Save the Dates should go out this weekend

Obviously, the details have been obscured here, but you get the general idea.

forgetting

I keep forgetting to wear my ring.

It isn't that I don't love it, I just...forget. One of the reasons I didn't want a diamond was that I don't regularly wear a lot of jewelry. I thought a plain band would suit me better because I could wear it to yoga without it getting in the way. I've thought about wearing my wedding band now instead of waiting for the wedding, but I think I should exercise a small amount of patience.

We're getting into the long stretch. The long-endurance portion of the race where you have to pace yourself so you'll still have enough left for the sprint at the end.

I've been putting the details together about what has to happen, but it's all organizational at this point. Find a table renter. think about dinner options.

I'm reading a book called The eternal bliss machine; America's way of wedding by Seligson, Marcia. It was written in 1975 about how the american wedding is synonymous with consumerism. It's pretty awesome. It makes me feel better about not wanting flowers. I really don't like cut flowers, but that's a post for another day.

I bought a dress!

I'm still a little bit in shock. My wedding is 7 months away (far enough away that I had to count on my fingers to be sure) and I have the dress, location, and invitations.

I guess that's not that much.

It feels like a lot, though. I'm relieved mostly because I don't have to worry about things because they're decided, but ....

But, I'm not sure.

that's it in a nutshell.

Not about the marriage, mind you, about the wedding. It feels like something happening to someone else.

Maybe I should have been dreaming about this since I was little. Maybe then I would feel prepared.

I need a perspective tune-up.

It's Official!

I had expected the plain band we picked out together.....surprise!

color tool

I was going through older posts at iDIYweddings (there's a link to the right) and found a color based flicker search that is awesome!

You can search by color for up to 10 colors at a time.

I think I have a new hobby.

wedding colors

When I started planning my wedding I was on the line about picking colors. I didn't want to be trapped into something that was obnoxiously color-coordinated on one hand, but I also felt that a coherent palate could really pull things together.

When we picked the venue, it made the decision even more difficult because I didn't want to clash with the majestic surroundings, especially at our ceremony site.

So when I took mountain boy to the paper store I figured we'd pick something in the white-cream-light brown range. Something neutral.

Instead I got the beautiful, rich color combo here:


Mountain boy wanted red-oranges that matched the red rocks in Moab. I wanted the rich chocolate that will match our cake. I had no idea that he was so into these little style elements.

It made me realize that I still don't know him completely. Even after four years he surprises me. I hope in 40 years he'll still surprise me.

I think I'll have a lot of flexibility with this palate.

I've already changed our wedding website to match the invites. Though I still have no idea what they're going to say.

Paper

Yesterday Mountain boy and I went to expidex (local paper products store) and picked out our invitations. This wasn't the plan. I had intended to go by myself to brows and think and maybe bring home a few samples, but when the boy found out that I was going he wanted to come. After about ten minutes he had picked out one he liked. We ended up getting something the same color but a different layout.

It was an odd experience. Maybe because it wasn't planned (I'm big on planning), but also because I got to see his taste and preference without me pushing for something really different. The only part I was insistent on was that we somehow work in a pocket.

I absolutely love the colors. The outer portion that folds into itself to create the envelope is deep chocolate brown. I bought sheets of deep grass green paper to make a border, and the invitation itself is dark orange/terracotta. The rsvp cards are sage green, and have grass green envelopes. As soon as I can get the camera charged, I'll post pictures, but it's a similar style to the picture above.

proposal update:

P.S. - Still no proposal. We've set a date, booked a place, and told all our friends and family, but technically I'm not engaged.

eh. When have we ever done anything in order?

Yay! We have a date and a location!

Big movements on the planning front: we've booked a location for the reception and picked a site for the ceremony.

We are officially $500 non-refundable deposit committed. Boo-yeah!


It's more beautiful than I had ever imagined. I'm not sure how to explain it. I consciously refused to imaginary-plan my wedding when I was younger. I fought the urge to picture myself in a white dress, blah, blah. So when the idea that I might actually marry Mountain Boy developed I started thinking about a wedding for myself for the first time. I even bought a wedding magazine. It took me the better part of a year to decide for sure that I wanted to have a wedding at all.

Now, I'm so excited. I'm simply amazed at how much fun it's been thinking about what the day will be like. And now, I have a setting, so the imagining is moving from vague to focused.

Not just any setting, either. The most perfect most beautiful place imaginable.

We're booking-out a B&B for two nights, having the ceremony just outside of Arched National Park, and then having the reception in the garden behind the B&B. That stretched out the event over a weekend, and allows us to provide rooms for family and friends coming from out of state. And, as if that weren't enough, the B&B is run by a gourmet chef who will be doing a full dinner. all for less than $2200. The rest is details.

Just amazing.
pictures to come.

The Venue

Mountain Boy and I are going to Moab this weekend to look at reception and ceremony sites. We're trying to decide whether to have the ceremony in Arches National Park or just outside on public land. The park has more facilities, but there are restrictions in other ways. Outside the park will be cheaper, but no facilities. I think it will depend on the locations we find.

I downloaded the OffBeat Bride checklist. It was really helpful in listing some of the consideration associated with picking a venue and date (nice stuff like asking parents about scheduling conflicts). I'm anticipating there will be issues getting Mountain Boy's family in from out of state, but his sister will be a huge help there.

I've been getting a lot of advice about not disclosing that the "event" we are planning is a wedding. We talked about it and both think that lying is out of the question. It's too creepy-dishonest. Though I do think we need to be cautious about people giving us bum deals.

Any advice?

This weekend we started talking about our wedding plans. We've told my parents and Mountain Boy's sister and our friends. So it's getting more and more official: we're having our wedding in September in Moab.

The more I say it the more excited I get.

The most interesting thing is how exciting it is to tell people we are planning a wedding. One friend summed it up pretty well: if you just told people you were planning a party and you wanted them to come visit, maybe one or two would come... but a wedding. It has also be interesting to make such a public declaration of love. For a long time I didn't really understand why people were so into weddings, but now I think I'm starting to get it. I hope it stays this fun.

The planning moves forward

It's been a busy few weeks. Despite to notable absence of a proposal, Mountain Boy and I have started officially planning. We've decided on a date(-ish) and a location.

I'm having a destination wedding! Woot.

For now, I'm keeping the big details relatively under wraps.