The Handiest Wedding Tool Yet

Months ago, when I started collecting addresses for our save-the-dates, I was stumped. I could call, text, e-mail and delegate to gather everyone's addresses but this seemed like it would take forever and be a hassle to those helping me collect.

Instead, I heeded Mrs. Fondue's advice and created a Google document that would collect everyone's addresses for me. My little robot, if you will.

To be fair, I'm not going to list Mrs. Fondue's steps again, as she so efficiently describes them, but I will let you in on a few tweaks that helped me in the long run.


How it works: you create the document following Mrs. Fondue's steps. It sends it out to your guests inboxes. They fill it out and their responses file, automatically, into your spreadsheet.

1) Be prepared to do a little bit of hunting and gathering. In order to make this Google Doc work, you'll need all of your guests e-mail addresses. I did this by texting, e-mailing friends and family, and using Facebook. Seems like as much work as asking for mailing addresses, right? Wrong. Most likely you already have a lot of your guests' e-mail addresses and this way, you'll have a bunch of their information stored in one place. It comes in handy down the road, believe me.

2) I tried to use the questions that Mrs. Fondue used for her guests as a jumping off point (that's right, you decide what to ask them for when creating the questionnaire). Here are the questions we asked (the starred questions are the ones we required them to answer):

-*Your Name (The name of the person filling out this form; please list your first and last name)

-Significant Other's Name (The name of your spouse or significant other; please list his or her first and last name)

-Children's Names (Names of your children who still live at your house; please list first and last names)

-*Address Line 1

-Address Line 2

-*City

-*State

-*Zip Code

-*Phone Number

-*E-mail Address (I know, we just e-mailed you! But we want to keep all of your info in one place.)

-Planning to Move? (If yes, please enter your new address and when it will be valid. Not sure when or where? We'll be sending stuff out in January and July of 2009. Let us know when to check in with you--we'll do so before mailing anything)

-Comments/Questions

3) Of the above, we got all of the information we needed. Some left off their last names, listed their dogs as their children (so cute!), and wrote "LOL" after "significant other." Hey, people had fun with it! I even got a few comments about what a great idea it was to use that system.

4) While only three of our guests utilized the "Planning to Move" question, it was a huge help. Some opted to have their invitations sent to their parents' abodes while others signified to check in with them in a specific month as they didn't know where or when they'd be moving.

5) We got adorable notes in our Comments/Questions section. Things like "Crazy kids," "Awesome," and "Let's party like the Red Sox just won the SERIES." This was a playful nudge at Mr. CB who is a Yankees fan.

6) When you send your form out, you want to make sure you don't go to "Share" --> "Invite People." That will give them access to your form. Instead, head to "Form" --> "Send Form."

7) This wasn't foolproof. A few of our guests tried to enter their info numerous times to no avail. A couple weeks after I sent the form out, I e-mailed the remaining guests to find out if they'd received it. No one minded the reminder. : )

8) In the end, you get a pretty little spreadsheet like this:


I've come back to it time and time again, to e-mail guests about airfare sales I see or to ask if they've moved yet. To put together a guest list for my bridal shower--the bridesmaids appreciated not having to chase down addresses.

So, I guess my title rings true. This is the handiest wedding tool out there (that I've come across at least). Have a better one? Please share!!

What Mr. CB Taught Me

I have to admit something. In a past life (read: when I was a teenager growing up in Los Angeles, otherwise known as La La Land), I've made some very superficial moves. Hey, I was in the land of falsities, right? Nothing really mattered except for what brand adorned your denim, if the hood of your car read BMW, Mercedes, or Audi, and how recent your last mani/pedi was. Yes, I'm exaggerating a little, er, a lot--the entirety of the LA population doesn't fall under the above prerequisites--but there is a lot of pressure put on material things and what "perfect" means.

