Real Life Bride: Week 43

Pretty much everyone who knows me knows that I like to accomplish things in the "now" - why put off for tomorrow what can be done today? Well when planning a wedding, that is a very difficult and anxiety provoking mentality to have. For example, there is a standard RSVP date of one month prior to the wedding, yet I of course want to know now who is coming and who isn't!! You would think that with a guest list of only 100 we would know for the most part who is coming and who isn't, which we do, but unfortunately it's all the people who we already know are coming who turn in their RSVPs first! I'm guessing all brides go through this because by the time your labor of love is only two months away when you send out the invitations, this far-off idea of a day is suddenly not so far off and is more quickly approaching reality and you want to know everyone who will be there to share it with you. It's a very exciting feeling! Plus you can't do the seating until you get your RSVPs in.

In terms of planning, our latest completed "task" has been finishing our music "must play" and "do not play" list. I wrangled two of my best friends to work on this aspect of the wedding as neither Ryan nor I nor our families are big on dancing, so I figured some outside input could be beneficial. When they delivered back a list of about 30 or more dance songs and about the same for dinner music, I thought for sure the DJ would kill me, but after researching online, I discovered that it appears to be okay to give an extensive list of "suggestions" to let your DJ know the kind of music you like, as long as you limit the "must play" to about 10 songs, which we did. So hopefully our comprehensive list of suggested dance songs and suggested background dinner music songs doesn't send him over the edge.

We also filled out and submitted our pre-arrival checklist to our honeymoon hotel, Esperanza. I love filling out forms, so this was a treat! We let them know our flight information, what special occasion we are celebrating, restaurant reservation requests and also our sizes for robes and slippers -
I can't wait to relax and be pampered!

Overall I am trying not to get too stressed out, but I did have a minor freak out when I found out that once our room block at our hotel is full, that's it; they don't have any more rooms to add to our block. Apparently we needed to have had all our family and wedding party book way in advance to fill our current "courtesy (i.e. held with no financial committment) block" and then get a new courtesy block. Alas, we did not, and now it's closer so people are finally starting to book rooms and we can't get any more. Fortunately we have two other hotels so there will be enough for everyone who wants to stay overnight, just not necessarily at the same hotel as us, which is obviously fine and no reason to fret.

Just about eight weeks now and I'll be Mrs. Law!

Welcome Bag Tips

We're up to our ears in welcome bags for this weekend's Los Angeles wedding. The entire clan is coming in from the East Coast which is always a blast for me to see out of towners enjoy my amazing city that gets such a bad wrap...really, I promise, it's a wonderful city! Anyway, here are a few pointers as you're working on your own welcome bags:

CONTENTS
While I love a well designed welcome bag with local, fresh from the market items, I also think it truly is the thought that counts, especially when thinking about your welcome bag. If it's not in the budget to give everyone a bottle of wine from the local winery, for instance, don't stress yourself out. From my experience, guests just like to know they were thought of. A simple, but well done bag, filled with items like bottled water, salty and sweet snacks, fresh fruit and a list of activities is all you really need. Guests will be happy that they can reach for the water you gave them instead of having to dig into their mini bar, trust me.

THE HOTEL
If you set up a room block with your hotel and haven't done so already, look into their policy on delivering welcome bags. Most hotels DO charge for this and I find most of the couples I work with are surprised by this expense, soooo, look into your agreement early to avoid surprises.

THE DELIVERY
With the above being said, most hotels charge one rate to hand them out at the front desk and a little bit more if you want them waiting in the guest's rooms. I think it's lovely to have a bag waiting in my room when I check in, personally, but this fee can add up, so just know your options going in.

LABELING THE BAGS
You might incur a third upcharge if you decide the bags have to be personal. I'm all about personal, don't get me wrong, but please check with your hotel if they charge more to handle that additional level of coordination. If so, believe me, your guests won't feel slighted if they get a bag that doesn't have their name written somewhere on it.

THE DROP
You should be able to drop all of your bags for the entire week off on one day. As long as your instructions include the date of delivery (see next tip), you should be all set.

