similar. whatev. anyway, many thanks! and many thanks to richard the jeweler, who promised to get my engagement ring back to me as soon as possible :)

what you say?

what was that, theknot.com? it's only 78 days until the wedding? and i still have 100 unchecked items on my checklist? oh. well then, i suppose i have some work to do. don't worry though; the eleventh hour is my time to shine. i'll probably save most of my intricate diy items for june, because that's how i roll. in attempt to spark some miracle change in personality, i have been keeping an extensive to-do list. for your reading pleasure, here are the things on my to-do list, a little what-to-expect-at-my-wedding recap, if you will:

*invitations. proofs have been finalized and envelopes are in my car. we just have to place the final order and deliver the envelopes, along with the guest list (don't even get me started on the guest list), to the calligrapher. then we just stuff and stamp. thisclose to crossing it off the list.
*monogram. i need to create it, decide what items i want to grace with it and grace them. also make something like this for the doors at the country club:

*silhouettes. captain fantastic will shed the seasonal beard after the engagement pictures this weekend, at which point i need to have a good hair day and take the pictures to make the silhouettes. then decide how to use them.
*flowergirl dresses. make a decision already.
*decorations. we have thoroughly scoured the reception venue, laid out the floor plan and decided on the decorative basics (star lanterns, candles in vases with stones, moss topiaries, hot pink azaleas). i need to accumulate samples of each, pick exact items i want, purchase and/or borrow said items. collect childhood photos of me (easy) and the captain (hard) for display.
*me. figure out hair and makeup. i know what i want, just need to decide who'll do it and how. no pictures because it's a surpriiiiiiiiiise. shhh.

*passport. nothing irks me more at this moment than the fact that my passport's 10-year lifespan expires 2 months before my honeymoon. the forms are filled out, the heinous pictures are prepared, i just have to send it. but like, how lame that i'll need a new one with a new name two months later. exasperation.

*the final and most difficult to accomplish category = things that involve the groom. tuxedos. groomsmen gifts. wedding bands. it's pretty ridiculous how many times these items have been #1 on the saturday to-do list and have been replaced by more pressing activities like "go fly-fishing" and "host fraternity-style cookout." i digress.
i hope to cross some of this off over the weekend. all you office fans out there, beer me strength.

THAT's what i'm talkin about!

balls of moss! i want to create these, in various sizes, slide some on a stick in a pot, let others rest on the table and intersperse them with candles, kinda like so
now, DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO MAKE THEM??? i'm talking ball meets moss by way of glue gun or something, none of this spend-months-growing-and-shaping-live-plants biznaz. no thanks. please advise.

i think i'll fill my candle containers with STONES too, heh. and in a few of the vases, instead of candles i'll put these:
azaleas! both captain fantastic and i grew up with gardens full of these babies, and they happen to be totally in line with the color scheme for the wedding. it is important to me to incorporate a lot of personal touches throughout the day, and this is an unexpectedly perfect one. we'll also be using them in the bouquets, because did you know you can use azaleas in bouquets? i did not. but now i do. and i shall. a bunch of them together has that "big n fluffy" look i so love...sigh.

hello, gorgeous

PERFECT! in all white, with swiss dots on the alternating tiers instead of the plaid/starbursty design. and a monogram on the middle tier. obviously. from this wedding.

another decision made = the band! finally! captain fantastic & the parents & i had a dance party to their demo last night. no seriously. we even tried to recreate the jump shot in their picture (fail)...we were drinking champagne.

this week/weekend will be eaten up by our major annual event at work, but NEXT weekend, mom & i are doing some for real, intense weddin' thangs. most excitingly, we'll head to the club and figure out exactly how and where and what we'll decorate. FUN!

progress

i went ahead and bought those shoes from payless online last night. i didn't even wait to see if you liked them. it was thoughtless of me, i know, but i figured that heck, i like 'em and will wear 'em in real life even if i find new shoes for The Big Day. i also bought an accessory for after the ceremony when it's past my veil's bedtime. i can't share though, since captain fantastic reads this blog, and it's a SECRET. so shhh. hh. h.

