V: Fun things to do at a Wedding Part 1

We choose not to have a band for the obvious reason of cost, and we ultimately choose not to have a DJ because of the cost combined with the Dreaded Cheese Factor.

Mr. B and I went back and forth on this one, let me tell you. Regardless of the fact that his only dance move is The Sprinkler, Mr. B insisted we have a rockin dance party with a DJ.

I can't remember the resolution [measuring up the restaurant, crying, leaving the task to him, deal-making??], but we never hired a DJ.

Instead, with a week to go to the big event, we hired a photobooth.

Alea Moore comes through again!

V: I'm thankful for

These people.

And the fact that we should be getting our wedding photos back soon. Squeeee!!!

V: We're legal

Thank god I don't have to worry anymore. Our marriage is actually official in the eyes of Georgia.

It's kind of a mini-miracle to me. Mr. B filled out the online paperwork for his father to become certified by the Universal Life Church as a 'Reverend.' It was free. In my worst fears the state would see his name listed on our marriage certificate and laugh.

But they believed us!

V: By Popular Demand

I will make an actual commitment to blog. As in, more than a post every two weeks. There are so many projects I want to share with you, and once we get our photos back from Alea Moore, WATCH OUT!

Here is a list of things I promise promise promise to blog about before our six month anniversary:

• More additions of "Rad Registry Items"
• How to design, print, and assemble your own invitations [a multi-part series, with templates!]
  
• F the Florist, or how I ended up with a florist's bouquet at the last minute
• Dressing your Bridesmaids on the cheap
• Gifting your Bridesmaids
• Packaging gifts for your Bridesmaids, or Fun Projects at Midnight Before Your Wedding
  
• How to make your mother & mother-in-law cry [happy tears!]
  
• Your Veil, and the AWESOME things you can do with it
• Our ceremony text [I'll post the whole darn thing for your use]
• Other paper goods: programs, placecards, table markers, signage
• Alternative Centerpieces, or How to Thrift 287 glass vases and not go broke/insane
• What to do with Wedding Photos
  

V: Back in Action!

Wow.


What a wild ride it's been. That was one F-ing fantastic wedding.

Not too mention the two glorious weeks in Europe.

And the new found joy in everyday life with my HUSBAND.

*Gah!!*

The plan is to start a food/life blog with my lovely Sissy in the next few weeks since a wedding blog doesn't really cut it anymore. However, there is a distinct possibility that I could post recaps, DIYs and my secrets to success. But seriously, is anyone still listening??

IT"S OFFICIAL!

CONGRATULATIONS to Mr and Mrs Birdsbee, married on October 24th! The wedding was exquisite and perfectly suited to the tastes of Mrs. Birdsbee. My goodness, it was cool! There were so many neat elements, which I will name below:

Cool thing #1: M/M Birdsbee created balls of moss and attached them to ribbons and used them as decoration for the gorgeous ceremony spot. Very neat!

Cool thing #2: The bridesmaids wore matching yellow headbands and instead of carrying flowers, carried demure little handbags, which also doubled as their bridesmaid gifts. Instead of buying a belt, each girl used the same mimosa colored ribbon. Awesome!

Cool thing #3: Mr. Birdsbee's dad officiated the ceremony, which was punctuated by messages from each mother to the bride and groom as readings. The service was created completely by Victory and Mr., so it was perfectly tailored to the two of them.

Cool thing #4: The clouds cleared away for the 30 minutes of the ceremony, as if by providence!

Cool thing #5: The bride and groom were both escorted by BOTH parents coming down the aisle. I liked it. Also, they had a banjo player serenade them into the ceremony.

Cool thing #6: Instead of using flowers on the tables, Victory collected hundreds of different shaped glass containers and put white tea lights inside. On my table, which sat 6 people, we had twenty clear glass holders of different heights and widths. It was very romantic, yet modern.

Cool thing #7: When it came time for the toasts, all of the members of the bridal party stood up and spoke. It made for the most hilarious and tear-inspiring night, ever!

Cool thing #8: They had a photo booth. PHOTO BOOTH with PROPS! I wore the Viking helmet for a majority of the night and felt that it was quite fitting.

