Food!

After the slide shows, Jacob and I started the line through the buffet. After many, many back and forths and plan fails over what we were going to serve, we decided on a pasta bar. It's inexpensive, allows people to mix and match what they want, and really, how can you go wrong with noodles?? =) We had linguine with choices of marinara, Alfredo and pesto sauces, with either chicken or meatballs on the side. We also had a garlic and french bread options, and a Cesar salad.

The food turned out pretty good. We the families with kids thanked us for having some an easy, kid-friendly menu. =) That wasn't even on my mind, but I was happy to make them happy!

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

You know how you read all of those tips for your wedding day and they always tell you to be sure to eat before the reception because you won't eat at it? Well, I'm here to tell you that it IS possible! I ate! lol I had a full plate of food, and I think I even went back for an extra slice of garlic bread. I was determined to enjoy my dinner! =)

After everyone was served, Jacob and I wandered around and said hello to all of our guests, table by table. During this time our guests also had the opportunity to visit with each other and enjoy the company.

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

** Guest Photo

** Guest Photo
My high school besties and I! It's so weird to see us "all grown up"!

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography
I love that I'm caught mid-laugh in the background of this one!

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

** Photo courtesy of Justin at Sky Blue Iris Event Photography
Jacob and I never saw this "hat" thing... didn't even realize it existed until we saw this photo of his cousin. lol

** Guest Photo

** Guest Photo

Big Brothers, Big Sisters

Big Brothers/Big Sisters is an AWESOME program with so much importance in our community. The organization is doing a fund raiser this weekend, and I wanted to let you all know about it as it could benefit you as well!

Print out this 30% off coupon to GAP, Old Navy, and Banana Republic and go get your shop on! Five percent of whatever you spend goes to supporting the program!

Well, We Tried, But We Didn't Make It...

... Under our budget that is. =)

When Jacob and I determined our budget for the wedding, it was very random and uneducated. We didn't know how much anything wedding-y cost. We thought about how much we'd be willing to go into debt for one day, and how much money we already had to contribute.

We landed on $5,000.

Then we started shopping for vendors.

WOWZA! Talk about sticker shock! Everything was SOOO expensive and I had NO idea how we were going to pay for a wedding of approximately 100 guests for only 5k. I did a LOT of comparison shopping, entered (and won) a LOT of online giveaways, made some sacrifices, and did some DIY stuff (which is not really my cup of tea). But, in the end, we were still over budget, but not much...


6%!!!**

And ONLY because the vendors that we did get were AWESOME and we decided we wanted to thank them with larger tips than we originally planned for. Had this not been the case, we would have been less than $100 over our budget.

** This is not counting the cost of printing and sending out thank you cards... which I still need to figure out.

I am VERY ok with this number. Especially considering that we did NOT end up going in to debt for this wedding! Thanks to fantastic friends and family, bargain shopping, savings plans, solid employment, and Uprinting's online giveaways, we were able to pay for everything in cash, out of pocket. THAT is the way that I want to start our new life together! =)

I'll go through the breakdown more in-depth later (once I finally figure out how to go about starting my re-caps), but for now, here's the percentage breakdown:

Apparel (including rings):
26%

Decorations:
2%

Bridal Party/Parent Gifts:
2%

Flowers:
0%
Flowers were home grown and arranged by a family friend

Music:
9%

Photography:
9%

Reception (including favors & DOC):
33%

Stationary/Printing:
3%

Transportation:
0%
We drove our own cars... *gasp!* ;)

"Other" Expenses (including hair/makeup, license fees, etc.):
15%

I am DONE!

