We did it!

It's all over now and it was amazing. Here's a few pics until I get my act together to post more.

Wedding Pics

A Cautionary Tale

Two Fridays ago the bearded man and I had returned home after a long night out and about in Downtown LA. I was really tired and when I needed my cell phone, asked him to throw it to me. Those were my exact words: throw it to me. Unfortunately for me, the bearded man not only took them literally and did throw it, but since I was underneath a blanket threw it at the big blob instead of into maybe a pair of hands. The result? My first (and hopefully last) black eye. I can attest to the corner of an iPhone with a very hard plastic case in the eye will cause immense amounts of bruising and cause one to scream/cry like a 3 year old (maybe that's just me). Luckily for me it was the weekend and I had a few days to deal with the pain and start to laugh about my misfortune before work on Monday. Even luckier is the bearded man who in testimony to his character not one person doubted our I Love Lucy style explanation.

The bruising is all gone now and with plenty of time before the wedding. So brides and anyone who doesn't want a black eye, I don't recommend ever asking for a phone to be thrown to them unless they know exactly where it's headed.

p.s. 12 days! ACK!

5 weeks to go!

I didn't think I'd actually end up this close to my wedding day sans venue contract signed, or with any definitive wedding colors, or just a sketch of what my centerpieces will look like, but that's how it goes. Life just has a habit of getting away from you and before you know it you're faced with things like marriage license requirements and big decisions like what do I want my name to be?

The bearded man and I went to our respective bachelor/bachelorette parties last week. And even though we both went to Sin City we managed to avoid seeing each other the entire time. I did try to text him, but had the phone taken away immediately after. It was the first time I had gone that long without speaking to him in the 5 years since we've met (this includes my time in Brazil and D.C.) and it was a lot harder than I thought. I've gotten so used to someone else being willing to listen 24/7 and luckily my girlfriends were nice enough to by my sounding board.

So wedding plans, what's left. Well besides the license, it's mostly logistics and supplies. Trying to figure out how to transport and chill 800 beverages (that's 1 beverage per hour per person), how to display my cupcakes/candy bar (I ditched cupcakes as centerpieces) and who is going to take all of it down at the end of the afternoon (beg friends and family to help?). This brings me to the hardest part of wedding planning, asking for help. I like to host parties and I like to organize and plan, but as much as this wedding is my party I'm hosting I can't do the traditional things I'd do like set-up and clean up, making sure that everyone has drinks or that the food is good. So it's delegation time to the bearded man, to my kickass Maid of Honor, to my family and friends who have volunteered their assistance. So with a hope and a prayer it will all come off without a hitch. Time to start learning the anti-rain dance for April 2!

Paperless Post to the Rescue!

So early on we decided to only send real paper invites to those of our guests who are not so computer savvy (aka all of our family and parent's friends). With a wedding our size this cut the number of invites we needed to actually print, label and send to 100. For our friends though I wanted to use Paperless Post which is Evite's way more mature and hip cousin. I first learned about this awesome website when it was in Beta mode from my Aunt who had received an e-vite for a very nice party being thrown by USC. I had spent some time designing our wedding e-vite and was a bit disappointed that our friends would not get the same papel picado (Mexican cut paper) feel as our real invite. Lo and behold when I arrived today on the Paperless Post website to find this amazing piece of electronic stationary:

Sometimes when you're just about ready to quit on all this wedding planning stuff, perfection just falls into your lap. For those of you still in throes of wedding planning and working full time, check out this awesome post by Liz Coopersmith on Broke-ass Bride today.

80 days and counting down

We're less than 80 days out from the wedding at this point and it's starting to really sink in that a) this is really happening and b) there's a lot left to do. I have three major goals for the wedding:
1. Our guests have a good time
2. We get to enjoy the wedding
3. Everyone leaves with a full tummy of delicious food

Now even though that seems like a small set of goals, making sure those are accomplished requires a lot more planning. So for a quick rundown on my list of to-dos:
1. Arrange for rental and set-up of the reception tent, tables, chairs, dancefloor and tablecloths.
2. Address and send out invitations.
3. Update the website with the RSVP link.
4. Meet with the wedding coordinator from the church to arrange for the rehearsal.
5. Reserve the rehearsal dinner location.
6. Schedule my dress fittings at the seamstress.
7. Decide on the music for the ceremony and the reception.
8. Purchase alcohol, other drinks, cupcake stands, cutlery and table settings.
9. Buy the remaining pint glasses for my favors and paint on the chalkboard square.
10. Figure out last minute accessories including jewelry, wedding bands, hair flower.

So many things and so little time, this is why people hire wedding coordinators. I'm trying to take it one step at a time and to not allow my life to become consumed in the planning of this event. And, be okay with not finishing everything on that list. So here's to the last big push until April 2. Wish me luck!

UPDATE 3/9/2011: I just realized that I've done everything on this list except for #9 and #10. WOO HOO!

Guest BlogPost Today at Charmed Weddings

I'm really excited that my very first Guest Blog Post is up, check it out here.

I don't know how many of my readers are planning a wedding, but just in case a great resource is Liz Coopersmith at Silver Charm Events. Not only does she write a very helpful blog, but she hosts teleconference calls with industry professionals about all questions wedding including catering, photography, and choosing a venue. Last but not least she is a regular contributor to one of my favorite wedding blogs around the Broke-Ass Bride Blog.

Featured on Metro's the Source Blog

I'm so excited to report that my "Why I Ride" profile I submitted to Metro was posted today to the Source blog. I've appreciated reading the different profiles about why people choose to ride Metro or in some cases choose not. I've also thought the suggestions provided by many of those profiled have been useful and constructive. My main suggestion (despite being a daily rail user) is to improve the quality of the bus system in LA. The infrequency, unreliability and lengthy trip times of the current bus system make them a choice for only those without any other option.

The bearded man and I discussed yesterday why we love where we live so much yesterday. And despite the cute neighborhood of shops and cafes the real reason we love it is our commute. We both manage to have 20 minute commutes to our workplaces. The key thing in the future will be a) always considering our commute when we choose where to live and b) being willing to move if the job is worth it so that we can live approximately halfway between both of our jobs. This also means that purchasing a home does not work with this philosophy, because that will essentially root us in one place. As much as I would love to be able to rip out the carpet in my living room or throw large outdoor BBQs in a big backyard it does not outweigh all the extra time I have added to my day by not driving.