A prezzie to help you find your seat!

Guests at our wedding are in for a few treats! There's the welcome bag, the escort card, the wrapped chocolate at their seat...

Yes, that's right. I said the escort card is a present. How so, you ask? Well, FMIL was dying to have these cute little wine corks be our favor:
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Adorable, yes. But really, if this were the favor at a wedding I was attending, would Ryan and I really both need one? No. So then you can place them between every plate on the table, which would imply that it's one per couple... but what happens when I seat two couples and four singles at a table? Way too much math for me. Plus, my own mom was in love with full-size silver wrapped chocolate bars, and I can't say I blame her. I mean, the wrapper proclaims our new last name in large script. Plus, Ryan and I are big chocolate lovers and don't usually call it a day until we've hard a least a nibble of the dark stuff, so the chocolate bars fit us well. And leaving one at each plate just made sense. So my mom ordered those for us, but that still left me with the dilemma of the wine corks. FMIL really, really wanted us to have them, and while I admit they did fit our color scheme and leaf was adorable, I just didn't think we had any place to put them.

I was, of course, very wrong and found the perfect use for them!! I was undecided how I was going to arrange the escort cards for a few reasons. The main reason was that while I like the look of little folded tents all in a row, that just wasn't going to be practical for us because the ceremony and cocktail hour need to happen in the same room and there's only about 20 minutes in between each event to flip the room. That means the escort cards have to be on a table behind the ballroom doors all set up and ready to be brought out into the atrium directly after the ceremony. In theory, the little cards would be all set up and two hotel people would veeery carefully move the table so that none of the little tents fall over. In reality, I am way too anal to leave that up to chance. So I tossed around a few ideas (none of them very good) and then it hit me:

Use the wine corks as escort cards! That way each single person gets one and each couple only gets one (as both of their names will be on the same escort card). Brilliant! Then I can just pile up the boxes to look like piles of gifts and if they shift while the table is being moved, no big deal.

In my head, here's how everything will go: I will wrap each wine cork (in it's box) in navy blue paper. I will then tie a dark gold ribbon around each box, and then attach the escort card to the box (via a small hole through which I will thread the ribbon). The escort cards will still look like little tents, as such:
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On the outside (where the white part is in the picture above) will be our monogram and the guests' name, as well as a thin strip of paper in one of two colors. The table name will be inside the tent part. The colored paper strip will serve as a note to the servers: one color for fish, the other for chicken.

I am going to still use a folded card (even though it might be easier to use just a flat tag) so that when the guests pick up their present and unwrap it, they still are able to prop the tent up at their seat. That means couples will get two strips on their cards (one for each person), but I'm ok with that. This whole ordeal also means that good, clear signs are a must. We want people to unwrap their gifts, but we also want them to save (and display) their escort cards so the servers know who's eating what.

What do you think? Too ambitious or a DIY worth doing?

I am a Gocco Failure, Part Two

OK, where were we... oh, that's right! I had just taken full control of a Gocco for two full weeks!!! Oh, how I thought that day would never come - I had mentioned (bragged?) to numerous people how awesome my handmade invitations were going to be and now that I had the final supplies to get working.... I panicked. What if they didn't turn out ok? What if they looked extra homemade? What if ... it was endless. Thankfully I had already conned my bff (and bridesmaid!) into helping with the Gocco shenanigans, so really, how hard could it be? (Famous last words)

Our Gocco festivities started around 10am when BFF and I opened the Gocco box and marveled at all of the supplies labeled in Japanese. I mean, i knew they would all be labeled that way, but to see it in person was unreal. I literally had no idea what each thing was supposed to do. Enter www.youtube.com and the famous Etsy Valentine's Day Card video. We watched it two times all the way through, and then figured we could probably get started.

As an FYI, the flash bulbs are coated in some sort of toxic film, so don't let any pregnant bridesmaids handle them (that means you, BFF!). But only in California, apparently.


I didn't take any pictures of the process while it was happening, as we were way too focused on the Etsy video (we followed it step by step; it was pathetic). I did get a nice shot of my screen, all inked up and ready to go:



The top gold part was for the sweet little leaf, and the navy part was for the text. Everything was all fun and games up to this part... then we started printing.

The actual transfer of ink from screen to paper came out fine. Nice even. But it was a little slanted, like the letters decided they didn't want to be a part of the formation any more. So I made another few prints and realized that the screen must be crooked, which is impossible because it's attached to the Gocco frame in the little tracks. Then it hit us: the actual print on the screen was crooked! Well, the only thing to do was make another screen. So we went through the whole process again, and again came out with a crooked screen. And here's the thing - if the screen is crooked, there's no way to get a straight print, unless you turn the paper you're printing on, and really, I didn't have enough paper to go through that whole trial and error thing.

Here's a shot of my slop-y invitations:


Had they not been so slanted, they would have gotten a run through the Xyron and slapped on some navy blue card stock. But alas, they crooked, and I am way too anal to be sending out anything this crooked. ::Sadness::

As a back-up, BFF and I decided to scour the internet in search of wedding invitations that wouldn't cost a fortune... you know, just in case. I'll admit, I'm into saving $$ and cutting costs, but not at the expense of the final product. And my Gocco "final product" screamed homemade in a way that I just wasn't cool with.

