Sample Invitation

So Sarah and I just completed the next step to the invitations. Our paper and monogram stamp came in the mail; so we tried to make a sample invitation to get an idea on what it should look like, and to foresee any problems in making it. It's a good thing we did because with our first trial with the invitation, we used a 2 tone paper (2 colors on one sheet of paper) which made it hard to imagine what it would look like if we did it with 2 separate sheets of paper because we could not find a 2 tone paper in our colors; so what we have now looks slightly different from our 1st sample, and more creme stands out in the cover. It is not a big deal. Sarah had a really cool idea to make a burgundy frame offset in the center so it breaks up the creme a little more, and that problem was averted. There are a couple more things that still need to be done. We still need to make one more stamp, buy some vellum, design the wording of the invitation, design a map, buy postage, etc. I have to find a non-liquid glue because the liquid ones seem to warp the paper. Sarah showed me this glue applicator in which it attaches sticky dots, and I think that will work well. There's plenty of options for tacking now that scrapbooking is such a popular thing. Once we get all the pieces together, we'll have a party, maybe serve a little wine. The invitations need to get out by the end of next week. So I am getting kind of nervous. I'm sure we can gather a whole bunch of people, set-up an assembly line, play some loud music and get it done.

Paul's Wedding Band

So we bought the last of the rings on this past Sunday, and choosing this ring went smoother than expected. We had gone to Robbin Bros. earlier and found a couple styles that we liked. One of which was a white gold ring with thin double ropes on each side. We were going to give it a brush finished look in the middle section. Well, we came back, and did another sweep through their selection. For men's rings, there wasn't a lot of selection compared to women's rings, but we systematically went through each case, picking out a ring that caught our eye. Paul's tastes are really easy enough, and we chose 5 or 6 rings that were actually very similar but had some differences: brushed, flat, beveled edges, concave edges, etc. He even tried on a black ring. (He likes the color black). That ring was very cool looking, but we thought about it, and it's not a ring that would look good as time goes on. So we went more of the traditional route and picked a white gold, flat ring, with a thick band and brushed look. And I recall that there were 2 bands of decoration along the sides...I think. We saw a lot of rings that day. It looked really nice on Paul's hand especially since he has really long fingers, and of course as long as he liked it, that was the main thing. We've been really productive with our wedding preparations, and it is such a relief to get this finally done. One thing though for others to keep in mind when you are buying your ring is to do your purchases before the prices of gold rises (which is not something you have control over), and if the sales tax gets raised which is what happened in California. Damn it, California deficit! It makes a big difference. =P No matter, in the end, we got a really nice wedding band, and we really like working with Robbin's Bros. They've been so helpful and patient each and every time we come by. They have never pressured us into buying any ring. Plus, they clean my engagement ring every visit and make it so shiny and beautiful when I leave. I highly recommend them.

Cinderella's Glass Slippers

This week we actually accomplished quite a lot, and I am very proud of us. I'll have more blogs to follow since there's a lot to highlight. So stay tuned...

I have been searching for some good wedding shoes everywhere for the past year. I can't really say that I am picky just looking for a few specific things: 1) I was envisioning in my head...silver with sparkles to go with the glamour/Hollywood theme 2) They had to look really dressy with some straps 3) I had to figure out a solution for the grass since we will have an outside ceremony, and I didn't want my heels to get stuck in the grass but have somewhat of a heel so that Paul doesn't completely dwarf me (which he can with his 6 ft frame against my 5 ft no-heeled self) 4) They had to be somewhat comfortable.

I did one thing that I don't often do to find these shoes. I went to Macys. I really do like everything in that store, and their style is really classy, but really expensive; so I usually kind of walk through that section to just enter the mall. But I decided that I wasn't getting anywhere with the other stores, and it wouldn't hurt to look. Maybe I could find some inspiration. There wasn't a lot of selection, but I did find some really beautiful shoes that had everything that I was looking for. It did come with a slightly hefty price, but I figured with a few Mary Kay sales, I could offset this cost and put it right back in my budget. In fact, in only a couple of days I am actually already more than halfway there. Thank goodness for goals. They really make things happen. Paul was with me...poor thing. He did a good job enduring my shopping spree and was actually quite helpful and supportive. It took me a while to come to a decision, but I bought the shoes...It's absolutely gorgeous, and I tried them on with the dress. I know that no one can actually see my feet during the ceremony or ever really, but I feel really special wearing them, and I'll take a few cute pictures of my feet.

