One More Week!

This time next week we'll be married!  

This last week at work has been full of stress.  But now it's over, and I can focus on wedding stuff.  This is the first weekend in almost two months that both Paul and I have had off together.  I'm excited to spend time with friends and family next week, but because of all the hosting duties, the two of us won't be able to spend much time alone together. 

So tonight, we're going on a pre-wedding wedding-night.  There's a chain of hotels in northern Utah called Anniversary Inn.  They have themed rooms, so tonight we're going up to Logan and staying in the Swiss Family Robinson room.  The bed is in a tree-house.  

I leave for Wisconsin on Monday, and Paul gets in Thursday morning.  Then, it's wedding go-time!  

Centerpiece Details

These pictures aren't very good, but they give you an idea of how the centerpieces will come together.

Cobalt blue wine bottles with various sizes of peacock feathers stuffed into the top. Simple but pretty.  And...all the feathers were free, gathered up from around the zoo the last few months as the resident peacocks all dropped them at the end of breeding season.  I love free shit.

This is one of the peacocks at the zoo INSIDE the gorilla yard, displaying his tail.  All these feathers now belong to me.  

"Steampunk" Cuff links and Tie Pins

Paul's sister Erin is an accessories designer.  As in, she makes her own handbags and jewelry.  She made some sweet "Steampunk" cuff links and tie pins for the groomsmen.

Steampunk is an aesthetic that combines Victorian fashion and science and technology.  Futuristic Victorian, if you will.  Think H.G. Wells The Time Machine.   Hence the tiny gears.  Some people have whole Steampunk weddings.  We are content with these small, handmade touches.  

Cthulhu Toasting Glasses

I'm not quite sure how Cthulhu made his way into our wedding...but he did.  Who is Cthulhu?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu. The whole thing started with an adorable Creepy Crochet pattern of Cthulhu made by MOH Emily Heck for Paul years ago.  It was so cute I asked for cake-toppers
You saw the previous post about the cake-toppers, and now we have toasting wine glasses, custom-made by our friend Brandon, the boyfriend of Utah Emily bridesmaid.

They have a fancy scroll-work P or E on one side, and a Cthulhu on the other.  LOVE THEM!  

Dress Sneak Peek

Paul's sister Erin is in town for the week to do dress fitting!  It will only need some minor adjustments, which she will do while Paul and I are both at work on Friday.  I love it so far, and it's only going to get better as it's tucked, hemmed, and beaded.

Detail Sneak Peek....

Cthulhu Cake Toppers

MOH Emily Heck is a genius.
That is all....

This is what happens to ribbon wands in my house...

I caught it! 

This is what 70 ribbon wands look like: 

The Mail box Card box

Tada!  This is our Up-inspired card box.  We made it tonight in about ten minutes.  

Cute, no?

A DIY Checkpoint (In which I panic just a bit)

OK.  Two and a half months to go.  My goal is to have 90% of my DIY done before I drive the 24 hours back to Wisconsin from Utah.  I have the week before the wedding off, but I'd like to spend it relaxing and leisurely finishing a few loose ends that are better suited to doing in the actual state I'm getting married.  I DO NOT want to be one of those brides that's frantically tying ribbons onto things at 2am before the wedding.  Plus, my bridal party is mostly from out of state, and it would be nice to hang out with them on the boat rather than commandeer them into program assembly or some such nonsense.

I've got plenty of time, but a scattered brain.  So, a DIY list!

Ribbon wands: Have all the supplies and 30 are done.  Just need to make, oh, about 40 more. http://paulandellenwedding.blogspot.com/2012/02/gettin-crafty-with-ribbon-wands.html

Card box: Mailbox in the spirit of Ellie and Carl's from Up.  Have the box, have the paint, just need to find a time with Paul to put our hand prints on it. http://pinterest.com/pin/97742254382840026/

Centerpieces: Step-mom has been recruited to grow the herbs, and my little silver pots got sent home with my aunt and uncle two weeks ago.  Wine bottles are being collected by various wino friends and relatives back home.  Need to round up more cheap glass vases, and frost them with frosting spray (purchased).  Have some peacock feathers, need to collect more from work. http://paulandellenwedding.blogspot.com/2012/03/centerpeice-options.html

Invitations: Need to draw a map for the inserts: print, cut, and stuff.  Stamp envelopes, stuff envelopes, address envelopes.  Mail invites by July 15th.  http://paulandellenwedding.blogspot.com/2012/06/invitations-are-complete.html

Table-runners: Mom and aunt are in charge of this. Need to email venue to ask about table size.

