Engagement Photo Perfection

I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am with our winter engagement photos - 

Jennifer Dagdagan really outdid herself this time! 

Confessions of a Very Decisive Bride

Alternate title : Everyone was right.

Unfortunately for my pride, everyone (especially my mom) was right. They were right when they said "Don't set your mind on one style of wedding dress, try everything on first". Well me being the Very Decisive Bride, knew what I wanted for a wedding dress - I wanted lace, lace, and more lace! I wanted sheath, I wanted flowing fabric, I wanted a classic, timeless, elegant dress. 

And then I fell in love with a form fitting fit and flare 100% silk  (no lace!) wedding dress. 

So... I bought it. 

Just like that, I had my wedding dress and its nothing like what I was so sure I wanted. But its perfect! Absolutely, one hundred percent, perfect. Its a little dramatic, and sexy, and makes me say "holy $%*@" when I look at myself in the mirror. Yet its so timeless and classic - it makes me feel elegant and mature. No bling, no beading, just me and a form fitting silk gown. Nate will be speechless! Its everything I never knew I wanted, plus a whole lot more.

I bought it off the rack (at $200 under budget!) and although it needs a few alterations (I'm going to give it a true sweetheart neckline, shorten the length an inch or two, and let the seams out around my thighs just a tad so that I can dance the night away), its already a dream come true. 

So I take a trip to Yakima one weekend for a wedding show and not only do I make a decision about our wedding cake, but also the dress of my dreams! I may just be too decisive for my own good. Wasn't this wedding planning thing supposed to be much more stressful?? :-) I'll have this sucker planned way ahead of schedule! 

End Note : I'm sorry but I can't post pictures of The Dress - too risky that Nate would see them. 

You'll just have to wait until after the wedding! 

Let them eat cake!

Remember my post about wedding cake inspiration? 

(btw, I learned that the look for the frosting is called a "rough frost"!)

Well I went to a Yakima wedding show this last weekend (After the Rock) and decided to book one of the cake bakers there - Christie's Cakes! I went to the show with my Mom, sister, and two cousins and we all tried samples of her different cake flavors - none of us were unhappy! Plus get this, her pricing is only $2 a serving for round cakes (no fondant) - so for our small two tier cutting cake, we will come in well under budget! Woohoo! I've been so excited to get on my computer and adjust the budget :-) Nate and I will meet with her again this summer to hammer out exact tier sizes (I am thinking a 12" and 8") and of course, taste some more flavors!

Cake: check!

Paper, Plastic, or Metal?

Thats right, I'm talking utensils.

I love love love our reception lodge, but they are providing nothing meaning we are renting absolutely everything. Faced with our mounting list of "things to rent", I starting thinking outside the box a bit. Where can we cut corners?

It's likely a no-brainer to rent metal cutlery and sometimes, its your only option (style wise). But then I read a couple articles on Weddingbee where  brides purchased bamboo/wood utensils. I am against the idea of having plain 'ole plastic silverware at our reception but... the biodegradable ones could work! 

Lets see here: 

1. Biodegradable is cheaper than renting - EcoWare has sets of 100 (fork knife spoon) for $26.85; while one of the main rental companies in Yakima listed $9 per doz. (.26 cents a set vs .75 cents a set)
2. Call me crazy, but I think they're kind of cute. And we could make them even cuter!
3. They go with our laid back, family backyard bbq type of reception theme and they even match our colors (burlap runners of course). 
4. I read a couple of reviews (specifically of EcoWare) and they are strong enough to cut through chicken and stand up to sloppy mac and cheese. No one likes broken fork prongs in their salad. 
5. Did I mention they are biodegradable? Win Win!

Okay, on to proving their cuteness via pictures: 

 Brides Cafe

 Weddingbee

 Weddingbee

Weddingbee

I love the idea stamping the ends with a little n & k and tying it all together with some rafia, yarn, or bakers twine! Plus, I had to help my best friend tie all her silverware with pink and brown ribbon when she got married... so she owes me :-) 

What do you think? Should we go the biodegradable route or stick with renting? 

Guess what I'm doing today?

I will give you a hint...

Those pictures as inspiration (and these!) + Jennifer Dagdagan + Nate and I = ......? 

If you guessed that we are taking our snowy engagement photos today... you'd be right! 

