It started out as a Monday like any other. Before lunch, the highlight of my day had been the homemade orange-and-almond biscotti that a coworker brought in. But, by the time lunch was over, this Monday had turned out to be the best I can remember! I was slowly working my way through the never-ending mountain of paperwork on my desk (working through lunch; we had a lot to catch up on), when I decided to check my email.
By no means did I expect that email from Pengy to be sitting there in my inbox. But there it was... I crossed my fingers, opened it, and then squealed with delight! A Bee? Me!? I was so, so excited that I told EVERYONE around me (and wished that they knew what a privilege being able to blog for Weddingbee really was).
I tried to get back to work, I really did! But, needless to say, I was so excited that I didn't get much done for the rest of the day! : )
Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Miss Dachshund and I'm absolutely thrilled and honored to be here blogging for all of you!
A little bit about my namesake:
She's my one-year-old miniature dachshund, Juno. She's the love of my life... right after Mr. Dachshund, of course! She's the sweetest little thing ever; I don't think I could have chosen a more perfect Bee moniker!
A little bit about me: I'm a self-professed nerd. When I'm not completely engrossed in the wedding world, I spend most of my time cuddled up reading a good book or playing video games (in fact, that's how Mr. D and I met!) A country-girl by proximity but a city-girl at heart, I'm combining the two as I plan our DIY-tastic wedding set in a beautiful Victorian garden just outside of my small hometown. "Cute" is definitely my most overused adjective, but it's what best describes how I want our wedding to feel. Cute. And fun, of course, with a just a little bit of whimsy. I'm sure I'm taking on too many projects for my own good, but in the end, I know that it'll all be worth it to be able to make our day feel so, "us."
So, who are we?
As cheesy as I'm sure it sounds, we're just two people who consider ourselves lucky to have found one another. We like playing Rockband (I always sing because Mr. D can't :), lounging on the couch watching silly movies, turning our little house into a home, exploring new places, and just being together!
Mr. Dachshund is Canadian, and like a few of the Bees in the recent past, he and I are going through the seemingly endless immigration process. Long distance relationships are always difficult, as I'm sure many of you can sympathize. But! There is a fast-approaching light at the end of our tunnel; I can finally say, with certainty, that Mr. D will be here soon!
Due to the rules of our specific visa, Mr. D and I must be married within 90 days of his arrival to the US. With his estimated arrival date of October 20, our May 2010 wedding is far from the allotted three-month time line! So, we've decided that we'll "make it legal" first. We have something really fun in the works for that; I can't wait to tell you all about it!
Again, I'm so happy to be here. I'm looking forward to sharing all the details of our wedding with you!
By now, most of you know that B and I have been enduring the highly bureaucratic immigration process for the past five months trying to obtain his K-1 (Fiance) visa. As I’ve mentioned before, we’re very lucky that things have moved as speedily as they have; I’ve heard stories of cases taking upwards of two years before the Alien Fiance receives his/her visa. While five months may seem like nothing in comparison, the wait has been pretty difficult. Heck, it’s been downright excruciating. The irony of it all? B lives less than five minutes past the Canadian border! I mean, he’s basically American already! So frustrating.
Anyway, yesterday our immigration woes, for the time being, are put on pause. B had his interview at the Consulate, was approved, and will receive his visa in the mail next week! We’re so excited that we won’t have to worry about any more forms for a while—it was a huge relief to us both! Countdown to B’s arrival officially begins now : )
In light of these recent events and with B’s arrival just around the corner, I decided I’d share “our story” with you. That’s what it’s all about after all, right? Any wedding or marriage begins with the story of Boy meets Girl. And while I don’t have any serendipitous chance encounter to share, I do think the story of us is pretty sweet.
B and I met online. Nowadays that’s hardly out of the ordinary, I know. In fact, I’ve seen surveys that report 15-20% of married couples met online! No, we didn’t meet on E-Harmony or Match.com, nor in a chat-room… we met in a video game. World of Warcraft, to be precise.
Now, I’ll spare you most of the nerdy details of how the game works. Basically, you choose the character you want to play and that character will determine your roll in the game. At the time, B and I had the same roll—we were both healers. We were also part of the same “guild,” which is a group of people who are working together to achieve the same goals. There were many complicated, unique fights in the game that would require as many as 40 people working together to succeed. In order to stay organized, we would use a program called Ventrilo—a VoIP program that allowed us to speak to each other using headsets.
Our characters in Wold of Warcraft
Fast forward a few months. After having quit playing the game months prior, I moved home from Los Angeles and was unemployed for three months. As much as I might complain about my job now, being unemployed was booooring! I turned back to WoW for the first time in a while, did a search for anyone that I knew when I played before, and found B.
And we started talking. About nothing at first... I would tell him about my adorable puppy and about the giant spider on my front porch, and he would commiserate—we have a mutual disdain for all creepy-crawlies. Blech!
Eventually our nothings became definite somethings. Our conversations would stretch well into the middle of the night and our connection became more evident to both of us. I was falling in love with a boy whom I’d never seen... a boy who just happened to live in a different country!
On the night before Thanksgiving, B flew into LAX to spend the long weekend with me. I was a little bit late picking him up (NEVER drive to Los Angeles the night before Thanksgiving!!) As I was wandering around the baggage claim trying to pick him out from the crowd, he found me first. I heard my name, turned around, received a huge hug and muttered something to the likes of, “Wow, you’re tall.”
And that was that. Despite a few awkward moments on the drive home, I knew. I know, I know. Cliché, right? But it’s true. He and I just felt right.
B and I had been in a long distance relationship for eight months when we made the decision to get the immigration ball rolling. That was in April. We sent off our paperwork in May, and now, four months later, an arrival date is set in stone.
I will never cease to feel fortunate that B and I found each other in this big, big world. I mean, as far as Fiancés go, B is totally boss. He is the cheese to my macaroni. I’m so glad that we’re finished with this leg of our immigration journey and that we’ll be together soon!
How did you meet your fiancé(e)?
On my way home from work tonight I was thinking about all of the alternative floral options about which I've recently blogged, and I realized that I have the materials in my house to make most of them. Or, at least make a mock-up or two of most of them.
My first attempt at our prospective DIY flowers was a slight variation of these:
If you follow the "source" link, you'll find a tutorial. However, being the stubborn girl that I am, I attempted to make them without reading it. Yeah, I'm that girl-- the one who's tried to put together every piece of Ikea furniture she's ever owned without reading the instructions : ) Of course this was no exception.
For those of you who aren't that girl, this is how I did it:
Step 1:
Gather all of your materials. I used fabrics, pinking shears, buttons, floral wire (mine were from an old Martha Stewart crepe flower kit and already covered), and thread. Lay everything out neatly and take a picture to include in your blog :D Not shown: sewing machine, needle (to hand stitch), and floral tape.
Step 2:
Cut a long strip of fabric. I didn't measure, but I'd say it was about three feet by two inches. Unlike my inspiration photo, I decided not to fold the fabric in half but to make it single-ply instead. In hindsight, I think doubling it would give the flower more volume and make the edges cleaner (obviously.)
Step 3:
This step is unnecessary, but I decided to sew a decorative zig-zag stitch along what will be the outer edge of the "petal."
Step 4:
I didn't take a picture of this step. After I sewed the zig-zag, I flipped the strip of the fabric around and sewed a plain-jane straight-stitch (I have no idea what these stitches are actually called) set at the longest stitch-length setting. Make sure you leave long "thread tails" on each side.
Step 5:
Separate your "tails" (seriously, if anyone knows these terms feel free to fill me in). While holding on to one thread, gently push the fabric toward the center, bunching it up into small ruffles.
Step 6:
When your done bunching, it should look like a scrunchie you wore when you were 10. I tied the thread tails together to secure the scrunchiness.
Step 7:
This is where I got out the needle and thread and started to form the flower shape. You basically curl the fabric in on itself and tack it down with a stitch or two. Actually, it really was more like 100. I got tired of making stitches...
