So I have at least 2 years to iron out what I want to do with my appearance on our wedding day. I've made a schedule where each month I do some research on various beauty aspects. I figured I'd start at the top and work my way down.
Month 1: Hair
My hair didn't start curling until I turned 1, but ever since then learning to care for it has been quite a roller coaster ride. When I was younger I absolutely hated my hair. It was always frizzy so my go-to styles ended up being buns and ponytails, tightly pulled back against my skull. It also didn't help that everyone wanted to play with it but I was cursed with a tender head. My parents couldn't really help me, since I was the only one in the family who ended up with curls. So I spent much of my youth trying to ignore the mess growing out of my scalp.
But things got easier after I went to college and I decided to cut it short and opted for a low-maintenance hairstyle. Now I've truly come to appreciate my hair and I revel in the fact that all I have to do is apply a bit of gel to it after washing and let it air dry. Five minutes and I don't have to mess with it!
However, I still saw room for improvement. So I looked online and looked for things I could do to minimize the frizz and up the shine. In general it seems that increasing circulation to the scalp can help with hair health. So things like regular exercise and scalp massages not only improve your overall health and stress levels, they're also good for your hair. And, of course, getting the proper nutrition helps as well. After looking at what I eat on a regular basis I've discovered that I don't get enough of the B vitamins, so I've started supplementing. It was a bit difficult finding a vitamin that didn't provide way more than I'd ever need, but eventually I settled on Vitamelts by Nature Made. Not only are they a bit closer to the actual amount of vitamins I'm not getting from food I also don't have to swallow them, something I have trouble with.
In order to avoid damage to my hair I have a washing regimen where I only shampoo my hair once every four days and condition it every other day. I also eschew using heat to style my hair.
Then I found a website dedicated to all things curly: www.naturallycurly.com. It is packed with forum discussions on many aspects of curly hair, has articles, and even an online store selling products you may not be able to find in your local beauty supply store. I managed to find quite a wealth of information as well as a deep conditioner that has made my hair feel so soft! And, since I ordered it from their online store, I received some free samples as well.
So far I have noted that my hair is softer and the curls are a tad more defined. Once my current regular conditioner runs out I'll be trying a new one and hopefully I'll see even more improvement.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Friday, June 27, 2014
Tier 1: Game Plan
As J- and I are hoping to have a courthouse ceremony (no decorations needed!) for Tier 1, we'll probably have to have the ceremony on a Friday. Most of our family live out of town, so once the big day gets a little closer we'll be looking for hotel blocks. This might actually work out on our favor as far as transportation is concerned.
Pre-ceremony:
We'll probably hire a couple of limos to for our transportation needs. That way no one has to worry about traffic and everyone can drink to their hearts' content. So, we'll all meet in the hotel lobby and ride together to the courthouse.
Ceremony:
Thankfully this won't take a whole lot of planning on our parts. A simple straightforward ceremony, sign the documents, and we'll be married!
Post-ceremony, Pre-dinner:
We'll pile back into the limos, which will be stocked with light snacks and drinks to tide everyone over until dinner. Before we go to dinner however, we'll hire a professional photographer for an hour or two for photo sessions. We'll have to decide on locations beforehand.
Dinner:
Once again the limos will take us to whatever restaurant we pick to have our family dinner. We've been looking at more upscale restaurants than we tend to frequent. We're shooting for about $40-$50 per person for entrees. This way we can treat our family and we can have proper champagne toasts and a small, single-tiered wedding cake. Most of our budget will go toward food and drink, though I think that's pretty typical of most weddings.
We're also hoping that the restaurant will allow us to have simple decorations we can drop off beforehand. J- also wants to have a video to show at dinner, but that will depend on what sort of amenities the restaurant has.
Post-dinner:
Once everyone has finished, the limos will take us back to the hotel and we'll all say our goodbyes.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Back to the Dress: Tier 1
Since my last post about options for my Tier 1 dress, I have decided on a design.
