jennifaerie's planning journal - 3/2 - Made it on the Maggie Sottero Website!

[newyearsbride]

Your invitations are GORGEOUS! Love them

 

[jennifaerie]

Oh, WOW! Your invitations are beautiful and I think the font is terrific! Your ideas for flowers sound lovely. I cant' wait to see pix of your bouquet!

Thanks, Cam! I wanted to make them as casual and fancy as possible. That way I show all our guests how schizophrenic I am!

The invitations are GORGEOUS!! I'm glad you got a sample.

Nikki

Thank you, Nikki! I was giving up on waiting. It took upwards of three weeks to get samples. I'm a very impatient person. So I'm relieved that I actually waited. I think it was because I was so afraid I'd make the wrong decision. I guess I was right!

Your invitations are GORGEOUS! Love them

Thank you, thank you! If you had told me I was going to have brown and gold invitations, I probably would have laughed. Very not me. But I loved how they shimmered, and I loved the flowers and the ribbon.

I'm not exactly crazy about the ribbon now that I have to tie them all, though!

 

[jennifaerie]

The Centerpieces

All right, I have to warn you... if you're very traditional, you may want to look away. These are not for the faint of heart.

We always thought about how weddings that we attended have been. We always seem to get stuck in the back corner, and we never know anybody, and if you're not a big dancer, well, weddings can be really boring. Especially if all you have to stare at are some beautiful flowers you probably won't get to take home.

We did considered cookie bouquets from Cookies by Design (which are wonderful, by the way), but it was just too pricey. We wanted to save money, and doing cookie bouquets would cost about as much as it would to do floral centerpieces.

I've gotten a lot of flack for this idea, and maybe that's why I'm slightly nervous posting these pictures. Almost everyone has opted to go for something really beautiful, and some have opted for nothing (go Carrie!). This is what we opted for.

We got baskets from the Christmas Tree Shoppes, and then we ordered almost everything you see from Oriental Trading.

For ten baskets, the total cost came to about $150!

There's a whole assortment of stuff in there, and there will be wedding coloring place mats that go under the baskets for people to color with. We really wanted to go with the paper tablecloths so people could color them, but Rob was afraid of how nasty they may end up by the end of the day, so we thought the place mats would be a nice compromise.

Every basket is slightly different, as you can see. Different dinosaurs, different activity books, different colors of Play-Doh (got a bag of 72 little containers after Valentine's day for $4!), different games.

As you can see, we tied it all together (no pun intended) with the fall leaf garlands.

Now we're hoping that if you don't like to dance, you'll still have lots of fun at your tables.

 

[pink_tink8i8]

those are the coolest CP I have ever seen! genius of you to keep non dancing guests occupied

 

[jennifaerie]

those are the coolest CP I have ever seen! genius of you to keep non dancing guests occupied

Thank you so much! I actually had to read your comment three times (and blink a few times) to believe what I read!

 

[jennifaerie]

This is mostly for AeriellDawn, but here's what our envelopes look like.

 

[AeriellDawn]

Holy cow! And you think they look sloppy? I think those just look terribly playful and fun! Like you *know* something awesome is going to be inside when you open it up!

BTW, I think the centerpieces are brilliant. Maybe they'll encourage guests to draw some really great stuff for you to hold on to! (If you have artistic types, y'know?) I'm not a big dancer and believe me- at some of the weddings I've been to this would have been a god-sent. Example: Wedding Party Karaoke Hour.

Forget the flack you're taking and tell 'em to lighten up a little!

 

[jennifaerie]

I wasn't sure. I guess I was thinking about Martha Stewart (insert cough here) perfect or calligraphy, and this definitely wasn't it.

But the stamps worked. I think if I absolutely hated them, I would have ditched them and started over again. As it is, now I don't like my inner envelopes, because with those, I just wrote names with a calligraphy pen, and *those* look sloppy. But I decided that was what made our wedding informal!

And thanks about the centerpieces! I take that as high praise from an arteest (that's the fancy spelling! ).

Recently, I added Mad Libs to the baskets too. They were themed ones. Prime Time, Survivor, and American Idol. There are quite a few American Idol fans invited, so I'm sure they'll like those.

I did realize after Rob and I put them together that they're not rounded, so there's a back to them (meaning someone's going to see the back), but I think they still serve their purpose. Fun!

 

[jennifaerie]

My matron of honor ordered her dress this weekend. I'm letting my bridal party choose their own dresses. In some respects, it seems like it caused more issues than successes. I think women are very sensitive to weddings, and married women are even more sensitive. So she was worried she'd pick the wrong thing.

Honestly, I wanted them to feel comfortable. None of us is the dress-up type. And since she was going to be away from home, all I really cared was that she felt comfortable, felt attractive, and was happy.

But she ultimately did pick a dress. From all accounts, she loves it, so I'm happy.

It's in this color-- Berry.

I originally was smitten with the idea of being the opposite of my dress, so burgundy with a gold sash. But when we went to the Jasmine website and tried it, it just looked really bizarre.

I told her if we really wanted to put gold/cream on her dress, we can order a flower or two from that awesome site you recommended and put it somewhere on her dress.

My bridesmaid just had a baby, so she's not exactly thrilled about getting a dress just yet. She'll be looking soon.

 

[keenercam]

Wayyy cool stuff in the CPs! Your guests will have more fun at the tables than on the dance floor! Your bridesmaid's gown is absolutely gorgeous. That color is so perfect! And I LOVE the printing on your envelopes. How clever!

 

[jennifaerie]

Aww, thank you, Cam!

Do you think it will be obvious they should go right ahead and play? Or should I put a note somewhere in the basket, telling them to dive in? We've been going back and forth on it, and we're not sure.

I can't wait to see the dress when it comes in! Heck, I still can't wait to see mine!

