tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36700220963188484822024-02-18T21:06:09.230-08:00One Awesome Midwest WeddingCC + JM = 4 eva.cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-33889143401918947662011-01-11T17:15:00.001-08:002011-01-11T17:16:58.026-08:00We're Married!To use Offbeat Bride lingo, our "wedding porn" is on the way...<div><br /></div>cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-26285144114795877722010-09-02T14:36:00.000-07:002010-09-02T15:13:21.408-07:00What I Have Accomplished Since Last Friday<ul><li>Finalized the food menu - It's super yummy, and now we just need to figure out the booze!</li><li>Did a reception location run-through with JCakes and our parents</li><li>Created a test centerpiece - and did lots of research on where to find moss on the cheap (Thank you <a href="http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/moss-centerpiecetable-runner">WeddingBees</a>!) and liter-size mason jars.<br /></li><li>Met with our new <a href="http://thesimpledj.com/">DJ</a></li><li>Met with a possible <a href="http://michaelangelosevents.com/">flower vendor</a></li><li>Finally tracked down the Fun Zone guy for a photobooth quote</li><li>Emailed our photographer for follow up</li><li>Researched wedding rings</li><li>Researched wedding shoes</li><li>Picked wedding fabrics for dress with designer</li><li>Helped my mom pick out a dress for the wedding</li><li>Helped JCakes locate enough ties for all the guys and himself</li><li>Found an invite designer, went through three rounds of edits in no time flat (Monday-today) and have them ready to go out to the printers today! MAD PROPS to Megan at <a href="http://www.silhouetteblue.com/">Silhouette Blue</a>!</li><li>Went through 10 pages of forum suggestions on Indie Bride's Kvetch "Vows" forum thread and narrowed our ceremony readings down to 30 - now to choose three!<br /></li><li>Shopped and purchased honeymoon clothes & under-stuffs</li><li>Emailed a possible hairdresser/makeup lady - Suzy please email me!</li><li>Coordinated with the bridesmaids on Bachelorette Party #1 and #2</li><li>Researched flower girl dresses</li><li>Researched bridesmaid gifts</li><li>Researched DIY non-denominational wedding ceremony scripts</li><li>Bought some reception decorations</li><li>Looked for wedding hairpiece DIY stuff - Sadly, all three craft stores left me coming up empty-handed</li><li>Looked into wedding hairstyles</li><li>Looked into making my own birdcage veil</li><li>Booked the honeymoon!</li></ul>This was all in addition to the normal work-week, chores stuff too and it doesn't include the help I've gotten from family and friends. It may be lame to write it all out, but I'm feeling pretty good about the headway here.<br /><br />Still, there's so much to do though that I am actually having nightmares.<br /><br />I wish I had a coordinator for the timing on all this. I know I can do a ROS on my own, but it just helps to know there is someone out there thinking it out.<br /><br />Anyways...cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-76373564165825675012010-08-17T21:21:00.000-07:002010-08-17T21:26:04.828-07:00Official Guest Website Is Up!Hey folks,<br /><br />If you are reading this as a Save-the-Date card-carrying, official guest of our wedding, please email me for a link and password to our official wedding website for guests only. Site is a work in progress, but as of now, it does include key information about booking hotels, directions and other fun stuff.<br /><br />Also, if you are still looking into hotel accommodations, you may want to hit me up sooner than later. The Notre Dame homegame situation is making it increasingly difficult to find a room on the cheap and we have a few rooms blocked, but not a ton.<br /><br />Just want to make sure everyone has a place to stay and doesn't have to camp outside Johnny's parent's house ;)<br /><br />xoxo,<br />Candace & Johnnycc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-69473978769057347142010-07-30T10:25:00.000-07:002010-07-30T12:44:11.659-07:00Keeping it Woodsy, No Matter What<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElRj4Swk_Kwo1Pwl4TElf4weFhOJ3zHt4Ae9j70AlR-ktG79Y5i9ys5ESh_36-0b_n_KbFXYje0XmtyQCYylVPgAKXVpxWhdF3Um2MB9IHUIrY6f-no1e9nL_ZmV8AMmbdxhOffUzgtZG/s1600/il_430xN.159428173.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></u></span></div>Man, I have been the <i>worst</i> about keeping up with the blog posts, but I'm happy to report that this crazy-planning train in back on track, and BIG thanks too all the lovelies who've stumbled across my blog and shown a little love by way of comments or re-tweets.<div><br /></div><div>This week's goal was to accomplish at least two wedding-related tasks and I'm happy to report that I actually did three. Hoping to maybe even round out a few more as soon as JCakes is off work and can meet me at <a href="http://www.knockboxcafe.com/"><b>Knockbox Cafe</b></a> (by the way, Knockbox is Humboldt Park/Logan Square-local, wi-fi ready and has incredibly friendly people working there). </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyways, the wedding is something like seventy days away, so no time like the present and with all the crazy that's been going on, figuring out centerpieces have sort of been wayyyy down on the priority list. Largely because I've been having some trouble figuring out how we are going to make the new wedding location fit with our theme:<div><br /></div><div>Theme: Woodsy, whimsical, nature-lovin'</div><div>Old Location: Humboldt Park</div><div>New Location: Knollwood Country Club in Granger, IN.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Note:</b> We're not hating on Knollwood. While it's true that there's nothing about me or Johnny that really screams country club; the location is great, the coordinator is very professional, the chef flexible and the space is big enough to handle our big ol' guest list.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyways, my aunt has been gracious enough to help out with centerpieces and lean some of her keen decor skills to our reception space, so I should probably knock something out idea-wise since we'll have to come up with enough to cover 25+ tables. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Idea #1</b>: Manzanita branches</div><div>Originally, I had some pretty kick-ass plans involving Manzanita branches, moss, wooden boxes, fabric fall leaves and ever-popular tea-lights. Sort of like these (Photo Source: The Knot)...</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicf5FJXJiqBFBxKgow2txBRrYiqacyP70z2nx0ifGqR-hzbsWvEQqNEN2_oS7BYw2Yjc9YUl1wP02dhhQY_g7lJCKXqvAWaRkNYbtc1bg8mHttQ43Uxr6abVoHc8TzVVA0uRpo-gVDbrcZ/s1600/large_image-1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicf5FJXJiqBFBxKgow2txBRrYiqacyP70z2nx0ifGqR-hzbsWvEQqNEN2_oS7BYw2Yjc9YUl1wP02dhhQY_g7lJCKXqvAWaRkNYbtc1bg8mHttQ43Uxr6abVoHc8TzVVA0uRpo-gVDbrcZ/s400/large_image-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499765456996591106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicf5FJXJiqBFBxKgow2txBRrYiqacyP70z2nx0ifGqR-hzbsWvEQqNEN2_oS7BYw2Yjc9YUl1wP02dhhQY_g7lJCKXqvAWaRkNYbtc1bg8mHttQ43Uxr6abVoHc8TzVVA0uRpo-gVDbrcZ/s1600/large_image-1.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://media.theknot.com/ImageStage/Objects/0003/0038111/large_image.jpg"><img src="http://media.theknot.com/ImageStage/Objects/0003/0038111/large_image.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>...but turns out Manzanita branches are pretty <a href="http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=manzanita+branches+%24&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=qg5TTJzQFs6LnQfuuPSCAw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQrQQwAA">pricey</a>. Wedding idea, expensive? Go figure.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seems a little crazy to pay that much for branches, with so many readily available and ripe for the pickup outside, so we thought about going a different route...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Idea #2:</b> Hurricane-jar-filled with acorns + tea-lights. </div><div>Turns out, there has been a <a href="http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/37065024.html">shortage of acorns</a> for the last two years. Even if we could locate enough to fill all those jars, I couldn't bear the thought of stealing food from squirrels and the other little guys who rely on acorns as a food source.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, my friend Laura Rupp, event planner at <a href="http://chicago.classicpartyrentals.com/">Classic Party Rentals</a> and all around bad-ass, found a couple cool ones and shared them with me today...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKGzZ7mXcQ-W9D2S15hXlNwLg9AgcABZAS3juTKHS34goIyF1uAn3WJBc8fOoWQ4jSzC6IqkYhSjY091g35VuCGCkQOVOGkqqLLnpsPAb9tm04uZ86QtljCU1XeTAK_maUnZ1gWUiKUCO/s400/log+centerpiece+wedding+ideas1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499769213271227506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 292px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;">[Photo Source: Totally Tabletops/The Invisible Hostess - http://totallytabletops.blogspot.com/2009/05/thursday-thievery-jill-thomas.html]</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This one I had actually started playing around with on my own. You can score a wood burning tool and the smoothed out wood slices at Jo-Ann's on the cheap (or free wood slices if you know anyone cutting down a dead tree). Alternatively, if you fear the wood burner part of this craft you can pick it up online from Etsy seller BraggingBags: </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckpfF7AU31cZdNSSaLJCAMgG8qm6uwFvfX7SWDqmTaLlkrhFVpAWX6grJUJvcPw0J-yoq8D-Dy2I2emUdWqEkRetqRsTkiJrwjQhm4rdBHu2iwe8w1diavb08yxijsYrb5XwgtQbJspyD/s400/il_430xN.157286172.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499769289697155682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">[Photo Source: Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/listing/51190049/personalized-wood-tree-slice-wedding?ref=sr_list_8&ga_search_query=wood+centerpieces&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page&order&includes]</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Kinda liked the idea of poppin' a few tea lights and planting these guys around the reception space...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QUNYygf1SYKC7hWgXtuUBj2u9fH4-IiWSzPjRvEdVsPjcgHNWpY6LKg9xfDEY7E-k0YlmGaCdSxrP4hrKaHI5zsxaADV2ARXALKkZwiqbAiy95vnLffif1sAtLM6C426PvPsplJ4MwGZ/s400/il_430xN.161116058.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499769356659548482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">[Photo Source: Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/listing/52334132/19-birch-bark-tubescandle-sleevesvase?ref=sr_list_10&ga_search_query=wood+centerpieces&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=2&order&includes]</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And then adding a few carved ones here and there...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElRj4Swk_Kwo1Pwl4TElf4weFhOJ3zHt4Ae9j70AlR-ktG79Y5i9ys5ESh_36-0b_n_KbFXYje0XmtyQCYylVPgAKXVpxWhdF3Um2MB9IHUIrY6f-no1e9nL_ZmV8AMmbdxhOffUzgtZG/s1600/il_430xN.159428173.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElRj4Swk_Kwo1Pwl4TElf4weFhOJ3zHt4Ae9j70AlR-ktG79Y5i9ys5ESh_36-0b_n_KbFXYje0XmtyQCYylVPgAKXVpxWhdF3Um2MB9IHUIrY6f-no1e9nL_ZmV8AMmbdxhOffUzgtZG/s400/il_430xN.159428173.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499769425134351410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">[Photo Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/51829528/set-of-3-personized-birch-bark-vases?ref=sr_list_39&ga_search_query=wood+centerpieces&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=3&order&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>What do you think? Too much wood? Is that even possible?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-73295271642281987212010-07-01T13:53:00.000-07:002010-07-01T13:54:46.345-07:00100 Days Away!Um, I haven't been a really good blogger lately, but I have been kicking ass with bartending and my daytime freelance work.<br /><br />There will be more posts. I just have to get a few minutes to make it happen!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-34265717433953390712010-04-26T08:03:00.000-07:002010-04-26T08:40:25.671-07:00Postage Hell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NMhE6irozrOv5L4FPiJY7Ki4y9Rcpu1H56Geo5jLHq_CqLlqLku-1UYZJ_PEO_Jyl7KgXccZ1bMDW_QCkZCAdvzacsHwNuIkPHSqUlBdm8htm4Z1BkXuTHMGlCdQAoDaREbTbvP4OAiH/s1600/0001WE.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NMhE6irozrOv5L4FPiJY7Ki4y9Rcpu1H56Geo5jLHq_CqLlqLku-1UYZJ_PEO_Jyl7KgXccZ1bMDW_QCkZCAdvzacsHwNuIkPHSqUlBdm8htm4Z1BkXuTHMGlCdQAoDaREbTbvP4OAiH/s400/0001WE.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464470835292284994" border="0" /></a><br />A little note about STD's.<br /><br />If you are planning on going the ever-popular postcard route the way we did, opt for a 4x6 card size or less and avoid the 5x7. We failed to think that through before ordering from OverNightPrints.com and ran into a little problem...<br /><br />4x6 in. (or less) = $.28 per card.<br />5x7 in. = $.44 per card.<br /><br />Might not seem like that big of a deal at first, but then multiple that number times 200+ and you've got yourself a big fat extra expense for no good reason.<br /><br /><br />In an effort to see the silver lining, I think this was meant to be a little lesson before the big invite mail out. Our original idea was pretty kick-ass: Since October, we've been collecting old paper towel tubes from family and friends. The plan was, we would make our own mini silkscreen 10x16 in. poster prints and use the paper towel tubes as mailers. To reinforce the tubes, we were working with our designer friends on making a tag board overlay that would look like birchtree bark, complete with the return and mailing addresses having a "carved out" effect. To seal 'em, we were going to buy some tube ends from Uline at bulk, and then create a sticker to look like the inside rings of a tree when you saw it, and have that sticker cover each end. Once completed, it would look like a little branch and fit really nicely with the whole outdoorsy-whimsical feel we were trying to go for.