All of the above is a little abstract, yes, but let's apply it to guys and the reasons I broke up with a few of them. These are going to sound absolutely ridiculous: one wore a mustard-colored shirt I just couldn't get past, one turned on gospel radio on our first date (I was more into pop), one had small teeth, one was short, one was a Sunday school teacher (cute, yes, but not for me), one was a year younger than me (wha? I like 'em older), one called his shoes "sh*tkickers," and one drove a maroon car. In hindsight, all of these guys were probably good catches. Heck, I'll listen to gospel-y bluegrass nowadays and love it. But at the time, er, not so much. And, for whatever reason, I couldn't look beyond these very, very minor blunders.

And then I met Mr. Cowboy Boot. I lived in Boston at this point and was a wee bit further from my previous self. But, just a wee bit. He charmed me, regardless of the fact that I wasn't a big fan of his shoes, the way he wore gel in his hair, and that he didn't fall under my "must-be-a-surfer-from-Southern-California" guidelines. Nonetheless, he surprised me for lunch more than once, went dress shopping with me all day for a work event, and schooled me with his cooking skills (seared tuna, anyone?).

Since Mr. CB and I started dating (over 3 1/2 years ago), I've grown. Whatever image of "perfection" I had in my head no longer exists (if the "person" ever really did exist) or just doesn't matter because what I have now is exactly what I want. It might not fulfill a superficial checklist, it might even have its flaws here and there (it does), but we have enough substance to want to work towards a life together. Enough real substance and that's what matters most. Mr. CB is kind, not only to me but to children and animals and the Earth. He's skilled artistically in a way I can only admire and passionate about the things he loves. He's a great teacher, and a great learner. And simply fun.

If anything (and this is about to get cheesy, thus the title), he's my Noah Calhoun--and certainly not my Lon. (Don't act like you haven't seen The Notebook). Not that there's anything wrong with Lon--he's gorgeous, well put-together, has a great job, and pleases Allie's parents, but Noah is real. He's as real as the dirt that lies around the house he built for Allie (minus the fact that he's a character from a fiction movie).

Either way, Mr. CB struck a chord with me that I'd never experienced before: Realness. Through all of the pressures of growing up, trying to look, act, and be a certain way, it took me a while to realize you can just be yourself. I met Mr. CB after a summer of much self growth and I think it's serendipitous. I was ready for him to help me continue on that journey. No material possessions (metaphorically speaking, of course) to hide behind, just a person with feelings, humbleness, and a quality of life to be proud of.

What has your fiance taught you? How have you grown since you've been together?

Wedding Crashers, Anyone?

Two nights before the wedding (a Friday), we expect our bridal party and a few other people will be roaming around Devil's Thumb Ranch and the surrounding areas looking for something to do. Our rehearsal dinner won't be going on until the following night and since it's a destination wedding, we're pretty sure quite a few of our guests will already be in town, making a vacation of it! So, we figure we should provide a little wedding-related entertainment.

Enter: Wedding Crashers. Yes, the movie. I mean, who doesn't looooove Rachel McAdams? One of the unique things about our venue is that it has a 37-person movie theater, so we're taking full advantage.

We're renting it out, supplying popcorn, sodas, and candy, and making sure Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson's fabulous antics are displayed across the big screen for all to see.

(source)

(source)

Sure, this movie's not serious and it doesn't contemplate the ups and downs of marriage, but we're hoping to put our guests in a silly, laid back mood for the wedding weekend. We want them to have some fun (and we want to have some fun too!).

A few other never-fail, nuptial movies? Father of the Bride, My Best Friend's Wedding, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, 27 Dresses, The Wedding Planner, and The Wedding Singer.

If you were going to throw a movie night, what film would you feature? Any other great wedding movies I failed to mention above?

Finding the Perfect One. Period.

After skimming Wanna Buy a Watch's shelves and trying numerous rings on (some in my budget, some not), there was one that I just kept coming back to. She fit me perfectly (even better than my e-ring which has been re-sized three times). She was also a tad bit thinner than my engagement ring but had the same length "spread" of diamonds in the channel. The price tag for this beauty? $895.

I explained that my budget was $300 to the sales lady. I explained it sheepishly, I admit. Then I left. I thought about that ring a lot. It was platinum with milgrain, and nine channel-set diamonds equaling .22 carats of bling. Plus an inscription that's from 1907: "From BRP to WK."