 

[keenercam]

I definitely think you could write up something fun to stick out the basket (maybe even the same message on 2 small cards glued back to back with a stick or something to put it in the basket, telling your guests how much fun you hope they'll have. Your wedding/reception sound like so much fun! I can't wait to hear all about it! I LOVE that you are thinking so "out of the box". Your guests will be talking about your wedding for years!

 

[jennifaerie]

I think you're right. It'd also give us a chance to write a note to everyone. We're not sure what we're going to put on our programs yet, but this would be a good opportunity to say what we want if we run out of space!

Now I'll just have to be patient and let what to say fall in my lap!

And thank you so much! You made me all blush-y! I hope to god they'll be saying good things for years! Not... "Those WEIRDOS!" Though it wouldn't be the first time!

 

[Lynn5700]

Your invitations are very very nice!!!!!!! You know I love the flowers!!! Gorgeous!!!!!!!!

 

[AeriellDawn]

The MOH dress is awesome- very elegant!

What about a Dr. Seuss-like poem in the baskets inviting your guests to play, take a reminder home, and leave their mark behind? I think it would be more fun than just a "Have at it!" tag!

Your could maybe cut out a leaf shape out of card stock and write it in gold pen?

Just some ideas! (now if only I could have some for my *own* darn wedding/reception! )

 

[jennifaerie]

Your invitations are very very nice!!!!!!! You know I love the flowers!!! Gorgeous!!!!!!!!

I got all excited when I saw your bouquet! I said, There's a girl who knows what I like!

The MOH dress is awesome- very elegant!

What about a Dr. Seuss-like poem in the baskets inviting your guests to play, take a reminder home, and leave their mark behind? I think it would be more fun than just a "Have at it!" tag!

Your could maybe cut out a leaf shape out of card stock and write it in gold pen?

Just some ideas! (now if only I could have some for my *own* darn wedding/reception! )

Hey, maybe offering suggestions will spark ideas for you. You've got plenty of time. Maybe you're used to being under stress, so you're not feeling the stress yet! Plus, you've already come up with some great ideas.

I think the poem idea is great. If I did it leaf-shaped, then Rob's doing the cutting! I was not meant to be crafty when it requires straight or dotted lines! We were eyeing the leaf invitations at Invitations by Dawn for so many different ideas (invitations, programs, etc.). Maybe I could get them blank and put notes on them. A lot of money for paper. I'll have to make another trip to Michael's!!

 

[ElleBren]

Its so funny, our events, (your wedding my VR) are the same weekend and the invitation you chose is one of the two I am in between right now. Actually my DH loves the one you have-sans the leaves add a monogram, and I love another one. I was reading your pj and was like hey the invite DH likes!

I really need to chose mine soon. I am waiting til I go to FL to visit my mom to see which one she likes. Its so hard for me to chose because I like that one but the one I really like is cheaper so that I could pay for the invites and the stamps and still not pay as much for the one DH wants.

However I think yours look really great and go with your theme so well. Its hard for me because I don't have a theme. Mine is more "hey this looks nice I think people won't cringe when they see it". Good luck and I look forward to hearing more about your planning.

Lana

 

[jennifaerie]

Its so funny, our events, (your wedding my VR) are the same weekend and the invitation you chose is one of the two I am in between right now. Actually my DH loves the one you have-sans the leaves add a monogram, and I love another one. I was reading your pj and was like hey the invite DH likes!

I really need to chose mine soon. I am waiting til I go to FL to visit my mom to see which one she likes. Its so hard for me to chose because I like that one but the one I really like is cheaper so that I could pay for the invites and the stamps and still not pay as much for the one DH wants.

However I think yours look really great and go with your theme so well. Its hard for me because I don't have a theme. Mine is more "hey this looks nice I think people won't cringe when they see it". Good luck and I look forward to hearing more about your planning.

Lana

I've noticed on this board that people have wedding twins-- I consider you, mine! We have so many similarities (pick-ups! Mary Janes! Fall! Our dates!)

We looked at the one with the monogram too! Invitations by Dawn had that one, so it would have been much cheaper than Invitation Consultants, but we really loved the leaves, so we decided to get that one. We also liked the birds... I just say "the birds" like everyone will know it because it seems to be a very popular invitation to love (but not get).

If it makes you feel any better, I'm worried about cringing too! That's why we picked those in the first place. I thought, No one can cringe at these!

 

[jennifaerie]

First, our wedding rings came in!

Rob and I were so ginger with the them. He was shaking as I put it on his finger to make sure it fit. It was really sweet.

I can't want to show them, because I really want to sing ringsforever's praises! Extremely accommodating and friendly!

We also got our first wedding gifts today! I knew they were coming, and I was still shocked someone would buy a present for us. For getting married. It's amazing. Very exciting stuff.

We also, thanks to the help of several members on here, ordered stamps from zazzle. Nikki, I was with you... but Rob really liked the idea of our own stamps, and I've learned that whenever he actually has an opinion about something, I need to jump at it.

The funny thing is, we had to pay $16.99 for shipping, or we might as well wait until June 10th! But I think people will like them. We used three pictures. One for the .59ers, and then two different images for the .42s. We can use them as needed for thank yous and RSVPs. I'll post pictures of those at some point soon. I'd show you the regular pictures, but I much prefer them small.

Yay! I also received cruddy mail from my insurance company denying a treatment they already approved, which is frustrating. Spent some time on the phone about that, so hopefully everything will be all set. Nothing like a migraine treatment giving you a migraine!

Yay! Rings! Yay!

 

[AeriellDawn]

Aww! That's so sweet! He must be terribly excited too! I can't wait to see pictures- and of the stamps too!

Boo to icky insurance companies. They get one of these!

And presents are awesome- may you not get 50 toasters or something!