Take the cake!

I am very close to making a final decision on my cake toppers. They will be handmade by RedLightStudios of Washington. Because they are handmade, I get to decide exactly how I want these little guys to turn out. That is where you guys (the two/three people that read this blog) come in!

I want to stick with my bluebird theme, but I'm having a hard time visualizing exactly what I want. Here's a few options that I've come up with:

A. Both birds powdery blue. The boy bird with a slightly darker blue tie and the girl with a veil

B. The boy bird could be a darker blue (I'm thinking grey blue, not royal [OMG] blue) with a red tie maybe? So that way, he looks like a real Eastern bluebird. Those little guys have red breasts. The girl bird could be a lighter version of that, so light, she almost looks white, I'm thinking.

If anyone has a favorite option, or if you have any thoughts or ideas, please comment! I want these little guys to be adorable.

The image is from the extensive gallery at the blog for RedLightStudio. You can go there to see Cynthia's other cute works.

Personalizing the wedding

First off, let me say that for some pretty pretties, you can stop by Grey likes weddings. She always has the sweetest pictures and ideas.

I think this is a safe haven for me to say that Zack and I are complete geeks. We play video games, watch sci-fi television shows (too many to name), go to sci-fi conventions, play geeky tabletop games, and get really excited about gadgets. And yet, we are full of awesome (I should know).

I want to make sure that the awesomeness that glows around us is conveyed in our wedding and at our reception. So far, I only have a couple of things: The bridesmaids will be processing with Zelda's Lullaby (I might add another geeky/video game love song in there somewhere). Also, Zack's groom's cake is going to be carved into the shape of a silvery Mac Apple (and hopefully, it will be good).

This is not enough! I want more! So far, my ideas include the following:

Decking out the guys in nerdy cufflinks.


usb drive favors! Possibly with our playlists on it? Going along with the playlist idea, we could just burn CDs.

We could also make our own little geeky activity book, with puzzles and maybe some ad libs.

Finally, I was thinking of naming all the tables after little geekery details (Not in a tacky way). Examples include: "Table Cylon", "Table Skywalker"

OR, we could number the tables using our iPhone pictures. But I wonder if you can tell that they are iPhones.

I really don't want to go overboard on any of these things for a few reasons. First, our theme is bluebirds and I don't want to take away from that, but I also don't want the bluebirds to take away from our personalities. Second, if I go overboard, I feel like the wedding will feel like a themed birthday party instead of one of the most important days of my life.

Photo credits: cufflinks ( Real Geek ), usb drive ( Pexagon ), us with iPhone ( Keith Peeler )

Paper and birdies

Update on reception venue: After much consideration, number crunching, and finding out that our venue was probably going to over-charge us by quite a bit, I have started actively shopping for alternatives. With under six months until the wedding, I'm only hoping that other places aren't already booked. I've gotta hurry!

According to The Knot, it is about time for me to have chose a design and the wording for my invitation. This part is very exciting to me because (one) my fiance is a kick-*ss graphic designer and (two) it sets the stage for the entire wedding.

The theme for the wedding has taken a turn (for the better). Rather than a coffee house feel, I've been leaning heavily towards a bluebird theme. Aside from being just plain pretty, Eastern Bluebirds have coloring that is eerily close to my already chosen color scheme. Also, bluebirds are a symbol of happiness!

With a new theme close to being completely established, I have started searching for inspiration and ideas for the invitations and cake.

So far, my favorite little pieces of inspiration are in the form of silhouettes.

I'm hoping that whatever design we come up with for the invitation may be incorporated into the rest of the wedding.


Photo credits: Bluebird ( Tracey, via Flickr ); Madeline Invitation ( onereverie )

A grave(L) Situation

Everyone said that something would go wrong eventually. Luckily, my problem might not be that huge... Then again, it might.

The venue I have chosen for our reception is the place where Zack and I first met. It is a place where we have learned about each other and prayed together. Obviously, it is filled with meaning for us.

THE PROBLEM
The majority of the night was going to take place in the backyard. Originally, the backyard consisted mostly of dirt and stepping stones. As of last week, there have been rennovations consisting of covering much of the yard in river rock. It is very pretty, however, one walk around the backyard makes problems clear.

