There's A Monster In My Parent's House...

It's growing larger and more powerful everyday.  I can't stop it, I can't control it, no one can, we can only try to limit it's growth for as long as possible.  Right now, it only occupies 1/4 of the room but there's no telling how big it could become. There's no weapon strong enough to defeat it. Shutting the door will only help for so long. It feeds on the burning desire of this bride for her wedding to be as beautiful as possible. Run for your lives, folks, the wedding crap is taking over!

Yes, it's true, my old bedroom has officially become the storage room for all wedding decor and crafts.  Thank goodness my parents are fine with storing everything there because if I had to keep it all in my little studio apartment, Mr Trail Mix and I would literally be tripping over things right and left.  Don't believe me? Take a look...

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You can't tell from the photo but that pile of stuff includes the cafe lights, mason jars, lavender favors (which I finished, all 180 of 'em!) picture frames, votives, paper lanterns and table number holders. And I still have more stuff back at my apartment in the city.  Yeeesh.

Ooooh, that picture reminds me of another find I meant to share with you all...While I was browsing Snippet and Ink's weekly deals the other day, I clicked on this website called Estilo Weddings and in the sale section, I found these:

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Blue and yellow paper lanterns, perfect for my blue-and-yellow wedding! I snatched them up the last remaining set of 8 for $30 total, which included the little LED lights and shipping. I think that was a pretty good price, for patterned ones. They're on the smaller side (12", I believe) but I think they'll look really pretty mixed in with the bigger white and yellow paper lanterns that I'm planning on getting to hang over the dance floor.  It's a small step towards the larger picture but I'm happy with the purchase and it feels good to take even baby steps towards feeding the monster I've created in my old bedroom...

I'm sure most of you ladies know what I'm talking about, who else feels like your house is being taken over by wedding supplies? 

A Quest

I've mentioned before about my love of round, clear string lights (often called cafe lights although the actual lightbulb is a G40.)  They look like this:

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I decided I had to have them to decorate the tent for the wedding.  Only problem was, those suckers are expensive! One lighting quote from a rental company we were considering was well over $500, just to line the perimeter.  Yeah, not so much.

So ever-resourceful me decided I could find them myself for cheaper.  I did a few quick internet searches but didn't have much luck coming up with anything affordable.  Then Trail Mom had the idea to go look for them the day after Christmas, when all the lights and decorations are on sale.  Brilliant!

So a few days ago, Trail Mom, Lil Bro Trail Mix and I set off on a quest to buy approximately 550 feet of round, G40 string lights.  To be honest, I thought this was going to be an easy task.  I've seen these lights all over the place during the holiday season, surely we'd be able to zip into one of the big discount stores, gather up all the boxes we could and be done.  Ha! As you may have already guessed, things did not exactly go as planned...

We started with Home Depot.  Nada.  We then moved on to Wal-Mart.  Again, zilch.  I was starting to get a little nervous.  Maybe I would be unable to score my beloved cafe lights for a good price.  Sadness!

Our next stop was Target.  Here we came across many boxes of the smaller-sized round lights (the G30's, if you're interested) but only about 100 feet of the big G40's I was looking for.  However, they were only $4.50 a box so I got them.  Our spirits buoyed somewhat by this find, we continued our search.  A local hardware/gardening store turned up nothing.  So did Big Lots, Lowes and Rite Aid.  My stomach started sinking.  We tried a second Wal-Marts.  Still nothing.  By this point, I think we had all given up much hope since after 7 stores, we were coming up empty-handed.

After calling two other stores, who reported they did not carry this particular string light, I was about ready to call it a day and relegate my search to the internet.  Trail Mom suggested checking out one last Target which was a bit of a drive away from where we were, which I agreed to go even though deep down, I had little faith we would be successful.

But there, amidst all the clutter and mania of the Christmas markdowns, sat boxes and boxes of my beautiful G40 string lights. Quick as we could, the three of us frantically grabbed all that we saw and then scoped out the entire aisle for boxes put back in the wrong place, of which we found several.

Here's Trail Mom, raising her fist in victory!

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I think other shoppers thought we were a little bit nuts, look at how full our cart is and it's all the same box of lights! Another photo featuring my partners in crime. Greeeeat success (in the Borat accent)!