Cool thing #9: They had everyone stand in two lines for their exit and then ran through. Coincidentally, the entire wedding serenaded them with "Don't Stop Believin." Initially, when I walked outside and everyone had already formed, I said, "Is this a dance off?"

Cool thing #10: The cake was totally delicious. I mean, totally. The layers had yellow velvet ribbon lining the bottom and it was the perfect way to end the night.

YAYAYAYAYAY! Victory, are you back from Italy? Tell us about it!!

V: In homage

It's marriage time bitches.

V: Have we lost our minds? Confirmed.

A real exchange between the reception restaurant owner and my dear fiance:

Can we squeeze an extra chair into the 12-seater?
Thanks again!

Mr. B
Senior Stella Liaison


No problem on 13 guest at each table. I see your significant other has already promoted you to Senior Liaison. Congrats!

Rich


Thanks
It was actually a coup d'etat. She's now in reception exile.

Mr. B
Supreme Stella Commander


But seriously, Stella Restaurant and Daria of Circle of Love Weddings [our Day of Coordinator] rocked our faced off last night in a four hour prep meeting. I highly highly recommend them both!

V: Two weeks

to go. And I have to admit, adding "documentation of the DIY" to the DIY list is just not gonna fly. So you'll have to wait til post-wedding for all the details. More importantly, post two-week-dream-vaca-in-Italy-extravaganza. Cause OMG we just got the details and it is going to rock my face off.

Can you say Renaissance art in Florence, modern art Biennale in Venice, wine library in Sienna, palm trees + Alps in Lugano, truffle season, Lake Como and my birthday in Paris? Whoa.

Samantha's Thought of the Day: Make a photograph list for your photographer!!

Samantha's bride tip #2: Make a photo list for your photographer and assign a "photo wrangler" who is either one of your friends, a family member or your wedding coordinator. I found that this was key in making sure that our photos were taken efficiently. We were actually done far ahead of schedule when the wedding was over! Part of making this work is having a plan for photos to be taken before the ceremony. Mr. L and I didn't want to see eachother beforehand, but even so, we were still able to take hundreds of family, bridesmaid and groomsman pictures at separate times. Since we finished so many photos ahead of time, the photo taking after the ceremony was minimal, except for our bride/groom portraits, which we took all over Georgetown on the way to the reception. We tried to be very organized with the post-ceremony photos so that groups of people could make their way to the reception or do whatever else they needed to do. I planned in advance which group would go first, second, third, etc. Our ministers needed to change and go on to other things, so we had their photos taken first. My parents needed to head off to host the party, so their photos were taken second, Mr. L's parents needed to go host their guests, so their photos were taken third and so on and so forth. Finally, were just left with the two of us, my maid of honor (who helped to bustle me) and my brother, who drove the two of us and our photographer around Georgetown for portraits. Perfect! Now we'll have to see how the portraits come out...

Samantha's thought of the day: Go the distance.

Samantha's bride tip #1: Fake eyelashes are the bomb! Ok, so I wasn't totally sure about the idea of wearing false eyelashes- what if they come off? But on the wedding day, I took a risk having never experimented with them before and they came out so well! All you do is buy DUO glue, purchase the eyelashes (I bought the kind from MAC that start in the middle of the eyelash and extend to the end- they look more natural), put the glue on fake lashes, place them on your eye and dry with a blow dryer until the white glue disappears! It took about 5 minutes total and lasted until I took them off the next day in the Denver airport, already one flight down and an entire wedding day later. The best part is that it sort of substitutes for eyeliner, so all I did was add some eyeliner to the part where the eyelash wasn't (toward the inner eye) and my eyes were pretty much done! It makes a big difference in pictures and definitely gives a slightly more glamorous and dramatic look.

I'm Married!!

It's true. I'm married! Thanks to Ms. Victory for posting a most wonderful video of our sword arch. How fun! Everything from the whole day went off without a hitch and we feel so lucky that it all went as planned.

The honeymoon was totally fantastic- we stayed in very secluded places, which were great after all the hubbub of the wedding. I highly recommend the Banff and Lake Louise area, particularly the places we stayed- Mount Engadine Lodge and Moraine Lake Lodge! They were the perfect mix of luxurious and rustic. Each of our rooms had a fireplace. We enjoyed many a bottle of wine next to those fireplaces!