Step 8:
...so I cheated. Once everything was generally in place, I sewed a small square to make sure everything was good and secure.
Step 9:
Turn it over and admire your flower! Next time I'll definitely try to make my stitches neater...
Step 10:
Sew a button to the center of your flower to hide all of your messy stitches. And to make it cute. I mean, buttons make everything cuter, right? My stitches were so messy that I should have found a bigger button.
Step 11:
These next few steps are optional. I only made leaves because I wanted to see if I'd be able to recreate this. I doubled up some fabric and free-cut some leaf shapes.
Step 12:
I sewed them together with a teeny straight stitch, and pinned them to a small piece of floral wire.
Step 13:
After setting my machine to a zig-zag stitch, I tested out stitch length and width on a piece of scrap fabric. When everything was set correctly, I made sure the wire was centered between the needle's entry points and sewed. The floral wire was covered in floral tape and was a little bit sticky... which is how I ended up gap in the stitching. You can't rely on the auto-feed on these; a firm push really helps make even stitching!
Step 14:
Repeat step 13 for the other leaf, then attach both to the main step with floral tape. The loop on top is what I'll use to secure the step to the flower.
Step 15:
Pin the loop down and stitch it on with a needle and thread. Make sure it's sewn tightly down on all sides.
Step 16:
Turn it over, put it in a small vase and admire your pretty fabric flower!
All in all, I think it came out pretty well. There are a few changes I'll make next time, though. I'll fold the long fabric strip in half lengthwise before scrunching it up. I think I'd like a cleaner edge better than the zig-zags made with the pinking shears. I'd definitely make sure my stitches were neater and closer to the center. Also, though you can't really see it in the picture, I think I'd make the flower part a little bit smaller. Or the stem longer, I guess. Mine was out of proportion.
What do you think? Would you have done anything differently? I'm definitely a sewing-machine-novice, so I'd appreciate any tips.
Have you tried to recreate any inspiration projects while forgoing the tutorials? How did they turn out?
As a sequel to my last post, in which I wrote about paper flowers and shared inspiration, I'll continue to share my ideas for alternative, DIY flowers... focusing on flowers made from objects you might find lying around your house. If you have a sewing kit, that is!
I'm not sure where it was that I saw my first fabric flowers. Etsy, maybe. Those little organza flower hairpins have been popular for quite some time, after all. Anyway, I love the whimsical, DIY feel of colorful fabric flowers.
These colorful blooms made with patterned quilting fabric have so much character! Only a few flowers make a bit statement. The sweet little vases to play a large part in the roll; but with eight months to go thrifting/ebaying/antiquing them would be easy peasy.
The taller arrangement would be lovely on our guestbook table, and I think the smaller vases would make very pretty centerpieces. These would be great projects for any fabric leftover from our napkins.
Miss Beagle blogged about these oh-so-romantic fabric mums a few months back and I bookmarked them right away. Don't they look like they were just made for Style Me Pretty? Though it's a little pricey, you can purchase a pre-cut kit here.
Buttons twisted onto wires and arranged in various jars and bottles would make really fun centerpieces.
Or you can combine the two, fabric and buttons, to create really beautiful, creative bouquets that can be soft and romantic...
Or bright and super-fun:
Ribbon is also a great medium for DIY flowers!
I think I love the yellow button centers of these daisies the most. They're so happy!
These ribbon carnations would look great as a hairpiece or on a stem. They're made from a wired, silk ribbon... the tutorial seems very do-able.
Obviously this bouquet is from Martha Stewart, it's so perfect. Made of ric-rac, grosgrain and fabric, this might be my favorite of the DIY bouquets.
These aren't flowers, obviously, but I found them on Etsy and I fell in love. Even if they won't fit in with our wedding decor, they'd look fantastic in my house!
I like them all so much I wish that I could attempt them all! I know that isn't feasible, though. I have to make a decision soon because the clock is definitely ticking.
Sooo, now you've seen my paper and fabric flower inspiration photos. Which do you like the best?
I love flowers. I'll admit that I don't know much about them, but I do appreciate their beauty and it makes me happy to have them in a pretty vase on my kitchen table! What I don't love about flowers is their cost. Flowers are so expensive! I can imagine them eating, very quickly, through our very small budget. Originally our plan was to make all of our floral arrangements ourselves using flowers from the Los Angeles Flower District. That will mean we'll have A LOT of work to do just a few days before the wedding. The more I think about how stressful that will be, the more the idea of "alternative flowers" grows on me.
Paper flowers can be made to look very realistic, or not, depending on what you like. Bright flowers made of card stock can look very modern and clean, while crepe paper and coffee filters make absolutely beautiful roses! Whatever your style, there is an endless supply of paper flower inspiration--and tutorials--on the internet.
These are a few of my favorites:
I love the thought of turning your favorite book, a book of love poems, or even Love Letters of Great Men (And Women)*, into your bridal bouquet. It would be a great conversation piece!
This bride made all of her bridesmaids' bouquets out of tissue, hand-painted coffee filters, and card stock. I love the aqua card stock flowers with the red roses. They really make the bouquets original and fun without looking silly.
{source}
I made these roses a few years ago from crepe paper using Martha's tutorial. They. Take. FOREVER. Seriously, I think this one bouquet took me three days, at three hours or so a day, to finish. They turned out nicely, though.
{picture courtesy of my old camera phone}
Paper Source sells various paper flower kits that are all so pretty. They even have flower making classes for those of you who are fortunate enough to live nearby one of their stores.
{source}
Poppies have always been one of my favorite flowers. I think I'd really like to include these in our centerpieces; I wonder if they take nearly as long to make as Martha's roses?
{source}
I've saved the best for last:
These are probably the most amazing pomanders I've seen. I'd take these over real flowers any day... I can't imagine how much time they took to make!
I really, really like the idea of having paper flowers. There's just something about them that's so cheerful! No wonder Andy's paper daisy always made him feel safe : ) I know they're not completely unique anymore, but I'm sure they would be for most of my guests! I think my biggest concern would be having the time, and the patience, to actually get them finished.
Will "artificial" flowers play a role in your wedding? If so, have you been able to finish them in a timely manner?
*Because I know we all love us some Sex and the City.
Living in a small town definitely has its perks. So the closest Ikea or Crate and Barrel might be 200 miles away, but we are getting a Macy's, and our freeways will never look like this:
{source}
Sure, I have to drive two hours to find a Korean BBQ, but we have plenty of delicious (and authentic!) taco stands just around the corner!
Anyway, it's taken me a while to embrace my town after moving from Los Angeles. I spent so much time focusing on what would no longer be available to me that I forgot to notice how much charm small towns have.
Then, as soon as I started planning our wedding, my attitude immediately reverted. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to find any talented vendors here in this middle of nowhere town. Granted, we won't have many vendors because so much of our wedding will be DIY, but at the very least we would have to outsource our food, photography and cake. The three most important things.
Great.
Actually, I've had pretty good luck so far with our photography and food, which I'll blog about soon, I promise.
The cake, however, has been a different story.
It may be a result of the multitude of cake shows on tv, but I believe the standard for wedding cakes is much higher than it used to be. I was positive that I'd never find a bakery in my area that would live up to my sky-high standards. I knew I wanted something clean and modern, and was terrified we'd be presented with a cake like this on our wedding day:
{source}
So I started my search for a bakery with a gallery of cakes that lived up to my expectations. After a few months of searching, I hadn't had much luck. By way of website galleries, bridal shows, and walk-ins, I had browsed through cake photos from eight different bakeries. None of them impressed me. Lumpy fondant, messy scrolls and misshapen flowers abounded.
I was starting to consider cupcakes.
Then, I found Creme De La Cake.
They make cakes like this:
and this:
And this:
{all images from Creme de la Cake's website}
I finally have confidence that a local bakery can create a beautiful cake using a collaboration of many inspiration photos. So I started searching! And boy, did find some FANTASTIC cakes!
I love that this cake looks like it's wrapped in ric-rac and grosgrain ribbon. It'd definitely fit in well with our overall look!
{source}
The flowers on this cake make me so happy!
{source}
I wish this picture was larger so that I could see the detail. I looks so pretty, though. And it's in our colors!
{source}
These cakes are from the first real wedding I saw after considering our wedding colors. I think it was the little red stitches on the blue cake that sealed the deal for me!
{source}
At this point I really have no idea what our cake is going to look like. We're going to go for a tasting as soon as B gets here in October, and I'm looking forward to seeing the designs we come up with together! If it ends up looking anything like our inspiration photos I'll be happy!
Did any of you small town brides have a hard time finding vendors that exceeded your expectations?
...our invitations!
One of the reasons I'm so excited about our "Hallowedding" party is that there really aren't any limitations to what we can do! Halloween is officially in 52 days. That's not a whole lot of time considering I have our actual wedding related projects in the works. My first priority is figuring out what we're going to do for our Halloween invitations; I only have a few weeks left until they'll need to be sent out.
Here's where you come in!
I have a handful of ideas for our invitations, but I just can't decide. If you were a prospective guest, which invitation would impress you the most?
Message in a bottle invites from Martha
These bottles are actually pretty inexpensive. They'd be packed and shipped in small mailing tubes.
These might be a little bit gruesome... buuut I thought it'd be kinda cute to put a quarter machine ring on the finger.
{source}
Obviously these don't scream "Halloween" now, but I'm imagining them with a Gothic-style invitation card lying on top of candy corn. Or black licorice... truuue, black licorice is gross, but it'd be cute! Our guests don't have to like the candy, right?
{source}
This is probably the most childish of all the choices, and while the example is cute, I'm really just using it as inspiration. I like the bat-winged pocketfold idea, but I think I'd get rid of the head and chicken feet. This one would be sent in a regular old envelope.
Taking into consideration that our Hallowedding will be an adult affair, do you like any of these invitations? If you have any ideas that might be better, I'd love to hear them!
Lollipop Events & Designs create the cutest, most original party and event designs that I've ever seen. I don't remember how I came across their website--I'm sure it was during one of my late-night blog hops--but their photo gallery has served as an endless source of inspiration for me. In fact, I nearly changed my colors after I saw their Barnyard Chic Wedding!
One of the things that really stood out to me in their designs were the infinite amount of details that they included to pull the looks together. Also, I noticed that in more than one event they used custom napkins!
{Lollipop Events' "Nantucket Nautical" wedding}
{Lollipop Events' "Barnyard Chic" wedding}
Don't you think the napkins up the originality level tenfold?
My mind was made up! I had to have custom napkins... even if meant spending hours sewing ~150 of them myself!
So I set out to find further inspiration and tutorials on napkin making. To my complete surprise and excitement, Miss Beagle posted about making her napkins that same week! I was thrilled! I wasn't crazy for wanting to sew each dinner napkin, after all! (Or, maybe I was... but at least I wasn't alone!)
Beagle's post eventually led me the wedding of another bride who made her own napkins, and the creative way she she saved them after her wedding was over. Look!
The napkins on each of her tables were made from a different fabric.
The escort cards featured fabric from the table to which the guest was assigned.
And then, the kicker:
She turned her beautiful napkins into an amazing quilt. I HAVE to do this!
I'm not letting the fact that I've never quilted before intimidate me. Not only is it just too perfect not to try, but I think it will prove to be an excellent post wedding project... something to keep me busy to avoid the dreaded PWD (post wedding depression)!
I've been scouring Etsy for the perfect fabrics to use on my tables. After a few weeks I think I'm finally finished.
I've found 25 fabrics that I absolutely love. Little by little, I will start ordering tomorrow (pay-day... this wedding has made each pay check go by way too fast!).
I can't wait to get them so I can start making my napkins! Stay tuned: I'm sure that despite all of the great tutorials out there, it will be trial and error for me and I'm looking forward to sharing the process!
Will you reuse anything from your wedding to create a keepsake for your home?
All fabrics were found browsing the "supplies" category on Etsy. Leave me a comment if you'd like to know where you can find any of them.