Various chalkboard signs: Draw up a list of specific signs.  This one: http://pinterest.com/pin/97742254383079601/  and this one: http://pinterest.com/pin/97742254382932839/  Also some labels for the "Decorate-your-own-sugar-cookie-bar"  Then, find cheap-ass picture frames and paint with chalkboard paint.  This one might have to wait until I get home.

Guest book: Give my friend the canvas so she can paint the Up house on it for me.  (I gave this one up after an ill-fated attempt to do it myself last weekend).  http://pinterest.com/pin/97742254382755307/

Programs: Would love to do something like this: http://pinterest.com/pin/97742254382840035/  Figure out how to do the cover, and then write information for the inside.  Print and assemble.

Thank-You Banner for Pictures: Buy fabric, assemble.  This one's going to be done with fabric glue, 'cuz I've got no motivation to sew:  http://pinterest.com/pin/97742254382335285/

Hand-fasting cords:  Go to fabric store, pick out various ribbons and such, and braid.  This one shouldn't take very long, but it's a matter of finding a time that we can both go.

Ring-book: We don't even have a "ring-bearer" but I LOVE this:  http://pinterest.com/pin/97742254382944054/

HOLY SHIT!  I better get my ass in gear.

Update 7/10: My loverly future sister in law Erin has volunteered to make our handfasting cords.  One less thing to do!  

Dress Sneak Peek

So, I've got a confession that would make many brides shudder....

I have no idea what my dress is going to look like.

Well, that's not entirely true.  I have a pattern, some inspiration photos, and fabric.  But I won't see what the actual dress looks like until Erin brings it with her in August.

I'm not too worried.  I never really had a dress in mind when I pictured myself on my wedding day.  The options for commercial dresses were so vast that I don't think I'd be able to make a decision if I just walked into David's bridal to buy a dress.  In addition, as a plus-sized woman, many of my dress options are also being chosen by other plus-sized girls.  On Offbeat Bride, other woman are posting pictures of themselves at David's trying on dresses.  And about 75% of them are the same ones I tried on.

So getting a custom dress means individuality.  No one else is going to have "my" dress, because it's the only one that exists.  And Erin will make it look good on my body.  And it will have gorgeous fabric.  And even if it doesn't make me cry, it will be a wedding dress that I will wear on my wedding day.

So....sneak peek!

Inspiration Dresses. Love the colors on the left, and the fabric on the right. 

The dress pattern that Erin is working off of. 

 Fabric!  Top right is "anemone" dupioni silk.  Top left is "burned-out velvet", which will be dyed the anemone color.  Bottom is "ivory" dupioni silk the the majority of the dress.  

Invitations are Complete!

A huge thank you to Aunt Peggy and the rest of the Invitation Assembly Group who put them together.  I absolutely love them and am so grateful that I've got crafty relatives who are willing to put in time and effort to help us out with wedding stuff.

They're so pretty!  A little bit of shimmer without being all-out glittery.  I still have to figure out what else we're going to put in that pocket (the card looks a little lonely all by its self).  

Again, huge thank you to everyone!  

Old Wedding Photos

There's an idea I saw somewhere of displaying old family wedding photos at the current wedding.  And I WANT!

So, family and friends, if you would be willing to scan or reprint your precious wedding photos for me to decorate with, please please please send them the paulandellenwedding@gmail.com.  This also goes for those of you who are the family archivists and have those precious pictures of great-great-grandparents gettin' hitched.  

I just love the idea of celebrating the family and all the marriages that took place to get me, and him, to this place to marry each other.  

Bachelorette Party

Myself, Emily, Lindsay, and The Other Emily all went up to Lava Hot Springs in Idaho for the weekend.  It was the perfect mixture of relaxation and debauchery. There are only two bars in the entirety of Lava Hot Springs, so it wasn't as if the debauchery could get too out of control.  The hotel we stayed at had it's own set of pools, so we didn't even have to drive the entire time.  