Over the last few days, at the suggestion of my brother, I have been writing down all of my recollections of the wedding day. Future brides: I highly recommend this! Not only is it fun to remember all of the little details from the day, but it will also be great to have in a few years when things get fuzzy. Even my friends who were married within the last year have said that they've forgotten many of the little moments. To me, those are the best!

I'll be posting some pictures and will give you all a blow by blow, but for now...here's my picture to you!

V: Mrs. Mission accomplished!

Introducing for the first time as Mr. & Mrs. Livalittle:



Wow. What a beautiful, elegant, FUN wedding. Last weekend, our nation's capital played host to the Livalittle nuptials, and boy were they awesome. From the beautiful church, to the military uniforms, to the drama of Samantha's veil, to the view of the waterfront from the reception restaurant--it was solid.

The video was created using Animoto, and omg it is SO AWESOME. Just input photos, video clips, music and text, and WHAM, they automate the video creation process. It maybe took me all of seven minutes to create this masterpiece. Thirty seconds of video for free, and a measly $3 for longer lengths. And only $5 for a high resolution, DVD-quality download [coming your way shortly Mrs. Livalittle!].

Hope you are enjoying your honeymoon in the wilds of Canada.

V: Natural Disaster Barley Avoids Wedding (MY Wedding)

This was our runner-up wedding venue. You know, the wedding in exactly 32 days. The lovely restaurant Canoe sits on the scenic banks of the normally tame Chattahoochee river here in Atlanta.

But yesterday it was walloped by the flooding [the water is actually much higher today than in this photo from yesterday. Just check out CNN's broadcast from their parking lot]. Oh, did you know Atlanta has been flooded?

Not cool, flood. Not cool.

No reports from Piedmont Park, where our ceremony venue is a dock on Clara Meer Lake. Hopefully it hasn't overrun it's banks too badly.

V: Talk about 'Practical' Wedding

On Monday, a bar on our street hosted a totally awesome, unstressful, sounds like fun wedding. The couple met and frequented at the bar, and logically decided that was the place to make it official. Invitations went out via text message.

I love it. It seems relationships today are on much more of a sliding scale between stages than ever before. From college hook-ups to living together for years, it isn't nearly as now-we're-dating, now-we're-married, black & white.

However, I'm certainly expecting more pomp & circumstance this weekend at Samantha's wedding!! I will definitely be posting video of their freakin awesome military sword arch, so stay tuned:)

V: Posting has been light

Because bootcamp has begun, and OMG I have to wake up at 5:30am everyday.

However, we are very VERY much looking forward to Miss Samantha Livalittle's wedding on SATURDAY in Washington, D.C. OMG!!!!! Can't wait!

V: The Great Bridal Shower Compromise

Momma Bird graciously desired to throw a traditional Bridal Shower for her first daughter to marry. Normally, this would be a lovely occasion for the ladies, however it seems all my friends have flown the coop to go get advanced degrees. Before their departure, they planned a rockin Wedding Weekend, and I just couldn't see them coming back to Atlanta for another party in my honor.

So, rather than a formal Bridal Shower for girls only, how about a Fiesta?? They called it an Engagement Party so it was clear this was a girls plus boys minus presents kind of affair. Casual, fun, Taqueria del Sol extravaganza.

Thank god it's cooled off in Hotlanta. Our building's courtyard was the perfect setting for the Moms to conspire.

Party begins! Love Sister Bird's beautiful blue & green maxi dress.

Naturally, Victory dives into the incredible Taqueria del Sol goodies. Did I mention we're fans?

Momma & Pop Bird with Mr. B's parents. Fast friends for years!

Bride and groom to be. Note the very timely coozies.

Sister Bird & Poppa Bird testing out the banana/chocolate ganache and chocolate/cream cheese cupcakes! Sister Bird is quite the talented baker.

Relaxed, fun, delicious. All words I hope our actual big day will live up to.

V: Shoe Saga Concludes--Black is Practical, but boots are more fun anyway

Behold, my closet's latest resident: Cole Haan Petra boots with Nike Air cushioning.

Perfect for a late fall honeymoon in Italy, don't you think? OMG, life is complete. And yes, these count as 'wedding shoes' in the budget.