I was originally torn between this pattern and another that was much cheaper, but this one was advertised to have extra instructions to make sure that the dress was made with the best fit possible. One of the main points of making the dress myself is that it would be specially made just for me, so I decided on this one.
I will be making dress C (the one the model is wearing), though I'll be making some adjustments. I plan on making the skirt just a tad shorter (knee-length) and instead of the ribbon around the waist, I'll be attaching a gathered sash.
How to begin...
First off, all of the information on the materials needed to make the dress are printed on the back of the pattern's envelope. In this case, the dress calls for 2 types of fabrics, lining, thread, a zipper, and a button. My addition of the sash will require separate fabric and thread. The amount and sizes of these materials is explicitly stated on the envelope. I like to buy just a little extra fabric just in case I screw something up.
Luckily for me they were having a sale at the fabric store. So I went ahead and got the 2 main fabrics. I decided on an ivory-colored dull satin for the under-dress and an ivory-colored chiffon for the overlay. Both are polyester products, hence the low price. The dull satin is heavy enough to give the dress shape and solid enough not to show my underwear. The chiffon is light, floaty, and sheer. All in all, for the pattern, dull satin, chiffon, thread, and embroidery floss, I spent only $50.
But before I begin using my good fabric, the pattern instructions suggest making a muslin dress, or first making the dress out of an inexpensive fabric as a test. This will also help me with the embroidery process. I figure I can mark up the muslin overlay and use it as a guide when I begin embroidering the chiffon. The instructions also say that it's a good idea when taking your measurements to wear the underwear you plan on wearing with the dress, and when you're making adjustments to the fit, wear the same underwear as well as the shoes.
I'm hoping to start on the muslin dress by the beginning of July.
I was originally torn between this pattern and another that was much cheaper, but this one was advertised to have extra instructions to make sure that the dress was made with the best fit possible. One of the main points of making the dress myself is that it would be specially made just for me, so I decided on this one.
I will be making dress C (the one the model is wearing), though I'll be making some adjustments. I plan on making the skirt just a tad shorter (knee-length) and instead of the ribbon around the waist, I'll be attaching a gathered sash.
How to begin...
First off, all of the information on the materials needed to make the dress are printed on the back of the pattern's envelope. In this case, the dress calls for 2 types of fabrics, lining, thread, a zipper, and a button. My addition of the sash will require separate fabric and thread. The amount and sizes of these materials is explicitly stated on the envelope. I like to buy just a little extra fabric just in case I screw something up.
Luckily for me they were having a sale at the fabric store. So I went ahead and got the 2 main fabrics. I decided on an ivory-colored dull satin for the under-dress and an ivory-colored chiffon for the overlay. Both are polyester products, hence the low price. The dull satin is heavy enough to give the dress shape and solid enough not to show my underwear. The chiffon is light, floaty, and sheer. All in all, for the pattern, dull satin, chiffon, thread, and embroidery floss, I spent only $50.
But before I begin using my good fabric, the pattern instructions suggest making a muslin dress, or first making the dress out of an inexpensive fabric as a test. This will also help me with the embroidery process. I figure I can mark up the muslin overlay and use it as a guide when I begin embroidering the chiffon. The instructions also say that it's a good idea when taking your measurements to wear the underwear you plan on wearing with the dress, and when you're making adjustments to the fit, wear the same underwear as well as the shoes.
I'm hoping to start on the muslin dress by the beginning of July.
Friday, June 13, 2014
General Wedding Basics: Paperwork
To come down a little from the high of planning for dresses, let's talk about paperwork.
The necessary paperwork will depend on where you're living, but for us at the bare minimum we will require a marriage license, an officiant, a notary public, and witnesses to become legally married. The marriage license in my state is about $80, though we can earn a ($60) discount by participating in marriage counselling beforehand. Some marriage counselling sessions do cost money, but there are plenty (at least in my area) that are free of charge. The trick, I think, is finding one that fits not only your budget, but also your religious/non-religious viewpoints, whatever the case may be. Officiants usually charge a fee as well, though I have seen some offer their services free on Valentine's Day.
