Done and done

FH was in town for the weekend and we got a ton of stuff done, including:



Wedding bands!

FH's band is very simple and modern and for mine (not pictured), we are going to use the ring that FH got for me a few years ago. When we first looked at engagement rings, our jeweler told me that my ring really didn't need a band. The ring is so beautiful and has so much going on that a band would just take away from that. So I will use the old ring (polished and resized for my ring finger) for the ceremony and for times when I want to be more low key. Which won't be often, since I can't bear to be without my gorgeous ring!

Happy Friday (on a Thursday)

From our flight out to Arizona a few weekends ago ... this is looking south from Santa Monica down to the South Bay. Even though flying through clouds is a tad scary, they make for amazing pictures.

Today is technically my Friday and I'm planning on fully enjoying the long weekend ahead. Enjoy your Cesar Chavez Day!

Stressful Wedding Things: Bridesmaid Dresses

This may surprise you, what with my history of strong opinions, but I really didn't care about my bridesmaid's dresses. I've read all kinds of articles and blog posts on brides who dictate every aspect of the maid's appearances, all the way down to jewelry and well, I love my girls, but I just can't bring myself to be that crazy.

My maids are all different ages (31, 18, and 8) and accordingly, all different body types. The only thing I really cared about was that they were comfortable, felt pretty and, most importantly, didn't spend a lot of money on something they would never wear again.

Enter, J Crew.

I've loved their dresses, wedding-specific or not, for a long time. They have a lot of great dresses in fantastic colors. I don't have wedding colors per se, at least, I didn't when I was looking at the dress selection, but for some reason I was drawn to pinks and oranges. Eventually, I decided on pink ("tea rose") and the girls then picked the style they liked best.

My Maid of Honor, also known as my big little sister, will be wearing this:



My Matron of Honor, also known as the ultimate sister-friend, will be wearing this (this is tea rose as well, but for some reason looks lighter than the dress above):



And FH's daughter, whom I love and adore, will be wearing this, which is beyond adorable and I am very annoyed I could not find a proper JPEG of it to upload.

All of the dresses are the tea rose shade and cotton blends. I think the color and style of the dresses will work well for the casually elegant backyard vibe I am going for and each girl can style and accessorize their dress any way they want. I can't wait to see them all lined up together!

Problem Solved: Flower Girl Attire

I was a little worried about flower girl dresses - they all seem so poofy and ridiculous and trying-too-hard-ish - I mean, these are little girls we are talking about here, not reality show contestants in the making.

But then I stumbled across this gem at the one and only Tarzhay...


Isn't it cute? Very summery and it definitely fits my criteria of being re-wearable - I don't want anyone in my wedding party to buy something they will never wear again.

My flower girl is the cutest thing ever so I know it will look fantastic and it will look fabulous with the dresses my bridesmaids will be wearing (more on those tomorrow).

My Amazing Wedding Shoes

My shoes came and...



I love them! And...


I took a million pictures to prove it!


In the words of Rachel Zoe (and really, when can you ever go wrong quoting Rachel Zoe), I die!

Ring Dog. Or not.

I was never really one to dream about my wedding day. But once I got engaged, the one thing I knew I wanted was a Ring Dog. Yes, that's right, Ring Dog. As in, furry ring bearer.

I grew up with dogs and my parents currently have three:

from l to r: Sherman, Jake, Archie

Archie doesn't do well with crowds (he was abused so you can't really blame him) and Sherman is sort of spacey (if you can't already tell from the picture), so Jake was always my main Ring Dog contender. Plus, I've known him the longest.

I'm not kidding when I say these three are a major part of our family. To say we love our dogs is a complete understatement. And I loved the idea of including them in our wedding day. Other people have used dogs in their weddings to great effect. Check out this montage posted by the always fantastic Green Wedding Shoes.

My mom was unmoved by such delightful pics (love the pug in the tux!) and remained firmly anti Ring Dog.

Then I stumbled across this in Etsy seller reggieana's shop:


Is that not the most amazing thing you've ever seen?

I persisted with my Ring Dog campaign, but my mom was still worried about, um, behavior issues. She peppered me with questions. What if a cat walks by? What if Frisky walks by? (Frisky Kennedy, cat nemesis extraordinaire). What if Jake whines during the ceremony? She reminded me of the time they brought Jake to college to visit me and he ran in the dorm and promptly pooped on the floor from nervousness. Maybe I could just rent a well-behaved wiener dog like the picture?

