i just. don't. get. the barn wedding thing. i don't mean to single out this lovely couple, but it was their photos that finally made me write this post.
PROS OF BARN WEDDINGS:
- inexpensive
- nature
- cute rustic details
CONS OF BARN WEDDINGS:
- dirty
- smelly
- bugs
- you're getting married in a god damn barn
honestly.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
more venue madness!
yesterday we checked out the armory center for the arts. it had some really neat features, like a big engraved 'CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD' above the door, high ceilings, and a weird little 'bunker'-style thing in the floor under glass near the entryway, complete with a robot drinking a bunch of beer, and cool old typewriters and other mechanical things. i didn't get a good photo of that (too much glare) but here are some of the outside as well as the studio space that we would rent:
it's located in the middle of pasadena, just a couple blocks from colorado blvd, which is lovely. across the street there's a park that MIGHT work as a ceremony place, but i wasn't able to walk around it and see. it's also quite close to pasdadena city hall, which is GORGEOUS. so gorgeous, i wouldn't mind a ceremony in their parking lot...a quick, standing-only, unauthorized wedding. then we would escape...to the armory. how cool does that sound.
the price is right - rental of the studio is only $200/hr. plus some extra stuff, as always, but still - not pricey.
i'm also still totally in love with the idea of armory-themed things - save the dates, invitations, menus, etc. that would be soooo cool.
now, on to some problems with it. first, there's no reserved parking. there's a public structure nearly adjacent to it, but it was full when we visited on saturday afternoon, so i'm not sure if it would be helpful.
second, the galleries themselves would be closed unless we pay to keep them open, at various rates. i wouldn't necessarily need them open i suppose - actually this brings me to my next downside:
the art that was featured was TRULY terrible. case in point: a 3d exhibit, of a bunch of ducks in military uniforms, with breasts for eyes, which shoot colored paint at each other through little metal penises. the coup de grâce? one duck, shooting paint INSIDE another duck, from behind. yeesh. 'the absurdity of combat' indeed.
but, if i want a gallery wedding, awful art is kind of a given - galleries with really nice art are probably outside my budget, tbh. plus i need to reserve so far in advance, i won't know what art will be on display.
finally, the studio looks...unfinished. that's something i can talk to the events lady about, though, to see how well we could make it reception-appropriate.
WHEW that was a lot. i really like the armory theme, but i like the eagle rock a bit more i think. of course, these are the only 2 places i've actually seen, sooo...i have some research to do.
it's located in the middle of pasadena, just a couple blocks from colorado blvd, which is lovely. across the street there's a park that MIGHT work as a ceremony place, but i wasn't able to walk around it and see. it's also quite close to pasdadena city hall, which is GORGEOUS. so gorgeous, i wouldn't mind a ceremony in their parking lot...a quick, standing-only, unauthorized wedding. then we would escape...to the armory. how cool does that sound.
the price is right - rental of the studio is only $200/hr. plus some extra stuff, as always, but still - not pricey.
i'm also still totally in love with the idea of armory-themed things - save the dates, invitations, menus, etc. that would be soooo cool.
now, on to some problems with it. first, there's no reserved parking. there's a public structure nearly adjacent to it, but it was full when we visited on saturday afternoon, so i'm not sure if it would be helpful.
second, the galleries themselves would be closed unless we pay to keep them open, at various rates. i wouldn't necessarily need them open i suppose - actually this brings me to my next downside:
the art that was featured was TRULY terrible. case in point: a 3d exhibit, of a bunch of ducks in military uniforms, with breasts for eyes, which shoot colored paint at each other through little metal penises. the coup de grâce? one duck, shooting paint INSIDE another duck, from behind. yeesh. 'the absurdity of combat' indeed.
but, if i want a gallery wedding, awful art is kind of a given - galleries with really nice art are probably outside my budget, tbh. plus i need to reserve so far in advance, i won't know what art will be on display.
finally, the studio looks...unfinished. that's something i can talk to the events lady about, though, to see how well we could make it reception-appropriate.