There is also the matter of timing. You usually have a certain amount of days after obtaining a license to actually have the ceremony performed, after which you are given a certain amount of days to turn it back in to the city. Go over the time limit and you'll probably have to do everything all over again (including spend all that money on a new license). You will need to also buy a certified copy of the marriage certificate to keep for your records, though these usually don't cost very much. This is very important, especially if you plan on changing your name.
That's another thing. If you plan on changing your surname, as I do, there are quite a few agencies with which you'll have to deal. These can include:
- the U.S. Social Security Administration
- the U.S. Internal Revenue Service
- your state's Department of Public Safety (or wherever you go for your driver's license)
- your local Tax Assessor-Collector
- your local Voter Registrar
- the U.S. State Department (passport/passcard)
- the U.S. Post Office
It's actually quite a bit of paperwork, for which you will need the certified copy of your filed marriage license. For my part, I've pretty much decided that I will start the name changing process after we get back from whatever honeymoon on which we end up going.
The necessary paperwork will depend on where you're living, but for us at the bare minimum we will require a marriage license, an officiant, a notary public, and witnesses to become legally married. The marriage license in my state is about $80, though we can earn a ($60) discount by participating in marriage counselling beforehand. Some marriage counselling sessions do cost money, but there are plenty (at least in my area) that are free of charge. The trick, I think, is finding one that fits not only your budget, but also your religious/non-religious viewpoints, whatever the case may be. Officiants usually charge a fee as well, though I have seen some offer their services free on Valentine's Day.
There is also the matter of timing. You usually have a certain amount of days after obtaining a license to actually have the ceremony performed, after which you are given a certain amount of days to turn it back in to the city. Go over the time limit and you'll probably have to do everything all over again (including spend all that money on a new license). You will need to also buy a certified copy of the marriage certificate to keep for your records, though these usually don't cost very much. This is very important, especially if you plan on changing your name.
That's another thing. If you plan on changing your surname, as I do, there are quite a few agencies with which you'll have to deal. These can include:
- the U.S. Social Security Administration
- the U.S. Internal Revenue Service
- your state's Department of Public Safety (or wherever you go for your driver's license)
- your local Tax Assessor-Collector
- your local Voter Registrar
- the U.S. State Department (passport/passcard)
- the U.S. Post Office
It's actually quite a bit of paperwork, for which you will need the certified copy of your filed marriage license. For my part, I've pretty much decided that I will start the name changing process after we get back from whatever honeymoon on which we end up going.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Major Project #1: Tier 1 Wedding Dress
Here we go.
This is probably going to be the most time consuming project I take on for our wedding. I have no experience making clothing, though I have successfully made a dress for a Halloween costume and a bow tie for our first anniversary. This past Halloween J- and I went as Indy Jones and Marion from the Raiders of the Lost Arc. It took me a month, but I made the whole thing by hand. And it originally had a train as well. It looked quite good, actually, before I had J- chop off the bottom as per the movie.
Now for the design. For aesthetic purposes I really like the Grecian design, which goes well with the season we've chosen, though J- has mentioned in passing that this particular style of dress makes the upper body look a bit boxy. I like simple, elegant designs, though I am afraid of it being too simple. I made that mistake with my prom dress. It was way too simple and looking at the pictures now I rather regret picking it. So I definitely want to add embellishments to my wedding dress. I also don't want a blindingly white dress. I was thinking with going with cream or ivory material with a mint green sash around the true waist with ivory/cream, gold, and glass-like embroidery and embellishments.