But lucky for me, Etsy saved the day! We stumbled across seller WhimsicalPrints and loved what she had to offer! Here's some samples of her save the dates and invitations:




And without further ado, here's the invitation we ended up going with:

The tree will be black, and all of the print will be navy blue. She was able to put the "reception to follow" bit over to the left of the tree in the corner and change the text for us (as our parents are hosting). Overall, I am very happy with our chose in invitations and relieved to not be making them. Oh, and the total cost for the purchased invited? $1.90 per invitation/response set, included printed envelopes! WhimsicalPrints mailed me a physical sample the other day, and they are beautiful! And you really can't beat the print - $190 for 100 invitations! The best part is that I still had about 100 pieces of invitation cardstock, 100 pieces of response card card stock, and envelopes for everything... so I posted it in the classified section of WeddingBee and was able to sell it to another DIY-er for cheap. We both won on that transaction!

Anyone else start a DIY project that didn't turn out quite they way you planned?

How I became a two band bride

There's no two ways about it... I have two wedding bands. It wasn't always like that, you know. I used to have just one. One beautiful white gold band with seven little diamonds across the top part. Much like an eternity band that only goes half way around. Very similar to this beauty from BlueNile:

And it was perfect. It set off my solitaire engagement ring wonderfully... here's another picture from BlueNile of something similar to my e-ring, just for comparison:


Now picture the wedding band next to the solitaire... complementing each other perfectly, with neither really taking away from the other. It was important to me that my wedding band be substantial. I know the general thinking behind the wedding band is that it should really just "set off" the e-ring, but I surely wanted mine to be able to stand alone in all its wedded glory.

Except then I got scared. My sparkley wedding band was sitting in a little box in a fire-proof box under my bed, and I was scared just the same: what if I'm at the beach (which I frequently am) and a little diamond pops out and I don't notice it until I'm back at my house? Or what if I'm traveling (which I would like to be frequently doing) and I don't want all the sparkle? Or, ::gasp:: what if I'm camping with Ryan, the kids (that we don't have yet), and the dog and I don't want to bring all my sparkle into the woods? Then what??!! I suppose the obvious answer would be to leave all said diamonds at home, but here's the God honest truth: I waited long enough to marry this wonderful man, and while I know a ring isn't the end all be all of our marriage, I really never want to be without an outward symbol of our love. Sick and twisted, I know. And I know we'd still be married even without the rings. Seriously, I know this. But there's just something about that left hand ring that I can't get over. And so ring-less I will not be, as I convinced Ryan that a second wedding band was indeed necessary. Enter wedding band #2:

Thin, white gold, and unassuming. Ryan likes to call it my "adventure band". It's thick enough to stand alone, but thin enough to fit comfortably on my finger with my e-ring and first wedding band. Weird, but it works!

Why the rush to have my two wedding bands so far in advance, you ask? Why not get one now and then one later when I actually need it? Very good questions. Questions that I thought about really, really hard before I approached Ryan with the whole second band nonsense. Here's why - because the wedding band I get married with is the wedding band I'm going to wear for the rest of my life. Same goes for my e-ring. I'd never in a million years trade up, even if we fell into an insanely huge sum of money and Ryan insisted (what I'd actually do is ask for an anniversary band or tennis bracelet. I always wanted one of those). Why? Because the meaning behind it is too precious to me to ever "trade up". Same goes for the wedding band. I want both bands blessed and I want them both on our wedding day. Ryan, however into the idea he is of me always having a wedding band on my finger, was not so into the idea of having to give me two rings at the wedding ceremony. His compromise? The diamond one at the ceremony, and the plain band when we got back up to our room after the reception was over. He says he's got something planned for that ring and that it'll be special; I'm pretty excited to see what he came up with.

And so thats the story of my two wedding bands. Wondering what his looks like? He's just got one, and it's very similar to this:

(source for all pics)

Anyone else going for the "adventure band" in addition to a diamond band?

I am a Gocco Failure, Part 1

I am generally a pretty crafty person. I enjoy making things. My Xyron machine and Cuttlebug have seen some pretty hot action as of late. So when I got the great idea to make my own invitations (inspired by the ladies of WeddingBee), I honesty thought to myself "How hard could this be?". Yes, I actually thought that. Out loud. On numerous occasions. How wrong I was.

It started innocently enough. I figured I could save a bunch of money by crafting my own wedding invitations on my home computer. I ordered some very pretty paper from LCIpaper.com - enough card stock and envelopes to make 100 invitations and 100 response cards. Easy enough. Everything was pre-cut (as my paper cutting skills always seem to be just slightly off) and the paper had a delicious linen texture to it. In my head, the invitations were a 5x7 navy blue card with a white card layered over top, with the most perfect little 3x4 inch white response cards.

