Key Ingredients

Katie and Darren's wedding (seen HERE), captured by Matt Mendelsohn, gives off the most fantastic vibe. From beginning to end, the couple seem to be filled to the brim with joy, which obviously spilled over to the guests. You'll notice that none of their pictures focused on details, but there's not one picture lacking a bright smile. While the setting, the food, the music, and the details all contribute to the success of a wedding, the key ingredients truly lie in love and happiness. When everyone is there to celebrate with your on such a joyous occasion, your smile easily translate to become theirs. And you know you've done something right when this happens by the end of the night:

Note to self:
1. Smile, laugh, and enjoy myself as much as possible on the day of. Everyone else can't wait to follow my lead.
2. Start talking to the old guys coming to my wedding and give them incentive to 'let loose'.

Snapshot: Flowergirls of the 21st Century

See the rest of this adorable mini series by Jessica Strickland here, also check out many more cutie pies on the rest of her blog!

If I didn't already have a dress...

...this romantic lil' number on clearance for $200 would be mine mine mine.

Sneak Peak: Centerpiece #1

Yes, I have more than one. Stay tuned to find out why, and how I scored them for about $12 each!

Big Trouble in Little China

In addition to reader feedback, I also received a couple notes on our RSVPs complimenting the invites:


So here's a look at the final product, along with more info on the invites and the little shop they came from:

With calligraphy

(My good friend's dad addressed them for me)

the extras

(tucked inside sleeve on the backside)

RSVP Envelope

(yes, USPS raised 1st class stamp prices AFTER I purchased those perfect lantern stamps)

Like what you see and want the deal I got? Here's what you should know:

1. I got them from Ho Tai Printing located in San Francisco Chinatown.
2. They have a website, but it's pretty crappy.
3. Half the people working in that store speak English. Don't worry, just start talking to them and they'll point you to the right people to talk to if they don't understand you.
4. They probably can design whatever, pretty much however you want, if you are patient enough to explain it to them.
5. They use quality cardstock (they don't photograph well but all of mine are pearlescent).
6. Print quality is good, a few had minor blemishes (mine were metallic red on the cards, and metallic gold on the red envelopes)
7. They don't have a catalog, they have boxes of 'samples' which are basically prints of stuff they have done in the past (I would not at all be surprised if you find mine in there).
8. They can email you an unlimited number of PDF proofs for you to mark up and fax back for correction. They're pretty good about getting new proofs out in a timely manner. Make sure you check the proofs thoroughly, I almost had a recestion instead of a reception.
9. After signing off on the final proof, it only takes 2 to 3 weeks to print them.
10. They give you a small discount if you pay in cash.
11. RSVP cards are $30 per set (whether you want postcards or card&envelope) which match the number of invites you order ONLY IF you use one of their templates (which means use their premade print plates), otherwise you'd have to pay additional for extra plate cost. I requested a couple different RSVP dates, and they always gave me some other date that was close to it. So I just went with it, since I didn't think a couple days make much of a difference. Flexibility saved me $40.

If you're not Chinese and dare to venture in there, I suggest bringing with you a very open mind and/or a Chinese speaking friend. I hope I didn't scare you, they actually don't bite and are quite nice. I just don't want to be cuzzed out for not giving the warning! Good luck!

Semi DIY 5 hour Tea-lights

I needed long burning tea-lights for the centerpieces. What I found were pricey and/or did not come in red. Your standard no frills tea-light runs cheap with usual burn time of 2-3 hours, I think.

I bought five 30 count boxes of red scented tea-lights from Pier1 when I stumbled upon them on final clearnace at 90% off (orig. $6 became $0.6, that's $0.02 per candle) with thought that I'd just deal with the given 2-3 hours. FFIL happens to be a candle expert, and we asked him if he can melt some of them to fill the rest to the brim of the tin container in order to extend their burn time. He came up with a much more genius idea:

That's right, just stack 'em baby*, virtually no work involved. Worried about spillage, you say? We tested it:

Uh-huh, not a drop**. Burn time: 5 hours 9 minutes. Cost: $0.04 per candle

* Most tea-lights are filled to the brim which obviously won't work, but Pier1 seem to consistantly carry these above which go on sale all the time for 20+% off. They carry a variety of colors depending on the season.
** I expect some spillage during actual usage, they are contained so it's fine as long as it's not excessive.

Cheap Tip #23: Keep in mind things you need but not necessarily in a hurry. Check out prices for those items at stores you visit anyway. You never know what good deals you'll find!

Two Jobs, One Pop

I've had this picture forever, and I feel horrible that I do not know where to give credit for this picture (Sorry! If it's yours or you know where it's from, please holla!)

The Fererro Rocher is one of my favorite chocolates, and I love all things multi-purpose. Unfortunately these babies just can't handle the summer heat for my wedding, otherwise I'd be all over this favor + escort combo.