Okay, so we keep making what amount to little decisions - at least until we have a venue and a day - but here's a debate that I've heard often in the wedding world.
Should we have an adult only wedding? There are many pros and cons for or against having kids. So when my mom, my wedding planner (:D) called and asked which we were doing, I didn't even call M to discuss.
I can't imagine such an event without the children in our lives. M has two nephews, and through my "Utah family" I have several nieces and nephews, and we adore all of them. And I mean that, to my core. Those kids make me smile, and that's a joy that I can't see having a wedding day without.
I mentioned that we wanted to have ring bearers and a flower girl, and she stated that we could just have those kids, but I can't exclude the rest of the kids.
Later I talked with M about it, and although he played devil's advocated for about 2.5 seconds, he agrees. How could we possibly exclude any of our youngest supporters?
So, kid filled wedding it is!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Cultural Differences...
Ok, so I'm running into a bunch of little things that I thought were wedding planning staples, that people here in Utah have never heard of.
I'm unsure if it's just a cultural difference between CA and UT, or if it's something else.
For instance, favors. No one in Utah has really heard of these. We've decided not to do them, so there's not a lot of problems there, but it surprises me that a place where weddings happen all. the. time. wouldn't have something like this in place. Seriously, no one has heard of them. After hearing them described, FMIL (future-mother-in-law) K tried to convince us we wanted to do them, but I told her our reasons against them, and she acquiesced.
Another difference? Who gets invited to the ceremony/reception. They traditionally invite more people to the reception than the ceremony, and they do a separate meal for each, with the ceremony meal being much higher end than the reception meal. Which might be a product of the "Catholic Gap" that I've read about in the blog-o-sphere. FMIL K was raised Catholic, and M's parents were married in a Catholic church, so this isn't an unreasonable assumption (at least to my mind). However, in my experience, if you go this route you invite more people to the ceremony than the reception, because the ceremony is cheaper, and only those at the reception get a meal. Of course, I'm also used to the two being very close together, where everyone invited attends both, and M and I aren't really planning on having a Catholic ceremony, so the gap won't be an issue. But who knows? This one confuses me a little...
Slightly related to the last one: RSVP cards. No one here seems to do RSVP cards, which seems expensive. Of course, they're also sending their invites only 2 weeks (or less) before the ceremony. However, with this mentality, you don't know how many people you are feeding, and so you have to plan on feeding everyone you invite. Umm, yeah, can you say pricey? What if only half shows? If we have RSVPs then we can tell the caterer that we won't need food for 150, only 90 (or what-have-you). When I talked to M's parents about this, they both looked at me like I'd just had the best idea ever, and told me so, but they had never heard of them to this point.
Like I said, I don't know if I just happened to hit the cultural wall just right, or if some of what I consider expectations are just CA things (I suspect the former, especially since the blog-o-sphere seems to see things my way) but these are some weird things I've come across.
I'm unsure if it's just a cultural difference between CA and UT, or if it's something else.
For instance, favors. No one in Utah has really heard of these. We've decided not to do them, so there's not a lot of problems there, but it surprises me that a place where weddings happen all. the. time. wouldn't have something like this in place. Seriously, no one has heard of them. After hearing them described, FMIL (future-mother-in-law) K tried to convince us we wanted to do them, but I told her our reasons against them, and she acquiesced.
Another difference? Who gets invited to the ceremony/reception. They traditionally invite more people to the reception than the ceremony, and they do a separate meal for each, with the ceremony meal being much higher end than the reception meal. Which might be a product of the "Catholic Gap" that I've read about in the blog-o-sphere. FMIL K was raised Catholic, and M's parents were married in a Catholic church, so this isn't an unreasonable assumption (at least to my mind). However, in my experience, if you go this route you invite more people to the ceremony than the reception, because the ceremony is cheaper, and only those at the reception get a meal. Of course, I'm also used to the two being very close together, where everyone invited attends both, and M and I aren't really planning on having a Catholic ceremony, so the gap won't be an issue. But who knows? This one confuses me a little...
Slightly related to the last one: RSVP cards. No one here seems to do RSVP cards, which seems expensive. Of course, they're also sending their invites only 2 weeks (or less) before the ceremony. However, with this mentality, you don't know how many people you are feeding, and so you have to plan on feeding everyone you invite. Umm, yeah, can you say pricey? What if only half shows? If we have RSVPs then we can tell the caterer that we won't need food for 150, only 90 (or what-have-you). When I talked to M's parents about this, they both looked at me like I'd just had the best idea ever, and told me so, but they had never heard of them to this point.
