Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Song
So this part of the process is extremely hard. My challenge is to look for a song that is not cheesy and can be found in a movie or television show whose lyrics are appropriate for both Paul and me. Now, if this wedding was in the 80's or even 90's this would be really easy. Lots of movies with great songs fill my head...Karate Kid II with "Glory of Love", 3 Musketeers with "All for 1", a lot of Disney flicks, etc. But I cannot find a recent film that has a really great romantic song or something I want to hear over and over again. Right now on the back burner, I've got Moulin Rouge with "Come What May," and I might have to resort to cheesy Disney films. Help! I am hoping that a new romantic film will come out and save me.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Wedding Band - Donna
So I finally saw and tried on my wedding band. I ordered it from Hawaii on July 1st, but Aug. 1st was when I had the time to see it. Here is a photo from the store:
I first saw it online when I was browsing Na Hoku's website, and this was the only ring that caught my eye. I did have a wedding band picked out at another ring shop that would have matched my engagement ring, but I had to at least see this Hawaiian one in person before I made any final decisions. I was actually really prepared to hate it because I didn't think it would match. We arrived at the store in Ala Moana, and they didn't have it. It was just a fluke that we were going to the Hilton where we found another Na Hoku store, who said that they can call the main office to ship it over from the mainland. I guess this design was discontinued, and there were only 2 left in the entire company. I figured that I could wait. We were going to come back to Waikiki anyway. So we came back, and I tried it on. It had an interesting effect alongside Paul's ring. The 3 diamonds at the top matched perfectly inlined with my 3 diamonds on the engagement ring. The maile leaf design wasn't obtrusive. I felt that it was the perfect blending of Paul and me, the Californian and the Hawaiian. =P When I purchased the ring, they gave me this card with information on it. It said:
"The Maile leaf grows on vines in the rain forests of Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island of Hawaii. In ancient times, ony Ali'i (a-lee-ee, kings and queens) were allowed the honor of wearing these beautiful fragrant leis, and only during special or religious ceremonies. A maile lei represents Aloha (love), Ho'ohanohano (honor), and Mahalo (respect). Today, maile leis are worn during wedding ceremonies by the bride and the groom or given to someone who has achieved something special."
I think paired along with the diamond, it is a great combination of symbols/meanings and a perfect reminder of our commitment and love we have for each other. So for now, we'll safely lock this ring away until the time comes.
I first saw it online when I was browsing Na Hoku's website, and this was the only ring that caught my eye. I did have a wedding band picked out at another ring shop that would have matched my engagement ring, but I had to at least see this Hawaiian one in person before I made any final decisions. I was actually really prepared to hate it because I didn't think it would match. We arrived at the store in Ala Moana, and they didn't have it. It was just a fluke that we were going to the Hilton where we found another Na Hoku store, who said that they can call the main office to ship it over from the mainland. I guess this design was discontinued, and there were only 2 left in the entire company. I figured that I could wait. We were going to come back to Waikiki anyway. So we came back, and I tried it on. It had an interesting effect alongside Paul's ring. The 3 diamonds at the top matched perfectly inlined with my 3 diamonds on the engagement ring. The maile leaf design wasn't obtrusive. I felt that it was the perfect blending of Paul and me, the Californian and the Hawaiian. =P When I purchased the ring, they gave me this card with information on it. It said:
"The Maile leaf grows on vines in the rain forests of Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island of Hawaii. In ancient times, ony Ali'i (a-lee-ee, kings and queens) were allowed the honor of wearing these beautiful fragrant leis, and only during special or religious ceremonies. A maile lei represents Aloha (love), Ho'ohanohano (honor), and Mahalo (respect). Today, maile leis are worn during wedding ceremonies by the bride and the groom or given to someone who has achieved something special."
I think paired along with the diamond, it is a great combination of symbols/meanings and a perfect reminder of our commitment and love we have for each other. So for now, we'll safely lock this ring away until the time comes.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The Guest List
So I've been reading some interesting advice about weddings and wedding planning. I came across this article about guest lists on CNN.com. Basically, it came with a list of questions to ask people to see if they know anything about you, or if they've ever been involved in your life. Here is a copy of the questions:
1) Name the city I'm living in now (Good one to weed folks out, especially if you have moved a lot. Don't use this if you've lived in the same place for 10 years).
2) Name at least two of my closest friends.
3) Name my current employer and my past employer (Again, if you've remained in the same job for 15 years, this does not apply).
4) Do I have any kids?
5) Do you know the name of my fiancé? Bonus question: Where and when did we meet?
6) Do you know where my parents are and whether they are still alive? (Imagine a friend at your wedding asking how long have your parents been married when they divorced years ago).
7) Name at least two of my hobbies.
8) How old am I? (My favorite is when family friends would query, 'Are you 28 now?" Imagine their surprise when I proclaimed, 'yeah, 10 years ago!')
9) Where did I go to college? (Some people might not remember whether you attended college or even graduated.)
10) Name my last boyfriend before this engagement. Bonus question: if you can name the last two and why we broke up. If you get the bonus question right, that might automatically get you in.
Scoring helps determine whether you get invited.
If you score 50 percent or below, you definitely are not getting invited.
If you score barely over 50 percent, you are on the waiting list. If someone who scored better than you cannot attend, you might get an invitation. This barely acceptable person who might be invited may get you a great gift because of their guilt for scoring so low.
If you score over 60 percent, you get an invitation.
Now, you don't have to be as extreme as I would love to be and send these questions with the save the date card. However, imagine if, over the course of your engagement, you pitch these questions to a few prospective guests just to see how they do.
