Designing the Invites (Part I)

We loved our save-the-dates so much, that we decided to hire Sarah Parrott to design our invitation suite as well. After stumbling across her blog, A Homegrown Wedding, I feel like she gets our vision even more now. We have very similar taste. Now, onto the invitations...

They will have about five parts to them. Five! I know, that's a lot. 1) An Invitation Card, 2) A Map, 3) An RSVP Card + Envelope, 4) A Hang Tag attached to raffia, and 5) some will have a Rehearsal Dinner invitation.

In designing these, I really want them to seem connected to our save-the-dates and feel similar to our inspiration stationary. One of the ways we're doing this is to include another drawing from my very talented husband-to-be, Mr. Cowboy Boot. If ya'll remember, he drew the horse that adorned our STD postcard. This time, the drawing is of a barn since that's what our reception will be. 

Mr. CB's barn drawing

And, while I tried to get Mr. CB to pen some barn swallows and more horses, illustrating wedding invitations doesn't make him very excited. Thus, I turned to Ms. Parrott to find some coordinating images to use throughout our suite. Here's what she came up with:

Image 1:

Image 2:

Image 3:

Image 4:

Image 5:

Image 6:

Image 7:

Which are your favorite? Which do you think go best with Mr. CB's barn?

Fork in the Road

I have to admit, I'm not a wedding veteran. I've only been to a few and the last one was over five years ago. But, if was going to a destination wedding as a guest, I'm guessing I would like it if the bride and groom gave me some recommendations on activities to do in the area. Our wedding, although not in Mexico or the Caribbean, happens to be a destination wedding for about 95% of our guests (including ourselves). And, while we don't know the area extremely well, there are a few things we can recommend. 

My favorite thing that we're hoping our guests will do? Take a couple of extra hours and drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. From the airport, our venue happens to be in the middle of a big loop. Guests can either drive to and from the airport on the same two-hour windy mountain pass (also beautiful) or they can drive the two-hour road in and take the three-and-a-half hour long way out (or vice versa) through the park. Here's what the most direct, two-hour route looks like on a map: 

Here's what that drive (through Berthoud Pass) looks like in person:

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Should our guests opt to take the scenic route, their map would look like this (notice how it connects the loop on the upper side of the map):

And here's why we're positive it's worth the extra hour-and-a-half on the drive to or from the airport:

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Rocky Mountain National Park ranges from 8,000 feet to 14,259 feet at the top of Longs Peak. The 48-mile Trail Ridge Road passes along lunar landscape above the tree line before descending into alpine meadows and sheer cliffs. Trails, view points, and elk abound here.  

About 30 miles before reaching Devil's Thumb Ranch coming out of Rocky Mountain National Park lies the town of Grand Lake which is well-worth a gander. It's full of restaurants, shops, galleries, and best of all, the brewery that is providing one of our local kegs, Wooly Booger. 

We're hoping at least a few of our guests will be enticed enough to explore. 

What activities are you offering your out-of-town guests?

A Registry of a Different Sort

Much like The Bear Cubs, we, The Cowboy Boots don't really need all that much stuff for our house. We've lived together for over three years at this point which means we've made numerous trips to Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, and many other home goods stores throughout the course of our relationship. True, we don't have much furniture (we rent a partially furnished place) but we don't expect our guests to buy us expensive things--I mean, they're traveling all the way to Colorado for our wedding. 

So, we put in for a few things on Williams-Sonoma (we're big into cooking), Pottery Barn, and Sears. You know, a toaster here, a showerhead there. Mainly just little things that would make our lives that much better. 

And while we never got the luxury of going through the store scanning things (does that sound fun to anyone else? It does to me!) because we registered online, there is one store we got to handpick our items. Mr. CB's parent's gallery. That's right. They own a gallery in Upstate New York called Gallery Three, Two, One. With one-of-a-kind crafts, gorgeous pottery, and other goods, it's like a treasure trove when I'm in there (not to mention the jewelry). Here are a couple of the items we registered for: 

A pottery birdfeeder

Royce Yoder Dinnerset

Beyond house goods, though, Mr. CB and I talked a lot about registering for a home down payment. Money towards a house is more valuable to us than curtains and bedspreads. But we couldn't figure out how to do this without going through a website that takes a percentage of the gift. There's FeatherOurNest.com which requires $200 to create a registry and makes you pick out a house and work with a real estate agent almost immediately. We're not quite there yet. 

OurWishingWell.com is another option--you can register for general things like a "digital camera" instead of, say, a Leica D-Lux 4. Or a "home down payment fund." It's kind of nice that you don't have to pick out the exact stuff you want in the midst of wedding planning. The downside? There is a "small transaction fee when you withdraw" (i.e. the website takes a percentage of your gifts). 

In the end, we opted for Honeyfund.com. A honeymoon-specific registry that acts in a general way like Ourwishingwell. For instance we registered for "Horse-Trekking" with no specific outfitter or "Wine Tasting" with no particular vineyard in mind. You make up the amounts, how many gifts of that amount you need, and you get as specific as you want with each item. The closer it gets to our trip, the more specific our listings might become when we know where we're staying or what restaurant we want to eat in. Our gifts range from increments of $25 to $100. And guests can buy as many or as few as they want. Take a look:

Guests can pay by PayPal, credit card, or bring you cash or a check at the wedding. And, the website tracks who buys you what as items are purchased. Plus, they don't take any fees. Sample registries on the website can also give you ideas for activities on your own honeymoon. 

We didn't ditch the home down payment fund altogether though. Check out the final item on our honeymoon registry: 

What unconventional registries did you use? Do you think they'll be successful?

All You Need Is Love

I already mentioned to you that my two MOHs gave me a shower last weekend. It was so adorable, I just had to share more of the details. There's no other place I would've wanted it than on my parents' deck in the Hollywood Hills. With views over the San Fernando Valley, a soothing fountain, and lush plants, it's beautiful.

The day started off drizzling which was not a good sign, since all of the chairs had been set up outside, but as soon as people started arriving, the sky got lighter and the precipitation stopped. It was even fairly warm. The guests arrived to tables full of snapdragons and a spread that was delicious: lox and cream cheese sandwiches, pesto pasta salad, cucumber sandwiches, regular salad, and cheese and crackers. 

About sixteen friends and family showed up, including my step-grandmother who won't be able to attend the wedding because she can't travel anymore. 

My step-grandmother who speaks Italian with me

There were no games involved, only sipping wine, eating finger foods and chatting away. 

MOH J's mom, my friend, my brother's girlfriend, and MOH J

Step-grandmother, Aunt, and Cowboy Boot Cuz

Friend from college and me

Cousin and aunt

After a while, everyone gathered for the opening of the gifts.

The Victoria Secret tank read: Soon to be a Mrs...

I plan to wear this before changing into my dress

My aunt made a ribbon bouquet out of the ribbons from the gifts for my rehearsal

Dessert time!

And, finally, the cutest picture of Cowboy Boot Cuz. My parents have a lemon tree and CB Cuz was loving it!

What's funnier is CB Cuz held this face for about five minutes so I could snap a pic!

Where was your shower? Was it a surprise? 

Gifting the Shower Hostesses

I learned an important lesson this weekend: Ask for advice more than five minutes ahead of time. Even if you think you're prepared. 

On Saturday, my two MOHs threw me a beautiful bridal shower. Almost twenty of my closest female friends and family were there and it was so amazing to have them all in one place at one time. I couldn't help but get excited about what the wedding will be like! But, more on the shower later. For now, let's focus how to appreciate your shower hostesses. Here's a sneak peek of me and my two MOHs from the shower:

MOH A, Me, And MOH J

Before they came over, I had two gift bags all ready for them. Someone had mentioned giving them shower products would be a cute way to return the favor and I agreed so I put together a few products I found and loved. Here's what was included in each:

A packet of Bluebird Bath Products Salts ($7) each. The packets each have a cute quote on them. On the "Living Large Oatmeal Milk & Honey" salt package it read: Here's to great friends, howling, laughing, tremendous memories, divine food, & stylish clothes. That's as large as it gets! 

The other one, "Hey Girlfriend Cool Coconut" bath salts read: Mixing lots of vodka & lipstick? Not a good look. Mixing lots of vodka and best friends? A great look! When you finally pull out of it, fill your tub with warm water, add these salts, rest up and try to reclaim your dignity (good luck with that)!

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The girls also received a bar of Pre de Provence soap ($5) in sage or mint leaf. 

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And, finally, they got a tub of Mediterranean Spa Body Butter ($12) in either Olio di Oliva (olive oil) or Olio di Basilico (basil oil). 

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I wasn't sure when to present the gifts to the girls until I came across a posting online that mentioned giving it to them just before opening your gifts and making a little toast to them for putting the shower on as well as thanking everyone for coming. I liked this idea and went with it. 

The Girls Opening their Gifts

I failed to do one thing: Contact my MOHs beforehand to see if anyone else was going to help out with the shower. You see, another friend of ours was there bright and early with them to help set up. I felt bad that I didn't have anything for her as she did nearly as much as they did. I thanked her profusely as she was leaving for all of her help. She brushed it off saying, "Oh, I love doing stuff like this!" Nonetheless, I felt bad. 

Soon after they left, I sat down at my computer and had a gift bag of goodies sent to her from The Body Shop. They make it easy with a link that sends you directly to gift sets. And, for $3.50, they'll gift wrap it and attach a little card. I wrote a note: "Sorry for the belated gift but thank you for your help--the shower was wonderful!" Here's what I got her:

Moringa Magic Gift Set with shower gel, body butter, body scrub, and loofa

And here are the true shower hostesses:

Me with My Girls

What did you do for your shower hostesses to show your appreciation? Did you have any unexpected hosts and how did you handle it?