Oh, and I got something to wear at the actual wedding too. Guess's Janesca is way on sale at Nordstrom, coming in at a much more wallet-friendly $52. My review: very comfortable and stable-feeling, with a manageable 2.75" heel.

It's pretty darn near impossible to find black pumps that are NOT patent leather this season, but these are technically just shiny black leather.

For the wedding, I'm thinking of dressing them up with a classic shoe clip. Then they will live on as a totally great pair practical of black heels. Perfecto!

V: Evolution of a Website

Guess we all need to carve out our own little piece of cyberspace [see: this blog]. We made a nice little website in plenty of time before our invites went out. But the night after sending everything out, I busted out a complete different site, sparked by the genius of friend Caitee, a web guru getting married in September.

Version #1: A free wedding website from BridalFever.com. They have absolutely incredible templates. The backend interface is very simple, but limited in capabilities [no images or embedding code into the pages]. The sites appear to be in Flash, which cannot be viewed on mobile phones or easily linked to individual pages. Still, very nice looking sites.

Version #2: Wordpress.com! While these free sites are technically a platform for blogging, but with the Pages feature and tagging/categories, you can create a very neat website. Templates are limited, but the ability to have comments, embed video, photos and special Google maps really make this a great option.

Front page:

Interior page with directions from Ceremony to Reception in an embedded Google map:

Either way, when making a wedding website, my advice to you is to definitely purchase your own domain name. It's so cheap, and if you don't have to worry about an ugly URL, you can just go with your favorite template.

Knot.com, you are crazy.

Ok. So has anyone else noticed that theknot.com classifies weddings based on either where they are, what colors were used, location (inside vs outside), etc.? Have you noticed that whenever someone non-white is getting married, they call it a "cultural wedding"? I, personally, think that this is both inappropriate and hilarious. I mean, HELLO! Knot.com, what are you thinking? Just because some asian guy is marrying a white girl doesn't mean that the only notable aspect of their wedding is that they are "cultural." They might as well say "an asian wedding in Denver", it's equally gauche. That's my two cents.

V: Wedding Night Lodging

Newsflash: Mr. B & I shack up. And I'm assuming our little apartment is going to be one standing levy short of a disaster zone come wedding week.

It's not exactly a special moment to come home to our every day place with it's every day mess.

So where to stay? Not with the family room block, let me tell you. How about an extremely affordable,  highly rated, non-chain, boutique, historic hotel? Sounds perfect. How does the Ellis do it?

SL: Seating Chart Software

Hello party people. I haven't been posting lately because my wedding is too effing close and I'm busier than a bee. Or something like that. Anyway, 19 days left and now it's time for the seating chart. I have found the key: Seating Arrangement, which is seating chart software! You can put in your guest list, design the floor plan and play around with the seating arrangements and people pairings! It's pretty cool, must say. You can import your guest list and your floor plan too. One of the neater features is that you can classify people by social group or age to help remind you what people you think should sit together. So, I split the groups into college friends, high school friends and post-high school friends to make things easier.

http://www.seatingarrangement.com/

Now that the science of seating people is squared away, what to do with people who don't know anyone? That's a completely different challenge that we'll leave to another day.

Speaking of awkward, check this out. It's hilarious.

V: The Great Cookware Debate

So, time to pick out pots & pans. Do not be afraid! Though the options are endless, a little bit of research and forethought can light a clear path.

Tip #1: F the set. Even though it's such a 'deal', it's not customized to what's best for you; likely a variety of cookware types and sizes. 

Start by checking out this ridiculously thorough guide to the science behind the shapes and materials of cookware.

Then decide if non-stick is important to you. In all honesty, I was a massive fan of non-stick and assumed that was a requirement. But after trying out my bff's premium stuff, it's just not necessary in all cases. However, by all means, do get one non-stick fry pan for scrambled eggs.

But what brand? Serious cooks on Chow's forums make it clear that All-Clad really is way over-priced versus comparable, nay better!, lines like the professional Sitram, Mauviel or Demeyere brands. 

But being European brands, they just don't sell them in stores where people like us shop.