<br /><br />Apparently no creative effort comes with some sort of aftershock. After some estimated calculations on the USPS web site, it appears our idea would really run us up on shipping costs. We could try UPS, but it's still gonna be up there. Not sure this is going to pan out how we hoped and it looks like we're going to have to figure something else out.<br /><br />To all our friends and family, regulars at work and perfect strangers who have been helping us collect paper towels tubes: Thank you so much for thinking of us and sorry we won't be able to use them. I promise we will do our best to find a creative use for some of them and recycle the rest.<br /><br />Back to the drawing board.cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-62647132379762908082010-04-01T11:32:00.000-07:002010-04-01T11:48:44.048-07:00Australia, some day I will see you, I promise.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35ODsWKg5Z2D5XAXTijtPk-Nqx-4a5LB8kGpobyyiwtTfT8ivqV6aQ_uon4YfwUIwp6LmHv2u8qcJ4Cln21HJ5iJ1y5-37ohC7Yton9fpy3w4lZNttDxTAYr1q-XlBCtKq0wa4-3SnDXd/s1600/great_barrier_reef_queensland_australia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35ODsWKg5Z2D5XAXTijtPk-Nqx-4a5LB8kGpobyyiwtTfT8ivqV6aQ_uon4YfwUIwp6LmHv2u8qcJ4Cln21HJ5iJ1y5-37ohC7Yton9fpy3w4lZNttDxTAYr1q-XlBCtKq0wa4-3SnDXd/s400/great_barrier_reef_queensland_australia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455239658083669250" border="0" /></a><br />Le sigh.<br /><br /><br />Where to go on our honeymoon had such a simple answer back when we just got engaged (doesn't every part of wedding planning). Whilst daydreaming, we forgot to factor in those tiny details...<br /><br />a.) Australia will cost a crapload and b.) it will take a lot of time up just with travel.<br /><br />Reality really does bite sometimes.<br /><br />Anyways, in our quest for alternatives, we've been considering the following locations:<br /><br />Hawaii<br />Spain/Portugal<br />The Greek Isles<br />Costa Rica<br /><br />Obviously, this is not as cheap as staying local, but we haven't had a proper vacation in two years and we both really, really need one. I did some research and to par it down for travel junkies like ourselves, the suggestion is to consider what kind of honeymooners you'll be and match it with location. Simple enough, although we would be down for tons of different kinds of adventures, I suppose we'll be pretty beat and ready for some fun and relaxation. We talked it out and basically, here's what we're looking for:<br /><br /><ul><li>Very warm to hot weather</li><li>Beaches and those drinks with the little straw umbrellas</li><li>A swim-up room (that was my idea, I also thought that was so cool and to me it equals total big-shot status)</li><li>Lots of options for surfing, boating, fishing, hang-gliding, hiking, swimming, etc. </li><li>Maybe a tour or two of the area</li><li>A hotel with a nice spa so we can get massages and stuff<br /></li><li>Not crazy expensive</li><li>Not somewhere during hurricane season</li></ul>We contemplated cashing in the idea of big, luxurious honeymoon suites for extra time somewhere and backpacking, but I think after all this figuring out logistics will be kind of annoying. Besides, I don't know when we'll take a trip like this again.<br /><br />Suggestions and links to hotel and vacation web sites are very, very welcomed! Let me know what you got, people!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-47233633636818217972010-03-31T09:21:00.001-07:002010-03-31T14:58:57.857-07:00STD's and Indiana (haha, I know)With 192 days to go, the wedding is basically 6 months away we have decided to make one tiny, <span style="font-style: italic;">little</span> change... <span style="font-weight: bold;">the wedding is now officially going to be held in Southbend, Indiana</span>.<br /><br />It's just that, with everything going so smoothly we thought, "hey, let's change that." Chicago wasn't enough of a challenge!<br /><br />In all seriousness, the big determining factors were the following:<br /><ul><li>With over 250 guests, finding a caterer for less than $9K (estimated before tax and without) booze wasn't seeming as though it would be likely to happen. I have some great recommendations if you're realistic about how much you intend to spend. Email me for deets.<br /></li><li>October 9th is marathon weekend in Chicago. Hotel rooms are around $300 and up.</li><li>With one of the highest sales taxes, adding that to every bill was beginning to add up.</li><li>This will make it easier and hopefully less expensive for all the guests. For Ohio peeps, the drive was cut from 6 to 4 hours. For Chicago peeps, there's a direct train and it's not too much of a drive if you have a car or a friend willing to make the trek in their car (we're also working on getting a friends and family pickup system in place for non-car owners) and for Indiana there's no commute.<br /></li><li>We can (hopefully!) have the "backyard"/low-key wedding style we've been dreaming up without trying to replicate it for a lot more money in Chicago.<br /></li></ul>The plan is to scope out the venue in question next week. Until then, we're still in the land of TBD which is honestly pretty unnerving at this stage in the game.<br /><br /><br />On a much brighter note, JCakes and I were able to collaborate on a very sweet little midwest-centric save-the-date design. There was some changing since the back was supposed to have an Illinois outline, (I am now really appreciating the fact that I did not call this blog something other than "awesome <span style="font-weight: bold;">MIDWEST</span> wedding," with the location changes and all) but ultimately, we both love it. Here's a preview...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunqA9MX_V6jrZWfji5ZMIYhzRMO4SbuppBrcIpn4LfVw8DTSaCxYBXSjO11ydcK1ZLIFhGytLa6z18S3f-g7cOBkJUNIzfW-gH_IdPGO_ZuokSYkRF0wz6jWod-P9crqIZS2pd4l_xmOf/s1600/postcard+front.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunqA9MX_V6jrZWfji5ZMIYhzRMO4SbuppBrcIpn4LfVw8DTSaCxYBXSjO11ydcK1ZLIFhGytLa6z18S3f-g7cOBkJUNIzfW-gH_IdPGO_ZuokSYkRF0wz6jWod-P9crqIZS2pd4l_xmOf/s400/postcard+front.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454914577439932546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJQf5NheoKPed5byhnl4NAOfiK8uszeVSPFly8QYPr4ILU5R4vBrYUhO3qNHqaZSS2OxQvhmXS0bvDuOIDCCTRzcxtShryjzLFD7EnWxqLTgPSPkweUAsUK_n3UJz0kbsjZHsf44AOU1h/s1600/postcard+back.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJQf5NheoKPed5byhnl4NAOfiK8uszeVSPFly8QYPr4ILU5R4vBrYUhO3qNHqaZSS2OxQvhmXS0bvDuOIDCCTRzcxtShryjzLFD7EnWxqLTgPSPkweUAsUK_n3UJz0kbsjZHsf44AOU1h/s400/postcard+back.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454915324001748930" border="0" /></a> It's not at all stuffy, it makes sense for us and it's just the right amount of cute. Pretty awesome.<br /><br />Our good friend Christyl Uhan did the final editing and sent it out for printing through <a href="http://www.overnightprints.com/">www.overnightprints.com</a> (My friend Rachel over at <a href="http://www.raycon10210.com/">10.02.10 ties the knot</a> can vouch, it's the way to go if you're going DIY) and Christyl was also able to score us a discount on the printing costs. The only downside on the site is that you jump from ordering 100 to 250 and the next up is 500. Not too hard to work around if you have a lot of people living in the same household. For us, 100 was just a little too shy of enough to cut the mustard. Honestly, I'm just glad we got them out. We should be receiving them in the next week and then it's just a matter of getting them all out to our nearest and dearest and on to the next task.<br /><br />Whew! I'll be so relieved when we finally this stuff locked down.<br /><br /><br /><br />P.S. If you were hoping to snag October 9th at Humboldt Park, hit me up. We're sad to see it go because it has a crapload of potential.cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-62667813716286858182010-03-18T13:56:00.000-07:002010-03-18T12:04:06.696-07:00West Coast Food EnvyFor the last few JCakes and I have been working on how to crack the catering issue. It's be said (and read) in every bit of wedding budget advice -be it blog, book, glossy or otherwise - that you can expect to spend anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of your estimated wedding budget on food, drink, service and rentals alone.<br /><br />Fair enough, when you consider that<span style="font-style: italic;"> is </span>pretty much the bulk of big day spending. However, despite our efforts to cut back wherever we could and with an uncompromisable guest list at this point (fixed at 268 and more likely to rise than drop) the catering proposals we've found have been around the 9K mark. Kind of a lot when your entire budget is 15K and the figure suggested doesn't include the alcohol.<br /><br />That said, we've been trying to wrap our brains around how to skirt the issue without going so DIY that we're overwhelmed come the day of the wedding.<br /><br />If I lived in Portland, Oregon or somewhere in California I know exactly how I would solve this issue - Food Trucks!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9Q53dHeOkGRVB_Ua2NHLzvl_i7GrbfF_jrdRlu5t_oq4mFMv_Fjq2i-6JM2EiDJLudzjq5bWAyMs-AB2ChYrrnZpWC82-8vg5CZDVTmsex7DfIvHRK7IeBhBZYbaO1gko66K5o2hT7cC/s1600-h/food+truck+two.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9Q53dHeOkGRVB_Ua2NHLzvl_i7GrbfF_jrdRlu5t_oq4mFMv_Fjq2i-6JM2EiDJLudzjq5bWAyMs-AB2ChYrrnZpWC82-8vg5CZDVTmsex7DfIvHRK7IeBhBZYbaO1gko66K5o2hT7cC/s400/food+truck+two.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450047089872880546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joits/4138605733/</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxTL8f2PMYjIeHFPfSqzMZuOUei2vxB5kSb8Dtrp_qf0pIQBauDPN7RFdss4Mcr5YuISdgs9cRptSJTLHVkAx71TJxsqyKLaoqfhyphenhyphenly0ywISwhnRF77Snn5VaVJpLl9Lbfa0rxDCThSIW/s1600-h/food+truck.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxTL8f2PMYjIeHFPfSqzMZuOUei2vxB5kSb8Dtrp_qf0pIQBauDPN7RFdss4Mcr5YuISdgs9cRptSJTLHVkAx71TJxsqyKLaoqfhyphenhyphenly0ywISwhnRF77Snn5VaVJpLl9Lbfa0rxDCThSIW/s400/food+truck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450046774545557554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kendrak/3761253108/</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span>Not so affectionately referred to as "roach coaches" by some party-poopers and ill-informed individuals, the food truck has come a long way from solely slingin' late-night pizza and ice cream trucks, (at least, in places where Daley isn't the mayor - oh snap, I said it!)<br /><br />Tasty, kitschy and cheap, trucks boasting meals on the move have been popping up and creating a following for the last few years. Toting everything from truffle french fries to creative curry concotions, living in a food truck-friendly environment would definitely solve some troubles and add a more interesting take on "something new" for weddings.<br /><br /><a href="http://http//www.msawesome.com/blog/?p=613">MsAwesome.com</a> had the right idea with the taco truck.<br /><br />GreenWeddingShoes has a slew of food truck-friendly couples. But <a href="http://http//www.greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/2009/06/wedding-reception-via-twitter.html">this one</a> in particular struck a note with us.<br /><br />If only Chicago and the rest of the Midwest could get on board!<br /><br />I did a little digging, and managed to actually find a few food truck listings beyond the ones I usually see parked in Humboldt, among these finds - <a href="http://http//www.yelp.com/biz/three-js-restaurant-chicago">Three J's Catering</a> and <a href="http://http//www.yelp.com/biz/the-pasta-bowl-chicago">The Pasta Bowl</a>. Having never tried either place, I decided to call to at least get a sense of what would be the deal. Never did reach anyone from Three J's to answer my questions, but the guy from Pasta Bowl was really helpful if you're considering this option and the food comes to being something insanely affordable like $9 person. (Please note: The pricing depends on whether or not you're having guests approach the cart for self-service or having Pasta Bowl set up a buffet. There is no option to have it fully catered, but you're crafty you could figure something out).<br /><br />And, if you'd go for the food truck feel, but not necessarily the food, Honest Foods catering has a food truck and is happy to cook on-site, with a tailored customized menu.<br /><br />If you're into the idea but would rather keep things traditional for the reception dinner, there are also a slew of food truck fans who are using truck as a quirky way to <a href="http://http//wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-reception-planning/articles/top-10-wedding-reception-food-trends.aspx?MsdVisit=1">include the increasingly popular</a> "late night eats." Basically, the truck is hired to provide greasy or sugary goodness as a surprise snack for guests later in the evening. Think ice cream, tacos, pizza and more.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pqTnKNzcBN60puxV3tBpweb1_-hZQBnxlHC2vq_v9iv0flZtZqUR-PeqeJVXTq-zJ7RwQCLvb0rra0aBp7xYS6Nv4vpdcdOZTsBbLC9dkcM_koaF0oecw10SnFa5KmYwneQBvhyphenhyphenRZRFV/s1600-h/food+truck+food.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pqTnKNzcBN60puxV3tBpweb1_-hZQBnxlHC2vq_v9iv0flZtZqUR-PeqeJVXTq-zJ7RwQCLvb0rra0aBp7xYS6Nv4vpdcdOZTsBbLC9dkcM_koaF0oecw10SnFa5KmYwneQBvhyphenhyphenRZRFV/s400/food+truck+food.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450047595028870370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Veggie Taco Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/h-bomb/3716031697/</span><br /><br /></div><br />So jealous of the West Coast right now.cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-68168333141297401572010-03-01T13:13:00.000-08:002010-03-01T14:26:19.532-08:00Congrats!Yesterday I spent the day out with JCakes, Jenny and Ali and came home to a care package of homemade bread on my doorstep. All tied up in a ribbon, I knew it had to be from Jenna & Jason, (we're the kind of building neighbors that actually like to hangout and share a few drinks from time to time), so I went up to thank them. Jenna's mom was visiting, so I got a chance to meet her and was told this funny story...<br /><br />Jenna & Jason, newly engaged, were thinking about possibly holding their ceremony/reception in Humboldt Park, and without knowing we're neighbors, Jenna's mom had sent our blog address along as a helpful link to Jenna.