A Song From Family

There planning of our ceremony has been a bit piece-meal. A little bit here. A little bit there. So far, we've nailed down the box idea (no pun intended) and are on the hunt for the perfect box, wine, and stationary for our love letters. I know exactly what song I want to walk down the aisle to (more on that later) and who will play it. Besides that, I only have one other detail figured out. 

But, a little background first to explain why it's important to us: I come from an extremely musical family. My grandfather was a composer who moved to the states from Austria during World War II and won the Oscar for the soundtrack to the 1960s film Exodus. My grandmother was the singing voice for many a movie actress in quite a few classic movies (Natalie Wood in West Side Story, Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady), but she was also an actress in her own right; She played Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music. Here's a quick clip of my grandmother's accomplishments. You might recognize a few:

At my parents wedding, my grandmother sang Ave Maria from a balcony high in the church. She did it a capella and my parents loved it. While I'd love for my grandmother to sing at my wedding, she doesn't have the voice capacity she once did. Sure, she still performs on Broadway occasionally and she was touring with her one-woman show based on her life a few years ago, but her voice is starting to age and she often takes parts of older characters.

Of the three kids that set of grandparents had, my mom (the middle child) did not receive the musical talent of the other two. That said, she was courageous enough to sing You Light Up My Life to my father at their reception. The two other kids--my uncle and my aunt--both have musical talent bursting out of them. My uncle wrote the theme to Golden Girls, while my aunt can sing gospel like nobody's business. Thus, we're trying to find a song for my aunt to serenade us with at the ceremony. It will be a capella as well. 

Here's what we've come up with so far. Keep in mind that my friend can accompany her on guitar.

I'm kind of loving the Patty Griffin Heavenly Day song. Not only is it already accompanied by a guitar, but it's so sweet. Alicia Keys' Lovin' You might be too hard a capella, Tracy Chapman's I Am Yours is a bit depressing, and Wild Is The Wind is a song I'm not familiar with. My aunt suggested it but it's not striking me. 

What do you think? Any other suggestions?

Screwing Couture

This morning, before heading into Saks Fifth Avenue for my second fitting, I was nervous. I'd played out how it would go down in the dressing room over and over after my first fitting. If I wasn't methodical about it--taking my time, trying my cap sleeves again, holding tulle over my straps--I'd rush into a decision and second guess myself. But when we arrived, everything changed. 

Jean slicing away at the tulle.

We worked slowly, starting at the at the bottom--avoiding the inevitable question. What would I do with the top? After the last fitting, Jean had sewn the underlayers of satin and crinoline of the skirt. This time, we got the length of the outer layer, the tulle, right. 

I didn't get any pictures of the bustle, but basically it involves bringing the end of the train up to my waist, tucking and buttoning it under the waist band and that's it. One fold and the skirt becomes completely even all the way around. The way the tulle falls, it doesn't look folded, it looks like the skirt has always been one length. 

This whole time, I was holding onto the cap sleeves in my hand, playing with them in various ways on the dress. Just before arriving, one of my MOHs (who had to work and couldn't join in) texted me an idea: What about using some of the the cap sleeves around the waist to add a little sparkle and detail? 

I held the beading up and loved it. Jean looked up from where she was cutting. "That's beautiful," she said in her French accent. The saleswoman walked by and said the same thing. 

This was my only rushed decision. Yes, I love this idea. Let's do it! At first we tried it thick--almost the whole width of the waistband.

My mom, MOH J, and I all thought it was too thick. How about something thinner?

This was alright, but almost too thin. We all agreed the piece of sparkly goodness should take up about a third of the band. The above was just under. Here's what we ended up going with:

We did everything above with no mention of the straps. I think I'd made it pretty obvious by tucking the straps in from the first moment I arrived but it needed to be said. "I really want it strapless," I told Jean, "I don't care if there's a tiny dip under my arm--let's do it strapless." Jean didn't say much. She simply said it wouldn't be done by Sunday (when I head back to New Mexico) but that she'd finish it and send it to Denver for me to pick up before the wedding. I'll be getting it a couple of days before the wedding so if all else fails, I'll have a few days to do some emergency alterations if necessary.

Here's what the back looks like pinned down. It will be cleaner once it's sewn.

Walking out of there, I was relieved. I hadn't even tried all of the different strap ideas I'd brought with me (print outs of pictures and everything). I stuck with what I wanted from the beginning and went with it. 

All of your advice was so helpful. It made me realize how beautiful the cap sleeves were and made me want to incorporate them. I also stuck to my guns when it came to the neckline. Strapless, it is.

Did you have indecision with how your dress should be altered? How did you deal with it?