wedding planning....

I feel like I should blog about the 2 latest trips to Vietnam and Indo, but the only thing that's been on my mind lately is the wedding planning. Everyone keeps asking, "so how's the planning going?" or "Wow, I still can't believe you are planning a wedding 3,000 miles away for a place you've never been". One thing I've realized though, if YOU are not actually planning a wedding at this very moment, you don't really want to know how it's going. I get it. You're just being polite, or you might just want to hear a crazy story or something, but you don't want to help me decide on what color table cloths to use. However, I know and have met several girls who are planning a wedding and it's been great to share some ideas. I've only really been planning for the past 4 months, but I feel like such an expert on wedding planning now. I really think I could do this as a living. Well, just for someone planning a wedding in Sonoma, California from Singapore. I guess you always learn as you go along. There are several things we would do differently if we had to do it all over again. Like, first, get married in Thailand and hire someone to do everything for us. That was the original idea, but I think the controlling teacher side of us and seeing the price that wedding planners are charging these days, made us want to do this on our own. We've got almost everything planned/booked/paid. I have a friend-of-a-friend who lives in Sonoma and I've been in contact with her. I had a million questions for her, but the biggest one, "is it normal to pay $$$ for this/that?" Turns out, NO! Our wedding venue is a place where $100,000 weddings take place....so that's why all these vendors keep quoting ridiculous prices. That was good to know and I left off our venue until they have agreed on a price. My friend, Jamie, has been an amazing help in the this whole process. She's given such good advice. This was the first thing she said to do- make your inspiration board. Browse all the good wedding websites and take screen shots of the pics you like. Drag and drop these onto a Pages doc and see how it all looks together. Thank God for my MacBook Pro.

Inspiration Board- with actual pictures of what we're using- don't worry, the dress isn't the same as mine- sometimes O reads this. :)

Another inspiration board- with the actual pictures of the winery.

There's been lots of wine involved. I either need a big cup of coffee early in the morning while O watches his sports or a big glass of wine in the evening. This is when I was addressing the envelopes or really just licking them. The computer and internet have made this process sooo much easier. How did people get married before the internet?! Just a quick google search helps you find all the answers. For example, I literally googled this "How can I find ties that match the J.Crew spiced wine color scheme for cheaper than the actual J.Crew tie?" Yes, there were SEVERAL forums that were devoted to answering this question. That is insane, but so awesome. We've found a lot of ways to save some money. I found the bridesmaids dresses on Ebay. I found a florist who isn't a "floral designer". Invitations were from ETSY. Found things I can DIY- thank you Martha Stewart Weddings.com. If you are into weddings or even planning your own, here are some of my FAVE websites that have awesome ideas:

http://www.stylemepretty.com

http://www.weddingchicks.com

http://www.oncewed.com

http://www.weddingbee.com

http://www.theknot.com

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com

http://www.etsy.com/category/weddings

http://junebugweddings.com

http://www.herecomestheguide.com

http://thesonomaweddingguide.com

Things that I'm so OVER:

Vintage-themed weddings- geez, I swear if I see another mason jar I'm going to break it.

Checks- why are vendors asking for checks? Who uses checks? We don't even have checking accounts, we have to use a COMPUTER to fill out an ONLINE form and then go to the bank to have them PRINTED. I can't even remember how to fill out a check.

Weddings with ONLY 2 color scheme- I really like when things don't match exactly, but look pretty together. This seems to shock most vendors. No, I don't want baby blue and brown or pink and black or yellow and grey. And p.s. blue and red do NOT look good together unless you're getting married on the 4th of July.

Bridal cleavage- put the twins away, girl! You are not single anymore!

Hair pieces- If you really want to date yourself, put some kind of feather in your hair. I bet you'll regret that in about 5 years looking at those photos.

Tuxedos

Bridesmaids dresses that are all the same- I let my bridesmaids choose their own- they're not twins, so why should they all look the same? Choose what makes you look good. I want y'all to look good to make me look good. Why have ugly, unflattering dresses?

Overpriced DIY items- I love ETSY, but why are people being greedy about something that is so simple to make? Martha Stewart gives you step-by-step directions on her website.

Not having your fee on your website- come on, just tell me how much you charge!! I don't want to waste my time corresponding with you if you're out of my budget.

Here's an example of what this looks like:

Dear Melissa/Owen,

Thank you for your inquiry and my services are available for July 11th. Too go over services/fees, please feel free to contact our office and we can discuss your wedding ceremony in detail.

Warm Regards, Kimberly Thompson

Hi,

We actually live in Singapore and will be traveling to Sonoma for our wedding so the time difference might be a problem for a phone call. We are just looking for a really simple ceremony, nothing more than 20 minutes or so. I'd like something where we say what we love about each other, then the legal vows or whatever needs to be said and that's about it. We will be in Sonoma on July 3 and are going to meet with some of our other vendors at that time. We were just curious about pricing and putting down a deposit if necessary.

Thanks,

Melissa

THEN, we got this about 2 hours later.....

Dear Melissa,

Unfortunately, my services are now booked for July 11th. I would like to refer you back to Here Comes The Guide for their wonderful recommendations.

Best Wishes, Kimberly

Oh really, you were suddenly booked on a WEDNESDAY as soon as I want to know how much you're going to charge....

Trends that are over-done but I still love:

Blue Shoes

Cupcakes instead of cake

Ivory wedding dress

Pearls

Creative photography

Guest Madlibs instead of a Guestbook

Having a photobooth- I don't care that this is so old, photobooths are fun.

Anyways, some parts of the process have been fun i.e. looking at websites for ideas. Some have been boring- i.e. looking at flowers and hair styles. It's weird to think that everything you've been planning for so long is only going to take a day. 88 more days and I can't wait!