And if you're really after heirloom pans, seriously consider that in 20 years we will all be using induction cooktops. This safer, more efficient cooktop uses magnetic energy to heat your pan, requiring a magnetic metal. This means no anodized aluminum or copper, and only certain kinds of stainless steel. 

The final verdict: All-Clad Stainless [so is Samantha L by coincidence], plus enameled cast iron Dutch over, and an All-Clad non-stick fry pan. [Interestingly, the more expensive All-Clad Copper Core is NOT compatible with induction]

Don't spend a fortune on a stock-pot or roaster. When boiling or slow roasting in the oven, it's simply not necessary to have a high-grade material that responds quickly and evenly to temperature, as it is in saute pans. These can be simple stainless, no name-brand or aluminum/copper core necessary.

Pre-wedding reading

Has anyone read "I was told there'd be cake" by Sloane Crosley? If not, this is a must. It's absolutely hilarious, if you enjoy the likes of Sarah Vowell and other witty social observers. The book is a series of essays that discusses her life in New York, growing up, singlehood, friendships, etc. Last night, I read a story so funny that I woke up my housemate from laughing so hysterically. I laughed so hard, I cried. I couldn't help it! There is even one story about being a bridesmaid that is so painfully awful, it's hilarious.

It seems like humor is pretty important at this stage of the game. Things are getting hectic! Less than four weeks to go!

336 days down, 29 to go.

We're less than one month from our wedding date! It's wild, really. We have received official responses or heard from a little over 70% of our people, but are still waiting for 85 people to let us know one way or the other! Let's hope that most of Brad's people can make it!!! Damn military is keeping a lot from coming =(.

Oh yeah, and today is Hawaii Statehood Day, which many people are protesting at Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu. This also means I have the day off from work =). I also gave my two weeks notice about two weeks ago, so my very last day is Monday- smiles all around. On to a life of freelance writing and harp playing!

Bridal fun?

Aloha y'all. (This is just a small example of how my regional identity is totally whack)

So, any thoughts on silly professional wedding pictures? I do have 11 bridesmaids and was thinking of taking a few photos that sort of poke fun at the wedding brigade concept. Conga line picture? Other thoughts for fun with the bridal party?

V: Some More Rad Registry Items

Sigh, via Uncrate, the ultimate man blog

If you think no household is complete without fancy Reidel wine glasses, then don't miss the fancy glass-maker's take on the beer stein, TUBES Beer Classics. 

Cause we beer snobs simply won't tolerate anything less than a prefect pour of a La Chouffe. 

Samantha's Bridal Shower Bonanza!!

Ok, ladies. Finally! I'm ready to post about my bridal shower. Oh, what a wonderful bridal shower it was! I woke up early on Saturday morning and went to my first event of the day- a hair trial with the lovely Meg Ford, traveling hair stylist based out of Reston, VA. Laurie, one of my lovely maids, came with me- it was so fun to be pampered while chatting with these two wonderful women.

We returned to the house to begin the festivities for the "English Tea" themed shower, hosted by my lovely sister-in-law Abigail. She was the hostest with the mostest, thinking of every last detail, including gorgeous favors of pretty tea cups, bags of tea and biscotti. The spread was fantastic- tea sandwiches, fruit skewers, pesto crostini, chicken mango skewers and my favorite, lemon curd cupcakes from Lavender Moon cupcakery in Alexandria, VA! Oh, my people know me well.

Various relatives, future in-laws, bridesmaids and neighbors began to arrive as we all chit-chatted and milled around the champagne punch bowl. See this recipe for Orange Sherbert Champagne Punch- my favorite! Then came time for the present opening- who doesn't love presents? I must say though, I've never been the center of attention in that way- by the end of the day, I was exhausted, but ready for the next step!

We left Great Falls for downtown Washington, DC, where we had a fantasmo dinner at Jaleo's spanish tapas bar. We ordered a few glasses of sangria, ate yummy food and caught up with each other while getting excited for the night ahead.

After dinner, we headed to Allison's fantastic apartment, which was decked from ceiling to floor in 80s decor! Again, my people know me so well! So we broke out the champagne, some of the girls tried on their dresses and then it was time to get decked out in 80s gear. There was a lot of spandex.