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This is what 675 feet of lights looks like all boxed up in the back of a car...

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And the best part of the whole thing? Since all Christmas lights were 50% off, the 27 boxes of lights cost me a grand total of $130.  Whoohoo!!

I have to say that although it was a fairly long and frustrating search process, it was incredibly satisfying to finally accomplish this mission and get my beloved cafe lights for such a good price. So now hopefully my wedding will look like this:

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Did you find any good wedding bargains in the sales section after Christmas? Are you using these kind of lights and if so, where did you find them??

The "Somethings" Tradition

I'll admit, I haven't put too much thought into the "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" tradition but sometimes things just have a funny way of working themselves out on their own.

The "new" part of this tradition is easy.  My dress, shoes and undergarments are all new.  Done.  Checked it off the list and moved on.

Truthfully, I didn't really care if I ended up with the entire new, old, borrowed and blue traditions.  I thought about painting my toenails blue (seriously) but my bridesmaids immediately vetoed that idea.  I could wear blue undies but I was worried it might show under my dress.

But after I bought my dress, I started thinking about accessories.  And then an idea popped into my head that was the solution to all three of the other "somethings." Mama Trail Mix has a pair of earrings that were originally her mother's (who is no longer with us.)  They are delicate, gold chandelier earrings with a small blue flower inlay design at the bottom.  Here was my somethings old, borrowed and blue all in one!

I'm really excited to wear them because my mom has never let me borrow them before, even though I've loved them since I was little.

Aren't they dreamy? Take a look:

Guess who discovered the macro setting on her camera??

(Personal Photo)

I'm so happy that I not only get to wear these gorgeous, antique earrings but that they will also be representing my something old, borrowed and blue.  Plus, they are a piece of family history and there ain't nothin more special to me than that.

Are you fulfilling the "Somethings" tradition at your wedding? How did you decide what to use for each part?

Running in the Winter is Hard!

Yup, the title of this post says it all.  Trying to train for any type of running event during the winter months can be a pretty demoralizing experience.  Add in a few weeks of holiday craziness and we've got a recipe for becoming a total slacker on marathon-training right here.

First of all, may I just say to all you readers who live in warm climates, where snow, ice, wind and -15 degree temperatures are non-existent, I am tre tre jealous! I am genuinely envious of being able to go outside without donning 20 million layers of clothing beforehand. Also, this post probably won't be that interesting so go soak up some sun or wear flip flops outside or something :)

What are the perils to training outside when it's winter weather? Let's talk about a few...

1.  Cold.  This one is a no-brainer but it's still important to consider! I only wear wicking fabrics (e.g. not cotton) that keep my body from getting too cold while running and sweating.  Personally, I love these socks-

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these gloves-

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and a jacket like this-

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When I run in cold weather, here's a breakdown of what I typically wear: Performance socks, spandex, long-sleeved under armour, another long sleeve shirt, a fleece vest, a lightweight jacket (depending on the temperature) gloves and earmuffs.  Whoof, that's a lot to put on! No wonder training in the winter takes so much more time...

Which leads me to my next point:

2.  Time.  As in, less time to run because of the lack of sunlight.  I know it varies by location but right now in New York City, it gets dark around 4:30.  Which means I either have to drag my butt out of bed pretty early in the morning to get a run in or try and rush home after work but either way, it's always stressful trying to figure out when I'll have enough time to do my workouts.

3.  Motivation.  I am constantly waging an internal battle in my head.  The good little angel side says to get out there and run and reminds me that I won't be able to perform in the Boston Marathon as well as I hope to if I don't train.  But then the bad little devil side pipes up with thoughts like, "But it takes so long to get ready and it's 10 degrees outside" or "But I'd so much rather lay on the couch, watch Say Yes to the Dress and eat the thousands of holiday cookies I've been the recipient of." It's always a close call which side wins the war.

4.  Ice, snow, rain, sleet and wind.  All of these things can make running outside pretty dangerous.  Although I've never taken a spill, I know several people who have.  If you live in a climate where there is snow on the ground for a good portion of the winter, it might make sense to invest in a pair of these:

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They're treads for your shoes, much like treads for snow tires! Brilliant, no??

When all else fails and going outside just feels like too much work, you can always hop on the treadmill instead.  Although I've been avoiding the treadmill like the plague but marathon training during the long winter months might force me indoors for some runs. We'll see what happens as winter progresses...

