Registering for Memories

Erik and I decided to do something a little unconventional for our honeymoon. We lived in Florida for a couple years, and I went to Puerto Rico once for work, so we were done with the beach scene. Not crazy about the idea of crowds on a cruise ship, and can't afford a European vacation.

So where are we going? Sedona, Arizona.

Specifically, we're flying into Pheonix, AZ the Tuesday after our wedding and driving to the town of Sedona to stay at L'auberge de Sedona -- an 11-acre luxury resort in the heart of red rock country. Want to see pictures? Okay!

Here's the main lodge where our room will be:

A picture of our room:

The resort's restaurant along Oak Creek:

Our trip will be 7 days and 6 nights. While we're there, we'll take advantage of their award-winning restaurant, go on jeep tours of the area, shop in the local art galleries, indulge in some spa treatments, take a hike in the natural beauty and maybe visit a winery or two. 

And the part that excites me the most is that our guests can help us build our trip through our honeymoon registry! From our registry site, guests can actually gift us these honeymoon experiences, just like they'd purchase any other gift for us online. Check out the screen shot below:

It's really very easy. They even have a phone number people can call if they're nervous about entering their credit card information online. While Erik and I both found items to put on our other registries, this is really the one we hope guests focus on. I know from the position of a guest, I'd much prefer gifting something like this instead of my usual standby. (I confess -- we've been relying on cash and/or gift cards for the majority of our married friends.)

Anyone ever purchased a wedding gift through a honeymoon registry? I'd love to know how it worked from the guest's perspective.

Ready, Waiting and Rescheduled

In 15 minutes I was supposed to go to my final dress fitting with Heart to Heart Bridal. I was all prepared, too. Earlier this week I wrote a long list of items to bring with me. I'm all about lists! Want to see?

• Camera
• Gold shoes (both pairs)
• Veils (my two-tier beaded masterpiece and my to-be-finished birdcage)
• Tape measure (to get the length just right for my two-tier veil)
• Pins (to mark appropriate veil length)
• Necklace
• Earrings
• Spanx-like undergarments
• Make-up to retouch and amp up my work look for pics
• Contacts (again reminder to amp up my normal work look)
• Bridesmaids' wraps and ushers' ties (to double check the color match between these and the ties we picked for the groomsmen and dads)

Whew! See, I was all ready. Sadly, I got a call last night that changed my plans. It seems my seamstress is about to be a grandma again (her daughter was having contractions last night) and the shop owner had a family illness that was going to leave her out of the office. So, the shop kindly called me to suggest we reschedule for another time.

While I'm disappointed that I don't get to see my "pretty" today, I'm glad the shop made the call. I definitely want the best possible experience trying on the dress again after the alterations, and I'd be all nervous if the seamstress wasn't available "just in case."

So, for now my appointment is rescheduled for NEXT Friday afternoon. In the meantime, I'll try to blog about some of the items on that long list up there.

Any of your plans get post-poned or delayed recently? Did you go with the flow?

Rice? Birdseed? Not us.

If you've been following along with my posts, you'll remember that our ceremony and our reception are all in the same place. Since our guest are staying put, they won't be positioned outside the church steps for the traditional birdseed toss at the bride and groom. This is one of many wedding rituals we're doing "our way." (Okay, really my way, though Erik does pop in for a decision now and then.)

When you think about it, birdseed isn't really the tradition anyway. Before the myth that rice is harmful to birds (I looked it up. It's baloney.), rice was the seed of choice. Depending on what culture you're looking at, it was a symbol of good wishes, fruitfulness, fertility, warding off evil, etc. Today, the "toss" has turned into more of a celebratory gesture like throwing a graduation cap into the air. I've seen wheat, those champagne-bottle firework poppers, bubbles, pennants (to wave not throw) and bio-degradable confetti.

So back to what WE'RE doing. Without the change of location, our guests will likely perform the toss as we walk back down the aisle as husband and wife. This means whatever they toss will bounce off of us and land on the newly refinished wood floor in the historical landmark that is our venue--and of course will need to be picked up before our dancing begins. So, confetti was out (scratches the floor), petals would have worked, but they'd likely get crushed under foot and be a little difficult to clean up. 

My solution? Yarn pom-poms! Think I'm nuts? I think it's perfect, myself. It allows me to incorporate my love of knitting, will be much nicer than being pelted by hard seeds ( I can just imagine them going down the front and back of my dress.) and will just look really cool. Don't believe me. Here, let me help you picture it. Look at my inspiration for the whole thing:

How sweet is that! Source

I've started making my own with yarn I had in my stash and have solicited some local friends to help me amass the large amount I need. We're going to get started on this in early March. That gives us almost three months before the big day.

I'm thinking everyone needs at least three (a nice little handful). Multiply that by 150 guest . . . .150 x 3 = 450 little fluffy pom-poms. I think we'll stick to purples, blacks and golds. Wish us luck!

