So looking at the handy little counter on the first post I made back in August of last year, it says 17 days. 17! Yikes. Thankfully we have pretty much all of the details ironed out. We were able to get a lot of stuff done when we were back in Victoria two weeks ago for another wedding. One of my bridesmaids (Amy) just had to get married before us...*shakes fist*. J/K. It was a great wedding and we found out that both them and us have the same tastes apparently (intentional or accidental aside). We ended up having the same bubble wands, the same wine, and the same photographer of all things. It was really funny. While they were getting their wedding photos done, Jeff and I were looking at the photographer, and Jeff says to me "I think that is our photographer". I wasn't totally sure so I looked our photographer up on his website on my phone and he certainly looked like a younger version of the person in front of us. When we got a chance we asked Amy what the name of their photographer was (just to confirm) and it was the same guy. So our sneak peak of how he works gives us comfort that we chose a good photographer.
So in addition to this surprise twists at Amy and Trefor's wedding, we were also able to get our flowers squared away, buy decorations for the ceremony and the supplies for the centerpieces. It ended up we could no longer get the centerpieces we originally wanted to order from a company in the states cuz they were no longer shipping internationally. So we improvised on the idea and ended up finding some awesome sales at Michaels such that they ended up costing less than the other ones would have, and now that they have been assembled, setting them up on the tables is a two step process as opposed to the intricate mess that the other ones would have been. Probably a good thing since it will likely be the guys who are setting things up. The less they have to do and the faster it goes the better in my opinion. :)
So the last little details that we have left are trying to put together a possible pre-wedding party (replacing a bachelor/bachelorette party since that type of thing is not our cup of tea), a few more decorations need to be made (not going to do that til we get back to victoria..don't want them to get squished in transport), I have to figure out how I want my hair done as well as my mother's and probably a couple little details that are eluding me right now.
For all you who are going to be there...see you in at most 17 days!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Is that a light at the end of the tunnel?
Oh my, so much has happened in the last 2 months. Specifically most of it in the last month or so actually. First thing, the invites are out. YAY!! What an ordeal that was. We had bought a DIY kit from Michael's which was fairly straight forward. However, apparently my printer does not like to print on card stock paper and therefore we had to figure out a work around. Short of buying a new printer, we knew that we would have to add something to the invite so that we could print on it. So it turned out that we found some nice, regular thickness paper that matches the pattern on the invites pretty well to print out the info on. This meant that the printed out stuff had to be cut and glued to the card stock. Oh my god! If my printer had been able to print on the card stock I probably would have been able to finish assembling the invites in like one weekend. Having to cut and glue all the stuff to the card stock added a weeks worth of work. I did get a new toy though. Its a cool paper cutter that allowed me to cut all these stupid things straight and somewhat consistently. I will stop complaining about the invites though cuz the ended up coming out beautifully. I think the added touches from printing on the paper as opposed to the card stock made them that much better. You will see!
Mailing them was another thing. Before we started the whole paper fiasco, we had gone to the post office to see what kind of postage we need for the invite. Without the fix (cus we didn't know that we needed it at that point) the invites were 29 grams. The threshold for a stamp is 30g. So that was good, but after adding all the glue and paper and such we were afraid that it would be over the 30g. So we went to weigh them again and they were....30g exactly. Score! So hopefully you should all see the invite and the (figurative) blood sweat and tears that we (mostly I, Jeff did help with some assemblage and addressing but nothing that would have warrented blood sweat or tears on his part) put into making them.
So that was one thing. We have also figured out what they guys will be wearing. They will look snazzy I think, but it is hard to tell since you don't actually get to try on the entire tux when you go in for a measurement...heck you don't even get to try on a tux at that point, more just random pants and jackets that they have in store so they can get your measurements. But I think they should look sharp.
That same day we went to the mall and ended up getting both Jeff's ring and the registry set up. Jeff had a lot of fun with the scanner. So we are registered at The Bay, however we are going to get everything sent to the store here rather than ending up with a bunch of large presents in Victoria that we have to lug across the country. Amazingly we already have some presents that have arrived.
We have also just found our officiant and our dj. So check and check. The last things we need to do are reserve the tent and order flowers and centerpieces (we know what we want but we don't know how many we need). And then we have some other details to iron out. But the ball is rolling pretty well now. Hopefully it doesn't roll over us!
Mailing them was another thing. Before we started the whole paper fiasco, we had gone to the post office to see what kind of postage we need for the invite. Without the fix (cus we didn't know that we needed it at that point) the invites were 29 grams. The threshold for a stamp is 30g. So that was good, but after adding all the glue and paper and such we were afraid that it would be over the 30g. So we went to weigh them again and they were....30g exactly. Score! So hopefully you should all see the invite and the (figurative) blood sweat and tears that we (mostly I, Jeff did help with some assemblage and addressing but nothing that would have warrented blood sweat or tears on his part) put into making them.
So that was one thing. We have also figured out what they guys will be wearing. They will look snazzy I think, but it is hard to tell since you don't actually get to try on the entire tux when you go in for a measurement...heck you don't even get to try on a tux at that point, more just random pants and jackets that they have in store so they can get your measurements. But I think they should look sharp.
That same day we went to the mall and ended up getting both Jeff's ring and the registry set up. Jeff had a lot of fun with the scanner. So we are registered at The Bay, however we are going to get everything sent to the store here rather than ending up with a bunch of large presents in Victoria that we have to lug across the country. Amazingly we already have some presents that have arrived.
We have also just found our officiant and our dj. So check and check. The last things we need to do are reserve the tent and order flowers and centerpieces (we know what we want but we don't know how many we need). And then we have some other details to iron out. But the ball is rolling pretty well now. Hopefully it doesn't roll over us!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wedding planning myths
So we have been a little more busy planning wise in the past couple of weeks than we certainly have in the past couple of months. We ended up talking to a different photographer because the first ones kept taking along time to get back to me and this new one has a much better deal than the other ones. More stuff for less money and we are supposed to maintain full legal rights to all our pictures which is a big thing these days. We have also more or less lined up a string duo for the ceremony music. Just have to iron some detail out on the contract and that will be all set. So two things down, how many to go? lol
The thing that I find interesting is that when you start to plan a wedding, if you are like me and don't know the first thing about it, you usually turn to the closest resource available to you for information: Google. Now in perusing the plethora of wedding planning sites out there, you usually will stumble on some version of a wedding time line which breaks down when you should do certain things and such. There are some things on those time lines that I will agree with (i.e. buying the wedding dress 6-8 months beforehand since they will need like 3 months to make it assuming you don't buy off the rack, plus time for alterations and such) but there are some things that I in theory was supposed to do like 3 months ago that I am just getting to now and it seems to be just fine. They seem to make it sound like if you don't book everything 12 months in advance that you are s.o.l. I agree that this is true for the venue, but other things it turns out not so much. So far, for both of the photographers and the musicians that we have contacted, they are all available on the 16th. I was a bit worried that because it is now less than six months that they would all be booked up, but they are not. Of course waiting until the last minute is not conducive to getting the prices/people you want, but you definitely do not have to book it as far in advance as they would like you to believe.
After talking to the second photographer, another thing that seems to be common within the wedding industry is photographers keeping your negatives in order to force you and your family and friends to pay exorbitant prices to get pictures of you. Luckily this person is not like that. They hate that part of the industry and therefore will give us the "negatives" (such a funny term these days since everything is mostly done using digital photography...I guess they give us the photons? lol) and even have reasonable rates for people to get prints or download the files of the pictures they like. So yay!
The thing that I find interesting is that when you start to plan a wedding, if you are like me and don't know the first thing about it, you usually turn to the closest resource available to you for information: Google. Now in perusing the plethora of wedding planning sites out there, you usually will stumble on some version of a wedding time line which breaks down when you should do certain things and such. There are some things on those time lines that I will agree with (i.e. buying the wedding dress 6-8 months beforehand since they will need like 3 months to make it assuming you don't buy off the rack, plus time for alterations and such) but there are some things that I in theory was supposed to do like 3 months ago that I am just getting to now and it seems to be just fine. They seem to make it sound like if you don't book everything 12 months in advance that you are s.o.l. I agree that this is true for the venue, but other things it turns out not so much. So far, for both of the photographers and the musicians that we have contacted, they are all available on the 16th. I was a bit worried that because it is now less than six months that they would all be booked up, but they are not. Of course waiting until the last minute is not conducive to getting the prices/people you want, but you definitely do not have to book it as far in advance as they would like you to believe.