For practical purposes I want something light-weight with a decent amount of flow. I also want something with which I could wear a normal bra. I really like the feel of support a corset gives me, but at the same time I knew it would be rather difficult to work with one. Not to mention the heat. So I'm leaning toward the bra.
For Tier 1 I would need a shorter (and therefore less formal) dress. But I could also wear it at the reception for Tiers 3, 4, and 5. The shorter dress would be the exact same design and materials except for the skirt which would stop at or just above my knees. This would make it much easier to do an uptempo dance we plan on doing for our first dance.
So here are some dresses that I've found through Google Image searches that I liked...
In the end I'll probably end up mixing and matching patterns to suit my needs.
Disclaimer: none of the photos in this post are mine!
This is probably going to be the most time consuming project I take on for our wedding. I have no experience making clothing, though I have successfully made a dress for a Halloween costume and a bow tie for our first anniversary. This past Halloween J- and I went as Indy Jones and Marion from the Raiders of the Lost Arc. It took me a month, but I made the whole thing by hand. And it originally had a train as well. It looked quite good, actually, before I had J- chop off the bottom as per the movie.
Now for the design. For aesthetic purposes I really like the Grecian design, which goes well with the season we've chosen, though J- has mentioned in passing that this particular style of dress makes the upper body look a bit boxy. I like simple, elegant designs, though I am afraid of it being too simple. I made that mistake with my prom dress. It was way too simple and looking at the pictures now I rather regret picking it. So I definitely want to add embellishments to my wedding dress. I also don't want a blindingly white dress. I was thinking with going with cream or ivory material with a mint green sash around the true waist with ivory/cream, gold, and glass-like embroidery and embellishments.
For practical purposes I want something light-weight with a decent amount of flow. I also want something with which I could wear a normal bra. I really like the feel of support a corset gives me, but at the same time I knew it would be rather difficult to work with one. Not to mention the heat. So I'm leaning toward the bra.
For Tier 1 I would need a shorter (and therefore less formal) dress. But I could also wear it at the reception for Tiers 3, 4, and 5. The shorter dress would be the exact same design and materials except for the skirt which would stop at or just above my knees. This would make it much easier to do an uptempo dance we plan on doing for our first dance.
So here are some dresses that I've found through Google Image searches that I liked...
 |
| An A-line dress with a Bateau neckline, though I'd add a sash at the natural waistline. |
 |
| If I went with a strapless dress like this I would definitely need something like a bolero for the ceremony. |
 |
| I like the basic design, though I would definitely have to forgo the hosiery and the accessory on the shoulder (I have wide shoulders). |
 |
| I like the overall design, but I think I'd rather go with a looser fabric. |
 |
| I love this design, but I'd be hesitant to attempt sleeves especially when the fit would be everything. Plus the waistline would have to be lowered. However, the bottom half of this dress is exactly what I pictured. |
In the end I'll probably end up mixing and matching patterns to suit my needs.
Disclaimer: none of the photos in this post are mine!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Now to Get Into Some of the Good Stuff
Now that colors, theme and season have been established I will talk about things that all of my tiers have in common. It's a short list but it includes the bride's and groom's outfits, flowers, guests, photography (to a point), how to deal with social media, and hair & makeup. And today's post will be about the first point.
Since I've moved back to the States (yay! decent-ish TV!) I've been watching "Say Yes to the Dress" reruns on TLC. As much as I would love to be able to buy one of those dresses there is absolutely no way I'd be willing to drop a thousand dollars on a dress that I will wear once, let alone three thousand plus. And those that do have a lower end budget (for this particular show that usually goes from $1000 to $3500) the dresses that are in their price range are rather plain.
But I realize that those shows are filmed in high-end boutiques. Something that I'm obviously not going to be able to afford. So I have a few options. I could (a) buy a dress at a discount store, (b) find a used dress and get it fitted (which would probably set me back quite a bit), (c) rent a dress, or (d) make my own. Or I could enter one of those contests on major wedding sites like The Knot or enter a drawing at a wedding convention. But I don't have much luck and it wouldn't be very likely that I'd win anything, let alone something as major as a wedding dress.