Like I said, I don't know if I just happened to hit the cultural wall just right, or if some of what I consider expectations are just CA things (I suspect the former, especially since the blog-o-sphere seems to see things my way) but these are some weird things I've come across.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Sweetening Life: The Proposal
Or - How we got engaged.
Sorry about the twin titles thing, but a wedding blog I read dubs recaps with cute titles related to the blogger's avatar. I've always thought it was cute, and since our first initials are M&M (:D) I couldn't resist.
Anyway, I promised the full story, so here it is.
Months and months ago M and I started talking about going up to Park City to see some of the galleries up there. It was something that we found in common when we first started dating, and we always had the "someday" plan of going up there to just wander around for the day.
Sometime in mid-June M asked if I wanted to go up on July 2nd. We both had the day off (his schedule doesn't include traditional weekends) and it seemed like a good time to go. (He sweetened the deal by suggesting some shopping at the outlets up there. :D How could I say no? lol)
I used to facepaint in Park City on the weekends, and still do occasionally, so I suggested we go the 3rd, then we could actually attend the event I had worked so many times, and see all the galleries, and go shopping. Winning all around. M insisted that the 2nd was really the only day, as he had plans for us on Sunday. What plans? I asked. "Don't worry about it." was the response. (He set me up!! I was totally thinking it was going to happen on Sunday!!)
So the morning of the 2nd comes, we meet at his house, and then head to Park City through a gorgeous canyon, stopping anytime there is something interesting on the side of the road. (Yes, we're apparently those people. lol) He's a little quiet, and I ask several times if he's okay. Yep, perfect, awesome, great, etc. etc. I *subtly* check his pockets for small box-like shapes, but there are none. Content in his assurances, and the fact that I know he's doing something the next day, I relax and enjoy the drive. And the shopping. (We ran through that outlet center faster than I would have thought possible, or maybe that's just because it wasn't me and a bunch of other women?) I ended up with a dress, a new pair of jeans (that fit great, a feat since I'm tall) and a shirt, he gets a shirt and a pair of shorts.
We finally pull into Park City in the early afternoon, and start perusing galleries and stores as we come to them. Our motto: Looks interesting? Let's go! :D M seems to have brightened some, he's not so quiet, and so we just wander and enjoy ourselves. (I'm an oblivious chatterbox when the mood strikes, which probably helped immensely.) We had most the galleries to ourselves, so we took our time and examined each piece as if we were famous art critics. Don't pretend you wouldn't.
When we get about halfway down the street, M suddenly wants to cut across and start up the other side. This strikes me as odd, because I know there are galleries farther down, but okay, sure, why not. (See? Oblivious.)
We went into a couple other galleries on that side of the street, and then we went into one where there were a ton of people. A couple of couples and kids, and just people. The only gallery of the day to have people in it. From my perspective, we wandered around. From M's perspective, he very carefully herded me from one section to another, lol, trying to wait until the gallery emptied. (I'm not unconvinced that the curators might have quietly gone around asking people to leave, one family I was talking to left quite abruptly. "OK kids, time to go!")
Now I was allowed to wander freely, although I didn't know it, and I wandered to one of the back walls and around a false wall in the middle, which I never even looked at. I don't know why, but I just spun around it super fast, not even thinking about it. M stood on the side I had missed and called to me, now in almost another part of the store, "Hey babe, these are pretty cool, you should come look at these."
So I wander back there, and as I come around the corner, I catch my name on the wall. My first thought? "Well, that's weird... why would my name be on the wall?" It looked to be in letter form, framed and hung on the wall of the gallery. So I started reading the letter, and about halfway down I see his reflection kneel.
OMG.
Yep. That's my very first well formed thought. So I finished reading, and spun around, and well, here's the video of what happened from there. :D
Proposal Video
Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to embed it properly. :(
So, there it is! :D It still makes me smile/cry.
Sorry about the twin titles thing, but a wedding blog I read dubs recaps with cute titles related to the blogger's avatar. I've always thought it was cute, and since our first initials are M&M (:D) I couldn't resist.
Anyway, I promised the full story, so here it is.
Months and months ago M and I started talking about going up to Park City to see some of the galleries up there. It was something that we found in common when we first started dating, and we always had the "someday" plan of going up there to just wander around for the day.
Sometime in mid-June M asked if I wanted to go up on July 2nd. We both had the day off (his schedule doesn't include traditional weekends) and it seemed like a good time to go. (He sweetened the deal by suggesting some shopping at the outlets up there. :D How could I say no? lol)
I used to facepaint in Park City on the weekends, and still do occasionally, so I suggested we go the 3rd, then we could actually attend the event I had worked so many times, and see all the galleries, and go shopping. Winning all around. M insisted that the 2nd was really the only day, as he had plans for us on Sunday. What plans? I asked. "Don't worry about it." was the response. (He set me up!! I was totally thinking it was going to happen on Sunday!!)
So the morning of the 2nd comes, we meet at his house, and then head to Park City through a gorgeous canyon, stopping anytime there is something interesting on the side of the road. (Yes, we're apparently those people. lol) He's a little quiet, and I ask several times if he's okay. Yep, perfect, awesome, great, etc. etc. I *subtly* check his pockets for small box-like shapes, but there are none. Content in his assurances, and the fact that I know he's doing something the next day, I relax and enjoy the drive. And the shopping. (We ran through that outlet center faster than I would have thought possible, or maybe that's just because it wasn't me and a bunch of other women?) I ended up with a dress, a new pair of jeans (that fit great, a feat since I'm tall) and a shirt, he gets a shirt and a pair of shorts.
We finally pull into Park City in the early afternoon, and start perusing galleries and stores as we come to them. Our motto: Looks interesting? Let's go! :D M seems to have brightened some, he's not so quiet, and so we just wander and enjoy ourselves. (I'm an oblivious chatterbox when the mood strikes, which probably helped immensely.) We had most the galleries to ourselves, so we took our time and examined each piece as if we were famous art critics. Don't pretend you wouldn't.
When we get about halfway down the street, M suddenly wants to cut across and start up the other side. This strikes me as odd, because I know there are galleries farther down, but okay, sure, why not. (See? Oblivious.)
We went into a couple other galleries on that side of the street, and then we went into one where there were a ton of people. A couple of couples and kids, and just people. The only gallery of the day to have people in it. From my perspective, we wandered around. From M's perspective, he very carefully herded me from one section to another, lol, trying to wait until the gallery emptied. (I'm not unconvinced that the curators might have quietly gone around asking people to leave, one family I was talking to left quite abruptly. "OK kids, time to go!")
Now I was allowed to wander freely, although I didn't know it, and I wandered to one of the back walls and around a false wall in the middle, which I never even looked at. I don't know why, but I just spun around it super fast, not even thinking about it. M stood on the side I had missed and called to me, now in almost another part of the store, "Hey babe, these are pretty cool, you should come look at these."
So I wander back there, and as I come around the corner, I catch my name on the wall. My first thought? "Well, that's weird... why would my name be on the wall?" It looked to be in letter form, framed and hung on the wall of the gallery. So I started reading the letter, and about halfway down I see his reflection kneel.
OMG.
Yep. That's my very first well formed thought. So I finished reading, and spun around, and well, here's the video of what happened from there. :D
Proposal Video
Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to embed it properly. :(
So, there it is! :D It still makes me smile/cry.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
I'm ENGAGED!!!
That's right! And you heard it here, ummm, 150th hand. lol (I pulled that number out of thin air, but it could be true. If you are reading it here first then you haven't been on Facebook to see my four or five posts about it. haha)
Part of the reason that it wasn't here first? Well, I had many many many phone calls to make so that my important people didn't hear it from a third party source. (Namely family, don't get upset people I didn't call, I love you too!)
So yes, it's official! It's funny, I knew people would be asking when and where, but my mother started it all 20 minutes after the proposal! Ummmm, yeah, not something we'd really discussed/decided yet. lol (other than the afore-mentioned thoughts)
Details post to follow! (There's a video!!)
Part of the reason that it wasn't here first? Well, I had many many many phone calls to make so that my important people didn't hear it from a third party source. (Namely family, don't get upset people I didn't call, I love you too!)
So yes, it's official! It's funny, I knew people would be asking when and where, but my mother started it all 20 minutes after the proposal! Ummmm, yeah, not something we'd really discussed/decided yet. lol (other than the afore-mentioned thoughts)
Details post to follow! (There's a video!!)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Progress....
So.... the ring is here.
M dropped me off (in the middle of a date, lol) at his parents' house to go pick it up. At first it was "We need to go run some errands for my parents" and then when pressed it turned into "I need to go to the Post Office to pick something up."
M dropped me off (in the middle of a date, lol) at his parents' house to go pick it up. At first it was "We need to go run some errands for my parents" and then when pressed it turned into "I need to go to the Post Office to pick something up."
I know where he ordered it from. It came from New York, more specifically, Grand Island, New York.