In reality, I had about $100 worth of card stock and envelopes that sat in the box they were shipped in for about a month before I got up the nerve to finally test out my project. And then, on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I found out that 4x5 in card stock is nearly impossible to put through an ink jet printer for two reasons: the small size and the linen texture. If it wasn't one thing, it was the other, and I went through probably a dozen test sheets before I realized that this was the perfect reason to purchase a Gocco!!!! I had wanted one since the day I saw ... well, I guess it wasn't really a "day" per say, I suppose it was more cumulative - Mrs. Penguins coasters, Mrs. Peppermint's bridal luncheon invites, Miss. Tiramisu's wedding invitation suite!! At any rate, I had all of this paper and no way to print on it. Then one day, as I was working up the courage to slap down $125 on my plastic for a Gocco, plus an unnamed amount in supplies, I saw a listing in the Classified section for a Gocco for rent in the DC area. Hey, that's me! Long story short, I met up with a fellow 'Bee reader, gave her a check and took charge of her Gocco for a full 2 weeks!

That's where everything starts to get a little spotty... stay tuned for the next installment of "I'm a Gocco Failure". Trust me, it's going to be good.

Do I make the invitations? Do I break down and order them? Who knows... only time will tell!! (Oh, and I have pictures.)

Make-Up Sale!

Whooo Hoooo! New make-up for a dollar!

If there's one thing I love, it's new make-up. I have tons of eyeshadows, lip glosses, and mascara... never mind the fact that I really don't know how to put it on the right way and my everyday routine consists of just a swipe of black mascara and some chapstick. Every time I get a new little pot of gel eyeliner or fresh tube of long wear lipstick, I always think "this is it... the day i learn how to do makeup!". My crazy obsession to find the perfect shade of lipstick usually costs me major moolah, but with the coupon code my bff sent, i can test out dozens of colors for just a dollar each!

E.L.F is a make-up company that just got bought out by Nordstroms. In an attempt to clear their old stock, they put everything up on their site for $1 (some of the body lotions are $4). Check it out here: http://www.eyeslipsface.com. An added bonus - if you put in the coupon code "CAROLINA" you can get another $7.50 off the total (or 50% if it's less than $15)!

A few weeks ago I bought a fun make-up bag for each of my bridesmaids in a fabric that represents each one's personality... and now with this sale, I can afford to stuff each bag with tons of fun goodies!

What do you think?

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I hadn't planned on exposing too much of the bridesmaids gifts just yet, but in case you were wondering, the adorable make-up bag is from Etsy seller JPATPURSES. Each of my 7 bags (yes, 6 for the girls and 1 for me!) was handmade and I was able to select different fabrics for each girl. They are supremely cute, very functional, and I can't wait to give them out!! There are more surprises in stock for my lovely ladies, but you'll have to wait to see what else there is!

For Sports Fans Only

While we will not be partaking in the traditional bouquet/garter toss at our wedding, I do want to wear a garter. I mean, it's not like you get to wear one every day, it seems kind of fun, and I imagine Ryan is going to get a kick out of it. So why not have a little fun with it?

Back in the early stages of planning, I came across an ebay store that have a Rutgers University themed garter, and for some reason i just figured "oh it's too early, I'll just get it later". Well, later came and it's no where to be found!!! So now, of course, I'm kicking myself and am determined to find one. Worst comes to worst, I'll post a bid on Alchemy (on etsy.com) and have someone make it for me because I.must.have.it.now.

For anyone else looking to surprise their man on your wedding day, check out this ebay store; they have a TON of teams and some very cute garters!! Here's two super cute examples for ya:

Florida Gaters

Pittsburgh Penguins

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Love in ABQ

You might be wondering how we got together... well, it all started in the great city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lasted a summer in New Brunswick, NJ, 2 years of grad school in the mid-west, and is flourishing here in Baltimore, MD. What, you want more than that? Oh, alright...

Ryan and I met as either freshman or sophomores at Cook College (part of Rutgers University), but sadly it was not love at first sight. I thought he was a jerk, and who knows if he even remembered my name! We had the same group of friends though, so we kept bumping into each other, but it wasn't until we both worked the same shift at the campus recreation center as facility managers junior year that we became friends. By that time, our circle of friends had become much tighter, and it was only natural that we began to spend more time together.

Much flirting went on senior year (both in and out of the recreation center), but it wasn't until the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Conference in Albuquerque, NM that something must have clicked on Ryan's end (I was already head over heels for him!) and we spent the week sneaking off to grab a beer alone and just talk.

To tell you the honest truth, I didn't think the magic would last once we were back in New Brunswick. I was happily surprised when we got back to campus though! As we unloaded the car from the trip back from the airport, Ryan looked at me and winked, and as we walked back to our apartments (our on-campus apartments faced each other across a courtyard), Ryan turned and yelled "Hey, whats for dinner?" Fifteen minutes later we were at the dining hall, a week later our friends were taking bets on when we'd become an official couple, and a month later he decided to spend the summer living in an apartment with me and my roommates. So far
we've survived a year apart at grad school, a six month stint living together in Indiana, and a cross-county move to Baltimore.

And we couldn't be happier: