- Date - May 24, 2009; 6:30pm.
- Venue - The Grove, Redfield Estate. Run by Glenview Park District. http://www.glenviewparks.org/The-Grove/Redfield-Estate.htm
- Colors - Deep fuschia, chartreuse, chocolate.
- Wedding party - Not happening. The idea did nothing but irritate me, what with all the added logistics it would've created.
- Dress/accessories - David's Bridal/eBay.
- Registry - Williams Sonoma, Macy's, Crate & Barrel. In a couple weeks, I have to dive back in and fix all the stuff that's now out of stock... and cry. What excites me the most? Probably the white, square dishes!
- Invitations - Now completely assembled (though still unsealed)! Still debating whether I should send them to my mom to write addresses with her lovely handwriting or have Auntie-- who has equally beautiful handwriting-- do them. I'm concerned that once I seal them-- which I would have to do first if sending them to Vegas-- would make the envelopes too bulky and difficult to write on. Also, I am not looking forward to mailing them off and praying that nothing happens to them. I'm so excited for people to seem them!
- Programs - With the invitations almost out of the way, I've started thinking about the programs. I saw this idea on theknot.com where the programs are about half-size, the point being the they can easily be tucked away in purses. I'm thinking of creating little booklets, cardstock cover, white paper inside. Their size will reduce the amount of cardstock I'll need. No text will be on the cover. Just a small, embossed flower to match the invites. I love this idea-- reminds me of old library books that have blank covers. Anything could be inside-- kinda romantic and mysterious...
- Contacts - A horribly dull chore I am SO GLAD is over!! I hate getting people's addresses! Yuck! Hooray!
- Other Contacts - A long story. I never had them, and was basically happy with my glasses. Sometimes there are special occasions, though, where I wouldn't mind being able to wear mascara without it rubbing off on them. Also, it makes picture-taking a nightmare. So I finally went to my eye doctor last December and ordered some disposables. Meanwhile they gave me a trial pair that have since dried out and tore stemming from disuse. Which started me thinking, When the hell are my other ones coming in?! I called and come to find out, according to their [dodgy] records, SOMEONE picked them up, but they didn't have my signature-- which they don't put too much stock in anyway because they lose those slips so often. Dummies. The guy-- who's SHOCKINGLY uneducated for someone who runs a doctor's office-- grudgingly agreed to order more for me. Wow, you mean you're actually gonna give me something I paid for? How can I ever thank you! So, I'm waiting on that.
- Officiant - Retired judge. No contract signed, but he said he doesn't do that, apparently... Makes me a bit nervous, now that I think about it... We wanted a civil ceremony and to us, that doesn't mean non-denominational which is what everyone seems to assume when you tell them that. And so no, we didn't want anyone ordained by a religious establishment conducting the ceremony. I don't care if they don't mention God. Eventually, we discovered that the only people allowed to conduct ceremonies outside of ministry-types (who also are allowed to come to your venue) are retired judges. How many can there really be, who are also willing and available and we can afford? That was Chris' task, so he hired the first one he found. lol
- Ceremony - The judge has his own schpiel hammered out. We're doing a unity candle, though since we discussed it, I learned there are a lot of different variations, so I don't know exactly how it'll go. We're not planning on a rehearsal, so we'll see... All I know is during said candle thingie, my friend has very graciously agreed to sing a song by Jewel, "What's Simple Is True". She's honestly the best singer I've ever heard, so I'm UBER excited!!!
- Photographer - Bella Pictures. We signed with the company months ago, but they only just selected the actual photographer. We're actually pretty miffed as they told us we'd make the selection from several runners-up. I wrote them, but they still haven't replied. Satisfaction guaranteed, so while I feel I don't have the strength to take this show on the road, I will do so if necessary.
- Tux - I was insistent on getting a brown tux for Chris. Since chocolate is one of our colors, I thought it was the only way to go since I ABHOR black and brown together. It always looks like an accident... So when people suggested we just get a black tux with a brown tie/vest, I told them to go to hell. As you can imagine, brown tuxes not so common so at first I thought we'd have to suck it up and get it from someplace in the city, but this past season, the Men's Wearhouse came out with a pretty smart-looking one, so SCORE!!
- Flowers - I FINALLY got a hold of my Auntie!! Huzzah! We are meeting with her this Tuesday at Wildfire in Oak Brook to discuss all the details. Last year she offered to head up the flower department. Flowers were never a top priority so there won't be a whole lot. I'm thinking wildflowers. I recently fell in love with wax flowers, which aren't wild, but they have a "wild" appearance plus they come in fuschia! I also think a bouquet of nothing but baby's breath would be lovely... and cheap! Also, since we're not having a wedding party, that cuts down on costs & worry here too.
- Honeymoon - After much bouncing back and forth, I think we've formally settled on our plans. We will take a belated honeymoon to Thailand at Christmas, so as to avoid the monsoon season. Probably Bangkok, though Phuket is GORGE-A-MOUS! There are some outstanding deals at cheaptickets.com. The bulk of the expense will be in the flight itself, but once we're there, it's smooth sailing! I already sent in my passport renewal and Chris is bringing his application to the office tomorrow since he's never had one.
- Decor - Since we're not having a ton of flowers, I really wanted to maximize on other decor elements that have impact and incorporate my colors, but don't involve a big investment. I saw this one episode of Martha Stewart where she creates these large tissue paper poufs. I searched online for colored tissue paper and it costs a bit more than I was originally thinking, but worth it, all things considered. My one remaining qualm is how to hang them... Our venue is historic, so they might have a problem if we nailed them to the walls... Also, the ceilings are vaulted which adds another level of difficulty. We also want something we can both put up and take down quickly. The best idea I've come up with is making a grid of twine or wire from which we hang the tissue balls and we adhere to the walls with those removable 3M tabs. I'm thinking it'll totally bow in the middle though if it doesn't fall down completely. Talk about the potential for disaster! Hopefully Auntie, Decorative Guru Extraordinaire, will think up a good solution. Until then, I am holding off on purchasing anything.
- Wedding bands - Both purchased. We actually have mine in our possession. Chris' is on order. His band was made by the same person who designed my engagement ring.
- DJ - We've booked DDSC Entertainment. A small business run by a guy and his wife. They've played our venue before, which comforted me. They were an absolute STEAL and have an online music request list. I've created about half the playlist so far.
- Hair/makeup - The ongoing theme I'm going for with everything is Frugal Quality. I think I've settled on TigerLily that's based in the city, but includes a free consultation/trial. They're portfolio's nice and the price is right (at least, as right as I'm gonna find, I guess).
Wish me luck!!
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