After the getting ready fest, they all bestowed their lingerie gifts upon me. Oh, what fun! Everything received was very pretty, but I was particularly and especially amused by an interesting gift for Brad, inspired by The Full Monty. Thanks, Heidi's bf!

After the lingerie opening, copious pictures and more celebratory champagne drinking, we were off to DC! That's where I'll end my tale...oh, what a night!

V: More Rad Registry Items

Combination rice cooker and slow cooker. 'Nuff said. Cause God help me if I ever require both at the same time.

The Sanyo ECJ-HC100S 10-Cup Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker and Slow Cooker, very highly rated on Amazon (don't worry, I've researched this).

V: Cakes, A Tale of Evolution

A Martha Stewart.

Another famous Martha.

No clue, a Wedding bee?

Get the gist? I quickly went from tiered monstrosity to trendy cake bar, thinking it was the crafty, vintage, cost-effective route. Clearly, avoiding anything with the 'wedding' label would be cheaper, right? Mostly, yes. But I forgot to take into account the fact that seven to eight pretty vintage cake stands really REALLY add up.

So, here she is:

Awesome photo by TM Photography.

Introducing, from left to right: chocolate, my special white chocolate lemon, and red velvet. One for my mom, one for me, and one for Mr. B's mom. All frosted in creamy, smooth cream cheese frosting. Fancied up with a yellow velvet ribbon and real pink rose buds left over from my bouquet making endeavor. 

And instead of tromping off to the fancy bakeries in town selling cake that BEGINS at $5/slice, we hit up the official cake baker of our friend group. Mary Jane Confections is a one-woman local shop, famous for affordable, moist, buttercream-y cake. If you are in Atlanta, we highly recommend her! 

V: Occasional Series on Rad Registry Items

As we draw near to finalizing the fantastic-ness that is our wedding gift registry, I've decided to share some of the crazy items we think will make our house & life a home.

Having lived together for a while now, we're not in need of much. But to give some suggestions for our overly generous guests, we've complied a short list of items with the intent of hosting said guests back in our home at some point.

We've gone with the standby of every engaged couple, Crate & Barrel, for kitchen basics.

And to include some spicier items, we've signed up with Wishpot for a registry to draw from across the interwebs. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the name [it seems greedy, no?], but the interface works really well, and heck, it is a registry of PRESENTS FOR US. Hoo-ray!

First up, we have registered for a Nintendo Wii.

Now, I am certainly no Halo player, but I've seen how this thing can really jazz up a party. Want to go bowling but can't handle the idea of slipping on some 'certified pre-owned' bowling shoes? Play a spot of tennis on a rainy day? This is definitely the way to go.

Samantha's Love of the Day: Awesome Invite

Check out this super cool invitation! LOVE IT!

V: Bling for the brigade

Whoa, you guys. There is a 'you guys'! I just met a REAL HUMAN who reads this blog! We are employed by the same major university. I guess that means I need to write entries on this blog.

Anyway, the big stuff is largely taken care of. That means it's time to accessorize!

We knew we wanted Mr. B and the guys to wear a narrow tie. And his only other requests included a shade of yellow that doesn't make him look sickly, and a non-shiny material.

Guess how many ties fit that bill? Right, zero.

So the ties are being made by MeAndMatila, from a mustard cotton fabric we purchased 359 yards of.

A real wedding on Brooklyn Bride, featuring MeAndMatila ties

I'm hoping [expecting] there will be plenty of left over fabric to create matching sashes to jazz up the bridal brigade's simple grey H&M dresses.

Perhaps something funky? Like this gorgeous ribbon belt featured in a tutorial found on 100 Layer Cake? Def pos.

SL: Floral bonanza!

Hey friends! Check out these lovely florals! Our centerpieces will be made up of three branches of red mokara orchids with sprouted curly willow and individual orchids in red and white attached to the ends to give sort of an ethereal dreamy look! I think it will be both modern and elegant. You can't tell very well from this picture, but I'm hoping that it looks awesome! Melissa Sylvain of Sylvain's florist in Reston is our flower woman extraordinaire- she is fantastic and has been really flexible with us! We are going to try to tie in the floral arrangement to the menu cards, place cards and favors. Any leads for something that can be used for menu cards that has a floral motif that might match this one? I've been looking at cherry blossom invitations, but they haven't been quite right.