So Many Moments Blog

Matthew and I will be married in 24,157 minutes from now. That’s roughly 16 days, not that I’m counting. We got the rings and marriage license yesterday, and went to see the farm again today. It’s all getting so REAL! So, I thought it would be fun to share some of the crafts I’ve been finishing up in anticipation!

For an added touch of romance, I found these chandeliers to hang in the trees. They were meant to hold tapered long candles, but I figure votives in glass holders will stay lit in the breeze a bit better. And while the rustic paint job they came with was fine, I wanted to make them a bit fancier by spray painting them silver. I picked them up online for about $25 each, and look forward to decorating with them at home afterwards.

I’m super thankful for the loads of help with these pennant flags that we’re going to use to spruce up the farm a bit with our wedding colors. I had a lot of fun in a fabric shop, choosing crazy patterns that don’t necessarily match, but I still like them all together (matching is over-rated, right?). Then, we cut them into flag shapes and sewed them onto string I picked up at the hardware store around the corner. A super easy, and cheap, way to add a little personal pizazz to the decor!

And lastly, if you read the post when I got my shoes in the mail I’m a bit bummed to update that I decided they were just a TINY bit too snug. I reluctantly returned them, and scored this pair to take their place. I’m not nearly as enamored, but sometimes comfort must be king…

I’m so excited the big day it nearly here. Being engaged has been SO much fun, and I really feel much more connected with my Brides-To-Be, now that I am one myself. I can’t wait to see all of our friends and family to celebrate together! YAY WEDDINGS!

My two Portland bridesmaids put together a really special evening for me this past weekend to celebrate my “Bride-To-Be-ness”. They were super secretive about the planning, but it was fun having no idea what to expect! All I knew was the festivities were to end with a slumber party, so to pack an over-night bag and be on time.

I knew I wouldn’t bring a camera out for the evening with me, so I thought it’d be fun to set up a studio light in Caitlin’s basement, put the camera on the timer, & snap a few portraits of us all glammed-up before we hit the town. We popped champagne and had the quickest mini-shoot, perhaps ever! All the other girls were great about taking photos out that evening too, but I’m glad to also have these to remember it by. And what a memorable evening it was! It was like a birthday party… but BETTER. I loved every minute! Getting married is FUN!

I want to share with you a moment I had this evening. It happened shortly after a sharp knock at the front door.

I swung it in open in time to catch a wave and “Have a good night!” from the UPS guy already turning the corner at the end of the hall.
“You too!” I replied in return, as I set my gaze to the floor.

The box at my feet was for, none other then, my feet. My wedding shoes had arrived!

Anxiously, I tore into the little cardboard treasure chest and pulled out the little beauties as I decided I should also pull on my dress to get the full effect.

So, there I was. 15 minutes till Matt was expected home from work, standing in the mirror with my dress and shoes on. For whatever reason, it suddenly felt OH-SO-REAL and OH-SO-PERFECT. (Well, besides the fact that the dress doesn’t actually FIT just yet) I jumped, I yelped, I laughed, I danced.

I slipped into the little cardigan I’d bought (in case it cools down too much in the evening for my strapless number), and the perma-smile on my face could not have stretched further. This was it. This is what I’m going to wear in 78 days to commit myself, fully & whole-heartedly, to the man I love more then I’d ever imagined possible to love.

I can’t flipping wait.

Matt snapped these photos last night, the dress is a secret, but I need to break in the shoes

When I heard that the adorable TEENSY TINY post office in Bridal Veil Oregon still hand cancels their mail I knew we would make the special trip out for our invites. To celebrate finishing the invite assembly, Matt and I planned a day trip to Mt.Hood Meadows before the end of the season. We woke up early on a beautiful foggy morning, pulled on our ski gear, and drove up 84 to the Historic Hwy exit. There on the right hand side, you can’t miss it, is the most adorable little USPS you may ever see.

You can choose from two wedding invite hand stamp themes (& of course they’ve got all the wedding stamps too!) We went with the cake stamps and the dove cancel.

The best part was the lady who worked there. She couldn’t have been any more friendly. It was such a pleasant experience. We left over-the-moon excited about the invitations, each other, and the WHOLE WORLD for that matter! What a wonderful day.

Matt snapped this last shot on the way up the mountain through the Columbia River Gorge. It reminds us that some days are just … perfect.

The theme to our wedding is PLAYFUL, so I wanted to create an invite that was both heart-warming and fun, while still being affordable. My solution was a wheel chart. What’s more FUN then a wheel chart?!

The top circle invites our guests to the wedding, while the bottom circle contains all of the information. There are two corresponding windows to show event details, that change as you spin the circle behind. I decorated the invite with a quick sketch of the treehouse we’ll be staying in for the weekend at our wedding (complete with our names carved into the tree, as per a friend’s brill suggestion!)

D.I.Y. Wheel Chart Invites

You will need:
Your invite graphics (two circles) printed to cardstock
Circle cutter (I used a compass style)
Cutting Board
Hammer
Snaps & Setter
Pencil
(optional: regular x-acto knife & scissors)

1.) Create the graphic of your invite on the computer as two circles the same size and be sure your windows match up to the information behind. I made both circles on the same layout as layers to be able to check this, but I’m sure many methods would work. TIP: be sure to make a small dot in the center of both circles, this will make placing the snap much easier!