Here is the Flickr slide show of our adventures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eveegallagher/sets/72157629832724209/show/

Friday: we arrived at about 7pm and headed right off to dinner.  On the way to the Thai restaurant, we discovered a playground.  This distracted us for a good while, and we were all still stone-cold sober.  After dinner we sipped drinks the the springs until they kicked us out.

Saturday: we got up for breakfast (served at the hotel, and fabulous), and then spent the next six hours in the hot springs and dozing in the sun.  It was heaven. After a nap, we went to dinner at a house that another coworker of ours had rented for the weekend with her family (totally unrelated to our trip!)  Then it was off to the bar!  Lots of whiskey was consumed.

Sunday: After breakfast, some of us went back to bed and some of us went back into the pool.  We checked out at 11, and debated whether to stick around town for lunch.  The vote ended up being to just leave, so we took off and were back in SLC by 2pm.

Perfection.

Skype Bridal Shower

Since I'm in Utah and my family is in Wisconsin, there are some "traditional" wedding activities that I had resigned myself that I wouldn't be involved in.  Such as the bridal shower. Now don't get me wrong, I was OK with this.  Paul and I have been living together for several years as we have all the kitchen crap we need to function.  So there was no real NEED to have a shower.  But...I wanted one.  Not for the presents, but for the camaraderie and those general "feel the love" feelings that happen when people are genuinely interested in and happy for your wedding.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from my mom's sister.  Would I be interested in have a bridal shower over Skype?  Hells yes!  A box of presents from my Target registry arrived at my door a few weeks ago, ready to open at the pre-approved time.

Tonight, along with my MOH Emily (who's in town for my bachelorette weekend), we Skyped with a group of ladies at my aunt's house.  I opened my gifts (yay for knives, sheets, and a food processor!) and we chatted for a bit about wedding plans. It was fantastic!  I was extremely touched that all these people wanted to have a bridal shower for me so much that they figured out a way to give me one from across the country.

A huge THANK YOU to all who attended and gave such great presents.

Drinking wine and Skyping.....

So, inexplicably, in my box of "real" presents, were some pick "Mega Blocks".  No idea where they came from !  They weren't on the packing list, and there would be no reason for them to be included!  Confusing, but hilarious!

Wedding Kilt!

Paul and the groomsmen are wearing kilts instead of your standard suits or tuxes.  Finding the Gallagher tartan proved to be more difficult than anticipated, and the colors didn't really get us pumped up.  So the next best thing was to go with Utilikilts!  They're kilts made for working in: the website is full of guys hiking and doing construction in their kilts.

Paul's kilt came today!

Formal yet unique, and infinitely bad ass.  

Save The Dates have been sent!

The Save the Dates have been sent out!  They went out in two batches, one on Saturday and one on Monday. If you received one, please take some time to check out our website:

www.mywedding.com/paulandellenwedding

It would be super-duper sweet if you RSVP'd now.  That way, if someone won't be able to make it (sad face), we can maybe offer your spot to another guest.

Less than six months to go!

Save-The-Dates and Other Theme Ideas

Paul and I absolutely adore the movie Up.  There are a number of ways we identify with the movie, but ultimately the love story just resonates with us as a couple.  While we didn't want to go crazy with an entirely Up-themed wedding, we did want to add touches here and there.  Our first project?  Up Save-the-Dates (henceforth to be shortened to STD's, and yes, I'll wait until you finish giggling).  We ordered them from Vista Print last night, so they should be out before the end of March. 

It will be in post-card format.   Ain't it cute?   For those of you who haven't seen the movie, Ellie and Carl have an "Adventure Book" that serves as a bit of a scrapbook for their adventures, both past and future.  Very appropriate, I think, for a wedding.

There are several other subtle Up ideas I've got to continue with the theme.  I'd love to have the programs look like the Adventure Book as well.  Sorta like this:

Our guest book is going to be based on the "fingerprint tree" concept.  Instead of finger prints, guests can sign a balloon and paste it onto this:



The last thing we'd like to do is a card "box" inspired by Carl and Ellie's mailbox. 