A few days later, I went back to the store and told Christine, the salesperson, that I wanted it. But that the price just wasn't going to work for me. She said she'd have to talk to the owner (who was in Hawaii for the week) and would call me. I left, ringless.

Then, I had my bridal shower. My step-grandmother, who won't be able to make it to the wedding, gave me a very generous amount of money as a gift.

A couple of days later, I got a call from Christine. She said they could bring the price down to $600. From there, the negotiations started and we went back and forth. Eventually, we ended up at a price that was below $600 and was just enough for my grandmother's gift to make up the difference. I love that she contributed to this little piece of symbolism that will be on my hand forever.

We were able to save on tax by having the ring sent to New Mexico.

You want to see it, don't you? Lucky for you, we had a photo shoot this morning.






Did you negotiate the fee for your ring? Have you had a fun photo session to memorialize it yet?

Finding the Perfect One (Part Two)

After not finding The Perfect One online or through a friend who's a jeweler, I decided I would hit up some consignment shops while home in Los Angeles a few weeks back. I'd seen some online consignment shops by googling "Estated Wedding Bands" or "Estate Rings." Stores like Sylvia's Antiques, Antique Jewelry Mall, Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry, and many others popped up but none had anything I liked within my price range (reminder: it's $300 for my ring and $100 for Mr. CB's).

My first inkling was to go to a store called The Paper Bag Princess in Los Angeles which has consignment wedding dresses, shoes, clutches, jewelry. You could get outfitted for your whole wedding right there. But, before I ventured in there, I stopped by a consignment shop in San Luis Obispo (while visiting a friend). It was called Hamilton Estate Jewelry.

The cool thing about this shop is that they price the items when they come in. So, say a ring came in at some point in the '80s when the price of platinum was low. No matter that the price of platinum is high now, the ring still costs what it did 20 years ago.

I found a ring there that was about the same width of my engagement ring. It was platinum, one-fifteenth of a carat in full, round cut G-color diamonds. Price? $490 plus tax.

I liked it, but the fact that it was the same width as my engagement ring made it a little bulky. I'm pretty petite and need a thin band.

I didn't find anything I liked at Paper Bag Princess but they referred me to a store called Wanna Buy A Watch? on Melrose. Prior to their separate locations, these stores had been a part of a group of estate jewelry sellers in one building called the Antiquarius Center. That building burned down, scattering the vendors all over Los Angeles.

At Wanna Buy A Watch? they have some gorgeous bands. I actually fell in love with quite a few.

18K White Gold Engraved Ring ($395)

Platinum and diamond eternity band ($1,495)

Platinum Hand Engraved Ring ($675)

Diamond and Sapphire ($1,175)

Platinum and Diamond Micro Pave ($1,125)

They have tons of bands I could drool over all day. Yet, most of them seemed out of reach.

Did you get your ring from a consignment shop or website? If so, which store or website did you buy it from?

A Second Go-Round?

A while back, when I started sifting through WeddingWire for hair and make-up artists, I also decided to shoot Mrs. Cookie a note asking who did her hair and make-up as her wedding was held only about two hours from my venue. Now, two hours away may sound like a lot for a vendor to travel but because our wedding is rather remote (two hours from Denver in the mountains), like Mrs. Cookie's, there was a good possibility that Mrs. Cookie's make-up artist would be willing to work mine as well.

Yesterday, I headed up to Colorado Springs to meet with Mrs. Cookie's artist, Liz (the regional manager at Bobbi Brown), for a make-up trial. Previously, I had a trial with Katelyn Simkins.

I headed to The Broadmoor (where Liz works sometimes) armed with more inspiration photos, such as these two:

(source)

(source)

Liz told me to have a seat and she went to work. I told her I was going for a natural, coral, gold, and the "less-is-more" look.

Here's what came out on the other side (Note: It was very, very humid outside, although I'm supposed to look a little dewy).