Honestly, I'm leaning toward making my own dress for several reasons. It would be exactly what I want and need for any of the tiers. I could personalize it. I could skimp on the fabrics and embellishments. It would fit me and I wouldn't have to spend hundreds of dollars to have it altered. Not to mention the bragging rights I would earn!
I realize, however, that there are downsides to making my own wedding dress as well. It probably won't be as nice as a dress made by someone who does this sort of thing all the time. I have very little experience when it comes to dress making! It would take quite a long time and a lot of effort to make. And fabric is not cheap. It would also be difficult to keep it hidden from J- and there would be no guarantee that I would be able to finish it on time.
In the end I know it's a gamble, but I think the payoff would be really great. Not to mention J- supports me on the decision. I'll talk about my designs for the dress(es) in another post.
As for the groom's attire, I think we're going to keep it pretty basic: slacks, button-down shirt rolled to the elbow, dress shoes, vest, tie. The major thing is going to be color. I feel that a dark brown for the slacks, shoes, and vest, a light blue (the groom's favorite color) tie, and a cream button-down shirt go best with the color scheme we've chosen. However, J- doesn't think that he'll like a dark brown color and instead wants to try a gray. I've managed to talk him into trying something a little lighter on the brown scale. But since we haven't actually had him try anything on yet, we'll save that battle for another day. Here are a couple of pictures to illustrate the look we want for J-.
This is the dark brown that I want for the men of the wedding party. For J- the shirt would be cream or ivory, the tie would be plain, silk, and light blue. I've even thought that adding some light blue embroidered stripes to the vest might be nice. As a concession to the heat the shirt sleeves would be rolled to the elbow.
This is what J- wants for the men of the wedding party. He wouldn't mind the outfit so much if it was gray
instead of brown. However he seems to be having a hard time wrapping his head around not wearing a jacket to his wedding. He also does not like the idea of having any sort of pattern on the vest, though he does want a pattern on the tie (either shepherd's check or glen check). If the event is indoors with mostly artificial lighting he would prefer to wear a darker shoe (preferably a classic black cap Oxford shoe), though if it's outdoors or with mostly natural lighting he would want to wear a brown, lighter colored shoe. (Also note: J- prefers the colors that the groomsmen are wearing, though he would like the pants if they were less baggy and sat higher on the waist.)
After hearing his objections I looked for something other than the dark brown. I showed him a couple of tan/lighter colors and he seemed to dislike them a little less.
When it comes time to decide he has promised to try on even the dark brown, so we'll see what happens. As for how we're going to go about getting J-'s outfit, we have similar options to the ones for getting the wedding dress. At least he'd be more likely to be able to use the pieces from his outfit for work or other special occasions.
Disclaimer: None of the pictures in this post are mine. The dark brown vest picture is from Autumn Jenson's Suits & Stuff board on Pinterest. The gray outfit picture is from The Frugal Fiance, a fellow blogspot.com blog. (http://duffylinn.blogspot.jp/) The tan vest picture comes from the groom's board on weddingbee.com.
Since I've moved back to the States (yay! decent-ish TV!) I've been watching "Say Yes to the Dress" reruns on TLC. As much as I would love to be able to buy one of those dresses there is absolutely no way I'd be willing to drop a thousand dollars on a dress that I will wear once, let alone three thousand plus. And those that do have a lower end budget (for this particular show that usually goes from $1000 to $3500) the dresses that are in their price range are rather plain.
But I realize that those shows are filmed in high-end boutiques. Something that I'm obviously not going to be able to afford. So I have a few options. I could (a) buy a dress at a discount store, (b) find a used dress and get it fitted (which would probably set me back quite a bit), (c) rent a dress, or (d) make my own. Or I could enter one of those contests on major wedding sites like The Knot or enter a drawing at a wedding convention. But I don't have much luck and it wouldn't be very likely that I'd win anything, let alone something as major as a wedding dress.
