They're Done!

On Saturday I went to the post office with my mom to mail out our save the dates. I didn't do anything too fancy with the packaging the actual photocard, I didn't feel the need to spend any extra money on this aspect. I'll definitely be putting more effort into the invitations though.

As you saw in my semi-reveal, we decided to go with a photo save the date. And I really liked the way they turned out. We also received plain white envelopes but I felt like I needed a little something to dress them up a bit. Plus I don't think my handwriting is that great to be able to address all the envelopes in a legible manner. So we went with wrap around labels. Our planners created the design and I added the addresses to each using powepoint. I printed them out on full sheet labels and then proceeded to spend about 30 minutes cutting each one out. Suffice it to say that I could have really benefited from a paper cutter (my next wedding related purchase). Here they are before being cut out:

And here's the finished product. I didn't think I would care that much about the look of postage, but for some reason as soon as I stepped in line to buy the stamps I was hopeful that they had something that would coordinate well with the wrap around labels. And that woman at the post office made my day when she pulled out the perfect stamp, it even has the word love on it. I never thought I would care about this small detail but sometimes bride brain takes over and this was one of those moments.

The stack ready to be mailed out

Front

Back

The cost breakdown:

• 100 Photo postcards from Vistaprint - $12 (I only paid for shipping and didn't use all the postcards)
• Avery Full Sheet Labels - $12
• Postage - $22

The final cost for my save the dates are $46.00. I think that was pretty good for my first semi-diy project.

Save the Dates - The Semi-Reveal

I've taken waaayyy too long getting these things together and out of my house. As of right now, they're still sitting in the box they came in waiting to be stuffed in an envelope sealed and mailed out. But for all of you out there in bloggerland, here is the semi-reveal of our save the date design.

 

I know the image and text is a little small just click to enlarge.

I finally bought a new printer and finally got that all setup and installed so my top priority this week is to get these things out of my house and mailed to guests.

Shoes...Take Two

Ever since I had to give up my perfect Badgley Mischka Hyde's I haven't been able to find a shoe that I think is worthy. But the show must go on and so must my hunt for the perfect wedding day shoe. Enter my current contenders:

Clockwise from top left: All Enzo Angiolini Cristle, Merryann, Mezzo, Sully

I want the shoe to be somewhat comfortable (I mean as comfortable as a pair of heels can be, right?!?). I definitely want them to look elegant but with some kind of wow factor.

And they can't be over 4 inches high (I feel slightly unstable in anything that high) the last thing I need is to take a tumble down the aisle. I would actually prefer if they were around the 3.5-3.75 inch mark. I would like a peep toe and a platform as well.

All of the shoes above pretty much meet all the criteria except for the fit and comfort factor as I have yet to get them in my possession. We'll see if any of these shoes prove to be fit for the day. I plan on finding them in stores and trying them on. I just might have to buy a couple pairs and see which ones work the best with my dress if I find myself in a real shoe selection dilemma.

And yes, I realize they're all Enzo's. I saw one pair and just kept browsing for more of their selection and they were many great options. Plus they're affordable and lovely.

So we shall see what happens...

Finalizing Our Wedsite

After complaining about how I didn't want to tackle this area of the wedding process, I've finally given in and made some good progress.

In terms of the website, here are the different sections we've decided to include. It's rather basic but I hope to provide the information that people will be looking for leading up to the big day.

• Our Story - How we met, blah blah blah
• Meet the Wedding Party - to introduce the girls and guys that will be accompanying us and include a short bio and pic
• Registry Info - self explanatory
• Map and Directions - I get lost all the time and in the DMV there is a lot of construction going on and this will help them navigate the area and find our ceremony and reception sites
• Hotel Accommodations - We've secured a reasonably priced room block in Old Town Alexandria, VA so we'll provide that information along with a couple other convenient hotels in the area that we'll be blocking off
• Things to Do - Fun things to do while they're here in town if they so choose to venture out and about
• FAQs - Some general answers to questions that I think guests will be constantly asking us
• RSVP Information - If they want to RSVP online I think I'll provide that option as well as our general reply by date
• Contact Information - emails and phone numbers for both of us

Are there any sections or pages that I'm forgetting?

Long Distance No More

Hello All! Posting hasn't been very regular for like the past month or so. But I have a good reason. But first the details.

