Party Planning

I have to be honest here guys, December is sucking the life out of me. I swear. It's just one thing after another, every task taking a little piece of my sanity along with it. Don't get me wrong, life is good, I'm happy, no worries there. It's just that everything that needs to be done happens at once and I have to split into 15 me's to get it all done. Work is the main culprit, being followed closely by my "can't-say-no-to-anyone" projects for friends and family. And Christmas, ugh, don't get me started. Just over a week from Christmas and I'm not even halfway through my shopping list. I tried desperately to get all my bridesmaids together to look at dresses before BM H moves to Texas (next weekend) but it's just not going to work. And I've spent so much time trying to do MOH K's wedding stationery and BM S's photo thank you note cards and my own save-the-dates that I've completely slacked off on planning MOH K's Bachelorette party, which is in a month! Scold me, go ahead, I deserve it. But honestly I have the whole thing planned in my head and in a spreadsheet (lol) and all I have to do is finalize where we are having it. Yeah, that's the most important part. I'm working on it!

Since I'm trying to get that little shindig planned, I thought I'd share some of the things I'm going to try to do. I am only divulging this little bit of info because I know my sis doesn't read this blog. The plan is to have the all the bridesmaids and the bride-to-be meet first at my place to have snacks and wine and girlie time. Then we will go to the restaurant/bar (tbd) and have the rest of the guests meet there for dinner, dessert, more drinks, gifts, and dancing of course. I've got some cute ideas for games, party favors, and lots more.

The Theme: Classy and Fabulous

The Food:
My sis LOVES spinach artichoke dip. I found a relatively easy and delicious looking recipe over at Annie's Eats that I plan on attempting. If that doesn't work I'll go buy a batch of TGIFriday's frozen version :)

The Drinks:
Wine, hello! But not just any wine, my sister's fave Ed Hardy Sangria.

Ed Hardy Sangria

The Favors:
Glittered wine glasses for each girl in the bridal party.

Glittered Wine Glasses

And for the main event, we will have a game in which each guest brings a gift of a pair of panties. The bride then has to guess who brought what panties as she opens them. This was her idea, and I think with 16 people on the guest list she will have her work cut out for her!

I also plan on having a few little "giveaways" which will consist of sets of cocktailing accessories that we make at my work...

A small sampling of our products. From top left: can hugger, coaster, beverage napkin,
bottle tote, bottle attire, and another bottle tote - personal image

I'm working on the invites now, and I will share with you once they are sent out and we have some responses. But one thing I've incorporated into it is a QR code that links to a website I set up that gives guests information about the party. They can RSVP there, get maps to the event, and much more.  Unnecessary? Maybe for some, but to me the thought of getting an invitation with a QR code on it, scanning it with my phone, and RSVP'ing right on the website is pretty cool and simple! What do you think?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti

Color of the Year 2013

Pantone has announced the color of the year for 2013! I always get so excited to see what it is every year! For those of you who aren't designers or in the fashion or home decor fields, Pantone is a company that creates color management tools for people in those fields. They also predict the trend colors for every year, and are usually right on. They just announced that the color of the year for 2013 will be...

Emerald! - via Pantone

Such a crisp and earthy color! I think we can expect to start seeing even more of this color in wedding palettes very soon. I have already seen some really cute wedding ideas utilizing this color:

Fringy Emerald & Aqua Garland - Design Sponge

Emerald Fringe Place Cards - Design Sponge

Emerald & Aqua Invitation Suite (I'm sensing a theme here with the aqua) - Oh So Beautiful Paper

Emerald Shoes! - Style Me Pretty

Centerpieces and Table Settings - Elizabeth Anne Designs

Mossy Ring Bearer's Pillow - Your Perfect Day blog

Bouquet - My Wedding Place blog

Textured Cake with Emerald Band - Silver Spoon Cakes

This color also makes me think of Irish weddings. And since I have an Irish heritage, I would want to incorporate a little "luck" into my wedding day with these cute garters:

Getting "lucky" on your wedding night? haha! - Etsy

Happy planning!

Miss Spaghetti

Vows and Public Speaking

I am at a loss for words to describe how crazy busy this week is for me. We have our National Sales Conference at work starting tonight through Friday evening, and yours truly gets to do her own presentation! Woo hoo!

Can you sense my excitement? I'm one of those crazy people who actually doesn't mind speaking in front of large groups. I used to love speech and debate in high school and college. Sick, isn't it! So my presentation is tomorrow, and as weird as it sounds, it has got me thinking about our vows. Mr. S and I decided a loooooong time ago that we wanted to write at least some of our vows ourselves. I told him I would probably not pre-write anything, and I would just say what was in my heart when we get up there. Maybe I'm crazy? But I just know I'll get up there, and start talking without even reading what I've written anyway! I think he is a bit more nervous about it, since he is NOT a fan of public speaking. Even though it will be a crowd of family and close friends, I think it will be much harder for him than it will be for me.

Our officiant is a very close family friend of my dad's since they were kids. He's like an uncle to me, and has been a part of the family as long as I can remember. I love that our ceremony is going to be a close, meaningful event that is about our marriage. It is what I've always dreamed of, and writing a portion of our own vows just makes it that much more sentimental to me. Did anyone else write their own vows?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti

Thinking of My Grandma

This weekend was my Grandma's 82nd birthday. She's had a lot of health problems in her later years, including a recent stint in a rehab hospital after cracking her hip during a fall. She not cannot be left alone even for a minute. Luckily, my mom lives with her, and she is there to take care of her. My sister (MOH K), my cousin (BM S) and I went in on a photo book for her birthday gift. We put pics of S's wedding, K's engagements (her wedding is in February) and Mr. S and my engagements. She loved it, as I expected she would since she could spend hours just looking at pics of our family. After we left though, my mom texted and told me that Gram asked her what the book was. Gram thought she was seeing it for the first time. Yep, dementia. She's been more and more forgetful, but after her last surgery she's been really bad.

I've always wanted my Grandma to be there when I get married. She means the world to me, and she's the one Grandparent that I have left in this world. But I feel so bad that she probably won't remember even being there. I don't think I would feel complete if she weren't at our wedding. I'm beginning to worry that even if she's still physically in this world in June, she might not be physically or mentally able to come.

These are just some thoughts I've been having since seeing my Gram on Saturday. I wanted to share in hopes that others had family or friends that were not able, or were no longer there to celebrate this time with them. Anyone had an experience like this during their wedding planning?

Miss Spaghetti

Our Sweetie-Moon

Yes, I realize it's called a "honeymoon". But Mr. S and I have never called each other "honey". It's always "sweetie" or "sweetheart". So therefore, we are going on a sweetie-moon!

Mr. S and I were never set on going on a traditional honeymoon. We would rather spend the money as a down payment on a house, or to pay off some student loans (ugh). We're pretty practical people. So we figured we would go up to northern Michigan for a week or so. Maybe stay on Mackinaw Island (which we absolutely love). Just something to spend some time together after the wedding, but not spend an arm and a leg.

Enter Mr. S's mom. An extremely generous and caring FMIL. Much to our surprise and utter amazement, she decides to gift us a sweetie-moon cruise to...the Mediterranean!

Our itinerary - Holland America

Now before I go into complete detail, I want to share something with you all about me. I am a TERRIBLE traveler. I don't like flying, I get motion sick, and I get very cranky when I'm off my schedule. This might be because I haven't done enough traveling in my life. Or I could just be a total sissy. Either way, this is going to be my first out-of-the-country trip ever. And my first time on a cruise ship. I'm super excited, and scared out of my wits! Luckily, it is also Mr. S's first time for both of those things. And being able to experience it (both good and bad) with him makes me very happy.

So onto the details! We will fly to Barcelona, Spain to board the ship. From there we will have 12 days of cruising and many many stops to France, Monaco, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and finally docking in Venice. We get to dock every morning and spend the entire day at each stop, with the exception of one day of cruising. I'm hoping that my stupid motion sickness can be at bay at least to enjoy the amazing sites!