<br /><br />It may sound silly, but I found it really nice to know that other people may find this blog to be helpful. I started writing about all of this wedding business as a way to keep our ideas in order and our friends and family in the loop. I had hoped that maybe other people might find some useful link here or there or get some ideas, but it was really nice to hear about it firsthand.<br /><br />It got me thinking about all of the wonderful people I know who are currently working on their own wedding plans for this year, and though it's been said, Congratulations and Best Wishes again to:<br /><br />Jenna and Jason<br />Lisa and Joe<br />Rachel and Conor<br />Eileen and Brandon<br />Kaye and Chris<br />Amy and James<br />Brenda and Steve<br />Jen and Nathan<br />Aaron and Meghan<br />Stephanie and Jeff<br />Emily and Rachel<br /><br />...and to anyone we missed and any readers.<br /><br />If you've got some killer ideas or advice on what not to do, feel free to pass it on, and good luck with all your planning!<br /><br />Annnnd, if you just got married or have friends who have had recent midwest weddings, lemme know. I'd love to feature them on the blog for a little real deal inspiration.<br /><br />Best Wishes!<br />Can and JCakescc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-57267948728896400672010-02-25T12:08:00.000-08:002010-02-25T13:55:12.077-08:00Day 226: Photography<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghnK0zD1aV2-I9ajwunOk5XeDcv3LcFXhn0GytZum1XzEosVN6bydaghaC4GsdkAXjaZtvhGrzuPQexP92aZlXv84zEoEvR_Zbw4N_iL5tjDx-9kbt_YSrd4F6DznBerRqfAv_U3P2VId/s1600-h/alix+5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghnK0zD1aV2-I9ajwunOk5XeDcv3LcFXhn0GytZum1XzEosVN6bydaghaC4GsdkAXjaZtvhGrzuPQexP92aZlXv84zEoEvR_Zbw4N_iL5tjDx-9kbt_YSrd4F6DznBerRqfAv_U3P2VId/s400/alix+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442295319964127218" border="0" /></a><br />Did I mention we're back at Humboldt Park for both the ceremony and reception? Yep. We changed it back. After a few visits we realized Logan Square Auditorium was not going to be the right choice for us. Luckily, after a painfully long wait, we were finally able to sign on for Humboldt Park for the ceremony and reception. It was all very exciting.<br /><br />Since then, I've been working on flower ideas, searching for a DJ, talking with different vendors about catering, and the list goes on and on...<br /><br />Anyways, I am proud to say we have another official contract - our photographer, <a href="http://www.alixklingenberg.com/#portfolio/022.jpg">Alix Klingenberg</a>!<br /><br />According to everything I have read about wedding planning - be it blog, book or otherwise - they all seem to recommend that couples determine the most important detail to splurge on before diving into the details. For some people, blowing it all on the day-of threads is absolutely fine, for others it's food. For us, it's photography.<br /><br />From a soon-to-be-wed couple standpoint, we're spending the most money we will probably ever spend for one single event (technically, there's also the honeymoon). Long after the dress and suit are dry-cleaned, the cake is cut and the hangovers have worn off, we'll still have our photos to hang-on to. With all of the hard work that's going into setting up all the details, having the right person to capture the moment seems more than crucial.<br /><br />So for us, it's really important for our photographer fit the following criteria:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Live local. </span><br />It supports our city and cuts down on additional travel costs.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Know all the fun editing tricks.</span><br />Filters can go along way in making the most of a photo and all those editing tricks are what can make a sunny outdoor ceremony look like a wedding straight out of the '60s. As huge fans of vintage prints and artsy photography, we wanted to make sure our photographer could make it our shots look more "vintage romantic" and less "senior portrait day."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Have wedding experience.</span><br />It's great to know how to make things look pretty, but finding a photography with wedding experience is important. Even though we know we want to have more than a few not-so traditional photo poses, we also know we'll want a few the family will appreciate and having someone who knows how to shoot both with patience and creativity is crucial.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Be affordable.</span><br />It kind of goes without saying that finding someone to work with our budget is important, but figuring out what's reasonable can be tricky. Photography can run a couple anywhere from free, with a close friend doing the shots to $10K and up, for the crazies and rich people. This post on <a href="http://www.costhelper.com/cost/wedding/wedding-phographer.html">CostHelper.com</a> gives a good starting off point if you're just diving into planning and not sure what to expect. (Added Bonus: The comments bitching back and forth can give you further insight on the great value debate if you wanna kill some time).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Share copyrights.</span><br />Kind-of a must these days with all the digital photography. This way you can print, share and pretty much do what you want with your images.<br /><br /><br />All of those important components considered, Alix is definitely the perfect photographer fit for us. When we met with her in person, she was flexible enough to meet at <a href="http://www.newwavecoffee.com/">New Wave Coffee</a> (nice little coffee shop in our hood), she was super friendly and very professional. She patiently sat through all of our many, many questions and with one look at her Web site, it's easy to see she can master a range of shots. From adding artsy touches to engagement sessions to really capturing reception detail shots (stuff couples may labor over but might otherwise go unnoticed by guests), she does it all and she does it very well.<br /><br />I first came across her work while doing some PR work and stumbling across the infamous Taco Bell wedding. I loved the shots, and I loved the quirky couple that stuck with what felt perfect for them even if it was unusual by other people's standards. They came out looking really lovely and smart and I think Alix had a lot to do with that. Here's hoping she can do the same for us (may have her work cut out for her there :)<br /><br />Here are a few of my favorites from her site, but there's a lot more if you wanna check it out:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVo-unzfUAgCpZVSjGHW_j4YWlRiAjs11MYtUwFSa1xlV51OYZU0WQaE8bmS73DCxWEwAOp2vrlfTUD3y1Pp6MmMnWLEN5sBmjM_65ZhGqPgSiXZh6r3JcmnDStr4rW9ZsigSPN0Wk25kZ/s1600-h/alix+7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVo-unzfUAgCpZVSjGHW_j4YWlRiAjs11MYtUwFSa1xlV51OYZU0WQaE8bmS73DCxWEwAOp2vrlfTUD3y1Pp6MmMnWLEN5sBmjM_65ZhGqPgSiXZh6r3JcmnDStr4rW9ZsigSPN0Wk25kZ/s400/alix+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442295429946092002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFIpqxkUiQ6lH5iSuSKFKGkkdDZMfFTPdQjXCJRAzuvvTkOfgacEyzmqbes15UbGt2YCtk9VINagRdC9W6p4lihBD-PulWToPQsPiLD5GtT_WkVD5cVGu8yFw-maJb5wKWxxnViy61yQY/s1600-h/alix+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFIpqxkUiQ6lH5iSuSKFKGkkdDZMfFTPdQjXCJRAzuvvTkOfgacEyzmqbes15UbGt2YCtk9VINagRdC9W6p4lihBD-PulWToPQsPiLD5GtT_WkVD5cVGu8yFw-maJb5wKWxxnViy61yQY/s400/alix+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442295375081520930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-n98P2rcat248GIpTuYgZPMTYvppDZVYyVjHiHrotq58EC-pdlX9jAJ1XsSEmkvZvNPVqpeBI5EVeXHCgJFshmZ0de4x49701PcYpxmRBk-0HbZ-b1k4KNGKIOWD7462A507NZT4SYB_X/s1600-h/alix+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-n98P2rcat248GIpTuYgZPMTYvppDZVYyVjHiHrotq58EC-pdlX9jAJ1XsSEmkvZvNPVqpeBI5EVeXHCgJFshmZ0de4x49701PcYpxmRBk-0HbZ-b1k4KNGKIOWD7462A507NZT4SYB_X/s400/alix+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442295235716465330" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07bMTaUDCAaSWIAK2srBgLNPS3i1tPndxoKmReLhtsmFTubm3yzLo_q0Un-o4LkjImWoUctvzX0229v9GL9edLezxF3m3GbGV2fTDKoZ8wYALrqjTHsAG1Wlk6VExFpU_BMKxr4G1n6oR/s1600-h/alix+3+engagement.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07bMTaUDCAaSWIAK2srBgLNPS3i1tPndxoKmReLhtsmFTubm3yzLo_q0Un-o4LkjImWoUctvzX0229v9GL9edLezxF3m3GbGV2fTDKoZ8wYALrqjTHsAG1Wlk6VExFpU_BMKxr4G1n6oR/s400/alix+3+engagement.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442295169291575634" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4QkGf5yMGxX-Mg1MD23utPa5o0RKfr6TohClvCttj0hR-i9cVISdxG2Imb6Rt68VL1I7tN44Lo-Re7OeU8IqKi7pgs9DYAWQiyj_5AvL38-jijz8rZevnxQshPqhbpyM57u4prAsTlP7/s1600-h/alix+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4QkGf5yMGxX-Mg1MD23utPa5o0RKfr6TohClvCttj0hR-i9cVISdxG2Imb6Rt68VL1I7tN44Lo-Re7OeU8IqKi7pgs9DYAWQiyj_5AvL38-jijz8rZevnxQshPqhbpyM57u4prAsTlP7/s400/alix+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442295107621362082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvl62fkKS2kkGvoSoGc_wM5W_IiJUCEkLSxQCb1ELfxuNO-DQPu9vPIwpBjQ1uyUJTWaQSEyg-kBqWY2Ih6ijoRfmPrSz6OggEDiJoIHnd3e6xjv3MLySIlqTllopZSBkuE-UW2xDGmj8/s1600-h/alix+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvl62fkKS2kkGvoSoGc_wM5W_IiJUCEkLSxQCb1ELfxuNO-DQPu9vPIwpBjQ1uyUJTWaQSEyg-kBqWY2Ih6ijoRfmPrSz6OggEDiJoIHnd3e6xjv3MLySIlqTllopZSBkuE-UW2xDGmj8/s400/alix+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442295025537574466" border="0" /></a>I can't wait to see what kinds of shots she comes up with for our wedding!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-17018898761000465372010-02-11T17:59:00.000-08:002010-02-25T13:57:29.757-08:00Love, by Many Other Names<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThTGBzBUkzQAjoPq5Iv31w_9mvqxwTsz3fjhELByGrnfbTx6WQqA-F3XV3gu4iiVU0apLFjGCy9KXRnVEm2N_t4gmZqZKjMW4ipCImGnDVW8_bTSKLqQWKqUiQN4O2N05gC-BagA50hE1/s1600-h/doodle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThTGBzBUkzQAjoPq5Iv31w_9mvqxwTsz3fjhELByGrnfbTx6WQqA-F3XV3gu4iiVU0apLFjGCy9KXRnVEm2N_t4gmZqZKjMW4ipCImGnDVW8_bTSKLqQWKqUiQN4O2N05gC-BagA50hE1/s400/doodle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437207887218264722" border="0" /></a><br />Lately, it feels like every wedding element we feel we're warming up to, we have to question later.<br /><br />One minute, we're completely, totally sure that <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> venue or <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> vendor has got to be the right one for us, but give us a few suggestions or a couple days of blog-stalking later and we're singin' a new tune. It's not enough that there are a million different ways to personalize your wedding day, it's also a matter of streaming it all together nicely and combating all of the many, many pop-up problems that can present themselves along the way...<br /><br />(P.S. The Chicago Marathon is apparently taking place the exact same weekend as our wedding. We're in hotel-booking hell right now and if you're a guest and just now reading this, welcome to the seventh circle).<br /><br />With all of the work to do and things to plan before the big day, I find myself focusing more and more on what happens after the vows have been said, the confetti has been cleared and the honeymoon has ended.<br /><br />It goes without saying that the post-wedding parts of life are obviously more important anyways, but when you have a million different things to consider and you want your wedding be nice it can be hard not to get caught up in the details. There's a lot to think about to be sure, but the one really big detail that needs to be addressed is how you plan to be addressed when your little union goes legal.<br /><br />I'm referring to the big name change (or, - in some cases - the big name unchanged, added-on or hypenated) and it can be quite the dilemma. Keep your name and face the possibly wrath of staunch traditionalism. Change it, and you have a whole new mess ahead. It's not a decision to take lightly and it couldn't be more personal, so what to do?<br /><br />As a little girl, I would sometimes "play wedding" at my Grandma's house. My five-year-old self would drag my mom's old wedding dress out of the attic crawlspace and parade around my Grandma's house clutching her silk flower centerpiece like a ready-made bride bouquet. Fast-forward 15 years later, and my teenage self is fed-up with boys and other real-world bullshit. I proudly refer to myself a riot grrl (I think I even still have the old AOL screen name to prove it) and I hold the belief that while a boyfriend might be nice, marriage is nothing more than a prison sentence.<br /><br />So, you know, I grew up. And while I still consider myself a feminist, I can definitely say that I don't see spending the rest of my life with JCakes as a prison sentence and my present-day outrage is more reserved for our government's inability to recognize every person's right to love and marriage. Problem is, there are a lot of pros and cons. So many, that there are dozens of forums voicing their own complaints and concerns (including over 13,214 comments on the subject of "Changing Your Name" in <a href="http://kvetch.indiebride.com/">IndieBride's kvetch forums</a>).<br /><br />As my own rule, I vehemently oppose being called Mrs. HisFirstName HisLastName. Its the one title I have no tolerance for and if anyone sent mail addressed to us like that, it would probably just go straight to the trash without an obligatory opening. Aside from that, I can see the pros and cons pretty equally in all of the options, and there is a lot to think about. <a href="http://www.elegala.com/go/ideas_advice/for/married_or_maiden_name_behind_the_last_name_change/">This article from Elegala</a> sums it all up very nicely if you're looking for the full rundown...<br /><br />In the meantime, here's where we are with all this:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Maiden in the Middle</span><br />The Maiden Name in the middle was definitely my go-to idea on how to handle this business. I figured: hyphens are messy, we'd both rather not deal and it's a nice way to honor each other and recognize each other without one person or the other having to lose anything. On the other side, I really like my middle name and his is a family name (which he also really likes) so now what?