I'm loving the natural, yet glowing result. She told me she'll do everything a tiny bit more dramatic on the day of the wedding which is good because I love me some cheek color. Blushing bride, anyone?

It took us 15 products (not counting brushes) to achieve the overall look. My daily routine consists of about five: moisturizer, blush, mascara, eyeshadow, and gloss. So, this feels like a ton for something so natural-looking. That said, it didn't actually feel like a ton on my face.

Here are the Bobbi Brown products we used:

SKIN

Face Oil for my desert-like skin ($60)

Hydrating Face Cream = "A glass of water for your skin" ($50)

Hydrating Eye Cream ($45)

Foundation Stick ($40) in color 3.5 or 3--she used it only in places I needed, not all over

Corrector in Bisque ($22), applied with a concealer brush ($25). This is extra coverage for under eye circles. I had had a late night the night before.

Creamy Concealer in Beige ($22)

Sheer Finish Loose Powder in Pale Yellow ($34)

Bronzing Powder in Light ($33), if needed (we didn't use it at the trial)

EYES

Birch Eyeshadow for my eyebrows ($20), applied with an eyebrow brush ($25). We also used this color in the crease of my eyes.

Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Sandy Gold ($22) for my lower lid

Metallic Eye Shadow in Gold Dust ($20) over the Sandy Gold

Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Sepia Ink ($21) applied with an ultra fine brush ($25)

CHEEKS

Apricot Shimmer Brick Compact ($38)--I've used the shimmer brick for years

Shimmer Blush in Coral ($22)

LIPS

Lip Gloss in Buff ($20)

And one more shot of how it came together:

For the big day, I definitely want her to make everything a little more dramatic--my lips and cheeks in particular.

What do you think of this make-up trial? Anything I should have Liz do differently?

Margarita Thursday

Today is Thursday. Yes. But it's a special Thursday because of the holiday weekend. Many of us don't have to work tomorrow. So, I thought I'd share with you a special recipe. Tonight's homework? Go home and make it!

(source)

A while back, I posted about our BBQ menu. At the time, Mr. CB and I thought it would be fun to have margaritas as our signature cocktail. We live in New Mexico and in New Mexico you drink margaritas. We wanted to bring a little bit of that up to Colorado with us. The bad news is that our margaritas would cost $7 per drink. Maybe that's not a lot to a lot of people. It's not for us when we're going out to dinner. But when you serve 100 people a margarita each, you end up with $700 in tequila, sour mix, and, well, ice. Say quite a few people want two or more margaritas. We could end up with a bar tab (just for hard liquor) as large as $1500 or more. We just can't justify spending that amount on one type of drink. No budgeting article or website tells you to expect to spend 15% of your wedding budget on your signature cocktail.

That doesn't mean that you 'lil buzzing bees can't make this one at home and celebrate the holiday weekend. Reader eastwestbride asked me to share my recipe with you. It's not exactly my recipe but it's a friend's and he was willing to share it with you guys, so here goes:

- 2 ounces premium 100% pure Agave tequila

Use silver for a clean and crisp flavor or reposado for more flavor

Our choices of tequila: Partida for premium, Corralejo for mid-range and Cazadores if you're going for economical and good

- 1 ounce Cointreau which is orange liqueur

- 1 ounce fresh squeezed organic lemon juice (instead of sour mix)

- 1 ounce fresh squeezed organic lime juice

- 1 ounce pure raw agave nectar (you can find this at Whole Foods. It's the most important ingredient because it brings out the flavor of the tequila and sweetens it all)

- sea salt

- 1 lime

1. Add all ingredients into a Boston shaker.

2. Add ice and shake.

3. Pour into a large rocks glass.

4. Garnish with sea salt on the rim or lime wedge.

5. Always provide a stirring straw or two.

He made this drink for me and it's delicious. Not only was he a bartender, him and his girlfriend worked for a tequila company for years. (Note: none of the tequilas mentioned above were theirs).

Did you have to give up something fun because of money? What was it and how did you cope? (I'm going to go drink my worries away! Bottoms up!)