Think back to your days on the playground. Remember how wierd it was to walk around on the gravel? Walking in the river rocks is that strange. Also, after taking a walk around, you might as well say bye bye to those heels you wear only on special occassions, because those poor little guys are going to be pretty dinged up.

The first step I'm taking is trying to work with my vendor to find workable solution. If we can't figure out something that works for both of us, I may be forced to look for a new venue, which I really don't want to do.

So far, the alternative venue locations I can think of for about the same price include a couple of restaurants (giuseppi's, the greenhouse, FERA's), a bed and breakfast, or the area near our ceremony location.

Pardon my rambling. If I type it out, then it stays out of my mind for some time.

Center of Attention: Take 3

As you can see, I'm completely obsessing over centerpiece ideas. I love the thought of being able to make the centerpieces. These pom pom flowers from domestifluff might be a little too Dr. Seuss for the reception, but they're so affordable to make, there should be no harm in trying them out!

Center of Attention: Take II

I've been seeing these little guys all over the wedding blogs lately. The simplicity of these flowers is beautiful.

If I choose to go through with a plan for paper flowers, these will be the ones I use. They may or may not be on branches like the picture. I was thinking of attempting to make a bouquet or a pomander.

I'll let you know how that turns out.

These paper flowers were introduced by Wendy at dozi design. She also gave a tutorial.

(Picture property of dozi design)

Candlelight's effect on color

Most of our reception will be taking place outdoors in the evening. This means that our main source of light will be candles. I decided to figure out how all this candlelight (and in some places, faux candlelight) will change or enhance the colors I have chosen for my wedding.

To Google!


I was not disappointed. According to the Prof. Oddfellow at Color + Design Blog, candlelight intensifies redish colors, but mutes cooler colors like blues and purples.

Thanks to this little tidbit of information, I now know that I would probably do better to concentrate on using more reds than blues.

I wonder how I could highlight the blues in my color theme at night and in the candlelight.
Blue glass surrounding some candles could always help, I suppose.

Note: picture also courtesy of Color + Design

Picture Perfect

We had our engagement photos done this past weekend. What a special time! Our photographer is Keith Peeler and he is amazing. If you are in the DFW area and looking for a great photographer, Keith is the man to call.

Speaking of photographs, I've been thinking on the photobooth idea. I'm starting to wonder if it will be worth the time and extra money we would be putting into it. I'm still in love with the idea of using a dry erase board for messages. The photos are important to me. They are always my favorite part of any event, because they give me a point of reference to remember the rest of the night.

I think my biggest problem for the whole evening is letting mine and Zack's personalities shine through. This is weird to me, because there are so many unique things about us, but it seems to difficult to figure out how to incorporate those things.

Center of attention

I always seem to remember the centerpieces from the wedding receptions I've attended.

The most impressive I've ever seen was a 4-foot tall vase with a huge spray of red orchids. It was absolutely amazing.

I know there's been a fair share of depressing little silk flowers in a vase surrounded by confetti, too.

I don't want reception centerpieces that make up a fourth of my budget (even though they were so beautiful, they really did fit the couple well). I also don't want to deprive my guests of something pretty for the sake of time and money.

We will be using long banquet tables for the reception. I want to make it feel like a beautiful outdoor picnic. A friend of my mother's has offered to make table runners, which is awesome. I'm thinking that we can use complete solids or some bold kind of print.

The print on the left is from Ikea. As I look at it, it may be a little too flowery, but it is definitely a start. I am going for a modern romance kind of thing.

I am hoping that whatever centerpiece I choose will play up the length of the tables. The picture on the right isn't a great example, but I like it anyway (courtesy of martha stewart weddings). The colors are just about right, too.

There's always the option of incorporating our favors into the centerpieces. If we make the favors pretty enough, then we won't have to do any sizable pieces at all.
I haven't even really looked into renting linens yet. I love the colored linens in the right and left pictures (once again, courtesy of Martha). Our colors are Blue (a powder variation and also a darker cornflower) and Orange red.

Powder blue linens with a white runner and red-orange centerpieces would be lovely.

The thought of using small bowls for my flowers has crossed my mind, as well. I entertained the thought of using the bowls we registered for do display the centerpieces, but that could be such a risk.

So many options, so little table space!