Getting The Ball Rolling

I bought a fantastic book, The Paper Bride. It's full of great ideas to make pretty much anything wedding-related out of paper. In its wealth of information, I picked out several ideas that would work perfectly for our wedding - and starting on these paper creations now means I have plenty of time to make them. More importantly, I have plenty of time to make them perfect.

The first idea I picked up was a pop-up map. Through a series of folds, an 81/2x11 sheet of paper folds beautifully into a shape that would tuck neatly into the back of an envelope. Opening the map is like opening a treasure map. Our hope is to have a hand-drawn map of the heart of our little city, showing the location of the church and reception locations as well as some other local favorites (the meat market, the historic family-owned theatre, etc.) Not only would the map be beautiful but it would contain an element of whimsy that I believe is absolutely imperative to our wedding. Our friends consider us "The Old Couple," in that we're very anachronistic and we act like we've been married for years. When I think of old couples that are reluctant to move into modern times, I think of my grandparents, and I would argue that they are the very definition of whimsy.

The second idea we fell in love with was that of a self-mailing Save the Date. I love this idea! It's simple and beautiful, and if done right can be chock full of a vintage and whimsical vibe. We would like to use a little less than half of a regular 81/2x11" sheet of thick brown paper as the backing. On the outside, it would fold in thirds with the top fold being shorter and using a cute address label to seal it. As you open it, the top fold segment would read "Save The Date!" The middle section would be blank brown, but we would lay a piece of ivory paper of similar weight and texture to the outside in the middle area that includes the date and our names - this would be the actual Save-The-Date. Our idea is to affix a magnet to the back so our guests have a convenient way of holding onto the information without having to track down a little piece of paper they got in the mail. This would be attached to the brown layer with a piece of yarn or twine - something easy to detach so the mailer could be disposed of but the magnet could remain. The bottom section of the mailer would probably just say something simple like "...details to follow" or one of those typical lines.

I could have saved a lot of time by sending you here. I made this video of the Save the Date for my mom so she could see how it works without having to read all the bulk I just wrote out (:

DIY... Now... Please...

Occasionally the "Hey, I'm engaged!" bug comes biting, and I get the urge to start working on things. I am absolutely infatuated with DIY style and thrift chic when it comes to decor. I'm currently obsessed with letterpress - I would ideally like to press my own invitations for our guests, but I'm not sure it's feasible given the actual time I have available on a daily basis.

It doesn't help that we have so many variables still up in the air for this whole wedding deal. I'm excited to make it a beautiful handcrafted event, but I've really got to get some facts in order first... *Insert heavy-hearted sigh here*

We don't have a set budget - we could spend $15000, or we could spend $5000. But it may play to our favor to get our guest list set in place. Stay tuned...

Two Roads Diverged and I... I Took the One Less Traveled By.

Joe and I have two options presented before us. The first is a very traditional, semi-formal and quite elegant wedding and reception; the second an undeniably unusual setup with an early afternoon ceremony and a very relaxed and casual evening reception.

Let me explain them one-by-one.

The first choice would be to have the ceremony at 3 or 4PM, then head southward to a beautiful reception hall just over the Indiana border. This hall has huge ceilings, in-house catering, terraces aching to be adorned with string lights, and an incredible property for guests to enjoy all night. There would be drinking and dancing, it truly would be a spectacular night. The pitfall to choosing this, for me, is that it is all very traditional and overdone. Also, all the little numbers come together to reveal an ugly truth - this path is about $8,000-$10,000 more than Joe and I really wanted to spend. My parents have made it clear that money really is no object, they're willing to help however much they can, and Joe's family has told us their contribution. However, just because the money is there does not encourage me to go with this option. I would rather spend less on the wedding and have more to put toward a house, a car, or anything that will last more than one day. I was never the girl that daydreamed about her wedding when she was young. I haven't had a dream day in mind since I was small. A lot of girls do, and I really do hope their visions are achieved - not only does it fulfill a great desire for a perfect day, but it gives a sense of accomplishment. Yet, this was never my goal.

The second option is, I'll just put it out there, kind of weird. I've never heard of anyone structuring their wedding day this way, and while I'm sure it will be met with some opposition, I kind of like that it's relatively unique. We would have the ceremony around 2PM, then of course have time for pictures. Then our guests may go enjoy the afternoon with family and friends in our little corner of the state. The reception would start at 7 or 8PM with heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks. The idea here being that we can save a lot of money if there is no sitting dinner, perhaps the guests can eat dinner on their own and come back for the reception and snack and enjoy dessert. The best part of this situation is that the reception could be held at the original location that Joe and I had thought of, and there really is no better fitting place. It is a live performance theatre very near the church where we will hold the ceremony, and it is exactly perfect for us. The theatre is a converted and renovated portion of an old abandoned factory, and the decor and feel of the theatre are perfect for us. It's a little offbeat, a little hippy-dippy, but then again, so are Joe and I. The theatre has built-in theatre-style seating, and there is not much room for tables. To have a full seated dinner reception here would be difficult, not to mention the price starts creeping back up when that is included. It is a strange setup for the day, and as I said, I'm sure it will be met with opposition - many people from our families are traditionalists. It's our day, however, and though this certainly isn't the final word on how we will structure the day, we prefer this second option.

My mom and stepdad are very much in love with the large reception hall with the plated dinner and everything, but it is definitely a borderline formal affair, and Joe and I are not formal people. We prefer the more rural look, more lodgy. We are small-town people after all. However, we have time to think about it, and there are many pieces to factor into the whole day. The right decision will present itself to us.