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Maiden Name as a Future Kid's Name</span><br />Works out fine for some people, but as two people who aren't fully diggin' names that require numerical add-ons, I can't imagine wanting to work in either one of our last names as a first or middle name for our future unborn children. Actually, we both really love our middle names and the family history there so much that figured if we decide to have kids, we can work "Decker" and "Annelie" into there somewhere. Still, this is a lot of pressure to put onto something that doesn't exist yet. What if we don't have kids, or we have one and it's so painful that the idea of two seems insane? Point is, it's nice to think ahead, but maybe banking on that is a bit intense for us.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"The Mullet" of Married Names</span><br />This is the idea where a maiden name as a professional name and the spouse's name is used socially. I feel you can really equate this to the mullet, with the whole "business in the front and party in the back" thing going on. It might work very well for celebrities or other very well-known people who can seemingly do whatever they want with their names and still be recognizable, but for people with less glamorous lifestyles it may just be more confusing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Married Name Mouth-full</span><br />Why not just tack another name on? Your parents gave you a middle name and you probably hardly use it, why not add another one on. Well, depending on your state, the add another middle name option may not be available to you, but even if it is, how long do you think it will take until your maiden name gets lost in the midst.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hyphen</span><br />Plan to have kids? If so, then adding a hyphen is definitely a one-time solution. Future sons and daughters finding the love of their lives to also be from a family of hyphens will have even more issues to tackle should then later wed. It's also a lot to tack on if you're both from families with really long last names. One more con? This combination can be pretty hilarious (ditto on the funny and the long name part if you go for the Maiden in the Middle or The Mullet options).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make-Your-Own Names</span><br />Is there a part of your name or their name that you don't like? Well, just Frankenstein them into something semi-recognizable of the two or pick a new name altogether. It's fun, it's a compromise for both people and you'll get to ride on the whole "we're starting a new life chapter of our life thing" if that's what you want.<br /><br />Honestly, I really like this idea, but I'm far too much of a traditionalist when it comes to family. I'd rather save the new name idea for when I get really famous or something. However, I will admit that JCakes and I considered making our last name Danger, just because Johnny Danger would be cool as hell and Candace Danger doesn't sound too bad either.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Keeping your Current Name</span><br />Yep, that is still an option. Among the mess of other ways you can express yourself, you can also just opt to go into the marriage the way you came into each-others lives - with the names you already have.<br /><br />On the plus side, there is no real additional paperwork, no fees for name changing and no fuss over giving into one side or the other. If you don't really like your name, bonus.<br /><br />On the other side, if there are plans to add in future family units (you know, have kids) then what? Everyone goes by one name and not the other? I would become the renegade maiden-name keeper of the family crew? Kinda sucks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Mr. Takes on the Ms.'s </span><br />This might be a grand idea for some people, but since my whole argument for not wanting to just take JCakes last name alone is that I feel it's representative of all "property" parts of marriage from long ago. If I feel close to my name and he feels close to his, why should I ask him to do something I wouldn't want to? Next!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Just Take His Name</span><br />While reading the Elegala article, (scroll up for the link I put up earlier) I noticed that last option seemed to be the least objective amongst the bunch. At least, it was the only one that included a statistic ("<strong></strong>Take his name – and join the ranks of 90% of women getting married today...").<br /><br />So if everyone else is doing it and it's easier, why-not? If I followed that logic I would also be having a $30K+ wedding and putting us into major debt along the way. Because, that's the way it goes when you follow the norm and the majority.<br /><br />For the record, I agree. It certainly is among the easier options since it's been happening for a very long time. It also makes sense to not have to explain your relations to strangers or have to get into discussions when you're dealing with your kids (assuming you're going to have some someday). There certainly are pros, and I fully support the idea that you shouldn't NOT do it because you feel like you'll be perceived as dependent. However, it just doesn't seem like the right option for me.<br /><br /><br /><br />Damn, I was kind of hoping at the end of this the right option might just pop out at me, but now I just have a headache...<br /><br />Off to Craft Night!<br /><strong></strong><ul><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></ul>cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-30209315906989407672010-01-21T12:01:00.000-08:002010-01-21T12:53:51.369-08:00Roadblocks...and How We're Dealing with ThemI may have been laying low on the posts lately, but that doesn't mean the wedding workload has eased up much. Unfortunately, most of it has felt pretty overwhelming and our external hard drive crashed and looks to be a very costly replacement, so I've been throwing myself into finding a job and working extra hours at the bar and brainstorming wedding stuff on the bus rides to and from work.<br /><br />Officially, the wedding is less than 261 days away (I have the Facebook countdown widget, I swear I'm not <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> crazy) and my little wedding tracker/planning thing at theknot.com is telling me I have 361 more items to work on and 54 overdue. I'd happily whittle that list down, but there's a few HUGE roadblocks in my way right now, so I figured I blog it out and consider ways to get past 'em.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Problemo #1: Shower Setbacks</span><br />To make it easier on family and friends, we figured we would have one wedding shower in Indiana and one in Ohio. We mapped all the dates out months ago, but due to another wedding in JCakes family we might have to change our shower date in IN and since everyone in the wedding party and our families were clued in on the important dates, it's another headache to map out.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Possible Solution We're Tossing Around:</span><br />Just have one shower in Ohio. With all the other details to worry about, I'd just as soon have one shower and maybe do the honeymoon registry thing for people who can't make it.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Problemo #2: Ceremony Crisis</span><br />We've been checking in since May '09, but still need to make things official so we can figure out the planning in it's entirety.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Possible Solution We're Tossing Around:</span><br />Contacting our Alderman. I don't know what else to do, this is getting pretty crazy.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Problemo #3: Catering</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Conundrums</span><br />We have a pretty limited budget and a pretty big guest list and have been very upfront with caterers about everything, but quotes so far for food, service and rentals have been almost as much as our total budget for the entire wedding.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Possible Solution We're Tossing Around:</span><br />With over 200 guests invited, JCakes and I have been re-assessing the list over and over. Self-catering isn't really an option with that many people invited, but there has to be some kind of way to get around estimates being $15K+ just for catering. I've been looking at tons of DIY books and blogs for info on this, but if you have any local, Chicago ideas on who to work with or how to make this happen, please let me know.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Problemo #4: Officiant Issues.</span><br />In a perfect world, we would love to have our friend who introduced us lead the ceremony as our officiant, and as a nod to our family, have a Catholic priest (friend of JCakes famil) say a small blessing. I've read about this being a possibility (depending on the priest's views), but our request has been denied.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Possible Solution We're Tossing Around: </span><br />Still not sure. Like I mentioned, ideal was to have our friend do the ceremony with a blessing so we can honor both our families and our own views and backgrounds. As a second option, we really wanted to find someone who could be a premarital counselor and our officiant. We found a great guy (contact me if you want his info) but he's much too pricey for us. We want to have someone meaningful and not piss off our parents. I have no idea what to do.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Problemo #5: Musical Obstacles</span><br />A few friends offered a long time ago to assist with the ceremony music and having met at a friend's concert, JCakes and I thought there would be no better way to honor that than to have our friends play at the reception. We've been keeping in touch, mentioning how important it is to have things locked into place, but nothing concrete has cemented so far. To have a working knowledge of the run of show for our big day with details to pass along on invitations, to the caterers, DJ, photographer, etc., we really if this is gonna happen.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Possible Solution We're Tossing Around: </span><br />JCakes has been doing his best to stay in touch about this, but I guess if it comes down to it, we'll have to say screw it, and just roll with the punches. Sucks, but not much we can do here. Maybe we'll just use an iPod for the ceremony music.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Problemo #6: Decoration Dilemma</span><br />In the greater picture, this is definitely amongst the least of our worries, but it's still something we need to consider. Having a cohesive theme for everything not only makes everything look nicer, it's much easier to budget for and plan ahead with DIY projects and hit up sales if you know what you're looking for. Most of the ideas JCakes and I have collaborated on and discussed actually fit better with a spring/summer wedding so taking our "backyard wedding" ideas and changing most of the details (including the backyard part) is kind of hard. Achieving the same feel in a different season may be more difficult than we originally thought. I keep looking for examples of fall weddings on Brooklyn Bride and other sites, but none of them so far have evoked the same feel the summer ones seem to.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Possible Solution We're Tossing Around: </span><br />Being way too late to change the date and location, I've been brainstorming ideas with my Aunt Glo (as a former windows display visionary, she has a total knack for this kind of thing). Still not sure how it's all gonna form together, but I'm hoping some of my favorite bloggers post more real weddings from the fall to help us gain some inspiration.<br /><br /><br />I guess it doesn't all seem so bad when I write it all out, but I've been dying to work on the detail stuff. The fun stuff, like drafting our first screenprint for the invitations, but all of the business stuff needs to be taken care of first.<br /><br />Oh man. 261 days feels so close.cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-29319889431650023852009-12-31T10:47:00.000-08:002009-12-31T11:11:33.716-08:00Gray Skies.I keep logging in on here, all ready to write something and then going to type, feeling defeated and going on Facebook or something equally unproductive. It's not as if there aren't a million working parts or ideas to talk about, it's just that lately, it feels like what's the point?<br /><br />I'm not referring to the marriage, I love J-Cakes with all my heart. And I'm not talking about the blog, I like looking at this stuff and I love hosting parties so it's fun. I mean the wedding. Why go through all of this? Every time I get a few steps ahead with planning, I hit a huge block in the road when the price tag presents itself. It's not as if we're incredibly demanding, but it feels like our budget is almost laughable and so many people feel the need to express their opinions about how whatever we're doing it wrong.<br /><br />"Make sure you serve meat"<br />"I know you guys are vegetarian, but you better have meat"<br />"You can't just do heavy appetizers, people expect full dinner if they're coming ALL the way there"<br />"You have to have a full bar or people will be really upset"<br />"People will be unhappy if they have to pay for cabs to get to the wedding"<br />"Do you really want to have a band play, what if people don't like the music?"<br />"It's not really a marriage unless it's done in the church, in front of the eyes of God"<br /><br />It's no longer a surprise to me that the days of having really big weddings have gone by the wayside. Who wants to spend a year of their life or longer doing everything they can to make a personalized and welcoming wedding reception to celebrate their love with their closest friends and family, only to feel like crap in the end? We're really doing the best we can, but most days, it feels like no matter what that is, it won't be good enough.<br /><br />Somedays, I am even convinced that on the day it all comes together, someone is going to say something snotty or rude about the way things were done and I'm going to overhear it and just fall to pieces. Just start sobbing or second-guessing everything we have worked so hard on all this time. I have always work hard to make people feel welcome, and I really feel like good hospitality is a lost art and friends and family should be treated like the important people they are. To think that on one of the biggest days of our lives, after three years of working on how to make this all happen, I might fall to pieces over one rude remark may sound silly, but that's just the person I am.