Back it up now... meeep... meep... meep...

Sorry for the title, but that is what I was saying in my head... you know how the trucks make that noise when they are in reverse?? anyone??

Ok, so what I wanted to do was back up to the beginning... I'm talking pre-engagement, pre-ANY-vendors, right about the time I learned of this amazing world of wedding blogs... and etsy!! Two amazing finds right?? Well, it took no time at all to get turned out to Miss Myra over at Twigs & Honey. Before I knew where we were getting married (ok, we had a couple ideas, but nothing was finalized), before I knew what my dress was, before I had even thought of my hair, ladies, I knew what my boutonnieres would look like!! No jokin', Myra's bouts were my new found obsession. Her collection of simply spectacular creations was the inspiration behind my first inspiration board... oh, who am I kidding, it WAS my inspiration board...

created using Mosaic Maker

I wasn't kidding... I swooned over this girl like a tween over Zac Efron... I needed her designs to be a part of our wedding!!

It is no secret that Myra is crazy busy, so I contacted her back in December (nope, still wasn't engaged, still didn't have a venue??) to get the ball rolling, to get in queue, to reserve my spot, to get on the VIP list!! Yes, it was a bit early, and yes, she did subtly tell me she needed a couple weeks, not 10 months to prepare my order, and that I needed to know what I wanted before I put my order in, BUT, the important part was... she was gonna make them girls!! I felt like I had backstage passes to a Britney concert... I was in!!

Long story short, she was an absolute DREAM to work with, and made me feel like I was the most important, if not her only, customer/bride. She worked with me to figure out which veil I actually wanted (apparently "I love them all" doesn't work the best), to get the feel of our wedding, and ultimately, I left the design decisions up to her... and I think I made the right choice!! I received my purchases in the mail 2 days ago, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!! She did such a great job!! For now, I will show you the pics from her site of my items, until I can take some decent shots of them on my own... I still need to figure out how to wear the veil, after which I will show you all!!

my veil and headpiececlose-up of my headpiece

mother of the bride hairpiece
bridesmaids hairpieces (the centre had the small beads added after the photo was taken)Wrist corsages for VIP women (grandmas, moms, etc)

The bouts... in all their glory!! (1groom, 3 groomsmen, the rest VIP males)

So, what do you think?? I am super happy with how they all turned out. I LOVE the elements of wheat in the bouts, which I requested, and the mix of browns, purples, greens, and greys (the colors I have ended up incorporating for the wedding day). Admittedly, I was expecting the bouts to be a bit more purple, in line with the GORGEOUS hair pieces and corsages, but I love them all the same!!

It is just so satisfying knowing that you can get what you want, as long as you budget for it... these were a pretty big chunk out of our very conservative budget, but I was willing to compromise on other flower elements (ie. centre pieces, more on those later) to afford these unique, whimsical pieces that I simply adored.

So, in the end, it is the uniqueness of these bouts that spring-boarded our vision for the day... weird? I dunno, I think when it all comes together, it will be just right, if not perfect! Of course it is family and friends that are our main focus, but if the look surrounding the laughs is one of creativity, whimsy, and simplicity, I have met my goal!!

What served as inspiration in the early days of your planning??

Are we the black sheep of weddings??

I've just spent the better part of my morning blog time reading all 'bout a.mountain.bride... First off, it was this, spectacular image, that got my heart a pitter-patter-racin... (from here) ... amazing right?? Can you say sunset ceremony in the mountains?? Anyways, it was a.mountain.girl's first post that got me all a wonderin this beautiful spring morning...

She hit the nail on the head when she pondered the idea of 'theme' with a mountain wedding. Of course, everyone assumes it will be rustic, and I won't deny that I am embracing the term 'rustic', and using it to my advantage (for example... the thought of spending hundreds of dollars on a gorgeous tight wrapped bridal bouquet makes me faint, so I roll with the 'rustic' flower gathering so I can attempt to save muchos dollars!), but that doesn't mean I want people showing up to our wedding in hiking boots!! (photo from here)

If I decide to bring the outdoors in with our aisle decoration, does that mean I will be walking down the aisle with my hair undone? (sorry, can't find the original posting for the 1st pic, but the second one is from here).

If I swoon over wheat-infused reception decorations, does that mean I borrowed my dress from my grandmother?? (PS, I bought my dress on ebay, and if you love your gram's wedding dress, all the power to you!!) (1st photo from here... the amazing Tine Hoffman!!; 2nd photo from... shoot, I can't find it! Sorry guys, this has been in my inspiration folder for a long time, but can seem to track down where I found it)

The bottom line is, most of us who choose weddings in the mountains do so because they are majestic and endearing, and mean a lot to us... not because we are style challenged! You probably won't hear us using the words sophisticated or classic to describe our wedding style, but we are still stylish and chic, and if rustic is used when we try to describe some of our decoration inspiration, please don't assume that we want our guests arriving in Tevas and chinos... a wedding in the mountains is just that, a wedding set in the beautiful surroundings of peaks and valleys, lakes and meadows, harsh and romantic. No theme catch-phrases needed, the beauty and meaning of it all will speak for themselves!!