WHEW that was a lot. i really like the armory theme, but i like the eagle rock a bit more i think. of course, these are the only 2 places i've actually seen, sooo...i have some research to do.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
art galleries as reception venues?
we're checking out the armory this weekend. how cool would a weapons-themed wedding be? i also emailed a bunch of galleries on gallery row downtown, but i think most will be too small.
i find it strange how long it takes people to reply to emails. even in the general workforce (before coming back to school), i would always reply within 24 hours to EVERYTHING - even if it's just to say 'this will take me a few days.' obviously weekends aren't included in that 24 hours. ha.
i've noticed lots of venues - who really want my business! - are hard to get hold of. is it so hard to get a form email with details and rates attached?
i find it strange how long it takes people to reply to emails. even in the general workforce (before coming back to school), i would always reply within 24 hours to EVERYTHING - even if it's just to say 'this will take me a few days.' obviously weekends aren't included in that 24 hours. ha.
i've noticed lots of venues - who really want my business! - are hard to get hold of. is it so hard to get a form email with details and rates attached?
Saturday, February 18, 2012
selecting a wedding party
i had a bitch of a time picking my wedding party. i had this feeling that i needed to pick the BEST POSSIBLE PEOPLE for the job, people i had known a long time (which is very few), people i thought were just exactly the 'right' people from my life (whatever that means). i've since realized that that was silly and misguided. i totally changed my attitude about it and just expanded to include a lot of the people closest to me - 6 on my side, 5 on the fiance's. almost all of these people are my closest friends, including his side.
one person may be removed from my side eventually. it's an uncomfortable situation. we had sort of been drifting apart when i got engaged, but i still considered her one of my closest friends. in the 6 intervening months, i've made serious efforts to see her and talk to her, but i haven't seen much in return, and although it's great when we see each other, i'm not sure i can rely on her to be a bm. then again, i love her, even if we're no longer as close as i'd like, and the last thing i want to do is make her feel like shit by taking her out of the wedding party. it's also a very...political decision. and i hate personal politics.
the fiance recently decided to remove a groomsman because he expressed some bigoted thoughts on facebook. i think it was the right choice. my bm doesn't share any offensive opinions like the groomsman did. really, she's great. she just hasn't been a good friend to me for about the past year (we've been friends for about 3). is that enough? since we've never really fought or spent time apart like this before, it feels like a permanent separation. telling her she's out would definitely be a 'permanent' move though, and a harsh one.
i've been thinking about it a lot lately. i would love your thoughts!
one person may be removed from my side eventually. it's an uncomfortable situation. we had sort of been drifting apart when i got engaged, but i still considered her one of my closest friends. in the 6 intervening months, i've made serious efforts to see her and talk to her, but i haven't seen much in return, and although it's great when we see each other, i'm not sure i can rely on her to be a bm. then again, i love her, even if we're no longer as close as i'd like, and the last thing i want to do is make her feel like shit by taking her out of the wedding party. it's also a very...political decision. and i hate personal politics.
the fiance recently decided to remove a groomsman because he expressed some bigoted thoughts on facebook. i think it was the right choice. my bm doesn't share any offensive opinions like the groomsman did. really, she's great. she just hasn't been a good friend to me for about the past year (we've been friends for about 3). is that enough? since we've never really fought or spent time apart like this before, it feels like a permanent separation. telling her she's out would definitely be a 'permanent' move though, and a harsh one.
i've been thinking about it a lot lately. i would love your thoughts!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
'wedsites'
i think it's weird that people say 'wedsites.' is 'wedding sites' really too long?
they seem like a pretty practical idea. i've been meaning to set one up for a while, but since i don't have a venue, i don't really have a set 'style' yet. and i think the wedding site should reflect the style of the wedding.
i found some neat templates on mywedding.com, which i found through offbeat bride. most have links to vistaprint and minted to make your own matching invitations, save the dates, etc. some of them are pretty cute. i'm not sure if they'll be high quality, though. etsy has some pretty cute invitations as well, but they tend to be more expensive. and they aren't designed to exactly match the wedding site templates i was looking at, either.
how important are cool invitations? and save the dates? i was thinking of doing a cute photo postcard for the save the dates. the fiancee and me doing something important to us, like drinking wine or high-fiving. or posing with a sign that says 'save the date!' in front of our (yet undecided) venue. wouldn't that be cute? and informative.
back to the topic at hand. what kind of stuff goes on wedding sites? i've only seen one (i know, right?! INVITE ME TO SOCAL WEDDINGS PLEASE), and it had a really cute 'our story' section. it didn't seem cheesy or out of place at all, but do others find that kind of thing...too much? we don't have any engagement photos to share. i was thinking of getting them once we find a photographer for the wedding. which i haven't made any progress toward doing. le sigh!
is there even a point to setting up such a site until we have more information, like ceremony/reception sites, a set date (lol), etc?
they seem like a pretty practical idea. i've been meaning to set one up for a while, but since i don't have a venue, i don't really have a set 'style' yet. and i think the wedding site should reflect the style of the wedding.
i found some neat templates on mywedding.com, which i found through offbeat bride. most have links to vistaprint and minted to make your own matching invitations, save the dates, etc. some of them are pretty cute. i'm not sure if they'll be high quality, though. etsy has some pretty cute invitations as well, but they tend to be more expensive. and they aren't designed to exactly match the wedding site templates i was looking at, either.
how important are cool invitations? and save the dates? i was thinking of doing a cute photo postcard for the save the dates. the fiancee and me doing something important to us, like drinking wine or high-fiving. or posing with a sign that says 'save the date!' in front of our (yet undecided) venue. wouldn't that be cute? and informative.
back to the topic at hand. what kind of stuff goes on wedding sites? i've only seen one (i know, right?! INVITE ME TO SOCAL WEDDINGS PLEASE), and it had a really cute 'our story' section. it didn't seem cheesy or out of place at all, but do others find that kind of thing...too much? we don't have any engagement photos to share. i was thinking of getting them once we find a photographer for the wedding. which i haven't made any progress toward doing. le sigh!
is there even a point to setting up such a site until we have more information, like ceremony/reception sites, a set date (lol), etc?
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
cheap (knockoff?) dresses
how do you feel about sites like madeinchina.com? they make extremely, EXTREMELY cheap dresses. for example:
this thing is beautiful, obviously. although i don't recognize the dress, the photos look professional, which makes me think they weren't done by this seller. what are the odds they're just replicating this design, which they found elsewhere? the chinese are REALLY good at knockoffs.
there's some line in fashion between finding inspiration and stealing. it's not 'stealing' to make a one-strap, knotted, ruched dress with sweet buttons down the back after seeing this one. but, is it stealing to try to make EXACTLY the same dress? i don't mean legally. there are some fashion laws, but they're hard to interpret and enforce. the true question is whether it's morally ok, not legally ok. if you don't often think about that distinction, you should!
consumers are sort of stuck in the middle of it. we're faced with a serious choice - drop a couple grand on a dress, or spend $150 or less on one of these (and another couple hundred in alterations most likely). a cheap one won't be as high quality, and may not last long. but it really only needs to last one night.
what do you think?
 |
| madeinchina.com |
this thing is beautiful, obviously. although i don't recognize the dress, the photos look professional, which makes me think they weren't done by this seller. what are the odds they're just replicating this design, which they found elsewhere? the chinese are REALLY good at knockoffs.
there's some line in fashion between finding inspiration and stealing. it's not 'stealing' to make a one-strap, knotted, ruched dress with sweet buttons down the back after seeing this one. but, is it stealing to try to make EXACTLY the same dress? i don't mean legally. there are some fashion laws, but they're hard to interpret and enforce. the true question is whether it's morally ok, not legally ok. if you don't often think about that distinction, you should!
consumers are sort of stuck in the middle of it. we're faced with a serious choice - drop a couple grand on a dress, or spend $150 or less on one of these (and another couple hundred in alterations most likely). a cheap one won't be as high quality, and may not last long. but it really only needs to last one night.
what do you think?
Monday, February 13, 2012
colLAboration contest!
local brides, if you haven't been to a colLAboration event, you're missing out. there's a ton of awesome beer, a great atmosphere and some really cool people.
i was excited to see this on broke-ass bride today: {Win This} Listen Up, L.A. Beer Lovers! Win A Ticket To ColLAboration’s “Winterfest” & FREE BEER
everyone should enter, and even if you don't win, GO TO COLLABORATION!
i was excited to see this on broke-ass bride today: {Win This} Listen Up, L.A. Beer Lovers! Win A Ticket To ColLAboration’s “Winterfest” & FREE BEER
everyone should enter, and even if you don't win, GO TO COLLABORATION!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
debt, and appreciation
have you ever seen the episode of how i met your mother in which lily reveals that she has thousands of dollars in credit card debt? i saw it recently and it really got me thinking, about the things i'm really grateful for that aren't as obvious as 'he always knows what to say when i'm sad' and 'he always does the dishes.'
i grew up without a lot of money, but because my mom's credit was so bad, she never used credit cards (funny story: she used to make up random social security numbers to put on apartment applications and hope they just came up unassigned). i got my first credit card when i turned 18, and i've used credit responsibly ever since (i'm 25 now). i'm not exactly sure where i learned money management - certainly not at home. i remember reading articles about how to save and what was good/bad for credit. who knows why such things intensely interested me back then, but i'm certainly thankful now.
but, not everyone stayed up late reading personal finance blogs when they were teenagers (i swear i did fun stuff too). i know SO many people that have struggled with debt already. so i know how fortunate i am that my fiance is also debt-free.
we already combined our finances (after all, we split nearly all expenses anyway). i remember right when we were doing so, he owed me about $60 for...something or other. that was my only objection to combining. 'but...that $60...?' ha. now i don't think of cash as mine or his. it's really helped me cut down on spending, since i think 'do WE really need this?' instead of 'do I really need this?'
i grew up without a lot of money, but because my mom's credit was so bad, she never used credit cards (funny story: she used to make up random social security numbers to put on apartment applications and hope they just came up unassigned). i got my first credit card when i turned 18, and i've used credit responsibly ever since (i'm 25 now). i'm not exactly sure where i learned money management - certainly not at home. i remember reading articles about how to save and what was good/bad for credit. who knows why such things intensely interested me back then, but i'm certainly thankful now.
but, not everyone stayed up late reading personal finance blogs when they were teenagers (i swear i did fun stuff too). i know SO many people that have struggled with debt already. so i know how fortunate i am that my fiance is also debt-free.
we already combined our finances (after all, we split nearly all expenses anyway). i remember right when we were doing so, he owed me about $60 for...something or other. that was my only objection to combining. 'but...that $60...?' ha. now i don't think of cash as mine or his. it's really helped me cut down on spending, since i think 'do WE really need this?' instead of 'do I really need this?'
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
diy wedding hair??
this post over at broke-ass bride left me mouth-agape. it's possible to do your OWN hair like that?
it led me to youtube 'diy wedding hair,' and boy have i chanced upon a treasure trove. check out this one (ignore the makeup part in the middle, which isn't my style at all):
isn't that amazing? she goes so fast! and makes it look so easy! i had assumed that i'd pay someone or have a talented friend do my hair, since most days i don't even comb it (i swear i don't look like a hobo, it just kinda...goes somewhere ok).
the style in this particular video doesn't really mesh with mine. which is part of the problem. i checked around youtube for a while and didn't find one that really spoke to me. my hair will be relatively short by wedding standards, about shoulder length. which sadly means no cascading curls.
so how do i find youtube videos that could actually work for me?!
it led me to youtube 'diy wedding hair,' and boy have i chanced upon a treasure trove. check out this one (ignore the makeup part in the middle, which isn't my style at all):
isn't that amazing? she goes so fast! and makes it look so easy! i had assumed that i'd pay someone or have a talented friend do my hair, since most days i don't even comb it (i swear i don't look like a hobo, it just kinda...goes somewhere ok).
the style in this particular video doesn't really mesh with mine. which is part of the problem. i checked around youtube for a while and didn't find one that really spoke to me. my hair will be relatively short by wedding standards, about shoulder length. which sadly means no cascading curls.
so how do i find youtube videos that could actually work for me?!