Any other winter runners out there? Do you feel hardcore like I do whenever you make it outside for a run?

Comfort In Just Being There

Due to a family emergency, I spent the bulk of this past Saturday night in the ER.  I won't get into the gory details but let's just say it involved a lot of stitches and blood for my poor little brother.  I got a call at about 1:30 am and was in the ER until about 6:00am.  Fun times.

But this post is not about that (and for the record, Lil Bro TM will be fine, after some serious dental work.)  It's never a pleasant experience to be woken up in the middle of the night,  getting called to the hospital.  In fact, it can be downright overwhelming, scary and anxiety-inducing.  I've never been one to handle medical procedures very well (I've passed out several times in the doctor's office, once just from listening to my doctor verbally describe  a procedure.)

Luckily, Mr Trail Mix was with me for the whole time and I was truly thankful for his presence.  He got cash from the ATM after we got outside and realized I had no money to pay for a cab.  He got us coffee and snacks while we were waiting for 2 hours for the oral surgeon to come down.  He made Lil Bro TM laugh in spite of his injuries.  He held my hand.

In short, he was the best type of support I could have asked for during an uncertain, frustrating and scary situation.  It makes me confident that no matter what curveballs are thrown at us, he'll be there for me and vice versa.  For some reason (maybe it was sleep deprivation?) sitting there in the ER at 3 in the morning made me realize that this is what a marriage is all about.  It's sitting all night in the hospital even though it's not your relative.  It's taking care of details so your partner doesn't have to.  It's sitting in silence, holding your hand and just listening.  It's the kind of support you rely on in tough times.

I was truly comforted  that night in the hospital by the realization that I will be able to count on my husband to get me through the inevitable pains we will experience as we move through our lives together.  He's my rock and my support.  I have never felt this type of calmness or certainty before.  I like it.  The reality of the responsibility of becoming husband and wife has never been so clear nor appreciated.

Have you had an experience where you realized how thankful you were for your partner?

The Pros and Cons of a Tented Wedding

I'm so happy to be getting married outdoors.  Nature is what inspires me and where I feel the most at peace.  It was a natural and easy decision that we made very early in the planning process and one that I have never doubted.

The decision to have a tented wedding, however, hovers above my head as thick as the rain clouds on our wedding day I fear and worry about.  The possibilities of things that could go wrong are endless.  Not to mention the stress of dealing with and coordinating multiple vendors along with attempting some serious DIY decor.

As with any type of reception, there are pros and cons to a tented wedding.  Let's break them down and discuss...

Pros


- A tent is a blank canvas, allowing you to instill whatever decor and theme you want, as opposed to having to work around the decor of a ballroom or reception hall.  This is both a blessing and a curse, because it be really hard to make a final decision on anything when there are so many beautiful inspiring weddings out there to model yours after!

- A tented wedding usually lends an outdoor setting to all your photos, including beautiful sunsets, flower gardens and twinkling lights.

-Since a caterer is usually brought in, you have the freedom to choose whichever one appeals to you, not one required by the venue (who may not be able to meet all your needs or expectations.)

Sounds all roses, right? You knew the other shoe had to drop.  Here's a few cons to consider before diving into this decision...

- For the majority of tented weddings, you have to rent every. single. item.  Forks, cups, plates, serving ware, tables, chairs, linens, etc...That adds up quick! So while you might be able to get an initial catering per-head cost that is cheaper for a tented wedding, once you add in the cost of the rentals, it can rival any reception hall per-head.

- You cannot control the weather.  But the the weather can control your wedding.  Unfortunately, going with a tent for the reception can mean that you're at the mercy of the weather gods (who can be a fickle bunch.) Needless to say, it's my greatest worry.  I have visions of our soaking-wet guests cleaning the mud off of their shoes and shivering...It could easily happen, last June it rained (and I mean rained) 3 out of the 4 weekends.

- Having x many vendors means having that many more emails, phone calls, contracts and follow-ups to deal with.  It also leaves more room for error.  Right now, I've been extremely happy with all of my vendors and have no reason to believe anything negative will happen but you just can't predict the future, ya know?

Alright, now that I have you running screaming away from a tented wedding towards the nearest rustic barn, elegant ballroom or modern loft, can I show you a few pictures first?