Well... sort of. =) I have just completed my LAST do-it-yourself project! Woo hoo!! Aside from wrapping gifts I have NOTHING left to do that is going to take any "crafty" brain power or dexterous fingers. lol. I am REALLY excited about this. =)

My last project was our table assignment poster. Figuring out where people would sit was actually a lot easier than I anticipated, thank goodness. I figure some people won't be 100% happy with who they are sitting with or where, but if I get 75% I think I'll call it a win. lol

Here it is! Foam/poster board from the Dollar Tree, 4X6 note cards, ribbon from Michaels, and sunflowers that I harvested from these shoes. lol. I liked how our other poster turned out so much that I decided to follow the theme. =)

(names have been covered... sorry everyone, you'll have to wait to see who you're sitting with! lol)

Cleaning Off My Tabs

So, I have this bad habit of finding something I like online, opening it in a new tab and just letting it sit there... for days. So, I'm doing a little cleaning tonight. Here are a few wedding-related tabs I have had open for awhile meaning to share with you all because I thought something about them was cool/interesting, funny... lol... enjoy!

Bowling Alley Wedding: How Creativity is Priceless in a Bad Economy

Will Chelsea Clinton's Wedding Ruin Mine? A Bridal Nightmare

Sheer Awesomeness! Best Wedding Theme Ever!

Pacific City Beach, Oregon Wedding (this one made me cry... I think it's 'cause I'm hoping my day is this beautiful and I look that happy!)

P.S. We're 19 days away! We're in the TEENS! **breathing into a bag**

Wedding/Anniversary Band For Sale!

So, I've heard of two dress brides, or brides who purchase their wedding dress and then find one they like better... but I may be of a new breed... apparently I'm a "two-ring bride".

I had to take my engagement ring to the jewelers today to get it inspected and cleaned, while I was there a diamond band caught my eye and I made the mistake of trying it on. I loved the way it looked with my engagement ring... much more than the wedding ring that I ALREADY BOUGHT.

Crap.

I walked out of the store, made it halfway through the mall and decided that I wanted that ring, so, went back, bought the ring, they sized it up for me and in a half hour it was done and I had TWO wedding rings. So... I'm now I'm trying to sell the first one.

Here's the craigslist ad I posted for it. Please let me know if you'd like it... I've priced it VERY budget friendly at only $100. I'm willing to ship and we can talk about shipping fees based on how you want it shipped (insurance, certified, etc.).

Thank God for Winco

What's a beach wedding without 20 pounds of taffy? =)

Our Wedding "Map"

So, I JUST wrote a post a mentioned at the end that I should map out where all of our wedding stuff is coming from... so... I did! lol

In order to find the best deals for our budget, we had to widen our "net" a bit and search around. Pieces of the wedding are coming from numerous places throughout the western side of Oregon. When Jacob and I, our wedding party, and our parents make the trek out to the coast for the wedding, we will be picking up bits and pieces along the way.

Click on the picture to see it bigger!

Portland: Our Home.

Hillsboro: Our photographer's home base.

Estacada: Family friend doing our flowers.

The Dalles: Ceremony music (my brother... forgot to put it on the map... it's a little easy of Estacada on the river).

Wilsonville: The bakery that is making our cake.

Salem: Where I purchased my dress.

Lebanon: Where I'm getting my alterations.

Corvallis: Rental supplies (chairs, couple tables, etc.).

Newport: Hair salon.

Eugene: Our DJ (friend of mine), Officiant (my brother) and videographer (my other brother).

Roseburg: Make Up (Jacob's Mary Kay rep aunt).

Waldport: Our ceremony and reception.

So, as you can see, we really are having a DESTINATION wedding! lol

Weekend Fun

I have my first dress fitting/alterations appointment this weekend and I'm kinda excited... not only to try my dress on again, but also to play dress up with all the accessories that I've purchased to go with it. I haven't had the opportunity to try ANYTHING on with the dress yet... so I'm just hoping that they all look alright! lol

I had a little bit of a problem scheduling my fitting. The bridal boutique where I purchased my dress does not do alteration appointments on Saturdays... only Monday-Friday. Problem. I WORK Monday-Friday... an hour+ away from the boutique. I was told that I would need to adjust my schedule. I haven't been at my job long enough to "adjust my schedule" for these type of things (I just celebrated my 6 month mark a week or so back and am desperately trying to save up vacation/personal time for the wedding/honeymoon), so I was faced with the dilemma of finding somewhere else to go for my alterations.