Honestly, I'm leaning toward making my own dress for several reasons. It would be exactly what I want and need for any of the tiers. I could personalize it. I could skimp on the fabrics and embellishments. It would fit me and I wouldn't have to spend hundreds of dollars to have it altered. Not to mention the bragging rights I would earn!
I realize, however, that there are downsides to making my own wedding dress as well. It probably won't be as nice as a dress made by someone who does this sort of thing all the time. I have very little experience when it comes to dress making! It would take quite a long time and a lot of effort to make. And fabric is not cheap. It would also be difficult to keep it hidden from J- and there would be no guarantee that I would be able to finish it on time.
In the end I know it's a gamble, but I think the payoff would be really great. Not to mention J- supports me on the decision. I'll talk about my designs for the dress(es) in another post.
As for the groom's attire, I think we're going to keep it pretty basic: slacks, button-down shirt rolled to the elbow, dress shoes, vest, tie. The major thing is going to be color. I feel that a dark brown for the slacks, shoes, and vest, a light blue (the groom's favorite color) tie, and a cream button-down shirt go best with the color scheme we've chosen. However, J- doesn't think that he'll like a dark brown color and instead wants to try a gray. I've managed to talk him into trying something a little lighter on the brown scale. But since we haven't actually had him try anything on yet, we'll save that battle for another day. Here are a couple of pictures to illustrate the look we want for J-.
This is the dark brown that I want for the men of the wedding party. For J- the shirt would be cream or ivory, the tie would be plain, silk, and light blue. I've even thought that adding some light blue embroidered stripes to the vest might be nice. As a concession to the heat the shirt sleeves would be rolled to the elbow.
This is what J- wants for the men of the wedding party. He wouldn't mind the outfit so much if it was gray
After hearing his objections I looked for something other than the dark brown. I showed him a couple of tan/lighter colors and he seemed to dislike them a little less.
When it comes time to decide he has promised to try on even the dark brown, so we'll see what happens. As for how we're going to go about getting J-'s outfit, we have similar options to the ones for getting the wedding dress. At least he'd be more likely to be able to use the pieces from his outfit for work or other special occasions.
Disclaimer: None of the pictures in this post are mine. The dark brown vest picture is from Autumn Jenson's Suits & Stuff board on Pinterest. The gray outfit picture is from The Frugal Fiance, a fellow blogspot.com blog. (http://duffylinn.blogspot.jp/) The tan vest picture comes from the groom's board on weddingbee.com.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Themes & Colors
Setting the budget aside for now, today I want to talk about themes and colors. Deciding on these things for J- and myself had a lot to do with the season in which we wanted the wedding. And for us summer was the clear choice.
With the colors I had an idea to combine our two favorites: blue and green. To compliment those two I chose neutral colors brown, tan, cream, and gold. Below is a color scheme:
http://colorschemedesigner.com/#2v527iattvyt1
When it came to deciding on a theme (or even if we wanted a particular theme) we looked at what we had in common and what brought us together. The first thing that popped into my mind was Japan. Both of us had studied abroad in Japan and studied Japanese before moving there to teach. If we combined our years there we would have lived in Japan for a total of 8 years! But my best friend from college had a slightly Japanese themed wedding, so I didn't want to go solely Japanese.
We may have started dating in Japan, but what really cemented our relationship was a two-week trip to India. I've had a couple of friends who were already engaged to be married, but when they went on their first trips with their fiances they came to the unfortunate realization that they were not compatible with each other. Both J- and I were worried about taking such a long trip with each other only a couple of months into dating, but we got along so well! Since then travel has been a major part of our relationship.
In the end we chose an "International" theme. And our colors just happen to be the most traditional ones used for maps! Perfect for an international theme.