After talking to the second photographer, another thing that seems to be common within the wedding industry is photographers keeping your negatives in order to force you and your family and friends to pay exorbitant prices to get pictures of you. Luckily this person is not like that. They hate that part of the industry and therefore will give us the "negatives" (such a funny term these days since everything is mostly done using digital photography...I guess they give us the photons? lol) and even have reasonable rates for people to get prints or download the files of the pictures they like. So yay!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Dresses, Photos, and Music
Another day, another update...well sorta.
Anyway, I have finally decided on the bridesmaid dresses, with no help from the bridesmaids themselves....love you :P. What I mean by this is that I asked them if they had any preferences (long, short, straps, no straps, etc) and they all came back with some form of response which essentially said "Whatever is fine". Well that really helps to narrow things down.
So I sat down last week and went through the online catalogue at Dessy.com. Holy crap do they have a lot of different styles...Not only do they currently have like 350 different styles, but within each style you can choose different colors for the dress and sometimes some of the details. Talk about an indecision nightmare. I had looked at them a couple months ago and didn't really find anything I really liked, but when I looked again last week, they had their new spring line out so I was able to find one that I like. (If you go to http://www.dessy.com/dresses/bridesmaid/2807/ you can see the dress. To see what it should look like, change the dress color to burgandy and the trim color to white). One interesting thing about the current styles is that they all seemed to have pockets. Yes, pockets in a dress. I am not against pockets in a dress, as long as it is a casual dress. Pockets in a formal dress seem odd. Regardless, I really like this style so I can deal with pockets and will have to make sure my bridesmaids keep their hands out of said pockets *Evil Glare*. That ought to do it. Anyway, so with fingers crossed, I sent a message to my bridesmaids and they all really like it (Phew). So on to the next thing.
I have also found a dress I like for the flower girl (http://www.dessy.com/dresses/flowergirl/fl4009/; White top, burgandy bottom), but I am unsure about sizing and whether it will work for a 2 year old (well 2 years and 3 months by the wedding). I think part of it is that the picture shows a much older girl who is obviously taller. We shall see.
For the photographer, we are currently in email contact with BK Studios (http://www.bullockandkirstein.com/#). They currently have an opening for July 16, and we are trying to see if we can come up with a price/package that we like.
For music, obviously we will have a dj of some sort for the reception, but I kinda like the idea of some sort of live string duo for the ceremony. There seem to be two separate companies that will do this, but I have not looked into prices quite yet. That will be the next thing on the list along with finding an officiant (There was one that I found which will customize everything but they may be a bit expensive...again have not asked for any info yet so will have to do that)
As for other details:
- Jeff has apparently commandeered the responsibility for the cake. Unfortunately we will not be able to go to any sort of tasting so we will be sending Jeff's parents. Lucky them :P.
- As stated in a previous post, I have chosen what kind of flowers I want, but I have yet to find a florist.
- Need to ultimately finalize the guest list and then get addresses for all those on it so we can send invites out in a couple months
- Need to find a DJ
- Need to book our honeymoon (Oahu here we come :) )
- Need to make our registry and make sure that people buy things from there such that we can pick it up at a store here in London since we will not have room to take things back with us (Hint hint to any of you who are reading this...)
- Jeff needs to get the tuxes and such squared away
- Decorations
- Some other things I'm sure I am missing right now
Anyway, I have finally decided on the bridesmaid dresses, with no help from the bridesmaids themselves....love you :P. What I mean by this is that I asked them if they had any preferences (long, short, straps, no straps, etc) and they all came back with some form of response which essentially said "Whatever is fine". Well that really helps to narrow things down.
So I sat down last week and went through the online catalogue at Dessy.com. Holy crap do they have a lot of different styles...Not only do they currently have like 350 different styles, but within each style you can choose different colors for the dress and sometimes some of the details. Talk about an indecision nightmare. I had looked at them a couple months ago and didn't really find anything I really liked, but when I looked again last week, they had their new spring line out so I was able to find one that I like. (If you go to http://www.dessy.com/dresses/bridesmaid/2807/ you can see the dress. To see what it should look like, change the dress color to burgandy and the trim color to white). One interesting thing about the current styles is that they all seemed to have pockets. Yes, pockets in a dress. I am not against pockets in a dress, as long as it is a casual dress. Pockets in a formal dress seem odd. Regardless, I really like this style so I can deal with pockets and will have to make sure my bridesmaids keep their hands out of said pockets *Evil Glare*. That ought to do it. Anyway, so with fingers crossed, I sent a message to my bridesmaids and they all really like it (Phew). So on to the next thing.
I have also found a dress I like for the flower girl (http://www.dessy.com/dresses/flowergirl/fl4009/; White top, burgandy bottom), but I am unsure about sizing and whether it will work for a 2 year old (well 2 years and 3 months by the wedding). I think part of it is that the picture shows a much older girl who is obviously taller. We shall see.
For the photographer, we are currently in email contact with BK Studios (http://www.bullockandkirstein.com/#). They currently have an opening for July 16, and we are trying to see if we can come up with a price/package that we like.
For music, obviously we will have a dj of some sort for the reception, but I kinda like the idea of some sort of live string duo for the ceremony. There seem to be two separate companies that will do this, but I have not looked into prices quite yet. That will be the next thing on the list along with finding an officiant (There was one that I found which will customize everything but they may be a bit expensive...again have not asked for any info yet so will have to do that)
As for other details:
- Jeff has apparently commandeered the responsibility for the cake. Unfortunately we will not be able to go to any sort of tasting so we will be sending Jeff's parents. Lucky them :P.
- As stated in a previous post, I have chosen what kind of flowers I want, but I have yet to find a florist.
- Need to ultimately finalize the guest list and then get addresses for all those on it so we can send invites out in a couple months
- Need to find a DJ
- Need to book our honeymoon (Oahu here we come :) )
- Need to make our registry and make sure that people buy things from there such that we can pick it up at a store here in London since we will not have room to take things back with us (Hint hint to any of you who are reading this...)
- Jeff needs to get the tuxes and such squared away
- Decorations
- Some other things I'm sure I am missing right now
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Progress has been made.
So my mom came out last week and helped me with my dress decision. Really there was not much of a decision left on the dress front because I had more or less decided on the one I wanted before she came out, but I still wanted her opinion on it. After trying on the one that I was eyeing and the one that was in the runner up position, we both decided that the first one was the one. Then came the hard decisions...the veil and accessories. I have two necklaces that were passed down to me from my grandmother and great great aunt...pearls vs something sparkly. The sparkles won in that category. I also found a hair accessory that I got for half off (Score!) and my veil. I am still undecided as to whether I will wear a bracelet of some sort and I still need shoes and a garter, but other than that I think I am set.
So now on to the other things that I need to do....next up on the docket: Bridesmaid dresses, photographer and officiant...among others. Sigh!
So now on to the other things that I need to do....next up on the docket: Bridesmaid dresses, photographer and officiant...among others. Sigh!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Update: Photographers and Dress
So I have finally started doing some more planning and such. This weekend I was looking at photographers that are in and around Victoria. Most of the photographers have package prices/details on their websites, but there were a few that didn't so I decided to send them a quick note saying that I was looking at several photographers and that I would like information about their packages.
The two responses that I got were very different. The response from one photographer was a simple congratulations and an attached pdf file with information about the packages and such. The response from the other one however was a little more infuriating. The first response from second photographer was a whole list of achievements and a long drawn-out explanation that he would like to meet Jeff and I to see if we click and such and how it is important that the photographer and client click and whatever and a small mention that packages start at $950. Ok, so I agree that you want to work with somebody that you can stand working with. Nobody wants to work with a jackass. But to send a ridiculously long email and to not actually answer my initial questions, you have already started out on the wrong foot.
So I emailed this photographer back asking for the package details and price ranges. This time he sent them but also added the following line: "On thing I know for sure is that most people who have hired a photographer on the price bases are regretting now…"
Interesting. I wonder why he would say that....oh because the cheapest bare bones package (2hrs of time, coverage of ceremony, portrait session with bride and groom and one pic with guest) is $1450 and the ultimate package (Full day coverage with all the perks) is almost $10000. Hmmm people who have hired a photographer bases on prices...um hello! there is this thing called a budget. I realize that the portraits are important and that they are the only lasting memeory of the day. but there is no way I am paying close to $10000 for the ultimate package when there is a photographer who will do the same full day coverage but not necessarily the same amount of pictures for approximately a fifth of the cost. Now I can understand why he didn't want to give me the prices! Cuz they are totally outrageous and way outside my budget.