Then, I went home a few weeks ago to find that my Mom had uncovered the ring pillow she used in her wedding, which was made by my great-grandmother, who passed away just last year at the age of 99. I couldn't fathom not using it and I also couldn't really picture strapping my new-found heirloom to Jake's back.

So we arrived at a compromise: I'll buy bow ties for the dogs and take pictures with them beforehand, and use the ring pillow (carried by FH's adorable nephew) for the ceremony.

Has anyone else thought about incorporating pets into their wedding day?

DIY: Centerpieces

My goal for our wedding, from the very beginning, was to have a unique event that showcased who we are, both as a couple and our personal interests.

So when it came to centerpieces, I was trying to think outside the box. I thought fruit might be fun and summer appropriate, as was featured in this backyard wedding on Little White Book. And I've already mentioned my general disenchantment with flowers, so that was out.

And then, I stumbled across this fantastic wedding featured on the always amazing Offbeat Bride and more specifically, the centerpieces:


Yes, yes, yes! Sign me up for that! How cute are those puppies? And perfect for the bookworm bride who read at recess and the groom that reads encyclopedias in his spare time.

DIY: Escort Cards

This one, I'm beyond excited about.

I think I've mentioned before that I'm a book nerd. My love of books is going to be reflected in our centerpieces (more on those tomorrow). But since FH is a plane fanatic and private pilot I'm also trying to work in the plane angle as much as possible. Books and planes are a valid wedding theme, right???

So imagine my excitement when I found these at online superstore Candy Warehouse:



I like the idea of keeping all giveaways (favors, etc) edible and thus, practical. Because really, who doesn't like candy? I'm thinking I'll use these as escort cards, a la the beautiful display from this wedding featured on the First Comes Love wedding blog :


I've gotten less than enthusiastic feedback on my idea, but I think I can make it work. I want our wedding to be FUN and I have confidence that I can transform brightly colored airplane lollipops from potentially tacky to very classy.

Outside the Box: Table Names

There are all kinds of great ideas for table names out there. Some stick with the wedding theme itself and use a numbering system. You can also name your tables, which can end up being really meaningful and special. At one of my favorite weddings I've ever been to, the couple named each table after a place that had special meaning to them and/or played a role in their relationship. We were seated at the Coliseum table which made FH very happy.

For our tables, I'm thinking airport codes. Yes, that's right, airport codes. Every airport in the world has a three letter code (click here to read a very long, um, in-depth pilot's explanation) and since FH got his private pilot license a year and a half ago, I think we've been to about half of them. I kid, I kid.

However, we do fly a lot together, and I'd like to incorporate that into the wedding. I've already got it covered with the escort cards (more on those tomorrow) but I wanted to go (fly?) the extra mile and name the tables after airports we've flown to together, too.

What do you think - fun or too much?

Problem Solved: Invitations

One thing I was determined to DIY was our wedding invitations. I'm no Martha Stewart, but invites seemed like a good project to tackle. But then I started looking at paper and custom stamps and cool envelopes and special pens and free cool fonts and well, it was all a little overwhelming.

Then I made things even worse by sending away for tons of invitation catalogs and drooling over specialty letterpress websites and fantasized about having tons of money to spend on gorgeous invites.

And then, I found a compromise.


Thank you, Michaels! Their partnership with BRIDES Magazine has resulted in an entire line of DIY invitation kits that are seriously gorgeous.

A box of 40 invitations (containing outer envelopes, invitations, invitation "sleeves", RSVP cards and RSVP envelopes) cost me $25. The regular price was $40/box but if you can't find a Michael's 40% coupon online, you aren't trying hard enough.

I loved this design and miraculously the FH did, too. (He has strong opinions about surprising things). This particular invitation set definitely evoke the casual yet elegant garden wedding theme I seem to have going on.

Each box comes with information on downloading templates for printing and a little booklet about wording choices and invite etiquette. I did some printing tests yesterday and I'm really happy with how they turned out. Now I just have to finish printing (with input on font selection from my fabulously talented little brother) and send them out!

Go to LACMA. Now.