I don't think I explained that for the past 6-7 months that Mr. B and I have been living in separate states, doing the long distance romance thing. It's been a drain but we've obviously made it work. Back in June 2010, I was living in Philly and finalizing my plans to begin a new career in DC. Once I made all my arrangements, I moved back to the DMV and started my new job in August 2010. However, Mr. B didn't have the foresight to request a transfer early enough so he was stuck in Philly for a while. About 3 months passed, it's now November, and he was finally informed that they received his transfer and that it would "potentially" be approved. Long story short, he eventually received an official approval for his transfer in late February '11. And fast forward to this past weekend, we finally moved him and the rest of our stuff from our old Philly apartment back to the DMV.

So that's the reason, things have been slow around here. I've been busy figuring out what will happen with our apartment lease, scheduling moving trucks and just trying to make sure that everything goes smoothly. We're still in the process of unpacking some stuff and getting all of his things organized, but he's back, we're happy and we're moving forward.

Great things are on the horizon.

Save the Dates: A Prelude

I'm so excited to announce that our save the dates are designed and printed. We initially wanted to go with magnets but quickly realized that we didn't want to pay for them. Plus as a couple of my bridesmaids so wisely stated...people can use their own magnets to stick it to the fridge if they wanna.

So instead, we ordered postcards from Vistaprint, despite my apprehension in terms of overall quality. And luckily they turned out great. Plus, there was a major perk...they were absolutely free and all I had to do was pay for shipping. And to top it off they came with simple white envelopes all for free that we'll use to mail them out. I don't think we could've gotten a better deal than that.

I've written about my penny-pinching drama with wondering why I hired a planner but each day they are proving their overall value more and more. They created the design for the postcard and designed some wonderful wrap-around labels to spice up the plain white envelope. I couldn't be happier. Here's the pic we decided to go with...

I will reveal the final design and cost breakdown next week. But I'm so happy with how they turned out and we're on schedule with sending them out to everyone. Now I just have to track down a couple addresses...

What kind of save the date did you decide to send your guests.

Wedding Rambles - Why Have a Wedding?

Throughout our relationship Mr. B and I have been asked and at times a little pressured to just go to the courthouse and get married. For many couples that's exactly what they want to do and they don't even think twice about having a marriage ceremony and reception. But for me, that was never an option. And no, I wasn't one of those girls who has had dreams about her wedding day since she was 6 but I did know that I wanted to have a ceremony and reception.

I've only been to 1 wedding in my lifetime but for that one I really felt the love and commitment between the two individuals and for that short time, I really felt a part of their love celebration. And that was one of the main reasons why I decided that there was no other way. I would love to save money and just elope because I can be somewhat of a penny-pincher at times, but after these 7 long years together I think we deserve a day to celebrate our love on a grand scale with our closest family and friends.

Another reason I wanted a wedding was because my parents never had a wedding. Although they are divorced now, I always wonder what my parents wedding would've looked like. And for my children I want them to be able to experience our wedding day and see the love that we have for one another.

I'm not going to lie, as we start to shell out more deposits and think about the money we've committed to vendors, eloping is a great and frugal way to go. But I have to continue to remind myself that the wedding isn't just about our love story but its about the all the wonderful individuals that we'll be celebrating with as well and sharing the beginning of our lives together as husband and wife.

Why did you decide to have a wedding celebration vs. just eloping?

Sailing Away

It was sort of a no brainer when we started talking about our honeymoon destination. We pretty much knew that we would be taking a cruise on one of Royal Caribbean's new line of ships from the Oasis Class, either the Oasis or the Allure. These ships are basically small cities roaming the seas, complete with a neighborhoods like Central Park and the Boardwalk just to name a few.

Mr. B and I had the wonderful opportunity of going with my side of the family on a 7 day cruise over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2009. We were with my rather large family of about 20+ aunts, uncles, cousins and my grandparents of course. And we had a blast! When the trip was over we knew we definitely wanted to go again in the future. And there is no better time to take our second cruise together than as husband and wife.

I've been on about 4 cruises, all of them Royal Caribbean and we never considered any other cruiseline. I get some major perks from being a past cruiser and I've loved my experience with their company. We're going to take an Eastern Caribbean itinerary which makes the following port stops:

• Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Nassau, Bahamas
• Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
• Philipsburg, St. Maarten

We haven't picked an actual sail date but we hope to go within 3 weeks of our actual wedding date, of course the sooner the better.

Was picking your honeymoon destination a no brainer?