(Personal Photo)

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This one's from a WB reader, thanks!

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Pictures like these are why I made the decision to have my wedding in a tent.  Although it's caused me a good deal of anxiety, I'm banking that the payoff will be worth it.  And if it rains, I will wear cute yellow rainboots and carry a big umbrella and it will somehow be fine anyways!

Who else shares my love of tented weddings? Are you as nervous for the weather as I am??

Table Numbers, Revisited

Remember my first trial for our tablescape?  Yeah, don't feel bad if you don't because I consider it a big, fat fail! So I changed gears and decided to go in another direction.  I realized I wanted some type of holder for the table numbers in lieu of going with the paper tent but couldn't quite visualize what I was looking for.

So I turned to the master of all things crafty, the bane of my existence as well as my savior: Etsy.  And good ol' Etsy did not disappoint.  I was a bit skeptical to see what would come up when I searched "Table Number Holders" but what I found was exactly what I never knew I was looking for.

Tory at The Cherry Grove make these rustic table number holders in the form of birch trees, as well as a lot of other stuff.  I wish I could tell you that I was all resourceful-like a la Miss Fro Yo and made my own version but alas, I caved to my internal desires of wanting something RIGHT THIS INSTANT and bought 24 of them immediately, at the bargain price of $2.00 each. Take a look-see:

(Personal Photo)

They arrived within a week and I'm very, very pleased with my decision.  I would highly recommend The Cherry Grove for lots of great , rustic wedding decor.

Alrighty then, excellent, now that I had table number holders (that is such an awkward name for this object but I can't come up with anything better) I had to figure out what to do for the actual table numbers.  I ran through a bunch of ideas in my head before giving several a try.

I thought I wanted to incorporate my Save The Date image and was also inspired by some beautiful scraps of decorative paper I saw in a colleague's (an art teacher) classroom.

Here's my first draft:

(Personal Photo)

Eh, right? That's how I felt too. And this is probably the 4th or 5th version I came up with (I'm not going to torture your eyes with the first couple!)  Something was just not working. So I kept playing around with things.  I got the idea to order a bunch of different patterned papers and use the same paper for the escort cards.  I also nixed the STD image.  I love it but it was it was bothering my aesthetic, making things too busy.  I initially thought of maybe gluing it to the side of the birch number holder but finally decided that was just too much.

Ultimately, simplicity ruled supreme and this is what I've come up with so far:

(Personal Photo)

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These are just rough drafts, for the real things, I'll have to get a number stencil or something since my rendition of that "3" is pretty poor.  But I'm really happy with what I'm envisioning the final product to be.  Each number will be a different type of patterned paper and all the escort cards will have the paper that corresponds with their table number on them!

I think they're simple, sweet and will go well with my Mason Jar centerpieces.

Alright, last thing, you wanna see something funny? When I first tried to cut a number out of this one piece of beautiful scrap paper I found, I turned it over so I wouldn't get pencil marks on the pattern.  And guess how that number turned out?

(Personal Photo)

Yeah, bass-ackwards....Whoooopsies! Lesson learned.  Next time, either remember to trace a mirror image on the back of the paper or just make life easy and trace it on the front side.  HA!

Anyways, overall I'm pleased with the look of these and I'll be sure to show you the final product, once I have all my patterned papers in hand and can actually learn to cut out a decent number!

Table numbers seem like such an inconsequential detail but they're a big part of the tablescape and truth be told, have been one of the harder decisions for me to make.  What's your table number vision? Anyone using pictures or something else significant to you guys as a couple, a la Mrs Stiletto?

A Supah-Dupah Chuppah!

Although it's cold and dreary outside, I need to start brainstorming pretty, summer inspirations for our Chuppah.  In case you aren't familiar with the term, a Chuppah is a canopy that Jewish couples are traditionally married under. It is supposed to represent the new home the couple is creating together.  The lack of walls in the structure is meant to symbolize the welcoming of everyone into the home as well as the tradition of Tzedakah, or charity.

My grandmother has already offered to let me use her mother's (my great-grandmother's) lace table cloth for the top of the Chuppah.  Now it's just a matter of figuring out how to work out the details of the structure. It has to be big enough that at least myself, Mr Trail Mix and our rabbi can all stand underneath it.

