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.

Adventures in Crafting- Favors

I like to craft. Growing up in the Girls Scouts I would spend time making handmade Christmas ornaments and using rubber stamps on just about anything. In Junior High I got into scrapbooking and most recently have tried my hand at sewing. The problem with all of these is that I don't like mistakes and once I've screwed something up (in my mind) I tend to just give up on the whole project.
Once engaged though it became evident that crafting and DIY (do-it-yourself) are super popular ways to make your wedding feel personalized and help save some dough. I decided I would only craft things that a) I couldn't find somewhere online for a decent price or b) didn't exist and would be forced to create myself. So far I've taken on two major craft projects for the wedding: favors and invitations.
Our favor idea came from one of my favorite Christmas gifts- a pint glass with a rectangle of chalkboard paint that lets you put your name on it infinite amounts of times. Here's the inspiration:

Image courtesy of Incredible Things

Unfortunately those cost $4 each and black does not go with my color scheme. (Side note: I don't really have a color scheme, I have a color- green.)

So I decided to do a test run and try my hand at making my own. The bearded man and I picked up 6 Vanlig pint glasses at Ikea for $3.99. We then headed over to a true Los Angeles gem- Jill's Paints to pick up primer and chalkboard paint. We decided to go with a foam roller at the suggestion of the friendly staff at Jill's and picked the only green shade that we liked from the selection at hand. The primer, chalkboard paint and foam rollers came to about $45. I randomly taped up some rectangles on each glass and got to priming. Here's what they looked like after Step 1:
I decided to leave them over night to dry before adding the first coat of green chalkboard paint. I didn't love it with the first coat so I waited another 24 hours before adding a second one and voila:I'm really pleased with how they came out and have already put them through the dishwasher once to see how they hold up. Next we'll be buying the remaining 200 (YIKES!) pint glasses at a restaurant wholesale supplier and getting to work. I might reconsider this as a good idea around #150, but oh well I'm in for the long haul now!

New Year's Resolutions

No I'm not starting early for 2011, but I was about to write out a To Do list when I came across my 2010 New Year's Resolutions. I'm so glad I kept this, because it's fun to see which of those things I've crossed off, which I still haven't done and those I completely forgot about even promising to do.

1. Exercise 3x/week and go to yoga 1x/week.
I haven't kept this up consistently throughout the year, but this was by far my healthiest year yet. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I'm not commuting 45 min or more each way to work and have an extra 90 minutes a day to spend at yoga or working out. Funny enough I also canceled my gym membership this year, because with 2 people and 1 vehicle having to drive to a separate location to work out was not convenient. Instead I've switched to yoga classes down the street from my train station, running outside and Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred at home in the living room.

2. Take a trip to a different continent.
This was one of the worst years for traveling. Although the bearded man and I managed to fit in a lot of shorter trips: Grand Canyon, Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco (twice), San Diego; there was no international travel. Our last trip of the year will be to another national park which is great since we'll probably not be able to fit one in next year with the wedding.

3. Consolidate IRAs.
A major fail on this one, especially since it's been on my list for 2 years! I hate dealing with the paperwork, but I'm going to make a concerted effort to try and get this done by the end of the year. Due to my plethora of jobs, I have about 5 disparate accounts all just languishing.

4. Cook food I like.
I have to hand it to Real Simple for all of the awesome easy recipes with a few ingredients. The bearded man and I cooked through all 20 of the dinners listed in their 4-week menu plan for dinner. I would say we enjoyed more than 75% of them and there are some we have already made again! I also need to credit again my lack of a commute for my ability to cook more often.

5. Organize apartment/purge.
We have a constant "outbox" where we put stuff that we want to give away and every so often I go through my wardrobe to look for items I no longer wear, are worn out or don't fit. The best plan I can think of for doing this is Apartment Therapy's Home Cure, which just finished but there are awesome short videos to lead you through it. Coupled with the book makes it easier than you might think.

6. Invest in home furnishings/art.
Only made modest progress on this one. We bought a big mirror for the living room and finally framed our favorite photo from a trip to Brazil, but that's it. The majority of our walls are still just plain old white. As for furnishings we purchased a chest for the living room to hold the pull-out bed sheets/blankets, a liquor cabinet/board game holder, and some new throw pillows, but that's about it.

7. Run two half marathons.
I ran three this year, so here's one resolution officially checked off complete.

8. Finish college scrapbook.
I have made so little progress on this one that I wonder if I'll ever want to finish it, but I think I'll make the commitment to finish this one and then maybe go for easier digital versions in the future (Shutterfly, Costco photobooks, etc.) I just never want to take the time to get out all of the supplies, make the necessary amount of mess and clean it up.

So out of 8 resolutions I've managed to do at least most of them a little and 3 of them completely. Guess it's time to start thinking about some new goals for 2011, maybe blogging a little more frequently?

SF vs. LA Transit

So the SF Giants have managed to make it all the way to the World Series, take down the un-hittable Cliff Lee and win the first of four games to be crowned Champions of Baseball. But how does the Bay Area's transit system match up to LA's?

1. The airport: SF's rail line picks you up at the airport. LA makes you take a shuttle that can be confusing and time consuming. 1 point SF.

2. Price: This is tough, because it depends what system you are using in SF. There are two main transit operators: BART- the Bay Area Rapid Transit and Muni which is the local bus and light rail provider within SF proper. BART's prices are based on geographical distance with a heavy premium for the airport. It cost $8.10 from SFO to Civic Center station (approximately 25 minute trip). The Metro line is $1.50 per ride with no transfers, so if you happened to only take the Green Line to the LAX shuttle it would only cost $1.50. If you had to transfer a day pass might save you some money and runs $5.00, still cheaper than BART. Muni though can be significantly cheaper than Metro, because it allows on and off privileges for 90 minutes for $2 and we managed to go from brunch, to Golden Gate park and to lunch all on one fare. Metro does not allow transfers and taking four buses would have cost $6.00 at a $1.50 per ride. 1 point for SF for Muni's transfers, 1 point for Metro for non-geography based fares.

3. Convenience: Now here's where SF really stands out from LA. First, BART has a paper fare card that can be reused, reducing the number of times you have to visit the fare machine. Times for when the next BART or Muni will arrive are available online and via the iPhone. In the station, times are listed for the next arrival of a train (soon to be available in LA, but should have been around for awhile now). Metro only recently created an iPhone app, but it still does not provide real-time updates for bus/rail arrivals and there is no mobile version of bus/rail schedules (only a painfully slow-loading PDF version). 1 point for SF

4. Style: Now I know this is not as important, but I do want to at least give props to LA for not putting carpet and fully upholstered seats on their rail like BART. I always worry about the number of germs and nastiness that must be living in them. Also, MUNI has weird seat set-ups in their buses with seats facing each other that seem like space wasters. Plus, the public service ads in MUNI paled in comparison to the beautiful Metro ad campaigns.
1 point for LA

Final tally: SF, 3 vs. LA, 2. Looks a lot like our baseball season, they're better than us, but not by much. And with today's approval of the expansion to the Westside, we'll start being able to build a system in the near future that can compete with our Northern neighbors.