I'm Getting Hitched : Favors

I think one of the wedding lessons I learned right away, is that there is no right or wrong way to go about planning your wedding. Like everyones relationship, everyone plans their wedding a different way, in a different order, with a different budget, and a different set of priorities. But the wonderful thing is that at the end of the planning, we all end up married. Me, being overly wedding organized and a list-maker extraordinaire, have even taken a few detours from "the order in which things should happen" (according to Martha Stewart and theknot, gasp!). With our looonnggg engagement, I so far have been able to sort of cherry pick which items I would like to work and focus on (mainly, because we don't actually need to be doing anything yet).

Long story short, I decided on our wedding favors. 

Homemade Jam. 

LOVE these with the tags and twine!

via Snippet and Ink

Homemade jam is a thoughtful, yummy favor that won't get left on the table or in the car after the wedding (no one wants a key chain or a candle with your names on it, trust me) - edible favors are the way to go! Plus buying the fruit at local Yakima stands is a great way to support local farms and give our guests a taste of  Yakima produce. Additionally, it can turn into a really fun* family project! (* I say fun, my sisters may use a different word). And small perk here, raspberries are my favorite fruit and also the color of the bridesmaids dresses - so jam favors even fit into our color scheme. Hows that for planning! 

There are a ton of recipes online for jam, but here are two I have bookmarked : Low sugar raspberry jam and Strawberry Rhubarb jam. 

And if you think I won't make a sign for the jam table that says "Spread the Love"... you'd be wrong. 

I'm Getting Hitched : Cake Inspiration

We're definitely having a dessert table, filled with all sorts of homemade pies, cakes, cookies, and cupcakes (my Dad makes a mean cheesecake too) - but I would also love to have a small, two tier cutting cake. I sort of like the tradition and meaning - the joint task of the bride and groom cutting the cake is meant to symbolize their first joint task in married life and the gesture of feeding cake to one another is a symbol of the commitment the bride and groom are making. Plus, it is typically the last "item on the agenda" at your wedding reception and so some of your older guests will wait to leave until after the cake is cut. 

Without further ado, my cake inspiration!

Just a simple, two tier cake with buttercream frosting - and of course, an incredible Lollidoll Topper 

Crafty bridesmaid Katherine and I made almost a dozen white cake stands - should our wedding cake stand out more than the other desserts, ie get its own special stand? 

How do you feel about wood cake stands?? Too rustic? Or just right?

Bridal Bar Blog

I'm Getting Hitched : My First DIY Sewing Project

Alternate Title : I'm lovin' me some burlap.

Yep, you heard me correctly, 100 % jute burlap, in all its wonderful, cost effective glory.

I think I have decided to hand cut / sew / make table runners for our reception out of burlap. Layer it over a white linen and I am really one happy camper! I love the white and oatmeal color combo, the addition of texture to the reception tables, it really compliments our venue, and its a great DIY project for me. (so many online tutorials on how to cut and sew burlap runners)

So far the best price is at Jo-Anne fabrics and they are so good about sending coupons, that I am holding out until black friday (yes, I am one of those waiting in line at Target at 430am) - and hoping they print a wonderful 40-50% off coupon, with which I will purchase roughly... 70-80 yards of burlap. That sounds like a lot, but if my preliminary math is correct, each runner will cost only a little over $2 a piece (assuming I get a coupon). And one of the best parts, is that I can re-sell them to another bride obsessed with burlap.

I figure a) I've got plenty of time b) I have a sewing machine and c) can easily bust out 40 runners at my leisure, preferably while watching entire seasons of Sex and the City.

I know burlap runners tend to really give off a rustic vibe, which I don't think Nate and I had originally envisioned - and so I am sort of struggling with the idea that I am mixing wedding genres here. He and I both really have more of a classic wedding style, but we are having our reception outdoors at a Lodge along the river. See how I'm tossing between both ideas? Can you have a classic reception with a hint of rustic? We definitely don't want it to look too rustic or too "styled" - Nate laughed as though I had told a very funny joke when I suggested using mason jars as drinking glasses. (I thought it was a cute idea) :-) Were you surprised with the ideas you came up with for your wedding? Did they change from what you originally had imagined?

Heres a great quote about rustic weddings from an old Grey Loves Weddings post - "Mixing the formality of a wedding with a casual atmosphere makes for a very playful event. I often feel weddings are so rushed and bogged down with traditional formalities that before anyone has a chance to breathe, the bride and groom are running through bird seed/sparklers/flower petals/et al and whisking off to an undisclosed location. Rather than take the “checklist” approach to reception activities, I prefer the idea of a fantastic dinner, lots of wine, plenty of hearty conversation, laudable toasts, and a good helping of tunes. The whole rustic wedding fits right into that vision..." 