I know I want to keep it organic-looking and natural.  It's possible I will either stick the poles straight into the ground but if it rains, then we will have to have the ceremony inside and I can't really stick poles into a wood floor, so I need to think of an alternative.  Oftentimes, the groomsmen or other important guys physically hold the four poles up but I think I'd rather not do that because....well, you can imagine all the possible scenarios where that could go terribly, terribly wrong.

I would like to use some fresh flowers to decorate the Chuppah as well but it will depend on our florist budget. I may add some hanging ribbons to the back, since I do love that look.

Here's a few photos I've managed to find of Chuppah's that I love...

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Anyone got a suggestion for how to go about securing the structure, either indoors or outdoors? Anyone else made their own Chuppah before?

A Winter Wedding Wonderland

Sometimes I dream of a stark, magical winter wedding, where all the lights shine crystal clear and there is a flurry of snow falling.  There is something so beautiful in my eyes of the contrast between the barren landscape with fancy dresses and shared love.

Take a look at this absolutely incredible winter wedding of a friend and colleague of mine and tell me afterwards if you feel the same way...

(All pictures courtesy of Robin Roemer Photography)

The bride is a musician and chose to do some portraits while playing her violin...I love how the jacket looks over her wedding dress...

Countless hours were spent making the bridal and bridesmaid's bouquets, all out of paper...

Absolutely gorgeous first look...

They're all probably freezing but this picture is totally worth braving the cold for.

After dinner, the bride and groom did a costume change, donning a bright red dress for her and fedora for him so they could easily dance to the jazz and swing music they selected for the reception.

Are you dreaming of a winter wonderland wedding in upstate New York now, like I am? The simplicity, the way just a touch of color pops, the snow falling in the fields...Le dream...

Our DIY Semi-Favors

Our wedding favors are not really "favors" in the traditional sense.  I'm actually not 100% sure how I'm going to work out the placement of them and whether everyone will receive one or just the ladies (this will make sense in a minute when I get to what and how I actually made.)

My original idea was to buy little, glass bud vases and fill them with dried flowers with a little tag tied around the neck of the vase. Unfortunately, that was going to get expensive, fast, so it was nixed.

Remember how much I love lavender? I went ahead and ordered 4 bunches of dried lavender stems from Save-On-Crafts. I also ordered a large bundle of raffia, which i like to describe as a cross between a ribbon and a cornhusk.  Very rustic chic.  Once the materials arrived on my doorstep, it was time to get my craft on...

First, I had to get a puncher to make my little tags.  I used a 25%-off coupon at Micheal's to buy a Martha Stewart Craft Punch as well as a 1/8" hole puncher.   I used the same Scriptina font that I used for my signs to print out our names and our wedding date on some leftover brown and yellow paper and then punched away.

Here are all my materials, including a sheet of pre-punched tags...

(Personal Photo)

Once all the tags were punched out and holed up, I took about 4-5 stalks of lavender out of the big bundle and trimmed the ends to make them even...

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The next step took a bit of practice to get it right with only two hands but all I did was tie a piece of raffia around the lavender stems and then tie the favor tag on at the end, knotting one end of the raffia so the tag would stay on. Here's a bunch of them done...

(Personal Photo)

After about 10 or so, I had the brilliant idea of punching two holes in the favor tags and looping the raffia through before tying it to the lavender. This was an easier method of tying and the lavender seemed more securely tied this way.  Take a look...

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I've got about 25 done, now here's where I need to make a decision.  Do I make these for all 175 guests or just the female population? I think it would look beautiful to to have one of these at every place setting but at the same time, I can't really picture some of Mr Trail Mix's friends taking these home as a keepsake from our wedding. If I made them for just the ladies, I would just alternate each place setting with one. Plus, making only about 85 of these versus 175 sounds a lot more appealing. But if I've got the supplies, maybe I should just suck it up and make one for everyone, regardless of if they are taken home or not...Hmmmmm, decisions, decisions...

Also, here's the budget breakdown of this project:

4 Bunches Dried Lavender (90 Stems Each): $8.50 per 1 bundle

Natural Raffia 32" Braid: $5.99

Martha Stewart Craft Punch: Originally $8.99 but I got it for about $6.00 with my 25% off coupon

1/8 Hole Punch: Originally $4.99 but again, with 25% off, it was about $3.75

Paper: Leftover from a pack bought for a grand total of .99 cents so I'm disregarding the cost of this...

Total (including shipping and tax): About $60.00 or .35 cents per favor...Not a bad price but I may need to order another bundle or two of lavender if I decide to make one for everyone, which would push the price up to about .50 cents per favor...

A pretty good deal for a sweet little reminder of our wedding, eh? I think they will look lovely as part of our tablescape and hopefully most of the guests will take theirs home with them...

So what's your opinion on making one for each person at our wedding versus just the female guests? Is this favor enough or should I add some candy or something to go with it?

A BEE-sy Holiday Season

Yes, the holidays are approaching quickly but what's a holiday season without a few parties to attend? The wonderful Mr and Mrs Dahlia invited all the New York City Bees (and other Bees who happened to be in the area that day) to their beautiful home for some eats and treats, along with mulled wine, eggnog and specialty beers.  It was quite the food feast (bacon-wrapped dates=best thing EVER!) and so much fun to get to know some of the Bees in real-life.

Although the weather outside was frightful, the atmosphere inside was delightful.  Mr and Mrs Dahlia were incredibly gracious hosts and served up a smorgasboard of appetizers, including pizza rolls, stuffed mushrooms, spinach croquettes, various cheeses and other goodies that we made short work of.

A few highlight pics (all by the beautiful Mrs Caramel!)...

Mr and Mrs Dahlia (Mr Dahlia rocked that apron, let me tell ya!)

See, I weren't lyin' about the spread...Mrs Caramel was responsible for the two half-eaten (she brought them whole, we just made short work of 'em) cakes at the bottom of the picture...Grasshopper and caramel apple, mmmmm....

Let's see who we got here...That's Hammy the Hamster, Trail Mixalicious, the Swanster and Darlin' D'orsay (note my double helping of cake there...)

Caramel with a very-pregnant Bee...

Just in case you couldn't tell, Bee's about to have a baby...But we wanted to make sure everyone knew so we pointed to her bump :)

From left to right, that is Miss Trail Mix, Miss Hamster, Mrs Bluebell, Mrs Swan, Mrs Bee, Mrs Caramel, Mrs Dahlia, Mrs Snowpea and Mrs D'orsay!

So much fun,can't wait until the next Bee party!

Our Photographer!

You know how a lot of brides stress about choosing a photographer? I've read many a blog post obsessing over finding the right person to document one's wedding day. As they say, the pictures are really all you have left once the wedding's over.

I did not do this.  Truth is, the photographer was the second vendor I booked, right after the venue.  It was before I had really gotten into sucked into the online wedding blogosphere/black hole and didn't really know what I was doing.  But I know it will work out for the best because our photographer rocks!

Kelly Griffith of Closed Circle Photography in Boston has the honor of photographing my wedding and I'm so excited to have her!

Kelly is actually a semi-friendor.  She is (get ready for another Ferris Bueller-esque connection) the college roommate and close friend of the daughter of a family friend and actually made a few visits to my parents house waaaay back in the day to celebrate a Jewish holiday or two.

When I started looking for a photographer, I really didn't know where or how to start.  I made a few half-hearted attempts at contacting some random photogs off of The Knot's list of recommended vendors in my area but that was about it.  When my mom suggested contacting Kelly, I jumped at the chance to work with someone who was not a complete stranger and someone I knew I could trust.

I told her my budget, she told me what I could get for that and snap, crackle, pop, just like that we had a contract signed, deposit put down and a photographer for our wedding.  I've since upped our photography budget with the idea of getting a second shooter but I'm waiting until the wedding gets a little bit closer before making the final decision on that.

Would you like to see some of her work? Of course you would, that's why you're reading Weddingbee right now, to ogle wedding porn like the pictures below.  Ok, here's a few of my (and her)  favorite shots:

(All pictures courtesy of Closed Circle Photography)

Le siiiiiiiigh, aren't they all so pretty? I can't wait to see how ours come out!

So even though choosing Kelly and Closed Circle Photography was a quick and easy decision, I stand 100% behind it and I'm confident Kelly is going to get a lot of beautiful shots.

How'd you find your photographer? Did you stress and obsess or what it an easy decision?