Did you (or are you planning to) incorporate your crafty talents into your wedding planning? Did you start early enough to avoid a rush of DIY projects the week of your wedding?

Classy Ring Holders

As much as I love my ring, I have to confess it doesn't stay on my finger 24/7. Given its high setting, I take it off before I step into the shower (so it doesn't get snagged while I wash my hair), when I'm working with anything particularly dirty in the kitchen, or when I go to yoga (jewelry tends to get in the way in some poses). 

Now, down the road I expect I'll get all blasé about the ring and wear it all the time without thinking. But until then, I decided I needed a safe place to keep it when it's not on my finger. I had this in mind when I went to last summer's What Cheer Flea Market. This, by the way, is the flea market to end all flea markets. Filling the entire fair grounds, it takes all day to see everything once. I knew I'd be able to find what I was looking for. In fact, I found two:

Aren't they pretty?! I have one of these depression glass hands by my kitchen sink and one in our bathroom.

And here's a shot of one of the hands with my engagement ring, my garnet ring (also from Erik) and my watch. Sorry for the mediocre photo. I've got some glamour shots scheduled for my e-ring. I'll be sure to show it to it's best advantage soon.

Where do you keep your ring, or does it never leave your finger?

Michael's Score!

So, my number one rule during all this wedding planning has been simple: Only buy something if you have room in the budget and it's part of the plan. BUT Friday, I had a 50% off coupon for Michael's Craft Store burning a hole in my wallet, and I needed some ribbon for a project. 

Half an hour later, I walked out of the store spending 10 times what I expected --  of course I expected to spend $3.00. All in all, I'm pretty proud of my haul. Check it out:

See those gold frames? I picked up a dozen at $1 each. They're going to showcase descriptions of our fabulous hors d'oeuvres and yummy cake flavors (definitely the subject of another post). Picture them typed in vintage typewriter font. 

The black ribbon is what I originally went in the store for. I'm using it on a project for my bridesmaids, so mum's the word on that. I found some other little gifts for them as well, which will have to wait for a description AFTER the wedding. 

Last, I found a Crayola color-in-the-lines poster. You can't tell, but it's a poster with jungle leaves and butterflies. I thought I'd designate one of our tables a "kids table" with this poster, some crayons and a few other games. We don't have many children on the guest list, but it will be fun to include them, and it's an easy project.

So, these are my latest wedding buys. They're really starting to pile up. You should see our second bedroom and the two bookshelves in our basement and the dining table downstairs. Eeek!

My hair icons

Warning for any guys who happen to stumble onto this blog: this is a girly post! That said, to achieve my Old Hollywood look, we definitely have to spend some time talking about hair, right?

First, let's talk about the stylist. I scouted around for local salons that offered both a space for my girls and I to get ready together and and didn't charge an arm and a leg. No dice. Then, I lit on Plan B: a family friend (Trish) who's been behind the scenes at multiple family weddings, she's done my hair before, her prices are very reasonable, etc. I though, why not ask if she's willing to trapse up to Iowa for my wedding? The worst she can do is say "no." But, I think you know where this is going. She actually said "yes" and will be helping my group get ready in our cozy hotel suite on our big day!

Second, let's look at what we have to work with. Most of my life, I have had long, thick, naturally wavy hair. And at special events, I often convinced someone to tame it into an updo, like Trish did when my sister got married.  But, three or four years ago, I finally drummed up the courage to go short. With the wedding on the horizon, though I've spent the better part of the year slowly growing it out so, I can emulate my glamourous Old Hollywood icons. In chronological order:

And, the goal? Channel one of these movie sirens in a down-do (Maureen O'Hara and Lauren Becall). My hair's just about Lauren's length now.

And of course, I've scouted out some options for my bridesmaids. Check out Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn and Grace Kelly:

I admit, I had an ulterier motive for looking up these short pictures. If I don't think my hair is long enough by May or if I just can't live with the growing out stage, I figure I can always chop it and go back to short hair. 

What do you think? Should I strive for medium or short hair on my wedding day? If you come across a glamourous hair picture I need to see, let me know!

Help us build our playlist!

If our wedding style is "vintage," then our dance theme is "retro." What's your favorite tune from the 50's, 60's, 70's 80's or 90's? Our super cool DJ service has an online music request system. That means you can add your favorite tune to our dance playlist. Just visit A Fine Affair DJ at http://www.gigbuilder.com/cal/ia/afineaffairdj.nsf/guestlogin.html.

Simply input our wedding date (May 29, 2010) and the following case-sensetive password: SaraErikGuest

Note: As bride and groom, we reserve the right to veto anything we don't like. I'd avoid any current rap or country songs, if I were you. I'll leave you with some photos for inspiration: