Errr... Yeah, those reviews.

Lindsey Friar Photography

Wal-Mart specialty cakes:

We went ahead and went with a wedding cake from Wal-Mart. Just picked one of the ones from the book, same colors, etc. Chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream. Three tiers. No silly topper. Came out to be something like $124, half of which was put down as a deposit the day we ordered it. We ordered it something like a week or two before the wedding. It was ready for pick-up the morning of.

It looked very nice. It wasn't dry, as some people complain of with storebought cakes. The frosting wasn't bad either. I trimmed down a dozen roses to stick into the top. Also didn't look that terrible.

My photographer will have to forgive me, but I'm posting photos she took. :P

Lindsey Friar Photography

It was tasty and we enjoyed it. It was PLENTY big enough for our small wedding. Thanks, Wal-Mart. Even if the girl who took our order was a bit of a grump. :)

So:
Tasted good
Looked good
Didn't need a long advance order
Was ready morning of the wedding
Cheap
I do recommend this, especially if you're not looking to drop $200+ on a cake.



Flowers from FiftyFlowers.com:

My mother said I could order $200 worth flowers. Yeah, that doesn't seem like a lot to some people. That's okay, because I didn't really want a lot of flowers.

 Mini Calla Lilies
Carnations

I ordered both of these, set to deliver two days before the wedding to my parents' house which I had the time to head down there before my class that day to accept the order.

Well, the calla lilies arrived. Within about 5 minutes, (enough time for me to rip into the box), I received a phone call from a representative saying that I'd have my order that morning (Already had it!) and to notify me that the carnations got held in customs(!!) and would arrive the next day. Grrreeaaattt.... Luckily, I was able to leave a note before I had to rush off for a family member who would be home during the next day to accept my order and prep the flowers for me to work on that night. They did arrive and they were taken care of, so all's well. Unexpected things do happen and I'm not silly enough to think otherwise. :)

20 Calla lilies isn't a whole lot. I know they were minis, too, but still smaller than I anticipated. I wound up not using most of them, so it was kind of a waste. A shame, too, because I really wanted them.

The carnations were great. It's a combo pack of four different shades of purple - 20 of each - which turned out fantastic. I had plenty to make the bouquets (four. Mine, two bridesmaid bouquets, and a throwing bouquet which didn't get used because I said, "Here put this in the fridge" to my maid of honor and she put it in the freezer and didn't realize until it was frozen solid hahahaha. <3)

I also just picked up a random bouquet of flowers and baby's breath from Wal-Mart to fill in with. Lilies, daisies, roses, the like. So glad I did.

Not a great picture and doesn't do them all justice, but it's all I was able to get. Was kind of busy.

I also made boutonierres (Ended up hating the ribbon ones I made). Making bouquets and bouts was an interesting experience, since I've never done anything like that before. One of the people hanging around the house that day (guest of my brother's) asked me where I learned to do this stuff. "Hahaha, I have no idea what I'm doing."


So:
Easy ordering
Unexpected delay on half of order
Calla lilies not quite what I expected
Carnations were great and a hardy flower
Well packaged, nothing wrong with flowers
Also packaged with care instructions

Still, despite the holdover in customs, I would recommend FiftyFlowers. They were prompt on communication, flowers were good quality.

Things To Come?

With my RSVP rant out of the way... I'm finding that planning a wedding is not that easy - I didn't expect it to be anyway. I have no prior experience with any of this, nor do any of my friends. I am kind of winging this entire process as I go along, and I don't think I'm doing that bad. (Or that great, necessarily.)


Tablecloths were ordered and came in - It was cheaper to buy them compared to renting.
Napkins were ordered and came in - I got 11" cocktail napkins because I didn't want the giant dinner ones.
"The dress" has long since been acquired. New suit also acquired.
Bridesmaids dresses ordered (If my maid-of-honor actually put in her order)
Wine either done or on its way to being done. While I'm not big on alcohol at all, I thought the wine would be acceptable because it's homemade by my parents. :) Niagara, Concord, a mix of both, and some kind of mixed berries one.

I need to make my veil. I want to make my veil. I'll get around to that eventually. I bought the material for it already - it's just a matter of doing it.

I've been bouncing around on wedding favour ideas and think I've finally settled on one. I am going to make jam/jelly with my mother. Strawberry jam from strawberries my parents picked, and blackberry if there are some blackberries from my parents' garden that escaped the wine wrath. We have adorable 4oz canning jars ready for this project. It's all very personal, the wine and the jams. And the centerpieces if that idea goes through.

My intent is ordering flowers online to ship two days before the wedding and prep them all myself.

As for a cake, I'm leaning towards a Wal-Mart wedding cake. (Did you know they do specialty cakes?) My only problem with storebought cakes overall was the awful whipped frosting, but for the wedding cakes, you get the option of buttercream frosting. Yes, please. As long as the cake looks and tastes good, it doesn't matter where it's from. In the end, that's all that matters. There's no reason to spend $500 on a cake. (Especially when that would be more than twice what my dress cost! Hah.)


I plan to do a review of both where I order the flowers from and of the cake. That is my intent, anyway.
I want to get as much prepped the two days before the wedding so I'm not spending that entire morning freaking out. Best laid plans of mice...

RSVPs, what's up with that?

Another post already. I just wanted to get something out that it seems the general populus doesn't get.

RSVPs.

In the grand scheme of life, it may not matter much... but in wedding planning, it's a big deal.



That card and return envelope aren't packaged in the invitation just for looks. The couple and/or wedding planner would sincerely like for you to fill it out and return it. It doesn't take long and it saves a lot of grief if you do it. It provides something tangible for whoever is planning to see that you are attending and it's the same little card everyone else (in a perfect world) sent back, too. Whether or not you are able to attend, it's a courteous gesture to return the response card - even if you're not 100% sure you can make it. It may be better - at least in my case - to go ahead and say you'll be there, then call back later if your plans fell through. It's more stress to say you're not able to make it, have them plan for you not being able to make it, then show up at the wedding when no one is expecting your bright face there.

Knowing who and how many guests are coming to the wedding is a big part of the planning process, directly tying into the financial aspect. This is especially true if the couple is planning an affair that charges per guest. This may include using the venue and more likely if they are having dinner catered and served. Ordering too much is a waste and not ordering enough is ridiculous.

If there is going to be some sort of assigned seating, they'll need to know who is coming so they can seat people who don't clash by each other. You surely don't want to sit by Uncle Bob and Aunt Janet, do you?... Or how about Grandma Agnes? Remember how much you hate when she pinches your cheeks? And you're 35?

Even if you don't want to pay the million dollar postage that's holding you back, a thoughtful phone call or e-mail would be more appreciated than no response at all. The last thing the bride wants to think is that these people she invited to share in her special day want nothing to do with her, hate her or her husband-to-be, think she smells, ....

I, and every bride out there, would kindly like to ask you to respondez s'il vous plait.




Edit: I forgot to address the whole plus one issue. Receiving an invitation does not automatically entitle you to bring along a date or friend. Again, it ties directly into finances. Whoever is paying for this wedding may not have endless pockets to pay for every guest and that guest's guest. It is fair enough to reason that they budget for who received invites. Typically, family and bridal party can bring guests. The bride and groom would also typically be considerate enough of people who are in serious, involved relationships to not leave out the significant other. Everyone else, like Flaky Jane who has one week flings, is not necessarily going to be "allowed" to bring a guest.

One sure-fire way to be sure you can bring a guest is if you receive an invitation addressed to you "and guest". Another way is if you're unsure whether or not you're allowed to bring a guest... ask! It's better to ask than just assume you are!

Current Events

I have been enjoying everything I've been doing lately, even if it isn't everything I want to do.

I've picked up learning a little about photography and post-processing. I'm an amateur by far, but it's very satisfying.

Shooting anything and everything at my parents' house is a joy - there are so many plants, flowers, and critters.



Found this wondeful brocade at Jo-Ann that I plan on using in some purses, if I find the time. Hopefully, I find the time. It's gorgeous and it was so hard to pick just one brocade of all the ones that were there.

I made a box bag pouch for someone and just loved the project. It's so simplistic and took maybe an hour start to finish, including the hand-embroidery I did.

I mostly used this tutorial, but there's a half dozen other great ones out there.

It's a great quickie project if you're looking for one. This specific sized bag was something like 8in x 4in x 3in in the end - I don't remember exactly. Regardless, it's a good size for a make-up bag or a travel bag for toiletries. Stow away all your little sewing bits and bobs. Anything. :D

Food!

 

Raw meat is extremely photogenic.

Made some bulgogi and rice for my beau's lunch. :> That's all.



Bulgogi is "korean barbecue". It's beef, while pilgogi is spicy pork.

A couple projects

Umbreon
Head, ears, tail, feet stuffed with polyfill, body filled with plushie beads. Hand stitched on the yellow detail cut from fleece. Felt eyes with acrylic paint detail. Hand-sewn nose.

Jolteon

Made this one back in January when my beau came down with a flu and I thought he needed a friend. The white parts are cut from a pair of old socks. :D  I had a terrible time with this because at the time, I didn't have any fabric scissors so cutting was just absolute hell. As a result, some pieces turned out funny - the face, for example, is a little derpy.

Original plushie design by: renegar-kitsune




"Bonsai Bag" purse

Canvas material inside and out; I love this thing. It helped me figure out zippers.

 

Pattern by Rae at http://www.made-by-rae.com/

Stamping again... sort of

Father's day is coming up! I decided to make cards for my father and my beau's father. I neglected to take any pictures of it, but it was okay. The main point is...


We got our wax seal set in today! I thought using wax seals on our wedding invitations would be something he would enjoy very much, so I convinced my fiancé (not so much "convinced" as mentioned it and he was all for it) to pick out a wax seal for us to order. We settled on a boxed set that came with two symbols and one filigree initial.

 

I just love the box. It came with two wax sticks, which I probably won't end up using. We also ordered a couple other wax sticks, which are made specially to fit in a standard hot glue gun.

I like the filigree on the initial seal, but I'm not sure I like the square shape simply because it's so much bigger. The fleur de lis is classic, and I liked the dragon. I feel like the other options for the symbol seals were subpar, in my opinion. I would have absolutely loved if there were one that was a gryphon, since there are several on my family's coat of arms.

It's suggested when stamping into the wax to slightly wet the seal, but the included instructions also suggested using a metallic ink. What do you know! I have some of that.

I tried it out. :3

I decided I liked it "naked" better. Fiancé agreed. AND SO! I finished making our father's day cards.

Information:

Wax seal set purchased from Nostalgic Impressions