We could have gone way crazy with the theme, like this couple.  Although a picnic wedding would have been cute, it's not really something that reflects us as a couple, so it would have felt a little inauthentic.  But some small subtle touches are just right. 



Centerpeice Options

I went to Ikea today looking for a kitchen rug.  I ended up spending an embarrassing amount of time in the "garden" section scoping out centerpiece options.  I have some serious decisions to make, most of them financial. 

My original idea was to do some type of potted herbs.  I love the look of them, and they go with the wedding colors.  But there are logistics to consider.  If I grow 20 pots of herbs myself, I'll have to find somewhere in our apartment to grow them.  The only window space we have is occupied by the snake tank.  Then I'll have to drive said herb pots across the country. 

So at Ikea, they've got fake herb pots.  For $6 apiece.  That's $120 on fake plants that I won't use after the wedding (but could potentially sell?). 

However, those little pots would save me a whole mess of hassle.  Unless someone wants to grow them for me?  *hint hint*

There were two different pot options for the fake plants.  A metal pot for $1 apiece and white ones for $3 apiece:

The white ones are cute, but the metal ones are cheaper. 

I also found some sweet rectangle vases.  The tall ones are $8 and the short ones are $4

This is the overall vision I was crafting in the Ikea.  The blue vase in the background is a stand-in for the blue wine bottles mentioned in a previous post.  They will be holding the peacock feathers. 

Tall vase with white pot

Metal pot with short vase

I also have a crafty idea to frost those clear glass vases, so keep that in mind as well.  The vases can hold candles (I've already got about 50 battery-operated tea lights).  Although, there was one other alternative use for the vases - fake orchids:

Even more money for more fake flowers....

So I have several decisions to make:

A) Is it worth it to spend $6 apiece on fake herbs? 

B) Metal or white pots?

C) Short vase or tall?

D) Does this entire set up look to disjointed?  I personally love the variation of shapes and textures, but I can see how this wouldnt' necessarily "go" together. 





Please share your opinions!



Wedding Shoes

For wedding shoes, I decided to go with a pair of white crocheted Toms. 

They are slightly too big.  This style runs a half-size bigger than normal Toms, but alas, they don't make 10 1/2.  So I got the 11, and it will be fine.  They aren't really "white", but "natural" which is fine because A) my dress isn't going to be snow white and B) the dress is long and so most people won't be seeing my shoes much anyway.

I decided to go with comfy flats because I don't want to be taller than Paul, and there's only a 2" height difference.  Second, while I love the look of heels, I've never been comfortable in them. I wanted something I could wear all day without having to kick them off ten minutes into dinner.  And lastly, I'll wear these all summer long for several years to come...making the $60 price tag a little more justifiable. 



Gettin' Crafty with Ribbon Wands

So today I delved into wedding DIY.  Crafting.  Makin' shit.  Going Martha Stewart on this wedding.
Ok, maybe not that far.  When I told Paul what I was making, he laughed at me.  Hard.  And I am slightly embarrassed about how excited I got about making these ribbon wands, but they turned out very pretty! 

Step One: All the crap

Dowels, ribbon, eyebolts, bells, scissors and pliers.

Step 2: Cut the ribbon.  I had 10-yd rolls of ribbon and cut them into six even lengths. 

Step 3: Screw eyebolts into dowels:

I had Paul do this part for me.  As long as he's dealing with hardware and wood, it's not "crafting"...right?

Step 4: Thread ribbon through eyebolt and tie a knot.

Step 5: Add bells.  I tried to do this with twine, and quickly realized that the twine untied in about six seconds.  So I'm going to have to get some wire or baby cable ties to put the bells on. 

We made twelve for a test drive, and between the two of us it took about 20 minutes.  Only about 130 more to go! 



The next phase is to decorate the dowel somehow.  Ideas include spray-painting them, or getting another type of ribbon to wrap around the middle.  This requires a glue-gun, which I own, but makes the entire project infinitely more complicated. 

What are these for, you might ask?  They're alternatives to rice and/or bubbles.  They are for waving in a celebratory manner.  This might happen as we exit the chapel, or as we enter the reception, or both!