the invitations

So as you already read, these little suckers have been giving my emotions a run for their money. I have had my heart set on letterpress for years. I am very much aware of the cost, but the beauty gets me every time.
I love the texture and warmth of the paper, the nod to the past, and the bit of whimsy that this technique holds. Most importantly each one is hand made and you can tell just by looking at it, let alone holding it.  I always imagined sitting with a designer and creating a personalized invitation that would reflect us as a couple and the introduce the feel of our day. The people who create these invites are typically small businesses just like me and I feel it's so important to support them.
This "dream" has gone to the wind now. I gave it a shot, knowing it was a long shot. The timing alone would be a huge factor. No one I contacted could design and make these in the time frame we need. Keep in mind this wedding is over Memorial Day weekend and we did not send out save the dates. We need these invitations out asap. So the custom designed press was out.
Then I moved on to the template style letterpress.  I actually did find a few that would work with our wedding. So now the questions arise........
These invitations tend to be more expensive than the themography style. This is something I could be ok with if the invitations were a personalized creation. Buying them "off the rack" so to say is something else.
Our wedding is lightly formal, mostly indoors, and playfully modern. I feel like all of the pretty and sometimes quirky details, which to me define letterpress and bring the real beauty to the paper, may convey a more casual vibe.  Many of the beautiful floral or natural designs just seem out of place for our event. The styles that lend themselves best with our wedding are the ones with mostly text and only a bit of formal embellishments. So now I am giving up 2 important elements of the letterpress.....one of a kind design and beautiful artwork.
I was left wondering if it is worth the extra money just to have the letterpress. I pondered over this for quite a while but have come to the conclusion that if I can find an interesting looking font and layout in themography I will go with that. I just can't see spending the extra money.
So....one loss due to timing. Hopefully I will find a better substitute just like I did with the bridesmaids dresses so I can move this out of the loss category.
{above images: left column Smith Letterpress I really love the use of the non traditional Arabic elements. Bravo! right column A Day in May Check out the story on the whole design process on how they came up with the beautiful monogram.}

the truth is.....

the past few days have been rough. I definitely have had more than a few breakdowns and have been feeling a lot of regret. Regret of so many things...including the breakdowns. Does every bride go through this? Second guessing the decisions? I guess I just can't help it. It has really only been one thing since I got over the shock of the gown and the speed at which I chose and purchased it. I have been over thinking my venue, to put it lightly. 
I always imagined my wedding to be outside, under a tent or in a barn or something like that. When we got engaged we looked into this type of place and were struggling to find something that met both of our expectations. Then my business took over my life (literally) and the wedding plans were put on hold. We only got back into it in February. I was definitely feeling pressure to do so, which is to be expected being that we got engaged in September and had not one thing planned by mid February.
So off we went one Saturday afternoon with my sister along for the day. How fantastic is she? Giving up an entire day with her hubby and babies to drive around the metro area looking at venues. Not exactly anyone's idea of fun. But she did it and I am so thankful. We looking at four places that day and on the last stop we fell in love. The room was beautiful, different, bright and simple. It had a rustic elegance and a menu we liked. They even have farm behind the restaurant where they grow most of the food they serve at the events. Fresh and local food with a warm modern design.....that's right up my ally. So after speaking with the host we thought this could be the place. At this point we were thinking the wedding would be either in the winter or spring of 2012, typical.....a full year to plan, the way most normal people plan for an event like this. Then she dropped the bomb....she had a cancellation, May 28 just a week over 3 months away. My first thought was no way. I am a rational person and have seen some of my friends and family plan for a wedding, this was nothing I wanted to do in 3 months.
Homeward bound and lots of talk about the venue and options. The 28th date was now on the table, up for discussion. My sis was excited about it and thought it would be a great idea so was my fiance. I was still hesitant, worried. The discussion was brought up to lots of other women and family members who all seemed to be really excited about it. Was everyone onto something here? Was I just letting my worries get the best of me? Could this really be the way to go? Just intense stress in a short amount of time rather than even levels over a longer period of time? Hmmmmmm......
After a few days of thinking it over, the decision was made. YES. Lets go for it. Plan a wedding in 3 short months. Why wait?
So with that being said, you are probably wondering why on earth I now would be freaking out about the venue, seeming that is was perfect when we saw it. Well.......a few days before we saw that place I began looking again at all the magazines and sites searching for some places. I had kinda given up on the tent thing and the barns I was finding in the area were super expensive.  I did however find one place, but when we called the woman who does the events there, she was not available.  We were told she would return our call. She never did. So now I am haunted by the curiosity of that spot. There are things about that place that I really liked! I just can't stop thinking about it. Is this a case of the grass being greener, even though my grass is very green over here. Ugh - I am my own worst enemy!!!!!
Where did this all stem from?? The invitations. How weird. I never in a million years would have thought that the invitations would be the cause of so many emotions, but I think what they are doing is forcing me to think about the overall feel and tone of the wedding and that has brought out all of the craziness. I have to focus and focusing forces you to edit out things that just don't fit. It took a while for me to let go of those things I guess.

dresses, dresses, and still more dresses

Today my sis and I went on a long hunt for the best bridesmaids dress we could find. After spending over an hour trying on close to 25 dresses we found 2 winners. Success on the first try....again, could it be? We thought so, but no such luck. When the owner of the lovely shop asked us the date of the event I thought she was going to cry. This particular designer has a long turnaround time. Even with a rush put on, the dresses would arrive the 27th. NO WAY! Sorry Jenny Yoo everything was perfect except one thing. So onto the next boutique.
Second stop was the place where I bought my gown. I wish I could share at least some of the details about the gown...designer at least, but I just can't. I have a sneaking suspicion that my fiance will be frequent reader of this. One of the three probably. So back to my favorite place, Jaehee Bridal Atelier. The day I bought my gown, my sis and I did a quick run through of the bridesmaids dresses. Being that time is so short, we thought it might be a good idea. Not so. My head was spinning and I could not concentrate on anything but the gown I just bought on not much more than a whim. This being said, we did notice the Amsale collection and took an immediate liking to it. So needless to say, we made a beeline to the rack and grabbed a bunch to try. Of course we had to try some others too. Everyone deserves and chance and I was trying to keep the prices as low as possible for the girls while also keeping the dress pretty and hopefully wearable again. Does every bride say that? So after another 15 dresses we decided to go with the Amsale. The fabrics are light and pretty and the versatility is fantastic. They are pretty, stylish styles and I do think they could wear them again. Well I hope at least. Everything again seemed to be going in the right direction. Until the dreaded calendar came out. This time though, not as bad. These dresses can be here in time, but there is a rush fee. OK. Not totally sold yet, that fee is a killer!
So onto the next store which has a large selection of dresses another 10 or so and still nothing. After stopping into one more place we were both done. Probably my sis more than me. So back to her place to make our final decision.....

there's that car again

Ya know how right after you buy your first new car your exact model and color seem to be everywhere. It's like around each and every turn....there's your car again.

Well the same sort of thing has started for me with this wedding.

Let me start by saying my fiance and I want to reflect as much of our own personalities in the event as possible. Overall the most important thing to us is to have a personal touch felt throughout the entire day. We are planning a few surprises for our guests and there will be a lot of diy going on before hand....luckily we have a kinda large wedding party.....lots of hands to help.
So back to the original thought....Monday my sis and I went to talk with a florist. Together we all came up with some beautiful, creative arrangements. Mostly simple and understated, exactly what I imagined. I also wanted succulents included in arrangements, which I thought was more on the unusual side. Don't get me wrong, at no point did I think I was creating the mona lisa. I was sure it had been done before, but just thought it was rare. Well....I was definitely mistaken. Just a few short hours after our meeting, my sis send me a link to the style me pretty blog and there it was front and center, the latest posting, first photo even....THE bouquet and looking really REALLY gorgeous! She had added in a little more color that we decided on, although my sis did think adding peach was the way to go, but it had all the elements we chose. The soft, textured, grayish greens of the succulents and the papery lightness of ranunculus and peonies. Ahhhhhh.....swoon. I LOVE it! I am so happy with my choice and can not wait to see mine in person.
I should also note that in flipping through a few magazines and now focusing on the flowers I have noticed a succulent or two popping up in other arrangements, but done differently.

Today the hunt is on for the bridesmaids dresses. I have lots of different body types to think about including a pregnant girl so wish me luck :)

overall

The thing about planning a warp speed wedding, is that there is no time to plan each individual element of the day....especially the elements that need to be booked fast ie my gown, bridesmaids dresses, photographer, band, flowers, invitations. I have not had the luxury of flipping through countless magazine or web pages looking for the perfect whatever. I have to just book the appointment and give my self an hour or so to quickly scan those hundreds of pages and find something that grabs my attention. No hemming and hawing allowed. This is not exactly my personality. I am a planner....a thinker. Over analyzing to a fault sometimes.....or some would say most times.
It has been a challenge for me and with certain aspects, downright difficult. I have been feeling a little anxious about the speed at which I picked my gown, but that I will save for another day.
I will admit, being forced to work in this way has showed me there are some positives that come along with it, if only I can figure out how to stop the worrying from happening after the decision is made. I have been thinking it could be ideal, just going with and trusting your gut. I have no choice but to adjust or be a worrying mess, so I will adjust. Now though I am now left wondering if this wedding is bringing on permanent changes in my personality that I never expected to see. Only time will tell :)

3 months

It's still February 28th over here in the northeast and that makes it official....in just three very short months, especially this one, I will be walking down the aisle. When did we make these plans you ask? February 17th. What were you thinking you now may be wondering.....the past week or so I pretty much have been asking myself the same thing. The planning and madness has fully begun and I am beginning to wonder if this is even going to be possible. After all, this is something that takes most people a year to do.
Well just stay in touch and see if it all can be done. It should be fun to follow along in the craziness that I am sure will ensue.
Best of all, my maid of honor, my fantastic sister, is going to be blogging along too. This should be good...two loony tune blogs with two perspectives about one crazy last minute wedding.