I love LACMA. They just sent me an email and one of my favorites in their collection, Ganesha, is "Artwork of the Month". This designation probably means nothing other than having a reason to email their members, but still:

Isn't he awesome? I would say cute, but that might be offensive. But he is kinda cute, right? He's housed in a very lonely wing of the museum, so it's good to see him out and about online.

And you might think this has nothing to do with weddings, but Ganesha is considered by Hindus to be the Remover of Obstacles, and what else is a wedding but one massive obstacle?

Wedding planning makes me feel like...

Just, you know, a positive note to start the weekend. Enjoy!

Stressful Wedding Things: Flowers

I have a shocking announcement. I just can't bring myself to care about flowers.

Then why am I beyond stressed about them? I already know I'm having non-floral table centerpieces (more on that later) and I guess I thought that meant I wouldn't have to worry about flowers at all.

Yes, I want a bouquet, but people spend thousands of dollars on flowers and I just can't bring myself to do it. I thought DIY would be the way to go, but I've been advised that taking on a project like doing your own flowers can add major stress to the wedding day.

Did I mention I don't really have wedding colors picked out, which makes deciding on flowers even more stressful that usual?

Here's what I think we'll need:
- bridal bouquet (I love this and am intrigued by amanda1986's wares on etsy)
- 3 small bouquet's for bridesmaids
- 2 boutonniere's for FH and the Best Man (I love the idea of using succulents for these and oh, how I wish I were this crafty)
- 3 corsages (or something): for my Mom, my Grandma and FH's oldest sister. This probably isn't super necessary, but I've read it's a nice thing to do
- petals for flower girls
- something for food tables: again, I don't know if it's necessary, but it would probably make everything look a bit nicer
- something for ceremony site: potted plants in a semi-circle? an arch with flowers?

That kind of made me feel better, just coming up with a list. And I just found out that Costco does wedding flowers, which is strange and tempting, all at the same time.

My Jakey

Nothing at all to do about weddings, I just love my dog.

Thank you, internets!

In case it isn't overwhelmingly apparent, I'm a newbie to this whole blogging thing. I tried, and failed, at it about a year ago. I just couldn't come up with enough material to post everyday. But this being-engaged-planning-a-wedding thing has unleashed the floodgates. I have a LOT to say and for some reason, writing it all down helps to keep me on track.

I was introduced to the fabulous world of Google Reader about a year ago by a friend and got hooked. I started reading wedding blogs a few months before I actually got engaged. I'd star posts that I liked - pretty pictures, interesting DIY projects, good advice. Before I knew it, I had hundreds of posts that I regularly turned to for inspiration. Periodically, I'd go through them all and narrow them down as my vision for our wedding became more and more clear.

So a big Thank You to all the great wedding blogs out there - for sharing your stories, triumphs, disasters, wonderful DIY projects, great advice and amazing pictures. I've only bought two wedding magazines to date and count on wedding blogs for almost everything. Mainstream sites are great too - I stalk Weddingbee daily and used Projectwedding for daydreaming (their "Real Weddings" feature is amazing) and for their free wedding website service (more on that later!).

Problem Solved: Venue

Since my Mom lives in the city where FH and I will be getting married, she has ended up as my de facto coordinator, doing all of the things that I can't do from afar, like visiting venues and talking to vendors (thanks, Mom!)

The very same afternoon she went to check out a potential venue for me, she ended up running into a good friend and neighbor who lives two doors down. Said friend asked how the wedding planning was going and my Mom explained how stressful finding a venue had been and that really, all I wanted was to get married in the backyard.

"She can use our backyard!" was the response. "We'd love to offer it!"

When my Mom called that night to tell me, I was in near tears. I had been so stressed and worried and this was such a breakthrough. Now I can move forward with planning and know that I am going to get married two doors down from where I grew up, in a place that I know well, surrounded by people that love me and FH. It is literally a dream come true.

So now, instead of daydreaming about a chic city hall affair, I'm keeping busy looking for backyard wedding inspiration - and there are a million great ideas out there. Right now, I'm thinking casual elegance. Sounds like a contradiction, but I think I can pull it off. I'm thinking somewhere on the spectrum between this and this.

The ring!

Keeping with the theme of getting ahead of myself, I just realized I hadn't posted about my ring yet.

Here she is, with a crab... (messing around with my digital macro setting)




I know its probably shallow and materialistic of me, but I adore my ring. The FH (Future Hubs, as I will refer to him from now on) looked at rings together about three months before we got engaged. He took me to the Jewelry District in downtown LA.

I was a little skeptical at first - downtown LA is a little rough around the edges and finding a ring amidst all of the stores seemed like an unlikely prospect. We tried the California Jewelry Mart on Hill Street first. Eli's was the first and only store we went into. The minute we walked in, all of my nervousness about such a big purchase went away. Family owned and operated, they have been in the same building for thirty five years. They spent almost two hours with us, explaining the four C's, showing me different types of settings and stone cuts, and just generally being awesome. I found my ring that day and knew it was the one for me. In fact, the second thing I said (after YES!) to FH when he proposed was, "it is the ring from Eli's?"

Stressful Wedding Things: Venues!

I got a little ahead of myself with the blue shoes post. More to come on the random things I want at my wedding, including the Ring Dog saga. But please click here for a little preview on the latest and greatest in Ring Dog finery. If that picture doesn't make you (1) smile, (2) love dogs or (3) peruse etsy at random, something is wrong with you.

After my unique proposal, I immediately went into planning mode. I plan events for a living and figured planning a wedding, even in a very short amount of time, would be a snap. Perhaps I got a little cocky, or optimistic, or both, but really, how hard could this be??

Answer: very.

I knew I wanted to get married in my hometown. It isn't the most glamorous of places and in fact, regularly makes Top Ten lists for things like this and this. But it's HOME and for some reason, that's important to me.

Another thing I knew I wanted was a wedding that wasn't like anybody else's. Where I'm from, you get married at your church and then have your reception at a club (either country or private). Not very many people deviate from this, and as a result, there aren't a lot of options for people who want to think outside the box.

I did a massive amount of online research, most of which was depressing because everything available was too cookie-cutter or too expensive (or both). I wanted something unique and non-stuffy. I loved the idea of a backyard wedding and began stalking the blogs of those who have pulled it off, but my parent's yard was just too small.

We both liked the idea of getting married outside and the local art museum had a beautiful garden. But it was pricier than I wanted (although still a bargain compared to getting married in LA or SF) and they only had one date available. Then I found a great little art gallery that did special events. It was downtown, a little funky and different, but still not exactly what I was envisioning.

At this point, I was beyond stressed. I would aimlessly scroll through my massive venue spreadsheet, hoping that something would jump out at me.

We needed a venue before we could set a date, we needed to set a date before we let people know. I had no idea what to do and spent a lot of time daydreaming about a nice little vintage city hall wedding.

Check one off the list

I found my blue shoes! (thanks to the ever reliable Zappos)

Now I just need a well-behaved dog to serve as Ring Dog, and all of my wedding wishes will come true.

A Very Good Place to Start

Hi there. It's been a long time. I'm a bad blogger, I realize.

But now I have a topic that is consuming me and I need to get it off my chest - wedding planning. I think way too much about it and read a ton of blogs, so why not write about it, too?

To begin at the very beginning, I am engaged!

Picture it - February 6, arriving at my parent's house after a long car trip. My boyfriend is already there, drinking a beer with my Dad (nothing strange so far). He seems a little squirrley, but, whatever, he gets like that sometimes. I tell him I'm going to do laundry, does he have any I can throw in with mine? He goes out to the car and returns with a laundry bag. At some point (this will be important later) he either hands me this bag, or I already have my bag in my hand.

We both come back in the house after retrieving said dirty laundry and he stops me in the dining room and starts talking. Once I realize where this talk is heading the ONLY thing I can think is that he is proposing to me while I have a sack of dirty laundry in my hand. I blurt out something inappropriate along the lines of "I'm holding a sack of dirty laundry!" In one fell swoop (it probably wasn't, but this is how it plays out in my memory of it now), he rips the bag of laundry from my hand, tosses onto a nearby couch, and gets down on one knee. I think he pulled out the ring after he popped the actual question, because I remember thinking for a *very* brief and shallow moment, wait, there is a ring involved, right?

Once he pulled out the ring and put it on my finger, I started laughing (I laugh when I get nervous/excited/overly happy) and couldn't stop. Then - even better than the ring, in a way - he pulled out two letters from his back pocket. They were from his kids, inviting me to join the family. I don't think I've ever been so overwhelmed with emotion and love in my life.