The Tea Party: Ba! Ba! BAAA!!

Previously: 1. Prelude , 2. Tea Ceremony , 3. Getting Ready, 4. The Kids, 5. Wedding Party, 6. Down the Aisle, 7. Ceremony, 8. Group Shots , 9. Couple Shots, 10. Jump Shots, , 11. House Shots, 12. Cocktails & Dinner

After our over dramatic lip-syncing introduction (note the standing ovation for our performance behind us here), we walked over to our sweetheart table to drop off my bouquet and headed right back out to the dance floor. Though of course, not before presenting the fountain like it's in The Price Is Right's showcase.

I love choreography, and had wanted to DIY that too. I dreamt of a first dance like this one:

Unfortunately da hubs' entire dance move repertoire comes from this scene of the infamous movie...:

** big fat fat fat sigh**

SO, compromise it was. We were definitely not doing that sway to a romantic ballad thing, so we just picked the closest upbeat tune there was to being our song (since we don't really have one) and ran with it:This is one of his favorite pics, he says coz it looks like I want him. Apparently I give the 'look of desire' when there is spinach stuck in my teeth.

We sung most of it. OOO! Here comes our favorite part...
"Reaching Out..."

"Touching me..."

"Touching youuuu!""Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet Caroline!"

Crowd sang, some standing, and/or with fists pumping:
"Ba! Ba! BAAA!!" "Good times never seemed so good..."Crowd chanted: "So Good!""So Good!"Funny, goofy, short, and sweet. Our kind of perfection.Mmm... Bacon...

Anyone else wingin' their first dance?

Images by Travis Hoehne

Papa Don't Preach...?

I always envied those who didn't have to pay for their own weddings, in part or in full. Since I wanted to elope in the first place, thoughts of 'better uses' often came to mind when I sent out wedding payments. So when MOH-Ho got engaged and her parents offered her basically a blank check to pay for her wedding, the first thing out of my mouth was something like "HolySeabiscuit! You best not take that shiz for granted!"

Last week over dinner, MOH-Ho told me about a bunch of wedding ideas that's been scratched off her list, ideas that she felt confident about just the week before. Turns out, her parents were less than thrilled about them. It surprised me because her parents are the most understanding and supportive parents I have ever met. But of course, if there is anything I've learned from planning my own, it is that weddings bring strong opinions out da woodworks.

The objections were prefaced with "You can do what you want, but...", and while we know they absolutely mean it, MOH-Ho conceded to everything the parents disagreed with so far. From the officiant selection to the whimsical theme incorporated in the ceremony, none met the criteria of a traditional wedding, like how they believe something as sacred and significant as a wedding should be. "I gotta pick my battles," said MOH-Ho, "it's their money and I definitely want them to have their say in this!" Fortunately MOH-Ho and her parents have a wonderful relationship, and while compromises will have to be made, I'm sure everyone will be happy with the wedding in the end.

I used to think that if someone wants to pay for my wedding, they can do whatever they want. But I now realize it's not that easy. Had our parents contributed to our wedding, I'm not sure I could have easily let go of my own vision for their approval. They too were less than thrilled about all my ideas until they saw it all put together, and agreed afterwards that it turned out to be wonderful and very us. I'd also hesitate in spending, especially splurging on unnecessary items, if it was someone else's money (MOH-Ho is feeling the same).

Perhaps it is me who has been taking our ability to afford this freedom for granted. I guess the tea is always greener in the other cup, eh?

Is anyone sponsoring or chipping in for your wedding? How much are 'says' worth? Does the percentage in financial contribution correlate to the amount of influence in decisions making?

The Tea Party: Our Sneaky Little Private Dinner

Previously: 1. Prelude , 2. Tea Ceremony , 3. Getting Ready, 4. The Kids, 5. Wedding Party, 6. Down the Aisle, 7. Ceremony, 8. Group Shots , 9. Couple Shots, 10. Jump Shots , 11. House Shots

Cocktail hour began for the guests while we were away taking pictures:

Drinks were flowing (from their orignal containers, even though we had specified multiple times for all drinks to be poured):

Guests checked out details like the marriage celebration tree...

looked for their escort teabags... and were suppose to be 'awww'-ing at our baby pics on the slideshow going on but turns out it was still too bright for the projection to be visible! (Exhibit A: blank projector screen and people ignoring it) Eventually the guests moved from the shaded cocktail area to get ready for dining in the sunset.

Our last portrait spot left us inside the bridal loft, where we stayed for dinner.


That's right, we dined by ourselves. We planned this for several reasons:

• We really wanted time alone to take it all in
• We knew we'd need a break from the madness by then
• We vowed to pay for that boofay AND get our grub on! (none of our friends got to eat their own wedding meals)
• Logistically this worked out best for our placement and event timing (and timing was key because we had a full evening schedule!)

I have never heard of anyone else having dinner out of guests' sight at their wedding, but it worked out marvelously for us. The guests' comfort and enjoyment had been priority in almost all our wedding decisions, and we felt we deserved this little break. The breather and the food regenerated us so we could fully enjoy the rest of the night.

Before guests were finished with dinner, we joined the reception with our grand entrance to the chorus of We are the Champions by Queen. It couldn't have felt more appropriate at that moment. Of the world, baby, of the world! We over dramatically lip-synced the whole thing.

What can I say? We are dorks.

The story will continue with the most unforgettablesuperawesomest first dance like how real dorks do. I'll give you a hint: Ba! Ba! BAAA!! (that's right, get your iPhone zippos ready ...)

All photos by BroGT & guests except for the last one, which is by Travis Hoehne.

Counting My Blessings

Recently there was a big relocation at my office. My new awesome commute now:

• is octupled in time and distance
• require a fill up every other day instead of every other week
• keeps me on my toes about filling up since 2/3 of the travel distance include no gas station in sight
• smells like cow manure half of the time
• covers my beloved vehicle, Billy, in squashed bugs
• automatically changes the hip hop radio station to country midway through the trip, which is almost okay because my commute also...
• is deafening me with the harsh winds against Billy's soft top, therefore...
• gives me a headache (physical, not just metaphorical) on a daily basis
• is mostly a single lane highway so there is no avoiding trucks nearby that can do this:

It left shattered glass inside the cab, and I'm grateful that this didn't happen where the bursting glass could have cut my face or my eyes instead. At least I have a husband who cleaned up all the glass for me, and I'm not spending 3 1/2 hours on the road daily like someone else I work with!

Operation MOH-Jo Begins with a Chill Pill

My MOH-Ho is getting married!

At first I was like 'OO-Uh-Ah!' as my neck rolled. Chunky ovah here ain't worthy! (note: no one is). But as I watch the two of them sit there blissfully take my standard verbal assaults, I realized this dude actually meets the qualifications: 1) can take my shiz, and 2) makes her hella happy.

So once it sunk in that this is really happening, it was time to think about the wedding. Now we know all too well how once those wedding planning gears start turning, the momentum gains by the minute until it completely consumes our lives. The signs are all there that we're gonna lose MOH-Ho to the monster, but I'm taking a step back so I can keep us calm to carry on.

Since my own planning process was not an awesome experience, I plan on doing all I can to give her everything I wished I had. It's all part of my evil plot to live vicariously through her. An amazing shower, those heartfelt dress-shopping bonding moments, fun group crafting gatherings, the works. I'll also try to minimize the stressful research, make sure she feels supported, and hopefully even give an unforgettable toast. All this I want to accomplish without overwhelming her - which is a feat on its own!

There are endless things I want her to know, from the list of additional fees to look out for in vendor contracts to the list of wedding photographer blogs I want her to check out. But one of the first things I actually said to her about wedding planning was:

"While it's inevitable to get a little sucked in by all the 'stuff', remember throughout your planning process that it's about the celebration of love and your marriage. If you can really do that, it will take you a long way."

It takes a lot to keep myself from emailing her every hour with a cool wedding link or idea or suggestion, and even more to not tell her about my every mistake so she won't make the same ones. Though she'd eat it all up right now, I don't want it to become too much too quickly like it did for me. I'm trying to give her small chunks of feedback at a time, about tasks that she is immediately working on. And when her day dreaming gets outta hand, I'm there to remind her to get her shiz straight. She calls me her 'reality friend'.

So here's to a new wedding planning journey, may this one be fun-filled and stress-free! Cheers!

If you had to give a newbie bride-to-be one single piece of advice or share with her one wedding resource, what would it be?


P.S. In my attempt to find a super old skool photo of us to embarrass her, I realized that she has always been the cutesy charming one while I was busy looking like an awkward hooker (it WAS high school, after all). But since trips down memory lane are always priceless and vanity/shamefulness is slipping by the minute in my old age, I'll throw this one out there anyway (shout out to cocoa: I'll see your lampshade skirt and raise you green crushed velvet).
*Hands DIY vomit bag to East Side*

Video Game Proposal

This is fo' shiz how I'd propose if I was a supernerd. This way he/she will have no room to gripe about the geeky life the marriage will bring. "Can't say you didn't know what you were signing up for, honey!"

Check out more geeky proposals here.

Half Off @ Michaels

DIY Bee Mine Magnets

Since I suck at card making, I decided to craft something different to send out as valentines. Using materials I had lying around, I made these little magnets. They were quite fun to make, and I'm so glad they turned out! Here's how I did it:
1. Paint 3/4" wooden hearts yellow, let dry.
2. Paint black stripes using the trusty sharpie, let dry.
3. Paint a coat of sparkle glaze to add glitter and shine, let dry.
4. Cut 4 pieces of 'wings' out of sparkly ivory tulle for each magnet, same size as the wooden hearts.
5. Stack them in twos and overlap them as shown to make the pair of wings.
6. Place wings on bee body and line them up at the tip as shown, add a dab of tacky glue at the tip.
7. Top it off with a 'head' of your choice, I used a piece of my cold black heart (black metal heart bead).
8. Using gold beading wires (I had to quadruple it up because they were so thin), I attached the flower bead as shown, and curl the opposite end of the wires to fit inside the magnet.
9. Placing the curled wire on top of the magnet, I added a good dab of tacky glue.
10. Press the bee on top of the glue (see right pic for back view)
11. You can use those mini craft C-clamps to keep it all in place til the glue dries. In the ghetto we just sit on 'em like this:

Voila!

With the valentines, I included a homemade sweet treat - Love Bark (which is like rice krispies treats on crack, really really good crack). I can't get them to look half as appealing as they taste, but dayam they taste like heaven. I also printed a little ingredients list with it (in case recipients have allergies).

I printed the 'BEE MINE' pattern on a piece of vellum and wrapped everything up in it with some twine, then finished it off with those recycled tags I made.
And off they went to be delivered.

Added bonus: here's the closest thing to a bee 'fit you'll ever find me in :D
Hope you're having a happy valentines week!

Google is Reading Mah Mind

Dees mah exact face when...

Image from Glitter Graphics

My Kind of Valentine

Sorry I haven't been around, but if you knew the kind of work week I've had, you'd forgive me.

Image from Indie Fixx

DIY Pop-Up Thank You Cards

I'm finally finished with my Thank You cards! It takes only 4 steps to create this simple pop-up, here's how:
1. Trim liner to fit inside card as desired:
2. Fold liner in half and make 2 parallel cuts perpendicular to fold line (size and location as desired, I chose 1/2" to 2/3" cuts with matching length apart):
3. Open liner and push in fold from the cuts:
4. Glue on desired cut out on the fold's front face:

Viola!

The front of a couple of our cards:
They open up like this (yes, one of them says 'many thanks... for being Awesomest Prime!'):
Photo+Quote cards from the Marriage Celebration Tree are also included with the corresponding TY cards:

I recycled as much materials as I could from the wedding. The signs contributed much to this project:
I used tape instead of glue to secure the signs so that I can reuse the paper and ribbons:

I tried several looks before I ended up with the relatively-easy-to-mass-produce versions you see above. Sewing paper is a huge pain in the butt!
Sealed with some left over wedding stickers from my cousins wedding :)

Paper is my least favorite craft so I procrastinated on these forever (hindsight, I really should have outsourced this). 5+ months after the wedding and I'm just now sending these out! I once heard that I had up to a year to send them out, so I've been holding on to that excuse all this time. It ain't pretty, but it's done! Woot!

When do you consider a TY card late? Are you giving yourself a time limit for sending out thank you cards?