With the colors I had an idea to combine our two favorites: blue and green. To compliment those two I chose neutral colors brown, tan, cream, and gold. Below is a color scheme:
http://colorschemedesigner.com/#2v527iattvyt1
When it came to deciding on a theme (or even if we wanted a particular theme) we looked at what we had in common and what brought us together. The first thing that popped into my mind was Japan. Both of us had studied abroad in Japan and studied Japanese before moving there to teach. If we combined our years there we would have lived in Japan for a total of 8 years! But my best friend from college had a slightly Japanese themed wedding, so I didn't want to go solely Japanese.
We may have started dating in Japan, but what really cemented our relationship was a two-week trip to India. I've had a couple of friends who were already engaged to be married, but when they went on their first trips with their fiances they came to the unfortunate realization that they were not compatible with each other. Both J- and I were worried about taking such a long trip with each other only a couple of months into dating, but we got along so well! Since then travel has been a major part of our relationship.
In the end we chose an "International" theme. And our colors just happen to be the most traditional ones used for maps! Perfect for an international theme.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Tiers
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone has a great 2014.
Normally the next step for me would be to figure out the budget. However, due to some of the factors affecting our relationship it will be at least a year before we decide to officially engage ourselves to be married. Due to our timeline and major location changes for both of us it wouldn't be possible to accurately figure a budget at this moment. As such I have made five skeleton plans for weddings ranging from the bare minimum to my dream wedding.
Tier 1: Courthouse Ceremony and Family Dinner
The bare minimum and pretty much self-explanatory. The ceremony would take place at the courthouse, though J- and I would be dressed for the occasion. No wedding party. Then we would take the members of our immediate families out to dinner at a nice restaurant. The cake would be very small and single-tiered, either homemade or ordered through a bakery or the venue. Decorations would be minimal and I could probably make them myself.
Guests: 16 (18 total)
Tier 2: Rental House
The idea is to rent a house and have a small ceremony and reception on site with catering. The guest list would include the members of our immediate families and our closest friends. Again, no wedding party. The decorations would be a little more taxing on this tier, though the cake would be the same.
Guests: 24 (26 total)
Tier 3: Modest Nod to Tradition
This tier gets into the more traditional idea of a wedding. We would actually find a larger venue to house both ceremony and reception. The ceremony would include a wedding party with a full blown entrance. Hors d'oeuvres would be served between ceremony and reception while wedding party pictures would be taken. The reception would include dinner and dancing.
Guests: 50 (52 total)
Tier 4: Oh So Close...!
A fleshing out of Tier 3. More guests, bigger venue, more decorations, more food, and more entertainment.
Guests: 95 (97 total)
Tier 5: Dream Wedding
This tier is everything I've wanted, and very unrealistic as far as saving money goes. A more fleshed-out guest list (at the same time more selective), bigger venue, tons of decorations, extravagant international foods, an international tea time between ceremony and reception, and an open bar. I'm pretty sure I'm only going to have that open bar in my dreams.
Guests: 108 (110 total)
Normally the next step for me would be to figure out the budget. However, due to some of the factors affecting our relationship it will be at least a year before we decide to officially engage ourselves to be married. Due to our timeline and major location changes for both of us it wouldn't be possible to accurately figure a budget at this moment. As such I have made five skeleton plans for weddings ranging from the bare minimum to my dream wedding.
Tier 1: Courthouse Ceremony and Family Dinner
The bare minimum and pretty much self-explanatory. The ceremony would take place at the courthouse, though J- and I would be dressed for the occasion. No wedding party. Then we would take the members of our immediate families out to dinner at a nice restaurant. The cake would be very small and single-tiered, either homemade or ordered through a bakery or the venue. Decorations would be minimal and I could probably make them myself.
Guests: 16 (18 total)
Tier 2: Rental House
The idea is to rent a house and have a small ceremony and reception on site with catering. The guest list would include the members of our immediate families and our closest friends. Again, no wedding party. The decorations would be a little more taxing on this tier, though the cake would be the same.