Hoping this is not me on the ship! - Image via Safe Home Products

When FMIL offered us this awesome trip, we were of course gracious and very happy, but we also had a few feelings of doubt about it. It is a lot of time to take off from work, to not see the Little Noodle, and a lot of spending money to have to bring. Then we talked about it, and realized that this may be the only time in our lives that we get to experience traveling to these beautiful places. Demanding jobs, the possibility of having children, and life in general could keep us from being able to do something like this together in the future. I think it is important to take opportunities when they are presented to you, and this was definitely one of those moments for us.

How are you spending your honeymoon, or sweetie-moon? Did you debate whether to go all out or keep it simple (and cheap), or to not go on one at all?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti

Bridesmaid Dresses (lacking brain power to come up with clever title)

Hola peeps, hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend, and didn't get trampled trying to score any Black Friday deals!

I must start this post with some sad news...my best friendster and bridesmaid H is moving across the country! *tear* But she's moving to be closer to her parents and her sister, so I can't help but be glad for her since I know how much she misses them. Anyhoo, she is leaving at the end of December, which is pushing my butt into gear for picking out bridesmaid dresses. Since I only have 4 girls, and all of them are local (for now), I really want to get everyone together to try them on and help me decide. Actually, for them to decide, not me. I have ideas on color and style, but ultimately I want them to be happy with the dress, and not go broke buying it.

So what am I looking for?

Preference #1: Knee-length or shorter
Preference #2: Light purple color (lavender, lilac, wisteria, whatever you call it)

Wisteria - David's Bridal

Yep, that's it, really! One thing I did not include is that I would love to find dresses in a pickup style, since my bridey gown is that style. But most of the dresses I've seen with pickups are more expensive, and honestly it isn't THAT important. Here are a few I've seen online that I'm feeling good about:

If I could pick a dress, it would be this final sale one at David's Bridal, which unfortunately
is only available in a few sizes, none of which any of my BM's could wear :(

Strapless Chiffon with layers, looks so comfy! - David's Bridal

Totally a wear-it-again style (at least I think so!) - Alfred Angelo

Cute and simple - Alfred Angelo

Did you let your bridesmaids pick out their dresses, or did you decide yourself?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti

Happy Thanksgiving and Oh How Pinteresting Link-Up

I'm feeling a bit burnt out on wedding planning today. Since this is my last day at work for the week, and I need something to occupy my time, I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple for:


In honor of the holiday, here are some things I'm thankful for...

Cute baby kitties

Source: Uploaded by user via Gabriella on Pinterest

Source: animal-space.net via Maria Paula on Pinterest

Source: earn.is-groovin.it via Francine on Pinterest

Reese's!

Source: theinternetchef.biz via Mau on Pinterest

Snuggies! (YES I have one)

Source: 24.media.tumblr.com via Arlene on Pinterest

Moscato

Source: piniiving.info via Marquetta on Pinterest

Dish DVR with the "Hopper" to skip over commercials

Source: amazon.com via Dealstoday on Pinterest

Crock Pots

Source: dinnertool.com via Janet on Pinterest

My Step-Mom's homemade rolls, or any kind of biscuit or bread actually

Source: realmomkitchen.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

Couponing (this is definitely me)

Of course, I am also thankful for a sweet, handsome and caring husband-to-be, wonderful family and friends, and every day that I am blessed with to enjoy all these things!

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Miss Spaghetti

I'm Etching, Baby!

So you remember my post a while back on how I wanted to etch my own glassware for Mr. S and I to use at the wedding? Well...I finally got a minute to try it out last night, in between baking my very first batches of cake pops:

MMMMMMM! I've gotten rave reviews at our work food day today - Personal Image

More on that process in a later post. Right now I'm getting down to my first experience in glass etching. I started with the following items:

• Armour Etch Cream - $8.99 at Hobby Lobby + 40% off coupon = $5.39
• Foam Brush - around $.50 at Michael's (I bought 2 just in case)
• Contact Paper - $1 at Dollar Tree
• Xacto Knife - already had one
• A printout of what I wanted on the glass
• Gloves to protect your hands (that shiz will burn!) - Handsome FI got from work for me:)
• Glass product of your choosing

Here is what my printout looked like:

Personal Image & Design

A quick tip: I originally tried to use our monogram but the fact that there were too many loops and cut-outs made it impossible to do correctly. I created the above design and cut out the black areas instead. This allowed the uncut parts to still be connected and not just fall right off.

I laid my printout on top of a small piece of the contact paper. Using my Xacto, I cut out the black areas. When I try this again, I will print my design on thicker cardstock and cut that out, then trace the design onto the contact paper and cut it separately. I had a lot of jaggies when I cut through the printout and the contact paper.

Once I had everything trimmed out, I peeled off the backing of the contact paper, and stuck it to my wine glass. Other than it being a bit bigger than I thought, it worked pretty well. A little tough to line up though!

I think it's straight?! - Personal Image

Next, I put on my gloves and started glooping on the etching cream with the foam brush. I had read online that you really need to coat it on there good for best results. So I did.

Gloopin' it on - Personal Image

Once I had it pretty well glooped on there, I let it sit for a few. Then I noticed that it had started to drip toward the edge of the contact paper on the sides. I couldn't have that! So I started brushing it off a bit. After a few minutes of that, I decided I might as well just take it off and see how it turned out. Since I couldn't remember how long to leave it on, and the bottle had no good instructions on it, I wiped off the cream with the foam brush and put it right back in the bottle ($5.39 for 3 ounces?? you better believe I'm saving that stuff!).

Then I slowly started lifting off the contact paper. I immediately ran water over it in the sink and started wiping the excess off with a paper towel. This seemed to work pretty well. I dried my glass, and stood back to look at my masterpiece.

Ta-da! Not too shabby! - Personal Pic

Close up, you can see the jaggies from my not-so-good cutting - Personal Image

All in all, I think the first go round was pretty successful. The etching looks pretty good even leaving it on for a total of only 5 minutes or so. I'm glad I have plenty of wine glasses to practice on! For a total investment of under $8, I will (after some perfecting) have some lovely glasses for us to drink out of on our wedding day!

Did you have any DIY projects you were successful with on the first try?

Happy planning!

Miss Spaghetti

Just A Little Venting

Well...it's Monday. And it's a 3-day work week for me, which means it will feel like an eternity in which I will accomplish nothing and the piles on my desk will just sit here over the 4-day weekend and bite me in the butt when I return next Monday. Don't mind me, just feeling a little overwhelmed today! I did manage to clean my desk this morning which gave my lovely cubicle a little more positive energy. It's hard to concentrate on work when there is so much going on that is not work-related. Now that BM S's wedding is done, I'm really concentrating on helping MOH K finish her planning. She's just 3 months out now! This means invitation suites and other paper stationery need to be designed like NOW. And I've really got to get busy planning her bachelorette party, which is set for January 19th.

Meanwhile, my own wedding planning is creeping along sluggishly. I've given a few tasks to Mr. S, like finding a DJ. He knows a couple people who do it, so he's contacted them for pricing. He also has the responsibility of obtaining the remaining addresses of his side of the family in order to complete our guest list. My goal is to send out save-the-dates by December 1st. We will be just over 6 months out at that time. Holy crap!

In the meantime, the Little Noodle found a boys' suit section at Macy's the other day and just had to try on the suit coat. He's so excited about getting to wear one at our wedding!

Here he is-looking quite dapper! - Personal Photo

Anyone else beginning to feel overwhelmed with wedding or non-wedding related (NWR) things going on in their lives? Maybe it's just the anticipation of the holidays...

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti

More Vistaprint Deals!!

You might remember last month when I posted about the label deal at Vistaprint. Well, it's back! And this time, there's more free/cheap deals to be had!

For a limited time (not sure how limited, since I can't find a date anywhere), you can score 6 products for FREE, all you pay is shipping. This includes the following products:

• 250 business cards
• 10 photo cards
• photo wall calendar
• ceramic mug
• t-shirt
• canvas tote bag

Just stop over here to choose your free item. Design it and add it to your cart, then come back and use the link again to add other items (if you want). Note that adding pictures, changing fonts/colors, etc. might incur extra charges on some products, so pay attention to what you select. Also note that you will pay shipping for all of these items, but I just had 4 items in my cart and shipping was just under $10 for all of it.

While you're there, you can also get 140 labels for $3.99. I uploaded my own design and they were still that price. Here's a peek at them:

Our return address labels - via Vistaprint

Also, I wanted to provide a way for our guests to share photos they take at our wedding, so I made a share site on Shutterfly. Guests can log in and upload their pictures so we can all see them. I wanted a cheap and easy way to give this info to our guests, so I used Vistaprint's free business card deal to make some cards with all the info on them. Do I need 250? Certainly not, but I can't really think of a cheaper and easier way to make them! I used one of their templates so they wouldn't charge me extra.

Photo sharing information card - via Vistaprint

At least it's a shade of purple. And the design isn't bad either. Some of the designs they have on there are, well, a little "ech". A little tip if you haven't used Vistaprint before: if you don't want text on a line, just leave the line blank. It took a little finessing to get everything on this bad boy, but in the end I'm satisfied with how it turned out! If you want to take advantage of any of these deals, I would recommend getting over there sooner than later, it's hard to say how long it will last!

Did anyone use a photo sharing site for guests to upload their pictures? What site did you use and how did it work for you?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti

So Inviting

As you may or may not know, I am a graphic designer. My handsome fiance Mr. S is a printing pressman. Therefore, I feel a lot of pressure to create some amazing stationery for our wedding. The good thing is that I enjoy designing so much, that I don't mind spending a lot of time on our paper goods. The other good thing (and there really are many others) is that I have an entire print shop at my disposal, meaning a nice discount :)

The tough part for me, is spending a lot of money on something that people other than my parents and myself will just throw away after they put the date and time in their calendar. So my goal is to use typography and color to design some unique wedding stationery, without spending more than...drum roll please...$150!

How will I manage this? Partly with the help of the above mentioned discounts, and partly by cutting out things that we really don't need. Accommodations, directions, reception info, all things that will be on our wedding website. Response cards? I'm still debating this with myself, because I would love to have online RSVP. I have read mixed reviews on this, but overall I feel that the amount of money and time spent trying to get people to respond with a little card isn't really worth it, when you still end up having to track down a quarter of your guest list anyway since it's too much trouble for them to drop the pre-addressed and stamped envelope in the mail. Plus, Wedding Wire offers a free online RSVP option through their wedding websites, and I would really like to utilize that!

Now onto the design details. I LOVE scripty fonts. One of my favorites is Burgues Script (drool!). The one thing I designed early on is our monogram:

Personal Image and Design

And I'll use that font with my fave serif font, Filosofia, on all of our stationery. For our save the date postcards, I'll tease you with the engagement pic that I want to use. But I'll save the design reveal until after they are sent out...

Katy Batdorff Photography

How much do you plan to spend on your wedding stationery? Did anyone use online RSVP? If so, how did it work for you?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti

Some Things I'm Lovin' Right Now...and Wedding Pics!

SOOOO excited to share with you some pics from BM S's wedding a few weeks ago!! Her amazing photographer Kyle Bultman Photography posted a sampling on their Facebook page, and wowzers, did they turn out GORGEOUS!

Here are a few of my faves (all images courtesy of Kyle Bultman Photography):

Her beautiful bouquet with a picture of her mother who passed away

All the ladies (yep that's me on the far left freezing my tush off!)

The whole bridal party

Could you ask for a more perfect fall sunset?!

And here is a better and closer pic of their cake and cupcakes:

Notice the cute lighted cupcake stand that I am so very lucky to be able to use at my wedding!

I loved so much about BM S's wedding. She was uber organized and put so much thought and detail into everything. Every part of the day had a little piece of her style and personality in it. So it got me thinking about what I would have done for a fall wedding. Fall is a stunning time of year in Michigan, with the trees turning, the air getting crisp, but also very unpredictable to plan a wedding in. BM S got very lucky in my opinion, that the weather was cool but sunny and not rainy or windy. Despite its unpredictability, fall offers some amazing options for weddings...

Mini Pumpkin Pies! - Image courtesy of Lucy Dylan Weddings Blog

Dahlias! LOVE the jumbo flowers with a combo of dark plums and burnt oranges - Image courtesy of Afloral

Long Strapless Dress in Lapis - Image Courtesy of David's Bridal

A Rustic Barn Location - Image Courtesy of Blissfully Domestic

What season did you pick for your wedding and why?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti