Invitation Wording

I don't know if anyone else has trouble with the wording of their invitations, but I sure am. Dan and I aren't formal people, and neither will our wedding be overly formal, so a formally worded, fancy calligraphy, uptight wedding invitation is not our style. Would make us feel, like I said there, uptight. I don't think that when I see other people's formal invitations, but that's the way it feels when I try to relay it to us. But how do you word a casual wedding invitation??

Paper and More has solved this problem for me. They have tons of sample wording for absolutely every style one may be looking for. They certainly have helped me out and here I post my praise to them and I hope to help out someone else needed wording ideas.

My Mood: Impressed

Asian Flair

I found an ad in the back jumbled mess of one of my bridal magazines for Asian Ideas.com. I'd posted previously the idea for an aisle marked by paper lanterns. I've also seen pictures where the couple used the lanterns for many aspects of decor. But, of course, anywhere I've seen to buy them around home here have been quite expensive. The cheapest I found was $11.89 plus taxes for the lantern alone, no lighting or anything of the sort included. So far I don't want the lighting, but that seemed like a lot for just the round paper lantern. So I looked at Asian Ideas, not with all that much hope... but sure enough they have great deals on the lanterns, especially when ordering multiples. I wanted orange for down the aisle, but I also wanted white and blue for hanging decor around the reception. I found 10 inch diameter seemed to be the right size for me, but they offer a 10 to 42 inch diameter, although I don't seem to find that the maximum 42 inch diameter is available in all colors.

I found that my white 10" diameter lanterns are:
$1.70 each, 6 for $9.90, 12 for $12.00, or 24 for $21.60


The colored lanterns in a 10" diameter are:
$1.95 each, 6 for $11.40, or 24 for $42.00
Here are my choices for possible colors for our wedding. There are more shades of oranges and blues, and every other colors and shades that a person may be looking for. I did find in all my research that Asian Ideas did seem to have a much better color selection. Note: For anyone interested in lighted lanterns, they do offer the lighting kits in many different variations.


My Orange Options

My Blue Options

Other sites I researched:
Japanese Wedding Favors
Paper Lantern Store

My Mood: Tired

Color: Orange & Blue Wedding Details

Upon searching through the real weddings ideas on the knot, I found many cute ideas for orange and blue wedding decor. Here are my favorites:







My Mood: Bored

Programs or Fans: Both

These are the programs I was first looking into. Something simple, but can easily be made to fit with our wedding style.



For our time of the year and the possibility of extremely warm weather, we both have decided that we like the idea of making our wedding programs into fans. Which style, I don't yet know, but here are our front runners:

Eyelet Spreading Fans:

I think these are pretty and certainly wouldn't take up much space when not opened. They seem rather formal looking to me, but I suppose that could be turned down a bit. Aylee Bits has a great tutorial and free template download for this style.

Fans on Sticks:

I saw this style first and I still think it is my favorite, might fit our pretty casual wedding more than the last set. I've seen these in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, etc., etc. I think I prefer the rectangular, but with rounded corners rather than the sharp squared.

I've found the craft sticks almost everywhere. Although the most common are pretty well just popsicle sticks, I have found many wider ones meant to be fan handles.

My Mood: Energetic

Arrgghh!!

I snap... I lose it... I come unglued. Uppercut, Ninja kick, FLURRY!!! How's that? Is that "Wedding Stress" enough for yah? And ever since I've been the Champ...

Grr! Stress!!

I have been terribly stressed out lately regarding the wedding. I'm outnumbered and under the worst scrutiny of my life. My mother has no concerns, my mother in law to be has every concern with everything I have to say about the wedding, and Dan has no input, just "whatever you want Dear".

I wanted an outdoor wedding on the golf course, but you aren't supposed to put chairs on the golf course... well, some 190 year old aunts that no one knows and I don't know why they're on the guest list can't stand that long... Okay, fine! No golf course, even though that's what I really really wanted, we'll go outdoor somewhere else... well, we can't go outdoors because some people have outdoor allergies (probably the 240 year old aunts that no one knows again).

Early fall wedding - so far no objections... the exact day? Well you know that's so and so and the other so and so's birthdays that day right??? No I didn't know. Nor do I really care. I guess everyone will be together for their birthdays for once.

Wedding dresses!! Oh Lord please no... don't make me do it...

You don't really like that style of dress do you? How do you really know you'll like that style? Not that all the dresses you've flagged are all along the same idea... Not that all the dresses in your closet are that same type of styles... You can wear my dress, not your mother's, which you weren't going to wear anyway, that your mother didn't bother to ask because she just knew you'd want your own dress from this era, in this day and ages styles, No... you can wear mine from 1970 something that some aunt made for me, that is not that badly yellowed, that was made for the time we got married, and made especially to my size, which is not nor would ever be the same size you need, but it can be taken in a bit for the sizing... and the yellowing, well we'll have it dry cleaned and maybe it'll look more ivory than yellow after that...
Oh!! Now I've changed my mind... my sister was married in the early 90's... and you've never met her, nor have you ever seen her dress, but I bet she still has it, we could ask her... she's closer to your size, it won't have to be taken in as much... (Note: I have met her now, just a couple weekends ago, and I still don't want to wear her dress)

Wedding dresses have to be formal... the bride has to be formal... yes, even at an informal wedding... are you definitely going to wear white? No? Yes, some brides don't look good in white, they look much better in an ivory or off white so they don't look so pale... What do you mean maybe blue, orange, or black... a bride can't wear those colors... How will anyone know you're the bride??...
No I guess being escorted down the aisle by your father, being handed to the groom, and saying "I Do" won't give it away... or the fact that you won't wear the same color as your bridesmaids... or have the same bouquet... or that they'll be up at the front before you... or that the music changes... you must just be one very late bridesmaid that is slightly confused about who is getting married today...

