Signing Off

Ok, so obviously I am the worst blogger in the history of blogs.

This seemed like the best idea when I first got engaged.  I was spending hours a day looking at all things wedding.  I had such grand plans to neatly compile everything here in a charming, entertaining way.  It so totally did not happen.

About half way through the engagement, I got completely sick of looking at photos of other people’s perfect weddings; dreading the inevitable imperfection of my own.  I thought wedding blogs were the solution to the over-the-top, completely unattainable image bridal magazines promote, but in fact, it was quite the opposite for me.  I was way more jealous about some fabulous hipster bride’s DIY save-the-dates than I was about a designer wedding dress I could never afford.  I stopped reading blogs (with the sole exception of the lovely and real Cupcake Wedding) and stopped writing my own.  Instead, I focused on planning my wedding without the influence of way-too-pretty pictures and way-too-perfect projects.

So here I am, about two weeks away from the big day.  I randomly checked good old Whoa Wedding to see that I still had a decent number of people dropping in here, and even a few comments to keep it up.  I figured I should at least explain myself.

In conclusion (unless I become overwhelmed with the desire to post recaps), here are all of the location details that I strangely never revealed.  I hope they might be helpful to some other budget-minded Boston bride.

Rehearsal/Welcome Party (night before): private event room at Tavern in the Square, Central Square
Ceremony: MIT Chapel (mid-century awesomeness pictured above)
Lunch Reception (family only): Oleana
Party that night (friends only): Gallery 263

The decision to split our celebration into two separate events was a big one, and I hope everyone understands.  It saved us GOBS of money, which was a very important factor.

So far we’ve spent just under $7000, and when all is said and done, I hope we’ll be under $15,000.  That includes all four events listed above.  My original budget of $10,000 was only for the ceremony/lunch reception, so I can deal with this.

If I’m ambitious, I’ll tell you how it all goes.

| photo from Viejito’s Flickr |

Color Collages

** As always, please excuse my crap photography **

I have always been crazy about the little color cards brides make for their bridesmaids.  Any excuse to craft something lovely out of paper and I’m there.  Sadly, I didn’t think this project was necessary for my wedding since my sister is my only bridesmaid and she’s choosing her own dress.  But, as my DIY list continues to grow, I’ve slowly started to enlist the help of my mom and sister (MOH) on a variety of projects.  I live far from home and have made most wedding decisions – like the final color palette – independently, so it turns out these little color guides were appropriate for my wedding afterall!  Now my gracious helpers are up to speed.

I sealed the color swatches (yellow, blue, ivory, and two shades of gray) in a little vellum envelope and attached it to a card that showcases other wedding details (vintage book pages, vintage buttons, Etsy calligraphy, and my lovely leaf-shape hole punch).

So happy I found an excuse to make these!

Attention Boston Brides!

Pearl Art in Central Square is going out of business and everything in the store is 75% off!  While hoards of people are scrambling to grab the last of the fancy paint brushes, stationary and craft supplies remained plentiful as of this morning.  I’ve already made two trips and scored bulletin boards for our escort cards, enough Scotch tape to last me until I’m 50 years old, handfuls of really nice pens and markers, and my favorite, three different shape punchers.  And who knew Pearl Art had an aisle devoted to wedding stuff?!  There are tons of bubbles, bells, and other kitschy lovliness up for grabs… if you’re into that sort of thing, which I am.

Go now!  But be prepared to stand in the check-out line for up to an hour.

|photo from wayneandwax|

A Fabulous Proposal…

…ending with a lovely ring.  Read the whole story.

|image from joelkimmel via design*sponge|

A Courthouse Wedding

Fellow Boston wedding blogger Abby of Peaches by Plums recently posted photos of her super sweet courthouse wedding.  She and her husband tied the knot in Pennsylvania and will have a larger celebration in Ireland later this year.  I love small weddings, and I love love love courthouse weddings.