THE LIST
When delivering the bags to the hotels, be sure to provide them a distribution list for the bags. Don't assume because you have a room block that they will have the right information. On the list be sure to include the name of the guest as they have registered at the hotel. This will take a bit more legwork upfront on your part, but if you give them Sally's name and the room is under Becky's, then Sally nor Becky will receive their bag. Also, on this list include the date of check in and if you want more than one bag delivered to the room, indicate it as such.

FOLLOWING UP
It's more than appropriate to assign a bridesmaid or someone else to call the hotel each morning to remind them of the bags to be delivered that day. Hotels are big places and logistical errors can happen so if it's of vital concern, just give the front desk a quick call to remind them of the bags.

ONE LAST TIP

If I could give you one last pointer, it would be once you deliver the bags, let it go. Either assign someone to do the follow up as mentioned above or trust the hotel to work out the details. I've had many a brides work themselves into a frenzy because Uncle Mark received 2 bags and not 3 and so on. Not only does asking around to all of your guests draw unnecessary attention to an error, but it will call you an added level of stress you don't need the week of your wedding.

There you have it...my tips on making the welcome bag process as smooth as silk...Do any of you out there have tips to share or suggestions for welcome bag contents? We would love to hear your tricks!

OH, btw, the super fun welcome tote at the top, is by everyone's favorite map designer, Laura Hooper. So much talent!

Just a Teaser...

We've been busy little bees with the wedding season in full effect and are waiting on TONS of inspiration to share with all of you as we rapidly gather images from our summer events. In the interim, we did get a peek at a couple of pics from our wedding Sunday which was complete perfection, if I do say so myself! Check out our, gorgeous with a capital G, bride, Petra and her dapper groom, Josh. OH, and how can you miss that bouquet. I was drooling all over it in person and can't help but love it even more caught on film. Anemones, peonies and just the right amount of feathers and herbs. Sigh. So breathtaking...

Thank you Next Exit Photography for giving us a little something to tide us over.

Surya + Nick Get Hitched : Basalt, Colorado

So, it might surprise you but I'm not much of a softy. I mean, I love, love and love weddings for a million reasons, but I've never been one to get overly emotional and I'm sad to admit, that most people would not accuse me of being overly romantic. But that was before the inspiration better known as Surya and Nick entered my life. This couple was too much  (in a very, very good way). They were kind, creative and in love in a way that most people can only dream about. They are the type of people that converse and really, truly listen as if you are saying the most important thing in the world at that very moment. They are the type of people that embrace every moment of their lives rather than getting bogged down in the minutea of the day to day. And, ultimately, they are the type of people, I aspire to be.

Their day was perfect. I laughed, cheered and got teary eyed when the bride serenaded her groom with an ukulele while bridesmaids sung backup in heart shaped sunglasses. I controlled what could have turned into obnoxious sobbing, when the maid of honor performed a song she composed especially for the day (You can listen for yourself here...). And, I refrained from eating until I couldn't move when the homestyle BBQ was served. I didn't, however,  hold back from basking in all of the prettiness we created from the old tables to mason jar chandeliers to custom runners and every little detail that was thought about a million times over. And, I wasn't even a guest. I was only lucky enough to know Surya and Nick for about a year and they still struck something in me. I can only imagine what their family and friends who have been by their side for years and years must have been going through. To say I was lucky to be a part of their day was an understatement. To say it was a profound experience would be closer to accurate though still not exactly the right words. So, I'll just steal a line from their photographer, Jonas Peterson, and say "you had to be there..." Because there is truly no way to ever do the day or this wonderful couple justice with mere words.

If you want to see, hear and read more, check out Once Wed and Jonas Peterson's blog.

Real Life Bride: Week 42

Ryan picked up our wedding bands from Los Angeles last week, and when I got home and saw them I definitely went a little crazy! I absolutely LOVE my simple band made to match my current engagement ring band and seeing Ryan's ring on his finger (we had to try them on, right?!) left me beaming...I can't believe we are going to be husband and wife in just about two months!!

We submitted the copy for our ceremony programs to my sister (because my online checklist told me to, not because I think she will actually work on this this early!) and Beth made a list of all the signage we will have at the wedding. Although I'm sure there will be some last minute adds, I do like having a list to start from and work off of. Seeing how crazy things can get when you wait until the last minute, I definitely want to avoid that when at all possible, and I think we're doing a good job staying on top of everything.

My mom has ordered a few items to spruce up the restrooms, and we have gotten a few pieces to add into the decor - things that we can keep even after the wedding...good thinking, huh? I also scheduled our last meeting with our pastor and another dress fitting, both in September.

We've heard nothing but compliments on how beautiful our invitations are and Laura has truly outdown herself. People have been telling me how house guests coming over have commented on them, people are taking them to work to show off, sharing them with friends that don't know us, etc...and the invitation suite deserves the attention!  It is gorgeous and set the entire mood and "theme" for our wedding day. And most important are a good reflection of our style!

Real Life Bride: Week 41

My post is a day late this week and that's because I have been gone all weekend for my very best friend's wedding in Pleasanton, CA. She and her fiance have been together for 9 years (since they were 18!), so we were all so excited for this day to come. Over the years I have gotten to know both of their families pretty well, and I was so excited to be a part of their big day.

On friday we got manicures and pedicures with the bridesmaids, then they had their rehearsal dinner at Campo di Bocce, so we played a few rounds of bocce ball before dinner!

At the wedding the next day, I was fortunate to be the one to get her dressed and tied/zipped/buttoned into her beautiful gown, pin her heirloom hankies inside her dress, clasp her shoes on...it was so special to me to have that role on her wedding day.

 

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous with the ceremony taking place inside a candle-lit barrel room at The Palm winery. There were chandeliers and candles lining the altar for her grand entrance, and then we moved out onto a beautiful courtyard for cocktail hour. The weather was perfect and made for a beautiful outdoor setting.

The reception started with a slideshow that had almost everyone in tears and the night continued with dinner, dancing, toasts and of course the cake cutting. The bride was beaming and her groom was so happy and proud - they couldn't have looked more spectacular!

Overall it was the perfect day and I was so honored to stand up at the "altar" with her. And of course as we left with the happy couple the next day (Ryan and I went with them back to her parents' for a luncheon), they were sure to point out..."you're next!!"

And I simply can't wait! Our invitations are out and we've started to get a few RSVPs back in the mail!

Real Life Bride: Week 40

This past weekend my parents came down to visit us in San Diego and brought all of our assembled invitations. My mom is so crafty and she really completed the look that my sister created. We had decided to collect and use vintage stamps which was no small feat. After months of online ordering it was time to actually stamp the envelopes. I may be detail oriented in life, but I was thinking that stamps didn't really matter and we'd just put whatever on each envelope. No such luck - my mom wanted to hand select stamps for each person receiving an invitation! So, not only did we need to combine stamps to make a total of $1.05 each (the going rate for "over-sized letters" with a certain thickness), but we also approached each stamp combination with the invitation recipient in mind.

It actually turned out to be pretty fun and only took...about 4 hours! If you are ever thinking of using vintage stamps be sure you remember that "back in the day" stamps were NOT self-adhesive! So our little project also included gluing all of the stamps on. I have to admit that we did "cheat" a few times with stamps at the current $0.44 rate, but we didn't want the stamps to completely overtake the envelopes. Plus we had the new purple pansies LOVE stamps that are so adorable. It may be wishful thinking, but I hope at least a few of the recipients take notice of the stamps hand selected for them! I used all USA and military service stamps for my bridesmaid currently serving and who happens to absolutely love all things USA, I used American Bar Association stamps for a few of our lawyer friends, US World Cup soccer stamps for the soccer lovers, a golfer for Ryan's grandfather, etc. Obviously not every stamp has meaning, but it was fun to do for some.

As my mom and I stamped, my dad stuffed (it was a family effort!), carefully inserting each invitation set (invite, map card, accommodations card, reply card and envelope) into its delicately lace-lined envelope. After that, the final step was sealing each envelope and they were ready to send!

It was really nice having my parents so excited to help and be further involved in the wedding process. I can't wait for all of our guests to receive their gorgeous invitation sets!