<br /><br /><br />Today's one of those days, where I feel like giving up.cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-89906194974515814112009-12-09T12:07:00.000-08:002009-12-09T13:42:24.930-08:00She's Got the Look: More on the Dress<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgizxKO02i2H3Gbp4sb809gDlddAdm_1lbNL6Nkr1ceAObwunDV8V-poQq4txg7JW6dNn-mZN6AOJop7jlPhbDtEc23pyIMCnWqnra51jGvpfKqvGyh_KZm01KC6JPggIL5f9_rglakyRU/s1600-h/sarahseven%60.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgizxKO02i2H3Gbp4sb809gDlddAdm_1lbNL6Nkr1ceAObwunDV8V-poQq4txg7JW6dNn-mZN6AOJop7jlPhbDtEc23pyIMCnWqnra51jGvpfKqvGyh_KZm01KC6JPggIL5f9_rglakyRU/s400/sarahseven%60.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413339919865730354" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">All Photos,Source: Sarah Seven<br /><br /><br /></span></div>I finally got around to starting on some Christmas craft ideas and at least thinking about shopping, and as a result I have been on a major Etsy fix lately. One click led to another, and I found myself scanning the "wedding" section for dress ideas and stumbled across the amazing work of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahseven">Sarah Seven</a>.<br /><br />Based out of Portland, Sarah creates these amazing vintage-inspired dress designs that are perfect blend of modern-meets-vintage.<span style="line-height: 19px;" class="style_1"> Her designs have this whole ethereal, romantic feel (the same feeling I'm hoping to evoke throughout our wedding from dress to invitation) and she has this amazing collection of dresses made of delicate layers of natural and recycled fabrics.<br /><br />The dresses run a little pricey, but they are truly amazing she also donates a percentage of all of her designs to</span> charity. Here are some of the other ones I heart:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiC9ER3LhOJs7kWkiHdgurx8NwKwI0q3tuaLcms3168rfsT0gUJ3CKNUku1guHN8ujcItCDvkln8fsyuy4M11QdgfEft9jbpAG5Skrym6gQgGlJ-iRTBfQF7q5vsGdnJu5F-zavSqpvHKj/s1600-h/sarahseven4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiC9ER3LhOJs7kWkiHdgurx8NwKwI0q3tuaLcms3168rfsT0gUJ3CKNUku1guHN8ujcItCDvkln8fsyuy4M11QdgfEft9jbpAG5Skrym6gQgGlJ-iRTBfQF7q5vsGdnJu5F-zavSqpvHKj/s400/sarahseven4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413339715052216946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTtJQuhmuCRIkWqPNRpeaV2JwLeiJL3qBrYK_RU5SfdldKbw2CpHBVXChNTyYzcqqshF7dtPhaEObanwwu94ULX9J-LQtXusC7miuiyQq3Fvwt5EflyRDr-z2JPBP05HDG8jIXJLhhQYj/s1600-h/sarahseven3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTtJQuhmuCRIkWqPNRpeaV2JwLeiJL3qBrYK_RU5SfdldKbw2CpHBVXChNTyYzcqqshF7dtPhaEObanwwu94ULX9J-LQtXusC7miuiyQq3Fvwt5EflyRDr-z2JPBP05HDG8jIXJLhhQYj/s400/sarahseven3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413339606819705282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXk_9yqgCurQMEcrYKZrP7cAq9x-nykjZAg4h32dq7Ti4Uwwe-SmeWlItgvlTZz2nxj_K1M8VPE3o1fac23gtre-PsnxGnGoprZTGBXTzo7zOudZuTtaDAkmXLrbdJKhUzu-Yc6LV7urPO/s1600-h/sarahseven2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXk_9yqgCurQMEcrYKZrP7cAq9x-nykjZAg4h32dq7Ti4Uwwe-SmeWlItgvlTZz2nxj_K1M8VPE3o1fac23gtre-PsnxGnGoprZTGBXTzo7zOudZuTtaDAkmXLrbdJKhUzu-Yc6LV7urPO/s400/sarahseven2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413339484575410722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYfrvFmZJ-PP_RKEFvbFJfTWCGyIHpUJZmBMRfYKPPDkCj4a4D2jdF_Yp4Pha0A9QkPYWzhz917ctZO1QB_piphefmLZOCR319G_ryOhKS7693uechJXj7e6Hb4E29iyzGUVywVQ9_lmo/s1600-h/sarahseven.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYfrvFmZJ-PP_RKEFvbFJfTWCGyIHpUJZmBMRfYKPPDkCj4a4D2jdF_Yp4Pha0A9QkPYWzhz917ctZO1QB_piphefmLZOCR319G_ryOhKS7693uechJXj7e6Hb4E29iyzGUVywVQ9_lmo/s400/sarahseven.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413339004588623074" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford her design, but a girl can dream, right?<br /><br />Maybe I can find something similar more locally? Any suggestions?cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-79937566555857603872009-12-08T07:17:00.000-08:002009-12-08T09:37:01.191-08:00A Few Guides for a Less Frazzled Bride<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQHvCCBRob9LDOD7tIeejvDOknbkjjGXYgn5hLtcO-JJXwn2zDW9bGLZFniiSRK1MddN_NdshDwbblf65odVYFrHYu0hQnZbjoBSWj2W8X93Ev5xtsoeCHLrZck9R9Oh-wkyb_1UbHGns/s1600-h/weddingmagazines.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQHvCCBRob9LDOD7tIeejvDOknbkjjGXYgn5hLtcO-JJXwn2zDW9bGLZFniiSRK1MddN_NdshDwbblf65odVYFrHYu0hQnZbjoBSWj2W8X93Ev5xtsoeCHLrZck9R9Oh-wkyb_1UbHGns/s400/weddingmagazines.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412896970914961122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Image Source: www.bridalbuds.com</span><br /><br /></div><br />Ah, wedding magazines. So glossy, so pretty, so full of expensive wedding stuffs and gorgeous models to show it all off.<br /><br />I fell into the glossy entrapment of wedding magazines pretty early in the game. I think the first wedding-related magazine I picked up was actually at the airport on the way back from our Europe trip (where we got engaged). As a huge fan of magazines in general, I was excited to see what sort of inspiration was out there, note a few dress ideas, scout some vendors (I'm a huge fan of "Best-of" lists) and just gain a general sense of what the soon-to-be-wed crowd was up to in the 2000's.<br /><br />Problem was, instead of being incredibly inspired and hopeful, flipping through the pages of wedding magazines like Modern Bride, The Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings made me feel more overwhelmed than inspired and I found myself being flushed with anxiety anytime I picked one up. They were pretty, very nice to look at, but these were supposed to be an examples of what normal people were doing? Throwin' down $40K for ONE DAY was actually considered normal?<br /><br />I felt sick. Even if we magically came into money, I knew that J-Cakes and I would lean towards planning something more unconventional, but the fact that every single wedding-related magazine I picked up seemed to confirm the idea that this one day would cost a full year's (or more) income was absolutely terrifying. What the hell were we thinking? There's no way we could pull this off. I started feeling like maybe we should just elope and play up the kitschy appeal of the Vegas or something so we wouldn't end up looking like total fools.<br /><br />After a more than a few panic-stricken moments (which I only shared with my mom), I started looking for alternatives. Melanie, my best friend and maid of honor, picked up a planner for my Christmas gift. I scouted the shelves of Borders and searched through Amazon for tips on how to be fancy when you're more fiscally-strapped and eventually felt better about everything. A job opportunity later led me to a couple hundred inspiring blogs online, all couples who had either made it work on much less than $40K or were attempting to. Things were going to be okay.<br /><br />That sense of relief and feeling like it was possible to have a nice, big wedding without going into major debt was a big moment for me. It dawned on me the other day that I never mentioned what kinds of sites and research I have been a big help to me with all of this planning business, so I wanted to take a few minutes to mention them. (I feel I should note that this is in no way paid advertising, all of these resources have either been recommended to me by friends and family or I have found them on my own and I am recommending them solely based on how helpful they have been to me so far with the hope they might be helpful for someone else).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEbIcfeYodxwlNrb7HiWdW5scGov7-lMW38kFeoW5vDkGVUj1Fp4J3JFfbwm103YTi6_fhFZJMbwpYsser6jOkv0QTnVI0Czw6hyFl0wZG4vosp5QBZXMhzijf-eHi07af-I0uSTTJea_/s1600-h/bridal+bargains.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEbIcfeYodxwlNrb7HiWdW5scGov7-lMW38kFeoW5vDkGVUj1Fp4J3JFfbwm103YTi6_fhFZJMbwpYsser6jOkv0QTnVI0Czw6hyFl0wZG4vosp5QBZXMhzijf-eHi07af-I0uSTTJea_/s400/bridal+bargains.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412904155851917138" border="0" /></a>First up is "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bridal Bargains: Wedding Planner</span>" the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bridal-Bargains-Wedding-Planner-Planning/dp/1889392235/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260286320&sr=1-5">book</a> Melanie gave me to help gain a sense of what to expect. Filled with checklists, lists of important questions to ask vendors and advice for just about everything wedding-related, this book has become my trusty companion to all meetings with anyone who might help with part of our big day. I have to admit that I don't actually use this checklist (I use the one on TheKnot because I can link up my guest list and manage things easier), but as far as having a physical guide to help you along with meetings and keep you on track and within your budget, this book does a great job.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGujclyFkM3nT-fGys1G5WDAkc-6N43nUUcoSM8NQ-NnjXtQmYq5zljNo02Vyk-3-T9xlcKJmAn1EdhMINuePII8y0NWZWt8hkld58PZARNX8YXd1biWLiSp97ykpyujgGP02FsD2NLMN/s1600-h/offbeat+bride.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGujclyFkM3nT-fGys1G5WDAkc-6N43nUUcoSM8NQ-NnjXtQmYq5zljNo02Vyk-3-T9xlcKJmAn1EdhMINuePII8y0NWZWt8hkld58PZARNX8YXd1biWLiSp97ykpyujgGP02FsD2NLMN/s200/offbeat+bride.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412916270601289042" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides</span>": I found this book on our way back from Europe when we pit-stopped in Chicago to see our friends. I was cruising around <a href="http://www.quimbys.com/">Quimby's</a>, (my favorite neighborhood bookstore) decided to pick this up and ended up reading it from cover to cover twice before realizing that there was a <a href="http://offbeatbride.com/">blog</a> to go with it. (If you get your inspiration from seeing examples of couples who have wed before you, I highly suggest browsing the "wedding porn" section on this blog). The book made me feel excited about planning again and instead of feeling a sense of dread that we wouldn't be able to ante-up I started to feel excited about all of the ways we could express our creativity. The appeal of blog is that the weddings on this site look like people are actually enjoying themselves which is kind of what you want at a wedding anyways. These couples seem more real, are reall creative and it goes to show you that there is a place for every kind of couple, even the kind that dream of having a Star Wars-themed wedding complete with a light-saber ceremony.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacnLtgPbvLHA8hoNT6RiTJzEgeuc71o1NmzaJElcqjyEyGOt8MLafwXvPG87Ni5f-1_jy7oTOji6DkMzRkxF89MHOvw_Sg5tndVl-3IeGlHmSmEbuI2xALnHHiyjzmyQ9pX3tPTkVy4Ha/s1600-h/cheap+ways+to+tie+the+knot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacnLtgPbvLHA8hoNT6RiTJzEgeuc71o1NmzaJElcqjyEyGOt8MLafwXvPG87Ni5f-1_jy7oTOji6DkMzRkxF89MHOvw_Sg5tndVl-3IeGlHmSmEbuI2xALnHHiyjzmyQ9pX3tPTkVy4Ha/s400/cheap+ways+to+tie+the+knot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412891604023796978" border="0" /></a>"<span style="font-weight: bold;">Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot</span>" is a quick read and a good guide if you're trying to figure out what your options are for various budgets. Organized by "Bargain, Budget or Bling" each section is broken down into what kind of alternatives you can consider and a quick line about what to expect.<br /><br />Additionally, for solely the cost of Internet connection, there are a TON of talented bloggers out there dishing out design advice, sharing wedding photos and passing along information about some awesome giveaways amongst other things. Since blogs have been helping me out big time, I feel compelled to mention the few that stick out in my mind. In no particular order, here are some of the sites that I often visit for inspiration:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.thebrokeassbride.com/">The Broke-Ass Bride</a></li><li><a href="http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/">Snippet & Ink</a></li><li><a href="http://www.diybride.com/">DIY Bride</a></li><li><a href="http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/">Green Wedding Shoes</a></li><li><a href="http://bklynbrideonline.com/">Brooklyn Bride</a></li><li><a href="http://www.oncewed.com/">Once Wed</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cloverandbee.com/">Clover & Bee</a></li><li><a href="http://ruffledblog.com/">RuffledBlog</a></li><li><a href="http://tenthousandonly.blogspot.com/">A $10,000 Wedding</a></li><li><a href="http://www.designspongeonline.com/">Design*Sponge</a></li><li><a href="http://100layercake.com/blog/">100 Layer Cake</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.onewed.com/blog/savvy-scoop/">One Wed Savvy Scoop Blog</a></li></ul><br />These are in no way the only sites I visit, but it's not a bad place to start if you're looking.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />In completely unrelated news, this morning I did a search on Google to see if there were any photos or blogs mentioning Lula Cafe. I love Lula, and have been there many times, but since we're hoping to set-up our rehearsal dinner there, I wanted to get a feel for what that experience might have been like for someone else.<br /><br />That's how I stumbled across <a href="http://peoplingplaces.wordpress.com/">Peopling Places</a>, a community-driven blog about Logan Square, written by Lynn Stevens. It was great to see a blog intended to foster community in the neighborhood we live in, because we're both huge fans of Logan Square and some of the amazing people businesses around here. I noticed that AwesomeMidwestWedding was listed on the blog roll, so thank you to Lynn for being a fan! I hope we can work with some amazing people in the Square!<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Happy Planning!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-68319107355705426732009-11-22T10:35:00.000-08:002009-11-22T14:52:59.011-08:00"Kick out the jams, muthaf*****!"You know how when people are asked what kind of music they like, they usually give the big cop-out answer: "everything." It's a little misleading, because although they might appreciate different types of music, whatever they are listening to the most when that question is posed is really the answer to the question. If a person really likes "everything," their appreciation for music is constantly evolving and shifting, and Johnny and I would be no exception.