These are a few of my favorite pictures — check out the rest here.  Abby uses Poladroid to give her images this neat effect.

| all images from Peaches by Plums |

I’m Back (I think)

Ok.  At some point in October I lost all interest in wedding planning.  We had hit the 8-month mark in our engagement, most of our major vendors were settled, and I grew tired of wedding blogs – including my own.  But this past weekend I was terrified to discover we are less than 160 days away from the big event!  I’m completely overwhelmed by my impossibly long to-do list.  How did I ignore it for so long?

I’m just going to dip my toes in today.  I’ll start out nice and slow with a lovely bouquet featured on Saipua’s gorgeous new website.  I’m hoping to begin my florist meetings next week and I would love to find someone with this natural, loose style.

You may recall I originally had every intention of doing my own flowers on a grocery-store-budget.  This idea has been thrown out the window.  Hard.  I don’t have much money set aside for this, but I only need a handful of corsages and boutonnieres, one bridesmaid’s bouquet, and my bouquet.  Knowing I will not be on the floor surrounded by Trader Joe’s blossoms and floral wire the night before my wedding is worth it.  So worth it.

Anyone know of a Saipua-esque florist in Boston?

Pop Quiz

A PhD student recently contacted me about inviting my readers to participate in a survey for engaged couples.  Mind you, I know this is a little unusual, but I took the survey myself and found it to be quite enlightening/provocative/definitely worth my time.  It is full of important questions we should all be asking ourselves and our partners as we prepare to be married.

Please contact Cristina directly if you’d like to participate.  She introduces the project below:

Engaged volunteers needed!

I am looking for volunteers for a study of attitudes towards marriage and parenthood among engaged couples.  The study consists of a 25-30 minute online survey. To qualify for the study, you must be 20-35 years old, live in the U.S., and plan to marry or have a commitment ceremony within the next 365 days. You and your romantic partner must not have children, and this must be the first marriage for both of you.

You can:

-Help a doctoral candidate;

-Increase the pool of scientific knowledge;

-Support research on marriage and families; and

-Spend some time thinking about your relationship!

I am working with Dr. Charlotte J. Patterson, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia.  This study has been approved by the University of Virginia Institutional Review Board #2009025800.

If you and/or your romantic partner are interested in participating or want further information, please email me at survey.couples@gmail.com.  I will send you a link that you can use to access the study.

Thanks!

Cristina Reitz-Krueger

Doctoral Student

University of Virginia

(434) 243-8558

survey.couples@gmail.com

Seasons

I was a little late getting the Fall 2009 Martha Stewart Weddings, but I am so in love!

As a June bride, I find wedding magazines a little tricky because most the the issues I will read in preparation for my big day feature seasons I am not getting married in.  I guess the key is to take the ideas and images I’m drooling over and reinterpret them into my own summer-y versions.  I’m already looking into various craft punches to recreate the cupcake picks above, and I am determined to use a version of that lovely gold centerpiece (perhaps in a different color) somewhere in my wedding decor.

But alas, I’m not sure how to work in acorns.  How adorable are these?!  Detailed instructions to make your own are here.

| All images from Martha Stewart Weddings |

Engagement Photos

Last week, on a perfect fall day, my beloved and I got all dolled up and hit the historic streets of Boston for our engagement photos.  The lovely Lisa Rigby calmed our nerves and made the afternoon fun and natural.  I still can’t believe the results.  See more on Lisa’s blog – which totally made me blush!

Save the Dates revealed!

Despite my lackluster photography, I am thrilled to show off our handmade save-the-dates!

The cards – which have already been mistaken as store bought! – were a total collaboration.  We sat in front of the computer for a couple hours before getting them just right.  The project also forced us to pin down our final color scheme – dusty blue, yellow, and gray.  (I would absolutely recommend stationary design as an essential exercise for all couples about to tie the knot.)  And! — When all was said and done, the pre-postage cards/envelopes came in at only 60 cents a piece!

Compare our file to our inspiration below…