Fun Project #1: Save the Dates!

As I keep finding more and more ideas for what to do with my Save the Dates, I'm almost overwhelmed. I have a general idea of what I want and I want to stay focused on the vision that I have. It's hard to feel unique when you see your idea translated and created by another bride. I'm so thankful, though, for all the of the wonderful resources online that brides have been sharing since the blog boom.

I love the idea of magnets, so your guests will have a constant reminder on their fridge of the upcoming nuptials. I also like the idea of including stickers for guests to mark in their other calendars. This may seem like overkill at times, but I think that if you send a Save the Date to someone and then an invitation, they have absolutely no excuse not to know when your wedding is. I would hope that this would cut out the "Oh I didn't knows" or "You should have told me sooner" or "I wish I knew ahead of time". That's the whole point of a Save the Date, right, to SAVE THE DATE.

Here's some inspiration from Melissa Jill, a Scottsdale-based photographer, who has a new line of Save the Date Cards:



Here is what I have come up with. I'm planning on maybe using these as the magnets and including another insert with information for our out of town guests. It's so hard to decide on just one idea, that I want to include everything! These are preliminary designs, with some others on the way.




Awesome engagement photos by our rad-tastic photographer, Travis Hoehne!

Mini-Vacation Here I Come

I luckily get to miss marketing planning, also known as "hours and hours of boring stuff". Very intellectual, I know.

I'm going down to San Diego to hang out with my cousins from Montana as well as the local San Diegans.

Thoughts on the future

I was reading archives from a wedding photographer's blog over the weekend, and her words just spoke to me so clearly. I was humbled to learn that she had the same fears and worries as I currently do about getting into the business. It's been a dream of mine for the past few years and the thought of working for myself has been very tempting. But it's hard to take that leap of faith and JUST DO IT. I don't think I'm quite at that point yet, but I'm getting there.

Speaking of a leap of faith, I decided to e-mail said photographer as an informational interview type thing. The worst that could happen is that she never responds. But my gut tells me that she probably will, because she seems like that type of person. I'm excited that I decided to just do it. The last time that I emailed a photographer was probably a year or so ago and I asked about how she started out, and she replied back, happy to be of help.

I still need to work on composition and lighting a lot. I've got a good hang on retouching and processing in Photoshop thanks to my class. I would definitely start out with this being a hobby/job on the side until I was able to take it on as a full time endeavor. I'm starting to looks a some lenses and thanks to borrowlenses.com can try some out before I buy. And they are located in San Mateo!

Jet Fuel is ruining my life.

If it wasn't bad enough that gas prices jump every single day (it's not even easing into this whole $4 thing), plane tickets are even more expensive thanks to uber-expensive jet fuel. What used to be $220 on a good day to fly to Dallas on American is now between $350-$400 if you're lucky. It would be fine if all these prices went up, and my salary went up with it in proportion. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way.

Hmmm, I feel the beginnings of an even wider poverty gap. Rich getting richer, poor getting poorer. I hope this economy starts to turn around come November.

I'm still for celebrity socialism. Those who spend $30,000 a month on gas can help.

June is almost here!

And that means ridiculous amounts of wedding related shows on cable TV. That includes the obnoxious Bridezillas, obscene Platinum Weddings, and other silly shows. It's about the only entertaining thing on TV this time of year since network channels have equally lame series.

I saw Sex and the City yesterday afternoon and it was a great kick off to summer fluff. The only thing I was kind of bitter about was that we had to pay for our own concessions. However, I think that was a better choice than having to sit through the movie with a higher up sitting next to me. Now that would have been uncomfortable...

Engaged!

My favorites from the Engagement Photo session by the awesome Travis Hoehne. Thanks Travis!!

I love this action shot. I look bored. or mad...


Love this one!


My first and last time as a model...


Cent should get hired! Check that smile :)


Fun one!


Oh Mario Kart! I'm the defending champion... for now!


This one makes me laugh.


Awww.


Stopping some Texas Traffic...


I don't know how I'm going to wait another 365+ days!

Engagement post coming soon!

