Thinking Of You

After my trip to the doctors yesterday I found out that I am sick again for the third week in a row - I can't even believe it.  Also, I probably tore a muscle in my arm, so I currently can't extend it past a 90 degree angle.  From the doctors I dropped of my prescriptions and went home to lay down because I was exhausted   I needed to drive downtown to have my arm x-rayed, but I had no desire to get off the couch, let alone out of the apartment.

My lounging on the couch was interrupted by the mail man knocking at the door.  A package for me from my MOH, I had no idea what it was.  I was surprised to find a Bride 2013 hoodie and a card from my MOH and two bridesmaids.  My ladies are the best!!  Of course, the first thing I did was try it on and prance around the house, but afterwards I found the much needed motivation to go out and get my x-ray done.

That surprise couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

The Shoe Game

So I am trying to decide whether or not to do this at our reception.



It's called The Shoe Game.  The idea of that game is that the bride and groom each hold up one of their shoes and one of their partner's shoes.  They each sit in a chair with their backs facing one another so that they can't see what the other one does.  The newlyweds are then asked questions and they have to answer either bride (by holding up the brides shoe) or groom (by holding up the grooms shoe).

Some sample questions:
-Who is the better driver?
-Who is the better kisser?
-Who has been in more care accidents?
-Who is the better cook?
-Who made the first move?

You can read more about it from Bridal Guide and at this photographer's blog.

It seems like a fun game to throw into the mix.  Not sure though?  What are your thoughts?  Has anyone done this or seen this done?  Any questions that you think would be fun to add on?

Eat, Drink, Be Happy!

So I talked about the VistaPrint Groupon deal that we used to buy our invitations and inserts.  We plan to use the second Groupon to buy our RSVP cards and Thank You cards.  In order to print the RSVP cards, that means that we need to make some decisions on the food.  We sat down yesterday to look at our package from the Franklin Plaza and our options.

So here's what we get (we will also be having cappuccino, cordials, and espresso with dessert)

As you can see, we have A LOT of decisions to make in regards to food.  However, at the moment, we only have to decide on two things for the RSVP cards:  our entree choices and our dessert choices.

First, we need to pick 3 entrees (We don't need to pick a vegetarian/vegan option ahead of time.  The plaza will personally call up vegetarians, vegans, and anyone else with a dietary restriction and will figure out a meal that works for them).    Here are our entree choices:

And we also need to pick 2 desserts that guests will get to decide between.

The one downfall to our venue is that we don't get to taste any of the food, but we are told that it is all very delicious.  Anyone else make their food decisions without trying?  

Also what choices would you like to see as a wedding guest?

Oh and to make everything even more difficult, they told us that if we want an entree or dessert that isn't already listed they can work with us to make it.  Too many options!

If I Had $100

...to spend at American Wedding, I would be very happy.

American Wedding is currently running an engagement photo contest.  You have to hop on over to their facebook page and post an e-pic.  You can vote on any number of photos by 'liking' them.  The contest runs now through March 8, the picture with the most 'likes' is the winner of the $100 credit for American Wedding.

With that said, don't miss out on your chance to win!  Head over and upload your photo.  Also, if you'd like, you can check out my photo here (and give it a 'like' if you're feeling generous  :)  ).    Good luck to everyone that enters!

Previously Loved

If you're like me and trying to save, some money on the big day, a great way to cut costs is to shop "previously loved" wedding items.  As you already know, my first "previously loved" purchase was my  edding dress - saving myself $800.  Other items that you can buy pre-owned include:  veil/hair accessories, undergarments (slip, body shapers, etc), shoes, bouquets (if you aren't using real flowers), and an assortment of wedding decorations.  Courtesy of PayLessForTheDress, I wanted to share with you this list of the top 10 sites for pre-owned wedding dresses and more.  

1. preownedweddingdresses.com

2. recycledbride.com

3. woreitonce.com

4. oncewed.com

5. smartbrideboutique.com

6. savethedress.com

7. weddingbee.com

8. encorebridal.com

9. bridetobrideboutique.com

10. Craigslist.com

They're Here

So after the problem with the first batch of invitations that Vistaprint sent me, they offered to reprint my order.  Yesterday the invitations arrived and they look AWESOME.  I am so happy wiht them.  Vistaprint even did one day shipping on them via UPS to get them here quickly since they had made a mistake on their end.  They should have arrived this past Friday, but because of the snow UPS was delayed.  Either way, that was quick.  Thanks again Vistaprint.

Lights, Camera, Action

So way back when my fiance and I first started wedding planning, we both agreed that we didn't need a videographer.  In our opinions, it was just a waste of money.  Fast forward 8 months down the road, I have decided that we NEED video of our big day.  Thanks to all of the articles that I have read on wedding videography and the many sappy videos that I have seen on Pinterest (like the ones here) I want to know that we have the option to go back and relive the excitement of the big day (even if we only do it once).

When browsing the sites of local videographers, I couldn't believe the prices that I was seeing - they were even higher than I had expected.  As a last resort, I turned to Craigslist.  From my search I found  a videographer that was willing to do just the raw footage of the big day.  I checked out his site and watched some of his videos - not bad at all either.

Though we haven't made it official, he will most likely be filming our wedding.  We will get 8 hours of raw footage for only $450!!!

Our plan is to take the raw footage and edit it ourselves.  I have edited a few videos in the past for school, so I have some experience and a program to use for it.  We are actually looking forward to getting to do it ourselves, since you can make it look exactly how you want.  I love the chance to be creative and personalize our video, and my fiance loves any chance to do something different than everyone else.  The worse that can happen is that it turns our completely awful and then, if we thinks its worth the money, we can take it to someone and pay to have it edited.