To all you mountain brides out there, let's try our best not to defend our style choices, or try to make sense of being chic and stylish in a mountain setting... do what feels right for you, and it will all make sense in the end. If you are asked "will my black stilettos be too fancy for your rustic wedding" respond not with frustration but with a coy smile... "black stilettos are NEVER inappropriate!". Or when questioned if you are "wearing a formal wedding dress, even though you are getting married in such an informal setting", respond with a confident "I am wearing the perfect dress in which I will marry the love of my life!". Style need not be defined, just as love need not be explained.

Contest over at BSB...

Hey blogging brides... get over to Budget Savvy Bride, and tell us all about your bridesmaid gifts... I entered, and so can you!! And the prize?? A sweet-mutha Kodak camera!! Go on now, skoot, get your entry in!

One last step... you're invited!!

So, as I previously mentioned, the invitation design process was one of many iterations. BUT, with patience, I came up with a final design, one that I was quite happy with. There is certainly no denying that our wedding invite was NOT part of a modern, custom designed, invitation suite that I allowed myself to swoon over a few too many times, but, in the end, I came in UNDER budget, have an invitation that keeps with the theme of our mountain wedding, and ultimately, looks pretty good!

The final graphic, created using Photoshop:

I bought 3 different papers to create the look, and all paper was purchased from Box Paper Scissors, an adorable shop in Kensington, Calgary. For any Calgary brides that are looking for paper supplies, unique gifts and cards, or, in my wildest dreams, that perfectly modern, sophisticated invitation suite, you must go here... they do amazing work!!

So, for our invites, the final size was to be 5x7", which fits into the standard A7 envelope. The lovely designer at Box Paper Scissors advised on the best dimensions for a 3 layer look, which in the end, was set up as follows:

• base layer (5x7"): bronze metallic cardstock; 2x25 page packages ($25.85/package)


• middle layer (4.5x6.5"): malachite (like an emerald green) metallic text paper; 2x25 page packages ($15.75/package)
  
• top graphic layer (4.25x6.25"): ivory (with gold tones) metallic text paper; 2x25 page packages ($15.75/package)

So the total I spent on paper was $120.44, with enough to make 100 invites (I am only making 75, so I still have a bit of paper to use for other projects (menus, programs, etc). I still need to purchase envelopes and stamps, but so far, I am well under budget ($200)!! Yay me!!

Ok, ok, enough of budget talk, let's see the final product... I have to warn you though, my little digital camera does not do such a great job with metallic paper, so the quality of these shots is pretty crap... but hopefully you like what you see!!

So, you can see what I mean about the crap quality of the pics, but at least they give you an idea of the dimensions of the boarders, and the final look. The paper is gorgeous, I love the metallic finish, and the colors of the paper brought out the colors in the graphics. The cutting, the double sided tape, the eyeballing getting the layers straight... it was a lot of work, but in the end, I like the final product.

Tell me what you think... d'ya like??

The Menu (Final Part)

OK, so much has been discussed about our casual, family focused wedding, and the inspiration for our menu. Also, I think I have made it pretty well known that our caterer, Donna Marie, is an absolute dream to work with, who, when I told her about troubles we were having with our venue, told me that "if worse comes to worse, I have a barn that we can put some tables up in, and we can do your wedding there!"... unheard of right??

So the bottom line is, to stick with our casual feel, while trying to avoid a 'typical wedding meal' of dry hotel chicken, we have come up with a cajun themed menu. My mom and step-dad have thrown cajun parties ever since they went to New Orleans, probably ten years ago now. Ian first had it when they put one on for my going away party, a couple of months before we got engaged... he loved it, and so did his parents. It is a tasty menu, in which diners get their hands dirty, and I hope it will give our guests something to talk about. The other really exciting component is the fact that we are serving family style. We definitely did NOT want buffet (it seems to take wayyyy too long, and we want our evening to have momentum!), and plated just didn't seem the best way to set-up the cajun menu. Family style service is essentially how you would serve a meal to your family... each menu item is served at the table, from large serving dishes. This means guests will be passing the ribs, getting to know eachother, and hopefully enjoying themselves!

Here is what our menu looks like now:

Cajun BBQ'd ribs and Chicken, Cornbread, Sweet potatoe pie, Cajun Veggies. Delicious right??

We decided that we wanted to self cater our appetizers during the cocktail hour (we will move right from ceremony into cocktail hour into reception). So of course sticking with the cajun theme, or ideas right now for appetizers are:

Peel-and-eat shrimp (except we are serving already-peeled-just-eat-shrimp... yes, that means shrimp rings!), stuffed artichoke, crabmeat cheesecake (totally different, but totally cajun!), and cajun nuts... but I am still looking for 1-2 easily eaten appies to serve... any suggestions??

The music during the dinner will match the food... cajun of course! It won't be the really twangy cajun tunes (think banjo), but will range from bluegrass, to blues, to big band... New Orleans baby!! To round off the theme of the food, in our napkin assembly, we will include a rib-bib (hopefully custom printed) and wet naps!

(images from http://www.sandscripts.com/)

We really do want our guests to take this meal for what it is, a fun, messy, tasty menu! We hope everyone will have fun with it, and that it will break the barriers of the stuffy-wedding meal with assigned seating, where people are just looking forward to getting up and mingling (and drinking!). We want this dinner to be an absolute highlight!! And as for dessert, more details will follow, but rest-assured, key lime pie will be served!!

How are you guys using food to create atmosphere or to get the party started??

Dressing up the honeymoon...

OK, I can't help it... I can't stop thinking about honeymoon wardrobe!! Trust me, I am oh-so-well-aware of the endless lists of things I need to get done before I even START to think about packing for our honeymoon, but I can't stop... I can't!! Random vintage photos of bride and groom smartly dressed running off together after their wedding to a destination unknown are so compelling, I can't help but wonder what we will look like as we board the plane on our honeymoon. Without telling you where we are going (yes, our flights are booked!!), I can tell you this much... I have a very clear vision of what I will be wearing. From the bedroom to the beach, I have images floating through my head regularly of what I will wear. It will be romantic and fashionable, easy and comfy, cool and casual, and 100% honeymoon!!

Normally, when I receive my Victoria's Secret catalogue in the mail, I breeze through the lingerie, skip the clothes, and hit the bathing suits. BUT, this time was different. I earmarked more than one picture in the clothing section for honeymoon attire... I know right... VS clothes?? I have purchased many bikinis from VS (it's really the only place I buy them from now), and of course lingerie, but buying clothes has never even been a passing thought. Well my friends, these images are changing my mind... can you tell from these pics where we are honeymooning??

All images from VictoriasSecret.com, and assembled using Mosaic.

The design process... step-by-step!

The invites were a labour of.... learning! I knew the general feel I wanted to go with, but let's face it, I am not a graphic designer! I wanted to keep the colors somewhat neutral, incorporate the mountains, and if possible, the graphic from our save-the-dates. I knew the invites would be simple from a fold-perspective, ie. no folds whatsoever! No gate-fold, bi-fold, tri-fold, pocket-fold, or do-it-yourself-envelope-fold. These are all gorgeous and stylish, but in order to maintain our theme of simple, casual, and eco-conscious, they would be post-card style, albeit stylish postcards!

Unlike the save-the-dates, I did want to send these in envelopes, BUT, there was to be NO inserts... no RSVP cards, no hotel info sheets, no what-to-do-in-fernie cards, just the postcard invite in an envelope. I created a fun and interactive website using weddingtracker.com which would inform all of our guests about the details of the wedding, accommodation, and rsvp-ing. I know this method has come under scrutiny for a variety of reasons (it's not traditional OR formal, but neither is our wedding, not all of the guests are computer savvy, and we know those that are not, like my dad, and will be in touch via phone to help simplify the process, the invites appear looking so plain, that's because we aren't wasting paper on info that can be delivered electronically, and one of my favorites, then you won't get all of your rsvp cards back in the mail, funny, that's exactly what I am trying to avoid... whatever would I do with those rsvp cards but enter the info electronically to my website!!) but we are confident that this method fits our wedding theme the best.

OK, onto the tricky design process. Let me reiterate the fact that I am NOT a graphic design artist... not even close. BUT, when you are on a budget, and you don't know anyone who you can pull a favour in from, you have to get down and dirty and figure it out. The first concept looked like this: (PS... all design work was done with Photoshop) (PPS... the geranium reference comes from my alter-blogger-ego, which you can find over at BridalBuds.com)

Which was decidedly plain, but without judgement, was the first creation. I will let the sequence of adjustments speak for themselves... remember, this post is meant to support and encourage all of us DIY brides who were all but forced into this position by our budget, not by our overflowing DIY talent!! I hope that seeing my process will help some of you all break free, get your hands dirty, and come up with something you are completely happy with... even if it means going through many iterations of crap... like I did!!

The engineer in me needed a bit more linearity...

Things are looking a bit black and harsh... especially on the graphic...

Getting better right?! Maybe I am getting the hang of it! I was still feeling like the lineart was pulling attention away from the text, and even competing with the top border, so here was my next idea:

This was the last iteration before my final cut... which of course you have to wait patiently to see :) I hope this post helps the design-challenged (like me!). I found it very intimidating seeing all of the beautiful invitation suites in the blogger world, and while I knew I couldn't afford to even think about getting them done professionally, I still wanted an invite that made an impression, continued the theme set by our save-the-dates, and bottom line, was affordable and completely DIY-able! The process outlined here will hopefully give you guys hope that patience can pay off, and also act as a reminder that the amazing and stunning final products that we see online or in-store are just that, final products. Many ideas, concepts, proofs, and iterations are required before the final act can shine through! Good luck!! And please, let me know how you went about your invite design!!