we did a little couples online retail therapy last night as well. FINALLY found a duvet cover j'aime (and he aimes too...though slightly less vehemently), and instead of registering for it and being depressed when they sell out or no one gets it for us, we just went ahead and ordered it. and matching euro shams. and spent an obscene amount of money on a guaranteed dog-proof coverlet to coordinate with and protect said duvet from the big white bedhog. and matching standard shams. SO worth it though. so worth it. here she is (sans dog-proof accoutrements...they are the blueish color "mist," which frigginbetter go)


i digress. back to the wedding. recently i've been thinkin' ceremony decor. i need to figure out how to make inspiration boards like the big kids do so i can show you my vision...again. it's taking shape in my mind as such: monogram + topiaries + silhouette + candles + paper star lanterns + pink, green, white. imma throw in some ribbons and a few flowers for good measure. for lent this year, instead of giving up chocolate like usual (because we all know imma need it this time) i've decided to go the "take something on" route - i shall be creating something every day. there will obvi be a lot of wedding projects, but i've also been hording little craft idea gems i've found on the interweb. i'm excited. i think jesus would approve.

solicitation

i need help tracking down two things:

a) captain fantastic and i are thinking we'd like to have the wedding videotaped for posterity. we're obviously not going to pop it in every night after dinner, but it'd be nice to have. my parents have about 5 minutes of 8mm film of their bridal party walking down the aisle, and it is so fabulous. we'd like to share footage of our big day with our little pebbles in the future. my request is this: know any good videographers? can't find. need help. thanks much.

b) what's the difference between nuptials on the beach and a wedding in a cathedral celebrated by the bishop? shoes. as in, i have to wear some. i'm digging the current trend of colored shoes that coordinate with the bridal party, so i've decided to think pink. satin is probably the most appropriate material. i want something adorable and festive on the toe, like a big bow or flower. enter problem: said shoes cannot exceed 2" in heel height. i don't want to spend my wedding day hobbling around all uncomfy-like. so here is my second request: find me some shoes that look like these:
mated with the hybrid offspring of these:
and these:
and inherited the heel-height of their patent-leather grandma. merci. my other option is to just get plain ballet flats and add some diy embellishment. and nobody wants to see that.

i rilly love...

paper products. a lot. i'm not a big flower girl. don't get me wrong, flowers are gorgeous, but bouquets and boutonnieres will likely be the extent of the flora at my wedding. i'm really digging creative paper items as decoration. for example:
i want to do something like this with some type of lanterns somewhere at the reception. i'm thinking behind the band, who will be up on a stage in front of big windows looking out onto the golf course. note to self: decide on band. or maybe these lanterns would make a fab backdrop for my ipod?
i think this is a really cool centerpiece, with tissue paper pomanders a la martha instead of floral ones. we don't really need such a tall, dramatic centerpiece anywhere, but this inspires me nonetheless. perhaps on a smaller scale, clustered on tables? or not.
i saw a similar centerpiece of sticks adorned with the above paper flowers, made by rolling up paper. how cute is that paper flower? very. and also easy to make. even for the uncraftiest of bridesmaids, so don't get an ideas about getting out of it.
these are just plain adorable. dunno what i'd use them for, but whatever it may be, it would be super cute. if that makes sense.

and finally, the creme de la creme of paper art, the coolest thing eva:
i mean, A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. i forgot the name of the artist who makes these (it's been a long day), but i will figure it out and stalk her. also i could TOTALLY make something relatively as cool, as evidenced by the paper project in my college sculpture class being the only project my jerky professor gave me an A on all semester. apparently, paper is my medium.

any other cool paper products slash projects out there? do share.

taking stock

things we have accomplished:
* secured wedding site & celebrant
* secured reception venue, which includes all tables/chairs/silverware/etc and food
* secured bridal party
* secured cake lady
* secured wedding gown - which, might i add, will arrive via mail in my hot little hands NEXT WEEK! eeeeeekkkkkk!!!!!
* secured bridesmaids gifts (because on occasion, i surprise even myself with planning ahead)

things we have yet to do:
* secure band
* secure bridal party attire (you might be naked, but you'll have a great gift!)
* secure flowers
* choose menu
* finalize guest list
* register
* begin planning honeymoon
* everything else....

yikes. maybe it's time to do those things. at least SOMETHING. i've been at a standstill for several weeks. i'm hoping that the impending (as in mere hours from now) arrival of matron of honor slash cousin with husband, puppy, and parents (including craftiest of crafty aunt joanie, score) for the thanksgiving holidays will breathe new life into this shindig.

since i need to add a pretty picture to this post, how's this:
new style of coren moore bridesmaid dress! i realize this picture is not-so-awesome. click here to see it's full splendor. i think since it's named after my mom and grandma, it's a shoe-in. a trip to nashville is in the works for sometime in the next few weeks....