The shoes are silvery with straps that wrap around the toes and around my heel. There's 2 sparkling globes that connect the straps together that line up in the center. The heel itself is a wedge shape so that means the heel is wide, and it won't sink into the grass. It is 2 inches high, and it is clear. It reminds me of glass slippers. I feel like a princess wearing these shoes...

So I am definitely excited about finally finding these shoes, and that means I can get my alterations for my wedding dress done. I love checking things off my list!

A Thousand Memories or More

So I didn't realize how many photos both Paul and I have to sift through. Plus last year, my computer died, and so a bunch of the photos can only be found on back-up cds and such. It is making this part of the process very challenging. Although it is really great to remember all these events again some of which I haven't thought of in a very long time. For example, there's this one camping trip one spring break that Paul and I went on with a couple of friends. We traveled all the way to Crescent City which for us was a 14 hour drive north. We wanted to see the Redwood trees. We learned a lot about this city especially since it really wanted us to stay. Chris' car broke down once we got there and right before we were about to leave. We stayed an extra day and got to know George's Auto Part's really well. I will never forget that trip, and I hope to insert a handful of these photos somewhere in the slideshow or something. There's these staged pics that the boys did, and they looked like members in a Contemporary Christian band posing for their cd cover. You'll see what I mean, and they'll be in the wedding. Sorry Chris and Timothy, but these photos are classic. It's kind of incredible all the things we did together, places we traveled, jokes we told, and pictures we took. I am extremely grateful for all the photos that we have saved. I also cherish the rare photos of my family taken in the Philippines. Those are extremely precious to me. And I have to say that my mom and dad were really cute growing up. =P I'm sure you all know that I love to take pictures, and there will definitely NOT be a shortage of photos in the future. I'm hoping we can zip passed all these thousands of photos to make Kevin/Brad's (slideshow editors) and Mahalia's (Guestbook designer) easier. Time's running out! Ekkk, only 79 more days to go!

Stamps

So we ordered our first stamp today at www.rubberstampchamp.com, and I can't wait to see it. We could have made the same order at Staples, but it's a little more expensive and it would have taken 10-14 days until it gets delivered to the store. At this website, it offered free delivery with purchases over $10. It did take us a while to figure out how to make the monogram 600ppi so that the quality of the stamp will be high. Jared helped us out by first making the graphic in Illustrator, and then we were able to export it in whatever settings we needed. We figure that this monogram stamp would be good to have to embellish not only our invitations which was the original purpose, but also other things such as the program, envelopes, etc. and we can make it in different colors and textures. It's going to be fun, and maybe a lot of work, but it's kind of nice to have something so personal that we could probably use again for things other than the wedding considering that our initials probably won't change...unless I could call myself a symbol like Prince later on in life. I don't want to imagine what a monogram of that sort would look like...

Love Quotes and Poems

Just to get everyone in the lovey, dovey mood...I came across a few of these and thought I should share:

From "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven," in The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats:

But I, being poor have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

From The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran:

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

From "Somewhere I Have Never Traveled," by E. E. Cummings in Complete Poems: 1904-1962:

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously) her first rose

From "Sonnet 116," in Love Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken

From "How Do I Love Thee?", by Elizabeth Barrett Browning in One Hundred and One Classic Love Poems:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach

From Beloved, by Toni Morrison:

Paul D sits down in the rocking chair and examines the quilt patched in carnival colors. His hands are limp between his knees. There are too many things to feel about this woman. His head hurts. Suddenly he remembers Sixo trying to describe what he felt about the Thirty-Mile Woman. "She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order. It's good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind."

From "A Poem of Friendship" in Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day by Nikki Giovanni:

I don't want to be near you
for the thoughts we share
but the words we never have
to speak.

From "The Book of Ruth," 1: 16-17 in The Bible

For whither thou goest, I will go;
And where thou lodgest, I will lodge;
Thy people shall be my people;
And thy God my God.


Happy and thrice happy are those who enjoy an uninterrupted union, and whose love, unbroken by any sour complaints, shall not dissolve until the last day of their existence.

~ Horace

Guest Bloggers!

In addition to Paul's blog, we have one submitted by Jared Sams, the Best Man. I put it on the Hula Happenings blog since it's advice on how to pay for the trip to Hawaii. Jared's definitely a funny guy...THANK YOU for adding your thoughts to the mix, Jared.

If you want to see his article go to:

Jared's Blog on Hula Happenings