The website is here, for those that are interested. I found this a couple months ago when he asked about ring choices, and LOVED the reverse cradle idea.
 |
| My favorite, the Adare. Image from www.raru.com. |
(I'm coming up in the blog world, now I have PICTURES, lol)
Can you see how beautiful it is though? And the though I know it's not a must for some, I really loved the idea that the engagement ring and wedding band worked together. :) The center ring of gold?? That's the wedding band. Cool huh?
Their work is all custom, so I don't know what it looks like, at all. Although I did give him the pages of the ones I liked specifically, (and he had a hard time keeping his design a complete surprise) so I have a general idea.
I also know that we have plans on Sunday that he refuses to share with me, and after picking the ring up he was asking all sorts of questions about my favorite dates, etc, etc.
So... things are happening!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Unintentional Hiatus
Sorry there haven't been any posts of late. Especially after my posting frenzy of the first few weeks. lol (Can that be considered a frenzy?)
There are some posts I'm working on, but some of them really should wait until there is a more definite "yes-this-is-happening" decision. Right now I feel like I'm counting my chickens before they hatch, while simultaneously trying not to make decisions and just take in all the ideas the wedding blog-o-sphere has to offer. Collecting the information so hopefully, when it matters, I can just make the necessary decisions without waffling too much.
Until then, I'm not sure much is going to happen here.
But you never know. ;)
There are some posts I'm working on, but some of them really should wait until there is a more definite "yes-this-is-happening" decision. Right now I feel like I'm counting my chickens before they hatch, while simultaneously trying not to make decisions and just take in all the ideas the wedding blog-o-sphere has to offer. Collecting the information so hopefully, when it matters, I can just make the necessary decisions without waffling too much.
Until then, I'm not sure much is going to happen here.
But you never know. ;)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Think about it...
This post is about wedding dresses... and I can almost guarantee that this post is not what you think...
This is an obsession of mine since one of my mom's very first weddings.
The backside of dresses. More specifically, how women look in the backside of their dress.
I don't mean to be indelicate, but let's face it ladies, people are going to be staring at your rear for a good portion of your ceremony. (Depending on how long it is, type of ceremony, etc. Your experience may vary.)
Years ago, my mother planned a medieval themed wedding for a couple, and the bride was... not skinny. To add insult to injury, her bridesmaids, and her gown consultant, had convinced her that she looked fantastic in a deep purple, crushed velvet gown, with added-on white tulle rouching at the hips. My mother still laughs to this day at my private comment to her, saying that my 15-year-old self really summed it up perfectly...
"That's a dress that looked good on the size 2 mannequin (which I seriously doubt), and nobody told her that it didn't translate that well to a size 24..." :/ (Even at 15, I knew what was going on... )
I wasn't trying to be insulting, but the service was at least an hour to an hour and a half long, and her back was to us most of the time.
Now, this doesn't apply to just plus-sized brides, I certainly mean no insult to those of us with larger physiques. (I myself am considered a plus-size by most modern standards...) I just want to draw attention to the fact that you really need to pay attention to what your dress looks like from behind. Your dress may look FANTASTIC from the front (and if it doesn't why are you wearing it?) but please please please make sure you take a look in the mirror at the back, and that it is truly doing you every favor it can.
This is an obsession of mine since one of my mom's very first weddings.
The backside of dresses. More specifically, how women look in the backside of their dress.
I don't mean to be indelicate, but let's face it ladies, people are going to be staring at your rear for a good portion of your ceremony. (Depending on how long it is, type of ceremony, etc. Your experience may vary.)
Years ago, my mother planned a medieval themed wedding for a couple, and the bride was... not skinny. To add insult to injury, her bridesmaids, and her gown consultant, had convinced her that she looked fantastic in a deep purple, crushed velvet gown, with added-on white tulle rouching at the hips. My mother still laughs to this day at my private comment to her, saying that my 15-year-old self really summed it up perfectly...
"That's a dress that looked good on the size 2 mannequin (which I seriously doubt), and nobody told her that it didn't translate that well to a size 24..." :/ (Even at 15, I knew what was going on... )
I wasn't trying to be insulting, but the service was at least an hour to an hour and a half long, and her back was to us most of the time.
Now, this doesn't apply to just plus-sized brides, I certainly mean no insult to those of us with larger physiques. (I myself am considered a plus-size by most modern standards...) I just want to draw attention to the fact that you really need to pay attention to what your dress looks like from behind. Your dress may look FANTASTIC from the front (and if it doesn't why are you wearing it?) but please please please make sure you take a look in the mirror at the back, and that it is truly doing you every favor it can.
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