<br /><br />Surprisingly, that poses a problem when picking a wedding song: With so much to choose from, what do you pick as "your song," the one to best represent you both together? How do you narrow it down? How do you choose something that really fits for you both as a song by an artist you both like, a lyrical representation of both of your feelings on the relationship? How will you dance to it in front of everyone you know? And most importantly, how long is it?<br /><br />With both J-cakes and myself being obsessively into music, (albeit, different types of music) I knew that choosing the music for the wedding, especially what to play as "our song," might be a little complicated. I can honestly say that I didn't envision it taking seven hours to decide, but hey, you can't plan for everything.<br /><br />Long, drawn-out process or not, I kind of liked how we came to the final decision so I figured I would share the process with you. I figure, best case scenario, you consider a few songs you might have forgotten about or never thought of before and worst case scenario, you rule out 20 or so songs from the running. Either way, it works, so here's a <span style="font-weight: bold;">How-to Guide for Choosing the Right Wedding Song:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hit the Sauce.</span> To help us get started, I started drinking. It's my personal opinion that alcohol always helps in these kinds of tough situations, so if you're reading this and trying to find a song right now, I suggest you crack the cork off your favorite wine bottle or pop open some PBR and get started.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Consider yourselves as a couple.</span> Do you and your sweetie both like to cut a rug or does he/she get painfully shy when you're just trying to slow-dance? If you lean towards the attention whore side, you might want to consider the popular trend of fast-paced, musical montages. Get your wedding party involved and choreograph steps to the song. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wedding+dance&search_type=&aq=f">Capture it on video for You Tube</a>. Have some fun with it!<br /><br />Two left feet or not that into dancing? Try to choose a shorter song (less time in the spotlight) that allows you to slow dance (requires less dance talent). You could always take <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2082669/where_to_take_wedding_dancing_lessons.html?cat=23">dance lessons somewhere</a> to learn a few moves before the wedding. Obviously, dance studios are a good place to start looking, but you could also check for cheap dance lessons that might be happening at local colleges, universities or community centers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Write it down.</span> Before you even try researching songs, think about the ones that may already mean something to you and start a list. It doesn't matter if you remember the song title or the artist. Hell, if all you remember is tune and one verse, you may still be able to find it online. You might even find the lyrics are way off later, but it's nice to get started with the songs that already have meaning for you and your fiance.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Start your search engine. </span>If "Why do birds suddenly appear" is the only verse you can remember right now, (Note: This may be a side-effect from killing off that bottle of wine) just type it in Google and see if it gets you somewhere. Once you have the title and artist for each song listed out, start searching for sites where you can read the lyrics in their <span style="font-style: italic;">entirety</span> and music players where you can hear the <span style="font-style: italic;">whole</span> song.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Read, Listen and Cross-off:</span> Remember that part in the last step where I said read the lyrics in their entirety and listen to the whole song? Yeah, that's because the part of your brain that remembers the verse or chorus that might make it a perfect fit (ex. "It's a nice day for a white wedding") might have blocked out or not cared to remember the other parts ("White Wedding" by Billy Idol is actually about Idol's little sister's shotgun marriage to someone he didn't like). Take notes about what you like, what you don't like. (Hint: Write down the songs' time lengths - shown on the bottom right side of most online media players - it helps weed out the best songs later).<br /><br />Honorable bad choices (for various reasons):<br />"Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics ("some of them want to abuse you)<br />"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston (it's about a break up)<br />"Every Breath You Take" by The Polices (hey there, stalker).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Compare Notes:</span> Once I had a decent list together, Johnny got home and cracked open another bottle of wine (yet another reason why I love him) and we went through the list side-by-side, opening up the lyrics on one screen and playing the songs on YouTube (when available) on another screen. Besides being a helpful way to get a sense of the song, it's incredibly amusing to see some of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOyyrB1wj04">worst music videos ever</a> made.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Compare Votes: </span> Once we had reviewed 20 or so different songs, we put it to a vote. No better way to choose a song between two die-hard music junkies than to put through a democratic process! To choose, we each grabbed a post it, numbered 1-3 with 1 being our top choice. In the event that we both chose the same songs, the one that was listed on closest to the top for both would be the final winner.<br /><br />I sort of knew this wouldn't be an issue, but I hoped we would pick at least one song we both liked, and we did. Without giving the final pick away (cause what fun would that be?) here are some of the songs we checked out with links to the lyrics:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/You%27re-My-Best-Friend-lyrics-Queen/D1766A9100BDA048482568940008A971">You're My Best Friend</a> - Queen<br /><a href="http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Oh-My-Love-lyrics-John-Lennon/72E7385F18ABD35C48256BCA00076615">Oh My Love</a> - John Lennon<br /><a href="http://http//www.lyricsfreak.com/b/beatles/in+my+life_10026479.html">In My Life</a> - The Beatles<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/beatles/and+i+love+her_10026463.html">And I Love Her</a> - The Beatles<br /><a href="http://www.songlyrics.com/association/never-my-love-lyrics/">Never My Love</a> - The Association<br /><a href="http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nickcavethebadseeds/intomyarms.html">Into My Arms</a> - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds<br /><a href="http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Ship-Song-lyrics-Nick-Cave-and-The-Bad-Seeds/894F3F98E4287ECC482568A10031076E">Ship Song</a> - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds<br /><a href="http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/It%27s-Oh-So-Quiet-lyrics-Bjork/7484926B45EA6D324825689C002628F4">It's, Oh, So Quiet</a> - Bjork<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsdownload.com/when-in-rome-the-promise-lyrics.html">The Promise</a> - When in Rome<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/neil+young/harvest+moon_20099104.html">Harvest Moon</a> - Neil Young<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsdownload.com/drifters-this-magic-moment-lyrics.html">This Magic Moment</a> - Ben E. King & The Drifters version<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/t/talking+heads/this+must+be+the+place_10228728.html">This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)</a> - Talking Heads<br /><a href="http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Perfect-Day-lyrics-Lou-Reed/5562C51C6508774048256988002FC376">Perfect Day</a> - Lou Reed<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsdownload.com/yo-la-tengo-center-of-gravity-lyrics.html">Center of Gravity</a> - Yo La Tengo<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/k/kinks/all+day+all+of+the+night_20078972.html">All Day & All of the Night</a> - The Kinks<br /><a href="http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Come-Rain-or-Come-Shine-lyrics-Ray-Charles/12A6915D81F9328B48256C24000C4FAD">Come Rain or Come Shine</a> - either by Ray Charles or Billie Holiday<br /><a href="http://www.sing365.com/music/Lyric.nsf/The-Luckiest-lyrics-Ben-Folds/736F6FCF8344CE6348256DE9002E381E">The Luckiest</a> - Ben Folds<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/cure/just+like+heaven_10074172.html">Just Like Heaven</a> - The Cure<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/cure/close+to+me_10074224.html">Close to Me</a> - The Cure<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+sinatra/moon+river_20055151.html">Moon River</a> - Frank Sinatra version<br /><a href="http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858646434/">I Love How You Love Me</a> - Camera Obscura version<br /><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/e/elvis+presley/cant+help+falling+in+love_20048912.html">I Can't Help Falling in Love with You</a> - Elvis Presley<br /><a href="http://www.metrolyrics.com/i-only-have-eyes-for-you-lyrics-art-garfunkel.html">I Only Have Eyes for You</a> - Art Garfunkel version<br /><a href="http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Mushaboom-lyrics-Feist/A51DEBE08B46C66848256F2D00068E3C">Mushaboom</a> - Feist<br /><a href="http://www.metrolyrics.com/unchained-melody-lyrics-the-righteous-brothers.html">Unchained Melody</a> - The Righteous Brothers (I know, almost as over-used as "At Last" by Etta James, but so good!)<br /><br />Whichever songs were awesome, but not the best fit for first dance are going to be played somewhere throughout the night. There's plenty of opportunities, with the cake cutting, anniversary song, etc.<br /><br />Good luck!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-17618304870825841872009-11-20T13:07:00.000-08:002009-11-20T13:52:38.510-08:00Lovin' it up in Logan SquareAfter months of waiting for Humboldt Park to come through with the contract, it's finally official! We booked our place, signed the contract and paid our $500 deposit. We will officially tie the knot on October 9, 2010 and we now have a place to party it up properly after the ceremony.<br /><br />So how this miracle finally happened? What did it finally take for us to lock it all in? Simple - We decided to chuck the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse idea and we're relocating the reception to the <a href="http://www.lsachicago.com/">Logan Square Auditorium</a>. (Psst: Pictures coming soon, I took a few on my phone but I don't have time to upload 'em).<br /><br />Yesterday we met with potential caterers (a few folks with Honest Foods) to scope out Humboldt Park and map out some ideas about the rentals and layout. Once we finished, we popped in to check one last time and see if by some chance things had finally come together. No such luck. It still wasn't ready (through no fault of Neirda's, she is a super chill and pleasant lady to that is just waiting on the City of Chicago to get it's self together).<br /><br />I guess that was sort of the breaking point on this. With less than a year until the wedding and no contract, we're getting increasingly nervous. They did promise to hold the date, but without a deposit or any sense of what the cost will be hiked up to, it doesn't seem smart to keep waiting. We've been asking since May and it's making it really hard to budget for everything else. I know, there are plenty of couples that get hitched in well under a year, but there are also hundreds of couples who book locations far in advance and with a limited budget in a big city where most venues run $5,000 and up for an empty space, it just seemed to risky to bank on a venue that still isn't ready.<br /><br />We haven't completely given up on Humboldt Park though. We still plan to host the ceremony at the Humboldt Park boathouse, (if things get too crazy with the wait on that, at least it's just an hour event and there are other parks in the city) and in some ways that works out better than the boathouse/fieldhouse situation. If you're livin' around Logan Square or considering a wedding/event over there, here's a couple notes on the auditorium:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pros:<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><br />$3,275 is the cost for a Saturday rental (if you're planning a Friday night gig, you'll save yourself $500 but with so many out-of-towners this wasn't something we could consider). <br /><br />Security, chairs and tables (includes 60 inch rounds, high boys and low tables), ice, soda, a sound technician and amp/stage equipment are included in the $3,275.<br /><br />With all the sound equipment access, booking a DJ with a lot of talent but not a lot of gear may be easier.<br /><br />You can choose to buy your own alcohol or buy it through the venue if you'd like.<br /><br />You can bring your own bartenders through your caterer or pay for their bartenders.<br /><br />You can choose any caterer you'd like as long as they sign a certification with the venue (pretty standard, but the choosing who you want isn't so standard).<br /><br />The venue can fit 350 people normally, and we had the luck of seeing a wedding being set up for late this evening. The couple was having 208 guests, and was able to fit 26 large rounds, 14 low boys, buffet food tables, the head table and ample dance space.<br /><br />The closer bathrooms and kitchen space are being updated and will be finished by the time we have our wedding next year.<br /><br />It's right off the Logan Square blue line stop and Milwaukee bus route (a big plus for city-livin' guests).<br /><br />It ties into our idea for the flyer-style wedding invite pretty nicely.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Cons:</span><br /><br />The only really big concern for us is the wheelchair accessibility (there isn't any). There is also no service elevator, so everything has to be hiked up some stairs. Bands do it plenty of time for shows and with the tables and chairs already available on-site, at least it's a few less things to haul. Still, we have some family members who might struggle with the lack of elevator situation. I checked in with family to make sure they are comfortable with it because I'd had to sign up somewhere and have people not come for that reason. It seems like we'll be okay...<br /><br />Also, a lot of people complain about the sound system for rock shows. Johnny and I have both been to concerts there and while we agree it's not our location of choice for shows (the sound bounced off the walls as sound tends to do in large, gym-like spaces) it's a wedding. We will have to double check it's all on the up-and-up, but I think we can work with it.<br /><br />We're getting married! With an actual space to have the party and everything. Whew, finally!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-16805935254787946452009-11-09T08:35:00.000-08:002010-09-07T07:33:22.037-07:00Day 334: Sprucin' up the SpaceIt's been a little crazy around here lately, but the good kind of crazy for the most part.<br /><br />I've been picking up a few extra shifts a week at the pub and I've gotten a few more freelance opportunities in the past few weeks. It's not enough to be a full time situation, but every little bit helps and the more we look at the costs of wedding crap, the more I'm happy to take on any assignment. (Hint, hint, if you happen to be looking for a writer/publicist at the moment).<br /><br />J-cakes has been working a more shifts at <a href="http://www.piecechicago.com/flash/index.html">Piece Out</a> while looking for a full-time gig and he's been getting a lot of stuff together for his band, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sadhusadhu">Sadhu Sadhu</a>. The band is actually working on recording their first full-length album and he does all the album/poster artwork so he's had a lot going on. I'm excited to see how the recording pans out he's definitely been working his butt off.<br /><br />The nice part about recent developments is that we now have our days off together, vs. nights, so whenever we think about something else that might be cool for the wedding we can actually make appointments to meet vendors and both be there. J-cakes is actually looking forward to parts of the wedding planning beyond just setting up the bachelor party (which is more of the stereotypical dude action). It should be interesting to see how we mesh all these ideas together.<br /><br />Anyways, as part of the planning, we met with Deb from <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/art-of-imagination-chicago">Art of Imagination</a> last Thursday. (If you've been reading this blog for a bit, I mentioned a few posts ago that we were supposed to meet up, but a work deadline got in the way).<br /><br />Deb was met us on-site at Humboldt Park Field House so we could get a better idea of what we might need to make the place a little fancier. Again, if you read this blog, you've seen this before, but one of my biggest concerns - and the whole reason we needed to meet with Deb in the first places - is to figure out a way to tastefully cover this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6WJ6xZgFrqfWy7fgIFfmkM9NqmG6U_aEBCz6HLIa6HWSZsz9ezM_oavn6Cr4Tb626RbSK50ElnI_AhnK0GgUnYAbiFNNgcJzQ9XuWywHuUfTkXEMs97nGBQ9ZEc7j338du83AJO63VPy/s1600-h/humboldt+park+gym+mural.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6WJ6xZgFrqfWy7fgIFfmkM9NqmG6U_aEBCz6HLIa6HWSZsz9ezM_oavn6Cr4Tb626RbSK50ElnI_AhnK0GgUnYAbiFNNgcJzQ9XuWywHuUfTkXEMs97nGBQ9ZEc7j338du83AJO63VPy/s400/humboldt+park+gym+mural.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402150994170540290" border="0" /></a><br /><br />...yeah.<br /><br />Fortunately, Deb came prepared to consider not only the mural situation, but also tips on how to mask the basketball hoops in the gym area, what ideas might look nice to help create an entrance, and which lighting might work best around the place, among other ideas. Besides appreciating her eye for this sort of thing, we also liked that Deb didn't just spout off the priciest options when suggesting ideas to us. While we wandered around the place she made a point to mention ideas we might be able to put together ourselves and suggestions on where to go to get keep it on the cheap. The whole meeting made us both feel much more at ease and I know we won't be able to afford all of her ideas, but I'm still excited to see what the possibilities could look like. Here's are some examples of event work Deb has done in the past:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NBiEG915n1nVfbwR5uC_0qHAyvIi_h3JRqH9EGNlALoN97M8bj22gNoeu-9CUpICol___DFdHqcwU2D3J5it4EC1m3PWo8Y9O5lqi3uqnf082LUMhTB6qyIo-qLRLRJonb2xVcqK2V6Z/s1600-h/art+of+imagination+-+stan+mansion.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NBiEG915n1nVfbwR5uC_0qHAyvIi_h3JRqH9EGNlALoN97M8bj22gNoeu-9CUpICol___DFdHqcwU2D3J5it4EC1m3PWo8Y9O5lqi3uqnf082LUMhTB6qyIo-qLRLRJonb2xVcqK2V6Z/s400/art+of+imagination+-+stan+mansion.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402154506955835650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYqZ4nHdhqiQl1jtuNip1UuhSb6oOFNeHdl1oA_bUGehESObeGrMHbuIsW0mr9yTh75IKbse_3rfJ_fEnhsrVsXcTGMMBfN4mcnm0nE1RtABYQUuSM4jjJXxw0Y7XSpzq6-3gHKqGyU3z/s1600-h/art+of+imagination+-+white+sheet.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYqZ4nHdhqiQl1jtuNip1UuhSb6oOFNeHdl1oA_bUGehESObeGrMHbuIsW0mr9yTh75IKbse_3rfJ_fEnhsrVsXcTGMMBfN4mcnm0nE1RtABYQUuSM4jjJXxw0Y7XSpzq6-3gHKqGyU3z/s400/art+of+imagination+-+white+sheet.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402155086887234162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhto5lh7AHgzC-TWQg_hJmznyUkDhTSRZxE4nYTvdZ1CSQNMXnoOSUCeQi_ntBkTfBRzEtO3PamaLZaTmEGlxAxSIs-H8BNIMaW1SoVOOpD-Txxf5tlT0Io0NSAB7G5FW-Q4Bzo481Nk2/s1600-h/art+of+imagination+blue.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhto5lh7AHgzC-TWQg_hJmznyUkDhTSRZxE4nYTvdZ1CSQNMXnoOSUCeQi_ntBkTfBRzEtO3PamaLZaTmEGlxAxSIs-H8BNIMaW1SoVOOpD-Txxf5tlT0Io0NSAB7G5FW-Q4Bzo481Nk2/s400/art+of+imagination+blue.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402155196997794754" border="0" /></a>cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-33695056832365648622009-10-23T14:30:00.001-07:002009-10-23T16:20:29.482-07:00Saying Cheese in Style<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZlkkpAT0QSPA3H-t7kwaxHR_OAw8IjpiT19bLcUx96R6I9kjeMD32Z2G2CNA5ZtRvEfWMwhn2C4i_FIun5cBhH0VBzoIPCKH6pc56jSciIYsXlp8GHieLSYqA8mxGisGguJr-1e-o-A3/s1600-h/digital_retro.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZlkkpAT0QSPA3H-t7kwaxHR_OAw8IjpiT19bLcUx96R6I9kjeMD32Z2G2CNA5ZtRvEfWMwhn2C4i_FIun5cBhH0VBzoIPCKH6pc56jSciIYsXlp8GHieLSYqA8mxGisGguJr-1e-o-A3/s400/digital_retro.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395925923389932786" border="0" /></a>It took awhile before it caught onto the wedding scene in the States, but since it's started, it hasn't stopped, (there is even an <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10374092-1.html">inflatable photo booth</a> these days).<br /><br />Once we started talking about our wedding, we knew we would probably be no exception to the photo booth mania, seeing as how we can hardly go to <a href="http://www.emptybottle.com/home.php">Empty Bottle</a> or <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/rainbo-club-chicago">Rainbo Club </a>without sneaking in a strip or two, and why not? They're fun, they have a special way of looking cool and creating a memory that might have otherwise gone undocumented and they offer a chance to cram a whole bunch of people into a small space and take silly photos. What's not to love?<br /><br />We were already planning on renting a vintage photobooth from <a href="http://312photobooth.com/index.html">312photobooth.com</a> and asking guests to rubber cement their photo strips scrapbook style and jot down a few words to us, thus operating as a much more fun and functional guest book. (I personally loathe the regular guest book, no one ever really signs more than their half-assed signature). We figured guests could also take a few strips home for themselves, eliminating the guest favor dilema, but then I did some research.<br /><br />As it turns out, (and not to my complete surprise) photo booths are not cheap to rent - think $1000 rental range. Not really a cost-saving idea, so I've been thinking about other options. I've seen some very lovely photos of weddings and other parties where people have gone the DIY route and done a great job of creating their own cloth backdrops to mimic the photo booth feel, like this gorgeous backyard wedding <a href="http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/2009/03/throw-backyard-wedding-make-your-own.html">backdrop</a> from GreenWeddingShoes.blogspot.com...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YV8BFwCFMFUHhF2HF5athZkg2hAwaSAYeFEhcYsRHlqFhZx57agrrOyU31dvU9xE3B6zo6-0IS1wc9dQ9hQ_OhTA-sjd7E2n1B_T3r3rPvsmrYeYhILwZBLV4LCHaxwUzEUkGMFi6yvr/s1600-h/diyphotobooth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YV8BFwCFMFUHhF2HF5athZkg2hAwaSAYeFEhcYsRHlqFhZx57agrrOyU31dvU9xE3B6zo6-0IS1wc9dQ9hQ_OhTA-sjd7E2n1B_T3r3rPvsmrYeYhILwZBLV4LCHaxwUzEUkGMFi6yvr/s400/diyphotobooth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395928617852651122" border="0" /></a><br />And there's the adding of giant picture frames and goofy props, which has been a wedding photo mainstay for a few years now...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEqBICn4u4ZNAWPPy7cPQ24o-2upWLHBw45HE5D8mqxFXm_wfMmIEOTfaGhaTXG5SjLQ5X7EO56vtxAwL7skXVLbaphCiVtGXsJc5df6q2v_Pr0vL-jNIoVHRVL7Gt2CnC3aP9mggEsT7/s1600-h/photobooth+eh.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEqBICn4u4ZNAWPPy7cPQ24o-2upWLHBw45HE5D8mqxFXm_wfMmIEOTfaGhaTXG5SjLQ5X7EO56vtxAwL7skXVLbaphCiVtGXsJc5df6q2v_Pr0vL-jNIoVHRVL7Gt2CnC3aP9mggEsT7/s400/photobooth+eh.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395933357316030434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://chicmapsbynikki.blogspot.com/">http://chicmapsbynikki.blogspot.com/</a></span><br /><br /></div>And there are even some enterprising couples out there who make their own booths, complete with coordinating colors to match everything else...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bs7Ab0bfAPizJOQUgnMm549uk42kaHBZEvxGF6LK1lKfSZ8qCp6RRrccapWbw-YklaEaYyX_U9Xv3YjSOlM8rHxtXKNECLZ_2qeDuehCPPrQqACXzt3Lf0Hb7ailbBdFPp-n3AMTmZiA/s1600-h/17-homemade-photobooth-yellow-gray-silly-props.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bs7Ab0bfAPizJOQUgnMm549uk42kaHBZEvxGF6LK1lKfSZ8qCp6RRrccapWbw-YklaEaYyX_U9Xv3YjSOlM8rHxtXKNECLZ_2qeDuehCPPrQqACXzt3Lf0Hb7ailbBdFPp-n3AMTmZiA/s400/17-homemade-photobooth-yellow-gray-silly-props.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395934320587343986" border="0" /></a><a href="http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/2009/09/real-wedding-saturday-jennifer-floris.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">Snippetandink.blogspot.com</span><br /></a></div><br />It's all very pretty (and in some cases, incredibly impressive) but I still saw us sticking with the real deal, until I came across this <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://engageology.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/grnwedshoes_photobooth.jpg&imgrefurl=http://engageology.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/coolest-photobooth-ever/&usg=__gI1vesQmnb-HZFPqSjSoUrYHWJ8=&h=820&w=650&sz=179&hl=en&start=28&um=1&tbnid=tPK3ajoVqwGTjM:&tbnh=144&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddiy%2Bphotobooth%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18%26um%3D1">AMAZING photobooth</a> idea:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayQjW8H9fFh1lv6H6DpKWUGDxSiWkmbKcdVnbypYFxjNbS4LBJWmkT-tKmyDxv1SCJORQlpSc39X14PY-FkyqYt0lFDhG7zDe3biDlsZdvcifMDGJDjP3zYYAYVQbUFCHXCrpu0mdtklv/s1600-h/coolest+photobooth+ever.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayQjW8H9fFh1lv6H6DpKWUGDxSiWkmbKcdVnbypYFxjNbS4LBJWmkT-tKmyDxv1SCJORQlpSc39X14PY-FkyqYt0lFDhG7zDe3biDlsZdvcifMDGJDjP3zYYAYVQbUFCHXCrpu0mdtklv/s400/coolest+photobooth+ever.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395923742435358434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://engageology.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/grnwedshoes_photobooth.jpg&imgrefurl=http://engageology.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/coolest-photobooth-ever/&usg=__gI1vesQmnb-HZFPqSjSoUrYHWJ8=&h=820&w=650&sz=179&hl=en&start=28&um=1&tbnid=tPK3ajoVqwGTjM:&tbnh=144&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddiy%2Bphotobooth%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18%26um%3D1">Greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com</a><br /></span></div><br />and then saw this at <a href="http://offbeatbride.com/page/2">OffBeat Bride</a>:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuSXuOQv5TL88Zew7JHbvg_yHDUwz5toRTIQB2RAa_AFgvDwACQ3jG3fOIAap3ZAQZw8IG5_9oSF26pGeKASuGcCZT2ZIYEqDNwkoJujLFS4OHBW5c-ZPgqLZDyDGEPa4H3_i4eDgAgzF/s1600-h/joinedatthehip.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuSXuOQv5TL88Zew7JHbvg_yHDUwz5toRTIQB2RAa_AFgvDwACQ3jG3fOIAap3ZAQZw8IG5_9oSF26pGeKASuGcCZT2ZIYEqDNwkoJujLFS4OHBW5c-ZPgqLZDyDGEPa4H3_i4eDgAgzF/s400/joinedatthehip.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395924929757017874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxzK_YdpRfhHkKngSIlUNqt6yh0hgUEYVNC9DjJcyoOs3lnHFUrdEhlTiiblSaAr1CltWlDz7EPOClHqVkDbjVxtvqrhnWbe0_mpX0zJkTiHR1WFHqGqR3XIyeyh4G_EhGHhwC9EQiWfm/s1600-h/wolfmancutout.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxzK_YdpRfhHkKngSIlUNqt6yh0hgUEYVNC9DjJcyoOs3lnHFUrdEhlTiiblSaAr1CltWlDz7EPOClHqVkDbjVxtvqrhnWbe0_mpX0zJkTiHR1WFHqGqR3XIyeyh4G_EhGHhwC9EQiWfm/s400/wolfmancutout.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395925335101964034" border="0" /></a><br />And now I am completely obsessed with the idea of creating our own photo booth. How are we are ever going to top the amazing ingenuity and creativity of these kids? I'm still not sure, but I'm working on some ideas!