2.) Print a mock-up on your home printer to be sure your design functions the way you’d like. This also prime time to have someone else go over all the text to be sure you haven’t missed anything or made any typos.

3.) Have your invites printed. I choose HIP Printing to keep things local in NW Portland. 150 invites cost me $37.50 & the guys there are SUPER friendly! I also used the spare space on the 8.5×11″ page to print up some cute little cards for other uses at the wedding with the same treehouse design & colors.

4.) Using your compass cutter & other tools, cut out the shapes and windows in your invites.

5.) Assemble the invite. I used the sharp end of my compass to make the center hole a bit bigger, and then pushed the tip of a pencil through until it was the desired size. Be sure to cut off some of the excess paper on the back. Then, place your snap through both pieces of paper. Turn it over and place it on your cutting mat. Hammer away using your setting tool, and TA-DAA! Invite! You did it! *high five*

I had never used snaps before, and I think I’m addicted to them now! They’re so neat & come in a HUGE variety of colors too. I scored mine locally at Paper Source on NW 23rd Avenue.

I recommend inviting over a few friendly girlfriends when it comes time to put them all together. It was a lot of fun, but a BIT more time intensive then I was anticipating, even with all the help. I also ordered some cute stickers online with the same design and colors to seal the envelopes. I hope they’re as fun for my guests to open as they were to make!

It’s 2011 folks. We communicate via text and keep in touch via Facebook. So, of course, we share our wedding details via website. (And then blog about it!)

When it came time to chose a place to build and host my website, I found a plethora of options. But many of the free sites just didn’t have the features or design quality I was seeking. So, after much research & a few trial runs, I finally settled comfortably into my new Wedsite account.

While I’m usually all game for FREE options, the website is the really the first impression of the celebration I’m planning and it’s worth a little extra to make it perfect. Also, I’m using the RSVP feature to keep count of all of my guests & their contact information & this alone saved me $$$ in RSVP cards/more postage/more paper waste.

Beyond that I love these other features:
– Custom Domain. We set our up with a custom domain, SmattWedding.com as Smatt has been our nickname since we fell for one another during the Brangelina era. (Sam + Matt = Smatt)

- Ability to add LOTS and LOTS of photos. I put up a folder of photos for each of our bridal party & families!

- Ability to add video. This was fun, especially on the page we share information with travelers.

- Extremely customizable and attractive templates.

- All the classic must-have features: poll, countdown, and guest book.

3 Events = 3 Great Excuses to Buy Adorable Dresses

Bachelorette Party:

I scored this hot number on sale at Express. Add on the bonus discount thanks to a girlfriend’s extra coupon & it was a killer deal. It’s a lightweight chiffon rouched color-block dress; sexy enough for an evening out with the girls, but still wearable for other future cocktail functions if I’m feeling particularly bold.

Rehearsal Dinner:

I went the ‘ol “fall in love with a high-end dress and then buy a knock-off from China” route here. *fingers crossed* it shows up and works out! After a lot of Wedding Bee Forum research, I decided to take the risk. Apparently, with the lack of reproduction copyright laws in China, it’s legal for them to make the exact same dress as someone else. So, when I fell in love with this fabulous Melissa Sweet designer garb, I found VogueBride on eBay. She offered the best price, the fastest turn around, and has near-perfect reviews. I also like the protection of eBay and Paypal as opposed to ordering directly via a random website. Not only is it being made in my size, but also in whatever color I want so I opted for a blue/teal color rather then the purple shown here.

Wedding:

After many trips to many bridal shops, meeting with a dress designer, and hours of browsing the interwebs I found a dress online that made my heart flutter. It’s wildly perfect: super fresh, fun to wear, and playful! But, I don’t want Matt to see it until the big d.a.y. so some things will have to remain behind the veil ’till August…

Matt and I had dated more then 5 years before the momentous night he plopped down on one knee, so the concept of marriage may been previously mentioned before… Ok, a FEW times! So, I suppose it was no secret that I had thought about the ring I would be expected to wear each and every day for the rest of my life.

I sent photos of my favorite rings to my favorite neighbor, hoping Matt would turn to her in his time of need. But, what he ended up doing was even BETTER!

He proposed with THIS:

A ridiculously rad placeholder ring from my friend Andrea’s adorable & affordable local accessories store Little Things! (18th and NW Lovejoy!)

He had narrowed it down to 3 “real ring” choices. My friends all had different opinions and he didn’t feel quite right about any of them. In the end, he figured who would know better then ME, and gave me a budget to help him find my ring. I’m so happy he did.

After a lot of research, browsing online and in shops with his mom and finally with Matt, we found our winner via a close friend in Orlando at Jewelry Plus. Jeweler Shawn knew I was on the hunt for an antique ring, and he understood my style. The second ring he e-mailed me was the winner, and I’ll never forget the moment Matt and I opened the package. We both said in unison “it’s… beautiful.” I was awe-struck and in love. I knew at once, THIS was MY ring.

It’s simple from afar, but the intricate details in the setting and delicate engravings down the sides are so gorgeous up close, like it’s sharing a secret you can only hear if you’re near. It’s originally from the 1940′s, and I can’t help but wonder about where it’s been and who enjoyed this ring before it found it’s way to me. I look forward to taking it on many more journeys for the years to come!