See! Burlap can be gorgeous!

Wine Bag Table Numbers

I'm Getting Hitched : Our Reception Venue!

Thats right, you heard me correctly - we have already chosen and booked a reception venue! I may go down in the bridal history books as the "Most Ahead of Schedule" bride, but I'm okay with that. 

Lodge at Canyon River Ranch, meet my readers. Readers, meet my reception venue. 

Heres the deal though, I really hadn't planned on finding "the site" on our first day browsing. Granted, Yakima is pretty small so we didn't have endless options... but I will have to admit that the whole process has been really smooth sailing, this being no exception (knock on wood someone!). Nate and I don't get over the mountains to Yakima very often, and even less during the winter season, so while we were visiting my parents one weekend in Septemeber, the four of us decided to go actually drive around to a few wineries (that being where I thought I wanted our reception to be). Coming up short after looking at all the winery reception sites, we stopped for lunch to regroup. My parents mentioned that we should check out this new place along the river - they had never seen it nor had Nate or I ever heard of it, so we said alright and headed north towards Ellensburg. The Lodge was honest to goodness love at first site - for Nate and I both. Long story short, the price was right, the place and location are incredible and everything I ever wanted (and more!), so done done and done, our search was over! We rented the entire lodge (the site and all 10 2-bedroom condos) and I love that our family and bridal party can stay there with us. The Yakima canyon is gorgeous and our guests will have more activity options than they will have time for. (Fly fishing anyone?) 

Pros: We love it! The price is right. Open catering & no alcohol restrictions. Our family and friends can stay on site - for the whole weekend! Beautiful Yakima scenery, giving our guests a real feel for the valley. Did I mention no restrictions? No hourly fee, no time we have to be out, no noise complains, no decorating rules. We can utilize both the inside of the Lodge and outside - best of both worlds. 

The only slight con, is that there are no rentals included in the site fee - so I will have to rent everything - tables, chairs, linens, tableware, you name it. Not a huge deal because we have room in the budget, but still just more work for moi down the road. 

You hate the Lodge compared to how much I love it!

Wedding Colors

Choosing wedding colors - where do you begin? It is one of the first decisions you make once engaged, and personally, I'm finding it a bit overwhelming. Do you pick just one or two? How about 6?? Or no specific colors??

 I struggle with picking colors that a) I love. Its important that I am inspired by my colors and that they feel very "me" (and Nate). b) That complement our reception venue c) Are a good combination of masculine and feminine. d) Provide some sort of theme. 

But right now, I'm a little overwhelmed with options and I am having a tough time narrowing them down. I am rattling off roughly 8 colors that I want to incorporate into our big day. Too much?? :-) 

How does black, white, yellow, and fuchsia sound? With a neutral like linen/oatmeal/khaki on the tables.

White with khaki accents on the tables and white/pink/yellow centerpieces & reception flowers.

Fuchsia bridal bouquet and bridesmaids dresses. 

Black and White tuxes.  

What do you think?

PS - I'm down for the count with a cold, bear with me this week :-)

I'm Getting Hitched : Kalea's Photographer

Hi everyone! I know you're used to seeing Andrea's posts filed under "I'm Getting Hitched!" but I'm going to join her and try to write about my wedding planning as I go along! 

Like I previously mentioned, our wedding won't be until June 2nd, 2012 so we have plenty of time. But do you remember when I blogged about winter engagement shoots? Those gorgeous images have stayed in the back of my mind and guess what? Nate and I decided to have our own winter engagement session! Since the majority of our guest list will be coming from out of town, I will be sending out save the dates - and in order to have our wonderful winter engagement pictures on our save the dates, we figured out that we would have to have our engagement pictures taken this winter, an entire 18 months before the wedding! :-) So what does all this mean? Bring on the search for a wedding photographer!

And by search I mean, I emailed a whopping 3 photographers. 

And it took us less than a month of being engaged to nail one down. 

And... drum roll please, I am so stinking excited to officially have Jennifer Dagdagan as our photographer!!!

Yes, thats right, deciding on a photographer was the first wedding decision we made (besides the date). Can you tell where our priorities are?? :-) 

Jennifer's photography rocks my socks off plus she is super rad and fun to hang out with.... perfect, no?

Photographer - check! How many days to go still?