I looked around a little here in Portland... but I had a really hard time because I worried about taking it somewhere without a recommendation... and I wasn't finding any in my area. So, in the end I took a recommendation from a former high school classmate (who happens to be getting married the same day as I am) and am taking my dress to a woman who is currently independent after working in a bridal salon for years. Plus? She is VERY reasonable priced and, like I said, comes recommended. Negative? She's even farther away than my original bridal boutique*. Plus #2, however, is that she will see me on Saturdays. So, this Saturday my mom and I are headed her way... and I get to play dress up. =)


*One of these days I'm going to have to map out where my wedding is coming from... lol. Not only is the venue a "destination", but in order to find the best deals I am picking up pieces of my wedding from all over the western side of the state. lol

Our Invitations:: REVEALED!!!

*** SPOILER ALERT! If you are family/member of the bridal party and haven't gotten your invite yet... DON'T RUIN THE SURPRISE! STOP READING HERE! ***


Last weekend my mom, grandmother, 2/3 of my bridesmaids and 2/3 of my brother's girlfriends, helped me put together our invites, programs and favors! As I mentioned in the earlier post, you'll all have to wait to see the favors and programs, but it is been almost a week since I mailed out the invites, and, as we have already gotten some RSVPs, I figure they have pretty much been received by this point and it's safe to share. =)

(Yes, I sent an invite to the President... I want whatever little commemorative note they send back! Believe me though, had this wedding happened a couple years earlier, I probably would NOT have send this invite! lol)

(Our envelopes were "Sand Speck"... we thought that was fitting!)

Without further ado...

Our Invites!
(My apologizes ahead of time for the poor picture quality... doesn't do the colors justice!)

I really wanted pocketfolds... but I could neither afford them, nor rationalize the extra time (and stress) I knew I would put upon myself to make them. So, instead, I opted for a single sheet of blue paper and a paper band.

I really loved the label idea that Aubrey at High-Heeled Love used for her invites... so we stole the idea. =)

Upon slipping off the paper band and opening the blue wrap, our guests found:

I designed the invites/inserts and I'm pretty proud of the way they turned out! I love this wording... we found it somewhere out there in cyberland (though, I've seen a bunch recently, so it must be making the rounds! lol)

Our insert is two sided... the first side gives the guests RSVP and other helpful information, the back side has a map and directions to and between the ceremony and reception sites (I designed the map, too! lol.. totally utilizing my limited Photoshop knowledge!):



Finally, my cousin is acting as our DOC... so lightly taped to the inside of each blue wrap, is one of her business cards... so hopefully people will bug her on the day of the wedding instead of me!

I am not a typical DIY bride. I love the visual/creative aspect of it all... but the actual hands on stuff... well, it scares me a bit. lol Thanks to my family and friends these invites turned out FANTASTIC. I am so thankful. And, they definitely came in within our budget! Here's the run down:

Blue paper wraps, yellow paper for band, and envelopes ordered from Paper and More: $34.30
White paper for band and labels: $0 (lying around the house!)
Invitations and inserts: $0 (BIG thanks to Uprinting's Blogger Sponsorship Program!)

Total cost for up to 100 invites (though we only needed about 65)?

$34.30

With postage, the final cost, per invite, was a whopping 87 cents!

LOVE THIS! And love the way they turned out!

They're Gone!

Our wedding invitations have been let free into the world! =) But not after FIVE HOURS of folding, gluing, taping, and addressing. Thankfully, I was able to get some crafty people in my family involved to help out! And we also managed to finished the programs and about half of the favors! Woo hoo!

Bridesmaids Jessica and Holly, my grandmother, my brother's girlfriend Brittany (two of my three brothers are dating a "Brittney".... it gets confusing) my mother and me.

Third brother's girlfriend, Jennifer (or, as we should probably call her in our family, "Not a Brittney". lol) and my mom working on the favors.

Woo hoo!! Almost done!