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-32850735913521175482009-10-21T11:57:00.000-07:002009-10-21T13:17:08.679-07:00Day 353: "Come Out & Play"Gotta say, yesterday's venue recon mission didn't go as badly as I thought it was going to. Park lady was really nice (considering we politely busted into her office in the middle of her work day) but the bad news is we still don't officially have a contract. Park lady won't have the new price quotes until early November, and neither her nor us want to make a deposit only to find that the venue was raised to be something ridiculous. It's not her fault, it's a sort of Chicago Parks matter all across the board, but it's still a little unsettling. She does have us in the books though, so the date is saved for us. It's really the best we can do right now.<br /><br />The upside? Park lady confirmed the following:<br /><ul><li>We can definitely go til' midnight at the venue.</li><li>We can definitely bring in the caterer of our choice.</li><li>They have 21 round tables that can seat between 8-10 people which is exactly how many we need (we were able to whittle down the guest list to 225, and with a lot of out-of-towners, we're guessing we'll have 200 or less at the wedding).</li><li>We can use the concession stands as bar set-ups and coat rooms for no additional costs.<br /></li></ul>Overall, not the final result we were going for, but at least we have things in motion and an idea of what's actually going on. However, our trip to Flying Saucer turned out to be helpful in unexpected way.<br /><br />After we wrapped up lunch, we talked to Danielle (one of the chefs) a bit about weddings and Humboldt Park and she said that Flying Saucer actually does catering. While we have a few places in mind at the moment (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/honest-foods-chicago-2">Honest Foods</a> and <a href="http://www.centeredchef.com/">Centered Chef</a>) Flying Saucer does have the advantage of specializing in vegan/veg food and being a block away from Humboldt Park (something that is especially helpful considering the tiny, tiny kitchen in the Fieldhouse space). Not sure who we're going to go with in the end, but it's cool to know they have the capabilities.<br /><br />Next up, a lot of decoration talk with <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/art-of-imagination-chicago">Art of Imagination</a>. They're based in Humboldt Park/Logan Square and specialize in drapery (if you've ever gone to a Stan Mansion event before, chances are you have seen their work since Deb from A-of-I has an exclusive contract with Stan Mansion). We chatted a bit and have an in person appointment next week to meet at Humboldt and go over some ideas. We're hoping we can do this on the cheap. My biggest concern is if she can help us temporarily cover this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx9nRjjFMx9thHNO1-NjQvtY1I27BhGnKwa4ZV-ZvHgtfSxJwkWhaIkiUaTr1fAPo_77QPVF2frPcyrIUjPGuMaV7esGU88R1oH5Q4tFAYafnPYVhs6D8gKded4sJFH0_nb2Ht8Sdef2B/s1600-h/humboldt+park+gym+mural.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx9nRjjFMx9thHNO1-NjQvtY1I27BhGnKwa4ZV-ZvHgtfSxJwkWhaIkiUaTr1fAPo_77QPVF2frPcyrIUjPGuMaV7esGU88R1oH5Q4tFAYafnPYVhs6D8gKded4sJFH0_nb2Ht8Sdef2B/s400/humboldt+park+gym+mural.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395143216441257394" border="0" /></a>Nice for a community space, not so nice for a wedding.cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-25736140930283693102009-10-20T00:03:00.000-07:002009-10-20T10:02:09.160-07:00Day 354: Strength in NumbersAfter the few attempts I made to reach Humboldt Park, I sort of gave up last week. Unfortunately, there's this funny thing about wedding planning where just ignoring the fact that you need a venue will not actually solve the problem.<br /><br />This is why I am enlisting J-Cakes (the fiance) for this very important task.<br /><br />Like myself, J-Cakes is equally enthralled at the idea of spending the morning trying to hammer down the hidden details and costs for our wedding venue with the hard-to-reach lady who works in Humboldt Park. If I were being honesty with myself, the only thing really motivating us to go is the desire to get this boring part out of the way and the promise of stopping for brunch at the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/flying-saucer-chicago">Flying Saucer</a>.<br /><br />My theory is, strength in numbers. The reality is, neither one of us is particularly intimidating and I have no idea how much difference it will make to have us both there. I figure even if the worst-case scenarios play out to be true...<br /><br />a.) They still won't let us sign a contract<br />b.) The prices were raised to something ridiculous<br />c.) The stuff they said was cool to do at the venue turns out to be not cool (such as staying at the venue until 12:30 or bringing our own caterers with)<br />OR<br />d.) All three<br /><br />...at least I'll be hanging out with my honey, walking through the park and getting some <a href="http://www.metropoliscoffee.com/">Metropolis coffee</a> out of the deal.<br /><br />The bad news is, even if all the best case scenarios plan out and things go smoothly (which will lead to us immediately attempting to do airborne high-fives the whole walk home), we still have to consider the completely shitty weather that was October 9th this year. Shitty weather that could very well be the same next year. In other words, the picturesque ideal of having the ceremony in the Boathouse and the reception in the Field House might not work out completely. I just imagine it would be hard to convince people to want to stand outside in the cold, close to water (albeit, not a large body of water, but water nonetheless) while we talk about how much we love each other and everyone huddles together for warmth.<br /><br />So now, we need a backup plan for the outdoor ceremony if we go with Plan A, and a more flushed out idea of what Plan B looks like in case it ends up actually being our new Plan A.<br /><br />Sometimes, I wonder if this really needs to be this complicated. Then I remember that a big part of that complication comes from us being poor and kind of picky.<br /><br />Time to nut up or shut up?<br /><br />(You'll have to forgive that last part. It's a horrible, but I just went to see <a href="http://http//www.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/">Zombieland</a> recently).<br /><br /><br />Go Team Awesome!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-75843363138880083942009-10-14T11:40:00.000-07:002009-10-14T11:42:46.911-07:00Venue BluesDespite a very well-contructed email to the Regional Chicago Park District person I need to talk to, two phone calls, and a few stalker-like walks through Humboldt Park to see if someone is around to talk to, I have yet to reach someone live.<br /><br />This does not look good.<br /><br />Plan B?<br /><br />Too soon?<br /><br />Ugh!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-13913347075877087662009-10-12T15:31:00.000-07:002009-10-13T10:35:22.840-07:00Day 362After a fairly long hiatus, I'm back on the blogging. I missed the chance to do the official "365 Days and Counting" blog post to commemorate the wedding being one year away, but official post or not, it's all happening. I've enjoyed pretending that just thinking about cute wedding and party ideas is enough, but unfortunately, not a lot of things actually happen unless you take actual physical action, so let's take a look at what I've accomplished in the mini-break:<br /><br /><ul><li>I spent July 28th - September 1st logging into Livestrong.com, where I walked almost every day and logged in everything I ate (or at least my best guess at everything I ate) and ended up losing 15 pounds. Sometime during I pulled some muscle in my leg and got a nasty knee injury, which led to not walking, then we lost the internet for about 3 weeks. By the time we got it back, 10 of the 15 pounds were back on and my enthusiasm for calorie counting has significantly waned.</li><li>I went on a few job interviews and sent a bunch of resumes out. I regret to state that my employment status did not change. (This relates to the planning, because we're pretty much broke).<br /></li><li>I went to Renegade Craft Fair and got a crapload of business cards. If my attempt to letterpress or screenprint fails, I have a lot of lovely crafters in mind for the invites.<br /></li><li>I ate a pint of Ben and Jerry's while looking at giant magazine of wedding dresses I can't fit in.</li><li>I had one wicked fight with the fiance (which was pretty surprising, we're usually pretty chill).</li><li>I watched all of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer seasons in order. (I would use "watched" loosely, since it was sort of my in the background thing, but still).</li><li>I did a bunch of freelance work.<br /></li><li>I threw a few mini tantrums when we finally fixed the internet and then the computer crashed altogether (still in the process of dealing with this. Not having Microsoft Word or Excel is a real challenge).</li><li>Spent a lot of time at the Bucktown library using the computer.<br /></li></ul>I think that sums in up. You'll notice there's not a lot of wedding planning proactivity listed there and that's because I was really sort of hoping that the power of imagination might somehow will income into my bank account so we can get this stuff going. A quick log into my account at theknot.com listed a bunch of little past-due notices warning me that time is already passing by. The biggest warning being about locking in our booking for the ceremony/reception spot (our pick wouldn't let us sign in until now).<br /><br />Let the fun, and starvation dieting begin!cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670022096318848482.post-42638424158324032442009-08-27T11:27:00.000-07:002009-08-27T12:20:03.803-07:00Color Schemes<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://aesthetictraditionalist.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/nick-cave11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 387px; height: 580px;" src="http://aesthetictraditionalist.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/nick-cave11.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Source:<a href="http://aesthetictraditionalist.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/nick-cave/"> aesthetictraditionalist.wordpress.com</a></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div>Not a lot of blog posts lately, but honestly, not a lot happening at the moment. The guest list is still under construction and I suspect it will stay that way until around Christmastime when I can hound my mom about her side of invites in person. In the meantime, there are all sorts of other fun - or painful - little details to consider. One pretty big detail being the color scheme.<br /><br />I've been sort of sliding on this part of the process because I'm still waiting on Johnny's vote for the suit (light gray, dark brown or very black) which will have a bit of an impact on what we should go with. Unfortunately, so far the only response I have gotten on his preferences has been to find something that "looks like something Nick Cave would wear" (<span style="font-style: italic;">see </span>picture above). What he's looking for is a bit of a slimmer cut on the suit, but this direction is vague at best and does not a color scheme decision make, so I've still been tossing around ideas for what might be the best mix for our low-key, middle-of-the-park shindig. Apparently, there's a lot to consider and this post by <a href="http://wedding.theknot.com/real-weddings/real-theme-weddings/articles/color-coordinated-weddings.aspx">The Knot</a> just sort of made me way more anxious then I needed to be.<br /><br />Call me crazy, but with Fall being the backdrop I felt like windows were the most important part of the process. Just open them up and let autumn do it's thing. Unfortunately, just getting any Fall-ish colors together and lacking some kind of structure could make things look pretty messy, and avoiding a scheme all together makes all the details much more annoying to figure out. When you choose two or three colors and roll with it, decisions like guest favors and invitations become that much easier to consider. So, here's what we're thinking about...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQeOxnv5VCSeEYhoBn7n0ULI3NjnLoHoqXYIYCe6OQ5trz7SEXNU4-yryWDLFiICz4ixtb-LeAas1FquCc7sXACs9CGtJKjzBBfwXwD2BMY_XBdpBmGZp6C-My4A7CV0XWhLUzQgeVBw/s400/burntorange-brown-theme6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQeOxnv5VCSeEYhoBn7n0ULI3NjnLoHoqXYIYCe6OQ5trz7SEXNU4-yryWDLFiICz4ixtb-LeAas1FquCc7sXACs9CGtJKjzBBfwXwD2BMY_XBdpBmGZp6C-My4A7CV0XWhLUzQgeVBw/s400/burntorange-brown-theme6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Burnt Orange/Pumpkin and Chocolate Brown:</span><br /><br />At first I thought we should stay away from this 1960/70s wedding combination (not to mention, the team colors for the Cleveland Browns) but the combination has kind of won me over. It's very Fall, pretty dramatic and a good solid base for dropping in other Fall colors wherever we need the decoration. There's something kind of Halloween about it, and that's our favorite holiday. Wedding is in October. We may just have a match.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/wedding_prod/photos/8e85d075d476fc817130937725da419a_m"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 449px; height: 450px;" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/wedding_prod/photos/8e85d075d476fc817130937725da419a_m" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chocolate Brown, Carmel and White Chocolate (with some Gold in the mix):</span><br /><br />Also known as Brown, Tan and Ivory-ish, the other way just makes it sounds nicer (and more tasty). Whatever you want to call it, this was our first idea for a color scheme. It was the idea we conjured up while freshly engaged and still backpacking through Europe. On the upside, it's clean and modern, classic and gorgeous. On the downside, our location isn't very modern/sleek-looking so this is for detail might get lost in the shuffle or look too minimal if done wrong. I think if we had gone with an art gallery or cheaper version of Cafe Brauer, this might have been perfect, but now I'm not so sure.<br /><br /><br />Option Three is really sort of a combination deal of both of those with a little crimson thrown in for good measure.<br /><br />Sometimes I really wish we could just buy a house because there are so many cool ideas I have for a backyard outdoor wedding (read: our dream wedding) but unfortunately a park is as close as we can get.<br /><br />Any suggestions on colors? Cool shit you've seem somewhere else? Lemme know.cc+jmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01669003865601752423noreply@blogger.com9