Guests: 24 (26 total)
Tier 3: Modest Nod to Tradition
This tier gets into the more traditional idea of a wedding. We would actually find a larger venue to house both ceremony and reception. The ceremony would include a wedding party with a full blown entrance. Hors d'oeuvres would be served between ceremony and reception while wedding party pictures would be taken. The reception would include dinner and dancing.
Guests: 50 (52 total)
Tier 4: Oh So Close...!
A fleshing out of Tier 3. More guests, bigger venue, more decorations, more food, and more entertainment.
Guests: 95 (97 total)
Tier 5: Dream Wedding
This tier is everything I've wanted, and very unrealistic as far as saving money goes. A more fleshed-out guest list (at the same time more selective), bigger venue, tons of decorations, extravagant international foods, an international tea time between ceremony and reception, and an open bar. I'm pretty sure I'm only going to have that open bar in my dreams.
Guests: 108 (110 total)
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Goals
I do have experience in event planning. I've pulled off a number of small events and one charity event that was a bit larger. Not to mention the international trips I've been on. So I know that the first thing we need to hammer out is the purpose of the wedding and what we want to accomplish with it.
In general a wedding is the celebration of two people coming together to form a family, and both J- and I feel that this suits us. We want to share this milestone in our lives with as many family and friends as possible. And while we absolutely want our guests to enjoy themselves, we also want to spend as little money as possible. We'd much rather spend our money on a house or an awesome trip. Therein lies the rub.
In general a wedding is the celebration of two people coming together to form a family, and both J- and I feel that this suits us. We want to share this milestone in our lives with as many family and friends as possible. And while we absolutely want our guests to enjoy themselves, we also want to spend as little money as possible. We'd much rather spend our money on a house or an awesome trip. Therein lies the rub.
Introduction
Greetings from the internet void!
My name is S- and this blog will be about my personal experiences on the journey to starting a new family. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle the planning, preparation, and execution of a wedding that will be a compromise between what I want, what my boyfriend wants, and what our wallets can handle.
First, though, I think I'll start with an introduction of my boyfriend and myself. I was born and raised in the great state of Texas. At this particular moment in time I am 26 years old and hold a bachelor's degree. My boyfriend's name is J- and he grew up in Indiana. He is 28 years old and also holds a bachelor's degree. In the summer of 2010 I moved to a rural town in Japan to teach English in the local public schools. J- and I were first in the same room at the same time in the summer of 2011 when he moved to the neighboring city to do the same. We would see each other at various social events but we didn't start dating until about a year ago. I moved back to Texas this past summer, but J- still has about 8 months left on his contract. So we're having to spend our one-year anniversary halfway around the world from each other.
Thank goodness for Skype.
As for the name of this blog, "hanayome" (花嫁) is a Japanese word for "bride."
My name is S- and this blog will be about my personal experiences on the journey to starting a new family. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle the planning, preparation, and execution of a wedding that will be a compromise between what I want, what my boyfriend wants, and what our wallets can handle.
First, though, I think I'll start with an introduction of my boyfriend and myself. I was born and raised in the great state of Texas. At this particular moment in time I am 26 years old and hold a bachelor's degree. My boyfriend's name is J- and he grew up in Indiana. He is 28 years old and also holds a bachelor's degree. In the summer of 2010 I moved to a rural town in Japan to teach English in the local public schools. J- and I were first in the same room at the same time in the summer of 2011 when he moved to the neighboring city to do the same. We would see each other at various social events but we didn't start dating until about a year ago. I moved back to Texas this past summer, but J- still has about 8 months left on his contract. So we're having to spend our one-year anniversary halfway around the world from each other.
Thank goodness for Skype.
As for the name of this blog, "hanayome" (花嫁) is a Japanese word for "bride."
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