Now, off to mail them. Unfortunately, the weather looks like this today (if you can't tell, icky, gross, and raining**), and I walk/take public transit to work... and the post office.

Thus, this is how the invites traveled to the post office! lol I was not going to let them get all spotted! So, 56 invites out there, 120+ guests invited... let's get these RSVPs rollin' (so I can stop stressing out about having too many people show up! lol).

My first DIY wedding project was not so bad. Granted, had I not had help I would have been in tears and tearing my hair out by the end... but, thankfully it didn't come to that. =) Everything turned out a lot better than I was anticipating and the project went by a lot smoother. I will do an invite reveal in a couple days when guests have had a chance to receive them, but you're all going to have to wait to see the programs and favors until the wedding recaps... I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone coming who may read this!

**I'm hoping that all the rain we're having now means that August 14th will be absolutely beautiful! =)

I LOVE Digital Room! (**Giveaway!**)

OK, so, check this out... remember yesterday when I posted about our map inserts and how I really wanted to print out our invites through Uprinting because I was so impressed with the print quality, but that the cost was a bit above what we had budgeted for our DIY invites?? WELL... this morning I e-mailed my contact at Uprinting to ask if there was any way to get some sort of a discount on the larger postcards as a "sponsored blogger". Well... I heard back today and not only are they going to cut me a deal and GIVE me the 5X7 postcards, but they also asked me to host a post card giveaway for my readers!!!!! I AM ON CLOUD NINE RIGHT NOW... There is really no way to wipe this silly grin off my face! lol

So, for all my wonderful readers, here are the giveaway specs for you:

• The giveaway comes from Digital Room printing
• The prize is 100, 4X6 postcards, full color on both sides
• Three business day turnaround
• Free UPS shipping
• Open to US mailing addresses only
• Must be 18 to enter

You can use these for all kinds of fantastic things... map inserts =), Thank you cards, save the dates, menus, recipe cards, invitations... use them for personal or business purposes (you do NOT need to be a bride-to-be to enter this contest!). Designs and uses are only limited by your imagination! =)

Three ways to earn entries (please leave your name and contact info!):

1. Post a comment telling me how you would use them,
2. Blog about it and link back to me and Uprinting/Digital Room... leave me a comment with the link,
3. Ask your blog readers to mention you when they enter this giveaway (earns a entry for both of you!)

You have until Sunday night to get your entries in! The winner will be announced Monday morning! (I love being able to start someone's week on a happy note!)

Uprinting has been one of the best things about wedding planning so far for me. I have been so impressed and SO thankful!

Help Me Find a Veil!

As I mentioned in my last post, the excuse I gave the bridal salon this weekend for an appointment to "visit" my dress was because I wanted to try on veils... this wasn't completely a lie. I've been "window shopping" online recently for veils but it's so hard to figure out what you want without actually trying it on with the dress!

I kinda fell in love with two veils at the shop... but can't really afford either one of them, so I remembered as much info as I could about what I wanted, then came home and hit the 'net hoping to find a good deal for a similar veil elsewhere. Alas, I wasn't particularly successful... so I'm hoping one or two of you guys may have some resources/knowledge and that you'll spread the wealth. =)

What I'm looking for: Diamond white, single tier, fingertip veil with beading (if everything else is there, I'm willing to go for an elbow length veil... but nothing longer or shorter).

What I loved at the bridal salon: Floral embroidered beading... it matched my dress SOO well! But the $100-$200 price tags did NOT.

Here's a small section of my dress with the beading... I would love to find a veil with a similar look! Can you help??

Thankful for the Frat!

I never in my life thought that I would be thankful for a fraternity. Frats have a beer-guzzling, date-raping, academically-challenged stereotype... I would have never put "frat" and "wedding" in the same sentence... until tonight.

Jacob's frat brother has offered to cater our wedding! What this means is a PLATED, multi-course dinner for less than $10 per person! AND on top of that, there is an offer that perhaps the new pledges can be our wait staff FREE OF CHARGE.

We met with frat-brother-caterer Ethan tonight to talk about some details. We pretty much told him that we weren't picky and to come up with some home-cooked-style menu options. So, he's going to put together some menus and schedule a tasting with us in the upcoming weeks. =D I'm sooo happy! Now I just have to figure out the logistics with the hotel. We're allowed to cater the event ourselves (I have that in writing), but I'm not sure what kind of facilities we'll be able to use, so, that may be a bit tricky... but a plated dinner for less than the hotel's buffet is definitely worth a little extra effort on my part!

No Spend

Back in September I read this post from Aubrey over at High Heeled Love. She and her fiance had declared September a "no spend month" in order to catch up on bills. No spending of money on any unnecessary items.

This post has been on my mind since then. I thought it was a great idea but I needed to make it past the holidays in order for it to stand a chance. So, last month I explained the concept to my fiance to find out what he thought... he was completely on board. So, with the exception of two days this month that have already been planned, February will be a no spend month in our household. No going out to dinner, getting fancy coffee beverages or new shoes. Money will only be spend on groceries, bills, gas, etc.

I anticipate this being fairly difficult... especially for me as I work outside the home and am over all more social. (The two days that we have to cheat are both days that *I* have a social event already planned... lol). We'll see how this goes. =)

We Will Have Flowers!

Just had a lunch meeting with our to be florist! A friend of Jacob's family, the woman we're using is going to GROW THE FLOWERS WE WANT and do all of the arrangements for us at a discounted price that we'll be able to cover by bartering services.... yay! The primary flowers are going to be sunflowers (surprise, surprise, eh? lol) and then we'll have a variety of others in there as well. I don't know much about flowers, so, as far as fillers went, I'm trusting her judgment! But here's an idea of what some of it MAY look like.... =)








Now I just have to start shopping for flower girl baskets and vases! =)

DJ? Check!

Up until this past weekend we had pretty much come to terms with the fact that we couldn't afford a DJ and so were going to go the Ipod route. Then we went to a bridal show and I started to think that I really wanted a DJ.

I did some shopping around (DJ websites and Craigslist... gotta love "The List") and the cheapest DJ I could find was about $200 over our max budget... and some were AT LEAST double what we had available to spend. In a last ditch effort I e-mailed an old friend and coworker of mine (who DJs at different clubs back home) to find out what he charged. His response to my question was something along the lines of "What's your budget? You know I'll look out for you". And he TOTALLY did.

My buddy, DJ Sipp, agreed to do our wedding (which he needs to travel about two hours to get to) for our $400 budget! Woo hoo! I'm pumped! One last thing Jacob and I need to worry about! Yay for great friends! Our friends and family and really pulling through for us for "our day"... we are more than grateful.

FREE Save the Dates!

Just ran across this offer for 100 FREE save the dates by Jean M Invitations!

Two Years....

Yesterday Jacob and I celebrated our two year anniversary. I wanted to do SOMETHING special, but our budgets are tight and we couldn't really afford a fancy evening out. So, I put my thinking cap on... and had the best idea! We would relieve our first three dates in a single night!

BACKGROUND

Jacob and I met via a personal ad I posted on craigslist. We "talked" online for a few days until one evening Jacob asked me if I wanted to meet him for dinner somewhere... however, at that point it was already about 9 PM on a Wednesday so our options of open restaurants was somewhat limited. So, we decided on Shari's!

source

I remember how nervous Jacob was that night... he couldn't even finish his breakfast dinner! Which, I know now, is NOT the norm! lol I, on the other hand, had absolutely no problem scarfing down whatever it was that I ordered... I've never really been the "eat a small salad on a first date" type of girl. I love food... I'm not gonna hide it! =)

Our second date was just a few days later (our early relationship moved REALLY fast). My friend (and now bridesmaid) Holly was meeting people at one of the local bowling alleys and invited me to come and bring a date... so, I did. =)

source

Jacob bowled horribly that evening. I am NOT a good bowler (my goal is always to simply break 100... sometimes I do, sometimes I'm far, far away) and, if I remember correctly, I beat him every game! Though, as you will see later in this post, I'm not sure if this was completely due to nerves or if he just isn't the best bowler either! lol

After bowling, Jacob and I went next door to the Baskin Robbins. We are both HUGE fans of ice cream.

source

We sat around eating ice cream and talking about ourselves and the similar futures that we had pictures for quite awhile until we parted ways that night (I wasn't about to ride in a car with a guy that I'd met online after just one date! lol)... only to log onto google and "talk" to each other for a few more hours!