Coming to a blog near you...Just got word from Travis that our engagement photos are ready! Woo hoo!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there, especially my super awesome mom. If you've ever met her, you'd be able to see where I come from. My mannerisms, facial expressions, and sense of humor. My mom can suck just about anyone into a conversation and is well-versed in all worldly things. I love my mom and she's the best!

We have a venue!

I'm very excited to say that we have a reception venue! After a lot of consideration of options and debating between this place and that, a decision has been made. We'll be partying and celebrating our nuptials at the Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton. The sound of "country club" actually made me worry that it meant extra zeros would be attached to every price tag, but actually it's very comparable to other venues in the area. Without further ado, some photos:

The front entrance


The Lobby - so pretty!


The Terrace - great for hors d'oeuvres and hanging out


The Ballroom - lots of space!


The Bar - drinks and mingling

All is not lost....

Good news on the hard drive front. Not all is lost. About 98% of the data can be recovered. Oh IT guys -- ye of little faith. (I'm glad it will work out, especially for the next person!) I thought that it was like this picture. Luckily I didn't really kick it around like some people tried to imply.

Oh Illustrator, how I enjoy Thee

Since learning how to use Illustrator last Fall, it has been one of my favorite programs. It's definitely not a program that you can figure out on your own. At least not for me. I definitely needed instruction. Well, 18 weeks later and $60 down the road, I'm now well-versed in Illustrator. I wouldn't say I'm an expert by any means, but I can come up with a thing or two.

I started to mock up our invitations, mostly to get the gears turning, but here's what I came up with today. Luckily I have the CS2 suite from work, and I'm planning on the CS3 suite which I get a sweet deal on thanks to my class!



It looks a little off since I took trim size and bleed zones into account. (Terms I learned this past week in my Photoshop class). But I'm pretty sure we're agreed on the brown/blue color scheme, which I thought we could carry onto the invitations. This is totally NOT a final version or anything like that, just an idea. More to come!

Reception Venue Update

I think we've (I've) decided!

Sunol Valley Golf Club was our first choice, but they are booked for both of our potential dates. Now that we have a confirmed date, that place is totally out of the running.

Wedgewood Banquets seemed like a good deal, but my inner control freak couldn't come to grips with not being able to choose my vendors. Not to sound like a bridezilla, but I want it the way I (we) want it. I don't want to be held hostage to chosen vendors. Easier, of course. My desire for control wins out. Plus they don't let you try the food. I find something just wrong with that picture.

I decided that I didn't want to have our reception at a hotel. I like the idea of the pretty landscape, especially in the summer since the sun will be setting a lot later. According to sunrisesunset.com, the sun should set around 8:30pm that day. So that ruled out the hotels. Plus, they tended to be overall more expensive, except that they give your guests a discount on lodging. Great for out of town people, no big deal for locals.

After our engagement session and the miniature golfing, I really liked the idea of having our reception at a golf club. It sets a nice scene for photos and is a lot more picturesque than the beige walls of a hotel. So it came down to two options. I felt that we should stay in the East Bay for it's relative distance from the church and the drive for all the guests. Plus, the East Bay tended to be less expensive than its Silicon Valley counterpart.

Dublin Ranch Golf Club is set in the hills of a newer housing development and very pretty. My main concern was the max capacity. I think we're looking at 150+ guests, but still under 180. They can hold 160 + dancefloor or 180 with the dancefloor outside. This could pose an issue. The wedding event manager is super nice and from the reviews I've read, very helpful.

Castlewood Country Club was probably the most picturesque location. Located in the hills of Pleasanton, right on the border of Sunol, it's up in richville. That was initially one of my concerns, that it was too fancy. But that's been dispelled after many round and cost analyses. I figured out that it wasn't that much more expensive and it would be on par with Dublin Ranch. The grounds are beautiful and so is the building. It has a nice cocktail area that leads into the ballroom.

After hemming and hawing over these two choices, we (I) decided on Castlewood. It's not finalized yet, but they do have our date open. And, in the long run, we won't owe fists full of money until next year. Time for saving some moola!

I will post pictures once I find them.