Monday, February 6, 2012
stagnation
sometimes wedding planning is just too much to add to an already long day.
progress can be slow.
how do people do it?
progress can be slow.
how do people do it?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
insane dress at snippit & ink
wowee wow wow. can you believe the dress on this bombshell?
featured as part of a lovely wedding at http://www.snippetandink.com/photo-features/real-weddings/diy-portland-garden-wedding/.
i love how i feel like i know something about her personality just from seeing it. that's definitely what i want others think when they see my dress.
why do i have so many dress posts when there are so many other things to do?!
 |
Temperley London: http://www.temperleylondon.com/ |
featured as part of a lovely wedding at http://www.snippetandink.com/photo-features/real-weddings/diy-portland-garden-wedding/.
i love how i feel like i know something about her personality just from seeing it. that's definitely what i want others think when they see my dress.
why do i have so many dress posts when there are so many other things to do?!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
which 'dress style' fits you?
i saw this over at martha stewart weddings: wedding dresses by style
the linked one is 'glamorous.' i think that is closest to the style i'm seeking. classic is good too. i mostly love the buttons going all the way down, SO GOOD.
what's yours?
the linked one is 'glamorous.' i think that is closest to the style i'm seeking. classic is good too. i mostly love the buttons going all the way down, SO GOOD.
what's yours?
Friday, February 3, 2012
how essential are pro flowers?
my #1 goal for my wedding is to have fun. so i'm torn on day-of or day-before tasks that could detract from that.
professional flowers are just absurdly expensive. can i really justify spending more on flowers than on renting the entire venue?! this place: http://www.bloomsbythebox.com/ seems really neat. order your flowers, they arrive that day (or the day before), put together your own bouquet and centerpieces and BAM. you just saved like a grand. maybe. i have no idea how much it would save actually.
i know my bms would be happy to help with that stuff. but i'd have to make sure we had the same ideas on how they should look. and, i want THEM to have lots of stress-free fun at my wedding too.
a lot of weddings have a cool diy/natural vibe with lots of little 'off' details that all just sort of work, so that 'imperfect' flowers look just right. but that isn't the look i'm going for with my wedding. i'm definitely going for more of an 'elegant' look...with some quirky details.
would arrangements we put together be passable? or is it necessary to get a pro to do them?
professional flowers are just absurdly expensive. can i really justify spending more on flowers than on renting the entire venue?! this place: http://www.bloomsbythebox.com/ seems really neat. order your flowers, they arrive that day (or the day before), put together your own bouquet and centerpieces and BAM. you just saved like a grand. maybe. i have no idea how much it would save actually.
i know my bms would be happy to help with that stuff. but i'd have to make sure we had the same ideas on how they should look. and, i want THEM to have lots of stress-free fun at my wedding too.
a lot of weddings have a cool diy/natural vibe with lots of little 'off' details that all just sort of work, so that 'imperfect' flowers look just right. but that isn't the look i'm going for with my wedding. i'm definitely going for more of an 'elegant' look...with some quirky details.
would arrangements we put together be passable? or is it necessary to get a pro to do them?
more venue madness
a wonderful girl from my toastmasters club (gotta promote toasties!) gave me her venue spreadsheet! it had a lot of the venues i'd checked out, plus some cool new ones that i plan to look into now. and a bunch of gorgeous ones that are like $8000 and up.
there are a TON of lovely places which are affordable that come with their own catering. it's making me reconsider the byo requirement. but the only way to know if their food is good enough/creative enough is to try it, and i just don't have time or cash to try that many places!
i'm looking at this place now: http://www.northranchcenter.com/index.htm. it has some nice photos, but looks kinda...ehhh. it doesn't help that their website is straight out of 1997.
in the next few weeks i'm doing some more traveling (:D / D:), which means no site visits. hopefully the last weekend in feb i can see at least 2 more places.
there are a TON of lovely places which are affordable that come with their own catering. it's making me reconsider the byo requirement. but the only way to know if their food is good enough/creative enough is to try it, and i just don't have time or cash to try that many places!
i'm looking at this place now: http://www.northranchcenter.com/index.htm. it has some nice photos, but looks kinda...ehhh. it doesn't help that their website is straight out of 1997.
in the next few weeks i'm doing some more traveling (:D / D:), which means no site visits. hopefully the last weekend in feb i can see at least 2 more places.
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