In the end, what matters most is a beautiful wedding day and a sustained marriage.
Wouldn't you like to celebrate it with loved ones who are invested in your past and present in addition to your future? Plus, it will help you avoid the embarrassing introduction of your new husband to someone who didn't even realize until that moment that you didn't marry your college sweetheart, whom you haven't seen in 15 years!
Here is the website it is located: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/01/wedding.list.quiz/index.html
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I do find these questions amusing, and I think all the important people will definitely pass. Now, it does bring up a good point that sometimes the guest list becomes over inflated, and the guest count plays a huge factor in the budget. A difference of 10 people could mean thousands dollars or so. Family, I feel should get an invitation, whether or not you can answer these questions. Heck, my [Donna] parents might not pass this test since they are so far away and have never been able to keep track of all our details. Also, the fact is that one uncle/auntie cannot get invited without the other. Most of those family members who will come have already been to my sister's and cousin's wedding last year, and should be up to date enough with Paul and me.
I would like to invite as many as people as can fit into our budget. It is an important event that we'd want to share with family and close friends, but our venue and budget is limited so if our guest list does inflate passed capacity, I might have to figure out a plan to trim some people out...and that might be a little challenging. Because there are some people we don't see or talk to often, but I feel that they are extremely important to me/Paul. Also, I don't want to invite anyone that I feel hasn't been a "friend" to me. That means did something very unfriendly like in the past and hasn't rectified it or tried. I feel that there shouldn't be too many of those, and if there are, we probably stopped talking a long time ago...but still it can be tricky. What if they don't know that you're still kind of pissed? =P
I'm hoping that everything will fall into place, everyone will be happy and understanding...weddings kind of force you to have a perspective on things that you wouldn't normally have to think or do anything about. I mean honestly if I didn't like a person for one reason or another, I don't have to talk or interact with that person very much. If we see each other at functions, then we just don't hang out. But if it is an event where you must pick and sort out people into categories of friends, acquaintances, and non-friends, then watch out! Not looking forward to this part of the process, but hopefully, we won't have to resort to that.
1) Name the city I'm living in now (Good one to weed folks out, especially if you have moved a lot. Don't use this if you've lived in the same place for 10 years).
2) Name at least two of my closest friends.
3) Name my current employer and my past employer (Again, if you've remained in the same job for 15 years, this does not apply).
4) Do I have any kids?
5) Do you know the name of my fiancé? Bonus question: Where and when did we meet?
6) Do you know where my parents are and whether they are still alive? (Imagine a friend at your wedding asking how long have your parents been married when they divorced years ago).
7) Name at least two of my hobbies.
8) How old am I? (My favorite is when family friends would query, 'Are you 28 now?" Imagine their surprise when I proclaimed, 'yeah, 10 years ago!')
9) Where did I go to college? (Some people might not remember whether you attended college or even graduated.)
10) Name my last boyfriend before this engagement. Bonus question: if you can name the last two and why we broke up. If you get the bonus question right, that might automatically get you in.
Scoring helps determine whether you get invited.
If you score 50 percent or below, you definitely are not getting invited.
If you score barely over 50 percent, you are on the waiting list. If someone who scored better than you cannot attend, you might get an invitation. This barely acceptable person who might be invited may get you a great gift because of their guilt for scoring so low.
If you score over 60 percent, you get an invitation.
Now, you don't have to be as extreme as I would love to be and send these questions with the save the date card. However, imagine if, over the course of your engagement, you pitch these questions to a few prospective guests just to see how they do.
In the end, what matters most is a beautiful wedding day and a sustained marriage.
Wouldn't you like to celebrate it with loved ones who are invested in your past and present in addition to your future? Plus, it will help you avoid the embarrassing introduction of your new husband to someone who didn't even realize until that moment that you didn't marry your college sweetheart, whom you haven't seen in 15 years!
Here is the website it is located: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/01/wedding.list.quiz/index.html
------
I do find these questions amusing, and I think all the important people will definitely pass. Now, it does bring up a good point that sometimes the guest list becomes over inflated, and the guest count plays a huge factor in the budget. A difference of 10 people could mean thousands dollars or so. Family, I feel should get an invitation, whether or not you can answer these questions. Heck, my [Donna] parents might not pass this test since they are so far away and have never been able to keep track of all our details. Also, the fact is that one uncle/auntie cannot get invited without the other. Most of those family members who will come have already been to my sister's and cousin's wedding last year, and should be up to date enough with Paul and me.
I would like to invite as many as people as can fit into our budget. It is an important event that we'd want to share with family and close friends, but our venue and budget is limited so if our guest list does inflate passed capacity, I might have to figure out a plan to trim some people out...and that might be a little challenging. Because there are some people we don't see or talk to often, but I feel that they are extremely important to me/Paul. Also, I don't want to invite anyone that I feel hasn't been a "friend" to me. That means did something very unfriendly like in the past and hasn't rectified it or tried. I feel that there shouldn't be too many of those, and if there are, we probably stopped talking a long time ago...but still it can be tricky. What if they don't know that you're still kind of pissed? =P
I'm hoping that everything will fall into place, everyone will be happy and understanding...weddings kind of force you to have a perspective on things that you wouldn't normally have to think or do anything about. I mean honestly if I didn't like a person for one reason or another, I don't have to talk or interact with that person very much. If we see each other at functions, then we just don't hang out. But if it is an event where you must pick and sort out people into categories of friends, acquaintances, and non-friends, then watch out! Not looking forward to this part of the process, but hopefully, we won't have to resort to that.
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