A few days later Jacob asked me if I wanted to go out again (I told you... we probably averaged about 2-3 dates per week for the first month... and then seeing each other almost daily after that!). We decided to go see a movie, I got to choose the film, but Jacob wanted it be a gentleman and pick me up at my apartment. Since we'd now been on TWO dates, and my friend had seen his face (lol) I decided to go for it.

source

I chose "The Bucket List"... it was a great movie; really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed watching Jacob continuously try to hold my hand that night... lol... I wasn't really being to helpful. I was still getting to know the guy after all! =)

TWO YEARS LATER

So those are the dates that started the "courting" part of our relationship... and I wanted to honor these. So, for our two year anniversary, I found a Shari's, a bowling alley, and a Baskin Robbins all on the same street near our apartment, and had Jacob get a copy of 'The Bucket List"... but things never do seem to go as planned when it comes to us... lol

Our evening started out well enough. We made it to Shari's and had dinner (however, I think I must have picked the trashiest location in the area... our hostess was wearing a hoodie), and then made our way to the bowling alley...

...which was having a Monte Carlo bowling night!

We asked for directions to another bowling alley, which turned out to also be on the same road, just past the Baskin Robbins that I found, so, we decided to stop for ice cream first and then head to bowling...

... but the Baskin Robbins was closed for construction!

So, we went straight to the bowling alley and played three games... I just want to show you these scores... ;)

(Sorry in advance for the quality... can only do so good in a poorly lit alley with a camera phone!)

If you'll notice... the B (me) won twice! =) Jacob wanted me to take a picture of the ONE time that he won, but this is MY blog! lol

P.S. Jacob thought it was funny to put our initials in this order on the big televised score board... you never really can take the 12-year-old boy out of the 28-year-old man, can you? lol

After we finished our third game I asked one of the alley employees if there was another ice cream place nearby... their only suggestion was DQ... which is NOT the same thing! So, we headed over to Fred Meyer, picked up some ice cream and went home to eat it while watching "The Bucket List" (still thought it was a really great movie!).

And that is how Jacob and I celebrated our two year (and last dating) anniversary! =) I really enjoyed the opportunity to spend some quality time together... we don't take nearly enough time out of our daily schedules to just enjoy each others' company. I hope we can change that in the near future!

Free Stuff Alert!!!!

I have another giveaway for you!!!!

250 custom business cards from Uprinting!

Do ya' want 'em?? =) I'm REALLY excited about this one! As a sponsored blog I get the prize, too (woo hoo!) which is awesome for my budget-ness as I was planning to order some anyhow. I'm going to create these cards to go in our announcements with our DOC info (my cousin, the event planner, is going to do this for us!) so that people can call/contact her on the day of if they get lost/have questions/whatever and don't hassle me! lol But these could also be good for things like seating cards, photo sharing cards, or even... *gasp* BUSINESS cards if you are in need of those too! =)

What would you use yours for?

Leave me the answer (and your contact info) in a comment to enter once, be a follower (and let me know in a SEPARATE comment) for a second entry, and blog about it with a link back to me and one back to Uprinting (and leave me ANOTHER comment about that with a link to the post) for a THIRD entry!

Unfortunately this contest is only open to US residents.... and the winner has to pay for shipping. But, it's still an awesome deal!

Contest is open until until the end of the day on Friday, Jan. 15... I'll have the "winner post" out that weekend! =) Yay!!