On another front though, I finally kicked my butt out the front door and went to look at wedding dresses. I was kinda dreading this part because all of my wedding party and my mom are out of town so I have to go looking by myself. Its a scary prospect especially when you have no idea what you are in for once you walk in the door. So I decided to go to two different stores this weekend...however I only went to one actually. The first one I went to did not make me comfortable at all and it makes me wonder how they actually get any business at all. This shop was in a part of town that is not the most safe feeling (I know what you are saying, you are in London, not Calgary or Toronto, how is there a place that is not safe feeling there, well trust me I did not feel safe walking around there). To add to the uncomfortable feeling, the shop is beside what looks like an abandoned building, the front facade of the building is a worn and could use some love and in one of the display windows I can see paint trays. Hmmm not something I want to see around wedding dresses. So I didn't go in.
The second store however was much better. They were very helpful and I think that I found my dress. I am just waiting to think about it, and I think my mom is going to come out in a couple weeks to help me finalize my decision. So no progress on the photographer front just yet, but yay on the possible dress.
The two responses that I got were very different. The response from one photographer was a simple congratulations and an attached pdf file with information about the packages and such. The response from the other one however was a little more infuriating. The first response from second photographer was a whole list of achievements and a long drawn-out explanation that he would like to meet Jeff and I to see if we click and such and how it is important that the photographer and client click and whatever and a small mention that packages start at $950. Ok, so I agree that you want to work with somebody that you can stand working with. Nobody wants to work with a jackass. But to send a ridiculously long email and to not actually answer my initial questions, you have already started out on the wrong foot.
So I emailed this photographer back asking for the package details and price ranges. This time he sent them but also added the following line: "On thing I know for sure is that most people who have hired a photographer on the price bases are regretting now…"
Interesting. I wonder why he would say that....oh because the cheapest bare bones package (2hrs of time, coverage of ceremony, portrait session with bride and groom and one pic with guest) is $1450 and the ultimate package (Full day coverage with all the perks) is almost $10000. Hmmm people who have hired a photographer bases on prices...um hello! there is this thing called a budget. I realize that the portraits are important and that they are the only lasting memeory of the day. but there is no way I am paying close to $10000 for the ultimate package when there is a photographer who will do the same full day coverage but not necessarily the same amount of pictures for approximately a fifth of the cost. Now I can understand why he didn't want to give me the prices! Cuz they are totally outrageous and way outside my budget.
On another front though, I finally kicked my butt out the front door and went to look at wedding dresses. I was kinda dreading this part because all of my wedding party and my mom are out of town so I have to go looking by myself. Its a scary prospect especially when you have no idea what you are in for once you walk in the door. So I decided to go to two different stores this weekend...however I only went to one actually. The first one I went to did not make me comfortable at all and it makes me wonder how they actually get any business at all. This shop was in a part of town that is not the most safe feeling (I know what you are saying, you are in London, not Calgary or Toronto, how is there a place that is not safe feeling there, well trust me I did not feel safe walking around there). To add to the uncomfortable feeling, the shop is beside what looks like an abandoned building, the front facade of the building is a worn and could use some love and in one of the display windows I can see paint trays. Hmmm not something I want to see around wedding dresses. So I didn't go in.
The second store however was much better. They were very helpful and I think that I found my dress. I am just waiting to think about it, and I think my mom is going to come out in a couple weeks to help me finalize my decision. So no progress on the photographer front just yet, but yay on the possible dress.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
ARRG!
Ok so this is not a wedding post but it totally fits into the title of my blog (What have I gotten myself into!).
Jeff and I recently purchased new appliances for the condo (stove, washer, dryer, and dishwasher). We got the first three a couple weeks a go and they are working wonderfully. We had a bit of trouble disconnecting the washer from the water and putting the stacking kit together for the washer/dryer, but overall it went well.
We are now getting our dishwasher today and oh my god I don't know who to shoot first...the person that installed the dishwasher in the first place or the person who installed the newer tiles before I bought the place.
Let me back up. The way our delivery works from the place we bought the appliances is that they will deliver and take the old ones away (for a fee of course) but we have to disconnect them from all supplies before they get here. Ok fine. That is ridiculously easy for a stove, a washer and a dryer and in theroy fairly easy for a dishwasher...
Here are the steps for unhooking a dishwasher.
1. Turn off power to the dishwasher. Check
2. Turn off water to the dishwasher. Check
3. Locate power supply, drain hose and water supply. Check (Score, the power supply is a plug in the wall behind the dishwasher!), Check (the drain is easily removed) and Check....wait, the water supply is connected by a copper pipe running from the shut off valve to the dishwasher that seems unremovable. Oh crap!
4. Disconnect power supply. --> will do when the unit is pulled out
5. Disconnect water supply. --> oh wait we can't because it seems that the dishwasher was installed when the condo was built and therefore it is "hard piped" in. There is a connection on the dishwasher side but it is impossible to disconnect and there is absolutly no connection point near the shut off valve.
6. Disconnect drain. --> What's the point when I can't disconnect the water supply.
7. Pull unit out.--> oh wait the tiles are notched around the feet of the dishwasher and the notch is not big enough to be able to pull the unit straight out. For *beep* sakes!
So there you go, how to remove a dish washer in seven easy steps. Oh wait, it's still in there.
The solution? Mr Rooter. Yes we had to call a freaking plumber to help replace our dishwasher. As of this moment, we are in the 9-12 window for service today and the dishwasher is supposed to be delivered sometime today (don't have the 4 hour window for that yet). Hopefully once the water is disconnected we will be able to get the dishwasher out without breaking the tiles.
BREAKING NEWS...The dishwasher will be here in an hour and we still can't get the old one out. Oh joy. We will get a refund on our takeaway fee. Can this day get any better?
Jeff and I recently purchased new appliances for the condo (stove, washer, dryer, and dishwasher). We got the first three a couple weeks a go and they are working wonderfully. We had a bit of trouble disconnecting the washer from the water and putting the stacking kit together for the washer/dryer, but overall it went well.
We are now getting our dishwasher today and oh my god I don't know who to shoot first...the person that installed the dishwasher in the first place or the person who installed the newer tiles before I bought the place.
Let me back up. The way our delivery works from the place we bought the appliances is that they will deliver and take the old ones away (for a fee of course) but we have to disconnect them from all supplies before they get here. Ok fine. That is ridiculously easy for a stove, a washer and a dryer and in theroy fairly easy for a dishwasher...
Here are the steps for unhooking a dishwasher.
1. Turn off power to the dishwasher. Check
2. Turn off water to the dishwasher. Check
3. Locate power supply, drain hose and water supply. Check (Score, the power supply is a plug in the wall behind the dishwasher!), Check (the drain is easily removed) and Check....wait, the water supply is connected by a copper pipe running from the shut off valve to the dishwasher that seems unremovable. Oh crap!
4. Disconnect power supply. --> will do when the unit is pulled out
5. Disconnect water supply. --> oh wait we can't because it seems that the dishwasher was installed when the condo was built and therefore it is "hard piped" in. There is a connection on the dishwasher side but it is impossible to disconnect and there is absolutly no connection point near the shut off valve.
6. Disconnect drain. --> What's the point when I can't disconnect the water supply.
7. Pull unit out.--> oh wait the tiles are notched around the feet of the dishwasher and the notch is not big enough to be able to pull the unit straight out. For *beep* sakes!
So there you go, how to remove a dish washer in seven easy steps. Oh wait, it's still in there.
The solution? Mr Rooter. Yes we had to call a freaking plumber to help replace our dishwasher. As of this moment, we are in the 9-12 window for service today and the dishwasher is supposed to be delivered sometime today (don't have the 4 hour window for that yet). Hopefully once the water is disconnected we will be able to get the dishwasher out without breaking the tiles.
BREAKING NEWS...The dishwasher will be here in an hour and we still can't get the old one out. Oh joy. We will get a refund on our takeaway fee. Can this day get any better?
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