Short dresses? What do you mean a short dress?? Just below the knee??? Yes, that would look good for the bridesmaids, be good for the time of the year... What do you mean you are thinking about wearing a short dress?... You can't wear a short dress... the bride must be formal dressed.

Oh Oh Oh!!! Wedding Colors... what colors do you want?? Maybe a nice blue and pink... Or white and black... Or let's pull out all the stops and go with blue and silver!!
..... What was that again? .....
..... Orange and blue? .....
..... Oh that will look horrible, why don't you pick something else? Something a little more wedding like.....

I never ever ever thought I'd get so much grief for trying to be me and pick the wedding that we want. Every detail that I pick is just not good enough, or there is some reason why it isn't proper or just shouldn't be done. And for every detail I have that is rejected, I get 2 other "ideas" that I just HAVE to do. Like for instance:
1 - Ask his cousin to sing at the wedding... well, I want a short and sweet wedding, readings and toasts can be done at a later time, so no one is standing too long on the golf course, yes, where you can't put chairs... There is no time for anyone to sing, nor do either of us want anyone to sing... and it's like strangling a cat in a full bathtub of ice water every time we hear her sing any other time, and so neither us of want her to sing at the wedding, but apparently, we HAVE to.
2 - Dance our first dance to the song that his mother and father danced to at their wedding. Because I guess we can't pick out a decent song that would mean anything more to us than "Bridge Over Troubled Water", and just because it was their song.

I have realized that no one has told me this shocking news... but my parents have apparently died and no one told me this... or they have disappeared off the side of the planet and are no longer having any importance in our wedding. I first realized this when I was told that I am to go shopping for my wedding dress with my mother in law to be, whether I like it or not. The exact words were "whether I want to or not, she doesn't care, that's the way it'll be". I realized at that moment that my mother, who gave birth to only but one baby girl, had died as far as my mother in laws wedding planning ideas go.

But I realize that she only had 2 boys, no little girls, and his brother has self proclaimed that he will never marry, so thus far I am her only hope at a daughter, but she seems to be ignorant. whether purposefully or not, to the fact that I have my own mother, my own family, and my own ideas and wishes.

And I thought Dan would be my biggest fight.

My Mood: Depressed and Frustrated

Personality Test

ESTJ - "Administrator". Much in touch with the external environment. Very responsible. Pillar of strength. 8.7% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

ESTJ:
* organized, group oriented, focused, conventional, leader, emotionally stable, anal, attention seeking, planner, realistic, fearless, responsible, finisher, decisive, norm following, respects authority, punctual, hard working, stiff, self confident, thinks rules and regulations are important, follows the rules, clean, outgoing, social, content, does not like being alone, normal, regular, does not like weird or strange people / things - intolerant of differences, strict, disciplined, aggressive, assertive, content, happy, proper, formal, strict with self, meticulous, strong sense of purpose
Favored Careers:
* executive, ceo, supervisor, business consultant, manager, strategist, financial planner, business person, office manager, public relations manager, international business specialist, business analyst, management consultant, operations manager, loan officer, lawyer, marketing, sports management, government employee, investment banker

Disfavored Careers:
* poet, artist, songwriter, musician, novelist, art therapist, theatre teacher, art curator, film editor, video game designer, photo journalist, travel writer, actor, record store owner, camera operator, art historian, music teacher

My Mood: Bored

Good Weekend

Wow. What a great weekend. The sun was out and the wind wasn't bad. We had a pretty good day on Saturday, we went out to visit Dan's parents and hang out with his brother for the day. We all had supper out there and then we watched the UFC 70 on Spike TV. Wow! Did anyone see that kick coming??

Sunday though... oh what a great day yesterday. We went out for a late brunch with another couple friends of ours. We had a very good visit and made arrangements to head to their place in the evening. We headed out to the driving range with another golfing friend of ours shortly after brunch to swing the clubs for the first time of the season. After the driving range for some absurd reason we thought it would be a good idea to hit the par 3, but we all made out better than we'd originally expected for the first round of the year.

Then we stopped in at home quick, only to find that Jeremy and Ash had already tried to call a couple times. We discovered that they wanted to barbecue up some supper and expected us to come right down. They made up some fantastic steak kabobs and we all had a couple drinks. They own one of those new Nintendo Wii Gaming Machines, and we all gave the Wii Sports a good try. Of course, now both Dan and I want one. We called it a night pretty late, but it was a greatly relaxing day.

My Mood: Relaxed

Wedding Cakes

Mmmm... Cake... Anyway...
On my stumbles I discovered many many cake related sites. Here are my favorites, broken down into categories.

Celestial:




Classic & Simple:


Cityscapes:


Flowers:


Words / Lyrics:


Stripes:


Feathers: