Where will I sleep if I'm coming in from out of town?
We have booked a block of rooms under the Carson-Girtin Wedding at the Holiday Inn Express in Littleton.
Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites
12683 West Indore Plce
Littleton, CO 80127
(720) 981-1000
The discount rate is $117 a night, but to get this rate, you MUST book your room at least 6 weeks in advance.
What about parking?
Parking for the ceremony site will be provided by one of the two nearby churches. We are currently trying to secure the location closest to the site, but it is not a completely done deal.
There is a large parking lot at the reception site, so that should be easy.
How do we get from the ceremony to the reception?
A clear and concise map will be posted on the website as our wedding day draws near. For those attending both the ceremony and the reception, extra copies of the map will be provided as you leave for the reception.
What's the deal with the cocktail hour?
The cocktail hour is basically a way to keep people occupied after the ceremony. We'll be taking pictures and getting stuff ready to move to the reception and we don't want everyone to be bored, so we're plying them with booze to keep them happy!
**Stay tuned for more FAQs, or if you have a particular question, contact me via the wedding website!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Toasting and Dancing
There are two things that I have been searching for . . . and I found them!
As I looked at wedding sections in stores and online, I was extremely dissappointed with the choices of toasting flutes. Everything was either stainless steel (meant to be engraved, no doubt) or covered in ribbons and fluff. I was looking for something simple that we could have in our house and continue to use after the wedding. I considered buying some regular champagne flutes from Crate & Barrel, but what I really wanted was glasses that went along with our polka dot theme. Low and behold, I found the exact thing I was looking for at Hallmark!
The glare from the flash makes it hard to see, but there are little pintucks around the toe of the shoe and a large button fastening the Mary Jane strap! Very retro (although, a little more 60s than 50s). The most important thing is that they are REALLY comfortable and will be a lot of fun to dance in!
As I looked at wedding sections in stores and online, I was extremely dissappointed with the choices of toasting flutes. Everything was either stainless steel (meant to be engraved, no doubt) or covered in ribbons and fluff. I was looking for something simple that we could have in our house and continue to use after the wedding. I considered buying some regular champagne flutes from Crate & Barrel, but what I really wanted was glasses that went along with our polka dot theme. Low and behold, I found the exact thing I was looking for at Hallmark!
They are simple and beautiful - exactly what I was looking for! That only goes to teach me that the most unlikely places can have the most perfect things!
Along the same vein, I finally found some nice, simple white flats to wear to the reception. Although I love the high heels I picked out for the ceremony, there's no way I would be able to wear them all night. I looked everywhere for white flats, but all the ones I found had sequins, designs, or other unneccessary stuff on them. I almost gave up, but Payless ended up having a couple of styles of white flats for Easter. I really wanted to get a pair that had a white bow on the front, but they ended up not having my size. My second choice was just as cute, though, and I was able to buy their last size 10.
The glare from the flash makes it hard to see, but there are little pintucks around the toe of the shoe and a large button fastening the Mary Jane strap! Very retro (although, a little more 60s than 50s). The most important thing is that they are REALLY comfortable and will be a lot of fun to dance in!I'm so crafty!
As I put more and more things together, I have discovered that DIY (or do-it-yourself) is the way to go. Initially, I was a little worried about how things would turn out, but after much success with our invitations, I have found that some simple craft projects have allowed me to have exactly what I want for (mostly) cheap!
Our ceremony programs, for instance, turned out beautifully. I had FedEx Kinkos copy off the inside pages and the personalized part of the covers and we created an assembly line to put them together. Kris's mom came over and helped us glue covers together, which was SO helpful. With our handy-dandy three hole punch and some sheer, bright pink ribbon, we were able to put them together into books!
Our ceremony programs, for instance, turned out beautifully. I had FedEx Kinkos copy off the inside pages and the personalized part of the covers and we created an assembly line to put them together. Kris's mom came over and helped us glue covers together, which was SO helpful. With our handy-dandy three hole punch and some sheer, bright pink ribbon, we were able to put them together into books!
I was able to use the exact fonts I wanted, and included the monogram I designed! With everything (including polka dot scrapbook paper, black and white cardstock, copies, ribbon, and glue), it was probably about $200 to make 100 eight-page programs. Stationary stores I looked at charge at least $750 for 100 two-page programs!
Another project that ended up being super easy was the flower girl basket. I purchased a small white basket with a fabric inlay just before Easter. I removed the fabric inlay, and later, I wrapped the handle in sheer, polka dot ribbon. I tied bows at the base of each side of the handle and it turned out beautifully!
It fits with the style of our casual, garden wedding much better than the satin-covered, pearl-studded ones you find in stores, AND it was only about $10! (Store-bought baskets run from $20-40!)
***For brides who are looking for more exciting DIY ideas, become a member of the Offbeat Bride Tribe at www.offbeatbride.ning.com!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Yay . . . engagement pics!
We got our engagement pics back and I am SO excited!
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It looks like we're ready to fight crime!
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It looks like we're ready to fight crime!
Our hands (you can see my ring if you look close)
On the swings at Kendrick Park
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Flowers and Cake!
This week was pretty eventful in the old wedding planning world. I ordered my cake on Saturday evening from a magnificent local baker, Das Meyer. They're family owned and their cakes are A-MAZING! They were so helpful and accommodating, especially with my cake topper (which is technically too small to be on top of the cake). I reccommend this place to any Denver couples looking for a beautiful AND tasty wedding cake. The best part is that they have guilt-free cake tastings every Saturday from 10-3, so you don't have to pay consultation fees or make an appointment.
I ended up ordering my flowers from King Soopers because the first florist I went to never called me back. I was so impressed with the level of professionalism and knowledge with the KS florist. She was awesome (and very complimentary of what I had chosen, which never hurts) and I have to say big thanks to my mom for suggesting the idea of using a grocery store flower department! It worked out beautifully. And it's a lot cheaper than using a "real" florist! (And we all know how I like cheap!)
In addition to having good ideas, my mom may be the sweetest person out there. She and her (equally sweet) boyfriend spent their entire day off hunting for leftover bags of Valentines' Day M&Ms. They bought 55 bags of regular and 25 bags of peanut . . . and then, they picked out all the red ones for me! Mom also bought an oversized martini glass and filled it with M&Ms so we'd know what it looked like. I must say it is super cute!
I ended up ordering my flowers from King Soopers because the first florist I went to never called me back. I was so impressed with the level of professionalism and knowledge with the KS florist. She was awesome (and very complimentary of what I had chosen, which never hurts) and I have to say big thanks to my mom for suggesting the idea of using a grocery store flower department! It worked out beautifully. And it's a lot cheaper than using a "real" florist! (And we all know how I like cheap!)
In addition to having good ideas, my mom may be the sweetest person out there. She and her (equally sweet) boyfriend spent their entire day off hunting for leftover bags of Valentines' Day M&Ms. They bought 55 bags of regular and 25 bags of peanut . . . and then, they picked out all the red ones for me! Mom also bought an oversized martini glass and filled it with M&Ms so we'd know what it looked like. I must say it is super cute!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Invitations!
So, we finally bought our invitations. We chose some very simple white, embossed cards with vellum overlays that came in DIY pack at Target. The pack included sections of sheer, white ribbon to tie the invitations together, but we decided to cut pieces of polka dot ribbon to tie them. I think it looks very pretty, and I love how simple they are!
The response cards that came in the package are great because they are big enough to include space for a song request and to advertise our website!
Our next goal is to order the cake. I'm hoping to be able to set aside a day next week to go down and get everything settled.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Little Things
So, maybe there weren't a "flurry" of posts, but in my defense, I did spend most of my Christmas vacation either at work, at my mom's, or sick with a cold and an ear infection. I'm happy to say that I'm feeling better, and more importantly, things are slowly starting work themselves into place.
Now for updates:
While at my mom's for Christmas, we made black circles of construction paper into place cards. It's simple, cheap, and keeps with my theme of black and white polka dots. The best part is my mom wrote all the names, so they are personal rather than just running them off on a printer.
Mom also got us a beautiful black and white polka dot scrapbook to use as our wedding album. I like this idea so much better than buying a wedding-specific album. Some are beautiful, but I've seen plenty of cheesy-looking ones and none of them are really my style.
While in Nebraska, I picked up a box meant for videos which I plan to use for cards at the reception. It's bright pink and black polka dots, so I had to get it.
We also decided to cut squares of polka dot wrapping paper to place under the centerpieces. That way, we won't be left with 20 square polka dot place mats that we can't do anything with.
My mom's coworker, Theresa, generously donated lots and lots of tiny bottles of bubbles, so it's one less thing I have to get. I just got finished tying lots of tiny pink bows around the bottles and I have to say, it looks fantastic!
We also finally pinned down the wedding party gifts!
My bridal attendants and I are planning to go see 27 Dresses as a kind of girl-bonding time. It should be really fun.
Next to come: (hopefully!!)
* Renting chairs
* Flowers
* Invitations
* Ordering the cake
It's happening fast!
Now for updates:
While at my mom's for Christmas, we made black circles of construction paper into place cards. It's simple, cheap, and keeps with my theme of black and white polka dots. The best part is my mom wrote all the names, so they are personal rather than just running them off on a printer.
Mom also got us a beautiful black and white polka dot scrapbook to use as our wedding album. I like this idea so much better than buying a wedding-specific album. Some are beautiful, but I've seen plenty of cheesy-looking ones and none of them are really my style.
While in Nebraska, I picked up a box meant for videos which I plan to use for cards at the reception. It's bright pink and black polka dots, so I had to get it.
We also decided to cut squares of polka dot wrapping paper to place under the centerpieces. That way, we won't be left with 20 square polka dot place mats that we can't do anything with.
My mom's coworker, Theresa, generously donated lots and lots of tiny bottles of bubbles, so it's one less thing I have to get. I just got finished tying lots of tiny pink bows around the bottles and I have to say, it looks fantastic!
We also finally pinned down the wedding party gifts!
My bridal attendants and I are planning to go see 27 Dresses as a kind of girl-bonding time. It should be really fun.
Next to come: (hopefully!!)
* Renting chairs
* Flowers
* Invitations
* Ordering the cake
It's happening fast!
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